Bob Dylan this past week in Midland, TX. Hands down the worst show I've ever been to. Walked out part way through.
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Saw The Struts last night at a small 1000 person venue last night. They are a newish glam/pop band in the Queen mode. Incredible concert. Very tight playing, superb vocals. Totally engaged with the audience. Crowd in a frenzy all night. I was exhausted by the end....in a good way. If you have not heard of this band before and if you are sad that rock is dying a long slow death, check this band out. They will give you hope. YouTube them. You'll be glad you did. Tickets were $20 which, in a day when you buy $200 tickets to see has-beens phone it in, is very refreshing. Hard to tell where they're career will go. The opened for the Foo Fighters all last year and Dave Grohl said they were the best opening band they've ever had. Opened for the Stones in stadiums and a good many other big name bands. |
I saw a televised Van Morrison concert where he did Astral Weeks at the Hollywood Bowl. It was kind of sad. As mcslipp mentioned, you could tell it was Van Morrison singing but otherwise his singing was just a big muddy run-together jumble of words. I'm a huge Morrison fan but from what I've read he's not a particularly nice person, has a reputation for being unnecessarily petulant and a bit arrogant (he is Van the Man after all). He also has a history of stage fright. Hard to say but from what I've seen on TV and heard from live footage in recent years, I would not pay to go see him. I would contrast Van with Robert Plant, another one of my favorite singers. It has been a while since I saw Plant in concert but every time I have seen him you get the distinct impression that he is having the time of his life even in some podunk arena in South Carolina. Either he is having a great time and loves what he's doing OR he is a great actor. Either way, I respect that he makes the effort. Has Van lost his voice? That is possible and it does happen. Linda Ronstadt does not perform any more for that reason. Robert Plant admitted in a recent interview that he no longer has the range he used to have and so does not perform some of the more iconic Zep songs. |
Whatever his reasons for disliking Art Garfunkel, it's gotten very old over the years, and it is part one of the reasons that I don't hold much respect for him. I'm sure that with their close proximity for a number of years, there were plenty of reasons to be annoyed or worse, but in the end, the way a person can put those things away and move forward with a loving spirit is the way he's measured. It jus makes a lot of his songs ring false. |
I went to Paul Simon's last concert on Saturday. It was a disappointment. I had great hopes. It was a good concert but nothing special. He seemed happy to be finished, rather than celebrating. I thought there might be special guests but there weren't. He did Bridge Over Troubled Water and introduced it saying that he got his baby back (dissing Art Garfunkel). The crowd was stoned, pushy and unpleasant. It was filmed and probably will show up on PBS. At least you will be able to sit in a comfortable chair without people stepping on you. The review in the NY Times was similar to my opinion. |
Van Morrison - Last week. It was fun but strange as hell. Van came out spoke no words between songs, grinded out 15 songs back-to-back-to-back. Walked off stage halfway through the last song (G-L-O-R-I-A), lights went up and that was that. He still sounds like Van only he may well have just been mumbling "Chicken" all night... |
I recently saw the Rock Hill Symphony Orchestra play at the Rawlinson Road Middle School Auditorium. As pedestrian as that sounds it was remarkable in a number of ways: 1) It was the inaugural concert of our new local symphony which was created when many smaller orchestras are going under. And this in a small but rapidly growing, former mill city in South Carolina. It was sold out as is the rest of the 3 concert season. Expenses have been met by ticket sales and local benefactors. 2) The newly built Rawlinson Road Middle School auditorium has amazing acoustics! 3) The performance was really quite good. Which is not surprising since regional musicians are looking for work. We drew from the Charlotte and Atlanta region. There were no try-outs. The conductor (from New York) was able to hand pick. 4) My sister-in-law is on the board and my wife is on the advisory committee. This was truly a grass roots effort. 5) It now has the mayor and other large benefactors realizing that their tenuous plans to build a performing arts center is now not only do-able, but critical. Anyway, live, high quality classical performances by excellent musician in Rock Hill, SC. Who would have ever believed it? |
Just saw Yuko Mabuchi (again!), this time at the Vibrato Grill in Bel Air, California. With Yuko were her trio mates, Del Atkins (bass) and Bobby Breton (drums), as well as guest Robert Kyle (saxes and flute). They put together a polished, elegant set with controlled intensity and artful nuance. This playlist included jazz interpretations of three Antonio Carlos Jobim works and Yuko’s own Waves, all rendered beautifully. Yuko pounded the ivories with energy, skill, and creativity. A prodigy indeed. As before, Robert Kyle was a great complement to the trio. And the Vibrato was a lovely venue for the evening. |
