A husband-and-wife classical piano four hands duo at Hilo College Music Auditorium in Hilo HI, a couple days ago. They sat at a well-used, battleship-sized Steinway. The hall was only about a quarter full, and me and the wife had tenth-row seats a bit to the right on the soundboard side. The sound was very midrangey compared to the sound I get when I sit at my century-old Mason-Hamlin upright but still convincingly beautiful. Naturally, the duo were so much better than me it was a sick joke. The Schubert, especially, was a full-on treat.
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My daughter and son-in-law invited me to go to see a show tonight. It was Emerson Hart of Tonic, Vertical Horizon, & Sister Hazel & The BB&T Ballpark in Winston-Salem. Emerson played a solo acoustic show that I really enjoyed. He has a great voice. VH wasn't my favorite type of music. I was really impressed with SH though. They did great covers of "Even the Losers" & "Hotel California". |
I saw David Crosby last night in Portland (OR) at the Aladdin Theater, an old venue with about 600 seats. He was in great form, had a killer band, and there was great interplay with the audience. Go see him if you're a fan of his music and have any opportunity to do so. He's still fired up about music and about making the world a better place. |
Took my wife to see Aerosmith at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic city this past Sunday. We were about 6' from the stage and it was only 3000 people at the show. This was my 6th time seeing them since 1975 and this was one of the better shows. The music sounded pretty good, and the stage show for a bunch of late 60 to early 70 year old men on stage playing and singing was pretty energetic. I only enjoyed the songs from the 1st 2 albums, but the rest was pretty good. They performed 2 old blues songs that finally showed me that Joe Perry could actually play a mean guitar. It was well worth spending an evening listening to them. |
The Alarm - Sigma Tour w/ Modern English and Gene Love Jezebel - Last night - 8/15/2019 at The Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI. Fantastic show! Gene Love Jezebel was kinda mediocre. I was really surprised how much I liked Modern English. They are a much harder rockin' band than I was expecting. Really solid. And The Alarm was absolutely fantastic. I've seen The Alarm a couple of times before, but this was the best I've ever seen them. Honestly, as good as any band I've seen in the last 10 years or so. Go see The Alarm if they are near your town. Really fantastic stuff.... |
@slaw - Glad you made it to the Courtney Barnett show. I missed her the night before, here in Cincinnati, because I was on vacation. But I did catch her last year at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. Great show! Proof that rock and roll is definitely not dead...... @big_greg - Full "Car Wheels". What a treat! I saw Lucinda last summer on the LSD Tour and she was the best I've seen her in a long, long time. She seems to have gotten out of the funk she was in for a few years. Question: Did she have a stand with her lyrics on the stage in front of her? I saw her in 2016 and 2017 and she relied on her lyrics book quite a bit. When I saw her last year, I don't think she even looked at it. A good sign that she is in a better place than she was a few years ago...... |
Lucinda Williams last Sunday and "Jeff Lynn's" ELO last night. Saw Lucinda at Woodland Park Zoo's Zoo Tunes and ELO at the Tacoma Dome. Lucinda played Car Wheels in its entirety and spent a lot of time talking about the stories and inspirations behind the songs which added weight to the performances and gave it an intimate feel. ELO was really tight, the sound was great (for that venue) and the stage and light show was spectacular. |
Yuko Mabuchi performed at her exuberant return to the Vibrato Grill in Bel Air last night, billed as a celebration of the release of her paean to Miles Davis. I thoroughly enjoyed the first set, which included Miles’ So What as well as her inspired conception of Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely.
Yuko’s creative stylings bridged bebop to a contemporary flair in her own high energy impressions. She was ably accompanied by her trio mates Del Atkins (bass) and Bobby Breton (drums) with guest JJ Kirkpatrick on the trumpet. The group laid out extended versions of some of the songs on her CD, taking the opportunity to air the full detail of their inspired interpretations without any time constraint.
