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December 31, 2008

Mighty Mighty Bosstones at Toad's Place

Posted by Sean on 3:36 PM | Comments (0)

From the start of Tuesday night's Mighty Mighty Bosstones concert at Toad's Place in New Haven, you could tell something wasn't quite right with singer Dicky Barrett's voice.
I'm sure it had to do with the fact that this was the band's fifth straight night with a show as part of its Hometown Throwdown — four nights in Boston, one in New Haven and tonight's finale in Providence, R.I.
Despite Barrett's voice leaving him at times during the concert, the Bosstones still put on a great show as other members of the band supported Barrett by handling some of the singing duties. Most notably, trombone player Chris Rhodes, who seemed thrilled to be playing a Throwdown show in him hometown.
The full house — and then some — gathered at Toad's didn't seem to mind Barrett's shortcomings as the fans were just glad to see the boys back at Toad's after an absence of about eight years.
Still, for the $25 or $30 people shelled out for the concert, you would have liked to have gotten more than an 80-minute performance.
One of the night's two opening acts deserves mention. Tip the Van is a six-piece local ska band fronted by two female singers and a female trombonist. The band was wildly entertaining from what I saw of their time on stage and I'm looking forward to seeing more from this band.
Tip the Van will be heading out with Reel Big Fish and Streetlight Manifesto on a national tour that will reach Toad's Place on Jan. 23. That should be a fun night and an occasion to pay attention to the opening act.

December 7, 2008

Tina Turner at the XL Center

Posted by Sean on 3:00 PM | Comments (14)

There have been many comeback tours in recent years, but few have been as welcome as Tina Turner’s return to the stage. The woman is an icon and it is on stage where she is at her best.
Connecticut got its chance to see Turner Saturday night at the XL Center in Hartford and the sellout crowd of more than 16,000 got its money’s worth with two and a half hours of vintage tunes.
Turner laid out the night’s theme near the start of the concert, promising “a recap of my work from the past. I hope you’re going to like it.”
There wasn’t much not to like, even for the casual fans. Most of the classic songs were included, Turner’s band and backup singers were solid and there were a few elaborate dance numbers meant to amuse while Turner went off for a costume change.
Having just turned 69, Turner showed she still has the pipes and, amazingly enough, still has the energy to rock out. She often joined in with her quartet of young dancers, showing brief glimpses of the manic movements of her past stage shows.
And, yes, she still has the legs. How many 69-year-old women do you know that can get away with wearing miniskirts?
The concert was divided into two sets, separated by a 30-minute intermission. The crowd was screaming from the moment Turner took the stage, but it reached a fever pitch with “Better Be Good to Me,” which ended with explosions and fireworks, as the band segued into The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”
This just killed time as Turner left the stage to change into a red mini dress and cape for her take on “Acid Queen,” which she did in the film version of The Who’s “Tommy.”
Turner led the crowd in a sing-along during “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” pitting the women against the outnumbered men. She seemed to be having some fun with the competition, chiding the men by saying, “We’ll give you a second chance . . . again.”
The opening set closed with “We Don’t Need Another Hero” from “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome,” complete with Turner in her full Auntie Entity get-up and a mini-Thunderdome for the dancers to play around in.
After intermission, the crowd was shown a short video of Turner’s career, with pictures of a young Anna Mae Bullock, clips of Ike & Tina Turner performances and several of her enduring video images.
On stage, Turner led her band through a four-song acoustic set, starting with The Beatles’ “Help,” which she took from a clever pop song to a mournful plea. Her take on “Let’s Stay Together” was a highlight.
Let’s see: Turner performed songs by The Who and The Beatles, did she forget something? Oh, yeah, Then Rolling Stones.
When the band went back to electric guitars, she did a medley featuring The Stones’ “Jumping Jack Flash” and “It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll,” with images of Turner with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and company filling the big screen behind her.
The one misfire was on “GoldenEye,” Turner’s theme song from that 1995 James Bond flick. There was a dance number leading up to the song, but the song itself isn’t that remarkable. She probably has a dozen songs that she omitted that would have been a better fit.
The same can be said for her cover of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love.” It was fine, but ultimately unnecessary.
The concert closed with “Proud Mary,” a standard in Turner’s repertoire, which received the loudest ovation of the evening.
The encore started off with the same energy with the high-energy “Nutbush City Limits,” before Turner ended her show with the power ballad “Be Tender With Me, Baby.”

The set list
First set: Steamy Windows/Typical Male/River Deep, Mountain High/What You Get Is What You See/Better Be Good to Me/Acid Queen/What’s Love Got to Do With It/Private Dancer/We Don’t Need Another Hero
Second set: Help/Undercover Agent for the Blues/Let’s Stay Together/I Can’t Stand the Rain/Jumping Jack Flash/It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll/GoldenEye/Addicted to Love/The Best/Proud Mary
Encore: Nutbush City Limits/Be Tender With Me, Baby

December 6, 2008

David Byrne at Foxwoods

Posted by Sean on 5:03 PM | Comments (14)

There was nothing close to ordinary about Friday night’s David Byrne concert at Foxwoods’ Fox Theatre. In fact, it was more a performance piece than a rock concert.
Whatever you call it, it worked magically.
Byrne, the former Talking Heads frontman, is on tour promoting his latest collaboration with Brian Eno, the album “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.” As such, the concert focused almost exclusively on the new work by the pair, as well as from the Eno-produced Talking Heads albums and “Fear of Music” from 1979 and 1980’s “Remain in Light.”
The reason everything clicked in concert is that the new album fits in nicely with the tunes from those albums, as opposed to the more experimental work Byrne and Eno cooked up on 1981’s “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts,” which was only represented by one song, “Help Me Somebody.”
From the start, Friday night’s show was different. Usually, an artist will perform a song or two before addressing the audience, sort of priming the pump. Instead, Byrne and his four musicians and three backup singers – all clad in immaculate white clothes – ran out to their positions as Byrne gave a short talk, explaining to the 1,000 or so fans the gist of what they were in for.
“I am Jerry Seinfeld, in case you came to the wrong theater,” Byrne cracked, alluding to the comedian performing at the same time at the nearby MGM Grand at Foxwoods.
Byrne talked of the work he and Eno have done in the past, referring to the projects as stuff done by “he and I and some other musicians.” A bit of a slap at his former Talking Heads bandmates, no?
After the new “Strange Overtones,” the show really picked up with the first Heads song, “I Zimbra,” which also brought the first appearance by a trio of dancers, also in all-white ensembles, of course. It was amazing to watch the dancers interact throughout with the musicians and singers with Byrne often joining in the frivolity.
During “Houses in Motion,” it was thrilling to watch the dancers circling Byrne, often darting between the singer and his microphone while he was singing. Byrne later fell backward in a show of trust to have the dancers, in perfect sync, ready to make the catch.
Later, in the middle of an instrumental break in the song “Once in a Lifetime,” a standing Byrne was leapfrogged by dancer Steven Reker.
Probably the most obscure song performed Friday was “My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks),” a cut from “The Catherine Wheel,” Byrne’s 1981 Broadway collaboration with choreographer Twyla Tharp. It was also the only song that didn’t have a connection to Eno.
There was even a brand new song added to the set list, “I Never Thought,” that sounded terrific; maybe the best of all of the new tunes Byrne played in the show.
Near the end of the main set was a block of songs that brought everybody in the Fox to their feet. A Talking Heads-heavy block of songs that included the favorites “Crosseyed and Painless,” “Once in a Lifetime” and “Life During Wartime.”
The first encore also was as good as gold for fans of Talking Heads as Byrne led his troupe through “Take Me to the River,” “The Great Curve” and “Air.”
For the second encore, everyone returned to the stage dressed in white tutus for a wonderful version of “Burning Down the House.” Truly the highlight of the evening.
Byrne closed his 110-minute concert on a quieter note, performing the new “Everything That Happens,” which came off as a sort of lullaby to his fans.
One can only hope that Byrne filmed a stop on this tour for a future DVD release. It wouldn’t be as good as Talking Heads’ Jonathan Demme-directed “Stop Making Sense,” but what is?

The set list
Strange Overtones/I Zimbra/One Fine Day/Help Me Somebody/Houses in Motion/My Big Nurse/My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks)/Heaven/I Never Thought/Poor Boy/Crosseyed and Painless/Life is Long/Once in a Lifetime/Life During Wartime/I Feel My Stuff
Encores: Take Me to the River/The Great Curve/Air/Burning Down the House/Everything That Happens

November 15, 2008

Elton John at Mohegan Sun Arena

Posted by Sean on 6:27 PM | Comments (0)

By SEAN SPILLANE
Staff writer
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If an artist you like is on tour to promote a greatest-hits album, do not miss that show.
Further proof was provided Friday night when Elton John played the Mohegan Sun Arena on a tour that celebrates the release of his latest hits package, “Rocket Man – Number Ones.”
The concert was everything any Elton John fan could hope for, 26 of his best songs played in a concert that ran for nearly three hours. If all of the songs performed weren’t all actual No. 1 singles, they were at the very least fan favorites.
From the opening notes of “Funeral for a Friends,” the sold-out arena was filled with an electric feeling, not only appreciating what was being played, but wondering how he was going to top himself with his next song. To make the night seem more enjoyable was the fact that Sir Elton looked to be having a blast on stage, smiling broadly and periodically getting out from behind his piano to acknowledge the crowd, making sure to give some love to the fans who bought tickets behind the stage.
One of the two songs I wasn’t too familiar with, “Madman Across the Water,” was well received and Elton used the song to go off on an extended piano solo. Elton and his band did quite a few improvisational jams throughout the concert, with mixed results. After a while, the jams started to seem a little tedious and audience attention seemed to lag.
But even if that were so, Sir Elton would reel the crowd back in with one of his major hits. “Madman Across the Water” was followed by “Tiny Dancer,” which had the fans perked up and singing right along. The night’s only major lull came when the slow song “Believe” was followed by “Take Me to the Pilot,” which started with an extended piano solo before finishing strong.
The next song was “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and, again, the fans jumped right back into the spirit of the event.
This is not to say the “jam sessions” were uninteresting, because they were not. Elton drew out the ending of “Levon” and turned it into something resembling an energetic gospel song. And “Rocket Man” found him putting an echo effect to good use, layering his voice to create an almost psychedelic sound.
If I could find one thing to complain about, it would be the Elton either can’t hit the high notes anymore or doesn’t even try. It was missed on decidedly songs such as “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Daniel,” “Tiny Dancer” and “Bennie and the Jets.”
But I can cut him some slack as he is 61 years old now. He might not be able to do what he did as a younger man – who can? – but he still manages to sing with a passion usually reserved for performers half his age.
The end of the concert was an Elton fan’s dream. After a solo “Candle in the Wind,” the last six songs in his set were all up-tempo hits that had the 10,000 in attendance on their feet and dancing.
And Elton, bless his heart, didn’t linger off-stage too long waiting for the encore, instead choosing to come back out and sign autographs for a lucky 50 or so fans in the front rows.
The encore was a brief two-song set that started with The Who’s “Pinball Wizard,” which was a hit for Elton after his performance in the movie version of “Tommy.” Strangely enough, The Who opened its encore at the Mohegan Sun 17 days before with the same song.
The finale, “Your Song,” was dedicated by Elton to his fans, who he thanked for supporting him and giving him a life in music.
He also promised to be back on tour next year and he said it will be another Face 2 Face tour with Billy Joel. I saw that tour in Hartford in 2002 and I recommend you start saving up for your tickets now.

