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Queen – Days of Our Lives Blu-ray review

retroDan — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:02:05 +0000

The BBC documentary on legendary rock band Queen titled Days of Our Lives is now out on Blu-ray/DVD here in the U.S. I had a chance to sit down and view the blu-ray over the weekend and I’m pleased to say that the two-part overview of the band’s musical career is very well done. All the major events are covered by archival footage and interviews both old and new. Surviving members Roger Taylor and Brian May do most of the talking. Bassist John Deacon declined to participate in the new documentary so archival interviews are used for his point of view. Of course Freddie Mercury is very much the focus of the program and there’s generous amount of live footage as well as interviews he had done in the past. For such an influential band, I would have preferred a more expansive look at their career along the lines of the “Beatles Anthology” but I guess the BBC only commissioned for a two hour program.

At least the Blu-ray features extra bonus footage for fans to enjoy – approximately 100 minutes more. The bulk of the extras are interview segments that were edited out of the original program due to time limitations. It would have been nice if the director went back and incorporated these into the documentary as an “expanded director’s cut” instead of having to view these separately but it is what it is.

I was very keen on viewing the segments about the post-86 era of the band. After the ’86 album “A Kind of Magic”, I didn’t follow Queen’s musical output as closely as their previous stuff so the stories behind the albums “The Miracle” and “Innuendo” are fairly new to me. Also the segment about Freddie’s last days in the studio was very moving.

Longtime fans probably already know the story inside and out but the documentary is so well done that it’s worth seeking out just to have it in their video collection. For casual and new fans of Queen, this is a must-buy!

Queen – Days of Our Lives – blu-ray content:
Eagle Rock Entertainment
Duration: 221 minutes

Main Feature:
Queen : Days of Our Lives (Part One)
Queen : Days of Our Lives (Part Two)

Bonus Features:

Additional Videos: new promo videos containing unseen rushes, performances and outtakes.
-Seven Seas of Rhye
-Killer Queen
-Somebody to Love
-We Are The Champions
-Crazy Little Thing Called Love
-Under Pressure
-Radio Ga Ga

Additional Sequences: featuring unseen interviews and archive footage, exclusive sequences that dig deeper into the history of Queen, and tell the stories that weren’t covered in the documentary.
-Queen: The Beginning
-Queen On Tour 1974-5
-Bohemian Rhapsody
-Working Together
-Leaving John Reid 1978
-Don’t Stop Me Now
-Flash Gordon
-Making Videos
-Scrabble Wars
-From Magic To The Miracle 1986-89
-Going Slightly Mad: Making Innuendo 1990-91
-Made In Heaven – 1995

Bonus Interviews: additional stories, taken from the interviews shot for this documentary with Brian May, Roger Taylor and Jim Beach.
-Return To Imperial College
-Brian’s Health Scare 1974
-Manager Jim Beach Meets The Band 1975
-B-Sides
-Freddie’s Outfits
-Another One Btes The Dust
-Song Writing Balance Changes 1980′s
-Freddie Legless!
-Highlander
-The Show Must Go On

Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles – DPAC concert review – January 2012

retroDan — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:20:27 +0000

When a local radio station gave me tickets to see Rain, a Beatles tribute band, I really didn’t know what to say at first. I mean, I’m a life-long Beatles fan and for me to see a Beatles cover band just felt sort of blasphemous, you know what I mean? Why should I support a band that makes a living off of music that they have absolutely nothing to do with?? Come on, I’d go see Paul or Ringo in a heartbeat but these guys??? I mean, who are these guys? Yes, I understand that Rain is one of the bigger Beatles tribute acts and they even did a stint on broadway. But, I just didn’t feel the need to see some faux-Beatles group.

So, after all of my whining and huffing & puffing, I ended up realizing that I could simply just do this for my ten year old son. Yes, chalking this whole thing up to my kid’s musical education gave me a reason to go to this show.

Anyway, Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles, were scheduled for two performances at the Durham Performing Arts Center this past week. My son and I attended the tuesday night show.

Essentially the show is a live recreation of the Beatles’ musical career from ’62 to ’70. In addition to the band playing and looking like the Beatles, there are elaborate stage setups, synchronized lighting and videos. The goal is to transport the audience back to the ’60′s. They even show TV commercials from the era on the video screens to set the mood.

Honestly, the concert was better than I expected. It all sounds cheesy on paper but the whole show was actually a fun experience. The band did a great job in trying to recreate all the sounds correctly which is a tough feat since most of the audience knows these tunes backwards and forwards. And kudos to the stage and lighting designers. The visuals were very well done and took the show beyond merely just being another run of the mill Beatles tribute night. There were four stage design changes to cover the major eras – “The Ed Sullivan Show” setup, “Shea Stadium”, “Sgt. Peppers” and the “Let it Be/Rooftop” setting.

It wasn’t all perfect though. There were some lyric flubs here and there, and the synths covering the string parts on “Yesterday” and “Eleanor Rigby” were mixed way too loud during the songs. And quite frankly the mimicry including the body movements/mannerisms and the heavy accents when speaking with the audience kinda got old after a while.

