Stop the Merger of Ticketmaster & Live Nation

With due consideration of the wisdom "meet the new boss, same as the old boss", I pass along in its entirety an email received from the 9:30 Club (in Washington, D.C.) et al.:

Concert Fans Beware!

There’s a train wreck about to happen and consumer groups say YOU will be the victim if the two most powerful corporate interests in the live concert business get their way. But you can help stop the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. The government needs to hear from music fans now. Tell the Department of Justice that you’re against these monopolies amassing illegal power over consumers, before it’s too late. antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov

As a concertgoer you have already felt the pain, and if Ticketmaster and Live Nation get their way, it’ll get worse. In the last 12 years, since Live Nation and its predecessor started its widespread takeover of the concert industry, concert ticket prices have shot up 82% while the consumer price index has gone up just 17%*. We are concerned that if the two concert industry behemoths, Live Nation and Ticketmaster, are permitted to merge, the variety and quality of artists coming to local venues will be affected, and your costs could rise further and faster.

Five of the nation’s most prominent public interest groups called on the Department of Justice to block the proposed merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation:

“Consumers deserve a fair deal in the entertainment marketplace, not the fewer choices and higher prices that would result from this merger,” said Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection at Consumer Federation of America

“This merger is an insult to both musicians and consumers,” said James Love, Director of Knowledge Ecology International

“We cannot envision a remedy that would ease this chilling impediment to competition… In the absence of other effective, expeditious remedies, the proposed transaction should be prohibited.” American Antitrust Institute White Paper

As described by Senator Herb Kohl (WI) in the House Antitrust hearing, “This merger will not only expand Ticketmaster’s control of the ticketing market by eliminating a competitor, but it is also creating an entity that will control the entire chain of the concert business – from artist management to concert promotion and production to ticketing and ticket resale.”

“This merger would be a disaster for consumers. Nothing short of blocking this takeover of the ticket market by two industry behemoths will be acceptable,” said National Consumers League Executive Director Sally Greenberg

“As president, I will direct my administration to reinvigorate antitrust enforcement. I will step up review of merger activity and take effective action to stop or restructure those mergers that are likely to harm consumer welfare…,” said Senator Barack Obama when he was campaigning for the presidency.

If you agree with the consumer groups and lawmakers, make a difference and LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD NOW.

Send a message to the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice telling them you support President Obama’s campaign promise to protect the American public from abusive monopolies.

antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov

To learn more, check out:

ticketdisaster.org

Public Interest Groups Call on Justice Department to Block Ticketmaster/LiveNation/Comcast Merger

American Antitrust Institute's White Paper TICKETMASTER - LIVE NATION

Philadelphia Weekly’s cover story “Monopoly Rules”

Signed,

The 9:30 Club, I.M.P., Merriweather Post Pavilion, Jam Productions, Metropolitan Talent, Another Planet Entertainment, Frank Productions, Stone City Attractions, Rams Head Live, The Black Cat ... and independent concert promoters and venue operators nationwide.

*Study by Princeton University economist Alan Krueger

Forever Bruce

To paraphrase Jon Landau's famous quote, I have seen the enduring power of rock n' roll, and it's Bruce Springsteen. I celebrated my birthday in October in Philadelphia seeing Bruce Springsteen and "The "Legendary" E-Street Band" for their last show ever at the Spectrum.

It was a trip to a Rock n' Roll tabernacle, with the Boss as the Prophet of Rock n' Roll.  Having turned sixty in September, having been on the road from much of the last two years, including rave reviews all summer in Europe, Bruce was in the home stretch in this final, fall run in the U.S.  Bruce played a number of "the last great rock and roll arenas".  As he has done on prior tours, he did his "gospel preacher" spiel, but this time he seemed to be on a mission, a mission to prove the power and glory of his music in particular and rock n' roll in general.  And, this was a tour with a big question hanging over it:  would this be the last time?

On this final leg, Springsteen played places that he has played many times before.  In Philly, they hung a huge jersey from the ceiling of the Spectrum that read:

Springsteen
      51
Consecutive Sellouts

Philly loves Bruce going way back to his early days, and you could tell that Bruce wanted to return some of the that affection on his last appearance ever at the Spectrum. Early on, he played his new song, "Wrecking Ball", which he debuted at Giants Stadium, and which, like the Spectrum, is going under the wrecking ball soon. Of course, this song is not just about old buildings coming down, it is a look at old age, at weathering the inevitable march of time, and ultimately, in a familiar theme for Bruce, standing up to the forces that want to tear you down.  The words to the song got some new Philly references for that last night at the Spectrum. Bruce could have played the newer Wachovia Center, which sits right next door to the Spectrum, but Bruce chose to keep faith with, and pay his respects to, the Spectrum, as he has done on this tour with other places that have been very, very good to him.

