"You might think I'm crazy, but I'm serious."

If I look that good in a skin-tight bodysuit when I'm 44, life will be grand.

It's been a while since I've done any sort of writeup for a show. In fact, it appears that the last show I blogged about was when I saw The Ravonettes in October of 2009. Rest assured, there have been shows in the interim - Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Yeasayer, Beach House, Lady Gaga, Crystal Castles, Hall and Oates, and probably a few others that I can't recall at the moment. This is all to say that I've been a bad music blogger. So I'm here to remedy with a report on this weekend's Janet Jackson show at the Borgata in Atlantic City.

The Borgata Events Center is shockingly small. I expected an intimate venue, but we're talking about 2,000 seats, maybe less. That being the case, I imagine that there wasn't a bad seat in the house, but the 14th row was still a good place to be (albeit not in the center section). In reality, it could have been General Admission on the floor, but I digress.

At each show on this tour, Janet dedicates a song to that city. This seems to me a simple way of giving something distinctive to each performance, though I wonder what real value the gesture has. What this amounted to was being teased with the video for "The Pleasure Principle" just prior to Janet taking the stage.



Then the band launched into their live rendition of the track, one of my favorites from 1986's Control LP.

After that, it was pretty much hit after hit, which was to be expected given that the tour is promoting her Number Ones collection (I pointed out the punctuation error while we waited for the show to start). I can't find a full setlist but they were pretty much all there - "Control," "Miss You Much," "If," "That's the Way Love Goes," "What Have You Done for Me Lately," "Nasty," "Rhythm Nation," "Escapade," "Together Again," ""You Want This," "Alright," "Love Will Never Do (Without You)," and more that I can't remember. There was even a bit of "Scream." Good stuff. There was also a nice little segment of ballads including "Come Back to Me," "Let's Wait Awhile" and "Again," the latter of which never fails to remind me of eighth grade dances. The only jams I really wanted to hear but were absent were "Black Cat" and "Go Deep." Alas and alack (though they have popped up on other dates).

At these pop shows, I'm always critical of lip syncing. It was one of the things that most bothered me about the Lady Gaga show, though it was expected. I watched and listened closely to Miss Jackson ('cause I'm nasty), and had a difficult time distinguishing whether or not she was singing live. These leads me to believe that either a) she was singing live or b) is adept at masking the fact that she's lip syncing. My guess is that ultimately, it was a mix of both.

While some of her dancing duties were relegated to the troupe of backup dancers she had on stage, Janet really brought it at key moments with the iconic moves from her signature videos ("Miss You Much," "Rhythm Nation," "If," for example). I was a little saddened that "Miss You Much" was done sans chair routine, though.



In short, it was a great show, well worth the ticket and the trip.

The Raveonettes @ 9:30 Club, DC (10/16)

(Photo by Chris Chen)


I've wanted to see The Raveonettes live since I first heard them back in 2004 or 2005. I was perusing music at the Iowa City Public Library when I came across Chain Gang of Love. The name caught my eye. I tend to like groups with "-ettes" affixed to their name: The Marvalettes, the Raylettes, The Ronettes, et. al. I think I may also have heard them on Little Steven's Underground Garage. I loved the album immediately, ended up finding a copy at a record swap not long after, then proceeded to pick up their earlier EP and subsequent releases. But I never got to see them live, because fate wouldn't have it. So when I caught wind that they were performing DC on a Friday night, I quickly made moves.

Openers were the Black Angels, from Austin. Not bad. A little excessive on the reverb, and there wasn't a whole lot of variety in their set. But still enjoyable.

The Raveonettes put on a show that was well worth waiting four years to see. The energy of their music - alternating between '60s pop buoyancy and the darker edges of rock - translates very well into a live setting. They ran through material from 2002's Whip it On up through their newest release, In and Out of Control. They included many of my favorites - "Dead Sound," "Little Animal," "That Great Love Sound," "Aly Walk With Me" (a personal highlight), "Love in a Trashcan" and others that I can't remember at the moment. And of course, they played about half of the new record. I'd only heard it once on their live stream, but it is now in heavy rotation after the show.

Speaking of which, the band has a deal going where anyone that buys the new album at the show gets to attend a brief meet and greet after the show. I was planning on buying the new disc anyway, so this was an added bonus (though sometime between Friday and Sunday, I lost the slip containing the download information). Maybe 20 or so people were at the meet & greet. I never know what to say to my favorite bands when I get the rare chance. I just complimented them on a great show and talked to them about the tour. And got their John Hancocks. I always feel weird asking for autographs too, but when they come pen in hand, it's not so awkward.

