True to form, I am about 10 steps behind the rest of the world and have only just now created my own blog account. For 2007, I've decided to ditch the MySpace blog and post here for posterity. (Plus, it's a wicked pissah how Big Brother blocks me from MySpace while at work.)
If you're really really bored and don't feel like watching paint dry, you can dig through my former Gigoblog on MySpace for gigs I caught from the end of 2005 through all of 2006.
In the meanwhile, here are a few of my favorite concert pics that I took in 2006:
Amituofo.
(Note 4/1/07 -- I am slowly moving my posts over from MySpace to Blogger.)
Gotta keep this short cos I should have been in bed an hour ago, but called up Tina and caught up with her for a bit.
Tonight Bharat and I made it to the Beacon just barely to catch Damien Rice in concert for the second time in less than a month. In November, we were lucky to see him at the intimate Hiro Ballroom show. Today we had awesome seats -- 6th row center, baby! -- but the increased size in venue seemed to equate an increased number of assholes. We sat in Row B, in front of Row C, which must have stood for chatterboxes. On the left behind us was the woman who insisted on talking, not whispering, through entire songs, pausing only to call out for the one song she knew -- "the Blower's Daughter", and to the right behind us were the gabby fans who kept screaming "Lisa" for the band's angel-voiced chanteuse despite a lack of response. Lovely.
Anyway, we obviously prefered the November gig, but the non-acoustic billing allowed for additional, heartier songs to be played. Whereas for the Hiro gig, Damien and Co. were playing for a small room and seemed to be winging it to a certain degree (and amusing themselves in the process), the Beacon gig was more polished and proved to be more of a performance. In particular, I, along the rest of the audience was captivated by his off-mike, solo on acoustic guitar rendition of "Cannonball." Simply stunning.
At numerous times, Damien did display that he does have the Irish gift of gab. Here's the final song from the evening, "Cheers, Darlin'" performed with guest openers Glen Hansard (of the Frames) and friends:
Overall, it was a good concert, but it could not top the Hiro show. I'm ready to move onto the next sensation.
Ryan Adams started off the evening with a bang. He shut up some of the would be screamers immediately by opening with "Come Pick Me Up" maybe hoping they'd have nothing else to yell.
But he seemed to be in a stink of a mood. Nowhere to be found was the Ryan of Night 1, perhaps his strongest. The Ryan who was bantering on about his love of "Friends" and Diet Coke. Or even the edgy Ryan of Night 2 who struck up conversations with audience members and rambled on about Dr. Who. Nope. Tonight he seemed grouchy at the audience's every request, and tried his best to appease them by whipping out the hits.
One looking at the setlist tonight might think it was amazing, especially after two nights which were heavy on 2005 in the shape of songs from Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights. I mean, Ryan managed to pull a bunch off of Heartbreaker, Gold, Demolition and even the somewhat underappreciated Rock 'N Roll:
Come Pick Me Up When the Stars Go Blue Oh My Sweet Carolina Love is Hell This is It Afraid Not Scared La Cienga Just Smiled **Break** Hallelujah Wish You Were Here Judy Garland Blue Sky Blues Games Winding Wheel Willow Jane 29 The Rescue Blues
For someone who was somewhat complaining about the 11pm curfew Town Hall imposes on its performers, he shocked the hell out of the audience tonight by dashing off quickly without so much of a round of applause by 10:35. Yup, that's it, folks.
To his credit, the songs he did play were inspired and stunning. I just wish...there...was...more.... Any other performer, we would have been satisfied with 75 minutes of mostly older hits, but I guess we all had expectations going into this final night, and the thing is, we know Ryan is capable of greatness. Disappointed not because we felt he owed us in anyway. Rather, we know he can be so much more. And we feel let down...
Oh, Ryan Adams...sobriety's a bitch, ain't it? Maybe he oughta talk to Chan Marshall, who has managed to keep her shit together quite nicely throughout her recent newfound lucidity. When I saw her 6 months ago at the very same venue, we all wondered if she'd unleash her manic self, but she surprised us all with a glowing performance. Ryan, on the other hand, is still fighting something, and unfortunately it landed tonight with a thud.