A highlight for me was during the “acoustic set” when they played songs like “Girl”, “In My Life” and “I’ve Just Seen a Face”. It felt a bit more natural during this set since it didn’t rely heavily on visuals or mimicry. It felt less constrained and they even did an extended guitar jam during “I’ve Just Seen a Face” which was a nice change of pace when everything else was almost a note for note carbon copy of the records.

All in all, my son and I had a fun night singing along to a bunch of Beatles tunes. Rain did a commendable job in recreating the look and sound of the liverpool lads. Nothing earth shattering here but it’s great to be able to share the experience with your kids.

retroGrade: B

Rain : A Tribute to the Beatles
at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC)
January 17, 2012

the musicians (as far as I can recall from the band introductions at the end of the concert):
Steve Landes, Mac Ruffing, Tom Teeley, Douglas Cox and Chris Smallwood

the setlist at the January 17, 2012 show (again, I didn’t take extensive notes so I might be missing a couple songs…):
I Want To Hold Your Hand
All My Loving
This Boy
I Saw Her Standing There
A Hard Day’s Night
I’m Happy Just To Dance With You
Yesterday
I Feel Fine
Day Tripper
Twist and Shout
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
A Little Help From My Friends
Eleanor Rigby
Strawberry Fields
When I’m 64
Sgt. Pepper (reprise)
A Day In The Life

(intermission)

Hello Goodbye
I Am The Walrus
Girl
In My Life
Do You Want to Know a Secret
I’ve Just Seen a Face
Come Together
Get Back
Revolution
The End

(encore)
Give Peace A Chance
Let It Be
Hey Jude

2012 Rain tour schedule:
Jan 25, 2012 Wheeling, West Virginia Capitol Music Hall
Jan 26, 2012 Hershey, PA Hershey Theatre
Jan 27, 2012 Providence, RI Providence PAC
Jan 28, 2012 Wallingford, CT Oakdale Theatre
Jan 29, 2012 Lowell, MA Lowell Memorial Auditorium
Jan 31, 2012 – Feb 5, 2012 Philadelphia, PA Academy of Music
Feb 8, 2012 – Feb 9, 2012 Flint, MI Whiting Auditorium
Feb 10, 2012 – Feb 11, 2012 Cleveland, OH Palace Theatre
Feb 12, 2012 Grand Rapids, MI DeVos Performing Hall
Feb 14, 2012 – Feb 16, 2012 Rochester, NY Auditorium Theatre
Feb 17, 2012 – Feb 19, 2012 Buffalo, NY Shea’s Performing Arts Center
Feb 21, 2012 Erie, PA Warner Theatre
Feb 22, 2012 – Feb 23, 2012 Elmira, NY Clemens Performing Arts Center
Feb 24, 2012 – Feb 26, 2012 Scranton, PA Scranton Cultural Center
Feb 29, 2012 Sioux Falls, SD Washington Pavilion
Mar 1, 2012 Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee Theatre
Mar 2, 2012 Madison, WI Overture Center
Mar 3, 2012 – Mar 4, 2012 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theater
Mar 13, 2012 Bellingham, WA Mount Baker Theatre
Mar 14, 2012 Kennewick, WA Toyota Center
Mar 15, 2012 Medford, OR Ginger Rogers
Mar 16, 2012 – Mar 18, 2012 Reno, NV Pioneer center
Mar 20, 2012 Albuquerque, NM Popejoy Hall
Mar 21, 2012 Colorado Springs, CO Pikes Peak Center
Mar 23, 2012 Boise, ID Morrison Center
Apr 11, 2012 – Apr 13, 2012 Boston, MA Wilbur Theatre
Apr 16, 2012 Charlotte, NC Belk Theatre
Apr 17, 2012 Bethlehem, PA Zoellner Arts Center
Apr 24, 2012 – Apr 29, 2012 Dallas, TX Music Hall at Fair Park
May 1, 2012 – May 6, 2012 Nashville, TN Andrew Jackson Hall
May 10, 2012 – May 12, 2012 Tempe, AZ Gammage Auditorium
May 15, 2012 – May 16, 2012 Des Moines, IA Civic Center of Greater Des Moines
May 17, 2012 Wausau, WI Grand Theatre
May 18, 2012 – May 19, 2012 Appleton, WI Fox Cities PAC
May 20, 2012 Cincinnati, OH Proctor and Gamble Hall

for more information, check out the band’s official website: RainTribute.com

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Journey – Greatest Hits Vol. 2 CD (2011) review and giveaway

retroDan — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:33:31 +0000

After 23 years and over 25 million copies sold, Journey’s Greatest Hits finally gets a second volume. It’s pretty much a no-brainer to release a “sequel” to one of rock’s best selling compilations. I’m just surprised it took the record label this long to do it. Anyway, the new release is titled, what else, Journey – Greatest Hits Vol. 2.