In short, the Raveonettes live show gets the Gonzo seal of approval! Check them out if they're hitting your town. And also check out their new album. At least for the time being, you can stream it through their official widget below!

Rave on!

Review: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Mellon Arena Pittsburgh, PA, 5/19

When Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band announced a reunion tour in 2000, I knew I had to go. My sister and I were treated to an amazing show with a solid setlist. I've seen Springsteen only once in the interim, on the Seeger Sessions tour, which was a totally different, yet equally amazing show. I stupidly passed on an opportunity to see the Devils and Dust tour with friends of mine in Minneapolis, and I could never make it to any of the Magic shows. So I was interested in seeing Bruce and the band again, but didn't view it as a necessity until 90 seconds or so into their halftime show at this year's Super Bowl (which as a Pittsburgher, it is my duty to remind you that the Steelers won).

I'll be honest, my interest in big arena/stadium shows has waned drastically over the last five years or so. But shit, it's Bruce Springsteen! And tickets were relatively affordable ($50!).

I know in my heart that rock and roll never starts on time, but I felt it necessary at 7:25 that my sister and I quickly drink our third and final round of Long Islands. And of course, the 7:30 set time meant 8:25. But type-A music fans like me can't take the risk of missing any stage time.

I've been glancing at the setlists on the always informative Backstreets and keeping up with "Outlaw" Pete Icke's Springsteen Tour Tracker to keep up with song debuts.

Leading up to the concert, my sister asked me to make her a Bruce mix (I don't know why, every time I've been in her car for the last 6 months she's listening to E Street Radio). I approached the mix as no hits, though fan favorites were fair game. Anyhow, in compiling it, I was struck that you'd be hard pressed to put together a "bad" Springsteen setlist. That was definitely borne out at tonight's show in Pittsburgh.

While Max Weinberg's son Jason has been playing portions of the set on most dates, such wasn't the case tonight, I'm happy to report. With no disrespect to the young Weinberg, the E Street Band is one of those groups where each member truly has their own unique personality that shines through onstage. Also, I'm a drummer at heart, and it's Mighty Max Weinberg. Patti Scialfa was absent, however.

"Badlands" was an unexpected opener for me, but what a way to kick it off. Pulling out the big guns straight out of the gate! We were then treated to "Candy's Room," which was even more leftfield, but a great old nugget from Darkness on the Edge of Town - the title track of which he also played. I expected "Johnny 99," but it's one of my favorites, and we got a rousing full band rendition. After a cover of The Young Rascals' "Good Lovin'" (which Little Steven would surely call "one of the coolest songs ever recorded" on his radio show ), Bruce collected signs from the audience. After proclaiming "WE'VE NEVER PLAYED THIS NEXT SONG BEFORE!" the band launched into Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone." A very honest rendition, I might add. Other highlights included "The Promised Land," "I'm on Fire," and the always crowd-pleasing "Born to Run."

Kicking off with Pittsburgh native Stephen Foster's "Hard Times," the encore never let up, with "Thunder Road," "Land of Hopes and Dreams" and "American Land" rounding out the set before bringing Joe Grusheky (another Pittsburgh native) on stage for an energetic "Glory Days." After an extended run through of "Mony Mony," I held out hope for a second encore. Alas, the houselights went up quickly. Still, a great show and I'm certainly not disappointed.


Setlist:

1. Badlands
2. Candy's Room
3. Outlaw Pete
4. Jackson Cage
5. She's The One
6. Working On A Dream
7. Seeds
8. Johnny 99
9. Youngstown
10. Good Lovin'
11. Like A Rolling Stone (audience pick)
12. Darkness On The Edge Of Town (audience pick)
13. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
14. The Promised Land
15. I'm On Fire
16. Kingdom Of Days
17. Lonesome Day
18. The Rising
19. Born To Run

**Encore**
20. Hard Times
21. Thunder Road
22. Land Of Hope And Dreams
23. American Land
24. Glory Days (w/Grushecky)
25. Mony Mony

Next up on the concert calendar: Santigold!

Show Review: Cut Copy - 3/23, 9:30 Club, DC

I don't think I've been to a show since I saw CSS in December. That seems slightly odd, given my modest streak since moving to Baltimore (averaging a show a month, but coming from Iowa, that's A LOT!).

