Rolling Stone recently did their Top 70 Bob Dylan songs in honor of Bob's 70th birthday. They did a fair job, but Blowin' in the Wind at number 20. Yeah, right... Here's my take, on the combination of most popular, most influencing, and well best overall.
1. Like A Rolling Stone- Well, they got the first one right. And I'd hope so, based on the name of the magazine and arguably the greatest rock song ever, it's for sure in the Top 5. This combination of blues, rock and structure, changed the nature of what a pop song was. The opening snare drum was Dylan bursting further into the rock and roll conscience of America, changing everything, again.
2. Blowin' in the Wind- You could argue this is his greatest song by the fact that it will be relevant as long as there are still people on the planet...
3. Mr. Tambourine Man- This is Dylan the poet. "Though I know that evenin's empire has returned into sand, Vanished from my hand." The majesty and the magic in the rhymes, make this song, it's beautiful without music. And who or what is he singing about? Who knows, another part of it's beauty and poetry.
4. All Along the Watchtower- Dylan's most played live song. This song and lyrics sound like it's setting is straight out of the Book of Revelation and the end of days. And you can take it several ways. The verses and the song is told in reverse with the first verse being the end of the tale, or that we're left hanging at the end of the song with "two riders approaching..."
5. Subterranean Homesick Blues- It's probably most famous for being a proto-music video from the film Don't Look Back, with Dylan holding the lyrics to the song on various cue cards, which has aped a bunch of times. Again it's another example of Dylan combing the blues and rock(with a heavy Chuck Berry influence as well from Too Much Monkey Business) , at a super-charged pace of lyrics being spat out, as well as being his first electric song.
6. Positively 4th Street- My personal favorite, the ultimate put down song. Often called "Dylan at his most vitriolic," who hasn't felt this way about somebody (and honestly probably been that way themselves towards people)? That backing organ song helps pace the songs mood and anger. "You say you lost your faith, But that’s not where it’s at. You had no faith to lose And you know it." Masterful...
7. Tangled Up in Blue- Another example of masterful storytelling, mixing in Dylan's own personal feelings of a relationship going down. Like Watchtower, this song doesn't follow a linear pattern or really the same narrator, but ones who faced similar problems. I doubt there there were too many topless joints, when the dealing of slaves was going on. But then again, we just might be assuming it's referring to African Americans and maybe it is a linear story from point A to Z...
8. Desolation Row- Another example of is he just trying to fit the rhyme scheme and come up with surreal juxtapositions, or have the names of all these wacky characters been changed? "The Phantom of the Opera, a perfect image of a priest, they’re spoonfeeding Casanova, To get him to feel more assured, Then they’ll kill him with self-confidence, After poisoning him with words..." Probably a bit of both, but I doubt Bob will ever talk...
9. Mississippi- The best of example of Bob's later works. Here is Bob writing about life and experiences in his mid-50's and pushing 60. Lyrically it's up there with his earlier output. The "older voice" he wrote in as a 22 year old, though wouldn't have the life experiences though...
10 . Rainy Day Women #12 and 35- Yeah, yeah, the party anthem(but blues based in sound) where "Everybody Must Get Stoned!" and Dylan was pretty hopped up on amphetamines at the time. But is just a simple song about getting stoned on drugs? Or is it about getting literally getting stoned to death? Is there some reference to the bible and/or some significance with the numbers 12 and 35? With Bob things are seldom black and white or direct..
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Is It the Clothes That Get the Title?...
I guess history was made when a cross dressing high school student got voted Prom Queen, after being voted for by his(her?) classmates. But is this saying King and Queen need to be based on clothes and gender roles? So would a female not wearing a dress, not be eligible, or say could a heterosexual male in a suit run for Queen title just because he wanted to?
And I thought high school politics were silly before. Then again, it's no wonder I skipped going to both my proms all together...
And I thought high school politics were silly before. Then again, it's no wonder I skipped going to both my proms all together...