Here's his beautiful "My Winding Wheel":
Overall, seeing all three nights, I can't complain. Not one single repeat. We heard some amazing alternate arrangements of songs which prove why live music is essential, and some of the harmonies, especially for "Cold Roses" made the hairs on my arms stand up. I hardly ever see a band more than once on a tour, let alone more than one night in a row. I'm still convinced that the man is a genius and has the potential to move us, but he obviously has much internal struggle that hopefully won't keep him away from his A-game for too long.
Coincidentally, sat next to Matt from The Music Slut, who had something to say about this evening as well.
Went again with Bharat to see Ryan Adams & the Cardinals for night two of his three night stand. Tonight I managed to catch the opener, the Little Willies, featuring none other than Norah Jones. They were lovely. Not earthshaking, but lovely. Played for about 1/2 an hour -- a short set of originals and covers. Here's one called "It's Not You, It's Me":
Ryan & Co. came on at about 9:10, a little bit later, and played just short of 11pm. He was this time decked out in a Black Sabbath t-shirt and similar platform boots, just not so shiny and sparkly this time. I'm beginning to think he has some kind of height complex.
He was again talkative, but the direction the music took tonight varied from last night's set. They focused on longer jammier songs, thereby playing fewer songs tonight. Again, he played alternate arrangements of familiar songs, which is why we see live music, right?
So check this out, here's a copy of the setlist given to me by the soundboard dude:
And here's the actual setlist played by the guys:
What Sin Replaces Love? Nobody Girl Harder Now That It's Over September Meadowlake Street Freeway to the Canyon (Neal Casal's song) Trouble on Wheels
-set break-
Easy Plateau Firecracker Goodnight Rose Trains Cherry Lane Dear John (w/ Nora Jones) Stella Blue
So, you can see there was the potential for awesomeness (oh, what could have been!), but perhaps that will be during Night 3?!?!?
Here's the duet "Dear John" from the 2005 album Jacksonville City Nights that he recorded with Norah Jones. Good thing she was there tonight to sing it with him!
Here's an old favorite, "Firecracker":
Overall, I've felt satisfied with the setlists for the last two nights. He hasn't knocked me outta my socks yet, but it's been good. I'm hoping Night 3 really tears it up!!!
Here's a link to all my YouTube videos for tonight.
Gonna keep this short, cos I really ought to be in bed!
Tonight, with Wawa and Bharat, caught Ryan Adams & the Cardinals for the first of three nights at Town Hall. And yes, I'm going to all three nights. Even missing Kung Fu on Tuesday for him. Why? Cos he stated in his blog that he'd be playing three completely unique setlists. That means no repeats. Ridic.
Ryan was his usual wacky self in between songs. My favorite gem of the evening: "You can take away the booze, but you can't take away the crazy." He made beautiful music for two hours tonight, oftentimes sounding like Ryan Adams covering Ryan Adams. He closed out the evening with a full-on electrified version of "I See Monsters" that Wawa compared to Oasis' "Champagne Supernova." Hmmm...maybe that cover of "Wonderwall" from his EP, Love Is Hell, Pt. 1, was no accident.
Here's a clip of him playing a yet to be released cut titled "Blue Hotel":
The setlist:
Magnolia Mountain Please Do Not Let Me Go Dear Chicago Peaceful Valley Mockingbirdsong Tears of Gold Nightbirds Cold Roses New York, New York Arkham Asylum -break while Ryan talks- Kiss Before I Go Let it Ride (false start) Let it Ride Bartering Lines To Be Young... Blue Hotel Beautiful Sorta The End Egyptology Wharf Rat Expressway to Yr Skull Shakedown on 9th Street I See Monsters
It was not his most challenging setlist -- I think I've seen him perform the Dead's "Wharf Rat" a few too many times now -- but if he stays true to his promise of no repeats, then who knows what else he'll pull out of his ass...
