Wednesday, October 29, 2008
AC DC Wilkes Barre 10 28 2008 Tour Opener Set List
Rock & Roll Train
Hell Ain't a Bad Place
Back In Black
Big Jack
Dirty deeds
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack
Hells Bells
War Machine
Anything Goes
You Shook Me
TNT
Rosie
Let There Be Rock
encore
Highway To Hell
For Those About To Rock
Hell Ain't a Bad Place
Back In Black
Big Jack
Dirty deeds
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack
Hells Bells
War Machine
Anything Goes
You Shook Me
TNT
Rosie
Let There Be Rock
encore
Highway To Hell
For Those About To Rock
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Black Crowes- Notes from last nights concert October 25 2008 930 Club
yawn..boring show last night.. they were great when they stuck to the rock and roll but way too much of the evening was like watching a bad phish/dead cover band..
are they trying to turn into a jam band? maybe they are already there? that shit was boring...preferred their show at wolftrap a few months ago..
interesting they were allowing people outside to smoke..usually there is no reentry.. the cop presence was bordering on the obscene...i mean come on it was 1000 kids having a little fun on a saturday night..
all in all i got lucky that i got to hear three songs from southern harmony including remedy/sting me... also it was nice to hear the slightly cheezoid she talks to angels..of the three shows i definitely got to see the one with the best set list for me..
but overall this concert was a wankfest...too many boring long solos that went nowhere...really it was like watching a band with a split personality.. sometimes wanting to the grateful dead while at other times staying true to their original stones/faces vibe...we even had a really boring drums interlude...
at the show at wolftrap they had done far more channeling of the stones...also i got to say chris robinson looks like shit... get it together bro! stay off the hard stuff and eat more..
are they trying to turn into a jam band? maybe they are already there? that shit was boring...preferred their show at wolftrap a few months ago..
interesting they were allowing people outside to smoke..usually there is no reentry.. the cop presence was bordering on the obscene...i mean come on it was 1000 kids having a little fun on a saturday night..
all in all i got lucky that i got to hear three songs from southern harmony including remedy/sting me... also it was nice to hear the slightly cheezoid she talks to angels..of the three shows i definitely got to see the one with the best set list for me..
but overall this concert was a wankfest...too many boring long solos that went nowhere...really it was like watching a band with a split personality.. sometimes wanting to the grateful dead while at other times staying true to their original stones/faces vibe...we even had a really boring drums interlude...
at the show at wolftrap they had done far more channeling of the stones...also i got to say chris robinson looks like shit... get it together bro! stay off the hard stuff and eat more..
the Black Crowes October 25 930 Club Washington DC Set List
For those coming here for the set list from last night's concert:
GOODBYE DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION
STING ME
GO TELL THE CONGREGATION
BALLAD IN URGENCY
WISER TIME
SHE TALKS TO ANGELS
POOR ELIJAH/ROBERT JOHNSON
COLD BOY SMILE
WHOA MULE
LAY IT ALL ON ME
WEE WHO SEE THE DEEP
THORN IN MY PRIDE
FEATHERS
REMEDY
WOUNDED BIRD
- encore -
DON’T DO IT
GOODBYE DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION
STING ME
GO TELL THE CONGREGATION
BALLAD IN URGENCY
WISER TIME
SHE TALKS TO ANGELS
POOR ELIJAH/ROBERT JOHNSON
COLD BOY SMILE
WHOA MULE
LAY IT ALL ON ME
WEE WHO SEE THE DEEP
THORN IN MY PRIDE
FEATHERS
REMEDY
WOUNDED BIRD
- encore -
DON’T DO IT
Monday, October 20, 2008
Crystal Ball Edition
Yes the $64,000 question..what is going to happen!!!?!?! Well I am no expert but I have some thoughts...
I think the United States- and whatever else people disagree on I think there is a concensus on this- is going through a crisis in its political leadership product not just of Bush's incompetence but also a paralysis/gridlock in government product of an almost perfect democratic/republican split since 2000. Once Barack Obama is elected president I have to believe that we will see a boost in confidence on the part of americans. At this point however people are depressed and unhappy about the direction of the country- particularly the economy- and they are not spending and as you know when people here in consumerland stop spending everything grinds to a halt. There is also less spending because there is a contraction in credit with people, for example, finding it harder to get bank loans to buy cars...This is all compounded by a sizable drop in home values which is making everyone feel poorer...