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I can’t answer for djones51 but I agree with tonykay above, I just have not been motivated to see many live rock shows. I find the prices almost insultingly high, more so than opera tickets in many cases. The parking, unruly crowds, deafening sound levels (I have hearing loss, in part, due to rock shows) have just made it not worth it to me. Dylan is coming to town, thought I might bite on that one, but decent seats are $150 and up. No thanks. Having said all that there is a young British band called The Struts that are a throwback to British glam rock. Maybe a little heavy at times but really mostly pop. They open frequently for the Foo Fighters. Even in stadiums. They have developed a reputation for putting on a good show, their freshman CD is very good and very catchy. So when I heard they were coming to Asheville to small local venue (1000 seat max) I bought tickets. $20 general admission. This will be the first rock show I’ve been to since Black Crows/Robert Plant in 1990. It is on a Wednesday night. There may not be anyone there. I did not buy the $90 VIP pass to meet the band. I’ll hate myself if they get huge. As if. I’m worried my wife and I will be the oldest people there (55). I have no idea what to expect. I will be the one wearing ear plugs. |
Just enjoyed the Yuko Mabuchi Trio at the Brand Library in Glendale, California. Guest performers included Robert Kyle on sax and flute and Billy Mitchell on organ. Yuko is an animated pianist, quite mobile bouncing on the bench, and she likes to sing wordlessly with her playing. I found her jazz expressions of classics like Girl Talk and Blue Moon to be captivating, as well as her own composition Waves. Robert Kyle did an extraordinary job with brilliant sax solos as well as a lovely flute performance with Sukiyaki. His interpretations fit in perfectly with the essential character of each presentation, as if he had been with the group for years. Billy Mitchell’s accompaniment added an extra dimension to this evening’s session, very adroitly completing the soundscape and moving each song’s composition to a higher level. I’m looking forward to Yuko’s next Yarlung Records release, a live recording of her performing Miles Davis. If it is as good as her first Yarlung album, I’ll be happy to add it to my top shelf collection. |
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Hi boxer12 - I really liked Mayer’s guitar playing and singing. My friend who is a longtime Deadhead said Mayer plays "faster" than Jerry, like he is fitting in more notes. I’m more of a novice Dead fan than you or my friend, but in my opinion John can really jam and improvise. Here’s a high quality Nugs clip of Hell in a Bucket from the concert I attended (you have to fast forward for 8:37 minutes to get to the beginning of the song; and then John begins to jam around 15:30): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZJY71fWHM4 |
+1 on moe. I saw them a couple of weeks ago, what a great live band! I learned later that the bass player recently had cancer treatment, which makes the 3.5 hour show that they played even more impressive. I went to Dead and Company the next day. I really enjoyed that show too. I also saw Robert Plant and Neil Young at the Arroyo Seco festival last month, in the pit up close to the stage. I especially enjoyed Neil Young's nearly 20 minute versions of Like an Inca and Cortez the Killer. Next up is Drive by Truckers and Tedeschi Trucks at Red Rocks. |
Stephen Stills and Judy Collins last Saturday on Staten Island. Judy can still carry a tune at 79, but Stills lost his years back. Some of the song selections were questionable. They opened up with a Traveling Wilbury's song and later a Tom Petty song. Stills stated he likes playing other peoples songs? Overall it was ok. |
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Foreigner @ SPAC last Saturday the 16th. My expectation was sort of middle ground. I expected a good to very good show. I would say they were Very good to Excellent. Very enjoyable show. Earlier that same week, I made it to MSG (my 1st time) to see Def Leppard and Journey, who opened. The sound for Journey was so horrendous I can’t begin to grade the performance. So compressed and loud it was painful. The Def Leppard sound guy must have turned a knob the right direction, because it became listenable. But still not good sound by any stretch. It was good enough to enjoy DL, but what a shame the sound was so bad. |
I too saw the LSD tour is Kansas City at the Starlight Theater. Great venue, great show, My fav was Steve, I have been to Steve Earl and Lucinda Williams shows several times each. First time for Dwight, very enjoyable, an interesting sound he goes for on his acoustic six string. Can't say I didn't like it but very strident to my ears. |
LSD Tour 2018 Lucinda Williams Steve Earle Dwight Yoakam At Riverbend Music Center - Cincinnati, Ohio 6/2/2018 Awesome show. Steve Earle was great, ending with a brilliant cover of "Hey Joe". Lucinda Williams was the best I’ve seen her in 10 years. Really inspired. Seemed to be enjoying life again. Dwight Yoakam was really good. Very professional band. Tight. Great song selection. My first time seeing Dwight (I’ve seen Lucinda and Steve many times) and I would go see him again. |