Monday, May 30, 2011
The 5 Musical Acts I Want to See.... Version 2.0
I did this I guess about four years ago on my MySpace blog, but in those four years, I've seen a couple of the acts(twice actually) and if all goes right will see U2 in less than two months... And to some degree my tastes or preferences have changed to who I think I'd rather see given a choice...
1. The Who- Same as before, even though they aren't really "the Who," its still Daltrey and Townshend, a very good remnant of arguably the greatest cohesive group. Those two are the soul of the group, while Entwistle and Moon were the heart of it. I guess I could go see Daltrey this fall do Tommy, but without Townshend....
2. Bob Seger- Still number two and again one of my personal favorites. He's still underrated compared to Mr. Springsteen. He's a treasure trove of classic rock era songs and like I said the beauty of his songwriting gets lost. He played in Kansas City earlier this month, but I balked because I figured St. Louis was naturally going to have a date. Now, I'm hoping he does hit the road again this summer or fall, which is supposed to be his last hurrah for touring...
3. Billy Joe Shaver- One of the best country songwriters of all time. He's best known for his ties to the Outlaw movement and Waylon Jennings recording an entire album of his songs. He's just another older voice that I'd love to see while he's still around, like I did with Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard earlier this year. And he's supposed to be in KC sometime this summer, but I can't figure out why the hell he's never been to Columbia, with the rednecks and redneck posers in Central Missouri...
4. Van Morrison- I just want to see him for his voice, one of the most unique and strongest voices out there along with Joe Cocker. Even knowing he's of the singer/songwriter variety who only plays about half the stuff you want/expect to hear, I would enjoy seeing him in concert...
5. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young- I've seen the godfather of grunge twice, now I want to see him with these guys. Hopefully they'll get it back together one more time in the near future. Heck Crosby is pushing 70, if he's not already there and lucky to be alive. I'd love to hear the harmonies, the acoustic and the electric and everything about the meshing of four headstrong personalities. Heck I could even tolerate a couple left-wing rants in exchange for hearing Ohio, Helpless, Southern Cross, etc....
1. The Who- Same as before, even though they aren't really "the Who," its still Daltrey and Townshend, a very good remnant of arguably the greatest cohesive group. Those two are the soul of the group, while Entwistle and Moon were the heart of it. I guess I could go see Daltrey this fall do Tommy, but without Townshend....
2. Bob Seger- Still number two and again one of my personal favorites. He's still underrated compared to Mr. Springsteen. He's a treasure trove of classic rock era songs and like I said the beauty of his songwriting gets lost. He played in Kansas City earlier this month, but I balked because I figured St. Louis was naturally going to have a date. Now, I'm hoping he does hit the road again this summer or fall, which is supposed to be his last hurrah for touring...
3. Billy Joe Shaver- One of the best country songwriters of all time. He's best known for his ties to the Outlaw movement and Waylon Jennings recording an entire album of his songs. He's just another older voice that I'd love to see while he's still around, like I did with Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard earlier this year. And he's supposed to be in KC sometime this summer, but I can't figure out why the hell he's never been to Columbia, with the rednecks and redneck posers in Central Missouri...
4. Van Morrison- I just want to see him for his voice, one of the most unique and strongest voices out there along with Joe Cocker. Even knowing he's of the singer/songwriter variety who only plays about half the stuff you want/expect to hear, I would enjoy seeing him in concert...
5. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young- I've seen the godfather of grunge twice, now I want to see him with these guys. Hopefully they'll get it back together one more time in the near future. Heck Crosby is pushing 70, if he's not already there and lucky to be alive. I'd love to hear the harmonies, the acoustic and the electric and everything about the meshing of four headstrong personalities. Heck I could even tolerate a couple left-wing rants in exchange for hearing Ohio, Helpless, Southern Cross, etc....
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...
