Songcrafters.org

Been a crazy few weeks with little time to do much of anything.  Last few days with the kiddos at work (assistant principal at a middle school), compounded by mega-stress of a few job-related goings-on.

By 4:00 Friday, I was headed to the annual Wanee Festival (with drink somewhat firmly in hand) in Live Oak, Florida, about an hour and a half north of where I live.  It is named after the famed Suwanee River, which flows along the northern edge of an extremely large and ultra-gorgeous campground.

The Wanee Fest, unlike others, doesn't try to be eclectic.  It is basically two nights of the Allman Brothers and members of its family tree.  This year, the Brothers played twice, along with Gov't Mule, an Arc Angels Reunion, Buddy Guy, Little Feat, The Radiators, The Doobie Brothers, The Drive-By Truckers, Umphrey's McGee, Jorma Kaukonen, The Wailers, Susan Tedeschi, the Derek Trucks Band, along with some others.

Too many memories to list all, but here are some highlights:
Allmans played "Dreams" on both nights
Ubiquitous breast painting
Campfire jams
V.M. Bhatt sat in for the entire Derek Trucks show.  The opening alap was fantastic.
Crazy rainstorms throughout weekend
Seeing The Arc Angels again after so many years
Tabletop curling game in the beer tent
Scott Murawski's guitar playing (Where did this guy come from?)
Ubiquitous breast painting
Second stage in the woods (see first image)
Warren Haynes sitting in with multiple bands
Some naked guy wallowing in the mud (The cops almost had to tase him).
Lots of crappy beer.
Allmans played the somewhat rare "Come and Go Blues"
Gov't Mule flirting with "The Other One" and "Hunger Strike" ---> "Dear. Mr. Fantasy"
Did I fail to mention the ubiquitous breast painting?

Peace.

Blooby

Bon Jovi......

Milton Keens (UK)...........

2006.........

Had Hay Fever...........

Bad day!

Music was cool Though.....!

Nickleback were supporting as well.....

Worth the nose bleed..

E.M.O will pay!!!!!!!

Then again.....

The E.M.O got sun stroke that day.......!

That will teach her!!!!!

May 21st portsmouth va.

ZZ-TOP! Kick Ass!!!!!!!!!!!!! Billy can still bring it! I was disappointed that they didnt play Sleeping Bag  but they danced they sang they rocked!
Jason

Oh dear. This makes me realize that I haven't been any gigs this year (yet...) :(

Recent(ish) ones would be...

Jackson Browne (London Palladium) - a bit dull, but the most awesome collection of guitars ever assembled on a stage!

Big Bill Morganfield (Muddy Water's Son)... incredible acoustic blues

Bryan Ferry (Hampton Court, London) - predictably excellent! Despite the rain!

The Eagles (Twickenham Rugby Stadium) - just awesome  :o

Alan Price (from The Animals) - small, intimate gig. He's a real treasure. It was excellent. 

Antony and the Johnsons (Shepherds Bush Empire) - spellbinding... I've never seen an audience so hushed and listening intently

Chas and Dave (Aldershot) - Oh yeah!!!!!  :D

The Nashville Teens - I was playing the same festival. I was on the acoustic stage and they were on the main stage. I'll never be on the main stage, lol.

There's so many I WISH I'd gone to see! I'm still waiting patiently for David Sylvian to tour. And have given up ever seeing Kate Bush live again, lol.

Quote from: JasonBR864 on June 08, 2009, 08:11:29 AMMay 21st portsmouth va.

ZZ-TOP! Kick Ass!!!!!!!!!!!!! Billy can still bring it! I was disappointed that they didnt play Sleeping Bag  but they danced they sang they rocked!
Jason

I'd love to see ZZ-Top!!!!!

Quote from: Greeny on June 08, 2009, 08:49:32 AMOh dear. This makes me realize that I haven't been any gigs this year (yet...) :(

Sadly, me either.  In fact, the only live show I've seen at all this year was Jerry Seinfeld.  That was awesome, but not very musical.

Ive got a bunch of friends who went to Wanee this weekend...but not really my thing.
Although I have gone to several really good shows over the last year, just last month saw Janes Addiction with Nine Inch Nails...Janes was great, played everything youd wanna hear...NIN, started off strong and then got boring towards the end, totally lost the energy of the crowd and the new material was lacking.
Saw Iron Maiden on the last date of their "09 Somewhere Back In Time Tour" in Ft Lauderdale...awesome show, they played all the old standards from all of the really old albums, and 3 somewhat new tracks, amazing stage show, 5 different "Eddie" monsters and different backdrops from all the old tours...really awesome show!

LAst year I saw the Police reunion tour, Black Sabbath with Ronnie Jame Dio(Heaven And Hell) with Queensryche and Alice Cooper. And I also got to see the VanHalen reunion tour. Oh yeah, and Joe Banamassa too!

Eric clapton last summer.

AMAZING! Best concert in my whole life! I love his music!

And I'm going to see b.b. king next month! I hope it's as good!

I've been to one major pro-show this year so far:

            Joe Satriani and Leslie West & Corky Lang !!

                  Fantastic show - bought front row tickets from a scalper!!

                           Caught a corky lang drum stick and a Stu Hamm bass pick!

Of course I've seen a bunch of local bands:

            One I really liked was: the Keltic Cowboys!! 

                  Check out there website for lyrical inspiration: www.kelticcowboys.com

Quote from: Sprocket on June 08, 2009, 11:32:48 AMLAst year I saw the Police reunion tour, Black Sabbath with Ronnie Jame Dio(Heaven And Hell) with Queensryche and Alice Cooper. And I also got to see the VanHalen reunion tour. Oh yeah, and Joe Banamassa too!

Would have loved to see the Police for posterity's sake.

I did manage to catch the early end of the Heaven and Hell tour - The biggest treat was that Megadeth played. I've seen them twice before and it sucks Marty and Dave aren't around anymore, but Mustaine was so kick ass I was floored - he did almost all the solos too!! We showed up late and missed quite a bit, but they had way more energy than than the headliner. People were actually leaving not long after Megadeth finished. Helluva show though...

Sadly nothing this year, though  :(

Last gig I saw was Muse at Wembley last year. Truly amazing. Missed getting tickets for the O2 shows this year, damn, don't want to pay £100 price on the second hand market.

Am taking the family to Guilfest in July this year, will see Athlete, The Charlatans, Joe Bonamassa and Brian Wilson.

Cheers,

Nigel

Nigel,

I was at the Wembley Muse gig on the first night and your are right, it was truly amazing. Without meaning to rub it in I did manage to get tickets on Friday morning for one of the o2 shows.

Last gig I was at was Elbow at Wembley Arena in March, which was a truimphant night for a band who have, at last, got the recognition they so deserve. Will be seeing Elbow again in August as they are supporting U2 at Wembley Stadium.

Seeing my three favourite bands in the space of a few months...it don't get any better than that!!

Quote from: Ferryman_1957 on June 08, 2009, 04:26:57 PMAm taking the family to Guilfest in July this year, will see Athlete, The Charlatans, Joe Bonamassa and Brian Wilson.

I'd have been at that (it's very local to me!), but can't make it this year. Joe Bonamassa and Brian Wilson on the same bill - that's a real treat! I liked the Charlatans in their day too. I also recommend 'Weyfest' in September which is near Farnham, for a low-key music day out in the country. Sadly it's grown to big for me to play there now. I believe Jethro Tull are topping the bill this year.

HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!!!

Blooby I am so jealous I love Govt Mule....Warren Hayes is one of the best Blues Guitarists in the world!

Quote from: andrewh on June 08, 2009, 04:38:43 PMI was at the Wembley Muse gig on the first night and your are right, it was truly amazing. Without meaning to rub it in I did manage to get tickets on Friday morning for one of the o2 shows.

Grrr. Stop rubbing it in!! My son is also desperate to see Muse and I let him down by not getting tickets. All I can hope is that they have disappeared up their own fundament and become hugely self-indulgent so that this tour is a pale imitation of the Wembley gigs.

Cheers,

Nigel

Quote from: Greeny on June 09, 2009, 04:12:11 AM[I'd have been at that (it's very local to me!), but can't make it this year. Joe Bonamassa and Brian Wilson on the same bill - that's a real treat! I liked the Charlatans in their day too. I also recommend 'Weyfest' in September which is near Farnham, for a low-key music day out in the country. Sadly it's grown to big for me to play there now. I believe Jethro Tull are topping the bill this year.

HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!!!

Thanks! I hope the weather's good. One of my son's schoolfriend's mother runs the Brian Wilson fan club (she follows him round the country!) so we might even get to meet him.

Will check out Weyfest. That's not far from us. I would have it the other way round - I think you are now too big for them!!

Cheers,

Nigel

Quote from: Ferryman_1957 on June 10, 2009, 03:48:31 PM

Quote from: andrewh on June 08, 2009, 04:38:43 PMI was at the Wembley Muse gig on the first night and your are right, it was truly amazing. Without meaning to rub it in I did manage to get tickets on Friday morning for one of the o2 shows.

Grrr. Stop rubbing it in!! My son is also desperate to see Muse and I let him down by not getting tickets. All I can hope is that they have disappeared up their own fundament and become hugely self-indulgent so that this tour is a pale imitation of the Wembley gigs.

Cheers,

Nigel

To be honest Nigel, the Wembley Stadium gig will take some topping, and I am hoping that they will play some larger venues as the tour progresses, so people like yourselves get the chance to see them. Muse are a band who really do get better and better as their tours go on, so here's hoping you and your son get a ticket for a future date or can still somehow get to the O2.

Quote from: 48 on June 09, 2009, 06:20:37 AMBlooby I am so jealous I love Govt Mule....Warren Hayes is one of the best Blues Guitarists in the world!

Warren did not disappoint.  I believe the new Mule disc is out by the end of this month.  I'm curious to see how it is with their new bass player, who is a bit more aggressive than Andy Hess.

Blooby

I went to the Foo Fighters awhile back, but my best concert experience was in 2002.  My dad and I were asked to roadie for Comstock, a get together of a bunch of classic rock bands in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska.....

We got to tear down stages for Lynyrd Skynyrd, REO Speedwagon, .38 Special, Ted Nugent, and others...

Quote from: Ferryman_1957 on June 10, 2009, 03:50:51 PM

Quote from: Greeny on June 09, 2009, 04:12:11 AM[I'd have been at that (it's very local to me!), but can't make it this year. Joe Bonamassa and Brian Wilson on the same bill - that's a real treat! I liked the Charlatans in their day too. I also recommend 'Weyfest' in September which is near Farnham, for a low-key music day out in the country. Sadly it's grown to big for me to play there now. I believe Jethro Tull are topping the bill this year.

HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!!!

Thanks! I hope the weather's good. One of my son's schoolfriend's mother runs the Brian Wilson fan club (she follows him round the country!) so we might even get to meet him.

Will check out Weyfest. That's not far from us. I would have it the other way round - I think you are now too big for them!!

Cheers,

Nigel

Meet Brian Wilson? He's like a god to me. Flipping hell. I can't even comprehend that! Hope it happens! And make sure you have a camera!!!!! Wow.

Just saw Alejandro Escovado in Ann Arbor last night.  Excellent show, but all acoustic.  He had a fiddle player and another guitarist who alternated playing a classical nylon string and steel string guitar.

The fiddle player was simply incredible.  Her fiddle had some sort of pick up system in it and was running through an effects board.  There was very tastefully applied distortion and reverb on some of the tunes and it wouldn't surprise me if she used a bit of chorus as well.

They played several of his more popular songs and a couple of new ones from an upcoming album.  I do not (yet) own any of his songs/CDs but I was suitably impressed that I will probably make a purchase in the near future.

The only (slight) disappointment was that it was only as acoustic show.  My buddy and I were really hoping he was going to break out the SG but, all in all it was a great show and anybody who likes bluesy/folksy/country acoustic music would enjoy this performance.

Ry Cooder, last night, in Carre theatre, Amsterdam, with my father from whom I inherited some of my tastes in music. Crap seats, last row up on balcony just under the ceiling. Crap opening act but once the show started (with Nick Lowe on vox, bass and acoustic, Joachim Cooder drums), looking over a sea of grey hair (LOL), it was way cool. Flaco Jimenez was on the bill as well, but dropped out for health reasons. But the "power trio" formation worked really well. He's let his old classics such as How an A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live evolve over time and even updated the lyrics to reflect the current crisis. Unfortunately Nick Lowe had to do his single Hit song as well, but ok, that made it even better to hear a Cooder song again after that. The two girls from the support act came on as background singers for Ry which gave it a nice fresh touch.
What a magical guitar player he is! Such a distinctive sound. Not because of a "signature" guitar/rig but because of his touch, attack and intonation. Class act!

