Wednesday, March 15, 2000
- Irish Tenors @ First Union Center
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Friday, March 17, 2000
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Tuesday, June 13, 2000
- Eric Idle Sings Monty Python @ Tower Theater (
 ), Upper Darby, PA
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Tuesday, July 04, 2000
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Thursday, July 20, 2000
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Thursday, July 27, 2000
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Saturday, August 05, 2000
- Newport Folk Festival featuring Terri Hendrix (
 ), Natalie MacMaster (), Melissa Ferrick, Dar Williams ( ), Stacey Earle, Shawn Colvin, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones ( ), Ray Wylie Hubbard, Slaid Cleaves ( ), Willie Nelson, Natalie Merchant, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Richard Shindell, Mary Gauthier, Carrie Newcomer, Jess Klein and Toshi Reagon @ Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI
- Highlights were Natalie MacMaster, who had the whole crowd dancing,
and Terri Hendrix, whose performance made me an instant fan.
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Sunday, August 06, 2000
- Newport Folk Festival featuring Terri Hendrix (), Natalie MacMaster (), Melissa Ferrick, Dar Williams (), Stacey Earle, Shawn Colvin, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (), Ray Wylie Hubbard, Slaid Cleaves (), Willie Nelson, Natalie Merchant, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Richard Shindell, Mary Gauthier, Carrie Newcomer, Jess Klein and Toshi Reagon @ Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI
- Highlights were Natalie MacMaster, who had the whole crowd dancing,
and Terri Hendrix, whose performance made me an instant fan.
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Friday, August 25, 2000
- Philly Folk Fest featuring Natalie MacMaster (), Jeff Lang (), Eric Bibb (), Mary Gauthier, Mollie O'Brien, Jack Williams, John Hammond and Jive Five Minus Two () @ Old Poole Farm, Schwenksville, PA
- Highlight had to be Jeff Lang, who played constantly for three days,
even sitting in on workshops he wasn't scheduled for, and managed to
harmonize with everybody despite lack of rehearsal.
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Saturday, August 26, 2000
- Philly Folk Fest featuring Natalie MacMaster (), Jeff Lang (), Eric Bibb (), Mary Gauthier, Mollie O'Brien, Jack Williams, John Hammond and Jive Five Minus Two () @ Old Poole Farm, Schwenksville, PA
- Highlight had to be Jeff Lang, who played constantly for three days,
even sitting in on workshops he wasn't scheduled for, and managed to
harmonize with everybody despite lack of rehearsal.
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Sunday, August 27, 2000
- Philly Folk Fest featuring Natalie MacMaster (), Jeff Lang (), Eric Bibb (), Mary Gauthier, Mollie O'Brien, Jack Williams, John Hammond and Jive Five Minus Two () @ Old Poole Farm, Schwenksville, PA
- Highlight had to be Jeff Lang, who played constantly for three days,
even sitting in on workshops he wasn't scheduled for, and managed to
harmonize with everybody despite lack of rehearsal.
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Sunday, September 17, 2000
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Friday, September 22, 2000
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Saturday, September 23, 2000
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Wednesday, September 27, 2000
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Saturday, October 14, 2000
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Tuesday, October 31, 2000
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Thursday, November 09, 2000
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Thursday, November 16, 2000
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Saturday, December 02, 2000
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Sunday, December 03, 2000
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Friday, December 08, 2000
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Monday, December 25, 2000
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Monday, January 01, 2001
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Saturday, January 27, 2001
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Wednesday, February 14, 2001
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Saturday, February 17, 2001
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Saturday, March 17, 2001
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Wednesday, March 21, 2001
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Thursday, March 29, 2001
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Saturday, March 31, 2001
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Saturday, April 14, 2001
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Sunday, May 20, 2001
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Thursday, May 24, 2001
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Sunday, May 27, 2001
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Friday, June 15, 2001
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Wednesday, July 04, 2001
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Tuesday, July 24, 2001
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Friday, July 27, 2001
- A Walk Down Abbey Road featuring Ann Wilson, John Entwistle and Todd Rundgren @ Washington Township
- First half of show they did their own songs, which was OK. Second
half was all Beatles music, and was great. Sound quality pretty much
sucked throughout the show.
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Monday, October 08, 2001
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Wednesday, October 31, 2001
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Saturday, November 10, 2001
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Saturday, December 08, 2001
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Wednesday, December 19, 2001
- Irish Christmas @ Keswick Theater (), Glenside, PA - Terrible! A Vegas lounge act from a Dublin hotel.
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Tuesday, December 25, 2001
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Tuesday, January 01, 2002
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Thursday, January 10, 2002
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Wednesday, January 23, 2002
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Thursday, February 14, 2002
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Sunday, February 17, 2002
- Billy Joel and Elton John @ First Union Center
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Tuesday, February 26, 2002
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Wednesday, February 27, 2002
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Thursday, March 14, 2002
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Friday, March 15, 2002
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Sunday, March 17, 2002
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Friday, March 29, 2002
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Saturday, March 30, 2002
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Friday, April 05, 2002
- Rory Block (),
Slimgoody, Downchild Blues Band, Tommy Castro, Fruteland Jackson, Lucky
Peterson, Collard Greens & Gravy, Scratch My Back, Chef Chris &
His Nairobi Trio, Big Daddy & Red Hot Java and Mofro @ Jacksonville
Beach, FL - Saw good sets by Rory
Block, Slimgoody, Downchild Blues Band, Tommy Castro, Fruteland
Jackson, Lucky Peterson, Collard Greens & Gravy (from Australia),
Scratch My Back (from France), Chef Chris & His Nairobi Trio, Big
Daddy & Red Hot Java, and a weak set by Mofro
|
Saturday, April 06, 2002
- Rory Block (),
Slimgoody, Downchild Blues Band, Tommy Castro, Fruteland Jackson, Lucky
Peterson, Collard Greens & Gravy, Scratch My Back, Chef Chris &
His Nairobi Trio, Big Daddy & Red Hot Java and Mofro @ Jacksonville
Beach, FL - Saw good sets by Rory
Block, Slimgoody, Downchild Blues Band, Tommy Castro, Fruteland
Jackson, Lucky Peterson, Collard Greens & Gravy (from Australia),
Scratch My Back (from France), Chef Chris & His Nairobi Trio, Big
Daddy & Red Hot Java, and a weak set by Mofro
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Sunday, April 07, 2002
- Rory Block (),
Slimgoody, Downchild Blues Band, Tommy Castro, Fruteland Jackson, Lucky
Peterson, Collard Greens & Gravy, Scratch My Back, Chef Chris &
His Nairobi Trio, Big Daddy & Red Hot Java and Mofro @ Jacksonville
Beach, FL - Saw good sets by Rory
Block, Slimgoody, Downchild Blues Band, Tommy Castro, Fruteland
Jackson, Lucky Peterson, Collard Greens & Gravy (from Australia),
Scratch My Back (from France), Chef Chris & His Nairobi Trio, Big
Daddy & Red Hot Java, and a weak set by Mofro
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Wednesday, April 10, 2002
- Shakespeare's As You Like It @ The Arden - It was Shakespeare. Of course it was good.
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Tuesday, April 16, 2002
- Paul McCartney @ First Union Center
- Fantastic! What else can you say? OK, I'll say more: Mostly Beatles
and early Wings material, with a few of his latest songs thrown in.
Almost nothing from the '80s or '90s. Paul can still rock, and he kept
the arena pumped for 2+ hours. He's cheating on the lyrics - I could
read his teleprompter through my binoculars, but you can forgive him
for that, especially since he hasn't played some of the Beatles
material since it was recorded. I couldn't forgive the perfromance art
piece that opened the show, though - costumed performers wandering
around the arena, acrobats, giant balloons, living statues, some guy in
a big rubber strongman costume, all to the electronic music of Paul's
alter-ego "The Fireman." I think the collective reaction of the crowd
could be summed up as "Huh?" Of course, we have to remember that this
was the guy who thought that the Beatles leading a bunch of circus
freaks on a bus tour of England would make good TV viewing. Maybe he
was having a flashback...
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Thursday, April 18, 2002
- The Be Good Tanyas and Peter Mulvey @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- Interesting group, but I get the feeling they won't stay together
long. They just don't seem to all be on the same page. Opener was
unusual - good, thought provoking songs, but not anything I'd want to
listen to repeatedly. His lead guitarist, "Goody", was very talented,
but in an experimental sort of way. Peter may have put it best when he
said that Goddy's album sounds like "Brian Eno walking in a dark alley,
when Ry Cooder comes out and clocks him in the head with a
stratocaster."
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Friday, April 19, 2002
- Mem Shannon @ Warmdaddy's, Philly - Great set & good food. Some really sizzling fretwork, in the same league with the likes of Buddy Guy and B.B. King
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Saturday, April 20, 2002
- Susan Werner () and Colleen Sexton () @ Tin Angel (), Philadelphia, PA
- Despite some technical difficulties, a great show. Susan seemed a
little manic and tense at first, probably due to the last minute
replacement of the sound guy who called out sick, but settled into a
rousning performance. Colleen Sexton was dynamic and funny, with a
beautiful voice and some great guitar work.
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Tuesday, April 23, 2002
- Bonnie Raitt and John Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen @ Tower Theater (), Upper Darby, PA
- Great show by Bonnie. John Cleary, who was also in her backup band,
lead the opening act of "New Orleans Funk", which had a lot of smooth
jazz overtones.
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Saturday, May 11, 2002
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Friday, May 17, 2002
- Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA - Fast-paced and hilarious.
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Friday, May 31, 2002
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Saturday, June 01, 2002
- John Prine and Dar Williams () @ Mann Center for Performing Arts (
 ), Philly
- Dar Williams performed solo acoustic - her first show as a married
woman. John Prine had his trio, and I don't know how they could stand
wearing those black suits on such a hot summer day!
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Friday, June 14, 2002
- LLS Benefit Concert featuring Terri Hendrix () @ The Ukie Bar
- Our private fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team
in Training - A private acoustic concert by Terri and Lloyd - how could
it not be fantastic? Attendance might have been better, but then it
wouldn't have been quite as intimate. Follow the link for more info.
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Saturday, June 15, 2002
- Bridgeton Folk Festival featuring Terri Hendrix (), Janis Ian, Blackthorn, Toshi Reagon, Commander Cody, Steve Forbert, John McEuen & Jim Ibbotson, Chubby Carrier & Bayou Swamp Band and Gene Shay @ Bridgeton, NJ
- Got there too late to catch Toshi Reagon, but just in time for
Terri's terrific set. John McEuen and Jim Ibbotson, of Nitty Gritty
Dirt Band fame, were also great. Janis Ian, whose voice has not faded a
bit since the early years, also put on a great show, accomplishing some
pretty amazing solo self-harmonizing with the help of her great
soundman and some nifty electronics.
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Sunday, June 16, 2002
- Terri Hendrix () and Kerri Powers @ Tin Angel (), Philadelphia, PA
- Another great show! Kerri Powers was pretty good, if a bit too heavy
on the depressing-country-twang side, but she did a real kick-ass
version of "Amazing Grace" that redeemed any faults.
