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

Concert Review: Bruce Springsteen And The E-Street Band - March 28, 2016

Madison Square Garden. New York City. On a cold night in March, members of my family and I got to take in the Bruce Springsteen make up concert. This concert was originally supposed to happen on a Sunday night in mid-January and then the blizzard of ’16 hit thus postponing the concert. So, two months later, the sold out crowd was told that the band would make it up to us on that night.

Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band were on tour in support of The River box set release that had come out in the fall of 2015. It was a mammoth set of re-mastered originals, rarities, outtakes, and b-sides that also included a making of DVD. Springsteen got the notion that it would be nice to tour behind this release. He then decided to perform the original released album in its entirety. That’s a lot of songs. And for Springsteen fans, that’s a lot of the set being known before entering the venue. And anyone who has ever seen The Boss in concert knows that varied setlists are one of the best parts of the show.

Which is what made my 19^th witnessing of Bruce Springsteen live, one of the strangest. I have never known that much of the set before entering the building. Knowing which song was going to be performed next as they came up to start the night ruined a lot of the mystique of a Springsteen concert.

I realize The River is a majestic album filled with beauty. I also realize that it was the album that produced Springsteen’s first top 10 hit (“Hungry Heart”). But going into the show, I wasn’t super excited about seeing all of the songs played. The River does have a few clunkers and a few songs that I never paid much attention to. And playing all of The River left little room for surprises. I like surprises---especially at a Springsteen concert.

Thus, we settled in and prepared to hear The River in its entirety. Seeing all of The River wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I mentioned, it was just different. And it did contain some highlights. I would get to hear “Independence Day” live for only the 3^rd time. I would get to hear a couple of my favorites (“The Ties That Bind” and “Cadillac Ranch”). And I would hear some rarities that could be very interesting (“Crush On You,” and “I’m A Rocker”). All in all, it was going to be a surreal Springsteen concert experience for me.

The night began with The River outtake, “Meet Me In The City” and the crowd was on their feet immediately.  The performance of this song was tight and true to the version contained on the box set. I enjoyed hearing it live for the first time. After the end of the song, Springsteen talked about the snowstorm that delayed the original show and discussed what The River meant to him when he first wrote it. It was an album about growing up and dealing with adult problems for the first time. With that, the band kicked into “The Ties That Bind” and we were off and rocking.

The River has a lot of good moments including “Sherry Darling,” “Two Hearts,” and the aforementioned “Independence Day.” Hearing all of those songs early was a nice highlight for me. Most of those songs I’ve only seen live once or twice over the years. “Crush On You” was absolutely magnificent and has since become one of my go to songs when I want to hear Springsteen. The same can be said for “The Price You Pay.” These were two songs that I liked, but never paid a lot of attention to prior to that evening. Hearing them in concert gave me a new appreciation. If the point of playing The River in its entirety was to turn fans on to songs they may have forgotten or never paid much attention to, then you could say “mission accomplished.”

During the performance of “Ramrod,” the video screen showed an elderly women to the side of the stage dancing along to the music. She was just rocking out having a good time. When Springsteen went to her side, we realized that she wasn’t just any elderly woman, it was Springsteen’s mother! Wow! He and she danced side by side and then turned and did a little tush shaking for the camera and the crowd, which got a huge ovation from all in attendance---a memorable moment indeed.

When the closing notes of “Wreck On The Highway” rang out in the arena, chills covered my body. This was due in part to knowing I had witnessed Springsteen history, and partly because now we were in uncharted territory. What would the band play next? Where were we heading?

An exceptional three pack of “Badlands,” “Because The Night,” and “Brilliant Disguise” came next, much to my delight. This was the way to kick off the unscripted part of the evening.  Then when “Brilliant Disguise” ended the stage got dark and the band got silent. Moments later the silence was broken by Roy Bittain’s hand going over the piano keys and playing the opening notes to “Meeting Across The River.” I screamed my appreciation along with the rest of the crowd. This also meant that “Jungleland” had to be next.

“Meeting Across The River,” into “Jungleland” was a brilliant performance. It’s always been one of my favorite one-two punches in music album history, just an exceptional segue from one song to the next. I’ve only see this combination live one other time (during the 2003 Giants Stadium run), so it was nice to have it back once again. “Jungleland” was as amazing as ever. Jake Clemons now owns the solo toward the end of the song and he has become extremely comfortable performing it. And he absolutely nailed it on that night.