The set list
Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding/The Bitch is Back/Madman Across the Water/Tiny Dancer/Levon/Believe/Take Me to the Pilot/Goodbye Yellow Brick Road/Daniel/Rocket Man/Honky Cat/Sacrifice/Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me/All the Young Girls Love Alice/I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues/Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word/Candle in the Wind/Bennie and the Jets/Sad Songs (Say So Much)/Philadelphia Freedom/I’m Still Standing/Crocodile Rock/Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
Encore: Pinball Wizard/Your Song

November 11, 2008

Ratdog at The Klein

Posted by Sean on 7:33 PM | Comments (7)

I’m sure that the people who built The Klein in Bridgeport did not have this in mind when they opened the venue in 1940.
The stately auditorium welcomed about 1,200 Deadheads Sunday night for a Bob Weir & Ratdog show and it was a bit chaotic. They were clogging the aisles, smoking those “special” cigarettes and swilling and spilling gallons of beer. If the symphony crowd could see their beloved home Sunday night, their heads might very well have exploded.
I was a bit surprised because followers of the jam-band scene are usually very respectful of their surroundings. Heck, groups of them even stay an extra day at Seaside Park to clean up after the annual Gathering of the Vibes festival.
My colleague, Bill Paxton, went to the show with me — this after seeing Ratdog twice on Long Island in late October — and he seemed surprised by the antics of a few “idiots” in the crowd. But I guess that it’s human nature to remember the few idiots rather than the majority of the peacefully assembled crowd.
I guess my main concern is that the idiots will ruin it for the rest of us. The Fairfield Theatre Company, which presents the concerts at The Klein, has done a remarkable job bringing interesting acts to the venue and it would be a shame if that ended because of a few disrepectful fools.
Anyway, on to the show.
It was pretty much the standard fare, according to Ratdog fanatic Paxton, who said he’s seen the band 50 or 60 times. Weir led the band through an 80-minute opening set and, following a 25-minute intermission, came back for another 90 minutes.
Admittedly not a Deadhead, though I like the music, I was lost for most of the first set. The only song I knew was “Dire Wolf.” That didn’t detract from my enjoyment, however, because I didn’t mind getting lost in the extended guitar jams of Weir and Mark Karan. It also helped that the obligatory drum solo was mercifully short.
The second set was more to my liking, simply because I knew a few of the songs. You can’t go wrong hearing Weir performing “Mexicali Blues,” “Uncle John’s Band” and “Sugaree.” Also, the band did a great version of the old Buddy Holly chestnut, “Not Fade Away.”
The only problem I had with the second set had nothing to do with Ratdog, but rather with the aformentioned idiots. From where I sat downstairs, the Klein reeked of vomit and pot smoke, not exactly roses and tulips. I’m kind of used to the smell of marijuana at concerts — an occupational hazard, so to speak — but the odor of the vomit was making me want to . . . well, vomit.
The one musical letdown in the set was Ratdog’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” I much prefer the version done by The Band, but Weir’s slower version seemed to excite the crowd.
For an encore, Weir and his bandmates ended with an a cappella number, “Attics of My Life.” I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a concert-closer performed a cappella, but I guess, after more than four decades as a working musician, Weir can pretty much do whatever he wants.

First set: Help on the Way/Slipknot!/Minglewood Blues/They Love Each Other/Odessa/Crazy Fingers/Dire Wolf/Cassidy/Big Railroad Blues
Second set: You Win Again/Mexicali Blues/When I Paint My Masterpiece/Uncle John’s Band/Samson and Delilah/Sugaree/2 Djinn/Not Fade Away
Encore: Attics of My Life

November 10, 2008

J.D. Souther at FTC

Posted by Sean on 6:05 PM | Comments (0)

After seeing J.D. Souther at the Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne Friday night, I ventured out to my favorite local watering hole to see who was around. I ran into a few friends and, after telling them how I spent most of my night, they turned very curious about the show.
Was it fun? Did he sound as good as he used to? Did he sing [insert ’70s hit song here]? It wasn’t all new stuff, was it?
That’s a lot of questions about a man who had just one hit single, “You’re Only Lonely,” and is better known for writing songs made into hits by his Southern California compadres Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt and, most notably, The Eagles.
So, here are the answers: It was fun, sort of.
No, he didn’t sound as good as he did as a young man.
He did play a few of the songs that other artists made famous
And, yes, there were a few selections from his new record, “If the World Was You,” which is quite good.
Initially, Souther seemed to be a bit aloof, as he opened with the new “I’ll Be Here at Closing Time,” followed by an oldie, “White Rhythm and Blues.” He didn’t really address the audience until soneone’s cell phone started ringing. Though bothered, he let it slide with a little joke.
However, a woman’s constant yapping caused Souther to stop in the middle of “The Border Guard,” a new song, and give her a talking to.
“He Chatty Cathy, shhh,” he said, without raising his voice. “Actually, there’s another show in the parking lot, why don’t you go check it out.”
Those in the audience obviously agreed with Souther, as they gave Souther an ovation for silencing the annoying background noise.
Souther also got louder ovations for his ’70s songs, some (“Jesus in 3/4 Time,” “Prisoner in Disguise”) I was not familiar with. You go for what you know and I had been listening to “If the World Was You” a lot lately, so I was more interested in the new material.
Naturally, Souther received the most applause when he sang two of the megahits he co-wrote for The Eagles — “New Kid in Town” and “Best of My Love.” It was great to him him reminisce about those songs, especially the story of how The Eagles’ record label didn’t want to release “Best of My Love” as a single. Good thing for the band and Souther that they didn’t listen.
I’m not one that demands technical perfection from musicians. Quite the opposite, in fact. I feel that a missed note here and there humanizes the songs. If I wanted to hear the songs exactly as they were recorded, I’d stay home and listen to the record. But Souther, I must admit, tried my patience.
His guitar playing was shaky at times and his piano playing was often amateurish. It might have just been a bad night, but even he admitted, after a rough turn: “That’s why I usually hire really good piano players.” He certainly could have used one Friday.
Souther’s singing was solid, if unspectacular. There were quite a few moments when, if you closed your eyes, he sounded as smooth as he did in his heyday. But he’s in his early 60s now, so to expect anything other than flashes of his old voice is to expect too much.
Still, all things considered, it was a fun night . . . sort of.

Here’s a partial set list from Friday night. There are three songs I couldn’t figure out and I couldn’t even track down on the Internet. Sorry.
I’ll Be Here at Closing Time/White Rhythm and Blues/Jesus in 3/4 Time/(Unknown)/A Chorus of Your Own/Silver Blue/The Border Guard/Baby Come Home/Rain/Faithless Love/New Kid in Town/In My Arms Tonight/Journey Down the Nile/Talking to the Moon/(Unknown)/Last in Love/All I Want/You’re Only Lonely/Best of My Love
Encore: The Secret Handshake of Fate/Prisoner in Disguise/(Unknown)

October 29, 2008

The Who at Mohegan Sun Arena

Posted by Sean on 5:52 PM | Comments (0)

After seeing The Who twice on the group’s 2006 tour, the worry was that Tuesday night’s concert at the Mohegan Sun Arena would feature the same set list, equally as heavy on the classics as on material from the latest record, “Endless Wire.”
And through the first seven songs, it just about was.
Sure, “The Relay” was substituted for “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere,” but the other six songs were in the same running order as the group’s Madison Square Garden show of 2006. Not that this is a complaint, because the opening one-two punch of “I Can’t Explain” and “The Seeker” still caused goosebumps the third time around, even though the band seemed to be a little off to start the show. And how can any self-respecting fan of The Who whine about hearing “Who Are You” and Behind Blue Eyes” again?
Still, I wanted to see and hear the band mix in a few different tunes into the two-hour show.
I was soon rewarded with songs that weren’t played two years ago. An unexpected “Sister Disco” led into the must-play “Baba O’Riley,” which still elicits the most reaction from the crowds. “Getting in Tune” preceded “Eminence Front,” another concert staple that’s always well-received.
Fans of The Who’s “Quadrophenia” were then treated to the back-to-back hits “5:15” and “Love Reign O’er Me” from that album, also both absent in 2006.
The set ended with two more Who standards, “My Generation” and a terrific version of “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” complete with Roger Daltrey’s trademark scream and Pete Townshend’s trademark windmill guitar playing.
The encore was the same as my previous Who concerts, heavy on songs from the “Tommy” record. “Pinball Wizard” was followed by the medley of “Amazing Journey” and “Sparks,” which Townshend used to show off his considerable skills as a guitar hero.
The concert concluded with “Tea and Theatre” from the “Endless Wire” record. I didn’t like the decidedly low-key ending the first two times I saw it and my opinion hasn’t changed.
This is The Who, for Pete’s sake. Send the fans home riding the wave of an up-tempo rock song, not an insignificant acoustic trifle.
On the whole, it was another great evening spent with Townshend and Daltrey and their backing musicians — guitarist-singer Simon Townshend (Pete’s brother), drummer Zak Starkey (Ringo Starr’s son), bassist Pino Palladino (a member of The John Mayer Trio) and longtime keyboardist John Bundrick (who missed much of the 2006 tour to be with his dying wife).
The band was tight, as can be expected, and that allowed Townshend many opportunities to go off on a few musical tangents. He really is one of the most underrated guitarists, never quite getting the respect afforded peers such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Keith Richards. But Who fans know the deal.
Townshend was terrific Tuesday, as was Daltrey. Now both in their 60s, they provided more evidence — as if any were needed — of why The Who is such a special band and why they have earned the dedication of their fans.

The set list
I Can’t Explain/The Seeker/The Relay/Fragments/Who Are You/Behind Blue Eyes/Real Good Looking Boy/Sister Disco/Baba O’Riley/Getting in Tune/Eminence Front/5:15/Love Reign O’er Me/My Generation/Won’t Get Fooled Again
Encore: Pinball Wizard/Amazing Journey/Sparks/See Me, Feel Me/Tea and Theatre

August 29, 2008

Chris Isaak at The Klein

Posted by Sean on 3:55 AM | Comments (1)

Last Sunday night’s Chris Isaak concert at The Klein in Bridgeport had been circled on my calendar since the day it was announced. In fact, I was probably setting myself up for a letdown with my anticipation of the concert.
Thankfully, Isaak and his veteran band were incredibly entertaining and the 800 or so people at The Klein were treated to a wonderful evening of live music.
Isaak’s voice was strong throughout, whether hitting the soaring high notes or growling out his bluesier numbers, he made it all seem so effortless. He has long been compared to Roy Orbison, both for his voice and for his songs of the lonely, broken lover. He even did a solid cover of Orbison’s “Only the Lonely,” which showed the comparisons weren’t far off base.
What sets a Chris Isaak concert apart, however, is the humor he displays on and off the stage. By the show’s third song, Isaak was walking among the crowd as he sang Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender.” He’d sing a verse, stop and talk to some people, sing another verse, flirt with a woman, all without missing a beat of the song or his comic timing.
Isaak also was off-the-wall funny in the interactions with his band members, who doubled as comic foils throughout the concert. It was also amusing when Isaak would lay on the self-deprecating humor, especially when it came to his blue Western outfit, complete with sequins.
For the encore, he dressed even more outrageously, wearing a suit made up almost entirely of little rectangular mirrors. He looked like a cross between Talking Heads’ David Byrne in the big suit from “Stop Making Sense” and a disco ball.
Opening act was British R&B performer James Hunter, who sounded just as good as he does on his striking new album, “The Hard Way.” Hunter, in fact, had his own fans in attendance, including one couple that came just to see him and planned to leave early in Isaak’s set.
I don’t know why anyone would do that, but if they actually did depart, it was their loss. Especially when their favorite, Hunter, and his two sax players joined Isaak and his band in the encore for a version of Wilbert Harrison’s classic “Kansas City.”

