Summer of Music

I am projecting I will go to around 30 concerts this summer, and this is my record

9-14, Black Crows, 311, Noah Kahan. Bonus, my 25 year old daughter went with me. She had fun even though she had a bit of a cold.

Black Crows really rocked. Outstanding rock music. 311 – what a reggae/ska infused dance party, cool but did not see whole show as we wanted a good spot for Noah, my daughters key band for the day. Noah really speaks to that generation, they knew every word. He was also hilarious, announcing songs with quips like, this is a song about lying to your therapist, or this is a song about being an asshole and drinking too much.

8/31 – Yes and Deep Purple – I can’t believe that in 2024, I heard Roundabout and Smoke on the Water from the original bands, with many original or long time members, on the same day. God bless America.

8/3 and 8/6, Chicago and Earth Wind and Fire, rainout on the day of PQ and Bockie’s birthday bash. On 8/6, the Doobie Brothers and Steve Windwood also rained out.

Next up, Dave Matthews, 7/10/24 PNC Bank Arts Center

Dave Matthews, great, egalitarian, jam band, robert randolph, slide steel guitar like hendrix, leg over, standing on chair. Hits toward the end (Medley?) flute, piccolo? crazy dancing guy, fish jokes, camus in the lyrics. the new dead?

Bob Dylan, Robert Plant/Allison Kraus/ Lukas Nelson (subbing for Willy)

7-12 – Dirty Heads and Slightly Stoopid – Free upgrade to a seat!

Maroon 5/Maren Morris June 29, PNC Bank Arts Center

Really good show, Maren is great, Cabana, Dancing

John Fogery and George Thoroughgood, June 15, PNC Bank Arts Theater

This was the first concert I could use my lawniepass. This is basically a season ticket for the PNC Bank Arts Center. You get a lawn seat (mandatory chair rental not included) for every concert they have (with few exceptions). Of course you spend money at the event but it is a super deal. This is why I am predicting so many concerts this summer, because all the shows are really great, and why not? I will sleep when I’m dead – Warren Zevon. A group of friends I have known since high school and even grammar school all got these passes, and there is usually good company at the concerts too.

And what a way to start a night! Lonesome George and the Delaware Destroyers can still bring it! His songs are so much fun, and you know he can shred it on the guitar. He played a set of his hits, and some covers. You can find the setlist here. In honor of the House Rent Blues / One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer my lawniepass group had a whiskey tasting, along with a Woodford Reserve bourbon and a bottle of Monkey Shoulder scotch, and defiantly, no beer.

John Fogerty sounded great, he does not seemed to have missed a beat. He sounded for the most part exactly as he did in the 70’s, and he was so happy too. It seems he just got right to his music back after a protracted legal battle, and by dint of “I outlived ’em all,” presumably referring to his band mates. His two sons played with him, and they were good guitarists in their own right. All in all a fun night.

Joe Jackson, June 13, Count Basie Theater in Red Bank

Joe Jackson is a treasure. This is the second time I have seen him live. The first time it was with his longtime bassist Graham Mabey and a band, and it was all, “Selections from the Joe Jackson Songbook.” Which is great, and I love his music. This time, it was a two-part play that seemed unrelated, but the artist tied it together for the audience. It was a history lesson, and trip back in time. He started with some of his newer work for part 1, and moved his way back through his catalog by decades. It was just him and a piano. The sounds that flew off of his fingers largely compensated for the lack of a band. He even acknowledge how daunting a task it was before starting to play “Steppin Out.” I think he killed it on the piano.

I do have to acknowledge that the 69 year old was not hitting some of the high notes that we would remember from the studio recordings. Songs like “Real Men” have some extended pretty high vocalizations. On something like that, he pulled his voice down a register or two and still managed enough dynamic range that it was true to the original. To me that is the mark of a musician, who understands that the most important thing to convey is honesty, even if the pipes have changed over the years.

Part 1 concluded with a Kinks cover song, and a history lesson. Apparently there is a British analog to what we in the US would call vaudeville called “Music Hall.” It actually predates vaudeville, and was less of a theatre but more of a place to meet, drink, and enjoy a variety of entertainments. He played a couple of examples of the genre, and then explained the thesis of the show, and jumped of stage for a bit to dress in very early 20th century British Music Hall garb, with an additional 9 similarly clad musicians. That said, Part 2 was an homage to someone called Max Champion, a fictional Music Hall Star who was lost to eternity on the battlefields of the First World War. I did not get the joke because somehow I missed this release, but basically Max Champion is Mr. Jackson’s invention, and also his very latest album, released in November 2023, thus, he went back to the future (ha ha).

