Category: Concert review

Concert capsule: Lucinda Williams

by thedailyrecord, posted in Concert review, review

By Joel Francis
The Daily Record

Concert capsules are immediate, extemporaneous pieces; less a review and more a reaction.

I’ve never seen a show like this before.

Shortly after 8 p.m., Lucinda Williams shuffled onstage with a warning: she’d suffered a stroke and wouldn’t be playing guitar. The evening would also incorporate stories about her songs, drawing on Williams’ recent (excellent) memoir. Seated in a chair, the stories tended to ramble and the vocals were feeble.

More than two and a half hours later, (nearly as long as Beyoncé’s set at Arrowhead last week) Williams was standing, tearing through “Joy” with youthful vigor. How did this happen?

Buick 6, Williams’ stellar four-piece backing band, and the crowd at the Uptown Theater deserve most of the credit. Buick 6 handled missed vocal cues and lapses with ease, keeping the song going until Williams could climb back in.

The comfortably crowded audience was pin-drop silent during the stories and demonstratively supportive when Williams faltered or questioned if she was doing a good job (which happened several times). The audience never left her side, shouting encouragement at the right times and patiently allowing one of the most accomplished songwriters of her generation to do her thing.

The set list contained deep cuts, such as “Pineola” and “Crescent City,” Bob Dylan and Hank Williams covers and favorites “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” and “Those Three Days.”

Keep reading:

Catching up with the Hot Club of Cowtown

Social Distancing Spins – Days 62-65 (includes a review of Lucinda’s album Good Souls, Better Angels)

Social Distancing Spins – Day 12 (includes a review of Lucinda’s album World Without Tears)

Beyonce and Bob Dylan (in just 24 hours)

by thedailyrecord, posted in Concert review, review

By Joel Francis
The Daily Record

It’s been 48 hours since my sister and I experienced what one friend called the Barbenheimer of concerts. On Sunday, Oct. 1 we saw the final show of Beyonce’s Renaissance tour at Arrowhead Stadium. The next night, we caught the second performance of Bob Dylan’s two-night tour opener at the Midland Theater.

The two experiences were as dichotomous as you would expect. Beyoncé continues to operate at the peak of her powers as an artist and performer. The nearly three-hour show didn’t start until almost 10 p.m. and was a feast for the senses, including a massive high-definition video screen as wide as a football field.

Dylan started promptly at 8 p.m. and left the stage one hour and 45 minutes later, just a few minutes shy of 24 hours after Beyoncé’s start. His stage was austere, consisting of a few lamps, mainly decorated with a line of road cases along the back of the stage, resting impatiently in front of an unadorned black brick wall.

At 82 years old, Dylan’s glory days are clearly behind him. He led a four-piece band from behind a baby grand piano. His voice, never sonorous, was surprisingly clear in the mix. Dylan thanked the crowd several times between songs. It was clear these shows were special to him.

There were several moments when despite playing together for years, Dylan and his band failed to gel. Momentum would hiccup in the transition between chorus and verse, or never quite materialize at all. Dylan also hit quite a few bum notes on his piano, which was prominent in the clean mix.

This isn’t to denigrate Dylan’s performance in any way. A late-set delivery of “Mother of Muses” was captivating. Other strong moments included a completely rearranged “Gotta Serve Somebody” and the classic “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” A version of “To Be Alone With You” showed the influence of Little Richard.

If there is one through-line between Dylan and Beyoncé’s performances it is a commitment to new material. Dylan played all but one song from his latest album, Rough and Rowdy Ways. Beyoncé delivered all 16 songs from Renaissance. Fans hoping to hear classics from Blood on the Tracks or hits “Halo” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” were out of luck.

The Houston-born diva sprinkled “Love on Top,” “Drunk on Love” and a shortened version of “Formation” among her 37-song set.

One of the night’s strongest moments came when Beyoncé introduced her daughter Blue Ivy at the end of “Run the World (Girls).” The 11-year-old had no problem picking up her mother’s metaphorical baton, dancing with a skill that showed she has probably been working with choreographers since before she could walk.

Renaissance is a celebration of positivity that embraces all body shapes, colors, genders and orientations. A stadium filled with fans that heeded Queen Bey’s call to wear something silver shimmied and sparkled along with Renaissance’s resilient disco beats as costumes, sets and props changed throughout the night.