Sounds like a great gig, but you clearly aren't a Nick Lowe fan! He's had quite a few hit songs - maybe more in the UK though. He's quite a hero and influence on me, but he's getting on in years and doesn't seem to have the same 'oomph' that he did in his heyday.

Quote from: Greeny on June 19, 2009, 08:06:34 AMSounds like a great gig, but you clearly aren't a Nick Lowe fan! He's had quite a few hit songs - maybe more in the UK though. He's quite a hero and influence on me, but he's getting on in years and doesn't seem to have the same 'oomph' that he did in his heyday.

His own music is just a bit less to my taste, but I'll certainly acknowledge him as a great musician, across a wide varietly of styles. Still is. And a generally nice bloke.

A good weekend to be sure.  Saw Steely Dan on Thursday and a double-bill of the Doobie Brothers and Bad Company (with Paul Rodgers) last night.  My main reaction held true for all three shows: Why do people go see live music if all they want to do is %ucking talk!?

The Steely Dan show was indicative of my attitude toward them.  About half the show was stellar, and the other half put me in a narcoleptic stupor.  Guitarist Jon Herrington was really great in spots. Keith Carlock was unbelievable on the skins.  His breaks in "Aja" rank as one of my favorite live experiences ever.  I didn't realize Jim Beard was on second keys, and although he wasn't afforded the opportunity to shine, it was nice to see somebody who has played with so many greats/heroes (John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, Meshell Ndegeocello, Wayne Shorter, Dizzy Gillespie).  

The Doobie Brothers were the Doobie Brothers.  Guinness was flowing, and everybody was singing along.  I have to explain the venue for a sec.  It was in Chastain Amphitheater in Atlanta, GA.  As you sit in rows, you literally have 3-4 feet in front of you, so people haul in tables, candles, wine, beer, catered meals...whatever.  It's crazy.  My brother and his wife set us up with Guinness, vino, spinach pasta with chicken, and a decadent brownie the size of any number of small, low-flying aircraft.  He's a good brother.  So in a nutshell, no deep insights into the nature of music, just forgetting about the troubles du jour.  I am happy to report there was a complete lack of Michael MacDonald as well (I don't hate him.  I just prefer the "biker band" side of the Doobies).

And now on to Bad Company with the inimitable Paul Rodgers as well as Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke (Boz Burrell died a few years back).  No superlatives can do justice to how well Paul Rodgers is singing these days.  I loved Free and Bad Company and followed him through The Law, The Firm, Queen as well as his solo career, but I have to say that after all these years, he may have only gotten better.  Those of you who have seen him in recent years can attest to this I'm sure (His stage schtick can get a little schmaltsy, but it's part of the show.).  Onward...  The hits came, but they did manage to play a few more obscure cuts.  They did "Electricland" off Rough Diamonds as well as "Gone, Gone, Gone" off of Desolation Angels.  Mick seemed more confident than I've seen him a recent years.

Fun.

As always...peace.

Blooby

What a great thread. You guys can't know how fun it is to read about shows like this when you live in the middle of nowhere, don't have a $100 for a pair of tickets (or more) and don't get out of the woods and down of this hill more than once a week...and then it's like to the hardware store. It always bugs me when shows are all hyped up when tics are on sale and then afterwards there are no reviews in the papers. What's that??? I hope this thread keeps going. I may even add to it. Robert Cray and John Hammond are playing an outdoor show in July in Buffalo NY (100 miles) and it's only $10...hoping to go to that. I've seen John several times over the years and he is like Paul Rodgers...seemingly at the peak of his craft. If you like blues, John's DVD "Live in Paris" is really good. Just John, his guitar and harp, and that big ole foot a stompin'...

Saw John Hammond Jr. years ago from the front row of a an on-campus beer joint called the Orange and Brew on the University of Florida campus.  I think there were less than 20 people in the audience...a shame.

I recall a super slow dirge-like song where he tapped the top of the guitar every so often.  Spooky as hell, and I have never been able to find it since.  The other thing I remember is how fast that man can change a guitar string.  I know it sounds silly, but man, he was like lightning.

Will definitely look into Live in Paris.  Thanks for the heads up.

Blooby

Awesome review Blooby...and Im not even into those bands, great reviews!

More shows to be had. 

Saw Gov't Mule on vacation in Memphis.  In addition to an okay original set, they covered Humble Pie's "Thirty days in the hole," Robert Johnson's "32-20 Blues," "Minglewood blues (most associated with the Grateful Dead though not written by them)," "Smokestack lightning" and "How many more years" by Howlin' Wolf (though the latter was aped by Zeppelin for "How many more times"), and "John the Revelator (I think by Son House...not sure, though).

Warren Haynes' tone was creamy as always, and their new bassist it more aggressive than Andy Hess, their last one (Hess went on to play on the new Will Bernard acid/soul jazz disc with Stanton Moore and Robert Walter).

I also went to see Zappa Plays Zappa, the third time I've seen them and absolutely one of the tightest bands I've ever seen.  And my oh my, has Dweezil been spending time in the woodshed.  The following video is from their first tour, which also featured Napolean Murphy Brock, Steve Vai, and Terry Bozzio.  "Black Page # 2" starts about 3 minutes into the video with both Vai and Bozzio.  I have included a picture of Bozzio's comically large drum set from that tour for your viewing and/or mocking pleasure.


Back to the concert.  Zappa Plays Zappa were on a Progressive Nation bill with Dream Theater.  As loud as it was, I nodded off twice during DT's set.  Mike Portnoy was fun to watch as he is an overplaying monster with way too many arrows in his quiver.  Unfortunately, the solos of Petrucci and Rudess degenerated into many, many notes that all collided in the live setting.  After the show, the silence was deafening.

Also on the bill was a band called Scale the Summit.  Musically, they existed somewhere between the math-rock jams of Umphrey's McGee and King Crimson (without the danger).  The audience seemed to like them, but they had zero dynamics.  I was happy when they left the stage.

Perhaps the most dichotomous high point/low point was a band called Big Elf.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  After the first band, the roadies crowded the stage with Ampeg 8X10" bass cabinets, Orange amp stacks, two (yes, two) Mellotrons, a Hammond, and a Moog.  Then they sound-checked a Gibson SG.  My co-conspirator turned to me and said, "What?  Are they going to be some cross between Black Sabbath and Spinal Tap?" 

Never have words been uttered so accurately. 

The guitarist and bassist both had large 70's ubiquitous wooden crosses dangling away from their necks.  I wanted to request "Stonehenge" after the first tune, but I'm afraid the crowd (full of musicians all-too-familiar with Spinal Tap) would all laugh.  To be fair, I can't comment on them musically because the sound was so poor for them.  There was a low droning feedback that was just killing me, and no amount of Guinness, rum, or buttery nipples would sooth my troubled eardrums (I even had plugs...sheesh).

And now...freshly discovered from the net, I give you Big Elf!

Note the Yoda figure stoically presiding over all things keyboard.

Blooby

i managed to watch the first 12 seconds of big elf,

Quote from: oldrottenhead on July 26, 2009, 04:43:57 PMi managed to watch the first 12 seconds of big elf,

I commend you.  Did you at least see Yoda?

Blooby

dont think so

A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of seeing Tommy Emmanuel.  This guy is unbelieveable.  An acoustic player, he uses his guitar as much as a percussive instrument (and not just rapping knuckles on the body) as a stringed instrument.  If you ever get to see him play live, it is well worth the price of admission.  I will warn you, though, there is a chance that you will fee so completely inadequate after watching him you will want to sell you guitars.

My best gig is a toss up between two....

Bowie a couple of years ago (waited 25 years to see him and wow it was worth the wait) or Alice cooper with Thunder supporting. What a night that was ;D

Just got back from a road trip to the Rocky Mountains, Gran Tetons, and Yellowstone (Pictures of scenery and wildlife here. (http://sites.google.com/site/julyof2010/) The extreme close-ups of the bears and wolves were in a drive-thru park).

Any-hoo, on the way back, I spied with my little eye that Jack Pearson was having a "pickin' party" in Nashville. For those of you not in the know, I suggest you check out this previous thread (https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=7132.0) about Jack, for he is one of the best musicians I've ever heard.

The short version is that the venue looks like it's in a warehouse district, half a stone's throw from several crack neighborhoods. I walk into a smallish bar, which seats about 100. In walks Jack, and his keyboardist turns out to be Reese Wynans, Stevie Ray Vaughan's former keys man. I rub my hands together a la Mr. Burns from The Simpsons and utter, "Excellent."

There were problems with the keys to start, so they played as a jazz trio, covering Joe Pass and Wes Montgomery.  Then they did some blues shuffles and an acoustic set with a National steel guitar. The level of musicianship was ridiculously high (but always tasteful).

There was a set break, and Joe Robinson, Australian guitar virtuoso, popped out for a couple solo tunes. After his pyrotechnic beginning, he eventually does a chord/melody version of "Misty" in the video which is just crazy good. The moving bass line in the tune just makes my jaw drop every time.


I'm not sure I can describe what happened next accurately. Since it was a pickin' party," he started inviting up some of his compadres.  The first person was Greg Koch, a guitarist on Steve Vai's label, and it just got more better from there. By the end of the night, I saw a dozen different musicians, all of whom were world-class players. Now I know why Nashville is called Music City. To give you an idea, here's just a couple of the guys who got up to blow.








The musicians included CJ Vaughn (has his own band called Highway 58), Pat Bergeson (Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Lyle Lovett, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Bill Frisell, Martin Taylor, Suzy Bogguss, Bill Evans, Peter Frampton, Michael McDonald, Shelby Lynne, Wynonna Judd), Shane Roberts (Nashville teacher and shredder), Greg Koch (genre-bending guitarist on Vai's label), Guthrie Trapp (Jerry Douglas, Garth Brooks, Alison Krauss, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill, Travis Tritt, George Jones, Roseanne Cash, Vassar Clements, John Cowan, Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Earl Skruggs, and Albert Lee), Todd Parks (Jerry Douglas Band), Dave Pomeroy (Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, Toby Keith, Neil Diamond, Billy Ray Cyrus, George Jones, Billy Joe Shaver, Shelby Lynne, Brenda Lee, Alan Jackson, Earl Scruggs, Duane Eddy, Steve Wariner, Asleep At The Wheel, Don Williams and Alison Krauss.), Timm Biery (Mahagony Rush, Danny Gatton, Warren Haynes, Tommy Shaw, Arlen Roth), and Reese Wynans (Second Coming w/Dickey Betts, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lee Roy Parnell, Joe Ely, Brooks & Dunn, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, and Hank Williams Jr., Buddy Guy, John Mayall, Kenny Wayne Shepard, and Los Lonely Boys).

When I got back to the RV ant 1:30 in the morning, I woke up my girlfriend to tell her about it. I think her exacts words were, "Leave me...alone."

Harumph...philistine.

Blooby

Spent seven total hours in the car yesterday to see Gov't Mule in Cocoa, FL.  My girlfriend was expecting much as it was Jerry Garcia's birthday, and of the two of us, she is the true Deadhead (I tend to smirk a lot and make smarmy jokes about playing in tune.  But then many on the site say I sound like Jerry (Doh!).

It rained like a mofo, washing the stench of patchouli and dreadlock detritus through the sewer grates. Jackie Green opened. Good guitarist but a great, soulful singer.  I was impressed.

Gov't Mule started with some items off their new album and then went totally hippie, playing 7-8 tunes the Dead used to do. Then they ended with "Death Don't Have No Mercy" and "Wish You Were Here" with a certain poignancy.


