Concerts thread: Best/Worst/Next/Last one you attended?

Was the 1979 tour the one he did with percussionist Ray Cooper? I know someone who saw that show in Toronto and raved about it. Elton wasn't selling out arenas in those days.

 

It was. I saw him at the Universal Amphitheater in LA. It was an open-air facility that seated about 5,000 people. It is still one of my all-time favorite concerts. It was raining and Elton expressed concern about being electrocuted while playing the keyboard.

 

Father John Misty and Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit are co-headlining a tour this summer. They've got a show in Richmond but I might be screwed workwise in getting to it. Then I saw the June 22 date in Philly .... had such a great time seeing The Hold Steady up there that I think may do that again.

 

Just got back from Van Morrison at Caesar's Palace in LV. Great sounds and very enjoyable experience. He's not the guy to connect with the audience but he's energetic and has that unmistakable voice. He's entirely in the moment, so he's not going to try to recreate his hits, he's only going to sing the hits as he would sing them today, which is fine with me. They powered through 90 mins non-stop. His backing band and the backup singers (incl his daughter) are sharp musicians and round out a great experience.

Side note, that LV experience is such an improvement over the hassle of going to a venue in a city. So easy to get in and out of the auditorium, very comfortable experience. Highly recommended. (oh yeah and ability to exit then stroll over to a table to play is amazing (if you're a gambler)).

 

I'm jealous. I suggested to my wife that we go for a weekend in Vegas during the residency. She told me "I don't really like Van Morrison."

Years of marriage have given me the wisdom that I stopped myself before uttering the response that came immediately to mind.

 

Kind of a random thought - but its always irritates me when a singer or member of a band enourages fans to do the arm in the air wave back and forth. It should be organic or just not happen. Kind of like The Wave at stadiums.

 

Bought tickets for the Philly show this morning. Gonna be a great show. Saw both in Charlottesville five days apart last fall and they were both on point.

 

Saw Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets the other night. The Pink Floyd drummer and some other guys (including Floyd touring bassist Guy Pratt and ex-Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp) are touring 3,000-seaters and playing a set of pre-Dark Side stuff. I didn't really know what to expect, but was impressed by the band's tightness and the modernized versions of the likes of "Arnold Layne," "Bike," "See Emily Play" etc. Mason shared some short anecdotes about his more famous bandmates, and Pratt and Kemp chipped in with a story or two as well. Definitely a show a non-hard-core Floyd fan would enjoy much, but surprisingly there are enough of those in every city to fill a decent-sized hall.

 

Saw Florence + The Machine beneath the stars at the Santa Barbara Bowl Sunday night...she/they are one of the most entertaining live acts around these days. Her voice's range and her physical performance is second to none in this era.

BTW, subsequently learned that "the Machine" is the nickname of her collaborator and piano player, Isabella Summers, who is a writer/producer of some note as well.

 

Great reminder to get a few more looks at this video, which is simply riveting ...

 

Holy shit, check out the May 1969 calendar at the Boston Tea Party:

 

VU and the Allmans on the same ticket must have confused the hell out of fans of both bands.