I’m happy to report that the new release doesn’t appear to be some sort of haphazardly put-together “money-grab”. In fact, none other than the great Steve Perry was on-hand for the remastering of this release. It has been said that Perry still has approval rights for anything related to Journey’s back catalog. Even though he hasn’t been the frontman for the band since 1996, it’s the Perry fronted-era that matters most, at least in terms of sales. And so just like the first volume, volume 2 focuses on Perry related material. Nothing from 1996 onward.

Now, it’d be hard for any band to top those 16 tracks from the first compilation. There’s just no-denying the power of classics like “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “Who’s Crying Now”, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and “Open Arms”. So, Volume 2 is a bit of a step down in terms of actual bona-fide “hits”. But as a companion piece to the first Greatest Hits disc, it actually works. Songs like “Stone in Love”, “After the Fall”, “Escape” and “Suzanne” stand up pretty well with the previous volume. There are a couple of odd choices that I personally would have changed out though. I would have chosen “Message of Love” instead of “When I Think of You” from the album “Trial by Fire”. And maybe something like “Why Can’t This Night Go On Forever” in place of “Good Morning Girl”. But it’s nice that “Little Girl” was included since it’s on the often overlooked soundtrack album “Dream After Dream”.

As for the remastered sound – there’s noticeable EQ changes on some songs that help bring out some of the low end and soften some of the harshness of the high frequencies. For example “Suzanne” always sounded a bit “bright” on the original CD with not enough bottom so this remaster corrected this and now sounds more evened out. I wouldn’t say this is the “definitive” remaster in terms of perfect audio quality but sound engineer Robert Hadley along with Steve Perry succeeded in achieving a cohesive sound over all the various tracks on this compilation.

So, if you have GH Vol. 1 and want to go a bit deeper into Journey’s catalog, Greatest Hits Vol. 2 is a great buy. As for longtime Journey fans, you probably have all these tracks in your music library but you might still want to check it out for the updated remastered sound.

retroGrade: B

Journey – Greatest Hits Vol. 2
record label: Columbia/Legacy
released: November 2011
remastered by: Robert Hadley and Steve Perry at The Mastering Lab, Ojai, CA

TrackList
1 Stone in Love
2 After the Fall
3 Chain Reaction
4 The Party’s Over (Hopelessly in Love)
5 Escape
6 Still They Ride
7 Good Morning Girl
8 Stay Awhile
9 Suzanne
10 Feeling That Way
11 Anytime
12 Walks Like a Lady
13 Little Girl
14 Just the Same Way
15 Patiently
16 When I Think of You
17 Mother, Father (Live in Houston 1981)

Oh, yeah, and now about the CD giveaway. I’ve got TWO Journey Greatest Hits Vol. 2 CDs to giveaway! Just check out the “rafflecopter” widget on this page and follow the instructions on how to enter. The main requirement is to leave me a blog comment. But be sure to register via the widget since I’ll be using it to randomly draw out the winners. The deadline for this drawing is January 29, 2012. Thanks and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Peter Gabriel – New Blood Live in London – DVD review

retroDan — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 03:46:12 +0000

The companion piece to Peter Gabriel’s recently released studio album New Blood is out in stores now. It’s a new concert DVD titled New Blood Live in London. I’ve enjoyed listening to the studio album over the last month so getting the new DVD was a natural progression for me. And I’m happy to report that the live orchestral performance captured at the Hammersmith Apollo last March is even better than the studio album. Yes, the album probably has better clarity and sonics but the excitement and vibe from the live show takes the material to a whole ‘nother level.

There’s a lot happening on stage during Gabriel’s show and the director, Blue Leach, does a great job in capturing all of that without overwhelming the viewer with fast edits. The live show features huge movable video screens displaying custom animation/visual effects for each song. On stage, along with Gabriel and his female backup singers is the massive 46 piece orchestra. The new arrangements are breathtaking and breathe new life into old familiar tunes like “Red Rain”, “In Your Eyes” and “Intruder”.

Peter Gabriel looks pretty relaxed on stage and his vocals sound amazing as does the orchestra. I’m sure the live shows were a huge undertaking but Gabriel seemed to be enjoying himself during the show especially on “Solsbury Hill” where he’s all smiles.

Notably absent from the setlist are Gabriel’s biggest hits “Sledgehammer” and “Big Time” but that’s understandable since they both relied heavily on drum machines. It’s an intriguing setlist though with lesser known songs like “Darkness”, “San Jacinto” and covers like “The Boy in the Bubble” and “The Book of Love”.

Since the orchestral tour had a limited run, the DVD/blu-ray is a must for any Peter Gabriel fan. I haven’t heard if Gabriel will continue to do any more of these types of shows so this might be the only way we’re going to be able to see these orchestra versions live.