I was not a hardcore Bruce fan before this show.  I have loved his music over the years.  I have loved the way he is never satisfied.  His music with E-Street Band is legendary, but his music is so much more:  Nebraska, solo albums with other musicians over the years, "The Streets of Philadephia", the Seeger Sessions album, tour and live album, Devils & Dust.  And throughout there is his ability through his music put a voice to so many things that make up America.

I have never been to a lot of Bruce's concerts.  I vaguely remember seeing him at show in Giants Stadium in the mid 1980s, during the "Born in the U.S.A." tour.  I sat way up in the bleachers.  Bruce and the band played far down below. Of course, from the beginning, his concerts have been legendary in their own right.  So much so, the story goes, that when his first two albums failed to sell enough copies, the record company wanted his third release to be a live album.  Bruce had something else in mind.  He went down to the Jersey shore, wrote a bunch of new songs, went into the studio with the E-Street configuration that has more or less endured to this day, and came out with "Born to Run."  As they say, the rest is history.

The show at the Spectrum was awesome, as most of his shows on this tour have been.  Nearly 3 1/2 hours non-stop:  Bruce crowd surfing through "Hungry Heart" and dancing with his mother during "Dancing in the Dark", and playing songs that he has not played in years.  He did all of Born in the U.S.A., complete with a curtain call for the original band members who made that album and a mention of the departed Danny Federici. His original drummer, "Mad Dog" Vinnie Lopez, came up on stage to play on "Spirit in the Night".  As a crowd request, Bruce sang the old Jackie Wilson song, "Higher & Higher", which a week or so later he did at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert with Sam Moore and the turned into a closer during the rest of the tour.  He did an extended version of "Kitty's Back".  At his last night at Giants Stadium, he did the Rolling Stones' "Last Time" as a request.  Here, he sang "Save the Last Dance for Me" for the Spectrum and his fans in Philly.  And, when his long encore set it seemed to have concluded with a powerful "Thunder Road", he played one last song, "Rosalita", to the delight of everyone.  Check out the report in the Leigh Valley Music.


But, then, the amazing seems to be what is expected of Bruce.  His continual ability to do what he does is is what is truly amazing.  Most artists of his stature (and age) get by with doing ninety minutes and a couple of encore songs.  Bruce does not comprehend just "getting by."  From the beginning, music has been a life force for him.  It comes out all over the place in his lyrics:  "I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk", "we learned more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school" "Roy Orbison sing for the lonely, that's me ...." and so on.

So he spreads his true religion, the religion of rock n' roll as a life force, something from which redemption comes, as it has in his life.  Look through the lyrics of his songs, and they are filled with biblical elements.  The price you pay.  Belief.  The promised land.

Bruce loves the music that he plays, and the much larger body of songs that influenced him, songs like "Higher & Higher".  He understands what these songs mean to his audience (and to himself) and he is not going to let that meaning die if he has breath left in him.  As serious as the themes in Bruce's music are (struggle, isolation, life, death, love, hate, poverty, family troubles, war, sacrifice, and so on), Bruce understands how to get people on their feet and give them a good time.  He is, and always has been, a consummate showman.

For those interested in the critique of the final night at the Spectrum by a passionate Springsteen fan, try Caryn Rose's piece on Night 4 in Philly at jukeboxgraduate.com.

Also, Ward Sutton recently did an interesting cartoon history of Born in the U.S.A, one of Bruce's most famous and, perhaps, misunderstood songs.  Sutton traces the song back to its origins as stark solo effort when Springsteen was writing songs for the album that became Nebraska.  Bruce decided not to put the song on Nebraska, re-arranging it as the E-Street stadium rocker that we know from the album of the same name.  That anthem-like arrangement has often been misconstrued as a patriotic send up, when the lyrics portrait the anger and isolation of a Vietnam vet.  For a look at what Born in the U.S.A originally may have sounded like, listen to the version on Tracks or live version on Live in New York City, which has a slower, darker arrangement and a powerfully emotional vocal from Bruce.

For more worldly thoughts about Springsteen and his impact on one particular life, read conservative columnist David Brooks' "The Other Education" at The New York Times website. Brooks talks about his "second education," the one in which Professor Springsteen played a prominent role.  He concludes with these observations:

I’m not claiming my second education has been exemplary or advanced. I’m describing it because I have only become aware of it retrospectively, and society pays too much attention to the first education and not enough to the second.

In fact, we all gather our own emotional faculty — artists, friends, family and teams. Each refines and develops the inner instrument with a million strings.

