Geetarz

Help a Guy Out ...

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:21:00 +0000

Today I awoke to the news (big shocker) that Michael Vick has been signed to the Philadelphia Eagles.

This guy is a scumbag, and a thug, who electrocuted dogs with jumper cables and drowned them. And because he can THROW A BALL everything else is irrelevant.

We talk about how important sports are to kids, and how these people aren't just athletes, but role models embodying the values of teamwork, and discipline, and hard work.

Michael Vick is an example only that if you show some ability, you can do whatever you want and still become a millionaire athlete.

If you are so inclined, please send this to everyone you know. Let's help the integrity-challenged Philadelphia Eagles do something positive, instead of something negative. Let's help them to be better, by letting them know that actions count!

You can call, or write, or ... I mailed a can of dog food to the team at:

Philadelphia Eagles
NovaCare Complex
One NovaCare Way
Philadelphia, PA 19145

If you're so inclined, you can also phone them at:

Philadelphia Eagles Football Club
General Information: 215-463-2500

There's no reason why Michael Vick can't, since his "rehabilitation", do something besides football. Maybe - just maybe - he can live a normal life, with a normal wage, and be a normal person - is that option so bad?

A Park Hat-Trick

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:16:00 +0000

Here we are at the Meadowlands, again. Not on stage, this time (you can't get VIP treatment every time!). But the old Park magic worked as usual, and on the morning of the show we scored Front Row tickets in the section diagonally off the stage at about the (floor) 7th row. Not too bad.

Oh, and the event? The kick-off of the 2009 Clapton / Winwood tour of course!

The show was fantastic, there is something about these two performers, in that each of them brings out the best in the other. Not in the Jack-Wants-to-Kill-Ginger-Maybe-I'll-Distract-Them-By-Playing-My-Ass-Off manner, but more in the Mutual Respect manner. In 2001 ol' Clappers was talking retirement, and clearly bored with playing, who would have guessed we would have this amazing resurgence from 2003 onward?

Of course, this was a special event in another way ... since I had met Miss Macpai almost exactly a year to the day earlier, at the Clapton concert at Jones Beach, on Long Island. So I proposed ... and on bended knee, at that. Happily, she accepted (not excepted), but not before some jerk pushed me over trying to get out to his car so he could wait in traffic!

After a day's rest, off we went for the 6 hour drive to the Three Rivers Festival in Pittsburgh. There for a while we were worried that we might have to fly to Europe to see one of our favorite performers, Dana Fuchs, and her crack guitar playing partner, Jon Diamond, since the fans in Europe are far more appreciative of REAL music than many people in the U.S. But the time and place were right, and our travel was rewarded with a hot set of rock, blues, gospel, country, and rockabilly, all neatly included in Dana's originals.

After getting to talk to Dana and Jon (two of the Nicest People in the Music Business), and making some new friends in the crowd, next we were treated to the exuberant energy of the always-incredible Robert Randolph and the Family Band, with a pleasant surprise, the also-incredible Aubrey Ghent on steel guitar as well!

How the heck do you follow Clapton, Winwood, Dana, and Robert ... an an engagement? Do you go home and call it a weekend? Heck no! You drive another 6 hours from Pittsburgh to Atlantic City, for one last 2009 Fleetwood Mac show!

At least .... that's the way WE roll !

A Fleet-ing Week-end

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Memorial Day Weekend is also "Fleet Week" in New York. We started off at a street fair, surfing the tables of wares and food, and getting a decent case of sunburn as summer began in earnest!

From there I made my way to somewhere I've wanted to go for years, but never seemed to find the time ... the USS Intrepid Museum, recently renovated and returned to her new berth on the Hudson River at 46th Street. The wait was long (over an hour), but passing the time with the river breeze blowing on a pretty day wasn't exactly an unpleasant chore.

The museum is chock full of exhibits, and it's fun to romp around an aircraft carrier. I was 6 years old the last time I was on a carrier, and at the time the klaxon that accompanies the deck elevator scared the jeepers out of me and caused a screaming fit. Finally, I was able to face my fears, and conquer the elevator, 36 years later!

Admission also includes entrance to a submarine, and perhaps best of all, one of the most beautiful machines ever designed and built, the Concorde:

Alas, it was all over too soon ... until next Memorial Day !

Crashing 100,000

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:46:00 +0000

No, not the Dow Jones Index.

I've sort of wondered, "how many songs can you cram into iTunes?".

