Musical Interludes #1

[Mini Mia]

A place to discuss concerts, bands, orchestras, etc. you went to see.

[Mini Mia]

I thought it might be nice to have these discussions all in one thread. Feel free to quote any such post and copy/paste here to continue the discussion.

May 10, 2012 6:16:48 GMT -6 scamp said:

I don't mean to hijack this thread....

I need live music to live. or Will drive far for live music.

Live music is one expensive addiction! But…but… generally, it’s worth it. Mostly. Or almost mostly.

Here’s a wrap on the last 3 concerts I’ve seen. Alison Krauss, a huge disappointment. I’ve seen her in other concerts where she equaled or exceeded the energy and intensity you can hear on her CDs. This last concert felt like day old confetti. Both Alison and her band seemed to be just going through the motions. No interaction with the audience. Perhaps the entire band was just having an off night. However, I think Alison should have used an opening act which would have given her something to play against. Really glad I went for the nosebleed seats.

Aretha Franklin. More than worth the almost 500 mile drive. I honestly would have been happy if Re Re had just sung three songs. Saw her at Eastern Kentucky University, a venue that seats 2,000. Minor quibbles: Re Re, like so many artists who don’t tour much and who didn’t make their names by touring, seems remarkably unwilling to bother with such niceties as designing a decent lighting scheme and, at least at this concert, relied on the venue’s sound engineer rather than bringing her own. I talked to the guy (mostly because I wanted a copy of the set list) and when I saw his soundboard, I was appalled: I had never seen such a limited board since my days hanging at coffee-shops. The d@mned thing only had 6 trim pots, which indicates how little control the sound engineer had. The result was that bass was consistently too predominant and there was too much spot on the guitar. Major quibble: the audience was there to hear an oldies show. In fact, on the audience review page, as part of a very negative review, someone had written that Re Re “just sang what she wanted to.” Huh? How many performers sing stuff they don’t want to? And, given that Re Re has a new CD out, why would anyone assume Re Re was going to limit herself to recycling nothing but her biggest hits? Personally, I thought the concert was brilliant. The band, complete with a full horn section was hot. The drummer was one of the finest R&B/jazz drummers I’ve ever heard. The pianist and tenor sax players were gems. It was the type of tight, graceful bands ReRe’s always toured with. As for Re Re herself, OMG!! Okay, she doesn’t have the same reach in her upper register as she once did but she still has the ability to sing notes others can only dream about. As far as I am concerned, Re Re was as vibrant, full-voiced, and in complete control of her dynamics as ever. She played the piano for three songs, a nice bonus. Aretha still has the chops and can still dazzle at the piano. I’d put her on my must see list for this tour.

As my incentive to grade far too many papers and exams, I caught Bonnie Raitt right after the New Orleans Jazz festival. I first heard Raitt when she was backing Sippy Wallace (like 30+ years ago). Bonnie has a solid voice, though not one generally associated with a blues singer. She’s a decent guitar player, though I personally wish she played less slide guitar. Pretty good band, guy on the Hammond B3 was killer, a real beast (LOL). Every aspect of her show was under control: lights, sound, song mix, band. I confess that Raitt isn’t in my top 10 or even 25 list of favorites. But she put on a really fine show. Nice mix of her older and brand new stuff. Bonnie was full of energy, had an easy going, humorous stage patter. Bonnie’s best moment was her rendition of “Angel From Montgomery.” It was nothing like her recorded version or any version, I’ve heard. She slowed it way down and it was spectacular. Can’t say a single bad thing about this gig. I just wished she had done “Love Has No Pride,” which I think she owns – yes, in my mind, Bonnie even out does Marcia Ball on “Love.” Another concert I’m glad I caught.

While I was down south for Bonnie, I got my tickets for Gillian Welch: freebies in the first row of the pit. And that’s the place to be to hear her. Show is going to be just outside Memphis, maybe I’ll go to Graceland….

Jun 18, 2012 1:36:08 GMT -6 scamp said:

Cosmic Americana: Two Voices, Two Guitars

I just got back from another road trip – 500+ miles to see Gillian Welch and David Rawlings in concert, in Memphis. This was their final shake down concert before the tour officially starts. I was greatly surprised by the two of them. We had tickets in the first row of the pit – Dave and Gillian were about 12 feet away from us. They played for nearly 4 hours! And through it all, Gillian was incredibly warm, open and funny – not at all what I had expected.