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Saturday, June 22, 2002
- Elvis Costello and Joe Henry @ Tower Theater (), Upper Darby, PA
- Not the best Elvis show I've ever seen. Instruments were
overamplified, creating a "wall of noise" that totally drowned out any
semblance of a melody. Vocals were not overamplified, so you couldn't
hear the lyrics at all. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising, since
his latest album is so poorly produced that it sounds like the songs
are being filtered through mud. And, I'm sorry to say that the crowd
seemed to consist primarily of oversized people who couldn't seem to
stay in their seats for more than 30 seconds at a stretch, which added
to the overall sense of "why did I pay good money for this?" The opener
was an incongruent choice, playing solo with an acoustic-electric
guitar that would definitely have fit in better at the Point or the Tin
Angel.
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Thursday, July 04, 2002
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Wednesday, July 17, 2002
- Janis Ian and Lori McKenna @ Haddon Heights Park, Haddon Heights, NJ
- Good show, but her patter between songs was a little toned down (she
didn't say the "L" word once), probably because she was worried about
offending the family-oriented crowd. She did a new song, "Heart of a
City," which was absolutely great. She said she just wrote it 4 days
ago, and hopes to get the mp3 up on her website soon. Lori McKenna was
OK, but a little to much from the whiny women folk tradition for my
taste.
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Friday, July 19, 2002
- Jeff Lang () @ Tin Angel (), Philadelphia, PA
- Knockout performance in front of a very small audience - less than
half the house capacity! I can't understand why this guy doesn't have a
much bigger following.
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Friday, August 23, 2002
- Diana Krall () and Justin King (
 ) @ Mann Center for Performing Arts (), Philly
- Spectacular show. Justin King is a terrific guitarist with a unique
style. Diana was fabulous. After seeing her with the full orchestra in
March, and with just her quartet, I have to say that less is really
more. The arrangements were a lot more jazzy, with lots of room for
solos and improvisation. And the whole performance just seemed more
intimate. If you think the CD version of The Look of Love is
hot, you have to hear her sultry live performance. And her ability to
switch from slow and steamy to sizzling swing is incredible.
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Saturday, August 24, 2002
- Philadelphia Folk Festival featuring Susan Werner (), Roger McGuinn, Tracy Grammer (), The Kennedys (), John Flynn (), Fruit (), Full Frontal Folk (), David Jacobs-Strain and Bob Beach () @ Old Poole Farm, Schwenksville, PA
- A great festival. I'm only sorry that I missed Friday night, and left
early on Saturday because I felt like I was in danger of catching
pneumonia after being drenched in the downpour. Still, I got to see a
lot of great music, including some great performances by Susan Werner
and Roger McGuinn and two beautiful tributes to Dave Carter that
featured Tracy Grammer and the Kennedys. John Flynn also performed a
brand new song on Sunday that he had written that morning in tribute to
Tracy Grammer for her strength in continuing on so soon after Dave's
death. Best new finds of the festival were an Australian band called Fruit that absolutely blew me away, and a group of local women called Full Frontal Folk
who did a great job with their edgy, often funny, and occasionally
risque "X-treme" folk music. Hard to pick a highlight, but it has to be
the jam sessions at the blues workshop featuring Fruit, David
Jacobs-Strain, and Bob Beach.
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Sunday, August 25, 2002
- Philadelphia Folk Festival featuring Susan Werner (), Roger McGuinn, Tracy Grammer (), The Kennedys (), John Flynn (), Fruit (), Full Frontal Folk (), David Jacobs-Strain and Bob Beach () @ Old Poole Farm, Schwenksville, PA
- A great festival. I'm only sorry that I missed Friday night, and left
early on Saturday because I felt like I was in danger of catching
pneumonia after being drenched in the downpour. Still, I got to see a
lot of great music, including some great performances by Susan Werner
and Roger McGuinn and two beautiful tributes to Dave Carter that
featured Tracy Grammer and the Kennedys. John Flynn also performed a
brand new song on Sunday that he had written that morning in tribute to
Tracy Grammer for her strength in continuing on so soon after Dave's
death. Best new finds of the festival were an Australian band called Fruit that absolutely blew me away, and a group of local women called Full Frontal Folk
who did a great job with their edgy, often funny, and occasionally
risque "X-treme" folk music. Hard to pick a highlight, but it has to be
the jam sessions at the blues workshop featuring Fruit, David
Jacobs-Strain, and Bob Beach.
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Wednesday, August 28, 2002
- B.B. King Blues Festival featuring B.B. King (), Susan Tedeschi (), Fabulous Thunderbirds and Kerri Noble @ Mann Center for Performing Arts (), Philly
- Great show! Susan Tedeschi was not quite up to form, which I
attribute the the fact that it was her first show since the baby. BB
was fantastic. It's amazing how much energy he can project even though
he has to do the whole concert sitting down. The Fabulous Thunderbirds
were surprisingly good. I only knew them from their one hit, "Tough
Enough", and was surprised to find that they can play some really
sizzling blues. The other opener, Kerri Noble, was a last minute
replacement, and didn't really fit in - a singer/songwriter in the
common folk/pop tradition - good, but just out of place. But a great
show all around.
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Saturday, September 14, 2002
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Friday, September 27, 2002
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Saturday, September 28, 2002
- Jane Monheit () @ Keswick Theater (), Glenside, PA
- A beautiful girl with a beautiful voice. She does a great job with
steamy jazz vocals, but the show was a little unpolished. The quartet
backing her came off as inexperienced, and she seemed a little nervous
and unsure of herself. The sax player was probably the best of the
group, and the bass player was the weakest link, and needs some serious
lessons in how to do a solo.
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Sunday, September 29, 2002
- Oscar Peterson @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- Fantastic performance by Peterson and his seasoned international
quartet. Sevety seven year old Peterson, who suffered a stroke about 10
years ago, shuffled slowly onto the stage, eased himself onto the piano
bench, and ripped through four hot numbers before announcing that he
thought he was finally warmed up. After a great 90 minute set, he got
up and made his way off the stage without a word, and we assumed that
was the end of the show, but as we filed out of the theater, the ushers
assured us that it was just intermission. He came back and did another
hour set! Every member of the quartet was worthy of his own group, and
the solos were spectacular.
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Thursday, October 03, 2002
- Terri Hendrix () @ Godfrey Daniels (), Bethlehem, PA - A decent opener, whose name I don't recall, followed by two sets by Terri and Lloyd, who were great, as usual.
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Friday, October 04, 2002
- Terri Hendrix () and Lori McKenna @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- Not too thrilled with the opening act, which was a bit on the
depressing side. Terri and Lloyd put on a great show, though, with a
completely different set than the previous night.
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Friday, October 18, 2002
- Leukemia Society / Sara Weaver Fund Benefit Concert featuring Sister Blue (), Nancy Falkow (), Tom Cooney, Christine Moll (), Laura Shay (), Christine Havrilla (), Ten Spiders (), Something Black () and David Scott Smith @ 1st Presbyterian Church in Lansdowne
- A small audience, but a great show. All of the acts were fantastic,
and we raised almost $500 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and The
Sara Weaver Fund. Special thanks to Bob Beach, who set us up with the venue and the sound guy. Check out the link for more on the show, including some pics.
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Thursday, October 31, 2002
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Sunday, November 03, 2002
- Michelle Malone () @ The Bitter End (), NYC
- Great show. Michelle played a lot of old stuff that hasn't been in
her shows for a while, as well as a few new, as-yet-unreleased tunes.
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Saturday, November 30, 2002
- Bill Cosby @ Keswick Theater (), Glenside, PA - Great show! Laughed for 2 hours straight! Sat in the front row, and Bill gave me a sweatshirt, and gave my wife a kiss.
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Friday, December 06, 2002
- Taj Mahal and Shannon McNally @ Keswick Theater (), Glenside, PA
- Shannon was good, though not outstanding. She does have an
outstanding voice, when she pries it away from the lazy country twang
that she frequently falls into. I think she has a lot of potential. I
really liked one of her new songs, Weathervane, and am looking
forward to hearing it on her next album. I think Taj Mahal may have
been a bit under the weather (hard to accomplish considering the record
snowfall the day before). His performance was a bit "off", with some
imprecise fretwork and a few sour notes early on. He warmed up later,
and was much improved after a few songs, so overall the show was not a
disappointment. He failed to come out for an expected second encore,
however, which I think confused the stagehands as well as the audience,
both of which seemed surprised that the show was over already.
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Sunday, December 08, 2002
- Andrea Bocelli @ FUC
- I didn't actually make it to this one, but turned my ticket over to
one of my wife's friends. They report that the show was great.
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Wednesday, December 25, 2002
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Saturday, December 28, 2002
- Full Frontal Folk () and Elaine and Lambert of Elaine, Lambert and Karl @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- Great show. Karl was out with the flu, but Elaine and Lambert did a
good job opening without him. The Frontals then put on a great show,
despite the fact that Fatale was suffering from a touch of laryngitis.
If this keeps up, they're going to have to quit their day jobs...
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Wednesday, January 01, 2003
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Saturday, January 11, 2003
- Rory Block (), Mojo Stu and Amos Lee @ Tin Angel (), Philadelphia, PA
- Great show. The opener, Mojo Stu, was late (caught in Eagles playoff
traffic), so Amos Lee, who doubles as the bartender, played a short set
to get things started. After he had done 3 songs, Mojo Stu showed up
and played 3 songs as well. Then Rory came on. She was having a little
trouble with her voice, and had a late show to do that evening, but she
still managed to belt out some great traditional tunes and a few
originals, accompanied by some solid guitar work. I wish I could've
stayed for the second show!
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Thursday, January 16, 2003
- Dierdre Flint () and Teddy Goldstein @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- A hilarious show, with some great satiric songs! Well worth it, even
though it went and snowed 2 inches while we were there, making the
drive home a less enjoyable experience.
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Saturday, January 25, 2003
- Patty Griffin and Steve Quelet @ Scotttish Rite Auditorium
- The opener, Steve Quelet, was uninspiring. All of his songs sounded
exactly the same, with one or two exceptions, and all were fairly
tedious, again with a couple of exceptions. I did like one song ("Old
Glory Calling"?), which sounded like the rest, but had a good message
about freedom, prejudice, and civil rights, and another song
("Skeleton"?) which was much more upbeat and bouncy in tempo, despite
the fact that it was sung from the point of view of a skeleton in
cement overshoes stuck at the bottom of the ocean. Patty Griffin did a
good show, although she gave short shrift to her first album, "Living
With Ghosts". Predictably, most of the songs came from her latest
release, "1000 Kisses", with a few from "Flaming Red" and a couple of
unreleased tunes, including one in French, "J'irez la voire un jour",
that her mother used to sing to her, which she performed solo on the
piano. This was my first time in the Scottish Rite Auditorium in
Collngswood. It's a great room, which probably seats about 1000 people,
with the chairs arranged in steeply sloped "stadium seating" arcs that
provide a great view from every seat in the house. Unfortunately, seats
are too close together, so there is absolutely no leg room! A great old
building with some really interesting architectural details.
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Wednesday, January 29, 2003
- Chucho Valdes Band and Charlie Haden's Nocturne @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- A really good show featuring two very different musical styles.
Bassist Charlie Haden and his group opened up with a very mellow set
that was great, except for the fact that it encouraged the tired among
us to doze off. Chucho Valdes opened his set with a long piano solo
that led one to believe that the mellow tone was likely to continue,
until he segued into a funky bass riff that was immediately picked up
by the rest of the ensemble. From that point on, dozing off was simply
impossible. The percussionist had such fast hands on the bongos that it
prompted my wife to remark that, if he were playing whack-a-mole, not a
single gopher would be safe.
