Friday night, for your pre-Halloween party, you can check out Grateful Dead cover band, King Solomon's Marbles at Cary St. Cafe. The show starts at 10 PM and the cover charge is $7. Here's the band performing "Scarlet Begonias" at Cart St. Cafe in May:
On Halloween night, if you're still in a jam band mood, check out Perpetual Groove at The National. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 (no opener) (Note: Perpetual Groove's web site says the set starts at 10 PM) and tix are $15 in advance, $18 day of show. For a little Halloween fun, Perpetual Groove is calling this the John Hughes Halloween Variety Show. On their web site it says: "Once again carrying the torch for their favorite movies, Perpetual Groove will present their tribute to movie director John Hughes for Halloween 2009. We highly suggest you attend dressed as your favorite character from any of John Hughes' movies. Except maybe Curly Sue." Here's a little taste of the Groove from earlier this month in NYC:
If you are in more of a classic country mood on Halloween night, head back to Cary St. Cafe for Black Cash & The Bad Trips, the Johnny Cash cover band. Show starts at 10 and cover charge is $12. Here's the band doing "Hey Porter" in August:
On Tuesday, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe plays at Capital Ale House. Tix are $20 and the show will start at 9 with opener NOMA. Karl and the band play funky jazz, or jazzy funk, if you prefer. Karl first appeared on my radar when he played on Lenny Kravitz's first, and best, album, "Let Love Rule". You'll dig Karl and the Tiny Universe if you like early Kravitz, Maceo Parker or P-Funk. Its definitely a danceable show. Here's the band playing at the Trocadero in Philly in July:
Here's your Halloween treat. Oingo Boingo with "Dead Man's Party" live from '85. Lead singer Danny Elfman would go on to score such movies & TV as "The Simpsons", "Batman", "Nightmare Before Christmas" and others.
Have a Happy Halloween!
Tony Jordan
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Gogol Bordello tonight at The National
I usually do one big blog for the week but this week it will probably be a few smaller ones. Why? Well, the PHILS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES AGAIN starting tonight, so I will of course be watching those games as they try to defeat the Evil Empire. ("The New Yankee Stadium. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villany.") Also, both kids have now decided that they need a parent in the room until they fall asleep and that has led to my falling asleep with them. Thank God for DVRs so I won't miss any of the games in case that happens over the next week.
Anyway, tonight at The National, Gogol Bordello brings their energetic, gypsy punk to Richmond. I have really enjoyed watching this band on all the festival webcasts over the last year but have yet to see them live. Unfortunately, that won't change because THE PHILS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES and game 1 is tonight so I will have to catch them next time. Tickets for the show are $23, doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener, Apostle of Hustle. Here's Gogol Bordello performing "Start Wearing Purple" at last year's Coachella Festival:
Have a good day!
GO PHILLIES!
Tony Jordan
Anyway, tonight at The National, Gogol Bordello brings their energetic, gypsy punk to Richmond. I have really enjoyed watching this band on all the festival webcasts over the last year but have yet to see them live. Unfortunately, that won't change because THE PHILS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES and game 1 is tonight so I will have to catch them next time. Tickets for the show are $23, doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener, Apostle of Hustle. Here's Gogol Bordello performing "Start Wearing Purple" at last year's Coachella Festival:
Have a good day!
GO PHILLIES!