Now, to the important bits. Gillian and Dave’s harmonies are so close that you’d think they were siblings. Neither has a powerful voice but Gillian’s is strong enough to pull of some sweet syncopations and her control of her dynamics is superb. She moves into her songs in a really interesting way – first tuning, then playing chords, and then moving into the song which, invariably, had no connection to the chords she played. It was almost like she was gunning her motor. Gillian has most certainly bought into Gram Parsons’ wish for a cosmic American music: her “Elvis Presley Blues” and her “My Morphine” have stunning lyrics (as does “The Revelator”). And she and Dave have the uncanny ability to take two guitars (or a guitar and banjo) and somehow create a rich and full sound stage. Gillian plays one fine rhythm guitar and Dave has to be one of the finest flat pickers I’ve ever heard. He has a unique attack, very staccato, but also smooth and he can do some amazing things: at times he used the tuners to bend a note as though he was playing a banjo and at other times I’d have sworn he had somehow hid a mandolin inside his guitar. Dave’s playing reminds me of Sam Bush (cf Emmylou Harris at the Ryman – the DVD if possible). I can’t even describe the intensity of Gillian and Dave. Whether doing a tribute to the late Doc Watson (Lay Your Pallet on My Floor) or The Revelator or Down Along the Dixie Line, each song was a completed journey with ebbs and flows of tension and release. Their final encore, after being called back thrice was brave and brilliant. Dave and Gillian walked to the front of the stage and un-miked and un-amped, did Long Black Veil – a difficult song to begin with and to do it without any amplification takes guts but also allows the pain to be somehow that much more real. Since this was the smallest venue Gillian and Dave will play, I doubt they’ll be able to repeat that. Gillian Welch has become one of the masters of music universe.

And for all you diehard fans (remember, fan is derived from fanatic), Dave plays a 1935 Epiphone F clef Olympic and Gillian uses a 1956 Gibson J-50 – I got to actually fool with them…

Next comes a 12 hour trip to see Mavis Staples and Andrew Bird followed shortly thereafter by the Tedeschi Truck Band and B.B. King

[Mini Mia]

I know there have been many other discussions in a few of the other threads, but not sure where to look, and I'll be logging off soon. Maybe I'll come across them later.

---

Edited to add: If anyone comes across them, quote them and post them here to comment to. Thanks for your help.

[scamp]

Here's my take on Gillian Welch.

Gillian Welch, the short version: she and her partner, David Rawlings, are basically alt.folk. They both use acoustic guitars and their style of singing invokes the sounds of Appalachia and of bluegrass – some would call it “roots” music. However, Welch’s lyrics, though often written in an idiom which, at least, acknowledges this musical heritage, are incredibly complex and often brilliant. Rawlings is one of the finest flat-pickers I’ve heard. His voice isn’t particularly strong, but it works in perfect harmony with Gillian’s. I should add that their third CD, Soul Journey was electric in a quiet sort of way. Gillian has been a critical success with everyone except Rolling Stone (of course). Rolling Stone called Welch’s music “inauthentic” whilst backing Bruce Springsteen's The Ghost of Tom Joad over Welch’s CD for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. This is why I hate Rolling Stone. I mean, exactly how is a guy from New Jersey who was admittedly influenced by the film of Steinbeck’s novel authentic?

If you saw the movie O, Brother, you’ve heard Gillian sing: in the a cappella “Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby” she was joined by Alison Krauss and Emmylou Harris – as is her wont, Emmylou demanded to sing the ‘bass’ and forced Gillian to sing the ‘Angel.’



Now the longer version. Gillian Welch was adopted by a couple who were both in entertainment. Welch grew up in New York City and in Los Angeles. Her parents wrote music for the Carol Burnett Show. There are lots of rumors to the effect that her natural father was a musician, possibly a drummer. Welch grew up listening to Bob Dylan, the Carter Family and other folkies. Gillian went on to college where she played bass in a goth band and drums in what might be best described psychedelic beach band. Gillian says that her moment of musical epiphany came while listening to the Stanley Brothers: “The first song came on and I just stood up and I kind of walked into the other room as if I was in a tractor beam and stood there in front of the stereo. It was just as powerful as the electric stuff, and it was songs I'd grown up singing. All of a sudden I'd found my music.”

Her first CD sounded almost as though she had somehow transcended her own life and been situated in a different time and locale. This CD sounds like it’s a slew of traditional songs but it’s really Welch’s own songs. Some songs such as Orphan Girl are so finely crafted that it’s almost surreal. Many covered it including Emmylou (on Wrecking Ball, no less). Welch and Rawlings were lucky in being produced by T-Bone Burnett and managed by Denise Stiff (who also managed Alison Krauss). And each succeeding CD has incorporated Gillian’s growth as an artist.

In my mind, Gillian’s skill as a songwriter, coupled with the finesse she and Rawlings deploy in both their singing and playing, while gesturing to the past, is more closely associated with Gram Parsons’ dream of a "Cosmic American Music" which, heretofore, has been so ably fed by the likes of Emmylou and Lucinda. And that is one of the greatest compliments I can offer.

One of my favs:

[Siren]

Good stuff, Scamp. Thank you for the time you put into this.

First, I really like that Tedeschi Truck Band album. Since starting my job a couple of years ago, I have developed a strong affection for blues. I can't handle the primitive, solo voice + guitar stuff. But the rocking, contemporary stuff, I really like. Have you heard Joanne Shaw Taylor or Carolyn Wonderland? I'm a big fan of both.