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Thursday, February 13, 2003
- Jeff Lang () and Stephen Fearing () @ Tin Angel (), Philadelphia, PA
- Great show. Canadian opener was really good, and had some great songs
and a good voice. Jeff turned in an incredible performance with some
truly spectacular solos, though I have to say his heart didn't really
seem to be in it. In fact, he seemed a bit pissed off. Which may have
been due, at least in part, to the fact that he had driven up from
Tennessee in a rental car that only had a radio. There's a lot of bad
radio between Nashville and Philadelphia. I think it would put just
about anyone in a bad mood.
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Friday, February 14, 2003
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Wednesday, February 19, 2003
- Terri Hendrix () and Gina Scipione @ Tin Angel (), Philadelphia, PA
- Opener Gina Scipione was, I'm sorry to say, uninspiring. But that's
OK, because despite a touch of laryngitis Terri and Lloyd put on a
great show. Maybe it was the meds (that's what Terri blamed it on), but
Terri was in a particularly goofy mood, and her patter between songs
was a bit more corny than usual. Her set featured a few new songs,
including a couple of covers (a Luka Bloom and a Tom Lehrer), and some
great modified arrangements of some of her older stuff. Well worth
trekking out in the snow (and losing the parking space in front of my
house!) and getting only 4 hours of sleep.
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Sunday, March 02, 2003
- Ellis Marsalis & Sons @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- Great show by a tremendously talented family. Dad on piano, with sons
Wynton (trumpet), Branford (sax), Delfeayo (trombone), and Jason
(drums), all accompanied by Reginald Veal (the only non-Marsalis) on
bass. The performance featured compositions by all the Marsalises
(except Jason, I think), with some wicked solos (including one horn
solo by Wynton in which I believe he hit a note that only dogs could
hear). Personally, though, I think they shone brightest when they
delved into some traditional New Orleans jazz, particularly one Jelly
Roll Morton tune in which Wynton and Delfeayo made heavy use of mutes
to produce that growl and moan that never fails to evoke visions of the
bayou, riverboats, and Mardi Gras.
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Friday, March 07, 2003
- Sonny Rollins @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- Fantastic sax solos! Sonny's backup included a trombone, bass guitar,
drums, and percussion (mostly congas), which yielded a very
stripped-down sound. A real virtuoso performance.
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Friday, March 14, 2003
- Colleen Sexton (), Julia Othmer () and Eliot Bronson @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA - A good show. I looked up my review from seeing Colleen open for Susan Werner
last year, and realized I was pretty impressed, but I haven't really
been listening to her CDs much since then. So I gave them a listen
before the show, and wondered what impressed me so much at the time.
After seeing her again, I've decided she's one of those performers that
just come off better live than they do on CD. The only real
disappointment was that, with three people on the bill, her set was not
as long as I would have liked. Fortunately, the openers were both good.
Julia Othmer has a great voice, projects a lot of energy on stage (even
with a cold), and was accompanied by an awesome percussionist, Hoagy Wing
(who really needs to update his web page). She's pretty new on the
scene, but I think she's destined for some success. Eliot Bronson, who
also performed despite a cold, was an interesting contradiction. His
totally goofy stage persona and patter provided a sharp contrast
between his very serious songs. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to
see him again, but I wouldn't try to avoid him, either.
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Saturday, March 15, 2003
- Natalie MacMaster () @ Annenberg Zellerbach Theatre, Philly
- A fantastic performance by Natalie and her band. The drummer arrived
only five minutes before the show, having rushed from the airport after
being delayed by an ice storm in Ottawa. To give him a few minutes to
breathe, she opened the show with a solo piece, followed by a duet with
her pianist. She gave one song in the first half of the show over to
her guitarist, Brad Davidge,
who did a nice rendition of "Lay Down Sally" (with Natalie's nice voice
on backing vocals making me wish she'd sing occasionally). In the
second half, she turned over a song to her bass player, John Chaisson,
whose "Autumn Leaves" was accompanied by some nice jazz violin from
Natalie. Other than those departures, and the incredible bagpipe solo
with which Matt MacIsaac opened the second part of the show, It was all
classic Natalie, with some spectacular fiddle and equally spectacular
dancing. She definitely remains on my must-see-live list!
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Monday, March 17, 2003
|
Sunday, March 23, 2003
- Birds of a Feather - A Tribute to Charlie Parker With the Heath Brothers @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- The Heath Brothers (Jimmy on sax, Percy on Bass, and Albert "Tootie"
on drums, ranging in age from 67 to 80), with youngster Jeb Patton (28)
on piano, opened the show. They were good, but a bit on the bellow
side. Or, as my friend Mark said, "They played like old men." Fair
enough, I guess. In contrast, 77 year old Roy Haynes played drums with
the energy of a teenager, but with the skill that only comes from
decades of playing with great musicians. Accompanied by his
comparatively young (30s and 40s) quintet (Kenny Garrett on sax,
Nicholas Payton on drums, David Kikoski on piano, and Philly-born
Christian McBride on bass), he played a truly smokin' set. Chris
McBride's bass solos were spectacular. Great show.
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Friday, April 04, 2003
- "Songs from the Heart" Songwriting Workshop featuring Terri Hendrix () and Lloyd Maines @ Old No. 9 Road House, Waring, TX
- A great weekend of music, with a tremendous concentration of talent!
Terri and Lloyd gave a full concert Saturday night at the Waring
General Store that was great, as long as you could manage to ignore the
huge stinkbugs that were all over the place. The other workshop
participants were an incredible bunch of songwriters, and I got to hear
them at the student concert Sunday, as openers for Terri on Saturday,
and all throughout the workshop, up until 4:30 in the morning at the
campfires. Unfortunately, you probably won't be able to catch most of
them unless you're down around Austin, TX. But if you get down that
way, try to check out Rex Warren, Brice Beaird, and/or Cotton Inks. Also, if you ever get the chance to see Abi Tapia,
who recently moved from New England to Austin be sure to grab it (and
you may get the chance, since she does tour from time to time). And
I'll go out on a limb and predict that you are quite likely to hear Al
Sato sometime in the future, though you may never know it. He's a great
musician who plays guitar, mandolin, and just about any other stringed
instrument you care to hand him, and I suspect that he is going to
start showing up as a studio musician on quite a few recordings. If he
releases anything himself, buy it - you won't regret it.
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Saturday, April 05, 2003
- "Songs from the Heart" Songwriting Workshop featuring Terri Hendrix () and Lloyd Maines @ Old No. 9 Road House, Waring, TX
- A great weekend of music, with a tremendous concentration of talent!
Terri and Lloyd gave a full concert Saturday night at the Waring
General Store that was great, as long as you could manage to ignore the
huge stinkbugs that were all over the place. The other workshop
participants were an incredible bunch of songwriters, and I got to hear
them at the student concert Sunday, as openers for Terri on Saturday,
and all throughout the workshop, up until 4:30 in the morning at the
campfires. Unfortunately, you probably won't be able to catch most of
them unless you're down around Austin, TX. But if you get down that
way, try to check out Rex Warren, Brice Beaird, and/or Cotton Inks. Also, if you ever get the chance to see Abi Tapia,
who recently moved from New England to Austin be sure to grab it (and
you may get the chance, since she does tour from time to time). And
I'll go out on a limb and predict that you are quite likely to hear Al
Sato sometime in the future, though you may never know it. He's a great
musician who plays guitar, mandolin, and just about any other stringed
instrument you care to hand him, and I suspect that he is going to
start showing up as a studio musician on quite a few recordings. If he
releases anything himself, buy it - you won't regret it.
|
Sunday, April 06, 2003
- "Songs from the Heart" Songwriting Workshop featuring Terri Hendrix () and Lloyd Maines @ Old No. 9 Road House, Waring, TX
- A great weekend of music, with a tremendous concentration of talent!
Terri and Lloyd gave a full concert Saturday night at the Waring
General Store that was great, as long as you could manage to ignore the
huge stinkbugs that were all over the place. The other workshop
participants were an incredible bunch of songwriters, and I got to hear
them at the student concert Sunday, as openers for Terri on Saturday,
and all throughout the workshop, up until 4:30 in the morning at the
campfires. Unfortunately, you probably won't be able to catch most of
them unless you're down around Austin, TX. But if you get down that
way, try to check out Rex Warren, Brice Beaird, and/or Cotton Inks. Also, if you ever get the chance to see Abi Tapia,
who recently moved from New England to Austin be sure to grab it (and
you may get the chance, since she does tour from time to time). And
I'll go out on a limb and predict that you are quite likely to hear Al
Sato sometime in the future, though you may never know it. He's a great
musician who plays guitar, mandolin, and just about any other stringed
instrument you care to hand him, and I suspect that he is going to
start showing up as a studio musician on quite a few recordings. If he
releases anything himself, buy it - you won't regret it.
|
Friday, April 25, 2003
- Full Frontal Folk (), All About Buford () and Sun Hill Down @ North Star Bar (), Philly
- Sun Hill Down was uninspiring. I had the feeling I was listening to
the Folksmen, only they were serious! FFF was good, despite Jezebel's
broken toe, but the sound guy couldn't balance their voices and
instruments to save his life, which really detracted from the
experience. All About Buford was awesome. A great a cappella group,
named after a cat, that features great voices, heavy vocal percussion,
and a healthy dose of humor. Funny, when they hit the stage, I remarked
that there were precious few a cappella groups that I actually like,
but after they started singing, I realized that I was totally wrong - I
like most of the a cappella groups that I've heard: The Chromatics, Da
Vinci's Notebook, The Persuasions, and now All About Buford. Definitely
worth catching.
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Saturday, May 10, 2003
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Sunday, May 11, 2003
- Fortune Vinson Cruse with Lynn Riley and Brenda Smith @ Zanzibar Blue (), Philly
- Did the Mother's Day brunch. The music was really good. So was the
food. But we aren't going back. They are just too much of a rip-off on
prices. If the $37.50 per person - in advance - wasn't enough, the
drink prices were obscene. I can understand spending a few bucks extra
for alcoholic beverages, but $4.50 to drink Diet Coke? Gimme a break!
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Monday, May 12, 2003
- Gene Shay 40th Anniversary Concert featuring Full Frontal Folk (), John Prine, Arlo Guthrie, Tom Paxton, Tom Rush, Chris Smither, Freebo, Susan Werner (), The Kennedys (), SONiA () and 4-Way Street @ Keswick Theater (), Glenside, PA
- From Ted the Fiddler under the marquee before the show and Full
Frontal Folk in the lobby at intermission, to surprise guest John Prine
and the finale where Arlo Guthrie led half the folk world in a rousing
rendition of "City of New Orleans", this was a great concert. A who's
who of folk turned out to honor one of the pillars of the folk
community. Tom Paxton, Tom Rush, Chris Smither, Eric Anderson, Freebo,
Susan Werner, The Kennedys, Sonia, Julie Gold, Christine Lavin, 4 Way
Street, and I know I've forgotten a few...
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Monday, May 19, 2003
- Fleetwood Mac () @ FUC
- I don't want to say Stevie Nicks is showing her age, but let's just
say that, as the range of her voice has decreased, the range of her
hips has increased proportionally. Still, she put on a great show.
Lindsey Buckingham, on the other hand, isn't showing his age at all.