Gov't Mule
08.01.2010 Riverfront Park, Cocoa, FL

Broke Down On The Brazos
Steppin' Lightly
Any Open Window
Larger Than Life >
If 6 Was 9 >
Larger Than Life
Fallen Down >
The Other One Jam >
St. Stephen Jam
Frozen Fear
Railroad Boy
Patchwork Quilt
Sugaree with Jackie Greene
Loser > with Jackie Greene
Terrapin Station > with Jackie Greene
Loser > with Jackie Greene
Dark Star > with Jackie Greene
Drum Circle > with Everyone & Jackie Greene
Drums >
Dark Star > with Jackie Greene, with Paint It Black Tease
Death Don't Have No Mercy > with Jackie Greene
That's What Love Will Make You Do with Jackie Greene & Paul Ill
Wish You Were Here

Other than seeing some bluegrass acts at festivals, I went to some country recently, and this is a new thing for me.  First off, I saw Darrell Scott in a 200 seater outside Atlanta, GA.  He is a multi-instrumentalist with a great voice as well whom I first became aware of through Robert Plant's Band of Joy (also pretty country flavored in spots).  Scott has also won several songwriting awards and has had his tunes covered by a wide swath of country artists.  Anyway, he sometimes plays small band concerts, but this was just solo guitar, occasional clawhammer style on a fretless banjo, and a couple tunes on a bouzouki (or as he called it, his octave mandolin).  In a word...incredible.  Only one throwaway song in the bunch, mostly because it was a novelty tune about paying to fish in stocked ponds.  His playing was jaw-dropping, and he really knows how to sell lyrics.  He would sometimes get against the microphone and almost talk melodically for extra effect. Funny guy as well.  Cannot recommend him enough if you ever get the chance to see him.

Last night was Alison Krauss and Union Station.  Although I was somewhat familiar with her through a live album, I went to see their lap steel player, the unparalleled Jerry Douglas.  His playing was both tasteful and at times blinding.  He played solo versions of Paul Simon's "American Tune" as well as Chick Corea's "Spain."  Crazy good. Beyond the musicianship of everybody (A.K. Is an accomplished fiddle player), I came away really blown away by their vocal harmonies.  A.K. Started an acapella version of the old spiritual "Down to the River to Pray," and when the background vocals came in, it absolutely gave me chills.  Their encores were all done around a single microphone like the good old days.  For solos, somebody would step up and then step back.  Killer sound throughout the entire show, including the encores.  I missed George Clooney's facial expressions during "Man of Constant Sorrow," though.

Peace.

Blooby

Lucky you! Darrell Scott sounds like a guy to look up...and as for AK and U.S.....they are at the top of their game. Jerry is the ultimate virtuoso on his dobro but in the band context, never flashy. I think AK has the purest voice i have ever heard and Dan Tominski offsets it perfectly. IMHO, they are what a great band is all about...focusing on The Song. Their live album is the best recorded live album i have ever heard by anybody. it's like the sound man was working out of a pro studio. The band is SO well rehearsed and tight it's amazing. All Pro unit. Sounds like time and money well spent Bloob..

We saw the iconic Hollies at the GLive in Guilford Surrey UK last Thursday , having seen the original lineup that included Graham Nash & Allan Clarke way back , I was a little dubious about paying £27 a ticket , but , once they started singing those amazing harmonies that thier songs were well known for I would have payed extra , Tony Hicks was as good as any guitarist I have ever seen in my entire life , and believe me I've seen most of them .
What an amazing night , came out on an massive high , this is a band that had more hits than the Beatles , and have toured every year for the 50 years , this was their anniversary year
Next gig  Jethro Tull doing the live version of Thick as a Brick & their new album

Rob

Last Saturday, I saw Van Halen.  Many women were dressed in a very provocative manner.  They may have actually looked good twenty years ago. Other than that, it was entertaining and very loud.

The end.

Blooby

Hey guys , saw Stackridge last night , wow , totally amazing , what a band , must see them again soooooooner than later , check them out , i spoke with James ( singing in this clip , & Clare , the young lady violinist on the left of the two , really nice people , you might remember James , he was the guy who sang sang " Everybody's got to learn sometime " from the Korgies



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOqXy64-hTw



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr0Ohjt_5VY

Rob

Saw The Beach Boys with Brian Wilson last night.  Horns, bassist (actually two who switched), four keyboardists at times, drummer, percussionist, five guitarists at times, and Mike Love along with ten other vocal mics on stage.  Four original members and a host of young, talented musicians. To be fair, some of Brian's limited vocals were weak, but the show overall was absolutely stellar.  I went more as an homage to Brian, but I ended up enjoying it to the Nth degree.  Actually welled up in tears during several of the vocal harmony sections. It was great to see those arrangements come to life, and I am more convinced than ever that "Good Vibrations" is the most perfectly constructed pop song I have ever heard.

Too bad John/Lurker wasn't there as he loves singing harmonies.  Probably woud have driven me crazy, sitting next to him. He'd be stacking some arcane harmony on top of everything that was going on.  That wacky guy.

Blooby


The setlist below is from another show, but I can't imagine last night's being too different. I don't remember "In My Room," which is a great shame, but I had a brief visit with the paramedics, and it could have been played then.  All is well, by the way.  Guess I can't run with the young bucks any longer.

'Do It Again'
'Catch A Wave'
'Don't Back Down'
'Surfin' Safari'
'Surfer Girl'
'The Little Girl I Once Knew'
'Wendy'
'Then He Kissed Me' (Phil Spector/The Crystals)
'This Whole World'
'Why Do Fools Fall in Love' (Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers)
'When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)'
'You're So Good to Me'
'In Them Old Cottonfields Back Home'
'Be True to Your School'
'Disney Girls'
'Please Let Me Wonder'
'Don't Worry Baby'
'Little Honda'
'Little Deuce Coupe'
'409′
'Shut Down'
'I Get Around'
'Sloop John B'
'Wouldn't It Be Nice'
'Forever'
'Sail On Sailor'
'Heroes and Villains'
'In My Room'
'All This Is That'
'God Only Knows'
'That's Why God Made the Radio'
'California Dreaming' (The Mamas and the Papas)
'California Girls'
'Dance Dance Dance'
'All Summer Long'
'Help Me Rhonda'
'Rock and Roll Music' (Chuck Berry)
'Barbara Ann'
'Surfin' U.S.A.'

Encore:
'Kokomo'
'Good Vibrations'
'Fun Fun Fun'

Blimey. How long did they play for, that's some set list.

Saw Doyle Dykes in a church last night about 10 minutes from my house.  Only 25 people there.  I owned some CD's but never thought I'd get a chance to see him.

Didn't feel like playing today. It just shattered me.

Blooby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFqL6HZO8YU
When to the gig in glasgow last night and enjoyed it immensely, was in three sections acoustic, electronic and the album " So "  just a great night, an all time legend!!

saw him twice at the glasgow apollo back in the day, two of the best gigs i ever attended. the man's stagecraft is spinetingling.

I just took a long weekend to see Tommy Emanuel with Martin Taylor in Jacksonville, FL. Felt like burning my guitars after the show.



Then I went up to Atlanta the next night to catch Darrell Scott and Tim O'Brien. The following was taken by the guy with whom i went. Two great solos in this one and some decent dynamics. Now I feel like driving over my guitars several times before burning them. Ridiculous weekend of music.

Tommy Emanuel was here in Largo on Sat. I think. Someone posted tickets for sale on craigslist and I just had no $$$ :'( :'( :'( I bet that was an amazing show brother, I'll catch him next time!!!!

Quote from: Blooby on February 23, 2014, 04:46:05 PMFelt like burning my guitars after the show.


. Now I feel like driving over my guitars several times before burning them. Ridiculous weekend of music.

I don't know anyone that could hold his own with Tommy but I also don't know many who could hold their own with you brother!!!However, don't destroy them...give them to a deserving stranger to the south ::)!
Rock On!

I went to see The Eagles the night before last in Jacksonville, Florida.  It was a very good show.  They presented it as a history.  Some good stories and excellent musicianship.  They played some songs that I forgot that I used to like.

I was hoping for a little jamming, but they kept to the formula.  Most of what I heard was straight from the recordings.  With Bernie Leadon, Joe Walsh, and Steuart Smith on guitar, I thought that there was an excellent opportunity for some ripping solos.  Joe Walsh was the only one to briefly deviate from the stock riffs.

Perhaps I am too critical.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the event.  I did.  There were people singing throughout the arena (except for the guy in front of my brother who complained that he had come to hear the band).  We had a great time during the intermission talking to some guys about music and making guitars. 

Good times.

^^^^ Have most of the Eagles recordings but have never seem them live. No matter their detractors, still think they're an influential band. Thanks for posting the review.  8)

I saw Zakk Wylde last night and can`t say i was disappointed, but i also wasn`t impressed. He played BLS, Pride and Glory, and songs off his solo CD, but it was all acoustic with him and another guy. He also played piano too. He did pay homage to Canada by playing our national anthem and Heart of Gold by Neil Young.

The thing that bothered me was him shredding his electro-acoustic and he had his vintage Marshall tone with
him using his roto-vibe and wah but no amps, so i am assuming he was using Line 6 or something else for the amp sims. But when he cut into a solo he would shred for like 15 min! LOL Even me being a guitarist for almost 30 years was getting irritated a little by it. I kinda felt sorry for the rhythm guy because he was playing the same chords over and over but he did do a solid job. And when the crowd went nuts after he was done his solo i was thinking are we clapping cause we loved it or glad its over? :)

Anyway i still love him and the tunes were good, a bit too over the top on the solos but i`m guessing he does that to replace the fact that if he drinks alcohol again he would die. So I must have sympathy.

I went to see Asif Ali Khan & Party at the Tsai Performance Center at Boston University down in Boston last night.

Got lost once I found my way into the city, but finally located the Indian restaurant where we dined on some very good chicken tikka (barbecue as well as massala) prior to the show.

And it was a very interesting show - never heard any Sufi music or qawwali singers before, but I knew I'd enjoy it when I read the musical accompaniment would be harmonium and tabla. The dynamics of this concert were incredible - from almost whisper-quiet to eardrum-splitting loud in a matter of seconds, and the singer's hand gestures and vocal operatics throughout reminded me at times of Jack Black of Tenacious D.  :D

Here's a clip of a song they did in Brussels, similar to what I saw in Boston last night:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9-wuEswMTU

Dig them dueling harmoniums...  8)  

I went with the wife to go and see Lissie in Sheffield the other weekend and it was a great show ...Man could that woman sing ...would go again it was a great night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWKuHxGtIFA

Goldfrapp at the Barbican in York tomorrow night. I am so excited I have had to drink copious amounts of beer to provide enough mass to keep me on the ground.

I am really really looking forward to the gig. In Geir's hut last September, Mr James 'ORH' Higgins had obtained the 'Tales of Us' CD. It was another 'music-blows-me-away' moment. And tomorrow night, Will and Alison will be doing it just for me (and a thousand others). How awesome is that?

>>>> Watch this space for the review <<<<

oh ya bugger i am so jealous check her out on jools


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfUE7y5A4Fg

Quote from: Flash Harry on April 04, 2014, 05:03:19 PMGoldfrapp at the Barbican in York tomorrow night. I am so excited I have had to drink copious amounts of beer to provide enough mass to keep me on the ground.

I am really really looking forward to the gig. In Geir's hut last September, Mr James 'ORH' Higgins had obtained the 'Tales of Us' CD. It was another 'music-blows-me-away' moment. And tomorrow night, Will and Alison will be doing it just for me (and a thousand others). How awesome is that?

>>>> Watch this space for the review <<<<

I'm wicked jealous. Alison is way prettier than Asif Ali Khan & Party...

But seriously - hope I'm able to see Goldfrapp someday. The live clips I've seen so far makes it look like they do some great shows. Looking forward to reading your review!

Wow! They were fantastic. They played the new album, Tales Of Us, pretty much as it appears on the CD, the sound was superb, the lighting was as stripped down as the music, single pin spots illuminating the musicians only from above. Very ethereal, it worked very well.
Then they started to play some of the back catalog, the lighting warmed up, the place started to rock, old favourites, Utopia, Strict Machine, Lovely Head, Number 1, all delivered perfectly.

It was a great spectacle, they are a great band and the music is fantastic. If you get a chance, you should go and see them.

Mrs Chapperz is a bit of a folkie (and secretly so am I - but don't tell anybody....) so last night we went to see Kate Rusby at the musical heaven that is Kettering, Northamptonshire.  It's only about 6 miles from where I live so there really wasn't any excuse not to.

The lady can sing and the band was exceptional.

Next weekend its Bellowhead at the Albert Hall.

Before I get dismissed from the league of prog metallers my previous concert attendance was Dream Theater at Wembley.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No5FkAmTaJY

Elbow were fabulous at Leeds last night. It was like a pub gig, Guy chatting to individuals in the audience, introducing his sister and her husband, so unlike rock stars, great music. I loved it and I bet the 13999 people did too.

Had an eventful week.  Saw Darrell Scott and Tim O'Brien again in Savannah.  What I took away from the romantic getaway with my girlfriend is that there is no open container law downtown.  When the waitress asked if I'd like my Guinness "to go," I nearly wept open tears of glee.

