Incoming: Tom Waits hits Phoenix
If the ticket gods allow, I’ll be seeing Tom Waits live for the very first time next month, right here in Phoenix. For some reason – and I’m not complaining – Tom has chosen our sleepy little town to kick off his Glitter and Doom Tour for not one, but two nights at the Orpheum Theater. The theater holds a grand total of 1,364 people, so I’m expecting a bit of a challenge when tickets go on sale at noon this Friday on LiveNation (evil overlord of conglomeration).
I have to select one of the two nights. So what do you think people? Do I opt for the opening show of the tour on Tuesday, June 17th? Or show #2 the next night? I’m leaning toward opening night, just for the complete spontaneity and un-predictability of it all.
* * *
Tom Waits – Picture in a Frame (mp3) – from VH-1’s Storytellers. Original comes from Mule Variations.
* * *
Here’s Tom’s entertaining “press conference” last week to announce the tour.
Tour Dates:
06-17 Phoenix, AZ – Orpheum
06-18 Phoenix, AZ – Orpheum
06-20 El Paso, TX – Plaza Theatre
06-22 Houston, TX – Jones Hall
06-23 Dallas, TX – Palladium
06-25 Tulsa, OK – Brady Theatre
06-26 St. Louis, MO – Fox Theatre
06-28 Columbus, OH – Ohio Theatre
06-29 Knoxville, TN – Civic Theatre
07-01 Jacksonville, FL – Moran Theatre
07-02 Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre
07-03 Birmingham, AL – Alabama Theatre
07-05 Atlanta, GA – Fox TheatreLinks: Tom Waits.com
New Tunes: Old 97’s Blame It On Gravity Out Tuesday
I’m goin’ old school tomorrow and will head out to my local record store (Zia Records) during my lunch hour, and buy myself the new Old 97’s album. Blame It On Gravity (New West) is their first studio release in four years, and reviews show it to be a return to their more charged up, electrified indie-cowpunk that they perfected with 1997’s Too Far To Care. Want to hear the Old 97’s at their optimal level? Listen to Too Far To Care‘s opener, “Timebomb”.
I’ve found something to love about every Old 97’s record, but if Blame It On Gravity is a return to this form, I may call off the rest of the workday and drive through the desert at ridiculous speeds.