Of note, Cesaria Evora, Vancouver,BC. Sometime in the last ~ 20 or so years?? Time seems to fly....
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My first concert, not exactly the same, was nearly 50 years ago. My dad took me, on my 12th birthday (hmm, that means this poster is 61 or 62), to see the Beatles in Baltimore. 50th anniversary of that day/event (coming up next month), just by luck/fate, is a british invasion show I have a ticket to attend (b'day present to myself), gerry and the pacemakers, etc. For me that night has not been equaled, for multiple reasons, despite having been to hundreds of concerts in the intervening nearly 50 years. Of all sorts. All enjoyed too. |
I saw DEATH this Saturday at Raleigh City Plaza. First they visited our store and sold records/posters/Tees and than tney gave us guest passes. It was incredible show. This band should've been heard a very long time ago when they formed in Detroit in 1975. Their first record was released only in 2009. |
This is a little off the mark but in August I went to the 5th Annual Festival @ Creek Side, aka Kuhnapalooza, held in Naperville, Illinois. The founders of this live musical event 5 years ago decided to invite their musician friends over to more or less party and entertain each other. The musicians that participate are for-hire groups that do the Chicago bar scene. The founders set up the amps, electric piano and drums and the groups that pre-register to play no more than 5 songs each simply walk up and plug-in their guitars. The twosome that brought the crowd to a hush was a high school boy with an acoustic guitar and girl with a voice that can only be described as a gift from God. |
I saw the opening night of the Fleetwood Mac tour in Minneapolis last night. Christine McVie is back and her vocals were very impressive. It's amazing that she can sing like this at age 70+. This band is always great IMO, but Christine's presence definitely changes things up a bit. One third of the set list that had previously been given over to "deep tracks" is now used to play Christine's hits. Coupled with the fact that Lindsey Buckingham's allotment of songs included several solo acoustic numbers, the net effect was a less rocking affair than the last few Mac tours. Buckingham did redress one quirk of the last tour. While that set list included a mini-suite of tunes from Tusk, it omitted "I Know I'm Not Wrong", the IMO the fiercest straight ahead rocker on the record. He played it this time and absolutely tore it up. My highlight of the show. Overall, however, this is definitely a somewhat gentler Mac show, but still tons of fun. BTW, Stevie Nicks' voice was also in much better shape than I remember from the last tour. Maybe opening night gets you in before the wear and tear of touring takes its toll on vocals, but the singing last night was overall amazing. |
Saw Fleetwood Mac last night too. I agree Christine's voice was excellent, smooth and rich. I thought Stevie sounded a bit rough, but this is in comparison to seeing her debut concert tour in '74. The band started out sounding a little off, but they pulled it together for a very fun evening. It was basically 2 1/2 plus hours of there hits, nothing older than Rumors however. |
I'm looking forward to upcoming BSO performing Mahler 3rd Symphony. It's a draining piece but one of my favorites in that there is so much that goes on. Mahler 2nd....OK but not the same. |
Mahler said " My time will come" . It did in the 60's when art became some clown throwing globs of paint on canvas, drug fueled noise was accorded musical status etc etc etc. The problem with Mahler is there is FAR too much going on and it all is focused on him and his monster ego. In short, a boring navel gazer . |
Mahler 3rd is a lot of things but drug fueled noise isn't one of them. Its perhaps the greatest singular work in the classical repertoire. That's a common assessment, not just mine. It's a grand journey from start to finish and has it all, perhaps more than many can handle in one big serving. Ego is a common ingredient in a lot of great work. Some may just manage it better than others. IMHO of course. |
I like Mahler's 1st--a lot. I heard another Mahler (2nd?) symphony performed a few years back and it was like 90 minutes of driving through a Kansas wheatfield until the chorus sang for a minute and transported us all to a better place. It was not worth the effort. But again, I think his first (The Titan) is just fine. The rest is not for me (I have checked some other Mahler symphonies out on recordings) |
Last one I heard was a local country music band in the local park's outdoor amphitheater during the local fall festival. It was free. Nice! Live concert experience opportunities are all around for music lovers at all price points. You just gotta take the time to seek them out. I paid a few hundred a couple years back to see Paul McCartney at FedEx Field in DC. IT was wonderful. But its the last time I plan to pay megabucks for any concert. I did it in that I am a huge BEatles fan and had never seen any perform live. Now I've been there and done that one. |
Mahler has some lovely moments, but no doubt it takes a commitment to have a chance of being able to soak it all in. Even that Kansas wheatfield, like nature in general, has a lot of interesting things going on in places, but you gotta slow down or even get out of the car to have a chance of seeing it. Mahler #3 is mostly about nature I believe, so the Kansas wheatfield comparison is probably a reasonable one. |
I first heard Mahler #3 on NPR years ago. THere was a nice intro explaining what it was about beforehand (see wikipedia entry for it for more). I was totally taken by it from the outset. Then it was a lengthy rollercoaster ride from there, lots of ups and downs, and I felt accordingly along the way. At teh end, I felt transformed in some way, somehow more in tune with the world around me, and I was ready for some Bach at that point. I think the explanation provided up front prior to listening was a big part of that. It all made sense in the end. |
I've been a subscriber to the bible "Grammphone" for over forty year and I never heard anyone say such a silly thing. What I have read, many times,is like the following from J.S. Smith in"The Gift of Music" . "One is aware that Mahler tried to do too much.His excesses can be heard in the exhaustive tension is his music and in the repetitions. His symphonies are long and they lack unity.They all begin to sound alike , and many times the composer finds it difficult to bring the music to a close" IMHO Mahler is the fave of people who like entertainment sound more than music. |
Czar, it is a great hall,believe it or not the Ted Mann Hall on the U of MN campus is even better ! Macalester College has a new superb sounding hall to showcase their excellent Early Music ensemble. Twin Cities has more high art per-capita than anywhere in US. Within 10 miles of my house there are 7 liberal arts colleges and the U of MN , there is a plethora of free and $5 bucks for senior events. Not to mention 30 quality choral groups of which 5-6 are world-class. Can't beat it with a stick ! |