A barrier broken ... over 100,000 songs now!

It remains to be seen how full is too full!

Fluffin' It Up

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:39:00 +0000

Here we are back at the Highline Ballroom, in the queue (though none of us is named "Mabel") waiting to gain entry up the winding staircase. As a group pushes their way up the stairs, we hear the query "can we Squeeze by?" and who passes us on the stairs but ex-Squeeze frontman Glenn Tilbrook, who we're here to see! Sort of like a groom seeing a bride before the wedding, it's a little disconcerting to see the artists before the show.

The opening act was a New York band called the Spring Standards, and spring, indeed, as they brought a musical fresh breeze with them. In a somewhat unique arrangement, there was no drummer, and instead each performer had 1/3 of the drum kit. But just like in a late night infomercial "but wait ... there's more!". The artists regularly switch and trade instruments, so everyone gets to play just about everything. As is our wont, we quickly navigated our way to the front and claimed a space leaning on the stage in front of the leftmost microphone stand, and were treated to a fun but too-short set of originals and classics. Glenn himself came out during the last song, "Little Bug", which quickly devolved into a spirited reworking of The Who's "My Generation":

I must admit I went into this show with a few reservations. I don't particularly like Squeeze. Well, no, that's sugar coating it. I find it to be the worst type of '70s and '80s Synth pop, which I am glad died as a musical force. So with my mental barrier set so low, I was unprepared for what a great band the Fluffers are, and what a musically dense experience this would be. Glenn Tilbrook has to be one of the single most at-ease and comfortable performers I have ever seen, and he's not only one heck of a guitar player but a totally engaging stage presence. The band careened through a set of classics and with many artists, the most dreaded thing you can hear is "this is from my new album", but in this case the new stuff is better than the old, especially the unforgettable 'Still'.

The thing I really can't figure out why anyone with the formidable guitar skills of someone like Glenn Tilbrook would downplay them, which he clearly did on the new album, "Pandemonium Ensues". It's decent, but over-produced. The live show is anything bu, and little did we know that the real pandemonium was on its way, as the Spring Standards repaid the favor with a visit to the stage for the encore, a cover of Lipps Incorporated's "Funkytown". There's no way to describe it in words, video will just have to do:

I was able to tell Glenn, later, that (1) that he and the Fluffers should release a live album / dvd and (2) I have the perfect name: "Pandemonium Ensued". He laughed heartily ... it remains to be seen if it will be seen !

On Stage With Fleetwood Mac (Surreal)

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:21:00 +0000

"How do you follow THAT? ... (pause) ... "Play another song!" - Pete Townshend

So how do you follow Eric Clapton sitting in with the Allman Brothers?

Simple ... you go to the next gig and see what happens!

The next night found us out at the Meadowlands for our second-of-three Fleetwood Mac shows of the 2009 tour ... but with a difference. As a surprise, Miss Macpai had won a charity auction that included killer seats (more about that soon) and "VIP Access". We knew in advance that we'd get to meet Mick Fleetwood, which I was eagerly anticipating. What I didn't know, was that instead of the nondescript backstage room I envisioned, we were ushered up onto the waiting stage past the rack of Lindsey's guitars (marked "Death Row" !). After years of going to gigs and trying to get a glimpse of what equipment is being used on stage, it's an almost surreal experience to simply ... walk over and look.

As many times as I've been in large venues, I've never been up on the stage, and it's amazing how unlike-you-think-it-is. For one thing ... the venue seems SMALL from up there. When the lights are up, you can make complete eye contact clear back to the soundboard - and beyond.

Mick was, as expected, hilarious and gracious and oh so verrrrrry English, in a nutty-old-uncle way. Of course once we were there I forgot to say what I had intended, namely "it's so cool to meet someone who was on Star Trek ... so how's the music thing working out as a second career?" so I instead concentrated on mortifying Miss Macpai with the suggestion to Mick that she didn't know much about the "real" (ie pre-1975) Fleetwood Mac. Mick caught my wink, but she didn't as she sputtered to defend herself, which he enjoyed as he was in on the joke.

After an all-too-short time with one of music's great drummers, I wandered back to where we had set our coats .. on Lindsey's pedal board. Yes, again that word "surreal" pops up. You spend all this time wondering what effects people use in concert, and the next thing you know, you're tripping over them.

