The Boss returns to E Street
Oh happy day! Bruce Springsteen has just announced an new album entitled Magic. Due on October 2nd, the new disc reunites The Boss with the E Street Band. If you pre-order “Magic” on iTunes, the first track (Radio Nowhere), is free. The tune feels like the best of Born to Run and The Rising come together. So, this teaser has me really excited for the new album. Here is the complete track listing.
01. Radio Nowhere (iTunes)
02. You’ll Be Comin’ Down
03. Livin’ in the Future
04. Your Own Worst Enemy
05. Gypsy Biker
06. Girls in Their Summer Clothes
07. I’ll Work for Your Love
08. Magic
09. Last to Die
10. Long Walk Home
11. Devil’s Arcade
I’ve really enjoyed We Shall Overcome and Live in Dublin, Springsteen’s recent departures with the Seeger Sessions band. However, Bruce always sounds best with Clarence, Little Steven, Max, Patti and the rest of E Street backing him up.
Finally, word has it that the entire band will kick off a world tour in October … complete with festival seating as with tour for The Rising. I sat three rows from the stage at the Cincinnati stop on that tour. Barely a year after 9/11, that show was the single most moving live music event I’ve ever attended. It was full of emotional moments running the gamut from bittersweet sadness to sheer, unabashed joy and celebration. So, I am looking forward to the new tour as much or more than the new album.
Rock on Bruce and E Street!
Foreigner Rocks Las Vegas
One of the best things about living in Las Vegas is the music. Unlike most towns that get primarily the major headliners, Vegas has so many venues that just about everyone still making a living playing music passes through here at some point during the year. In three years in Sin City, I’ve seen Tantric, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Taylor Dayne, Burning Spear, Luis Miguel and Liz Phair (three times). Work and travel forced me to pass on opportunities to see Sting, Rush, Willie Nelson, Gretchen Wilson, Juanes, Henry Rollins and many, many others.
Last night, my Dad and I made the long trek across town to Sunset Station to see FOREIGNER. I expected to enjoy myself listening to some old favorites. I’d heard Lou Graham was no longer the front man, so I expected to enjoy Mick Jones’ guitars and tolerate whoever had been plugged in to replace Graham. Man, was I in for a surprise.
Though the set was short (only 14 songs), the show simply rocked. We had great seats so the music was never muddy and you could see how much passion these guys had playing. The only truly original member of the band is Jones, and it quickly became clear that he IS Foriegner. Jones’ blistering, creative, intricate guitar work and arrangements defines the band’s sound.
The rest of the band is immensely talented as well, particularly Kelly Hansen. Hansen replaces Lou Graham as the band’s frontman. He hits every note Graham did and brings kinetic energy as a showman. As a result, the show was the best concert I’ve seen since Springsteen and E-Street on The Rising Tour in 2002.
The Eagles and other Foreigner contemporaries have gotten richer touring to cash in on a wave of 70s nostalgia. Most reports say that these reunion tours are tepid and lackluster … at best. In contrast, Jones has injected Foreigner with a mix of young, raw talent and proven bandmates. The result is electric.
In short, see these guys if you can.
New Music From The Boss and OTR
Bruce Springsteen :: Devils & Dust
Not since The Rising have I so looked forward to a new CD release by any artist. I already have the “Devils and Dust” single and it is a great cut. Devils & Dust is rumored to be reminiscent of the dark, thoughtful Nebraska, which many consider Springsteen’s finest work. I loved that album and look forward to more social commentary from our modern day Woody Guthrie.
Over The Rhine :: Drunkard’s Prayer
The early buzz from Drew is that this is a fine release from my favorite hometown heroes, Over the Rhine. If “Born” is any indication, Drew is dead-on … as usual. Drunkard’s Prayer is already out, but not on the shelves in Vegas. Thank God for Amazon!
UPDATE: I now have both albums. Each is hauntingly brilliant. Devils & Dust is Springsteen’s best solo work since Nebraska and a dark, yet natural extension to The Rising. Drunkard’s Prayer finds Karen and Linford equal parts up and down … in tone, not quality. The entire album is classic Over The Rhine in the post-Hordinksi era. I really love this album, expecially the opening cuts “I Want You to Be My Love” and “Born”.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds @ Club Tequila
For the past 25 years, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have been the quintessential American band. The group’s distinctive and powerful sound, influenced by a diversity of musical styles, manifested itself into a unique musical hybrid via such barnburners as “Tuff Enuff” and “Wrap It Up”. Co-founder Kim Wilson, the sole original member; still spearheads the group as it evolves into its newest incarnation.
Last night, Dad and I saw The Fabulous Thunderbirds at Club Tequila here in Vegas. It was an amazing show. I thought the band might miss a beat with Jimmy Vaughn gone, but they didn’t. I mean no disrespect to Vaughn. The T-birds are definitely different without him. Both iterations of the T-Birds are awesome, just subtly different sounds.
In my opinion, it is a sign of genuine musicianship if the audience feels a little let down when the band trots out old hits, in this case “Tuff Enuff” and “Wrap It Up”. I love those songs and was glad to hear them at the end of the show. That said, the newer stuff in the middle of the show is what got my blood pulsing.
Kim Wilson’s vocals only get stronger with time. At his best, he is an old, black blues singer in a white man’s body. He is equally masterful with the harmonica, including what must have been a 4-minute harmonica solo which seemed to be one breath. Gene Taylor was equally amazing on the keyboards. Newcomer Kirk “Eli” Fletcher plays a wicked blues guitar.
