I recently rented a film called “South of Heaven, West of Hell” after reading about Warren Zevon’s cameo appearance in his biography written by his ex-wife Crystal in 2007.
I was fortunate to have seen Warren in concert twice while he was alive, so there was no way I wasn’t going to watch this movie. The first time I saw Warren perform was January 9, 1996 in the Rockin’ Horse Saloon in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was a fantastic show. Every time Warren would finish a song, some jackass would yell “Werewolves of London!” Finally Warren said, “Look… I’m going to play it, but not now. If I play that song now, most of you will leave as soon as I’m done. So I’ll play it at the end of the show.” And he did. And nobody had left. And nobody seemed ready to leave even after they brought the house lights up. Well, I’m sure Warren was ready to leave, but he was probably the only one. Interestingly, that venue burned to the ground like the following week.
I caught Warren in concert again outside of Alice Cooperstown in Phoenix on April 1, 2000. (No fooling!) It was another amazing performance by the man with his guitar, a harmonica and a keyboard. Who needs a band?
While waiting for the movie to be delivered by the mail carrier, I settled in and read the 48 reviews submitted by various Netflickians- 29 of whom absolutely “hated” it. The vast majority of the rest didn’t care for it, and many probably didn’t watch it all of the way through. A few people claimed they loved it, but I suspect that they were probably trying to instigate some sort of cyber fistfight.
Pretty much the only item of value I got from the reviews was the knowledge that Paul Reubens also had a small role in the movie. Just think of that, Warren Zevon, Peter Fonda and Pee Wee Herman appearing on the silver screen together!
The movie was filmed in Arizona- appropriate, as it is a western set in the finals days of 1907. Warren only appears in the movie for a short time. He plays a character named Babcock who sticks pretty close to Billy Bob Thornton and has very little (if anything) to say. Paul Reubens plays a convincing cowthug named Arvid Henry. Don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize him at first.
I wish I could tell you to rush out and rent this movie and that you’ll love it. But I can’t. Possibly it could have been better if it wasn’t written, cast, directed, edited and produced by Dwight Yoakam. But that would pretty much make it a different movie. Still, it is a far cry from what some folks have deemed the worst movie of all time. I could easily list twelve dozen worse films if I wanted to bother.
If you are a Zevon fan, you really should watch it. Same thing goes for Paul Reubens fans. If you aren’t fans of either of them but love Peter Fonda, just watch Easy Rider again.
Showing posts with label music reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music reviews. Show all posts
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
tuesday afternoon
The Moody Blues rolled into Rio Rancho, New Mexico on February 27th with the sole purpose of entertaining an estimated crowd of 2,500 fans who didn’t want to travel all the way from Albuquerque to Denver to see them, but were willing to make the trek out to the Santa Ana Star Center.
The British rockers would have been successful in their goal even if they had only performed one of their two 50-minute sets. After opening the concert with Lovely to See You Again, My Friend, the band delivered an extremely polished version of Tuesday Afternoon- probably one of the songs that first attracted me to the Moody Blues many years ago.
You are aware, I assume, that the Moodies are one of Opus’ favorite bands. Although you may not completely understand everything about the life of that odd little comic penguin, one can hardly question his taste in music.
The light show was phenomenal as the band continued with Lean On Me Tonight, Never Comes the Day and Steppin' in a Slide Zone. Although the crowd clearly enjoyed the overall performance up to this point, The Voice was the first song to get the majority of the people up on their feet at the same time.
The remainder of the first set included spirited renditions of One More Time to Live, I Know You’re Out There Somewhere and The Story in Your Eyes.
My challenge during the subsequent 20-minute intermission was to bombard the audience with commercials on the jumbotron and ads on the ribbon board- forcing them to seek shelter among the concession stands located throughout the concourse. I think it is safe to say that I managed to sell a few beers.
The second set began with Your Wildest Dreams. It’s funny how I hadn’t thought about the video for that song in over two decades until I saw them in concert.
Isn’t Life Strange was easily the strongest performance of the evening. The best way I can think to describe that tune for someone not at the concert is to ask them to imagine watching a autumn-colored leaf drop from the top of a tall tree, rocking gently toward the ground, then catching a thermal breeze and rising ever so slowly back toward the fading sun. You know that it will eventually come to rest, but catch yourself hoping this one will defy the rules and remain aloft- thereby preventing the onset of winter. But it can't.