Chris Isaak’s set list
Lonely with a Broken Heart/Somebody’s Crying/Love Me Tender/All I Want is Your Love/We Let Her Down/Speak of the Devil/Mr. Lonely Man/Wicked Game/Best I Ever Had/I Want You to Want Me/Worked It Out Wrong/All the Way/Two Hearts/Take My Heart/Don’t Leave Me On My Own/I’ll Go Crazy/Sweet Leilani/Western Stars/Dancin’/Only the Lonely/ Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing
Encore: American Boy/Kansas City/San Francisco Days/Notice the Ring/Move Along/Blues Stay Away from Me/Forever Blue

August 19, 2008

Journey, Heart, Cheap Trick at Mohegan Sun

Posted by Sean on 7:30 AM | Comments (1)

Three bands into their third decades of existence – Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey – have gotten together for a summer tour that included Sunday night’s concert at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
All three groups have had their highs and lows and all three groups could have easily sold out venues like this on their own in the late ’70s and ’80s. But this is a tour in 2008 and it’s helpful to package these bands to guarantee respectable ticket sales. It is doubtful that Cheap Trick or Heart can sell 10,000 tickets per show. Headliner Journey seems to have the best chance of filling arenas on its own.
Journey was the main attraction for most of the crowd and, accordingly, got the most time on stage during the four-hour event, about 90 minutes. Journey also was the least appealing to me going into the concert and, alas, coming out.
It’s not that I hate or even dislike Journey. It’s a fine band with talented musicians and enough hits to fill a three-hour set. It just seems that that band can be a little overwhelming as every song goes over the top. Again, before the Journey followers write in to tell me what an idiot I am, it’s just my opinion and one that I’ve held for a long time.
To each his own, right?
Of the three acts, Journey also was the only one promoting a new album, Revelation, a two-CD, one-DVD set available exclusively through Wal-Mart. A new album meant Journey would play new songs with its new singer, Arnel Pineda.
The new material sounded fine and blended in nicely with the older tunes, but maybe that was the problem. They seem to have been copied from some kind of Journey song template with little variation from past successes.
As for Pineda, discovered on YouTube singing Journey songs in his native Philippines, he was a bundle of endless energy on stage and he copied former singer Steve Perry’s every vocal inflection. He sounded every bit the same as Perry, which seemed to be what the crowd craved.
Guitarist Neal Schon was in fine form and had a touching moment when he dedicated the instrumental “Skylight” to his uncle, who had just passed away. Schon and bandmate Jonathan Cain also played a fun instrumental later in the show with Cain wailing away on harmonica.
Of course, Journey played a lot of its hits, as well as some more obscure older tracks that could have been replaced by the hits that weren’t played: “Who’s Crying Now,” “Lovin,’ Touchin,’ Squeezin’” “Girl Can't Help It” and “Send Her My Love.”
Heart was the middle band and stuck to playing its classic-rock treasures and also threw in a couple of inspired cover versions of songs by The Who (“Love, Reign O’er Me”) and Led Zeppelin (“Going to California”). It was nice to see sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson together, as I know in the past Nancy has sat out tours.
Heart’s hour-long set was hugely entertaining, but it started out a little rough as the guitar playing of Craig Bartok on “Wild Child” and “Magic Man” even drowned out the powerhouse vocals of Ann Wilson. I didn’t think that possible.
I was actually interested to hear if Ann Wilson could still bring it. I recently viewed Heart’s DVD in the “Soundstage” series and her voice sounded a little raspy. It must have been an off night when that was filmed as she still can belt ’em out with the best of them.
Nancy Wilson also sounded strong when she sang the lead on the hit “These Dreams,” with Ann singing the harmonies. That’s when Heart really sounds its best: when the two sisters harmonize.
Leading off the concert was Cheap Trick and, if the full house needed any reminding on what decade these bands got their start, the band began with a version of Big Star’s “In the Street,” which most people know as the theme song to the former Fox sitcom “That ’70s Show.”
The power-pop pioneers – the only band that has the same members it started with – only got 45 minutes on stage, but made the most of them. Singer Robin Zander sounded amazingly strong and guitarist Rick Nielsen is still the embodiment of quirky charisma.
At one point, Nielsen called Journey’s Deen Castronovo on stage to wish him a happy birthday. Perhaps sensing the drummer was enjoying the applause a little too much, Nielsen good-naturedly rushed him off stage.
It was also interesting checking out Nielsen’s assortment of guitars: a square one, a round one, one that was a complete head-to-toe caricature of himself, one that had five necks, etc.
Cheap Trick sounded amazingly good, like it just walked onto the stage at Budokan in Tokyo in the ’70s. Time hasn’t diminished Zander’s voice, Nielsen’s guitar playing or the tight rhythm section of bassist Tom Petersson and drummer Bun E. Carlos. At least, I think it was Bun E. Carlos as he stayed well in the background and never came to the front of the stage.

Cheap Trick
In the Street/California Man/If You Want My Love/Come On, Come On/I Want You to Want Me/I Can’t Take It/The Flame/Surrender/Goodnight/Dream Police
Heart
Wild Child/Magic Man/Never/Straight On/These Dreams/Alone/Love, Reign O’er Me/Barracuda/Going to California/Crazy On You
Journey
Never Walk Away/Only the Young/Skylight/Stone in Love/Change for the Better/Ask the Lonely/After All These Years/Wheel in the Sky/Lights/Open Arms/Escape/Faithfully/La Do Da/Dead or Alive/Don’t Stop Believin’/Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)/Be Good to Yourself/Any Way You Want It

August 18, 2008

Peter Frampton at The Klein

Posted by Sean on 3:27 AM | Comments (0)

MEA CULPA: Sorry if this isn’t very timely. I wrote it Friday, Aug. 15, but I must have not hit the right button to get it on the blog.

I must admit that I’ve never owned a copy of Peter Frampton’s monumental 1976 two-record set “Frampton Comes Alive!” Not on cassette, LP, CD or even 8-track.
Practically everybody that was into rock ’n’ roll in the ’70s has a copy, but it just never came into my orbit. My older brother had it, but I don’t recall that being one of the albums that I would sneak out of his room to put on my turntable.
Of course, I heard a lot of the singles on Top 40 and rock radio and I liked them. I just never got caught up in Frampton-mania.
So it was with no expectations that I went to The Klein in Bridgeport Thursday night to see Frampton. I figured it would be a good way to spend a Thursday night and that’s about it. I’m happy to report it was much more than killing time. It was time well spent.
Not knowing what to expect – for the most part – I was a little thrown off when Frampton started the concert with a couple of Motown Era songs, Junior Walker and the All-Stars’ “Shotgun” and Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).”
He knew what the thousand or so people at the venue wanted and soon enough he was playing songs from “Frampton Comes Alive!,” including a top-notch version of “Show Me the Way,” complete with the talk box he made famous.
Frampton showcased his guitar licks throughout the concert and played several instrumentals. In lesser hands, these can be momentum-killers in concert, but the raucous crowd lapped it up. His instrumental cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” especially, stood out, garnering the 58-year-old one of his many standing ovations.
He followed that with three straight standout tunes: “Baby, I Love Your Way,” “I’ll Give You Money” and “Do You Feel Like We Do.”
On the last of these songs, many in the crowd made their way to the front of the stage, giving The Klein the feel of a true rock arena. That's not an easy task for a venue traditionally thought of as the home of the Greater Bridgeport Symphony.
During the extended “Do You Feel Like We Do,” Frampton and Rob Arthur engaged in a little musical call-and-response with Frampton’s guitar and Arthur’s keyboards. At one point in the song, Frampton used the talk box to poke fun at his recent television commercial for car insurance.
“Do you have GEICO Insurance?,” he asked, before quickly adding, “Neither do I.” That drew a big laugh from the audience.
Frampton also used the mid-song break to introduce the rest of his band and said his drummer, Dan Wojciechowski, is from Bridgeport. On Frampton’s Web site, however, he is listed as having grown up in Warren, Mich., so maybe he lives here now. Anybody know his connection to the Park City?
Early in the show, Frampton dedicated a song to “Beatle George,” his longtime friend George Harrison – he played on Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass – and during the encore he performed Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
The performance closed with a song from Frampton’s early band, Humble Pie’s “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” that was a rousing finish to a very entertaining evening.

August 8, 2008

KT Tunstall at The Klein

Posted by Sean on 6:51 AM | Comments (0)

I have been to my share of concerts this year, but I can’t think of one better than KT Tunstall’s show at The Klein in Bridgeport Thursday night. Maybe Wilco or Los Lobos at the Shubert in New Haven can match it, or possibly The English Beat or Tom Tom Club at Fairfield Theatre Company. But so far, none can top Tunstall.
The Klein itself is OK, but nothing great. It lacks the warmth of the Shubert or the Palaces of Stamford and Waterbury and it doesn’t have the intimacy of FTC. Thursday night, however, it felt like the center of the universe.
Tunstall was into the show from the start and the crowd fed off of her energy, clapping along in rhythm on her upbeat numbers and even doing the wave by her request.
In an interview for the feature story that ran in Thursday’s Post, Tunstall said she wasn’t a fan of the recording studio and much preferred the stage. It showed.
This in no way is meant to belittle her two proper studio albums, her 2006 debut “Eye to the Telescope” and the 2007 follow-up “Drastic Fantastic,” which are both great. This is meant to stress how good Tunstall is as a performer. From the rockers to the slower songs, she nailed them all.
And what a voice on the wee Scottish lass. It is one of the most distinctive voices you’ll ever hear and she has quite a range. She can catch you with a growl on one song, only to surprise you by hitting a soaring high note on the next.
For her breakthrough song, “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” Tunstall went solo, with a little technological assistance. It was interesting to watch as she looped her thumping on the wood of the guitar, along with a tambourine, a guitar riff and the song’s catchy “woo-hoos.” She created her own little backing band on the loop before she tore into the song.
Naturally, the crowd was just as into it, with everyone on their feet almost from the first chords of the song. Truly a magical moment.
Her second big hit, “Suddenly I See,” was another pleaser, and she ended her set with it, again with the audience on its feet. Tunstall closed the concert with a two-song encore, wrapping things up with another rocker, “I Don’t Want You Now.”
Martha Wainwright opened the show with a 40-minute set that didn’t really register with me. Wainwright – sister of Rufus and daughter of Loudon III and Kate McGarrigle – was actually joined by her mother on piano and backing vocals for most of her set and that’s when things picked up slightly.

