Summer means fun

It’s that time of year again, folks.

What did I call it last year? Oh yes, “The Good Times Tour.”

It’s that glorious 10-day span of every summer where the weather is perfect — not to hot, not too cold (I say that as we reached a record-high 91 degrees yesterday and we're experiencing another scorcher today). The colors in our yard are bursting. I celebrate a birthday. We gather with friends and family for Fourth of July festivities. And of course — cue the angel chorus — there's Summerfest.

The Big Gig begins tomorrow, baby. My tickets and enough parking passes — so that this year I don’t have to endure any boisterous, drunken, post-concert shuttle rides with the teenie-bopper/frat boy crowd — are in hand.

But then again, I’m feeling the least excited about this year’s Summerfest that I’ve felt in my entire Summerfest-going history.

Maybe it’s me getting older, becoming a father, having more responsibilities at home and not feeling as connected with the said teenie-bopper/frat boy crowd as I once used to. Maybe it’s the stress and crazy hours of my work-life these days. Maybe it’s just that the whole shine of Summerfest isn’t what it used to be for me ...

I really hope, though, that my lacking excitement has to do with this year’s less-than-stellar lineup ...

There’s only a couple bands I’d go to see — hands-down, no re-thinking needed — Guster and Shiny Toy Guns, who happen to be playing on the same night.

Now, I’ve been wanting/trying to see Shiny Toy Guns for two or three years, but every time they’ve come around they’re playing at the same time as another band I’m more interested in seeing, or their show is canceled ...

But Guster, over the last few years, has become one of my favorite bands in the world. I’ve seen them three times (2 1/2 times if you consider the night I decided to bug out because I wasn’t having any fun) and they remain super entertaining in my eyes. I also adore their music, packed with their sunbathed harmonies, singable melodies and Brian Rosenworcel’s percussion-playing.

Thus, Guster gets the nod over Shiny Toy Guns ... Sounds stupid, I know. Why go for a band I’ve seen multiple times when I could see a band I’ve been wanting to see for years? I guess it’s the comfort of being pretty sure I’m going to enjoy Guster, I'm pretty sure I'll get my money's worth, and Guster, over the last few years, has become one of my favorite bands in the world.

Few others on this year’s Summerfest lineup caught my eyes ...

... Barenaked Ladies ... But they haven’t had a hit in years. And with Steven Page departed, there appears to be a huge hole in their lineup ...

... Sister Hazel or Blues Traveler ... If this was 2000, I’d be all over it. But I’ve seen both a couple times and don’t have an urge to see them any time soon.

... Erin McCarley / Brett Dennen / Mat Kearney ... An intriguing list of up-and-comers playing back-to-back-to-back. But I've seen Brett and Mat, and the combo isn't enough to give up a couple extra hours of sleep and still get up by 4 the next morning.

... Train ... Kates and I thought about hitting them up again. But neither of us wanted to run the risk of devaluing their show a couple year ago — which we still regard as one of the best we’ve ever seen.

And the Marcus Lineup ... Last year’s lineup was stacked with greats; this year, eh. Bon Jovi — though I wouldn’t mind seeing him once — seems to come every year. Counting Crows, I’ve seen them. The Fray, seen them twice, not a fan. Bob Dylan — can’t stand his singing — with Willie Nelson, not interested. Stevie Wonder, saw him last year and I'm afraid of trying to top that. No Doubt, glad their reunited but they’ve never sounded good to me live, plus it's the same night as Guster. And Kiss, thanks but not a bit interested.

Ah, who am I kidding? I’m going to Summerfest and I'll have a ton of fun hearing music and taking in the scenery. Just like I do every summer ...

Great live covers

(Revised 07.29.2013)

While I was driving the other day, the Doobie Brothers’ “Long Train Runnin’ ” came on the radio. For me, that song will forever be linked with my first concert experience and hearing Hootie & The Blowfish do a great cover of it ...

It got me thinking: What are the most memorable live covers I've seen performed, live and in person?

So I composed a list. Here they are, counting down …

18. “Eleanor Rigby” -- The Fray (Jan. 2007, Carthage College; Kenosha, Wis.)

