For sure - but in my case I can't stand watching live music on a screen for more than oh 20 minutes or so. Also personally I can't "cast" or whatever it is from my PC to the TV. At a show I'm busy watching the audience half the time. Perhaps this is a hurdle that I'm just going to have to overcome - especially when we move to the far north and London gigs are very much a thing of the past.
Yeah, there's just no comparison for me. Going to a show is a total experience...Streaming is watching TV, hard to sit still for too long. Eg, we'll generally watch movies over a couple of nights.I have seen lately a few venues making streams accessible for a longer period...eg, the Smoke Session shows are available for 48 hours.
Concerning live concerts (virtual for us), there seems to be a lot of birthday celebrations lately: Pharoah and his 80th, Halvorson and her 40th. Last night, I watched Matthew Shipp play from his “Piano Equation" project that’s supposed to be a celebration of his 60th b-day in December (the last two are still online, I think).
Yeah, it’s not quite the full experience of being there, but the extras that you get with these virtual concerts is that of camera angles to see what you wouldn’t normally see and personal comfort in your own home without all of the annoyances of the crowds.
I actually did go to a show a few weeks ago! https://www.constellation-chicago.com/calendar/tribute-to-fred-anderson Grinned like an idiot, under my mask, for the first half hour. Must admit I couldn't help thinking about all that air Ernest was pushing through his sax. They (Constellation) are live-streaming everything, I should check out more shows.
Last night we went to see St Paul and the Broken Bones outdoors at Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. It’s really my wife who is the fan here, but it was an enjoyable show and a good time was had by all. Quite a voice! (For the uninitiated, here’s the tiny desk concert they did for NPR). They mentioned that they should have a new album out soon.
Saw King Crimson and the Zappa Band in DC at the Anthem last Saturday night. It was my first show at the Anthem (my favorite music venue in DC) in over two years, they just started up again within the past few weeks. Proof of vaccination or negative test within 72 hours required for admission, plus masks unless actively eating or drinking. It felt safe to me, nothing is foolproof but I was comfortable being there. And the show was worth it.
I didn't know it at the time, but it was the last show of Crimson's US tour, which they are currently calling the last US tour they will ever do, though they apparently said the same thing about the last one. I saw that tour, but wanted to go again because I love the Anthem, I have desperately missed going to shows, and because the Zappa Band includes legendary bass player Scott Thunes, who famously retired from the music biz many years ago (plus Mike Keneally, Joe Travers, Ray White, Robert Martin and Jamie Kime). They were fabulous. Thunes is just a monster player, fluid and powerful. Keneally, who I have seen before with his band Beer for Dolphins, is a freakishly talented guitarist and keyboard player. All the players played with FZ or with Dweezil's Zappa Plays Zappa project, and they tore it up in a 45 minute set.
King Crimson has been touring with three drummers for the past few years. Seems like it might be a mess but it's pretty amazing. There were two drummers playing on most songs and the third guy switched between keyboards and drums. They played for roughly two hours, good mix of different eras - three songs from the first album and a grab bag from the ensuing 50(!) years. Encore, as always, was 21st Century Schizoid Man, and they killed it. The energy was remarkable, which makes sense since they were approaching it as the last show on US soil. Ridiculous musicianship from both bands. I'm very glad I went.
EDIT 10/26: For anybody who's interested, KC is releasing a CD of this show. I've already preordered mine.
Sooooo jealous of you @Muggsy! I would love to see the Zappa Band and particularly King Crimson live. I can only begin to imagine what it must have been like listening to the encore of 21st Century Schizoid Man!
Here in Melbourne we're in Covid lockdown no. 6 (only 500 infections a day though) and Australia won't be seeing any overseas bands until well into 2022 or possibly even 2023. Just as well there are plenty of good Aussie bands to keep us going!
I saw Bill Frisell last Sunday at Zanzabar's in Louisville. After the cancellation of Banaroo, Frisell, like many other artists I'm sure, was left scrambling to fill some open dates in the area, and he would up playing both Saturday and Sunday at Zanzabar. It's a neat little joint with an actual stage and an open space for tables, chairs, and the kind of flexibility useful during a pandemic when social distancing is still a consideration. It's not a big place. It's a bar-restaurant on the other side of the building, with a really nice stretch of patio space. It has some vintage arcade and pinball machines, decent food, solid beer selection. The venue sound was nothing to complain about. Really, Frisell's "Harmony" ensemble with Petra Haden, Hank Roberts, and Luke Bergmann is a perfect fit for a venue that size.
