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October 30, 2006
Bluegrass in Bridgeport
I checked out the Ralph Stanley concert at The Klein in Bridgeport Friday night and, once again, I was a little saddened by the low turnout.
To have one of the legends of bluegrass in our own backyard and to see just a few hundred people at the show was a bit disheartening.
Concert organizer Fred Sailer would only admit to being a little disappointed, but was confident the show was just a "building block" in getting a series of concerts to the venue.
Premier Concerts is bringing two concerts to The Klein, which hopefully will pack in a few more people: "American Idol's" Ruben Studdard on Nov. 7 and Donovan on Nov. 10.
I mentioned the concert to the Post's Steve Winters, a fan of bluegrass and folk music, and he wasn't surprised by the lack of attendance. He seems to feel that bluegrass has a small core audience of devotees and that the genre doesn't really rack in the big numbers.
I know first-hand that the Alison Krauss and Union Station and Ricky Skaggs concerts at the Shubert in New Haven a few years back attracted at least triple the number of fans as Stanley. Maybe that's because Stanley can't really bring it like he used to. He is, after all, 79 years old. But he's smart enough to surround himself with top-notch musicians in the Clinch Mountain Boys, which includes his son, Ralph II, and 14-year-old grandson, Nathan.
Even with his shotcomings - he played very little banjo and he was just getting over a cold - I always find it special to see someone who was there at the beginning. I felt the same way when I saw Chuck Berry and Little Richard in Westport a few summers ago. It wasn't so much an expectation of seeing these icons perform as if it were 40 years ago, as just hoping to get an occasional glimpse into what made these men stars to begin with, to see an originator reclaim a bit of the spark that helped them create his classic songs.
You can easily walk away from concerts like this disappointed at what time has done to the artists, but I rarely do. I go in with low expectations and hope they're exceeded.
Friday night at The Klein, Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys went well beyond my hopes for the night. You should have been there.
Apropos of nothing, it was a nice touch for Stanley and the band to set up a table at the front of the theater to sell their albums, hats, T-shirts, etc. Fans got to meet each member and shake hands and it definitely took away any coldness you can get visiting any other merchandise table.
Posted by Sean on 4:54 PM | Comments (0)
October 21, 2006
Wish You Were Here
Kate Katcher of Bridgeport’s Playhouse on the Green was picking my brain before Friday night’s concert there about ways to draw crowds to the intimate little theater on State Street and I’m afraid I wasn’t much help.
I gave a few suggestions and, before heading into the show, all I could think was, “I’m glad I just write about concerts instead of having to put the things together.�
I don’t know who said “You’ll never go broke underestimating the American public� – I also don’t know if I got the quote right – but you definitely can go broke trying to figure out any pattern in which people attend live music events.
The first concert I attended Friday night was at the Playhouse where young singer-songwriter Kevin Devine and his band headlined with the extremely talented Darian Cunning and a young pop trio from Danbury, Self Made Soul, also on the bill.
Granted, Devine is hardly a household name and an odd choice as the supposed “draw� for the show, but there were only about 25 people in the 229-seat venue for the start of the concert. Cunning can easily draw more than that when he plays a club in the area, so why were there so many empty seats?
It couldn’t have been the ticket prices, because $15 isn’t a whole lot for a concert these days. It most certainly wasn’t the Playhouse on the Green, which is absolutely beautiful and you can’t find a better place to watch a show.
It can’t be that people are afraid to venture downtown at night, can it? If it is, it shouldn’t be. Downtown isn’t exactly bustling with shady people in the evening, it’s well lit and Bridgeport’s Finest are always patrolling the streets whenever there’s any activities going on in that area.
I’ve worked in downtown for nearly 20 years and have never had any problems (knock on wood), so don’t be afraid. Like in just about any city on Earth, there are parts of Bridgeport you don’t want to be in when the sun goes down, but downtown isn’t one of them.
I watched Self Made Soul perform a few songs and teenagers in attendance ate them up. The trio showed some good hooks and musicianship, but I had to get to my next stop, the Fairfield Theatre Company for a concert with Jefferson Airplane/Starship founder Marty Balin.
It turns out, it’s not just the kids who don’t show up to musical events. There couldn’t have been more than 75 people there and this was for a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Though not as aesthetically pleasing as Playhouse on the Green, FTC is a great place to see a show as the sound system is great and the set-up is reminiscent of the old “MTV Unplugged� studio.
Again, I don’t think it was the ticket price, because $32 doesn’t strike me as being out of kilter for the man who sang on so many hit songs in his 40-year career.