17. “Maggie May” -- Edwin McCain (July 2004, Summerfest; Milwaukee)

16. “Tiny Dancer” -- Ben Folds (July 2003, Summerfest; Milwaukee) … He did an impeccable Elton John impression, donning the big white-rimmed sunglasses and all …

15. “Carry On Wayward Son” -- Ben Folds Five (Nov. 1997, The Grenada; Lawrence, Kan.)

14. “Imagine” -- Blues Traveler (Aug. 1996, Sandstone Amphitheater; Bonner Springs, Kan.) … John Popper on his harmonica; a version of it appears on their “Live from the Fall” disc.

13. “Going To California” -- Train (July 2006, Summerfest; Milwaukee)

12. “Such Great Heights” -- Ben Folds (July 2007, Summerfest; Milwaukee)

11. “Long Train Runnin’” -- Hootie & the Blowfish (July 1996, Sandstone Amphitheater; Bonner Springs, Kan.)

10. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” -- O.A.R. (May 2006, Carthage College; Kenosha, Wis.)

9. “Rock n’ Roll” -- Sheryl Crow (June 2010, Summerfest, Milwaukee.)

8. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” -- Sister Hazel (June 2001, The City Market; Kansas City, Mo.) … My friend Tom and I recognized the opening riff immediately and looked at each other with “Are they really playing this!?” looks. It was A-Maz-Ing … And our friend Tad missed the whole thing because he decided a minute earlier it was a good time to make a bathroom run.

7. “For What It's Worth” -- OneRepublic (Nov. 2008, Carthage College; Kenosha, Wis.)

6. “Peg” -- Jason Mraz (Nov. 2008, The Rave; Milwaukee) … The brass made it. Here's a clip of a Mraz performance in L.A.

5. “Crazy” -- OneRepublic (Nov. 2008, Carthage College; Kenosha, Wis.) … A hopping, rock ‘n’ roll-tinged cover that the guitarist introduced with a Mariachi-styled solo.

4. “Breakfast in America” -- James Blunt (Oct. 2006, The Rave; Milwaukee) … It was so darn surprising, and so darn good.

3. “You Can't Always Get What You Want” -- Fun (June 2013, Summerfest, Milwaukee)... It was classic rock n' roll, and Nate Ruess was channeling Mick Jagger.

2. “Dream On” -- Train (July 2006, Summerfest; Milwaukee) … A highly memorable live cover at one of the best shows I’ve seen. The yellow confetti exploding over the crowd at the end put it over the edge ...

Even better -- I found a clip of it ...



1. “Live And Let Die” -- The Polyphonic Spree (June 2008, Summerfest; Milwaukee) … It came totally unexpected and it was almost as if Paul McCartney and Wings had taken over the bodies of The Polyphonic Spree orchestra ...

Here's a video of the performance, which, of course, doesn't do it justice, not to mention it's a wee bit shaky ...

In The Fray

So The Fray came to town last night, with Mute Math, an up-and-coming elctro-alt-rock band from New Orleans ...

... I went into the show cautiously optimistic. Yes, The Fray is selling mongo numbers of their album. And yes, you can't turn on a TV right now without hearing 'How To Save A Life' on some hit show ... But see, I don't get what all the buzz is about The Fray. Almost all their songs sound the same to me, they don't do anything particularly out of ordinary and when Kates and I saw them in Chicago 13 months ago, before most people had heard of them, they were, well, kind of boring ... So I went into last night's show hoping that maybe a year on the road had allowed them to mature.

Mute Math, on the other hand, has a darn good thing going, and it's sad that as an alternative indie band they may never accumulate close to the amount of album sales or notice The Fray is finding ...

Above all, it’s not often you hear musicians expressing a desire for things to go wrong during their shows, but the fact Mute Math drummer Darren King wears a pair of duct-taped headphones shows the band is used to its equipment breaking down.

“Things going wrong is the best way to perform live; it’s a fine ballet with destruction,” Mute Math frontman Paul Meany told me during an interview a few weeks ago. “Some of our worst shows are when anything goes right. We just like to start throwing our songs out on the table in front of an audience.”

Mute Math, with its electro-alt rock sound, had a memorable 2006. In September, the band released their overdue debut album on Warner Bros. Records, and saw it land at No. 17 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers in its first week. They also drew thousands at the Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Van’s Warped Tour festivals. The band is already working on material for a sophomore album that could be in stores later this year or early 2008.

