Surfs Up!

Bruce Springsteen ©Andrew Talbert

Well. Excuse my use of run-on sentences to explain how I am really feeling. I will tell you this isn't my best picture from this sequence of events. The best one will be hanging on the wall of my house in a frame soon. I mean let's sum this up. Multi-millionare rock star pours out three non-stop hours with an all-star band on stage and after singing with an eight year old and dancing with a little girl from the front row, sliding on his knees the entire distance of the stage as he held his guitar over his head for most of the show ultimately he manages to surf half the distance of the floor over the heads of his most devoted fans? Is there anyone in the business who can match this? If there is I ask them to stand up now. He managed to make sure I got a ticketless admission to avoid scalping and he gave me a huge bargain on the price of admission while over-delivering a full-throttle performance from a packed stage. This is what a concert should be. As I walked out with a smile on my face and tears of joy in my eyes I thought to myself I just f'in lived tonight. Yeah baby. I woke up the next day and I had a post-concert buzz that felt so good I almost skipped down the stairs. THAT is what I call a GREAT show! I still feel it. I hope you can go see this tour. I'll stop right there.

Here's a nice link to check out if you want to read more:

http://blogs.wickedlocal.com/springsteen/#axzz1qHG1YOfp

Until next time, I'll see you. Down the road.

Nils Lofgren!

http://nilslofgren.com/
So this guy is a friend of a friend and I put this picture up here for her. Nils is very talented and he was smoking the guitar all night! Check him out on his web page.

The Big Man Was Here.

http://brucespringsteen.net/the-band/2012/clarence-clemons
So the sax was on the stage. Clarence was there. It was a moment where Bruce stopped the show and stood in the front rows of the crowd and raised his hands over his head. He was silently asking the crowd to acknowledge Clarence. The crowd cheered and clapped for what must have been three minutes non-stop. It really was a moment. I smiled. Tears went down my face. It was awesome. It really was. Watch this video at the 3:00 minute mark from the Atlanta show and you will get a feel for this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UTQizAx6cQ

This picture is one of Jake Clemons, the nephew of Clarence. He did an awesome job. Each time he took the solo the crowd roared.
It was very cool. You could just feel the fans loving every moment and understanding the history of this great band.

Bruce and Patti!

http://brucespringsteen.net/the-band/2012/patti-scialfa-2

There were three hours of incredible rock and roll. Bruce and Patti were standing waist-deep in fans jamming. I really can't explain this show. Words really don't tell the story. Here is something you can try at home. Go get the tracks from "Born to Run" and crank them up as you read this. Imagine the live version with the full intensity of a sold-out house and everyone standing as they chant the lyrics and will the band on. You will start to get close. You must go see this band on this tour. That is my advice."Nuff said.

Here's a link to the 62 year old Bruce kicking some ass at the Apollo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OgGc513kNE&feature=related

Bruce Springsteen!!!

http://brucespringsteen.net/

Well. I can't add anything to the story of a superstar Rock and Roll player. I arrived at the second show of the 2012 "Wrecking Ball " tour in Greensboro, North Carolina earlier this week knowing that it would be a great night. And it was! As I pulled into the parking lot alone I dropped my tailgate and tore into my dinner from a bag. I opened one of my favorite brown nut ales and listened to cranked-up rock from my sat radio. I looked in to the sun and noticed a guy parked next to me who I was soon friends with as we talked about all of our concert war stories and even those to come very soon. It was the way it always starts. I could feel something special already causing my hair on the back of my neck to stand up. The boss was in the house and I just knew a great show was going to unfold very soon.

John Hiatt!

http://www.johnhiatt.com/
All photos on this blog are ©Andrew Talbert unless otherwise noted.

Wow. John Hiatt. How do I add anything about him that hasn't been said. I guess I will just tell you about last night from my perspective. First I really enjoyed seeing him. The last time I was going to see him I got rained out. I had the tickets and he played but I passed as it was a steady downpour in Raleigh and I really didn't want to get drowned! So I was overdue to see John play, especially with Lyle.
One of the funniest things said last night was a ramble about guitars. John asked Lyle about his guitar and Lyle went into the story about the maker of his guitars. Bill Collings. http://www.collingsguitars.com/

Here is a cool video you can watch featuring Lyle talking about a trip with Bill :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKRsCWhszzw

Anyway you really had to be there to understand but the tangent from the guitar story had some lines about John talking about the ventilation in the guitar factory and John saying the best part of signing autographs was the magic markers! It was all very funny.

