Aural Notes™

Archive for the ‘Concert Review’ Category

Recently, I had the pleasure of catching Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings in concert.  It was a fun-filled, energetic show. (I highly recommend their live show, as well as that of opening act Fitz & the Tantrums.)   Sharon Jones is fierce.  She has an incredibly strong voice and she knows how to use it.  That, coupled with her boundless energy made for an amazing show.  But  about halfway through the performance, I made an observation that made me stop and reflect.  Sharon Jones is in her mid-50s, yet she worked the (entire) stage with the energy and agility of most women half her age.  At one point, she even compared herself to Tina Turner, but with shorter legs.  I was entertained.  The more that I watched her singing and dancing without missing a beat, I noticed that she was not winded and she hit every note with skilled precision.  Let me back up a moment.  When I say that she was dancing, I’m not talking about simple Whitney Houston or Celine Dion choreography.  Remember, she compared herself to Tina Turner…and rightfully so.  The more she dance, the stronger her vocals became…and the more I was mesmerized.  I then thought that the current crop of female, 20-something popsters (Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Rihanna) cannot match the powerhouse that is one Sharon Jones.  Don’t believe me?  See for yourself.

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It has been a few days, but I’m still flying high from my first (and hopefully not last) Coachella experience.  By now, everyone knows that it was a sold-out festival, posting record attendance.  I’m not big on crowds, so knowing that the event was sold out before I even showed up made me a bit skittish.  Yet, it wasn’t so bad.  I’m such a music fiend that the opportunity to see an array of amazing bands far outweighed any inconvenience of being amongst a massive group of people.  So, as a newbie, I’m going to provide my thoughts on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Coachella Music Festival.

THE GOOD

• Performances.  I was blown away blown away by the number of outstanding performances I witnessed over the weekend.  Gorillaz, Jay-Z, Thom Yorke (Atoms for Peace), Florence and the Machine, B.O.B., Gossip, Dirty Projectors, La Roux, Little Dragon, Sleigh Bells, Hot Chip, Calle 13 and countless others.
• Fans. While there were many in attendance who were there for the festival “experience”, the lion’s share of people were music fans.  Whether they were musicheads (like myself) or loyal fans of one or two artists, they were into the music, singing along with almost every song.
• Record Store Day.  It was so cool celebrating Record Store Day (April 17) while at Coachella.  Zia Records did it up right.  I left that evening with a lot of new music…and some new friends.

THE BAD

• Eyjafjallajokull.  The many artists who were not able to make it in from Europe due to the second eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull. I was looking forward to seeing Bad Lieutenant (Bernard Sumner’s latest group), The Cribs, and Gary Numan.  And as disappointed as I was, I believe it pales in comparison to how these artists felt.
• Poor Communication.  Speaking of Eyjafjallajokull, I feel that the festival organizers/management could have done a better job of communicating changes within the venue.  For example, I know for a fact that Coachella’s Twitter feed was being updated frequently, which is good for those on Twitter (me) and for those actually able to get service (not me).  In front of every stage, there was a sign posted with the day’s lineup (like this one).

Now let’s be honest.  There were five stages/tents.  How difficult would it have been to have someone black out the names of the artists that weren’t able to attend?  The Cribs announced that the band would not be performing due to cancelled flights a full day ahead of time.  Some poor fans got in place hours ahead of time (even sitting through acts that were really of no interest) in order to be in position to see their band du jour.  I can’t adequately convey the disappointment that swept across faces as the voice came across the P.A. system, indicating that they had waited in vain.  Not good, my friends.  Not good.

THE UGLY

• Meltdown.  Sly Stone’s “performance”.  This was more sad than ugly.  Very sad!
• Poor Preparation.  This one is all me and has nothing to do with the festival management or performers.  I chose the wrong footwear for the occasion and I am still paying for it days later.  Who knew that sneakers could become uncomfortable.  But then again, after 12 hours of standing, I don’t think that any shoe would be comfortable.  You would have thought that this was my first festival.

In the days since I’ve been back at the old homestead, several people have asked me if I’d attend Coachella again.  Most definitely.  There are a few things that I’d do differently, but all in all, it was an amazing experience.  (See photos here and videos here.) For years, people have talked about the power of music and how it brings folks together.  Well, I experienced this firsthand…along with 75,000+ others.  Bring on, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza.

As a bonus treat, here’s Gossip performing a Grace Jones classic, “Pull Up to the Bumper“.  This is the next best thing to Grace being there. (She cancelled her performance.)

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After finally catching Rodrigo y Gabriela in concert over the weekend, I’m now asking myself two questions:

1. What took me so long to see them perform live?
2. Why aren’t more people singing the praises of this duo?

I’ll admit that it may be a hard sell to encourage people to make an effort to see a duo they’ve never heard of play an acoustic set, but let me tell you, the sound emitted from said musicians is amazing, to say the least.   It was a high octane performance to a standing room only crowd.  Diverse audience of varying ages packed a venue to see a duo that gets little to no mainstream love.  Now that’s a testament to the talent of Rodrigo y Gabriela.  Want more proof?  Take a listen as the duo mesmerizes the crowd in Atlanta.

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Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing Steely Dan at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre and it was nothing short of amazing.  In certain cities, Steely Dan performs “Plus” shows, which means that a specific album (Aja, Gaucho, The Royal Scam) is performed in its entirety…in order (which is the way the album was meant to be heard) as well as other hits from the duo.  I caught The Royal Scam Plus show and could not have been more stoked, given that it is my favorite Steely Dan album.  Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, along with 11 other musicians and vocalists, took to the stage and promptly dived into 40+ minutes of aural ecstasy.  The set list/tracklisting for The Royal Scam is as follows:

1. Kid Charlemagne
2. The Caves of Altamira
3. Don’t Take Me Alive
4. Sign in Stranger
5. The Fez
6. Green Earrings
7. Haitian Divorce
8. Everything You Did
9. The Royal Scam

The songs flowed from one right into the other…no filler, no chit-chat.  Just great music.  After the fifth song, I noticed that one of the background singers walked over to a turntable that was strategically placed on stage.  At first I was perplexed.  (Really, why would Steely Dan need a turntable on stage?  What in the world would they do with this?  I didn’t know what to expect and it made me a bit nervous.)  She then flipped the album that had been sitting on the turntable, and like that, I understood.  This was a fantastic symbolic move, indicating that Side 2 of the album was about to be played.  And without missing a beat, the crowd heard the intro to “Green Earrings”.  Brilliant.  With the album ‘Plus’ set closing out with the title track, Donald Fagen took a moment to greet the audience.  He shared that Seattle’s Paramount Theatre is where the duo played their very first professional gig in 1972, opening for The James Gang.  I was all the more pleased to be able to share in the moment.  After this brief trek down memory lane, fans were then treated to some of Steely Dan’s greatest hits, from “Hey Nineteen” and “Peg” to “Aja” and “My Old School”.  Everyone was out of their seats.  Worth seeing for sure.  The encore for the evening was “Reeling in the Years,” which was probably the most fitting song to close the night.  I’m still on a concert high that will probably last a week.  Check out this 1973 live performance of said song from the tv show Midnight Special.

The fall leg of Steely Dan’s tour extends to the end of November.  Check the band’s website for shows near you.  This is not one to miss.

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