I then went to the the 10th annual Wanee festival, most closely associated with The Allman Brothers.  Saw Gov't Mule, The Tedeschi Trucks Band, Matt Scofield, The Allman Brothers twice, Umphrey's McGee, Dumpstafunk doing Zeppelin, Bobby Lee Rodgers thrice, Jaimoe's Jasssz Band, The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and moe.  I'm sure I'm leaving somebody out. Great vibe in a bucolic, naturally beautiful setting on the Suwanee River.  The weekend I look forward to most out of the year.

High point were that The Brothers broke out "Seven Turns" and "True Gravity" for the first time in 15 years or so.  Good stuff.

Blooby

Saw Sabbath at Bud Gardens, London Ontario.
They absoutely nailed the old tunes! The new stuff was pretty good too.
Ozzy had a couple "moments" where it sounded like he went tone deaf and was singing no where near key, but the majority of the night was great.

The band was tighter than a bulfrog's ass. The drummer even did a 10 minute "old school" drum solo.
It was a really great night.

I had to give a presentation at a conference in Brantford the next morning, and my ears were still ringing. I even met a guy at the conference who went to the concert and was sitting directly across from me on the other side of the arena. Small world. We compared pictures, and it was pretty cool to see the different stage perspective. I was on Tony Iommi's side and he was on Geezer's side.

This was the highlight for me:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf9fXlZ1jD4

Vintage Trouble, Cockpit, Leeds.

They were on form. Always worth catching them is you can.

Last night I went to see Pearl Jam at the FDarena in Leeds, my hometown.

They were really going for it, no support act, over three and a half hours played. I was stood for over five hours in total, my legs ached like hell when I got home.

Top band and fantastic to see the amazing new arena, very proud its in Leeds!

Quote from: Burtog on July 09, 2014, 11:29:53 AMLast night I went to see Pearl Jam at the FDarena in Leeds, my hometown.

They were really going for it, no support act, over three and a half hours played. I was stood for over five hours in total, my legs ached like hell when I got home.

Top band and fantastic to see the amazing new arena, very proud its in Leeds!

This sounds great but five hours is about four hours more than I could handle.  I need to sit down for my entertainment these days.  :)

Saw Kate Bush on Friday night at her 22 date 'Before the Dawn' residency at Hammersmith Apollo.

Quite unbelievable. I haven't got over the emotion and awe yet.

Having been a huge fan since I was 15, there is no other recording artist who comes close to her in my favourites list. Even The Beatles and The Doors. So when she walked out on stage, it was pretty electrifying and mesmerising. Like a dream, really.

She doesn't do a 'greatest hits', and it's not a conventional gig. It's a proper theatrical production in three acts (over 3 hours), with a narrative running through most of it. The stage designs and visual impact are stunning.

Too many highlights to mention, but it was one of her more recent songs 'King of the Mountain' that really blew me away. Done live, it was so powerful.

Her vocals were incredible throughout, and she genuinely looked happy. You can imagine the audience reaction - she surely must have felt the love.

Can sum it up in one appropriate word: WOW!

so jealous tim. i hope there is a dvd or even a tour.

You obviously had a brilliant time, Tim. Thanks for giving us a little insight.

Still dead jealous though...

I tried for tickets but failed ....pleased someone I know got to enjoy the show ....as others have said dead Jealous hopefully she will take the tour on the road...

Nice one Tim :) we're going on the 27th.

Is the audience still respecting the no cameras/phones? I was DREADING sitting behind rows of bright screens (and my missus was dreading me breaking ipads over heads!!) - so I was really relieved when KB made the request and it got honoured at the first few gigs.

Anyway, I think you can GUARANTEE a dvd, guys... but I strongly suspect she won't tour, though... :(

Quote from: AndyR on September 10, 2014, 05:43:48 AMNice one Tim :) we're going on the 27th.

Is the audience still respecting the no cameras/phones? I was DREADING sitting behind rows of bright screens (and my missus was dreading me breaking ipads over heads!!) - so I was really relieved when KB made the request and it got honoured at the first few gigs.

Anyway, I think you can GUARANTEE a dvd, guys... but I strongly suspect she won't tour, though... :(

Everyone absolutely stuck to the no camera rule. I guess that's because most people there love her and respect her enough to comply. I didn't see one person even try it. They were all captivated though!

Enjoy! (you will... !!!!!).

Quote from: Greeny on September 10, 2014, 06:51:34 AMEveryone absolutely stuck to the no camera rule. I guess that's because most people there love her and respect her enough to comply. I didn't see one person even try it. They were all captivated though!

Enjoy! (you will... !!!!!).

Good on them, and good on her for requesting that.

Must be nice to be at a concert where people are enjoying "being in the moment" rather than "documenting" it. One of my pet hates!

Looks like a Kate Bush DVD is happening...

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/11/kate-bush-to-release-dvd-of-london-comeback-shows (http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/11/kate-bush-to-release-dvd-of-london-comeback-shows)

(http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/9/11/1410418559714/f6075542-7573-4c87-b220-259ab2d4ab55-460x276.jpeg)

I never did like you Tim. Even less now. Bassa.

I'm so jealous too Tim !!

Would sooooooo much have loved to be there !

I did however have a great concert experience earlier this summer: "Kansas" !!!

WOW, I believe it's one of the best concerts I've been too. And I was not alone in thinking so, at least if the audience response is an indication.

They understood what we came for and played the good old stuff. OK so Steve Walsh don't have the voice he used to (it's been a long time since he had), but they all delivered an amazing performance.

Frank Turner in the ancient city of Salisbury last night, with Mazz and Ashley. Frank is a Wessex boy, so kinda home turf. Great concert, fantastic sound, from a sound engineer that understands less is more, and you don't need to turn everything to 10. Tight band, Frank was spot on in tune, playing a 2 hour set, with back to back songs.

Frank Turner appeals across the age spectrum, so big mix of ages, and someone that really connects with the audience. He's more a poet that anything, so that connection is palpable - you can tell that the audience love his music, singing all the way through. Really enjoyed last night, it was a very, very cool gig.

NB I found the post on the internet, we were around 10 rows back (standing) front left of the stage.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kZ6zfvMoG4

"Andrew goes to gig" shock!

OK, we've got Kate on Saturday... but last night I went to my first gig in YEARS...

Who's heard of Joanne Shaw Taylor? Blues fans, check her out (plenty stuff on youtube). I bought her first album White Sugar several years ago and have kept a vague eye out ever since (missed three albums and a dvd, though! :D)

The other week, can't remember how I found out, I absent-mindedly entered a competition to attend a "Secret Gig In London" and forgot all about it. Last week I got an email from Planet Rock Radio saying I was on the guest list for me +1.

Even better, it was at O2 in Islington - five minutes walk from here (work).

We went. It was grand. Her new album, The Dirty Truth, was released yesterday - this was the "album party" gig laid on by Planet Rock.

She is quite some guitarist. A bit of a widdly-woo merchant on the solos, but which blues-rock guitarist isn't?

She plays as a four-piece - her and guitar, a keyboard player doing some organ-ey stuff I couldn't hear most of the time, drums, and bass.

She's more aggressive live than her albums sound, but wow, she's pretty darned good in both arenas. Excellent bluesie voice, and old-skool telecaster and les paul sounds through loud fender amps. She's pretty funky in her rhythm playing as well. Think of a cute blond from Birmingham playing a bit like Stevie Ray Vaughan...

And she's only gonna get better :)

The new album is excellent, the missing three are already on order...

I went to see The Besnard Lakes at the Brudenell Social club in Leeds on Thursday, a great gig even thought the turn out was average, will definately go and see them again if they tour locally.

Check them out people!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y6nmLt50sg

I went to see Ian hunter and the Rant band on Wednesday at the garage in Glasgow .
I love the layout of that place ,two bars,and toilets right next to the right of the stage so no going down corridors and missing any numbers during the set.
The sound was absolutely fantastic and Ian (73 years old I believe) was like a young man up there.
He looked genuinely overwhelmed at the crowds reaction as they carried the chorus of all the young dudes over the rafters.
A master class from an old dude that's walked the rock,roll road.
He seems to get better every year.
Fantastic drumming from Steve Holley (x wings drummer)and a 1st class band.
Age is only a number .

Okie-Cokey... Kate Bush last night.

Pretty much "gosh!" :)

What a band! Quite possibly the best band I've ever had the privilege to see live. And the sound... crumbs.

Sadly, there's NO WAY she could have or will "tour" this show. I realised this watching it, even before reading the program this morning. Set-up in any venue would take days, maybe even weeks, it just wouldn't be viable trying to move it between different venues on a conventional tour.

Anyway, how did it grab me?

First few songs were like a straight gig. It was stunning. For me, King of the Mountain was a high-point of the whole thing. I suspect the set was designed for this, it was almost perfect sequencing leading up to this climax from which the Ninth Wave emerged.

Ninth Wave - truly stunning visuals and theatrical stuff. I was emotionally involved with the story (that I had NEVER suspected even though I've owned the album since it was released!). BUT... My personal taste is for music... so I did have moments of "this is great, but I really wanted to see Kate Bush doing some songs".

None-the-less, by the time it finished and she announced the interval I was extremely, "oh good grief"... Interestingly, if the gig had finished there with a couple of encores, I would have been satisifed with just part 1. It was after all about the length of most headliner's sets.

Second half was very interesting. To me, the music to Sky of Honey is a lot more, well, musical than I find Ninth Wave. The theatrics and presentation include the band (they're behind the set in the Ninth Wave). The music is incredible and very hypnotic. Both Mrs R and I found ourselves drifting off with our eyes closed. The visual stuff, though stunning, didn't manage to demand my attention enough to stop me getting lost in the music - so I suspect I missed something... But I suspect that would be an entirely valid way of consuming it as far as Kate Bush was concerned.

Encores: I'm not that familiar with Among Angels yet - it was wonderful (solo at piano), but felt a bit long and rambling. I think she missed a trick, I think a Man with the Child in his Eyes (which I believe that physically, at least, she could still sing) would have brought the house down even further than she managed anyway. Then Cloudbusting did the job it was meant to do. I felt a little sad that it hadn't been in the initial 6 song opening to the first set because, well... it's probably my favourite song of hers, and I wanted to be able to feel it the way it affects me when I listen to it in private... but I couldn't do this because we had to stand up to see, and the crowd treated it like an end-of-show crowd-pleaser. I'd have been a lot happier if Running Up That Hill had been treated to this final encore slot instead.


Leading up to this gig, I'd been wondering, like others, what all the fuss and fanfare was about a few weeks ago. She's a very good singer/songwriter and performer, I have all her albums, as a creator myself I've always felt a very strong emotional tie with her, but... the outpourings a few weeks ago seemed somewhat over-the-top to me.

But actually witnessing it, try as I might, I haven't been able to reduce my impression below "Oh my god... she's a complete genius, no-one will ever be as good as this again". Yes, she's a just a singer/songwriter, but she's a bit bluddy good at it, and she manages to affect so many different types of people.

This morning, I read the program. It was kind of obvious really, just watching it, but I found that the work in writing, staging, etc, etc, this thing started in March 2013. She and a bunch of other people put 18 months into this production. Nothing was left to chance. Just like her albums, she does her utmost to get what she wants into the thing she creates. I'm full to bursting with admiration for her and what she's achieved with this.

Oh, finally, I suspect she might not play live again, not as a headline show, anyway. Maybe she might consider moving this entire thing to a similar residency in another country... but other than that I don't think she's going to perform like this again. I don't see how she could manage it. There is a possibility, having got the "but how would I top what I did last time?" out of the way, that she'd be prepared to tour a standard "gig" like the opening of this show. But I find myself wondering whether she realises how much her music (and her presence/voice) actually stand up on their own, quite nicely, thank you. I kind of hope that someone might convince her that she could do a straight "gig" and plenty of people would fall over themselves to be there and relish it.

Great review Andrew.  I'm so envious, I failed to get a ticket, there are people at work who have been to see her, but I think you 'got it' more than they did. 

I'm even more parrot sick than I was.

SLAYER - Sonisphere festival, Oslo, June 2014.

After standing amongst ten thousands of sweaty teenagers dressed in black for 30 minutes, four fat, bearded men took the stage. Without any interaction with the audience, they started playing a song that sounded just like every other Slayer song. The bass drum was so loud, I thought my kidneys were being smashed to gravy. The singer did not sing, he shouted for his life. The lead guitarist sounded like he had never played a guitar solo throughout his entire life.