The Rolling Stones, May 23rd, Metlife Stadium

“The Stones, I love the Stones. I watch them whenever I can. Fred, Barney…”

— Steven Wright

Wow! I got to see the Rolling Stones on the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend. For some it won’t be the same without Bill Wyman or Charlie Watts for example, but for me, it was eye opening. Mick (80) and Keith (80) for example, have been playing together since 1962, so 62 years. Ronnie Wood (76), by comparison, has only been with the Stones since 75, only 49 years. Daryl Jones on bass and Steve Jordan on drums make up the core of the group currently. For the full list of touring musicians check here. Even without some of those key former members, it was the world’s very best Rolling Stones cover band.

That band was so tight, you could have bounced a quarter off of the soundwaves. I mean, I liked the Stones music, but I would say it wasn’t a band I went out of my way to stream or add to my personal collection of music. But just wow. I overpaid for nosebleed seats, but I still loved it. I walked away “getting” why the Rolling Stones are so popular, have had popular radio hits since before I was born, and gained a new respect for the music. It’s kind of like my experience of Bruce Springsteen, whom I thought was meh, until I saw him in concert. Completely changed my outlook on the music. I hope I can run around a stage for 120 minutes or so while singing when I am 80. I was just super impressed with the passion they brought to the performance. Mick Jaggar still has the moves like Jagger. He kind of reminded me of a chimp with the way he swung his arms around. You can see a funny comparison of Mick and a monkee here.

The skill with which they involved the audience, the the video screens and accompanying graphics were actually quite beautiful. The stadium sound from where I was was generally really good, and weather was perfect. And I mean, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood can play! They even pulled out a couple of acoustic guitars for “You got the Silver.” You could see that Keith’s was well worn and Ronnie had a little finger slide, it sounded great.

The setlist was 19 songs, and I knew 17 of them. Some artists only like to play the full new album, and a fewer set of hits, but I think the Stones realize their audience is coming for 60+ years of hits, and they structured the show to accommodate. Because they know they are not going to get to them all, they apparently have a little fan voted segment, which for our show was the song Wild Horses. Great show, glad I got to see them while they were still 3/5 core members, and super, super impressed with the energy they brought to the show.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the tailgate for this concert too. I went with a bunch of friends from my high school and grammar school, and we got a ride there so we did not have to worry about the driving. We brought a cornhole game with us (which I tried and I stink at it). Plus my brother was there. Plus my neighbor and his cousins, so it was kind if like a high school reunion, family reunion, neighborhood block party. We had some great food, great drinks, and great company.

Neil Young 5/12 at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden

This was a tough one, because it was mother’s day. Thankfully, I have a super understanding wife, who knows I love Neil Young’s music. She came with me to a Neil Young Concert in the early aughts when we lived in CT, and she said to me, “I can see why you like that music, but it’s not for me.” So in a way NOT dragging my wife to a Neil Young concert is sort of a gift to her. Fortunately for me, my good friend Jeff was able to go, and neither of us got in trouble for going to a concert that day, as his wife was doing something with her mom.

On to the show, the first part was an anti-consumption band called the “Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping.” They started out OK, but it was largely a political message and the music was just OK. They were mostly ignored by the crowd.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse came on right around 8, and started in with “Cortez the Killer.” The band consists of Micah Nelson (Willie’s kid) substituting for Nils Lofgren, who apparently was obligated as part of Springsteen’s tour, Ralph Molina on drums, and Billy Talbot on bass. It’s hard to imagine anyone covering for Nils Lofgren, but Micah Nelson has toured with Neil before as part of his brother Lucas’ band, Promise of the Real. Because damn near everything is on YouTube these days, you can actually watch the whole show here. If you just want to check out the setlist you can see it here. Neil and crew played a lot of old favorites, an acoustic set, and some lesser known material. It’s hard for me to say that cause I know a huge portion of his catalog, but my friend Jeff probably knew about a 3rd of songs.

To be honest, I was kind of worried the concert would not be good. I saw some video on YouTube of Stephen Stills and Neil performing at a concert in LA last year, and I thought it was bad. Stephen’s voice is gone. But they could both still play guitar. Neil’s voice is not that great really, I like it, but it’s an acquired taste. Neil sang just about like he always did, and he can still play. There’s something about the use of distortion, the frenetic strumming of the guitar, and meaningfulness of the lyrics that just strikes a chord in my mind. I would say he is my favorite rock and roll artist of my own youth, and pretty much still. I don’t know if I will ever see him play again really, but I have great memories of seeing him play, and I am glad I went this time, as always, thank my wife and the mother of our children for 36 years of patience.