Before the people standing at the end of Isn’t Life Strange had a chance to reclaim their seats, they were sawn in half by bassist John Lodge ripping through The Other Side of Life. Another hit from the 80s!
The next tune, December Snow, was from their Krismas album released some 4 years ago- so it was new to me.
No other song of the evening was performed with more passion than Higher and Higher as percussionist Graeme Edge climbed down from his drum set to take the microphone. Armed with only a tambourine, Edge danced an energetic jig while chasing flutist Norda Mullen around the stage and flashing his highly contagious Cheshire grin at appreciative fans- all while surreal clips of historic Apollo missions and Neil Armstrong strolling on the moon were projected onto the giant screen behind the band. Even if you don’t click on any of the other links in this entry, be sure you do check out this one. It will give you a good idea of the amount of joy this artist has on stage.
Edge has the distinction of being the sole remaining member of the original Moody Blues formed in 1964. Newbies Justin Hayward and John Lodge have only been with the band for fourty-one years. It almost seems rude of me to not include the names of the other band members (two keyboardists and another drummer), but sometimes I'm like that. You’ll get over it.
Band member introductions were followed by a rousing performance of I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock 'n' Roll Band). The psychedelic 30-year-old concert footage on the backdrop would have been fun enough- but throw in the live performance on the stage in front and I began to appreciate how successful bank robbers must feel on payday.
I didn’t get to “see” the end of the show, as I had to make my way backstage in order to be ready to run the post-concert commercials. However, I had no troubles hearing as they closed with Are You Sitting Comfortably? and Nights in White Satin.
I was extremely disappointed when the concert director announced that the band would be performing Question for their encore instead of Ride My See-Saw which they reportedly played as the encore following a concert in Las Vegas, Nevada three weeks previously. Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Question, but See-Saw is one of my favorite Moody Blues’ tunes. Much to my delight, the band returned to the stage and performed it as a second encore.
The only other song that I REALLY wanted to see the Moodies perform was Legend of a Mind. Maybe next time!
The British rockers would have been successful in their goal even if they had only performed one of their two 50-minute sets. After opening the concert with Lovely to See You Again, My Friend, the band delivered an extremely polished version of Tuesday Afternoon- probably one of the songs that first attracted me to the Moody Blues many years ago.
You are aware, I assume, that the Moodies are one of Opus’ favorite bands. Although you may not completely understand everything about the life of that odd little comic penguin, one can hardly question his taste in music.
The light show was phenomenal as the band continued with Lean On Me Tonight, Never Comes the Day and Steppin' in a Slide Zone. Although the crowd clearly enjoyed the overall performance up to this point, The Voice was the first song to get the majority of the people up on their feet at the same time.
The remainder of the first set included spirited renditions of One More Time to Live, I Know You’re Out There Somewhere and The Story in Your Eyes.
My challenge during the subsequent 20-minute intermission was to bombard the audience with commercials on the jumbotron and ads on the ribbon board- forcing them to seek shelter among the concession stands located throughout the concourse. I think it is safe to say that I managed to sell a few beers.
The second set began with Your Wildest Dreams. It’s funny how I hadn’t thought about the video for that song in over two decades until I saw them in concert.
Isn’t Life Strange was easily the strongest performance of the evening. The best way I can think to describe that tune for someone not at the concert is to ask them to imagine watching a autumn-colored leaf drop from the top of a tall tree, rocking gently toward the ground, then catching a thermal breeze and rising ever so slowly back toward the fading sun. You know that it will eventually come to rest, but catch yourself hoping this one will defy the rules and remain aloft- thereby preventing the onset of winter. But it can't.
Before the people standing at the end of Isn’t Life Strange had a chance to reclaim their seats, they were sawn in half by bassist John Lodge ripping through The Other Side of Life. Another hit from the 80s!
The next tune, December Snow, was from their Krismas album released some 4 years ago- so it was new to me.
No other song of the evening was performed with more passion than Higher and Higher as percussionist Graeme Edge climbed down from his drum set to take the microphone. Armed with only a tambourine, Edge danced an energetic jig while chasing flutist Norda Mullen around the stage and flashing his highly contagious Cheshire grin at appreciative fans- all while surreal clips of historic Apollo missions and Neil Armstrong strolling on the moon were projected onto the giant screen behind the band. Even if you don’t click on any of the other links in this entry, be sure you do check out this one. It will give you a good idea of the amount of joy this artist has on stage.