I haven't been particular enamored with much of Frisell's output over the past decade. I mean, it's fine, some of it less appealing than others, and I like "Harmony" well enough. But I've been listening to Frisell for the better part of three decades, so his music will always be special to me. I've seen him perform live in a bunch of different cities (Denver, Boulder (CO), Chicago (a few places), Louisville (a few places), Franklin (in a small church in middle-of-nowhere Tennessee with a string quartet from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra), and also Big Ears Festival(?). I'm probably forgetting a show or two, actually. Anyways, always special to see him perform live.
I saw Bill Frisell last Sunday at Zanzabar's in Louisville. //// and also Big Ears Festival(?).
Can't remember the year but I saw Frisell play in a trio to accompany a showing of Bill Morrison's The Great Flood film at Big Ears one year; at the Bijou which is a lovely place. I wonder if you were there for that, also @rostasi ?
@peterfrederics Way back in 2019 I bought tickets for the Hoodoo Gurus in DC in 2020. The tour was postponed, of course, and the DC show was rescheduled for September 2021, then postponed again and currently scheduled for May 2022. Hoping the Aussie lockdowns permit them to get over here at some point, I've been a fan for many years but never gotten to see them.
I saw Bill Frisell last Sunday at Zanzabar's in Louisville. //// and also Big Ears Festival(?).
Can't remember the year but I saw Frisell play in a trio to accompany a showing of Bill Morrison's The Great Flood film at Big Ears one year; at the Bijou which is a lovely place. I wonder if you were there for that, also @rostasi ?
Yeah, Frisell was at Big Ears in 2019 & 2015. I didn't go to see him because I'm not really that much of a fan and there was undoubtedly some other show I was attending. They took down all of their old schedules, so I couldn't tell you who I was seeing at the same time.
I saw Bill Frisell last Sunday at Zanzabar's in Louisville. //// and also Big Ears Festival(?).
Can't remember the year but I saw Frisell play in a trio to accompany a showing of Bill Morrison's The Great Flood film at Big Ears one year; at the Bijou which is a lovely place. I wonder if you were there for that, also @rostasi ?
Yeah, Frisell was at Big Ears in 2019 & 2015. I didn't go to see him because I'm not really that much of a fan and there was undoubtedly some other show I was attending. They took down all of their old schedules, so I couldn't tell you who I was seeing at the same time.
Looks like I was there 2014 and 2015, I remember that the next year my knee was already causing trouble and they started to fuck around with queue jumping tickets at silly prices, a real shame as I was meeting a couple of semi local friends when I attended and Knoxville was this non-driver's first experience outside of Bos-Wash metro USA. Plus also several good bars for real craft beer.
Well, the difference between the second and first tier tickets aren't worth the extra money I think, but the difference between second and third definitely is. That's why I always go for that middle price. The Festival is getting more and more attention and what used to take months - then weeks - to sell out is now down to just a few days. I think the top two tiers sold out in 3 days. Gotta book right away these days - especially the hotel (we booked it back in May) - plus I think people are ready to get OUT and do stuff.
The price can be high for some folks, but I just think about how much it would cost to see all of the people I've seen over 4 days and figure it would be in the thousands of dollars. When I leave each year, I realize that I've seen the equivalent of 24+ hours of performing from people that I wouldn't see here in my own city. I average about 8 concerts each day/night on Fri & Sat and about 6 concerts each on Thurs & Sun. It's a hell of a lot of mostly great music! The 2020 lineup was incredible, but didn't happen.
Then you have special talks and exhibitions, etc. I find it amazing that, at one point, I'm having a personal conversation with Hans-Joachim Roedelius about the "old days" of German rock, then at another time having an ice cream with Alvin Lucier in a sweet shop or having breakfast with Carla Bley and Steve Swallow or talking with Anoushka Shankar in the hotel elevator...
The city is surprisingly wonderful. The restaurants, the museums, the people...but, of course, I'm going during a time when you have a whole lot of people from around the world showing up.
I saw Bill Frisell last Sunday at Zanzabar's in Louisville. //// and also Big Ears Festival(?).
Can't remember the year but I saw Frisell play in a trio to accompany a showing of Bill Morrison's The Great Flood film at Big Ears one year; at the Bijou which is a lovely place. I wonder if you were there for that, also @rostasi ?
It wasn't in 2019. I was there for that festival, and I would've gone to see that particular show for sure. I think I caught shows by Matt Wilson and Nik Bartsch's Ronin at the Bijou that year. It's totally old-school theater, like my grandparents used to talk about being commonplace back in the day.
