I'm sitting at my in-laws amid our annual family holiday tour of southern Wisconsin during the final days of the decade. We're watching CBS "Sunday Morning," which is recapping the best and worst of the last 10 years. Oh, what a decade it's been, considering he way we started it.
Maybe some day I'll get to writing about it. These days the inspiration that was so pulsating for this blog the decade before is fleeting today. Crowded out by other projects that are more important to me now. Researching my family's ancestry. Writing a book. Pursuing a doctorate degree -- to name a few.
And yet, I still hold on to hundreds of notes, links and unfinished Word files, thinking, "Some day ... "
But I found something today, that I couldn't help but share here ...
We love Taylor Swift in our house, and I've loved "Lover" almost since the first time I heard it. It's a quintessential love song and, arguably, one of Taylor's best tracks. I've been enthralled with every performance of it since -- from "Saturday Night Live" to her "Tiny Desk Concert" to her Artist of the Decade performance at the American Music Awards.
So it brought a smile to start my day as I laid in bed, scrolling through my morning emails, and caught The New York Times' interview with Taylor and team in this episode of "Diary of a Song."
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
12.29.2019
2.27.2019
Taylor Swift showed up to an engagement party and serenaded the couple
Fun read. Taylor rocks.
My incredible man @alexandergold asked me to marry him, surprised me with an engagement party with friends and my family who flew in to be there, and then @taylorswift13 surprised me with an incredible serenade. I'm on cloud 9. BRB. pic.twitter.com/aYntoMRM4W— Ross Girard (@rossgirard) February 27, 2019
11.14.2018
A night with Brian Wilson
When it comes to music, The Beach Boys were my first love.
One of my fondest childhood memories is coming home from church on Sunday mornings and begging my dad to put on his “Beach Boys Concert” record; I would sing and dance to it on the brick ledge of our fireplace as if it was my stage while Mom and Dad made lunch in the kitchen. Later my music collection began with my own copy of “Beach Boys Concert” few other Beach Boys compilations on cassette tapes. I still think “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “God Only Knows,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Good Vibrations” are four of the greatest songs ever recorded.
Not long after Kates and I started dating, we were driving somewhere when “Fun, Fun, Fun” came on the radio. Without hesitation, I sang it with gusto – every word – and I’ll never forget the way Kates laughed. The opening verse is one of my all-time favorites ...
And tonight I saw it all on a stage as Brian Wilson performed with Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin at the Kauffman Center. The nostalgia flowed and my smile was wide.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The Kauffman Center is, hands down, my favorite concert venue in Kansas City these days. The performance spaces are gorgeous and there are no bad seats.
The staff also treats you like royalty.
Tonight’s show was in the Muriel Kauffman Theatre, and my seat was in the lowest section closest to the stage. In row seven.
“You’re in for a good night,” the usher told me as I passed through the door to the section. “You’re lucky to be here.”
The theatre’s sound system was playing orchestral versions of Beach Boys songs, and it sounded beautiful. So I Shazam’d it … “The Hollyridge Strings Play The Beach Boys Song Book.” Album downloaded. Volumes 1 and 2. I listened to them multiple times today, and it is a fantastic collection.
A few minutes after I’d settled into my seat, a couple arrived and took their seats in front of me. The young man, who appeared in his late 20s or early 30s, quickly asked a man sitting next to me to take a picture of him and his girlfriend. “I want to make my dad jealous,” he said. “This is the music I was raised on.”
True that, dude.
The opening act, Beat Root Revival, was outstanding. From their website …
But that sigh was undeserved. Beat Root Revival had a sound that any comparison doesn’t do justice. The closest I can come up with is The Civil Wars with a hint of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham on steroids. They mixed hard rocking tunes - that featured Ben wailing into his mic – very much like Buckingham – and sawing up and down a guitar as Andrea flapped her hand on an Irish drum, with softer, tender ballads. They covered Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and their finale mixed “Come Together” with the guitar riff of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” Check 'em out ...
After an intermission, it was time for Brian Wilson and his band.
Let’s be honest. Wilson’s past drug use and disconnect are well-documented. I went to the show not knowing what to expect and hopeful that I could still be wowed by him performing. It became painfully obvious that wasn’t going to happen as he appeared on the stage with a crew member who helped Brian shuffle to his piano at center stage. His hair was a ghostly white, his face looked pale and he sat slouched back in his chair for much of the night.
In trying to learn more about his touring band tonight, I stumbled on this review published last year by The Guardian that parallels my impressions …
But, oh, when his all-star band of multi-instrumentalists swooped in with their vocals and the classic Beach Boys harmonies came together, it was magic.
Toward the end of the show, when the band members were being introduced, Paul Von Mertens, who played saxophone, flute and harmonica, introduced Wilson as “The man who brings us together with his soul, his heart and his music.” It was a perfect summary of the show, which felt a lot like a tribute band that just happened to feature Wilson, Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin as the special guests. Truly, the band did the heavy lifting all night long and made the show enjoyable.
Wilson was strongest and in vintage form on “Dance, Dance, Dance,” but on other songs he dropped lyrics and slurred words. He couldn’t hold the notes as he sang “God Only Knows” and, frankly, he sounded like a Muppet singing the song.
Rob Bonfiglio, aka Carnie Wilson’s husband and thus Brian’s son-in-law, took Wilson’s signature falsetto parts, most notably on “Don’t Worry Baby” and “Surfer Girl.”
Meanwhile, Al Jardine – who, after all, may be my favorite of all the Beach Boys vocalists – picked up the lead vocals on the songs in the set that Mike Love made famous. And Blondie commanded the stage midway through the show as the band touched on the Beach Boys’ foray into more progressive music during the 1970s. “Feel Flows,” one of my favorites from that era, was especially good, and an extended “Wild Honey” ended as a raucous jam session. Blondie also sang a soaring “Sail on, Sailor.”
They rolled out all the hits – and some great surprises I never expected to hear, too, including “Little Honda,” “Salt Lake City” and “All Summer Long.” The latter two sounded especially good with all of the instrumentation and vocals.
Eventually the band ran through the highlights from “Pet Sounds” and delighted the crowd with “Good Vibrations.”
Quickly after the last note of “Good Vibrations,” the man who helped Wilson onto the stage at the start of the show reappeared and whisked Brian off the stage. The rest of the band put down their instruments and I thought for sure that was the end of it.
But the house lights didn’t come on, and soon Von Mertens returned to stage to address the crowd and lead a very cool introduction of each of the band members. As each member was introduced, the guys who had retaken their places on the stage played a few bars of a classic rock song. The segment started with the drummer and the bass player doing Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” and the arrangements became fuller as more band members came back to the stage, eventually ending with takes on Archie Bell and The Drells’ “Tighten Up” and The Beatles’ “I Feel Fine.” It turned out several of the band members appeared in “Love and Mercy,” the fantastic Brian Wilson bio film, as studio musicians; here’s a good read about how the band came together.
By accident, I found a video of the introductions from one of Wilson’s shows last year. Some of the band members and songs are different, but it captures the segment well.
The audience had been sitting throughout the night, but Wilson’s return to the stage for the encore drew a standing ovation and we stayed standing as the band finished off the show with another run of Beach Boys hits, including a good “Help Me, Rhonda,” Al Jardine’s signature song, which I had eagerly anticipated all night.
(Update 11.16.2018: Wilson and his band played St. Louis last night. This review of the show reads as though it could have been written about the Kansas City show I saw as well.)
The setlist:
1. California Girls
2. Dance, Dance, Dance
3. I Get Around
4. Shut Down
5. Little Deuce Coup
6. Little Honda
7. Surfer Girl
8. Salt Lake City
9. Wake the World
10. California Saga: California
11. Don’t Worry, Baby
12. Darlin’
13. Feel Flows
14. Wild Honey
15. Sail On sailor
16. Do It Again
17. Wouldn’t It Be Nice
18. Sloop John B
19. God Only Knows
20. Good Vibrations
Encore
21. All Summer Long
22. Help Me Rhonda
23. Barbara Ann
24. Surfin’ USA
25. Fun, Fun, Fun
26. Love and Mercy
One of my fondest childhood memories is coming home from church on Sunday mornings and begging my dad to put on his “Beach Boys Concert” record; I would sing and dance to it on the brick ledge of our fireplace as if it was my stage while Mom and Dad made lunch in the kitchen. Later my music collection began with my own copy of “Beach Boys Concert” few other Beach Boys compilations on cassette tapes. I still think “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “God Only Knows,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Good Vibrations” are four of the greatest songs ever recorded.
Not long after Kates and I started dating, we were driving somewhere when “Fun, Fun, Fun” came on the radio. Without hesitation, I sang it with gusto – every word – and I’ll never forget the way Kates laughed. The opening verse is one of my all-time favorites ...
Well she got her daddy's carLater, the song became a staple of Phoebe’s rock ‘n’ roll playlist. One day when she was little, she asked me, “Daddy, can you play the song about the girl who goes to the library?”
And she cruised through the hamburger stand now
Seems she forgot all about the library
Like she told her old man now
And with the radio blasting
Goes cruising just as fast as she can now
And tonight I saw it all on a stage as Brian Wilson performed with Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin at the Kauffman Center. The nostalgia flowed and my smile was wide.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The Kauffman Center is, hands down, my favorite concert venue in Kansas City these days. The performance spaces are gorgeous and there are no bad seats.
The staff also treats you like royalty.
Tonight’s show was in the Muriel Kauffman Theatre, and my seat was in the lowest section closest to the stage. In row seven.
“You’re in for a good night,” the usher told me as I passed through the door to the section. “You’re lucky to be here.”
The theatre’s sound system was playing orchestral versions of Beach Boys songs, and it sounded beautiful. So I Shazam’d it … “The Hollyridge Strings Play The Beach Boys Song Book.” Album downloaded. Volumes 1 and 2. I listened to them multiple times today, and it is a fantastic collection.
A few minutes after I’d settled into my seat, a couple arrived and took their seats in front of me. The young man, who appeared in his late 20s or early 30s, quickly asked a man sitting next to me to take a picture of him and his girlfriend. “I want to make my dad jealous,” he said. “This is the music I was raised on.”
True that, dude.
The opening act, Beat Root Revival, was outstanding. From their website …
Beat Root Revival are a multi-instrumentalist roots duo, combining elements of Folk, Blues, Country and Rock n Roll to create a foot stomping, melodic sound, made up of power house harmonic vocalists Andrea Magee and Ben Jones.The duo was effusive with their praise of Brian Wilson and the opportunity to tour with him. In a funny moment as they prepared to close their set, Ben told the crowd he needed to address “the elephant in the room,” and mimicked the long sigh many of us in the audience, me included, probably let out upon learning there would be an opening act. He admitted he would have done the same thing and thanked us for being a gracious audience.
But that sigh was undeserved. Beat Root Revival had a sound that any comparison doesn’t do justice. The closest I can come up with is The Civil Wars with a hint of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham on steroids. They mixed hard rocking tunes - that featured Ben wailing into his mic – very much like Buckingham – and sawing up and down a guitar as Andrea flapped her hand on an Irish drum, with softer, tender ballads. They covered Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and their finale mixed “Come Together” with the guitar riff of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” Check 'em out ...
After an intermission, it was time for Brian Wilson and his band.
Let’s be honest. Wilson’s past drug use and disconnect are well-documented. I went to the show not knowing what to expect and hopeful that I could still be wowed by him performing. It became painfully obvious that wasn’t going to happen as he appeared on the stage with a crew member who helped Brian shuffle to his piano at center stage. His hair was a ghostly white, his face looked pale and he sat slouched back in his chair for much of the night.
In trying to learn more about his touring band tonight, I stumbled on this review published last year by The Guardian that parallels my impressions …
Fans who note how uncomfortable Wilson frequently looks on stage have wondered aloud whether he should be there at all, let alone performing dozens of gigs a year in his mid-70s. The spectre of an artist who’s milking it – or a larger organisation that’s manipulating a vulnerable man in order to milk it – has been both invoked and hotly denied.At best, Wilson appeared as though he was just along for the ride. At times he appeared lost and confused. Sometimes he appeared tired. Other times he appeared to be just taking it all in, eyes wandering around the theater as if he was thinking, This is my music – and, hey, it’s pretty good.
But, oh, when his all-star band of multi-instrumentalists swooped in with their vocals and the classic Beach Boys harmonies came together, it was magic.
Toward the end of the show, when the band members were being introduced, Paul Von Mertens, who played saxophone, flute and harmonica, introduced Wilson as “The man who brings us together with his soul, his heart and his music.” It was a perfect summary of the show, which felt a lot like a tribute band that just happened to feature Wilson, Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin as the special guests. Truly, the band did the heavy lifting all night long and made the show enjoyable.
Wilson was strongest and in vintage form on “Dance, Dance, Dance,” but on other songs he dropped lyrics and slurred words. He couldn’t hold the notes as he sang “God Only Knows” and, frankly, he sounded like a Muppet singing the song.
Rob Bonfiglio, aka Carnie Wilson’s husband and thus Brian’s son-in-law, took Wilson’s signature falsetto parts, most notably on “Don’t Worry Baby” and “Surfer Girl.”
Meanwhile, Al Jardine – who, after all, may be my favorite of all the Beach Boys vocalists – picked up the lead vocals on the songs in the set that Mike Love made famous. And Blondie commanded the stage midway through the show as the band touched on the Beach Boys’ foray into more progressive music during the 1970s. “Feel Flows,” one of my favorites from that era, was especially good, and an extended “Wild Honey” ended as a raucous jam session. Blondie also sang a soaring “Sail on, Sailor.”
