New Gig Thread

[verbal gymnastics]

Smokey Robinson was awesome. What a voice!

The opening three songs were Going to a go go, I second that emotion and You really got a hold on me.

And then it just got better.

Just booked to see The Magic Numbers in Tunbridge Wells . £10 a ticket! They are playing a very low key tour.

[pophead2k]

Preparing myself for a very busy music week. Tuesday night is Leonard Cohen, Thursday is Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs, and Friday is John Wesley Harding, who is performing at a church in downtown Durham! Very excited, but will be very tired at work this week.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Gigtastic!

Watched Smokey on the telly. He looks so weird, like his eyes are trapped in a sea of Botox and surgery. Still sounds great, though.

I went to a historic event last night, farewell gig of The Broken Family Band, Cambridge's local heroes, in their regular pub haunt THe Portland Arms (where I could be found on two occasions this year thrashing at my own drumkit). Seen them several times before, but it now seems sad that they won't be around any more. They've enjoyed a modest level of acclaim and presumably a few sales to go with it. They play well and have some great songs, mostly straightforward with a somewhat weird Alt Americana feel which is at odds with the East Anglian roots, and often bitter and funny lyrics. I imagine some people here would have been keen.

It's All Over...

[verbal gymnastics]

Watched Smokey on the telly. He looks so weird, like his eyes are trapped in a sea of Botox and surgery. Still sounds great, though.

Spot on Otis - it was a bit weird watching him sing "Take a good look at my face"...

[pophead2k]

Leonard Cohen was unbelievable. Easily one of the top 2-3 gigs I've ever seen. Superior band, great setlist, 3 hours of performing, and Leonard in incredible voice and energy. It'd be easier to list the songs he didn't play.

Partial setlist (from memory and not in order): Dance Me to the End of Love, Who by Fire, First We Take Manhattan, Famous Blue Raincoat, My Secret Life, Hallelujah, Bird on a Wire, So Long Marianne, If It Be Your Will, Tower of Song, Sisters of Mercy, The Gypsy Wife, Anthem, Chelsea Hotel, I'm Your Man, Ain't No Cure for Love, The Partisan, Suzanne, Waiting for a Miracle, Everybody Knows, Take this Waltz, Boogie Street, etc. etc. etc.

The sound at the DPAC in Durham is incredible. If anyone has an opportunity to see a show here, do it! I'm on my way now to gig 2: Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs!

[Jack of All Parades]

I am so jealous sounds like a show one should never miss and to throw in a concert with Matthew Sweet as well- hope you have a wonderful time.

[pophead2k]

Sweet and Hoffs sounded good (accompanied by two other acoustic guitarists) but they were going for an off-hand and off the cuff feel, which unfortunately made it feel under rehearsed and overly casual.

Tonight's show: John Wesley Harding.

[pophead2k]

Wes was incredibly entertaining in front of a crowd of 50 or 60 at a church in downtown Durham. They were selling excellent local beer, so I was quite entertained. As with most solo performers, there is an element of the stand up comic.

[Boy With A Problem]

Leonard Cohen was unbelievable. Easily one of the top 2-3 gigs I've ever seen. Superior band, great setlist, 3 hours of performing, and Leonard in incredible voice and energy. It'd be easier to list the songs he didn't play.

Do you mind me asking how much you paid? Tickets were incredibly expensive in Boston. Still - I'm regretting not going now.

[pophead2k]

We paid 60 dollars for upper balcony seats. Luckily we were in the front row of the balcony and in the center. Definitely worth every penny! Plus we parked free, and were treated to dinner by another couple, so all in all a great value!

[Boy With A Problem]

That's a reasonable price. I think they started at $120 in Boston.

[so lacklustre]

Went to three folky gigs in 8 days last month - Lau, then Jim Moray, then Karine Polwart. All were enjoyable, but Karine was the best.

Last night went to see Glenn Tilbrook. The man is awesome, great singer, fantastic guitarist, and charming, funny etc. etc. The first half was solo, with an audience participation section on three songs (Picadilly, Goodbye Girl and one other), and finishing on Is That Love. For the second half he was joined by Simon Hanson, the Fluffers drummer, who played a variety of percussion stuff, adn was very entertaining. This half included covers of Fleetwood Mac's Oh Well-Part 1, adn Voodoo Chile' (previously seen him do this along with the 'love child' of Jimi Hendrix story adn playing his guitar behind his back), which were both excellent. MOst of Squeeze's hits were played intersperced with solo and fluffers stuff, adn the encore ended with Pulling mussels...

This was the first date of his UK tour, so still time to catch him if you can.

In two weeks the excellent Chris Woods at the Gulbunkian Theatre in Canterbury.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Are you into Kate Rusby at all? I'm going to her Corn Ex show with friends who've seen her a couple of times and say she's great live. Always liked the sound of her voice, so hope to enjoy this.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Got Neko w/Calexico tomorrow night at the Beacon.

[so lacklustre]

Mrs Solack likes Kate Rusby a lot. We went to see her last year, she and her band were very good. I don't have a lot of her stuff but I do like her last album Awkward Annie. Hope you enjoy it.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Booked to see Bob Mould at City Winery on Jan. 23. Looking forward to it - first gig for me at this venue.

