Member Review: Jack Johnson

Long time BPD member IgnatiousTheGracious writes:

Let me begin by saying that the show featured special guests Dan Lebowitz of Animal Liberation Orchestra on slide guitar and G. Love on guitar and harmonica (both of whose respective bands also opened). Singer Paula Fuga from Hawaii also made an appearance. Each were invited at different times to perform on stage.


Opening his two-hour show with You and Your Heart, the first single from his latest album, To The Sea, Johnson and his band - drummer Adam Topol, fedora-wearing bassist Merlo Podlewski and pianist-accordian player Zach Gill (also of ALO, who are on Johnson’s label, Brushfire Records) - were low-key off the top while striking imagery played on a large, wood paneled and curved video screen behind them.


The soothing images of waves, sunsets, beaches, seagulls and the band in closeup were often more interesting than the performance of the music being played.


All that was missing was a campfire on the beach, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but when you’re playing in such a large venue you’ve got to provide some dynamic energy.


Not that the Johnson faithful cared, as most of them stood up, danced and sang along.


But as the show progressed, Johnson - who alternated between acoustic and electric guitar and a ukelele - slowly moved into a slightly higher gear. Particularly when there was fresh blood on stage in the form of another singer or musician such as during Only The Ocean, Flake, Turn Your Love, Fuga’s Country Road, Love’s Rodeo Clowns, Staple It Together - with bass player Podlewski rapping - and At Or With Me.


On his own, Good People, Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology, My Little Girl, Breakdown, Banana Pancakes, and a cover of Steve Miller’s The Joker - which exceeded Miller’s own performance of the tune when he played the same venue not very long ago - were also standouts.


Even when Johnson screwed up the lyrics to Bubble Toes - by singing the second verse before the first - he was pretty darn charming about it.


After the show, he explained to me “I just got so excited about singing with the audience. Sometimes I lose myself"


Yeah, the guy's really real. Loved every minute of it.

The summer's heating up, both inside and outside. It's not too late to get back stage this season. But you have to be a BackstagePassDirect member. Do it today!

More Panic

 

Widespread Panic begins its fall tour in mid-September at the West Virginia University Coliseum in Morgantown Sept. 17. Widespread Panic’s Dirty Side Down Summer Tour included a record-breaking, three-night sell out at Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre (in 7 minutes), three sold out nights at the Chicago Theater, festival headlining dates, a performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, taped an appearance on National Public Radio’s World Cafe (airing August 20) and a blistering show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.

Widespread Panic will release the two-disc/three-vinyl set Live In The Classic City II on September 28th. 2010 marks the ten-year anniversary of this monumental three-night run that took place on April 1-3, 2000 at the Classic Center Theater in Athens, Georgia.

These recordings are also significant because they mark the first time Widespread Panic asked their fans, who are regularly permitted to record and circulate live performances, to refrain from recording these particular shows. Live In The Classic City II will mark the first time that these performances have been made available, and even heard if you weren’t there.

Live In The Classic City II includes special guests Mike Mills (R.E.M.), percussionist Arvin Scott, producer John Keane, guitarist Eric Carter and vocalist Daniel Hutchens (Blood Kin) and vocalist Anne Richmond Boston (Swimming Pool Q’s).

Fall dates are:

Fri 09/17/10              Morgantown, WV        WVU Coliseum     

Sun 09/19/10         Baltimore, MD     Pier Six Pavilion   

Tue 09/21/10         Cincinnati, OH     PNC Pavilion At Riverbend   

Thu 09/23/10         Atlanta, GA     Center Stage   

Fri 09/24/10         Alpharetta, GA     Verizon Wireless Amph. At Encore Park   

Sat 09/25/10         Alpharetta, GA     Verizon Wireless Amph. At Encore Park   

Tue 09/28/10         Tallahassee, FL     Tallahassee-Leon Co. Civic Ctr.   

