The Boss Returns, Hartford Premieres
(AP Photo/Jessica Hill – link)Last night marked the 2008 resumption of Bruce’s Magic tour. He and the E Street Band (minus Patty and Danny F. – still) kicked this leg off in Hartford, Connecticut. From the report on Backstreets, this wasn’t one of those safe warm-up gigs after a break. The band “were immediately up to speed, and Hartford was a hot, high-energy show.”
Three – count ’em – three high quality tour premieres last night:
- “So Young and In Love” (mp3 from the show) – This kicked off the show! The studio version found on Tracks was recorded in January 1974.[audio:hartford01.mp3]
- “Loose Ends” (mp3 from the show) – an outtake from The River.[audio:hartford02.mp3]
- “Janey Don’t You Lose Heart” (mp3 from the show) – One of my favorites from the Born in the U.S.A. sessions. Last night, Nils Lofgren took the second verse – his “first recorded vocal with the E Street Band”, according to Backstreets.[audio:hartford03.mp3]
Next up on the calendar? Sunday night in Montreal. Look out Quebec.
LOOKING FOR TICKETS….. Since it doesn’t look like a Phoenix date is going to happen (!), I am in the market for two tickets to see Bruce in Anaheim on Monday, April 7th. If you or anyone you know has a couple available, please let me know (pete at ickmusic.com).
The full set list from last night’s Hartford show after the jump…
Marco Benevento’s Real Morning Party
My latest eMusic download is Marco Benevento’s new one, Invisible Baby. Marco is a crazy-talented keyboard-man and composer from NYC, specializing in experimental effects-laden jazz-jam. I’ve been somewhat familiar with him from his work as a member of the Benevento/Russo Duo.
It’s an adventurous album – God knows how he makes some of those sounds. I’d love to see Marco live, working all the bells and whistles on his keyboards – and that’s definitely a plural – look at that setup in the pic!
Here’s a fun one that just sounds so damn retro-good to me. And just wait until the percussion madness kicks in at 2:48. Sick! (as the kids say). . . Don’t think it’s in any way indicative of the album as a whole, ’cause it isn’t. Every tune has something fresh and new (with healthy doses of strange) to offer. A must have for musical explorers.
Marco Benevento – The Real Morning Party
Buy: Invisible Baby
A Heavenly Day
There I was this past weekend, wrapping up a late Sunday afternoon car wash in the driveway (washing the hell out of my wife’s car due to the guilt of trading myself up for a new Honda Ridgeline – naughty, selfish husband!). I had the iTunes streaming down to the garage stereo (because I will perform no household or automotive task without background music – that would be silly).
As dusk set in, and I was pulling her car into the garage, this song came on. I sat silent for a few, taking in the song. I sighed in contentment, closed the garage door, and went on with my night. It was already a good weekend. Patty Griffin made it even better.
Patty Griffin – Heavenly Day
festivals and subdudes
If I had my way, I’d hit all of the big festivals.. the Coachellas, the Bonnaroos, the Lollapaloozas, etc. But add the tricky dynamic of wife and kids (not to mention a shitty economy), and a guy like me has to choose his battles festivals. So 2008 is shaping up to look exactly like 2007, which works just fine for me.
I’ll be hitting two festies, a local and a biggie. The local is Scottsdale’s 5th Annual McDowell Mountain Music Festival , coming April 25th & 26th. Not too shabby of a lineup: Gov’t Mule, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, the subdudes, the John Butler Trio, Blues Traveler, the Wailers, and JJ Grey & Mofro.
And nationally, I’ll once again be attending the Austin City Limits Music Festival, for the second year in a row. It takes place September 26-28, so too early for lineup announcements – but they never disappoint. Can’t wait!
At last year’s McDowell Mountain Festival, my highlight was the Crescent City’s own Neville Brothers. This year, the subdudes will be representing New Orleans. A nice laid back mix of soul, rock, and cajun influences, lead singer Tommy Malone and the boys have been shredding up the stages on and off since 1987. Their very first gig was an impromptu one at Tipitina’s – a great place to be born.