“It has been pivotal year,” Meany said. “We started the year not really sure what was going to happen. We started out putting the record out ourselves but then got in some label turmoil … Then one thing led to another. We were able to keep playing some shows and there was a domino effect.”

The seeds of Mute Math were planted in 2001 as a burned-out Meany was breaking from his Christian-rock band Earthsuit and King, a Springfield, Mo., native and Earthsuit fan, began sending elaborate musical tracks and demos to Meany. A long-distance collaboration ensued and Meany invited King to New Orleans for a weekend.

“I was listening to these CDs from this kid down in Springfield, Missouri and I was impressed,” Meany said. “In the beginning, I was thinking this would be a creative side project. But we wrote some songs and it wound up being something special.”

Over the next couple years, Meany and King began performing as a two-piece and kept writing songs, never sure of the direction they were heading. Eventually they added guitar player Greg Hill and recruited Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas, who played with Meany in Earthsuit, solidifying Mute Math’s lineup.

With the release of their Reset EP on the Teleprompt label in September 2004, the band launched an Internet blitz and began video-blogging their live performances. Word-of-mouth drew sold-out crowds to shows in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville and Houston, and Warner Bros. came calling, though the label let the band’s debut album lie in limbo for a year before finally releasing it last fall.

But if you hear electro-alt rock, and think of “some left-of-center experimental noise art,” Meany said in another interview, think again. The result actually is a diverse debut album that is at times loud and obnoxious, like on the guitar-heavy second track, “Typical,” and at other times beautiful and meditative as on “You Are Mine.” By incorporating elements of rock, industrial, reggae, '80s pop, jazz and rave on top of ambient vocals and catchy hooks, the band is ready-made for arenas and fist-pumping crowds across the globe.

But Meany prefers not to call the soaring Mute Math sound an accident. “It was really just throwing ourselves into creating, just making music that we both like, just throwing it on the table and seeing if we can make something that’s somewhat sensible,” he said. “Of course we wanted to try and challenge ourselves with the way we thought a rock band should look.”

Listening to the debut album, it’s easy to draw comparisons to U2, Linkin Park or even Enigma. But there’s another oft-made comparison that Mute Math gladly accepts -- the one that likens them to The Police. For someone who didn’t know better, it’s easy to mistake Meany’s grainy vocals for those of Sting on the fifth track, “Noticed.”

“I can’t deny that The Police played a strong role in the way that we look at music and in the way we structure it,” Meany said, noting Jimi Hendrix and The Who as other influences. “You think about how much great music has been compiled in the last 50 years, it’s almost humbling you can ever have a band that might work in the world of music. We’re doing our best to learn what each band did wrong or right and you just try to carve out a little notch for yourself and create some songs that might have some relevance.”

So about last night's show ...

The Fray had been playing for nearly an hour when they broke out their uber-popular single “How To Save A Life” as the finale of their set.

At the sound of the song’s first note, the sellout crowd that packed the arena unleashed high-pitch screams and became as animated as they’d been all night. A sea of illuminated cell phones and digital cameras bobbed above the heads, girls sang at the top of their lungs and it was as though most of the crowd had paid their $27.50 and traveled the miles just for that moment.

As the song wound to a halt, the band left frontman Isaac Slade to play the song’s twinkling piano melody and repeat the chorus. A few bars more and Slade took his hands from the piano, singing the chorus once more with the crowd. Then Slade went silent, letting the crowd shout the chorus themselves.

It was easily one of the most enduring moments of the show, before the band members blew kisses and waved good-bye. But the moment couldn’t save a predictable performance, which didn’t stray far from the sound and formula that’s made the Denver-based band so successful.

“How To Save A Life,” of course, skyrocketed The Fray’s profile in 2006 and it’s no wonder their shows are packing arenas. Since forming in 2002 and releasing their debut album, also titled “How To Save A Life,” in 2005, The Fray has become a mainstay on the Billboard charts with the album selling more than 2 million copies. The band’s first single “Over My Head (Cable Car) ” reached the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100, Pop 100 and Hot Digital Songs charts. The album’s title track also raced up Billboard charts and has been on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs chart for 38 weeks, peaking at No. 1.