They rolled out all the hits – and some great surprises I never expected to hear, too, including “Little Honda,” “Salt Lake City” and “All Summer Long.” The latter two sounded especially good with all of the instrumentation and vocals.
Eventually the band ran through the highlights from “Pet Sounds” and delighted the crowd with “Good Vibrations.”
Quickly after the last note of “Good Vibrations,” the man who helped Wilson onto the stage at the start of the show reappeared and whisked Brian off the stage. The rest of the band put down their instruments and I thought for sure that was the end of it.
But the house lights didn’t come on, and soon Von Mertens returned to stage to address the crowd and lead a very cool introduction of each of the band members. As each member was introduced, the guys who had retaken their places on the stage played a few bars of a classic rock song. The segment started with the drummer and the bass player doing Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” and the arrangements became fuller as more band members came back to the stage, eventually ending with takes on Archie Bell and The Drells’ “Tighten Up” and The Beatles’ “I Feel Fine.” It turned out several of the band members appeared in “Love and Mercy,” the fantastic Brian Wilson bio film, as studio musicians; here’s a good read about how the band came together.
By accident, I found a video of the introductions from one of Wilson’s shows last year. Some of the band members and songs are different, but it captures the segment well.
The audience had been sitting throughout the night, but Wilson’s return to the stage for the encore drew a standing ovation and we stayed standing as the band finished off the show with another run of Beach Boys hits, including a good “Help Me, Rhonda,” Al Jardine’s signature song, which I had eagerly anticipated all night.
(Update 11.16.2018: Wilson and his band played St. Louis last night. This review of the show reads as though it could have been written about the Kansas City show I saw as well.)
The setlist:
1. California Girls
2. Dance, Dance, Dance
3. I Get Around
4. Shut Down
5. Little Deuce Coup
6. Little Honda
7. Surfer Girl
8. Salt Lake City
9. Wake the World
10. California Saga: California
11. Don’t Worry, Baby
12. Darlin’
13. Feel Flows
14. Wild Honey
15. Sail On sailor
16. Do It Again
17. Wouldn’t It Be Nice
18. Sloop John B
19. God Only Knows
20. Good Vibrations
Encore
21. All Summer Long
22. Help Me Rhonda
23. Barbara Ann
24. Surfin’ USA
25. Fun, Fun, Fun
26. Love and Mercy
10.21.2018
Family of the Year
My current music obsession: Family of the Year.
And they've been under my nose all this time.
Sure, I'd heard of them. I know they're a popular indie rock band. "Living On Love" has been a staple in my iTunes library for years.
I've had a few other Family songs in my library, too, but for some reason I never explored the band's catalog further.
Then "Saturday Night Live" aired a sketch a couple weeks ago that included "Hero" at the end. I used Shazam to identify the track and it came up with "Hero."
It's a beautiful song, and I was hooked. I downloaded their entire library. And I haven't been able to turn them off since.
Here's the band playing a couple of my favorites live ...
And they've been under my nose all this time.
Sure, I'd heard of them. I know they're a popular indie rock band. "Living On Love" has been a staple in my iTunes library for years.
I've had a few other Family songs in my library, too, but for some reason I never explored the band's catalog further.
Then "Saturday Night Live" aired a sketch a couple weeks ago that included "Hero" at the end. I used Shazam to identify the track and it came up with "Hero."
It's a beautiful song, and I was hooked. I downloaded their entire library. And I haven't been able to turn them off since.
Here's the band playing a couple of my favorites live ...
9.19.2018
How Maya Rudolph Became the Master of Impressions
This beautiful piece in The New York Times Magazine last weekend about Maya Rudolph is one of the best things I've read in a while.
Reading and picturing this scene had me laughing out loud ...
Reading and picturing this scene had me laughing out loud ...
She was telling the story of the time she was bitten by a black-widow spider while getting a massage on a girls’ vacation that many comedy fans might commit real-life murder to attend, with her “Saturday Night Live” friends Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch and Ana Gasteyer and the writers Paula Pell and Emily Spivey. Rudolph was doing an impression of Gasteyer the moment Rudolph explained to her that she was possibly about to die.Her Gasteyer was a 120 percent concentration: angular head movements; precise intentional blinks; a modulated operatic voice — classic Gasteyer, but swirled with the essential oils of her performance as a tightly wound 1990s Martha Stewart. Rudolph’s account of the fiasco was bursting with rollicking impressions — Poehler taking charge with peppy fortitude; Dratch trying to discreetly escape to a shower — but to print the transcript would be a disservice to Rudolph, because the transcript is simply not funny. The element that brings tears of laughter to your eyes is not the words themselves, but the curious, thrilling sensation of witnessing other people’s faces and voices emerge from Rudolph’s own.
And the reflection of her mother's death and childhood is heart-wrenching. I had no idea who her mother was until I read this, but I most definitely know “Lovin’ You.” After reading this, I pulled up the song and listened. My heart melted at the sound of Riperton singing “Maya, Maya, Maya” at the end of the track.
I can hardly wait to give “Forever,” her new series with Fred Armisen a try.
9.09.2018
A night with Taylor Swift
So I took Phoebe to see Taylor Swift perform at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City last night.
Taylor Swift. One of the biggest pop stars on the planet. I'm still having trouble believing it.
Phoebe has pretty much grown up with her music playing around our house – since the days of the “Love Song” music video rolling on our TV, back when Kates and I spent our Saturday mornings watching the VH1 countdown and we couldn’t name a single show on the Disney Channel. Oh, how times have changed, but that’s another post.
We own all of her albums and it’s no wonder Phoebe has grown to admire her music so much. Taylor is as wholesome as pop stars come these days, and I can’t think of another one I’d rather have Phoebe admire.
Fast forward to a year ago when the news broke that Taylor was unleashing a tour to promote her new “Reputation” album and coming to Kansas City. I started talking with Kates about the idea of taking Phoebe. Somehow I got a pair of tickets for us last December – we decided Faye wasn’t old enough for a big-time concert and Kates was ok with not going – and we presented them to Phoebe for her birthday in the form of a printed Ticketmaster confirmation. She opened the envelope, read the paper and let out a happy scream as she flopped into the couch.
And I’m not gonna lie. I was pretty darn excited to see Miss Taylor myself.
After months of waiting, the day of the concert finally came. As everyone was waking up yesterday, I went across the hall to Phoebe’s room and jumped on her as she lay in it. “Today’s the big day!” I shouted as I shook her and rocked her bed excitedly.
It turned out to be a beautiful night for an outdoor concert with an overcast sky and temperatures in the high 60s – which was a relief, considering it’s been raining nearly non-stop for the last two weeks. The grass, which had been on life support since late June because we had barely seen a drop of rain since then, is now a lush green, and I’ve mowed our lawn more times in the last three weeks – three times – than I did all of the month of July and for most of August combined.
A preview from the local news ...
With the concert set to start at 7, we left the house a little after 4 in the afternoon. I offered to take Phoebe somewhere for dinner, and she picked the McAlister’s Deli in St. Joseph, which she loves. It was a good halfway stop between The ‘Ville and Kansas City.
We arrived at the stadium complex around 6:50 and joined the parade of vehicles moving into the parking lot. We could hear the opening act, Charli XCX, on the stage inside Arrowhead as we drove through the parking lot. Finally, we got parked and started our walk to the stadium.
The place was a madhouse. But in a good way. … Taylor announced to the crowd shortly after she took the stage that last night’s show broke the attendance record for a concert at Arrowhead Stadium, and the number published this morning had it at 58,611 – and considering Arrowhead is the largest venue in Kansas City, that could mean it was the biggest in Kansas City history, right? The crowd was loaded with young couples and parents with tweens in tow, which relieved any doubts I was having about whether bringing Phoebe to a Taylor Swift stadium concert was the right thing to do. It only got better from there. The crowd was excellent and I didn’t observe an ounce of rudeness the entire night. A breath of fresh air.
Phoebe was all smiles and barely containing her excitement as we walked the ramp up to our seats. We were in the upper deck in a corner of one of the end zones. Charli XCX was ending her set with “Fancy” as we got to our seats around 7:30, and – although I would have liked hearing “Boom Clap” – I didn't mind that we missed her.
Around 7:45, the second act, Camila Cabello, took the stage. When we sat down, I couldn’t have told you what songs she was known for. When I asked her, Phoebe said she knew a couple of her songs and knew she was formerly with Fifth Harmony. … I was soon pleasantly surprised by how many of Cabello’s songs I did recognize. Wearing a Kansas City Chiefs jersey, she opened with “Never Be the Same,” which has been all over the radio this summer. Plus, she worked in “Bad Things,” a Machine Gun Kelly song on which she sings an altered chorus of Fastball’s “Out of my Head,” and she ended with “Havana,” another popular radio tune this summer. I also really liked “Inside Out.”
On the downside, Cabello appeared as nothing more than a speck on the stage from where we were seated. Huge arena and stadium shows have never been my thing and I much prefer the club and small theaters that most of my favorite bands tend to play. I like the intimacy of those environments and the feeling that you’re so close to the stage that you could shake the band members’ hands and you can really appreciate the musicianship playing out before your eyes. … Last night, our seats felt so far away that we had to rely heavily on the video screens, and I had doubts about whether Cabello was actually singing or going through the motions to a recorded track.
All of those thoughts were erased when Taylor took the stage.
During the intermission, Phoebe and I enjoyed watching the crowd and chatting about what we could expect during Taylor’s show. She was curious about the planning that goes into concerts in general and the stage construction, and I enjoyed explaining the production elements to her. After all, we’ve taken Phoebe to Summerfest a few times and some shows at the university, but she had never experienced a production even remotely close to the one we saw last night.
The main stage was shaped like an X with two huge panels at the back of it, each angled slightly toward the sides of the stadium and a giant skeleton of steel towers behind them. Red lights blinked at the top of the towers for extra effect. Adding to my own curiosity about the setup, two smaller stages were stationed at each corner of the end zone in front of us – which suggested additional performance space for Taylor, but I couldn’t figure out how she was going to get there if my suspicion was true …
The time passed quickly. The sky darkened fast and at around 8:30, the stadium lights went out.
Suddenly the stage came alive with bright lights and thumping bass. The two huge panels slid apart at the center of the stage, and out came Taylor, eyeing up the crowd and busting out “… Ready for it?” the opening track from “Reputation.”
She performed all but one of the 15 tracks from “Reputation” and effortlessly weaved in her hits and fan favorites throughout her two-hour show in the form of medleys and mashups. Taylor and a collection of dancers paraded up and down the X all night long as the musicians rocked their instruments from the second story of the steel structure.
The show was everything I had hoped for and more – even when things on stage weren’t exactly perfect – with not a curse word uttered throughout. Early in the show, Taylor was pacing the stage and talking to the crowd when she realized her mic was cutting out. She immediately apologized to the crowd, recalling that it rained all week during the stage setup and that some of the equipment probably was affected. She played it cool, pausing to listen to crew members communicating the status through her ear piece and talking back to them as the crowd listened in. As the scene played out, I pictured in my mind dozens of crew members scurrying around backstage replacing cables, duct-taping attachments and working to fix the issue – which was resolved in minutes. … Later, while her band and dancers were taking a break and Taylor was on stage by herself to play a couple songs acoustically, she admitted she was battling a cold. A crew member stepped onto the stage to hand her a Kleenex and she asked for the crowd’s patience and forgiveness as she stepped away from the mic to blow her nose. … As the breeze was picking up toward the end of the show and she sat alone at a piano, it was easy to tell she was uncomfortably cold on the stage. But her professionalism shined, and her ability to power through it and deliver a top-notch performance for the grateful crowd was impressive.
And the wristbands. After passing through the gates, everyone was handed a clear Vivofit style wristband. We weren’t given any instructions but figured they had something to do with the show – and wow, did they ever. From the first moment of the show, they lit up and didn’t stop until the stage went dark at the end of the night, only adding to the amazing light effects throughout the show. They flashed to the beats of the songs. Sometimes they flashed bright white. Sometimes they were red. Sometimes they were multi-colored. Sometimes they blinked. Sometimes they illuminated like a wave spreading across the stadium bowl.
Every few minutes I’d sneak a look at Phoebe and I’m not sure she ever stopped smiling. She sang along to every. single. word. Several times, I leaned into her to ask the title of the song Taylor was singing, and she knew every time. How do you know all of this!? I thought. But I remember my mom asking me the same question when I was Phoebe’s age on the mornings that she drove me to school and I sang all the words to the songs that played on the car radio.
One of the high points of the night was a run of “Style,” “Love Song” and “You Belong to Me.” …
All night long, there were blasts of confetti and fog machines and no shortage of pyrotechnics. During “I Did Something Bad,” balls of flame shot from the stop of the stage, and we could literally feel the heat all the way from where we were sitting.
About a third of the way into the show, I got my answer about the smaller stages in the end zone when Taylor stepped onto a carriage that transported her over the crowd from the main stage to the smaller stage on the opposite corner of where we were sitting. It was a beautiful scene that fit the tone of the song and the stage transition perfectly.
Then an amazing dance party broke out. Watch …
The euphoria of “Shake It Off” felt like a finale – and yet we weren’t even halfway through the show. On the next two songs, the band when silent and the dancers disappeared as she performed “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” and a fan favorite, “The Story of Us.” Just her on an acoustic guitar and a beautiful crowd sing-along. (Here's an up-close version)
She walked through the crowd to get to the other small stage, where she performed a few more songs, and then boarded a snake-shaped apparatus that shipped her back to the main stage while she sang “Bad Blood.”