Well, the difference between the second and first tier tickets aren't worth the extra money I think, but the difference between second and third definitely is. That's why I always go for that middle price. The Festival is getting more and more attention and what used to take months - then weeks - to sell out is now down to just a few days. I think the top two tiers sold out in 3 days. Gotta book right away these days - especially the hotel (we booked it back in May) - plus I think people are ready to get OUT and do stuff.
The price can be high for some folks, but I just think about how much it would cost to see all of the people I've seen over 4 days and figure it would be in the thousands of dollars. When I leave each year, I realize that I've seen the equivalent of 24+ hours of performing from people that I wouldn't see here in my own city. I average about 8 concerts each day/night on Fri & Sat and about 6 concerts each on Thurs & Sun. It's a hell of a lot of mostly great music! The 2020 lineup was incredible, but didn't happen.
Then you have special talks and exhibitions, etc. I find it amazing that, at one point, I'm having a personal conversation with Hans-Joachim Roedelius about the "old days" of German rock, then at another time having an ice cream with Alvin Lucier in a sweet shop or having breakfast with Carla Bley and Steve Swallow or talking with Anoushka Shankar in the hotel elevator...
The city is surprisingly wonderful. The restaurants, the museums, the people...but, of course, I'm going during a time when you have a whole lot of people from around the world showing up.
Totally agree with the assessment of the price being worth it. I only went the one year in 2019, and I got the Tier One pass as a member of the press, but after my initial experience at Big Ears, I made a promise to go and spend the cash if I couldn't get a press pass in later years. The city is so much fun and there's so many great venues, and all off the "non-music" events, it was an exhilarating experience. Because it's more than just seeing great music all in a row, but the venues I got to see them perform in, and then the fun restaurants and bars and walking self-tours of the city... it was a holistic experience for me. The only thing I regret was not knowing earlier that I was going, because I really would've preferred to have had a hotel in downtown rather than outside the city... I'm old(er), and it would've been nice to be able to retreat to my hotel room from time to time and not be far from the venues.
Ha, talk about booking hotels for Big Ears. My first year I swanked it up at The Oliver, enjoyed it so much (including their "secret" library cocktail bar) that I tried to book it the following year about 6 months early. No dice it was block booked for musicians or press. I ended up slumming it at the Hilton. Those photos bring back happy memories though some of the venues change each year so I don't know all of them. My first time my friends left early Monday morning so I spent the day wandering around town. The following year they stayed on and took me for a days drive around The Smokies.
Dead & Company, 9/17 at Wrigley Field Chicago. My first D&C show...A rain delay and the first set was cut short because of rain and lightning. John Mayer's amp had to be replaced half way through the first set. Second set was great.
In earlier days at Big Ears, some of those locations above were used for concerts and then, I suppose, they were under renovation because we were surprised to see them closed the following years.
As for hotels, you have to start looking earlier these days. First time, we stayed a few miles away and had to drive thru construction near the university each day. So the next year we booked right next door to the Tennessee Theatre. Hyatt figured they could really make money on this Festival-thing, so the hiked the prices the next year three-fold … so we stayed at the Hilton nearby. For the 2020, we were all geared up to stay at the newly-opened Embassy Suites just down from the Tennessee at a good price, but the whole festival was cancelled. It would’ve been a great year - excellent batch of performers. I think there’s a little bit less musical motivation this year for me, but it’s still something to look forward to. They do have an overt interest in Meredith Monk each year for some strange reason (at least the last 4 festivals in a row!). The vibe is so incredibly friendly tho … and we rent a car for those mad dashes to favorite restaurants that are outside the Market Square area (Ethiopian and Indian, especially) … and I’m going stir-crazy to go somewhere 🤪🤪🤪 Haven’t even eaten in a restaurant since February 2020.
I was going to mention the food, which was ok-ish and not quite as "brown" as it gets out of town (deep fried and coated with whatever it is*), but with the exception of the veggie place on the square it was a little too burger burger burger for me. No car for a dash to Ethiopian or Indian which I would have loved. Also very rarely any time between sets I mainly had a good breakfast, possibly a lunch and then up to 12 hours of music and beer. Very healthy!
* Cornmeal? I know I had grits the first year, not sure I had gravy, but it was all brown!
Dead & Company, 9/17 at Wrigley Field Chicago. My first D&C show...A rain delay and the first set was cut short because of rain and lightning. John Mayer's amp had to be replaced half way through the first set. Second set was great.