We have very different opinions of Gillian Welch. I realize she is very highly though of by artists I respect, and by devoted fans like you. But her vocals put me off. I am also not a fan of T-Bone Burnett. I don't know a lot about his work, but found the Krauss/Plant project to be really pretentious. I just think that some music critics were afraid to admit that they didn't get it, so, instead talked about how brilliant it was. I'll admit I didn't get it. I gave it several listens, and ended up giving the cd away.

I hate that you had a bad experience at Alison's show, but am glad you saw her on some good nights, too. I have seen her several times, and have been fortunate to see some wonderful performances.

In the past couple of years, I have seen very few shows. Norah Jones was really marvelous and creative and made me want to quit my job and join her crew. Terri Clark, on her solo acoustic tour, made me an even bigger fan. And she was very funny, to boot. That's about it for concert outings. But since I work at an opry, I get my live music fix every weekend. And some of it is very good.

Sorry to be so negative about some music you are fond of. I'm not saying you're wrong. We just have different opinions.

It's good to have a new voice among us Whoosh music fans!

[scamp]

Siren,

I can completely understand why anyone could find Gillian Welch's voice grating. For me, her lyrics and Rawling's skill compensate for what is admittedly not a powerful voice.

I like T Bone as the producer because he didn't over-produce Gillian. And, with the exception of the song, "Gone, Gone, Gone," I found the whole Krauss/Plant simply silly.

I do like quite a bit of Carolyn Wonderland's stuff -- especially the slower stuff. I hear echoes of Bonnie Raitt in "I Live Alone With Someone" and here and there a bit of Marcia Ball, especially on the Misunderstood CD. Long Way to Go sounds like a Dixie Chicks rift. Adore Bad Girl Blues.

I have to admit that Joanne Shaw Taylor does nothing for me. I want her to be able to sing like Lou Ann Barton and she just can't. For what it's worth, Lou Ann, Marcia Ball, and Irma Thomas do some great work together -- you might like it.

I have a love/hate response to Terri Clark. Sometimes I enjoy her and sometimes I wish Linda Ronstadt would sue her for destroying Poor. Poor, Pitiful Me. Her chops are pretty decent: I wish she would vary her attack more. I fear it is all a matter of breeding: I'm from the north and Texas blues are almost otherworldly to me. Sigh, so much talent, so little time.

Oh well, as you say, our tastes differ in some areas. Still, I think you are one of the most musically knowledgeable people I've come across.

It's cool that you've met so many musicians. How wonderful that must be!

You said your work at a opry, do you perform there? And you used to work at a radio station? So cool! And it sure beats grading endless essays written very badly about rather good books.

You might cringe at the next concert review: Shemekia Copeland and Mavis Staples...

But I swear I do balance it out with an emollient diet of Diana Krall and Holly Cole.

[scamp]

Shemekia Copeland and Mavis Staples

I need to openly confess that I’ve been waiting for Shemekia to mature. I grew up on Koko Taylor’s music and her death hurt. When I was in Memphis for Gillian Welch, I wandered around Beale St. until I found Koko’s memorial note. It helps too that Koko’s family has embraced Shemekia – they gave her Koko’s Chicago Queen of the Blues crown – and that is a testament to Shemekia. Here’s Koko: I’m a Woman

I did find some comfort in watching Shemekia grow (musically) with the intent of emulating Koko. Shemekia was born to sing the blues: her father was the blues guitar legend Johnny Clyde Copeland. Shemekia started singing with her father at Harlem’s Cotton Club when she was like 8 or 9 and she made her first CD (on Alligator Records) when she was 19. Shemekia has a voice like Odette did. I don’t mean that they sound alike, but each has/had a voice that is like a force of nature. Shemekia, though she is only 33 or so, stands with Ruth Foster and Etta James as true blues women. I’m more than old enough to appreciate the fact that flames do get carried on.

Shemekia put on an amazingly intense show. Few blues women only sing straight up blues: gospel is always present and either jazz or R&B also appears. To me this makes sense – blues are life and life’s truths can’t always fit into the form we call the blues. Shemekia’s father used to play Ghetto Child – Shemekia did a 7 or 8 minute version that melted me. I couldn’t find a decent live version so here’s the CD cut:

Shemekia, even when covering Koko, interjects an interesting R&B flavor. She never went full into R&B, largely I think because she correctly uses a jazz/blues drummer. Her version of Wild, Wild, Woman is only going to get better as her voice acquires more edges. Still this is a solid cover:

Shemekia took her audience on a 90 minute thrill ride. Naturally she finished with gospel – this song: God’s Word

Okay, if you listened to Koko and Shemekia it’s clear that Shemekia’s voice is still evolving: blast-furnace voices take time to settle. And like Koko and like her father, Shemekia is too innovative to settle into a single modality. Koko left Beale St to find her home on Maxwell St.; Shemekia’s father was a Texas blues guitarist who rejected the typical one-four-five blues; Shemekia will tackle anything.