Back on the X, she sang a raucous “Don’t Blame Me” that was accompanied by some mean guitar and more fireballs sprouting from the top of the stage; for me it was the most powerful performance of the night. Then, she was left alone at a piano where she played a medley of “Long Live” and “New Year’s Day.” … I love “New Year’s Day,” and her moving performance of it on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon remains unforgettable. I had chills going through my body as she performed it last night and would have been disappointed if she hadn’t. …
A couple songs later, the drum beats of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” began pounding through the stadium. The crowd sang it loud with her and we were treated to just enough of it before the band transitioned into “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” – perhaps my favorite track on the “Reputation” album.
What unfolded was a concert finale for the ages …
When the smoke from the fireworks cleared, the lights at the stadium turned on, and Phoebe and I stood back against our seats and caught our breaths. Even then, the show was still going as end credits rolled on the big screens behind the stage. The screens flashed photos and names of the musicians and dancers who were part of the show, mixed with outtakes of Taylor and her crew rehearsing in an empty Arrowhead Stadium. Phoebe and I just stood there, soaking it in and relishing the final minutes of a truly memorable night.
I’m just going to say it. Of all my concert days and nights, this was the best concert ever … Sorry, Fun. You’ve been overtaken. (Ironically, Fun member Jack Antonoff co-produced “Reputation,” so there's that.)
Here’s The Kansas City Star review ...
The setlist
1. “Ready for It?”
2. “I Did Something Bad”
3. “Gorgeous”
4. “Style” / “Love Story” / “You Belong With Me”
5. “Look What You Made Me Do”
6. “End Game”
7. “King of My Heart”
8. “Delicate”
9. “Shake It Off” (with Charli XCX and Camila Cabello)
10. “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” (acoustic)
11. “The Story of Us” (acoustic)
12. “Blank Space”
13. “Dress”
14. “Bad Blood” / “Should’ve Said No”
15. “Don’t Blame Me”
16. “Long Live” / “New Year’s Day” (solo piano)
17. “Getaway Car”
18. “Call It What You Want”
19. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” / “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things”
Taylor Swift. One of the biggest pop stars on the planet. I'm still having trouble believing it.
Phoebe has pretty much grown up with her music playing around our house – since the days of the “Love Song” music video rolling on our TV, back when Kates and I spent our Saturday mornings watching the VH1 countdown and we couldn’t name a single show on the Disney Channel. Oh, how times have changed, but that’s another post.
We own all of her albums and it’s no wonder Phoebe has grown to admire her music so much. Taylor is as wholesome as pop stars come these days, and I can’t think of another one I’d rather have Phoebe admire.
Fast forward to a year ago when the news broke that Taylor was unleashing a tour to promote her new “Reputation” album and coming to Kansas City. I started talking with Kates about the idea of taking Phoebe. Somehow I got a pair of tickets for us last December – we decided Faye wasn’t old enough for a big-time concert and Kates was ok with not going – and we presented them to Phoebe for her birthday in the form of a printed Ticketmaster confirmation. She opened the envelope, read the paper and let out a happy scream as she flopped into the couch.
And I’m not gonna lie. I was pretty darn excited to see Miss Taylor myself.
After months of waiting, the day of the concert finally came. As everyone was waking up yesterday, I went across the hall to Phoebe’s room and jumped on her as she lay in it. “Today’s the big day!” I shouted as I shook her and rocked her bed excitedly.
It turned out to be a beautiful night for an outdoor concert with an overcast sky and temperatures in the high 60s – which was a relief, considering it’s been raining nearly non-stop for the last two weeks. The grass, which had been on life support since late June because we had barely seen a drop of rain since then, is now a lush green, and I’ve mowed our lawn more times in the last three weeks – three times – than I did all of the month of July and for most of August combined.
A preview from the local news ...
With the concert set to start at 7, we left the house a little after 4 in the afternoon. I offered to take Phoebe somewhere for dinner, and she picked the McAlister’s Deli in St. Joseph, which she loves. It was a good halfway stop between The ‘Ville and Kansas City.
We arrived at the stadium complex around 6:50 and joined the parade of vehicles moving into the parking lot. We could hear the opening act, Charli XCX, on the stage inside Arrowhead as we drove through the parking lot. Finally, we got parked and started our walk to the stadium.
The place was a madhouse. But in a good way. … Taylor announced to the crowd shortly after she took the stage that last night’s show broke the attendance record for a concert at Arrowhead Stadium, and the number published this morning had it at 58,611 – and considering Arrowhead is the largest venue in Kansas City, that could mean it was the biggest in Kansas City history, right? The crowd was loaded with young couples and parents with tweens in tow, which relieved any doubts I was having about whether bringing Phoebe to a Taylor Swift stadium concert was the right thing to do. It only got better from there. The crowd was excellent and I didn’t observe an ounce of rudeness the entire night. A breath of fresh air.
Phoebe was all smiles and barely containing her excitement as we walked the ramp up to our seats. We were in the upper deck in a corner of one of the end zones. Charli XCX was ending her set with “Fancy” as we got to our seats around 7:30, and – although I would have liked hearing “Boom Clap” – I didn't mind that we missed her.
Around 7:45, the second act, Camila Cabello, took the stage. When we sat down, I couldn’t have told you what songs she was known for. When I asked her, Phoebe said she knew a couple of her songs and knew she was formerly with Fifth Harmony. … I was soon pleasantly surprised by how many of Cabello’s songs I did recognize. Wearing a Kansas City Chiefs jersey, she opened with “Never Be the Same,” which has been all over the radio this summer. Plus, she worked in “Bad Things,” a Machine Gun Kelly song on which she sings an altered chorus of Fastball’s “Out of my Head,” and she ended with “Havana,” another popular radio tune this summer. I also really liked “Inside Out.”
On the downside, Cabello appeared as nothing more than a speck on the stage from where we were seated. Huge arena and stadium shows have never been my thing and I much prefer the club and small theaters that most of my favorite bands tend to play. I like the intimacy of those environments and the feeling that you’re so close to the stage that you could shake the band members’ hands and you can really appreciate the musicianship playing out before your eyes. … Last night, our seats felt so far away that we had to rely heavily on the video screens, and I had doubts about whether Cabello was actually singing or going through the motions to a recorded track.
All of those thoughts were erased when Taylor took the stage.
During the intermission, Phoebe and I enjoyed watching the crowd and chatting about what we could expect during Taylor’s show. She was curious about the planning that goes into concerts in general and the stage construction, and I enjoyed explaining the production elements to her. After all, we’ve taken Phoebe to Summerfest a few times and some shows at the university, but she had never experienced a production even remotely close to the one we saw last night.
The main stage was shaped like an X with two huge panels at the back of it, each angled slightly toward the sides of the stadium and a giant skeleton of steel towers behind them. Red lights blinked at the top of the towers for extra effect. Adding to my own curiosity about the setup, two smaller stages were stationed at each corner of the end zone in front of us – which suggested additional performance space for Taylor, but I couldn’t figure out how she was going to get there if my suspicion was true …
The time passed quickly. The sky darkened fast and at around 8:30, the stadium lights went out.
Suddenly the stage came alive with bright lights and thumping bass. The two huge panels slid apart at the center of the stage, and out came Taylor, eyeing up the crowd and busting out “… Ready for it?” the opening track from “Reputation.”
She performed all but one of the 15 tracks from “Reputation” and effortlessly weaved in her hits and fan favorites throughout her two-hour show in the form of medleys and mashups. Taylor and a collection of dancers paraded up and down the X all night long as the musicians rocked their instruments from the second story of the steel structure.
The show was everything I had hoped for and more – even when things on stage weren’t exactly perfect – with not a curse word uttered throughout. Early in the show, Taylor was pacing the stage and talking to the crowd when she realized her mic was cutting out. She immediately apologized to the crowd, recalling that it rained all week during the stage setup and that some of the equipment probably was affected. She played it cool, pausing to listen to crew members communicating the status through her ear piece and talking back to them as the crowd listened in. As the scene played out, I pictured in my mind dozens of crew members scurrying around backstage replacing cables, duct-taping attachments and working to fix the issue – which was resolved in minutes. … Later, while her band and dancers were taking a break and Taylor was on stage by herself to play a couple songs acoustically, she admitted she was battling a cold. A crew member stepped onto the stage to hand her a Kleenex and she asked for the crowd’s patience and forgiveness as she stepped away from the mic to blow her nose. … As the breeze was picking up toward the end of the show and she sat alone at a piano, it was easy to tell she was uncomfortably cold on the stage. But her professionalism shined, and her ability to power through it and deliver a top-notch performance for the grateful crowd was impressive.
And the wristbands. After passing through the gates, everyone was handed a clear Vivofit style wristband. We weren’t given any instructions but figured they had something to do with the show – and wow, did they ever. From the first moment of the show, they lit up and didn’t stop until the stage went dark at the end of the night, only adding to the amazing light effects throughout the show. They flashed to the beats of the songs. Sometimes they flashed bright white. Sometimes they were red. Sometimes they were multi-colored. Sometimes they blinked. Sometimes they illuminated like a wave spreading across the stadium bowl.
Every few minutes I’d sneak a look at Phoebe and I’m not sure she ever stopped smiling. She sang along to every. single. word. Several times, I leaned into her to ask the title of the song Taylor was singing, and she knew every time. How do you know all of this!? I thought. But I remember my mom asking me the same question when I was Phoebe’s age on the mornings that she drove me to school and I sang all the words to the songs that played on the car radio.
One of the high points of the night was a run of “Style,” “Love Song” and “You Belong to Me.” …
All night long, there were blasts of confetti and fog machines and no shortage of pyrotechnics. During “I Did Something Bad,” balls of flame shot from the stop of the stage, and we could literally feel the heat all the way from where we were sitting.
About a third of the way into the show, I got my answer about the smaller stages in the end zone when Taylor stepped onto a carriage that transported her over the crowd from the main stage to the smaller stage on the opposite corner of where we were sitting. It was a beautiful scene that fit the tone of the song and the stage transition perfectly.
Then an amazing dance party broke out. Watch …
The euphoria of “Shake It Off” felt like a finale – and yet we weren’t even halfway through the show. On the next two songs, the band when silent and the dancers disappeared as she performed “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” and a fan favorite, “The Story of Us.” Just her on an acoustic guitar and a beautiful crowd sing-along. (Here's an up-close version)
She walked through the crowd to get to the other small stage, where she performed a few more songs, and then boarded a snake-shaped apparatus that shipped her back to the main stage while she sang “Bad Blood.”
Back on the X, she sang a raucous “Don’t Blame Me” that was accompanied by some mean guitar and more fireballs sprouting from the top of the stage; for me it was the most powerful performance of the night. Then, she was left alone at a piano where she played a medley of “Long Live” and “New Year’s Day.” … I love “New Year’s Day,” and her moving performance of it on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon remains unforgettable. I had chills going through my body as she performed it last night and would have been disappointed if she hadn’t. …
A couple songs later, the drum beats of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” began pounding through the stadium. The crowd sang it loud with her and we were treated to just enough of it before the band transitioned into “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” – perhaps my favorite track on the “Reputation” album.
What unfolded was a concert finale for the ages …
When the smoke from the fireworks cleared, the lights at the stadium turned on, and Phoebe and I stood back against our seats and caught our breaths. Even then, the show was still going as end credits rolled on the big screens behind the stage. The screens flashed photos and names of the musicians and dancers who were part of the show, mixed with outtakes of Taylor and her crew rehearsing in an empty Arrowhead Stadium. Phoebe and I just stood there, soaking it in and relishing the final minutes of a truly memorable night.
I’m just going to say it. Of all my concert days and nights, this was the best concert ever … Sorry, Fun. You’ve been overtaken. (Ironically, Fun member Jack Antonoff co-produced “Reputation,” so there's that.)
Here’s The Kansas City Star review ...
The massive crowd witnessed an extraordinary spectacle. The main stage resembled an offshore oil rig outfitted with massive video screens. Most songs were complemented by an array of gaudy visual embellishments.(Update 9.19.2018: Here's a review from this week's St. Louis show.)
Swift zipped across the stadium in a skeletal snake during “Bad Blood.” She was flanked by aerial acrobats when she reached the stage.
The lavish display included an arsenal of fireworks, a phalanx of dancers, gales of confetti, and balls of fire that warmed the audience on a cool evening. Free wristbands distributed to all attendees emitted synchronized blasts of color. …
Swift’s interactions with the audience were unfailingly gracious, but a drawback of a nearly otherwise flawless two-hour production was revealed as Swift rendered tender songs on piano shortly after admitting she was suffering from a cold.
The setlist
1. “Ready for It?”
2. “I Did Something Bad”
3. “Gorgeous”
4. “Style” / “Love Story” / “You Belong With Me”
5. “Look What You Made Me Do”
6. “End Game”
7. “King of My Heart”
8. “Delicate”
9. “Shake It Off” (with Charli XCX and Camila Cabello)
10. “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” (acoustic)
11. “The Story of Us” (acoustic)
12. “Blank Space”
13. “Dress”
14. “Bad Blood” / “Should’ve Said No”
15. “Don’t Blame Me”
16. “Long Live” / “New Year’s Day” (solo piano)
17. “Getaway Car”
18. “Call It What You Want”
19. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” / “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things”
7.04.2018
Summerfest 2018, take 2
As disappointed as I was in the Summerfest lineup this year, I decided to take a gamble tonight. We had been settled in at Kates’ parents since Sunday night and I nearly decided to stay put, doubting it was worth the 2 ½ drive over to Milwaukee, essentially to hear two songs.