Tony Jordan
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, David Allen Coe, GWAR and more
A great night of music on Thursday. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals come to The National to open their fall tour. Tix are $15, doors open at 7 and show starts at 8 with opener Blues & Lasers. Blues & Lasers is Nocturnals' guitarist Scott Tournet's side project. GP & the N will start at 9, per their web site. I would love to attend this one but unfortunately a combination of travel for work and commitments my wife has at my kids' school will prevent that. I would like to see how the two most recent additions to the Nocturnals (Catherine Popper on bass and Benny Yurco on rhythm guitar) are fitting in with the band. If you like blues ala Bonnie Raitt, Janis Joplin, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers or Led Zeppelin, you should definitely check out Grace & The Nocturnals. In fact, Ms. Raitt called them "One of the most soulful new bands around.” Here is a little sampler of three songs from their show at The Pines a month or so ago. Vocals are a little low in the mix but otherwise good video:
Also on Thursday, at the Hat Factory, outlaw country great David Allen Coe comes in. Doors open at 7 and show starts at 8 with opener Rebel Son. Tix are $20 in advance and $25 day of show. He's written #1 hits for Tanya Tucker and Johnny Paycheck ("Take This Job and Shove It") but is perhaps better know for his own humorous and often raunchy songs. Here's DAC doing his song "If That Ain't Country":
Also on Thursday, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band bring their rollicking gutbucket blues to Capital Ale House Downtown. The show starts at 9 and tix are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. If you like the Avett Brothers, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Muddy Waters, BB King, Dylan, or Neil Young, you may like the Big Damn Band. Here they are on the Warped Tour this year doing "Mama's Fried Potatoes":
More blues at Capital Ale House Downtown on Friday night with The Nighthawks. Show starts at 9:30 and tix are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. These guys play blues-rock just the way you like it. Here they are at a festival in Maryland in August doing the theme song from "The Sopranos" (Video is black for first five seconds. Be patient, man!):
If you are looking for something a bit more Halloweenish, check out horror rock band(and Richmond natives) GWAR. I don't know what that says about Richmond that GWAR was born and raised here, but somehow I like it. GWAR will be at The National. Tix are $18 in advance, $21 at the door, doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with openers The Red Chord and Blinded By Madness. Make sure you wear something you won't mind getting splattered with fake(?) blood and other random bodily fluids. Believe it or not, GWAR is celebrating 25 years of madness and mayhem and. led by lead singer, Oderus Urungus, have created their own demonic, alien alternate universe that you will be lucky to be a part of. Here is the first video off of their new "Lust In Space" CD, "Let Us Slay". Not for the timid:
On a completely different note, Sunday night, Sugar And Gold play at The Triple with James Husband. The Triple is at 3306 West Broad Street. Sugar And Gold play danceable psychedelic electronica indie rock. Figure that one out. Oh, hell just listen and see if you like it. Here they are kicking off the tour in their hometown of San Francisco:
The show at The Triple starts at 8. Amazing Ghost & Cubscout and the Rhinoceros will play before Sugar And Gold. James Husband (of Of Montreal) will play after Sugar And Gold.
That's all I got. I need to get some sleep because I've been up late the past two nights watchin' those fightin' Phils get one game away from the World Series. J-Roll rules!
I'll leave you with an oldie but a goodie suggested by Sarah via Vince (or was it Vince via Sarah), Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show with "At The Freaker's Ball":
Have a great weekend!
Tony Jordan
Also on Thursday, at the Hat Factory, outlaw country great David Allen Coe comes in. Doors open at 7 and show starts at 8 with opener Rebel Son. Tix are $20 in advance and $25 day of show. He's written #1 hits for Tanya Tucker and Johnny Paycheck ("Take This Job and Shove It") but is perhaps better know for his own humorous and often raunchy songs. Here's DAC doing his song "If That Ain't Country":
Also on Thursday, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band bring their rollicking gutbucket blues to Capital Ale House Downtown. The show starts at 9 and tix are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. If you like the Avett Brothers, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Muddy Waters, BB King, Dylan, or Neil Young, you may like the Big Damn Band. Here they are on the Warped Tour this year doing "Mama's Fried Potatoes":
More blues at Capital Ale House Downtown on Friday night with The Nighthawks. Show starts at 9:30 and tix are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. These guys play blues-rock just the way you like it. Here they are at a festival in Maryland in August doing the theme song from "The Sopranos" (Video is black for first five seconds. Be patient, man!):
If you are looking for something a bit more Halloweenish, check out horror rock band(and Richmond natives) GWAR. I don't know what that says about Richmond that GWAR was born and raised here, but somehow I like it. GWAR will be at The National. Tix are $18 in advance, $21 at the door, doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with openers The Red Chord and Blinded By Madness. Make sure you wear something you won't mind getting splattered with fake(?) blood and other random bodily fluids. Believe it or not, GWAR is celebrating 25 years of madness and mayhem and. led by lead singer, Oderus Urungus, have created their own demonic, alien alternate universe that you will be lucky to be a part of. Here is the first video off of their new "Lust In Space" CD, "Let Us Slay". Not for the timid:
On a completely different note, Sunday night, Sugar And Gold play at The Triple with James Husband. The Triple is at 3306 West Broad Street. Sugar And Gold play danceable psychedelic electronica indie rock. Figure that one out. Oh, hell just listen and see if you like it. Here they are kicking off the tour in their hometown of San Francisco:
The show at The Triple starts at 8. Amazing Ghost & Cubscout and the Rhinoceros will play before Sugar And Gold. James Husband (of Of Montreal) will play after Sugar And Gold.
That's all I got. I need to get some sleep because I've been up late the past two nights watchin' those fightin' Phils get one game away from the World Series. J-Roll rules!
I'll leave you with an oldie but a goodie suggested by Sarah via Vince (or was it Vince via Sarah), Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show with "At The Freaker's Ball":
Have a great weekend!
