Miswanderlust
Ann 1A Song of Social and Political Importance
September 25th 2008 01:45
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Killer Beats - Death by Music
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Killer Beats - September 2008
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The Eagles: Take it to the Limit
September 14th 2008 14:42
Recently I attended the Eagles Concert in San Antonio at the AT &T Center. I knew I was in for a wild ride when Glenn Frey welcomed us to the “Assisted Living Tour.” Well they put up their walkers and walking canes for one glorious night. I was impressed by the band’s talent. It was refreshing to see the Eagles members Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Timothy Schmidt, and Joe Walsh on stage looking dapper dressed in black suits with white shirts and thin ties. Their polished look echoed their performance. They played their instruments ably and, most amazingly, their voices are in fine condition (save poor Timothy B. Schmit, whose upper register is an easy target for aging). . I was glad to see that hard feelings and band in-fighting was a thing of the past. It was refreshing to see that after all these years that they genuinely didn’t seem tired of having played the same 20 hits over and over and over. I was also glad to see that hard feelings and band in-fighting was a thing of the past. There was no opening band and they played for nearly 3 hours.
The show was divided into two halves divided by a 20 minute intermission. The band began every set with songs from their newest CD “Long Road out of Eden” before launching into their classic songs. I have to admit that I became antsy when they played the “newer” selections from their extensive catalogue. New songs aside, I enjoyed the cheesiness of Glenn Frey’s anecdotes and jokes (“My wife calls this the credit card song,” before “Take It to the Limit” and a dedication to his first wife followed by a variation on a divorce joke before the band played “Lyin’ Eyes.)
My favorite Eagles tune of the evening was their Latin rendition of “Hotel California.” The band showed incredible audacity in pulling out his golden oldie after playing five new tunes (perhaps as a reward for making it through them. Oh snap!) The night was filled with party favorites and the audience was grateful with the long stream of potential drunken sing-a-longs. Rockers like “One of these Nights” and “Life in the Fast Lane” sounded almost as energized as they do in the originals. They passed on the perhaps too cliché “New York Minute,” instead going with the second most obvious choice, “In the City,” complete with a video montage of images from around the Big Apple (as a nod to honor the memories of souls lost on 9-11). Henley played his hit “Dirty Laundry” while a cool video of crazy headlines, newspapers floated behind him.
The highlight for me for the evening was watching the “class clown” Joe Walsh. He was amazing. I was blown away by his nod to his James Gang days by playing “Funk 49” (backed up by a full horn section) and “Walk Away”. At one point, Joe donned a mobile video cam on a corny baseball cap and videotaped audience members joining him in singing his quintessential stoner solo hit “Life’s Been Good.” (I honestly could not believe that Henley and Frey allowed him to do his own material).
The band pulled out the whoppers from the rock end of the spectrum to end their show by playing “Rocky Mountain Way,” “Take it Easy”, “All She wants to Do is Dance,” and the ultimate Eagles song “Desperado.” Before launching into “The Long Run,” Henley quipped, “After 37 years of doing this, this has sort of become my theme song.” It was a statement both sweet and cheesy in its ego and honesty, much like the band and the music they make.
The show was divided into two halves divided by a 20 minute intermission. The band began every set with songs from their newest CD “Long Road out of Eden” before launching into their classic songs. I have to admit that I became antsy when they played the “newer” selections from their extensive catalogue. New songs aside, I enjoyed the cheesiness of Glenn Frey’s anecdotes and jokes (“My wife calls this the credit card song,” before “Take It to the Limit” and a dedication to his first wife followed by a variation on a divorce joke before the band played “Lyin’ Eyes.)
My favorite Eagles tune of the evening was their Latin rendition of “Hotel California.” The band showed incredible audacity in pulling out his golden oldie after playing five new tunes (perhaps as a reward for making it through them. Oh snap!) The night was filled with party favorites and the audience was grateful with the long stream of potential drunken sing-a-longs. Rockers like “One of these Nights” and “Life in the Fast Lane” sounded almost as energized as they do in the originals. They passed on the perhaps too cliché “New York Minute,” instead going with the second most obvious choice, “In the City,” complete with a video montage of images from around the Big Apple (as a nod to honor the memories of souls lost on 9-11). Henley played his hit “Dirty Laundry” while a cool video of crazy headlines, newspapers floated behind him.