Shemekia’s opening was so driven I was a little worried about her having killed the audience for Mavis. I've seen that happen: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (who backed Amy Winehouse) killed the audience and left Cyndi Lauper looking rough. Debbie Harry and Blondie left nothing for the main act, the B-52s. I figured that at age 73, it would almost impossible for Mavis Staples to match the intensity of a kid. I was so wrong.

First, so that I can reassure Phalon that she has heard Mavis, here’s a younger Mavis: I’ll Take You There

Mavis took me on a two hour journey that seemed to cover not only the whole of my life but the whole of my experience. She sang songs that had nothing to say to my life but, dang, somehow she made each one resonate deep within me. She opened with Down in Mississippi and suddenly I was weeping just as I had last year when hearing Judy Collins. Here’s the song:

Mavis poked fun at us and at herself and we sang some oldies together. Then she sang a song of pure longing, What Happened to the Real Me
It’s here:

Hearing her sing it live reminded me of both her grace and power. Somehow I’d forgotten hearing her and Aretha rock the house doing an 8 minute version of When Jesus Walked. Tain’t many who can hang with ReRe that long – Mavis still could.

There is a specialness when a 73 year old singer does songs like Too Close/On My Way to Heaven. Yes, it is hard to acknowledge your own fear of death (but impossible not to) when you hear that song. Mavis made it a song of triumph. May I be so blessed to be able to trust in my own death – Mavis does and I could hear it. She closed her show with an old protest song that many have covered and is pretty much ‘owned’ by Sweet Honey in the Rock. But Mavis didn’t sing it as a protest song, she sang it as both a blessing and an affirmation. Shemekia came to sing back-up on it and all worked and all was well within my ears and within my heart.

Here’s the final 2 songs: Too Close/On My Way to Heaven

We’ll Never Turn Back



Edited To: Fix a couple of links. Nothing else was touched. ~~Mini-Mia

[katina2nd]

Sheesh Scamp [ and Siren ] outstanding stuff, is it okay if I just sit in the corner and listen to the two of you discuss music?

[scamp]

Jul 20, 2012 22:09:25 GMT -6 katina2nd said:

Sheesh Scamp [ and Siren ] outstanding stuff, is it okay if I just sit in the corner and listen to the two of you discuss music?

I fear you may well be the only audience.

Worst yet, I was just given front row tickets to see Jennifer Warnes on Halloween. Course now I've got figure out how to pay for the airfare/car rental/hotel/etc. Pity they never give me that stuff.

scamp

[Siren]

Wow - Jennifer Warnes. That's a name I hadn't thought of in a while. Would be terrific to hear her sing some of those songs again. And from the front row! Wow - I hope you work that out, Scamp.

Thanks for turning me on to Shemekia and Mavis. Will be checking them out. Blues is a big, big pond I'm just starting to dip my toes in.

Kat, you have plenty of your own musical memories and opinions to share in this thread. And I'm waiting to hear them.

[Phalon]

First, so that I can reassure Phalon that she has heard Mavis, here’s a younger Mavis...

I'm trying, Scamp, to recall ever hearing "I'll Take You There"....its familiarity seems to be just on the tip of my brain as something I've heard before, but it's not quite there. Love it though! Thanks for the links...all of them!

[scamp]

Okay, here’s my most up-to-date list of concerts I’ll be at during Oct. through the first week of Dec.: Grace Potter, Janis Ian, Emmylou Harris, Wynonna, Jennifer Warnes, The Who, Heart, Madonna, Indigo Girls, and a mess of local talent. There'd be 3 more, but I can't handle 3 nights of concerts in a row -- I've got to have a day off between shows.

If anyone wants a review of any of them, give me a holler. I think Jennifer Warnes has to be my hot ticket; she never tours and her voice is ungodly – her performance of Joan of Arc at the Belgium Proms was unbelievable. But, as always, seeing Emmylou will be like visiting with an old friend…

Oh, and Siren, Grace Potter does several fine covers of Gillian Welch’s Elvis Presley Blues – there is a bunch of them on YouTube. I think you might like Grace’s voice.

Phalon, did you ever remember Mavis?

[katina2nd]

Sept 20, 2012 21:37:05 GMT -6 scamp said:

Okay, here’s my most up-to-date list of concerts I’ll be at during Oct. through the first week of Dec.: Grace Potter, Janis Ian, Emmylou Harris, Wynonna, Jennifer Warnes, The Who, Heart, Madonna, Indigo Girls, and a mess of local talent. There'd be 3 more, but I can't handle 3 nights of concerts in a row -- I've got to have a day off between shows.

Sheesh that's a lot of concerts, one could get the impression you're kinda into music.

Sept 20, 2012 21:37:05 GMT -6 scamp said:

If anyone wants a review of any of them, give me a holler.