Tony Jordan
U2 Live on YouTube - Sunday night
U2 will be webcasting their entire show live from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena CA on YouTube, or U2ube, on Sunday night starting at 11:30 PM ET. If you don't want to stay up late to watch it, the rebroadcast of the show will be available the next day.
Here's the announcement video:
Here's the announcement video:
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Waybacks, Zoso, Gregg Allman, Duke Robillard, Social Distortion
What do we got this week? October, always a busy month concert-wise in Richmond, continues with The Waybacks at Capital Ale House on Thursday night. The show starts at 8 and tix are $15. Here is what the Capital Ale House site says about The Waybacks: "They draw freely from the old school and the old world, but The Waybacks are no throwback. They’ve
been erroneously pigeonholed as a bluegrass band and celebrated as purveyors of “acoustic mayhem.”
They are as uninhibited and unpredictable as the eclectic San Francisco Bay area that claims them,
and for nearly a decade, their experiments have always proven sharp-witted and musically dazzling.
They’re living proof that in music anyway, evolution and intelligent design are entirely compatible.
The Waybacks will mix a whole bunch of stuff into their own style and just to prove it here they are doing The Grateful Dead's "St. Stephen" along with a little Zeppelin:
Speaking of Zeppelin, Zoso - The Led Zeppelin Experience returns to The National on Friday night. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 and tix are $12.50. Openers are Steel Shot & Reawakened.
Just announced at The National, GREGG ALLMAN with a Full 7 Piece Band Friday January 8th @ 8pm ... Reserved Seat tickets on sale this Saturday October 17th at all Ticketmaster outlets, nattickets.com, and The National Box office. Tix are $35.
On Saturday afternoon, you can check out Shoctoberfest at the 17th Street Farmers' Market. Admission is FREE and the event runs from 11am-5pm. The Farmers' Market describes this event at "A Bavarian-style festival honoring our fall harvest just as they do in each year in Bavaria, with local restaurants specializing in German-Hungarian foods along with music, varieties of rich beverages and plenty of entertainment. There will be dancing and singing of traditional Germanium Polka songs, so gather up your lederhosen and your favorite beer stein and join us in the market for Richmond's best Shocktoberfest."
Also on Saturday, Modern Groove Syndicate bring s their acid-funk-jazz to Cary St. Cafe. The show starts at 10 and tix are $7. Here they are grooving at Cary St. Cafe in January:
Sunday, you can check out the Innsbrook Beer & Wine Festival. This will run from 2 PM until 7 PM. Admission is free and tastes, full glasses or portions are pay as you go. This is a benefit for Connor's Heroes so you can party with a conscience. There will be live music all day too.
Also on Sunday, blues great Duke Robillard will be at the Capital Ale House for a special 3:00 PM show. Doors open at 2, tix are $12 in advance and $15 day of show. This show is sponsored by the River City Blues Society and if you like the blues and live in Richmond, you should check them out. Here's what they have to say about Duke:
"Guitarist. Bandleader. Songwriter. Singer. Producer. Session musician. And a one-man cheering section for the blues, in all its forms and permutations. And every one of those names has shared recording studio space or stage time with a man who is a legend in the blues community.
The Blues Music Awards (formerly W.C.Handy Awards) have named Duke Robillard "Best Blues Guitarist" four years out of five (2000,2001,2003,2004) making him the second most honored guitarist for that award! He was also nominated in that category in 2005, 2007 and again this year of 2008. In 2007 Duke received a Grammy nomination for his "Guitar Groove-a-rama" CD and was also honored with the prestigious Rhode Island Pell Award for "excellence in the arts" along with actress Olympia Dukakis, actor Bob Colonna, and R.I. Choreographer/Festival Ballet director Mihailo "Misha" Djuric.The Pell award is named for Senator Claiborne Pell who help establish the the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities in 1965.
Other awards over the last decade include three Canadian Maple Blues Awards in 2001, 2002, and 2003 for "Best International Blues Artist," The Blues Foundation's "Producer of the Year" award in 2004, The French Blues Association "Album of the Year" award in 2002 (Living with the Blues) and "Guitarist of the Year" awards in 1999 and 2002. BB King himself has called Duke "One of the great players," The Houston Post called him "one of God's guitarists. And the New York Times says "Robillard is a soloist of stunning force and originality. (reprinted from http://www.dukerobillard.com/meet.cfm)"
And here's Duke with Sax Gordon from a few years ago doing a boogie-woogie number called "Blue Coat Man":
Finally, 80's/90's punk band Social Distortion will be at The National on Tuesday night. Tix are $25, doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with openers, The Strangers. Here they are doing their hit, "Bad Luck", last night in Clifton Park NY:
Have a great weekend!