Once the singer finally said something, he talked about how nice the weather was. Then they proceeded with the song "Raining Blood", ironically.

After 45 minutes of songs that sounded exactly the same, the band left the stage without further notice.

I'd rate this concert 10/10. Best festival experience ever.

Gayle and I went to see Brian Wilson and Al Jardine in concert last night. They took the stage with 9 accompanying musicians ( two key players, drums, percussion, bass, sax, two electric guitarist, acoustic guitar and they all sang). Brian mostly sat at his white baby grand piano playing on select songs, conducting, singing lead on select songs, singing along on all the backing vox/harmonies,  but he let his hired young singers belt out those high melodies and  harmonies. I was surprised to hear Al Jardine sing so many songs. All the music and harmonies were spot  on. The eleven guys on stage created a huge sound but the audio level was not overbearing at all. The song list include early songs through Pet Sounds...in fact they played the song Pet Sounds. The audience enjoyed all the songs but the two that got the crowd going was  Good Vibrations and God Only Knows. I was amazed at how well they pulled off every song flawlessly. Brian is showing his age in his voice and movements but he's still very much the master music maker.

Farrell

Quote from: Farrell Jackson on October 10, 2014, 08:23:52 AMGayle and I went to see Brian Wilson and Al Jardine in concert last night

Lucky lucky lucky! Sounds amazing. A proper treat.

Off up to London tonight, to see Daughtry at the roundhouse - can't wait

Down to London tomorrow to see Flying Colors at the Islington Assembly Hall.  Great band.

Paul

Quote from: chapperz66 on October 12, 2014, 11:41:00 AMDown to London tomorrow to see Flying Colors at the Islington Assembly Hall.  Great band.

I would love to see them, but they don't make the rounds much.  Caught Neal Morse a few years ago, and Steve Morse lives a half hour away from me, so I've seen him many times through the years.

My last show was Gov't Mule on Thursday. I would love to leave a glowing review, but the sound was poor where our seats were. They did break out "Dreams" with Derek Trucks, which was extra special as the Allman Brothers didn't play it during their last two and I suppose final shows I saw. They also opened with a bombastic version of one of my favorite Al Green songs (video below from earlier in the year).

Gov't Mule - 10/9/2014
Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL

Set I: I'm A Ram, Thorazine Shuffle, Little Toy Brain, Banks Of The Deep End, Stoop So Low, Forsaken Savior*, The Sky Is Crying^, Dreams^^

Set II: Done Got Wise, Creep, Patchwork Quilt, When The World Gets Small > Drums > Unring The Bell, Lola Leave Your Light On, World Boss

Enc: I'm So Tired, Working Class Hero

Notes:
*with Kofi Burbridge
^with Kofi Burbridge, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Tim Lefebvre & Tyler Greenwell
^^with Kofi Burbridge & Derek Trucks

Chris Daughtry last night was amazing. I don't think he sang a bum note all night, and he really sings at 100% all of the time. Damn fine band, and have never seen so many guitar changes. Am hoarse from singing along - Mazz was very happy. We first hooked into daughtry in 2006 watching American Idol - first time and last time we watched one of these shows, couldn't get into the next year, too many plastics and nobody real like Chris.

Loved every minute, and can't wait till next concert :-)

Like my tee - I am officially a fan-boy :-)

(https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3173.0;attach=24310)

Flying Colors at the Islington Assembly Rooms last Monday.  Great gig.  There aren't too many artists who get me down to London on a Monday evening, but these old boys are amongst them.  Nearly 2 hours of superior music made up for queueing in the pouring rain for the best part of an hour.  "Doors at 7pm" - yeah right!  Having said that, apparently they had played the night before in Switzerland and travelled by coach to London which sounds a bit ambitious to me.

Steve Morse had a few problems with switching on his Engl amps, but was brilliant nonetheless.  Portnoy almost makes me want to be a drummer, although he seemed to be getting a bit miffed that the people in the seating area upstairs (me included) weren't standing up.  Call me a miserable old bastard if you like but I paid extra for a seat so I'm bloody well going to sit in it!  Especially since I had the prospect of walking a mile or so back (in the rain) to the hotel afterwards.  I'll stop moaning now.

It was also great to see people I really admire in a pretty small venue like this. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoVQe4aV8I4

Flying Colors sounds great. I have to listen to their new disc one of these days.  Bought it and left it next to the computer.

Saw the Saturday portion of Magnolia Fest at the unbelievably beautiful Spirit of Suwannee Music Part by the Florida/Georgia border. They have a backwoods stage where I parked myself all day among the hammock people (a bacwards people who nourish themselves with craft beers).

Saw the infamous Colonel Bruce Hampton, The Indigo Girls, Bela Fleck and his wife, and Lyle Lovett.   I got a might tipsy and lost in travel Scrabble. A relaxing day.

Blooby

I just purchased tickets to go see America in concert at the Gallo Theater in Modesto next Wednesday. It's a great venue for concerts, not a bad seat in the house. Well maybe a dozen bad seats if you're directly behind the sound man.  It's only a 30 minute drive from our place and the concert starts at 7:30 pm. So we'll be home by 10 pm!

The last time I saw America was about 15 years ago. That was a good show and I expect this to be a good one also. It'll be interesting to see if it's the same backup band with the two main members, Beckley and Bunnel...minus Dan Peek who quit years ago and passed away in 2011.

Farrell

Hmm ... Haven't been to any concerts in the last few months, but did go to see the Australian Courtney Barnett back in May at Norwich Waterfront Studio (capacity is an intimate 250).
She & her band played a great set & were ably supported by the Scottish Honeyblood
Here's a link to some of the happy snappies I took  :)

Courtney Barnett (https://picasaweb.google.com/101172697859807984565/CourtneyBarnett?noredirect=1#slideshow/6016918731426470834)

Biggest regret this year is missing Royal Blood at the same venue :(

when i went to norway i sat next to the father of the singer of honeyblood on the plane over, he is sandy tweedale the lead guitarist of blues in trouble. they where going to a blues festival in norway whilst i was en route to geir's hut. when i explained where i was going they wanted to come me with me. he is very proud of his daughter and what ive seen of them he is rightly proud.

Quote from: oldrottenhead on October 30, 2014, 02:04:23 PMwhen i went to norway i sat next to the father of the singer of honeyblood on the plane over
when i explained where i was going they wanted to come me with me.

Cool story. Shame they didn't join you. You'd've all made some beautiful music, deffo 8)

Going to see Robyn Hitchcock in Somerville on Nov 12...should be a good show!

Mrs Chapperz got tickets to see The Full English at the Castle Theatre, Wellingborough last night.  Billed as an English folk "supergroup"  - is that an oxymoron or just a contraception in terms?  Probably, although people like Martin Simpson and Seth Lakeman can get away with it.  More of a project than a group, it is a heritage lottery funded project to digitise, preserve and promote traditional English music.  I was a little bit concerned that the concert might be a little too "traditional" for my liking, since folkies can be a bit purist sometimes, but I need not have worried.  The opening number was a 7 part harmony acapella song!  I found the set thorougly entertaining and not even slightly stuffy.  Sure, the songs were all 18th/19th century traditional pieces but arranged in a sufficiently modern way that it kept my interest.

A great gig, performed by some consumate musicians.  And very acceptable micro brewery real ale in the bar as well.  And the wife tells me that Seth Lakeman is a very good looking young man.  Apparently.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDgrTOzmSwc

Been with my girlfriend for 10 years as of Wednesday.  I surprised her by taking her to a Cris Jacobs show. He rarely leaves the Baltimore area, so it was quite serendipitous that he played a gig within 80 miles around the special day. Got to chat with him for a bit. Super nice guy. I was disappointed he didn't have his full band, but then he just blew me away with his solo performance. Monster singer and player.

Blooby

I hadn't heard of Cris Jacobs before.  Very impressed.

Paul

Robyn Hitchcock, 12 Nov 2014 at the Somerville Armory for the Arts (Somerville, Massachusetts USA)

Turned out to be a bit of a hike from the T station at Davis Square, so we were good and warm when we arrived. The building apparently also houses a sound studio, but the auditorium looked more like a basketball court without the hoops, with folding chairs on the floor. It was an all-ages show, and there were children as well as senior citizens present - a much more diverse crowd age-wise then I'd seen at a Robyn Hitchcock show before. We were lucky to get seats in the second row, far right.

Robyn played a mix of newer songs from his latest The Man Upstairs, as well as a lot of the old classics. He also did more alternate tunings than I remember in previous shows, and was having a dickens of a time with getting his strings to tune before songs - but he kept these intervals light, saying the tuning up was channeling spirits. :) I may have picked up a couple of new tuning tricks...

Later in the evening, Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses & Belly (and also a 'local' from Rhode Island) joined him onstage to perform one of his songs, one of hers, and a few covers later.

Robyn's got an open-recording policy, so I took the opportunity to snatch some phone video on a few songs. Apologies in advance for the shaky cam and portrait framing (there was just one empty seat directly in front of me, so it was a keyhole-type of shot):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8nlXmCgyRI
Fragments of My Wife and My Dead Wife, The Wreck of the Arthur Lee, and Sweet Ghost of Light with Tanya Donelly.

For an encore, Robyn came out and played songs from his record collection. Someone else in the front row of the audience got a much better shot than I could - I think using a digital camera:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfuzZTFB4J8
Happiness Is A Warm Gun with Tanya Donelly

And they ended the show walking through the audience ("Like folksingers..." according to Robyn), playing and singing Are You Experienced? - roaming, unmiked, and absolutely great.

brilliant joe. i am so jealous never ever got to see the man live. yet. is now on my to do list.

Quote from: chapperz66 on November 04, 2014, 01:17:28 AMI hadn't heard of Cris Jacobs before.  Very impressed.

Paul

+1

hey cuthbert thanks i didn't know that robyn hitchcock had a new album out. just got it and  it is fabulous i know its a mix of originals and covers but he owns every one. his take on the doors crystal ship is awesome. the entire album is. i dont know yet what the other covers are they are so his now.

Just back from seeing Robert plant at the O2 in Leeds a fab gig it's the 3rd time now I've seen mr plant and his voice sounds better each time I hear it . He masterful with audience and the band were great very entertaining. The Zep song he did we're excellent Going to California whole lotta love babe I'm leaving and rock n roll all done with a morrocan twist were the highlight of the show. The songs from the new album too little maggie turn it up rainbow all excellent. All in all a fab gig if you get a chance go see him you won't be dissapointed.

Quote from: thetworegs on November 17, 2014, 05:45:19 PMJust back from seeing Robert plant at the O2 in Leeds a fab gig it's the 3rd time now I've seen mr plant and his voice sounds better each time I hear it . He masterful with audience and the band were great very entertaining. The Zep song he did we're excellent Going to California whole lotta love babe I'm leaving and rock n roll all done with a morrocan twist were the highlight of the show. The songs from the new album too little maggie turn it up rainbow all excellent. All in all a fab gig if you get a chance go see him you won't be dissapointed.

Thanks for the review Regs! I'd like to see Robert Plant in concert. The bits I've seen of him on TV sound great as he ages but he seems to shy away from those young Robert Plant high notes.. Did he sing the Zep songs in a lower tuning/voice register or did he belt them out?

Farrell

Two weeks ago, Gayle and I went to see America in concert. Just the two of the main members (Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley) were there with a younger backing band of good musicians. They were a 5 piece with each member trading off  on various instruments like piano, acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonica. They played a variety of their songs from the beginning to the now. The first two songs were a bit rough on the mix but on the third song it all came together and was great to the end. For some reason the sound man had Gerry Beckley's voice pushed some in the upper frequencies which took getting used to. They have a new album out called Back Pages. It's an album of covers...as Gerry Beckley put it "songs we wish we had written". It includes some Neil Young and Joni Mitchell songs which they played. I guess what I appreciated the most about this concert is there wasn't any studio magic tricks used at all. They came across as a regular, but very good, normal 5 piece band. Of course they received a standing ovation and returned to end the evening with the perfect song, Horse With No Name.

Definitely worth the $49 ticket price.

Farrell

I never realised while watching but now you mention it Farrell it was mostly his lower reigister but was still Fantastic to hear !!  I did record a couple of the Zep songs on my iPhone I haven't had a cchance to listen to them yet but if they are any good and not blown out ill  email you them.....

Quote from: thetworegs on November 18, 2014, 09:56:54 AMI did record a couple of the Zep songs on my iPhone I haven't had a chance to listen to them yet but if they are any good and not blown out ill  email you them.....