The highlight of the trip up to the stage was wholly unexpected. We were given very few admonitions, but the one thing that was stressed was "Don't touch Stevie's mic ... she freaks out!". But as we circled the mic, we looked down at the TelePrompter (I guess if Obama ever wants to sit in, he's covered), and there in front was a piece of tape that read "New Jersey" ...

On the way back to our backstage waiting area, Macpai mimed singing along at Lindsey's mic:

Then, not 30 minutes later, the view from the other side of the mic:

Miss Macpai gets all the credit for this one, too. Our "VIP" seating was very good, second row but on the left side of the arena. For us Lindsey-heads, that was the wrong side! Macpai asked if we were allowed to wander up to the stage when the lights came down (there was no barrier), and the security guard said that no, only people in the front row with special armbands were allowed up. A quick discussion with our VIP person later, we were equipped with day-glo armbands, and our seatmates were warned to GET OUT OF OUR WAY when the lights went down. So we literally spent the evening directly in front of the mic stand where we stashed our coats just a little while earlier.

I didn't realize it at the time, but I wasn't unchanged by my encounter with Mick Fleetwood. I've always possessed impressive Air Guitar skills, but I have never played drums, or even Air Drums. So imagine my surprise when I checked YouTube weeks after the show and there I was (backwards Yankees hat), Miss Macpai pogo-ing her best in front of me ... and there I am, at the feet of one of my favorite guitar players - yet, I'm not playing Air Guitar, but Air Drums in concert with Mick!

I didn't even know I had it in me ...

It's also surreal, indeed, not only to have this great experience but to have a friend send you a YouTube link and ask "... is that you?". Yes, I didn't even know the person next to us was shooting video (with a nice shot of Macpai's vintage rings!).

Surreeallll ... Oh, Well ....

An Amazing Journey, Indeed

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:47:00 +0000

If it was the plot of a work of fiction ... no one would believe it.

In Miami, in 1970, Eric Clapton meets Duane Allman, who joins (D)eric and the Dominos in recording the timeless "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs". Duane goes back on tour with the Allman Brothers, and meets his untimely fate an all-too-short time later. For whatever reason, somehow in the next 39 years, over the course of thousands of gigs, the paths of Eric Clapton and the Allman Brothers Band just go seperate ways.

Meanwhile - and here's the really unbelievable part of the story - in 1979 a nephew is born to Allman Brothers' Drummer Butch Trucks, and named "Derek" in honor of the album. By the time he was 9, Derek was playing professionally on stage, and at 11, he was touring with the Brothers and on his way to becoming a legend in his own right. Fast forward to 2006, and Derek joined his quasi-namesake, Eric, for a massive world tour that would stretch into the next year, and feature an ever-growing list of selections from the Dominos album.

Finally, in 2009, the musical wheel went full circle, as the Allman Brothers Band celebrated 40 years, and 20 years of an annual residency at New York's Beacon Theatre. Rumors flew about the possibility of a musical convergence, with speculation rampant. Miss Pai pulled out a calendar, and picked a date ... March 20, 2009. We would be there - would Eric?

The 19th came and from the venue, text messages started to fly ... it was true, EC was sitting in with the Allmans. All the other special guests had played just one night, for a song or two ... had we missed our chance by just one day?

The 20th arrived, and there we were. Sure enough, when we walked in, EC's Tweed Twin amplifier was on stage - but, as a friend of mine likes to say "hey ... they made more than one". Then, EC's guitar tech, Lee Dickson (who, inexplicably, isn't even mentioned in EC's book?) walked by. We knew we were in for a treat, but little did we know it would be one of the musical highlights of a lifetime!

This was truly one of those experiences that can be relayed, but not truly understood by those who were not there. It's become sort of trite and cliche to rehash the old lines about how music can create a shared experience, or bring people together, but there it was, something magical that just kept getting better.

Perfect Bookends

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Serendipity - probably the prettiest word in the english language. Sometimes, things fall into place serendipitiously - like this weekend!

We began with Van Morrison's Astral Weeks Live at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Everything was perfect - sound, lighting, and a crack band.

The evening began slowly, with an eclectic set of originals and covers, then progressing into "Astral Weeks". The show was clearly being filmed, to what end I do not know.

From the soul, jazz, and blues of Van Morrison, the next night was spent at the Mexicali Live in Teaneck, New Jersey, an in-depth, intense voyage deep into Texas Blues and Jazz with Chris Duarte. He's not only one of the nicest, most fan-friendly people in music, but his live shows are known for their free-form expression, changing set lists, and epic length.