Their album also has earned the band two Grammy nominations and last week came news that “How To Save A Life” passed Coldplay’s “X&Y” as the most downloaded album of all-time.

The band, which consists of core members Isaac Slade (vocals, piano), Joe King (guitar, vocals), Dave Welsh (guitar) and Ben Wysocki (drums), and another guitarist who appeared last night but was never introduced, launched their winter tour at the local college and will go on to play 18 more dates across the United States before traveling overseas to Europe in mid-February.

Slade, who was front and center at his piano all night, arrived on stage with his bandmates to shrieking cheers and wasted no time getting into “Over My Head (Cable Car),” the single that helped launch The Fray buzz in late 2005. And the crowd hung on, raising cell phones and clicking digital cameras through the upbeat “She Is” and the catchy “All At Once.” But like the spotlight that’s shone so brightly on The Fray in the last 12 months will probably fade, so went the crowd’s excitement.

The band played a 10-song set that lasted barely an hour and included a nice blend of favorites from their platinum-selling album, in addition to some some new tunes, including “Absolute.” And during some of The Fray’s more upbeat songs, the floor bounced and shook, no doubt raising fears for some that they’d be the top story on the nighttime news: “Hundreds injured when floor collapses at rock concert.”

For some of the parents and and older fans, the surprise favorite of the night might have been The Fray’s punked-up take on The Beatles’ hit “Eleanor Rigby” midway through their set. Slade and King combined for a gorgeous a capella harmony on the song’s “Ah, look at all the only people” opening before the rest of the band burst in with their instruments. As I looked around, though, the scene was similar to the one that played out when James Blunt and his band struck up Supertramp's “Breakfast In America” -- the young fans were clueless.

At one point, Slade admitted to being a little rusty after a long Christmas break and it showed. The shaved-headed frontman rarely appeared to be having fun and, for the most part, his bandmates played like drones at his side. On top of Slade’s whiny and sometimes grating vocals, it was tough not to wonder whether his bottom was superglued to his piano bench. He did little to draw any crowd reaction, and barely interacted with the crowd — though he did utter a hard-to-understand gripe about the cold weather.

Yet, if the floor did cave on Tuesday night, Mute Math could have been blamed. The four-piece New Orleans band, which opened for The Fray, came close to blowing the roof off the building with a percussive rock spectacle that featured members jumping on instruments and on each other. So it was more than fair when Slade later gave them their due, proclaiming to the crowd that Mute Math is “one of the best live bands out there.”

With the crowd still spilling into the arena, Mute Math arrived on stage at exactly 7 p.m. and burst into “Typical,” the explosive second track on their debut album. Constant flashing lights, combined with the methodical drumbeats, sampling and that moving floor, must have made the crowd feel like they were at a rave.

The band’s goal to destroy things on stage was clear. While Meany seemed in his own world, bouncing around the stage with his keytar and then pounding on a keyboard, Darren King, strapped on headphones and all, was in another universe. The band poured unending energy into songs like “Chaos” and “Control,” as King beat any life left in his drum kit, slapping cymbals with his hands and reaching for a fresh pair of drumsticks after nearly every song.

As Mute Math’s 45-minute set drew to a close, Meany, King and bass player Roy Mitchell-Cardenas each picked up a pair of drumsticks and began slapping whatever objects were close — the keyboard, stage floor, microphone stands — as guitarist Greg Hill played with samples. All of it led made for a mind-boggling finale that had Meany doing back flips from his keyboard until he fell on King and the two crumpled to the floor.

“Thanks a lot everybody. We’ll clean up our mess now,” Meany told the crowd as the song ended and he got to his feet.

If only The Fray wasn’t so clean.

Mute Math set list

(There's a short Mute Math-produced video with clips of their show here -- watch for Meany jumping onto King in the last 10-or-so seconds!)