My favorite tune of theirs comes from a mid 90’s album of theirs, Annunciation. “Save Me” is beautiful and heartfelt – a tune that I always return to.
Links: the subdudes official site | myspace
Liam Finn’s Second Chance
Full of sunny melodies, Beatles-esque harmonies, and of course more than a hint of his old man Neil, Liam Finn’s debut solo album has been getting some frequent plays over at El Casa de Ickmusic. I’ll Be Lightning was recorded in early 2007 at his dad’s studio in Auckland, New Zealand. It was released overseas last summer, but it took until last month for the U.S. release on Yep Roc.
Liam is clearly not just the son of a famous musician capitalizing on his situation, but is a huge talent in his own right. Check out one of my favorites…
Liam Finn – Second Chance
Links: Liam Finn’s Official Site
Review: Los Lobos at the Mesa Arts Center
Eleven years had passed since I last saw Los Lobos (1996 at the Electric Ballroom in Tempe). But like fine wine, time only makes them better and intensifies the experience. A gray bearded David Hidalgo and his band mates of thirty plus years took the stage Saturday night at the beautiful, 2-year old Ikeda Theater at the Mesa Arts Center. For the next two hours, the band took us on a journey that clearly showed why they remain one of the tightest, most eclectic bands out there today. It also reminded me how grossly underrated these living legends are. A freakin’ travesty, to be honest.
Of Mekons and Diamonds
Any Mekons fans out there? They’re another band I need to spend some quality time with. They were one of the bands that formed out of the 1977 British punk scene. Among the art students at the University of Leeds were Jon Langford, Kevin Lycett and Tom Greenhalgh. They formed the Mekons. Also forming out of the Leeds art school around that time were Gang of Four and Delta 5.
Jon Langford eventually settled in Chicago, and has been involved in a number of projects, most notably the Waco Brothers. His brand of music fuses post-punk, folk and country. Good, good stuff.
I heard this newer Mekons tune on Sirius a few weeks ago, from their latest, Natural.
Mekons – Diamonds
And this is my favorite off of the Waco Brothers Do You Think About Me? record. I have good memories of cranking this on a solo drive to Vegas to see Bruce in 2000.
Waco Brothers – Wickedest City
Buy: The Mekons – Natural | Waco Brothers – Do You Think About Me?
Links: Jon Langford on Instagram
Good Cop – Bad Cop
I don’t know how long these have been around, but these Will Ferrell shorts are just making their way to me. Allow me to stray from the music for a few…it’s worth it…
Steve Earle’s Valentine’s Day
I’m glad to say that I’ve never been in the position to identify with Steve Earle in his song “Valentine’s Day”. But if you’re one of the unlucky ones who wakes up Thursday morning cardless and giftless, simply drop to your knees and sing this song.
This is one of the sweetest, most emotional tunes that Steve has ever written. It showed up on his amazing 1996 album I Feel Alright. Providing the perfect background vox are gospel legends the Fairfield Four. If you don’t have the album, I strongly recommend you remedy that right here, right now.
Shaq joins the Suns – Sports Music
I’m a baseball fan above all else, but I have to say, my hometown team’s recent trade for Shaquille O’Neal has me pretty excited to watch more Phoenix Suns basketball. The Suns are the second best team in basketball as it is – thanks in large part to the guy they just traded away to the Heat – Shawn Marion. But something tells me things are going to get even better with Shaq on our side. And you Heat fans must be a happy bunch picking up someone of the caliber of Marion.
This of course segues into sports music. The only basketball song I can think of is Kurtis Blow’s “Basketball”, with his shout out to the greats of the day: “Dantley and Wilkins are on the scene, And Ralph Sampson is really mean!” Who’s Dantley?
Are there any other basketball songs out there? For baseball, all I can think of off the top of my head are “Centerfield” by John Fogerty, and Bob Dylan’s “Catfish”. Football…. yep, the “Super Bowl Shuffle”. Ah – Steve Earle’s “No. 29”. What else in the way of pop/rock sports-themed tunes?
Kurtis Blow – Basketball (LastFM)
Bob Dylan – Catfish (LastFM)
John Fogerty – Centerfield (LastFM)