Thu 09/30/10         Miami Beach, FL     Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theater   

Fri 10/01/10         Saint Augustine, FL     St. Augustine Amphitheatre   

Sat 10/02/10         Mount Pleasant, SC     Patriots Point   

Mon 10/04/10         Nashville, TN     Ryman Auditorium   

Tue 10/05/10         Nashville, TN     Ryman Auditorium   

Wed 10/06/10         Nashville, TN     Ryman Auditorium   

Fri 10/08/10         Kansas City, MO     The Midland By AMC   

Sat 10/09/10         Milwaukee, WI     Riverside Theatre   

Sun 10/10/10         Milwaukee, WI     Riverside Theatre   

Wed 10/13/10         Salt Lake City, UT     The Rail Event Center   

Fri 10/15/10         Oakland, CA     Fox Theater   

Sat 10/16/10         Oakland, CA     Fox Theater   

Sun 10/17/10         Oakland, CA     Fox Theater   

Tue 10/19/10         Reno, NV     Grand Sierra Resort Theatre   

Wed 10/20/10         Reno, NV     Grand Sierra Resort Theatre   

Fri 10/22/10         Los Angeles, CA     Greek Theatre   

Sat 10/23/10         Las Vegas, NV     The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel / Casino   

Sun 10/24/10         Valley Center, CA     Open Sky Theater @ Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort   

Wed 10/27/10         Grand Prairie, TX     Verizon Theatre At Grand Prairie   

Fri 10/29/10         New Orleans, LA     Lakefront Arena   

Sat 10/30/10         New Orleans, LA     Lakefront Arena   

Sun 10/31/10         New Orleans, LA     Lakefront Arena

WP always gives great show; from backstage, it's even greater. Make your requests today.

Member Review: Santana

BPD member BThere checks in:

Santana and his high-energy 10-piece band put on a spectacle only a tad smaller than a World Cup festivity.


Dubbed the Universal Tone tour, Santana and his seasoned 10-piece band featuring horns, keyboards and percussions were passionate throughout despite the majority of fans preferring to dance while on their asses. Beginning the nearly two-hour show with '(Da Le) Yaleo' – an enticing Latin party-starter – Santana told the crowd how this night felt different from previous gigs here “in an uplifting way.”


And it was that theme of love which was consistent throughout, even perhaps at the cost of a song when Santana rambled on following the solid 'Oye Como Va.' However, considering he just proposed to girlfriend Cindy Blackman, it’s understandable how the subject was definitely on his mind. While I was in the back speaking with her, Santana brought out Blackman and kissed her. She dragged me out with her; I stood there like a dummy. But what the hell...............I was on stage with Santana!!


Thankfully, Santana let his fingers do the talking most of the night, whether it was on the infectious 'Foo Foo' that had singers Tony Lindsay and Andy Vargas briefly getting the crowd to its feet or the equally strong 'Maria Maria.'


Part of what works for Santana though is his way of steering the musical ship, routinely letting his band shine on solos but then lending a hand in his own unique way. Such was the case following 'Corazon Espinado,' which had percussionist Raul Rekow show his chops (and bandaged fingers) before drummer Dennis Chambers did part one of his solo, toweled off while working his drum pedals and then wrapped things up frantically.


As for his own guitar solos, Santana was front and centre during 'Jingo' as images of African sunsets and dancing was displayed on the video backdrop. But he saved his best for 'Black Magic Woman,' which segued into 'Gypsy Queen' and especially for a cover of Cream’s 'Sunshine Of Your Love,' putting his own spin on Eric Clapton’s signature riffs.


If the whole vibe of peace and love wasn’t apparent by the time 'Smooth' was performed, Santana’s sweaty “Woodstock Festival” t-shirt gave way to video from his legendary 1969 set while he performed the encore.


The Mexican guitar legend, who made his major concert debut at Woodstock in 1969, continues to reinvent his music, even after 40-years, most recently as an urban Latino hip hop and jazz fusionist with his 1999 album Supernatural.


The result is that he's as hot with Generation X, Y & Z fans as he is with the baby-boomers. There is an alchemy to Santana's signature fusion of rock, Latin, R&B and jazz that's unlike anything else you'll hear in rock. Alternating from electric to acoustic and flamenco guitars on Foo Foo, Corozon Espinado and Jingo, Santana glowed as he watched tens of thousands of fans, inside and outside the gates, break into spontaneous dancing. He did a much-appreciated set of old tunes that channelled his psychedelic side, including Oye Como Va, Evil Ways, a cover of John Coltrane's Love Supreme, followed by a hard-driving cover of Cream's Sunshine of Your Love.