As Sunday marched proudly into Monday, Beyoncé’s troupe seemed indefatigable. The sensory smorgasbord concluded with a trailer for the upcoming movie made from the tour. A promise of more to come. The concert was ending, but the performance would be immortal.

Dylan, in contrast, walked humbly out from behind his piano at the conclusion of a moving rendition of “Every Grain of Sand.” He stood slightly stage right of center and soaked in the applause for a few moments before humbly bowing and ambling offstage. There was no encore. No guarantee his once seemingly never-ending tour would carry him back through town. This may not have been goodbye, but it felt a lot like farewell.

Keep reading:

Review: Bob Dylan

Powerful songs help move protest music back in mainstream

The True Story of Cadillac Records (Part Three): The Final Days and Legacy of Chess Records

Concert capsule: Ben Folds

by thedailyrecord, posted in Concert review, review

By Joel Francis
The Daily Record

Concert capsules are immediate, extemporaneous pieces; less a review and more a reaction.

I’ve seen Ben Folds a little more than a half-dozen times in several configurations, but last night’s show at the Uptown Theater was easily the best performance I’ve seen him give.
Opening act Tall Heights also served as part of Folds’ band (that’s them on the riser in the back). Including an acoustic guitar and cello added fresh textures to the songs and opened new avenues for instrumental interplay.

The sold-out crowd was also on point, effortlessly handling Regina Spektor’s part on “You Don’t Know Me” and nailing the three-part harmony on “Not the Same,” a Folds staple.

While nearly half of the 90-minute set drew from What Matters Most, Folds’ first album of new material in eight years, the crowd stayed engaged and enthusiastic.

For the encore, Folds returned with a solo version of “Zak and Sara,” with a little harmony help from High Trees on the last verse and chorus. This lead into two more songs from Folds’ solo debut, now more than 20 years old. A gentle “Still Fighting It” gave way to a raucous singalong on “Anne Waits.”

Keep reading:

Review: Ben Folds

Review: Devo (with Ben Folds and Silversun Pickups)

Social Distancing Spins – Day 45 (spotlighting a rare Ben Folds 7″, among others)

Review: David Rawlings Machine

by thedailyrecord, posted in Concert review, Kansas City Star, review

(Above: The David Rawlings Machine perform the always-poignant medley of Rawlings’ “I Hear Them All” and Woody Guthrie’s timeless “This Land is Your Land” at musical celebration of the film “Inside Llelywn Davis” in 2014.)

By Joel Francis
The Kansas City Star

Folk music simultaneously looks back nostalgically at a bygone era while looking hopefully ahead at a better tomorrow. It’s a tricky tightrope to walk without becoming antiseptic and corny or preachy and naive.

With a repertoire that included an old-time telegraph man, a pretty, young mountain girl and several appearances by Old Scratch, David Rawlings showed Friday night at the Folly Theatre why he is one of today’s most sought-after folk artists.

The two-hour concert (with half-hour intermission) was Rawlings’ second performance at the Folly in a year. Overall, it was Rawlings fourth show in the area in as many years. Or as Gillian Welch, Rawlings’ partner and musical foil put it, “the rest of the country is not seeing us that often.”

daverawlingsmachinecolorThe first set was heavy on material from Rawlings’ just-released third album. Across the course of the night, he’d perform all but one of it’s tracks. While the songs aren’t as road-tested, they had a knack for seeming instantly familiar. By the end of several numbers, the crowd was quietly singing along, even if they were hearing them for the first time.

Old favorites dotted the opening half as well. Welch took lead vocals on “Wayside/Back in Time” from her 2003 release “Soul Journey.” That was followed by Rawlings’ early collaboration with Ryan Adams, “To Be Young (Is to be Sad, Is to be High),” introduced as a “song older than some of the instruments onstage.”

For their encore performance at the Folly, Rawlings and Welch brought the same musicians who backed them last year. Guitarist Willie Weeks, formerly of Old Crow Medicine Show, bass player Paul Kowert from the Punch Brothers and violinist extraordinaire Brittany Haas completed the ensemble.