The set list
Little Favours/Miniature Disasters/Other Side of the World/Hold On/Someday Soon/Funny Man/The Hidden Heart/Black Horse and the Cherry Tree/Ashes/Hopeless/Under the Weather/Beauty of Uncertainty/Another Place to Fall/If Only/Saving My Face/Suddenly I See
Encore: Stoppin’ the Love/I Don’t Want You Now

August 7, 2008

Tripleheader at the Chevy

Posted by Sean on 6:35 AM | Comments (0)

Why am I doing this?
That was what I was asking myself on the way to the Chevrolet Theatre in Wallingford Wednesday night to see three bands that had their heydays in the ’90s – Blues Traveler, Collective Soul and Live. Three bands, I should add, that don’t really interest me that much. Separately, I wouldn’t have made the trek to see any of these bands, but three groups in one concert, there had to be some good music to be found.
For the most part, there was.
Blues Traveler was up first and it is the only band of the three that I have seen perform live before and the only one on the bill with an album in my CD collection – a two-disc live album from 1996, “Live from the Fall.”
I was interested in seeing Blues Traveler again because the other time I saw the band was at Toad’s Place in New Haven and that wasn’t very enjoyable. The music was fine, but we were packed into the club like sardines on a steamy summer evening.
The band played for about an hour and was very tight. Singer John Popper, who attended Stamford Catholic High School, may have shed a lot of weight since his gastric bypass surgery a few years ago, but he still has a big voice. His harmonica playing was inspired, too.
Blues Traveler played a couple of songs – “How You Remember It” and “You, Me and Everything” – from the forthcoming album “North Hollywood Shootout,” due out Aug. 26 and they sounded fine. But I, like most of the crowd of about 4,000, wanted the hits. They were delivered with excellent renditions of “Run-Around” and “Hook.”
Up next was Collective Soul, which was easily the most disappointing of the three acts. I walked into the venue not being a huge fan of the band and, sadly, I left the same way. The band had some catchy grunge-lite tunes that became major hits back in the day, so I figured it would at least be an entertaining set. I figured wrong.
Most of the blame for this can be laid at the feet of the people working the soundboard. Were they the only ones in the building who couldn’t tell that the vocals were washed out by the overly loud guitars? Believe me, I love loud guitars, but I also love to hear what the heck the singer is singing. That wasn’t an option Wednesday night.
I could make out some of the songs – such as “Heavy,” “December” and “The World I Know” – and, of course, the smash “Shine.” For that song, they were joined by young singer Hana Pestle, who apparently did an opening set before the 7 p.m. start of the show.
Where Collective Soul turned ridiculous was when they left the stage and came back for an encore. The second act on the bill coming out for an encore? Idiotic. Just play your set and make way for the next band. To top that off, the band came back and played two songs I never heard before. . . . At least, I think I never heard them before. They never did correct the vocal mix, so I couldn’t readily decipher what Ed Roland was singing.
Luckily, the concert ended on a high note. Live sounded really solid and singer Ed Kowalczyk was obviously having fun on stage. The positive energy was reciprocated by the crowd, making for an electrifying set.
The group was on stage the longest, logging around 90 minutes, but unfortunately I had to leave a little past 11, missing the last 20 minutes or so.
I’m sure I missed the hits “Lightning Crashes” and “I Alone,” but I did get to see the band play “All Over You,” “Selling the Drama” and 10 or 11 other songs, including a killer cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line.” I wouldn’t have thought that song was open to interpretation, but Live’s atmospheric take on the song was a winner.

August 3, 2008

2008 Vibes - Sunday, 9:30 p.m.

Posted by Sean on 9:30 PM | Comments (0)

It’s over and I’m drained.
I really don’t know how people can function each day after partying hard every night, but the Vibe Tribe are no ordinary people, I guess.
The Neville Brothers put on a great show to wrap things up and I was kind of surprised by how many people were still there. I figured that some of the more diehard Deadheads would have hit the road earlier today after Saturday’s shows by Phil Lesh & Friends, New Riders of the Purple Sage and The Bill Kreutzmann Trio.
But they were still there in abundance to see the so-call “Soul Roots Blues” Sunday featuring bluegrass star Sam Bush, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi’s Soul Stew Revival, jam band Umphrey’s McGee and, of course, the pride of New Orleans, The Neville Brothers.
All in all, another great festival staged by owner Ken Hays and his colleagues at Terrapin Presents of Bridgeport.

2008 Vibes - Sunday, 4:45 p.m.

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The husband-and-wife team of Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi led their Soul Stew Revival onto the Main Stage and they nailed it. Then again, how could they miss?
Trucks is a wonder on the guitar and worth the price of admission anytime he comes around. Add in the powerhouse vocals of Tedeschi and you have a must-see event.
Adding his vocals to the band was Mike Mattison, the singer for The Derek Trucks Band and with his other project, Scrapomatic.
That band performed earlier on the Solar Stage and will return to the area for a show at the Fairfield Theatre Company on Aug. 16. Tickets ($22, $17 for FTC members) are available by calling 259-1036 or visiting www.fairfieldtheatre.com.

August 2, 2008

2008 Vibes - Saturday, 9 p.m.

Posted by Sean on 9:07 PM | Comments (0)

The Taj Mahal Trio just finished up and made the festival worthwhile for me -- all the walking, all the sweating and all the sitting around in the media tent. Taj Mahal was the artist I most wanted to see and he didn’t disappoint.
Whether it was straight blues, African-influenced world music or wailing away on a banjo, this performance has so far been my highlight . . . maybe of the last two Vibes I attended.
Mahal displayed a lot of energy for a 66-year-old man and the crowd ate it up. Proof that the Vibes isn’t just for “hippie music.” There’s blues, New Orleans funk, bluegrass, funk-rock and a few other genres in addition to the jam bands.
Taj Mahal obviously was pleased with what he saw from his vantage-point on stage.
“City of Bridgeport, you deserve a medal for this,” he exclaimed at the end of his show. “That’s what I’m saying. Bridgeport deserves a medal.”
Phil Lesh & Friends is up next and is scheduled to do two sets with a break in between. Do you think he can wrap up his show in less than four hours? There is a 1 a.m. curfew for music here at the Vibes.

Vibes 2008 - Saturday, 7:45 p.m.

Posted by Sean on 7:42 PM | Comments (0)

Former Phish bassist Mike Gordon just finished up his set, which sounded a lot better than I expected. I'm not a big fan of Phish, but it was obvious that a lot of people here love the band.
The Taj Mahal Trio is going up on stage now, the show I most wanted to see ever since the lineup was announced several months ago. Got to run.

2008 Vibes - Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Posted by Sean on 7:38 PM | Comments (3)

Jen Durkin is all over the Vibes – on and off stage – which isn’t much of a shock considering she’s performed at all 13 previous festivals.
The singer has her own backstage tent at Seaside Park where she has been conducting interviews for Radio Vibes on WPKN-FM 89.5 and for future Webcast.
“I’m piecing together audio clips for Sirius-XM [satellite radio] to see if I can get my own show,” said Durkin, a Stratford resident who made a name for herself as the singer for Deep Banana Blackout. “It’s something I’ve been thinking of, this idea for a radio show. ”
“It will have another element, not just music. We’re going to just try and roll with it.”
Durkin also found plenty of time to strut her stuff on the Vibes’ two stages. She reunited with her Deep Banana Blackout colleagues for a show Friday night and performed with her new project, The Durkins, Saturday night on the Solar Stage.
The Durkins is “a revolving cast with about nine people in the band, including my brother Johnny,” she said. “We’ll do some things from this new jazz-samba solo record I’m releasing in the fall, called Equinox.
“And, of course, we do some funky party tunes, as well.”
Durkin also said she is starting her own record label, Lotus Soundworks, and plans to use it to release records by her friends on the local music scene.

Vibes 2008 - Saturday, 5:30 p.m.

Posted by Sean on 5:32 PM | Comments (0)

After a four-hour rain delay, the Vibes is up and running again as of 4:20 p.m., when New Riders of the Purple Sage hit the Main Stage. Former Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann and his trio is up now, with most of the acts paring down their sets as organizers try to get to Phil Lesh & Friends close to the planned 9 p.m. start.
Strangefolk is the only Main Stage act that's been dropped from the lineup.
It was brutally hot for a while, but now the skies are darkening again. Maybe my decision to wear long pants will pay off after all.

August 1, 2008

Vibes 2008 - Friday 11 p.m.

Posted by Sean on 11:00 PM | Comments (0)

Deep Banana Blackout just left the stage and gave the crowd what it wanted: high-energy funk delivered with a high-voltage singer.
Jen Durkin has shared a stage with many legends in the funk and jam-band worlds, but it’s easy to see that she was pumped up for Bridgeport, or as she put, “back in our ’hood.” The band was tight and had the crowd moving, not an easy thing to do after a long day in the sun.
Durkin will be back at the Vibes on the Solar Stage Saturday at 5 p.m. with The Durkins, a band she started with brother Johnny and an ever-shifting cast of musicians. I think she said on stage Friday night that she’s also a part of the Organically Grown Gospel Choir, which hits the Main Stage Sunday at 11 a.m. Don’t hold me to that.
Durkin has been a part of every Gathering of the Vibes so far, so maybe we should just make it official and name her Queen of the Vibes.
The Black Crowes comes on next and I am out of here.

Vibes 2008 - Friday, 9:30 p.m.

Posted by Sean on 9:28 PM | Comments (0)

I didn’t get a name, but there was just a pint-sized Asian child on stage with a few Deep Banana Blackout members tearing through a couple of songs on guitar and vocals. He played Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” before closing with Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train.”
It was quite an amazing feat for a kid that young with that many people watching him. The huge throng of people didn’t seem to faze him a bit. Well done.

2008 Vibes - Friday, 9:15 p.m.

Posted by Sean on 9:17 PM | Comments (0)

I’m not one of those Frank Zappa aficionados that knows all 80 of his records inside and out, but I do appreciate his music. I had copies of “Apostrophe,” “We’re Only In It for the Money” and “Joe’s Garage” growing up, but I was never close to being what you could call a Frank fanatic.
Tonight’s Zappa Plays Zappa show may cause me to expand my horizons beyond his greatest-hits collection.
Son Dweezil and his band were captivating and showed me there’s a lot more to Frank than just the songs that made him famous.
In a recent phone interview for the Post story that ran Thursday, Dweezil started the Zappa Plays Zappa shows to remind people that songs like “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow,” “Cosmik Debris” and “Valley Girl” were just a small part of what his father was about.
You can consider that message brought home, not just to me, but to the thousands of people in attendance tonight.

2008 Vibes - Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Posted by Sean on 7:27 PM | Comments (0)

The music has been terrific today and I have managed to catch chunks of spirited sets from The Ryan Montbleau Band, Porter-Batiste-Stolz and Assembly of Dust.
I had heard a lot about Montbleau from a few friends whose opinions I value, so it was nice to finally see him perform. He was as entertaining as advertised. How can you not like someone who mixes covers of Paul McCartney’s “Let ’Em In” and Eddie Grant’s “Electric Avenue” into his set?
His original songs were good, as well.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see too much of Porter-Batiste-Stolz – and, truth be told, I don’t know much about the trio – but I liked what I saw.
As for Assembly of Dust, the band is always a treat. Leader Reid Genauer is a real talent as a singer and a songwriter and has surrounded himself with solid musicians.