The people that did attend were in for a treat as Balin and guitarist Slick Aguilar – who were joined by Charlie DeChant on keyboards, saxophone and flute – took the fans, in Balin’s words, “way, way back to the last century� for hits from Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship and some surprises.
For fans of the Airplane, there were “It’s No Secret,� “3/5 of a Mile in Ten Seconds� and “Plastic Fantastic Lover.� Each of these songs were rewarded with standing ovations, causing Balin to remark, “I see we’ve got a lot of old hippies here.�
Balin’s Jefferson Starship years were represented by “Miracles,� “Count on Me,� “With Your Love,� “Hearts� and “Runaway.�
After about 90 minutes of Balin, I checked back in to the Playhouse on the Green to catch Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band’s set. Katcher seemed happier as more people had arrived and there were about 45-50 fans now in the theater. Still, not a very promising number.
Devine showed why Capitol Records thought enough of his music to sign him. His songs are pretty much straightforward folk-pop, but he brings a certain warmth and personality to the tunes so that you can’t help but get caught up in his performance.
Unfortunately, I missed Cunning’s set, but I have had the pleasure of seeing him a handful of times in the past. Check him out, if you get the chance.
You also can catch Devine again as he returns to Toad’s Place (562-5589) in New Haven on Nov. 1 with Straylight Run, Matt Pond PA and Street to Nowhere with tickets $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Devine was just at Toad’s on Oct.10 as the opening act for KT Tunstall.
Posted by Sean on 5:10 AM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2006
Fun with Flogging
How did I miss this group? I love Irish music. I love rock 'n' roll. I love Irish rock 'n' roll music.
So how has the group Flogging Molly been so far off of my radar? I mean, I've heard of them, but I never heard the group's music.
The Pogues, Black 47, Dropkick Murphys, I love them all. But Flogging Molly, where was I?
My older brother Emmett and my friend Pete are into Flogging Molly music - as are their young kids - and still I floated through life unaware of how great this band is.
Thanks to Wednesday night's concert at Toad's Place, that is no longer the case.
Musically, the band owes much of its sound to The Pogues, although with a singer you can actually understand.
The singer and leader, Dave King, had his first taste of fame with Fastway, an '80s metal band he formed with Motorhead guitarist Eddie Clarke. Well, Flogging Molly is a long way from Fastway, but King still supplies a healthy does of energy to his music.
Also adding to the ambience was the crowd at Toad's. Not one of those sold-out, packed-to-the-gills kind of nights there, but a solid turnout for a rainy Wednesday night. Anyway, the audience seemed to know every word to every song and danced and sang for the full 90-minute show.
My next task is to track down past Flogging Molly albums and play catch-up with the rest of the group's fans. It's the first step in my trying to be as cool as my 6-year-old nephew Jack, who could have been right there singing along Wednesday, but, alas, it was a school night.
Posted by Sean on 5:08 PM | Comments (0)
October 9, 2006
E.C. was here
There was nothing surprising about Eric Clapton’s concert at the Mohegan Sun Arena Saturday night and that was a good thing. When you have Slowhand out on stage with a backup band of seasoned veterans and young hotshot guitarists, the only shock would have been if it was anything less than terrific.
Seeing Clapton wail away on his guitar is always impressive, but throw in his frequent collaborator Doyle Bramhall II, 37, and slide guitar whiz Derek Trucks, 27, and you have a night of pure heaven for lovers of the six-string.
In the Associated Press interview with Clapton, which ran in Saturday’s Connecticut Post, he said he felt that, at 61, he’s “definitely on the decline,� but if he is, it wasn’t evident Saturday night in the second of his two concerts at the casino.
What was on display were the talents of three enormously gifted guitarists and all three had plenty of solo moments in the spotlight, often in the same song.
From the night’s first tune, “Pretending,� Clapton generously gave Trucks and Bramhall ample time to strut their stuff and they didn’t disappoint.
It was the third time I saw Trucks perform in the past few months – The Derek Trucks Band was on the bill at the Dodge Music Center in Hartford at this summer’s concert featuring Tom Petty and The Allman Brothers, of which Trucks also is a member – and I’m still in awe of his playing. As talented as he is, Trucks manages to add just the right amount of fire without overdoing it, an affliction many young guitar-slingers have.
Bramhall is more in the traditional blues mode and he is no stranger to Clapton fans, having worked with him on his 2004 tour and on his past few albums. Interestingly, Bramhall also spent time as the hired gun for ex-Pink Floyd leader Roger Waters, a spot Clapton held on Waters’ Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking tour way back in 1984.
Two of the night’s songs, “Old Love� and “Little Queen of Spades,� were less like songs than mere stepping-off points for extended jams with everybody on stage showing what they could do. Also in Clapton’s band was the stellar rhythm section of drummer Steve Jordan and bassists Willie Weeks, keyboard players Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon and backup singers Michelle John and Sharon White.