In a group of world-class musicians, Haas stood out. Her fiddle provided a melodic counterpoint to Welch and Rawlings’ vocal harmonies and frequently drew mid-song applause, especially on “Short-Haired Woman Blues.”

The mournful “Lindsey Button” sounded like a lost Appalachian hymn until Haas started plucking her violin along to Rawlings’ solo, turning the performance into a minuet. Later, the ensemble returned to the classical motif on “Pilgrim (You Can’t Go Home)” as two fiddles and Kowert’s bowed bass accompanied Rawlings’ guitar.

Other high points included a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Queen Jane Approximately” which featured a virtuosic Rawlings guitar solo that quoted “Midnight Rider.” Paradoxically, the solemn “Guitar Man” implored the crowd to “hear the band” and “clap your hands,” but Rawlings’ longing vocals and the band’s arrangement made it sound like they were looking at a faded photo and wistfully remembering something from long ago.

A medley of Rawlings’ original “I Hear Them All” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” has become the emotional centerpiece of the set. The pairing sadly never loses relevance, but seemed especially poignant in light of current turbulence and earned a standing ovation.

During “It’s Too Easy,” Welch swished her dress back and forth, dancing in place as Haas’ and Watson’s fiddles dueled. It seemed like the end of the night, but after another group bow, Rawlings reached back toward his guitar. After playing something Rawlings confessed they had been rehearsing at sound check, the night ended with all five musicians huddled around a single microphone. As the quintet sang “Didn’t Leave Nobody But the Baby” a capella, the audience provided percussive accompaniment with claps and stomps.

Keep reading:

Review: Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

Review: Bob Dylan

Review: Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle

Review: Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs

by thedailyrecord, posted in Concert review, Kansas City Star, review

(Above: As he has done countless time through the years, Michael McDonald relishes “Takin’ to the Streets” on June 17, 2017 at the Kauffman Center in Kansas City, Mo.)

By Joel Francis
The Kansas City Star

Michael McDonald has enough hits in his five-decade career to please fans for days. On Saturday night at the Kauffman Center, the celebrated songwriter boldly chose to devote nearly half his set to introduce songs from his upcoming album.

The strength of the material rewarded McDonald’s decision. Although the songs were new, many sounded instantly familiar and blended well with the classic numbers. “Free Your Mind” had a funky Haight-Ashbury feel, while the slow blues “Just Strong Enough” featured several great solos from McDonald’s six-piece band. The upbeat “If You Really Wanted to Hurt Me,” perhaps the best of the bunch, found McDonald’s unintroduced backing vocalist signing along off-mic and dancing and clapping across the stage.

IMG_IMG_Michael_McDonald_2_1_2353JDV3_L135136365Enough hits from McDonald’s days with the Doobie Brothers and solo career were sprinkled throughout the 90-minute set to keep the audience engaged, even if they didn’t find their feet until “What a Fool Believes” near the end of the night.

Opening act Boz Scaggs took the opposite tack, delivering more than half of his bestselling “Silk Degrees” album. The 1976 smooth soul album sold 5 million copies and generated four Top 40 singles, which delivered the biggest cheers of the night.

Mixed among the familiar tunes were several covers, including Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell” and Li’l Millet’s “Rich Woman.” Scaggs dedicated the former to “my favorite Missouri musician. Well, him and Miles (Davis), anyway.” The latter featured a honking sax riff and swampy feel that betrayed the song’s Louisiana origin and Scaggs’ Southern upbringing.

Both men were chatty, setting up less-familiar numbers with anecdotes about their inspiration. McDonald took the stage talking about growing up in St. Louis, and how when some of his relatives had too much to drink they’d end up driving to Kansas City.

A pair of blues songs provided the most compelling moments in Scaggs’ 85-minute set. “Some Change” was inspired by the kind of change that “seems to come along every four years” and featured some of Scaggs’ best guitar playing. The burning “Loan Me a Dime” gave all five band members plenty of time to stretch out and solo across its 10 minutes.

McDonald sent the mostly full room home happy with a gospel version of his first, and in many ways defining, Doobie Brothers hit, “Takin’ It Too the Streets.” The song opened with piano and organ gradually giving way to the full band and the admonition to let peace, love and justice rule.