There was also Soul Sacrifice, Into The Night and Love, Peace & Happiness to close the show.


All I can say is WOW!!

That about sums it up..............onstage with Santana, huh? You be livin'!

Become a member of BackstagePassDirect and you can be livin' too.

U2 Dates Rescheduled

Fans holding tickets for this summer’s aborted North American leg of U2’s  360° tour finally find what they’re looking for as the band announces rescheduled dates for 2011.

The North American leg was originally scheduled to begin June 3 in Salt Lake City. That is, before Bono  underwent emergency back surgery in Munich. At first only the SLC date was postponed, but as doctors determined the extent of the frontman’s spinal predicament, the band ended up postponing the entire leg as well as cancel its planned headlining engagement at the U.K.'s  Glastonbury Festival.

The revised North American leg now begins in Denver at Invesco Field May 21 with additional dates and cities to be confirmed.

“We’re delighted the dates are rescheduled and in all the same venues we originally planned to play,” U2 manager Paul McGuinness said. “It hasn’t been easy to accomplish this and I’d like to thank the managers of the many venues and sports teams across North America and Live Nation Global Touring for their help and cooperation in making this complex new plan possible. Above all we want to thank the U2 fans for bearing with us. They’re the best and the band wants to get back to where they belong, surrounded by their audience.”

Here's what we've got so far:

Sat 05/21/11             Denver, CO        Invesco Field At Mile High      
  
Tue 05/24/11         Salt Lake City, UT     Rice-Eccles Stadium    
  
Sat 06/04/11         Seattle, WA     Qwest Field    
   
Tue 06/07/11         Oakland, CA     Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum    
  
Fri 06/17/11         Anaheim, CA     Angel Stadium of Anaheim    
   
Sat 06/18/11         Anaheim, CA     Angel Stadium of Anaheim    
   
Sun 06/26/11         East Lansing, MI     Spartan Stadium    
     
Wed 06/29/11         Miami Gardens, FL     Sun Life Stadium    
    
Tue 07/05/11         Chicago, IL     Soldier Field    
    
Thu 07/14/11         Philadelphia, PA     Lincoln Financial Field    
   
Wed 07/20/11         East Rutherford, NJ     New Meadowlands Stadium    

Sat 07/23/11         Minneapolis, MN     TCF Bank Stadium

Pass requests are already pouring in; make yours today!

Member Review: Agog Over Gaga

BPD Member SallyMight writes:

Lady Gaga lived up to the title of her song 'Glitter and Grease', last night.

A muted if dramatic opening featured the 24-year-old pop-dance diva perched on the top of a staircase, projected in silhouette onto a curved video screen in front of her, for 'Dance In The Dark.'

She was later revealed to be wearing a purple leather jacket with oversized shoulder pads, sunglasses, a leopard print body suit and black leather boots for the follow-up song, 'Glitter And Grease.'

But it wasn’t until a fluorescent yellow car (matching her current hair colour) was revealed on the stage floor below - along with a dozen dancers and a band, and neon signs lit up all over the stage scaffolding - that the show finally sprang to life during her mega-hit 'Just Dance.'

Gaga even opened the car roof to reveal a synthesizer inside for her to play and ventured out onto her catwalk leading to a circular stage in the middle of the crowd on the floor.

“What is The Monster Ball really about?” asked one of her male dancers named Posh, who was cross between Grace Jones and Dolph Lundgren in appearance.
   
“Well, Posh, The Monster Ball will set you free!” she said defiantly.

“Tonight we’re going to be super freaky monsters,” she added while holding up a white bra thrown on stage. “I created it so that fans would have a place to go. All you gotta do is follow the glitter. May tonight be your liberation!”

Gaga’s followers, who she calls her Little Monsters, in turn chanted her name, screamed at the smallest and largest gestures, and generally sang, clapped, and danced along in a fierce demonstration of their connection to her.

She followed up the car-as-a-sythesizer prop with the arrival of a subway car that heralded the beginning of another show highlight, 'LoveGame,' which saw her change into a white nun’s habit and clear rubber dress.