You can check out my YouTube for other videos I shot.
Okay...now to sleep, so I can get psyched up for Night 2!
Tonight, solo-ed it to see Bob Dylan play the wonderfully small venue, City Center, which seats less than 2,800 people. Last week, I randomly checked their website, and lo and behold, a very good seat, 3rd row center of the first level above the orchestra, popped up, so it was just too good to pass on. Everyone I knew balked at the price, so I had to pay for the privilege of catching Bob all by my lonesome. It was okay, tho -- I had a better seat than David Fricke or Sarah Vowell!
There was no opener (no Racs, boo!); Dylan started at about 8:05. He played non-stop, with a short 5 minute break before the encore, no banter except to introduce the band during the encore, and then finished at 9:55. And I walked in my door at home by 10:35, so I was happy!
Tonight he focused on his well-received latest effort, Modern Times, playing 7 out of 10 tracks on the album. He played a handful of classics too, including my favs "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and "Highway 61 Revisited," and even a couple from his last album, Love And Theft.
The funny thing about Bob Dylan's singing (if you wanna call it that) nowadays is that even for the classic songs, sometimes it takes half a second to figure out what he's singing (or growling) because he sounds so different from when he was younger. But I guess it's different in a good way -- yeah, we love hearing him play the old shit, but his grizzled croaky voice gives everything a new spin. And you can't go into a Dylan show hoping he'll play certain songs because he's so damn prolific. Just sit back and enjoy the genius, ya know?
Dylan closed out the evening with the standard "Like A Rolling Stone":
(Sorry for how shaky the video is -- I need to smuggle in a tripod too!)
Here's the setlist from the show:
The Levee's Gonna Break Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power) Rollin' And Tumblin' Boots Of Spanish Leather High Water (For Charley Patton) When The Deal Goes Down It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) Don't Think Twice, It's All Right Tangled Up In Blue Spirit On The Water Highway 61 Revisited Nettie Moore Summer Days
Tonight, went to the Bowery Ballroom with Wawa to catch Modest Mouse on the 4th night of their five gig stand in New York this week. We saw MM over two years ago at the Hammerstein Ballroom in the midst of their Good News for People Who Love Bad News tour, and maybe it was cos we were stuck in the back of the floor, but they were a little less than compelling. I was soooo excited to see them based on their albums, but I was let down.
I knew this time would be a no-brainer to check them out. (A) they were playing Bowery Ballroom, which makes anyone look better, and (B) news had surfaced that Johnny Marr of Smiths fame had recorded with them for their upcoming release. Then when it became apparent that he would actually be touring with them too, it was like Oh. My. God...
JOHNNY FUCKIN' MARR!
I figured that worse come to worst, if MM sucked, I could close my eyes and at least focus on selectively hearing Johnny Fuckin' Marr. But, to my delight, Isaac Brock & Co. brought it this time.
For about an hour and forty minutes, they went non-stop through an energetic set of favorites and a few new ones. Isaac and Johnny shared guitar duties, often seeming to egg each other on in terms of intensity from either side of the stage. It was heavenly!
Oh, and I think Gawker hit it right on the button when they came up with their Taxonomy of an Indie Rock Show. I was near all those people and I decided, (a) I am getting too old for moshing (at a Modest Mouse concert, no less), and (b) I really hate idiot douchebag people.
It had been almost two and a half weeks since I saw a concert. During that time, I went to Puerto Rico and have been helping build the new Kung Fu temple (I learned how to lay sheet rock!), but gosh, I felt like I've been in withdrawal!
Tonight headed after work with Bharat to check out Damien Rice at my favorite cool venue, the Hiro Ballroom. Now, I haven't gotten into Damien like the rest of the world has. Loved that "Blower's Daughter" song when it was used for the movie "Closer." But, for whatever reason, I couldn't get behind the mope.