Edge has the distinction of being the sole remaining member of the original Moody Blues formed in 1964. Newbies Justin Hayward and John Lodge have only been with the band for fourty-one years. It almost seems rude of me to not include the names of the other band members (two keyboardists and another drummer), but sometimes I'm like that. You’ll get over it.
Band member introductions were followed by a rousing performance of I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock 'n' Roll Band). The psychedelic 30-year-old concert footage on the backdrop would have been fun enough- but throw in the live performance on the stage in front and I began to appreciate how successful bank robbers must feel on payday.
I didn’t get to “see” the end of the show, as I had to make my way backstage in order to be ready to run the post-concert commercials. However, I had no troubles hearing as they closed with Are You Sitting Comfortably? and Nights in White Satin.
I was extremely disappointed when the concert director announced that the band would be performing Question for their encore instead of Ride My See-Saw which they reportedly played as the encore following a concert in Las Vegas, Nevada three weeks previously. Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Question, but See-Saw is one of my favorite Moody Blues’ tunes. Much to my delight, the band returned to the stage and performed it as a second encore.
The only other song that I REALLY wanted to see the Moodies perform was Legend of a Mind. Maybe next time!
Monday, September 18, 2006
electric SHOCK
No, this entry isn’t about the ongoing bathroom renovation, but rather the Lou Reed concert in Santa Fe on September 16th. The intimate, open-air John Crosby Theater at the Santa Fe Opera is a fantastic venue. A Lou Reed show can be a life-altering experience. You better believe it man, its true!
Several years ago, I made the mistake of listening to Lou’s "Magic & Loss" album while driving to my grandmother’s funeral. What seemed like a good idea at the time, actually backfired and resulted in me finding that cd practically unplayable. Hoping to change the personal attachment I have to the album, I decided to give it another try while driving from Albuquerque to the concert. Perhaps one of the best features of the Santa Fe Opera is that you are able to get to it via NM Route 599, the Santa Fe Relief Route, so you don’t have to deal with the tourist trap of a city itself.
Arriving at the theater some 40-45 minutes prior to the gates opening afforded the opportunity to listen to the sound check. Lou’s band started the tune What’s Good (interestingly, from the aforementioned “Magic & Loss” album) at least a dozen times as technicians worked on getting the sound just right. The sound check continued after the gates opened, and after obtaining a glass of wine, we wondered around the plaza area until discovering a small area where we could stand and see the stage simply by blocking the setting sun from our eyes with our hands.
While Lou recited some poetry between sips of Diet Coke, the band continued working on the beginning of What’s Good. Just prior to the band leaving the stage, Lou spoke into the microphone “How’s that sound Frank? Not too lifeless?” Soon after that, people were allowed access to their seats in the theater. We continued walking about on the plaza and looking at people. The majority of people wore black, and plenty of it. Still there was enough turquoise to remind you that you were no longer in the real world, and enough cowboy hats to suggest that you were either in the southwest, or at an extras casting call for a remake of Midnight Cowboy.
Once it was dark outside, the house lights were dimmed and the stage lights brightened. There would be no messing around with an opening act of any type. A roar from the crowd greeted Lou as he walked onto the stage with his band mates. Lou wore faded blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a light grey Unabomber-style hooded sweatshirt. He also was sporting a necklace with a red chile pepper pendant. (Um, did I mention that we were in the ninth row? And by the way, 50 bonus points to anyone who can explain why the opera doesn’t have a row “i.”)
Mike Rathke joined Lou on guitar. An energetic Fernando Saunders played bass and Rob Wasserman was on hand to play upright bass. Encased in a Plexiglas shell not unlike to the Popemobile, drummer Tony “Thunder” Smith served as the group’s beating heart, forcing the haunting sounds created by the four guitars to course through the veins of everyone in attendance. The combination helped prepare our brains to receive Reed’s lyrics which were dispensed as if by a pharmacist who suspects the recipients are being overmedicated, but also realizes that there is a 95 percent chance that they will survive the experience.
They opened with Dorita, the ghostly instrumental that is the first track on "Magic & Loss," transitioning seamlessly into What’s Good. Both were amazing! I guess I could say that about every song, so let’s just agree that you will assume that as you continue reading.