2008 Vibes - Friday, 4:30 p.m.

Posted by Sean on 4:28 PM | Comments (0)

If you’re wondering how much cash to bring to the Vibes, I took a walk around the food court and vending areas and did a cursory look at what’s available and prices.
Here’s a sampling:
Veggie quesadilla and grilled cheese stand $4-$5.50
Thai food $2-$7
Pizza $5-$6
Hot dogs $3
Cheeseburgers $6
Kebabs $7-$9
Tacos and burritos $7-$9.50
Crepes $4-$8.50
Steak sandwich $9
Chicken pita $9
Chinese food $6-$8
Meatball grinder $6
French bread pizza $4-$5
Cheesesteak $8
Italian Sausage grinder $8
Smoothies $4-$7
There also was a stand selling gyros and falafel with a sign advertising curried goat and pigeon rice. I don’t know what that is, but I’ll definitely pass.
If you have a sweet tooth, the Vibes also has plenty to offer, including a Ben & Jerry’s stand, soft-serve sundaes, desserts and one booth is selling deep-fried Twinkies ($4) and Oreos ($4).
As for the other vending booths, it seems you can tie-dye just about anything and it’s for sale here. Also, there are plenty of people selling jewelry and other trinkets.
There even is one vendor catering to the future Deadheads of this world, the aptly named Little Hippie booth.

July 31, 2008

2008 Vibes - Thursday 9 p.m.

Posted by Sean on 9:08 PM | Comments (0)

It’s finally cooled down at Seaside Park and there’s a nice breeze blowing off Long Island Sound. It’s just what this less-than-svelte guy needed.
I spent most of my time today in the media tent, occasionally heading to the VIP tent to grab a bottle of water. It was so hot that I was sweating the water out almost as soon as I finished. In my Vibes Tips story in Monday’s Post, I should have also mentioned the importance of staying hydrated.
So here’s an added tip: If you’re going to be swilling beer in the hot sun, mix in a few bottles of water here and there. You’ll thank me the next day.
I did catch Groovesect on the Main Stage and it was fun. It seems that bands from New Orleans very rarely churn out bad music.
Donna Jean and the Tricksters just finished up their show and also was entertaining, from what little I was able to see. Now that the sun’s down, the campers have come out of hiding and are filling the concert area. It’s just a preview of the rest of the fest when those with single-day passes start their invasion.
One other thing that comes to mind is the precision with which this festival is being run. The schedule said Groovesect would play from 5:30 to 7 and that’s what it did. Donna Jean and the Tricksters was listed as being on stage from 7:15 to 8:45 and that too went according to plan.
If you are one of those coming to the Vibes see a specific act or two this weekend, you might want to be on time.
My story for Friday’s paper is filed, so I’m going to enjoy some Dark Star Orchestra before heading home. The band blew me away last year at the Vibes, so I figure seeing a little of the band’s show tonight will be a good way to end Day 1.

July 16, 2008

Bosstones, Murphys in Pawtucket

Posted by Sean on 5:45 PM | Comments (0)

I went to Pawtucket, R.I., Saturday to catch The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and The Dropkick Murphys in concert at McCoy Stadium and, surprisingly, everything ran smoothly.
I’m not usually a fan of big outdoor events, but whoever put on this concert knew what they were doing. Long waiting periods were easily avoided if you a) hit the ATM before you got to the stadium and b) didn’t feel the need to get in line before the gates opened at 5 p.m.
The only complaint I had was a small one. There was another opening band, the all-girl punk quartet Civet, that was not listed on the show’s Web site. The group was entertaining — and not too hard on the eyes either from my vantage point — but I like to know all of the acts on the bill. This way I can decide whether I want to rush and get into the show or take my time.
Like I said, a small complaint.
After Civet’s set, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones took the stage and made the trip worthwhile. The plaid-clad ska-punk band put on an energetic performance and it is good to see the band back together. Every time I watch “The Jimmy Kimmel Show” on ABC, I feel Bosstones singer Dickie Barrett is wasting himself as the announcer. He belongs on a stage somewhere leading his band.
I had seen the Bosstones once before, at Toad’s Place in New Haven, but an afternoon wedding that day had kept me from seeing the whole concert. Since that day, I have grown to like the band even more, helped along by my friend Pete, who always manages to play a few of the band’s tunes on the jukebox at our local watering hole.
As an added bonus, the Bosstones did a killer cover of The Clash’s “Rudie Can’t Fail.”
In March, I went to see The Dropkick Murphys in the Dorchester section of Boston and swore I would never leave the state to see the band again. Not that I was growing tired of the music, but rather tired of the costs that go with overnight shows to Boston.
That vow lasted four months, thanks to the prospect of seeing a full Bosstones show — and the fact that we weren’t staying overnight in Rhode Island.
The Dropkick Murphys were as fun as usual, but I was ready to leave the stadium before the band even left the stage before the encore. Five hours of standing up was quite enough for my 42-year-old legs and, besides, I have seen the group enough in the past few years so that I didn’t feel like I would be missing anything.
Singer-bassist Ken Casey told the crowd that the show was being recorded for a live CD/DVD, so I can always see the end of the show whenever that comes out.

June 26, 2008

Steely Dan at Chevrolet Theatre

Posted by Sean on 5:13 PM | Comments (0)

Did you ever leave a concert and feel like you’re not quite sure whether you enjoyed it or not?
That’s kind of how felt after Steely Dan’s concert Wednesday night at the Chevrolet Theatre in Wallingford. There were enough hits mixed into the set list to keep me happy, but there also were just enough lesser-known songs to keep it from registering as a “great” concert in my mind.
Admittedly, I’m a casual fan of Steely Dan. I have the group’s albums, but usually only reach for a greatest-hits collection when I’m in the mood to listen to the band.
That being said, I respect the fact that Steely Dan doesn’t just rehash the same old classics to make a buck on the concert circuit. On the other hand, I wasn’t familiar with a quite a few of the songs played Wednesday and that somewhat dampened my enjoyment.
The Steely Dan zealots in the crowd must have been thrilled to hear tunes such as the opening “The Royal Scam” and “I Got the News,” but the concert didn’t get going for me until the third song, “Show Biz Kids.”
Two more non-hits followed before I perked up again at “Hey Nineteen,” even though a mid-song spoken-word break by Walter Becker was uninteresting and unnecessary.
Keyboardist Donald Fagen sounded fine throughout the concert as the band’s primary vocalist and even dipped into his solo career for the song “New Frontier.”
Becker’s lone turn at the microphone was on “Gaucho,” which was OK. The only other time Fagen gave up the microphone was on “Parker’s Band,” which put backup singers Tawatha Agee and Cindy Mizelle in the spotlight.
There are definitely no complaints about the last half-hour of the concert, which closed with four classic-rock-radio staples — “Josie,” “Black Friday,” “Peg” and “FM” — and “Kid Charlemagne” for an encore.
That more than made up for any perceived lulls in the previous 90 minutes of the show.
The opening act Wednesday night was jazz organist Sam Yahel, who was joined by two members of Steely Dan’s touring band — Michael Leonhart (trumpet) and Walt Weiskopf (sax) — for his 30-minute set.
Handling the drums for Yahel was Joe Strasser, who, according to Yahel’s on-stage introduction, is from Danbury. Not a bad homestate showcase for the drummer, opening for Steely Dan.

The set list
The Royal Scam/I Got the News/Show Biz Kids/Everything You Did/Two Against Nature/Hey Nineteen/Godwhacker/Babylon Sisters/New Frontier/Gaucho/Home at Last/Parker’s Band/Josie/Black Friday/Peg/FM
Encore: Kid Charlemagne

June 24, 2008

Ringo Starr at Mohegan Sun Arena

Posted by Sean on 6:27 PM | Comments (0)

If there’s one thing you can count on when you see Ringo Starr, it is this: You will walk out of the show feeling much better than when you walked in.
I was feeling a little run down Sunday, but I had committed to covering Ringo and his All-Starr Band at the Mohegan Sun Arena, so off I went.
I’m glad I did.
It’s not so much that Ringo is a great singer or that this lineup of his All-Starrs consists of A-list performers, because neither of those statements are true. But catching the positive vibe put forth on stage by Ringo was invigorating, as was watching the band members, who obviously were enjoying being back on a main stage in an arena.
Joining Ringo on this tour are Billy Squier, Edgar Winter, Colin Hay of Men at Work, Hamish Stuart of Average White Band, Gary Wright and drummer Gregg Bissonette.
This was the second time I had seen a Ringo tour, but I don’t remember the first show lasting as long. Sunday night’s concert ran nearly 2½ hours, perhaps because some of the All-Starrs got the opportunity to do three songs instead of what I perceived to be the limit of two.
After Ringo opened the show with two classics and a recent number he seems to enjoy, “Memphis in Your Mind,” it was time for the All-Starrs to take over the spotlight.
Squier did a blistering “Lonely is the Night” and sounded pretty much as he did in his early-’80s heyday. He also nailed “The Sttroke” later in the concert. It made me wonder why we don’t see more of him on tour. You would think with his string of hits that he should be able to pack clubs and small theaters.
Next up was Winter, who recently played a club date at Daniel Street in Milford, with “Free Ride,” followed by Hay, who played the obligatory “Down Under” by Men at Work.
The first surprise of the night came when Gary Wright performed “Dream Weaver.” He sounded great and he also would provide me another surprise later in the show. I had always thought of him as a one-hit wonder, but when he did his second number, “Love is Alive,” I realized my mistake. So, is he a two-hit wonder or are there more songs by him that I’ve forgotten?
After Ringo returned for “Boys,” Stuart played the up-tempo “Pick Up the Pieces” by AWB, before Ringo sang the nostalgic title track to his latest record, Liverpool 8.
Unlike the last Ringo concert I attended, two members of the band did solo acoustic numbers, with varying degrees of success. Not to knock Stuart, but did we really need him doing a solo version of Leon Russell’s “A Song for You”? It was OK, but there are too many songs Ringo and the other musicians could have played in that slot that it seemed like a waste of time.
Notable Ringo tunes that were missing from the show included “Don’t Pass me By” and “Octopus’ Garden” from his Beatles days and his solo hits “The No-No Song” and “You’re Sixteen.”
Hay, who often performs in the solo format, charmed the crowd with his offering, the title track from his latest CD, Are You Looking at Me? He even managed to get the crowd to help on the chorus, not bad considering there probably weren’t too many in attendance who had ever heard the song before.
Winter supplied another highlight with his instrumental “Frankenstein,” which featured him on keyboards, sax and drums.
Ringo ended the show with the one-two punch of “Photograph” and “Oh My My” before doing something I wish more performers would consider. He didn’t go through the motions of an encore.
“We could go back there and stand in the dark, but you know we’re coming back and we know we’re coming back,” he told the crowd. “I refuse to do it anymore.”
He then led the band through what may be his signature song, “With a Little Help from My Friends,” and this time it rang a little truer. Former All-Starr Dr. John, who had given a free show at the Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den Sunday night, joined Starr and this group of All-Starrs for the non-encore encore.
The show ended with the musicians and the crowd singing the chorus of John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance.” A fitting end to an uplifting event.