The only member of the band who played the entire 2-hour-plus show
without a break. He does have a tendency to get a little pretentious,
and downright manic, on some of his solos (a guitar should not be
played like a bongo drum), but, hey, I guess you can forgive that in a
genius. Mick Fleetwood is a fantastic drummer, but backing himself up
with a percussionist and another drummer seems like cheating a little. All in all, a great show!
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Tuesday, May 20, 2003
- Michelle Malone () and 4-Way Street @ The Bitter End (), NYC
- Michelle put on a great show. The girl can really rock. 4-Way Street
was good, but didn't live up to all the hype I've heard. Nice bass,
though.
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Thursday, May 22, 2003
- Full Frontal Folk () and Acoustic League of Justice @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- Good show. ALJ played some solid bluegrass, but nothing that really
stood out. The Frontals were in fine form, and the sound was much
better than it was at the North Star. I was very impressed with
Fatale's ability to restring her violin in mid-song, and with Lolita's
blouse, which turned see-through under the stage lights.
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Friday, May 30, 2003
- Sophie B. Hawkins () and Nellie McKay () @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- Great show. Sophie really puts a lot of energy into her performance.
The point probably isn't the best venue for her, though, since she
overpowers the space. The opener had one really great song ("The Dog
Song") and another pretty good one ("Inner Peace"). Her other songs
didn't really strike me, but her voice and piano playing were both
great, and she has a great sarcastic streak.
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Sunday, June 15, 2003
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Thursday, June 19, 2003
- Buddy Guy () and Los Lobos @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- Los Lobos opened with a great set, but played a bit long, and came
out for an encore, which didn't leave enough time for Buddy Guy, who
had to cut his set short and skip the encore when they practically
kicked him off the stage at 11:00. Buddy was great, despite a sore
throat that prevented him from hitting some of his high notes. When he
came into the audience during "Damn Right I Got the Blues", he left
through the back door, came up through the 2nd tier, and all the way to
the third tier, where he sat 4 seats away from us to do a verse. An
excellent show.
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Friday, July 04, 2003
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Sunday, July 06, 2003
- Terri Hendrix () and David Wilcox @ Concerts Under the Stars (), King of Prussia, PA
- Terri and Lloyd opened with a great set that was way too short. David
Wilcox, on the other hand, was way too long. I'm not saying he wasn't
good, but he was way too depressing for my taste. In a 90 minute set,
he played only one up-tempo song, and he spoke at least as much as he
sang. The women in the audience seemed to like him, though...
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Wednesday, July 16, 2003
- Chicago @ Tweeter Center (
 ), Camden, NJ - I was planning to go see Laura Shay & Mia Johnson @ Tin Angel,
but someone gave my wife Chicago tickets, so we headed there instead.
We didn't stay for the whole show, but they were good. Unfortunately,
the sound wasn't. I've never liked the sound at the Tweeter, and they
really did a profoundly bad job with this concert. Out on the lawn, the
volume was so loud that it hurt your ears, even at the farthest reaches
of the grass, and the speakers were so over-driven that you could hear
them crackling constantly. Inside, it wasn't much better. Though the
volume was a little lower, the mix was terrible, and the overall effect
was a distorted, muddy wall of noise. Now this might be fine for
Lollapalooza, or the Vans Warped Tour, or Ozzfest, but with a band like
Chicago you need clear, crisp tones in order to appreciate the horns
and the orchestration. Not a spectacular show, and I wasn't broken up
about leaving early. I'm sure it would have played much better in the
Mann, or even the FUC. Either the Tweeter needs a better sound tech
(and sound system?), or Chicago need a better booking agent. Or both.
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Thursday, July 31, 2003
- Jeff Lang () and Nini Camps () @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- A great show. Jeff was in good form, and demonstrated his usual
virtuoso guitar style. Nini Camps also put on a great show. She's no
Jeff, but she can certainly hold her own with a slid. She also did a
great number where she layered about a dozen samples on top of each
other, and kept playing with the overdubs until she sounded like a
one-girl band. Good stuff.
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Friday, August 08, 2003
- Abi Tapia (), Natalia Zukerman () and Nadine Goellner () @ Manayunk Music Exchange (), Manayunk, PA
- Great show. The girls cut it a little close to the wire, and had to
perform with almost no set-up or sound check, but everything came off
OK in the end. It was an interesting mix of styles. Abi is pretty
straight-forward folk, while Nadine is a bit more bluesy. Natalia, who
I must say is the better guitarist of the three, has an ethereal voice,
jazzy arrangements, and a decidedly classical style. The strong
classical influence isn't surprising, given that her father is a
world-renowned concert violinist. All three girls were great, and the
Music Exchange provided a nice little intimate vanue (the only drawback
was that I couldn't help drooling over some of their vintage
instruments - the cost of going there could end up substantially higher
than the $5 cover).
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Saturday, August 16, 2003
- Summerfolk featuring Fruit (), GrooveLily (), Danny Flowers, Daybreak (), Beth Nielsen Chapman (), John Cowan, Arrogant Worms (), Arlene Bishop (), Billy Jonas (), Madviolet (), McCarrel Sisters (), The Road Dog Divas (), Bob Snider, Zubot & Dawson and Bruce Guthro
- This is a great festival! I would say it's like the Philadelphia Folk
Festival with a much smaller audience. But they don't skimp on the
amount (and quality) of the performers, stages, workshops, or music.
The setting was perfect, the weather was great, and the music was
rockin'. The highlight had to be the Sunday afternoon jam session at
the beer tent with Fruit, Groovelily, and Zubot & Dawson. If you
ever get a chance to see Fruit and Groovelily on the same stage, grab
it! (And hold on tight, 'cause it'll be a wild ride!) The Nashville
contingent (Danny Flowers, Beth Chapman, John Cowan, Daybreak) made a
strong showing, too. There were lots of laughs from Bob Snider, Billy
Jonas, and (above all) The Arrogant Worms (who are like a musical three
stooges). I think I've gotta make this a regular trip...
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Sunday, August 17, 2003
- Summerfolk featuring Fruit (), GrooveLily (), Danny Flowers, Daybreak (), Beth Nielsen Chapman (), John Cowan, Arrogant Worms (), Arlene Bishop (), Billy Jonas (), Madviolet (), McCarrel Sisters (), The Road Dog Divas (), Bob Snider, Zubot & Dawson and Bruce Guthro
- This is a great festival! I would say it's like the Philadelphia Folk
Festival with a much smaller audience. But they don't skimp on the
amount (and quality) of the performers, stages, workshops, or music.
The setting was perfect, the weather was great, and the music was
rockin'. The highlight had to be the Sunday afternoon jam session at
the beer tent with Fruit, Groovelily, and Zubot & Dawson. If you
ever get a chance to see Fruit and Groovelily on the same stage, grab
it! (And hold on tight, 'cause it'll be a wild ride!) The Nashville
contingent (Danny Flowers, Beth Chapman, John Cowan, Daybreak) made a
strong showing, too. There were lots of laughs from Bob Snider, Billy
Jonas, and (above all) The Arrogant Worms (who are like a musical three
stooges). I think I've gotta make this a regular trip...
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Friday, August 22, 2003
- Philadelphia Folk Festival featuring Terri Hendrix (), Nerissa and Katryna Nields (), Disappear Fear (), Tempest (), Xavier Rudd (), Alison Brown Quartet, The Holmes Brothers, Odetta, April Verch (), Joyce Andersen (), Baka Beyond (), Bob Brozman (), Led Kaapana (), Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ani DiFranco, Eddie From Ohio (), John Gorka (), Loudon Wainwright III, Todd Snider (), Magpie, Kathleen Edwards, Freebo, BeauSoleil and Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys @ Old Poole Farm, Schwenksville, PA
- A great weekend of music. Terri and Lloyd were great, as usual. Best
new (for me) discovery had to be Tempest. They really rocked the place.
After two Sundays in a row of starting the day with a gospel concert, I
have to say that Odetta and the Holmes Brothers have it all over those
Nashville cats and Canadians that I was listening to last week. The
Holmes Brothers have a lot of soul, and Odetta is a classy lady in
every sense of the word. I also loved the Nields and Disappear Fear
(who rarely perform together anymore, but look for SONiA's solo act).
Xavier Rudd does some amazing stuff with digeridoos and guitars - hard
to believe he's on stage all by himself. Tempest, Plena Libre, Baka
Beyond, The Holmes Brothers, and BeauSoleil all laid down some great
dance beats. The fiddlers workshop with April Verch (remarkably like a
younger Natalie MacMaster), Joyce Andersen, and Sue Draheim (of
Tempest) was great. Magpie did a fantastic song about Natalie Maines.
Bob Brozman and Led Kaapana did some amazing fretwork. Loudon
Wainwright, John Gorka, and Bob Franke were pretty funny. Todd Snider
was hilarious, and was scheduled to do a signing after his set, but
never brought any CDs with him to sell (or sign). I was not as
impressed by Ani DiFranco or Kathleen Edwards as I expected to be.
Ralph Stanley can't play anymore, and only sang on a few songs (mostly
he just introduced the songs and stood there while his group played
them, which must be pretty tough), but was still one of the festival
highlights. I liked the folk rock of Eddie From Ohio (what little of it
I caught) and loved the bluegrass of the Alison Brown Quartet. I also
loved the campsite music, staying up 'til 4 AM playing and listening to
the Azzoles and Tuesdays and Ho'Made Soup, and others too numerous to
mention.
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Saturday, August 23, 2003
- Philadelphia Folk Festival featuring Terri Hendrix (), Nerissa and Katryna Nields (), Disappear Fear (), Tempest (), Xavier Rudd (), Alison Brown Quartet, The Holmes Brothers, Odetta, April Verch (), Joyce Andersen (), Baka Beyond (), Bob Brozman (), Led Kaapana (), Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ani DiFranco, Eddie From Ohio (), John Gorka (), Loudon Wainwright III, Todd Snider (), Magpie, Kathleen Edwards, Freebo, BeauSoleil and Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys @ Old Poole Farm, Schwenksville, PA
- A great weekend of music. Terri and Lloyd were great, as usual. Best
new (for me) discovery had to be Tempest. They really rocked the place.
After two Sundays in a row of starting the day with a gospel concert, I
have to say that Odetta and the Holmes Brothers have it all over those
Nashville cats and Canadians that I was listening to last week. The
Holmes Brothers have a lot of soul, and Odetta is a classy lady in
every sense of the word. I also loved the Nields and Disappear Fear
(who rarely perform together anymore, but look for SONiA's solo act).
Xavier Rudd does some amazing stuff with digeridoos and guitars - hard
to believe he's on stage all by himself. Tempest, Plena Libre, Baka
Beyond, The Holmes Brothers, and BeauSoleil all laid down some great
dance beats. The fiddlers workshop with April Verch (remarkably like a
younger Natalie MacMaster), Joyce Andersen, and Sue Draheim (of
Tempest) was great. Magpie did a fantastic song about Natalie Maines.
Bob Brozman and Led Kaapana did some amazing fretwork. Loudon
Wainwright, John Gorka, and Bob Franke were pretty funny. Todd Snider
was hilarious, and was scheduled to do a signing after his set, but
never brought any CDs with him to sell (or sign). I was not as
impressed by Ani DiFranco or Kathleen Edwards as I expected to be.
