Semi-Official Concert Review Thread

[HighPitch]

2 hours ago, CTM said:

jake cinninger* (assuming that was auto correct?) and he's too choppy/ showy for me 

No i just messed his name up . I was close 

[HighPitch]

Well im back from 4 days of hulaween. Sadly, i didnt see nearly as much as i wanted as i had to spend rv time with my gf who is a casual music fan but here goes a few things:

Umphreys Mcgee- i feel that thecrimsonking cursed me here. I was center and about 16 rows back. The sound was awful......muddy bassy no crisp mids or highs. When i squeezed up 5 or 6 rows, or back 20, it was a night and day difference. Either way, a nice set. Off to....

Joe Russos Almost Dead- This is my fav dead tribute, moreso than even the dso. I was feeling great in front of joe about 8 rows back. I cant remember what the first 2 songs were but they were heavenly, then my casual music loving gf "had" to go back to camp.....

i stayed at camp and missed UM second set and J R second set. I was mad. We had a meeting about how things are going to go for now on at music festivals.

friday-

dumpstafunk- another great funk set. Always fun. Sounded fantastic. You couldnt not dance

the nth power bob marley set- wow this was a surprise. Ive seen these guys a few times and always dug em, but the best part was that they had, what i believe might have been, 2 genuine marley back ground singers. They were old, jamaican, and sounded just like the chicks on the albums. They danced, we danced. Secondly, they played maybe 1 or 2 songs off legend. The rest were the deep cuts. Of course my casual music fan gf kinda didnt like that, but i loved it.

bluesky greengrass- nice fun band. Always good

the resolvers- never heard of them, but they were excellent. Only proves that the best music comes from new orleans today (dumpstafunk, galactic). I got a free sticker so i was happy. Its on my rv now

string cheese incident- always a great band. Strong set. I love their ability to got total bluegrass to real funk.

lettuce- i missed em thursday because it took 2 hrs to get in and find camp, but they were superb. A must see

disco biscuits- i came late and was far....plus i was wasted but they were in total disco mode and euveryone was dancing. Lots of fun. I stumbled home. I fell a few times too

saturday

Aqueous- this was THE surprise show. I liked em on jam on radio, but never saw em live. These guys, i dont know what to say. Their songs are great, their musicianship is off the charts, they do great covers too. The lead guitarist is phenominal. He wails out so tasty and never misses a single note. On top of that, they are total masters of effects. There are constant time changes, parts switched up and then sound shifts. Just brilliant. Must see

Parker urban band- never heard of em. From florida. Great set. 2 black female singers and a good percussionist. Worth mentioning

string cheese theme set- finally, the cover set. The theme was love, and every song had love in title. Turn on your love light, love is what i got, love to love you baby etc. my casual fan gf loved it and so did i. The chinese guitarist is very good

ok now, my casual music fan gf wanted to end the nightseeing damian tuff gong marley on the main stage. I am unfamiliar with him, but another band called Spafford was on a smaller stage. I KNEW id rather see spafford, just because i can read between the festival lines, but i gave in. Damian marley BLEW. It was a dickhead convention. To make matters worse, damian preached about politics and marijuana between songs which drove me insane. He was preaching to the choir, its was just lame. I tolerated 3 or 4 songs, took my gfs hand and told her she went where i decided to go because i knew more than her.

we stumbled on to Spafford, which was indeed fun. They were doing their full band dancy  techno trip out thing ala disco biscuits and it was really good. I dont remember much except how much i hated wasting time to see bobs total loser son.

we rode bikes home. She fell i did not.

[The Crimson King]

Sorry HP, I owe you some good karma

Now I gotta see Aqueous. Any CD's to recommend? (yeah some of us still buy CD's)

[HighPitch]

Ive only heard stuff off sirrius jam on and took notice. Then i saw em....stand by

[Apache 51]

Totally sucks all that is available are these washed up bands it's a shame like everything else music is disposable.