The set list
It Don’t Come Easy/What Goes On/Memphis in Your Mind/Lonely is the Night (Billy Squier)/Free Ride (Edgar Winter)/Down Under (Colin Hay)/Dream Weaver (Gary Wright)/Boys/Pick Up the Pieces (Hamish Stuart)/Liverpool 8/Act Naturally/Yellow Submarine/A Song for You (HS)/Are You Looking at Me (CH)/Frankenstein (EW)/Never Without You/Choose Love/The Stroke (BS)/Work to Do (HS)/I Want to Be Your Man/Love is Alive (GW)/Who Can It Be Now? (CH)/Photograph/Oh My My/With a Little Help from My Friends

June 19, 2008

Tom Tom Club at FTC

Posted by Sean on 5:58 PM | Comments (0)

It was great to see Tom Tom Club back in action Tuesday night at the Fairfield Theatre Company and, watching the band members cavorting on stage, it was easy to tell they were happy to be back.
Drummer Chris Frantz and his wife, singer-bassist Tina Weymouth, have lived in the Southport section of Fairfield for many years, but they rarely, if ever, get to play a hometown show like this. Hopefully, now that the town has a top-notch music venue, Tom Tom Club can make regular appearances at FTC.
The set list was pretty much unchanged since I last saw Tom Tom Club a few years ago, but it was like visiting old friends to hear them again. And the energy TTC gives off is infectious, even if the crowd didn’t do too much dancing.
That might have been the only drawback for the band playing FTC. It’s setup is more suited for sitting and watching a performance, as opposed to shaking what you got.
New to the band — at least since the last time I saw a show — was guitarist James SanGiovanni, better known as Fuzz from Deep Banana Blackout, Rolla and Fuzz and Carrie, the duo setup he has with wife.
As anyone who ever saw DBB perform can probably guess, Fuzz matched the other members of Tom Tom Club in the energy department and was a welcome addition to the band.
Of course, helping Chris and Tina keep things moving were singers Mystic Bowie and Victoria Clamp. The two obviously have a ball on stage together and it translates well to the fans.
Opening the concert was the latest project from Fuzz and Carrie, called Carnival of Thieves. The quartet — which also includes bassist Brian Anderson and violinist Ben Dean — plays a sort of gypsy folk that is very catchy and the music was well-received by the crowd.

June 5, 2008

Robert Plant/Alison Krauss at Mohgan Sun

Posted by Sean on 6:21 PM | Comments (0)

It seemed unlikely that the pairing of angelic-voiced Alison Krauss with former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant would work, but with a Grammy Award and sales figures in the hundreds of thousands for their album, Raising Sand, it’s safe to say the collaboration was a success.
Raising Sand isn’t a duets album. This is not George Jones and Tammy Wynette. It’s more like one singer would be out front and the other would provide harmonies.
So it was Wednesday night when Plant and Krauss brought their tour to the Mohegan Sun Arena, thrilling the near-sellout crowd with selections from the album and more.
The “more” part of the concert came from some dramatic re-workings of Led Zeppelin songs — a slowed down “Black Dog” that sounded almost menacing, as well as versions of “Black Country Woman” and a show-stopping “The Battle of Evermore.”
That “Evermore” was a highlight for the Zeppelin fans in attendance shouldn’t have been too big a shock, as the song was mandolin-based to begin with. What put it over the top was the singing of Plant and Krauss, who traded lines throughout on a rare duet for the duo.
If there’s a better female singer than Krauss working today, I don’t know of her. You can keep the vocal histrionics of the Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera; Krauss can evoke more feeling with a whisper than they can with a shout.
When Krauss was in the spotlight, the crowd would go practically silent, waiting to hear each note she would sing. Her version of “Down to the River to Pray,” which she sang on the soundtrack to “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” was stunning. It started a cappella before Krauss was joined by the trio of Plant and multi-instrumentalists Buddy Miller and Stuart Duncan on harmonies.
Plant also was in fine voice, although the material from Raising Sand and the other songs chosen for the tour aren’t nearly as taxing as his Zeppelin scorchers. He seems to enjoy digging back into American music from decades ago, much like he did on The Honeydrippers project of the early ’80s.
Plant gave a standout performance on his solo hit “In the Mood,” which was wrapped around Krauss’ take on the traditional “Mattie Groves.” He also nailed Johnny Horton’s “I’m a One-Woman Man” in the encore.
T Bone Burnett, producer of Raising Sand and the tour’s bandleader, performed two songs of his own midway through the two-hour-plus concert, though neither was from his new album, Tooth of Crime.
Opening act Sharon Little was a revelation. The lanky blonde belted out her roots music with conviction during her seven-song set. Little brought a lot of soul to her numbers, but it might serve her well to harness some of her vocal power. If she learns anything from watching Krauss night after night, it’s that volume doesn’t equal power.
But we can cut her some slack. After all, as she pointed out, it was only three months ago that she was working as a waitress.

The set list
Rich Woman/Leave My Woman Alone/Black Dog/Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us/Through the Morning, Through the Night/It’s So Long and Goodbye to You/Fortune Teller/In the Mood/Mattie Groves/Black Country Woman/Shut It Tight (T Bone Burnett)/Bon Temps Rouler (T Bone Burnett)/Trampled Rose/Green Pastures/Down to the River to Pray/Killing the Blues/Nothin’/The Battle of Evermore/Please Read the Letter/Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)
Encore: You Don’t Knock/I’m a One-Woman Man/Your Long Journey

May 27, 2008

Stone Temple Pilots at the Chevy

Posted by Sean on 2:08 AM | Comments (0)

It seems that singers, as a whole, are a curious breed, always looking for a new sound to pair with their voices. Singers in rock bands often use solo albums as a way to fill that need, often with less-than-stellar results (am I right, Mr. Jagger?).
Scott Weiland is a bit of a different story. He didn’t leave his original band, Stone Temple Pilots, to pursue a musical wanderlust. Rather, the band collapsed under the weight of his substance abuse and other personal problems.
He had already put out a solo disc in 1998, so his next musical re-invention would be as the frontman for Velvet Revolver, which included remnants of Guns ’N’ Roses. That group released two records before Weiland announced earlier this year that he was leaving the band to reform Stone Temple Pilots.
It turned out that going backward was a step in the right direction for Weiland.
Velvet Revolver had some commercial success, but nothing by that band seemed as catchy as an STP song. It was almost as if Slash and Duff and company just needed a big-name singer to take the place of Axl Rose. With STP, Weiland seems to be a better fit, leading a band that he helped create as opposed to just being part of a supergroup.
If further proof was needed that Weiland is in the right place, it was given Sunday night during Stone Temple Pilots’ concert at the Chevrolet Theatre in Wallingford. STP thrilled the full house with a two-hour show loaded with the group’s classic grunge-rock hits.
And Weiland looked and sounded great. He started out in a light three-piece suit with a dark red fedora, but by the end he was his usual shirtless self. To this casual observer, he seems to be in better health than when he was with Velvet Revolver. At VR’s concert at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport in May of 2005, a shirtless Weiland brought about a gasp at his emaciated physique.
Sunday night’s concert started off with “Big Empty,” which set the tone for the entire evening. STP’s rhythm section of bassist-singer Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz put down a thunderous beat which guitar Dean DeLeo fleshed out with blazing electric guitar.
STP kept the hits coming with “Wicked Garden” and “Big Bang Baby,” all the while the band members seemed to be enjoying the heck out of being back together and breathing life into the old songs. Weiland even commented on how happy he was to be back in familiar surroundings.
“It’s nice to see you all smiling because we’re all smiling,” he told the crowd. “It’s been a while since I’ve smiled consistently on stage.”
There were a few lulls in the otherwise high-energy concert, two of which had to do with attaching Weiland’s battery pack to his pants. The other was even more unexpected as nature called Weiland near the end of the show. Robert DeLeo announced that the singer had eaten some bad food and would be right back.
At the height of Weiland’s drug woes, this would have caused a ripple of doubt throughout the crowd. After watching and hearing the 2008 version of Weiland for 90 minutes or so at that point, it was pretty easy to believe it was what they said it was.
Sure enough, the singer quickly returned to the stage and led an electrifying version of “Sex Type Thing,” Stone Temple Pilot’s breakthrough single.

The set list*
Big Empty/Wicked Garden/Big Bang Baby/Silvergun Superman/Vasoline/Lounge Fly/Lady Picture Show/Sour Girl/Creep/Crackerman/Plush/Interstate Love Song/Too Cool Queenie/Coma/Down/All in the Suit That You Wear/Sex Type Thing/Sin
Encore: Dead and Bloated/Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart
*-with an assist from a forum at www.atlanticrecords.com.

May 23, 2008

We got The Beat

Posted by Sean on 6:53 PM | Comments (0)

I have had the pleasure of attending several concerts at the Fairfield Theatre Company, which is good as it gets for live music venues in the region. But I have never seen as much life pumped into the building as Thursday night’s show by The English Beat.
The sold-out show even had people waiting outside, looking for scalpers that weren’t there. I had never seen that before at FTC.
So, the seats were full, the standing-room-only section was full and The English Beat was on stage, working up a sweat playing its high-energy ska music. It was only natural that the crowd couldn’t sit and watch this concert as it would any other show.
Before long, almost everybody was on their feet, bopping to The Beat, and the area in front of the stage was taken over by fans who needed the extra room to dance the night away.
The English Beat, which is basically founding member Dave Wakeling and a group of incredible musicians, sounded fantastic. I have a greatest-hits record of the band and it doesn’t come close to capturing how much fun this band is to watch on stage.
The group’s hit songs — most notably “Save it for Later” and “Mirror in the Bathroom” — were each injected with new life. The tune “Can’t Get Used to Losing You,” on record a bit of a bore, was actually a highlight in the concert.
As if there wasn’t enough excitement attached to this show, The English Beat had a special guest in its band — make that a Specials guest.
Lynval Golding of The Specials, a singer and rhythm guitarist, took the lead on a few songs from his band. In fact, in a bit of a strange move, the show started with The Specials’ “A Message to You, Rudy.”
Reportedly, The Specials will reunite for tour later this year. Let’s hope the powers that be over at FTC can snag the band for a show there and try to recapture some of Thursday night’s magic.

May 6, 2008

Bryan Adams at Toad's Place

Posted by Sean on 8:02 PM | Comments (0)

I’m old enough to remember when Bryan Adams was just starting to make a name for himself in the United States and watched as he landed hit after hit on the Top 40 charts with the videos going into heavy rotation on MTV. (Yes, I’m also old enough to remember when MTV played videos.)
Eventually, I couldn’t care less about what Adams was doing, as it seemed his songs were almost too successful, too omnipresent on radio and TV. To make matters worse, he had a huge hit with the sappy “(Everything I Do) I Do it For You” from a lame Kevin Costner movie.
It certainly didn’t help that every song I heard from him after that smash tried to replicate that formula and even sappier songs were forthcoming. I was officially done with Mr. Adams.
Whatever CDs I had by him were eventually traded in and, aside from seeing him in concert at the Warner Theater in Torrington a few years ago, I had no knowledge of anything he was doing musically.
Until Monday night, that is. Adams was at Toad’s Place in New Haven to do an acoustic solo show with tickets only available through WTIC-FM 96.5. Kim from Adams’ public relations agency offered me a pair of tickets, so I figured, why not?
If the show turned out to be a stinker, at least I could get a couple of slices of Yorkside Pizza while I was in the area. Anyway, what else was there to do on a Monday night?
Surprisingly, everything went well. Adams was engaging with the 450 or so fans in attendance and he sounded, well, like Bryan Adams. I actually could listen to his older hits with fresh ears, to hear the songs as he initially envisioned, not as these catchy monsters that soon assaulted my radio and TV.
The 90-minute set was loaded with his hits, some of which I had blocked out of my brain. Hearing these stripped-down versions brought me back to why I liked his music in the first place: The man can write a catchy pop song.
Here are some of the songs from Monday night that you should remember: “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started,” “Cuts Like a Knife,” “Heaven,” “Run to You,” “Summer of ’69” and “Please Forgive Me.”
Adams is doing this tour ostensibly to showcase his new album, called “11,” which is coming out on May 13 exclusively through Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. The crowd was polite during his new material, but between songs quickly started yelling out requests for his classics.
Though it was a solo performance, walking into Toad’s and seeing a drum kit on stage, I had a feeling that Adams’ longtime drummer, New Haven native Mickey Curry, would take part at some point of the show.
Curry, who played Toad’s many times in the ’70s with The Scratch Band, eventually joined Adams for four or five songs near the end of the show, playing the first drum set he ever owned. It was nice to see the two old friends enjoying each other’s company and, as far as the show, Curry’s drumming did help to mix things up.
For as entertaining as it was to hear Adams with just his acoustic guitar and occasional harmonica, every now and then, ‘Kids Wanna Rock.’ Even us older ones.