Tony Jordan
been erroneously pigeonholed as a bluegrass band and celebrated as purveyors of “acoustic mayhem.”
They are as uninhibited and unpredictable as the eclectic San Francisco Bay area that claims them,
and for nearly a decade, their experiments have always proven sharp-witted and musically dazzling.
They’re living proof that in music anyway, evolution and intelligent design are entirely compatible.
The Waybacks will mix a whole bunch of stuff into their own style and just to prove it here they are doing The Grateful Dead's "St. Stephen" along with a little Zeppelin:
Speaking of Zeppelin, Zoso - The Led Zeppelin Experience returns to The National on Friday night. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 and tix are $12.50. Openers are Steel Shot & Reawakened.
Just announced at The National, GREGG ALLMAN with a Full 7 Piece Band Friday January 8th @ 8pm ... Reserved Seat tickets on sale this Saturday October 17th at all Ticketmaster outlets, nattickets.com, and The National Box office. Tix are $35.
On Saturday afternoon, you can check out Shoctoberfest at the 17th Street Farmers' Market. Admission is FREE and the event runs from 11am-5pm. The Farmers' Market describes this event at "A Bavarian-style festival honoring our fall harvest just as they do in each year in Bavaria, with local restaurants specializing in German-Hungarian foods along with music, varieties of rich beverages and plenty of entertainment. There will be dancing and singing of traditional Germanium Polka songs, so gather up your lederhosen and your favorite beer stein and join us in the market for Richmond's best Shocktoberfest."
Also on Saturday, Modern Groove Syndicate bring s their acid-funk-jazz to Cary St. Cafe. The show starts at 10 and tix are $7. Here they are grooving at Cary St. Cafe in January:
Sunday, you can check out the Innsbrook Beer & Wine Festival. This will run from 2 PM until 7 PM. Admission is free and tastes, full glasses or portions are pay as you go. This is a benefit for Connor's Heroes so you can party with a conscience. There will be live music all day too.
Also on Sunday, blues great Duke Robillard will be at the Capital Ale House for a special 3:00 PM show. Doors open at 2, tix are $12 in advance and $15 day of show. This show is sponsored by the River City Blues Society and if you like the blues and live in Richmond, you should check them out. Here's what they have to say about Duke:
"Guitarist. Bandleader. Songwriter. Singer. Producer. Session musician. And a one-man cheering section for the blues, in all its forms and permutations. And every one of those names has shared recording studio space or stage time with a man who is a legend in the blues community.
The Blues Music Awards (formerly W.C.Handy Awards) have named Duke Robillard "Best Blues Guitarist" four years out of five (2000,2001,2003,2004) making him the second most honored guitarist for that award! He was also nominated in that category in 2005, 2007 and again this year of 2008. In 2007 Duke received a Grammy nomination for his "Guitar Groove-a-rama" CD and was also honored with the prestigious Rhode Island Pell Award for "excellence in the arts" along with actress Olympia Dukakis, actor Bob Colonna, and R.I. Choreographer/Festival Ballet director Mihailo "Misha" Djuric.The Pell award is named for Senator Claiborne Pell who help establish the the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities in 1965.
Other awards over the last decade include three Canadian Maple Blues Awards in 2001, 2002, and 2003 for "Best International Blues Artist," The Blues Foundation's "Producer of the Year" award in 2004, The French Blues Association "Album of the Year" award in 2002 (Living with the Blues) and "Guitarist of the Year" awards in 1999 and 2002. BB King himself has called Duke "One of the great players," The Houston Post called him "one of God's guitarists. And the New York Times says "Robillard is a soloist of stunning force and originality. (reprinted from http://www.dukerobillard.com/meet.cfm)"
And here's Duke with Sax Gordon from a few years ago doing a boogie-woogie number called "Blue Coat Man":
Finally, 80's/90's punk band Social Distortion will be at The National on Tuesday night. Tix are $25, doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with openers, The Strangers. Here they are doing their hit, "Bad Luck", last night in Clifton Park NY:
Have a great weekend!
Tony Jordan
Friday, October 9, 2009
Monsters of Folk at Landmark Theater
The concert announcements are coming fast & furious today. "An Evening With Monsters of Folk: Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), M Ward and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) will be a 2 1/2 hour musical event showcasing brand new songs from the forthcoming album as well as songs fans have come to enjoy from their respective Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket and M Ward catalogues."
The show will take place Tuesday, November 10 at the Landmark Theater. Tickets available starting tomorrow Oct 10th at all Ticketmaster outlets and The Landmark Theater Box Office.