Is that "Cowboy" Bob?! Old timer, can he still remember the lyrics? He had trouble with that at the London Ratdog shows years ago.
If there wasn't all that music, I'd be eating my way thru Knoxville. In the center of town, you have Tomato Head (which we'll go to at least 3 or 4 times), Yassin's Falafel House, Kopita, Sunspot... and just outside of downtown you have Sitar Indian (buffet is to die for), Gosh Ethiopian, and others. In town, for Japanese, you can go to where we spotted (again) Carla Bley, Steve Swallow and Andy Sheppard eating by themselves at Kaizen (but we didn't go in because it was too near to closing time). I've been veg for nearly 50 years, so I stay away from burger joints too.
Breakfast, in town: Pete's looks and acts "old-fashioned," but it's a good solid pancakes/french toast/eggs/hash browns kind of place. People like OliBea's, but the staff was slow and a bit too casual - (you might get coffee or all of your order, etc.)
Wish I knew about the falafel house, Tomato Head is I think the veg pace I referenced. I was limited to a block or two from the main square which was a big problem given time restraints. I wasn't there for the food though.
If there wasn't all that music, I'd be eating my way thru Knoxville. In the center of town, you have Tomato Head (which we'll go to at least 3 or 4 times), Yassin's Falafel House, Kopita, Sunspot... and just outside of downtown you have Sitar Indian (buffet is to die for), Gosh Ethiopian, and others. In town, for Japanese, you can go to where we spotted (again) Carla Bley, Steve Swallow and Andy Sheppard eating by themselves at Kaizen (but we didn't go in because it was too near to closing time). I've been veg for nearly 50 years, so I stay away from burger joints too.
Breakfast, in town: Pete's looks and acts "old-fashioned," but it's a good solid pancakes/french toast/eggs/hash browns kind of place. People like OliBea's, but the staff was slow and a bit too casual - (you might get coffee or all of your order, etc.)
Kaizen was amazing. Definitely my favorite spot from the trip.
Is that "Cowboy" Bob?! Old timer, can he still remember the lyrics? He had trouble with that at the London Ratdog shows years ago
Yes it is...he didn't flub more than one or two lines, I think he started All Along the Watchtower at the wrong time. The problem is his guitar...the tone is way off, like a buzzsaw. Not like it is a mistake since it has been that way for a couple of tours now. The rest of the band is tight.
You can judge for yourself how the show was, as the live stream is posted on YouTube. Isaiah Collier and the Chosen Few, a young Chicago guy mining the Coltrane/spiritual jazz vein. Check out the first tune to dig the energy. Show starts about 35 minutes in.
This is from the fine local venue Constellation, which has a ton of great shows coming up in the next few weeks. Seems like some artists are swinging up north after Big Ears. Artists are back on the road and live shows are back, or so we hope!
I saw Gang of Four at the Black Cat in DC last Wednesday night. Amazing show. I bought the tickets several months ago then forgot about it until receiving an upcoming calendar email from the venue on Tuesday, which led with "Gang of Four, tomorrow night!" Thought about skipping because my wife was out of town and it had already been a long week, but sucked it up and I'm very glad I did. The band at this point features 2 of 4 original members, drummer Hugo Burnham and lead singer Jon King, plus Sara Lee (who played with the band in the 80s after original bassist Dave Allen left the first time) and David Pajo (Slint, Tortoise) on guitar replacing Andy Gill, who passed away last year. I saw their last tour with all original members in 2005 at the 9:30 Club in DC, and this was every bit as good, in a smaller venue. They are still asking for proof of vaccination, and most people were wearing masks, so it felt safe. Show was crowded but not packed, and I was maybe 25 feet from the stage.
The band was on fire the whole night. Sara Lee is a wonderful bass player, and David Pajo stepped in seamlessly for Andy Gill. Same sort of style, I wasn't familiar with Slint but after listening a bit I understand why they brought him in. They played a good mix of songs from different eras, and the crowd was hyped. All in all, it was one of the better shows I've seen in a long time, and a potent reminder of why I love live music.
@Muggsy Interesting that most were masking. A couple of weeks ago I went with a few friends to see the Neal Morse Band in Pontiac. The show was excellent - second time I have seen them live, and they were stellar both times. But we were almost the only ones wearing masks - we saw a handful of others.
Comments
For sure - but in my case I can't stand watching live music on a screen for more than oh 20 minutes or so. Also personally I can't "cast" or whatever it is from my PC to the TV. At a show I'm busy watching the audience half the time. Perhaps this is a hurdle that I'm just going to have to overcome - especially when we move to the far north and London gigs are very much a thing of the past.