That would be great Regs...thanks

Farrell

Saw Dave Mason's Traffic Jam last night locally for $12.00. Still sings and plays great. He was pretty humorous as well.

Blooby

40,000 Headmen
Pearly Queen
Medicated Goo
Rock And Roll Stew
Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys
Dear Mr. Fantasy
We Just Disagree
World Of Changes
How Do I Get To Heaven
Good 2 U
Only You Know And I Know
Let It Go, Let It Flow
Feelin’ Alright
All Along The Watchtower

Saw Slash with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators last night in Manchester, England.
Great gig with plenty of old G n R songs, a few Velvet Revolver numbers and stuff from his own album.
Support band was California Breed, Jason Bonham's band, although he's not on tour with them. First time I've heard them but they were good too.

All in all a great evening!

California Breed has Glenn Hughes singing, doesn't it... great singer.

Quote from: Mike_S on November 29, 2014, 05:36:37 AMCalifornia Breed has Glenn Hughes singing, doesn't it... great singer.

Right Mike ! And he's got some vocal range - hits those high notes !

Gill and I went to see a fantastic English folk trio called Leverett in Northampton last night.  Fiddle player and two melodeons.  Great gig , if a little traditional.

The venue was a fantastic church that I had parked outside numerous times over the years and yet, to my my shame, I had never actually noticed the building.  It turns out to be one of only four round churches in Britain, built by a Norman knight on his return from the First Crusade to the holy lands in 1096.  There are still clearly visible marks on the pillars made by the swords of knights departing on subsequent crusades.  I am not a particularly spiritual person, but I actually found it quite moving to be in a place of such antiquity.

The only building people normally mention in respect of Northampton is the monumentally ugly 1960's bus depot - I seem to remember it winning some spoof award for the most hideous building in the country, so its nice to see something local that is a bit more uplifting.

Paul

I went to see Ryan Adams at the Leeds O2 Academy a couple of weeks back, the guys is a bit of a Diva but an absolut pro performer and superb vocalist, love his acoustic work.

Natalie Prass supported him, she is well worth checking out too!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FIw7ERlVxU

Went to see Doors Alive at the picturdome in Holmfirth on Friday and they were excellent the music the vocal both excellent ...well worth seeing Jim lives..... A full 2 hour show covering all the bases if you get a chance go to see them it's as close as you'll get to a real doors concert it makes you realise how good they were and how they must have stood out to there audience of the late 60s http://www.thedoorsalive.co.uk .. Hard to say what song stood out most ... But changeling is stuck in my mind as it's one I don't think the Doors ever got the chance to perform live ado theirs from the LA women album .... Anyway if you get the chance go it's a cracking night...got the Rival sons on the 28th of this month at the Leeds O2 academy I'll let you know how it goes....

Quote from: thetworegs on March 09, 2015, 03:58:52 PMWent to see Doors Alive at the picturdome in Holmfirth on Friday and they were excellent the music the vocal both excellent ...well worth seeing Jim lives..... A full 2 hour show covering all the bases if you get a chance go to see them it's as close as you'll get to a real doors concert it makes you realise how good they were and how they must have stood out to there audience of the late 60s

I like the sound of that.  Bristol gig in May might be one I try to get to

went to see the Rival sons last night in Leeds a fab gig with both the support The London Souls only two of them guitar vocal and drums who were great and the sons were great too the vocalist was on form along with the Guitarist had a real 70's feel to them an excellent night if you get the chance to see either band go for it you won't be dissapointed

I absolutely love The London Souls although I prefer it when they have a bass player. They are the band that is saving rock and roll for me right now. I will be seeing them in a bar that holds less than 100 or so within the month. Their first disc was recorded at Abbey Roads, and their new one is due out in a few weeks.  I will have to check out The Rival Sons.

Blooby

Quote from: Blooby on March 29, 2015, 02:29:49 PMI absolutely love The London Souls although I prefer it when they have a bass player. They are the band that is saving rock and roll for me right now. I will be seeing them in a bar that holds less than 100 or so within the month. Their first disc was recorded at Abbey Roads, and their new one is due out in a few weeks.  I will have to check out The Rival Sons.

Blooby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwHulcB95Jo

First time for me with this band, and I absolutely love this song.

The guitarist has a passing resemblance and sound to Lenny Kravitz, and the vocal interplay between him and the drummer is excellent and quite unique

Love seeing power trio's like this.

Have tickets to see Mark Knopfler in Dublin in May. Am very excited as he's just one of a handful of true guitar greats left i think (from my era anyway). Will post a review next month!!

Quote from: Mike_S on April 08, 2015, 01:32:24 PMHave tickets to see Mark Knopfler in Dublin in May. Am very excited as he's just one of a handful of true guitar greats left i think (from my era anyway). Will post a review next month!!

ooo, very jealous, wanted to see him for a while, saw Dire Straits in '91 but no solo stuff, enjoy!

Amazing, simply brilliant.

Me and other half went to Mark Knopfler in Dublin last night. The set list was beautiful, a mix of old and new. He did showcase a good bit of dire straits stuff (I think he did 4, but big numbers - Romeo and Juliet, So Far Away, Telegraph Road and Sultans of Swing). Solo stuff was bloody brilliant too, some i hadn't heard before as don't have all his stuff, but didn't matter. He was on really top form i think.

It was not a sell out (almost, but it was a big 10,000 seat arena), so still tickets left methinks for following shows.

Gonna try to post a link to some footage we took... hope it works not done this before...!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYALrzG2UxM


and sultans of swing...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmgqmu1tEK8


Cheers
Mike

Toto at the Hammersmith Odeon last night. WOW - Toto are always good, but they were on FIRE last night - the best that I've ever seen them. A few months back, I wasn't sure that I was going to get there - but to be there, feeling fit and well - well that was a great feeling.

And as if my magic, I found this post of the very concert .... not posted by me. The female singer is the backing singer Jenny Douglass (used to be McCray)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvjmsn6Xp4Y

B

Quote from: Mike_S on May 16, 2015, 05:27:20 AMGonna try to post a link to some footage we took

Thanks for posting!  I saw Dire Straits in Canada for the On Every Street tour... that was my first rock concert.

Love this guy... great to see!

Went to see Albert Lee and Hogan's Heroes last night in the local theater-(holds around 300)
Albert brilliant as usual -but this time this lady stole the show she is on keyboards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V7rSmS5NEM

I saw them a few years back in Bristol, they are amazing musicians!!! It was kinda strange being one of the youngest in the audience  ;D ;D ;D Gerry Hogan runs our local music shop (although I think his son Patrick Hogan does most of the running these days - really nice people, real muso's). The shop is called Hogan's - of course :-) But it doesn't sell any steel guitars these days :-)

B

Funny enough I remember one gig some years ago in The Purty lounge in my town Dun Laoghaire (Mike S do you know it?)
Gerry Hogan was the man that night-while Albert and the rest of the band mingled after the gig -the amount of heads that were talking to Gerry -a lot of guys I think here in Irish country used to deal with Gerry -
He is still the Steel guitar expert in these Islands and I heard a gentleman to deal with and talk to.

The Slow Show - Brudnell Social Club, Leeds.

5 piece, singer/guitar, guitar, trumpet, keyboards, drums. Quirky and idiosyncratic band from Manchester, really tight, great songs from their first album. The best sound I'd heard in the Games room. Well worth a see if you get the chance.

They're on a small UK tour.

I also noticed that Robyn Hitchcock and Jah Wobble are playing (separately) there in the next few weeks. I may be found there a little more often than of late....

Quote from: Flash Harry on June 05, 2015, 07:25:15 AMThe Slow Show - Brudnell Social Club, Leeds.

5 piece, singer/guitar, guitar, trumpet, keyboards, drums. Quirky and idiosyncratic band from Manchester, really tight, great songs from their first album. The best sound I'd heard in the Games room. Well worth a see if you get the chance.

They're on a small UK tour.

I also noticed that Robyn Hitchcock and Jah Wobble are playing (separately) there in the next few weeks. I may be found there a little more often than of late....

Great venue, I was checking the gig list only this week, there is Natalie Prass and Unknown Mortal Orchestra playing in September, thinking of going to both.

Aslo Samantha Crain playing in early August, unfortunately cant make that one due to holidays.

Saw "The Tragically Hip" at Caesar's Casino in Windsor Ontario on July 3 on their "Fully Completley" tour.
Great place to see a show. Its a 5000 seater and all seats are facing the stage.
The band is tighter than a bullfrog's ass. The singer a bit over-eccentric but all together pretty good. I really wish he would just stick to singing the tune.
Oh-well - I guess if I had to sing the same tunes over and over I might want to embellish them a bit too.

Same venue - earlier gig:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcL43ipQSoA

I first saw them at Cobo Arena in Detroit back in 1996. It was my first concert.
They recorded that gig and released it as "Live Between Us", their first live recording. The CD is an awesome souvenier for me!
This is the tune that they were playing when I walked in. One of my all time favourites. You have to crank it!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R7VChN-jKc

For anyone outside of Canada who don't know who this band is, do yourself a favour and check out their "Fully Completely", "Trouble at the Henhouse" or "Up to Here" albums.
Great music and great lyrics, from an iconic Canadian rock band.

Neal Morse Band


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yzKLHin3aY

I saw this band earlier this summer in a small club in Oslo. It must be some of the best musicians I have ever heard play live. The band played for nearly two and a half hours with lots of energy.

Excellent video post Jarle...these guys prog rock with the best of the best!

Farrell

I'm jealous Jarle... you got to see Portnoy play!!!

Portnoy did an amazing job, but he left it to the guitarist Eric Gillette, to play the drum solo :) , and what a drummer he was (Eric) and he also played keyboard better than most.

Quote from: Jarle on August 02, 2015, 01:18:07 PMPortnoy did an amazing job, but he left it to the guitarist Eric Gillette, to play the drum solo :) , and what a drummer he was (Eric) and he also played keyboard better than most.

FYI, Eric has a solo album out as well. I got so into Spock's Beard and Neal Morse, I had to step away from it for a while for fear of burning myself out. I was even a member of Neal's Inner Circle club for a while where he would provide monthly special releases (demos, live shows, DVDs, etc.). Considered MorseFest this year, but it comes at such a lousy time on my calendar.  I'm sure it was a fabulous night.

Blooby

So went up to the Royal Albert Hall last night to see Dave Gilmour. I was looking forward to it. An old friend of mine contacted on Facebook last week and said he had a spare ticket, it was £100 but thought it was worth while - old Dave is getting on a bit and I've never seen him or Floyd despite being a PF fan from the age of 10. In fact when I started senior school at 11, the English teacher asked the class to bring some music in for discussion. Early 70's, the kids bought in Osmands and David Cassidy etc. I bought in Wish You Were Here much to the surprise of the teacher  ;D ;D ;D ;D. So Floyd is in my DNA, I don't listen to them much these day, coz I don't need to. Its burned into my brain :-)

Well I can truly and honestly say that I'm completely blown away. He played a mixture of his solo stuff, and lots of Floyd. The band was awesome, the sound was amazing, the light show stunning, the playing - well, an abject lesson in tone and taste. I was smiling all the way home. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

Wow.

B

Bruno, did his voice hold up live? I know he never had a huge vocal range, but I am impressed with the clips I have heard. Sounds like he hasn't lost much.

I have posted clips on this site before about Phil Keaggy. He was in a late 60's/early 70's rock band called Glass Harp. He then found God and has played predominantly acoustic (at least live since then). He won Guitar Player polls for best acoustic fingerstyle guitarist (with nine fingers), and it is the best with a looper I think I've seen. It's nutty how he improvises with them.

Saw him last night from the 3rd row and became a mouth breather throughout the whole of the concert. Just stunning and what a sound. I decided to take a gander at how much his Olsen acoustic would run (James Taylor often records with one as well)...$12,000. Now that's a quick cure for g.a.s. if ever I saw one.

Blooby

Hey Blooby.
Yeah Dave's voice was spot on. That Phil Keaggy looks like a great player from he clips - glad that you enjoyed your concert. That's some GAS cure, I dread to think what the value of Dave's guitars last night - I think he played a different guitar on each track  ;D ;D ;D I didn't think about that, that's one kind of GAS that I can do without :-)
B

Just spent an utterly crazy week (for me) going to three nights of Florence + The Machine's four night stand at Alexandra Palace at the end of their UK Tour.

My review (short version) - HOLY F*CK!!!