RetroGrade: A

New Blood Live in London DVD
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
DVD Release Date: October 24, 2011
Run Time: 162 minutes

DVD Tracklist:
Intruder
Wallflower
The Boy in the Bubble
Apres Moi
The Drop
Washing of the Water
The Book of Love
Darkness
The Power of the Heart
Biko
San Jacinto
Digging in the Dirt
Signal to Noise
Downside Up
Mercy Street
The Rhythm of the Heat
Blood of Eden
Red Rain
Solsbury Hill
In Your Eyes
Don’t Give Up
The Nest that Sailed the Sky

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Lindsey Buckingham – Songs from the Small Machine Live in LA DVD review

retroDan — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:29:23 +0000

I very much enjoyed seeing Lindsey Buckingham live at the Carolina Theatre back in October. The man’s got charisma, amazingly fast fingers and a dynamic singing voice to boot. I’m definitely going to catch him again when he comes back around here but in the mean time, I’ve got the newly released DVD of his latest tour titled Songs from the Small Machine: Live in LA to keep on-hand whenever I’m jonesin’ for some Lindsey.

The concert was filmed in April at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills which was well before the release of the new album Seeds We Sow. So the audience at the show got the special treat of hearing the new tunes before they were even released.

Even though this particular show was put on months before the full-fledged tour, it’s essentially the same exact show – the same setlist and even the same stories shared by Lindsey on stage. Yes, we all knew Lindsey was a perfectionist in the studio but he’s obviously the same way with his live shows at least in terms of mapping out all the details.

As I’ve mentioned in my previous concert review, Buckingham starts out the show alone on stage with just his acoustic guitar. The rest of the band comes in after the initial five songs. It’s always a treat to see him do his thing alone on guitar. His performances are mesmerizing. When he’s joined with the band, they get to tackle the new stuff. And I like the new album and all but honestly, the live versions are so much better than the studio versions. Lindsey just belts out the vocals with so much more passion than on the studio recordings. The album simply sound like “demos” in comparison to how they are performed live. I’d definitely recommend getting the DVD/CD combo so that you can have the live versions on CD.

One of things you’ll notice about this concert DVD is that the director included many close-up shots of Lindsey’s guitar solos. Obviously the director understood the need for us fans to see Lindsey’s fingerpickin’ up close so kudos to the editor and director for including those shots.

The audio on the DVD stays true to the live dynamics from the show. Lindsey typically likes to contrast the quiet and loud sections of his songs so thankfully the audio engineers didn’t choose the squash the dynamic range which would have lessened the impact when Lindsey goes for the jugular on songs like “Big Love” and “Go Insane”.

Lindsey Buckingham is simply a marvel on stage. He truly puts his heart and soul into his music while performing live. I mean, just watch toward the end of “I’m So Afraid” to see Lindsey dripping with sweat!!

This DVD does a nice job in capturing all the great moments of Buckingham’s live show. And as a fan, it’s great to view the concert from different angles that we weren’t able to see while actually in attendance of one of Lindsey’s shows.

retroGrade: A

Lindsey Buckingham – Songs from the Small Machine: Live in LA
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Region: Region 1
Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
DVD Release Date: November 1, 2011
Run Time: 125 minutes

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DVD TRACKLIST
1 Shut Us Down
2 Go Insane
3 Trouble
4 Never Going Back Again
5 Big Love
6 Under The Skin
7 All My Sorrows
8 In Our Own Time
9 Illumination
10 Second Hand News
11 Tusk
12 Stars Are Crazy
13 End Of Time
14 That’s The Way Love Goes
15 I’m So Afraid
16 Go Your Own Way
17 Turn It On
18 Treason
19 Seeds We Sow

Todd Rundgren’s Utopia – review – Carolina Theatre of Durham – November 2011

retroDan — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 02:10:24 +0000

“City in my head, Utopia. Heaven in my body, Utopia. Into the sky it rises now…” Man, who would have thought that we’d be able to hear Todd Rundgren sing that line live on stage in this day and age? That’s right, 70′s era prog-rock was alive and well at the Carolina Theatre this past thursday night. Todd Rundgren reunited with members of his 1974 incarnation of Utopia to relive all the bombastic and overblown musicality that 70′s prog-rock was known for. I’m pretty sure there were a good number of fans at the venue that were totally confused by all this prog and I won’t go into that particular issue here since I addressed it in a previous post. But for fans of this era of Utopia, it was a dream come true.

From the very get-go when the curtain rose to reveal Rundgren and the rest of the band in colorful psychedelic garb, it was obvious we were in for a unique treat. The band dove straight into this progfest with a faithful rendition of “Utopia Theme”. Too bad Rundgren didn’t have much of a tour budget because with the “Spinal Tap-ish” instrumental passages, it’d be a perfect spot to drop a miniature stonehenge down from the rafters.

And it couldn’t be considered a Todd show without some flubs, gaffes and senior moments. With the complexity of this type of music, it was inevitable. Things came to a crashing halt when Todd lost his place in the middle of “Utopia Theme”. He had to stop the band and start the passage over. Actually that whole song was a bit shaky. Not sure what was going on. Kevin Ellman seemed to rely heavily on John Siegler to figure out where the changes were. But once they got to “Freak Parade”, things got much tighter. I guess they weren’t quite “warmed up” at the start of the set.

I do have to note that John Siegler was rock solid all night. Loved his playing and he appeared to be the most enthusiastic out of everyone there. He was “so into it”, Siegler ended up breaking a bass string by the time they got to “the Wheel”. Todd proudly points out that he hadn’t broken a guitar string so far in the tour but “the bass player did instead”.