To be completely honest, it wasn't until Friday or Saturday that I remembered the Cut Copy show was coming up on Monday. It seems like forever ago that I bought the ticket.

In classic style, I strolled into the 9:30 Club just in time to see the openening band, Matt & Kim.



They must play in the area frequently, because I feel like I've seen their names advertised quite a bit. I wasn't totally sold on them, but I'll give their album a spin. I was totally sold on their enthusiasm and energy, however. They seemed genuinely happy as shit to be playing, which is always a welcome stage attitude in my book. And yes, I have a crush on Kim. I've always had a thing for female drummers, what can I say? Serious sidenote though, they got a really great drum sound out of that kit. The sound at the 9:30 Club is generally pretty great to begin with, but something about the drums and the way the were miked/mixed sounded fantastic. There was also a moment of serendipity when they played the intro to "The Final Countdown," which I'd heard on the radio on the way down. I also had an amusing/odd dream about Buster Bluth the other night. Why is Arrested Development haunting me? What is the universe trying to say?!?!

30 minutes and one cocktail later, Cut Copy took the stage.



I can't say that I have any real sense of history with this band, and my guess is that the same is true of the majority of folks in the sold out crowd. I really only know In Ghost Colours, which was one of my favorites from 2008.

Through the first two songs, I was a little bit worried. They sounded great, but little seemed to be happening live aside from the drums and vocals. This quickly changed however, as a bass and six string were brought out and remained for the bulk of the set. They tore through pretty much all of In Ghost Colours, which pleased me. They also had an insane light rig. Listen to their record. Imagine what the lighting might be like set to that music. Your mental image is probably accurate. It was intense and very colorful, if blinding at times. Predictably, they closed with "Lights and Music," which I thought they might be sick of by now. But I was glad to hear it.

At some point they also played "Hearts on Fire." You know how sometimes you like a song, but you hear it live and it kicks your appreciation up a few notches? That's the case here. There is a video for the song, but embedding is disabled and to be honest, I think it's kind of a hokey clip. But it's a great song:

Hearts On Fire - Cut Copy

All in all, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I won't say that I was blown away by the show, but I'm glad that I went, it was well worth the ticket price. Happy to have them be my first concert of 2009. Next up is Springsteen in May, unless something comes up in the interim.

A brief commentary on the Springsteen Halftime Show

Halftime shows are always a bit of a crapshoot. It seems to me that these productions have become higher calibre in recent years. I certainly don't claim to be a Super Bowl nut. For me, no Steelers = no sale. But in those off years, I often at least watch the halftime show, for good or ill.

I was pretty confident that the E Street Band would pull it off. They've long had a reputation as one of the best live shows out there, and Springsteen's catalog has a number of strong songs that would suit the occasion. In fact, I found this set a little more difficult to predict than the Stones' show a few years back (during ANOTHER Steelers win, I might add!). In the end, Bruce chose a set of three crowd pleasing anthems and the requisite "new song" - all executed bombastically well.

Last week, as Pete at IckMusic noted, Springsteen announced another slew of tour dates. DC and Pittsburgh were both on the list. I thought about it briefly. I saw the E Street reunion tour in 2000 and the Seeger Sessions tour a couple years ago. Both were excellent. Anyhow, within 5 minutes of the halftime set, my sister and I were exchanging text messages saying "we should totally get tickets" (which went on sale this morning). When a halftime show is good enough to convince you to buy (reasonably priced, I might add) tickets to a rock show, the band has done their job.

I had the pleasure of watching the game in a movie theater/bar in Pittsburgh. The vibe was already intense, with the liquor flowing and the Steelers taking a 10 point lead by the end of the first half. Throw Springsteen on the stage, and we partied as if we were on the field, singing, dancing, jumping around, and general camaraderie. It reminded me of when I saw Stop Making Sense in a theater a few years ago in the sense that as much as was possible, it felt like that theater captured the concert environment during Springsteen's performance.

All in all, I was pleased. More pleased about the Steelers' win, but that goes without saying. And we were able to score tickets this morning, so come May 19, we'll be rocking out once again.

Take home point: the best halftime show in recent memory, save for Prince two years ago.

CSS: 9:30 Club - Washington, DC 12/20/08

I know, I've been conspicuously absent. Holidays, the flu and travels got in the way. But I have a few posts in mind for the next week or so. But first, the long delayed review of the CSS show from last month.