And if “Meeting Across The River” into “Jungleland” wasn’t enough, we were then treated to the Born To Run opener “Thunder Road.” This was very unexpected and very welcomed by me. Born To Run is my favorite Springsteen album and hearing a total of 5 songs from the record did not go unnoticed or unappreciated.  

All in all it was another fine night of Springsteen in concert.  And while it wasn’t my favorite Springsteen concert, it was still a solid show and one that I am glad I went to see. And yet, The River in its entirety is also the reason that I didn’t go to more of the local area shows. With the band aging as they are, this could be the last time we get to see them on tour. I hope not, but at this stage of their career, every time could be the last time.

Setlist

Meet Me In The City

The Ties That Bind

Sherry Darling

Jackson Cage

Two Hearts

Independence Day

Hungry Heart

Out In The Street

Crush On You

You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)

I Wanna Marry You

The River

Point Blank

Cadillac Ranch

I’m A Rocker

Fade Away

Stolen Car

Ramrod

The Price You Pay

Drive All Night

The Wreck On The Highway

Badlands

Because The Night

Brilliant Disguise

Meeting Across The River

Jungleland

Thunder Road

ENCORE

Born To Run

Dancing In The Dark

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

Shout

Concert Review: Billy Joel - August 7, 2014

Perhaps you’ve heard that Billy Joel is serving as the resident house band for Madison Square Garden and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Perhaps you’ve also heard that every show he’s done at Madison Square Garden since taking up this residency has been sold out. Perhaps you’ve heard that every show for 2015 is already sold out and these are some of the hottest tickets to come by. All of those statements are true, which makes me feel blessed that I had the opportunity to see him during one of these monumental performances.

Last summer was a very interesting period in my life. I left a decent, secure job for a substantial pay raise, and then promptly left that job after 6 weeks due to horrendous quality of life. That decision found me unemployed for the first time in years. I went from a substantial raise to a substantial pay cut in a matter of weeks and scrambled to find decent employment. I went as far as applying for work at UPS and Target. Hey, I’m not too proud. Whatever it takes to put bread on the table. Unfortunately for me, the jobs were not answering the call. By the time August rolled around, I had been out of work for two months and was desperate and concerned. I needed to find work soon or my financial life was going to be destroyed.

About two weeks before the concert, I decided to go online to see what tickets for our Billy Joel concert were being sold for on the secondary market. After some quick research, I realized that I could easily get more than $500 for our pair of tickets. At a time when my income was zero, that was almost a no brainer. I had to sell those tickets. After a long conversation with my wife however, I was talked out of that idea. She helped me understand my panic and explained to me that everything was going to be okay, so we might as well enjoy the concert. I was still a little scared, but our talk was enough for me to agree to see the show.

It was a warm August night in the city and I felt great. I had been spending most of my summer stuck in the house, counting coins, and feverishly searching for a job. Being able to get out for a night of old school rock and roll was an absolute joy to me. And we had really great seats not too far from the left of the stage. They were definitely the best seats I ever had to see Billy Joel live.

As we settled in and waited for the opening act to take the stage, I noticed how packed The Garden was. I knew it was a sold out show, but it was also a show that no one wanted to miss. Before the opening talent of Gavin DeGraw even came onstage, every seat in Madison Square Garden was filled. It was near impossible to spot an empty one. That’s how hot these tickets were.

Prior to our arrival, I had no idea that Billy Joel had an opening act. So it was a pleasant surprise to see Gavin DeGraw take the stage before Billy Joel. I did not know much about Gavin DeGraw. I never really listened to any of his music for whatever reason. However, watching him live, I realized that the man is quite a talent. I was very impressed by his opening set. And although I haven’t run out to buy his music, I would certainly welcome the opportunity to see him in concert again.

After the warm up act left the stage, and the packed house grew restless, the lights went out and it was time for the main event. I felt the wave of euphoria wash over me as Billy Joel walked onto the stage, sat at the piano, and hit the opening notes of “Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)”. A roar of approval was given and we were off and running. Before I was a Dave Matthews Band fan, before I was a Pearl Jam fan, and long before I was a KISS fan, I was a Billy Joel fan. He was the second rocker I fell in love with after Bob Seger. Throughout junior high school I listened to him endlessly and he was definitely my first favorite artist. Seeing him perform on that summer night in New York City was a real special treat for me and during that opening song, I was exceptionally pleased that we had not sold the tickets.

