Recap: Springsteen in Phoenix (March 19)
It’s been 19 days since the tour opener of the 2024 incarnation of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. The show took place here in Phoenix, his first show here since March 2016 (!) when Bruce and the Band performed The River start to finish, followed by a greatest hits set.
It’s been 19 days, and it’s that old familiar feeling of slowly coming down from the experience of spending a few hours with Bruce. Stats-wise, it was my 10th E Street show, and 18th seeing Bruce (other shows include the ’92 band, solo tours, and the Seeger Sessions Band).
It’s been 19 days, and I’m still set list tracking as they travel from town to town, busting out the deep cuts (“Jole Blon,” “Tougher Than The Rest,” “Viva Las Vegas”).
Yes, friends, somehow eight years passed between getting to see Bruce, and I can confirm that the magic and buzz you feel for weeks on end after a show still endures. And this time, I brought my youngest daughter – a senior in high school with mere weeks left in her school year. Crazy to think that the last time I saw Bruce she was only 9 years old. Now, she knows that special feeling too.
I will offer one gripe about the ticket prices. The last several times, I bought pit tickets for under $200. This time around, with Ticketmaster’s brilliant “dynamic pricing,” those same pit tickets were going for $750! I’m still not a rich man, so I held out until a couple days before to see what I could stumble in to. In the end, I opted for behind the stage in the corner of stage right. Not optimal, but it was a cool vantage point, and what the hell, you’re in the building seeing Bruce Springsteen.
Top to bottom, the set list did not disappoint, but if I were to give some personal highlights:
- “Thunder Road”- among my top 3 Bruce tunes. The opening harmonica, the opening verse, the deep history steeped in this song; the bare bones versions I’ve loved (MTV Plugged, Live 85-95). Everything about it. Tears welled in my eyes.
- “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)” – From his latest album of lesser-known soul covers. This was the surprise of the night for me. The great background vocals with the singers stepping to the front with Bruce. This had me revisiting the album in the days after the show, and definitely gave me a new appreciation for this Ben E. King tune in particular.
- “Last Man Standing” and “I’ll See You In My Dreams” – both acoustic, with the latter closing the show. They’re from his 2020 Letter To You album, and they pay tribute to his late bandmate George Theiss of Bruce’s first band, the Castiles. Bruce does such a great job of setting the background in an emotional, poignant way. And for me, I’m just as happy watching Bruce alone with his guitar and voice – after all, those Devils & Dust and Ghost of Tom Joad shows are among my favorites. More goosebumps.
- “No Surrender” and “Darlington County” from Born in the USA, which always hit right with me.
- “Darkness on the Edge of Town” and “Backstreets” – the classic ballads, goosebumps every time.
- Last and not least, looking over at my daughter and seeing a big smile plastered across her face, singing along to a bunch of the classics. A memory for a lifetime. Magic in the night.
All I can hope for as a fan is that this wasn’t my last time seeing Bruce the Band. I pray for more.
And now, 19 days later, I scan tonight’s show at the Forum in L.A… and… look at that, another tour debut! He just opened with “Open All Night” (last played in 2014). Lucky dogs. Off to Twitter for some breaking videos.
- “Thunder Road”- among my top 3 Bruce tunes. The opening harmonica, the opening verse, the deep history steeped in this song; the bare bones versions I’ve loved (MTV Plugged, Live 85-95). Everything about it. Tears welled in my eyes.
Recap: Leif Vollebekk comes to Phoenix
Since discovering Leif Vollebekk’s music a few years back, I’ve looked forward to the day I’d see him live. Last night, St. Patrick’s Day 2022, was the night. Leif is back on a big tour, and thankfully he was booked into a cool small Phoenix club called Valley Bar – a speakeasy style venue that’s accessible from a downtown back alley off Central Avenue, down a flight of stairs. Really cool vibe.
Leif hails from Montreal, Canada, and his whole essence as a musician is infectious. He pours his heart & soul into his performances. You see him lost in the music, closing his eyes, waving his head – the same kind of soul-shaking moments at the piano and keys you’d see from Ray Charles. And that voice man.. soulful, smooth with that ever so slight raspy-ness. Just gorgeous to watch and hear live.
The night was spontaneous, straying from the set list for moments like Prince’s early 80’s B-side “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” (maybe in response to a fan in the front row who was wearing a Prince shirt, as Leif pointed out).
