Tag Archives: music

Ticket Frenzy for Grateful Dead’s 50th Anniversary Shows

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I’m a little worked up. I just entered the ticket lottery for the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary show in Chicago on July 4th…but I didn’t decorate my envelope.Ticket Frenzy for Grateful Dead's 50th Anniversary ShowsYes, I realize that this thing is over-hyped and over-priced (and that the lead guitarist is Trey Anastasio of Phish and not Jerry Garcia), but the thing is I really like the music.

I’ve seen the various incarnations over the past 20 years, including Phil Lesh & Friends, Ratdog, Further and The Dead, and have always enjoyed it.

Ticket Frenzy for Grateful Dead's 50th Anniversary Shows

Phil Lesh and Friends plays Forest Hills, 2014

In other words, as too many have already said, I’m thinking this thing just might be epic.

And so I followed all of the directions from Grateful Dead Ticket Srvices (GDTSTOO) exactly as scripted. I wrote how many tickets I wanted (2) and for which night (July 4) on the envelope. Ticket Frenzy for Grateful Dead's 50th Anniversary ShowsI filled out the 3 x 5 index card with all of the required information. I inserted a neatly addressed SASE. I filled out three different money orders – for the lower priced ticket ($95.50), the price difference with the higher priced one ($120.00) and the fee for priority mail return ($9.00). (Not Fedex!!) I did all of that. And I posted it on the very first day, right behind another meticulous fan who scoffed. “We don’t have a chance.”

The only thing I failed to do was decorate my envelope, something that is stated as being “welcome”. This is where I think that I made a mistake. As one Deadhead mused on-line, “I don’t want my order thrown onto the scalper’s pile!” Ticket Frenzy for Grateful Dead's 50th Anniversary ShowsAnd while that logic might makes sense, I still don’t see why I have to decorate my envelope. I mean, I’m not a toddler, nor am I ever stoned. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. It actually seems a cult-ish, dare I say conformist, thing to demand. If you don’t decorate, we know you’re a greed-head capitalist! (Which I’m really not.)

Anyway, so I didn’t do it, and now I have second thoughts. ‘Cause, the truth is I want to be there. I have to be there! They could open with El Paso-Lazy Lightnin’-Supplication-Me & My Uncle-El Paso-Supplication-Smokestack Lightnin’-Mountains of the Moon-El Paso! I mean, Holy God, it’s possible! They really could do that! Ticket Frenzy for Grateful Dead's 50th Anniversary ShowsBut what can I do now?

Maybe I should send an letter of apology and decorate that! What about a picture of Jerry dancing with those little bears and a steal-your-face sun above them all?Ticket Frenzy for Grateful Dead's 50th Anniversary Shows I bet that no one’s thought of that!

Le Nozze di Figaro – Instead of Christmas

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Instead of Christmas, I propose music: Mozart’s opera Le Nozze Di Figaro offers actual moments of contentment. Le Nozze di Figaro - Instead of ChristmasThe finale of this opera closes with the players singing of forgiveness and peace, music so beautiful that you wish it might go on forever – which is what Icelandic performance artist Ragnar Kjartansson proposed to do in his show, Bliss. Le Nozze di Figaro - Instead of ChristmasThe performance, solely devoted to this 4-minute section, went for 12 straight hours, the performers singing this pure and wonderful section over and over.Le Nozze di Figaro - Instead of ChristmasI dream that Mr. Kjartannson will consider bringing this exceptional work back – and maybe even make it longer.

Phil Kessel’s Admirable Disdain for the Sports Media

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Last Friday, Toronto lost to Buffalo, the worst team in the league, and Phil Kessel, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ star forward walked away from the media scrum, telling them, “Leave me alone.”

The jilted scum (sic) made a story out of that. As Mr. Kessel admits, his answers rarely offer them anything much. “I’m a guy that likes to go out and play hockey and have some fun.” Phil Kessel's Admirable Disdain for the Sports MediaTeammate Nazem Kadri, victim of as much negative press as anyone, gave his point of view: “When (Phil) doesn’t feel like he can trust anybody, he gets a little bit shy and a little bit timid in that regard. It’s really nothing personal.” Phil Kessel's Admirable Disdain for the Sports MediaLet me put it differently and not so nicely: sports reporters are lazy and judgemental. They do not pose insightful questions that develop understanding of the nature of the game nor the player, but instead pose trite statements with question marks at the end, searching for a quote that they can insert into their pre-written narrative.

These are the statements/questions Kessel avoided: “What are your thoughts on losing to the worst team in the league?” Phil Kessel's Admirable Disdain for the Sports Media“How disappointed are you in the team’s efforts?” “How can the team improve?”

Phil Kessel is a great hockey player not only for his skill and humility on the ice but also for his most admirable disdain for these morons he must endure.Phil Kessel's Admirable Disdain for the Sports Media

Thin Lizzy, The Cars & Babe Ruth: My Soundtrack of the ’70s

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As I  work through a screenplay set in the days of my ill-spent preteen years –  the mid/late 1970’s – I have been unearthing the music that I obsessed over. Surprisingly, it’s still strong, especially the direct guitar leads and plaintive lyrics, to say nothing of the awesome cartoon album covers.