As for wrapping up my thoughts about last night, both guys absolutely smoked their guitar playing. As a struggling guitar player there were moments I just shook my head. Lyle's finger-picking and John improvising some of his blues-tainted runs were first rate. The stories were something you don't get to see enough of these days at a concert and this was a welcome part of the show for me. It can really help you understand the music. I will say being in a super nice 700 person venue helps you feel like you are a part of a very intimate and special show. Beats a shed show hands down. 'Nuff said.

John played some things I really wanted to hear. "Cry Love", "Crossing Muddy Water", and so on. I will link you to a couple of videos in a minute but I will mention my favorite of the night.

This is the song Eric Clapton and B.B. King made famous "Riding With the King." People I could hardly sit in my chair. My foot was stomping the beat and I quietly sung every line. What a great song! Here's a version I have seen Sonny Landreth play with John back in the days of John's band he calls 'The Goners" Crank it up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_CUzuitxSI

Here's BB and EC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDR1-JD4Sms&feature=related

Did I mention "Memphis in the Meantime?" John played it. I was thinking about all of the people who covered this song as he sang it. Gregg Allman...on and on... Here's a great video link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOKEQ1GtviI&feature=related

Another fabulous John Hiatt song is "Thing Called Love" Bonnie Raitt made so famous. Here is a line to a video with John and Bonnie playing it on stage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp1txht6SGM

Finally another of my favorites from the night. "Perfectly Good Guitar" I love this one and the meaning of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONe27UL_EaE&feature=related

Wow. I am still basking in the glow from this show. I'm 48 hours from another great concert with more coming in behind that.
Life is damn good. I'll be back again on the blog soon. In the meantime live "Now" and go see some live music. Support those great artists on the trail!

Until next time, I'll see you, down the road.

Lyle Lovett!

http://www.lylelovett.com/
Lyle Lovett. I'm not sure what I want to say. I always want to tell everyone how nice he is. I remember working the stage crew recently when he played Merlefest and I saw him walk from person to person back stage either taking time for a photo or just to talk to people he didn't know. I thought that was really cool. This same personality comes out on stage as well. Very cool.

I think somewhere way back in this blog I told the story of the first time I saw Lyle so many years ago. It was in the 1980's at Memorial Hall on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he opened for Bonnie Raitt. I still remember every moment of that show. Lyle was great even then! Now many years later there is a really nice collection of music he has produced with some of the best of the music business. 11 albums and still rolling. Speaking of albums, yeah that's what I call them, Lyle just released "Release Me." pun intended. Folks, go sample this one. There is video all over the net and the songs are fabulous. Lyle played several of them last night from the Chuck Berry cover "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" which he completely made his own to the "Girl With the Holiday Smile" which he not only played but battered about with John on stage. The story was very funny. That folks is why you need to go buy the cd and go see the show live! I would put this one in my top five favorite shows of the past year.

Here are some links:

Look at the players in this video and you will see some real musical superstars. I won't mention any names but the room is full of stars...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbB4qLBCFOg

"Girl With the Holiday Smile"
http://www.myspace.com/lylelovett/music/songs/the-girl-with-the-holiday-smile-album-version-85205748

Listen to the new album preview and you can even buy it here...
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8671348

And..just to share. Here was the last song performed. "Good-bye to Carolina" Lyrics by Lyle Lovett:

Go west young man while you still can
Before you're out of time
And you can always come back home
Tomorrow if you like

So wave to the tractor
And to the tractor shed
And to the milk cow
That kicked me in the head
I can't remember
But was it I who said
Good-bye to carolina

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt in Charlotte Last Night.

An Incredible Experience. Those are the words that best describe last nights show at the McGlohon Theatre.
http://www.blumenthalarts.org/default.asp?blumenthal=135&objId=9
Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt came to town to entertain a sold-out house in a fabulous historic venue featuring stained glass windows. The fortunate 700 people who were in attendance witnessed over two and a half non-stop hours of off-the-cuff humor, smiles, stories, and some awesome music. I have seen these guys perform many times in different configurations with bands and solo so I should tell you that this night was very special. Very different and very good!

Here is a link to a song that happens to be very close to my favorite song of his. When Lyle hit the first chord I actually said to myself quietly "He is gonna' play it!" These guys work so well together. More stories in a moment. This video link is to "My Favorite Mistake."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjM-VstwTMM