Lou’s delivery of my favorite line from the next song, The Proposition, “you won't see my parents honored on any stamp,” alone was worth the price of admission. As the band changed instruments following the third tune, Lou took a moment to chat with the audience. He said, “People ask me, “Have you ever played in an opera house before?” … Yeah, I’ve played in lots of bars. … (pause) … It’s good, but it’s not meant for electric.” They then proceeded to crack the adobe with an earth-shattering rendition of Egg Cream.
The lighting was minimal at best. The contrast between Lou’s metallic blue guitar and the red light that bathed the band during Ecstasy was sublime. It was incredible to watch how Lou directed the band and how well they responded. Fernando Saunders performed as if Ecstasy might very well be the last song he ever played.
Of course it wasn’t. Saunders was right there as the band shifted gears and turned onto the Dirty Boulevard. Leave it to Lou to make you feel great by forcing you to realize how lucky you are to not be a subject of one of his songs. Reed is forever tinkering with his tunes until he gets them just right. In this case, he delivered this modified portion of the third verse while shaking his head.
“You can believe it man its true
Somewhere a president’s laughing till he wets his pants
But this song is from 1989
And look at us today”
Not wanting to wet my own pants, I made a dash for the restroom instead of applauding at the end of Dirty Boulevard. I actually made it to an open urinal before I heard the muffled first notes of Waiting for My Man. While I relieved myself of a bladder full of grape juice, I realized that the restroom air-freshener was pot scented. As I washed my hands I observed that there were so many black leather jackets about that one could easily mistake the gathering for a Sweat Hogs reunion. I made it back to my seat well before Lou took the audience up three flights of stairs of a Brownstone for a taste.
Next, we were subjected to Lou’s interpretation of The Raven that I suspect would manage to scare the Poe out of old Edgar Allan himself. I regret that I am unable to string the right words together to describe the pure energy that cascaded over the edge of the stage and washed through the audience during that number. It made me realize that critics of Reed’s double album that includes The Raven are missing out on some of his best work by shunning the effort. Too bad for them!
Reed switched over to a candy apple red guitar for Coney Island Baby. The decision to play that song next was genius. It begins so mellow and builds to a point where you think something on stage is going to explode. It was near the end of Coney Island Baby when Lou had his first true one-on-one jam session with Rathke. Oh man, let me tell you this… Mike Rathke was playing his nuts off. It was so insane that I saw Lou smile. I swear!
I think it was a common feeling among the audience that each member of the band truly seemed to be excited to be performing with Reed. I don’t even think they were all that concerned about the audience. During several points in the evening, Lou would sort of well… get all caught up in the moment and begin screaming into the microphone. The veins in his neck appeared to be on the verge of bursting. Rathke, Saunders and Smith would exchange looks and laugh with each other, having more fun than the Harlem Globetrotters while running up the score against the hapless Washington Generals. Although considerably less animated, Wasserman also appeared to be having a great time.
After the standing ovation that followed Coney Island Baby, Lou returned to the microphone and said, “Thank you. We have to slow down now… Maybe for a month.” After another round of applause, he added, “But we won’t. Because we came here to play for YOU.” God I love Lou! Even though he said it in that classic tone that indicates that he knows that you know he is bullshitting you, you still want to believe that it is true. The joke is on everyone.
Next they performed Guardian Angel, another tune from "The Raven." It was great, but I had been hoping they would play Riptide, which they had performed in concert in New York 4 nights before.
Dreamin’ was next. Another selection from "Magic & Loss" that Lou dedicated to his friend Rita and his other friend Doc in which he mocks death by stating, “you were no saint, but you deserved better than that.” Seeing him perform such an amazingly personal and sad song definitely made me appreciate that album again to the point that it will be returned to the rotation.
The final song of the set was the ever-rockin’ Set the Twilight Reeling. This performance would get the audience up on their feet and dancing, and prevented them from sitting back down through the double encore that included Sweet Jane and Perfect Day. After playing for over two hours, Lou seemed nearly exhausted as he waved and exited the stage. Maybe that’s the price one pays when they invade.
Several years ago, I made the mistake of listening to Lou’s "Magic & Loss" album while driving to my grandmother’s funeral. What seemed like a good idea at the time, actually backfired and resulted in me finding that cd practically unplayable. Hoping to change the personal attachment I have to the album, I decided to give it another try while driving from Albuquerque to the concert. Perhaps one of the best features of the Santa Fe Opera is that you are able to get to it via NM Route 599, the Santa Fe Relief Route, so you don’t have to deal with the tourist trap of a city itself.