But Foster the People was playing, and I really wanted to hear two songs live and have the unmatched Summerfest experience. A night to myself, to be me.
So I went. I dropped my stuff at Orrin’s and Kelli’s house – which has become our de facto Airbnb when we visit the state each summer. I rolled into downtown around 6 p.m., found a parking garage and began my walk to the grounds.
With the lakefront fireworks set to launch at dark, a crowd was filling the grounds surrounding the art museum. It was a festive and gorgeous night downtown. But what night at Summerfest isn’t?
I took my time strolling through the grounds tonight, more so than usual, wanting to soak up the sights and sounds. As I told my mom the other night, I live for being in that atmosphere every summer.
There was a lot of great music coming from the side stages tonight. I caught a long-haired rocker at the Tiki Lounge doing “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Better yet, I walked up to another stage where a classic rock cover band had a crowd of people dancing to a spot-on version of “Melt with You,” and they followed it with a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell.” Further down, a male duo was wielding their guitars on a grunge-style original.
I passed through the marketplace. Gazed at the Ferris wheel. And grabbed a cheeseburger at one of my favorite Summerfest eating spots, Miss Katie’s Diner.
I settled in at the Miller Lite Oasis to hear Attica Riots last song, “Blood, Sunshine and Hysteria.” And I liked it.
Drax Project, a New Zealand outfit, came on at 8:30 and announced they were playing their first U.S. show. The crowd immediately jumped to their feet on the benches as the band opened with “Toto.”
The jazz-pop band’s hour-long set featured a mix of songs off their newly released EP and unreleased tracks, including “Hollywood.” They kept the atmosphere light and fun and were a perfect warmup for Foster the People. … I liked them, too, and have already downloaded their EP, along with a few Attica Riots tracks. Summerfest did me good tonight.
As if it was planned, Drax Project left the stage and Milwaukee’s lakefront fireworks began lighting up the sky behind us, providing an entertaining interlude while the stagehands went to work to set the stage for Foster the People.
Rarely off schedule at Summerfest, the clock struck 10 and the stage began filling with fog. It barely let up the rest of Foster the People’s set, a flashy showcase –literally – of punchy electronic rock.
From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel …
But seriously. The sole reason I went to Summerfest tonight – although, once there, I found several other things to enjoy – was to hear “Pumped Up Kicks.” It was the song of the summer in 2011, and it felt like everyone in the crowd was there last night to hear it. It helped that “Sit Next to Me” is hot on the radio this summer – it might be my favorite song of this season – and I like “Don’t Stop,” too.
I played Foster’s three albums a couple weeks ago to re-familiarize myself with the band’s work, but still nothing about them excited me like the songs I named above. Tonight was one of the rare occasions I went to see a band perform without a broad admiration for their whole catalogue. Tonight was all about discovery and hoping to find a deeper appreciation.
It turned out to be the right decision. With a youthful crowd cheering them on, every song seemed to begin with a roar of synthesizers. Foster bounced and slid his feet across the stage at times like he was channeling James Brown. The flashing lights combined with the pumping electronic beats made it a full-fledged party. I couldn’t sing any of the songs word for word tonight, but it didn’t matter. I just listened let my eyes soak up the spectacle surrounding me.
One of the highlights included a romping cover of the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop.”
To close out the set, Mark Foster, who hadn’t spoken more than a few words to the crowd all night, offered up a rallying statement about the issues dividing our country – something I was expecting before “Pumped Up Kicks” – and then glided into a smooth-sounding “Sit Next to Me.”
The band had barely left the stage and the crowd started a fist-pumping chant of “Pumped Up Kicks” when Foster returned. They fired off “I Love My Friends” and then their signature hit – which the band seemed to play hastily as if they just wanted to please the crowd and get it over with.
The setlist:
But Foster the People was playing, and I really wanted to hear two songs live and have the unmatched Summerfest experience. A night to myself, to be me.
So I went. I dropped my stuff at Orrin’s and Kelli’s house – which has become our de facto Airbnb when we visit the state each summer. I rolled into downtown around 6 p.m., found a parking garage and began my walk to the grounds.
With the lakefront fireworks set to launch at dark, a crowd was filling the grounds surrounding the art museum. It was a festive and gorgeous night downtown. But what night at Summerfest isn’t?
I took my time strolling through the grounds tonight, more so than usual, wanting to soak up the sights and sounds. As I told my mom the other night, I live for being in that atmosphere every summer.
There was a lot of great music coming from the side stages tonight. I caught a long-haired rocker at the Tiki Lounge doing “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Better yet, I walked up to another stage where a classic rock cover band had a crowd of people dancing to a spot-on version of “Melt with You,” and they followed it with a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell.” Further down, a male duo was wielding their guitars on a grunge-style original.I passed through the marketplace. Gazed at the Ferris wheel. And grabbed a cheeseburger at one of my favorite Summerfest eating spots, Miss Katie’s Diner.
I settled in at the Miller Lite Oasis to hear Attica Riots last song, “Blood, Sunshine and Hysteria.” And I liked it.
Drax Project, a New Zealand outfit, came on at 8:30 and announced they were playing their first U.S. show. The crowd immediately jumped to their feet on the benches as the band opened with “Toto.”
The jazz-pop band’s hour-long set featured a mix of songs off their newly released EP and unreleased tracks, including “Hollywood.” They kept the atmosphere light and fun and were a perfect warmup for Foster the People. … I liked them, too, and have already downloaded their EP, along with a few Attica Riots tracks. Summerfest did me good tonight.
As if it was planned, Drax Project left the stage and Milwaukee’s lakefront fireworks began lighting up the sky behind us, providing an entertaining interlude while the stagehands went to work to set the stage for Foster the People.
Rarely off schedule at Summerfest, the clock struck 10 and the stage began filling with fog. It barely let up the rest of Foster the People’s set, a flashy showcase –literally – of punchy electronic rock.
From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel …
As white clouds enveloped and sometimes obscured Foster the People, I couldn’t help wondering about the indie-pop band’s smoke budget. Must be sizable.Commanding indeed.
Not that it was needed. Foster the People has enough hits, including “Pumped Up Kicks” and “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)” to attract an overflow crowd at the Miller Lite Oasis Tuesday night. Plus a light show that competed with and sometimes complemented the fireworks over Lake Michigan.
Lead singer Mark Foster played guitar and keyboards and commanded the stage in a Hawaiian shirt while powering through “Helena Beat,” “Coming of Age” and “Don’t Stop.”
But seriously. The sole reason I went to Summerfest tonight – although, once there, I found several other things to enjoy – was to hear “Pumped Up Kicks.” It was the song of the summer in 2011, and it felt like everyone in the crowd was there last night to hear it. It helped that “Sit Next to Me” is hot on the radio this summer – it might be my favorite song of this season – and I like “Don’t Stop,” too.
I played Foster’s three albums a couple weeks ago to re-familiarize myself with the band’s work, but still nothing about them excited me like the songs I named above. Tonight was one of the rare occasions I went to see a band perform without a broad admiration for their whole catalogue. Tonight was all about discovery and hoping to find a deeper appreciation.
It turned out to be the right decision. With a youthful crowd cheering them on, every song seemed to begin with a roar of synthesizers. Foster bounced and slid his feet across the stage at times like he was channeling James Brown. The flashing lights combined with the pumping electronic beats made it a full-fledged party. I couldn’t sing any of the songs word for word tonight, but it didn’t matter. I just listened let my eyes soak up the spectacle surrounding me.
One of the highlights included a romping cover of the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop.”
To close out the set, Mark Foster, who hadn’t spoken more than a few words to the crowd all night, offered up a rallying statement about the issues dividing our country – something I was expecting before “Pumped Up Kicks” – and then glided into a smooth-sounding “Sit Next to Me.”
The band had barely left the stage and the crowd started a fist-pumping chant of “Pumped Up Kicks” when Foster returned. They fired off “I Love My Friends” and then their signature hit – which the band seemed to play hastily as if they just wanted to please the crowd and get it over with.
The setlist:
- Houdini
- Are You What You Want to Be?
- Pay the Man
- Helena Beat
- Coming of Age
- Waste
- Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)
- Lotus Eater
- Blitzkrieg Bop (Ramones cover)
- Pseudologia Fantastica
- A Beginner's Guide to Destroying the Moon
- Doing It for the Money
- Loyal Like Sid & Nancy
- Sit Next To Me
Encore - I Love My Friends
- Pumped Up Kicks
6.29.2018
Summerfest 2018, take 1
So I saw James Taylor perform tonight. For the third time. ... Twelve years ago, I was dreaming of seeing him just once.
But when Summerfest began announcing its headliners last spring and my mom saw James Taylor was coming, she urged me to get tickets, mostly for Dad. James Taylor is one of his musical heroes and seeing him live was a bucket list item. I was skeptical of how my mom might do, though, with her MS in the loud and crowded environment of Summerfest, but she insisted she wanted to go with us. So I jumped on it the morning tickets went on sale and snagged us three bleacher seats at center stage. Kates, having seeing him with me two times, was comfortable staying back with the girls.
To my surprise and delight, Mom was all about getting the full Summerfest experience. While Kates and the girls went to Orrin’s for the day, we hung out at our hotel and then headed for the Summerfest grounds mid-afternoon.
With Dad driving and me navigating in the front passenger seat, getting through Milwaukee traffic was the toughest test of my mother’s delicate mind. She freaks out at the swerve or brake of any vehicle and raises her voice at my father any time he goes even one mile per hour over the speed limit. “Oh-my-gosh-geez-camoni” she shouted at one point of distress, leaning back and grabbing her seat as if we were riding a roller coaster. It was only that treacherous in her mind.
When she said during our drive that she needed a beer, I would have sworn she was being facetious. But she asked Dad and me to stop at the first Leinenkugel’s stand we came to inside the grounds and had Dad buy us a round of Summer Shandys. What a moment that was, and, wow, it tasted good.
I led them on a tour of the grounds, explaining how the landscape has changed in my 15 or so years of going to Summerfest and showing them some of my favorite spots. We stopped at a couple of the stages to get a taste of the culture - from the Ecuadorian band that plays somewhere on the grounds every summer to a bongo drum collective. Mom reflected on coming to Summerfest back in 1974 when it was mostly gravel and the stages were much smaller. Now it’s paved with state-of-the-art stages, and full-scale restaurants and dining areas, among other features, from one end of the grounds to the other.
Having walked the entire grounds and with the James Taylor show scheduled to begin at 7:30, we made our way to the amphitheater entrance. With Mom in her wheelchair, the guest services staff was accommodating at every turn, pointing us to our seats and providing a place for us to store her wheelchair during the show.
We had been sitting for a couple minutes when the crowd erupted, and we looked up to see Mr. Taylor walking on to the stage. He welcomed the crowd, assured us we were in for a great night and then introduced his opening act, the one and only Bonnie Raitt.
Admittedly, I’m probably under appreciative of her work. Growing up, if I wasn’t listening to oldies stations and classic rock with my dad, I was listening to light radio with my mom, and the latter is how I got to know Bonnie. “Something to Talk About” was a staple, as was “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” two songs I might put on a list of my 500 all-time favorites. I also remember how much I hated hearing “Love Sneakin’ Up On You” when it came out in 1994. By that time I was deep into my teenage years and had migrated to the top 40 radio stations more suited for my age, bit that song was so overplayed no matter what radio station I listened to that summer.
With all of those memories as a backdrop in my mind, she was an exciting act to see. While she stuck to a set filled mostly with bluesy covers that I didn’t recognize, her voice was still crisp and her command of the guitar appearing effortless.
About midway through her set, she pulled out “Something to Talk About” - which was every bit as great as I had hoped.
She followed it with “Nick of Time,” a song I’d forgotten about, and it sounded so good live.
From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel …
Finally, Taylor appeared with his band and took centerstage on his iconic stool and began strumming “Carolina In My Mind.”
Similar to when Kates and I saw him a few years ago in Kansas City, the show seemed to begin quietly and took time to hit its stride. Mixed with the easy going melodies of “Walking Man” and “Handy Man,” he threw in lesser knowns “Sunny Skies” and “First of May.”
Part of the reason the first half the show seemed to drag could be attributed to the man sitting in front of us and his dingbat female companion, who proceeded to play games and scroll through social media feeds on her brightly lit phone the whole time Taylor was performing. And when she wasn’t doing something on her phone, she was stretching her back and moving in a way that blocked our views of the stage. Her father or much older boyfriend or whoever the guy was sitting next to her never raised a finger to stop her. It was the worst concert etiquette I’ve ever witnessed, and we were thankful to God when they got up halfway through the show and never returned.
Like the Kansas City show, Taylor and his band turned the energy level up when he hit “Mexico” and barely let up on the gas pedal the rest of the way, spinning hit after hit.
We marveled during the previous shows at Taylor’s storytelling ability and comic timing, too, and it was present tonight also. One story he told tonight that I didn’t recall from the other shows revolved around him playing “Something In the Way She Moves” for Paul McCartney and George Harrison when he auditioned for Apple Records. George liked it so much that he rewrote it himself, Taylor quipped.