It was nice to fnally get to meet Chris after enjoying his music for so many years - especially considering that I had to go from Virginia, to New Jersey, to see someone from Austin who now lives in Atlanta. Talk about travel! Of course I hit the Merch table for some cool loot only available at shows, including the uber rare (and of course, uber-pricey) Japanese release of Texas Sugar Strat Magik. But after my last experience with asking someone to take our photo at the Mexicali, this time we took the photo FIRST ... then dug into the offerings!

From Manhattan, and then to New Jersey (it is the Garden State, ya know), it was a road trip to the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh for the first show of the Fleetwood Mac tour.

It was a brutally cold night, but from the first notes, the band came out firing on all cylinders. There were some first night jitters on Stevie's side of the stage (and some weird jitters from the strange dude sitting behind us) but it was a great evening. Pittsburgh has always been a great rock-n-roll town, and if you ever wondered "why open a tour in Pittsburgh?", this is the reason why, because those folks were up and on their feet all night, and really into the music.

After all this (if you're keeping tabs, it was NY > NJ > PA) it was a trip back to Virginia, and into the teeth of the worst snowstorm of the year. Most of the DC and Northern Virginia area were pretty much shut down due to the weather, but the roads were passable. And the best part? We found a store open, and purchased the just-released-that-day live CD version of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks Live. Just as everything else on this perfect weekend just fell effortlessly into place, we put the CD on and it ended just as we arrived home in Virginia.

Serindipity ... and a perfect bookend!

Blues at the Beacon

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:05:00 +0000

This weekend, we had the treat of seeing blues legends BB King and Buddy Guy at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan. In inimitable New York fashion, before we were treated to a scene on the sidewalk as scalpers worked the crowd for this totally sold out show.

The pairing of BB King and Buddy Guy actually worked quite well ... mainly because BB's stature as the "senior" bluesman meant that Buddy went on first. Which meant that he was sober! Sober Buddy always puts on a good performance ... Drunk Buddy ... well, let's not go there. Having Buddy go on first also had the reward of meaning that, with a shorter set, he didn't have time for as much of his painfully boring schtick, and had to get down to the business of performing, which he did admirably.

Buddy brought out 9 year old guitar prodigy Quinn Sullivan during his set. By the age of 21, this kid is either gonna be a legend, or a burn out of epic proportions.

BB came out, and I think I speak for most everyone there when I say that we'd be happy just to hear him sit and tell stories all night ... he may be infirm, but he still has what my buddy Andy calls "THE NOTE". Whenever I go to a show and I'm talking to Andy later, he'll ask "did you hear THE NOTE?". Well, BB still has it!

Later in the set, and apparently for the only show on this tour, Buddy and Sullivan came out to jam with BB on stage:

BB is a national treasure, and it's fantastic that he's still touring. It's not every day you get to see a couple legends (and a potential legend) on stage!

Rockin' in NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:49:00 +0000

This weekend, it was a trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...

... No, not the real Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, but to the "Annex", in Manhattan. It's always amused me that while the HoF is elsewhere, the Coastal Elites can't stand to go there, so almost all events have been hosted in Manhattan. We wouldn't want all those snobs have to get "passports" to go to "Real America", would we? (Yes, I Went There).

Apparently just to ease the hypocrisy a little, there's now an "annex" in New York. It's a nice collection, a subset of what is available at the "real" Hall of Fame.

Of course, it pales in comparison to (1) the Mangano Annex (home of the original Head on a Stick, the Not Miami annex, and of course the Annex to the Annex, across the river in New Jersey.

Still, it's a fun visit!

~G

The Wonder Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:13:00 +0000

On a weekend of record-setting cold, with snow coming down, what better to do than to take a trip to Central Park to find the iconic statue of Balto. Long before his animation fame, and even before his name was a punch line for Johnny Carson, Balto was part of the team that helped save the city of Nome in the run that led to the annual Iditarod race.

The island of Manhattan has been changed so much that it's hard to envision it in its original state, a land of hills and valleys. But one of the things New Yorkers walk by every day, are the huge granite rocks peeking out from beneath the soil in Central Park.

These rocks were deposited by glaciers that once covered not only North America but the entire northern hemisphere, and created the landscape we know today, including most of the geography of the US. What is interesting, is that in these rocks we see evidence of a recurring pattern of warming and cooling cycles throughout the history of our planet, occurring long before mankind made an impact and likely continuing long after we are gone. And here, in the middle of Gotham, the city that more than most others has embraced Environmentalism as Religion, we see proof that there are processes at work that dwarf humanity.