[The Crimson King]

Saw John McLaughlin for the last time last night (assuming he's actually retiring) at NJPAC in Newark. Bitter sweet moment. He probably influenced me more than any stranger has in my life and may have been the most influential guitarist in the history of the instrument

Jimmy Herring opened. A great guitarist in his own right, you may know him from Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit or Jazz is Dead. His current gig is with Widespread Panic (replacing McConnell who replaced the late Michael Houser?). He put together a special band for this one, bass (who looks disturbingly like Debbie's boyfriend from Shameless), drums, EP/violin and B3/Calvinet. The band was pretty good but the clav got annoying after awhile (why not just use a patch in a good synth and get more sounds?). He opened with a Miles piece called John McLaughlin and moved on to an Allman Bros cover that I forgot the name of. Played about 7 pieces with this band. He used a Strat style PRS that lacked the definition and bite needed for this material but the guy is really really good. In some ways this was the better part of this show

McLaughlin's current band, 4th Dimension took over. Gary Husband on EP/Nord, Etienne Mbappé on bass (yeah I had to look up the spelling) and a drummer who I forgot the name of (OK, I'm getting old). They played some 4th D pieces like El Hombre Que Sabia and Gaza City plus one or two Mahavishnu pieces (Miles Beyond, Meeting of the Spirits). McLaughlin played a nice PRS, looked like Custom 22 or 24, but obviously made just for him by PRS. He still has it, and by that I mean IT. The instrument wasn't as powerful as the SG double neck and Guild double necks he used with those large Hi Watt and Marshall stacks back then but let's face it, the 70's are not coming back (which is good and bad). They came close to ruining the set with a long very repetitive boring drum solo (more on that later). Also, Husband on the Nord did not work, at least for those who remembered Hammer's super fat Mini from the days. Some of his playing was too self indulgent and not in the envelope of the piece. Husband is also a good but not great drummer. They later did the same drum solo with both him and the regular drummer and it was even worse than the first drum solo (it gets worse later)  

The Master then brought out the Herring's entire band to do their promised Mahavishnu set. McLaughlin then brought out a sky blue double neck that PRS built just for this tour (and is being auctioned for charity) but it wasn't a regular neck/scalloped neck like the original SG and Guild. The scalloped neck was an important component of the MO sound and sorely missed here.  

The set was spotty as some pieces were bad, some good and one brilliant. Herring shared the solos with JM and that worked but no trades that the original band was famous for. There was a mediocre Trilogy, a dull Be Happy and a mess of a Birds of Fire which I was looking forward to the most. There was also was way too much Inner mounting Flame. Problem was that there were two bands playing at the same time which never works, unless you are Robert Fripp. They missed the interaction and polyphony of the various parts of McLaughlin's original compositions like the BOF bass line which drives the piece.  There was a yet another drum solo between Herring and McLaughlin's drummers and it was the same as the first two. Didn't quite get it unless he wanted everyone to stretch out including the drummers but three bad long drum solos? Yeesh. 

The highlight was Dance of Maya which they nailed, including the juxtapositions of the two themes.

Was it a great show by itself? Well not really. The three drummers did not equal one Billy Cobham, Herring's violist reminded you how perfect Goodman and later Ponty were for this music and the keyboard players didn't even come close to how complimentary Hammer's Rhodes and Mini were to McLaughlin's playing. The funny thing is that back than, we all lamented that Laird, the original bass player was not up to the level of the other four in the original band but the playing of Mbappé with his great solos and Debbie's boyfriend showed the true value of how a bassist holds down a bottom without thinking that he is also a lead instrument. Ralphe Armstrong, one of history's most underrated bassists who replaced Laird had both skills and would have been brilliant in this setting. 

All in all, it was worth sitting trough the fluff to just to see McLaughlin do a few more solos. 

The venue was stunningly beautiful and the seating relatively good except that none of the balconies overhang the orchestra seats so all of the above decks (4?) are at the back of the venue. As it is in Newark (by the light rail and river), NJPAC does offer the best part about Newark ... getting out of there alive. 

There was only one Mahavishnu Orchestra (OK, two ..or three of four) but only one original. It has never been duplicated even by the guy who started the group. I'm still waiting for that time machine to go back to the Wollman Skating Rink in August 1973.  

