stage presence

Let’s Join Together in a Hippie Spirit of Peace, Love, and Unity to Trash Woodstock

Nov 112013

Hey, gang. Mod’s impertinent commentary about Jimi Hendrix’s late career — and specifically his disdainful dismissal of Jimi’s performance at Woodstock — got me thinking about the original big ‘do at Yasgur’s Farm. A quick search on the web for basic set list information on the event led me to conclude that there was a lot of shit that went down there I had no idea about. CCR? Johnny Winter? Neil Young? Mountain? The Incredible String Band? It got me thinking.

Mainly, it got me thinking: is there a snowball’s chance in hell I would have ever braved the traffic jams, the weather, the stench, and the bad acid to check out this show? And if not: how would the show have to have been edited to get me up there?

Of course, I’m just as eager to understand your opinions on the subject. Have a look at the following set list, and let me know your thoughts.

I look forward to your responses.

HVB

Rock Badge of Courage: Josh Homme Corrects Philadelphia’s Made in America Security Team

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Sep 022013

Dude!

An interesting note in Philadelphia Inquirer writer Dan DeLuca’s recap of Philadelphia’s recent Made in America music festival centered around female concertgoers’ right to sit atop their boyfriends’ shoulders. DeLuca mentions the following act of vigilance by Josh Homme during the set by Queens of the Stone Age:

The Josh Homme-fronted QOTSA sported a roaring, wildcat guitar sound, Homme isn’t a typical headbanger. He slowed down on moody “The Vampyre Of Time and Memory” and slinky “Make It Wit Chu,” during which he yelled at security for making a woman get off her boyfriend’s shoulders. “Take the rule book and shove it … would you? This is Philadelphia, we know how to have a good time!”

Right on, Josh Homme for sticking it to L’Homme! For this act, we award you the Prestigious Rock Badge of Courage. Take away female concertgoers’ right to sit atop their boyfriends’ shoulders and you take away the right for the audience to get a peak at some potentially bare breasts!

Strange Bedfellows

Posted by funoka

Jul 172013

Ever been to concert where the opening act didn’t really fit in with the headliner? Somebody tweeted the photo above and it made me think of the Ramones opening for Foreigner in the late ’70s — I didn’t to go the show, but a bunch older kids I knew did and they made fun of the Ramones — who they said basically got booed off the stage at the old Met Center. The Ramones tried to get the crowed chanting “Gabba Gabba Hey” — and the Foriegner fans were having none of it.

I once saw Ministry open for the Police — but that’s when Ministry was more a synth pop band than the industrial rock act it morphed into.

Cat Power opened for Billy Idol last month at Wolf Trap near DC — to predictable results according to reviews. The Idol fans talked and drank beer during the Cat Power set. The Washington Post writer who reviewed the show compared it to the uncomfortable pairing of The Replacements and Tom Petty in 1989 at Merriweather Post. That doesn’t seem so out of place now, but back then The Replacements were still seen as kind of edgy.

P.S. The Monkees are touring this summer — of course no Davy Jones but with Mike Nesmith. For some reason, THAT really irritates me — maybe it’s the heat.

Low Blow or Concert Surprise?

Posted by funoka

Jun 182013

There’s a mini-rock brouhaha going on in my hometown of Minneapolis about a festival concert over the weekend which included Metric, Sliversun Pickups, Bob Mould, and Low.

Low raised a bit of a stink with a 27-minute, 1-song “set” that they dubbed “Drone, Not Drones” — kind of a political statement. You can listen to the performance and read more about it here: http://blog.thecurrent.org/2013/06/the-audacity-of-low-what-does-a-band-owe-us-when-we-pay-to-see-them-perform/

This show was outside the Walker Art Center, which houses and hosts contemporary and performance art. I’m surprised people can get so worked up over a “slowcore” band like Low, especially at a festival event where you can just go get a drink or food if you don’t like something and come back for the next act. I’m not a big fan of slowcore, but I’ve enjoyed zoning out to it at times.

The whole thing does raise a good question — have you ever gotten ticked off at an artist for a performance that was totally unexpected . . . or out of the norm for the band?

I’ve seen people pissed at Springsteen (Tom Joad tour), Neil Young (Greendale), and Dylan (pick ’em) — but they should have known what they were getting into on those tours. I’ve personally gotten pissed only a few times — John Doe, Marshall Crenshaw, and New Order — where I thought they didn’t give a damn. How ’bout you?

Is It Just Me?

Posted by hrrundivbakshi

May 302013

Click to enlarge

Is it just me geezing, or is this month-long calendar for DC’s main summer festival-style outdoor theater about as good as such a thing could ever get?

Follow-up question: You have $100 in hard-earned 1973 dollars. Each of these shows costs $8.00. You’re saving up for a used ’65 Impala. Beers are 75 cents, and a baggie of dirtweed is $15 in the parking lot. Which shows do you see, and how do you entertain yourself?

I look forward to your responses.

HVB

A Cool, Cruel Summer

Posted by trigmogigmo

Apr 102013

The Look of the Beach Boardwalk?

At theme parks and casinos around the country, former hit-making — and now aging — rockers are bringing their nostalgic hits to smaller audiences. On one hand I think it’s cool that bands like this continue to work and (hopefully) have fun doing their thing. On the other hand, does a barely-noticed local band like Y&T need to keep playing, and merit being on the same summer line-up as globally recognized bands like Blue Öyster Cult and ABC? Well, I suppose I’d say, “more power to ’em” if they’re having fun and making a living.

Here is the summer line-up at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Free Friday Night concert series:

http://www.beachboardwalk.com/concerts/

I find some of the descriptions, airbrushing, soft focus, and band-as-logo graphics, pretty funny. Good to know that “ABC’s Martin Fry is a revelation, an ageless soul man belting out Vegas glitter pop and uptown House in his electric blue lounge suit.” Nice (by which I mean “creepy”) to see old guys like Gregg Rolie and Eddie Money with lots of youthful stage makeup/airbrushing and hairdressing. Interesting graphic choice for WAR and Foghat to photoshop their stage photos into strange cartoon logos.

If I happened to be down at the boardwalk on a Friday this summer, I would actually stick around to watch maybe half of these groups. Any interesting tidbits you notice in these promos and bios? Who would you stay around to hear? (LMK CVB, obviously!)

Exile On The Main Stage

Posted by Slim Jade

Apr 062013

I don’t know if anyone else is into Deerhunter, but they did a pretty cool performance on Jimmy Fallon the other night. Freaky leader Bradford Cox came out as an alter-ego, full of Patti Smith/Johnny Thunders sass and fake chopped off fingers. It was a pastiche, yes, but it still tapped into something that is quintessentially rock n’ roll to me.

I’m still trying to assess the RTH and BAC states of mind. Do you like this?

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