September 19, 2007

If you thought the summer was chock full of shows, just wait until you see what’s in store for the fall. Many of my favorite bands have just started long tours that will keep them busy through the end of the year. This week’s edition of GTA looks at four shows from four bands that will each play a slew of upcoming shows.

We start with Smashing Pumpkins, who have already been on the road for nearly four months with no end in sight. And since Ace got all indie on us this week with his ACL reviews, we’ll go back to the well and check out shows from jamband favorites RAQ, Perpetual Groove, and Toubab Krewe. Just by listening to these downloads, I can tell it’s gonna be one helluva fall for us.

Smashing Pumpkins 09/08/2007 DAUD [FLAC]

We checked out a Smashing Pumpkins show shortly after they reformed, so now let’s see where the band is at after a full summer of performing. Just last week, the Pumpkins played a terrific set as part of the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival in Montreal. Billy Corgan & Co. headlined a terrific lineup that included Bloc Party, Damien Rice and Apple’s new pitch-girl, Feist.

Thanks to a first time taper named Matt we were able to find a crispy recording of the Pumpkins’ first post-hiatus concert in Canada. The band did a nice job of mixing in old classics among a slew of tunes from this year’s Zeitgeist. Corgan gave 1979 the solo acoustic treatment, which really shows off his underrated vocal abilities. Jeff Schroeder and Ginger Reyes, who play guitar and bass respectively, have come a long way over the past few months. They back up Corgan really well on both Tarantula and Superchrist. The Pumpkins are back, and they sound as tight as they ever did during the James Iha/D’arcy years. Read on for more GTA…

So our favorite director is back with some new commercials…not content to simply kick ass on behalf of American Express, Wes Anderson is out with a series of ads for

After working hard on recording and then touring behind his first album, Page McConnell is ready to unwind a bit this fall. While McConnell doesn’t have any tour dates booked, he will be making his Carnegie Hall debut during an Elton John and Bernie Taupin tribute on October 10th.

Photo by Adam Kaufman

Page was kind enough to speak with us about the Elton/Bernie tribute, personal highlights of this past year, and what’s next for the Chairman of the Boards…

Scott Bernstein: How did you get involved with the Elton John tribute?

Page McConnell: Initially Michael Dorf, who runs the series, asked Mike Gordon or maybe even Mike and Leo to do the benefit, but it isn’t something that he is doing right now. Through (Mike’s) people, I was turned onto it.

SB: Have you prepared for the performance at all? Do you know what you are gonna play?

PM: I do know what I’m gonna play…and you know what they say about trying to get to Carnegie Hall. Yes, I have been practicing. Practice, Practice, Practice. I’ll be playing Amoreena. Also I suppose there is the possibility for collaborations. I jumped at the opportunity because I’ve never played Carnegie Hall, and I’ve been an Elton John fan for my whole life. One of my very first concerts was Elton John at the Garden in ’82. Read on for more of Scotty’s interview with Page…

Growing up, my family only had three options for non-radio music in my father’s automobile: some homemade Doo-wop mix, Kool & the Gang’s Celebrate!, and Heart’s self-titled album. The last

I grew up with nothing but respect for Rush‘s music. But that’s not to say I ever really opened up to the trio’s material outside of the radio hits that were considered required listening at my high school.

Photo by Chad Johnson

I never got a chance to see them live, so when they announced their North American tour, I knew this might be my last chance to see Geddy, Neil and Alex play Tom Sawyer. While I’m That Guy who came for the hits, Rush impressed me with nearly every tune they played at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

When Rush took the stage and opened with Limelight I was taken back to the days when rock bands put on shows instead of just concerts. Rush isn’t one of those bands that “focuses on the music” by eschewing the use of an elaborate stage setup; they give their audience a full multimedia presentation, complete with the arena rock staples of a crazy stage, prerecorded skits, lasers and pyro.

Read on after the jump for the rest of Scotty’s review of Rush at MSG…

You may know Dane Cook for his shitty movies and jokes that appeal to the insanely stupid. But now Cook has stepped onto our turf with the release of his