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
-------
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
-------
Heartland
All My Ex's Live In Texas
Folsom Prison Blues
The Cowboy Rides Away
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
-------
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
-------
Heartland
All My Ex's Live In Texas
Folsom Prison Blues
The Cowboy Rides Away
Thursday, March 10, 2011
"We don't shoot that deadly marijuana, we get drunk like God wants us to do"; Merle and Kris 3/9/11 Concert Review
Two country music legends, one I'd seen before, one I hadn't. I scooped up a pair of tickets when I read that Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson were coming to the Fox Theater in St. Louis, a couple months ago. I saw Kris last Winter, but the chance to see the two of them together on the same stage at the same time I probably wouldn't have too many more chances to do so...
Me and my mom braved the crappy rainy weather to get there. The house lights dimmed on cue at 8 o'clock, country artists don't fuck around. Kris came out by himself with guitar and harmonica and sang Shipwrecked in the Eighties, before introducing Merle and the Strangers, who tore into Silver Wings, then a couple of more numbers.
The two did shows similar last year and the set lists and reviews I read, said they alternated songs, Merle would do one then Kris would. But either Kris was ceded the stage to Merle or Kris was again suffering from a bad cold. He shouldn't do many winter shows or he's spent too many years in Hawaii... But the pattern of the night would be Kris would do one, then Merle would do two or three. Which actually worked fine for me, as I'd already seen Kris do most of his hits, and the more Merle the better.
Highlights for me were Are The Good Times Really Over For Good?, where Merle did his ad libs. He changed "When a man could still work and steal wood" instead of 'still would" and "When a girl could still cook and chop wood." He also stopped and changed, "where a joint was a bad place to be", to "where a joint was a nice place to be."
Merle's guitar solo on Kris' Loving Her Was Easier, added to one of my favorite songs as well. And Kris added "It's feels like I'm dying," after the lyric "...as I lay dying," in reference to his cold.
And the sheer fact he played Okie from Muskogee with very liberal Kristofferson standing two feet from him was a sight to see. Merle gave an introduction about how things have changed and how his life was a licensed medical marijuana grower(He neglected to mention the fact he started smoking after facing lung cancer a while back). And he stopped the song, because the audience didn't give enough reaction to the opening line. Then the line "We don't let our hair grow long and shaggy..." was a hoot, with Merle's fiddle player pointing towards Kris, and Merle pointing toward his longtime steel guitar player and bald headed Norman Hamlett. And the real treat was Kris sang a verse, of his version which you can hear on his live cd Live at the Philharmonic. "...We don't shoot that deadly marijuana, we get drunk like God wants us to do."
It was interesting watching Kris on stage was Merle was playing, he would sing some harmony and play harmonica and guitar. But even when he wasn't, you could see him singing along, I think that says a lot about his respect for Merle.
The only real bad part was it was too brief at 90 minutes. Sure, they did play 23 songs, but for two performers, a few more songs would have been nice to lengthen it out a little more. It was also interesting they didn't do an encore, after Merle announced the "last song of the evening," which it turned out to be. The only song I was really disappointed not to get to hear was Ramblin' Fever and maybe Rainbow Stew a little bit. The legendary Norman Hamlett didn't seem to do much, Merle mentioned once that they'd had trouble with his amp for his Dobro and they could never get the sound going right.
Overall it was a solid show. Merle was in good spirits joking with the audience a lot. "It's nice to see people my age coming out...Everyone else so why not us." And he also joked that " It's hard to write these songs, I wrote at it sea level in my Twenties, here in winter and in my Forties!" And during the band introductions, he had the band shake hands and "introduce" themselves to one another, before the band intro proper.
This was one of the better show's I've attended. I got most of my favorites and never knew for sure what was coming next from two living legends. A couple of more songs might have made this one of the very best shows I've seen, but still a very good and enjoyable night. Here's the Post Dispatch's review and the Riverfront Time's review.
Me and my mom braved the crappy rainy weather to get there. The house lights dimmed on cue at 8 o'clock, country artists don't fuck around. Kris came out by himself with guitar and harmonica and sang Shipwrecked in the Eighties, before introducing Merle and the Strangers, who tore into Silver Wings, then a couple of more numbers.