And the multimedia production that provided the backdrop to Taylor and Co. throughout was a show of its own. Jumping off on the retrospective that opened the show, the screen alternated from close-ups of the band members to colorful scenes of Americana and beautiful landscapes to go with Taylor’s lyrics. Every time Taylor introduced a band member, a photo appeared of the musician performing as a child or early in their career. During “Sweet Baby James,” images rolled across the screen of the lyrics printed in a book, giving the audience the sense they were following along with a bedtime story.
While I enjoyed my personal favorites like “Mexico” and “Your Smiling Face,” Taylor’s performance of “Fire and Rain” felt especially poignant. It’s Dad’s favorite, and I could feel him flush with emotion as he listened to it.
The nostalgia and good vibes were really flowing by the time Taylor closed out his set. Bonnie Raitt joined him on stage for a rousing cover of “Johnny B. Goode.”
Finally, Bonnie Raitt rejoined James once more. I knew what was coming and they took their seats on a pair of stools to sing, “You Can Close Your Eyes.”
It had been a truly special and memorable night with my mom and dad. We left the grounds with smiling faces.
The setlist
But when Summerfest began announcing its headliners last spring and my mom saw James Taylor was coming, she urged me to get tickets, mostly for Dad. James Taylor is one of his musical heroes and seeing him live was a bucket list item. I was skeptical of how my mom might do, though, with her MS in the loud and crowded environment of Summerfest, but she insisted she wanted to go with us. So I jumped on it the morning tickets went on sale and snagged us three bleacher seats at center stage. Kates, having seeing him with me two times, was comfortable staying back with the girls.
To my surprise and delight, Mom was all about getting the full Summerfest experience. While Kates and the girls went to Orrin’s for the day, we hung out at our hotel and then headed for the Summerfest grounds mid-afternoon.
With Dad driving and me navigating in the front passenger seat, getting through Milwaukee traffic was the toughest test of my mother’s delicate mind. She freaks out at the swerve or brake of any vehicle and raises her voice at my father any time he goes even one mile per hour over the speed limit. “Oh-my-gosh-geez-camoni” she shouted at one point of distress, leaning back and grabbing her seat as if we were riding a roller coaster. It was only that treacherous in her mind.
When she said during our drive that she needed a beer, I would have sworn she was being facetious. But she asked Dad and me to stop at the first Leinenkugel’s stand we came to inside the grounds and had Dad buy us a round of Summer Shandys. What a moment that was, and, wow, it tasted good.
I led them on a tour of the grounds, explaining how the landscape has changed in my 15 or so years of going to Summerfest and showing them some of my favorite spots. We stopped at a couple of the stages to get a taste of the culture - from the Ecuadorian band that plays somewhere on the grounds every summer to a bongo drum collective. Mom reflected on coming to Summerfest back in 1974 when it was mostly gravel and the stages were much smaller. Now it’s paved with state-of-the-art stages, and full-scale restaurants and dining areas, among other features, from one end of the grounds to the other.
Having walked the entire grounds and with the James Taylor show scheduled to begin at 7:30, we made our way to the amphitheater entrance. With Mom in her wheelchair, the guest services staff was accommodating at every turn, pointing us to our seats and providing a place for us to store her wheelchair during the show.
We had been sitting for a couple minutes when the crowd erupted, and we looked up to see Mr. Taylor walking on to the stage. He welcomed the crowd, assured us we were in for a great night and then introduced his opening act, the one and only Bonnie Raitt.
Admittedly, I’m probably under appreciative of her work. Growing up, if I wasn’t listening to oldies stations and classic rock with my dad, I was listening to light radio with my mom, and the latter is how I got to know Bonnie. “Something to Talk About” was a staple, as was “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” two songs I might put on a list of my 500 all-time favorites. I also remember how much I hated hearing “Love Sneakin’ Up On You” when it came out in 1994. By that time I was deep into my teenage years and had migrated to the top 40 radio stations more suited for my age, bit that song was so overplayed no matter what radio station I listened to that summer.
With all of those memories as a backdrop in my mind, she was an exciting act to see. While she stuck to a set filled mostly with bluesy covers that I didn’t recognize, her voice was still crisp and her command of the guitar appearing effortless.
About midway through her set, she pulled out “Something to Talk About” - which was every bit as great as I had hoped.
She followed it with “Nick of Time,” a song I’d forgotten about, and it sounded so good live.
From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel …
Across 10 songs, she showed she was worth every accolade and then some, including a smoking blues-rock rendition of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” (with Ivan Neville’s keys throwing a bit of gas on the flames).After an intermission and a complete set change that morphed into a colorful house, the stage soon came alive with a prolonged video retrospective of Taylor’s career through interview and concert footage, photos and TV appearances that included - a favorite from my childhood - his performance of Jellyman Kelly on “Sesame Street.”
And she dedicated a sparsely gorgeous cover of John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery” to women suffering around the world, including those “separated from their children right now,” an apparent reference to the immigration crisis.
And before she wrapped up, she slapped on some lipstick as Taylor returned to the stage to jam along to John Hiatt’s “Thing Called Love,” the friends huddling together, electric guitars in hand.
Finally, Taylor appeared with his band and took centerstage on his iconic stool and began strumming “Carolina In My Mind.”
Similar to when Kates and I saw him a few years ago in Kansas City, the show seemed to begin quietly and took time to hit its stride. Mixed with the easy going melodies of “Walking Man” and “Handy Man,” he threw in lesser knowns “Sunny Skies” and “First of May.”
Part of the reason the first half the show seemed to drag could be attributed to the man sitting in front of us and his dingbat female companion, who proceeded to play games and scroll through social media feeds on her brightly lit phone the whole time Taylor was performing. And when she wasn’t doing something on her phone, she was stretching her back and moving in a way that blocked our views of the stage. Her father or much older boyfriend or whoever the guy was sitting next to her never raised a finger to stop her. It was the worst concert etiquette I’ve ever witnessed, and we were thankful to God when they got up halfway through the show and never returned.
Like the Kansas City show, Taylor and his band turned the energy level up when he hit “Mexico” and barely let up on the gas pedal the rest of the way, spinning hit after hit.
We marveled during the previous shows at Taylor’s storytelling ability and comic timing, too, and it was present tonight also. One story he told tonight that I didn’t recall from the other shows revolved around him playing “Something In the Way She Moves” for Paul McCartney and George Harrison when he auditioned for Apple Records. George liked it so much that he rewrote it himself, Taylor quipped.
And the multimedia production that provided the backdrop to Taylor and Co. throughout was a show of its own. Jumping off on the retrospective that opened the show, the screen alternated from close-ups of the band members to colorful scenes of Americana and beautiful landscapes to go with Taylor’s lyrics. Every time Taylor introduced a band member, a photo appeared of the musician performing as a child or early in their career. During “Sweet Baby James,” images rolled across the screen of the lyrics printed in a book, giving the audience the sense they were following along with a bedtime story.
While I enjoyed my personal favorites like “Mexico” and “Your Smiling Face,” Taylor’s performance of “Fire and Rain” felt especially poignant. It’s Dad’s favorite, and I could feel him flush with emotion as he listened to it.
The nostalgia and good vibes were really flowing by the time Taylor closed out his set. Bonnie Raitt joined him on stage for a rousing cover of “Johnny B. Goode.”
That initially appeared as though it was going to be Taylor’s last song as the band bowed and waved to the standing crowd. But then Taylor appeared to call an audible, huddling with his band and waving a finger as if to say, “one more.” A camera shot on the big screens showed a woman wearing headphones in the audio booth and waving a finger back at Taylor in agreement. The result was Taylor leading a crowd sing-along of “You’ve Got a Friend.”.@JamesTaylor_com & @TheBonnieRaitt back on stage together again @Summerfest to pay tribute to @ChuckBerry. More coverage @journalsentinel pic.twitter.com/9LtWL0ZNTc— Piet Levy (@pietlevy) June 29, 2018
Finally, Bonnie Raitt rejoined James once more. I knew what was coming and they took their seats on a pair of stools to sing, “You Can Close Your Eyes.”
It had been a truly special and memorable night with my mom and dad. We left the grounds with smiling faces.
The setlist
- Carolina In My Mind
- Country Road
- Sunny Skies
- Walking Man
- First of May
- Handy Man
- Steamroller
- Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
- Up On The Roof
- Mexico
- Something In the Way She Moves
- Sweet Baby James
- Fire and Rain
- Shed a Little Light
- Your Smiling Face
- Shower the People
- How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
Encore - Johnny B. Goode
- You’ve Got a Friend
- You Can Close Your Eyes
12.16.2017
In love with 'Waitress'
So Kates and I saw “Waitress” – the musical – today in Omaha.
As always, there’s a backstory.
Quickly after we began our subscription to Apple music last spring and started binging on new music and stuff we had long wanted but didn’t have in our library, we got a hold of the “Waitress” albums. Sara Bareilles, who I adore – it’s a full-fledged crush, really – wrote the music and released an album of her own recordings of the songs, which I preferred. Kates preferred the Broadway cast recording. Either way, we both found ourselves falling in love with the music and listening to the albums on and off for weeks.
Then a few weeks ago a former student who writes about entertainment in the Des Moines area posted an interview he did with Sara in conjunction with the show’s touring version stopping there.
As often happens in these situations, I immediately searched for the tour schedule and saw it was coming to Omaha this week. Kates and I compared the dates with our calendars and bought a pair of tickets for this afternoon’s matinee. … It also was a wonderful end-of-the-semester treat for me, having gotten past a barrage of final projects this week and the university’s commencement ceremonies yesterday.
We set our alarms for 7:30 this morning to get ready while the girls slept in – a rarity for a Saturday morning. But then again, we were up late last night watching “The Force Awakens” in preparation for seeing “The Last Jedi.” Kates sent me out to grab some groceries and Starbucks for us at 9 while she tidied up the house. And the babysitters – twin girls who are family friends from our church – arrived around 10.
We’ve had unseasonably warm weather this winter, and it made for a wonderful day to be out and driving. It was a bright, sunny day, and we soaked it in. We took a longer route, taking a full two hours to drive up through southwest Iowa before cutting across to Omaha.
In Omaha, I wanted to introduce Kates to the charm of the Old Market.
We found a public parking lot, and Kates quickly pointed to an appealing brewery across the street. Upstream Brewing Company, and it was awesome. She had the beer battered fish and chips. I had the Brewer’s Pork Sandwich – a fried pork tenderloin medallion with mustard slaw and garlic aioli on a house-baked bun.
With our bellies full and the mild, sunny weather, it was an easy decision to walk the half-dozen or so blocks up to the Orpheum Theater. Inside we took in the ornate vaudeville décor and then found our seats, a couple rows into the balcony, just off stage left. It’s an intimate theater, and yet I don’t know that we could have had a better view of the action.
The show was, in a word, amazing. From the Omaha World-Herald …
Even after falling in love with the music during the last several months, Kates and I had no clue we were going to enjoy it so much. The music and scenes flow so seamlessly that I never once felt the need to check my program to see how far along the show was.
“Opening Up” and “Bad Idea,” with the band fully on the stage and the background vocalists clapping their hands in circles, were every bit the big numbers we imagined them being and more.
But we didn’t expect to laugh so much, and so hard. There are some hilarious moments in the show, and every character has their share of scene stealing exchanges – from Jenna's comrades at the diner, Becky and Dawn, to Dr. Pomatter and his nurse. Ogie’s introduction in the diner during “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me” was a riot, and “I Didn’t Plan It,” which opens the second act also was a comedic high.
The southern sass of Desi Oakley’s Jenna reminded me of Emma Stone’s Skeeter in “The Help.” … But, oh, did she bring the house down during “She Used to Be Mine.” And when she dismissed Earl, the crowd clapped and shouted him off the stage as if they were Jenna’s best girlfriends, too.
As if the sets weren’t colorful and dazzling enough during the show, the finale – with Jenna’s new diner and a sparkling new sign – was the cherry on top. I was overwhelmed with emotion as the cast sang and danced the reprise of “Opening Up,” and little Lulu bounced around the stage with them. Tears of joy began streaming down my cheeks, and the audience showed its appreciation with an instant standing ovation.
As the house lights came up, Kates and I turned to each other with the biggest smiles on our faces and shared a kiss. … We were so glad we made the trip and got to have that experience today.
If it wasn't for 'Hamilton,' Kates and I sighed as we walked through the lobby ... figuring “Waitress” would have won the Tony last year for Best Musical.
And there’s little doubt we’ll be listening to “Waitress” a lot more this next week.
As always, there’s a backstory.
Quickly after we began our subscription to Apple music last spring and started binging on new music and stuff we had long wanted but didn’t have in our library, we got a hold of the “Waitress” albums. Sara Bareilles, who I adore – it’s a full-fledged crush, really – wrote the music and released an album of her own recordings of the songs, which I preferred. Kates preferred the Broadway cast recording. Either way, we both found ourselves falling in love with the music and listening to the albums on and off for weeks.
Then a few weeks ago a former student who writes about entertainment in the Des Moines area posted an interview he did with Sara in conjunction with the show’s touring version stopping there.
As often happens in these situations, I immediately searched for the tour schedule and saw it was coming to Omaha this week. Kates and I compared the dates with our calendars and bought a pair of tickets for this afternoon’s matinee. … It also was a wonderful end-of-the-semester treat for me, having gotten past a barrage of final projects this week and the university’s commencement ceremonies yesterday.