Last week, my kids attended their first Springsteen concert in Baltimore. At one point, I looked over at my 15-year-old daughter. She had her hands clapped to her cheeks and a look of slack-jawed, joyous astonishment on her face. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing — 10,000 people in a state of utter abandon, with Springsteen surrendering himself to them in the center of the arena.

It begins again.

So, this tour is over.  Bruce has propped up the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame shows.  He has collected his Kennedy Center Honor. (Garrison Keillor finds the last development distressing.)  The E Street Band probably ended in a way with Danny Federici's death.  Clarence Clemons may retire, although he denied that after the tour ended.  Life is change, but let's hope that this was not the last time.  If not forever, let's hope that Bruce goes on for a long, long time to come.

F.T.C. Blogger Crackdown - Payola Flashback

As you many have heard in the mainstream media, because this story has been covered pretty well, the Federal Trade Commission has ruled that, as of December 1, 2009,

bloggers who review products must disclose any connection with advertisers, including, in most cases, the receipt of free products and whether or not they were paid in any way by advertisers, as occurs frequently. The new rules also take aim at celebrities, who will now need to disclose any ties to companies, should they promote products on a talk show or on Twitter.

(The New York Times, via Carrie Brownstein's Monitor Mix.)

You may wonder, why the F.T.C. handles this stuff and not the F.C.C., but that is a more arcane discussion best continued in the context of government regulatory oversight.

The F.T.C. is concerned about "payola", the old fashion Alan "Moondog" Freed kind of promotional strong arming by the record companies in the 1950s.  Freed, the reputed originator of the term "Rock n' Roll", got in bed with the industry by taking cash to play the work of certain artists more frequently.  Today, of course, the worry is that popular bloggers on the Internet are doing the same, promoting certain products, artists, or work in return for favors from the companies making money off these things.

You may also wonder about your humble author and possible payola.  Let's make this clear as can be:  I have received nothing, no free products, no cash, nothing, bupkis.  See Carrie Brownstein's blog at the link above for her wish list of things that she would gladly plug in her blog if she were given freebies.  Same here, but it is not going to happen.  (Carrie really has an audience for her blog --- or at least I assume she does, because seemingly real people post comments to her posts and she is connected to NPR, so if she does not get free stuff, I am not going to get free stuff.)

I remember my days with my college radio station (in my day, the station was a carrier current broadcast heard only in the college dormitories and a couple of fraternity houses).  During my shows, I use to ask folks to call in with requests or comments.  No response.  I would put on something like Pink Floyd's "Careful with that Axe Eugene"  and wait for someone to call and ask what I was playing.  No response.  Notwithstanding its meager audience, however, the station was flooded with promotional copies of records.  I heard some of my most long standing favorite bands by way of duplicates that the station let the DJs have.  (Example:  The very first Little Feat album.)

That was then and this is now. Whether on the Internet or on the radio, however, you need an audience before the payola folks will come knocking at your door.  That really has been the case way back in the Alan Freed.  As  blogger, you are unlikely to get free promotional material from companies unless you have some kind of audience.  You also are unlikely to get pressure for some plug  in return for such promotional items unless you have some kind of influence over your audience -- in other words, your audience takes your recommendations to heart and, more importantly, your recommendations may influence your audience's choices in spending its disposable income.

Carrie Brownstein may be closer than I am, but neither of us has yet reached the level of influence that Alan Freed had in the 1950s.  (To understand the power that Alan Freed had in shaping musical taste, find and listen to The Band's tribute to that era, Moondog Matinee.)

Steve Van Zandt's Top 20 New York Songs

The New York Times caught up with Bruce Springsteen's pal, E-Street Band member and Sopranos actor, Steven Van Zandt (a.k.a. "Little Steven") and asked him to pick his 20 all-time greatest songs about New York.  The results were published yesterday in a column by Simon Akam.  Along with some easy picks, like Sinatra's "New York, New York", the Drifters' classics "On Broadway" and "Up on the Roof", Dylan's "Positively Fourth Street" and the Ronettes "Be My Baby", there are more unusual choices like "Personality Crisis" by the New York Dolls and "Walk on the Wild Side" by the Velvet Underground and "Chest Fever" by the Band.

Steve Van Zandt also shares in musical tastes and knowledge through a website called "Little Steven's Underground Garage", where he holds forth with a weekly show.  Mr. Springsteen also has him busy on the road with the E Street Band at least until Thanksgiving (unless more shows are added, the current 2009 tour ends after the November 22 show in Buffalo).