Todd’s other quip of the night was that we were all getting a high “note to dollar” return on our ticket purchase. With all the complex riffs and runs he had to play on the guitar all night, we were definitely getting money’s worth… well, at least in terms of notes played.

other random thoughts:
Ralph Schuckett didn’t crack a smile up until their ending bow after “Just One Victory”. I suppose without Moogy Klingman there, all the major keyboard parts landed on Shuckett’s shoulders. So, all that seriousness is understandable since he’s got so much to play. Kasim Sulton appeared to have picked up some of the slack on keys. He spent the bulk of the night behind the keyboards to support Schuckett. Even Jesse Gress helped out on keys during some parts in the set. But Moogy played a major part in the original material so his presense was definitely missed. (our thoughts are with you, Moogy!! hopefully, Klingman will be able to join the band at the three New York area gigs.) It’s a shame Jesse Gress didn’t help out on guitar. Gress is a monster on guitar and for him to be relegated to backing vocals, percussion and some keys is just so odd. I guess Rundgren wanted the challenge of playing all the guitar parts himself???

All in all, it was a great show. Yes, it wasn’t perfect and the band was missing a major component of the 74-era Utopia sound (Moogy) but to see and hear these guys play “The Ikon”, “Freak Parade” and “Freedom Fighters” was well worth the price of admission.

highlights for me included: Todd singing the “You Don’t Have to Be Afraid” section of “the Ikon” (my favorite part of the 30-minute song). Also, “the Wheel” was a welcomed change of pace after all that PROG. and of course “Freedom Fighters”, “Freak Parade” and “Just One Victory”.

retroGrade: A
(hell yeah, I’m biased. come on, it’s Todd Rundgren, damn it! the man has gone above and beyond to bring “something completely different” for his small but loyal fan-base. the man could simply just tour his tried & true setlist endlessly but obviously he enjoys the challenge of changing things up. kudos to Todd for going the extra mile.)

Oh, and a big thanks to the Carolina Theatre for sponsoring the Todd show. It has been apparent that local concert promoters haven’t been all that interested in bringing Rundgren around here since the last Todd concert in the triangle back in 2004 at the Cat’s Cradle. Hopefully with the number of fans that showed up at this show, promoters will consider bringing him back on his next tour.

Here’s the setlist:
Utopia Theme
Freak Parade
Heavy Metal Kids
Another Life
Something’s Coming
Seven Rays
Do Ya
The Wheel
The Ikon
Freedom Fighters
Just One Victory

Utopia 2011: Todd Rundgren, Kevin Ellman, Ralph Schuckett, John Siegler, Jesse Gress, Kasim Sulton (and Moogy Klingman for 3 shows)
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if you can, try to catch one of the remaining shows on this tour. This might be the last chance to see these guys together on stage…

Sun 11/13/11 Westbury, NY NYCB Theatre At Westbury
Tue 11/15/11 Boston, MA Wilbur Theatre
Wed 11/16/11 Englewood, NJ Bergen Performing Arts Ctr.
Fri 11/18/11 Peekskill, NY Paramount Center For The Arts
Sat 11/19/11 Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre

for those that can’t make it in person, Nevessa/todocast will be presenting the Peekskill, NY gig via webcast. that’s right, you can enjoy watching the Utopia Reunion in the comfort of your own couch. PLUS, Moogy Klingman is scheduled to be playing at this show so for those fans like me who saw the earlier Utopia shows without Moogy, this is still a MUST-see. head on over to the todocast website for all the details.

Todd Rundgren review February 2003 Carolina Theatre of Durham

retroDan — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:48:33 +0000

This gave me a chuckle today. I just stumbled across an old concert review I posted back in 2003 over on the TR Connection, a Todd Rundgren fan site run by Roger Linder. This was during Todd’s “have gun, will travel” tour which made a stop at the Carolina Theatre in Durham. I’m a bit surprised I gave a pretty positive spin of the concert since “Todd on stage all by his lonesome” is not really my cup of tea. I personally prefer to see him with a band. I’m pretty positive even Todd himself got sick of the “solo acoustic” type gigs since he stopped doing those types of shows after 2005.

Thankfully his return to the Carolina Theatre in November will be with a full band, the 1974-era UTOPIA no less. I’ll post more about the Utopia concert later on but first here’s my original review of Rundgren’s February 8, 2003 concert as found on the TRConnection.

enjoy.

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Todd Rundgren – February 8, 2003 at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC

I went into the show thinking that since this was the last official stop on his winter mini tour-of-the-south that I’d have a better chance in seeing a more polished Todd show this time around (you know, Todd had the whole tour to “practice” the piano) Well, better luck next time I guess. The show was pretty much typical Todd in terms of piano flubs, forgotten lyrics and technical difficulties.