I'll take as many as you feel like writing Scamp.

[scamp]

Sept 21, 2012 19:37:12 GMT -6 katina2nd said:

Sheesh that's a lot of concerts, one could get the impression you're kinda into music.

Who me???

Sept 20, 2012 21:37:05 GMT -6 scamp said:

If anyone wants a review of any of them, give me a holler.

Sept 21, 2012 19:37:12 GMT -6 katina2nd said:

I'll take as many as you feel like writing Scamp.

Okay, first is Grace Potter in early Oct. She's a youngster, brilliant, and there are tons of You Tube videos on her.

[katina2nd]

Sept 22, 2012 10:30:08 GMT -6 scamp said:

Okay, first is Grace Potter in early Oct. She's a youngster, brilliant, and there are tons of You Tube videos on her.

Look forward to reading it Scamp, in the meantime I'll see if I can find some vids of her.

[Phalon]

Looking forward to your review of The Who, Scamp. Hubs and I saw them, sheesh, it had to be twenty years ago, and even then, it was supposed to be (one of) their final concert tours. It was a great show; one of the best concerts I've seen.

I was a huge Who fan in high school. I remember playing the album "Who's Next" until the vinyl was worn thin...and it was considered classic rock by that time (being released when I was in first grade).

And now I have to wonder, "Who's Left?"

[scamp]

Sept 23, 2012 20:29:03 GMT -6 Phalon said:

Looking forward to your review of The Who, Scamp. Hubs and I saw them, sheesh, it had to be twenty years ago, and even then, it was supposed to be (one of) their final concert tours. It was a great show; one of the best concerts I've seen.

I was a huge Who fan in high school. I remember playing the album "Who's Next" until the vinyl was worn thin...and it was considered classic rock by that time (being released when I was in first grade).

And now I have to wonder, "Who's Left?"

Ah Phalon, you nailed me. Who's left is exactly why I suffer from this odd compulsion to go to all these concerts. Well, okay, that's not why I went to Pearl Jam a couple of weeks ago -- that was for the son not-legally-in-law. But it is why I go to 99% of the shows: voices fade, they quit, and some just get too old. And my DP is now officially on Medicare...

And a real scary thought: it's been almost 10 years since I last saw the Stones in a stadium tour, aaaargh, I am freaking old!

[scamp]

Okay, since my last check-in, here's who I've seen: Grace Potter, Janis Ian, The Who (a review is coming cause Phalon asked), Heart (twice), Madonna, Emmylou with the Red Dirt Boys, Indigo Girls, Eddie Vedder, Lucinda Williams, Judy Collins, Karla Bonoff with the amazing Nina Gerber, Mary Gauthier (twice/ spent a long time speaking with her), Emmylou and Rodney Crowell (another meet thing), Richard Thompson, and Fleetwood Mac.

Coming up is Heart (yes, again), Indigo Girls with Joan Baez, Cyndi Lauper's 30th anniversary tour, The Black Crowes and Tedeschi Truck Band, Allman Brothers with Grace Potter, Carla Tatum and some others.

If anyone wants a review, let me know.

scamp

[Phalon]

I'd love to see Heart. The closest I've got was a tribute band at one of the town festivals...that was actually pretty darned good.

Eddie Vedder....so swoonishly delicious back in the day. Also one of the best "F.M." voices too (use your imagination with that one). He and Chris Cornell together in Temple of the Dog...oh my, oh my. Ear and eye candy.

[scamp]

Jun 9, 2013 6:32:24 GMT -6 Phalon said:

I'd love to see Heart. The closest I've got was a tribute band at one of the town festivals...that was actually pretty darned good.

I've been lucky enough to see Heart 4 times in the last couple of years. This latest tour had a 1/2 hour Led Zeppelin tribute. And all of the concert was excellent: Ann was in full voice and both she and Nancy were still high from being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Did lots of my favorites, Dog and Butterfly, Barracuda, etc.

But my best experience with Heart was seeing them right at the start of The Red Velvet Car tour and then again near the end. I was really struck by Ann's creativity -- by the end of the tour, her voice was just a tad rough and she was protecting it a bit. But she did some crazy stuff that gave her voice a little break but still floored me. At one point the band started The Stones "Gimme Shelter" and rocked the h!ll out of it, then used it as the lead into "Crazy On You."

I have to add that even after a long tour, Ann can steamroll just about anyone around. She can still hit those devilish high, hard head notes... just not in every song. I've driven several hundred miles to hear Heart and I swear it was worth it.

scamp

[scamp]

Jun 9, 2013 6:32:24 GMT -6 Phalon said:

Eddie Vedder....so swoonishly delicious back in the day. Also one of the best "F.M." voices too (use your imagination with that one). He and Chris Cornell together in Temple of the Dog...oh my, oh my. Ear and eye candy.