The two did shows similar last year and the set lists and reviews I read, said they alternated songs, Merle would do one then Kris would. But either Kris was ceded the stage to Merle or Kris was again suffering from a bad cold. He shouldn't do many winter shows or he's spent too many years in Hawaii... But the pattern of the night would be Kris would do one, then Merle would do two or three. Which actually worked fine for me, as I'd already seen Kris do most of his hits, and the more Merle the better.
Highlights for me were Are The Good Times Really Over For Good?, where Merle did his ad libs. He changed "When a man could still work and steal wood" instead of 'still would" and "When a girl could still cook and chop wood." He also stopped and changed, "where a joint was a bad place to be", to "where a joint was a nice place to be."
Merle's guitar solo on Kris' Loving Her Was Easier, added to one of my favorite songs as well. And Kris added "It's feels like I'm dying," after the lyric "...as I lay dying," in reference to his cold.
And the sheer fact he played Okie from Muskogee with very liberal Kristofferson standing two feet from him was a sight to see. Merle gave an introduction about how things have changed and how his life was a licensed medical marijuana grower(He neglected to mention the fact he started smoking after facing lung cancer a while back). And he stopped the song, because the audience didn't give enough reaction to the opening line. Then the line "We don't let our hair grow long and shaggy..." was a hoot, with Merle's fiddle player pointing towards Kris, and Merle pointing toward his longtime steel guitar player and bald headed Norman Hamlett. And the real treat was Kris sang a verse, of his version which you can hear on his live cd Live at the Philharmonic. "...We don't shoot that deadly marijuana, we get drunk like God wants us to do."
It was interesting watching Kris on stage was Merle was playing, he would sing some harmony and play harmonica and guitar. But even when he wasn't, you could see him singing along, I think that says a lot about his respect for Merle.
The only real bad part was it was too brief at 90 minutes. Sure, they did play 23 songs, but for two performers, a few more songs would have been nice to lengthen it out a little more. It was also interesting they didn't do an encore, after Merle announced the "last song of the evening," which it turned out to be. The only song I was really disappointed not to get to hear was Ramblin' Fever and maybe Rainbow Stew a little bit. The legendary Norman Hamlett didn't seem to do much, Merle mentioned once that they'd had trouble with his amp for his Dobro and they could never get the sound going right.
Overall it was a solid show. Merle was in good spirits joking with the audience a lot. "It's nice to see people my age coming out...Everyone else so why not us." And he also joked that " It's hard to write these songs, I wrote at it sea level in my Twenties, here in winter and in my Forties!" And during the band introductions, he had the band shake hands and "introduce" themselves to one another, before the band intro proper.
This was one of the better show's I've attended. I got most of my favorites and never knew for sure what was coming next from two living legends. A couple of more songs might have made this one of the very best shows I've seen, but still a very good and enjoyable night. Here's the Post Dispatch's review and the Riverfront Time's review.
Set List
1. Shipwrecked in the Eighties
2. Silver Wings
3. Going Where The Lonely Go
4. The Bottle Let Me Down
5. Me and Bobby McGee
6. The Other Side of Nowhere
7. Mama Tried
8. Back to Earth
9. Are the Good Times Really Over? (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver)
10. The Pilgrim: Chapter 33
11. It's Been a Great Afternoon
12. Big City
13. Help Me Make it Through The Night
14. Workingman Blues
15. They're Tearing the Labor Camps Down
16. Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)
17. I'll Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink
18. Mama's Prayer
19. Okie from Muskogee
20. Sunday Morning Coming Down
21. I Am What I Am
22. Why Me Lord?
23. Pancho and Lefty
Saturday, December 11, 2010
This streak is over...
March 23, 2007- December 10, 2010 Not as long as my other previous streak, but a long time nonetheless. Still tired and sore and wondering if it was flu, bad food, or a bad mix of medicines. And wondering if other people go these long periods without puking?
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