We opted to skip the opener in favor of a few cocktails with a friend of mine from grad school. We got to the 9:30 Club just in time. Perhaps predicatably, CSS took the stage with an in-your-face rendition of "Jaeger Yoga," the opener of their most recent LP Donkey (one of my absolute favorites from 2008!). From there, the band embarked on inciting a non-stop dance party with their pop-oriented electro sensibilities. I admit not being at all familiar with their previous, self-titled album (though of course now, I need to check it out). Even so, the band made it through the bulk of the Donkey LP. I was a little surprised that they pulled out "Move" and "Left Behind," the album's two singles so early in the set. I would have pegged either of them (but especially "Left Behind") as closers. Instead, the band's encore was a rousing performance of "Reggae All Night," which was actually a perfect closer anyhow.

I have to say I was very pleased with their performance. While I love the album, live the songs sound much fuller, and have more punch. Not to mention the stage personality of the band. In addition to a solid performance, the sound was stellar. I also didn't realize that this was the last show of the tour (at least the US leg), so that made it a little special and added to the energy of the show.

All in all, CSS is well worth seeing live - tight, well executed, energetic, and super fun. That's right, I said "super fun." Check 'em out if you ever get the chance.

CSS on MySpace

Jucifer @ Sonar - Baltimore, 11/1

A week overdue, but alas.

Last saturday we went to see Jucifer. I was hipped to this band around 2000. At that point, they had only one album to their credit, Calling All Cars on the Vegas Strip. I took to them immediately, mostly because of the contrast of very dense, heavy music and alternately abrasive/delicate vocals.

I also have a troubled history with the band.

In the summer of 2002, I drove to Cleveland to see them at the Grog Shop. I'd wanted to see them live for some time, and felt it worth the trip from Pittsburgh. I don't remember much about the opening bands then, but I do remember being blown away by Jucifer. Records are one thing, but the sheer density and power of their music impressed me, especially for having only two members. I should also mention that Jucifer is among the loudest bands I've ever seen. So loud in fact, that a mere 12 minutes into their set, they blew the power out in the building. After waiting a bit, we were told that the problem was not a simple fuse replacement, but something "in the walls" and the show was over.

Later that year, they were to play a Pittsburgh venue (the 31st Pub, I believe). Weeks earlier, I'd been in contact with one of their promotion people to set up an in studio interview at the station. They were way down with the idea - I was amped. The band and I kept in touch all that day, and then their van broke down. The chances of the interview narrowed and then disappeared. But at least I'd get to see them live. That didn't happen either, though. They never made it to Pittsburgh.

A few months later, they did end up playing at Laga. However, they were opening for Local H, a curious match given the latter's pop-punk sensibilities. Jucifer played well, but it felt as though they were very much out of their element, and I'm pretty sure only myself and a friend actually had interest in them.

A few years ago I debated about driving from Iowa City to Cedar Falls to catch them, but decided against it given my track record with Jucifer.

So I had to see them upon learning they were to play Baltimore. There were three openers.

First up were locals Isthmus. Not bad. Sort of a mathy approach to metal. Their drummer was pretty impressive, seemlessly flowing between awkward time signatures. Also, Kate and I agreed that Jucifer aside, their bassist won the award for "most rocking out." Good local band, was pleased.

Isthmus on Myspace



Up next were Salome. They were doing soundchecks and I heard this intense scream over the PA, just a quick "yeah!" but very intense in its timbre. I assumed this was on the PA music, because I didn't see anybody on the mic. Then I realized that the screams were coming from a rather petite female, Salome's lead singer. These guys were fucking great. They played maybe a 40 minute set of three epic EPIC songs. Had I an extra five spot, I would have bought their LP. Alas, I spent my cash on the new Jucifer cd.

Salome on Myspace

Lastly, there was Internet. There wasn't much to them musically. In that aspect I was not very impressed. However, they had a great sense of humor, which made their set a worthwhile spectacle. Also, they covered Beck's "Fume," which was unexpected but welcome.

(can't find their myspace page)

And finally, it was time for Jucifer. I don't know if it was the band's choice, or the soundman's, but I was pleased that Wu-Tang's "Bring da Ruckus" played over the PA before the band took the stage.