Todd started out well performing Love of the Common Man but had to stop mid-way through due to breaking THREE guitar strings. He had this “oh no not again!” look on his face since something similar to this happened the night before in charlotte. It seemed that Todd had a rough time recovering from this initial incident the rest of the night which may explain the shorter set list compared to other stops on this tour. some notable songs MIA this night: Love In Action, Black and White, Hawking, It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference and There Goes My Inspiration. I didn’t get a good read on Todd tonight. Couldn’t tell if he was glad this was the last stop on this leg of the tour and was eager to move on or if he felt this was an “off night” and decided not to push his luck by playing more than he had to. Todd wasn’t that chatty tonight which was kind of a bummer as well. The show was over by 10:30pm which was just TOO early. I was waiting for him to play on….. at least to hear him sing Hawking. But just my luck, it wasn’t meant to be this night.

Even with all the flubs and mind farts, I still enjoyed the show (yes, i know it surprised me too). There were several moments of pure bliss where Todd would sing a line so sweet and perfect, it’d take you to another place and time. Those moments really made the show for me. highlights for me include: tonight’s version of Compassion (spine tingling), the mp3-backed bossa nova set (although the abrupt way the “with a twist” instrumentals end is kinda jarring…..I wish he’d modify the tracks…), a sweet version of I Don’t Want to Tie you Down, Love of the Common Man (in the second run through of the song, Todd seems real determined to get it right this time and he definitely came through!), a solid performance of Cliche and the Wheel, and a surprisingly enjoyable version of Bang on the Ukelele Daily (personally I think I was more receptive to it tonight mainly b/c it came after the crash and burn of Hello It’s Me on piano.)

Overall Todd’s voice sounded great. And at times he seemed to really get into it. lowlights: in addition to the cring-worthy performance of Hello It’s Me, Todd barely made it through A Dream Goes On Forever. Afterwards Todd remarked that he couldn’t let the night end like that so he strapped on the guitar one last time to send us home with One World. I was pleasantly surprised that he sang “Chapel Hill to Tokyo!!” in the song since I live there. cool!

As for the venue: kudos to whoever booked this tour. they picked some great places for Todd to play and the Carolina Theatre is definitely one of them. pretty intimate and great sound. And I was real glad to see such a great turnout. The place was packed. A big thanks to the management of the Carolina Theatre, STAR-FM and the News and Observer for getting the word out about Todd’s show. I think it made a big difference in terms of the size of the crowd.

Another highlight of the evening came early on: the opening act (an acapella group from NC State) ended their set with a great version of Todd’s Hodja.

To sum up: even though the show wasn’t as polished as I had hoped, I still came out of the theater with a big smile on my face. Thanks Todd. Come back and visit soon!!! (actually that just might be the case since Todd announced last night that Rex will be playing with the Greensboro Bats this season which is about an hour away from Chapel Hill! cool!)

Weird Al Yankovic – Durham Performing Arts Center October 2011 review

retroDan — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:44:53 +0000

I took the kids to see Weird Al Yankovic at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) this past sunday. Just want to make it clear that I went to the concert for MY KIDS. Certainly not for myself since I’m a sophisticated music blogger and all. *ahem*. …OK, who am I kidding? Weird Al and his band put on a great live show and the kids and *I* had a blast. There I said it. I enjoyed the Weird Al show, OK? Why should I feel embarrassed for admitting that? The guy is a pop culture icon. Yankovic has managed to sustain a 30 year career out of making song parodies. I mean, he’s outlasted a long, long list of bands and artists that have come and gone over the years. Plus he’s got his live shows down to a science – which includes lights, video screens, a couple cheerleaders, stormtroopers, Darth Vader and a slew of costume changes.

Yankovic’s show is a well-oiled machine that’s scripted, well-rehearsed and synchronized with the video feeds. So there’s not much spontaneity here but in the world of Weird Al, there’s no need for such things. OK, ok, fans might argue that Weird Al does alternate playing “You Make Me” with “Frank’s 2000 inch TV” from show to show and he mentions a local coffee shop during his spiel in “Craigslist” but they’d be missing the point. A Yankovic concert is more like a broadway musical than say a Phish concert where setlists differ from gig to gig.

But enough about that. All that really matters is that the kids and I enjoyed seeing Weird Al. His fans pretty much packed the DPAC which holds around 2,500. Luckily we got our tickets early and were close enough to get splashed with water during his Nirvana spoof and be able to notice his double-chin becoming unglued at the end of “Fat”.

I love all his rap parodies so I was delighted to see him do “Another Tattoo”, “Amish Paradise” and “White and Nerdy”. The Star Wars encore was another highlight of course. The “oldies” Medley hit all the right notes but I personally would have like a few more “oldies” in the setlist. Another memorable bit was during “Wanna B Ur Lovr” where Yankovic, dressed up in a tiger-striped suit, went around and air-grinded a few “lucky” women in the audience.

With all the wardrobe changes the guy has to do each night, I have to say that Al sure does work hard for his fans. Oh, and big props to his band – Steve Jay, Jon Bermuda Schwartz, Ruben Valtierra and Jim West. they can pull off any genre with ease which isn’t as easy as it looks. they sounded pretty tight.