“Typical”
“Chaos”
“Plan B”
“Control”
“Noticed”
(an impromptu jam session)
“Reset”

The Fray set list
“Over My Head (Cable Car)”
“She Is”
“All At Once”
“Absolute”
“Dead Wrong”
“Heaven Forbid”
“Look After You”
(An acoustic guitar solo by Slade; he didn't announce the title)
“Trust Me”
“How To Save a Life”

(... There's a good Fray read here ... and a good Mute Math read here ... )

Miracle on State Street 7

Months of waiting and anticipation gone by, Friday was the night -- Miracle on State Street 7 at the historic Chicago Theatre, presented by 101.9 The Mix, featuring The Fray, Alanis Morissette and Ben Folds ...

I took the day off to relax, while Kates celebrated her last day of work in 2005. ...By about 2:30 p.m. I was parked in front of her school ready to help pack up her classroom (...as if having summers off isn't a nice enough perk of being a teacher, you should see all the teachers coming out of the school with laundry baskets full of gifts from their students.)

By 3:30, we were off, cruising down I-94 to Chicago. Rush hour traffic was hardly a problem and we were spinning into the theater district shortly after 4:30. ... Our parking pass validated, we strolled down Michigan Avenue to Bennigan's and grabbed a table for two. Kates had the tortilla soup and salad, I had the Mediterranean Chicken...

Blistering cold, Michigan Avenue Christmas decorations and all, this was definitely a night to suck up everything life could offer. From dinner, we found a Starbucks -- I had the hot caramel apple cider, Kates had the white chocolate mocha -- and then crossed the street to Millennium Park and watched the ice skaters -- if only we had time to join them ...

A pit stop at Borders and some light reading later, we merged with the crowds (which by the way was an older, more affluent and behaved crowd -- a defining and pleasant difference from the immature teenies that flood Summerfest every year) entering the Chicago Theatre and were ushered to our seats on the floor level. ... The theater couldn't have looked more perfect. Add to its ornate decorum, the stage was set for The Fray with a huge, glowing 'Miracle on State Street' backdrop that morphed from shades of green to purple to blue to red and came complete with giant snowflake-shaped illuminations. Kates just smiled as we entered. I let out an excited, sinister laugh ...


Before we knew it, Eric, Kathy & Tommy Lee were appearing on the stage, attempting to warm the crowd and introducing the acts ... Although it remains as much a mystery to me as it was before the concert why Tommy Lee was picked to host the show. Despite some prodding from the DJs, he never did take off his shirt. He was on the stage for maybe 10 minutes the entire night and never said anything mildly interesting or amusing, or really coherent for that matter. And he didn't appear to be at all interested in the bands that were playing ...

Nonetheless. The Fray led off the show and were ... Predictable? In an attempt to have some familiarity with their work, I downloaded their latest album shortly after buying the tickets. But found nothing to be overly excited about. ...Their sound could be compared to a Coldplay or REM, I guess, and 'Over My Head' is getting good radio play for obvious reasons. But I haven't been able to get over lead singer Isaac Slade's whiny, nasally, Rufus Wainwright-like voice. (We saw Rufus two summers ago -- interesting enough, before another Ben Folds performance. Rufus is a good piano player, perhaps, but we couldn't stand him then, and still can't ...) ... Based off my listens to the Fray's album, their performance was as much as I could expect. Slade was positioned front and center, sitting at his keyboard with his bandmates strumming their guitars and falling in behind him. Their set lasted about 30 minutes and featured five or six songs (which ones, I couldn't tell you because I haven't learned the names of all of them yet -- but I can tell you they were all from their latest album...). The music was good, and they finished --to no surprise -- with 'Over My Head.'

It kind of hurts to say it, but that was largely the theme for the rest of the show -- predictable. Good music. But nothing to blow you away.

Another bit by Eric, Kathy and Tommy and out came Alanis -- and with gold-colored frizzy hair to match her gold top! She went right into to 'Hands Clean' and followed with 'You Learn,' 'All I Really Want,' and of course 'Crazy' -- which sounded way better as a live cover then her recorded album version. ... Finally the energy level was upped a little bit when the band's last 'Crazy' cord streamed right into 'You Oughta Know.' The crowd sang along nearly drowning out Alanis. ... Then the crowd REALLY did drown out Alanis when she ended with 'Ironic' -- hearing the crowd sing at the top of their lungs and the cool guitar arrangement to back it, that one song was possibly my favorite moment of the entire show. ... But she too played for barely 30 minutes and left us saying, 'Too short, too short, too short.'