However, we have not yet even began to see the full impact of this reduction in spending/contraction in credit work its way through the economy as it has really only been happening in full for the past couple of weeks.. Anecdotically - on the street- you hear a lot of "I am cutting down on my spending" and "I was going to but now because of the economic crisis.." when in reality there is still little direct impact on many Americans but this very cutback on the part of most americans is what is going to make sure that we do go into a deep recession with pain... This is going to come though particularly around the end of the holiday season and particularly the first quarter of 2009 (nice inauguration present for obama). I have to believe we will have retail numbers being announced for Christmas that will be abysmal and this will feed the pessimism- of course by this point Obama will have been elected with a clear mandate and this should counteract the pessimism somewhat- I would not be surprised to see some sort of active early transition or at least involvement of Obama's economic team....
Of course the government is trying to combat this drop in consumer confidence and spending by injecting as much liquid as it can but that too will take time to work its way through...
In as far as the longer term questions of how the US gets its financial house in order I have to believe we are heading -eventually- for a reduction of defense spending..There is also concensus about the need to move up the retirement age (to improve the social security segment of the budget) but we will have to see if that can be done).. But we are essentially heading towards the end of the American "Empire".. Pat Buchanan- who for every strange idea has many more with common sense- just wrote a column about how the US can no longer afford its empire... Too much of the government spending cannot or will not be cut leaving defense as the necessary source of cuts.. I think America's creditors and the international financial community are going to want to see some seriousness on the part of Obama because they are becoming worried about the mess that has developed and this fantasyland debate about lowering everyone's taxes along with increasing government expenditure on bailouts etc has to be scaring them a bit..
Having said all that, I am optimistic that once Obama wins he will be able to provide people with some confidence that they have a government.. the problem currently is that there is no real government.. Bush is pretty much absent and there is no confidence in him or his administration - or their policies- so we are waiting on standby for the new president while we debate whether Obama is a socialist, terrorist, or what....I think the fact that the democrats will have control in both houses of congress means he should be able to take the necessary steps and more importantly perhaps give people the impression that somebody is in charge at the helm and is steering the ship... I also expect Obama to appoint a team of very competent, trusted, and experimented people to run the economy and signal Wall Street to get on board.. I am thinking of people who already proved their bonafides under Clinton (Rubin, etc..).
There is a lot of doom and gloom around here but I continue to think that the US economy is very dynamic and that the necessary adjustments will be made... There will be a period of time until the recession fully takes hold and then there will be an additional period of time until the measures taken by government work themselves through the economy but in the end I just don't see this being anything on the order of what is being talked about (i.e., a new "great depression", etc.).
Obviously there are real problems with the mortgages, the deficits, etc.. but ultimately I think this is more about a lack of trust on the part of Americans and US creditors..It is that lack of confidence that is the biggest problem and as Alsogaray would have said we need a "shock"!
These are my scattered thoughts but I remain optimistic for the medium term and although the challenges are sizable I wouldn't bet against the United States just yet.....No doubt my optimism is to a large extent influenced by my belief that Obama is going to win the presidency..
I think the United States- and whatever else people disagree on I think there is a concensus on this- is going through a crisis in its political leadership product not just of Bush's incompetence but also a paralysis/gridlock in government product of an almost perfect democratic/republican split since 2000. Once Barack Obama is elected president I have to believe that we will see a boost in confidence on the part of americans. At this point however people are depressed and unhappy about the direction of the country- particularly the economy- and they are not spending and as you know when people here in consumerland stop spending everything grinds to a halt. There is also less spending because there is a contraction in credit with people, for example, finding it harder to get bank loans to buy cars...This is all compounded by a sizable drop in home values which is making everyone feel poorer...
However, we have not yet even began to see the full impact of this reduction in spending/contraction in credit work its way through the economy as it has really only been happening in full for the past couple of weeks.. Anecdotically - on the street- you hear a lot of "I am cutting down on my spending" and "I was going to but now because of the economic crisis.." when in reality there is still little direct impact on many Americans but this very cutback on the part of most americans is what is going to make sure that we do go into a deep recession with pain... This is going to come though particularly around the end of the holiday season and particularly the first quarter of 2009 (nice inauguration present for obama). I have to believe we will have retail numbers being announced for Christmas that will be abysmal and this will feed the pessimism- of course by this point Obama will have been elected with a clear mandate and this should counteract the pessimism somewhat- I would not be surprised to see some sort of active early transition or at least involvement of Obama's economic team....
Of course the government is trying to combat this drop in consumer confidence and spending by injecting as much liquid as it can but that too will take time to work its way through...
In as far as the longer term questions of how the US gets its financial house in order I have to believe we are heading -eventually- for a reduction of defense spending..There is also concensus about the need to move up the retirement age (to improve the social security segment of the budget) but we will have to see if that can be done).. But we are essentially heading towards the end of the American "Empire".. Pat Buchanan- who for every strange idea has many more with common sense- just wrote a column about how the US can no longer afford its empire... Too much of the government spending cannot or will not be cut leaving defense as the necessary source of cuts.. I think America's creditors and the international financial community are going to want to see some seriousness on the part of Obama because they are becoming worried about the mess that has developed and this fantasyland debate about lowering everyone's taxes along with increasing government expenditure on bailouts etc has to be scaring them a bit..