All in all, a fun night out with my kids. I’d definitely catch Yankovic again the next time he comes through. And after seeing all the grinning faces at the end of the night, I’m pretty sure most if not all would do the same.

retroGrade: A

Weird Al Yankovic
October 9, 2011
Durham Performing Arts Center

setlist:
Polka Face
You Make Me
TMZ
Smells Like Nirvana
Skipper Dan
Party In The CIA
CNR
Canadian Idiot
Wanna B Ur Lovr
Medley (Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies, Whatever You Like, Another Tattoo, Ebay, I Want A New Duck, Theme From Rocky XIII, Spam, My Bologna, Ode To A Superhero, Lasagna, Eat It)
Amish Paradise
Craigslist
Perform This Way
White And Nerdy
Fat
encore:
The Saga Begins
Yoda

be sure to catch Yankovic on one of the remaining dates of his 2011 tour:
Fri 10/14/11 New Bedford, MA Zeiterion Performing Arts Center
Sat 10/15/11 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
Sun 10/16/11 Concord, NH Capitol Center For The Arts
Tue 10/18/11 Albany, NY Palace Theatre
Wed 10/19/11 Washington, DC Warner Theatre
Fri 10/21/11 Morristown, NJ Mayo Performing Arts Center
Sat 10/22/11 Huntington, NY Paramount Theatre
Sun 10/23/11 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
Wed 11/02/11 San Luis Obispo, CA Christopher Cohan Center
Fri 11/04/11 Santa Cruz, CA University Of California
Sat 11/05/11 Reno, NV Grand Sierra Resort Theatre
Sun 11/06/11 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
Mon 11/07/11 Santa Rosa, CA Wells Fargo Center For The Arts
Wed 11/09/11 Modesto, CA Gallo Center For The Arts
Fri 11/11/11 Anaheim, CA City National Grove Of Anaheim
Sat 11/12/11 Los Angeles, CA Pantages Theatre

or purchase his live DVD – Weird Al Yankovic – The Alpocalypse Tour, which recently hit the stores.

Lindsey Buckingham – Carolina Theatre of Durham – 2011 concert review

retroDan — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:33:18 +0000

Rock icon Lindsey Buckingham performed at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC this past saturday as part of his 2011 Seeds We Sow tour. I have to admit that I wasn’t all that excited before the show since I learned that the setlist didn’t feature some of my personal favorites from “Gift of Screws” and “Out of the Cradle”. But whatever issues I had with the setlist quickly went out the window once the man took the stage. I didn’t realize what a powerful performer Buckingham is. Yes, the guy is a virtuoso on guitar but his dynamic vocal abilities really brought the house down. It was amazing to see and hear how he fully commits to songs like “Go Insane”, “Never Going Back Again” or “Big Love”. Buckingham put so much passion and emotion into those performances, you ended up wondering if the guy was gonna literally pass out on stage. How the hell he could give 110% like that, over and over again at every show is beyond me. Big props to Buckingham because I consider that a rare talent these days.

After doing the first five songs solo, Buckingham brought out the rest of the band – Brett Tuggle, Neale Heywood and Walfredo Reyes. the guys did a fantastic job recreating the new songs on stage. In fact, some of these versions are even better than their recorded counterpart. “Stars are Crazy” and “Illumination” are two that come to mind.

I also noticed that Reyes was playing a Roland electronic drum kit. I’m guessing that it was Buckingham’s decision to use electronic drums but whatever the case may be, I personally missed the hard “thwack” of a real snare on rockers like “I’m So Afraid” and “Go Your Own Way”. oh well, I guess that’s just me.

Buckingham shared a few stories in between numbers which was a nice touch. From all the years of performing live, Buckingham seems to be very at ease on stage. The way he spoke to the crowd was very natural and didn’t seemed forced. He definitely made a connection with the audience which for some other performers is a hard thing to do (i.e. Eric Clapton).

As for the newly renovated Carolina Theatre – I love seeing shows in this venue. It’s a very intimate setting with not a bad seat in the house. Oh, and with the parking deck right across the street, getting in and out of the place is never a problem. plus the folks at the theatre are always polite and friendly. a big thumbs up to the Carolina Theatre and I wish the venue much success with the upcoming lineup of shows. as a matter of fact, I’ll be coming back for the Todd Rundgren/Utopia show next month!

I do have to mention a weird thing that happened with the sound toward the end of the concert. I’m not sure if the sound team were simply testing out the limits of the new sound system or what but the overall volume got extremely loud (which resulted in a muddy, almost distorted mix) for the last few songs. It was pretty noticeable since the sound mix was pretty much perfect up until that point.

highlights of the evening included: “Stars Are Crazy” (way better than the recorded version), “Big Love” (yes, he’s played this version for years but it always packs a big whallop!), “Illumination”, “Trouble” (love the acoustic rendition), “I’m So Afraid” (love the long drawn out guitar solo)

retroGrade: A+

Lindsey Buckingham
October 1, 2011
Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC

setlist:
Shut us Down
Go Insane
Trouble
Never Going Back Again
Big Love

Under the Skin
All My Sorrows
In Our Own Time
Illumination
Second Hand News
Tusk
Stars Are Crazy
End of Time
The Way Love Goes
I’m So Afraid
Go Your Own Way

Turn It On
Treason
Seeds We Sow

here are the remaining dates of Lindsey’s 2011 tour. Catch him while you still can!!