Ralph Stanley can't play anymore, and only sang on a few songs (mostly
he just introduced the songs and stood there while his group played
them, which must be pretty tough), but was still one of the festival
highlights. I liked the folk rock of Eddie From Ohio (what little of it
I caught) and loved the bluegrass of the Alison Brown Quartet. I also
loved the campsite music, staying up 'til 4 AM playing and listening to
the Azzoles and Tuesdays and Ho'Made Soup, and others too numerous to
mention.
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Sunday, August 24, 2003
- Philadelphia Folk Festival featuring Terri Hendrix (), Nerissa and Katryna Nields (), Disappear Fear (), Tempest (), Xavier Rudd (), Alison Brown Quartet, The Holmes Brothers, Odetta, April Verch (), Joyce Andersen (), Baka Beyond (), Bob Brozman (), Led Kaapana (), Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ani DiFranco, Eddie From Ohio (), John Gorka (), Loudon Wainwright III, Todd Snider (), Magpie, Kathleen Edwards, Freebo, BeauSoleil and Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys @ Old Poole Farm, Schwenksville, PA
- A great weekend of music. Terri and Lloyd were great, as usual. Best
new (for me) discovery had to be Tempest. They really rocked the place.
After two Sundays in a row of starting the day with a gospel concert, I
have to say that Odetta and the Holmes Brothers have it all over those
Nashville cats and Canadians that I was listening to last week. The
Holmes Brothers have a lot of soul, and Odetta is a classy lady in
every sense of the word. I also loved the Nields and Disappear Fear
(who rarely perform together anymore, but look for SONiA's solo act).
Xavier Rudd does some amazing stuff with digeridoos and guitars - hard
to believe he's on stage all by himself. Tempest, Plena Libre, Baka
Beyond, The Holmes Brothers, and BeauSoleil all laid down some great
dance beats. The fiddlers workshop with April Verch (remarkably like a
younger Natalie MacMaster), Joyce Andersen, and Sue Draheim (of
Tempest) was great. Magpie did a fantastic song about Natalie Maines.
Bob Brozman and Led Kaapana did some amazing fretwork. Loudon
Wainwright, John Gorka, and Bob Franke were pretty funny. Todd Snider
was hilarious, and was scheduled to do a signing after his set, but
never brought any CDs with him to sell (or sign). I was not as
impressed by Ani DiFranco or Kathleen Edwards as I expected to be.
Ralph Stanley can't play anymore, and only sang on a few songs (mostly
he just introduced the songs and stood there while his group played
them, which must be pretty tough), but was still one of the festival
highlights. I liked the folk rock of Eddie From Ohio (what little of it
I caught) and loved the bluegrass of the Alison Brown Quartet. I also
loved the campsite music, staying up 'til 4 AM playing and listening to
the Azzoles and Tuesdays and Ho'Made Soup, and others too numerous to
mention.
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Friday, September 12, 2003
- Nini Camps () and Stephanie Fix @ Manayunk Music Exchange (), Manayunk, PA
- I like this venue more and more. Stephanie Fix opened, and had one of
those Murphy's Law performances - broken strings, lost picks, etc - but
nevertheless managed to impress with some beautiful songs and great
lyrics. Nini did a great show, playing mostly requests (including a
couple she had trouble remembering because she hadn't played them in a
while). I think the audience was almost entirely composed of her
friends and family, but I could be wrong. All in all, a great show at a
great price.
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Tuesday, September 16, 2003
- Natalie MacMaster () @ Joe's Pub (), NYC
- This is a great club, but the drinks are grossly overpriced. $4 for a
club soda. Gimme a break! Anyway, that's besides the point. The show
was great. Of course, I expect nothing less from Natalie. The stage was
a little small, so she had to reign in her dancing a bit, but she still
managed, and any disappointment was more than compensated by being
seated about 5 feet from the stage. One thing I couldn't figure out:
the show was billed as a CD release party for her new album, but, as
far as I could tell, they weren't selling the CD anywhere at the show.
Go figure.
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Wednesday, September 17, 2003
- Fruit (), The Colby Prior Band (), Jen Shankman and Melineh Kurdian @ The Bitter End (), NYC
- Wow. A lot to say about this show. I'll go in order of appearance.
Colby Prior opened. Good ol' fashioned kick-ass rock 'n' roll sung by a
hot, auburn haired girl backed by some loud guitars. The band was OK -
competent but not great. The leads were unimaginative, and mostly they
just substituted volume for talent. Colby, on the other hand, is
definitely going places. If she stays with it, this young girl is
destined to be added to the long list of famous people who got their
start at the Bitter End. She's really got a good voice, which was
showcased best on her cover of "It Hurt So Bad" (I think Susan Tedeschi
did the original version of the song - at least hers is the only
version I'm aware of). On her own songs, I think she emphasizes power
over control a bit too much, but she's got both. And she's drop-dead
gorgeous to boot. Pretty good stage presence, too, for a 17 year old
(but she needs to get herself a better performance wardrobe - you just
can't look cool if you keep pulling your shirt down every 20 seconds).
Colby packed the club, but it turned out everyone there was either
family or close friend, and they all left with her after her set (I
think it may have been past their bedtime). Which left a pretty empty
house for Jen Shankman. Which is really a shame, because she was pretty
good. Mind you, a solo acoustic performer might not appeal to the same
audience as a hard-rocking teeny bopper, but you had to feel bad for
the girl. Not that she didn't have her own audience, but most of them
were working there (she does, too), so they didn't exactly fill the
seats. Jen's voice reminded me a little of what Joan Baez used to sound
like. In keeping with my previous wardrobe comment, Jen needs to lose
the pointy shoes. I think those shoes might qualify as lethal weapons.
And they don't really go with the blue jeans wardrobe. Just my opinion.
The next act gets brownie points for, well, brownies. Melineh (or maybe
her backup singer, Emily, I'm not sure which) brought in a pan of
homemade brownies and shared them with the audience. Mmmmm. She was
another (mostly solo) acoustic singer-songwriter, with a few really
good songs and her own personal audience (though not as extensive as
Colby's was, which is fortunate since they would have run out of
brownies). Fruit played a great set to a sparsely filled house. I can't
believe they didn't manage to pull a crowd in off the street. They
were, as usual fantastic. The set was a bit shorter than I would have
liked, but they were in great form. It was the last show of their US
tour, so I think morale was pretty high. Well worth the drive up and
the lost sleep from getting home after midnight. Also, after Joe's Pub,
I gotta comment: $2.50 for a coke with a $5 cover makes the Bitter End
a best buy in my book (especially when someone's passing out free
brownies).
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Friday, September 19, 2003
- Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- A really good show. Wynton puts together a great program, and doesn't
hog the spotlight. Given his stature, he certainly could get away with
it if he wanted to, but he sits back and lets everyone get their turn.
They were all great, but I think the drummer was particularly good, and
so was the pianist.
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Saturday, September 20, 2003
- A Mighty Wind - The Tour featuring Mitch & Mickey, The New Main Street Singers and The Folksmen @ Town Hall, NYC
- Cheesy? Maybe. Corny? Undoubtedly. Fun? Definitely. The live concert
of the movie of the concert featuring non-existent bands paying tribute
to a late fictional music promoter. What could be more authentic. Or
surreal. Seriously, though, the patter between songs was funny, and
some of the music is quite good. And you gotta love the folk rendition
of the Stones' Start Me Up. Even the program was funny, having
been stapled together with the pages in the wrong order. And nowhere in
the program does it give any indication that anything is less than
authentic (the actors aren't identified except under their character
names). There was only one thing missing: Mike LaFontaine of Hi-Class
Management. Wha' happened?
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Sunday, September 21, 2003
- Michelle Malone () and Willy Mason @ Southpaw, Brooklyn, NY
- The opener, a guy named Willy Mason, sucked. Big time. I gotta see if
his tour schedule is online, so I can be sure I avoid him in the
future. He had one saving grace, a fairly short set. Michelle really
rocked! A great show. Since I started going to her shows, she's been
mostly acoustic, kinda folky. But this show was almost all electric,
full volume, rapid-fire, solid rock. She did a cover of Stay With Me that put Rod Stewart to shame. I've bumped her up above Full Frontal Folk for which show I should go to this Wednesday.
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Wednesday, September 24, 2003
- Michelle Malone (), Mia Johnson () and John Francis @ The Fire at Philadelphia Grill (), Philly
- John Francis went on first. He's got a good voice, as did his
sometime backup singer, Wendy. Some good guitar work, too. I wasn't
thrilled with most of his songs, but a couple of them were very good.
The others were a bit too... I don't know, melodramatic, pretentious,
self-conscious? Not really that bad. I'm not sure what adjective really
works, but they just didn't pull me in. Mia Johnson was very good. I
liked her songs and her style a lot. She stumbled once or twice on the
guitar work, but did a great job otherwise. Michelle sounded a little
hoarse or congested, and was getting pretty annoyed fighting the
terrible feedback problem. The vocals were barely audible over the
instruments, and were somewhat muddy. The sound guy definitely did a
better job with the acoustic singer/songwriters than he did with the
full electric band. Michelle did a great performance, but the technical
difficulties diluted the experience.
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Tuesday, September 30, 2003
- Drama and Charm featuring Philadelphia Orchestra () @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA - You gotta love the orchestra. The program opened with "Royal Hunt and Storm" from Les Troyens
by Berlioz. Then moved on to Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2 in G
minor, Op. 22, which featured Andre Watts on piano. Watts was
phenomenal, banging the keyboard like a madman. But I couldn't keep my
attention away from the percussionist in the back, sitting in his
tuxedo, with his cymbals laid out in front of him on a velvet platform.
25 minutes he sat there, waiting for his big moment. Finally, he picked
up his cymbals, held them aloft, and then "chink", and again, "chink".
Not "crash", just "chink". That was it. 25 minutes of patient sitting
for two little chinks. Zen orchestra. They closed with another piece by
Berlioz, Symphony, Harold in Italy, Op. 16, which featured
Roberto Diaz in a beautiful series of viola solos. A lovely solo
instrument, much more mellow than the violin. I don't know why so
little is written for it. This piece also had its (inadvertent) comic
highlight. This time it was the timpani player who lost a drumstick,
which crashed against the wall behind him, freezing him in
mid-drumroll. Like I said, you gotta love the orchestra.
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Thursday, October 09, 2003
- SONiA () and Nancy Falkow () @ Tin Angel (), Philadelphia, PA
- A great show. Nancy was celebrating her mom's birthday (as well as
John Lennon's), so she provided cake (and covered a couple of John's
tunes). She brought a stripped down 'band' with her (meaning drums and
backing vocals) and played almost all new stuff. SONiA had percussion
backing her up, and played a nice mix of old & new tunes. And
apparently I look like her brother-in-law, or so she says.
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Sunday, October 12, 2003
- Bela Fleck and the Flecktones () @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- What can one say about the Flecktones? Other than, "Wow!" An
incredible collection of talent. I don't think anyone can match Bela
Fleck on the banjo. And Victor Wooten is an incredible bassist. His
brother, FutureMan is in a category by himself. And recent addition
Jeff Coffin on saxophones (sometimes two at once) and other woodwinds
rounds out the group nicely. Together they put on a hell of a show. Two
plus hours, excluding the intermission. And, while I've seen Nini Camps
turn herself into a one-woman band by looping her guitar repeatedly,
and heard of other guitarists doing the same thing, this was the first
time I've ever seen a bass player pull that off. Victor may be the only
one who could. The only problem was being seated behind the stage,
which made it hard to understand vocals, and prevented me from seeing
most of the fancy fretwork. Still, a great way to spend Sunday
afternoon.