Damien is a gifted singer and songwriter and tonight I had the luck and privilege to sit in the second row for this intimate gig. His voice was so beautiful, and he was supported by a talented band, including Lisa Hannigan, whose voice complimented Damien's so well, and Vivienne Long, whose cello helped augment the emotion that Damien thrusts into his songs.
For nearly two hours, Damien and Co. led us through a good mix of the two albums, "O" and "9." They looked like they were having tons of fun, especially when they did a goofy version of "Cheers, Darlin'" supplemented by red wine. I sure had a lot of fun watching them.
I'm glad I got to experience Damien Rice live in such a small venue. I think I might just have to check him out in a month when he plays at the Beacon...
Here's a pretty song -- "Delicate" -- from his first album:
Ow, my knee hurts. Having trouble walking. Hyperextending it a bit in Kung Fu on Saturday and then bouncing on it at a Presets/Rapture show was not a good idea. Oops!
Anyway, the Presets rock. They're a two man band -- the singer on synthesizers, and the non-singer mainly on drums but also alternating with synthesizers. They made no secret of their influences, using samples and sounds from the likes of Pet Shop Boys, Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, etc. The singer sounded a bit like the dude from Dead Or Alive while channeling some Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters in stage presence. Well, and he was clothed, so that was a little different. They were perfect to get the crowd going.
Next up was the headliner -- The Rapture. They too are a fun dance music band, but they did not rely on synthesizers nearly as much. For me, they mainly channeled Gang of Four. All in all, a good time. The crowd up front loved it.
I'm psyched I went to Taco Bell around the corner before the show. I'm going to Puerto Rico in a few days where I'll be wearing a bikini while lying on a beach, revealing my white belly for the world to see, and I'm still eating Taco Bell. What the hell is wrong with me?
Last night headed to the Lower East Side to The Delancey to catch kung fu classmate John's band aka The John Sid Band. I hadn't seen John, Corey (on drums) and Matt (on bass) since May, so it was nice to catch up with them finally. They played a set of songs I hadn't heard previously, focusing on a harder rock sound that reminded me of Soundgarden, Alice in Chains -- basically a heavier edge. Check it out!
So the kids like the Kooks. I don't know how but I ended up front center amongst the young'uns, and now my shoulders are all sore. I went for the hype -- $13 was not a big amount to dish, and I was entertained. They whipped through a dozen or so songs in 45 minutes, the crowd surged back and forth, and I was happy to hop in a cab by 10:30pm afterwards. I guess the kids had to make curfew or something. The Kooks had loads of chi -- but one would hope so for a band whose ages averaged 20 years. Lordy, I felt old!
Anyway, here are the goods:
Notice how Max the bassist and Hugh the lead guitarist wear CBGB shirts. I wonder if they stopped by the souvenir shop before heading down Bowery. It's as if they wanted to say, "Why, yes, we are rock 'n roll."
The opener, Small Sins, was a bit disappointing. I listened a few of their tunes on their website and thought they'd sound more like Postal Service, but they ended up sounding quite pedestrian. I did like their guitarist's belt buckle, however:
Last night returned to the Loew's Theater in Jersey City (the first time being for Yo La Tengo less than a month ago). This time met up with Shana and Andrea, and it was particularly exciting. Why? Cos my ticket karma resulted in three front row seats in the orchestra! Yeah, baby!
We heard the opening chords of "Loser" and got up on our feet. The band wasn't on stage yet, however. There was a mini stage set up at the rear of the actual stage, with marionette puppets that looked like each member of the band, down to the exact outfits. Kinda hokey, but fun in that "Being John Malkovich" kind of way. They projected what the puppets were mimicking onto a large screen at the rear of the main stage so that the audience far back had something to see, I guess. Okay, that's enough about the puppets.
Beck was particularly efficient, taking little time in between songs, and diving one song into the next. He focused on the new album, The Information, but pulled out a few from the catalogue, including a favorite of mine, "Tropicalia" from the underappreciated Mutations:
The band got us on our feet dancing and the music was good, but I don't think it really grabbed us until what I call the salad interlude. A table with food and serving implements was set up on stage, and the band sat and had a bite while Beck played solo next to them on acoustic guitar. We were so close that Shana commented she could smell the salad! Beck took us through a few tunes, including a beautiful version of "Debra":
He next played "Golden Age" from Sea Change and then dove into "Clap Hands" from the new album. At that point the crew was done with their meal, so they joined in the song, creating percussion using the plates, glasses, silverware and other items on the table. Brilliant!
