Category / Music

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Concert Flashback: Garbage IV

12garbageWith the Cubs on the road, I was able find parking across from Wrigley Field well before the start of the show, Garbage’s first in Chicago in 7 years.  Prior to heading downtown to meet Tina for dinner prior to the show, I walked past the Metro just in time to see Shirley Manson and Butch Vig mingling with the fans, signing autographs and taking pictures.

In the less than 2 years since this show, I have lost any and all thoughts about White Mystery, the opening act.  We showed up in the middle of their performance following a delightful dinner at the Weber Grill.  Once they finished, Garbage came out and, led by Manson, put on a riveting 90 minute show that combined the bands hits from the past 17 years along with songs from their newest effort.

The night was hot, and not just because of the music or Manson.  By the end of the show, my shirt was completely soaked through.  But it was worth it.  While I missed their return performance the following spring, I’m looking forward to them coming back to Chicago once again and dragging my old self out to see them, reliving my youth for an evening.

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Concert Flashback: Fiona Apple II

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After over 2 1/2 years, I returned to the live music scene, going with Tina to once again see Fiona Apple, this time at the Chicago Theatre.  The tickets were ungodly expensive, but we didn’t have normal seats, instead sitting in booths in the balcony that gave the show a different experience.

252754_10151091718224796_1864746358_nThe opening act was a member of Apple’s backing band.  The only thing I remember of his set was that he closed with a cover of Santo & Johnny’s Sleep Walk, which they reminded me was, in addition to the closing theme to the Wendy & Bill show, used in La Bamba when they find out that Richie died.

Fiona came out after that, and she continued to be an awkward stage performer.  She played all of her hits from back in the day, and mixed in some tracks from her new album.  Aside from her songs, there was very little interaction with the audience.  She didn’t say a non-song word to the audience until the show was over, when she thanked us and said good night.  But. that is what you expect from Fiona Apple.

 

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Concert Flashback: Paul McCartney

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One of the perks of having season tickets for the Cubs is getting an opportunity for pre-sales to non-baseball events that have been happening at Wrigley Field with increasing frequency the last few years.  None of the concert offerings gave me reason to splurge until 2011, when Paul McCartney announced he was bringing his On The Run tour to Chicago for his first local performance since 2005, and his first local baseball stadium performance since the Beatles played Comiskey Park in 1965.

On a hot July night, the then-69 year old McCartney used his 5 decades of hits to cobble together a 37 song set list, covering his time with the Beatles, Wings, and his more recent solo work.  The crowd was with him the entire night, including Ronnie Woo-Woo, who used the occasion to don a sparkling glove just like McCartney’s one-time duet partner Michael Jackson.

The opportunities to see a Beatle live are few and far between and I’m glad that this is one that I can now cross off the list of things to accomplish.  I haven’t been back to Wrigley for a concert since, but I wouldn’t mind doing so if the right band were to come through town.

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Concert Flashback: Star Wars In Concert

09starwarsIn 2009, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra went on tour performing the music from John Williams’ Star Wars scores, featuring edited footage from all 6 films and narration from Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO.  Given the early December date of the Chicago performance, I planned on getting Danny tickets for his birthday.  In a twist of fate, there were plans afoot to get me tickets for my birthday as well.  So, we got a set of 4 and split them up, 2 for me and 2 for Danny.

As the date of the approached, an interesting conundrum popped up.  I was offered a trip to Belfast for work, but would need to leave the day before the show, on December 5th.  Initially, I turned down the trip, but was eventually able to finagle my way into a Sunday afternoon flight, which meant heading straight to O’Hare from the United Center and arriving in Belfast Monday morning, heading straight to the office.

The concert itself was a faithful recreation of the score from the favorite films of my childhood (plus the later 3 abortions).  The mixture of the film clips worked well given they were the original source of the music, and Anthony Daniels led the proceedings with the familiar voice we had all come to know and love.  This was my first, and so far only, concert at the UC.  It doesn’t seem to be the best venue for it, but it got the job done.

It turns out that George Lucas himself was at this show, only the second time he had seen it in person and the first time in this country.

 

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Concert Flashback: Fiona Apple

06fionaappleIn 2002, Fiona Apple began working on her third album.  After many false starts and scrapped recordings, Extraordinary Machine was finally released towards the end of 2005 and, in the summer of 2006, Apple went on a tour to support it.  She came to Chicago in July, with Damien Rice as a supporting act, and played at the former Meigs Field airport, now going by the name Charter One Pavilion.

Rice opened the show and, truth be told, I can’t tell you anything about it.  I can’t even tell you a Damien Rice song, let alone what he may have played that night.  Following that, Apple came out and, displaying her typical stage fright, performed admirably, if not timidly.  Once again, I don’t remember much about this portion of the night either, but I must have enjoyed it enough to sign up for a repeat performance a few years later.