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Wednesday, October 15, 2003
- GrooveLily () and Stew (
 ) @ The Bottom Line (), NYC
- The opening duo was, how shall I put it, interesting. However he
spells his name (I thought is was Stu, but it turns out it's Stew), and
his partner, Heidi (not Heide), took us on a low-key tour of a world
populated by hookers, junkies, and gay Ken dolls. And, of course, "The
naked Dutch painter in the kitchen does not want to f**k you." That has
to be one of the most original lyrics I've heard in years. Too bad the
song really didn't do anything for me. And, quite frankly, I couldn't
figure out why Heide (is she the naked Dutch painter?), with her
Valerie Bertinelli hair and her Annie Hall men's-suit-and-tie outfit
(never a good look, especially on a really thin woman), was up on stage
at all. I mean, she was occasionally plucking at her bass, and
providing some lackluster backing vocals, but she didn't really seem to
be contributing anything to the performance. I won't go out of my way
to avoid these guys in the future, but I certainly won't go out of my
way to see them ever again. I will, of course, go out of my way to see
Groovelily again, as I did for this show. They were great, though I
think they got off to a slow start (I definitely recommend starting off
the show with a nice upbeat Valerie number, not an introspective
Brendan song). Still, by the time Val walked out onto the tables next
to the stage, they were pretty revved up. Worth the drive.
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Friday, October 17, 2003
- George Shearing and John Pizzarelli Trio () @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- George Shearing is one of the grand old men of jazz. Unfortunately,
he shows his age. That's not to say he isn't good, but he really
doesn't have the chops he used to have. He does surround himself with a
great band, especially his vibes player. The guitarist was a bit weak,
especially compared with John Pizzarelli, who sat in for a few songs in
addition to opening. John has a great voice, good humorous patter, and
plays a nice guitar, and he and his trio put on a great show of mostly
old standards. Definitely the better of the two acts, and worth seeing
again.
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Friday, October 31, 2003
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Sunday, November 09, 2003
- Sweet Honey in the Rock with Toshi Reagon and Big Lovely featuring Sweet Honey in the Rock () and Toshi Reagon @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- Not what I was expecting. I thought Toshi would be the opener, but in
fact, she and her band sat in with Sweet Honey for the whole show. It
was a diverse and wonderful performance celebrating Honey's 30th
anniversary. The show actually started about 15 minutes prior to the
posted time, with some off-stage chants and went on for about 2 and a
half hours with a 15 minute intermission. The music ranged from gospel
to blues, from a capella to full band, and from African roots to
American contemporary. Sweet honey went from colorful African robes to
black funeral garb, to vibrant red. Big Lovely stuck with basic black,
though they added some colorful swatches after the itermission. All in
all, a true spectacular.
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Friday, November 14, 2003
- Cassandra Wilson and Jason Moran and Bandwagon @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- Cassandra Wilson was great. She did jazz covers of songs ranging from
Bob Dylan to Muddy Waters to Sting. Beautiful voice and a great band. I
think Jason Moran is more on the cutting edge of jazz, with a lot of
hip-hop and be-bop influences. The music was disharmonic and
disrhythmic. A very talented trio, but not really my taste.
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Friday, November 21, 2003
- 7:00 PM - Terri Hendrix () and Nerissa and Katryna Nields () @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- First of two shows. Terri and Lloyd opened with a decent set. The
Nields did a great show, and Terri and Lloyd joined them at the end of
their set for two songs, which was pretty cool.
- 10:00 PM - Terri Hendrix () and Nerissa and Katryna Nields () @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- Second of two shows. I think Terri and Lloyd were better in the
second show, while the Nields were better in the first. The Nields did
a totally different set - no repeated songs. I think they used up all
their upbeat songs in the first show, making the second show a bit of a
downer. Terri repeated most of her set, swapping out only a few songs.
But even on the repeat songs, it seemed like she and Lloyd put more
energy into this show: faster tempos, extended solos, etc. They didn't
play with the Nields in this show, because they left immediately after
their own set, which left a lot of people wanting more. Can't blame
them, though, it was late and they had a long drive to make.
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Tuesday, December 09, 2003
- Simon and Garfunkel and The Everly Brothers @ Wachovia Center (), Philly
- A great show. They had the Everly Brothers, not as an opener, really
- more as a "tweener". S&G came out and did a few songs, then
brought out the Everlys, who did a set. Then S&G came back out and
joined them for "Bye Bye Love", after which the Everlys left and
S&G continued their show. The show was almost all old Simon and
Garfunkel tunes, with only 3 post-S&G songs ("Slip Sliding Away",
"My Little Town", "American Tune"). They hit all their hits, and a few
more obscure songs ("Baby Driver", "The Only Living Boy in New York",
"Keep the Customer Satisfied"). All in all they played 8 out of 11
songs from the Bridge Over Troubled Water album. Two encores
("Cecilia" and "The Boxer", "Leaves That Are Green" and "59th Street
Bridge Song"), two video interludes (an opening collage over an
instrumental rendition of "Old Friends", and another that included some
scenes from "The Graduate" over "59th Street Bridge Song", which of
course led into their performance of "Mrs. Robinson"), and lots of
great music. Pretty good for a couple of old guys who have been
together for 50 years (according to Garfunkel) and arguing for 47
(according to Simon)!
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Thursday, December 11, 2003
- Michelle Malone () and Erin McKeown () @ The Point at Manaynk Station
- A fantastic show. Michelle was performing with 'LB1', which turned
out to be Linda Bolley on a minimalist drum kit. She only brought
acoustic guitars, so I was expecting a more folky type show. Boy, was I
wrong! Those two rocked the place harder than they rocked the Fire back
in September with Johnny D and Lee Kennedy and a full complement of
electric guitars and bass. Incredible! Michelle had so much energy, she
was in danger of tearing the stage apart (OK, maybe the stage was just
flimsy, but it was shaking like the San Andreas fault). In contrast,
Erin McKeown seemed subdued, despite repeatedly breaking into the
soundtrack to Chicago between songs (inspired by the prison
feeling provided by the bars preventing the folks on the second floor
from nose-diving on the stage). She did a great show, though in many
ways it was the antithesis of Michelle's. Erin is a tiny (I'm guessing
5 feet even) cherubic girl, compared to the tall,
too-thin-and-bordering-on-skeletal Michelle. She played almost all
electric guitar, backed by a full drum kit and, alternately, another
electric guitar or bass, as opposed to the all-acoustic guitar with
occaisional harmonica of Michelle. Mostly, her performance was
controlled, while Michelle's was explosive and wild. Both good sets,
but I can't help but think I would rather have seen Michelle close the
show with that wild energy, rather than open it. This was only the
second performance in this new venue, and I have to say it has
potential. It's a nice space, and holds a lot more people than the
Point itself. The full bar is not a draw for me, though I know it is
for many people. They need to do more in terms of food service - they
had a $12 1-trip buffet that was good, but lacked variety and seemed
over-priced, and a few baked goods for sale, but not many alternatives.
They had a blues guitar player set up in the bar (which is separated
from the main space) playing between sets, lots of seating, including
an upstairs area, and decent bathrooms. The stage is a bit of a
problem. Apart from being flimsy, as noted above, it is not well
situated, and the sight lines are not good from much of the room. They
provided a projection screen to somewhat alleviate this problem, but
the picture from the single fixed camera was washed out and poor
quality. Still, with a little more work, it could be a great space.
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Sunday, December 14, 2003
- Susan Tedeschi () and Ollabelle () @ Scottish Rite Auditorium
- I was expecting to like Ollabelle, having heard good reviews of them
from several people, but they didn't quite live up to expectations. An
uneven performance, with a good upbeat rendition of Poor Wayfaring Stranger, a nice sultry version of Elijah Rock (a real shame to waste all that sultriness on a gospel tune), a very lackluster Jesus on the Main Line,
and a mixed bag of traditional and original gospel. I have to admit, I
probably would have liked them better if they weren't gospel, but they
are, and they just didn't do anything for me. Susan, on the other hand,
was great. She played a nice mix of songs from all her albums, and
closed with a dead-on cover of Joni Mitchell's River. I would have liked to hear Rock Me Right and Friar's Point,
but I guess you can't have everything. Susan has really matured as a
performer, and has a much more developed stage presence than when I've
seen her before. I think her guitar playing has improved, too, as she
pulled off some dynamite solos. However, I'm nominating the Scotish
Rite Auditorium for most cramped seating in a concert venue. I'd give
anyone a standing ovation there, just to get up and stretch my legs!
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Wednesday, December 17, 2003
- Cyndi Lauper () and Nellie McKay () @ Keswick Theater (), Glenside, PA
- I was impressed. More than I expected. Nellie was good. We got there
a little late, and I didn't hear my favorite song of hers (The Dog Song,
which I hope she did), but she did a great job on what I heard. I think
she made quite a few new fans. Cyndi was great. I've liked her since
the '80s, but have never seen her live before, and I never really
thought of her as a 'serious' singer. But she is. She has a tremendous
voice, and puts on a great show. She spent a lot of time out in the
audience, and had a very direct, personal interaction with them between
songs. For her second encore, she did a few unrehearsed (alright, it
may just have been cleverly staged, but they sure seemed spontaneous,
and I don't think she would ahve messed up as many lyrics if she'd
rehearsed it) Christmas songs before closing with True Colors. A great show, overall.
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Thursday, December 25, 2003
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Thursday, January 01, 2004
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Friday, January 16, 2004
- Wayne Shorter Quartet @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- A new year. So much music to listen to. Both old and new. The first
concert of the year was an excellent performance by a quartet of great
musicians led by Wayne Shorter. No-nonsense, all music. The first
number lasted over half an hour, itself, and there was almost no break
between songs. Wayne took a few seconds to introduce the band before
the last song, but otherwise it was two hours of uninterrupted
top-shelf jazz. A good way to start the year.
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Wednesday, January 21, 2004
- Sarah Brightman () @ Wachovia Center (), Philly
- An excellent show. I think I'm not the only one who complained that
her previous concerts were too scripted, since she seemed a lot more
spontaneous this time around. She talked more between songs, and
actually acknowledged the fact that she was in Philadelphia. Of course,
the show was still elaborately staged, with dancing, costumes, and
special effects, but she connected more with the audience (an
impressive feat, considering the much larger arena crowd). This show
also marks the first time I've seen her play an instrument on a song,
as she took a seat at the grand piano for The War is Over, a
song that she co-wrote. As ever, her voice was angelic, her costumes
sexy, and her performance exquisite. Worth the exhorbitant price of
admission.
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Saturday, January 24, 2004
- GrooveLily () and Girlyman () @ 4W5 Cafe (), Wilmington, DE
- Great show. The opener was alright. Good harmonies, and very funny
between-song patter, but the songs themselves were somewhat
uninspiring. Worth keeping an eye on, though. Groovelily was great, as
usual. They did part of their holiday show, Striking 12, in
addition to a more traditional set, and went over really well with the
sell-out crowd. The venue was OK, but not fantastic - very cramped,
decent food with table service (but they didn't bring the bills around
and there were a lot of people searching frantically for someone to
take their money after the show - it actually would have been easier to
walk out without paying than to pay your bill), nice folks, and good
sound. I'd go back there again, but won't go out of my way looking for
the opportunity.