Although I've seen Pearl Jam more times than I'd care to admit, neither Eddie Vedder's voice or music grabbed me. I guess I had to wait for him to mature musically. He has now and it is obvious, especially in his work with Natalie Maines (the former Dixie Chick). Eddie seems to have finally shed all his defenses and now really is invested in the sound and not just the screaming fans. (Course, when he's going solo there are no screaming fans.)

And though I'd never be interested, I daresay Eddie's looking pretty darn good.

[scamp]

Sept 23, 2012 20:29:03 GMT -6 Phalon said:

Looking forward to your review of The Who, Scamp. Hubs and I saw them, sheesh, it had to be twenty years ago, and even then, it was supposed to be (one of) their final concert tours. It was a great show; one of the best concerts I've seen.

The Who tour I saw was Quadrophenia and More. Granted Quadrophenia started out as a much more complex piece than Tommy. Peter Townsend had a much more ambitious goal: to blend the band's personalities together to create the character Jimmy, who was clearly in incredible turmoil. I was amazed that a piece written in 1973 and not preformed since 1996, still had currency. Yes, The Who played with more finesse, emphasized certain songs differently than they had previously. Still the "Eye" and videos moved through history seamlessly, and, honestly, I was much more impressed with the visuals this time. The band was hot, taut, and working it to a very happy audience. Instead of getting older Peter and Roger Daltrey, seemed filled with fresh energy. It was a h!ll of a show -- 12,000 people stood for the entire show!

When they went into the second part, the mega-hits the emotion which had accumulating through Quadrophenia burst out in a glorious dance between Roger and Peter and the audience. They fed off of us and we devoured them. Daltrey can still do all his mic lasso tricks, with his shirt basically undone he still looks fine. And Townsend can still jump about the stage and windmill like a demon. And they played everything from "Won't Get Fooled Again," "The Kids Are Alright," "Baba O'Riley," to "Who Are You." The only show that has equalled this intensity was Fleetwood Mac. Dang, at 67 or so, the boys still own rock & rock.

i1307.photobucket.com/albums/s587/hmnejn/bd6a3af8-028b-45b7-9d7e-00d241a207cf_zps39e00e23.jpg [/img]

[Siren]

Ahhhh, I love hearing people talk about memorable concerts...favorite artists...favorite songs...all things music related.

You really know how to write a review, scamp. Hurray!

I, too, have seen Heart a number of times. They never disappoint. Really, Gams, even if it takes a scamp-esque lengthy road trip, you need to see them.

I agree, scamp, that Ann's voice is an amazing thing. She is ever bit as agile as she used to be, and can still sing high and hard, too. Just blows me away, how she does that. I once literally hurt myself trying to sing along with her on "Tall Dark Handsome Stranger". Some things should be left to professionals! ;P The only one who compares, IMO, is Beth Hart. Her new blues/soul/r&b album with Joe Bonamassa, "See Saw" is AWESOME. We are hoping to catch one of her shows this fall.



How was the Tedeschi Trucks Band? I liked their first album a lot.

We saw Terri Clark w/ Jo Dee Messina about a month ago. Both were terrific, and trotted out a raft of '90s hits, along with some good new material from Terri. We're headed to see Terri again in late August. I'll take my sis to see her favorite little man, Travis Tritt, in September. Joe Diffie is also coming through this fall. I may try and see him, too. An underrated singer, Joe, whose legacy is marred by some silly novelty tunes he cut late in his career. And we just found out that Joan Jett is also coming our way in September. Gonna be a wonderful fall - bountiful great music!

I did not attend the Toby Keith tornado relief show last weekend, though about 30,000 other people did. It had an epic cast - Toby, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Ronnie Dunn, and more. No one I hadn't seen before. And I'm at the point where I can't imagine going to a huge, sold-out venue like that ever again. I avoid enormous crowds like that. Especially in the heat of Oklahoma summer.

[scamp]

Jul 13, 2013 8:03:44 GMT -6 Siren said:

Ahhhh, I love hearing people talk about memorable concerts...favorite artists...favorite songs...all things music related.

You really know how to write a review, scamp. Hurray!

I, too, have seen Heart a number of times. They never disappoint. Really, Gams, even if it takes a scamp-esque lengthy road trip, you need to see them.

I agree, scamp, that Ann's voice is an amazing thing. She is ever bit as agile as she used to be, and can still sing high and hard, too. Just blows me away, how she does that. I once literally hurt myself trying to sing along with her on "Tall Dark Handsome Stranger". Some things should be left to professionals! ;P The only one who compares, IMO, is Beth Hart. Her new blues/soul/r&b album with Joe Bonamassa, "See Saw" is AWESOME. We are hoping to catch one of her shows this fall.

How was the Tedeschi Trucks Band? I liked their first album a lot.

Siren, thank you for your gracious post. A compliment from you, especially on music means much to me -- I'm grinning like a fool.

If you like how Beth Hart's voice has matured, you would loved Bonnie Raitt -- she can finally sing Angel From Montgomery with authority.
I've promised to review Fleetwood Mac and then Emmylou and Rodney with Richard Thompson. And I suppose I should do Joan Baez as well.