The show will take place Tuesday, November 10 at the Landmark Theater. Tickets available starting tomorrow Oct 10th at all Ticketmaster outlets and The Landmark Theater Box Office.
Phish coming to C'ville
Phish will be playing John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville on Saturday, December 5. This has long been rumored but is now official. The on sale date is October 23 at 10 AM. If you want to get into the pre-sale lottery sale, you can go here http://phish.portals.musictoday.com/.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Richmond Folk Festival, Everclear, Citizen Cope
This weekend is Richmond Folk Festival weekend. Its a great festival, like taking a trip around the world without leaving home. This is "folk" as in indigenous music not "folk" like old Dylan, Pete Seeger or Peter, Paul & Mary (though you may see some of that too). There is also a great family area where we spent about 90 minutes last year while Zach checked out turtles, dressed up in costumes and made crafts. The event starts Friday at 6:30. I'll be volunteering that night at one of the Information booths (don't know which one until I get there) so stop by all the Information booths until you find me and say hello. I'll give you some FREE information (the whole event is FREE) like "Pierre is the capital of South Dakota" or "A concertina is an instrument like a small accordion". I can also give you information about the festival, like where to find a bathroom, get a beer or hit up an ATM.
The Folk Fest continues on Saturday (noon - 10:30 PM) and Sunday (noon - 6:30 PM). The Times-Dispatch had some good articles last Sunday describing each artist. Go HERE and then check out the links to the articles in the gray box ("Names You Might Know", "Acts You Won't See Anywhere Else", "World (music) party"). I should be down there hanging out on one and maybe both days on the weekend so I hope to see you.
If you are looking for some other non-folk fest bands this weekend, check out Everclear at The Hat Factory on Friday night. Tix are $25, doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with openers Paper Tongues and Tracy Lyons. At one point in the mid-90s, Everclear seemed poised to be the next big thing, but their poppy alternative music was drowned out by the onslaught of rap-rock led by Limp Bizkit (God help us all, they have reunited) and they never quite got over the top. Here's one of their hits, "I Will Buy You A New Life" (can't embed it): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wERdV8wRB6Q.
Saturday night, Citizen Cope brings his hippie, dance, hip-hop, reggae to The National. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with opener "a Special Guest", and tix are $20 in advance, $23 day of show. You'll dig Citizen Cope if you like Everlast, G. Love & Special Sauce, Jack Johnson, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Randy Newman and Stevie Wonder. Here's Citizen Cope's song "Bullet & A Target":
Finally, I'll leave you with this clip from Saturday Night Live last week, the latest SNL Digital Short from Andy Samberg, "On The Ground". Me and my five-year-old dig this one. I don't know what that says about my sense of humor or his.
Have a great weekend and I'll see you at the Folk Festival!
Tony Jordan
The Folk Fest continues on Saturday (noon - 10:30 PM) and Sunday (noon - 6:30 PM). The Times-Dispatch had some good articles last Sunday describing each artist. Go HERE and then check out the links to the articles in the gray box ("Names You Might Know", "Acts You Won't See Anywhere Else", "World (music) party"). I should be down there hanging out on one and maybe both days on the weekend so I hope to see you.
If you are looking for some other non-folk fest bands this weekend, check out Everclear at The Hat Factory on Friday night. Tix are $25, doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with openers Paper Tongues and Tracy Lyons. At one point in the mid-90s, Everclear seemed poised to be the next big thing, but their poppy alternative music was drowned out by the onslaught of rap-rock led by Limp Bizkit (God help us all, they have reunited) and they never quite got over the top. Here's one of their hits, "I Will Buy You A New Life" (can't embed it): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wERdV8wRB6Q.
Saturday night, Citizen Cope brings his hippie, dance, hip-hop, reggae to The National. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with opener "a Special Guest", and tix are $20 in advance, $23 day of show. You'll dig Citizen Cope if you like Everlast, G. Love & Special Sauce, Jack Johnson, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Randy Newman and Stevie Wonder. Here's Citizen Cope's song "Bullet & A Target":
Finally, I'll leave you with this clip from Saturday Night Live last week, the latest SNL Digital Short from Andy Samberg, "On The Ground". Me and my five-year-old dig this one. I don't know what that says about my sense of humor or his.
Have a great weekend and I'll see you at the Folk Festival!
Tony Jordan
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Cheick Hamala Diabate, Drivin N Cryin
Thursday night before the Folk Fest in Richmond and what does that mean? Well it means another episode of the Richmond Roots Music Sessions. This one is at the Capital Ale House downtown and will feature Cheick Hamala Diabate (w. african blues and dance music) - with - Antero (reggae). The show starts at 8 and tix are $10. Here is Cheick's song "Wanto Doke". This music will totally get you movin'.