Ben would be better, right? Sort of. ... My eighth time seeing him, I know exactly what to expect and can still be surprised. The quality of the music aside, more and more, it's like reuniting with an old friend. You just sit back and pick up where you left off ... But, much like Alanis, I found the choice of music a bit odd. He led off with 'Bitches Ain't S**t.' -- humorous and fun, yes. But hardly the upbeat, energizer he usually leads with. He followed with 'Gone' and then 'Zak and Sara' -- one of those that always make me smile and never grows old. 'Still Fighting It,' 'Bastard' and 'Landed' were there too.

Midway through, and true to form, Ben announced he would play a Christmas song. The obvious thought is 'Lonely Christmas Eve' off the Grinch soundtrack. But he tells the crowd instead he will play a song he originally wrote for the movie and was deemed 'unacceptable.' He rolled into its jazzy, pounding intro, and then, of course, stopped to tell more of the story -- that his inspiration for the song was some guy who broke into a restaurant to steal money and died when he fell on a fryer -- or something like that. My attention kind of drifted off the during the story ... and aside from hearing Ben play the piano, I don't recall the song being all that memorable either.

There was 'The Ascent of Stan' and then 'Narcolepsy.' ... If there was anything surprising about Ben's performance, this was it for me. Never a big fan of 'Narcolepsy,' which is arguably his darkest and loudest tune, I found Friday night's performance of it, um, awesomely rambunctious. (I don't know, that's the first description that came to mind.) The piano roared on it and the band accompaniment was tight and together. Period.

'Not the Same' came next, and, as always, featured all of the cool crowd interaction and harmonies the song typically evokes. In fact, as Ben was teaching each of the parts to the crowd, he remarked it was the best he had heard. ... Ha!


Next the fast-paced, piano pounding One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces. And then it was over. ...No 'Army'? No 'Philosophy'? No 'Rockin the Suburbs'? Not even (thankfully) 'Brick'? This time, the performance lasted barely 45 minutes. And again, too short, too short, too short.

Not perfect. Nothing extraordinary ... But. Sigh. A very enjoyable night.

Live in Ben's world

Oh, Ben Folds fans, we have yet another reason to rejoice and be thankful for yet another stellar release.

The latest DVD, 'Live in Perth' came out this week, and if you don’t have it yet -- buy it!

Like all of the Ben Folds releases in this age of the Internet, I ordered my copy of ‘Live in Perth’ the day it was announced in an email alert. I waited eagerly and watched the mailbox each day when I arrived home. And then when it arrived on Friday, ripped it open faster than Ralphie ripped open his Red-Rider BB gun.

I answered some email, watched the nightly news and then nuked some cheeseburger Hot Pockets before finally popping in the DVD and taking a seat. I should’ve know better. … Barely a few bites into my supper, my jaw dropped -- just like my fork, clanking on my plate below.

This show, if you don’t know already, features Ben performing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. … It begins with a rush of notes from the symphony. Then, on a perfect cue, Ben enters, sits down at his baby grand and begins banging away with the symphony on ‘Zak and Sara.’

The arrangement is refreshing and mind-blowing, while the performance as a whole is, in one word, mesmerizing. Laughing in amazement, I wanted to stand up and just keep on clapping. And my supper was quickly growing cold.

After more great performances of ‘Smoke’ and ‘Fred Jones Part 2,’ and some cool interaction with the crowd, Ben and the symphony storm into ‘Steven’s Last Night in Town.’ Arguably my favorite song on the disc, the tune is as jazzy as ever, backed with impressive brass and string playing.

‘Boxing’ is good, and an arrangement of ‘Annie Waits,’ with its blaring brass and chimes, seems fit for a performance in the grandest cathedral on Easter Sunday.

The show is edited and filmed as if it originally aired as a PBS special, and there's no extra features on it. But none of that hinders the whole package ... If there’s anything wrong with the concert, it’s that the show does seem to wear a little bit in the second half with mellow songs like ‘Brick,’ ‘Evaporated,’ and ‘Lullabye’ (Hey, I’m not saying these songs are in any way bad, though…), and some darker arrangements, including one for ‘Narcolepsy.’ And while, Ben does get the crowd involved, albeit a little, during the always memorable ‘Not the Same’ -- another interactive crowd pleaser, ‘Army,’ and the concert mainstay 'Philosophy' are glaringly absent. (C’mon, how cool would it have been to hear symphony arrangements of THOSE songs!?)