I feel 20-30 years younger, my back pain of the last 6 months is gone, they were THAT good ;D

And Florence, oh my goodness... She's surprisingly tiny (and soft and warm and smells utterly wonderful), but she completely fills the huge room and makes every single person feel like she's their best friend, lover, whatever. I haven't experienced ANYONE achieving this, or even coming close to doing it, since Freddie Mercury. And her voice - sheesh, I'm absolutely in awe. I already knew, from the albums, that she has command of a wide range of voices - soft, melodic, through to belting it out like Grace Slick - but I had no idea that she could shift effortlessly between them live (I'd assumed the recordings were overdub jobs, even for the lead vocal). And, as far as I could tell, she didn't lose any power or control, not through the course of a gig, nor from the first note on Monday through to the last one on Friday. Added to that - where does the energy come from? And how does she sing while she's dashing around like that?

The band is fabulous. Probably something that a lot of folks don't consciously notice. I've been really impressed by Rob Ackroyd the guitarist. From the albums, I hadn't managed to figure out what he brought to the party, but live I've seen how he's spot on for what's needed. He doesn't play ANYTHING that I'd think of playing with those songs! But what he does play is perfect... and I might even have to get me an ebow(!) (I'd only ever seen one used by the guy in Hawkwind before - mid 80s, can't remember his name - and I thought "meh, can't see no use for that" ... but now I'm intrigued).

If you're at all interested/intrigued by their records - and I know they're not to everyone's taste - go and see them NOW if you can. These guys are at the top of their game at the moment. I fear it might actually be their peak (that's partly why I went to two more nights after the first one with my missus), but I sincerely hope it's not - they deserve to be huge. They have evolved from a strange arty-farty indie band into an act that can work a stadium and make it feel like your front room, even if you're at the back. And they've kept the weird instrumentation (that harp is to die for) while augmenting it with, basically, a soul-band's horn-section and backing singers.

Class. Far classier than I was expecting. It was a one-off "hey let's go see Florence" thing, and I found myself in an "omigod how do I get more tickets?!!!" panic. If Mrs R hadn't been going to other gigs and stuff already, she'd have been there for Thursday and Friday too.

Blooby - So your Museum of Oddities card is still in my wallet, so it went to the Dave Gilmour gig yesterday at the Royal Albert Hall, its becoming very well travelled :-)

Here's some video of the gig I took on my Blackberry.

Apologies for the vid quality ....

https://www.facebook.com/bruno.borzoni.1/videos/1185791448102981/ (https://www.facebook.com/bruno.borzoni.1/videos/1185791448102981/)
https://www.facebook.com/bruno.borzoni.1/videos/1185792964769496/ (https://www.facebook.com/bruno.borzoni.1/videos/1185792964769496/)

Quote from: bruno on October 01, 2015, 02:13:50 PMHere's some video of the gig I took on my Blackberry.

How cool.  I just love his playing, and t e crowd is right there with him. Oh, how I wish I could play with his taste. So happy I have seen him, Waters, and Floyd (although never at the same time...doh!).

Somehow, knowing the person who took the videos makes them all the more intriguing.

Thanks for posting.

Blooby

Just saw the stranglers on Saturday and the lifted the room off the place.
Transported me right back to the sweaty days of small venues and big sound.
All the gear,amp stacks keyboards,drums where all white.
An impressive scene.
There was something magical about the rawness of it all and the band was so tight.
Even before they came on we were treated to the support of Wales outfit The Alarm, and let me tell you they were worth the ticket price themselves.
All in all a cool music injection that breathed life back into the clinically digital soiled masses.
Here's to punk.

Quote from: kenny mac on March 06, 2016, 03:02:12 PMJust saw the stranglers on Saturday and the lifted the room off the place.

Even before they came on we were treated to the support of Wales outfit The Alarm, and let me tell you they were worth the ticket price themselves.

Here's to punk.

I love The Stranglers live. First time I saw them was in 1978, just before the release of No More Heroes.
Last time in 2011, with Wilko Johnson supporting (before he was diagnosed). Brilliant night & if I'm honest Wilko stole the show.  :o
Here's to punk.
Oh yes indeed. :)

Quote from: kenny mac on March 06, 2016, 03:02:12 PMJust saw the stranglers on Saturday and the lifted the room off the place.

I'm going to see them tomorrow night in Cardiff.  I've seen the reviews of the shows on facebook in this tour and I just can't wait.  The Black and White album they're doing is definitely one of my top 5 all time faves.

Properly excited.

I'll post my review.

Quote from: SharksDontSleep on March 07, 2016, 12:12:35 AMBrilliant night & if I'm honest Wilko stole the show.  :o

I've seen Wilko somewhere over 15 times (I lost count how many) and he is a force of nature. 

It's so cool that you guys go see live music, I don't do anything. Sadly this anything that I imply is exhausting  and leaves me asleep by dark. I have to make sure to get a nap on days I have a late night gig...I'm so sad...so sad...  ...  ...  have fun at your show!
Rock on!

Quote from: Hook on March 17, 2016, 04:24:28 AMIt's so cool that you guys go see live music, I don't do anything. Sadly this anything that I imply is exhausting  and leaves me asleep by dark. I have to make sure to get a nap on days I have a late night gig...I'm so sad...so sad...  ...  ...  have fun at your show!
Rock on!

It's the first concert I've been to since April 2013 (Buzzcocks), in the month before my daughter was born.

Quote from: Hook on March 17, 2016, 04:24:28 AMI have to make sure to get a nap on days I have a late night gig...I'm so sad...so sad...  ...  ... 

Me too!

Quote from: ODH on March 17, 2016, 04:03:39 AMI'm going to see them tomorrow night in Cardiff.  I've seen the reviews of the shows on facebook in this tour and I just can't wait.  The Black and White album they're doing is definitely one of my top 5 all time faves.

Properly excited.

I'll post my review.
I've seen Wilko somewhere over 15 times (I lost count how many) and he is a force of nature. 

Wow. That's a brilliant album. second only to Rattus Norvegicus in my humble opinion.
Also you're a lucky man to have seen Wilko that amount of times. He is indeed a force of nature & above all else a genuinely likeable character, as well as a guitar god.

Quote from: ODH on March 17, 2016, 04:31:35 AMIt's the first concert I've been to since April 2013 (Buzzcocks), in the month before my daughter was born.

Buzzcocks ... I've just posted a version of Love You More. It's not really finished yet, but after reading your post here, I had to share it :)
Going to see Shonen Knife next month. Looking forward that, especially as I missed the last gig I had tickets for (Peter Hook & The Light) with an inner ear infection. I couldn't stop the room spinning, so couldn't drive. Really gutted as it happened on the day of the gig & Peter Hook is my all time bass God.

Had an excellent night with the Stranglers last night.

They did the whole of Black & White then went on to two hours. I have no voice this morning.

Last time I went to a gig in this venue (Cardiff Students Union) I was out of place in a sea of teenagers.  This time though probably two thirds were gnarly blokes in their fifties like me.

Here's a video I took for some flavour


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmXJdfq8_x4

Nice video clip Nick. Still get that same feeling of excitement when I hear the Stranglers even after all these years.Oddly enough I had to go to Newport on the Cardiff train on 8th March. If I'd known I could have gone down the night before, stayed over, and watched them !

Pete

I started off my spring break by seeing Joe Satriani in Orlando, FL (about 2 hours south of me). Almost fell asleep on the drive down, but I miraculously got a second wind and muddled through. No big review here except to say I have filled my note quota for the next few months. He played flawlessly it seemed, and the sound was good. I was intrigued to see this tour as he stacked the deck with monster musicians. He had Mike Keneally of Zappa fame on keys and guitar, Marco Minnemann on drums, and Bryan Beller on bass. The latter two are the rhythm section for The Aristocrats although I followed them long before they formed that band with Guthrie Govan. They mostly stuck to the album script , but there were plenty of moments where everybody got a chance to shine. Mostly, I was happy to see his success. Even if he's not your cup of tea, you have to appreciate an instrumental musician filling a 5,000 seat arena. I remember seeing him in a club on the beach the first time he came to Florida in 1988. He had a much larger production (lights, projection screens) than I would expect from an instrumentalist as well.

Blooby

I would love to see Satriani..

I am a huge fan.

Saw Bellowhead again last night at the Royal and Derngate in Northampton.  Brilliant two hour set but sadly it is a farewell tour. 

I first saw the two founder members in a school hall in Rugby about ten years or so ago playing to about 30 people.   I last time I saw Bellowhead was playing to a packed Royal Albert Hall. 

Great gig if you like English Folk played in a non trad manner by an 11 piece band.   

Molotov jukebox - latin beats. Fabulous.

Jeff Lynne cancelled his concert in Dublin Friday night -under doctors advice
new date announced -couple of weeks time.
Thanks be to the mother of all that's holy I had'nt a ticket for Friday night- ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

I went to see the Dixie chicks last night at the Manchester MEN Arena and haven't come across such an enthusiastic crowd in a long time. I hadn't heard anything by them before going but the wife said they were good so i agreed to go with her and i was surprised, not your normal country & western show huge psychedelic  projections, loud guitars thumping drums driving bass the full monty. It was an excellent show , i'm now a fan? an excellent version of Motorhead the Ace of spades done in a hillbilly style and an excellent tribute to Prince "no one compares to you" an excellent acoustic set and excellent show i throughly enjoyed..Heres a few youtube videos to give you the flavour of the night one from Manchester and the other from Amsterdam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tunoFXAZCc4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7YGufRI8ns

Was at Springsteen yesterday in Croke Park Dublin. Was never a major Springsteen fan, not really familiar with his stuff outside of the hits everyone knows. But I have to say he puts on one hell of a gig. A great performer and a true pro, but most of all he looks like he enjoys it so much himself, certainly not going through the motions. Yeah, have to say he really rocked. Found a clip on Youtube of the gig I was at (didn't bring a camera), the part where he brings a little lad out of the crowd up on stage to sing...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZOpBJdUM3E

Quote from: Mike_S on May 30, 2016, 02:47:20 PMWas at Springsteen yesterday in Croke Park Dublin. Was never a major Springsteen fan, not really familiar with his stuff outside of the hits everyone knows. But I have to say he puts on one hell of a gig. A great performer and a true pro, but most of all he looks like he enjoys it so much himself, certainly not going through the motions. Yeah, have to say he really rocked. Found a clip on Youtube of the gig I was at (didn't bring a camera), the part where he brings a little lad out of the crowd up on stage to sing...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZOpBJdUM3E

That security guard looks so bored, and is have a good yawn at the start at of the vid:-) When Bruce sings with that kid, that is pure magic. Wonderful. Great share Mike.
B

Just back from a quick visit to the Rory Gallagher Tribute Festival... loads of interesting acts... and great sunshine which was a bonus... saw this guy in one of the many pub gigs... his name is Peter Price... fantastic!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJlG1v-lNrI


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9nHpqm14_U


and this guy... a busker... goes by the name Stone Cold Hobo...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMttSwnIfUk

And Last but by no means least...

This girl... oh, and the guy too... they go by the name Blackbird and Crow....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtUXu5TrhIU

Maxim Vengerov at the barbican last night. What a player.
B

I'm a bit late with this one, but I saw the Cult in Brixton in Feb and they were phenomenal.

Billy Duffy is simply one of the best guitarists going: total mastery.

Took this on my iPhone. Billy's in his typical low-slung rock stance.

(https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3173.0;attach=177630)

For those of you interested - the piece I saw Maxim play was a harder version of this. When Sibelius wrote the piece in 1903, the first performance went horribly wrong, so Sibelius re-wrote it to be simpler to play. The version I saw was the 'hard' version. The version below isnt the concert we went to, but as reference. Gob-smackingly good, and probably the finest violinist alive today. Clearly getting to the end of his career, but bloody fantastic.

We were front row, in the middle. So about 5 feet away from Maxim. Brilliant - you could watch his technique right up close. When my brother was at the Royal Academy, the Russian's came to town with a 16 year old Maxim. They all laughed at their frilly russian cloths, they laughed until Maxim started playing. My mum still talks about it some 20 years later  ;D ;D ;D Quite something to see.

Anyway, enjoy ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsbrRAgv1b4

Some one posted this photo on the orchestra's FB of the concert - we are sat right at the front row slightly to the left of the gap left for the soloist (we are sat between the people standing)  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

(https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3173.0;attach=178400)

I don't know if your are a fan or have heard of the Indie Band Grandaddy, but they are kicking off a European tour (supposedly their final) this Thursday in Dublin, Ireland. This is in support of an upcoming new album. I'm not sure where they go from there. They are playing tonight in a small theater in Modesto Ca. that sold out in 2 minutes. My son, Neil, knows the band quite well. He has jammed with Jason Lytle and Neil's band, Built Like Alaska, has performed live with Grandaddy at several shows. Just an FYI for any Grandaddy fans.