Memories and Rosanne Cash's Inauguration Story

In January of 2009, as Barack Obama's inauguration approached, Rosanne Cash posted an article on Measure for Measure (How to Write a Song and Other Mysteries), a music blog from The New York Times.  Measure for Measure is now dormant, but you can still find Rosanne's wonderful and touching story on line, which features her father, Johnny Cash, as much as the inauguration.  The blog archive also contains pieces from other contributors such as Andrew Bird, Suzanne Vega, and Peter Holsapple.

In response to Rosanne's story, I posted the following comment, slightly edited here:

February 13, 2009 4:21 pm Link
Rosanne:
Read this on Inauguration Day. Tears. As so many have said, wonderfully written, evocative, from the heart.

Made me think of:

God only knows how many males have a crush on EmmyLou. I know there is Steve Earle’s story in the liner notes to one of his earlier recordings about singing with her on the album and sharing a hamburger and never being the same after.
Years ago, when we are all so much younger, she came to Baltimore and sang a couple songs in namesake part of a building called The Rotunda, to promote one of her early albums for a record store. Never the same after. Not that long after I remember buying the record “Seven Year Ache” at the same store (and I mean “record”; still have it). Never the same after that either.

A year or so ago, I heard a radio story about someone in Maryland who made reel to reel tape recordings of concerts in the 1950s. He still has the tapes, I think. In one of the interviews, he recalled how down to earth the whole thing was. Just a flat bed truck somewhere for the stage. Folks all brought food and had a picnic dinner. After they finished performing, the musicians, who included your father, would all come out and meet the audience and have something to eat.

Thanks for sharing.
— Robert Young

Virgin Mobile Free Fest 2009

The future of Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore is in doubt (horse racing ain't what it use to be and everyone is waiting to see if slots save the day). So, Virgin Mobile, which has used Pimlico in past years for it summer music festival, moved to Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD, halfway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Merriweather is a wonderful outdoor summer concert venue, but smaller than Pimlico, so instead of the previous big ticket Virgin Mobile Festival, this year Sir Richard Branson made it a "Free" Fest, scaling back to more modest headliners and giving prior attendees first crack via e-mail. Having gone last year, I got two free tickets. I gave one to my daughter's boyfriend and headed out to Merriweather for the opening of the gates at 11 a.m. on August 30, 2009.

For the end of August in this rainy Maryland summer, the weather could not have been nicer. Sunny 80 degree temperature. There were two stages, the main Pavilion stage where regular concerts are held and a second "West" stage erected for Free Fest in a field far enough away from the Pavilion to avoid the music from one performance interfering with the other. The performances on the West Stage were more appealing to me and started earlier. In addition, the crowd for the Pavilion stage that actually wanted to sit in the enclosed Pavilion had to wait in line for quite a while to get a seat, without any music. Those content to sit or stand on the lawn overlooking the Pavilion stage just settled for the opening act, Mates of State, to come on at 1:30 p.m.

Over on the West stage, the music started at 11:15 a.m. with a group called Sundays Roulette from Bethesda, Maryland. I missed them because I was wandering around the grounds, checking out the exhibit booths and the assorted other attractions that come with a Virgin Mobile Festival, such as Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey, billed as "Baltimore's Award Winning Acrobatic Burlesque Superduo." The outrageous burlesque nouveau couple and their entourage roamed the ground in full attire, posing for pictures with the spectators.

By the time I reached the West stage, the winner of a contest to vote a band onto the schedule, The Birthday Massacre was playing. Based in Toronto, The Birthday Massacre played an energetic, if short set. Dressed in what looked to be Cub Scout uniform shirts sized for adults and Marilyn Mansonesque facials, they seemed pleased to be getting the exposure. Not being a fan of this genre or this band, I cannot rate their performance, but can say that they played well, engaged the crowd and went off after their set to mingle in the "Recharge Area."

Next up was St. Vincent. This is actually a women named Annie Clark who performs with a band as St. Vincent. Paste Magazine reports:

When Annie Clark—the 27-year-old Texan who performs . . . her small frame is nearly hidden from view by her guitar.

True to this report, dressed in black to match her jet black hair, she cradled a large electric guitar. I caught her in mid-set, doing a cover of "I Dig A Pony" by The Beatles, without her band. She started out gently, only to veer into a wild guitar solo in mid-song. When the band came back on, she performed several more songs which featured dissonant arrangements and equally possessed, explosive guitar improvisation from Clark. In all, St. Vincent resembled a cross between Audrey Hepburn and Jimi Hendrix (with a bit of Patti Smith somewhere in the mix), but the music was powerful, intriguing and well worth further exploration.

