Saturday, April 30, 2011

They Ain't Making Jews, or Anyone for that Matter Like Kinky Anymore ; 4/29 Kinky Friedman concert review

The Springtime for Kinky 2011 tour made its stop in St. Louis at Off-Broadway, in the Cherokee district. Me and the old man got there pretty early even with doors opening at 7:30 and not knowing if I had to actually pick up tickets(I didn't I guess everybody's were "will call".) And as we were heading back out to kill some time the Kinkster himself was arriving out of a taxi and he spent a portion of time outside smoking a cigar.
After doors opened the show was supposed to start at 8 but didn't until close til 9, as Kinky was in the back signing stuff for people. I didn't think about it or I would have brought a cd and we couldn't find some any posters to grab. But Off-Broadway was sort of like Mojo's in Columbia, a pretty sparse in area place.
Here is the approximate set list I knew he did 16 songs, I'm not sure of the exact order and there is one song I can't remember...

1. Before All Hell Breaks Lose
2. Lady Yesterday ?
3. Autograph
4. Homo Erectus
5. Old Ben Lucas
6. Rapid City, South Dakota
7. Nashville Casualty and Life
8. Waitret, Please Waitret
9. Sold American
10. They Ain't Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore
11. Silver Eagle Express
Reading from his book of Texas Heroes
12. Asshole From El Paso
13. Marilyn and Joe
14. Ballad of Ira Hayes
15. Ballad of Charles Whitman
16. Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd

Overall it was two hours of entertainment. Between most songs or even in the middle of some he would go on monologues or telling jokes. My dad was annoyed at the late start, but by halfway through he was giggling uncontrollably. "... had a Yom Kippur Cadillac. It could stop on a dime and pick it up." Right after the second song, he tried doing a little instrumental vamp, but messed up and said, "Aw, Fuck it!" And he was talking a bit about losing his hearing, and relating about an older man who couldn't hear and was asking his wife what she did with the rake. He said, "she pointed at her, then her ass and then her privates. The old man couldn't understand and she finally said, ' I left it behind the bush.' "
He did go on some political topics and politics in general. "Break down the word politcs. Poly many many and ticks as in blood sucking animals." And he said the only three in Congress he believes aren't corrupt are Ron Paul, Bernie Sanders and Dennis Kucinch, but everyone else thinks are a little nuts. Kinky also when talking to the audience spent most of the time fumbling around with cigars, presumably because he couldn't smoke inside...

Musically he was joined midway by one of his former Jewboys, bassist Sky Cap Adams who apparently lives in the St. Louis area and is his homosexual lover. (He later told us "they weren't" , but Sky Cap added "Not any more.")
And Kinky added to the humor not just in his songs, but forgetting lyrics and where to go time and time again. At one point during Silver Eagle Express, Sky Cap pulled out his phone to look up song lyrics and asked "What song is this again?" And he couldn't remember what the people were doing during Ballad of Charles Whitman. "No they weren't laughing." During They Ain't Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore, he asked the crowd if he forgot to be derogatory to any ethnic group and told a story about an audience member who'd always shout out "Albinos!" in New York City.
The only major disappointment for me was he didn't play Get Your Biscuits in the Oven. He also didn't play We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You.
But Homo Erectus and Waitret, Please, Waitret, an ode to cunnilingus were riots, as well as hearing his other well known songs Ballad of Charles Whitman, Old Ben Lucas and Asshole from El Paso.
He also had a lot reverence for Willie Nelson, mentioning him and talking about him multiple times. "There are three things he cares about, music, drugs and gold. I only care about two Libya and Charlie Sheen."
Overall it was a fun night and worth it with all the laughs and fun songs. More to come as I remember other parts and funny bits...

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Strait Forward- 4/8 George Strait/Reba McEntire with LeeAnn Womack Concert at Mizzou Arena

My mom's always wanted to see George Strait, but never wanted to pay up or always asked my dad if he wanted to go(He'd say 'No,' but if she bought the tickets he would have went...). So when they announced a date for Columbia, I figured what the hey, its George Strait, even if it meant having to sit through Reba's set...
Getting there was a hoot as my sinuses were acting up and with little sleep. Plus my car had been overheating at times lately and the drive on I-70 and setting in long traffic lines on Stadium exasperated the problem. So after Quizno's a quick detour to Wal-Mart for coolant happened before we headed to Mizzou Arena. We got in and seated with about 10 minutes before start time.
When I bought my tickets I thought it was going to be end stage and was going to lined up next to the stage, but they had a diamond shape and I figured I might be staring at George Strait's ass all night...Thankfully the performers were rotating singing spots all night.
And this being a country concert, it started on time at 7 PM when the lights went out and LeeAnn Womack came out. I'd seen her before, being the middle act when I saw Toby Keith at UMB Bank Pavilion in St. Louis in '05. Here she came out in her five inch heels and had to helped up and off the stage every time and did a compact eight song 30 minute set. Only main song of her's she didn't do that I like was He Oughta Know That By Now... Set List gleamed from another concert date