Birds of Fire was the Meet the Beatles for whole generation. We can only say thank you and S'long John.

Meanwhile, whatever happened to Sri Chimoy?  

 

 

 

[CTM]

On 10/31/2017 at 10:05 PM, HighPitch said:

 

Aqueous- this was THE surprise show. I liked em on jam on radio, but never saw em live. These guys, i dont know what to say. Their songs are great, their musicianship is off the charts, they do great covers too. The lead guitarist is phenominal. He wails out so tasty and never misses a single note. On top of that, they are total masters of effects. There are constant time changes, parts switched up and then sound shifts. Just brilliant. Must see

 

Goign to see them on Jam cruise in January, they used to be talked about as the up and coming band on the jam scene but Spafford seems to have gotten more popular. Looking forward to catching them

[HighPitch]

1 hour ago, CTM said:

Goign to see them on Jam cruise in January, they used to be talked about as the up and coming band on the jam scene but Spafford seems to have gotten more popular. Looking forward to catching them

 Jam cruise nicccceeee. 

Yea they were both good. Not a competition enjoy! 

[The Crimson King]

Saw The Grand Master Stanley Clarke at the Paramount in Peekskill tonight

Played both an Alembic (no, not THAT Alembic) and a double bass. Interesting pieces included School Days and a nice rendering of Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (although Mr. Beck still wins that battle). Highlight was (at least) a half hour long No Mystery with a long and mind boggling solo on the double. It can only be described as OMG. HARD music to play, yeesh. 

Asking who the "best" is at any instrument can easily degrade into an argument but IMHO here is an exception to that rule. No one was ever this good on this instrument and because several of the most recent generations could care less about musicality, no one will ever be this good again ... and there is little difference between the old Stanley and who I saw tonight. Suffice it to say that we were most pleased with the proceedings.

So here is this Koufax/Gretzky/Jordan of the bass, 66 yrs old on the stage with three guys whose combined age is 72. One was a drummer from the Bronx named Shariq Tucker, who at age 20, came very close to stealing the show. Blew everyone away like I haven't seen in years. Remember the name, Shariq Tucker.  Overshadowed were two keyboard players (mic'd Grand/Motif and Fantom8/vocorder) of good skills but between Clarke and Tucker there was little room for them. No guitarist though, now THAT would have elevated the music even higher, needless to say :).  

The shame of it is that the theater was only about half full, surprising after seeing McLaughlin selling out his tour. Of course there was no one in the audience who doesn't get ARP come-ons in the mail. The advantage of that is everyone remained seated for the whole show, except for the standing O's of course. 

[Bugg]

Clarke is a great bassist. But he ain't John Entwistle, period, full stop, end of story.

The most sedated and seated crowd on any show I've been to the last few years was far and away Black Sabbath. Either the drugs have taken full effect or we are all really old. When I saw them 25-30 years ago in one of the Ronnie James Dio incarnations, the crowd behaved very, very differently. 

[HighPitch]

On 11/25/2017 at 2:11 PM, Bugg said:

Clarke is a great bassist. But he ain't John Entwistle, period, full stop, end of story.

 

[HighPitch]

Really? Ypu must be a huge who fan. 

Im a fan or neither but i respect both. However, clark is in another universe talent wise. Entwistle is a rock bassist...... Its minor league stuff compared to stanley clark material

[southparkcpa]

On 11/25/2017 at 2:11 PM, Bugg said:

Clarke is a great bassist. But he ain't John Entwistle, period, full stop, end of story.

The most sedated and seated crowd on any show I've been to the last few years was far and away Black Sabbath. Either the drugs have taken full effect or we are all really old. When I saw them 25-30 years ago in one of the Ronnie James Dio incarnations, the crowd behaved very, very differently. 

WOW....  just wow. How any one can make that statement is mind boggling.  Entwistle is of course a fully trained musician, played horn,can read and write music to say he is better than Clarke is well, respectfully stated, naive.   There is nothing that Entwistle ever did on a bass that Clarke can't do BUT the reverse, in my view, is probably not true.  