As expected, they were incredibly intense. It could perhaps be described as an assault on the senses. Although I've (sort of) seen them live before, I was taken aback at how dense and loud they are, given that there are only two members. Guitarist/vocalist Amber Valentine rocked the fuck out, showcasing both her gritty growl/scream and her softer, delicate melodic vocals (both were basically impossible to hear, however). Drummer Edgar Livengood remains one of my favorite drummers currently playing. He not only has speed, but power. I also love that he uses a bass drum turned on its side as a floor tom. He's fascinating to watch - particularly in strobe lights. The lights! In addition to strobes, they also had fucking high calibre blinding lights atop their wall of amps. This combined with the music just felt like being repeatedly sucker punched in the best way possible.

They played mostly newer material. Admittedly, I'm not as into their more recent records as Calling All Cars on the Vegas Strip and The Lambs EP (the latter being my top pick from their catalog). Not that their recent material isn't good. It fucking rocks. Especially live. I just have an affinity for the music that hipped to them in the first place.

All in all, a great show. They played for under an hour, with no encore. However, they never stopped playing, and they probably can't go longer than that given the physical exertion each of them puts into playing. And I'm being completely serious.

I recommend checking them out if they come through your town. Brace yourself.

Check them out on myspace.

And though it isn't indicative of most of their material, here's an old favorite from their debut LP:

Of Floods, Funk and Glam

Apologies for the blog slack of late, and for missing the first Friday Funk in a while. But Iowa is flooded, I'm traveling, and the former altered the latter significantly. Fortunately my building wasn't affected by the flood, but large portions of Iowa City were, not to mention our sister city, Cedar Rapids. There are literally hundreds of people from Iowa City alone without Internet, power and sadly, homes. It's been a hell of a week, and my only point of comparison is the tornado of 2006. Midwest weather can be crazy and catastrophic, no doubt. So if you know anyone that lives in the area, give them a ring to see how they're doing, and if it's within your ability to help out in someway, go for it.

----

So I initially planned to leave town on Friday for a wedding in Pittsburgh. I ended up spending thursday night in Moline to escape the floods (of course when I arrived in Moline, I was greeted with a wicked storm and tornado warnings).

This weekend also happens to be the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh. Artists selling their wares, more food on a stick than should exist, and my main interest year after year - free music. Years past have brought Sonic Youth, Wilco, Patti Smith, and others I can't recall at the moment. I happened to be in town on the right weekend.

On friday, I dragged my family to see Maceo Parker.



This is especially well timed, because a friend of mine gave me The JBs Anthology for my birthday. I saw Maceo once maybe 6 or 7 years ago. It was still funky as hell. He played some classic James Brown grooves (Make it Funky, Lickin' Stick, Papa Don't Take No Mess, Soul Power, Too Funky in Here, among others) and JBs classics (Givin' Up Food for Funk, Pass the Peas) along with some of his solo work. It was a funky time indeed, and he played for a good 3+ hours.

But the real musical highlight of the weekend was the New York Dolls, for their first Pittsburgh performance in 35 years.



I've been trying to see the Dolls since they got back together a few years ago. It never worked out. They were always in Chicago when I was in Pittsburgh, in DC when I was in Iowa, etc. So I was stoked to finally catch them, and for free!

One thing I noticed both with the Dolls and Maceo - I love being outdoors, and I love free shows. But as a fan, I think I get more amped up being in a club or other venue for a show. There's just a certain vibe that being in confines creates (not to mention better sound).

Anyhow, the Dolls were great. My one complaint is that they played far too much from their new album, One Day it Will Please Us to Remember Even This. Now I like the album, and especially for a 'reunion' set, it's pretty strong. However, they played 8 of the album's 14 tracks, when I (and I assume most of the audience) was more interested in hearing the early stuff. Of course, they only have three albums worth of material anyway, but I would have liked to hear some of my neglected favorites, like "Subway Train" or "Bad Girl." Along those lines, I thought "Gotta Get Away from Tommy" (one of my least favorite songs from the new album) was a pretty poor choice for a closer. Still, they hit most of the bases, they played great, and I wasn't disappointed by any means. The set (in no order):

Personality Crisis
Pills
Trash
Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory/Lonely Planet Boy
Jet Boy
Babylon
Puss N Boots
Human Being
Looking for a Kiss
Private World
We're All in Love
Fishnets and Cigarettes
Dancing on the Lip of a Volcano
Plenty of Music
Gotta Get Away from Tommy
Rainbow Store
Dance Lie a Monkey
Punishing World
Piece of My Heart (Janis)

The Dolls are one of my top 10 favorites, so I'm glad I got to see them even in this incarnation. I don't think I have any other shows lined up for a while. Medeski Martin & Wood are slated to play Iowa City's Jazz Fest, but who knows what kind of shape the city will be in by then. Mother nature can be a bitch.