Having said all that, I am optimistic that once Obama wins he will be able to provide people with some confidence that they have a government.. the problem currently is that there is no real government.. Bush is pretty much absent and there is no confidence in him or his administration - or their policies- so we are waiting on standby for the new president while we debate whether Obama is a socialist, terrorist, or what....I think the fact that the democrats will have control in both houses of congress means he should be able to take the necessary steps and more importantly perhaps give people the impression that somebody is in charge at the helm and is steering the ship... I also expect Obama to appoint a team of very competent, trusted, and experimented people to run the economy and signal Wall Street to get on board.. I am thinking of people who already proved their bonafides under Clinton (Rubin, etc..).
There is a lot of doom and gloom around here but I continue to think that the US economy is very dynamic and that the necessary adjustments will be made... There will be a period of time until the recession fully takes hold and then there will be an additional period of time until the measures taken by government work themselves through the economy but in the end I just don't see this being anything on the order of what is being talked about (i.e., a new "great depression", etc.).
Obviously there are real problems with the mortgages, the deficits, etc.. but ultimately I think this is more about a lack of trust on the part of Americans and US creditors..It is that lack of confidence that is the biggest problem and as Alsogaray would have said we need a "shock"!
These are my scattered thoughts but I remain optimistic for the medium term and although the challenges are sizable I wouldn't bet against the United States just yet.....No doubt my optimism is to a large extent influenced by my belief that Obama is going to win the presidency..
Sunday, October 19, 2008
number of argentines leaving argentina doubled in 2007
thats what happens when people see a country is going nowhere fast.. when there is no belief in the leadership (I'm talking to you Cristina and Nestor Kirchner).. PEOPLE JUST LEAVE.
here's the story on it
The Wailers (with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer) Catch A Fire LP
Man is this like the greatest album ever or what? I could listen to this all day! I am doing so in fact.. Just got through the original US zippo lighter cover and I'm now listening to the Jamaican LP.... Aston Familyman Barrett is just awesome on this... he's mixed in really nice with that extremely fat bass...This record first came out as a "Wailers" record but I guess was subsequently released as "Bob Marley and the Wailers".. the question of course is this: was the zippo case the only issue under "The Wailers" and it sold its as rumoured 20,000 run, then Burnin' came out under "Wailers" and only then was Catch a fire released with the Bob Marley smokin' a joint cover and credited to "Bob Marley and the Wailers" or is there an issue with the Bob Marley smoking a joint but credited to "The Wailers"? Why the change from "The Wailers" to "Bob Marley and the Wailers" and when did this change happen? Also the original zippo cover LP of Catch A Fire features a different mix/slightly longer mix of "Baby we've got a date" apparently... Either way whatever the history this is just a wonderful album. the issue is if it peaked at around Billboard 150 how many copies sold say in the first year? Where all the copies sold the first year the lighter copy?
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Monday, October 06, 2008
Nick Cave 9:30 Club October 5 2008 Washington DC concert review
A little background helps understand the author… I first came across the music of Nick Cave- much like a lot of great music- about 1994 when I purchased “Let Love In” no doubt spurred by the usual fawning reviews that accompany his releases… If positive reviews translated into sales Nick Cave would be the best selling musician of the modern age… In any case what great luck to begin with Let Love In which I still think may be his peak in a career full of them…It has all the great Cave trademarks be it that creepiness/gothic vibe (Red Right Hand), the rave up post-punk tunes (Jangling Jack) and the lyrical ultra romanticism (Nobody’s Baby).. Its accessible yet uncompromising… I played this one into the ground –literally… Also, one listen and you new that the musicians – the Bad Seeds- were top notch… After this I very quickly purchased an almost contemporaneous and somewhat limited “Live Seeds” which I was to learn was a live recording from the previous tour (1992 Henry’s Dream)… This introduced me to his “classics” and some of these were beyond astounding powerful performances were the sound just built into a crescendo and you thought the whole thing was just going to pretty much come undone/explode… Played that CD to death… Later that summer or next summer we drove off to West Virginia and unfortunately Nick Cave pretty much opened the Llollapalooza.. I cannot think of any less fitting stage to see Nick Cave than in the hot summer sun about 1 pm at Llollapalooza….Even worse we got there late so we caught about 