 

I majored in music, played double bass and studied all the great bassists as most kids would do.  Entwistles name only comes up by rock listeners in a rock context, never by fully trained musicians who went to school, can read and write music etc.  Great bassists like Ray Brown, Mingus, Ron Carter, Clarke and so many more.  They are all classically trained, play with a bow, acoustic bass, electric bass etc.

[Dcat]

1 hour ago, southparkcpa said:

WOW....  just wow. How any one can make that statement is mind boggling.  Entwistle is of course a fully trained musician, played horn,can read and write music to say he is better than Clarke is well, naive.   There is nothing that Entwistle ever did on a bass that Clarke can't do BUT the reverse, in my view, is probably not true.  

 

I majored in music, played double bass and studied all the great bassists as most kids would do.  Entwistles name only comes up by rock listeners in a rock context, never by fully trained musicians who went to school, can read and write music etc.  Great bassists like Ray Brown, Mingus, Ron Carter, Clarke and so many more.  They are all classically trained, play with a bow, acoustic bass, electric bass etc.

Did you like Eric Czar?

[southparkcpa]

1 hour ago, Dcat said:

Did you like Eric Czar?

Very talented and innovative  but I dont  think much of the 6-8 string basses, personal opinion of course.  Thats not really in the same business as a "true bass player".

So many great bassists. Here's one you may never have heard of.  Playing an old standard on an upright.

Go to about the 35 second mark and just watch and listen. You NEVER see him listed as a top bassist UNLESS you talk to bassists.

 

 

 

[The Crimson King]

2 hours ago, southparkcpa said:

WOW....  just wow. How any one can make that statement is mind boggling.  Entwistle is of course a fully trained musician, played horn,can read and write music to say he is better than Clarke is well, respectfully stated, naive.   There is nothing that Entwistle ever did on a bass that Clarke can't do BUT the reverse, in my view, is probably not true.  

 

I majored in music, played double bass and studied all the great bassists as most kids would do.  Entwistles name only comes up by rock listeners in a rock context, never by fully trained musicians who went to school, can read and write music etc.  Great bassists like Ray Brown, Mingus, Ron Carter, Clarke and so many more.  They are all classically trained, play with a bow, acoustic bass, electric bass etc.

Wow, an actual learned opinion ! Thanks for that

How about Jaco, Wooten, Squire, LaFaro, Patitucci, Vitous, yeesh, there are so many ... Percy Jones? Tony Levin? Bunny Brunel? 

When I was a kid we used to argue over Bruce vs Bogert and now I find them both a bit unlistenable to  

I mostly agree with you on the 5 and 6 strings although with the fidelity of today's equipment that low B can be useful at times

I have been constantly amazed that so many people like/love music but are so unwilling to learn anything about it and just go with popular opinion. 

[southparkcpa]

13 minutes ago, The Crimson King said:

How about Jaco, Wooten, Squire, LaFaro, Patitucci, Vitous, yeesh, there are so many ... Percy Jones? Tony Levin? Bunny Brunel? 

When I was a kid we used to argue over Bruce vs Bogert and now I find them both a bit unlistenable to  

I mostly agree with you on the 5 and 6 strings although with the fidelity of today's equipment that low B can be useful at times

I have been constantly amazed that so many people like/love music but are so unwilling to learn anything about it and just go with popular opinion. 

I think of Squire as I do Entwistle, Geddy etc. Innovative, Rythmic and just fantastic but not in that DEEP league of true bassists.

Jaco?  Sits on a throne in bass heaven. 

LaFaro, died so young. His bass is available for view at Kolstein music in  Baldwin NY. Barry Kolstein restored it.  I bought my upright bass there. They are all great.

I attended a workshop in 1980 or so where Jamil Nasser (Amhad Jamal etc) taught the bassists. No electric basses allowed. He told a story about Ray Brown moving from NY to LA and half the studio bassists lost their job.  He told a story about Mingus , too long here but he is convinced that Mingus was the greatest bassist ever.  

 

 

 

[Bugg]

20 hours ago, southparkcpa said:

I think of Squire as I do Entwistle, Geddy etc. Innovative, Rythmic and just fantastic but not in that DEEP league of true bassists.