May 5, 2008

Three Dog Night at The Klein

Posted by Sean on 5:54 PM | Comments (0)

I checked out the Three Dog Night concert at The Klein in Bridgeport Friday night and I must say that I walked away sort of impressed.
When I interviewed singer Danny Hutton for the feature that ran in the Post Thursday, he mentioned a few times that the band sounds like it did on the records. He was right.
Though I’m not a big fan of Three Dog Night — I don’t own a single album by the band — I could appreciate all of the hit songs I knew from listening to AM radio growing up. Hutton and fellow singer Cory Wells both did fine work bringing these classics to life on The Klein’s stage.
In the phone interview, Hutton alerted me to a “special” thing that would happen three-quarters of the way through the concert and I’ll assume he was talking about what was the show’s obvious low point.
Wells, in the middle of “Mama Told Me (No to Come),” started talking about how some people said that it was kind of like the first rap song (it’s not). Wells then proceeded to don some bling, sunglasses and a baseball cap and launched into an updated version of the song done as a rap. I actually felt embarrassed for him. It was that bad.
But the show got back on the rails after that and finished with a rousing encore of “Joy to the World.” It was a fitting end to a rather joyful experience, especially for the longtime fans of the band in the crowd of 800 or so at The Klein.

March 28, 2008

The Subdudes at FTC

Posted by Sean on 8:04 PM | Comments (0)

I headed over to the Fairfield Theatre Company Thursday night to check out some of the show by The Subdudes and was very glad I went.
In the past, I had listened to a few of the group’s records, but never really warmed to the five-piece from New Orleans. As expected, the music of The Subdudes came alive on the stage and the near-capacity crowd was all smiles.
I didn’t know any of the songs The Subdudes played, but it didn’t matter. I was enjoying the show almost as much as the group’s long-time fans in attendance, who shouted out requests and other in-jokes only a true fan would understand.
There’s just this great vibe when FTC is packed and it’s probably the best venue for music-lovers in Fairfield and New Haven counties. It only holds 200 people, so tickets are a tad more expensive, but it’s truly a great musical experience to see a show there.
Maybe there’s something about artists from the New Orleans area that just doesn’t translate well onto record, a spark missing that can only be found in concert. I felt the same general disinterest before seeing Marcia Ball and BeauSoleil at Fairfield University’s Quick Center a few weeks back and was rewarded with two sets of great music.
If you don’t know already, Marcia Ball is coming back to Fairfield — this time at FTC — for a concert on June 6 and I suggest you check her out.
Also, Louisiana bluesman Tab Benoit — whose music I love on record and in concert — is coming back to FTC on May 30. Don’t miss out.

March 11, 2008

Los Lobos at Shubert

Posted by Sean on 4:59 PM | Comments (0)

For years, I had wanted to see Los Lobos in concert, so I was pretty pumped up for the group’s appearance at last summer’s Gathering of the Vibes in Bridgeport.
I have to admit, I left Seaside Park just a little disappointed that night.
Don’t get me wrong, the band sounded great, but the members seemed to be a little laid back, almost feeding off the atmosphere of the festival. They didn’t appear to have a set list and would come together after each song to — and I’m guessing here — talk about what they were going to do next.
When they played, everything was fine, but it did have the appearance of a show that was just slapped together.
I had another shot to see Los Lobos when it performed Saturday night at the Shubert in New Haven and, I’m glad to say, I can’t think of anything negative to say about this concert.
The group was tight — as you would expect from a band that’s been together for more than three decades — and the song selection was superb. All the tunes worked well together, with singer-guitarists David Hidalgo and Cesar Rojas splitting the vocals.
Everything worked and the very receptive crowd was into it from the start. These were dedicated fans, calling out requests for songs that probably never received any airplay. In other words, nobody was shouting for “La Bamba.”
There were a few Los Lobos favorites that I wish they had played — “Will the Wolf Survive?,” “One Time One Night, ” “Shakin’ Shakin’ Shakes” and “Set Me Free (Rosa Lee),” to name a few — but that doesn’t detract one iota from the good feelings I had long after the two-hour show ended.
As for “La Bamba,” the band’s cover of the Ritchie Valens classic, it didn’t make the set list Saturday night and no one seemed to mind. A bit odd that a group could get away with omitting its biggest hit, but it happened.

March 9, 2008

Command performance

Posted by Sean on 11:48 PM | Comments (0)

Friday night, it was back to the Fairfield Theatre Company for a show from The Commander Cody Band, which I have missed on its previous stops at the venue. It turns out, I had been missing out on a lot.
What a fun time it is when the Commander takes the stage, though you would hardly know it from watching him amble up there. Not to be too unkind, but the veteran rocker looks every bit his 60-plus years . . . and then some.
Still, he and his bandmates put on a heck of a good-time concert. I wasn't too familiar with Commander Cody's music other than what I know from seeing a few concerts at FTC by Bill Kirchen, the guitar wizard from Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.
It was fun to listen to Commander Cody's versions of several of the same songs as Kirchen, naturally, focuses on his Telecaster and Commander Cody plays keyboards. I must confess that, as much as I enjoyed Friday night's event, Kirchen's live show is still the better of the two.
Friday night's opening act, Professor Louie and the Crowmatix, was almost as much fun. I had seen this group before, at a WPKN fundraiser in Newtown about six years ago, so I kind of knew what to expect.
Apparently, I forgot how solid this band is. With Professor Louie at the keys and, later on, accordion, the FTC crowd was treated to an uplifting performance, highlighted by a cover of The Band's "Ophelia."
Professor Louie and the Crowmatix hails from the Woodstock, N.Y., area and worked with The Band on its final three records, as well as solo discs from Garth Hudson and Rick Danko. If memory serves, Hudson accompanied the band at that WPKN fundraiser.
The set switched from fun and loose to respectful and poignant when Professor Louie dedicated a song to deceased bassist-singer Danko, the title track from the posthumous release "Times Like These." Very touching.

Coco concert continued

Posted by Sean on 3:12 PM | Comments (0)

As I mentioned in my previous posting, I left the Fairfield Theatre Company after three hours Friday night, before bluesman Coco Montoya finished his show. A friend of mine who was in attendance e-mailed Saturday to tell me what I missed. In his words, "not much."
He did say that the concert ended around midnight and that blues artist Debbie Davies, who now calls Derby home, joined Montoya for a few songs. That shouldn't have come as a surprise since the two guitarists have worked together in the past and are both graduates of the late Albert Collins' band.
It's just a shame that, according to my spy, only about 50 or so people made it to the end of the show to see those two collaborate.

March 7, 2008

Coco concert at FTC

Posted by Sean on 6:26 PM | Comments (0)

I went to see bluesman Coco Montoya at the Fairfield Theatre Company Thursday night and I must say I left a little confused. Did people drop $42 to see opening act Johnny A. or to see the headliner?
I left the office a little late, so Johnny A. was already on stage when I arrived at the 7:30 show at a little before 8. The Boston-based guitarist led his trio through an extended set of instrumentals, which were both clever and engaging.
He did some very imaginative covers of Jimi Hendrix’s “The Wind Cries Mary” and Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman,” as well as some interesting originals.
The crowd thoroughly enjoyed his time on stage, but it just went on way too long for an opening act. Montoya didn’t even hit the stage until nearly 10 and, on a weeknight, that’s way too late.
Montoya also had the misfortune of technical difficulties at the onset of his show, which was plagued by nasty feedback and monitors that weren’t working right. The crowd was growing increasingly restless as the bugs were worked out.
For those unfamiliar with Montoya, he’s an electric bluesman of the highest order, having served time with the late great Albert Collins on his way up. He’s also worked on a few projects with Derby resident Debbie Davies, another Collins alum.
Montoya is on tour to promote his latest album, “Dirty Deal,” and, once he got going, he was mesmerizing. The man can flat out play and he matches that with an incredibly soulful voice.
That was why it was kind of sad to see members of the audience leaving early. He deserved better. More to the point, he deserved to go on at a decent hour. Maybe there was something going on backstage that I’m not aware of, but the supposed star of the show should not be hitting the stage nearly 2½ hours after the concert’s start.
I must admit that, as much as I enjoyed Montoya’s performance, I couldn’t stick it out to the end, either. I was supposed to meet up with a friend to go over plans for an upcoming Boston trip, so at 11:15, when the concert should have been long finished, I left.
I just wonder what Montoya, after battling through the show’s early problems, thought when the house lights went up and he noticed that half of the crowd had departed. I hope he didn’t take it as too much of an insult, but what can you do? Some people just can’t stay out all night and get up early for work.
The late start wasn’t fair to Montoya or the people that shelled out the money to see him.

February 25, 2008

Wilco at the Shubert

Posted by Sean on 5:57 PM | Comments (0)

I really have to stop going to Wilco shows with any pre-conceived notions. I’m always wrong.
Having spent the better part of two weeks with the group’s new album, “Sky Blue Sky,” firmly entrenched in my car’s CD player, I was expecting a more laid-back concert Sunday night at the Shubert in New Haven than past performances.
Again, I was wrong.
Sunday night, at the sold-out and very intimate venue, Wilco conducted what seemed like a musical revival meeting, with frontman Jeff Tweedy in the role of the preacher to the adoring crowd.
The first few notes of every song elicited loud cheers as fans were treated to a two-hour set that spanned the group’s entire 12-year career. Not surprisingly, given the dedication of Wilco’s followers, the new material was greeted just as warmly as older favorites.
Whereas “Sky Blue Sky” is more contemplative and moodier than earlier records, the show was typical high-energy Wilco. A lot of the credit for that has to go to lanky guitarist Nels Cline. Whether it was lap steel or just plain old electric, Cline was a live wire on stage, all herky-jerky motion and screaming guitar.
In fact, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear some of the new songs were used as mere starting points for Cline’s histrionics.
What else was I wrong about? I guessed that the concert would pay stricter attention to “Sky Blue Sky,” or even the previous studio record, 2004’s “A Ghost is Born.”
Only six of the 25 songs performed Sunday were from “Sky” and two from “Ghost.” Compare that to six songs from 1996’s “Being There” — including the last four songs of the encore — and five from 2002’s groundbreaking “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and you can understand why Wilco devotees sitting near me were constantly talking about the “great mix” of old and new songs.
As if two hours of Wilco wasn’t enough, I also thoroughly enjoyed opening act John Doe, formerly of Los Angeles punk pioneers X. His set lasted 45 minutes and featured Cindy Wasserman ably handling the female vocals on a few duets, most notably the X classic “White Girl.”
As a bonus, Wilco’s Cline came out to add steel guitar to one of Doe’s songs.