Babe Ruth’s The Joker: “A quarter ounce for a five dollar bill?!?” babe_ruth-first_baseThin Lizzy’s Jailbreak: “Like the game, if you lose, go to jail.” ThinLizzy JailbreakThe Car’s Candy-O: “I need her so.”The-Cars-Candy-O

Top Ten Concerts

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Yes, I admit this is both anal and childish, but I like to remember the places where my thoughts worked best – even if I didn’t remember much of it at show’s end.

10. Ravi Shankar, Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto (1983) Beautiful hall, incredible music. Top Ten Concerts

9. Emmylou Harris, The Boot Saloon, Toronto (1992) A honky-tonk night.Top Ten Concerts8. Tragically Hip, Cleveland Flats, Cleveland (1995) Canada’s greats, straight & full-on.Top Ten Concerts7. Guided by Voices, Fillmore West, San Francisco (2002) The club is open.Top Ten Concerts 6. Jane’s Addiction, Key Arena, Seattle (1995) Farrell and Navarro in summer dresses. Top Ten Concerts 5. Low, The Aquarium, Fargo (2012) Three full sets.Top Ten Concerts 4. My Bloody Valentine, Roseland Ballroom, New York (2008) Ears are still ringing. Top Ten Concerts

3. Noel Hill & Tony MacMahon, Mother Red Cap’s, Dublin (1994) The pure drop in a tavern.

. .Top Ten Concerts

2. Sufjan Stevens, Bowery Ballroom, New York (2013) The end of the world – December 21, 2112 – with a few hundred others. Top Ten Concerts 1. Grateful Dead, Oklahoma City Zoo, Oklahoma (1985) Full moon, at a zoo.Top Ten Concerts (walstib)

Tibet House Benefit 2014

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The 2014 Tibet House Benefit, at Carnegie Hall last night, continues to be a musical highlight of the year.Tibet House Benefit 2014Highlights included the enchanting music of Phillip Glass (accompanied by Nico Muhly & Tim Fain), surprise guest Sufjan Stevens offering two of his Planetarium songs, and New Order front-manned by the raw, seemingly ageless Iggy Pop. Tibet House Benefit 2014Not even Patti Smith could ruin the night with her ego and histrionics, grabbing poor Mr. Glass at the end, dragging him into her spotlight.Tibet House Benefit 2014The good news is that, this time, she didn’t spit on the floor. Tibet House Benefit 2014

It is a privilege to attend this event. Thank you, Mr. Glass.

How to Make Rude People Feel Uncomfortable

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I went to see Bernardo at The Rock Shop on Friday. The show was awesome.How to Make Rude People Feel UncomfortableHowever I was in the back – where the sound is best – and had a couple of people talking in front of me, talking non-stop, their backs to the music. Normally I would tell them to shut up or move, but I am trying to better, kinder version of myself and so employed a different method. I used the flash on my phone. How to Make Rude People Feel UncomfortableAnd it worked, sort of; they hated it – ducking and turning away and stopped for a moment. How to Make Rude People Feel UncomfortableBut then, after I had done it twice, they went back to talking. How to Make Rude People Feel UncomfortableThe show still rocked.

My Bloody Valentine Play New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom

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My Bloody Valentine are, as Rolling Stone Magazine says, committed to distortion; they deliver a wall of sound and light, and turn that around on itself.

My Bloody Valentine Play New York's Hammerstein Ballroom

My Bloody Valentine plays Hammerstein Ballroom on November 11

They take turns singing, or seeming to sing; there are no intelligible words, just murmuring beneath the din. My Bloody Valentine Play New York's Hammerstein BallroomThe sound builds, seems to get louder – although nothing like their 2008 tour – pauses and starts again, a certain blissed-out monotony, chaotic but not, that wears everything down, until it’s just one long thing, only stopping to breath, all of this until the last song, You Made Me Realise. My Bloody Valentine Play New York's Hammerstein BallroomThis final, drawn-out moment goes straight in, vibrates against the organs and veins and fights your heart rate until you feel like you’ve been initiated into a murderous cult. My Bloody Valentine Play New York's Hammerstein BallroomAnd then they leave, and that’s that.

Bernardo at Hank’s Saloon in Brooklyn

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Bernardo played its first-ever gig at Hank’s Saloon in Brooklyn last night, thanks in part to Bill Murray on a bicycle.

Bernardo at Hank's Saloon in Brooklyn

Hank’s Saloon’s facilities

Lead man, Mike Deminico, walked into the bar a couple of weeks back, inquiring into playing at the venue, and received an indifferent response and email address. Somewhat miffed, Deminico considered abandoning the enterprise when Bill Murray bicycled past and returned Deminico’s greeting. Bernardo at Hank's Saloon in BrooklynHis resolve buoyed, Deminico got in touch with the manager and was on stage shortly thereafter.

Bernardo at Hank's Saloon in Brooklyn

Mike Deminico leads Bernardo at Hank’s Saloon.

The music of Bernardo is an unadulterated pleasure, straight ahead and wildly fun; the short 35-minute set was simply not enough. Deminico promises more in the months ahead.