Arriving at the theater some 40-45 minutes prior to the gates opening afforded the opportunity to listen to the sound check. Lou’s band started the tune What’s Good (interestingly, from the aforementioned “Magic & Loss” album) at least a dozen times as technicians worked on getting the sound just right. The sound check continued after the gates opened, and after obtaining a glass of wine, we wondered around the plaza area until discovering a small area where we could stand and see the stage simply by blocking the setting sun from our eyes with our hands.
While Lou recited some poetry between sips of Diet Coke, the band continued working on the beginning of What’s Good. Just prior to the band leaving the stage, Lou spoke into the microphone “How’s that sound Frank? Not too lifeless?” Soon after that, people were allowed access to their seats in the theater. We continued walking about on the plaza and looking at people. The majority of people wore black, and plenty of it. Still there was enough turquoise to remind you that you were no longer in the real world, and enough cowboy hats to suggest that you were either in the southwest, or at an extras casting call for a remake of Midnight Cowboy.
Once it was dark outside, the house lights were dimmed and the stage lights brightened. There would be no messing around with an opening act of any type. A roar from the crowd greeted Lou as he walked onto the stage with his band mates. Lou wore faded blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a light grey Unabomber-style hooded sweatshirt. He also was sporting a necklace with a red chile pepper pendant. (Um, did I mention that we were in the ninth row? And by the way, 50 bonus points to anyone who can explain why the opera doesn’t have a row “i.”)
Mike Rathke joined Lou on guitar. An energetic Fernando Saunders played bass and Rob Wasserman was on hand to play upright bass. Encased in a Plexiglas shell not unlike to the Popemobile, drummer Tony “Thunder” Smith served as the group’s beating heart, forcing the haunting sounds created by the four guitars to course through the veins of everyone in attendance. The combination helped prepare our brains to receive Reed’s lyrics which were dispensed as if by a pharmacist who suspects the recipients are being overmedicated, but also realizes that there is a 95 percent chance that they will survive the experience.
They opened with Dorita, the ghostly instrumental that is the first track on "Magic & Loss," transitioning seamlessly into What’s Good. Both were amazing! I guess I could say that about every song, so let’s just agree that you will assume that as you continue reading.
Lou’s delivery of my favorite line from the next song, The Proposition, “you won't see my parents honored on any stamp,” alone was worth the price of admission. As the band changed instruments following the third tune, Lou took a moment to chat with the audience. He said, “People ask me, “Have you ever played in an opera house before?” … Yeah, I’ve played in lots of bars. … (pause) … It’s good, but it’s not meant for electric.” They then proceeded to crack the adobe with an earth-shattering rendition of Egg Cream.
The lighting was minimal at best. The contrast between Lou’s metallic blue guitar and the red light that bathed the band during Ecstasy was sublime. It was incredible to watch how Lou directed the band and how well they responded. Fernando Saunders performed as if Ecstasy might very well be the last song he ever played.
Of course it wasn’t. Saunders was right there as the band shifted gears and turned onto the Dirty Boulevard. Leave it to Lou to make you feel great by forcing you to realize how lucky you are to not be a subject of one of his songs. Reed is forever tinkering with his tunes until he gets them just right. In this case, he delivered this modified portion of the third verse while shaking his head.
“You can believe it man its true
Somewhere a president’s laughing till he wets his pants
But this song is from 1989
And look at us today”
Not wanting to wet my own pants, I made a dash for the restroom instead of applauding at the end of Dirty Boulevard. I actually made it to an open urinal before I heard the muffled first notes of Waiting for My Man. While I relieved myself of a bladder full of grape juice, I realized that the restroom air-freshener was pot scented. As I washed my hands I observed that there were so many black leather jackets about that one could easily mistake the gathering for a Sweat Hogs reunion. I made it back to my seat well before Lou took the audience up three flights of stairs of a Brownstone for a taste.
Next, we were subjected to Lou’s interpretation of The Raven that I suspect would manage to scare the Poe out of old Edgar Allan himself. I regret that I am unable to string the right words together to describe the pure energy that cascaded over the edge of the stage and washed through the audience during that number. It made me realize that critics of Reed’s double album that includes The Raven are missing out on some of his best work by shunning the effort. Too bad for them!