Wilco set list
Remember the Mountain Bed/California Stars/Company in My Back/Pot Kettle Black/A Shot in the Arm/Radio Cure/You are My Face/Side with the Seeds/Pick Up the Change/Hotel Arizona/I’m Always in Love/Impossible Germany/Jesus, etc./Misunderstood/Airline to Heaven/Theologians/Walken/I’m the Man Who Loves You/On and On and On
Encore: Hate it Here/Heavy Metal Drummer/Red-Eyed and Blue/I Got You (At the End of the Century)/Monday/Outtasite (Outta Mind)

February 18, 2008

Havin' a Ball

Posted by Sean on 5:07 PM | Comments (0)

I have this friend, we’ll call him Wilbur, who has been raving to me about Marcia Ball for years now and I never truly got it. I heard of couple of her studio albums and they were OK, but nothing that could trigger such devotion as Wilbur’s.
“You have to see her live,” he’d say again and again.
Well, I finally got the chance to catch her on stage Friday night at Fairfield University’s Quick Center and all I can say is: “You were right, Wilbur.”
Watching this slender, 58-year-old grandmother tear through her New Orleans/Texas boogie-woogie blues was a sight to behold. She was a force of nature, her crossed leg in constant motion as she sat at the keyboards.
Of course, I had an inkling it would be a good show after listening to her last album, "Live! Down the Road," which captured a Ball live performance from 2004.
But now, I know something Wilbur doesn’t know: the songs from her new album, "Peace, Love & BBQ," are a blast. Ball tried out tunes from the record, due out in early April, during Friday’s concert and they are all keepers.
I only hope she translated some of her live energy onto the record.
Opening the concert was BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, a veteran band of Cajun musicians from Louisiana. I didn’t know what to expect from this group, but I was amazed at how much I liked the music.
I was even going to break down and buy a copy of BeauSoleil’s new live CD, but I didn’t feel like plunking down $20 in the lobby. I’m sure I’ll find it at a much more reasonable price online.

January 23, 2008

Ringo riled

Posted by Sean on 6:15 PM | Comments (0)

Ringo Starr walks off the set of "Live with Regis & Kelly" because they wanted him to cut his performance to under 2½ minutes and all I could think was: Why on Earth would a morning chat show put any limits on an ex-Beatle?
Ringo even agreed to trim some of his number, but it wasn't good enough for "Live" and producer Michael Gelman. Well, shame on the whole "Live" team. If you get a living legend willing to appear on your show, you cut him some slack.
Ringo is out promoting his new record, "Liverpool 8," and has managed to appear on several programs without incident. Ringo should never grace the set of "Live" again, unless he gets an on-air apology first.
And what was so important that they had to rush Ringo? Segments with designer Michael Kors and the winners of "The Amazing Race."
Shameful.
Scheduled to perform with Ringo's band was his producer, Dave Stewart, formerly of The Eurythmics. He wasn't nearly as forgiving as Ringo in a statement he released Tuesday. The best quote from Stewart: "Mr. Gelman apparently felt Ringo's musical legacy should take a back seat to additional banter about the size of Ms. Ripa's derriere.”
Such is the world of these vacuous morning shows.
By the way, Ringo's "Liverpool 8" is the best record he's done in many years, led by the nostalgic title track. A few of the songs are of the cloying "Love is beautiful" sentiment and the Latin-flavored "Pasodobles" should have never seen the light of day. Overall, it's true Ringo - lightweight and somewhat disposable, but still a nice listen.

November 17, 2007

Stevie Wonder concert review

Posted by Sean on 5:22 PM | Comments (0)

It took a while to get going, but when it did, Stevie Wonder’s concert Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena finally turned into the uplifting event the sellout crowd of about 10,000 had expected.
Wonder started slowly, addressing his fans with his reasons for this tour, which began as a short summer tour to honor his mother, who had passed away in May of 2006. But the “A Wonder Summer’s Night” tour was such a success that it expanded into this leg, now called “A Wonder Autumn Night.”
Wonder was joined by daughter Aisha Morris for the opening number, “Love’s in Need of Love Today,” and that song, as well as the next two, failed to captivate the audience. Even when Wonder turned into a firebrand preacher at the end of “Visions,” calling for a halt to the evils plaguing the world today, the crowd seemed reserved.
That ended as soon as Wonder dipped into his catalog of hits for “Living for the City” and “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” that had everybody on their feet singing along.
Wonder then had a little fun with his talk box, distorting his voice as he noodled around on his keyboards, singing snippets of songs such as “She Loves You,” “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”and “Never Can Say Goodbye.” It was an amusing departure and segued nicely into a rousing “Higher Ground.”
My one gripe about the first half of the show was how Wonder dragged out the ending of his songs, sometimes it was magical and sometimes it seemed pointless. The worst offense was how he turned “Ribbon in the Sky” into a 15-minute bore, complete with a yawn-inspiring call-and-response session where you heard the phrase “There’s a ribbon in the sky” about 100 times.
He followed with three more slow songs, including another duet with his daughter on “How Will I Know,” before things changed for the better. A switch was flicked somewhere because the rest of the concert was transcendent as Wonder burned through most of the biggest hits of his four-decade career.
The only glitches the rest of the way was when Wonder finished “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” and tried to make a country song out of it – it didn’t work – and then told a rambling story about the writing of “My Cherie Amour.”
But musically, the last hour of the 150-minute concert was everything you could have hoped for if you are a fan of Wonder. Classic song followed classic song with no let-up and the crowd ate it up, the roar of approval seemingly getting louder with the start of each song.
Wonder chose to wrap things up on a poignant note with the song “As,” letting his faithful followers know that he’ll “be loving you always.” The feeling was mutual.

The set list
Love’s in Need of Love Today/Too High/Visions/Living for the City/Master Blaster (Jammin’)/Higher Ground/Golden Lady/Ribbon in the Sky/Overjoyed/When I Fall in Love/How Will I Know/Don’t You Worry ’Bout a Thing/Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours/My Cherie Amour/Uptight (Everything’s Alright)/For Once in My Life/Do I Do/Sir Duke/I Wish/You Are the Sunshine of My Life/Superstition/I Just Called to Say I Love You/As

October 22, 2007

An awesome Experience

Posted by Sean on 9:21 PM | Comments (0)

It’s almost a shame that Saturday night’s Experience Hendrix concert was held at the Palace Theatre in Waterbury. Not because there’s anything wrong with the venue — it’s beautiful and a great place to see a show — it’s just that more people should have been able to witness this event.
The amount of talent that graced the stage during the event should have been enough to sell the Palace out many times over, but for those of us on the inside, the intimate theater was ideal.
The funny thing is, that while the show was terrific, no one performer stood out over the others. Some of the artists, I couldn’t help but wonder why they would go out on the road with a tour like this when they’re only on stage for a fraction of the concert.
Former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, The Doors’ Robby Krieger and blues legend Hubert Sumlin, who played with Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, were just three of those involved that didn’t seem to have much time in the spotlight.
I guess the lure of performing the music of Jimi Hendrix was enough.
The night started off with the less-famous names on the bill. First was a fiery performance by Eric Gales, followed by an equally rousing two songs from Mato Nanji, the singer-guitarist for the Native American rock band Indigenous.
Doyle Bramhall II, who has accompanied Roger Waters and Eric Clapton on tours in addition to his own recordings, was up next, joined by Living Colour singer Corey Glover. Bramhall did a transcendent version of Hendrix’s “Angel,” but his time on stage seemingly was cut short by a technical problem near the end of his rendition of “Rock Me Baby.”
Supplying the connection to the music of Hendrix was two of his bandmates — drummer Mitch Mitchell from The Jimi Hendrix Experience and bassist Billy Cox of Band of Gypsys. Cox even showed himself to be a heck of a singer, especially during the blues song “Red House.”
One of the night’s biggest ovations was when young guitar-slinger Kenny Wayne Shepherd appeared with the singer from his band, Noah Hunt. Shepherd blistered his way through three songs, cementing his reputation as a logical successor to Stevie Ray Vaughn, himself a disciple of Hendrix.
I write that Shepherd got “one of the night’s biggest ovations” because the next artist received, without a doubt, the warmest welcome. It was the great Buddy Guy.
Guy had the most time on stage and, strangely, didn’t play a Hendrix tune. This struck me as very odd because I seem to remember him doing one of Jimi’s tunes at this summer’s Gathering of the Vibes.
Sumlin joined Guy during his set, giving the Waterbury audience the opportunity to see two of the greatest remaining links to the old-time blues era.
(Here’s a personal note to the man in the crowd who screamed “play a [bleep]ing Hendrix song” at Buddy Guy: Please don’t go to any more concerts. You’ll probably just embarrass yourself some more. If you can’t sit quietly while two men who paved the way for Hendrix perform, then you should be kept separated from the rest of the music-loving public.)
With all of the talent on hand, it was left to young pedal-steel guitarist Robert Randolph to wrap up the three-hour show. He was joined by Krieger for “Purple Haze,” before Shepherd and Hunt returned for “Voodoo Child (Slight Return).”

October 6, 2007

Van Halen concert review

Posted by Sean on 6:45 PM | Comments (2)

There’s been a rash of reunion tours in the past two months that have played Connecticut – The Police, Crowded House, Genesis – but none of those comebacks was as unlikely as the one between Van Halen and its original lead singer, David Lee Roth.
Bad blood over Roth’s departure from the band in1985 has led to more than two decades worth of verbal sniping in the press, so when this tour was announced, even the least skeptical VH fans had to raise their eyebrows. Even though there was tons of money to be made, could Roth and his longtime nemesis, guitar god Eddie Van Halen, play nice together and keep things on track.
The two made like best friends at the press conference this summer announcing the reunion tour, smiling and mugging for the cameras, but you had to have doubts they could pull it off. Even as recently as three weeks ago, a source at the Mohegan Sun told me that the rumor was that the project wouldn’t last long enough to make it to the casino’s arena.
But, Friday night, there they were: Roth front and center, surrounded by Eddie to his left, drummer Alex Van Halen directly behind him, and, bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie’s son, to his right. (That figures: Van Halen finally gets Roth back for the first time in two decades and bassist Michael Anthony gets replaced.)
Admittedly, I rolled my eyes when I first heard of the planned reunion. Past attempts at reconciliation have all ended badly, so I just chalked it up as a money grab by a couple of aging rock stars searching for relevancy. If it came around the area on a day that was convenient, I’d check it out, but I certainly wouldn’t have gone out of my way to see the show.
Well, I’m certainly glad it came around because it was a tremendous concert. There was a certain joy in hearing nothing but the songs from the six albums Roth made with the group from 1978 through 1984. Not that the records and tours with Roth’s replacement, Sammy Hagar, weren’t fun, but to many people the original lineup was the only Van Halen that really mattered.
Even though Van Halen kept some of the Roth-era hits in the set lists with Hagar, it just wasn’t the same.
Friday night’s concert started, fittingly enough, with a cover of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” the first single from Van Halen’s debut