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Showing posts with label live concerts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label live concerts. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Pop Evil Announce 2019 US Headline Tour Dates
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Concert Memory: Trans Siberian Orchestra - December 13, 2008
I have a confession to make. I have actually fallen asleep at a concert. This is something I never thought would be admitted, but here I am, confessing one of my deepest secrets to all that will read this. It’s not a fact that I am proud of, but at the same time, I’m not ashamed of it either. More than anything, I am surprised that it occurred at all.
My wife is a huge fan of Trans Siberian Orchestra. Every
holiday season we are forced to listen to their Christmas albums multiple
times. And that’s not a terrible thing; it’s just that they aren’t one of my
favorite bands to enjoy at Christmas time (or anytime). I don’t hate their
music, there are even a couple of songs that I thoroughly enjoy, but TSO is a
band that I can take or leave. And I never had the desire to see them live.
That was until I needed to come up with a good surprise for my wife’s birthday.
My wife is a December baby. Those reading this that have
birthdays in December know exactly what that means. However, for the rest of
you, I will spell it out simply. December babies get screwed when it comes to
their birthday. It’s Christmas time. It’s Hanukkah. It’s Kwanza. It’s
everything except someone’s birthday. People are busy with the holiday season,
decorating, hosting holiday parties, and worrying about end of the year
priorities. Birthdays are an afterthought. Even in their own families, December
babies get the “combo” gift (this is for your birthday AND Christmas), or they
get a birthday gift wrapped in Christmas paper. It’s horrible!
I was always raised to remember that birthdays are
special. It’s a magical day meant for just that person and it should not be shared
with anyone or anything else---including another holiday. Therefore, I always
try to make my wife’s birthday special. A real birthday card. Real birthday
wrapping paper. And real birthday surprises.
In 2008, Trans Siberian Orchestra was touring once again. Their annual Winterfest. That particular year TSO was going to perform at a venue in New Jersey (the now defunct IZOD center) on my wife’s birthday. As soon as I learned that, I just knew I had to take our family to that concert so we could celebrate appropriately. It was a matinee show (the band was doing two performances on Saturday, an odd notion that I wish other bands would think about) and that was perfect for our family because my daughter was 11 years old at the time. I would prefer that she saw the early show instead of getting home after midnight.
And thus, I got us tickets and told my wife that we had a
big surprise for her birthday but would say nothing more. She would have to
wait until that special day to learn what was going on. On the day of her
celebrated birth, my wife, daughter, and I hopped into the car with only two of
us knowing where we were heading. My daughter and I had a plan and I think it
worked out pretty well. As we started driving away from the house, my wife was
filled with curious wonder.
“Where are we going?”
“You will see,” would be my only response.
Then about 10 minutes into the drive, my daughter played
her part by announcing that she would like to hear some Christmas music.
“Okay,” I said. “I think I have some we can play.”
Knowing full well that I had some, because I already had the TSO Christmas
album loaded in the car’s CD player before my wife even got to the car. I hit
play and the Trans Siberian Orchestra surrounded us in music.
My wife looked quizzically at me. She wanted to say
something but stopped. I chuckled inside and we continued on our ride. A few
moments later she finally burst out: “Wait! Are we going to see Trans Siberian
Orchestra?”
When I confirmed that we were, she literally squealed
with delight. It was one of the five happiest times for my wife that I remember
from our marriage (so far). She was ecstatic. You would have thought that I
told her she just won a million dollars. She was giddy.
And so, to the show we went. We had decent seats in the
100s section with a good view of the stage. It was also only the second or
third concert that my daughter had been to, so it was a real treat for her as
well, but make no mistake about it; this was my wife’s gift. And the surprise
of suddenly realizing that she was at a concert she had wanted to see her
entire life must have been overwhelming. She certainly had no idea her day was
going to be like that when she woke up in the morning!
When the band came on stage, I thought they were decent.