Decade, Neil Young Tribute band at the Vogel 5/11 in Red Bank, NJ

After the bonus tracks from Porchfest (see below), I had the pleasure of going to see Decade, which is a Neil Young Tribute band. I was chatting with my wife about the concert, and she said cover band, but Decade goes beyond that, and I would really use the word Tribute band because they really try to pay tribute to the artist, as well as play the popular songs. People still go to Mozart concerto’s hundreds of years after he lived. Decade is to Neil Young like the philharmonic is to Mozart. The lead singer and driving force behind the band is a guy named John Hathaway. John looks, sings, and plays just like Neil Young (albeit a younger version). Scares the hell out of me that his main gig is refinishing bathrooms and building decks. I hope he does not hurt his hands!

I have seen a couple of their shows, and they are just outstanding, whether you like Neil Young or not, their musicianship Don’t Be Denied. See what I did there? John carefully curates their shows, focusing on a particular period or an album for a first set, and then does a set of better known songs for the crowd. What a great show. The venue, the Vogel in Red Bank, is a small space with good acoustics. There were maybe a couple hundred seats, a full bar, but very comfortable table-based seating and plenty of room to move around even with a sell out crowd.

The first set of the show was based on a set of 3 albums called the Ditch Trilogy (Time Fades Away, On the Beach, and Tonight’s the Night). You can learn more about it from the link above, but basically Neil was in a bit of a funk after Harvest, his most commercial album, and the death of his guitar player Danny Whitten from an overdose of diazepam and alcohol. After some tour rehearsals, Danny was fired from the tour, and he died the same night. Very sad, but it seems Neil blamed himself for the death of his friend.

The remarkable thing (as was pointed out by a new friend Michael who used to work directly with the band Decade and was a friend of John Hathaways’) John curated at show, based on some of the most depressing and unpopular music of Neil Young’s, and still sold out the Vogel. Pretty remarkable and that gives you an idea of the quality of this particular artist and his handpicked tribute band.

I don’t have a setlist for this show, but some greats I remember were the opening, Time Fades Away, Words, Like a Hurricane, Don’t be Denied, and Tonight’s the Night.

John also picked Revolution Blues which is pretty dark song that is supposed to be about Neil’s acquaintance with Charles Manson (prior to the Tate-Lobianca murders). Dark, but a great blues number.

John has somehow captured Neil Young’s style of play to an unbelievable level of fidelity. Not a lot of people take on Neil Young covers, because the guitar work is so intricate, raw, and sometimes improvisational, making it difficult to copy. But John earned his Ph.D. in Neil Young guitar solos and it really shows. From the rocking back and forth while playing solos (reminiscent an autistic child comforting themself) to the intricate guitar work on at the end of Like a Hurricane and Cinnamon Girl. John really got into it last night, changing costumes to match the album covers from On the Beach, and Tonight’s the Night. He even matched Neil guitar for guitar, buying a flying V guitar that matched Neil’s for that era.

All in all, great show. I am not sure exactly which I will like better, the Decade show, or the real Neil Young tonight. Either way, the summer of music is moving along really well. If you like Neil Young, and you don’t get to see him live, I can’t think of a better substitute than Decade.

Bonus Tracks – Belmar Porchfest – 5-11

Each year Belmar has been holding PorchFest. Homeowners volunteer their space, and bands from the local area volunteer to play on their porch. People walk/bike from porch to porch enjoying the tunes. Really nice way to get together with neighbors. Anyway, I was working on my grades when I heard what sounded like a Grateful Dead Concert next door. Then my brother sent me a text about it, along with the schedule, and asked me to check out Dan Leyes who was playing over on 10th ave. I did not know Dan, but it turns out he was from Tottenville on Staten Island, where my father was born, and where we lived for a brief time (1966-1969). My brother remembered him from way back in Kindergarten. I hopped on the e-bike and went over to check him out. He was up on the porch playing guitar with a saxophone and harmonica player. He played a few blues numbers, I faced time a little of the music for my brother, and then I went to say hello. He remembered my brother from his kindergarten birthday party, and said he remembered my existence as well. We had a brief chat about Tottenville. He knew my cousins the Hartnetts and the Mamanas. Nice guy. Next I went back and caught the rest of the Grateful Dead playing band, which happened to be right next door. They were “Too Cool to Bluff” and they played a variety of covers. A lot of Dead, but also some by The Band. I heard a nice version of The Weight, and then had to do some stuff around the house. Very cool to chat with the neighbors. My neighbors were very smart about it, they just threw a party, invited all their friends, and had 3 bands performing at their party for free! Gives one ideas :-).

Chores done, I sat on the back porch and listened to the final band they had next door, The Well Wish. The Well Wish was great. The lead singer did a version of John Prine’s Angel from Montgomery that was as good as Susan Tedeschi’s version. The harmonies they did as a band were spot on. They were so good I ended up going back over to the neighbors just to listen. I will be watching for them in the local area.

Buddy Guy, Friday, May 3, Mayo PAC Morristown NJ