As the pandemic decides to subside a bit for now, it’s intimate live moments like this I’m so glad to have back – a chance to stand 20 feet from a great musician, watching it happen in the moment.
Leif’s song “Transatlantic Flight” is one that resonates most with me. I captured it all here.. enjoy.
The Guggenheim Grotto, Live!
The Irish Troubadour of the New Millennium has been largely defined by the likes of Damien Rice and Glen Hansard. My wife refers to it as “sad bastard” music, a title that I find difficult to argue. It’s not all doom and gloom on The Emerald Isle though, one of its best-kept secrets is the folk-pop duo The Guggenheim Grotto. One of my favorite “new to me” bands of last year, I have been looking forward to the opportunity to see the group bring their quirky tales to the stage. Thankfully, I’ll get that chance on March 18th, when the band stops at The Rockwood Music Hall. I cannot recommend enough that those of you local to the venue join me. Enough of my yapping, check out the video for “Her Beautiful Ideas,” and if you dig that pick up the band’s latest record Happy the Man.
Review: Dave Matthews Band at Madison Square Garden
Photo: John Waters
“Who starts a tour at Madison Square Garden?”
Apparently when you are Dave Matthews Band, the answer is, well, you. Returning to the last venue the band played at the close of their 2008 tour, the band kick started their 2009 tour with a set that could really only be described as epic. There was a definite underlying theme to the night celebrating both the release of their upcoming album Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King, and the life and spirit of LeRoi Moore, whose presence was definitely felt throughout the evening.
Before I get too far into the main event, I’ve got to give some love to Philadelphia’s Legendary Roots Crew. Folks that follow Questlove on twitter know that Tuesday was a busy day for the band running from their ‘day job’ at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to The Garden and then to their weekly gig at Highline. My wife Christine and I met up with some friends and fellow DMB fans before the show for drinks and dinner, and it was Questlove’s tweet that let us know it was time to head over. Still dressed in their late night gear the band absolutely killed it, wasting not a single second to silence or typical between song banter. From Led Zeppelin to R&B to Hip-Hop the group did not miss a beat blending it all into a tasty gumbo. Highlights for me came at guitarists Captain Kirk Douglas’ take on Cody ChestnuTT‘s “The Seed (2.0)” hook, Black Thought’s absolute mastery on the mic and percussionist Frankie Knuckles leading the band through dance routines Jerome Benton-style.
Photo: John Waters
Seated behind the stage we could clearly view the activity taking place as the road crew set up the curtains and prepped the stage. Dave sauntered out and pumped his fists jumping up and down for those of us who could see him and the band warmed up the intro to “Don’t Drink the Water” from their 1998 classic Before These Crowded Streets. For as many times as I’ve heard “Don’t Drink the Water” (and this marks the third consecutive time I’ve heard it as a show opener) it never wears. The “This Land is Your Land” tag elicited a roar from the crowd as he used Woody Guthrie‘s words to supplement his own toasting the “New York Island”. Following closely was the tour staple “Corn Bread”, a salacious little bit of country fried funk that inspired Dave to choreograph his own brand of dance to a fury that I’ve not seen since James Brown sat in with the band a few years back. The band launched into the first of three new tracks from Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King, “Funny the Way It Is” (which had been released for free earlier in the day) to an audience already singing back to them.
The first sign that this was not to be just another tour kick-off was the appearance of “Raven” from Busted Stuff which has not been performed by the band since 2006. Building on the momentum the band tore through an amped up version of “You Might Die Trying” from 2005’s Stand Up. Guitarist Tim Reynolds delivered his exclusive brand of fret board gymnastics and made it look easy. The second debut came with the mid-tempo “Spaceman” which juxtaposed Dave’s scat like vocals against a gently rolling groove. This one definitely has potential…
I’m not all there, I’m a faithful sinner
I might get lost, but I’ll be home for dinner
If God don’t like me, he can hand me to hellNot coming home till the good day’s gone
Working as hard, as the day is long
Working men watch me, when I get home“Dancing Nancies” from the bands label debut Under the Table and Dreaming segued nicely into “Pig” both of which prominently featured violinist Boyd Tinsley‘s soulful violin. I’m not certain if Boyd’s new violin is a more traditional build than his original custom model, but its tone was sweeter and harmonic and his turns driving the ship were all the better for it. As the crew brought an additional microphone onto the stage Dave welcomed Gregg Allman (who just “happened to be in town”) up to run through the classic “Melissa” with Gregg and Dave trading verses.