There followed a set by D.C. hip/hop rapper Wale, who seemed energized to be in front of what he clearly considered a "hometown" crowd. In turn, he energized a large number of fans who gathered to hear him at the West stage. Again, I cannot review Wale's performance critically because I have too little reference. His band was a powerful fusion of rock and rap and his music had strong qualities, but in my humble opinion, Wale could stand to cut some of his talk between songs and stick to the music. That said, the mostly white audience seem to love him, even when he was strutting around repeatedly referring to "DC", saying "F - ing" this and "F- ing" that and throwing water bottles into the crowd.  So, what do I know?

By mid-afternoon I was ready for the band that I really wanted to hear, The Hold Steady, who arrived on the West stage, having performed the night before at the 9:30 Club in Washington. Never having seen them live, I had the impression from their albums that The Hold Steady are a variant of bands like The Counting Crows.
Craig Finn's voice in the studio sounds a little like Adam Duritz, if only a bit more earnest. There are some similarities in the enigmatic songs both bands write and perform, but there is a darker edge to many of their rock anthems, and I am not sure that The Hold Steady will be doing a song on a Shrek soundtrack anytime soon.

Live, however, The Hold Steady unleash themselves from the limitations of the studio.  They are a full-till rock & roll experience.  They are: Craig Finn [vocals], Tad Kubler [Guitar], Galen Polivka [Bass], Bobby Drake, [Drums],  and Franz Nicolay [Keyboard].  Finn is the definitive frontman of the band.  He conveys the dark angst and menace, the confessional twists, and the rollicking joy within the song lyrics.  In pictures, he resembles a sedate accountant or doctor or lawyer.  On stage, he explodes, often pumping a guitar and constantly in motion, leaping back and forth to the microphone, delivery lyrics with animated expressions and body movements that border on spasms.  He clearly enjoys being in front of a crowd.   And, if the crowd knows the songs, he delights and revs it up.  I almost expected him to leap into the crowd, but the gap between the stage and the audience was too far.

Finn may be the focal point, but the band burns behind him. Polivka and Drake lay down a solid, pulsing beat.  Kubler is a classic rock guitarist, who moves effortlessly from power-chords to solos.  Nicolay finishes things off with keyboard runs on piano or organ and accents. The whole band provides backing vocals.  The Hold Steady have been called the best bar band in America and their songs are lyrically rich in characters and detail and color, sometimes calling to mind early Bruce Springsteen, another artist who built his early reputation on phenomenal live performances in bars and clubs.

Touring now to support their powerful new recording, Stay Positive, the band charged through a lively set, including strong new numbers like "Sequestered in Memphis" and "Two Crosses".  No doubt conscious of the abbreviated festival set length, but happily tried to jam as much music as they could into the time that they had.  Most of the songs were drawn from either Stay Positive or Boys & Girls in America.  Finn pumped the crowd to sing along and it responded.  The band kicked up the momentum. Richard Branson wandered up backstage and observed the end of their set.  No doubt this band has had some "Massive Nights", but this was one massive afternoon.  May they have many more massive nights and days.

Check out there newest release, a live recording (with a DVD), A Positive Rage, which is representative of the energy of their performances.  Also check them out on MySpace at The Hold Steady.

After such a fine performance from The Hold Steady, I did not feel like hang out in the heat to catch The National or Weezer. The next day was a work day.  Pretty nice affair. Hope Sir Richard keeps us in mind next year.

Oh, Come All Ye Faithful .... And Charlie Sexton

Bob Dylan announced yesterday that on October 13 he will release as his 47th album Christmas in the Heart. Dylan will donate all of his U.S. royalties in perpetuity to Feeding America. In the announcement on his website,

Bob Dylan commented, “It’s a tragedy that more than 35 million people in this country alone -- 12 million of those children – often go to bed hungry and wake up each morning unsure of where their next meal is coming from. I join the good people of Feeding America in the hope that our efforts can bring some food security to people in need during this holiday season.”

Songs on Christmas in the Heart are to include: “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Little Drummer Boy” and “Must Be Santa.”

Meanwhile, Rolling Stone reports that guitarist Charlie Sexton will re-join Bob's band in Seattle when he continues touring in October. Sexton has recently been working in the Arc Angels with Doyle Bramhill II and Chris Layton. At the RS link there is a nice video clip of Sexton and Dylan performing The Rolling Stone's "Brown Sugar".

November 27, 2009:

Christmas in the Heart is out now, and you can try to figure it out for yourself.  "Must Be Santa" already has a wild video posted on Facebook.  Here is an interesting interview with Dylan about the album by Bill Flanagan in  the North American Street Newspaper Association.  Here and there, amid questions that do not really ask much and do not illicit much in return, Dylan actually reveals a thing or two about his influences in doing a Christmas album.