Boz Scaggs setlist: It’s Over, Jojo, Rich Woman, Some Change, You Never Can Tell, Harbor Lights, Georgia, Cadillac Walk, Look What You’ve Done to Me, Lowdown, Lido Shuffle. Encore: What Can I Say, Loan Me a Dime.

Michael McDonald setlist: It Keeps You Runnin’, Sweet Freedom, Free Your Mind, I Keep Forgettin’, Find It In Your Heart, If You Wanted to Hurt Me, Just Strong Enough, Here to Love You, Beautiful Child, Half Truth, Minute by Minute, On My Own, What A Fool Believes, Takin’ It To the Streets.

Keep reading:

Review: Cheap Trick, Peter Frampton

Review: Bob Seger

Review: Farm Aid

Review: Roger Waters

by thedailyrecord, posted in Concert review, Kansas City Star, review

(Above: “Dogs” and “Pigs” from the classic Pink Floyd album “Animals” captured Roger Waters’ disgust at the current political landscape.)

By Joel Francis
The Kansas City Star

As the lyrical and conceptual soul of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters’ music has helped define classic rock radio for nearly two generations.

Many of the songs Waters performed at his tour opener on Friday night at the Sprint Center are more than 40 years old but hold contemporary relevance in today’s fractured political landscape. In fact, his depraved, pessimistic views of humanity seem downright prescient.

Fans knew every note and syllable thanks to decades of continuous airplay, but Waters put the performances in a modern context by the films that accompanied the band on a huge screen that spanned the arena behind the stage. During the second act, another perpendicular screen was lowered over the floor.

LEDE REV ROGER WATERS 0114 SK 20The video for “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” was a devastating piece of anti-Donald Trump propaganda. Borrowing from the lyrics, the word “charade” splashed across the screens as unflattering illustrations of the commander-in-chief cycled in and out. During the long guitar solos, an inflatable sow wearing the phrase “piggy bank of war” flew over the crowd.

“Money” sustained the proletariat rage, as images of Trump’s failed casinos, Russian buildings and photos of Kremlin and cabinet officials accompanied the music.

A very few people headed for the exits – one man raised his middle finger to the stage while departing during “Money” – but they were easily outnumbered by fans raising their beers, singing along and reveling in the moment. “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” may have been the least subtle moment of the evening, but it also drew far more applause than any other non-radio track.

Waters got help from his 10-piece band, which included Kansas City native Gus Seyfort on bass and former Pink Floyd and The Who touring member Jon Carin on keyboards. Backing vocalists Holly Laessig and Jessica Wolfe stole the spotlight several times, including a duet on “Great Gig in the Sky” and the new song “Déjà Vu.” Dressed in platinum blonde wigs and black fringed dresses, the pair looked like Cleopatra as reimagined by Bryan Ferry.

The only material that didn’t come from the Floyd catalog were four new songs. All were well received and dealt with the same themes. Driven by piano and drums, “The Last Refugee” wouldn’t have been out of place on Waters’ previous solo album, 1992’s “Amused to Death.” Nestled near the end of the set, “Smell the Roses” emerged from a slinky guitar line and sounded like an outtake from Pink Floyd’s “Animals” album.

Ten local children lined the front of the stage during “Another Brick in the Wall.” After singing the familiar chorus, they shed their orange jumpsuits and danced around wearing black shirts that said resist. At the first notes of “Wish You Were Here,” seemingly every phone in the building was held aloft to capture every moment. The nostalgic ballad was a rare moment of reprieve from the scathing critiques and protests.

A similar moment arrived during the final song, “Comfortably Numb.” As Dave Kilminster tore into another guitar solo, Waters raised his hands and swayed back and forth. The crowd, bathed in soft lights and gently falling pink confetti, joined him. After nearly three hours of angry catharsis, it was time to heal.

Setlist: Breathe, One of These Days, Time > Breathe (reprise), Great Gig in the Sky, Welcome to the Machine, Déjà vu (new song), The Last Refugee (new song), Picture That (new song), Wish You Were Here, The Happiest Days of Our Lives > Another Brick in the Wall (parts two and three). Intermission. Dogs, Pigs (Three Different Ones), Money, Us and Them, Smell the Roses (new song), Brain Damage, Eclipse, band introduction, Vera > Bring the Boys Back Home, Comfortably Numb.