On any other night this would be a showstopper, but the night was young and far from being over. After running through old school fan favorites “Recently”, and the sadly ironic “So Damn Lucky” the band switched gears for the dark “#27”. Dave introduced the final new track of the evening with a tribute to the bands fallen member LeRoi Moore with the emotional and decidedly heavy “Why I Am”.
Still here dancing with the Groogrux king
Will be drinking big whiskey, while we dance and sing
When my story ends, it’s gonna end with him
Heaven or hell, I’m going there with the Groogrux kingFrom there the band turned up the tempo with a killer version of the anathematic “Ants Marching”. At moments I could not tell you who was louder, the band or the crowd the 20,000 strong sang along every single word. Almost certain that the set was ending the band surprised me by launching into a powerful “#41” featuring saxophonist Jeff Coffin‘s first step into the spotlight of the night. His solo was delivered with such ferocity that it was almost as if he were blowing The Garden down himself. The “Sojourn of Arjuna” interpolation with Coffin and Rashawn Ross on trumpet adds a new twist to the classic and Reynolds again lends soaring leads to the mix of the 17-plus minutes of jamming.
At the close I said to myself that if they ended the show here I’d be happy, but as notes faded the familiar strum of “Two Step” brought the crowd to an absolute frenzy. The entire band traded measures with each and every member showcasing their immense talent. Starting with a restrained but powerful lead by bassist Stefan Lessard and wrapping with 4 plus minutes of percussive bliss courtesy of Carter Beauford, the band kept it going for nearly another 20 minutes before leaving the stage for a quick breather. Dave returned with Tim, Carter and Rashawn for the touching “Sister”, and the rest of the band came back to close the set with the joyful “Tripping Billies”.
As Christine and I made our way back to Grand Central in the pouring rain, we commented to each other on just how extraordinary a show we just witnessed, and quickly rattled back and forth our highlights. It was an emotional experience seeing the band without LeRoi, but it was clear that this night was a celebration of his life, his songs, and his spirit that the band is clearly carrying forward with them.
Dave Matthews Band at Madison Square Garden
New York, New York
April 14, 2009
Set List:
Don’t Drink the Water
Cornbread
Funny the Way It Is
Raven
You Might Die Trying
Spaceman
Dancing Nancies
Pig
Melissa (w/Gregg Allman)
Recently
So Damn Lucky
#27
Why I Am
Ants Marching
#41
Two StepEncore:
Sister
Tripping BilliesBonus Video!
*It’s not great, but it’s something…
Dave Matthews Band – Funny the Way It Is (live) (YouTube)
Pre-Order Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King: Amazon
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
Live: My Brightest Diamond Live at Le Poisson Rouge
My Brightest Diamond, “From the Top of the World” (Video)
Shara Worden‘s voice is nothing short of truly amazing, add to it a string quartet and you’ve got a recipe for something astounding. Recorded back in December you can view the full concert at Baeblmusic.
Buy A Thousand Shark’s Teeth: Amazon | iTunes
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
Review: Jason Mraz at Radio City Music Hall
Despite listening to him since his days at Java Joes, Friday night was my first experience seeing Jason Mraz live. I was not alone in my first experience as it was Mr. A-Z’s first show at the legendary Radio City Music Hall, a that fact did not seem lost on him as he pulled out all the stops for what was one of the most entertaining and memorable shows I’ve attended in the last few years.
The evening started with Irish chanteuse Lisa Hannigan. I was really only familiar with her in the context of her work with Damien Rice and really enjoyed her solo set. With a 4 piece band of multi-instrumentalists to back her up, she performed a selection from her debut Sea Sew. “An Ocean and a Rock” was simply beautiful and captivating. “Lille” was delicate and lovely, which seems to be the essence of Miss Hannigan. I will definitely be picking up the record based on this performance.
After a brief intermission it was time for Mraz. The night started with the full 7 piece band taking the stage for “Make it Mine” the lead track from his latest release We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Wasting no time, the band segued directly into a fresh (and lively) take on Mraz’s first hit “The Remedy”. This was the first of many times that the crowd would fill the hallowed hall with their voices in unison with Jason and he wasted no time in using it to his musical devices and creating a live mash up with the ladies singing the chorus and the boys (what few were in attendance) layering Oasis‘s hit “Wonderwall” over top to great effect.