Michael Crichton (RIP) made such a good point, because to many on the "Warming" bandwagon, to even suggest some healthy skepticism is akin to heresy and treated as such.

But here in the midst of the coldest winter on record, perhaps Balto's bloodline (well, not Balto's, since he was actually neutered and didn't have offspring) has been diluted a bit, since I came home to find Cody the Codependant Husky carefully positioned between not one but TWO space heaters!

I think Defective Dog is likely hoping for at least just a little Global Warming ...

Peachy Keen

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:41:00 +0000

There are few things I love more than a good road trip, and as always it's the journey not the destination. Once I left Atlanta after the Soul Stew experience, I had some time to kill and decided to explore a road sign I had seen on the way south.

Sure enough, the I-85 exit marked "Toccoa" led me to Toccoa, Georgia, the site of the WWII facility Camp Toccoa as immortalized in the HBO Miniseries Band of Brothers.

The site of the original camp is long gone, located on private property in what is now an industrial park, but the infamous path to the top of Currahee Mountain is still there in all its' Georgia Red Clay brutality, now renamed the "Col. Robert Sink Memorial Trail".

It's one thing to see a trail like this in a movie, and another experience entirely to walk it, much less consider the ordeal of running to the top and back weighed down with a full load of gear and weapons.

As I had more time to kill (AirTran sucks!) I happily found located just a few minutes' drive away, the Currahee Military Museum which has an impressive collection of artifacts from Camp Toccoa on display:

The museum has a very personal touch, as many of the items were donated by those who attended the school:

The museum even located and transported some of the stables in which the troops were housed during their stay in England, and they are used to good effect as displays for personal items and exhibits. A five star hotel, these were not!

Headed north from Toccoa up I-85 one soon finds it hard to miss the Giant Peach water tower in Gaffney, South Carolina.

Finally, on the road home, far later than I had planned, I saw a sign that made the whole drive back worthwhile ... a sign from my childhood, and perhaps the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow :

Of course, a healthy and hearty meal is a requirement if I'll make it to one of my most important goals this year ... to attend the 2009 Annual Run of Currahee, "Three Miles Up and Three Miles Back", the first weekend in October:

Break out the running shoes, it's gonna be a year!

~G

Ringing in the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:07:00 +0000

For New Year's we made the jaunt to Atlanta for a serious helping of Soul Stew. Earlier in the day we visited The Happiness Factory, because what goes better with some nice hot Soul Stew than an icy cold Coke in a supercool machined aluminum bottle?

The Sun Ra Arkestra opened the show, and went a little far out in left field, which was fine because it gave us a chance to wander a bit and check out the Fabulous Fox Theatre (which really is Fabulous, by the way!).

The band took the stage and promptly began to tear the place down, opening with a blistering "Talkin' About" that would have stood my hair on end had I had any! After a couple of numbers from Susan's new album, Mike Mattison came out and they performed a couple from Derek's new album (not due to be released for a couple of weeks).

After that, it was Soul Stew to the max, with an eclectic blend of originals and covers, with the nicest surprise just before midnight being the Allman Brothers' "Dreams".

The party really took off at Midnight, when the band launched into an unexpected string of Beatles' covers, and really took it out in style.

I can't think of a better way to bring in the new year, and here you go, just remember ... PLAY IT LOUD!

~G

Diet Soul Stew

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:46:00 +0000

November was an interesting month. Sometimes you order meals to your liking, but other times you have to mix and match ingredients on your own. Since we hadn't had a proper serving of Soul Stew since August, we had to make our own, first with two Derek Trucks shows and the next week with Susan Tedeschi at the so-called Fillmore Theater at Irving Plaza. This is a rather sad attempt to tie Irving Plaza with the sadly-demolished Fillmore East, but the place is cool and it's nice seeing Bill Graham's memorabilia displayed.

Susan's opening act was 50s-styled Brit boogie artist James Hunter who put on a top notch set:

Susan put on a great set, with a lot of material from her new release Back to the River but also a nice spectrum of back catalog numbers and covers.

It was a fun show, and my first of hopefully many trips to "Irving Plaza". It's a fun place, check it out!

~G

Truckin' In Gotham

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:18:00 +0000

For the weekend of November 6-7, we had a Derek Trucks two-fer.