Jaco?  Sits on a throne in bass heaven. 

LaFaro, died so young. His bass is available for view at Kolstein music in  Baldwin NY. Barry Kolstein restored it.  I bought my upright bass there. They are all great.

I attended a workshop in 1980 or so where Jamil Nasser (Amhad Jamal etc) taught the bassists. No electric basses allowed. He told a story about Ray Brown moving from NY to LA and half the studio bassists lost their job.  He told a story about Mingus , too long here but he is convinced that Mingus was the greatest bassist ever.  

 

 

 

Don't think we disagree as much as we are talking past each other about different things. And that's fine. Sorry if I misunderstood you. 

[southparkcpa]

13 minutes ago, Bugg said:

Don't think we disagree as much as we are talking past each other about different things. And that's fine. Sorry if I misunderstood you. 

All good.   I love a lot of bassists no one would ever think of as great. McCartney comes to mind, as does Sting, Flea.

[Kleckineau]

I prefer Johnny Hatton.

I know ......low brow but I love that rockabilly bass with the percussion slaps bangs and clicks☺

[RutgersJetFan]

Saw these guys the other night right before Star Wars. This was my third time seeing them live since around 2006. It is crazy to see how much they have grown as an act as their library has grown. Really just my favorite rock band to emerge from this century.

 

[HessStation]

Black Label Society thursday night, it was pretty aweseom. Red Fang was the highlight for me though. Ironically somebody from this site once mentioned them to me. 

 

[Bugg]

On 11/28/2017 at 9:15 AM, southparkcpa said:

All good.   I love a lot of bassists no one would ever think of as great. McCartney comes to mind, as does Sting, Flea.

Flea is terrific. 

[slowmoe57]

22 hours ago, HessStation said:

Black Label Society thursday night, it was pretty aweseom. Red Fang was the highlight for me though. Ironically somebody from this site once mentioned them to me. 

 

I believe it was me -- they are fun to watch.

[The Crimson King]

oops wrong thread

 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

Alestorm in Dublin Friday night. Sold out, loads of people dressed as pirates, and a giant inflatable rubber duck headbanging to Bohemian Rhapsody. And that even before the band appeared.

Great set, the band were on fire, and finishing with over a thousand people singing along with the sombre ballad that is F**ked with an Anchor.

 

What more could you want? Sheer magnificent lunacy.

[southparkcpa]

Diana Krall in Charlotte NC.

[Kleckineau]

1 hour ago, southparkcpa said:

Diana Krall in Charlotte NC.

 

What a wonderful performer she is. Saw her twice . Once in AC and once in NYC and will see her again. When I listen to her and the other super talented players she performs with I wonder if today's 20 somethings will ever appreciate real music from real musicians. I could sit and listen to her forever.

[southparkcpa]

59 minutes ago, Kleckineau said:

What a wonderful performer she is. Saw her twice . Once in AC and once in NYC and will see her again. When I listen to her and the other super talented players she performs with I wonder if today's 20 somethings will ever appreciate real music from real musicians. I could sit and listen to her forever.

Yeah..interestingly, I played in a band with 2 guys from Berklee /Boston where she went. They were in a few classes with her and it just makes the world seem smaller.  

[The Crimson King]

On ‎10‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 1:25 PM, The Crimson King said:

Saw Brand X at the Iridium last night. Sat right in front of them,

John Goodsall and Percy Jones of the original band were there with new members, Chris Clark on the keys, a great drummer I couldn't catch the name of and Scott Weinberger (ex-Adrian Belew drummer) replacing the late Morris Pert on percussion.

Goodsall played, of all things, a solid body Gretch through a M-B head and cab. He is still in fine form but  I would have liked to hear the brand new looking PRS he had on the stage as a backup. His board had only had 4 pedals bit I could see them from where I sat. One was a tuner and one a boost. He never hit the other two but one had to be  chorus based on his sound. His signature lick is still in force with not much new from him over the decades. They did "And So to F ..." so he had plenty of time to stretch out but stuck to the old riff from the record, not that it wasn't excellent to begin with.