Summer Concerts III - Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp

THE BOB DYLAN SHOW - July 24, 2009 - Ripken Stadium, Aberdeen, Maryland

Let's start with an important point. This was not solely a Bob Dylan concert. This is The Bob Dylan Show, something that Dylan has been doing in the summer for a number of years now. Dylan gathers two or three other acts and goes out on the road playing ballparks and other venues. The show is as much about the other acts as it is about Dylan, who finishes the night with a tight, ninety minute set.

I saw The Bob Dylan Show in Frederick, Maryland in the summer of 2006 and loved the concept. I particularly liked the exposure for lesser known acts. In Aberdeen, people did not need much introduction to Willie Nelson or John Mellencamp, who drew many of their own fans. The opening act, The Wiyos, however, surely benefited by performing about 45 minutes at the very beginning of the show.

The Wiyos are Joseph deJarnette, Parrish Ellis, Michael Farkas and Teddy (Tetlow) Weber. Their music is loosely described as "Americana." On their Facebook page, they list as influences:

mountains, cities, silent films, street-corner musicians from the last 100 years. stringbands, jugbands, hip-hop, country, washboard swing, beatboxers, ragtime and piedmont blues, We love music that doesn't suck and isn't formulaic boring derivative mediocrity.

The Wiyos performed a wonderfully lively set of traditional songs and their own compositions. As they perform acoustic, they actually had the best sound of the night. In what might be construed as an indirect tip of the hat to Mr. Dylan, they announced that they were going to play a non-original song written after 1940 and proceeded to romp through The Band's "Ophelia." You mayl not hear The Wiyos on a lot of radio stations, but you should check them out if you have the chance.

Willie Nelson came next. Playing to many of his fans, he moved briskly through a relaxed set of his familiar songs and had the crowd engaged. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm rolled in and shortened his set. After announcing that he would have to cut things short, he played a couple more songs and then asked everyone to head for cover. The rain delay lasted about 45 minutes.

John Mellencamp followed with a vibrant set of his classic songs. He and his band played well, but the muddy mix of sound in the stadium took away much of the dynamics of his music, which at times include a violin and an accordion. From the beginning chords of "Little Pink Houses," he had the crowd on his side and clearly many of his fans were there just to see him. He responded with strong performances, filled with familiar songs, and he had the crowd singing along.

By the time Dylan arrived on stage it was dark. With a tight band, Bob started off with new versions of two classics, "Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." (Full set list is at bobdylan.com or at boblinks.com.) Atypical of the Frederick show in 2006, when Dylan never left his keyboard on the side of the stage, he played guitar on these first two songs. He then retired to the keyboards for the rest of the night. His band was blistering hot and Dylan's voice was strong (if throaty and cracking) all night. Dylan has fallen deeper into a blues mode, and most of the songs in the set were from his more recent albums. He did include a spirited rendition of "Highway 61 Revisited," which is a blues-based song to begin with, and finished with "Like a Rolling Stone," "Jolene," and "All Along the Watchtower." As mentioned in my Introduction, however, the sound quality could have been much better. If you wanted to just listen, you probably heard a better set in the parking lot. Still, Bob's performance was tight and his band was white hot. (Bob Dylan - keyboard, guitar, harp; Tony Garnier - bass; George Recile - drums; Stu Kimball - rhythm guitar; Denny Freeman - lead guitar; Donnie Herron - violin, viola, banjo, electric mandolin, pedal steel, lap steel. Courtesy of Bob Links.)

Some important considerations about any Bob Dylan performance:

His voice seems to have been a source of contention all his career, from the very early days of his fame, when he took to reminding interviewers that whatever they thought of his voice, he was hitting all those notes. Without question, Dylan's voice now creaks and cracks at times, but he still hits the notes. He also has incredible knowledge of the musical roots that he is mining.

Yes, his phrasing remains a mystery some times. He persists in changing the way he sings his songs, particularly the classic in his repetiore. This is nothing new, however. I first saw Dylan in 1974, and even then, he was reinventing his own songs, changing their arrangements and changing the way that he sung and phrased the words. Go listen to the live recordings that you can get a hold of. Despite having been released somewhat randomly, these live recordings interestingly illustrate significant points in Dylan's long career. Listen to songs on "Before the Flood" with the Band. Then go and listen to the same songs on At Budokan or The Basement Tapes. Dylan is always changing things. As he says in "Maggie's Farm":

Well, I try my best
To be just like I am,
But everybody wants you
To be just like them.