The first night's concert was held at the classy Highline Ballroom. As I was approaching the city coming up I-95, I got a phone call asking about my ETA and the ominous phrase "well you better get here fast because someone is hitting on me". Of course, it was all right, because the person doing the "hitting" was none other than Derek's dad Chris!

Even though the place was wall-to-wall packed, we used the Park magic to maneuver ourselves right down front by the Count (who looked as if he was perhaps ready for his nap!). It was a great, but in some ways reserved, show, and perhaps the highlight was a great performance of "Anyday", luckily found on the 'tube:

The next night's show was held at the Blender Theater at Gramercy. It's an old converted movie theater, and as such the floor slopes down toward the stage at a pretty steep angle. This makes for a nice viewing angle for the height challenged among us, but makes standing for an extended period somewhat problematic (shin splints, anyone?).

The vibe the second night was totally different, where the first show had a very laid back, groovy vibe, the next night's energy level was much higher.

The opening act was Eric Krazno's new band, "Chapter Two", and Kofi came out and sat in during their set:

Things really took off with the band on fire, including a nice sit down set of blues, featuring a blistering "Meet Me in the Bottom" which has the same riff EC used for If I Had Posession Over Judgment Day - talk about musical cross-pollination!

Later in the set, the members of Chapter Two joined DTB on stage, creating a long 3-song pre-and-post encore jam:

I shot tons of video that night, which can of course be found on the Geetarz YouTube page. And I did record the second night's show, which can be found at Archive.org.

It was a great weekend, enjoy!

~G

Expresso Joe (Bonamassa)

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:01:00 +0000

Well if two Frampton shows is better than one, and two Buckingham shows is better than one ... two Bonamassa shows are in order!

Wow, what a difference a week makes! Some artists react differently to different venues, and as many times as I have seen Joe Bonamassa, I've never seen him perform at the level he did at BB King's in New York. He joined the stage (to quote one of my old trading buddies, always liked that turn of phrase) with his hair slicked back, a great pair of Ray-Bans, and an even better suit. That set the tone for the evening and we were totally off to the races:

The show was sold out and the place was *packed* - way to go Joe!

As always, there are more vids for your viewing pleasure ... enjoy!

~G

Good Things Come in ... Twos?

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 06:41:00 +0000

As I suggested earlier this summer, "what's better than one Frampton show? TWO Frampton shows!", and continuing in that vein, if one Lindsey Buckingham show is good, two must be better, right?

Buckingham chose to end his tour at the Nokia Theater in Times Square. Stylistically from the decor it appears to be a classic from the early part of the century, but once you walk into the theater proper (which only seats 1,650) it's clear that it's totally a 21st century venue, with custom designed acoustic tile, and an incredible PA system that has to be heard to be believed. Really, it's almost more of a TV studio than a typical venue.

The crowd stayed seated (assisted in this by the zealous security) which led to the energy level from the band being a bit more muted than in the previous gig in Atlantic City but it certainly didn't reflect on the artist. There's a common thread that draws people to that athlete that throws themselves into harm's way with reckless abandon, the writer that suffers for the craft, and it comes through in Buckingham's sincerity. He spoke again about the commercial nature of the Fleetwood Mac "machine" (as he called it) and really seemed to enjoy just playing things he really wanted to play, with no real need to "sell" to this audience.

This is totally sickening guitar playing!

As usual we "personally upgraded" our seats, being familiar with the setlist we dodged the security (complete with going out one door, turning around, and coming back in as if we were returning to our seats!) and made it right up front.

Quite often I'll be at a show and hear a performer do something extraordinary, and there's part of me thinking "I sure hope this is being recorded for posterity". Then again, being a few feet away from Lindsey as he performed the final encore of
"Time Precious Time" was totally mesmerizing, and as we left, that was my first thought ... I don't *need* a recording of that. It'll be in my mind as if it were live, for the rest of my life!

It was a great show, also check out the other clips on youtube.

~G

A Shot of Joe

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:16:00 +0000

On Wednesday, October 15, it was time for a shot of Joe at "The National" in Richmond, Virginia. This is a cool old theatre that has been recently restored. Muchos Gracias to a buddy who hooked me up front row center (seriously, the only way for a better seat would be on stage). Joe just keeps getting better every year, but it's nice to see that in some ways he's still "the same old Joe" ... humble, and easily one of the nicest, most genuine people in show business.