Reed switched over to a candy apple red guitar for Coney Island Baby. The decision to play that song next was genius. It begins so mellow and builds to a point where you think something on stage is going to explode. It was near the end of Coney Island Baby when Lou had his first true one-on-one jam session with Rathke. Oh man, let me tell you this… Mike Rathke was playing his nuts off. It was so insane that I saw Lou smile. I swear!
I think it was a common feeling among the audience that each member of the band truly seemed to be excited to be performing with Reed. I don’t even think they were all that concerned about the audience. During several points in the evening, Lou would sort of well… get all caught up in the moment and begin screaming into the microphone. The veins in his neck appeared to be on the verge of bursting. Rathke, Saunders and Smith would exchange looks and laugh with each other, having more fun than the Harlem Globetrotters while running up the score against the hapless Washington Generals. Although considerably less animated, Wasserman also appeared to be having a great time.
After the standing ovation that followed Coney Island Baby, Lou returned to the microphone and said, “Thank you. We have to slow down now… Maybe for a month.” After another round of applause, he added, “But we won’t. Because we came here to play for YOU.” God I love Lou! Even though he said it in that classic tone that indicates that he knows that you know he is bullshitting you, you still want to believe that it is true. The joke is on everyone.
Next they performed Guardian Angel, another tune from "The Raven." It was great, but I had been hoping they would play Riptide, which they had performed in concert in New York 4 nights before.
Dreamin’ was next. Another selection from "Magic & Loss" that Lou dedicated to his friend Rita and his other friend Doc in which he mocks death by stating, “you were no saint, but you deserved better than that.” Seeing him perform such an amazingly personal and sad song definitely made me appreciate that album again to the point that it will be returned to the rotation.
The final song of the set was the ever-rockin’ Set the Twilight Reeling. This performance would get the audience up on their feet and dancing, and prevented them from sitting back down through the double encore that included Sweet Jane and Perfect Day. After playing for over two hours, Lou seemed nearly exhausted as he waved and exited the stage. Maybe that’s the price one pays when they invade.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
new sensations
When it rains in New Mexico, it pours. No, I’m not talking about the weather, but rather the concert scene.
Following directly on the heels of the previously blogged DEVO concert, I find in my hands a pair of tickets to see Lou Reed perform at the Santa Fe Opera on the 16th. While there are very few things that could convince me to make the drive to Santa Fe, one of them is definitely Lou.
Although I wouldn’t presume to guess what Lou might decide to perform that evening, I am intrigued by recent mumblings that insist he is going to be performing his Berlin album live for the very first time in New York this December. Perhaps we’ll be treated to a preview of that! You never know what you’ll get with Lou though… perhaps a reading of the graphic version of Paul Auster’s City of Glass.
If I were given an opportunity to request one song, it would be Crazy Feeling, my favorite tune on Coney Island Baby. I would be tempted to request Street Hassle, but suspect the majority of the audience would want to beat me up afterwards. Of course, a request for Lou to perform Skynard’s Freebird would also be very funny (to me).
At any rate, you can bet your shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather that I will have plenty to write about following the concert.
Following directly on the heels of the previously blogged DEVO concert, I find in my hands a pair of tickets to see Lou Reed perform at the Santa Fe Opera on the 16th. While there are very few things that could convince me to make the drive to Santa Fe, one of them is definitely Lou.
Although I wouldn’t presume to guess what Lou might decide to perform that evening, I am intrigued by recent mumblings that insist he is going to be performing his Berlin album live for the very first time in New York this December. Perhaps we’ll be treated to a preview of that! You never know what you’ll get with Lou though… perhaps a reading of the graphic version of Paul Auster’s City of Glass.
If I were given an opportunity to request one song, it would be Crazy Feeling, my favorite tune on Coney Island Baby. I would be tempted to request Street Hassle, but suspect the majority of the audience would want to beat me up afterwards. Of course, a request for Lou to perform Skynard’s Freebird would also be very funny (to me).
At any rate, you can bet your shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather that I will have plenty to write about following the concert.
Friday, August 25, 2006
space junk 101
Did you feel the ground shaking along the Rio Grande Valley around 9:00 o’clock Thursday evening and wonder if the sky was falling, or perhaps that the region was experiencing an earthquake? If so, you weren’t alone. You needn’t waste time looking for answers at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Hazards Program website as they offer no data or plausible explanation. Instead, continue reading right where you are to find out what happened.