Don't expect Bob to engage the audience. Except for the early days, when he joked and kidded with the audience (Live 1964 at Town Hall in New York), Dylan has moved away from much interaction with his audience and his fans. This is certainly true after he went electric. Listen to Live 1966 in comparison to Live 1964 and watch D.A. Pennebacker's Dont [Don't] Look Back and the end of Martin Scorsese's No Direction Home), which document the tension between Dylan and parts of his audience and the press when he played Newport and tour England in 1965 and 1966. As he played electric, parts of his audience became openly hostile, prompting acidic responses from Dylan. Following his mysterious motorcycle crash in 1966, Dylan stopped touring until 1974, when he decided to go on the road with The Band. By then, when I first saw him, he was not speaking to the audience at all. The Band worked the crown during their own set. (When I saw him 1974, he opened and close the show with the same song, "Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine)". Perhaps, that was meant as a message too.) So, accept the fact that it will be a rare night when Bob comes out and tells a joke or takes a request. He is going his way now. Take it or leave it.

Finally, many reviewers note that Dylan now plays a lot of newer songs, which pale in comparison to his "classics". I doubt Dylan cares. He keeps writing songs. Dylan may constantly rework the songs we all list as his classics, but he cannot recreate them. Those songs are welded together with the times in which they were written. Many of us cannot be separated them from the greater context those times gave those songs. Times have changed, and Dylan has never been much interested in repeating himself, so he has moved on. We tend to forget that throughout his career he has written songs that are less then great. Comparing his songs is like comparing Shakespeare's plays; there are some unparalleled works, some merely great ones, some lesser works, and some we just pass by.

And Dylan continues to write great songs. The Grammy Awards may being trying to make up having ignored Dylan throughout the 1960s by recognizing Dylan's recent work repeatedly, but Time Out of Mind, Love and Theft, and Modern Times are exceptional recordings. Dylan won an Academy Award in 2000 for "Things Have Changed." (Has anyone done a thesis on how often Dylan deals with time and change in his lyrics?) Dylan keeps on working and changing and the results continue to amaze. Last year's Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989 to 2006 is a good example, revealing how Dylan not only performs different versions of his songs, but records different versions too. And he works on side projects, like film scores and collaborations like the wonderful version of "The Lonesome River" with Ralph Stanley. And when he performs, he puts everything into the songs, old or new, playing full-tilt with a band of excellent musicians. So catch him if you can; it will be well worth it.

August 22, 2009:
From an interview about his new record, Together Through Life, here is Dylan himself talking about his songs and his audience:

There didn’t seem to be any general consensus among my listeners. Some people preferred my first period songs. Some, the second. Some, the Christian period. Some, the post Colombian. Some, the Pre-Raphaelite. Some people prefer my songs from the nineties. I see that my audience now doesn’t particular care what period the songs are from. They feel style and substance in a more visceral way and let it go at that. Images don’t hang anybody up. Like if there’s an astrologer with a criminal record in one of my songs it’s not going to make anybody wonder if the human race is doomed. Images are taken at face value and it kind of freed me up.

Read the entire interview on Dylan's website.

Summer Concerts II - Wilco

WILCO - July 10, 2009 - Frawley Stadium, Wilmington, Delaware
There were some dark clouds, but no rain. (I saw reports on Twitter that the next night in Lowell, Massachusetts Wilco's set was cut short by a thunderstorm.) Conor Oberst and The Mystic River Band opened with an impressive hour long set of a full tilt rock. I am familiar with some of Oberst's gentler work as Bright Eyes, but this performance put a powerfully different sound behind his music. A friend saw Oberst and the The Mystic River Band in Baltimore two nights earlier in a club with a capacity around 200 and was literally blow away.

Wilco followed with a stunning, two hour tour de force. The full set list is available online at Wilcobase. The show included two encore sets. Wilcobase breaks the songs down by album, and the show was fairly evenly drawn from Wilco's four most recent albums, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost Is Born, Sky Blue Sky, and Wilco (the Album). Wilco handed out a free "Wilco Summer Tour 2009" program, that was entertaining and included an interview with Jeff Tweedy conducted by his two sons, Sam and Spencer. In a nice baseball touch, the center of the program is a scorecard for fans. Across the top of the grid is a list of every Wilco song, and down the left side is a list of every summer concert. Of course, this resulted in tiny boxes just barely big enough to fit a check mark, and by the time Wilco started playing, it was too dark to see anything anyway, but the concept was entertaining.

Wilco has built a fine repertoire of songs over the years and the current configuration of the band turns out stunning live renditions. I have seen them three times in the last four years or so, and they have become one of the most powerful concert bands performing today. Reports have it that Wilco and Bruce Springsteen turned in the best performances at Bonnaroo this year. Bruce went off afterward on a wild, wonderful, triumphant European tour. (Sorry, I only wish I had a first hand report here, but check out GreasyLake or Blogness on the Edge of Town. I have tickets to see Bruce and the E-Street Band in October in Philadelphia.)

