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Don’t Raise Your Kids in Providence (Lessons from Row AA)

Sep 30

AndrewHumor Concert, providence, stupid people 1 Comment

Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with people in Providence? Tonight’s show at the Providence PAC was a convention of a circus freaks. Nobody could sit still for 2 seconds or keep their mouths shut long enough to hear a single note of music. It was the biggest shitshow of an audience that I have ever witnessed, short of someone setting themselves on fire, it could of been a fuckin’ sideshow of Ringling Bros.

People were streaming back and forth down the aisle from the beer to the stage. Was nobody there to see the show? You’d see some girl rush the stage during one song, come back to her seat just to rush back down to the stage 10 seconds later.

The Gold Medal

Two rows ahead of me, one guy had a seat near the middle of the row and literally got out of his seat three times during the first three songs, squeezing past these three poor girls who were sitting at the end of the row before they even had time to get up and make room for him to pass. Then he would do a little “I gotta pee” jig in the aisle before climbing back over them to his seat, only to get up again two minutes later. After the third song, he ran down the aisle closer to the stage to take pictures, until a security guard chased him away. He retreated half way back down the aisle and then started to creep forward again until security came back around to ask him to go back to his seat. Then he’d retreat, wait for security to get back to his post by the stage and edge back to towards the stage again. He didn’t tire of the game for a half hour.

But wait, that’s not even the weirdest part. When he’s finally bored, instead of going back to his seat, he takes up dancing in the aisle right next to my row. His friends, seeing how much fun he’s having, now decide to climb over those same three poor girls who just want to enjoy the show and they all dance in the aisle for a song and a half until they are asked to take a seat by PAC security. But instead of going back to their seats, they literally pilfer the first three empty seats they find, not even next to each other!

But wait, that’s not even the weirdest part. That same damn guy that started it all is now sitting behind a couple (man and woman) who are slow dancing at their seats and completely blocking his view of the stage. The woman is enormous, amazonian creature and her boyfriend is a frail crack junkie that she’s flinging around like a rag doll. That same damn guy could see nothing but her ass crack and her bf’s tapped veins, swirling around in a sloppy waltz.

But wait, that’s not even the weirdest part. Then, security comes over to ask the ballroom dancers to sit down and the same damn guy stands up and says to the security guy “It’s okay, it’s okay, let them dance. It’s okay.” Providence fucks with your priorities.

The Silver Medal

A girl behind me is wailing harmoniously at the top of her lungs. At first, I kind of thought it was just a guy with a faggy voice but I was assured later that it was indeed, a girl. She doesn’t know the words to any of the songs. She sang completely off key and would interrupt herself to shriek at the stage, causing the ears of the people around her to bleed. If I was any closer to her, I would have punched her in the face. Providence makes people violent.

The Bronze Medal

A gay couple on the youngish side decided to make out after hearing this song lyric:

“It’s meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful husband”

Providence makes you hear whatever the fuck you want to hear.

The Consolation Prize goes to the three gentlemen next to me who apparently hadn’t heard that Queer as Folk was canceled in 2005. Providence means never having to apologize for being 3 years out of fashion.

Fuck Providence.

Ben Folds at The Orpheum 9/26/08

Sep 29

RebeccaMusic Concert 2 Comments

Here’s the thing.

Ben Folds has been my go-to guy for a rollickin’ good concert for quite a few years now.  No flashy spectacle.  Lots of audience participation.  Eager to take requests.  And let’s not forget that most every concert involves a song called “Rock This Bitch” that is made up on the spot about that particular show.  In my book? This is a formula for a good time.  I have only two acts that I insist people should go see live whenever they get the chance, and Mr. Folds is one of them (the other being Ingrid Michaelson.  Run, don’t walk, folks.  I’m serious).

So when I discovered that Ben was playing the Orpheum in support of his soon to be released album Way to Normal, I bought tickets moments after they went on sale (and yet still ended up in the middle of the balcony.  Some day someone needs to explain Ticketmaster to me because I just don’t get it) and proceeded to eagerly count down the days until September 26th.

Flaws of the Orpheum aside (as I ice knees bruised from being smushed against the backs of the row of seats in front of me), I do love a small venue.  I like to watch the artist, not a video of them projected on a huge screen so I can see it from my crap seats (Tweeter Center, or whatever the hell you’re called now, I’m looking at YOU).  I took my seat, sat through Missy Higgins’s opening set, and found her to be standard girl-with-a-guitar fare, and then awaited the arrival of Mr. Ben and his band.

Opening with “Way to Normal” which anyone who has visited Folds’s site in the past few month would recognize as a short clip loops incessantly, Ben performed against a backdrop of projected skulls and brains floating in a manner similar to that stars screen saver of which Windows is so fond.  Trippy.  Not the usual Ben Folds schtick, but I’m all for artist’s exploring new ideas and shit, so right on, though I could have done without the three spot lights set at the back of the stage that proceeded to swim blindingly over the audience for most of the show with various strobe effects.