As was common practice for his residency run at Madison Square Garden, Billy Joel was playing the hits and the deep cuts. He was also allowing the audience opportunities to pick the songs they wanted to hear. The first opportunity came on the fourth song of the evening. Billy said that by way of audience applause he would perform one of two songs. The first choice was “Summer Highland Falls” which got a roaring ovation. It appeared that was going to win before the next choice was even announced. Then “Vienna” was laid out as the second option. The roar was even louder and I screamed as loud as I could. I wanted to hear that song live. Thankfully, “Vienna” won the first audience choice.

“Vienna” is one of my all time favorite Billy Joel songs and it also has a lot of deep personal meaning in my own life. During a dark time in my life, I listened to that song a lot. It taught me about slowing down, enjoying what I had in life, and it helped me to realize there is so much more ahead. It was just the reminder I needed at that time in my life as well.

Deep cuts were plentiful including “The Stranger,” “All For Lena,” and “Sometimes A Fantasy.” The latter two songs were both played due to a virtual tie in audience applause. That made me extremely grateful as “Sometimes A Fantasy” is my second favorite Billy Joel song. Hearing that and “Vienna” on the same night was a dream come true.

The last audience vote was so lopsided, it was comical. Billy announced the first choice of “Where’s The Orchestra” and almost nobody clapped. “Okay…” was his response. “I guess we’ll just play the other song.” He mentioned that he may have to take “Where’s The Orchestra” out of the setlist after that reaction, which got a great laugh. The other song, “And So It Goes” was then performed.

Throughout the night Joel talked about how he had the greatest job in the world being the house band for Madison Square Garden. He had no intentions of stopping and loved only having to work one night a month. As long as the tickets kept selling, he would continue to perform. Currently, all of his performances for 2015 are sold out and I have a feeling that 2016 dates will be announced soon.

Even in his mid-sixties, Billy Joel still gives incredible, high energy performances. His voice sounds great, his sense of humor is still intact, and he still connects with his audience. His performance that night was near flawless, proving that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the live setting.

My only complaint for the evening was his decision to perform the AC/DC classic, “Highway To Hell.” While I love the song, and have no problems with Joel doing a cover song, it was how the song was performed that bothered me. Billy brought someone up on stage to sing the song while he performed it on guitar. And while I do not know who the person brought up on stage was, I know that he did not know the lyrics and just flubbed his way through it. It was like seeing a bad, drunken, karaoke performance at the local gin mill. It was just awful. Thankfully there were still plenty of hits to come.

The main set closed out with “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” and “Piano Man,” the huge crowd pleasers. The roar of approval was near deafening and everyone was up on their feet dancing and singing along. And although the main set was finished, Joel wasn’t even close to done.

The encore consisted of five huge hits starting with “Uptown Girl.” For whatever reason, Christie Brinkley was in the front row that evening and the house cameras found her during “Uptown Girl.” Joel even moved to the front of the stage and sang a couple of lines to her. It was a fun moment for all. “It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me,” “Big Shot,” You May Be Right” and “Only The Good Die Young” closed out the night in perfect fashion. Four huge, hard rocking hits to end the evening. Fantastic!

That summer night could have been the best performance I ever saw out of Billy Joel, rivaling his New Year’s Eve performance from many years earlier. At the end of the night, overwhelmed and overjoyed, I thanked my wife for talking me into keeping our tickets. I still had some tough times ahead, but for that one night, I completely forgot all of my worries and enjoyed a grand night of exceptional rock and roll.

Setlist

Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)

Pressure

The Entertainer

Vienna

The Downeaster Alexa

The Stranger

New York State Of Mind

Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)

All For Lena

Sometimes A Fantasy

And So It Goes

Allentown

My Life

She’s Always A Woman

Don’t Ask Me Why

We DIdn’t Start The Fire

Highway To Hell

The River Of Dreams

Scenes From An Italian Restaurant

Piano Man

Encore

Uptown Girl

It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me

Big Shot

You May Be Right

Only The Good Die Young