Farrell

Was at Band of Friends in Dundalk Ireland on Friday. This is Rory's original Bass player - played on all the studio albums - and the drummer was with him for a long time too. So it really is Rory's band keeping the flame alive.

The guitar player/singer was great. I think the guitar really had the spirit of the great man. The vocals were good but didn't have the magic of Rory's voice for me - that is really a minor gripe though as he was excellent.

A great show, no stuck up rock egos, they really involve the crowd. So recommended if they are near anyone's area.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6DXQfDkwsw

I blew off the first night of a three night Phish run but saw the second two. Good shows with a fair amount of jamming, but I have taken many showers since.

Blooby

Loudon Wainwright III last friday at the London Palladium.

Oh wow. Haven't seen him since 1980, but he's still the same guy. Mrs R was worried she might not like the humour (based on one of my favourites, Clockwork Chartreuse, from way back then), but she needn't have. I even suspect she loved the show more than I did!

He was 70 the other week - go to see him while he's still warm :)

Black Sabbath in Tulsa, Oklahoma Tuesday night.

A great show and Ozzy was awesome. Tony Iommi was on point and it was great to see those guys still doing their thing.

Ian Hunter at the garage Glasgow.
This guy is 76 and shows no signs of letting up.
His show consisted of at least 4 new songs from his latest album fingers crossed and the album is an absolute belter.
The rant band he plays with are all amazing and live they just tore the place up.
The energy this guy has got is full on and he is doing this on tour almost every night with one day off a week.
If I'm ever lucky enough to get to that age I want to be like this dude.
As he sings in the golden age of rock,n,roll you got to stay young you can never grow old  :D
And he is living proof.

Hi Folks,

I saw Lloyd Cole do a solo retrospective concert at Hamer Hall in Melbourne on Saturday night. Just Lloyd on acoustic guitars. Hamer Hall is one of our best concert halls. The sound was fabulous. Lloyd is not a great racanteur but he is a great songwriter. He played about 40 songs - no filler. He played a Leonard Cohen cover and a Bowie cover. His son played guitar with him in the second half, which was very sweet.

Ian

Quote from: Boognish on November 12, 2016, 07:37:16 PMBlack Sabbath in Tulsa, Oklahoma Tuesday night.

A great show and Ozzy was awesome. Tony Iommi was on point and it was great to see those guys still doing their thing.

So saw Black Sabbath too. In Dublin last night as part of The End tour. Well, Ozzy was better than i thought he would be, singing pretty well really (losing it a few times here and there, but he always did that anyway, and that's part of the charm of ozzy for me). Tony was great, played some lovely solos and Geezer too. So going out with heads held high.

The show was pretty cool too the video backdrop was really good... interweaving live feed of the band playing with strange fiendish imagery... very cool!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R8FvzBB-QY

Donny Osmond

At the Hammy Odeon last night (or wotever it's called nowadays)

What can I say? Second time we've seen him, last time was a few years (10?) ago. It was for her, not me, but I was stunned at how good a show he put on, I decided I'd happily go with her again.

This time, I wasn't that fired up for it. But... OH. MY. GOODNESS.

He absolutely NAILED it. One of the best gigs I've ever seen (last time I was at the Hammy Odeon was for Kate Bush, sound wasn't as good as Kate Bush, but if you offered me a rerun of either night again, I'd take Donny)

Now, not all the music is to my taste :D
But it's classy stuff... and... WOT A VOICE!
He's quite a mover too...
How fit is this guy???
We reckon he must have a portrait in the attic...

Drive By Truckers last night in Dublin...

Good honest Southern Rock!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6AkI-XHpU

Stranglers in Cardiff Students Union.

Last night I stood in the main hall of Cardiff SU with about a thousand others- mainly grey-haired men in their fifties like myself - and saw the Stranglers 2017 tour. I saw them this time last year when they were playing the Black and White album. This time there was no theme as such but the whole nearly two hour set was a tour-de-force, right from opening with The Raven through to No More Heroes which closed the encore. And I got to stand right near the front.  Here's a video I took...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4i233vGN2A

Honourable mention too to Ruts DC in support. I was excited when I heard they were the support act (I was fond of their music back in the Seventies) and they were f#cking awesome, especially when you think they must be in or near their sixties.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXfTggKjpUY

Just caught them in Glasgow Nick for the second time,amazing .
and the ruts where fu@@ing brilliant.
I loved that's where it all went wrong.
Amazing night.

i went to see "Everywhere" last night featuring songcrafter "Jimbo MacKellar" at the Pint and Hug, great wee venue and a fab gig.

(https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3173.0;attach=186743)

i made a few vids for Jimbo that i uploaded to onedrive for him. he said i was welcome to share them here. so here is the link https://onedrive.live.com/?id=48716FDA7DC89AEB%212689&cid=48716FDA7DC89AEB

Jimbo uploaded one to youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQTmEEGyHdw

Iron Maiden in Dublin last Saturday...

Given they are late fifties or early sixties now they have to be admired for keeping the foot firmly to the floor. Bruce runs around the stage full of energy and still sings pretty damn well (steers away from one or two of the high notes he used to sing quite intelligently). The rest of them charge around full of energy too and Steve Harris looks just like he did thirty years ago. Fair play. They put on a hell of a show. Worth admission price alone just to hear The Trooper.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsGAj65wOnw

Sorry, not been around much for a couple of weeks. My laptop went down and has been in the repair shop for nearly 2 weeks now. I use it at night when i chill out in front of the telly with my headphones on at night. Guy said it would only be a few days so hes taking the piss really. Anyway on my work computer here so here is a concert I was at last week. The legend Nile Rodgers. He gets full marks from me. The whole gig was great, sound was great and to see a 70 year old looking and playing like a kid was just great...

Here's a vid i took...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VctdPY5z1LI

Walter Trout...

Saw Walter at the Rory Gallagher Festival in Donegal last night... still kind of lost for words... probably the best gig i have ever seen...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwRsDbXy4Bo

Pat McManus the previous night was great too...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZxWXpBoShA

and this guy... Seamie O'Dowd. He was great too...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igTtoOXCPYw

I saw two great guitar players in Helsinki! Last summer Brian May and this summer Santana! Love them both. Today there in Helsinki is also two big stars! One from States and the other from Russia! ;D

Cool stuff ,looks like you all had a ball.
I went to see public image limited  at the  Glasgow ABC on a Wednesday and on Saturday the place had burnt to the ground along with the
Glasgow Art school  so I guess I was lucky.
John Lydons band was superb ,what a mix of loops and real instruments.
Very inspiring.

My new favourite band is The Magpie Salute, driven by the amazing guitar work of Rich Robinson from the Black Crowes.

Their new album came out on 10th August, and by coincidence, they were playing for one night only in London. They're normally a big (10 piece?) band, but do a lot of gigs as an acoustic trio.

Sadly the small venue was sold out too fast and I failed to get a ticket.

But...

I discovered they were doing a signing in a London record store right before the gig. I went along and watched them perform the main 6 songs from the album - within touching distance! And got my two LP's signed!

It worked out way better than just being in the crowd at a proper gig.

They are hard-working, friendly and ultra talented guys. The guitar work is stunning. And they have a great mix of influences in their sound: Black Crowes Americana plus a folky and psychedelic, British flavour from their amazing (British) singer John Hogg.

Really recommend them!

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DfGSxplX0AE-PDI.jpg)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzdIFjO2VRA

Can see why you like them, I thought they were playing one of your tracks when "For the wind" started.... ;) Very interesting, will definitely listen to more of their stuff.

I can't post a review yet, but I am going to see Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in September. Can't wait, they play early Floyd which is my favourite era.

Quote from: Greeny on August 21, 2018, 06:11:50 AMMy new favourite band is The Magpie Salute, driven by the amazing guitar work of Rich Robinson from the Black Crowes.

Their new album came out on 10th August, and by coincidence, they were playing for one night only in London. They're normally a big (10 piece?) band, but do a lot of gigs as an acoustic trio.

Sadly the small venue was sold out too fast and I failed to get a ticket.

But...

I discovered they were doing a signing in a London record store right before the gig. I went along and watched them perform the main 6 songs from the album - within touching distance! And got my two LP's signed!

It worked out way better than just being in the crowd at a proper gig.

They are hard-working, friendly and ultra talented guys. The guitar work is stunning. And they have a great mix of influences in their sound: Black Crowes Americana plus a folky and psychedelic, British flavour from their amazing (British) singer John Hogg.

Really recommend them!

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DfGSxplX0AE-PDI.jpg)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzdIFjO2VRA

Thanks for that recommendation Tim!

Just listening now on YouTube. They are very good indeed!! (I always quite liked the black crows)

Been away from the site for a little while but I did go to see Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets at the Roundhouse last week. The 74-year old drummer from Pink Floyd plus a few session musicians and Gary Kemp from Spandau Ballet (!?) playing Syd Barrett-era Floyd songs and also early post-Barrett Floyd (pre-Dark Side).

Well, if you like early Floyd, this was the place to be. The Roundhouse was where Pink Floyd played one of their first ever gigs so it was a bit of a homecoming for Mason. Huge fun, a combination of short, sharp powerful stuff and long psychedelic wigouts. They even played some of Atom Heart Mother! They really gave some of the early stuff a nice powerful edge, they were almost Punk Floyd. It did get a bit weak in places, Gary Kemp was good on guitar but struggled a bit with some of the vocals. But overall it made this child of the 60s and 70s very happy, although I did find standing up for 2.5 hours a bit tiring! Nick Mason did amazingly well for a 74 year old, so there's hope for me yet (at a sprightly 61....).

Quote from: Ferryman on October 01, 2018, 04:23:24 AMBeen away from the site for a little while but I did go to see Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets at the Roundhouse last week. The 74-year old drummer from Pink Floyd plus a few session musicians and Gary Kemp from Spandau Ballet (!?) playing Syd Barrett-era Floyd songs and also early post-Barrett Floyd (pre-Dark Side).

Well, if you like early Floyd, this was the place to be. The Roundhouse was where Pink Floyd played one of their first ever gigs so it was a bit of a homecoming for Mason. Huge fun, a combination of short, sharp powerful stuff and long psychedelic wigouts. They even played some of Atom Heart Mother! They really gave some of the early stuff a nice powerful edge, they were almost Punk Floyd. It did get a bit weak in places, Gary Kemp was good on guitar but struggled a bit with some of the vocals. But overall it made this child of the 60s and 70s very happy, although I did find standing up for 2.5 hours a bit tiring! Nick Mason did amazingly well for a 74 year old, so there's hope for me yet (at a sprightly 61....).

Sounds like a great show, Nigel - wish I could see them! Maybe they'll tour the US...

Quote from: cuthbert on October 01, 2018, 01:21:50 PMSounds like a great show, Nigel - wish I could see them! Maybe they'll tour the US...

Keep your eyes peeled, Nick Mason is apparently loving every minute of the tour and there is quite a lot of demand for them to go to the US. So it might happen.

Unmissable if you like early Floyd.

My wife's taste in music is often very different from mine, her family and friends. As nobody else would go with her, I reluctantly found myself at the Guild Hall in Preston (UK) last Sunday watching Chris Norman. He was the singer in the 70's band Smokie (Living Next Door to Alice, etc.). With my spirits raised by a few pre-gig pints of Peroni, I must admit I quite enjoyed it.  The theatre at the Guild Hall is a small venue so we had a good view of the stage and he performed all the Smokie hits together with some of his (unknown to me) post-Smokie work. Mrs C thoroughly enjoyed it so a few brownie points for me for going with her !

Pete


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqsG59bD5eM

Thanks for posting that video up Pete...it was quite rockin' and entertaining!

I recently went to see my nephew's new band sweaty palms.
I had forgotten how exciting it was to see new raw talent in an old dingy sweat soaked gig.
Very inspiring.
New music does exist outside the corporate box.

Was at the annual Rory Gallagher Festival recently... this guy was good...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is6ooey95Qo

This guy is good Mike. Someday I'm gonna make it over to the Rory Gallagher Festival. But until then I'll enjoy it through your eyes and ears. Thanks for posting the video up!

Ha yeah... great if you did some day Farrell, we would have a great time... it's a great festival...  in a small town full of Rock and Blues for 3 days  - what's not to like!!