We set our alarms for 7:30 this morning to get ready while the girls slept in – a rarity for a Saturday morning. But then again, we were up late last night watching “The Force Awakens” in preparation for seeing “The Last Jedi.” Kates sent me out to grab some groceries and Starbucks for us at 9 while she tidied up the house. And the babysitters – twin girls who are family friends from our church – arrived around 10.
We’ve had unseasonably warm weather this winter, and it made for a wonderful day to be out and driving. It was a bright, sunny day, and we soaked it in. We took a longer route, taking a full two hours to drive up through southwest Iowa before cutting across to Omaha.
In Omaha, I wanted to introduce Kates to the charm of the Old Market.
We found a public parking lot, and Kates quickly pointed to an appealing brewery across the street. Upstream Brewing Company, and it was awesome. She had the beer battered fish and chips. I had the Brewer’s Pork Sandwich – a fried pork tenderloin medallion with mustard slaw and garlic aioli on a house-baked bun.
With our bellies full and the mild, sunny weather, it was an easy decision to walk the half-dozen or so blocks up to the Orpheum Theater. Inside we took in the ornate vaudeville décor and then found our seats, a couple rows into the balcony, just off stage left. It’s an intimate theater, and yet I don’t know that we could have had a better view of the action.
The show was, in a word, amazing. From the Omaha World-Herald …
Some exceptional performances and sensational sets and lighting finish this confection, which features excellent music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, songs that are somewhat unconventional for musical theater. Sometimes they’re mere snippets, such as the clever “Club Knocked Up,” a ditty sung with fabulous harmony in cowboy-swing style when Jenna, the title character, learns she’s pregnant. Others are long form show-stoppers, such as “She Used to Be Mine,” Jenna’s compelling ballad.And yet, not even that review does it justice.
Even after falling in love with the music during the last several months, Kates and I had no clue we were going to enjoy it so much. The music and scenes flow so seamlessly that I never once felt the need to check my program to see how far along the show was.
“Opening Up” and “Bad Idea,” with the band fully on the stage and the background vocalists clapping their hands in circles, were every bit the big numbers we imagined them being and more.
But we didn’t expect to laugh so much, and so hard. There are some hilarious moments in the show, and every character has their share of scene stealing exchanges – from Jenna's comrades at the diner, Becky and Dawn, to Dr. Pomatter and his nurse. Ogie’s introduction in the diner during “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me” was a riot, and “I Didn’t Plan It,” which opens the second act also was a comedic high.
The southern sass of Desi Oakley’s Jenna reminded me of Emma Stone’s Skeeter in “The Help.” … But, oh, did she bring the house down during “She Used to Be Mine.” And when she dismissed Earl, the crowd clapped and shouted him off the stage as if they were Jenna’s best girlfriends, too.
As if the sets weren’t colorful and dazzling enough during the show, the finale – with Jenna’s new diner and a sparkling new sign – was the cherry on top. I was overwhelmed with emotion as the cast sang and danced the reprise of “Opening Up,” and little Lulu bounced around the stage with them. Tears of joy began streaming down my cheeks, and the audience showed its appreciation with an instant standing ovation.
As the house lights came up, Kates and I turned to each other with the biggest smiles on our faces and shared a kiss. … We were so glad we made the trip and got to have that experience today.
If it wasn't for 'Hamilton,' Kates and I sighed as we walked through the lobby ... figuring “Waitress” would have won the Tony last year for Best Musical.
And there’s little doubt we’ll be listening to “Waitress” a lot more this next week.
11.11.2016
Get Ready for Summerfest's 50th!
Oh, snap. I can.not. wait.
Summerfest turns 50 next year. The countdown to June 28 has begun.
Summerfest turns 50 next year. The countdown to June 28 has begun.
6.20.2016
5.12.2016
Can't stop the feeling!
So I finally took some time to take in Justin Timberlake's new single today.
Hello, Song of the Summer.
I can't get it out of my head. I could hardly to wait to get home tonight to show it to the girls. And they loved it, too.
Enjoy.
(Update 06.09.16)
While I don't think this song sucks, here's a good read about our inclination to define songs of the summer.
Hello, Song of the Summer.
I can't get it out of my head. I could hardly to wait to get home tonight to show it to the girls. And they loved it, too.
Enjoy.
(Update 06.09.16)
While I don't think this song sucks, here's a good read about our inclination to define songs of the summer.
3.23.2016
Summerfest 2016 Headliners!
Aw yeah! I wait all winter for this announcement to come each spring.
I probably won't get to see all of them, but I'll be eyeing dates for, at the least, Death Cab for Cutie, Ray LaMontagne, Ben Folds, Indigo Girls, Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, O.A.R., and even Richard Marx.
The countdown begins.
I probably won't get to see all of them, but I'll be eyeing dates for, at the least, Death Cab for Cutie, Ray LaMontagne, Ben Folds, Indigo Girls, Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, O.A.R., and even Richard Marx.
The countdown begins.
1.14.2016
11.22.2015
Adele saves Thanksgiving - and SNL
Here's everything you need to know about last night's Saturday Night Live ...
Adele was there and she's once again taking the world by storm (I downloaded the new album, which was released Friday, last night). She performed, and her new song, "Hello" was the basis of what was easily the skit of the night.
The other skit worth seeing is the spoof on "Star Wars" screen tests. My favorite piece: Bobby Moynihan as George Lucas.
Here's EW's full recap.
And while we're talking Adele, this was popping up throughout the interwebs yesterday. ...
Adele was there and she's once again taking the world by storm (I downloaded the new album, which was released Friday, last night). She performed, and her new song, "Hello" was the basis of what was easily the skit of the night.
The other skit worth seeing is the spoof on "Star Wars" screen tests. My favorite piece: Bobby Moynihan as George Lucas.
Here's EW's full recap.
And while we're talking Adele, this was popping up throughout the interwebs yesterday. ...
11.19.2015
Another night with Ben Folds, who is capable of anything
So I had tickets to a Ben Folds show last night. My 12th in the 19 years I have been a fan.
As I rolled through my work day yesterday, still tired and a little overwhelmed by the recent weeks’ events, I had thoughts of whether I might finally be getting too old for this concert stuff.
By the end of the night. … Nah.
Ben Folds. That guy does not disappoint. As I headed toward Kansas City last night I couldn’t help but reflect on the previous 11 occasions I've seen him perform and marvel that no Ben Folds show – or Ben Folds Five show – I’ve attended has resembled the same feel or presentation as another. In fact, I’ve seen him play nine different venues in six cities. And even then, an argument could be made that I’ve seen him play 11 different venues – because I’ve seen him play three different stages in four trips to Summerfest.
From feeling the balcony tremble during a euphoric “Battle of Who Care Less” in Omaha’s Sokol Auditorium, to singing “There's Always Someone Cooler Than You” with an amazingly energetic Summerfest crowd, to the jaw-dropping night with the Kansas City Symphony, I have very distinct memories of each show.
Last night, I saw Ben play at Kansas City’s Uptown Theater. It was my second trip to that venue, having seeing the amazing Nickel Creek there last year.
My marveling transitioned from Ben Folds memories to the memories of just a couple weeks ago as I rolled into downtown Kansas City and drove past Union Station and the Liberty Memorial. I thought about all the people crammed on the lawn for the Royals World Championship celebration and got a kick as I drove down Broadway toward the theater and thought about the hundreds of thousands of people lining the street for the parade.
I pulled into the McDonald’s down the street from the theater to grab a bite to eat and take advantage of the wi-fi to do some work. ‘80s pop music blasted on the restaurant speakers, but I found some rare clarity and I was productive.
I headed to the theater around 6:45 p.m. and waited in line only a few minutes for the doors to open.
Quickly, I headed into auditorium to find my seat and then had some disappointment when I realized it was near the back, a few rows behind the sound booth. Unlike the general admission and open standing-room concept for Nickel Creek’s show, last night’s Ben Folds show was strictly a reserved seating affair. My ticket landed me in the permanent flip-down theater seats, and rows of folding chairs covered the floor on the orchestra level. I accepted it, taking solace in the array of environments I’ve seen Ben and feeling lucky just to be there. … The young couple who sat down behind me moments later didn’t share the sentiment. They proceeded to curse up a storm, and I gathered through their conversation that this was their second Ben Folds show, they thought they had second row seats on the floor until an usher moved them and the guy's mom bought the tickets for them. They even went so far as to contemplate whether they should ask for a refund. Youths.
This was my vantage point ...
The opening act was interesting. It was the Dutch singer/songwriter Dotan. He and his accomplice sat together at center stage, performed a handful of tunes and showed off some fine guitar strumming. The tenor of Dotan’s vocals reminded me a bit of The Shins, but more worldly -- and his stage presence reminded me of Yanni. On a couple songs he put down his guitar to beat a bass drum. … By the end of their set, all of it was sounding the same to me.
Ben Folds took the stage at 9, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. His new album is more adult contemporary than anything he’s done and a far cry from the power pop of his earlier days. I mean the guy broke on to the radio some 20 years ago with Ben Folds Five, playing so-called “punk rock for sissies.” And now he’s composing sweeping piano concertos and rebooting his hits with orchestra arrangements and fresh instrumental flourishes. He's a kind of Brian Wilson for my generation.
I downloaded his new album, “So There,” from iTunes the week it was released in September, but only had logged a few listens prior to last night. Let’s just say I’m far more appreciative of it now.
Ben collaborated and recorded the album with a six-person orchestra called yMusic. They were all there on stage with Ben last night. He played on an upright piano with the orchestra flanking him in a semicircle. A viola, violin and a cello to his right. Bass clarinet, flute/piccolo and trumpet/French horn to his left. A drummer took care of the percussion duties, sitting behind the trio on the left side. Together, they were eight enormously talented musicians doing their thing as if they were just practicing and experimenting in a studio – but with a few hundred people watching.
The six instrumentalists who form yMusic came out first and launched into a frenzied orchestra piece that immediately had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I kept waiting for it to turn into an exciting intro to a Ben Folds song, but that didn’t happen. For the time being, it was yMusic’s turn to shine and own the stage. The song was “Beautiful Mechanical.”
Ben appeared as the applause from the prelude died down and they started with “So There,” the title track from Ben’s new album. Next, during “Long Way To Go,” they performed a wave – the kind you see fans do at stadiums during baseball games.
As usual, Ben was snarky, profane and dropped bits of humor throughout the night. Before “I’m Not the Man,” he deadpanned in a single breath: “This song I wrote for a movie. It was rejected.”
And, as is the custom at his shows, he indulged the crowd with an improvised, on-the-spot rendition of what’s become known as “Rock This Bitch,” and he carried the symphony with him – just like he did that night at the Kauffman Center (Watch this to hear Ben tell the history of the song, and see his genius do its thing with yet another orchestra).
As if the crowd wasn’t satisfied with the first take, Ben took another stab, calling for “Rock This Bitch, Part 2,” a country blues ode to Kansas City.
For the most part, the first half of Ben’s set was a mild affair – for a Ben Folds concert at least – and largely met the mood I anticipated, given the vibe of the “So There” album. There was a flash of excitement when they broke out “Effington,” but pulled back again with “I’m Not the Man.”
We got a couple Ben Folds Five classics with “Mess” and “Evaporated,” which enveloped another yMusic showcase on “Music in Circles.”
The excitement shot up, though, when the musicians dove into “Song for the Dumped,” and the vibe of the show only surged from there. A seven-minute “Steven’s Last Night in Town” featured outstanding drum and bass clarinet solos. Turns out there's a studio recording of the version on YouTube. Watch ...
Here’s excerpts from a review in The Kansas City Star to say what I haven’t already …
Which brings me to, for me, the highlight of the night. Almost from the beginning of the show, I found myself enthralled with the backing vocals provided by the yMusic members – especially Sopp, whose harmonies blended oh-so-beautifully with Ben on a majority of the songs. And all the while I kept thinking, They have GOT to do “You Don’t Know Me.”
Just when I had started to doubt whether it would happen, they performed it, with Ben and Alex doing the back-and-forth of an arguing couple – and the crowd shouting “Say it!” It was glorious.
The encore ensued, and I had become so swallowed in the show that it never occurred to me the group would play the crowd participation standards “Army” and “The Ascent of Stan.” They did, and those were glorious, too. The crowd, which never stood during the first set, was on its feet throughout the encore.
Here's “Army”...
I found it somewhat fitting that “Pomp and Circumstance” played on the auditorium speakers as the crowd exited.
As I drove through downtown and onto the highway, I found myself marveling again – this time at the skyline that had been illuminated with Royals blue and gold a few weeks ago and was now showing in red, white and blue in acknowledgement of the attacks in Paris.
I listened to the “So There” album on repeat all the way home.
Here’s the setlist …
1. Beautiful Mechanical
2. So There
3. Long Way To Go
4. Not a Fan
5. Effington
6. I'm Not the Man
7. Phone in a Pool
8. Rock This Bitch
9. Rock This Bitch, Part 2
10. Mess
11. Music in Circles
12. Evaporated
13. Yes Man
14. Erase Me
15. Song for the Dumped
16. Capable of Anything
17. Steven's Last Night In Town
18. You Don't Know Me
Encore
19. Army
20. The Ascent of Stan
As I rolled through my work day yesterday, still tired and a little overwhelmed by the recent weeks’ events, I had thoughts of whether I might finally be getting too old for this concert stuff.
By the end of the night. … Nah.