[sheeptotheslaughter]

Last night went to see Glenn Tilbrook. The man is awesome, great singer, fantastic guitarist, and charming, funny etc. etc. The first half was solo, with an audience participation section on three songs (Picadilly, Goodbye Girl and one other), and finishing on Is That Love. For the second half he was joined by Simon Hanson, the Fluffers drummer, who played a variety of percussion stuff, adn was very entertaining. This half included covers of Fleetwood Mac's Oh Well-Part 1, adn Voodoo Chile' (previously seen him do this along with the 'love child' of Jimi Hendrix story adn playing his guitar behind his back), which were both excellent. MOst of Squeeze's hits were played intersperced with solo and fluffers stuff, adn the encore ended with Pulling mussels...

This was the first date of his UK tour, so still time to catch him if you can.

Thanks for the heads up about Glenn Tilbrook touring. Just seen he is playing near me in December. He is superb live.

Off to see The Specials tomorrow night at Southend. Can't wait

[Who Shot Sam?]

Really enjoyed the Neko Case show last night at the Beacon. Calexico opened - just Joey Burns and John Convertino - and I liked their set a lot. Stylistically they have a country-noir vibe that is a good match with Neko's music. A couple of the guys from Neko's band came out and did a song or two with them at the end. As for Neko, she was in terrific voice - as always - and there was some funny banter from her with the audience about her "cougar dress" (she wore a pretty stunning red dress she says she had purchased in Boston). No great surprises in the set list - a mix of everything going back to Furnace Room Lullaby but nothing from before that that I can recall. They had some of her records on vinyl for sale at the merch table so I indulged. She's always been great when I've seen her and last night was no exception - her voice in that room is a real treat. Having said that, she seemed perhaps a little tour-weary and I was not surprised to learn that the previous evening's show in New Jersey had been a bit of a disaster after she got shocked by an ungrounded mic. There were also reports about her getting into a fight with the promoter in Boston.

1. Things That Scare Me
2. Maybe Sparrow
3. At Last
4. People Got a Lotta Nerve
5. Fever
6. Hold On, Hold On
7. I'm an Animal
8. Middle Cyclone
9. The Pharaohs
10. Polar Nettles
11. Deep Red Bells
12. A Widow's Toast
13. Margaret vs. Pauline
14. Prison Girls
15. The Tigers Have Spoken
16. Favorite
17. Red Tide
18. Don't Forget Me (Harry Nilsson)
19. That Teenage Feeling
20. This Tornado Loves You

Encore:
21. Vengeance is Sleeping
22. Lady Pilot
23. Star Witness
24. Train from Kansas City (The Shangri-Las)

I really loved the Harry Nilsson cover (she also played this at Newport) and "Prison Girls." Special mention for Calexico's fine cover of Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer."

[so lacklustre]

Sheeptoslaughter - I hope you enjoy The Specials, I saw them earlier this year at the Brixton Academy - excellent gig. Where are you? See the fan meet up thread at the top of the Annex if you fancy joining 4 or 5 others for a drink and chat in December.

Cheers

Solack

[sheeptotheslaughter]

Sheeptoslaughter - I hope you enjoy The Specials, I saw them earlier this year at the Brixton Academy - excellent gig. Where are you? See the fan meet up thread at the top of the Annex if you fancy joining 4 or 5 others for a drink and chat in December.

Cheers

Solack

I'm in Southend. The Specials were brilliant. I think I have to work that Saturday but I'll try and make it. Always see Elvis when he plays London.

[Otis Westinghouse]

You mean 'Always used to see Elvis when he played in London', though I suppose there was that Brodsky outing to show he very occasionally does more than childmind when in town. When was his last proper show here? That Tower of London one?

[verbal gymnastics]

sheepto the slaughter - are you VG in disguise?

I went to see The Specials in Brighton last night - superb!

I am also going to see Glenn Tilbrook in Blackheath on 20th December.

I also go to see Elvis in London (although it has been known that I have travelled elsewhere to see him...).

All you need to do now is say you are a fan of The Jam/Paul Weller and I will buy you drinks forevermore (well, 12th December if you can make it)!

Otis - what classes as a proper Elvis show? That Tower of London one by the way was very expensive and not one of the best ones I have seen BY A LONG WAY!

[Otis Westinghouse]

So was Feb 2005 at Hammersmith the last 'proper' London show? Somerset House?

[Who Shot Sam?]

Saw "Star Wars in Concert" last night with my boy and some friends. So very cool to see the music played by an 85-piece orchestra live. They had a giant LCD with various themed montages from the films to match the slightly re-arranged music suites and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) narrated. Also lasers and flames, etc. In any case, I earned my geek badge but it was really very well done. It really drove home what a masterful film music composer John Williams is.

This was the last piece they played. Unfortunately Darth did not conduct...

[verbal gymnastics]

So was Feb 2005 at Hammersmith the last 'proper' London show? Somerset House?

By that reckoning the Kenwood House show would have been the last proper one (I didn't go - the stage was across the lake wasn't it?). Therefore the last proper London show I saw was the Hammersmith show. And what a show and Board cast list there was!