This launched into another new track, “Brainwascht”, and then another new song.  Then another.  Folds then proceeded to explain how, as a joke, he had leaked a spoof version of his own album with fake songs made to match the titles already released to the public.  When I had first read about this online sometime last month, I thought it hilarious.  With all the controversy over leaked albums, pirating, and copyright, I found a fake leak full of Ben’s often outrageous brand of humor a fantastic response.  When Folds explained that the first hour of the show would consist only of these new songs, both real and fake, only bringing out the old favorites for the encore, the joke lost some of its appeal.

This was a disappointment, to say the least.

It seems as if Ben and his band had concocted this stage show in the wee hours of the morning after more than a few bottles of whatever and found it hilarious.  But as Folds launched into elaborate explanations of the story behind each fake song and its real counterpart only to trail off with shoulder-shrugging insecurity, it seemed more and more like three shows into this tour, the joke is already proving a flop.

And if the constant traffic from the theater to the beer stands for the first hour of the show is any indication, that fear was well-founded.

That’s not to say some of these new songs weren’t good, but as they were all largely unfamiliar to an audience that won’t have this album for another week, it was hard to really get into the groove of things, and until now Ben had proved himself a master at getting an audience going.  “You Don’t Know Me”, which features Regina Spektor on the album version, has been floating around online for a couple of weeks now and received a decent response from the crowd, as did “Frown Song” though this was largely in part to two band members taking the stage with large yellow sad face masks and playing keytars.  Who can say no to a keytar? Not I.

It was only during the promised encore that the crowd reached an expected level of enthusiasm as they sang along to favorites from both Folds’s solo albums and the days of Ben Folds Five, rather impressively pulling off the two part horn section sing-a-long usually conducted by Folds without any assistance during “Army”.  However, after only a few songs, Folds concluded the evening with yet another fake song and the reappearance of those sad face masks, leaving the audience demanding more.  Which I guess is a good thing, but judging from the faces of those around me, it was less, “That was so great! I want more!” and instead a sense of, “That was it?”

What with an economy in the crapper and the price of concert tickets (and those FEES! Really, someone PLEASE explain Ticketmaster to me.  I’m not kidding), I’m going to have to think long and hard the next time I want to see Mr. Ben live if this is what I can now expect.  Pretty sad coming from someone who once stood in the rain for six hours to see him play at the Esplanade only three years ago.  Here’s hoping he can win me back.

Set List:

Bridge School Benefit Lines Ups Death Cab for Cutie and Wilco

Sep 22

AndrewMusic Bridge School, Concert, Music, Neil Young Comments Off

Death Cab for Cutie, Jack Johnson, Cat Power and Wilco will join Neil Young on both nights of the 2008 Bridge School Benefit on October 25 and 26.  The annual event raises money and awareness for the Bridge School, an organization that works with children with physical and speech impairments.  The event was started in 1986 by Young, who recruits an A-list of performers every year to play in an acoustic setting.

Norah Jones and ZZ Top will also perform on the event’s first night, and Josh Grobin and Smashing Pumpkins are slated for the event’s second night.

Amanda Palmer Adds U.S. Dates to Promote WKAP

Sep 17

AndrewMusic Amanda Palmer, Concert, Live, WKAP Comments Off

Amanda Palmer will take her solo release, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, on the road in November and December.  She will play club venues in North America including a two night stand at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA. The Danger Ensemble will back Palmer on all dates.

Presale tickets for the shows are available now through the Dresden Dolls website for Palmer’s fan community.

Amanda Palmer tour
November 12 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
November 14 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
November 15 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theatre
November 16 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
November 18 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
November 19 Toad’s Place New Haven, CT
November 21 New York, NY Webster Hall
November 22 Philadelphia, PA Theatre Of Living Arts
November 24 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
November 25 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
November 29 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small’s Theatre
November 30 Toronto, ONT Mod Club Theatre

December 2 Detroit, MI Magic Bag
December 3 Chicago, IL Cabaret Metro
December 5 Minneapolis, MN First Ave Nightclub
December 6 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
December 8 Salt Lake City, UT Murray Theatre
December 10 Vancouver, BC Venue TBA
December 11 Seattle, WA Showbox Theatre
December 12 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
December 13 Sacramento, CA Harlow’s
December 15 San Francisco, CA Bimbo’s 365 Club
December 16 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theatre
Concert information is up to date at time of publication

After 25 Years, I Still Have Faith(-a faith-a faith-a)

Jul 28

JeremyMusic Concert, George Michael, live music, TD Banknorth Garden 1 Comment

Okay, so he didn’t show up on stage until 90 minutes after the eight o’clock start time on the tickets, but after he was rushed in from his weather-delayed travels, George Michael proved that he’s still got what it takes to entertain ten thousand screaming fans at TD Banknorth Garden on Sunday night. Despite the late start, the performance was the whole package, tailored to heighten the audience’s experience of George Michael’s glorious vocals. A seamlessly detailed performance, it evoked the air of the Broadway stage rather than a rock concert.