Also, Thursday night, Drivin' N Cryin and Horsehead play Alley Katz. BTW, Alley Katz, I hate the little music bit you play every time I change the page. If you must have it, please leave it just on your home page. It gets old real fast. Anyway, the show starts at 8 PM and tix are $15. DNC are a hard rockin' Southern rock band in the vein of Black Crowes, Neil Young, Gov't Mule, Allman Brothers, Wilco, Soul Asylum, or The Replacements. They had a minor radio hit back in the early 90s with "Fly Me Courageous". I always like that one. Here's the link to the video (can't embed it): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3wbdld2vQQ.
That's it for me tonight. Back tomorrow.
Tony Jordan
Also, Thursday night, Drivin' N Cryin and Horsehead play Alley Katz. BTW, Alley Katz, I hate the little music bit you play every time I change the page. If you must have it, please leave it just on your home page. It gets old real fast. Anyway, the show starts at 8 PM and tix are $15. DNC are a hard rockin' Southern rock band in the vein of Black Crowes, Neil Young, Gov't Mule, Allman Brothers, Wilco, Soul Asylum, or The Replacements. They had a minor radio hit back in the early 90s with "Fly Me Courageous". I always like that one. Here's the link to the video (can't embed it): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3wbdld2vQQ.
That's it for me tonight. Back tomorrow.
Tony Jordan
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
U2 - Charlottesville review, Third Eye Blind, Richmond Roots Music Sessions
Will probably a couple short entries this week especially if the baseball games are anything like tonight's game. The Twins-Tigers one-game playoff for the AL Central crown tonight was an all-time classic. 162 games wasn't enough, 9 innnings wasn't enough, an exciting game through and through. And I must say thank you to the inventor of the DVR for allowing me to watch that game in its entireity even though I gave the kids a bath and put them to bed. It will also allow me to watch the Phils game tomorrow after work even though its a 2:30 PM start. I just need to avoid all media until I can get home. GO PHILLIES!
Anyway on to the U2 review and what a show it was. My appreciation of the show was certainly helped by the fact that Gordon and I got into the inner circle of the massive stage and were 25 ft. from the band between Bono and Adam Clayton. When the boys would walk on the outer circle, we were only 10 feet away. Here is the setlist:
10/01/2009 Scott Stadium - Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Breathe, Get On Your Boots, Mysterious Ways, Beautiful Day / The Hands That Built America (snippet), No Line On The Horizon, Magnificent, Elevation, Your Blue Room, New Year's Day, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Movin' On Up (snippet), Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, The Unforgettable Fire, City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight / Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Again) (snippet) / I Want To Take You Higher (snippet), Sunday Bloody Sunday / People Get Ready (snippet), MLK, Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone (snippet)
encores: One / Amazing Grace (snippet), Where The Streets Have No Name, Ultra Violet (Light My Way), With Or Without You, Moment of Surrender
comment: Ninth consecutive concert at which Pride is not played; this is a record, beating eight consecutive shows in March/April 2001.
The show opens with two from the new album. Breathe was great, Get On Your Boots hasn't really done it for me yet.
Things really get cooking with Mysterious Ways as we watch Clayton lay down the bass line and the bridges linking the stage with the outer ring swing nearly over our heads and Bono and Clayton pass over.
Beautiful Day was, well, beautiful with stage breaking out into rainbow colors. No Line on the Horizon is one of my favorites from the new album but I don't know how familiar the crowd was with it. I expected the "Woooa - woooa - woooa - wooo!" lines to get more audience participation. It was sometimes hard to tell how much the crowd was getting in the stands was getting it because we were so close. Elevation, however, was the first song were I felt like the crowd and band really got together. Everyone on the floor was bouncing up and down and I think the band started to feel the love. Your Blue Room was a real wild card, an obscure track from the Passengers CD. I had just discovered this song when it popped up on my iPod while I was mowing the lawn the previous weekend and was instantly taken by it, listening to it a couple times. So needless to say I was quite pleased when they went into it and it provided a breathy, psychedelic moment to cool down and catch air. The space visuals worked well with the song also, equating the blue room of the girl in the song to images of the blue Earth from space.
New Year's Day and Still Haven't Found were standard, nothing new there. Stuck In a Moment was just Bono and the Edge on acoustic guitar. Not one of my favorite U2 songs. Don't dislike it but can take it or leave it. However, Bono and Edge harmonized quite well on this one with Edge really showing off that falsetto he has and getting a hug from Bono at the end.