Like I’ve said, TSO is a band that I like but not love. I can take them or
leave them. But I watched their set with unbiased eyes and ears. And I enjoyed
their stage performance. I enjoyed their music. I enjoyed their antics. Then
somewhere about halfway through the concert, things slowed down to a crawl. And
that I didn’t enjoy so much.
So why the band was crawling through some excruciating
slow number, and my wife and daughter were mesmerized by the stage performers,
I found myself closing my eyes. It had been a long day for me. It had been a
stressful day for me. Planning and organizing and arranging everything so that
it went just right for my wife’s special day. I’m not using that as an excuse,
I am just stating the facts. It was a long day and closing my eyes at that
moment felt really, really good. So I closed them. And
next thing I knew, I was waking up twenty minutes later when the band kicked it
into high gear again.
I awoke with a jolt and looked around me. Had anyone
noticed? Did anyone see that I was sleeping? Did my wife see that I was
sleeping and if she did was that going to ruin her overall experience on her
birthday? I quickly assessed the situation and realized that no, she had not
seen me fall asleep. She was too engrossed in the show. Score one for the
husband who would remain awake for the remainder of the concert.
It would be my only Trans Siberian Orchestra event. I
figured if I could not stay awake for their entire show, then this clearly was
not a band for me to see live. I fulfilled my wife’s desire to see them live
and took her to a show on her birthday which was an extra special treat. I
figured if she would like to see them again, she can go with her friends or
other family members. Just count me out.
I eventually did come forth and tell my wife that I
nodded off. I don’t remember if it was later that night, or another time, but I
did admit to it. I told her that the concert just wasn’t for me. She, on the
other hand, absolutely loved it and I think to this day it is still one of her
top five concert experiences. For me it is probably a bottom five concert
experience. And that’s okay. My wife and I don’t always see eye to eye on every
concert. I mean, she hated Dave Matthews Band whereas I’ve seen them 21 times
and counting. To each their own I suppose. And TSO is clearly not my own.
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Concert Memories: Drive By Truckers and Old 97s - March 16, 2013
Old 97s are a band that I got into in my late 20s thanks
to a colleague of mine. He was almost as obsessed with music as I was and turned
me on to some fabulous bands during the time we worked together. Old 97s were
one of those bands and my love for that band ignited when he loaned me a copy
of Fight Songs. After hearing
“Jagged” just once, I was hooked. By the end of that album I had a found a new
band to fall in love with. I immediately got my own copy of Fight Songs and from there I branched
out to their other releases. Satellite
Rides was next and then I purchased their double live album Alive & Wired. That put this band
over the top for me! Their live concert sounded amazing! From that moment, I
knew they were a band that I wanted to see in concert.
The opportunity finally arrived in March of 2013. Old 97s
were opening for the Drive By Truckers at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair,
New Jersey. Having seen several shows there in the past, it was a familiar venue
for me. Admittedly, I had no idea who Drive By Truckers were when I purchased
tickets for this show. This was my opportunity to see Old 97s live, so I
decided to take a chance that the headliners would be decent. I talked Mrs. Vie
into attending the show with me and the evening was set.
The Old 97s were still supporting their Grand Theatre
records (Volume One and Two) as the spring of 2013 approached. Unfortunately
for me, I did not have either of those records, so I wasn’t familiar with the
songs they contained. 2013 was an odd year for my music collecting
capabilities. Record stores were phasing out completely. Big boxed stores were
carrying less and less music, and I had yet to embrace the digital format. It
was harder and harder for me to know when new albums came out, or how to get a
copy of those albums. Between 2013 – 2016, a lot of albums were released that
escaped my notice, or I wasn’t able to add to my collection.
I was also doing a lot of review writing for Hard Rock Hideout at that time, so my desire
and availability for new music was limited to what I would get for reviews.