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Friday, January 30, 2004
- Sarah Brightman () @ The Trump Taj Mahal (), Atlantic City, NJ
- Another great show. I may have to take back what I said about her
being more spontaneous in this tour. It seems that maybe it's just that
she has a more spontaneous script. That's OK, though. No matter how
scripted, the girl is just fantastic.
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Saturday, February 14, 2004
- Saint Valentines Day
- Jane Monheit () @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- An excellent show. Jane has matured a lot as a performer in the short
time since I saw her at the Keswick (actually, just over a year
- longer than I thought!). She seemed much more self-assured, and has
gotten over that "what should I do with my hands" problem. The group
was a lot tighter, too. Not sure if they were actually the same
musicians, but they were definitely much improved.
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Wednesday, February 18, 2004
- Barenaked Ladies (), Butterfly Boucher (
 ) and Gavin DeGraw () @ Wachovia Center (), Philly
- Butterfly was not very good, though the guys from BNL seem to love
her. Maybe her lyrics are inspired and poetic. I wouldn't know, since I
couldn't understand them. She has one of those whiny voices that really
suffer from being over-amplified. Maybe she'd benefit from having a
band (she performed solo on an electric guitar), or from going the
acoustic coffee house route. All I know is, we couldn't wait for her to
finish her mercifully brief set. Gavin was a bit better, with a decent
hard-rocking band. He was pretty good, but clearly thought he was
better than he is. He got tiring about halfway through his set. BNL
didn't get tiring, though they should have probably skipped the slower,
more depressing numbers. They are definitely at their best when doing
their quirky, up-tempo numbers. Still, they put on a great 2 hour show,
including one of the best acoustic bass solos around, and I never felt
like the show was dragging on too long (OK, I don't think they really
needed the second encore, which was kinda lackluster, anyway).
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Thursday, February 26, 2004
- Nellie McKay () and David Berkeley @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- Opener David Berkeley was OK. Good voice, kinda depressing songs, one
good mandolin solo by one of his sidemen - nothing to write home about.
Nellie was great. How can such a young (19), beautiful girl write such
wonderfully cynical and sarcastic songs, and pull them off with such
sophisticated grace? I doubt there will be many more chances to see her
for free in such an intimate setting.
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Wednesday, March 03, 2004
- Arturo Sandoval and Los Hombres Calientes @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA
- Arturo Sandoval is a fantastic musician, and also quite funny.
Opening act, Los Hombres Calientes, was really good, too. I was
impressed by their trumpet, until Sandoval took the stage, and almost
any other trumpet player would look shabby by comparison. His
percussion player was also spectacular, with probably the fastest hands
I've ever seen. Too bad I didn't get to see the whole show!
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Friday, March 05, 2004
- Philly
All-Star Night featuring Pat Martino and Jim Ridle and The Joey
DeFrancesco Trio with special guests James Moody and John Blake @ Kimmel Center (), Philadelphia, PA - Another great night of cool jazz.
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Sunday, March 07, 2004
- Rory Block () and The Luck Brothers () @ Tin Angel (), Philadelphia, PA
- Great show! Local duo The Luck Brothers did a great job of warming up
the audience for Rory's spectacular guitar work and singing.
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Wednesday, March 10, 2004
- Todd Snider () and Clare Burson () @ Tin Angel (), Philadelphia, PA
- The opener was a decent singer-songwriter with a good voice. Some
good songs, too. I preferred the up-tempo ones, but most of them
dragged a bit. I liked Todd's performance. He's funny, and has some
hilarious songs. He's also a total flake. Despite having an opening
act, he announced after a fairly short set that he would be doing two
sets, and then disappeared for half an hour. When he returned, he
played one song, and one verse into the second song became angry at
something (possibly the audience making noise, but since they were
rowdy throughout the entire show, who knows), threw his guitar down,
and stalked off stage. After a brief, stunned silence, the crowd
started yelling to bring him back. The manager vanished backstage, and
reappeared with the news that Todd had left the building, nobody knew
where he was, the show was over. Most of the crowd continued to sit for
quite a while as George broke down the stage, seemingly unsure whether
it was really true. As for me, if he's playing another festival, I'll
try to catch his act, but I won't go out of my way to see him as a
headliner again. Too risky.
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Friday, March 12, 2004
- Indigo Girls () and Cordero () @ Radio City Music Hall (), NYC, NY
- The opener was a decent latin rock band from Brooklyn. The Girls put
on a great show, with plenty of old favorites, and a few songs from
their new album. Worth the hassle of getting there.
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Wednesday, March 17, 2004
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Saturday, March 20, 2004
- 8:00 PM - Buddy Guy () and Jackie Greene () @ Keswick Theater (), Glenside, PA
- The opener was a talented young guy from California. Great on
harmonica and piano, decent on guitar, and a good voice. Buddy gave a
mostly acoustic performance. Lots of old blues standards. A good show,
but it didn't take off until he picked up his strat. Then he was in his
element. There are few who can match him on an electric guitar.
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Friday, March 26, 2004
- 10:00 PM - Fruit () @ Havana, New Hope, PA
- No opener. Fruit took the stage at 10. Three fantastic sets and a
short 3 hours 45 minutes later, it was all over. An incredible show. It
was their last full band show before "the guys" went back to Oz, so I
think they pulled out all the stops.
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Saturday, March 27, 2004
- 7:00 PM - GrooveLily () and All About Buford () @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- The place was packed for this sold-out performance. All About Buford
got things off to a good start, despites some audio problems
(microphone feedback, sirens from the firehouse across the street).
GrooveLily did a great set, including a witty new song by Gene that was
inspired by doing the group's taxes. The band earned a rousing standing
ovation after their last number, and did their encore without leaving
the stage (probably because they really couldn't get off stage through
the crowd).
- 10:00 PM - GrooveLily () and All About Buford () @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- Second show. Not as crowded as the first, but arguably a better show.
Buford still had a few feedback problems, but things went smoother as
they made their way through a set that was about 50% different than the
first show. GrooveLily swapped out about 3/4 of their songs. They
pulled out an old song, "Patiently," fromVal's first CD that they
haven't played in years. And Brendan played a 'prototype' song without
the band.
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Thursday, April 01, 2004
- 8:00 PM - Full Frontal Folk () and Birdie () @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA - CD Release - A great show to kick of the Frontal's new CD Sweet Mystery of Life (the title of which comes from Madeline Kahn's musical contribution to Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein).
Birdie was pretty good - a beautiful girl with a good voice. She needs
to get a better stage wardrobe, and work a little on her audience
interaction, and I'd lose the southern, country twang if I were her
(hey, it'n not real, she grew up in Collingswood). Still, she has lots
of potential, and I'm sure she'll only get better. FFF was in good
form, with a supportive audience composed almost entirely of friends,
family, and Azzoles. They played the whole new CD, and a lot of older
stuff by request, although I think if the audience had their way, the
requests would have extended to their entire repertoire. Which would
have been fine, but they didn't finish up until after 11 as it was, and
I don't think the Point would have let them go on much longer.
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Friday, April 02, 2004
- 8:30 PM - Liz Phair (), Rachael Yamagata () and Wheat () @ Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
- I'm getting too old for standing-room concerts. But sometimes it's
worth it. Rachael Yamagata was OK. Wheat was an average indie rock
band. Liz Phair was hot.
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Sunday, April 04, 2004
- 7:00 PM - Paul Williams () and Melissa Manchester () @ Keswick Theater (), Glenside, PA
- Two songwriting legends performing duet and solo, with plenty of
interesting and funny reminiscences between songs. Melissa has a great
voice, and had a nice selection of really good new songs in addition to
some of her greatest hits. She can really belt them out when she wants
to, too. Paul relied mostly on his old catalog and his witty
personality, but with songs like his, he can afford to rest on his
laurels for a while. A really great show.
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Thursday, April 08, 2004
- 8:00 PM - Jeff Lang () and Ollabelle () @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA
- I was really surprised to find out Jeff Lang was the opener for this
show. Still, I think he may have had a longer set than Ollabelle, and
he did do an encore. He was incredible, as always. Hard to believe
anyone can play as fast as he can. Ollabelle solidified my earlier
opinion of them. They're good, they have good voices, and talent, but I
just don't really like them. I kinda feel like I'm watching The New
Main Street Singers, or being fed cotton candy by the bushel. That
doesn't really seem fair, but there it is.
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Saturday, April 17, 2004
- Melissa Etheridge @ Roseland Ballroom, NYC
- When we arrived 45 minutes before the doors were scheduled to open,
the line stretched down the block, around the corner onto Broadway,
down another block, around another corner, and halfway down that block,
so that we were actually standing in line in front of the stage door to
Roseland. At that point, I figured that no matter how good Melissa was,
there was no way she could make the long drive and long wait
worthwhile. I was wrong. The show was fantastic. Melissa is great, and
so is her band, though the guitar player is not as good as he thinks he
is. She was filming for her new DVD, so she played every song from Lucky
as well as all her hits, and a few more, including one new song that
she premiered at the show. She played 3 hours without a break (unless
you count the times that her hair and make-up people came out on stage
to touch her up so she would look fresh all the way through the DVD).
She also promised that next time she comes to town she's gong to play a
venue with seats. I'm looking forward to that, since it was over six
hours from the time we got in line to the time we finally got to sit
down on the bus home, and my feet were killing me!
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Wednesday, April 28, 2004
- 10:00 PM - Fruit () and GrooveLily () @ Fez Under Time Cafe, NYC
- Either band would have been worth the trip to New York. Both together
were even worth my uncle making the trip up from Nashville. Had it not
been for the two party poopers in the back seat, we would have driven
straight up to Boston after the show to catch them the next night. It
was a great show. Groovelily was on their home turf, and drew a decent
crowd for a late weeknight. They even had fans from Berlin, who had
timed their US vacation specifically to catch Val and the guys (and we
thought Nashville would win the title of farthest distance travelled to
see the show hands down). The Berliners won the merchandise giveaway,
which is only fitting. Fruit opened up, and wowed the audience, who
were mostly unfamiliar with the group. They brought out GL to help on
the last song of their set (Momma, Momma), and we were treated
to an extended version with plenty of solos for everyone. GL returned
the favor at the end of their set, but the song was Gene's Diva Girl,
and the girls only added backing vocals (with a nice scat interchange
between Gene and Mel for the solo), so the effect wasn't quite as
powerfull. Not as good as their appearance together at Summerfolk review, but still pretty damn good!
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Friday, April 30, 2004
- 8:00 PM - Fruit () and Stygian Veil @ 4W5 Cafe (), Wilmington, DE ($12)
- Good show. Very light turnout. Most of the audience were friends of
the opener, Gina from Stygian Veil, who performed solo and with Christy
Edwards doing some backing vocals. Gina isn't bad, but a bit on the
dark and melancholy side for my taste. Fruit put on a good show, but
may have been a bit disconnected. The drunk guy who wandered in in the
middle of the set and took a seat down front provided a bit of comic
relief.
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Sunday, May 02, 2004
- 7:00 PM - Fruit () and Beautiful Girls @ The Point (), Bryn Mawr, PA ($15)
- Beautiful Girls is another Aussie group, but don't be fooled by the
name. They are not girls, nor are they particularly beautiful.