And if Clapton, Trucks and Bramhall weren’t enough, opening act Robert Cray joined the fun for “Old Love,� a song he co-wrote with Clapton for 1989’s “Journeyman� album.
As good as it was to watch the three-guitar attack, when Clapton went off on a roll it was mesmerizing. To see him burn his way through Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff� might have been worth the price of admission alone.
A highlight of the concert for me was to hear the song “Motherless Children� performed live as that has always been a favorite of mine and the crack band assembled – and Trucks in particular – brought it to a whole new level.
And how’s this four-song stretch that ended the concert: “Let it Rain,� “Wonderful Tonight,� “Layla� and “Cocaine.� (“Let it Rain� replaced “Further On Up the Road� in the only change in set lists for Clapton’s two shows at the Mohegan Sun.)
As if it isn’t enough that Trucks shines with The Allman Brothers in the role originated by the late great Duane Allman, he also handled Allman’s parts from “Layla� with equal skill.
The concert ended, as do most of Clapton’s, with a run through Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads� and Cray once again joined in the festivities, as if three great guitarists weren’t enough.
The Robert Cray Band opened the night with a 35-minute set and, again, it was everything you’d expect from a veteran talent. His smooth, soulful blues music was the perfect warm-up for Clapton. If you’ve never seen Cray and his band, I suggest you pick up the recently released two-CD “Live from Across the Pond,� which is a solid overview of Cray’s career and captures him in his element – the stage.
The set list
Pretending/I Shot the Sheriff/Got to Get Better in a Little While/Old Love/Anyday/Motherless Children/Back Home/I Am Yours/Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out/Running On Faith/After Midnight/Little Queen of Spades/Let it Rain/Wonderful Tonight/Layla/Cocaine
Encore: Crossroads
Posted by Sean on 6:57 PM | Comments (0)
October 5, 2006
Dennis Miller Concert Review
Reviewing comedy seems much more personal than music. People sometimes go to see bands they may not be too fond of, just to go to a concert.
But not many people will spend the money to see a comedian they don't care for.
Such was the case Wednesday night with Dennis Miller at the Palace Theatre in Stamford. If you like Miller's worldview, then you would have loved the show. If you disagree with his politics or find his references a bit too obscure, then it probably wouldn't have been much fun for you.
I admit to being in the former group and find him to be a scream and feel strangely proud of myself when I understand one of those obscure pop-culture references he's noted for.
The first half of the show was mostly devoid of political content and he busted out a few old jokes — comparing a woman who gave birth to her 23rd child to a clown car and how an ancestor of his worked in the sequin mines of Las Vegas.
Other targets included Bronson, Mo., ("Las Vegas for people without teeth"); Krispy Kreme's proposed liquid doughnut ("perfect for fat people too lazy to chew"); and, of course, the French, whose plan to get rid of junk food in schools is "part of the French master plan to raise healthier cowards."
Toward the middle of the show, Miller started to dip into his political grab bag and, though he claims to be "a Libertarian on most issues," liberals took the bulk of the abuse.
For instance:
On former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean: "How can we take seriously a former governor who's only job was to show his face once a year and nail a bucket into a tree?"
On Hilary Clinton: "Hilary said she didn't know Bill was running around on her, well then she's not smart enough to be my president."
And he really unloaded on James Carville, calling him "a satanic Chihuahua" and "a Muppet washed on hot." Miller, who backs the war in Iraq as a way of being "proactive instead of reactive," was much kinder to the current administration than most in show business.
He imagined a conversation about Vice President Dick Cheney in a cave where one terrorist says to another, "Hey, Cheney just shot his friend in the face. And he hates us; what do you think he's going to do to us?"
And President Bush, who "never said we'd find 'nuclear' weapons in Iraq. He said 'nucular.'"
Miller also sounded downright conservative when it came to issues of racial profiling on airplanes ("The fact that the 9-11 terrorists came from the same region isn't profiling, it's called being minimally observant"); not executing murderers because they were temporarily insane when they committed the crime ("All right, then we'll fry you in a clown suit"); and pedophiles ("They're talking about implanting transmitters in pedophiles to keep track of them. You know what's easier? Burials."). Reading this, you might think it was a Republican rally, but Miller found enough humor in these sensitive topics to keep the crowd laughing. The audience did not, obviously, share all of his views, but Miller has the ability to make you laugh as he expresses his outlook, even if you disagree with it.
And laughing, really, is what it's all about.
Posted by Sean on 7:43 PM | Comments (6)