Report: Jamie Lidell - Abbey Pub, Chicago 6/4

When I heard that Jamie Lidell was playing in Chicago, I enlisted a couple of my friends and immediately bought tickets. I loved 2005's Multiply, and this year's Jim is also great, for slightly different reasons. He's someone who's definitely schooled himself in a variety of musical forms. On his
more recent releases, it's clear that he's been studying up on 1960s American r&b.

Interestingly, there seem to be two types of Jamie Lidell fans - those who like his earlier electronic work (and feel he's sold out on these latter albums) and those who find the soul-infused Lidell a better run for your money. Count me in the latter camp.

First, the venue. The Abbey Pub is in an area of Chicago that I'd never been (Irving Park, I believe?). Set apart from the venue side of the building is a restaurant and pub (where we watched the Penguins lost the Stanley Cup). The actual performance space was very cool. An upper balcony, a big dancefloor, and a great DJ. I wish I had his setlists. The stuff I knew was some of my favorites from the last couple of years (Bird and Bee, Chromeo, New Young Pony Club, Santogold) with some old favorites (Prince, James Brown, Eddy Grant) and a bunch of newer tracks that I didn't recognize, but loved.

Opening up was Jennifer O'Connor. I checked out her MySpace earlier in the week and wasn't expecting much from her set. However, she's apparently one of those acts that is much better live than on disc. I was pleasantly surprised. I also applaud her writing 3 minute tunes, an art that's been lost in recent years - but that's another rant for another time.

Lidell came on, opening up with "Another Day," the opener on his new disc. It was fantastic. With him was a four piece band, who were *very* tight. The band arrangements were necessarily different than those on Lidell's records, but in way that was fresh, pleasing, and totally welcome. All of the members including Lidell gave off that vibe of "hey, we really love performing," which always makes a show more enjoyable for me. When a group or artist seems to just be going through the motions, it detracts from the energy of the show. This was the total opposite.

The set was very heavy on the new album. As I recall there were only three songs from Mutliply - "When I Come Back Around," "A Little Bit More" and the title track. The latter closed out the night and was phenomenal. The former two tracks Lidell did solo whilst playing around with an arsenal of electronic gadgetry. These were ridiculously different arrangements that were interesting and good. However, these went on for too long, and I found myself losing interest. He was definitely at his best with the band on stage.

I do wish there would have been more material from Multiply. But for me, that's less of a criticism and more of a personal desire. I think Jim is a great album, and he played all of the best cuts from the new disc. My highlight of the night was very likely "A Little Bit of Feelgood," which is hands down my favorite track from the album.

All told, it was well worth the $25, the 4 hour drive there, and the 4 hour drive back that put me in my bed around 4am. Today has been totally screwy as a result, but I don't give a damn. Lidell put on a great show, and I am totally satisfied.

Before the album came out I posted the circulating remix of "A Little Bit of Feel Good." Here's the album version with it's spankin' new video:

Friday Funk: Stevie Wonder in London, 1974

Here's a gem of a boot - a soundboard Stevie Wonder show from England in 1974, when he was touring in support of Innervisions. I really don't have anything to add here except that it's well worth your while!
(I also just don't feel like writing much out right now.) Happy weekend - enjoy!

Oh yeah - sharebee was malfunctioning, so I had to use megaupload. Deal with it.

Disc 1:
1. Jam/Intros/Contusion
2. Higher Ground
3. Superwoman
4. To Know You is to Love You
5. Signed, Sealed Delivered
6. Visions

Disc 2:
1. Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing
2. Living for the City
3. You are the Sunshine of My Life
4. Superstition
5. Lot of my Dreams

Battles/Police

So it's been a whirlwind week - three shows in seven days, in three cities. Whew! I've already given the dirt on my Prince Minneapolis experience (see below). This will be less substantial, but thought I'd put some thoughts down anyway.



This past Thursday, I caught Battles at The Picador in Iowa City. I'd been anticipating this show for about a month. A friend of mine hipped me to their record, and they are doing some truly unique stuff. I have great difficulty describing them to friends. Usually I say something to the effect of "mostly instrumental rock/experimental." Yet this description fails and makes them sound like a jam band, which they are not. Here's the video for their single, "Atlas."