It is also nice to see Wilco share the stage with talent like Conor Oberst. Other acts opening for Wilco on this tour include Okkervil River and Yo La Tengo. In the program interview with his sons, Tweedy also mentions that the band shares the proceeds of concert posters sold at the shows with local charities. Tweedy has developed a wonderful interaction with the fans. For reasons not entirely made clear, the mascot of the Wilmington Blue Rocks appears to be a character named "Mr. Celery." Wilco had sent out an e-mail advising that Mr. Celery would be in the stands, as he was reported to be a Wilco fan, and asking other fans to wish him well. Mr. Celery was indeed walking around before the show with a Wilco t-shirt as a cape and he made an appearance on stage during Wilco's set. Fans down in front of the stage came with stalks of celery that they tossed up to Tweedy and the band from time to time.

The only negative that I have to report about Wilco in Wilmington was the way the general admission tickets were handled. Although Wilco's website clearly stated that your ticket would be good for admission to the stands or the field and there was no selection online to order a specific type of ticket, the tickets delivered were printed "Stands" or "Field." Security personnel at the stadium refused to let people onto the field prior to the show unless their ticket said "Field" or that they had a bracelet that allowed field access. There were many unhappy fans who wanted to get down front sooner.

Wilco's powerful performance probably erased most of that ill-will, as everyone seemed happy after the show, even though they had to wait a long time for the parking lot to clear.

Summer Concerts I - Introduction

I posted a list of summer concerts earlier, so I thought that I would follow up with some short comments. These are not really reviews as such, just thoughts about the shows.

I attend two ballpark shows in two weeks. Generally, I like these shows, because they are general admission. You can sit in the stands or stand on the field or just walk around if you want. You can meet folks and talk with them or just hang out on your own. The shows tend to be family affairs, with children and grandchildren in attendance. With a few exceptions, pretty much anywhere in the park is a good place to watch the show.

These shows do have a couple of potential draw backs, however. First, the parks have rules about what you can bring through the gates. Check the rules and plan to travel light. Second, all the ballpark concessions are open, which means a lot of folks are drinking beer and more exotic alcoholic drinks and walking around the stadium. Probably only the truly hardy and loyal fans want to get down right in front of the stage for two or three hours. Also, weather can be an issue. Finally, ballpark acoustics really not ideal and for those who get right down in front, take care of your hearing, as volume levels are likely to be loud.

The posts that follow on Wilco and Conor Oberst and The Bob Dylan Show (with Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and The Wiyos).

Paste's Definitive All-Time Top 10 Rock 'n' Roll Documentaries List

Paste magazine has taken a shot at listing the top ten rock n' roll documentaries of all time. Note that Paste has excluded what it views as pure concert films. Thus, Martin Scorcese Last Waltz does not make the list. I think, however, that his PBS documentary on Bob Dylan, No Direction Home should have made the list.

Take a look and let me know if you have any additions.

Folk City 100 Most Essential Folk Songs

Folk Alley has compiled a list of its 100 most essential folk songs as reported at today at NPR. I took a quick look, and would probably revise this some. Unless I missed something the Carter Family (or members there of) show only once at 61 with [Can??] the Circle Be Unbroken (always thought this was Will the Circle Be Unbroken). This is an extreme oversight. Woody Guthrie, Seeger and Weavers and Bill Monroe and a few others are there, but mostly Dylan and post Dylan. And, I believe these are performances of songs, as Goodnight Irene was not written by the Weavers, but by Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter). Suggest getting Shared Vision tribute to Guthrie/Ledbetter or any of the three Will the Circle Be Unbroken anthologies by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

June 23, 2009

A reader commented off line:

I am pretty weak on folk (which is not to suggest I am strong in other areas), so my views would not be worth much.

Whether the Band and the Byrds qualify as folk singers, I would have some doubt; and Barry McGuire, “Eve of Destruction,” is not too folkish to me – but what do I know?

My response:

That was my reaction. Will have to check out Folk Alley, as I think they have strayed down other streets.

If you are interested, a great folk resource is Roger McGuinn's (of the Byrds) Folk Den at: http://www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/mcguinn/index.html

and his related podcast, through which he is trying to keep true folk music alive by recording and releasing by podcast versions of traditional folk songs. The podcast is free at iTunes as McGuinn's Folk Den. He releases one new song a month. At iTunes there are links to other folk podcasts, including a Folk Alley podcast that I was unaware of.