Of course, yesterday, the boy told me we were flying to NYC to see Pearl Jam, he won of the lotteries for a pair of decent seats. I fear I shall need earplugs: Fleetwood Mac almost knocked me flat.

Since I'm clearly an obsessed crone, I'll try to refrain from nattering on about Karla Bonoff and other stars of the lesser magnitudes. But I promise to write up the Tedeschi Trucks Band ASAP.

scamp, feeling very well gifted by Siren indeed.

[Siren]

We are well-gifted by the interesting, literate posts you take time to put together, scamp. Thank you!

A friend is a fan of all hearty-voiced women of the blues - Raitt, Hart, Tedeschi, and more - and is glad I'm finally awakening to what great music it is. I am so turned off by today's "country" music, I am hungry for music that is real and passionate. I have found that in the blues. It's not all I'm listening to these days. But I am listening to blues much more than country.

What I have heard of Raitt, I liked very much. I hear she is fabulous in concert, and look forward to hearing her myself.

An "obsessed crone". LOL!

[Phalon]

Ok, Scamp...here's the thing about the concert tickets that irked me, which is actually probably a common practice, but new to me since I rarely go to concerts.

The girls are HUGE One Direction fans, and since they listen to them constantly when they're together, I have been forced into the fandom, dragging my heels, of course. (Quit rolling your eyes - it's my guilty pleasure.)

Last year for Christmas I got them tickets to see the band in Chicago at Soldier Field; as soon as the tickets went on sale in November - and I mean the exact minute - I was on the computer. After more than a few tries, I landed floor seats. Score! And I didn't think the price was bad - just over $100 each. (I have to say, I'd bought tickets earlier during a presale at a lower price, but I couldn't get floor seats then, and since this was their Christmas gift, I thought I'd try again. I sold the presale tickets at face value to one of BP's friend's mom less than 5 minutes after I got the floor seats). I ended up getting a last minute nose-bleed seat for myself at "resale" - and when I say last minute, it was the day before the concert - and still I didn't think the price was high (although the seat was).

1D announced their 2015 tour in October, and the girls were more than excited. Again, they asked for tickets for Christmas, and this time they insisted I get one for myself so I could sit with them among all the other screaming teen and twenty-something girls (this is where my this year's concert nosebleed seat was kind of nice; I was away from the throngs of screaming, swooning, sweaty fans. But still...kind of gives me heart smiles that my 13 year old and 19 year old want their Mom to be with them during all this excitement).

One Direction concerts sell out quickly; this time around because the date works out better, we were shooting for Detroit. The presale started on my day off, and again as soon as the tickets went on sale, I was on the computer. But it was weird...Ticketmaster took me directly to a "partner"...the same with the Live Nation site; again I was directed to a 'partner'. You know where this is going, don't you? I'm guessing with all the concerts you attend, you've probably run into this prior.

StubHub. A broker? On this site you bid on the tickets or buy them instantly....for way over face value. I thought, ok, so maybe there were only a very small number of presale tickets. Since ticketing for the general public started on a Saturday and I had to work, LX was going to buy the tickets, and since she is a "poor, starving college student" - a fact she never falls to remind me - I gave her my credit/debit card number, and told her "no extras - no VIP packages, special swooning privileges, or anything else; I'd allow floor seats, but nothing outrageously expensive. To her credit, after the fact....after she spent just over $900.00!!!!! for four tickets (her college buddy is coming also), she offered to pay for her own (and of course, the buddy is paying her own way too). But still...$900.00 is more than double the face value of the tickets! Before starting this post, I checked just for the hell of it...Ford Field, the venue, still directs a ticket buyer to a broker's site (this time not StubHub) where seats in the same section as our tickets are now up to nearly $500. I know there are people who wouldn't think twice about paying that for a concert they really wanted to see, but to me it's all out-of-hand ridiculously expensive.

Time after time, when LX tried to purchase the tickets on the day they went on sale, she was automatically directed to StubHub, a company I've since read is referred to as the "ticket scalper of the digital age". So, how is this legal? I thought there were anti-scalping laws and such. I drilled a bit, and found some scalpers have whole banks of computers working to scoop up entire areas of seating, then resell them on sites like StubHub. As many as 75 percent of tickets are sold this way for some concerts; at a Justin Beiber show over 90% of the tickets were sold through brokers.

Great for whoever is making the profit; sucks for the fans....or for whoever is paying for the fans to go to the concerts.

Phalon ~ Wondering what ever happened to the days when a great seat cost about $30...and who with that question, is showing her age.

Oh...