So that should give you some idea. Live, they are both masters of their instruments and of samplers. Note that none of the samples they use in concert are pre-recorded; they sample themselves playing live, then manipulate it as they see fit. This was seriously one of the most intense rock shows I've ever been to. Jucifer is the only other band that I can think of that matched Battles in intensity. Also, The Picador was packed, which is rare at least from the shows I've seen there. It was 8 of the best spent dollars this year. Their album, Mirrored is available on Warp Records and is a contender for album of the year in my book.

----



The very next morning, I made my way to the bluegrass state for another highly anticipated (albeit more expensive) show, the reunited Police. The Police are in my top 10 bands of all time. They have no flaws in their catalog in my opinion (barring "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86"). I got into them through a bandmate in high school, and along with the Talking Heads, were one of the bands I most wanted to see reunite, but knew there was no chance that it would happen. Or so it seemed.

At any rate, we got to Churchill Downs intentionally late. We were hungry and didn't care about the opener. After scoping the merchandise (again overpriced) and making a pit stop, we were hopelessly trying to find our seats when we heard "Message in a Bottle" kick in. Cripes. We made it to our seats by the end of the song.

So how was it? I was nervous, as the tour had met with mixed reviews thus far. I felt it necessary to evaluate it song by song. Many of the performances were tight and well executed ("Roxanne," "When the World is Running Down," "So Lonely," "The Bed's Too Big Without You") and others left a bit to be desired ("Don't Stand So Close to Me," "Driven to Tears"). The songs that I felt were lackluster were generally because they dropped the tempo significantly. One of the great things about the Police is the energy of their songs. Drop the tempo by about 1/8, and that energy is lost. I was also a little put off by the use of DAT backing for the vocals in "Roxanne" and percussion in I think "Walking in Your Footsteps." I understand why it was used, but not having it would not have detracted from the performances by any means.

So it was a bit of a mixed bag. I didn't leave feeling disappointed or that I'd wasted my money. But it wasn't as solid a performance as I would have hoped. But it was still the Police, fer Chrissakes.

"Is this my hometown?"

What a weekend! I'm back from a road trip to Minneapolis for Prince's homecoming show. As always, it was a great time and well worth the time and toil it took to get there.

First, the show at the Target Center:
I never got final word on what the cause was, but we were lined up outside of the venue until between 9 and 9:30, and the show was to start at 8:30. Prince finally took the stage at 10pm. We couldn't quite make out what they were playing over the PA, but my guess is that it was the upcoming Planet Earth album. From what I heard it sounded good, but clearly I can't make an accurate assessment. We were initially to get copies of the album at the show (a la Musicology), but for whatever reason, that didn't happen.

I didn't know what to expect from the setlist, given that he isn't touring, but has been doing the Vegas thing and had some shows in LA recently. I was a little surprised that his setlist was so hits heavy. In fact, it was fairly similar to a Musicology tour setlist (you know, the tour which was the last time he would play the hits - how soon we forget!). That was a bit of a letdown for me. But that might be simply because this was my 5th Prince show in the last 10 years, and I'm a geek. Still, some of the hits sounded really good in terms of arrangement - particularly U Got the Look and Kiss.

More importantly, Wendy Melvoin was on board, as we'd hoped. She didn't play on every song, but came and went as needed. One particular treat here was a set of just Prince, Wendy and their guitars. The version of "Sometimes it Snows in April" here was a big highlight for me.

The selist was littered with a few covers as well. The version of Gnarls Barlkey's "Crazy" was good, but one thing that always annoys me about Prince concerts is the excessive showcasing of his band members. I would much rather have heard Prince singing this tune. And I could have done without the extended Renato Neto/Mike Phillips instrumental take of What a Wonderful World. I always feel like these little excursions kill the energy of the show. At any rate, I was floored when he launched into the Cars' hit "Let's Go." First of all, this seemed an unlikely song for him to cover; secondly, The Cars are one of my favorite bands of the late 1970s/early 1980s; thirdly, it ROCKED. A great surprise, to be sure.

The other huge highlight (potentially 'the' highlight) for me was when I saw a set of timbales carted out onto the stage. Shelia E. joined Prince for a brief runthrough of Let's Go Crazy, before launching into A Love Bizarre. This is one of my very favorite Prince compositions, and my first thought was "they'll play about a verse of this." Fortunately, they ran through the entire song, and jammed out after the verses were through. This was followed up by a full version of The Glamorous Life, which was also great to hear live.