Ironically, managing my music collection was becoming a chore that was more
hassle than it was worth. Hence, I did not know that Old 97s had two new
releases. I went to that show expecting to hear the Alive & Wired hits. What I got instead was a mix between
classics and songs that I did not know. Which was okay, because shortly after
the concert, I went out and got copies of The Grand Theatre Volume One and Two,
and my love for Old 97s was reignited!
Their opening set was short and sweet (10 – 12 songs if
memory serves correctly), but it was fantastic! The fact that it is still the
same original four members making music together almost 20 years later was
impressive. Very few bands stay together with the same exact lineup for every
album, so to see the Old 97s do it was a testament to their longevity and
dedication.
I knew they were the openers, so we didn’t expect them to
play too long of a set. I think we got about 50 minutes from them, which was
great. Of course, I wanted to hear more, they were the band that I had come to
see, but I understood why that wasn’t going to happen. All in all, I was glad
that I got to see what I did from them and I told myself that I would need to see
them live as headliners at least once in my lifetime.
Prior to the show, I tried to give myself a crash course
lesson on the Drive By Truckers. I purchased their greatest hits record and
listened to a couple of live concerts on the internet. They seemed like a solid
band and I was hopeful that I would enjoy their show. They weren’t a band that
I fell in love with right away, but they had a lot of solid songs, enough to
hold my interest, that I figured I would enjoy their set and perhaps walk away
from that show wanting to see more.
Sadly, my crash course did nothing to prepare me for most
of the Drive By Truckers set. That doesn’t mean that they weren’t good in
concert, or that I did not like them. I liked their performance a lot and could
tell that they were a finely tuned, talented group of musicians. The problem
was that I did not know enough of their songs to really lose myself in the
performance like I do with most bands that I see live.
One of the songs I did fall in love with on first listen
was “Zip City.” This is a fantastic song about love, lust, angst, and anger,
with vocals by the uber-talented Mike Cooley. It was the one song that I wanted
to hear that night and fortunately for me, The Drive By Truckers obliged. They
performed it as the first song of the encore and it got the biggest roar of the
night from me. I sang every word at the top of my lungs with glee. I was ecstatic.
Memories of this evening are dominated by seeing Old 97s
live for the first time, but I also have fond memories of my first time
witnessing Drive By Truckers in concert. I was impressed by their performance
and left with a desire to see them in concert again. After the show, I spent
more time listening to their music and while they aren’t at the top of my “go-to”
list when I am wondering what to listen to, I do pay a lot more attention to
their music and have added a few more of their records to my collection. Sadly,
I have not seen either of these bands live since this night. I need to change
that in the near future.
Drive By
Truckers Setlist
The Southern Thing
Get Downtown
The Fourth Night of My Drinking
Space City
Why Henry Drinks
Women Without Whiskey
Drag the Lake Charlie
Self Destructive Zones
Steve McQueen
A Ghost to Most
Sink Hole
Uncle Frank
Lookout Mountain
3 Dimes Down
Used to Be a Cop
Where the Devil Don’t Stay
Hell No, I Ain’t Happy
ENCORE
Zip City
Let There Be Rock
Shut Up and Get on the Plane
Buttholeville
Angels and Fuselage
Monday, April 9, 2018
Concert Review: Neil Diamond - August 18, 2005
On a hot August night in New York City, I watched Neil
Diamond perform live for the second (and last) time in my concert viewing
history. The first time I saw him perform I went from being a
casual fan to a huge fan. Thus, expectations were high the second time around.
I already knew what Neil Diamond could do in concert and I was anxious to
witness a repeat performance from this stage master.
This time around, the venue was a little closer to home.
I was taking my new bride to Madison Square Garden for her first Neil Diamond
experience. She was a little skeptical, wondering how an easy listening
performer like Neil Diamond could put on a rocking concert for the ages. But I
assured her that you had to witness Neil Diamond to believe it. I was giddy for
the opportunity to see him live again.