Jones played a 5 string fretless Ibanez that I assumed was custom. He was amazing. I love how he plays the electric like a sideways upright. He even did a solo alone on stage with a looper or premade background track. 

The new keyboard player (with a Motif, Nord lead and Studio Logic) was superb and nailed all Lumley and Robinson's old parts. The drummer was very talented and worthy of sitting in that chair. Scott Weinberger almost stole the show. He had less odd sounds than Pert and served as a second drummer, but was very entertaining. 

Set list was many of their classics, playing was enthusiastic and EVERYONE looked old. The band, crew and especially the audience.

The Iridium is a bar with table seating so you are always looking sideways, in a crowded spot and actually too close to the stage. I would have preferred a more traditional concert venue than a bar gig.

Bottom line is that fusion is alive, barely. It will die with the 70's music fans as they fade away. Shame that. In the meantime, there are two more shows tonight (8p and 10p) at the Iridium ($40 online and $45 at the door) 

 

*******************************  CONCERT ALERT *************************************

Brand X is coming back this spring. They'll be back at the Iridium on Sat 5/5 and Sun 5/6

https://www.ticketmaster.com/brand-x-iridium-new-york-ny/venueartist/337448/1408670

They'll also be at Daryl's House in Pawling, NY on Wed 5/2.

http://www.darylshouseclub.com/shows

I guarantee that our resident bassist would love Percy Jones. Also bass related, Stu Hamm will be at Daryl's on Wed Mar 21 

*******************************  CONCERT ALERT *************************************

 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

Pestilence in Dublin last night, for the first time ever. They were supposed to play here on the Testimony of the Ancients tour in 92, supporting Death, but owing to Tony Choy being a lazy idiot without a visa, it never happened.

Last night was billed as the first four albums tour, and for a guy who's said time and time again he's not over enthusiastic about playing the old stuff, Patrick Mameli had a blast, as did everyone. Great night, and them playing five songs off Testimony was the icing on the cake.

 

[The Crimson King]

2 hours ago, Panzer Division Marduk said:

Pestilence in Dublin last night, for the first time ever. They were supposed to play here on the Testimony of the Ancients tour in 92, supporting Death, but owing to Tony Choy being a lazy idiot without a visa, it never happened.

Last night was billed as the first four albums tour, and for a guy who's said time and time again he's not over enthusiastic about playing the old stuff, Patrick Mameli had a blast, as did everyone. Great night, and them playing five songs off Testimony was the icing on the cake.

 

There's a band called Pestilence who was going to tour with Death?

Well we know there's a band called War so all you need is one called Famine so you can have a Four Horses of the Apocalypse Tour

Although, my guess is that Death and Pestilence fans wouldn't enjoy Lee Oskar's harp much 

"Famine" should be made up of really fat guys 

[CTM]

On 2/24/2018 at 5:26 PM, The Crimson King said:

 

*******************************  CONCERT ALERT *************************************

Brand X is coming back this spring. They'll be back at the Iridium on Sat 5/5 and Sun 5/6

https://www.ticketmaster.com/brand-x-iridium-new-york-ny/venueartist/337448/1408670

They'll also be at Daryl's House in Pawling, NY on Wed 5/2.

http://www.darylshouseclub.com/shows

I guarantee that our resident bassist would love Percy Jones. Also bass related, Stu Hamm will be at Daryl's on Wed Mar 21 

*******************************  CONCERT ALERT *************************************

 

Nice! I'll get this on my calendar.

[CTM]

Metheny / Swallow last night in Newton, NJ. I actually bought these tickets thinking it was an electric quartet. Normally I prefer a bit more energy coming from the stage but it turned out to be a really nice way to spend a Saturday night. Two masters in an extremely intimate setting. 

 

[CTM]

Soulive with Scofield Friday night at the Ardmore. Raging show, Scofield integrating himself into the jam music scene the past 10-15 years is really a been a welcome development, upping the level of musicianship on stage but also expanding the pallets of the fan base. Busy music weekend for me. 

 

Not my photo, just a good grab of the sco-face from the show