The highlight for me for the evening was watching the “class clown” Joe Walsh. He was amazing. I was blown away by his nod to his James Gang days by playing “Funk 49” (backed up by a full horn section) and “Walk Away”. At one point, Joe donned a mobile video cam on a corny baseball cap and videotaped audience members joining him in singing his quintessential stoner solo hit “Life’s Been Good.” (I honestly could not believe that Henley and Frey allowed him to do his own material).
The band pulled out the whoppers from the rock end of the spectrum to end their show by playing “Rocky Mountain Way,” “Take it Easy”, “All She wants to Do is Dance,” and the ultimate Eagles song “Desperado.” Before launching into “The Long Run,” Henley quipped, “After 37 years of doing this, this has sort of become my theme song.” It was a statement both sweet and cheesy in its ego and honesty, much like the band and the music they make.
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When I think of heaven: Counting Crows
September 8th 2008 03:08
Last night Wandering cousins and I attended the Counting Crows concert at the Super Pages. com Center. The night was perfect for the outdoor venue with many summer night ingredients, along with clear skies and comfortable temperatures.
Counting Crows paid tribute to Isaac Hayes on the screens before they came on, showing images of the famous soul musician throughout his life. Hayes passed away recently of natural causes. They stepped onstage soon after with their massive rendering of the Grand Central Station as backdrop. They went so far as to add old New York-style light posts to the stage, hitting on one of the themes in their new album, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings
Frontman, Adam Duritz informed the crowd that they were going to play acoustically for a while, telling everyone to “sit back and relax." It was truly a chill evening. Among the acoustic inclusions was "Mr. Jones," breathing new life into the early 90s hit. Duritz changed notes in the chorus and sang different parts multiple times. Another altered hit was "Long December." Duritz stepped away from the spotlighted microphone, opting for the piano. The screens behind the band showed snow softly falling. There were a number of dramatic pauses throughout, elevating the emotional elements of the piece.
Duritz delivered the lyrics to "Hard Candy," with such painful inflection you could almost re-live the moment he realized the love of his life was losing interest in him. "Miami" featured precisely articulated vocals and a sweet, tasty acoustic breaks. Other highlights included "Holiday in Spain," "Goodnight Elizabeth," the pleasantly stripped-down and piano-intensive "A Long December."
Adam Duritz had a grand 'ol time for the late summer Saturday evening, wistfully spinning around and hopping across the monitors above the crowd for much of the set. The CCs forgoed encores to deliver a message about giving back to the community and that proceeds from yesterday's performance would be donated to The Family Place. The perfect end of a satisfying evening occurred when the opening act Augustana, began the acapella version of Rain King".
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Counting Crows paid tribute to Isaac Hayes on the screens before they came on, showing images of the famous soul musician throughout his life. Hayes passed away recently of natural causes. They stepped onstage soon after with their massive rendering of the Grand Central Station as backdrop. They went so far as to add old New York-style light posts to the stage, hitting on one of the themes in their new album, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings
Frontman, Adam Duritz informed the crowd that they were going to play acoustically for a while, telling everyone to “sit back and relax." It was truly a chill evening. Among the acoustic inclusions was "Mr. Jones," breathing new life into the early 90s hit. Duritz changed notes in the chorus and sang different parts multiple times. Another altered hit was "Long December." Duritz stepped away from the spotlighted microphone, opting for the piano. The screens behind the band showed snow softly falling. There were a number of dramatic pauses throughout, elevating the emotional elements of the piece.
Duritz delivered the lyrics to "Hard Candy," with such painful inflection you could almost re-live the moment he realized the love of his life was losing interest in him. "Miami" featured precisely articulated vocals and a sweet, tasty acoustic breaks. Other highlights included "Holiday in Spain," "Goodnight Elizabeth," the pleasantly stripped-down and piano-intensive "A Long December."
Adam Duritz had a grand 'ol time for the late summer Saturday evening, wistfully spinning around and hopping across the monitors above the crowd for much of the set. The CCs forgoed encores to deliver a message about giving back to the community and that proceeds from yesterday's performance would be donated to The Family Place. The perfect end of a satisfying evening occurred when the opening act Augustana, began the acapella version of Rain King".
<
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