Congrats on getting Fleetwood Mac tickets! Hope you have a great time. You gave me an idea, actually - I've been wondering what to get Hubs for Christmas. I checked...sure enough Fleetwood Mac is playing in Grand Rapids in January. He'd love it! I'm playing the waiting game though...right now the prices are too high for the seats that are left ($150 for nosebleeds?!), and I really can't justify an additional $300 for concert tickets (of course, I'd have to go with him!) after the whole One Direction ticket expense and listening to him b!tch about "paying that much to see a boy band". Wondering if brokers ever sell under face value?

Phalon ~ Late picking up my kid at youth group because I lost track of time while I was b!tching.

[scamp]

Phalon,

There are a couple of reasons why everyone gets screwed buying tickets. Probably the biggest reason is presales. Presales are open to dues paying fans who pay the regular price, often have the better seats held for them, and usually can purchase at least 8 tickets. Pearl Jam is an excellent example of how this works: you pay $50/year, can get presales and other exclusive crap. Then there are the Ticketmaster offline stores. Although it is illegal, many offline stores buy a couple of hundred tickets while making the real customer wait. I've seen an offline store buy 50 tickets in 30 seconds.

Next is the live nation presales. Some bands and/or venues market some portion of their tickets through Live Nation. To access these you have to be on the band, venue, or Live Nation's email list.

The biggest offenders, IMHO, are the AMEX cardholders who can buy between 12 - 20 tickets during a presale that often begins before the fan club one.

Stub Hub (or any other ticket broker) can't legally buy tickets. Here's what happens: some AMEX cardholder buys 20 tickets with the intention of reselling them. The cardholder sets the price they want. (And the pricing is insane, often you can find tickets in the same section, only a couple of rows apart selling at prices that vary by $200 or more.) Anyway, then the broker lists them. You pick what you want, buy them and then the broker tags you with a hefty fee. It's the fees that keep brokers in business. And the folks who don't check their options carefully. For example, for the Fleetwood Mac concert I'm going to, you can buy tickets for $79 or the same row/section from Stub Hub for $210 and up. You can also buy first few rows for $1300 and up and go deaf for free.

Local brokers are usually cheaper. And prices vary greatly from broker to broker even for the same event. And ticket scalping laws can't really be enforced. Actually it's mostly sport leagues that have cracked down on scalpels. And some artists like Joan Armatrading sell non-transferable tickets.

I researched "making money by reselling tickets." Every site recommended the AMEX cardholder method.

I fear that for big name bands, you are stuck with a corrupt system and the net has only added to the corruption.

scamp

[Phalon]

Thanks, Scamp. Your explanation helps, but doesn't make it any less cheesy.

I thought Live Nation and Ticketmaster were one in the same though; one company owns the other or something of the sort. The first concert presale "secret code" came from Live Nation, I think. Facebook was also involved in some way. I remember having three screens open - Live Nation, the venue site (Ticketmaster), and the Facebook concert site, and flipping back and forth, because it seemed like the code kept changing. It was quite an experience - kind of exhilarating actually - One Direction's fanbase is so huge, that Facebook site was blowing up with posts by fans posting the codes - for me those posts acted as a tutorial on how to get tickets. The girls don't belong to any official fan clubs, or aren't on Live Nation's e-mail list, so maybe this was just another way people have figured out how to get around the presale rule requirements?

This time around the presale was actually Facebook's; the dropdown menu on the venue site, specifically offered the Facebook option, and all I had to do was go to the concert Facebook page, and get the code.

But that's neither here or there, because I couldn't get tickets except through StubHub. It seems like there would be a simple way to prevent resale scalped tickets. LX has gone to a couple of concerts where she's purchased Meet and Greets - ASAP Rocky, and Wiz Khalifa - in addition to the actual concert tickets. She had to show the credit card with which she purchased the tickets to get in to the Meet and Greet.

I fear that for big name bands, you are stuck with a corrupt system and the net has only added to the corruption.

I remember back in the day before Internet, when we actually camped out overnight for tickets!

[scamp]

Live Nation is now a partner site to Ticketmaster -- it used to be a separate entity that served artists of the second or third magnitude such as Karla Bonoff. Then it added VIP Nation to sell and handle meet and greet packages. Then Ticketmaster bought it out but Live Nation still occassionally sells tickets not sold on Ticketmaster.

Stub Hub was founded around 2000 and was bought by eBay in 2007. It has become the biggest ticket reseller. But there are some decent, non-mega corporate resellers: Tickets Now, Cheap Tickets, and Ticket City.

This is an interesting read: seat geek.com/tha/articles/ticket-resale-laws/

I agree the system is wonky. But it's really just the national net-based ticket selling, the outgrowth of a ticketing process where you and I once camped overnight for tickets while the ticket seller sold himself a couple of hundred tickets before we got a chance to buy one. Sigh. This mess is why I prefer comp seats...

[Phalon]

What a mess! Reading that article and the various laws governing each state, it looks like we would have much better off trying to get tickets for Chicago instead of Detroit.

Ah, well...live, pay through the nose, and learn.

Here's a click-on link to the article Scamp posted: seatgeek.com/tba/articles/ticket-resale-laws/