Buckaroo
You've Got to Talk to Me
San Antonio Rose
Last Call
I May Hate Myself in the Morning
I'll Think Of A Reason Later
I Hope You Dance
Ashes by Now



Then after LeeAnn's set, a quick set change and Reba was out by 7:45. This was the part of the show I was telling my mom we should get hammered drunk too to make it more interesting. The first few songs she wasn't bad and I guess I knew more of her songs than I realized, but halfway though her set it started to drag. She ended up doing 19 songs I think and playing for 90 minutes. Womack returned to duet on Does He Love You? with McEntire which helped draw some of my attention back.
Right towards the end before she did I'm A Survivor the theme to her television show, the actress/comedian, Melissa Peterman that played on there with her came out and did a comedy bit that seemed to go on forever. It had it's funny moments, but does she not have anything else on her plate? The bad part was it was probably the most unique part out of all three acts though I know each city has variations on the references. She name dropped Harpo's, Club Vogue and the "M-I-Z" "Z-O-U" call and response to the sheep...oops I mean fans in the audiences...
After her main set she came back for an encore out of a Mini-taxi and a wardrobe change to play Fancy. Full assumed set list

Can't Even Get The Blues
The Fear Of Being Alone
Strange
The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia
Is There Life Out There
If I Were A Boy
The Bridge You Burn
Fallin' Out Of Love
Nothing To Lose
Somebody Should Leave/For My Broken Heart
Does He Love You?
I Want A Cowboy
When You Have a Child
Consider Me Gone
Why Haven't I Heard From You
Because Of You
I'm A Survivor
Turn On The Radio
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Fancy

Then following a 20 minute or so set change, it was finally time for King George and his Ace in the Hole band. He was quite the contrast to Womack and McEntire and almost 95% of every other performer out there. He doesn't play up the crowd or jump around like a total idiot, other than a few waves and finger pointings.
The downside is he is almost a jukebox on stage, playing song for song the way they were recorded. That's not always a bad thing, but a few variations on lyrics or add-ons are nice, or letting the band stretch out and jam a little bit. I'm not even talking about Neil Young 10 min solos here.
But as I said he did give the fans their money's worth 31 songs in almost 2 hours. With 57 #1 songs(that's not even counting his other hits) I knew he couldn't play everything. The only ones i was disappointed to not get were Write This Down and Murder on Music Row. The only surprising omission was Love Without End, Amen. But I got my favorites Blue Clear Sky and Give it Away, plus other favorites Ocean Front Property, I Hate Everything and his cover version of Merle Haggard's Seashores of Old Mexico. Plus his signature song Amarillo By Morning, one of those songs not a #1.
Some of the other highlights was Check Yes or No, probably the song that got the audience going the most. And Arkansas Dave a song written by son and on his latest album wasn't as bad as I thought it would have been. He played seven songs by count off of Twang, his latest album.
He came back out for a four song encore, featuring a couple of hits in Heartland and All My Exes, a cover of Folsom Prison Blues, with a neat "gunshot" sound with turning up the volume on snare drum with some reverb while drowning everything else out and the fitting The Cowboy Rides Away to close out the night.
Overall a good show, nothing fancy (at least on Geroge's part) and well worth the money seeing a legendary performer in concert.
Set List

Twang
Ocean Front Property
Honk If You Honky Tonk
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
I Hate Everything
Wrapped
Run
The Seashores of Old Mexico
Check Yes Or No
The Fireman
Same Kind Of Crazy
Blue Clear Sky
A Fire I Can't Put Out
Arkansas Dave
Where Have I Been All My Life
How 'Bout Them Cowgirls?
The Breath You Take
River Of Love
The Chair
I Gotta Get to You
I Cross My Heart
I Saw God Today
Amarillo By Morning
Living For The Night
Give It Away
Troubadour
Unwound

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Heartland
All My Ex's Live In Texas
Folsom Prison Blues
The Cowboy Rides Away