Beck really put an effort into making the show more than a mere performance. With the puppets and the Stomp-esque musical interlude, that would have been plenty. While the band took a break off stage, they played a short clip on the screen of the Puppets running around Jersey City. Hysterical. And, after the intermission, we got two bears running around stage singing "1000 BPM"!
For the encore Beck pulled the old favorite "Where It's At" which got the crowd back on its feet. Then for the last song, the puppet broke free of the mini stage and joined their counterparts.
Aside from the fact that we sat front row(!), I have to say, Beck puts on a mighty fun show, his Scientologist leanings notwithstanding. I will sit front row for him any old time!
PS -- The one bad thing about front row was that one of Beck's stage people was a total Nazi about photos, even hassling some guy for taking cell phone pics. So I consider it a great victory that I was able to shoot anything, especially the videos of the songs with assistance from Shana who leaned forward. :-)
(Sorry in advance if this entry is a little all over the place...I am still reeling from the experience...so many thoughts/emotions...impossible to get them all down...and I'm still sick, dammit!)
I got a bad head cold Thursday night. Friday and Saturday were a blur. I even had to postpone my kung fu testing. I had to miss my friend John's Band Saturday night. But I was damned if I was gonna miss the LAST. SHOW. EVER. at the world famous CBGB's. Granted, it is a shitty venue, blah blah blah, but what made me determined to be there was la Grande Dame herself, Patti Smith, would be performing. After all, she is the raison-d'etre for this Gigoblog. She is my Entry Numero Uno. So leading up to Sunday night, I downed a steady diet of Theraflu, chicken soup, green tea, hot water with lemon, ginger and honey, and a box of dark chocolate Raisinets (and those were damn good).
The line wrapped around the block. Wawa and I got into line shortly before 8pm, and we didn't set foot in the club until about 9:35. We did get our obligatory David Fricke sighting, however, as Fricke made his way past us to get in line. By the time we got in, the place was already packed to the gills (who knows how the people behind us fit in!). We were annoyed to hear Patti already playing, but luckily she was only about a song or two deep into the more acoustic/spoken portion of the evening.
Because Wawa was hurting from the Atlantic City/Wedding weekend extravaganza, I left him behind to hang with Little Stevie Van Zandt a/k/a Silvio Dante, while I wove my way forward. Now, I dunno if you've ever been to the shithole that was CBGB. It is long and narrow, and not conducive to maneuvering. I dunno if I had a head cold, or if I was just sick in the head, but I was gonna see Patti, dammit, and not be stuck with the talkers in the back. As people constantly shifted in the crowd, I managed to roll my way all the way front within five feet of the stage. Sweet!
The opening acoustic portion definitely felt lower energy. People were restless and still figuring out positioning, so people were cranky and talked over the music. Patti and her usual crew -- Lenny Kaye on guitar, Jay Dee Daugherty on drums, and Tony Shanahan -- played an unusual mix of songs, some of Patti's, and several covers of bands that have graced CB's stage in the past, including "Marquee Moon" (with Richard Lloyd of Television), "Pale Blue Eyes," and "The Tide is High." And, as I predicted, Flea joined the band on bass.
After a 20 minute break, the band came back on stage and they picked up the beat. They opened up with the dub beat of "Redondo Beach" and dipped heavily into Horses for the remainder of the evening. I particularly was thrilled by "Free Money" (and maybe I don't know how to use YouTube correctly yet, but it turned the resolution of my video to shit):
They did a rousing version of "Horses" with a few "Hey, Ho, Let's go!"s mixed in with G-L-O-R-I-A! Glorrrrrrriiaaaaa!