More unique looking costumes (and synthesizers for that matter) would follow, including a red cloak with pointy shoulder pads, a black slicker with a studded black bikini beneath, an avant-garde bridal gown with butterfly wings and a long train, and a white fringe outfit that was a cross between Cousin It and something you’d find on a curtain rod.

The House Of Gaga - her equivalent of Andy Warhol’s Factory art, fashion, film and music scene - are sure keeping busy.

Lady Gaga even called my sister before her hit, 'Telephone,' and brought her out from the back and down to the front to see the show closer.

She finally took a break to play on a regular piano - even if it was on fire - for 'Speechless,' which she wrote about taking care of her father, who underwent heart surgery last year, and previewed a new rockier ballad about love called 'You And I.'

Other highlights included 'So Happy I Could Die,' which saw her in the spectacular bridal outfit on a rising platform at the end of her catwalk, the Michael Jackson-inspired dance moves and bloody ending of 'Monster' which ended with her saying: “Do you think I’m sexy?” and her current hit, 'Alejandro,' that included a gold statue of Jesus above a cande-lit fountain with flaming wings on stage in which she bathed herself.

She's kind of a cross between Madonna, Alice Cooper and Judy Garland.

Also strong were the show-ending final trio of 'Pokerface,' 'Paparazzi' (featuring the “flaming boobies” bra she wore at last year’s MuchMusic Video Awards and the actual Fame Monster on stage) and 'Bad Romance,' with her enclosed in a silver sphere and pointy silver dress and headpiece.


Great, great show!

SET LIST:

Dance in the Dark

Glitter and Grease

Just Dance

Beautiful, Dirty, Rich

Vanity

The Fame

LoveGame

Boys Boys Boys

Money Honey

Telephone

Speechless

You and I

So Happy I Could Die

Monster

Teeth

Alejandro

Poker Face

Paparazzi

Bad Romance

Thanks SallyMight. Sounds like your sis had even more fun than you.

There's fun to be had by all. Join now and make your requests for the greatest in upcoming shows.

Return to Treasure Island

The fourth annual Treasure Island Music Festival has plenty for everybody, including performances by headliners LCD Soundsystem and Belle & Sebastian. Scheduled for Oct. 16-17 on San Francisco Bay’s Treasure Island, other notables on the bill include The National, Deadmau5, Broken Social Scene, Kruder & Dorfmeister (live), She & Him and Miike Snow.

Here’s the daily breakdown:

Saturday, Oct. 16: LCD Soundsystem, Deadmau5, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Miike Snow, !!!, Die Antwoord, Little Dragon, Four Tet, Holy F**k, Phantogram, Jamaica, Wallpaper and Maus Haus.

Sunday, Oct. 17: Belle & Sebastian, The National, Broken Social Scene, She & Him, Superchunk, Rogue Wave, Surfer Blood, Ra Ra Riot, Monotonix, The Sea And Cake, Phosphorescent, Papercuts and The Mumlers.

Passes are available in limited number. Ya snooze, ya lose. Request your backstage passes now.

Member Review: Tool

These kind and insightful words from Drumz242:

To begin, I want to say that I have been a member of BackstagePassDirect for almost a year and never got offered a single pass. I had pretty much decided that the site was BS. Imagine my surprise when I got an email notification that I had been awarded Tool passes. Ohmigod!!

Now, on to the show.

Maynard James Keenan explained to me backstage: "Whatever happens outside these walls has no bearing on what happens inside". Keenan and his art-prog-metal outfit then took the stage and unleashed a massive, magnificent multi-media assault that genespliced King Crimson on steroids with the coolest Laser Floyd show you could possibly imagine.

From the opening of their 110-minute set — a video of LSD guru Timothy Leary telling us: "Think for yourself; question authority" — it was clear Tool live in their own self-contained universe governed by their own rules. Bottom line: Whatever usually happens at rock concerts also had no bearing on what happened here.