Much of that is forgotten, though, when Ben does the encore and a fan -- it had to happen at some point -- yells ‘Rock This Bitch.’ In classic Ben form, he comes up with yet another version on the spot and, yes, even gets the orchestra involved.

If you haven’t been turned on to Ben Folds’ talents before, buy this disc and I guarantee -- you’ll be turned on now.

* * *

This time next week, I will be in Ben's midst ...

Fans of Eric, Kathy and the gang at 101.9 WTMX The Mix, which presents the annual bash, have been hearing about this show for weeks. This year’s show will feature guest emcee Tommy Lee with performances from The Fray, a "special" (in other words, acoustic?) set from Alanis Morissette and headliner Ben Folds -- and it’s all at the beautiful, historic and legendary Chicago Theatre.

Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster and the Chicago Theatre Box Office, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting LaRabida Children’s Hospital, located on Chicago’s lakeshore.

Ticket prices range from $50 to $75 though the box office. Although a check of eBay showed tickets available for as high as $399 (that's two tickets in the pit section... although there were no bids).

Now, if you’re thinking the lineup looks a little 1998, I’ll forgive you. But the fact remains Folds and Morissette are still pumping out good records and both are beginning to catch new fans with more recent releases.

Morissette, an icon of the ‘90s pop/rock music scene, just released a collection of her greatest hits, which of course includes "You Oughta Know," "Uninvited" (from the City of Angels movie soundtrack), "Hands Clean," and her biggest-selling hit, "Ironic." Additionally, the collection includes her dance cover of the Seal hit "Crazy," which is gaining moderate radio play.

Keeping in mind all of the hits the Canadian singer/songwriter/actress has churned out and this summer’s refreshing acoustic version of her smash album "Jagged Little Pill," the set by Alanis is sure to be a holiday treat.

The piano-pounding Folds, meanwhile, is still riding the success of his most recent solo album, "Songs For Silverman," which he released last spring. Since then he’s put out a set of revamped "Silverman" songs and interviews exclusively for iTunes and made an appearance on PBS’ legendary "Austin City Limits" series, and now of course has released the live DVD of his two-night stand last March with the 83-piece Western Australia Symphony Orchestra.

Aside from the witty lyrics and edgy jazz-meets-rock music, any Folds concert is an experience you’re unlikely to forget. Often compared to early Elton John or Billy Joel, Folds’ set lists combine his new music with long-standing favorites from his days leading the Ben Folds Five trio. Folds himself will beg you to sing along, even directing the audience for crowd-pleasers like "Army" and "Not the Same."

But as a prelude to Morissette and Folds, we get The Fray, a band critics are saying we’re sure to hear more from.

The Denver-based foursome formed in 2002 and, according to the band’s official Web site, has earned a loyal grassroots following with its uplifting melodic pop-rock songs and soaring vocals. The band signed with Epic Records in 2004 and released their debut album "How To Save A Life" in September.

The Fray’s style, again according to the band’s Web site, is "a sophisticated, emotional blend of tinkling pianos, acoustic and electric guitars, and gently insistent rhythms."

The bottom line? If you can’t find something to enjoy at this show -- now that would be a Miracle on State Street.

* * *

In other Ben news ...

Here's a nice story I dug up during an Internet surf a couple weeks ago: Singer-pianist keeps rockin' the suburbs despite terrorist attacks.

Also, if you haven't checked out his web site lately, go there and look at the pictures section. There's a lot of cool new photos from Ben and some alternate album covers for 'Songs For Silverman.'

About those Ben Folds tickets …

If anyone read what I said last night about having to stop everything Saturday morning for a chance at getting a pair of tickets to the show -- yeah, not gonna happen …

Listening to the Mix on my way home tonight, they were promoting ‘Miracle’ again and slipped in a plug that the tickets were already available to Mix Insiders … and I thought, ‘Hey! I’m a Mix Insider!’ … Got home, logged onto the Mix Insider web page, picked up the password and a few minutes later ... Bam! I had two tickets to the Dec. 16 ’Miracle on State Street’ show featuring The Fray, Alanis Morissette and Ben Folds with host Tommy Lee.