One of the things that makes the blues special is the way a good blues band makes the music “talk”. To me, this makes blues a genuine art form and, in the world of music, puts it right up there with jazz and classical. Without any words at all, Wilson, Taylor and Fletcher told rich, heartfelt stories as a group and on individual solos. When Wilson does sing, you believe every word comes from personal experience.
What a tall, cool drink of water in the desert of modern music. I cannot wait to see them again.
An Ode to David Gilmour
OK, so this is not really an ode, but I had to say something. I put my MP3 player on randomize this AM and turned up a couple of gems from David Gilmour. I have to thank college buddy Yako for introducing me to Pink Floyd beyond Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. It is a shame that Pink Floyd has, in so many circles, been relegated to psychedelic stoner music. No doubt Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and Gilmour were likely high when much of their work was written, but I know lots of stoners with guitars and they mostly produce unlistenable trash, let alone the musical genius that is Pink Floyd. But I digress.
At it’s deepest level, the music of Floyd is for the thinking, introspective person. And, Gilmour’s solo work is very much an extension of this ethos. Roger Waters also produced excellent solo work, mostly continuing the concept album work of Floyd. Gilmour’s solo work is less artsy and more artful and personal. Waters may have been the mind of Floyd (after Syd Barrett lost his), but Gilmour was clearly the soul. If you have not already discovered David Gilmour (and to all of the sixteen year old stoners listening to The Wall and hating thier parents … this means you); do yourself a favor and go get the self-titled David Gilmour and About Face. Do it now! 
OHIO :: New Music from Over The Rhine
Over the Rhine have been baptizing their followers in the Ohio River for over a decade, and the band returns with OHIO, a special two-disc set that unfolds like the ultimate Midwestern road trip.
“It was an accident,” says Karin Bergquist. “We didn’t set out to make a double album. If that had been the plan, it would have been a disaster.”
Man! What an awesome summer for music. First, a new Liz Phair disc. Now, a new one from Over The Rhine and, it is a double album to boot. Thanks to Drew for the heads up!
Liz Phair – Brutal Truth
Screw music critics! I picked up Liz Phair‘s new, self-titled CD yesterday. A big fan of all of her past efforts (Whip-Smart, whitechocolatespaceegg and the ground-breaking Exile in Guyville), I was intrigued by all of the negative, pre-release hype from the music press about Phair selling out because she chose to work with pop-record gurus The Matrix. Like so many things these days, wanting to make a living doing something you love seems to be crime. Pardon my bluntness, but that is bullshit.
Yes, these songs have a considerably more polished feel to them than previous efforts. But, naysayers neglect to mention this polish applies to all of the songs on the album, not just the four cuts produced by The Matrix. Phair turned to them for 4 of 14 tracks. The rest were produced by Michael Penn, R. Walt Vincent or Phair herself. Moreover, those four tracks (Extraordinary, Why Cant I?, Rock Me and Favorite) do not stand out as overly glossy when compared to the rest of the album. In fact, the entire album is thematically sound.
As for claims that Phair is trying to be an older Avril Lavigne or Michelle Branch, please give me a break. No disrespect to these bright young stars, but they cannot hold a candle to Phair. If any established female artist is pandering to youth, it is Jewel; whose new album, 0304, appears to be weak, over-produced kiddie-pop more in the Britney Spears vein. This is truly a shame, because Jewel has too much talent to waste.
Besides, Phair is still raw. Her lyrics remain gritty, introspective and brutally honest. Think I am kidding? Listen to H.W.C., Favorite and Bionic Eyes, then come talk to me. Moreover, Phair’s music remains … at the core … stripped-down, in-your-face rock-n-roll. Granted, the arrangements are a bit more slick, but this should be no surprise. One of the things that makes Phair great is her ability to take an established form and turns it on it’s ear with a knowing wink. See "Exile in Guyville".
Clearly, I love this album. It is one of the best releases to grace my CD player in years. I hope this album accomplishes it’s apparent goal and adds commercial success to Phair’s already hefty indie-cred. It is about time the rest of the world had the opportunity to discover Liz Phair.
Bruce Springsteen is still THE BOSS
No one (and I have seen a lot of concerts) puts on a show with as much energy, passion, emotion and conviction as Springsteen and E Street.
Last night, I saw Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band in Cincinnati. I last saw them in 1985 at the HoosierDome. That show was incredible. This time, college behind me and a bit more disposable income <grin> I sat three rows off the floor near Clarence Clemons. What a show.
No one (and I have seen a lot of concerts) puts on a show with as much energy, passion, emotion and conviction as Springsteen and E Street. Most of the new album (The Rising) was played. Laden with remembrances and tributes to the fallen and the survivors of 9/11, songs from The Rising were played with particular passion and feeling. From Clarence crying during “You’re Missing” to the whole band dancing and celebrating the resilience of the human spirit with “Mary’s Place”, it is clear that they have not lost a step and in fact, like fine wine, grow better and stronger with age.
Whether you loved the Boss in your youth or you have “discovered” him through The Rising, make a point to see this tour. You will not be disappointed. In fact, you will likely walk away feeling washed clean and energized as I did.
SET LIST From Nov 12, 2002 – US Bank Arena – Cincinnati, OH
- American Skin (41 Shots)
- The Rising
- Lonesome Day
- The Ties That Bind
- Darkness on the Edge of Town
- Empty Sky
- You’re Missing
- Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
- Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street
- Night
- Worlds Apart
- Badlands
- She’s the One
- Mary’s Place
- Countin’ on a Miracle
- My Hometown (solo piano)
- Into the Fire
First Encore:
- Dancing in the Dark
- I’m a Rocker
- Born to Run
Second Encore:
- My City of Ruins
- Born in the U.S.A.
- Land of Hope and Dreams
- Ramrod