Final comments: Although the setlist was hugely predictable, the aforementioned special moments made it all worthwhile. Not the best Prince show I've seen, and not the worst.

Setlist:


Purple Rain
Take Me With U
Guitar
Shhh
Musicology/Prince & the Band
Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry)
Let’s Go (the Cars)
Satisfied
What a Wonderful World (inst.)

Just Prince & Wendy:
Little Red Corvette
Raspberry Beret
The One U Wanna C (new song - liked it a lot)
Sometimes It Snows in April

Seven
Come Together (Beatles)
Do Me Baby (Prince on piano next for songs)
I Wanna Be Your Lover
How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?
Diamonds & Pearls (just a snippet)
Cream (back on guitar)
U Got the Look
If I Was Your Girlfriend
Black Sweat
Kiss
Let’s Go Crazy (minus all the verses, plus Sheila E.)

A Love Bizarre (Sheila E.)
Crazy (Shelby Johnson on vocals)
Nothing Compares 2 U
Glamorous Life (Sheila E.)

----

Then it was on to the aftershow at First Avenue, Prince's first appearance there since the warmup gig for the Sign 'O' the Times tour in March 1987. As soon as this was announced, I knew I had to do everything I could to be there. We left Iowa City at 4am on Saturday morning to get in line for tickets at First Ave, which went on sale at 3. We arrived around 8am, and there were somewhere between 250-300 people wrapped around the building. After a long, hot day on the sidewalk, we secured tickets.

I'll preface this by saying that I've never been to First Avenue, Paisley Park, or any form of an aftershow by Prince. So this was even more exciting for me.
The aftershow was absolutely the highlight of the weekend. I was excited about this for days, but when Prince took the stage at 2:45am at First Avenue, I was dumbfounded. I kept thinking (to myself) and saying (out loud) "Holy shit, I can't believe that this is happening." I was about 8-10 people back from the stage, and we were PACKED onto that dancefloor. To utilize a relevant quote, the Kid was in rare form. Wendy and Sheila played with him for the entire set, and Larry Graham showed up as well.

I'm trying to recall a show that had the amount of energy that the crowd at First Avenue projected, myself included. Despite being tightly packed in, we were all dancing, singing, doing whatever motions Prince dictated, etc. It was really something.

"3121" sounded incredible live, and the crowd was very amped. They jammed on this for a while before going into "Girls and Boys," which was both unexpected, and probably my favorite part of the aftershow. Vous et tres belles, mama. Once Larry Graham showed up, it was obvious that there would be a string of Sly and GCS tunes. While not a fan of Graham's persona, he is an amazing bass player, and these songs sounded great (especially when Prince took the mic).

My only complaint is once again too much showcasing of band members. The brass excursion of "Down By the Riverside" was great, but the Shelby J songs were a bit of a buzzkill.

Actually, that's a lie. My biggest complaint is that it was shut down by the cops. At one point, I noticed a suit at the side of the stage signaling to Prince. After "Alphabet Street," the band left the stage. A minute or so later, Prince came out to thanks us and to say that unfortunately, the cops were making them stop. Apparently there is an ordinance which requires such establishments to close at 3, even if they've ceased serving alcohol. So that was unfortunate, especially looking at the rest of the setlist. But he got in a solid 70 minutes or so, and I have absolutely no regrets about the trip, the money or the time. And of course, it was also special seeing him in First Avenue given the history of the venue, as well as its relationship with Prince. If only everything hadn't been pushed up by the late start at the Target Center. Ah well. Hopefully there will be other opportunities in the future.

Aftershow setlist:

3121
Girls & Boys
I Feel 4 U
Controversy
"Cockeyed Woman"
Satisfied
Down by the Riverside (instrumental featuring horn section)
Gotta Broken Heart Again
Love Is a Losing Game (Amy Winehouse tune sung by Shelby J)
Love Changes (Mother’s Finest tune, by Shelby again)
Thank You (w/ Larry Graham on bass)
Hair (w/Larry Graham)
Sing a Simple Song (w/ Larry Graham)
Everyday People (w/Larry Graham)
Alphabet Street

What was left on the setlist, according to the Star Tribune:
Baby Love
The Dance
Let’s Go
Anotherloverholeinyourhead
The Question of U
Peach
Lolita
Black Sweat Kiss