The Vibrato is a lovely venue. Entering from the bright sun-lit Bel Air hillside, its blackout entry was a complete contrast that forced me to pause while my eyes adjusted. Further in, the darkness was a frame to brilliant colors decorating the stage in an expansive two storey dining room. A perfect setting for an evening of enchanting music. |
Just got back from enjoying John Legend at the Hollywood Bowl this evening. I was impressed with the way the venue was melded into the specific topography of its site. And the sound system was more than up to the task of filling the small valley with loudness. What a consummate performer! John delivered 23 songs perfectly, many that I knew and a few that were new to me. I particularly liked his polished delivery of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Goin’ On, followed by a deeply heartfelt Ordinary People. Later, a very sentimental version of All of Me brought back poignant memories. The concert ended with a fabulous fireworks display that capped a delightful evening. |
Saw JD McPherson Saturday night. The Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC is a dive....which was perfect. Small concert hall. Maybe 300 people and packed pretty tight. There was a taqueria and a large outdoor patio area where you could go if you wanted to. We hung out in the patio area before the show and had a beer. The show was great. We were about 5 rows back. Standing room only. The stage was only about 2 feet high so we were right there with the band. JD's Fender is about the coolest looking guitar I've ever seen: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f9/f0/1b/f9f01b1558ea00b77a445d8d59cdca15.jpg JD's bass player plays both electric and standup bass. It was loads of fun watching him play the standup in those fast paced songs. The band played well and interacted with the audience. We had a blast. Only criticism is that the show was a little short, not quite an hour and a half. There were two or three other songs that I (and the audience) kind of expected him to do but he didn't. Not a big deal but it would have made for a 'five star' show if they had. It does not seem like this band tours a whole lot. At least not as relentlessly as some. But they are older than some young bands. JD is 42 and has a family. Anyway, I was impressed and would see them again in a heartbeat. If he comes anywhere close to you, do yourself a favor and go. |
@slaw : It is weird. At one venue there was an additional $1 fee for $20 tickets to the Struts. In Charlotte that fee was more like $10 then in Charleston it was like $5. All for the same band in equally small venues. I can live with a fee or two but when the 'fee' starts to get close to the cost of the ticket I'm like you and ready to tell them to go...... @toddnkaya : In the three small venues I've been in lately it hasn't made a whole lot of difference where you stood. The joint we're going to see JD McPherson in is so small and has low ceilings so it seems like a place where the 'intimacy' of the show is more important than the sound. We'll see. If it isn't overly packed we can move around. |
@toddnkaya , "Many concert are so stupidly expensive !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I’ve been wanting to see Gov’t Mule. They will be 10 minutes from my house at a small outdoor theatre…...my kind of venue. Lawn seats $17.00. Good so far. Then Ticketmaster takes over. In the end that $17.00 ticket turns into $40.00 not counting parking. On top of that, they don't email tickets or have Will Call. One has to have a smartphone (which I don't) or pay very high shipping. I refuse to pay that. Glad I have a great sounding stereo. |
Looking forward to seeing JD McPherson at the Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC on Saturday. It looks like a biker joint from the outside. Concert hall is small....good in my opinion. Voted a top 25 venue by touring musicians (who?) but as a top ten must see venue in the southeast by Garden and Gun. We'll see. Just hope it is a good show and that we can get close to the stage. Will post experience after show. |
@toddnkaya : That's why I'm enjoying small venue acts so much now. I saw the Struts again last night. Drove down to Charleston, which is a super fun place anyway. Tickets were $25 and we were maybe 8 rows from the stage. Stayed in a nice hotel for less than $300. That less than what you pay for two tickets with big acts in big venues....and as you say, that's not the good seats. It was another great show but sort of strange this time. The last two shows they played for close to two hours. Last night they played for about an hour and 15 minutes and left out their signature closing song. They still put on a good show and everything seemed to be okay. Crowd super into the show. But, at one point the lead singer, Luke Spiller, said "I'm a wreck tonight" and my wife thought his voice was off a little so maybe he was starting to lose his voice. I know that this was the third of 4 shows in a row they were playing. I'd go see them again tomorrow if they came close by. Such a blast. |
I saw Bryan Adams in the early 80's when he was getting started. He rocked pretty hard back then. Good opener for Foreigner and Lover Boy. Last night I went to see The Struts again. In Charlotte this time. And once again it was a great show. Crowd is fully engaged for the full 2 hours. Great songs. Great execution. Great showmanship. If you like good old fashioned 70-80's rock (think Queen) then you should seek this band out and see them live. Their recordings are good but the live show is among the best I've seen. But you need to know the lyrics....there is a lot of crowd participation. Unfortunately my right ear plug must not have been in all the way and I've got loud(er) ringing and an echo sensation. Uncomfortable. Going to see them in Charleston tomorrow night. Will make sure ear plugs are well situated. In a few weeks I'm going to see JD McPherson in Asheville at a very small venue. It will be a big change from the Struts! Looking forward to that. If you have not heard of him look up his latest two albums. Talented musician with a very talented band. Sort of retro 50's style rock/ rock-a-billy. More down to earth and less swing than the Stray Cats. Haven't gone to rock shows in years but have discovered the small venue/newer artist scene and I'm loving it. |
Bryan Adams last night was worthy but for a number of reasons was not that great a night for myself. Firstly I probably have not listened to any of his music since Reckless. This was a tour for his new album which is not even released in the USA as he has no record deal here. I got the impression the crown was along the same lines as my thinking as when he played faves from the early days ( Summer of 69, These Times etc) it was happening. Newer stuff not so much. Not a bad night but best way to describe it would be it just did not move me and I never really got truly into the spirit. Probably more me than anything else but for $20? |