Actually, in this case it wasn't even the Beautiful Girls, just one guy
from the Girls. He was OK. Fruit was fantastic. Much more plugged in
than they were on Friday at 4W5. Bob Beach
joined them on stage for a few songs, and he and Mel really played well
off each other. The house was only about half full, which really
surprised me. Those of us who had the good sense to show up were
treated to a fantastic performance.
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Saturday, May 08, 2004
- 8:00 PM - Terri Hendrix () and David Bromberg @ Keswick Theater (), Glenside, PA ($32.50)
- The show was good. Terri and Lloyd did a great set that was,
unfortunately, way too short. The audience reception was OK, but not
overly entusiastic. Terri seemed excited to be playing the venue, and
was really excited about getting to jam with David Bromberg during his
set. That unfortunately was only one song, with Terri supplying some
mandolin and backing vocals and Lloyd giving some nice solos on the
dobro. It was nice to see Terri and Lloyd up in front of such a large
audience, but kind of strange having them so far away that they were
just tiny figures on a stage. Really looking forward to her coming back
this summer with her new material back in the small, intimate venues
I'm used to! David Bromberg was good. An eccentric performance of an
eclectic set of folk and blues by a living legend.
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Monday, May 10, 2004
- 7:30 PM - Yes @ Wachovia Spectrum (), Philly
- The second half of this concert saved it from being a complete waste
of time. The sound was terrible in the first half, but it improved
slightly after the intermission, going to merely bad. During the first
half, I didn't understand a single lyric or a single word of the
between-song patter. I occasionally recognized enough of the melody to
identify what song they were playing. They opened the second half with
an "unplugged" (mostly) set, which provided the best sound quality of
the show, and included a nice rearrangement of "Roundabout". I think it
may be time to tranpose a few of the songs to a slightly lower key, as
Jon's vocal chords are not as young as they used to be, and he was
really straining to hit some of those high notes. The mostly older
crowd was far more loud and enthusiastic (and sometimes downright
obnoxious) than the performance warranted. Nice cover of the Beatles'
"Every Little Thing" for the encore.
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Monday, May 31, 2004
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Friday, June 18, 2004
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Saturday, June 19, 2004
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Friday, July 02, 2004
- 8:30 PM - Mia Johnson (), Laura Shay () and Medea @ Tin Angel (), Philadelphia, PA ($8)
- Great show. Laura did a good opening set, with all material that I
haven't heard before. Medea did the middle set, and were absolutely
fantastic - a great band! Mia closed with a good, rocking set.
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Sunday, July 04, 2004
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Wednesday, July 07, 2004
- 7:00 PM - Fitzgerald & Beach @ Back Porch Folk Club, Levittown, PA ($10)
- Show moved inside due to rain, so it was a nice, intimate show,
though a bit damp and sticky. The music was great, though. An
all-acoustic mix of traditional and original blues and gospel delivered
with plenty of flair.
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Tuesday, July 13, 2004
- 7:00 PM - Terri Hendrix () and Mark Erelli @ Eagleview Concerts on the Square (), Exton, PA (FREE)
- The grass was surprisingly dry, considering that we had record rains
the day before. Missed the start of the opener, but what I saw was
pretty solid. Terri and Lloyd played a good set of mostly older stuff,
a few songs from their new album, and a couple that I've never heard
before, 'Throws Like a Girl', which they got from Eddie From Ohio, and
another funny one about a dead armadillo.
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Wednesday, July 14, 2004
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Thursday, July 15, 2004
- 8:00 PM - Terri Hendrix () @ Wetlands Institute (), Stone Harbor, NJ ($12)
- Great concert. Beautiful, peaceful music in a beautiful, peaceful
setting. The Wetlands Institute's performance space is a big room with
huge windows behind the stage so the backdrop for the concert is
coastal marsh with a wide variety of seabirds. Terri and Lloyd did two
sets, heavily loaded with some of their more peaceful tunes - "Life's a
Song", "Quiet Me", "The Ring" - and a G-rated version of "You Mangled
My Dog" ("you son of a gun").
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Friday, July 16, 2004
- 9:00 PM - Terri Hendrix () and Erik Balkey @ Steel City Coffee House, Phoenixville, PA ($15 adv/$17 door)
- Great high energy concert in a nice venue. Erik Balkey was a good
opener with some very nice, low key songs. Terri and Lloyd were in
pretty high spirits, and played a much more rousing set than they did
at the Wetlands.
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Thursday, July 22, 2004
- 8:00 PM - Perlman Romancing the Violin featuring Philadelphia Orchestra () and Itzhak Perlman @ Mann Center for Performing Arts (), Philly
- Nice, relaxing evening listening to Glinka's "Overture to Ruslan and
Lyudmila", Dvorák's "Romance, for violin and orchestra", three by
Kreisler ("Tambourin chinois," "Liebeslied," and "Liebesfreud"), and
Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 5".
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Saturday, July 31, 2004
- 8:00 PM - Sarah McLaclan and Butterfly Boucher () @ Wachovia Center (), Philly ($45/$55/$65)
- Butterfly had a full band for this show, and did a better job than
when she opened for Barenaked Ladies. Still, I don't think she's ready
for big arenas. I think she might be pretty good in a smaller venue.
Sarah, on the other hand, is right at home in a big arena. Her voice is
incredible, and she put on a great show.
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Wednesday, August 04, 2004
- 8:30 PM - Fruit () @ Tin Angel (), Philadelphia, PA ($15) - Fantastic show. Three hours with a half hour break in the middle. And Bob Beach joined them for a spectacular rendition of "Momma Momma" that closed the show.
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Friday, August 06, 2004
- 9:00 PM - Full Frontal Folk (), Alison Moorer () and Mark Huff () @ North Star Bar (), Philly ($10)
- Mark Huff was a depressing Dylan wannabe. The Frontals put on a good
set, though the sound mix wasn't great, particularly at the beginning.
Alison was good, but didn't really seem to fit with her band. She's
basically Nashvile country singer, they were garage rock band.
Highlight was her smoldering cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy".
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Tuesday, August 24, 2004
- 8:00 PM - Cyndi Lauper () and Jennifer Marks @ The Grand Opera House, Wilmington, DE ($39/$42/$44)
- Jennifer Marks opened with a good set of solid pop tunes. Good voice,
and a fun, bubbly delivery. Cyndi gave a great performances, including
a knockout cover of "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstod" and a version
of "What's Going On" that would have made Marvin Gaye proud.
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Friday, August 27, 2004
 Philadelphia Folk Festival featuring Full Frontal Folk (), Da Vinci's Notebook (), Chris Smither, La Bottine Souriante, Fitzgerald and Beach (), Cherish the Ladies, Andy M. Stewart & Gerry O'Beirne, David Olney and the Boys, Uncle Earl, Mike Agranoff, La Bottine Souriante, Brave Combo, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Kala Jojo, Juggernaut String Band, John Flynn (), Eliza Gilkyson, Girlyman (), Green Grass Cloggers, Dennis Hangey, Hickory Project, Hot Club of Cowtown, Bill Kirchen, Ollabelle (), John Roberts and Tony Barrand, Tom Russell, Gene Shay, Time for Three, We're About Nine, LisaBeth Weber, Robin & Linda Williams and Their Fine Group, Wishing Chair and Adrienne Young & Little Sadie @ Old Poole Farm, Schwenksville, PA
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Saturday, August 28, 2004
- Philadelphia Folk Festival featuring Taj Mahal, Kris Krisofferson, Mindy Smith, Full Frontal Folk (), Da Vinci's Notebook (), John Prine, Chris Smither, Fitzgerald and Beach (), Andy M. Stewart & Gerry O'Beirne, David Olney and the Boys, Uncle Earl, Mike Agranoff, La Bottine Souriante, Brave Combo, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, John Flynn (), Wild Asparagus, Eliza Gilkyson, Girlyman (), Green Grass Cloggers, Dennis Hangey, Hickory Project, Hot Club of Cowtown, Bill Kirchen, Ollabelle (), John Roberts and Tony Barrand, Tom Russell, Gene Shay, Time for Three, We're About Nine, LisaBeth Weber, Robin & Linda Williams and Their Fine Group, Cindy Cashdollar & The Silver Shot Western Swing Revue, Wishing Chair and Adrienne Young & Little Sadie @ Old Poole Farm, Schwenksville, PA
- Buddy Guy () and RobertCray Band @ Trump Marina
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Sunday, August 29, 2004
- Philadelphia Folk Festival featuring Natalie MacMaster (), Full Frontal Folk (), Da Vinci's Notebook (), John Prine, Chris Smither, Fitzgerald and Beach (), Andy M. Stewart & Gerry O'Beirne, David Olney and the Boys, Uncle Earl, Mike Agranoff, La Bottine Souriante, Brave Combo, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, John Flynn (), Eliza Gilkyson, Girlyman (), Green Grass Cloggers, Dennis Hangey, Hickory Project, Hot Club of Cowtown, Bill Kirchen, Ollabelle (), John Roberts and Tony Barrand, Tom Russell, Gene Shay, Time for Three, We're About Nine, LisaBeth Weber, Robin & Linda Williams and Their Fine Group, Wishing Chair, Sones de Mexico and Adrienne Young & Little Sadie @ Old Poole Farm, Schwenksville, PA
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Tuesday, August 31, 2004
- 8:00 PM - Buddy Guy () and Robert Cray Band @ Keswick Theater (), Glenside, PA ($46.50 / $39.50) - Robert Cray was good. Buddy Guy was great. Nuff said.
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Monday, September 06, 2004
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Thursday, September 09, 2004
- 7:30 PM - Heart and Anne McCue @ Keswick Theater (), Glenside, PA ($59.50)
- I wasn't impressed with Anne McCue at first, when she was doing her
depressing, low-self-esteem, acoustic stuff. Then she did an electric
rocker about how she wants a rock band. Then she got the bassist and
drummer from Heart to join her on an awesome cover of Jimi Hendrix'
"Machine Gun". She's alright. Heart was great. The new tunes were good,
but the oldies really rocked. Nancy looks great, and Ann sounds great.
They closed with a couple of Led Zeppelin covers that were so dead-on
it made me think Ann was really Robert Plant in drag
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Friday, September 24, 2004
- 7:00 PM - Fruit () @ 3rd & Lindsley Bar and Grill, Nashville, TN
- A great show, though the audience was a little lackluster. Still, it
was a decent crowd for a first time performance in a city where there
is no lack of competition.
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Saturday, October 09, 2004
- 7:00 PM - Terri Hendrix () and John Eddie @ World Cafe Live, Philly ($20)
- Good show, but plagued with technical difficulties. Southwest broke
the headstock off Lloyd's guitar, and the batteries in Terri's mandolin
died, so they were limited in their choice of instruments. John Eddie
was good, for a self-professed old guy.
- 10:15 PM - Terri Hendrix () and John Eddie @ World Cafe Live, Philly ($20)
- I gotta say a few words about the new World Cafe Live. Nice venue.
Good sight lines, everywhere. Not a bad seat in the house. The food,
however is overpriced and fancified beyond belief. They are seriously
in need of a simpler, and cheaper, menu.
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Sunday, October 31, 2004
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Friday, November 19, 2004
- Sue Foley () @ Maggie's Place, Doylestown, PA
- Good show opened up with an acoustic set highlighting the new CD. The
electric set opened with a series of instrumental tunes, probably
because Sue was having a little trouble with her voice. But the music
was great, and so was the food. Nice venue.
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Saturday, December 04, 2004
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