The band slowly began to recede during “If It Kills Me” and a quiet “You & I Both” and whittled down to the core trio of Ian Sheridan, Toca Rivera and Mraz for the stark and utterly heartbreaking “A Beautiful Mess”. Sheridan even broke out the stand up bass for the occasion bringing to mind the small club feel and making this one of the moments that Jason managed to make Radio City seem like an intimate club for five minutes. This feel continued with the simple and lovely “Life Is Wonderful”.
The rest of the band returned as well as four additional microphones as the back drop took on a decidedly religious slant. It was clear that it was time to go to church! “Live High” came to a grand crescendo with the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir joining in to bring the house down. The choir stayed on for an uplifting rendition of “Oh! Happy Day”. I should mention here that over the band, the crowd, and the choir Jason maintained a presence and a quality of voice that was astounding.
“Dynamo of Volition” brought the crowd to it’s feet for some well choreographed dance moves. It’s interesting to see 5,000 happy fools raising the roof in unison at Radio City. The crowd stayed on its feet for the remainder of the show as Jason kicked into “I’m Yours” to a crowd ready to make a joyful sound. I’ll let the video do the talking on this one.
After and incredibly short encore break Mraz brought Lisa Hannigan back out to play Colbie Caillat’s part in the duet “Lucky” and from there it was non-stop from the rave up of “Build Me Up, Buttercup” to the beautiful finale of “Song for a Friend” the significance of how grand a night it was long on nobody in the room. This was a perfect cap to the concert season and for my wife and I a beautiful way to celebrate our first year of marriage.
Pre-Order A Thousand Things: MusicToday
See the full setlist and the rest of the tour dates after the jump.
Review: John Mayer Live at New England Dodge Center
Mayer leaves the paparazzi behind and delivers a heartfelt set to his hometown crowd.
“Here are the delays and cancellations of your problems…” promised an earnest John Mayer Saturday night, and for the two hours he occupied the stage, he delivered just that. He quietly walked onstage and kicked straight into his Continuum heavy set with a humble determination that shined though every note. And while his crowd may have proved quite lame (seriously, who sits for an entire show and texts for three quarters of it?) he delivered a solid and energetic show that will stick with me for quite some time.Mayer kicked off the set with the mid-tempo burner “Belief” into the soulful “Vultures”. A quick guitar change later (seriously, the guy rolls with an obscene amount of gear) brought the first cover of the evening in the form of Robert Johnson/Cream‘s classic “Crossroads” which had a decidedly funky twist to it. This was also the first opportunity that he took to let his guitar playing take the center stage. And say what you want about his pop-leanings and celebrity persona, Mayer knows how to throw down and can hang with the best of them.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am tonight. There’s nothing like coming back home to play a show” was his first spoken words to the crowd (at about 20 minutes into the show, no less) and it was clear that he was feeling the love and enjoying playing for family, friends and fans alike. The pairing of “I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)” and “Dreaming With a Broken Heart” lead my wife to the observation that he really does put the “Bad Boyfriend Material” warning out there.
The acoustic portion of the set featured a heartfelt dedication to his parents (who were in attendance) and the second and third covers of the evening in the form of Tom Petty‘s “Free Falling” followed by an absolutely sick 12-bar blues based take on Duffy‘s “Mercy”. Why it is that despite having a fairly decent amount of his own material he chooses to play covers is beyond me, but the crowd certainly ate it up.
From here Mayer sailed through a pair of early hits lamenting “you can only really play one place where you’re singing “I wanna run through the halls of my high school” and you guys know where that high school is”, leading up to the set closer “Gravity”. This was actually the second time that I got to hear this performed (the first being with the John Mayer Trio) and it still carries the power that it did then (and you can hear for yourself at the end of this post). The encore (which was chosen by the fans via his website) wrapped with his current single “Say” at which point my wife and I decided to trek back to the car.
If you’ve not experienced John Mayer live I can heartily recommend checking him out when he swings through town.
John Mayer
New England Dodge Center, Hartford, CT
August 23, 2008Set List:
Belief
Vultures
Crossroads
I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)
Dreaming With a Broken Heart
Stop This Train
Daughters
Free Falling
Mercy
No Such Thing
Why Georgia
Find Another You
Stitched Up
Bigger Than My Body
GravityIn Repair
Waiting on the World to Change
SayBonus Download!
John Mayer – Gravity (MP3)
[audio:17 Gravity.mp3]Download the whole show here (Archive.org)
Buy Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles: Amazon | iTunes
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace