In 2004, Richard Marx won a Grammy award for Song of the Year for his collaboration with Luther Vandross on “Dance With My Father,” which would be Vandross’ last Top 40 hit before his death.  While Richard did not play the song as part of his performance with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra at the Stranahan Theater in Toledo last night (January 23, 2010), in many ways this performance seemed to offer Marx an opportunity to remember his father, Dick Marx, who passed away in 1997.

The show started with the orchestra playing a set of eight Elvis Presley tunes, arranged wonderfully into six compositions that made such classics as “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “Love MeTender” sound like they could have scored MGM films from the 1950s.  As conductor Steven Byess noted, the choice of Elvis for the opening set served well as a prelude for the main performance, as Richard Marx has claimed Elvis to have been a major influence on his own musical work.

After an intermission, the orchestra warmed the audience up, leading into Marx and his band, which included Marx’s friend and sometime collaborator Matt Scannell along with other members of Scannell’s band Vertical Horizon, taking the stage.  The set featuring both Marx’s band and the orchestra included a number of Marx’s most famous hits along with a couple of songs from Marx’s recent work and a song penned and sung by Scannell.

The opening string of four songs featuring both Marx and the orchestra, which were a string of rockers that included “Endless Summer Nights” and “Angelia,” made me a little concerned about what I was about to experience, as the band seemed to drown out the orchestra both musically and physically.  It felt a bit like a rock concert that happened to have some probably uncomfortable orchestra folks behind it, not the collaboration that I had hoped for.  This would happen once again later in the set, during a two-song section featuring “Take This Heart” and what is probably Marx’s best and most intricately written tune–”Should’ve Known Better”–during which the orchestra did not play.   Otherwise, though, the show got a lot better after that opening sequence, as many of the other numbers featured a much fuller collaboration between the band and the orchestra, particularly during performances like a cover of the Roberta Flack classic “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” a rendition of Marx’s well-known hit “Hazard,”  and a pulling out of the closet of the little-known but well-written song “Your World,” which Marx wrote after the birth of his first son and included on his Rush Street album.  The collaboration between band and orchestra seemed to climax well (as it should have) in the last two songs of the three-song encore.  First, as the orchestra led the way into Marx’s biggest hit–”Right Here Waiting”–Marx held his hands against his heart as if hearing the tune played by a live orchestra was a dream come true.  Then, the collaboration blew the audience away with a rendition of Marx’s first hit–”Don’t Mean Nothing”–featuring a profound brass arrangement for the orchestra that illustrated just how effective the collaboration between band and orchestra could be on an uptempo, rocking tune.

Beyond that, three other moments during the show seemed particularly effective in highlighting the band-orchestra collaboration, all of which connected back to Marx’s father:

The performance of “Through My Veins”–a tribute to Marx’s father that appears on his latest album, Emotional Remains–was terrifically arranged to highlight both band and orchestra.

The performance of the 1990 hit ”Children of Night”–a song, like “Your World,” that Marx admitted he has not played in concert in awhile and that features Marx’s father in its video–also brought out the best of both band and orchestra, particularly in the climax at the end of the song that offers a powerful brass line above a wall of sound.

And finally, in what I’d argue was the most poignant moment of the show, Marx and Scannell on acoustic guitars came together with the orchestra to render the original arrangement of Marx’s mid-1990s hit “Now and Forever.”  The piece was made poignant by the context behind it.  As Marx explained, he approached his father with this acoustic guitar line for the song and asked his father to arrange the piece from there.  His father’s arrangement was “note for note” what we heard in this performance.  As Marx introduced the piece, his swell of pride was noticeable as he spoke of his father, who began as a jazz pianast and arranger in Chicago but went on to write music in Hollywood, most notably as a jingle writer.  Indeed, Marx quickly sang the “two scoops” Raisin Bran jingle and the “Ask any mermaid …” Chicken of the Sea jingle for the audience, ending the last with a beaming smile as he declared, “My dad wrote that!”

That pride seemed emblematic of the entire night.  What better way for Richard Marx, the rock/lite rock musician and pop song writer, to pay homage to his father than to perform with a symphony orchestra?  Marx started off by saying that he and the band were scared “shmmmphless” about playing with an orchestra, but, in the end, Marx, Scannell, and the band held their own in a fitting tribute to Marx’s music, his father, and his musical heritage and influences.

I sometimes find myself mocked by “serious” rock music connoisseurs for how much I like Richard Marx.  While I understand that on the surface he might seem like just bubble-gum pop fare from the late 1980s and early 1990s, the thing that has drawn me to Richard Marx for more than two decades is the songwriting.  Marx has dedicated himself throughout his career–a career that has taken him from hard rock to R&B to country and now to the orchestra–to writing well-crafted songs, which is surely a consequence of his father’s influence.  Marx has also been blessed with the goods as a singer.  I saw him perform in October 1989 and then didn’t see him live again until a show in Hershey, Pennsylvania, this past May (which was the site for the picture above), followed by this performance in Toledo.  In 1989, I went home amazed at how much his voice sounded as crisp and clear as the album.  Twenty years later, I can still say the same thing.  At 46, the man can still belt it out with the best of them.  Given that, a chance to see Marx perform is well worth the ticket, and usually his shows are very reasonable, especially given today’s concert market.  Hopefully, he’ll do more performances like his show with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra last night.  If that is the case, he should work a bit more on the band-orchestra balance to ensure that the band doesn’t overpower the orchestra when they decide to rock out.  Toning down the volume of the band a little, toning down the rock concert posing by the band a bit, and working on the arrangements to bring out the orchestra more fully would seem to be the recipe for perfecting this kind of show for Marx.  Yet, even given that concern, I left the Stranahan Theater feeling quite, if you’ll pardon the pun, satisfied.

On Saturday, November 14, 2009, I had the opportunity to see The Ethnogs perform at the Hilton Chicago in a session at the National Communication Association Annual Convention.  The Ethnogs are a mythical 1960s-based rock band developed by Communication scholars Nick Trujillo (a.k.a. Gory Bateson), Robert Krizek (a.k.a. Dougal Macrorie), and Bud Goodall (a.k.a. Dick Diver).  As part of a method they call automythology, they and other Communication scholars write stories and perform identities as individuals associated with the band and its fictional history.  Among its goals, the project hopes to examine how the mythology of American music, particularly rock ‘n’ roll, works and how that intersects with people’s other identities and experiences, including, in their case, their academic identities and experiences as teachers and researchers.

In Chicago, the Ethnogs played several songs, including “It’s a Way of Life,” “The Thong Song,” and what they claim as their biggest hit in their mythological story (and what is, I’d assert, their best song) — “Train to Purgatory.”  You can find out more about the band and its mythical history at The Ethnogs’ website.  You can also see some of their performances, including the show I attended in Chicago, on Gory Bateson’s YouTube channel.

Jay-Z played to a nearly sold out show at the Wolsein Center in Cleveland last week.

N*E*R*D opened for Jay-Z and put on an amazing performance. Rhea, there new female vocalist was on stage for the entire performance. During “Spaz”  Pharrell Williams invited a female fan on stage with him. She was obviously very excited as she danced and sang along to every word. About 15 women joined N*E*R*D on stage during “Everyone Nose (All The Girls Standing In The Line For The Bathroom)”.

With ten minutes before show time the count down to Jay-Z began and the screens on each side of the stage started counting down. Jay-Z made a dramatic entrance rising from below the stage as “Run This Town” started. The crowd went crazy and the stage came to life.  Without a doubt I can say that this was the best and most elaborate back drop display I’ve ever seen at a concert. The images changed from city buildings, fancy speakers, and live footage.

Many songs played throughout the night were from “The Blueprint 3″ album. However we also got to hear “Jigga”, “99 Problems”, and Izzo (H.O.V.A.).

LeBron James was on stage during a few songs. He danced or bounced behind Jay-Z while singing along. It looked like LeBron and some friends had seats on stage off to the right.

The encore included “Can I Get A….”, “Big Pimpin”, and “Hard Knock Life”. After talking to the crowd and addressing specific fans he ended the show with “Young Forever”

Tunesmate had the chance to talk to Cleveland native Steven Geiger about his recent trip to ACL. If you’ve never had the chance to attend the festival Steven gives a great overview of his experience. Personally I’m hoping I get the opportunity to go one of these years. It definitely seems like one of the best music festivals.

Here’s what Steven had to say:

ACL was three days – Friday thru Sunday.  The first bands usually started around 11:30 and performances lasted until 10pm.  Along with the music there were plenty of vendors selling the usual  T-shirts, beaded necklaces and glass pipes for “tobacco use only.”   The festival is just long enough but the amount of rain and the subsequent mudpit tested my love for music.  By Sunday my friends and I were exhausted but no one was disappointed.

I decided on a 3 day pass which ran about $185.  That plus airfare made it a bit expensive but having friends to stay with is a definite bonus.  I would recommend leaving an extra day or two in order to see Austin.  I’m not sure the state of the economy had any effect on the number of attendees. I didn’t really notice a difference in attendance compared to last year.  If the other concert goers were like me money is tight but it is an affordable trip.  

ACL is held in Zilker Park which is the Austin equivalent of Central Park.  Bands performed with the city skyline as a backdrop.  This year a private company that puts on ACL invested a few million in order to put in turf and an irrigation system to keep the park  a bit more green.  In years past the festival put such a strain on the park that it would end up a dustbowl for the following weeks.  After all the rain the investment seemed to be moot but officials claimed that the grass would recover.  The park seemed to be pretty clean considering the number of people in attendance.  In fact the most common piece of litter were errant sandals that were stranded in the 2 inches of mud.  There were plenty of recycling bins around and volunteers walked around the crowd collecting bags of trash (a Honda promotion to have a chance to win an Element encouraged the trash collecting).

I believe there were around 130 bands that played and I saw only 20 of them.  The headliners were Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, Kings of Leon and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs who replaced Beastie Boys.  There were 4 main stages and 2 stages would be used at the same time.  Each day you had to sacrifice seeing one performance for another (I regrettably missed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in order to see Kings of Leon).  Having a lineup in hand and a plan is a good idea.

I was most looking forward to seeing The Dead Weather, Pearl Jam, Kings of Leon, Grizzly Bear and Bon Iver.  Most of the other bands I was familiar with but hadn’t heard any songs until the festival.  The Heartless Bastards (originally from Dayton and signed on the Black Keys label), Dirty Projectors, Avett Brothers and School of Seven Bells.  My top ten:

1. Bon Iver 
2. The Dead Weather
3. Avett Brothers
4. Pearl Jam
5. Blitzen Trapper
6. KOL
7. Dirty Projectors (My friend and I saw them at the Austin airport and had a quick conversation)
8. Heartless Bastards
9. Phoenix
10. Bon Iver (he’s in here twice for good measure – absolutely fantastic)

This was my second time at ACL.  I have been to Lollapalooza in Chicago a few years ago and a few one day festivals at Blossom.  Lollapalooza was great and Chicago is a great town but if I had to choose between the two festivals ACL would win.  The laid back atmosphere @ ACL is the different maker.  Austin is such a vibrant, creative and tolerant town and the crowd at the festival is representative of the Austin attitude.  I didn’t see any fights or drunk guys who seem to be there to kick someone’s ass.  The police presence was minimal and they seemed to be forgiving of any reasonable illicite activity.  It is hard to imagine Cleveland hosting an event like this and recreating the atmosphere that abounds at ACL.  I don’t think Blossom could support such a large festival and if it could it is too far away from downtown Cleveland or any other worthwhile attractions.  Downtown Cleveland would be much better than Blossom but I can’t think of any areas that would be condusive for this type of event.  

This was my second time at ACL.  I have been to Lollapalooza in Chicago a few years ago and a few one day festivals at Blossom.  Lollapalooza was great and Chicago is a great town but if I had to choose between the two festivals ACL would win.  The laid back atmosphere @ ACL is the different maker.  Austin is such a vibrant, creative and tolerant town and the crowd at the festival is representative of the Austin attitude.  I didn’t see any fights or drunk guys who seem to be there to kick someone’s ass.  The police presence was minimal and they seemed to be forgiving of any reasonable illicite activity.  It is hard to imagine Cleveland hosting an event like this and recreating the atmosphere that abounds at ACL.  I don’t think Blossom could support such a large festival and if it could it is too far away from downtown Cleveland or any other worthwhile attractions.  Downtown Cleveland would be much better than Blossom but I can’t think of any areas that would be condusive for this type of event.  

All in all ACL was worth the money and the pair of shoes that I lost to the mud.  Even if you can’t make ACL, Austin is still worth checking out.  I try to make it down there at least once a year and if I can work ACL into my schedule next year I would definitely go back.

The first album I ever owned was Kiss’ Rock N’ Roll All Over. I dressed up as Gene Simmon’s Demon character for Halloween when I was 12. Growing-up Kiss concerts were sporadically performed over my house and my friend Mike’s house for .25 cents per person. I always wanted to be Ace Frehley’s Spaceman character, but Joe an older kid down the block took it. Thus, I ended up being Kiss’ manager. I introduced the “hottest band in the world” and managed special effects. I flicked the lights off and on for the strobe effect. I prepared fake blood for my friend Dan aka Gene Simmons to spew everywhere. For Gene’s fire breathing feat, we used white flour as smoke and shot it out of a tube behind Dan’s neck into the audience.

On Monday, I had the opportunity to see Kiss, the band who’s music had a huge impact on my childhood. In the past, I’ve only seen them in outside amphitheaters but this time it was finally inside a concert arena. I saw Ace use his guitar as a weapon, Gene breathe fire, Peter’s drums spark as they elevated into the air and Paul fly over the audience across the arena. All members jammed for 35th celebration of their Kiss Alive Tour.

• Paul got crowd going and told many stories. He was the weakest link. His voice is starting to strain.
• Gene hung from the rafters, played bass and sang like the past.
• Tommy played guitar just like Ace.
• Eric sang and played drums stronger than Peter.

Set List

1. Deuce
2. Strutter
3. Go To Choose
4. Let Me Go Rock N’ Roll
5. Modern Day Delilah
6. Hotter Than Hell
7. Nothing To Lose
8. C’mon and Love Me
9. Parasite
10. She
11. Guitar Solo
12. Watchin’ You
13. 100,000 Years
14. Drum Solo
15. Crowd Participation
16. Black Diamond
17. Rock N’ Roll All Nite
18. Shout It Out Loud
19. Lick It Up
20. Bass Solo
21. I Love It Loud
22. Cold Gin
23. Love Gun
24. Detroit Rock City

A KISS concert is now a family event. There were so many kids there, I was embarrassed for parents for display of the opening act Buckcherry. Bottomline: Kiss still puts on a good show, but Paul Stanely’s vocals are starting to show their age.

Let me start off this review by saying unequivocally that U2 rocks … literally, in concert, they know how to rock the house.  U2 kicked off the American leg of their latest tour—the 360º tour—this past Saturday, September 12, at Soldier Field in Chicago.  I wasn’t able to make it opening night but was able to go to the second show, on Sunday, September 13.  U2’s been my favorite band since the late 1980s, so, for me at least, this was a dream fulfilled by finally getting to see them in concert.  And it lived up to the billing.  In line with the title of the tour, the stage is 360 degrees.  So, even though the band spent more of their time facing the audience on the field at the front of the stage, at numerous points Bono, the Edge, Adam, and even Larry (playing a bongo drum) visited the back side of the stage, which is where my wife and I were sitting.  Twice Bono ran the length of the entire stage—once on his own and once after lifting a boy from the crowd to join him.  The design of the stage is meant to resemble a spaceship, with the performance linking the theme of taking off to space with the theme of the world coming and working together.  These themes were reflected in various elements of the show, including the band entering to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” a message in the middle of show on the big screen from an astronaut in space, and a message toward the end of the show leading into “One” featuring Desmond Tutu talking about fighting for freedom.  Emphasis on issues of freedom and human rights were also featured at other points in the show, including during the song “Walk On” as volunteers on stage wore masks and the audience was asked to wear masks of Burman democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for the better part of the last two decades.

As is typical of most concerts, the show highlighted the material on the band’s latest recording, No Line on the Horizon.  So, for fans from the 1980s like me, there wasn’t a lot of the older stuff that I would have liked to have heard.  (Guess that’ll teach me not to have seen them on tour back then …)  They did play the three big hits from The Joshua Tree, as well as “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “The Unforgettable Fire.”  According to other reports, they apparently played “Bad” on Saturday night, but it wasn’t in Sunday’s show.  Still, I appreciate more recent U2 material as well, and pretty much all of their music—from the 1980s, 1990s, or 2000s—lends itself to the stadium feel, so they couldn’t really go wrong.  Additionally, the band paid homage to the late 1970s/early 1980s post-punk scene, with a few lines of the Police’s “King of Pain” at one point and a chorus of The Clash’s “Rock the Casbah” at another.

The visual elements of the show were overwhelming (in a good way) as well.  The big screen circled the stage, allowing everyone in the crowd to see what was going on.  At one point it expanded to display a bigger picture.  It broadcast the band as well as other symbolic and metaphorical additions to the show.  The spaceship changed colors repeatedly.  At times lights extended into the sky from the top of the stage.  Two bridges extended into the crowd on the field so that band members could run out and play by or even at times touch crowd members.  A disco ball rested atop the whole setup, shining down during “Ultra Violet (Light My Way)” to create a dance club feel throughout the stadium.

U2 played for about two and a half hours, including two encores.  Snow Patrol provided what might have been the perfect opening act for about an hour before U2 came out.  In all, it was an intense and exhilarating experience and well worth the trip if you get the chance to go.

Last night I had the opportunity to witness the super group Chickenfoot (the peace sign) consisting of Sammy Hagar, Chad Smith, Michael Anthony and Joe Satriani perform in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Even though it was a free concert, you still needed to win a ticket to attend.

The show blasted open with the title track of their debut album called “Avenida Revolution” a song that features bombastic drums, bass, vocals and a guitar riff that stands tall among rock tracks. The concert was solid and the band focused on selections from their album; the spectacle was not absent of Sammy Hagar’s banter with the audience. The biggest surprise was the Red Rocker calling out WMMS for not playing their song “Oh Yeah” which reached #1 on Album Oriented Rock Charts (AOR) because of support from other markets.

After listening to the album a few times, I came to the same realization that Chickenfoot’s efforts are underrated and there are handful of great tracks on this album. The concert further solidified the fact that they are a talented group of musicians.

http://chickenfoot.us

Incubus stopped in Cleveland last night and played an amazing show at Tower City Amphitheater. Since 1991 Brandon Boyd and his band have had several albums, many multi-platinum sales and many more successful singles. Their success just seems to keep on growing. Last night they played a 22 song set list of both old and new material. The best part of the show was an extended acoustic version of “Drive”.