Keep reading:

Shine on Rick Wright

Jeff Beck relishes “Commotion”

Review: Prophets of Rage

Review: Banks and Steelz

by thedailyrecord, posted in Concert review, review

(Above: The RZA and Paul Banks tear down the Tank Room in Kansas City, Mo. with “Giant.” The frenetic performance literally had the floor shaking.) 

By Joel Francis
The Kansas City Star

As the guitarist and singer for Interpol and mastermind behind the Wu-Tang Clan, Paul Banks and the RZA, a.k.a. Bobby Steelz, have filled and commanded spaces far bigger than the intimate Tank Room. Wednesday night, the duo treated a sold-out crowd to a masterful mashup of indie rock and hip-hop.

The seemingly disparate musical approaches have driven each artist to deliver some of their best work. On party tracks like “Sword in the Stone,” Banks’ soulful indie rock chorus played off RZA’s aggressive verses. Other times, formula reversed itself when RZA’s insistent contribution punctuated Banks moody vocals.

banks-steelzThe hourlong set comprised all but one song of the duo’s debut album, and ignored their other groups. The night started with the soulful yet ominous “Point of View” before exploding with “Ana Electronic.” Fans may not have been able to sing every word, but they had no problem swaying to the beat.

The room reached fever pitch with “Giant,” the album’s lead track, which has been generating airplay and online buzz. As Banks sang “everything is shaking through the walls” on the chorus, the floor was literally pulsing with the rhythms of everyone dancing.

RZA took the stage holding a large bottle of vodka. After several liberal pulls, he distributed cups along the front row and filled them before passing the bottle into the crowd. Later in the show, he popped open a bottle of champagne and sprayed the room.

A woman on the front row and her companion were singled out by RZA to set up “Can’t Hardly Feel,” a song about loving someone who belongs to another.

While the RZA had the flash and energy to command attention, it was in moments like this that Banks quietly stole the spotlight. His plaintive tenor drove not only “Can’t Hardly Feel,” but the philosophical “One by One” and the potent “Speedway Sonora.”

Walkmen drummer Matt Barrick supported the duo, turning the group into an all-star trio. His tight bossa nova rhythms anchored the song “Wild Season” and showed why RZA later called him the human drum machine. The three stretched out instrumentally only once, during “Conceal,” when Banks’ lengthy guitar solo gave way to RZA’s keyboard/organ.

Setlist: Point of View, Ana Electronic, Love and War, Sword in the Stone, Wild Season, Conceal, Speedway Sonora, One By One, Can’t Hardly Feel, Giant, Anything but Words.

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Peter, Bjorn and John Heart Hip Hop

 

Review: Local Natives

by thedailyrecord, posted in Concert review, review

(Above: Local Natives embrace “Villany,” one of several standout tunes performed during a swift, damp autumn concert at Crossroads KC in Kansas City, Mo.)

By Joel Francis
The Kansas City Star

With thunderstorms looming on the Doppler radar Saturday night, indie rockers Local Natives took the stage ahead of schedule and wrapped up before the weather portion of the local news aired. No umbrellas were needed.

Crossroads KC was about a third full, with most of the crowd standing comfortably in front of the sound tent.

0926 rev local natives 0924The Southern California quartet expertly generates songs that serve as atmospheric pieces with anthemic vocals. Their sound recalls the National and Fleet Foxes, with a splash of Radiohead and Talking Heads. Electronic textures compliment the soaring, earnest vocals and make the music both easy to dance to and sing with.

The versatile musicians traded roles frequently throughout the night, performing in front of a white curtain, frequently backlit and visible only as silhouettes. The lighting was even more dramatic when the wind whipped through the curtain.

While the scope was cinematic, the songs were compact. It took the band just 80 minutes to deliver 17 songs. “Coins” opened with a funky stop-start rhythm that lifted a lot of hands into the air. Opening act Charlotte Day Wilson joined the band for a duet of “Dark Days.” She danced at her mic between verses, relishing the moment.

One of the night’s most powerful moments came on “Colombia.” Accompanied only by his guitar and Taylor Rice on piano, Kelcey Ayer sang about his mother’s death. The somber moment hovered as the rest of the band returned to the stage for the crescendo.