How did they freak us out? Let me count the ways:

1) Their frontman wasn't out front. Singer (and occasional keyboardist) Keenan spent the night lurking at the back of the stage, sharing a riser with monster drummer Danny Carey. Guitarist Adam Jones (stage right) and bassist Justin Chancellor (stage left) had the floor all to themselves — but spent most of the show stationed at their posts and seldom came within 10 feet of each other. An interactive combo this ain't.

2) Their light show wasn't aimed at the band. From the blinding strobes set in front of the stage to the computerized VariLights hanging above it to the lasers positioned at various points (including back by the sound board), the bulk of the zillion-watt show was directed not at the musicians, but at the audience. Keenan in particular was barely visible, lurking in a pocket of darkness (he reportedly likes his privacy) and seen only in silhouette against a massive video-screen wall that ran the full length of the stage behind the band. It was accompanied by several more suspended screens that rose and fell and angled into various positions while showing everything from psychedelic imagery to the band's disturbing, eyeball-centric and generally creepy videos. Add four parabolic mini-lighting rigs that also moved, tilted and rotated, a slew of swirling patterned lights that bathed the stage (and the audience, of course), and a pair of smoke cannons aimed over the crowd's heads, and you had a show so powerful you could have worn shades.

3) Their songs were crazy-long, crazy-busy, crazy-intense and just plain crazy. They opened with Third Eye, a 15-minute shapeshifter about raising your consciousness through drugs. It was greeted with the sort of frenzied excitement typically reserved for when the Stones play Satisfaction or when Springsteen starts Born to Run. Ditto the other 11 songs in the set, all of which came from their four studio albums, including their most recent effort, 2006's 10,000 Days. Jambi sported a rubbery 9/8 rhythm and yearning lyrics. The soundscape (-) Ions sounded like ambient noise in Dr. Frankenstein's lab. Stinkfist seemed to be about ... well, I'll let you work that out for yourself. Vicarious and The Patient slammed to 5/4 grooves. Intolerance, if I was counting right, began in 29/16 time. Like most of them, however, it didn't stay there for long. The only thing predictable about Tool songs is their unpredictability. Times and rhythms start, stop and shift on a dime. Passages go on for anywhere between one minute and 20. There might be several minutes of hypnotic grooving. Or not. There might be a guitar solo. Or not. Keenan's voice might be totally indecipherable and buried in the mix or ringing as clear as a bell over top. Either way, it didn't matter. The fans dug it all — the weirder, the better.

4) They sold lots of beer. Considering how rabid their fans were, there was a surprisingly constant stream of them headed to and from the bars throughout the show. Guess that's because their songs are so long — no matter what they're playing, you've got time to hit the can, line up for beer, score a $40 T-shirt (or perhaps that $20 thong, ladies) and get back to your seat before the next tune.

5) Their roadies wore white lab coats. Not sure how that's significant, but it just seemed cool.

6) They didn't do an encore. At least, not a traditional one. After closing their main set with the Grammy-winning (yes, you read that right) Schism and the thundering 46 & 2, they left the stage for several minutes while their instruments droned and the psychedelic visuals carried on. It was so engrossing it probably took some audience members several minutes to realize the band had gone — by which time they had returned to mount an epic version of Lateralus and a blazing rendition of the cathartic doom-boogie Ænema, illuminated by lasers fanning through the air and blasting randomly off the upper deck of MTS Centre while dozens of white lights pinwheeled around.

Set List:

Third Eye

Jambi

(-) Ions

Stinkfist

Vicarious

Eon Blue Apocalypse

The Patient

Intolerance

Schism

Forty Six & 2

Lateralus

Ænema

To close, I just want to say that anyone who badmouths BPD has their head up their ass (that used to include yours truly) and has no understanding of what "first come-first served" means. You want passes? Show up early, that's the key.

Drumz242, next time we're hiring for PR, we'll give you a call. Thanks.

Listen to the man. Make your requests early. That's how winners win. Not a member yet? Join here.

Maroon 5 Tour Gets Bigger

Maroon 5’s nationwide “Hands All Over” tour just got bigger and better with the addition of over three weeks of fall dates.

The Los Angeles-based alternative rock band is touring in support of its third studio album, Hands All Over. The record, which is set for release Sept. 21, is the follow-up to 2007’s It Won’t Be Soon Before Long and the band’s debut, 2002’s Songs About Jane. Maroon 5 has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, with the releases having gone gold and platinum in over 35 countries around the world.