Tonally, Joe has changed over the years, and if anything he's gotten even more totally in control of the instrument ... but with finesse and ultimate attention to detail, down to the "Gibbons Wrap" on the tailpiece of his signature Les Paul.

As always, Joe reminds me a bit of the late (and sorely missed) Danny Gatton in the eclectic nature of his influences, and Joe always tosses in little bits of esoterica for the fans to spot. Notably on this night, it was a few notes from Eric Clapton's soundtrack work in the BBC miniseries "Edge of Darkness". Gear-wise, Joe's got a new toy to play with, but as with all great players, the sound isn't so much in the gear, as in the fingertips, as he amply demonstrated with just an acoustic ... enjoy!

~G

(And as usual there are more photos for you to check out!

The Great Mac Attack

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:01:00 +0000

After a weekend off for a musical break, on Saturday October 11 it was off to Atlantic City to meet up with the Dynamic (and sleep deprived) duo to see Lindsey Buckingham at the Xanadu Theater at Trump Casino.

Having only known Buckingham's music through the pop prism of Fleetwood Mac, I was unfamiliar with his solo material. I've observed over the years that at any "arena rock" show with 20,000 fans, there really are probably 2,500 real "fans" there, and the others are the casual fans just familiar with what they hear on the radio. During the heyday of the giant touring machine known as Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler used to refer to those masses as "the tourists", i.e. those who are really attending just to check out what the fuss is all about. Buckingham was really upfront about the conflicting needs of those groups, and spoke at length about how playing these solo shows in a more intimate venue was a necessary part of the creative process ... and for us, a fun one, too! I went in a Tourist, and walked out a Fan.

The first part of the show was a bit tame, as casio shows can be as the front section where we were was clearly a comp area for "high rollers". The preshow announcement had clearly stated "no personal seat upgrades" but that is exactly what the REAL fans did, and by midshow the front of the stage was packed and the energy level of the band really went into the stratosphere.

Of course I took some pictures for you, dear reader, but if a picture is worth a thousand words, the following video is worth a million, and as good as this is, it was about a million times better in person ... make sure you play this in "high quality" mode - enjoy!

~G

A Triple Shot

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:57:00 +0000

Obviously double headers and two-fers were busy, but not busy enough! So on the weekend of September 26-27, we set out not for a double, but a triple!

Friday night started off at the legendary Mexicali Blues in Teaneck, NJ, with one of my favorite artists - who, coincidentally, I've never seen live - Popa Chubby. The Park Blog has all the cool details, it was a fantastic night of red hot blues-rock.

Here are more pix from the show and of course we have more video as well!

Saturday morning, we were off to MSG for a preseason game between the New Jersey Devils and the infamous New York Rangers. New York fans have unfairly gotten a bum rap for being awful audiences at music performances, and after seeing so many gigs in other venues, I have now realized, it's not New York fandom, it's that shows at the Garden are infested with asshole Rangers fans that have tainted the place. Don't believe me? Ask Kevin Smith.

Not being a sports guy, at first I thought this blanket charge about Rangers fans was a little overblown, but after experiencing it firsthand even as far out as Cape Cod, I constructed a handy little Venn Diagram as a visual aid:

So with this graphic it is much easier to see how this works: not all assholes are Rangers fans, and not all Rangers fans are assholes. BUT, if you are a Rangers fan, it's statistically very likely that you are an asshole. Glad to help clear that up!

After a nice dinner, we headed to New York's legendary Carnegie Hall to see Italian mega-rock star Zucchero. I was concerned before the show that the crowd might be too staid in such a august place, and was reassured by friends that we would be surrounded by "crazy Italians" and boy did they deliver! It was an awesome show, and the crowd was up out of their seats dancing and having a great time for the majority of the evening.

There's not a bad seat in the house, and the famed acoustics are all they are supposed to be, although for some reason that doesn't come out well in the recording from my camera. I would have taken more video but I had an irresistible urge to dance, sorry!

I've got to admit, musically, this was a hard duo to beat! Some punter in the audience once asked Pete Townshend "how do you follow that?" to which he replied "play another song!" so ... onto the next gig!

~G

Squeezing It Out

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 04:40:00 +0000

On Friday, September 19 we took a trip to New York's famous Radio City Music Hall to see Squeeze. This was a little off the beaten path for me, musically. Although I have my "guilty pleasure" pop that I secretly enjoy (hey, I did get to see Colin Hay play several "Men at Work" songs with Ringo Starr earlier this summer!), I was really only familiar with the ubiquitous "Tempted".