Ben Folds. That guy does not disappoint. As I headed toward Kansas City last night I couldn’t help but reflect on the previous 11 occasions I've seen him perform and marvel that no Ben Folds show – or Ben Folds Five show – I’ve attended has resembled the same feel or presentation as another. In fact, I’ve seen him play nine different venues in six cities. And even then, an argument could be made that I’ve seen him play 11 different venues – because I’ve seen him play three different stages in four trips to Summerfest.
From feeling the balcony tremble during a euphoric “Battle of Who Care Less” in Omaha’s Sokol Auditorium, to singing “There's Always Someone Cooler Than You” with an amazingly energetic Summerfest crowd, to the jaw-dropping night with the Kansas City Symphony, I have very distinct memories of each show.
Last night, I saw Ben play at Kansas City’s Uptown Theater. It was my second trip to that venue, having seeing the amazing Nickel Creek there last year.
My marveling transitioned from Ben Folds memories to the memories of just a couple weeks ago as I rolled into downtown Kansas City and drove past Union Station and the Liberty Memorial. I thought about all the people crammed on the lawn for the Royals World Championship celebration and got a kick as I drove down Broadway toward the theater and thought about the hundreds of thousands of people lining the street for the parade.
I pulled into the McDonald’s down the street from the theater to grab a bite to eat and take advantage of the wi-fi to do some work. ‘80s pop music blasted on the restaurant speakers, but I found some rare clarity and I was productive.
I headed to the theater around 6:45 p.m. and waited in line only a few minutes for the doors to open.
Quickly, I headed into auditorium to find my seat and then had some disappointment when I realized it was near the back, a few rows behind the sound booth. Unlike the general admission and open standing-room concept for Nickel Creek’s show, last night’s Ben Folds show was strictly a reserved seating affair. My ticket landed me in the permanent flip-down theater seats, and rows of folding chairs covered the floor on the orchestra level. I accepted it, taking solace in the array of environments I’ve seen Ben and feeling lucky just to be there. … The young couple who sat down behind me moments later didn’t share the sentiment. They proceeded to curse up a storm, and I gathered through their conversation that this was their second Ben Folds show, they thought they had second row seats on the floor until an usher moved them and the guy's mom bought the tickets for them. They even went so far as to contemplate whether they should ask for a refund. Youths.
This was my vantage point ...
The opening act was interesting. It was the Dutch singer/songwriter Dotan. He and his accomplice sat together at center stage, performed a handful of tunes and showed off some fine guitar strumming. The tenor of Dotan’s vocals reminded me a bit of The Shins, but more worldly -- and his stage presence reminded me of Yanni. On a couple songs he put down his guitar to beat a bass drum. … By the end of their set, all of it was sounding the same to me.
Ben Folds took the stage at 9, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. His new album is more adult contemporary than anything he’s done and a far cry from the power pop of his earlier days. I mean the guy broke on to the radio some 20 years ago with Ben Folds Five, playing so-called “punk rock for sissies.” And now he’s composing sweeping piano concertos and rebooting his hits with orchestra arrangements and fresh instrumental flourishes. He's a kind of Brian Wilson for my generation.
I downloaded his new album, “So There,” from iTunes the week it was released in September, but only had logged a few listens prior to last night. Let’s just say I’m far more appreciative of it now.
Ben collaborated and recorded the album with a six-person orchestra called yMusic. They were all there on stage with Ben last night. He played on an upright piano with the orchestra flanking him in a semicircle. A viola, violin and a cello to his right. Bass clarinet, flute/piccolo and trumpet/French horn to his left. A drummer took care of the percussion duties, sitting behind the trio on the left side. Together, they were eight enormously talented musicians doing their thing as if they were just practicing and experimenting in a studio – but with a few hundred people watching.
The six instrumentalists who form yMusic came out first and launched into a frenzied orchestra piece that immediately had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I kept waiting for it to turn into an exciting intro to a Ben Folds song, but that didn’t happen. For the time being, it was yMusic’s turn to shine and own the stage. The song was “Beautiful Mechanical.”
Ben appeared as the applause from the prelude died down and they started with “So There,” the title track from Ben’s new album. Next, during “Long Way To Go,” they performed a wave – the kind you see fans do at stadiums during baseball games.
As usual, Ben was snarky, profane and dropped bits of humor throughout the night. Before “I’m Not the Man,” he deadpanned in a single breath: “This song I wrote for a movie. It was rejected.”
And, as is the custom at his shows, he indulged the crowd with an improvised, on-the-spot rendition of what’s become known as “Rock This Bitch,” and he carried the symphony with him – just like he did that night at the Kauffman Center (Watch this to hear Ben tell the history of the song, and see his genius do its thing with yet another orchestra).
As if the crowd wasn’t satisfied with the first take, Ben took another stab, calling for “Rock This Bitch, Part 2,” a country blues ode to Kansas City.
For the most part, the first half of Ben’s set was a mild affair – for a Ben Folds concert at least – and largely met the mood I anticipated, given the vibe of the “So There” album. There was a flash of excitement when they broke out “Effington,” but pulled back again with “I’m Not the Man.”
We got a couple Ben Folds Five classics with “Mess” and “Evaporated,” which enveloped another yMusic showcase on “Music in Circles.”
The excitement shot up, though, when the musicians dove into “Song for the Dumped,” and the vibe of the show only surged from there. A seven-minute “Steven’s Last Night in Town” featured outstanding drum and bass clarinet solos. Turns out there's a studio recording of the version on YouTube. Watch ...
Here’s excerpts from a review in The Kansas City Star to say what I haven’t already …
Ben Folds has a fetish for orchestrating and conducting, and it was on full display Wednesday before a sold-out crowd at the Uptown Theater.
For nearly two hours, Folds led a dynamic six-piece chamber orchestra from New York called yMusic through his deep catalog and various rearrangements of some of his most beloved songs.
As with his most-recent performance in Kansas City at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, where the Kansas City Symphony supported him, Wednesday’s show revealed the dexterity, diversity and adaptability of Folds’ songwriting. But above and beyond all, the show introduced to Kansas City the high-octane precision and power of yMusic. …
(H)e began introducing his band members. The first of them was violinist Rob Moose, whose introduction instantly turned the Uptown into Kauffman Stadium, as if third baseman Mike Moustakas had just stepped up to the plate. Folds went with the display of affection, and for the rest of his introductions, he gave each band member a nickname and had the crowd cheer it back in unison.
Before “Phone in a Pool,” Folds told the story behind it: In New Orleans, in a fit of frustration, he tossed his BlackBerry into the deep end of a hotel pool. It was immediately retrieved by another of the hotel’s guests, the fully clothed pop singer Ke$ha,who advised him to pack it in rice. At the end of the song, he halted the orchestra not with a wave of his arm but by bellowing “Shut the (bleep) up!”
Throughout the show, yMusic was demonstrative and dynamic, sometimes too much so. During several songs, Folds’ voice ended up immersed in the tide of music swirling around him. He got some spot-on harmonies from Moose and Smith but most noticeably from Alex Sopp, who excelled on the flute and piccolo.
Which brings me to, for me, the highlight of the night. Almost from the beginning of the show, I found myself enthralled with the backing vocals provided by the yMusic members – especially Sopp, whose harmonies blended oh-so-beautifully with Ben on a majority of the songs. And all the while I kept thinking, They have GOT to do “You Don’t Know Me.”
Just when I had started to doubt whether it would happen, they performed it, with Ben and Alex doing the back-and-forth of an arguing couple – and the crowd shouting “Say it!” It was glorious.
The encore ensued, and I had become so swallowed in the show that it never occurred to me the group would play the crowd participation standards “Army” and “The Ascent of Stan.” They did, and those were glorious, too. The crowd, which never stood during the first set, was on its feet throughout the encore.
Here's “Army”...
I found it somewhat fitting that “Pomp and Circumstance” played on the auditorium speakers as the crowd exited.
As I drove through downtown and onto the highway, I found myself marveling again – this time at the skyline that had been illuminated with Royals blue and gold a few weeks ago and was now showing in red, white and blue in acknowledgement of the attacks in Paris.
I listened to the “So There” album on repeat all the way home.
Here’s the setlist …
1. Beautiful Mechanical
2. So There
3. Long Way To Go
4. Not a Fan
5. Effington
6. I'm Not the Man
7. Phone in a Pool
8. Rock This Bitch
9. Rock This Bitch, Part 2
10. Mess
11. Music in Circles
12. Evaporated
13. Yes Man
14. Erase Me
15. Song for the Dumped
16. Capable of Anything
17. Steven's Last Night In Town
18. You Don't Know Me
Encore
19. Army
20. The Ascent of Stan
7.29.2015
The Best of What's Next : The Hunts
Well, I was pleasantly surprised to scroll through my daily Paste email today and see The Hunts featured in "The Best of What's Next."
I saw The Hunts when they came to play a show at the university a few years ago. I was impressed then and bought their CD. A few of their songs get regular plays on my iPod ... But they came off then as a fun little family folk band that traveled the country with no inclination of going big.
Now here they are releasing a major label debut. And it sounds really good ...
I saw The Hunts when they came to play a show at the university a few years ago. I was impressed then and bought their CD. A few of their songs get regular plays on my iPod ... But they came off then as a fun little family folk band that traveled the country with no inclination of going big.
Now here they are releasing a major label debut. And it sounds really good ...
7.19.2015
OMI Soars With ‘Cheerleader’ Remix and Aims to Keep Riding High
Here it is, folks. This is my song of the summer.
This song came out of nowhere. Heck, it was initially released in 2012!
And this is my other favorite song of the summer. I'm really digging the stuff I hear from Echosmith.
The song has topped the worldwide charts of iTunes (No. 1 in 55 markets), Shazam (11.3 million identifications) and Spotify (300 million plays), and has more than 230 million combined views on YouTube. On Tuesday, as the song hit No. 1 in the United States.I like it far better than anything else I've heard this summer. (If I hear Jason Derulo's "Want to Want Me" or Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance" one more time ...)
This song came out of nowhere. Heck, it was initially released in 2012!
And this is my other favorite song of the summer. I'm really digging the stuff I hear from Echosmith.
7.06.2015
Throwing it back at Summerfest
The week of concert experiences that I just had is now history and will be impossible to top.
Mates of State and The New Pornographers last Sunday. The Weepies on Wednesday. And I capped it with Toad the Wet Sprocket last night to end Summerfest. Holy man.
In fact, last night was something of a 1990s extravaganza at Summerfest. Bookending Toad the Wet Sprocket were Tonic and Smash Mouth, all of whom are touring together this summer.
I saw Tonic during their heyday in 1998, and I liked enough of their songs that I was interested in seeing their 5 o’clock show last night. … It didn’t work out. The band was playing at the BMO Harris Pavilion, a newer stage on the grounds that I’m still trying to like, and it was swallowing their sound. The music was way too loud and indecipherable for my tastes, so I walked away after a few songs.
After grabbing a tasty burger and a glass of Mountain Dew at the stand for Miss Katie’s Diner – one of my favorite Summerfest dining spots – I headed to the Miller Lite Oasis to stake out a spot for Toad the Wet Sprocket. I found it in the third row, just left of center stage.
A short time later, Pet Engine took the stage. I gathered that they were a popular rock band playing the Milwaukee circuit during the 1990s and they provided a strong warm-up to Toad with their original alternative rock songs. Though they clearly had some longtime fans in the crowd, I think it’s safe to say the majority, including me, warmed up nicely to them by the end of their set. They threw in a rock cover of “Rainbow Connection” for good measure, too.
Funny thing about the crowd. Looking around, I got the sense that I had finally left the teenie bopper set behind this year and was proud to be in the mix with an older, more mature crowd that knew good music. The crowd was filled with people around my age through Baby Boomers – and it was that way at all the other shows I attended during the last week, too. … Heck, the guys in Pet Engine could have been the men in the Dad Life video. That, and they had a guy playing guitar who could easily have passed for Phil Dunphy.
At 8 p.m., it was Toad the Wet Sprocket’s turn. Going in, I had no idea of what to expect.
Toad the Wet Sprocket was one of the defining bands of my youth. I got hooked by hearing their songs on the radio during the mid 90s, and I fell hard for them when my girlfriend at the time loaned me her copy of "Dulcinea." I asked for the album that Christmas and got two copies of it. ... I added "Fear" to my music library shortly after that, and the rest of their albums in later years (Here's a good read about the making of "Fear."). ... I was crushed when I learned of their break-up in 1998 – and Ben Folds Five, the only other band I truly cared about around that time, did the same a short time later.
The one and only time I saw them was at H.O.R.D.E. Fest during the summer 1998 and their performance is a blur to me. As I remember it, their set was unfairly brief, and me and my buddies were positioned far beyond the stage in the lawn section where people laid out blankets to sit on. I couldn’t even tell you what songs they played that day. …
Toad was largely dead for the better part of the 2000s. Do they still have it? I wondered.
The answer is a whole-hearted yes, and it was worth every bit of the three-hour drive from The Farm and fighting post-Fourth of July traffic to get there. … While I was on cloud nine Wednesday night just having a chance to see The Weepies, and that was a great performance, I have to hand it to Toad as the most enjoyable performance of the week.
Kicking off their set with “Good Intentions,” all of the elements just sounded … right.
Glen Phillips’ voice hasn’t aged, and the band sounded every bit as fantastic as when I listened to them on the radio and my CDs throughout the late 90s. Mixing in a few newer songs – which sounded as great and fit in well with the old stuff – they started to get the crowd going with “Come Down” and “Stupid.”