At this point the show really started to take off for me. This was also the point where the video screen surrounding the top of the stage began to expand downward like a trellis and the light show really kicked in. Unforgettable Fire was an unexpected but welcome song in the set. I had forgotten (pun intended) how great this song is and Bono really nailed the vocals. (The sound isn't so hot on this clip but you get a nice view of the stage.)
City of Blinding Lights was fab (I've been singing it all day today) with Bono coming to the outer circle near us to get the crowd singing the "Oh...you... look...so...beautiful toniiiight!" chorus.
Vertigo truly sucked me into a Vertigo with the lights on the video screen spinning around and actually making me dizzy but in a good way not a puking kind of way.
Next came the highlight of the show for me, the new song I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight. They changed the arrangement from the album to turn this into an extended drums/bass rave-up. The whole band took to the outer circle, including Larry Mullen on a djembe drum. The crowd on the floor was dancing like crazy and the whole band ended up near us on the outer circle for the last part of the song and the pit around us turned into beautiful, crazy dancing chaos. One of those moments when I felt truly transported by the music and the crowd.
Sunday Bloody Sunday was made contemporary with Bono and the stage visuals placing it in the context of the Iranian revolution after the elections earlier this year. The politics continued with Walk On becoming a truly moving tribute to about Burma's Ang San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 20 years. The outer circle was completely manned by volunteers from Amnesty International wearing Ang San Suu Kyi masks. It threatened to get a little cheesy but the conviction of the band and the realization of what Ang San Suu Kyi has been through pulled it through.
During the break before the encore, they played a pretty cool short speech from Bishop Desmond Tutu on the video screens. It compared people who fight for human rights all over the world and the twinkle in his eye and his beatific smile really pull you in and he ended by saying "We are all One", which of course led into One.
As much as Bono has sung this song in his lifetime, he still sings this with absolute conviction and feeling and it really is one of the great songs of rock and roll. Where the Streets Have No Name was good but standard.
My second highlight came next with the performance of Ultraviolet (Light My Way). A microphone dropped from the top of the stage that had a round neon light around it (if you saw their performance of this at the end of SNL a couple weeks ago you know what I'm talking about). Bono was wearing a jacked with LED lights in it and when the dry ice fog surrounded him it looked like he was emanating needles of red light. The microphone was on a high-strength cable so Bono was hanging off of it and swinging over the crowd at times. Combined with a transcendent perfromance of the song, it was a true sight to behold.
With or Without You was next and then the show ended with one of my favorite songs from the new album, Moment of Surrender, and was given a great performance.
Everyone I spoke with liked the opening band Muse and their industrial 80's meets metal sound was pretty good.
U2 should be back in the spring for more stadium dates in the US. If you go, buy the $50 General Admission seats and get in early because they let the first 2000 people into the inner circle. It was not overly crowded in there and even if you don't get in there, you can get a nice spot on the outer circle. I'm hoping to catch the show again in the spring.
Now quickly because I need to get some sleep before work, Wednesday nights shows in Richmond.
Third Eye Blind will be at The National. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener Blueskyreality. Tix are $27.50.
The Richmond Roots Music Seessions continue with Brad Spivey and the Honky Tonk Experience (country honky tonk freakout) - with - Hamburger James (rock-a-billy) & David Shultz and the Skyline (alt-country) at the Hat Factory. Doors open at 8 and tix are $10.
See you tomorrow.
Tony Jordan
Anyway on to the U2 review and what a show it was. My appreciation of the show was certainly helped by the fact that Gordon and I got into the inner circle of the massive stage and were 25 ft. from the band between Bono and Adam Clayton. When the boys would walk on the outer circle, we were only 10 feet away. Here is the setlist:
10/01/2009 Scott Stadium - Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Breathe, Get On Your Boots, Mysterious Ways, Beautiful Day / The Hands That Built America (snippet), No Line On The Horizon, Magnificent, Elevation, Your Blue Room, New Year's Day, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Movin' On Up (snippet), Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, The Unforgettable Fire, City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight / Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Again) (snippet) / I Want To Take You Higher (snippet), Sunday Bloody Sunday / People Get Ready (snippet), MLK, Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone (snippet)
encores: One / Amazing Grace (snippet), Where The Streets Have No Name, Ultra Violet (Light My Way), With Or Without You, Moment of Surrender
comment: Ninth consecutive concert at which Pride is not played; this is a record, beating eight consecutive shows in March/April 2001.
The show opens with two from the new album. Breathe was great, Get On Your Boots hasn't really done it for me yet.
Things really get cooking with Mysterious Ways as we watch Clayton lay down the bass line and the bridges linking the stage with the outer ring swing nearly over our heads and Bono and Clayton pass over.