My main surprise was that these guys can not only play, but really got into some totally deep fried southern chickin' pickin' telecaster, with a British bent of course. Having listened to the studio work - which, frankly, bores me - I can't figure out why people with this much musical talent would go out of their way to hide it when recording! They really stepped it up Nashville style with songs like "Annie Get Your Gun".

Check it out:

And, please, whatever you do ... don't mention "Black Coffee in Bed" T-Shirts!

~G

Another Two-Fer

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:20:00 +0000

Talk about a two-fer / double header (even the headers come in twos!).

First was Robert Randolph and the Family Band on the "Music Builds" tour at the Virginia Beach Ampitheater. I was so excited to snap up 3rd row center tickets at the presale that I didn't notice that RRFB were on a bill with a bunch of other artists that ... I'd hate. Well, not hate, just be bored to tears by! Robert's set was a bit constrained by time and he did his best to get people up and out of their seats, but it was an uphill battle and I can't wait to see Robert again in a solo gig like I did back in June.

I thought Robert was the total high energy guy, and after a long train ride I was totally unprepared for how much I'd love Dana Fuchs and her great band. Totally blown away, and ladies and gentlemen, do not walk, RUN to grab tickets the next time this gal is in your neighborhood. As usual, the Park Blog contains all the salient details better than I can, so check it out!

~G

A Double Header!

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:05:00 +0000

This week, we head to yet another landmark and attend one of the final games to be held at Yankee Stadium. It's amazing to me that something with this much history can be just torn down and turned into a parking lot!

One of the tricks in life is, at times, knowing when not to push back against fate too much, and learning that sometimes things aren't meant to happen. This was the case back when Jerry Lee Lewis canceled his show at BB King's in Manhattan - we couldn't even head to the bar to get the drinks we wanted, and clearly we were not meant to be there!

So on the 30th, the opposite was true and as our other plans fell through, it was totally obvious that we were *meant* to be at BB's to see the reincarnation of The Motels.

Martha is sounding better than ever, and has put a lot of work into reinventing her earlier material. A fine time was had by all including Martha who was really moved by the response of the crowd, saying "Stop it, you're gonna make me f-in cry!"

As always, the photos here as well as video clips by my trusty camera.

Enjoy!
~G

Amusements of a Different Kind

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:55:00 +0000

This week, Park took a break from music for a trip to the REAL Nathan's Famous on the boardwalk at New York's Coney Island. With the summer season winding down, this was possibly our last chance to visit this famous landmark before the seas of change swept it away for good.

As always, here are the pictures, as well as the Official Park Review. Enjoy!

Next Week ... the Grim Reapers of Tourism visit another landmark slated to fade into history ...

~G

Do You Feel (Like We Do?)

noreply@blogger.com (Geetarz) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:42:00 +0000

What's better than being right in front of the stage and seeing Peter Frampton on a beautiful summer night?

Seeing Peter Frampton on TWO beautiful summer nights!

On August 16 and 17, Frampton closed out his summer tour with two back-to-back shows at Williamsburg, Virginia's Busch Gardens. Having recently inducted the "Funk Brothers" into the songwriter's Hall of Fame, Frampton opened the set with "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" and "Shotgun / The Jerk", and then veered into both classics and some newer songs and instrumentals. One of the more interesting songs of the evening for me was Frampton's take on Chris Cornell's (Soundgarden) "Black Hole Sun" which he really made his own.

Always a tone hound, Frampton played a variety of guitars, including a Frampton signature issue Les Paul, a Goldtop, a '59 (60?) Reissue LP, and best of all, a sweet sounding cherry red ES-335. Peter's golden locks may have gone gray, but his fingers are fast as ever, and the tone still fat and sassy! One interesting change from years past is that "Show Me The Way" is played with a fat, Gibson sound rather than the crisp Fender-y sound of the past ... it works!

With many classic artists, the scariest seven words they can say are "here's a song from my new album" but Frampton never disappoints. The close on both nights was a sweet version of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

Here's the setlist:

Shotgun / The Jerk
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Lines On My Face
Show Me the Way
By Your Side
Float
Boot it Up
Black Hole Sun
Baby, I Love Your Way
(I'll Give You) Money
Do You Feel Like We Do?
Off the Hook >
While My Guitar Gently Weeps

You can see my photos from the shows here.

Next week ... Park goes to Coney Island!

~G