Tue 10/04/11 Fort Pierce, FL Sunrise Theatre
Wed 10/05/11 Clearwater, FL Capitol Theatre
Fri 10/07/11 Atlanta, GA Symphony Hall – Woodruff Arts Ctr.
Sun 10/09/11 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater
Wed 10/12/11 Phoenix, AZ Celebrity Theatre
Thu 10/13/11 Los Angeles, CA Royce Hall Auditorium
Fri 10/14/11 Las Vegas, NV Aliante Casino
Sat 10/15/11 Palm Desert, CA McCallum Theatre
Mon 10/17/11 Anaheim, CA City National Grove Of Anaheim
Tue 10/18/11 Turlock, CA Turlock Community Theatre
Wed 10/19/11 San Francisco, CA Regency Center
Sat 10/22/11 Vancouver, BC Centre In Vancouver For Perf. Arts
Sun 10/23/11 Shelton, WA Little Creek Casino
Tue 10/25/11 Napa, CA Uptown Theatre Napa
Sat 11/05/11 Salamanca, NY Event Center At Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel
Sun 11/06/11 Lorain, OH Lorain Palace Theatre
Sat 11/12/11 Salina, KS The Stiefel Theatre For Perf. Arts
Thu 12/08/11 Birmingham, United Kingdom Symphony Hall
Fri 12/09/11 Salford, United Kingdom The Lowry
Sun 12/11/11 Leeds, United Kingdom O2 Academy Leeds
Mon 12/12/11 Edinburgh, United Kingdom Usher Hall
Tue 12/13/11 Gateshead, United Kingdom The Sage Gateshead
Thu 12/15/11 Dublin, Ireland Olympia Theatre
Fri 12/16/11 Belfast, United Kingdom Belfast Waterfront
Sun 12/18/11 Southampton, United Kingdom Southampton Guildhall
Mon 12/19/11 London, United Kingdom London Palladium

purchase Songs from the Small Machine (the new DVD) and Seeds We Sow via CDUniverse!

The Bangles – Sweetheart of the Sun (2011) – review

retroDan — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:52:04 +0000

The new album Sweetheart of the Sun by the Bangles is out in stores today. The new release is the follow-up to their 2003 Doll Revolution album. But for some, Sweetheart of the Sun may feel like a follow-up to Matthew Sweet’s collaboration with Susanna Hoffs (Under the Covers Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) especially since Sweet co-produced & engineered the record and all. The loose, retro vibe carried over from the Under the Covers sessions is a natural fit for a band like the Bangles since they’ve always been heavily influenced by 60′s rock.

Hoffs, Vicki Peterson and Debbi Peterson have never sounded more relaxed and comfortable than they do here. Maybe without the pressures of a major label, the band is finally free to create music for themselves and not for high-volume sales. Introspective lyrics, jangly guitars and sweet three-part harmonies, all make for a lovely listen. The girls hook you in with the tuneful opening chords of “Anna Lee” and won’t let you go until 40 minutes later with the lingering notes at the end of their Todd Rundgren cover, “Open My Eyes”.

It’s great to see this group back together again after the long hiatus but I do have to admit that I miss the presence of original bassist Michael Steele. but it is what it is. And you may not be aware of this but this year marks the 30th anniversary of the band! holy cow!

highlights include: Anna Lee, Under a Cloud, I’ll Never Be Through With You, Circles in the Sky

retroGrade: B+

The Bangles
Sweetheart of the Sun
released: September 27, 2011
label: Model Music Group
the Bangles are: Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson and Debbi Peterson
produced by The Bangles and Matthew Sweet

TRACK LISTING
1 Anna Lee (Sweetheart of the Sun) 3:30
2 Under a Cloud 4:07
3 Ball N Chain 3:51
4 I’ll Never Be Through with You 3:40
5 Mesmerized 3:46
6 Circles in the Sky 4:04
7 Sweet and Tender Romance 2:11
8 Lay Yourself Down 3:23
9 One of Two 3:39
10 What a Life 3:22
11 Through Your Eyes 3:50
12 Open My Eyes 3:00

also be sure to catch the band live:
10/01/2011 Theatre of Living Arts- Philly, PA
10/03/2011 Highline Ballroom – NYC
10/04/2011 Wilbur Theatre – Boston, MA
10/05/2011 The Stone Pony – Asbury Park, NJ
10/06/2011 9:30 Club – Washington DC
10/08/2011 The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
10/09/2011 Egyptian Room – Indianapolis, IN
10/10/2011 House of Blues – Chicago, IL
10/11/2011 Fine Line Music Cafe – Minneapolis, MN
10/22/2011 Texas State Fair
11/05/2011 Showbox at the Market – Seattle, WA
11/06/2011 Roseland Theatre – Portland, OR
11/08/2011 The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
11/09/2011 House of Blues – Los Angeles, CA
11/10/2011 House of Blues – San Diego, CA
11/12/2011 House Of Blues – Anaheim, CA

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