Beautiful Day was, well, beautiful with stage breaking out into rainbow colors. No Line on the Horizon is one of my favorites from the new album but I don't know how familiar the crowd was with it. I expected the "Woooa - woooa - woooa - wooo!" lines to get more audience participation. It was sometimes hard to tell how much the crowd was getting in the stands was getting it because we were so close. Elevation, however, was the first song were I felt like the crowd and band really got together. Everyone on the floor was bouncing up and down and I think the band started to feel the love. Your Blue Room was a real wild card, an obscure track from the Passengers CD. I had just discovered this song when it popped up on my iPod while I was mowing the lawn the previous weekend and was instantly taken by it, listening to it a couple times. So needless to say I was quite pleased when they went into it and it provided a breathy, psychedelic moment to cool down and catch air. The space visuals worked well with the song also, equating the blue room of the girl in the song to images of the blue Earth from space.
New Year's Day and Still Haven't Found were standard, nothing new there. Stuck In a Moment was just Bono and the Edge on acoustic guitar. Not one of my favorite U2 songs. Don't dislike it but can take it or leave it. However, Bono and Edge harmonized quite well on this one with Edge really showing off that falsetto he has and getting a hug from Bono at the end.
At this point the show really started to take off for me. This was also the point where the video screen surrounding the top of the stage began to expand downward like a trellis and the light show really kicked in. Unforgettable Fire was an unexpected but welcome song in the set. I had forgotten (pun intended) how great this song is and Bono really nailed the vocals. (The sound isn't so hot on this clip but you get a nice view of the stage.)
City of Blinding Lights was fab (I've been singing it all day today) with Bono coming to the outer circle near us to get the crowd singing the "Oh...you... look...so...beautiful toniiiight!" chorus.
Vertigo truly sucked me into a Vertigo with the lights on the video screen spinning around and actually making me dizzy but in a good way not a puking kind of way.
Next came the highlight of the show for me, the new song I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight. They changed the arrangement from the album to turn this into an extended drums/bass rave-up. The whole band took to the outer circle, including Larry Mullen on a djembe drum. The crowd on the floor was dancing like crazy and the whole band ended up near us on the outer circle for the last part of the song and the pit around us turned into beautiful, crazy dancing chaos. One of those moments when I felt truly transported by the music and the crowd.
Sunday Bloody Sunday was made contemporary with Bono and the stage visuals placing it in the context of the Iranian revolution after the elections earlier this year. The politics continued with Walk On becoming a truly moving tribute to about Burma's Ang San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 20 years. The outer circle was completely manned by volunteers from Amnesty International wearing Ang San Suu Kyi masks. It threatened to get a little cheesy but the conviction of the band and the realization of what Ang San Suu Kyi has been through pulled it through.
During the break before the encore, they played a pretty cool short speech from Bishop Desmond Tutu on the video screens. It compared people who fight for human rights all over the world and the twinkle in his eye and his beatific smile really pull you in and he ended by saying "We are all One", which of course led into One.
As much as Bono has sung this song in his lifetime, he still sings this with absolute conviction and feeling and it really is one of the great songs of rock and roll. Where the Streets Have No Name was good but standard.
My second highlight came next with the performance of Ultraviolet (Light My Way). A microphone dropped from the top of the stage that had a round neon light around it (if you saw their performance of this at the end of SNL a couple weeks ago you know what I'm talking about). Bono was wearing a jacked with LED lights in it and when the dry ice fog surrounded him it looked like he was emanating needles of red light. The microphone was on a high-strength cable so Bono was hanging off of it and swinging over the crowd at times. Combined with a transcendent perfromance of the song, it was a true sight to behold.
With or Without You was next and then the show ended with one of my favorite songs from the new album, Moment of Surrender, and was given a great performance.
Everyone I spoke with liked the opening band Muse and their industrial 80's meets metal sound was pretty good.
U2 should be back in the spring for more stadium dates in the US. If you go, buy the $50 General Admission seats and get in early because they let the first 2000 people into the inner circle. It was not overly crowded in there and even if you don't get in there, you can get a nice spot on the outer circle. I'm hoping to catch the show again in the spring.
Now quickly because I need to get some sleep before work, Wednesday nights shows in Richmond.
Third Eye Blind will be at The National. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener Blueskyreality. Tix are $27.50.
The Richmond Roots Music Seessions continue with Brad Spivey and the Honky Tonk Experience (country honky tonk freakout) - with - Hamburger James (rock-a-billy) & David Shultz and the Skyline (alt-country) at the Hat Factory. Doors open at 8 and tix are $10.
See you tomorrow.
Tony Jordan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)