After a nice dinner at a quaint little restaurant inside
of Penn Station (that is unfortunately long gone) we walked our way into
Madison Square Garden and found our seats. I’ve said this before and I know
that I will say this again, Madison Square Garden is the mecca for concert
performances. Some of the best shows I’ve ever seen have happened at the
Garden. From KISS, to Billy Joel, to Pearl Jam, to The Police, to Neil Diamond,
some of my greatest nights have taken place inside those hallowed halls.
Our seats for that evening weren’t the best ones, but
they weren’t horrible either. I honestly didn’t think it mattered where we sat,
Neil was going to give a grand performance that would suck us in regardless.
That night we were in section 404, high up near the ceiling, but close to the
stage. As I said though, it didn’t matter. As long as I was in the building, I
was going to get rocked.
Neil Diamond did not disappoint. He opened with some
exceptional hits (“Crunchy Granola Suite,” “Desiree,” “Beautiful Noise,” and “Cherry
Cherry in the first five songs) and the crowd responded with gratuitous roars.
The way he crafts a setlist is pure poetry. Mixing beloved classics with a
sprinkling of lesser known new songs, Neil knows how to pace a show that will
keep fans involved. The loud sing-alongs like “America,” “Forever in Blue
Jeans,” and “Sweet Caroline” were appropriately spaced so that the audience
could catch their breath in between belting out the hits with the maker
himself.
Halfway through the set I was sweaty and tired, and Neil,
30-something years my senior, was just getting started. He is a true showman
and newer bands could take lessons from this man on how to put on an
unforgettable concert experience. He never stopped and I don’t think he even
slowed down. With a catalog as vast as his, it was going to be hard to please all
the fans, but Neil did his absolute best, being sure to play the hits that
everyone loves. Slow songs, fast songs, and every hit in between came out on
stage that night. And each one sounded like they were being sung by a performer
in his twenties, even though Neil Diamond was in his mid-sixties at the time.
And while my wife was impressed, I don’t think she
enjoyed the concert as much as I did. She never did want to go see him again.
Which means she did not take to the show like I had. Personally, I thought it
was almost as grand as the first time that I saw him in concert, which is a
huge compliment, because the first time I saw Neil Diamond in concert will
probably go down as one of the ten best concerts I’ve ever seen.
My only complaint would be the last song of the night.
After an encore of “Cracklin’ Rosie” and “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show,”
Neil decided to end the night with “I’ve Been This Way Before.” I know it was a
number one hit, and I know that a lot of diehard fans probably thought that was
an exceptional closer, but to me it was not the way to end the evening. If he
had put that in as the first song of the encore and closed the night with
Brother Love, it would have had a much more robust impact to me. There was
still nothing to truly complain about at the end of the evening. Neil gave his
all and I got my money’s worth from his concert performance.
Unfortunately, I would never get to see Neil Diamond in
concert again, and probably never will. Earlier this year, he announced that he
is retiring from touring after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. It was
sad to hear and the concert world took a big hit when that news was released.
Anyone who never had the glory of seeing Neil Diamond in concert really missed
out. He was a true entertainer and performed two of the best concerts that I
have ever seen. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t see him in concert
more often. At least I have the memories of two wonderful nights to reminisce
on. And I’ll always have his recorded music to remind of what a great
entertainer Neil Diamond was.
Setlist
Crunchy Granola Suite
Desiree
Remember Me
Beautiful Noise
Cherry, Cherry
You Got To Me
Play Me
Love on the Rocks
America
Forever in Blue Jeans
You Don’t Bring Me Flowers
September Morn
Signs
Be
Lonely Looking Sky
Skybird
Holly Holy
Sweet Caroline
I’m A Believer
Glory Road
And the Grass Won’t Pay No Mind
Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)
Shilo
Red Red Wine
Soolaimon
I Am…I Said
Encore
Cracklin’ Rosie
Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show
I’ve Been This Way Before
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