The set list (which can be discovered on this site) was an eclectic mix of his biggest hits and some of his more esoteric material, with a cover or two thrown in. With finesse, he coaxed the audience back and forth between butt-shaking dance numbers (and yes, George can still shake his 45 year old ass and make you want to watch) and soulful ballads. Early on, his frenetic I’m Your Man energized the crowd and reassured them that they would be hearing the old standards, only to be followed up by an amazingly sensual Father Figure, which always just makes us feel so delightfully dirty. With a 20 minute intermission following his first act (and it really was an act, not a set), he easily brought the unruly crowd back into his grasp and restored their Faith. Act II featured the highlight of the night for me vocally, which was a sultry, mellow jazz version of Roxanne accompanied by projected images from Amsterdam’s red light district on the screen behind him. With two encores, George rounded out the night with Careless Whisper and Freedom 90, getting the crowd on its feet and just as involved in the entertainment as him. While the crowd may have ached for a little Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go rather than one of the lesser known tunes, the set list was well-rounded and made for a good time.

For me, the visuals of the concert were one of the highlights of the evening. Maybe it’s my background in set and lighting design, but the staging was the height of concert design. With three levels of scaffolding to accommodate his band and six back up singers and three screens projecting a melange of images drawn from a live feed, pre-recorded images, video clips, and abstract animations. Despite the size of the set, simplicity was the theme of the visual design, down to the simple black George himself wore. Overall, the effect served to accentuate his music rather than distract from it.

As a showman, George apologized profusely and repeatedly for his tardiness, injecting humor into the night. He also played up the gay aspect of the crowd (which, let’s face it, was at least 1/3 gay men). His frequent references and jokes struck me as an apology for his years in the closet as he played the quintessential sex symbol of the 80s. Perhaps the best example of his humor arose after Feeling Good, during which the screens featured a barely-covered yet elaborately-costumed Dita von Teese. George lamented that it was the one part of the show during which the screen outshone him because the straight men in the audience were entranced by her boobs while the women and gay men were entranced by her dress.

My biggest criticism is perhaps that the show seemed even more self-centered than the average performer (and let’s face it, you need to have quite an ego to perform). George never introduced his band as a whole, which I don’t think I’d ever seen happen before. The twenty minute intermission along with the interminable time between performance and each encore added to the illusion of hubris. However, at the end of the evening, as the final strains of Freedom 90 rang out, credits rolled on the screen recognizing not just the band, but all those who contributed to the tour.

All I was expecting last night was a fun evening that would echo the young and carefree days of my childhood. But I also got to see a performer whose vocal and visual styles have matured and allowed for a fuller experience. As the man himself pointed out, “being a George Michael fan hasn’t always been easy,” but by the end of the evening, he fulfilled his promise to make it easier.

Alanis Morissette Rounds Out Full U.S. Tour

Jul 21

AndrewMusic Concert, Tour Comments Off

Alanis has kicked off a U.S. tour in support of her latest album Flavors of Entanglement. The tour stretches from September to mid-November. Many dates have presales this week.

Alanis Flavors of Entanglement Tour
September 18 Charlottesville, VA Charlottesville Pavilion
September 19 Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre
September 20 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
September 22 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
September 24 Wallingford, CT Chevrolet Theatre
September 26 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
September 27 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata
September 29 Providence, RI Providence Performing Arts Center

October 1 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theatre
October 2 Chicago, IL The Chicago Theatre
October 4 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
October 5 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre
October 7 Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theatre
October 8 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
October 9 Montreal, QC Place des Arts
October 11 Hamilton, ON Hamilton Place Theatre
October 12 Ottawa, ON National Arts Centre
October 14 Louisville, KY Louisville Palace
October 15 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performance Arts Centre
October 16 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
October 20 Ft Lauderdale, FL Broward Center
October 21 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live
October 23 Bossier City, LA Horseshoe Casino
October 24 Houston, TX Jones Hall
October 25 Grand Prarie, TX Nokia Theater
October 27 Tulsa, OK Brady Theater
October 28 Kansas City, MO The Midland

November 2 Boise, ID Morrison Center
November 4 Vancouver, BC Orpheum
November 5 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
November 6 Portland, OR Schnitzer Concert Hall
November 10 San Diego, CA San Diego Civic Center
November 11 Phoeniz, AZ Dodge Theatre
November 13 Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theatre
November 14 Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theatre
November 17 Oakland, CA Paramount Theatre
Concert information is up to date as of the time of publication