1 or 2 songs as we wandered in..at least that’s how I remember it…. To this day I don’t consider that I saw or heard Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds that day…. I think Mr. Cave was so put off by the whole bit of Llollapallooza that he pretty much ignored the United States for many years.. then when he did make it back I had to be out of town.. then a few more years passed…Anyways, I continued listening to his music and loved things like Murder Ballads, Boatman’s Call , the Lyre/Abbatoir (I do think there was a slight dip..but it was slight between Boatman’s and Lyre/Abbatori) and the new one Dig Lazarus Dig which I have been enjoying as I anticipated finally seeing him on this tour at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC.. it helps when there are songs on the new album such as Lotus Eaters or Midnight Man which hold up against the best of the man’s vast body of work… I had little doubt that Nick Cave would deliver the goods.. I was saddened of course that Blixa Bargfeld left the Bad Seeds a few years ago but I new that Warren Ellis, Mick Harvey et al would bring their A game… Still I don’t think I was quite prepared for what a great show we got last night… I’m not much for reviewing concerts but I suppose the set list had to help…Night of the Lotus Eaters is a great creepy vibe Cave track… Dig Lazarus Dig is just classic Cave speak song (an update on one of my favorites “Jangling Jack”).. The band was very tight and Cave’s voice was just about as good as it is on any of their records… he moved around the stage making eye contact and even physical contact with the crowd (particularly those close up)..he’s got an interesting and distinctive look going which almost makes him look like a character out of Zorro with that mustache and increasingly thinning/balding up on top but with plenty of hair on the sides… all very dark..the show was all dark.. not much light… people kept yelling “Release the bats!”…Then Cave tackled some classics like Weeping Song/Tupelo… Blixa was of course missed on Weeping Song but I was still glad he played it.. Following these he played what in my opinion is the more immediate and to my ears best track from the new album: Midnight Man and this positively rocked the house.. A rather pedestrian Love Letter followed.. never have quite gotten the hold of this one and there are far better Cave romantic tracks.. The Mercy Seat was a big highlight of the evening…the power of the song and the words magnified by Cave putting life and limb into the delivery… He definetly does a good job of almost acting out the delivery.. musical expressionism…or musical theater call it what you will..watching him at work it was clear that this was a man at the peak of his powers and I was gladdened to be able to say that while I missed him over the years when I finally got my chance to see him it was top notch…The DC crowd at the 9:30 was about as good a crowd as you’ll se in DC.. into it, singing the choruses and fist pumping (particularly up front)..giving Cave some energy that is often missing from DC shows…Other highlights were Deanna, We Call Upon the Author (another great track from the new album) which was well served by some organ/keyboard lines.. by the way it looked to me like there were three keyboard/organ’s on stage… Cave played on two of them including Into My Arms… The last song of the main set Papa Won’t Leave You Henry was probably the highlight of the evening… really raved up stomping loud much like the version on Live Seeds… Cave came out again and played the aforementioned Into My Arms then joked about going into Ship Song.. I know some people detest this song but everyone seemed to want to hear it but Cave I realized was not going to follow one slow ballad with another and sure enough he faked us- at least me- out and went into Get Ready For Love.. The Lyre of Orpheus followed that and I thought maybe Cave was surprised the crowd didn’t know it better but who knows..some schmuck who asked for it mispronounced Lyre as Lir and Cave had some fun with that.. Who calls it Lir? Cave then closed the concert with a wonderful Stagger Lee.. I had not expected to hear this one and thoroughly enjoyed it…What a malleable song..when you compare Cave’s version to that of the Grateful Dead they just have pretty much nothing in common..Cave’s is harrowing/violent/sexual while the Dead’s is more of fun good time party song….and with that Mr. Cave bade us farewell…
Nick Cave October 5 Washington DC 9:30 Club set list
1. Night of the Lotus Eaters
2. Dig, Lazarus, Dig
3. Tupelo
4. Weeping Song
5. Red Right Hand
6. Mignight Man
7. Love Letter
8. Hold On To Your Love
9. Moonland
10. The Mercy Seat
11. Deanna
12. Hard On For Love
13. We Call Upon the Author
14. Papa Won't Leave You Henry
15. Into My Arms
16. Get Ready for Love
17. The Lyre of Orpheus
18. Stagger Lee
2. Dig, Lazarus, Dig
3. Tupelo
4. Weeping Song
5. Red Right Hand
6. Mignight Man
7. Love Letter
8. Hold On To Your Love
9. Moonland
10. The Mercy Seat
11. Deanna
12. Hard On For Love
13. We Call Upon the Author
14. Papa Won't Leave You Henry
15. Into My Arms
16. Get Ready for Love
17. The Lyre of Orpheus
18. Stagger Lee
Sunday, October 05, 2008
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