I just finished watching the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and oh my, what a train wreck. The only salvageable parts were REM’s performance and the footage from past ceremonies.
As Widespread Panic referenced New York City during last night’s Bust It Big, I got a little sad that Langerado had come and gone. For the second year in a row it was a flawless weekend at the little festival that could.
And I was so impressed with Widespread’s headlining set, I flashed them as they left the venue behind a Sunrise Police cruiser. I’m sure Schools appreciated that.
There were only two complaints I heard all weekend, one of which is a fair criticism, and the other is just another case of jamband fan idiocy. A few days before the festival an e-mail update went out that mentioned a second exit out of the park that would relieve traffic congestion. Let me know if anyone found that supplementary egress, because I spent all weekend searching for it.
But the other criticism is ludicrous: the people complaining about the lack of an encore from Widespread. Panic walked off stage at 10 pm after playing a 150-minute, greatest hits blockbuster set that maybe contained two minutes of downtime. A large group in the crowd audibly booed when Annabel Lukins came out to announce the show was indeed over when the crowd didn’t leave. She must have been psyched to get that plum assignment.
Langerado has a strict 10 pm curfew. My hotel was three miles from the main stage and you could hear the music clearly from the festival, so I can understand how the organizers weren’t looking to blow through the curfew on a Sunday night. Panic consciously decided that instead of wasting five minutes leaving the stage and coming back for an encore they would just play until the curfew. People should be applauding that decision. We actually got extra music, dumbasses.
Anyway, with the brief lecture over, let’s take a look at some more of my favorite things seen and overheard around the Langerado festival this year…
With Langerado serving as the unofficial kickoff festival season, many musicians take the opportunity to stroll the grounds and see other bands they respect. Thus far we’ve spotted the following people in the
Last week I kicked off a two-part look at the best covers buried amongst the two million videos on YouTube. So let’s finish that up this week — kindly turn
After this post I’m off to Florida for some rest and relaxation…oh, and also an adult dose of great music and general good times at Langerado.
Before I check out (I’m already checked out mentally), you should check out the latest edition of Grousing the Aisles. This week we’re featuring a rare 1990 Bruce Hornsby show, the Cracker duo in Pittsburgh, an amazing Leo Kottke gig, and one of Addison Groove Project’s farewell shows. Enjoy the cold weather, suckers!
Bruce Hornsby 12/16/90 SBD (FLAC):
Over the three years that Bruce Hornsby was a member of the Grateful Dead he didn’t have many opportunities to play gigs with his own band. Hornsby only played six shows with The Range in 1990 after he joined the Dead, and that list includes this terrific show from the Concert Theater in Ventura, California.
For this performance Hornsby augmented the Range’s lineup with Shaun Murphy (Little Feat) and Laura Cramer on backing vocals. From the On The Western Skyline opener through the rest of the show, the ladies’ voices make a strong impact, giving a rare vocal fullness to Hornsby’s greatest hits. During recent shows Bruce may play one or two of his radio hits, but on this night he played them all. Hornsby also played Jacob’s Ladder and The End of the Innocence: two songs he wrote that were made famous by Huey Lewis and Don Henley, respectively.
Hornsby is energetic and enthused throughout the entire show. In many interviews Hornsby has complained about the rigid structure that had become entrenched in the routine of being a member of the Grateful Dead. Throughout this show Hornsby sings and plays piano like a man being let out of a cage. I’ve been searching for a Range show from this time period for a while, and it was worth the wait. If you like Bruce, you’ll love this show.
Read on for more music from Kottke, Cracker and the Addison Groove fellas…
We’ve got a juicy rumor that seems to be making the jump to fact. A number of industry sources have indicated to us that the North American segment of the Live Earth festival will be held at Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens.
Hey, Gore, Shea is a shithole. Perhaps the organizers were feeling a bit of nostalgia, as the home of the Mets will be closing after the 2008 baseball season.
Aside from the word of our sources, here’s another clue: The Mets will be away from the park from June 29th to July 11th, giving the organizers and field crew plenty of time to assemble and take down the stage and production elements.
The 07/07/07 Live Earth is a 24-hour festival billed as the “The Concert for a Climate in Distress.” Al Gore, the main spokeperson for the worldwide event, says it will take place at seven separate locations, each one on a different continent. Confirmed locations include London’s Hyde Park, Johannesburg, Shanghai, and Sydney. The venue in Antarctica has yet to be announced, but I have a feeling that will be an easy ticket no matter at which igloo the bands play.
The performers that have been announced at press time are:
* AFI * Akon * The Black Eyed Peas * Bloc Party * Bon Jovi * Corrine Bailey Rae * Damien Rice * Duran Duran * Enrique Iglesias * Fall Out Boy * Faith Hill * Foo Fighters * Genesis * John Mayer * John Legend * Kanye West * Keane * Kelly Clarkson * Kenna * Korn * Lenny Kravitz * Maná * Melissa Etheridge * Paolo Nutini * Pharrell Williams * The Police * Ray LaMontagne * Red Hot Chili Peppers * Robin Thicke * Sheryl Crow * Snoop Dogg * Snow Patrol * Tim McGraw
Read on for more on the storied history of rock concerts at Shea Stadium…
Every week in Wednesday Intermezzo we throw you a link to the latest edition of the Grateful Dead’s Taper’s Section. If you haven’t been clicking on that link and downloading
The Chairman of the Boards, Page McConnell, will be playing his first gig in promotion of his new solo album on April 4th at New York City’s Gramercy Theater. Page’s
There seems to be no turning back now…How’s that for famous last words? The Police continue to add tour dates to their itinerary at a blistering pace. These guys are
Addison Groove Project‘s 10-year career came to a close on Saturday night. The first concert I ever booked featured AGP playing in front of 50-60 people at Skidmore College in
