Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Concert Scene 2011: Elvis Costello & The Imposters: The Revolver Tour

Not since I hit the 3 of clubs and won a Kiss mirror at the Jersey Shore have I been so excited about a giant spinning wheel. Only this one was loaded with Elvis Costello hits and rarities - the latest in a series of gimmicks that has helped me justify buying concert tickets for acts I've seen multiple times (e.g. Ray Davies and his back-up choir + Steely Dan's Internet request night.)

What Elvis's "Spectacular Spinning Songbook" did was add a fun, campy vibe to the playlist, as Costello played sideshow barker and beckoned fans up on stage for a spin. About 7 or 8 lucky fans were invited up during the evening. After their spin determined how we would spend the next 5 minutes, they were served a cocktail and coaxed into doing their best shimmy in the go-go cage. Of course, the one show where I wanted to be called up on stage, Elvis's finger of chance never pointed to the second to last row of the balcony. Go figure.



















Lucky spins resulted in my highlights of the night: "Watching the Detectives" and "Oliver's Army." And the fix was on to ensure that "Alison" made an appearance. Songs that were suspiciously missing from the wheel of chance were reserved for multiple encores, such as "Pump it Up" and "Angels Want to Wear My Red Shoes." Of course, we couldn't escape without hearing "Peace, Love + Understanding," or as I like to sing, "What's so great about this song, I'm not understanding."

Elvis is a true showman who loves to include friends + family in his show. He brought his younger brother, Rowan McManus, out for 2 songs (what a voice on that guy!) And drummer Paul Thomas' daughter, Tennessee Thomas, came out to add some extra percussion to the louder hits of the evening. There was also an obligatory visit from Diana Krall that Dave enjoyed a bit too much.

All in all, Elvis rocked when we could hear his voice, which was too often drowned out by the keyboards (there was some BAD mixing going on there, Beacon staff) + theremin (although any band that tours with a theremin earns bonus points in our book.)

Predictably, our fun evening came to a close at home with us listening to the songs we didn't hear, such as "Veronica", "Beyond Belief", "Shabby Doll" and "Green Shirt." And I'm sure today will be spent on Pandora for the next 8 hours to hear more hits and rarities.

Next up: my boy, Roger Daltrey, playing 'Tommy' at the Prudential Center!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Concert Scene 2011: Elton John

There are now 9 blocks between me and Madison Square Garden and I'm still not sure how I'm feeling about tonight's Elton John concert.

The show started strong, with a piano-driven set straight from the 70s that included some of my favorites: "Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding," "Levon," and "Philadelphia Freedom." But it quickly became apparent that Elton was compensating for what he has lost vocally with painfully long piano solos. "Rocket Man" clocking in at 15 minutes, really??




















There are 2 things I love about concerts featuring senior citizens:

1) They usually don't have an opening act because they want to get home before midnight just as much as I do.

2) They are wise enough to know we really don't care about their new body of work.

Well, Elton forgot #2 and spent an hour playing his new duets with Leon Russell. Now, Leon seems like a nice rock and roll hall of famer, but that is an hour of my life I'll never get back that could have been filled with "I'm Still Standing" and "Pinball Wizard." And just to prove that he knows everyone in the music biz, Greg Allman was dragged out to sing along with them.

The show ended strong with the usual string of hits, such as "Your Song" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." Never my favorites, but it was a thrill to see a rock legend still enjoying what he does so thoroughly. And Elton was kind enough to skip his body of work from the 90s, so that was a plus. Something tells me that when Ruffo and I recall tonight, we will remember the laughs we had at our fellow fans' expense more than the music.

