Concerts thread: Best/Worst/Next/Last one you attended?

This, obviously, doesn't really count, but the CCR doc on Netflix.

Holy Fuck. Royal Albert, 1970. They played "Fortunate Son" like a punk song. In 1970. Amazing. And everything else.

Go. Now.

Keep on chooglin, y'all.

 

Damn, I need to see Gaslight soon. YouTube can only go so far.

 

Not that it really needs my endorsement - nor a Broadway specific thread - but Hamilton lives up to the hype and more. So well done, didn't realize how much dancing was in it - probably the most dancing I've seen in a Broadway show in decades. And it seems dumb to talk about the lighting and staging, but it really added to it as well. Being a history nerd, I was all up in it.

 

We were so fortunate to see it when we did, and even more fortunate to have bought tickets when we did - seven months in advance of the show we saw, and about a month before the 60 Minutes piece aired as it was morphing into a phenomenon. I'm grateful that, even though we were in the balcony, to have been able to bring my daughter and wife to see the original cast in 2016. (I swear Daveed Diggs floated across stage, and Renee Elise Goldsberry was beyond incredible.) That's a moment we'll never forget.

 

I didn't realize they currently have three national tours running, plus a London production, and probably a couple more elsewhere. And while I know Broadway has become more "colorblind" when it comes to casting - it's nice to see so many actors of a all stripes get the chance to perform in big roles in a top show. One other note, it seems like big-time productions really cut down on "the bows" at the end. Maybe I've seen too many local shows where everyone seems to come out and get their little "moment" - but with Hamiltion the cast just stood on stage - the leads walked up joined hands bowed, pointed to the pit - and that was it.

 

Dead & Company just announced 2023 will be their final tour. Those tickets are going to be insanely expensive.

 

The Eagles were who we thought they were. A perfectly polished, professional no frills show covering all the bases. (Though I would have rather have heard a deep cut like "James Dean" than "Funk 49", one of three non-Eagles songs Joe Walsh did.) Vince Gill did a fine version of "Lyin' Eyes" but was definitely a long way from Glenn Frey on "Heartache Tonight". We got Deacon Frey for three songs which was pretty cool.

The missus and I saw Canucksiatni rock legend Tom Cochrane at our local theatre on Thursday night. I had interviewed him in 1987 but had never seen him. First half was acoustic, second half with a solid three-piece band. He's a long way from his best day but he sent an older crowd - we're in our late-60s and felt young! - home happy with a couple hours of greatest hits.

 

Saw the Outlaw Music Festival in Mansfield, Mass., last week. Got there in time to see bluegrass rocker Billy Strings (solid), Avett Brothers (uptempo numbers were fantastic, slower songs were boring. Very talented but their shtick kind of wore thin after a while) and Willie Nelson (the reason I went -- a national treasure who won't be around forever). Glad I went.

 

Rewatching this now, I'm reminded how genuine and forthright Brian Fallon can seem to be. This livestream of "Get Hurt" from last year is so intimate, lovely and heartfelt. "Get Hurt" never got the best reviews, but I think it has aged well over the years, and sure as hell still speaks to me. This moves me to tears at times.

Any fan of Gaslight might like this. Cheers.

 

One of my great in hindsight relistens was “Get Hurt” during the pandemic. It was an album I bought, was indifferent to and forgot.

It was released at a musical moment where that downcast, angsty, guitar-driven rock was completely out of step. As the zeitgeist (and my own taste) comes back around to guitars, I think it will be more fondly remembered. It is by me, at least.

 

I remember feeling the same way when it came out. (I did fall hard for Stray Paper and Red Violins right away, though.) Fallon mentions it in the at-home show linked here (don't know why I said last year; I think it was uploaded then because it was very clearly during the shutdown), that yes, it was written during his divorce, but also that "a lot of other stuff was going on." They went on hiatus right after this tour if I remember correctly, so it must have been a hard time in the band. I remember seeing that show, and was struck by how little patter there was from Brian. He's a great, GREAT talker through GA shows (there's a great early video of "We Came to Dance" where he lays out that the song is about them being a nerdy house band and not the cool kids), and there was none of that on this tour. They played, played well, did one encore and left. During "American Slang" and "Handwritten" tours, you could find Brian hanging out talking to fans by the bus after shows. Not this time.

This was enjoyable to hear these songs this way, with the stories. And now, with time, I like that I can feel the obvious hurt throughout the record. It's real and isn't forced.

 

Los Lobos and The Mavericks are coming to town soon. I like both bands but I don’t go deep on their catalogues. Tickets will be north of $150 and I’d be going alone, so it looks like I’ll hold off.