Hundreds of people of all ages were present at the epicenter of the seismic event, standing, jumping and dancing in front of the stage in the Kiva Auditorium at the Albuquerque Convention Center as the 30-year-old punk-wave band DEVO performed live for the first time ever in the Duke City.
The memorable evening was opened with a short set by When in Rome, a band best know for their 1988 hit The Promise that was recently reborn when it was featured at the end of the film Napoleon Dynamite.
Following a brief intermission, the Psychedelic Furs marched onto the stage, opening with Love My Way. Richard Butler served as the grand marshal for the Furs hit parade that included Heartbreak Beat. Any student of 80s music would have assumed that the band would have performed Pretty in Pink before it was all said and done. Fear not… they closed their set with that number.
The remainder of the evening was pure DEVO from the lemon yellow drum set and the band’s tear-away chemical-protection suits to their cherry red plastic flower pot hats. Interestingly, when a band maintains a stage presence as gripping as DEVO’s, lighting technicians and smoke-machine operators can take a breather and enjoy the show along with everyone else. They simply aren’t needed.
A handful of obvious DEVOtees appeared to have been waiting a lifetime to see this particular concert. It seemed as if everyone lost control as the band unleashed a torrent of hit songs, including back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back performances of Girl U Want, Whip It, (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Uncontrollable Urge, Mongoloid, Blockhead and Jocko Homo. Undoubtedly, the regional power grid was strained as DEVO guitars, synthesizers and amplifiers greedily sucked electricity that was converted into waves of de-evolutionary messages that were sent crashing over the crowd with the force of a subliminal tsunami.
DEVO returned to the stage moments after attempting to close with a smashing rendition of Gates of Steel, and went on to rock the house with an energetic encore set that included Freedom of Choice, Wiggly World, Gut Feeling and Johnny B. Goode. For the finale, lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh donned a giant foam cowboy hat and a ridiculous Rollie Fingers mustache and bounced handfuls of nuclear green-colored super balls off the stage into the transfixed crowd. In short, it was an amazing show!
If you ever have an opportunity to see DEVO perform, even if it is another 30 years from now- jump on those tickets!
Later Spuds.
Hundreds of people of all ages were present at the epicenter of the seismic event, standing, jumping and dancing in front of the stage in the Kiva Auditorium at the Albuquerque Convention Center as the 30-year-old punk-wave band DEVO performed live for the first time ever in the Duke City.
The memorable evening was opened with a short set by When in Rome, a band best know for their 1988 hit The Promise that was recently reborn when it was featured at the end of the film Napoleon Dynamite.
Following a brief intermission, the Psychedelic Furs marched onto the stage, opening with Love My Way. Richard Butler served as the grand marshal for the Furs hit parade that included Heartbreak Beat. Any student of 80s music would have assumed that the band would have performed Pretty in Pink before it was all said and done. Fear not… they closed their set with that number.
The remainder of the evening was pure DEVO from the lemon yellow drum set and the band’s tear-away chemical-protection suits to their cherry red plastic flower pot hats. Interestingly, when a band maintains a stage presence as gripping as DEVO’s, lighting technicians and smoke-machine operators can take a breather and enjoy the show along with everyone else. They simply aren’t needed.
A handful of obvious DEVOtees appeared to have been waiting a lifetime to see this particular concert. It seemed as if everyone lost control as the band unleashed a torrent of hit songs, including back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back performances of Girl U Want, Whip It, (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Uncontrollable Urge, Mongoloid, Blockhead and Jocko Homo. Undoubtedly, the regional power grid was strained as DEVO guitars, synthesizers and amplifiers greedily sucked electricity that was converted into waves of de-evolutionary messages that were sent crashing over the crowd with the force of a subliminal tsunami.
DEVO returned to the stage moments after attempting to close with a smashing rendition of Gates of Steel, and went on to rock the house with an energetic encore set that included Freedom of Choice, Wiggly World, Gut Feeling and Johnny B. Goode. For the finale, lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh donned a giant foam cowboy hat and a ridiculous Rollie Fingers mustache and bounced handfuls of nuclear green-colored super balls off the stage into the transfixed crowd. In short, it was an amazing show!
If you ever have an opportunity to see DEVO perform, even if it is another 30 years from now- jump on those tickets!
Later Spuds.
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