Somehow, that number segued into “Fountain of Youth,” a poppy new song that references a female president and bounces with a chorus of “We can do whatever we want.” Although the songs were polar opposites, the journey was flawless.

Local Natives’ third album, “Sunlit Youth” was released a little more than two weeks ago, but the crowd seemed familiar with the material. Several of its songs — including “Villany” — drew generous responses. The set list was pretty much split between new songs and material from “Hummingbird,” the group’s second album. A few songs from their 2009 debut were included for good measure.

One of those early songs ended the night on discordant and satisfying note. With Nik Ewing’s bass galloping over noisy guitars, “Sun Hands” recalled “Boy”-era U2. The most boisterous and least contained number of the night ended with low feedback — and rainclouds — hanging in the air as the band waved goodnight.

Setlist: Past Lives; Wide Eyes; Villany; You and I; Breakers; Mother Emmanuel; Airplanes; Ceilings; Heavy Feet; Coins; Dark Days (with Charlotte Day Wilson); Masters; Colombia; Fountain of Youth; Who Knows Who Cares. Encore:Sea of Years; Sun Hands.

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Review: TV on the Radio

Middle of the Map 2013

Review: Devotchka

 

Review: Prophets of Rage

by thedailyrecord, posted in Concert review, review

(Above: Supergroup Prophets of Rage “Shut ’em Down” on Labor Day 2016 in Kansas City, Mo. Guitarist Tom Morello dedicated the song to the late Thomas Young, a Kansas City native and Iraq war veteran who was the subject of the documentary “Body of War.”) 

By Joel Francis
The Kansas City Star

For nearly two relentless hours at Providence Amphitheater in Bonner Springs on Monday night, supergroup Prophets of Rage made good on their promise to make America rage again.

Frustrated by all presidential candidates and the current political landscape, three quarters of Rage Against the Machine, rapper B-Real from Cypress Hill and MC Chuck D and DJ Lord from Public Enemy came together to protest through very loud, antagonistic music.

The set list drew from everyone’s catalog, but it leaned heavily on Rage Against the Machine material. B-Real and Chuck D alternated lead vocals from song to song, for the most part; each man took the lead on his own group’s material.

Prophets Of Rage Perform At The Hollywood PalladiumIt took both to make up for the absence of Rage Against the Machine singer Zack de la Rocha. Although accomplished vocalists in their own right, the pair lacked de la Rocha’s aggression.

The three instrumentalists (and DJ) had more than enough firepower to overcome any minor vocal shortcomings. Throughout its heyday in the 1990s, Rage Against the Machine functioned with unblinking intensity, both musically and in its left-wing, populist politics.

Those elements were front and center all night. The only time the show backed off the throttle was for a medley of Public Enemy and Cypress Hill songs, halfway through. Backed only by DJ Lord onstage, Chuck D and B-Real waded into the crowd to deliver a handful of hits. B-Real even delivered “Insane in the Brain” while crowd surfing.

Several of the night’s biggest numbers came from Rage Against the Machine’s first, self-titled album, now more than 20 years old. “Bullet in the Head” inspired a several sizable pockets of moshing. The material only showed its age when B-Real rapped about “moving into ’92” on “Know Your Enemy,” and one realized a lyric’s venom was directed at the first Gulf War.

Early in the night, the band pulled off a neat trick, pairing the music for “Cochise” with the lyrics from “She Watches Channel Zero.” Another later attempt proved less successful when the music from the Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep ’Till Brooklyn” was set against “Fight the Power.”

prophets-of-rageAmid all the familiar material flying around, the group sneaked a new song into the set. “The Party’s Over” received no official announcement, but blended well and kept the crowd moving.

Rage’s Tom Morello is one of the most innovative guitarists of his generation. His style combines avant-noise techniques with turntable cutting and scratching and rock melodies.

The crowd was treated to several extended guitar solos. During a cover of Public Enemy’s “Shut ’Em Down,” Chuck D directed Morello and DJ Lord through call-and-response solos.

On “Testify,” Morello’s solo was generated by mashing the plug from his guitar cord around in his palm. When Morello flipped up his guitar to play with his teeth on “Brooklyn,” he revealed a large “Nobody for President” sign taped to the back of his instrument.