On with my weekend …

OVER-joyed.

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I’m not sure that Wisconsinites could have woken up to a better bit of sports news this morning … No, Reggie White isn’t coming back from the dead to help the dreadful Packers …

My all-time favorite baseball player -- Robin Yount -- is coming back to help coach the Brewers …

From the Brewers Web site: In a major coup for an organization that has tried for years to lure back its most prolific player, the Brewers named Robin Yount as the club's bench coach. The club made the announcement at a Friday morning press conference at Miller Park.

They already lured Dale Sveum from the Red Sox. Now if the Brewers management could get back guys like Jim Gantner, Paul Molitor, B.J. Surhoff, Greg Brock, Mike Felder, Rob Deer ….ah, the glory days of the ‘80s Brewers.

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Seriously. Can it get any more worse and embarrassing for the Bush Administration?

'Can I quit now?' FEMA chief wrote as Katrina raged

Crazy-quiet

The baseball season is over. Most of the good TV shows are reruns this week. Aside from the whole washer and dryer thing, it’s been a pretty crazy-quiet week. … What’s a blogger to do?

Yes, the washer and dryer. … See, we bought the house a year and a half ago with a washer and dryer set that were virtually antique. Well, late ‘80s models. They worked well … at the time.

But Kates started getting on me last spring about getting a new set. Being the man, I was in denial. ‘They’re fine,’ I said. …

That was until a couple weeks ago, while doing a couple loads of laundry, I took note of the waterfall of water gushing from the bottom of the washer. …on top of that, it usually took about two 70-minute cycles in the dryer just to get our clothes dry.

So after talking it over with the elders, we declared the ol’ washer and dryer defunct. On Friday night, we purchased a new set. And it was good.

Today, they arrived …

I think they might be the most beautiful appliances I’ve ever seen …

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I’ve never really been able to put my finger on why -- but very few things make me more overjoyed or give me a rush of excitement like Ben Folds. A new album. A well-written magazine article. News of a concert date. ANYthing about the piano-pounding prodigy from Chapel Hill, N.C.

All of that has made this week doubly fun …

… I learned several months ago of BF’s appearance on ‘Austin City Limits.’ I marked it on my calendar and when the date drew close enough, began checking the TV listings. I discovered I had four chances to catch it, set my VCR tape and got it right on the first try -- 1 a.m. Monday.

I, of course, reviewed the tape the first chance I got during my lunch break on Monday afternoon …

Yes. Overjoyed.

It’s a short 15-20 minute set, but it’s worth every minute -- if you can get past some bad acoustics and off-key harmonies in a couple of the songs (Ben’s music in general, some great camera shots of his plucky fingers and the antics of drummer Lindsay Jamieson all make up for it). As he has with a lot of his recent shows, Ben and his boys start out with their thumping ‘In Between Days.’ From there, the band plows through ‘Jesusland,’ ‘Still Fighting It,’ ‘Gracie,’ ‘Zak and Sara’ and eventually ending with the always crowd-pleasing ‘Not the Same,’ which features Ben standing on his piano and directing the crowd like a choir. … the second half of the show features Ray LaMontagne, a songwriting guitarist who Rolling Stone apparently called ‘the backwoods Van Morrison.’ I haven’t watched his entire set yet, but the first couple songs sure show a lot of promise …

But back to Ben.

Crushed when I couldn’t see Ben last week at the historic Chicago Theatre, I got word last night that I have a shot at redemption -- The Mix has scheduled him to appear on Dec. 16 with Alanis Morissette and The Fray at the annual Miracle on State Street bash at (... cue angel chorus) the Chicago Theatre …

Yes. Overjoyed again.

So when tickets go on sale Saturday morning, I will sever all -- ok, most -- ties with the rest of the world. There will be no phone calls answered. No e-mails to write. No TV to watch. No yard work or chores to do. Just me and my cell phone and the Ticketmaster rep on the other side, doing anything to get a pair of tickets to see that show …

Wish me luck.