OneRepublic, Bruno Mars and Ry Cuming will be on board as opening acts.

Passes are still available for the following venues:

Thu 08/26/10 Chattanooga, TN UTC McKenzie Arena

Sat 08/28/10 Lexington, KY Applebee's Park

Sun 08/29/10 Pittsburgh, PA Trib Total Media Amphitheatre

Tue 08/31/10 Dayton, OH Fifth Third Field

Wed 09/01/10 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre

Wed 10/06/10 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl

Fri 10/08/10 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre

Sun 10/10/10 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre

Tue 10/12/10 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome

Thu 10/14/10 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center

Fri 10/15/10 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena

Sat 10/16/10 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena

Tue 10/19/10 Tulsa, OK BOK Center

Thu 10/21/10 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center

Fri 10/22/10 The Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Sat 10/23/10 Biloxi, MS Hard Rock Live Biloxi

Wed 10/27/10 Chicago, IL UIC Pavilion

Thu 10/28/10 Minneapolis, MN Target Center

Fri 10/29/10 Mahnomen, MN Shooting Star Casino

Member Review: Ringo Starr

BPD longtime member JoopJoop had this to say about a recent show he saw:

Here's a sobering thought: Ringo Starr, will turn 70 on July 7; he looks a good decade and a half younger, all fit and trim and energetic as ever.

The lineup for this year's All Starr Band is keyboardist-saxophonist-drummer Edgar Winter, singer-keyboardist Gary Wright, singer-guitarist Rick Derringer, Mister Mr. singer-bassist Richard Page, Romantics singer-guitarist Wally Palmar and drummer Gregg Bissonette.

And like every other time the All Starr Band has gone on the road, they all got their turns in the spotlight when Starr wasn't grabbing it for himself.

Starr opened the nearly two-hour show with It Don't Come Easy and Honey Don't before getting up behind the drum kit about half way through his more recent song, Choose Love, alongside Bissonette on a lower riser.

Bobbing his head and smiling away, it was clear he was having fun and still loves his job.

Derringer, who is definitely bringing a harder guitar-rock edge to this year's lineup, performed The McCoys' Hang On Sloopy before introducing his former White Trash (the band that is) group member Winter.

The long, lean and lanky Winter, still sporting his trademark luxurious white mullet, packed a major wallop as a live performer during Free Ride and Frankenstein, the latter which saw him perform on keyboards, sax and drums, sometimes both at the same time.

Vocally, both Wright and Page were the strongest performers of the night on their own respective hits, Dream Weaver and My Love Is Alive, and Kyrie and Broken Wings.

But Palmar was also a dynamo during such Romantics classics as Talking In Your Sleep and What I Like About You and nobody's musicianship was stronger than Derringer's virtuoso guitar display on his own Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo.

Starr is touring in support of his latest album, Y Not, which notably features his Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney on two songs, but only performed two tracks from that record, The Other Side Of Liverpool and Peace Dream.

Instead, Starr satisfied Beatles fans in the crowd by delivering such Fab Four hits as Yellow Submarine, and With A Little Help From My Friends and a snippet of John Lennon's Give Peace A Chance just before he walked off stage, flashing his ever present peace sign right to the end.

SET LIST:

It Don't Come Easy

Honey Don't

Choose Love

Hang On Sloopy

Free Ride

Talking In Your Sleep

Be Your Man

Dream Weaver

Kyrie

The Other Side Of Liverpool

Yellow Submarine

Frankenstein

Peace Dream

Back Off Boogaloo

What I Like About You

Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo

Boys

My Love Is Alive

Broken Wings

Photograph

Act Naturally

With A Little Help From My Friends/Give Peace a Chance

Backstage, Starr was also his usual dry, witty self, telling me all about his "first night jitters". When Wright explained to me that Beatles guitarist George Harrison took him to India and gave him many books, Starr quipped: "George Harrison never gave me no damn books." Talking about making new albums, he said "I only make records now for the kids - my kids. I give them a copy."

Oh, Ringo!