The amphitheater was far from full. The lawn was closed off and there were plenty of empty seats. The opening notes of “Run” sent many fans scrambling to their seats to catch Awolnation’s set. Their 45-minute performance included hits “Burn It Down,” “Sail” and “Kill Your Heroes.” Rage bass player Tim Commerford opened the night with a set from his prog/punk trio Wakrat.

Setlist: Prophets of Rage; Guerrilla Radio; Bombtrack; Cochise/She Watches Channel Zero; People of the Sun; Miuzi Weighs a Ton; Take the Power Back; Rock Superstar; Testify; Medley: Hand on the Pump/Can’t Truss It/Insane in the Brain/Bring the Noise/I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That/Welcome to the Terrordome/Jump Around > Sleep Now in the Fire; Calm Like a Bomb; Bullet in the Head; Shut ‘Em Down; Know Your Enemy; Party’s Over; No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn/Fight the Power; Bulls on Parade; Killing in the Name.

Keep reading

Review: Rage Rocks the Bells

Chuck D looks forward in reverse

Bruce Springsteen and Tom Morello – “The Ghost of Tom Joad”

 

 

Review: Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle

by thedailyrecord, posted in Concert review
(Above: Shawn Colvin, left, and Steve Earle implore listeners to “Tell Moses.”)

By Joel Francis
The Daily Record

With all the smiles, stories and strumming, Steve Earle and Shawn Colvin’s performance Wednesday night at the Kauffman Center seemed like very upscale busking.

The two artists stood on an all-black stage adorned with four monitors, one table, four guitars and two mandolins.

The concept was as straightforward as the setup. Over the course of 100 minutes, the pair performed ever song from their new collaboration, “Colvin and Earle” and scattered a couple of their own hits for good measure.

IMG_5969Despite nearly two dozen albums to their names, cover songs dominiated the setlist.

Earle introduced the Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday” by saying he learned how to play tennis racket to that song in front of a mirror. The spare arrangement brought Mick Jagger’s haunting lyrics to the forefront, particularly lines like “catch your dreams before they slip away.”

Other standout covers included Emmylou Harris’ “Raise the Dead” and the oft-recorded “Tobacco Road.” A laidback, almost effortless cover of “Wake Up Little Suzy” opened the night.

Before “Someday,” Earle told a long story, recapping his days as a Nashville songwriter trying to get a record deal, then fighting to get another when his debut single disappointed everyone. A friend took him to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on the “Born in the U.S.A.” tour, where Earle found inspiration to write his “Guitar Town” album. After success proved to be more of a struggle than failure, Earle fell into a spiral of drugs, only poking his head out of the darkness long enough to hear Harris recorded “Guitar Town” and Colvin cut “Someday.”

IMG_5974Despite a lack of drums (or band), the version of “Someday” that followed punched as hard as a metal band going full throttle.

Colvin bragged about all her depressing breakup songs, saying “I’ve known fans who won’t take their Prozac for a week before I come to town.” She backed up her words with her biggest hit, “Sonny Came Home,” and “Diamond in the Rough.” While most songs found Colvin and Earle playing off each other vocally, “Diamond” featured a long outro that saw the pair spar musically.

The auditorium was about two-thirds full, and needed little prompting to join in on Earle’s buoyant, mandolin-fueled “The Galway Girl.” The singing and clapping encouraged during “Tell Moses,” a new song, felt like an hootenanny.

After returning to the stage with a Beatles number, the pair closed the night with Earle’s biggest hit, “Copperhead Road.” Colvin got the chance to show off her guitar chops again on that one. With Earle playing mandolin, she had to provide all the song’s musical muscle.

Judging by the lines at the merchandise table afterward, it was more than enough to convince fans into throwing some more change in the hat on the way out.

Setlist: Wake Up Little Susie; Come What May; You Were On My Mind; Raise the Dead; Ruby Tuesday; Tobacco Road; That Don’t Worry Me Now; Someday; The Way That We Do; You’re Right (I’m Wrong); Burnin’ It Down; Sunny Came Home; The Galway Girl; Happy and Free; Tell Moses; You’re Still Gone. Encore: Baby’s In Black; Diamond in the Rough; Copperhead Road.

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