Patti was loose and funny, alternating between telling tons of anecdotes and tearing up the stage. Numerous times she had to put on glasses to read papers with lyrics she didn't know, sometimes even for her own stuff. How meta (is that the word I want?) it was seeing her read a book of her own words with a picture of her younger self on the cover. I gotta say it again -- for someone who's nearly sixty, she's got the chi. She's got more chi than most people I know. I cannot begin to explain how deeply I am in awe of her.
I guess because this was a tribute to the great history of CBGB, Patti Smith and her crew not only shredded their songs but kicked it up for the other great bands of rock 'n roll. They knocked out "Gimme Shelter" by the Stones, did a Ramones medley while Patti took a bathroom break (yes, she announced that and I hope Sirius satellite radio picked that up), and what's become a standard for them now, the Who's "My Generation" (again, apologies for the shitty resolution):
At midnight, we sang Happy Birthday to Flea! :)
To end the night, perhaps most appropriately, the band closed with "Elegie" from Horses, during which Patti read a list of those who had passed. I dunno if it was the names that she was reading, or the fact that CB's was shutting down, or a little bit of both, but she teared up, that strong, tough woman warrior:
The night was long and uneven. Maybe people were hoping for a little more surprise guest fanfare. I was squashed amongst more people than I would normally care for (including this one ape who insisted on pogoing with his elbow inches from my head), but the night was magic, man! It was so magic, that for the 3-1/2 hours I was in CBGB, I didn't have to blow my nose once. My head, my body fed off of the energy of Patti, the crowd, the nostalgia, the history of it all. So fuckin' happy I went. Especially cos I got this awesome shot of a smiling, happy Patti, so unlike the scowling punk goddess we typically see:
Went the other night with Wawa to catch Badly Drawn Boy at the Hiro Ballroom, a very cool funky space for gigs. The only other time I had been there was for Gomez earlier this year. This time there were no seats, but it was okay, cos I was able to park myself on the speakers on the side of the stage for a perfect view.
I fell in love with BDB's debut album, The Hour of Bewilderbeast, something I picked up while in agony studying for the Bar Exam. It resonated with me then, and I still listen to it on occasion. I was excited for Damon Gough when he landed the soundtrack to "About A Boy." But then, inexplicably, I lost touch with the music of BDB. I dunno why.
So when the opportunity came to see Damon & Co. at such a great venue, I jumped at it. I realized that I wouldn't know most of the songs, other than the ones from Bewilderbeast etched in my mind. So I went in with little expectation, other than Wawa's warning that we could be in for a marathon here.
Damon has a curious stage persona. It could be him all the time 24/7, but who knows. He's quite churlish (there's a vocab word for you, Bharat!), exclaiming that he's the best singersongwriter to have come out of England. He wears a dumb knit cap. He bashed on Coldplay, Bono, James Blunt. He acted a little annoyed if we didn't whoop it up enough for him.
But then there were the hilarious moments -- he made no secret of his affinity for Bruce Springsteen, wearing a t-shirt that said "Born to Run" and playing a rousing a capella/acoustic version of "Thunder Road" and bits of "Prove It All Night." He also dabbled in a bit of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" and Madonna's "Like A Virgin." As Wawa commented, "he basically made a mockery of [Wawa's] entire iPod."
When BDB played his own material, there were brilliant moments. He rocked out with a full band for most songs, and included an acoustic interlude. He also grabbed the mic sans guitar and danced with a girl in the audience. He played the keyboard. He dabbled on the xylophone right in front of me.
He played for less than 2 hours, making all of us quite happy. I'm getting old, ya know! Anyway, despite only knowing a handful of songs, I was delighted to see him, finally.
These great pics are courtesy of my new camera, a Canon SD700. Thanks to my dear bro for giving his sis such a nice birthday present.
Also ran into Matt of the Music Slut, who gave his cute review here.
Added 10/15: Here's a partial clip I took of BDB covering "Thunder Road":
And here's a clip of BDB singing "Everybody's Stalking":