Concerning live concerts (virtual for us), there seems to be a lot of birthday celebrations lately: Pharoah and his 80th, Halvorson and her 40th. Last night, I watched Matthew Shipp play from his “Piano Equation" project that’s supposed to be a celebration of his 60th b-day in December (the last two are still online, I think).
Yeah, it’s not quite the full experience of being there, but the extras that you get with these virtual concerts is that of camera angles to see what you wouldn’t normally see and personal comfort in your own home without all of the annoyances of the crowds.
Here in Melbourne we're in Covid lockdown no. 6 (only 500 infections a day though) and Australia won't be seeing any overseas bands until well into 2022 or possibly even 2023. Just as well there are plenty of good Aussie bands to keep us going!
I didn't go to see him because I'm not really that
much of a fan and there was undoubtedly some
other show I was attending. They took down all of
their old schedules, so I couldn't tell you who I was
seeing at the same time.
Looks like I was there 2014 and 2015, I remember that the next year my knee was already causing trouble and they started to fuck around with queue jumping tickets at silly prices, a real shame as I was meeting a couple of semi local friends when I attended and Knoxville was this non-driver's first experience outside of Bos-Wash metro USA. Plus also several good bars for real craft beer.
The price can be high for some folks, but I just think about how much it would cost to see all of the people I've seen over 4 days and figure it would be in the thousands of dollars. When I leave each year, I realize that I've seen the equivalent of 24+ hours of performing from people that I wouldn't see here in my own city. I average about 8 concerts each day/night on Fri & Sat and about 6 concerts each on Thurs & Sun. It's a hell of a lot of mostly great music! The 2020 lineup was incredible, but didn't happen.
Then you have special talks and exhibitions, etc. I find it amazing that, at one point, I'm having a personal conversation with Hans-Joachim Roedelius about the "old days" of German rock, then at another time having an ice cream with Alvin Lucier in a sweet shop or having breakfast with Carla Bley and Steve Swallow or talking with Anoushka Shankar in the hotel elevator...
The city is surprisingly wonderful. The restaurants, the museums, the people...but, of course, I'm going during a time when you have a whole lot of people from around the world showing up.
FESTIVAL VENUES
803 S. Gay Street
101 S. Central Street
900 Henley Street
100 S. Gay Street
1050 World’s Fair Park Drive
225 Depot Avenue
111 State Street
106 E. Jackson Avenue
301 S. Gay Street
416 W. Jackson Avenue
413 Cumberland Avenue
604 S. Gay Street
963 World’s Fair Park Drive
It wasn't in 2019. I was there for that festival, and I would've gone to see that particular show for sure. I think I caught shows by Matt Wilson and Nik Bartsch's Ronin at the Bijou that year. It's totally old-school theater, like my grandparents used to talk about being commonplace back in the day.
Dead & Company, 9/17 at Wrigley Field Chicago. My first D&C show...A rain delay and the first set was cut short because of rain and lightning. John Mayer's amp had to be replaced half way through the first set. Second set was great.
I suppose, they were under renovation because we were surprised to see them closed the
following years.
As for hotels, you have to start looking earlier these days. First time, we stayed a few miles away and had to drive thru construction near the university each day. So the next year we booked right next door to the Tennessee Theatre. Hyatt figured they could really make money on this Festival-thing, so the hiked the prices the next year three-fold … so we stayed at the Hilton nearby. For the 2020, we were all geared up to stay at the newly-opened Embassy Suites just down from the Tennessee at a good price, but the whole festival was cancelled. It would’ve been a great year - excellent batch of performers. I think there’s a little bit less musical motivation this year for me, but it’s still something to look forward to. They do have an overt interest in Meredith Monk each year for some strange reason (at least the last 4 festivals in a row!). The vibe is so incredibly friendly tho … and we rent a car for those mad dashes to favorite restaurants that are outside the Market Square area (Ethiopian and Indian, especially) … and I’m going stir-crazy to go somewhere 🤪🤪🤪 Haven’t even eaten in a restaurant since February 2020.
Is that "Cowboy" Bob?! Old timer, can he still remember the lyrics? He had trouble with that at the London Ratdog shows years ago.
Breakfast, in town: Pete's looks and acts "old-fashioned," but it's a good solid pancakes/french toast/eggs/hash browns kind of place. People like OliBea's, but the staff was slow and a bit too casual - (you might get coffee or all of your order, etc.)