Next up: Elvis Costello @ The Beacon

Saturday, March 12, 2011

The Concert Scene

When you have forgotten seeing a legend such as Paul Simon in concert, it's time to piece together a list of the concerts you've seen, before other music memories (good, bad + cheesy) fade away.
  • ABC - midnight show on Long Island, compliments of Greg Markowitz
  • Bryan Adams - Brendan Byrne Arena
  • Air Supply (2x) - BB King's + Nokia Theatre
  • The Allman Brothers (2x) - PNC Arts Center
  • America - Bergen PAC
  • B-52s - Radio City
  • Beck - Beacon Theatre - (opening act: The Flaming Lips)
  • Bjorn Again - Irving Plaza - supposedly the next best thing to seeing ABBA live
  • Blind Melon - Rutgers University
  • Blondie - Nokia Theatre - a spontaneous evening of BBQ + music w/ Caryn Dubelko
  • Boston - PNC Arts Center
  • Jimmy Buffett - Brendan Byrne Arena
  • David Bowie (5x) - Roseland, MSG, Jones Beach, Beacon Theatre, Radio City
  • Eric Burdon & The Animals - BB King's
  • David Byrne - Royal Festival Hall, London
  • Natalie Cole - Bergen PAC
  • Phil Collins - MSG
  • Elvis Costell0 (2x) - Mix Fest '98, Boston, MA while visiting Nisha Raghavan in law school + Beacon Theatre w/ Dave
  • Cream - MSG - scored some scalped tix for this reunion show
  • Sheryl Crow - Shepherds Bush
  • Culture Club - PNC Arts Center
  • Roger Daltrey - Prudential Center, performing 'Tommy' in its entirety
  • Ray Davies (2x) - Beacon Theatre, Town Hall
  • Depeche Mode (4x) - Giants Stadium, MSG (opening act: The The)
  • Neil Diamond - MSG
  • Donovan - Royal Festival Hall
  • The Doobie Brothers - PNC Arts Center
  • Dread Zeppelin - House of Blues, New Orleans, LA
  • Duran Duran (3x) - PNC Arts Center (opening act: Terence Trent D'Arby), Radio City (opening act: James)
  • The Eagles - Brendan Byrne Arena
  • Echo & The Bunnymen (2x) - Irving Plaza, Radio City, both times w/ Deborah Schkolne
  • John Entwhistle (2x) - BB King's, Irving Plaza
  • Erasure - Hammerstein Ballroom
  • The Eurythmics - MSG
  • Fleetwood Mac - Brendan Byrne Arena
  • Philip Glass - Bergen PAC
  • Hall & Oates - State Theatre, New Brunswick
  • Human League - PNC Arts Center
  • Huey Lewis - Bergen PAC - I think he left 'The News' at home
  • The Indigo Girls - Rutgers University
  • Bryan Ferry (4x) - Kenwood House, London + Beacon Theatre x 3
  • Franz Ferdinand - Roseland Ballroom - a dream come true for Jihan Crowther and me
  • Peter Gabriel (3x) - Brendan Byrne Arena x 2, Radio City w/ Janet Abrams
  • Dave Gahan - Hammersmith Apollo, London
  • Genesis - MSG - VIP suite, compliments of Lauren Ruffo + Instinet
  • Gods of Fire - Arlene's Grocery - to watch Nisha writhe on stage
  • Don Henley - PNC Arts Center
  • Chris Isaak - PNC Arts Center
  • Janet Jackson - MSG
  • Lisa Jackson & Girl Friday (2x) - Arlene's Grocery + somewhere in Brooklyn
  • Billy Joel (5x) - MSG x 3, Nassau Coliseum, Giants Stadium
  • Elton John - MSG x 2
  • Howard Jones - PNC Arts Center
  • Human League - PNC Arts Center
  • Meat Loaf - MSG
  • John Cougar Mellencamp - Brendan Byrne Arena
  • George Michael - MSG - tix for this one were over $200!!
  • Howard Jones - PNC Arts Center
  • Keane - Irving Plaza
  • Liberace - Radio City
  • Little River Band - NJ State Fair
  • Live - Rutgers University
  • Sarah McLachlan - Beacon Theatre w/ Karen Seiferheld
  • Madonna - MSG
  • Barry Manilow (2x) - PNC Arts Center, Radio City
  • Bette Midler - Radio City
  • Steve Miller Band - PNC Arts Center
  • Liza Minelli - The Palace Theatre
  • NIN - Brendan Byrne Arena - double bill w/ Bowie
  • Gary Numan - Irving Plaza
  • Pet Shop Boys - Hammerstein Ballroom
  • Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Brendan Byrne Arena
  • The Police - MSG - great reunion show
  • The Pretenders - Radio City
  • The Artist formerly known as Prince - MSG - (opening act: Chaka Khan)
  • REM - MSG, with a cameo by Jeff Lynne
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers - Brendan Byrne Arena
  • The Rolling Stones - Giants Stadium - (opening act: The Pretenders)
  • Roxy Music (2x) - Theatre @ MSG (opening act: Rufus Wainwright), Beacon Theatre
  • Scissor Sisters - Hammerstein Ballroom
  • Paul Simon - PNC Arts Center
  • Spinal Tap (2x) - Carnegie Hall, Beacon Theatre
  • Steely Dan (2x) - Beacon Theatre, PNC Arts Center
  • Rod Stewart - MSG
  • The Stills - Glasgow, Scotland
  • Sting - PNC Arts Center
  • Tears for Fears - Beacon Theatre
  • Tanya Tucker - Sussex County VoTech
  • Van Halen - Brendan Byrne Arena
  • Rufus Wainwright - Royal Festival Hall, London
  • Dionne Warwick - Mohegan Sun
  • The Who (6x) - Royal Albert Hall, PNC Arts Center x 2 (opening act: Robert Plant), MSG x 2, Brendan Byrne Arena (performing 'Quadrophenia' in its entirety)
  • Paul Weller (2x) - Town Hall
  • Brian Wilson - PNC Arts Center
  • Neil Young - Theatre @ MSG