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Good Friday Playlist

To celebrate Good Friday and the whole Easter season, I put together a special playlist for the non-podcast part of my commute home Friday night.  Can you find the theme?

 

One of Us Joan Osborne Relish 4/18/2014 3:37 PM
God Tori Amos Under the Pink 4/18/2014 3:41 PM
Connecticut’s For F*cking Jesus H Christ and The Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse Jesus H Christ and The Four Hornsmen Of The Apocalypse 4/18/2014 3:45 PM
You’re a God Vertical Horizon Everything You Want 4/18/2014 3:49 PM
Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand Primitive Radio Gods Rocket 4/18/2014 3:55 PM
Personal Jesus Depeche Mode Violator 4/18/2014 3:59 PM
Right Here, Right Now Jesus Jones Living In The 90’s (Disc 1) 4/18/2014 4:02 PM
Personal Jesus Johnny Cash American IV – The Man Comes Around 4/18/2014 4:05 PM
Just Like Heaven The Cure Greatest Hits 4/18/2014 4:09 PM
Heaven Warrant Monster Ballads (Disc 1) 4/18/2014 4:13 PM
Tears in Heaven Eric Clapton Unplugged 4/18/2014 4:18 PM
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Concert Flashback: Tegan & Sara

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The night started early, as I left work a little early to head down to the city to Rock Bottom in order to catch the end of Game 3 of the ALDS, with the White Sox looking to sweep the Red Sox and win their first post season series since the 1917 World Series.  After the game, which, of course, the White Sox did win, Tina, Andy, and I hopped on the Red Line and headed north to Wrigleyville to check out Tegan and Sara at the Metro.

Apparently, there were 2 opening acts, neither one I remember or have even heard of.  To be honest, I don’t remember much about the show at all.  The album they were touring in support of, So Jealous, is one of my favorites and I’m sure I enjoyed the performance.  But, my favorite baseball team was headed for the ALCS, I’d just been to two playoff games, and the Weezer and Foo Fighters show was earlier that week.  It’s all sort of jumbled together at this point.

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Concert Flashback: Foo Fighters/Weezer

05foofightersThe story of this show begins months earlier, when tickets were first due to go on sale.  I had access to a pre-sale, and just as it was about to go live, there was a fire drill at work, which left me away from my computer for some time.  Thankfully, I was able to still find decent seats once the drill was over.  My plan was to try and entice a girl I had a crush on to attend with me, and I had a few months to work that angle.

Sadly, things did not work out in that regard, so I dumped the extra pair of tickets I had and ended up going with Tina.  It seems as though the Kaiser Chiefs were the opening act for the night, but I don’t remember if we were there in time to see them or not.  Weezer was the second act of the evening, and, according to Internet reports, they played a decent mix of old and new songs.  They even mixed in a few covers, including a version of Big Me by their show mates.

Once they were done, the Foo Fighters came out and also mixed in old hits with selections from their new album.  They also managed to break down some of their hits with elongated guitar solos that gave the audience an opportunity to thrash themselves as much as humanly possible.

The combination of the two headlining bands made this seem like a the closing acts of a festival from a decade previous, but they both provided a good night for the crowd and a good kickoff to what ended up being one of the busiest, and most exciting, weeks of my life.

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Concert Flashback: Garbage III

05garbage2It had been a long 3 1/2 months since their last Chicago appearance when Garbage returned to town in late August of 2005.  A lot had changed in my life in those 3 1/2 months.  I had left the North American continent for the first time.  I made my (to date) last trip to Texas to visit my dad.  I just felt like a completely different person from the previous show in May.

I don’t recall much about the show.  Unlike the last two times I saw Garbage, I do not have a bootleg of this show, so it has drifted into the recesses of my memory.  According to the Interwebs, they played a slightly longer show this time, adding 2 additional songs to the setlist.  After this show, there would be many a year until the next local Garbage show, one I would be attending.

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Concert Flashback: Garbage II

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Garbage released their fourth album in April of 2005, which broght them back to Chicago, this time to the Metro.  Opening for them were UK ska punk band The Dead 60s, who had just released their first album.  I’m not sure if I knew of them at the time, but I picked up a copy of their album at some point over the years and only one of their songs sticks with me.

Garbage eventually came out and played a set which mixed in some new songs with their hits.  Once again, someone managed to record the show, which eventually got leaked as a bootleg, which I now have in my collection.  Garbage was still one of my favorite bands and, having now seen them twice, I would have been more than willing to see them again the next time they came to town, whenever that would be.