Thursday, July 8, 2010

The Machine, Counting Crows, Smashing Pumpkins, Heartless Bastards

OK, time to write the blog.  Starting a little late because the Phils game is in extra innings after yet another blown save by Brad Lidge.  We loved you in '08, Brad, but its time we moved on.  Really.

Friday night at The National, Pink Floyd tribute band, The Machine, will be performing the entire "Wish You Were Here" album (click the link for the Wikipedia article.  The story of Syd Barrett showing up while they recorded "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" still freaks me out.) and then the usual greatest hits of Floyd in 2 full sets.  Here's The Machine performing "Shine On" last year in Amsterdam:



This weekend on iclips.net there is another festival webcast, this time from the All Good Festival in WV.  They didn't have the schedule up yet for the weekend but festivities get under way at the festival at (alright!  Phils just won!) 1 PM on Friday, noon on Saturday and 11 AM on Sunday so check in on the website on Friday to see who they'll have on.  The festival has the usual jam band suspects including The Bridge, Tea Leaf Green, Old Crow Medicine Show, Umphrey's McGee, Furthur, Railroad Earth, George Clinton & P-Funk, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi, Widespread Panic, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Travelin' McCourys, and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.  I watched Furthur on the webcast from Nateva last week and I was impressed.  I only wished they had played like that at the debacle that was Hampton.  Well, if they come to Richmond, I'll probably check them out.

Some local bands are out there on Saturday night.  The Atkinsons will be at Cafe Diem.  Showtime is at 9:30 PM and its free to get in.  Johnny Cash tribute band, Black Cash & The Bad Trips, or DJ Williams Projekt will be at the Cary St. Cafe depending on whose web site you believe.  Either way the show will start at 10 PM and there will be a $5 cover.  Call ahead if it matters to you or just show up and be surprised.

Sunday, Counting Crows bring their Traveling Circus & Medicine Show featuring Augustana to Innsbrook.  GA Tix are $26.50, Gold Circle is $50.  Gates open at 5:30 and the show will start at 6.  Don't be late because all the bands will be on stage at the start of the show and will together and seperately throughout the show.  HERE is the link to the article in today's Times-Dispatch where Adam Duritz, lead singer of the Crows, explains it all.  Here's the little promo video for the tour, which seems to promise quite a few cover tunes along with the Crows hits:


Speaking of the Times-Dispatch, Melissa Ruggieri had a nice article about the issues many summer tours are having selling tickets (click HERE).  I took her advice and used the nifty little Interactive Seat Finder on the LiveNation site to see how many tickets were remaining for some of the show at the Jiffy Lube Amphitheater up in Northern VA.  I checked out Creed and was amazed to see that 1200 tickets remain.  Not for the show.  Not for the reserved seats.  There are 1200 tix remaining just in the 100 level of the reserved seats.  If that show doesn't get canceled, I think there will be about 20 people there.  I guess Creed's audience has moved onto Nickelback to get their generic, non-offensive arena rock fix. 

And to back up Melissa's article, Pollstar (the concert industry's trade magazine) reported that ticket sales are at their lowest point since 2005 (click HERE).  Too many bands playing venues that are too large for them at too high ticket prices. 

Also on Sunday, Heartless Bastards will be at The Canal Club.  No, I don't mean the Republican Party (ho!), I mean the band Heartless Bastards.  Doors open at 7, tix are $12 in advance, $15 day of show and the show opens with The Builders and the Butchers & Peter Wolf CrierAllMusic says their music is "
rooted in and heavily influenced by garage punk (MC5), indie rock (At the Drive-In), soul (Otis Redding), roots rock (Neil Young), and blues (Leadbelly)."  Here they are performing "Early In The Morning" on Jimmy Kimmel Live:


On Tuesday night, a show that I was actually surprised didn't sell out yet, the Smashing Pumpkins will play at The National.  Tix are $45, doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with openers Killing Hannah & Bad City.  This is still my favorite Smashing Pumpkins song, Bullet With Butterfly Wings.  Click HERE because they won't let me embed it.

Just for kicks, HERE is a link to a good article called "Reflections on My First Phish Show in a Decade" on the Paste Magazine web site.  Not to ruin it for you, but the author also concludes that the band is playing better than ever.

And my just for the hell of it video this week is one that you may find appropriate in this heat.  You may also find it cools you off a little as you watch the Kinks performing in the snow:


Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan

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