Then they really hit a groove with a run of old fan favorites, starting with “Way Away” and “Is It For Me.”
“Crazy Life” sounded great with the crowd singing along at its loudest to that point. Next, a fast-paced “Nanci.” ...
Then they closed out “Brother” and “Nightingale Song” with extended jams, featuring a mandolin solo on the latter. And from there they rolled right into “All I Want” and “Fall Down,” wasting almost no time between the two. “All I Want” really got the crowd singing, too.
I was so wrapped up in the music and atmosphere that I had completely forgotten about “Walk On the Ocean.” It, too, was excellent and included an extended jam.
By the time, Toad left the stage, the clock was pushing 9:15, but the crowd was hooked and wanted more. A chant of “Toad, Toad, Toad, Toad …” erupted and after a couple minutes the band members returned to the stage, looking humbled but excited to play another song. By then, though, the tech crew was already setting the stage for Smash Mouth, who were due to come on at 10.
The discussion that ensued between Toad and the crew was like watching baseball players debate an out call with a crew of umpires. But Toad won out and Glen Phillips signaled to the crowd with his finger that the band could play one more song ... Even then, the crew had already turned off their mics and it took what seemed like a couple more minutes to get them back on. When they did, the band started into their encore song, but the mics weren’t turned loud enough and the vocals couldn’t be heard. Several people in the crowd began signaling the sound booth to turn up the mics, and when they did – already halfway through the song – the crowd erupted in a loud cheer.
It was such a crazy few minutes that I couldn't make out the last song.
Here's the spot-on review of the show from OnMilwaukee ... and aha! The encore song was a cover of David Bowie's “Ziggy Stardust.”
1. Good intentions
2. Whatever I Fear
3. Something’s Always Wrong
4. New Constellation
5. California Wasted
6. Come Down
7. I’ll Bet On You
8. Stupid
9. Architect Of The Ruin
10. Way Away
11. Is It For Me
12. Crazy Life
13. Nanci
14. Brother
15. Nightingale Song
16. All I Want
17. Fall Down
18. Walk On the Ocean
Encore
19. Ziggy Stardust
(Updated 09.02.2015) Here's a late-breaking video Glen-Phillips-at Summerfest interview posted to the Summerfest YouTube Channel ...
As for Smash Mouth, I can count the songs I know from them on one hand: “All-Star,” “Can’t Get Enough of You, Baby,” “Walkin on the Sun.” … Throughout the afternoon, I had been debating in my head whether to stay for their performance. Really, Toad the Wet Sprocket was who I came to see, and I would have been more than delighted to see them and leave.
But I had a change of heart when someone started tossing “Shrek” ears to the crowd, and I realized, Oh yeah, they had that cover of ‘I’m a Believer’ in the ‘Shrek’ movie, too. So I figured I’d stay, at least for a little bit.
Funny thing about that crowd again. When Toad the Wet Sprocket finished their set, the crowd changed completely. All of a sudden my 30-something-to-Baby-Boomer crowd had deserted me and I was surrounded by mostly rough-around-the-edges, cigarette-smoking, beer-nursing 20-somethings. They represented the immature, cutting-into-the-tiniest-spaces-on-the-benches teenie boppers I loathe at Summerfest. The crowd I thought I had finally gotten away from. … And I got the impression they were only there because they liked “All-Star” and hearing “I’m A Believer” – the Smash Mouth version they surely think is the original, which, kids, is not even The Monkees, but Neil Diamond! – on “Shrek” when they were 10 years old.
As the kid next to me predicted, they opened with “Can’t Get Enough of You, Baby,” and it sounded decent. But, oh were they loud. … I endured a couple more songs – that I didn’t recognize – before jumping from my spot on the bench and vacating the area. As I walked away, I thought I heard “Everyday Superhero,” which sounded all right, and “Then The Morning Comes,” which I really enjoyed in its day. ... As I got closer to my car I could hear them across the parking lot playing “Why Can’t We Be Friends.” Oh yeah, I realized, they covered that one for a modest hit, too.
I really should have left when Toad the Wet Sprocket finished.
And gone to see Kansas instead. Here's there's performance of “Dust in the Wind.”
Adding to my annoyance, I was craving a Taco Bell fix and found the closest location. But when I pulled up to the drive-thru, the cashier told me the restaurant wasn’t serving food because its sewer was backed up. Lovely.
So I headed for the McDonald’s down the street. But their was no microphone in sight to place my order at the drive-thru. When I pulled up to the window, thinking I could place my order there, the girl I saw through the window ignored me.
Finally, I found a Taco Bell two more miles across town. I decided to pull up even though the line of cars in the drive-thru nearly extended beyond the parking lot. I was able to place my order soon enough, but then the line slowed to a snail’s pace. It took me almost an hour – an hour! – to get my food, as part of the search that started more than 90 minutes earlier just to fix a little Taco Bell craving. The struggle was real.
At least Toad the Wet Sprocket rocked.
Mates of State and The New Pornographers last Sunday. The Weepies on Wednesday. And I capped it with Toad the Wet Sprocket last night to end Summerfest. Holy man.
In fact, last night was something of a 1990s extravaganza at Summerfest. Bookending Toad the Wet Sprocket were Tonic and Smash Mouth, all of whom are touring together this summer.
I saw Tonic during their heyday in 1998, and I liked enough of their songs that I was interested in seeing their 5 o’clock show last night. … It didn’t work out. The band was playing at the BMO Harris Pavilion, a newer stage on the grounds that I’m still trying to like, and it was swallowing their sound. The music was way too loud and indecipherable for my tastes, so I walked away after a few songs.
After grabbing a tasty burger and a glass of Mountain Dew at the stand for Miss Katie’s Diner – one of my favorite Summerfest dining spots – I headed to the Miller Lite Oasis to stake out a spot for Toad the Wet Sprocket. I found it in the third row, just left of center stage.
A short time later, Pet Engine took the stage. I gathered that they were a popular rock band playing the Milwaukee circuit during the 1990s and they provided a strong warm-up to Toad with their original alternative rock songs. Though they clearly had some longtime fans in the crowd, I think it’s safe to say the majority, including me, warmed up nicely to them by the end of their set. They threw in a rock cover of “Rainbow Connection” for good measure, too.
Funny thing about the crowd. Looking around, I got the sense that I had finally left the teenie bopper set behind this year and was proud to be in the mix with an older, more mature crowd that knew good music. The crowd was filled with people around my age through Baby Boomers – and it was that way at all the other shows I attended during the last week, too. … Heck, the guys in Pet Engine could have been the men in the Dad Life video. That, and they had a guy playing guitar who could easily have passed for Phil Dunphy.
At 8 p.m., it was Toad the Wet Sprocket’s turn. Going in, I had no idea of what to expect.
Toad the Wet Sprocket was one of the defining bands of my youth. I got hooked by hearing their songs on the radio during the mid 90s, and I fell hard for them when my girlfriend at the time loaned me her copy of "Dulcinea." I asked for the album that Christmas and got two copies of it. ... I added "Fear" to my music library shortly after that, and the rest of their albums in later years (Here's a good read about the making of "Fear."). ... I was crushed when I learned of their break-up in 1998 – and Ben Folds Five, the only other band I truly cared about around that time, did the same a short time later.
The one and only time I saw them was at H.O.R.D.E. Fest during the summer 1998 and their performance is a blur to me. As I remember it, their set was unfairly brief, and me and my buddies were positioned far beyond the stage in the lawn section where people laid out blankets to sit on. I couldn’t even tell you what songs they played that day. …
Toad was largely dead for the better part of the 2000s. Do they still have it? I wondered.
The answer is a whole-hearted yes, and it was worth every bit of the three-hour drive from The Farm and fighting post-Fourth of July traffic to get there. … While I was on cloud nine Wednesday night just having a chance to see The Weepies, and that was a great performance, I have to hand it to Toad as the most enjoyable performance of the week.
Kicking off their set with “Good Intentions,” all of the elements just sounded … right.
Glen Phillips’ voice hasn’t aged, and the band sounded every bit as fantastic as when I listened to them on the radio and my CDs throughout the late 90s. Mixing in a few newer songs – which sounded as great and fit in well with the old stuff – they started to get the crowd going with “Come Down” and “Stupid.”
Then they really hit a groove with a run of old fan favorites, starting with “Way Away” and “Is It For Me.”
“Crazy Life” sounded great with the crowd singing along at its loudest to that point. Next, a fast-paced “Nanci.” ...
Then they closed out “Brother” and “Nightingale Song” with extended jams, featuring a mandolin solo on the latter. And from there they rolled right into “All I Want” and “Fall Down,” wasting almost no time between the two. “All I Want” really got the crowd singing, too.
I was so wrapped up in the music and atmosphere that I had completely forgotten about “Walk On the Ocean.” It, too, was excellent and included an extended jam.
By the time, Toad left the stage, the clock was pushing 9:15, but the crowd was hooked and wanted more. A chant of “Toad, Toad, Toad, Toad …” erupted and after a couple minutes the band members returned to the stage, looking humbled but excited to play another song. By then, though, the tech crew was already setting the stage for Smash Mouth, who were due to come on at 10.
The discussion that ensued between Toad and the crew was like watching baseball players debate an out call with a crew of umpires. But Toad won out and Glen Phillips signaled to the crowd with his finger that the band could play one more song ... Even then, the crew had already turned off their mics and it took what seemed like a couple more minutes to get them back on. When they did, the band started into their encore song, but the mics weren’t turned loud enough and the vocals couldn’t be heard. Several people in the crowd began signaling the sound booth to turn up the mics, and when they did – already halfway through the song – the crowd erupted in a loud cheer.
It was such a crazy few minutes that I couldn't make out the last song.
Here's the spot-on review of the show from OnMilwaukee ... and aha! The encore song was a cover of David Bowie's “Ziggy Stardust.”
The band, featuring Glen Phillips on lead vocals and guitar, Dean Dinning on bass and vocals, Todd Nichols on lead guitar and vocals, and Randy Guss on the drums, was a straight up, no BS, rock/pop show with a characteristic absence of glitz and glamor.
The setlistThe crowd was made up of a combination of die-hard fans -- many of which knew all the words to the songs -- and a good showing of Smash Mouth fans, many donning green faces and Shrek-eared headbands.
1. Good intentions
2. Whatever I Fear
3. Something’s Always Wrong
4. New Constellation
5. California Wasted
6. Come Down
7. I’ll Bet On You
8. Stupid
9. Architect Of The Ruin
10. Way Away
11. Is It For Me
12. Crazy Life
13. Nanci
14. Brother
15. Nightingale Song
16. All I Want
17. Fall Down
18. Walk On the Ocean
Encore
19. Ziggy Stardust
(Updated 09.02.2015) Here's a late-breaking video Glen-Phillips-at Summerfest interview posted to the Summerfest YouTube Channel ...
As for Smash Mouth, I can count the songs I know from them on one hand: “All-Star,” “Can’t Get Enough of You, Baby,” “Walkin on the Sun.” … Throughout the afternoon, I had been debating in my head whether to stay for their performance. Really, Toad the Wet Sprocket was who I came to see, and I would have been more than delighted to see them and leave.
But I had a change of heart when someone started tossing “Shrek” ears to the crowd, and I realized, Oh yeah, they had that cover of ‘I’m a Believer’ in the ‘Shrek’ movie, too. So I figured I’d stay, at least for a little bit.
Funny thing about that crowd again. When Toad the Wet Sprocket finished their set, the crowd changed completely. All of a sudden my 30-something-to-Baby-Boomer crowd had deserted me and I was surrounded by mostly rough-around-the-edges, cigarette-smoking, beer-nursing 20-somethings. They represented the immature, cutting-into-the-tiniest-spaces-on-the-benches teenie boppers I loathe at Summerfest. The crowd I thought I had finally gotten away from. … And I got the impression they were only there because they liked “All-Star” and hearing “I’m A Believer” – the Smash Mouth version they surely think is the original, which, kids, is not even The Monkees, but Neil Diamond! – on “Shrek” when they were 10 years old.
As the kid next to me predicted, they opened with “Can’t Get Enough of You, Baby,” and it sounded decent. But, oh were they loud. … I endured a couple more songs – that I didn’t recognize – before jumping from my spot on the bench and vacating the area. As I walked away, I thought I heard “Everyday Superhero,” which sounded all right, and “Then The Morning Comes,” which I really enjoyed in its day. ... As I got closer to my car I could hear them across the parking lot playing “Why Can’t We Be Friends.” Oh yeah, I realized, they covered that one for a modest hit, too.
I really should have left when Toad the Wet Sprocket finished.
And gone to see Kansas instead. Here's there's performance of “Dust in the Wind.”
Adding to my annoyance, I was craving a Taco Bell fix and found the closest location. But when I pulled up to the drive-thru, the cashier told me the restaurant wasn’t serving food because its sewer was backed up. Lovely.
So I headed for the McDonald’s down the street. But their was no microphone in sight to place my order at the drive-thru. When I pulled up to the window, thinking I could place my order there, the girl I saw through the window ignored me.
Finally, I found a Taco Bell two more miles across town. I decided to pull up even though the line of cars in the drive-thru nearly extended beyond the parking lot. I was able to place my order soon enough, but then the line slowed to a snail’s pace. It took me almost an hour – an hour! – to get my food, as part of the search that started more than 90 minutes earlier just to fix a little Taco Bell craving. The struggle was real.
At least Toad the Wet Sprocket rocked.
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