2009

Portugal. The Man – Wasilla’s Censored Colors

Jason Gonulsen February 16, 2009 No Comments

Saying you’re from Wasilla, Alaska these days is like painting a giant bulls-eye across your face – you’re going to get stuff flying at you from every direction. For Portugal. The Man, the up-and-coming band from—you guessed it—Wasilla, this can be a wondrous thing. Take their latest album, Censored Colors, as an example. Around its release, lead singer John Baldwin Gourley posted this blog to the band’s MySpace page, which centered around Wasilla’s most famous figure—you guessed it (again)—Sarah Palin.

Paul Simon: An Evening of Old Friends

Scott Bernstein February 14, 2009 5 Comments

Last night’s Paul Simon concert at the grand reopening of the newly renovated Beacon Theatre wasn’t exactly a greatest hits affair, so there was plenty of pent-up energy in the room when the New York City native left the stage after his second set. Simon returned for the encore with former partner Art Garfunkel in tow and the crowd went ape-shit. There were high-fives, hugs and huge smiles as far as the eye could see.

The concert started with a speech by Cablevision President James Dolan, who got a pleasant smattering of applause until he told the crowd who he was. As soon as the “-lan” syllable came out of his mouth the audience voiced their displeasure with a hearty bronx cheer. Say what you will about Dolan’s ability to run a sports team, but he loves this city and put his money where his mouth is with the $16 million, seven month renovation of the Beacon. The jeers turned back to cheers when Paul Simon took the stage with his latest touring band including musical director Mark Stewart.

Simon found the fountain of youth during his two set performance that touched on every era of his storied career. For the more casual fan, there were a number of massive hits including You Can Call Me Al, Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard – complete with a shout out to Rosie O’Donnell – and Late In The Evening. Fans who were looking for Simon deep cuts were treated to the folky Duncan, brooding Train In The Distance and the underrated gem Proof. Paul did seem to lose most of the audience during a Capeman segment that started the second set, but I enjoyed the crisp doo-wop harmonies myself.

READ ON for more of Scotty’s Paul Simon review…

Phish: Predicting The Hampton Opener

Luke Sacks February 14, 2009 88 Comments

We are less than a month away from Phish’s return at Hampton Coliseum and while some are still uncovering every stone and calling in every favor looking for a ticket, others are turning their attention to the content of the shows.

Whether you are in the door or not, you’ve got to be thinking about what the set lists will look like. By the time things ended for Phish 2.0 in 2004, the song list had been trimmed significantly (28 songs were played four or more times in the final 18 shows) and it seems to make sense that the band would narrow the field at least a bit again this time around.

That said, the band has made no public comments since the return was announced so nothing has been guaranteed, but I suspect we won’t see any repeats during the Hampton run.

Will wee see new covers? The last cover to be added to the regular rotation was the Velvet Underground’s ass-kicking Rock & Roll. Other than that, no cover that has debuted since 10/31/98 has been played more than five times. It will be interesting to see if any new covers are added to the repertoire or if any classic ones resurface.

READ ON for a few guesses at Phish’s post-Breakup opener…

Live Updates From Paul Simon On Twitter

Scott Bernstein February 13, 2009 No Comments

I’ll be updating the Twitter feed live from this evening’s Paul Simon concert at the newly refurbished Beacon Theatre. First, we’ll be on the Red Carpet at the historic asking

Late Night at Sullivan w/ Russo & Michetti

Scott Bernstein February 13, 2009 No Comments

If you’re looking for something to do after the moe., Paul Simon or Sharon Jones shows tonight, head down to Sullivan Hall to catch The Joe Russo Quartet featuring Todd

Leftovers: All Good Lineup Announcement

Scott Bernstein February 13, 2009 1 Comment

The initial lineup for the 13th Annual All Good Music Festival was released yesterday and moe., Bob Weir and RatDog and Relentless7 lead the charge on July 9-12 at Marvin’s

Friday Mix Tape: New Winter Tunes

Jeffrey Greenblatt February 13, 2009 1 Comment

With 2008 starting to look smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror and 2009 now in full swing, we’re sure that you’ve probably grown tired of some of the

Beacon Theatre Peakin’ Once Again

Scott Bernstein February 13, 2009 12 Comments

When the first worker cleaning the artwork at the legendary Beacon Theatre put a wet sponge up to the ceiling of the famed venue the sponge immediately turned black. Eighty years as a movie theater and rock hall on Manhattan’s Upper West Side takes a major toll on a building, especially after three Phish shows, countless Phil Lesh gigs and 175 Allman Brothers shows.

[All photos by Adam Kaufman]

It was clear to anyone who could see beyond the dirt, grime and decay that underneath it all the Beacon was full of beautiful artwork and vivid details. After seven months and $16 million worth of painstaking renovations the Beacon Theatre has finally been restored to its former glory.

The Dolan’s MSG Entertainment is now two for two when it comes to restoring iconic venues after all of the love they put into the Beacon this time around and Radio City Music Hall in 1999. Project Manager Marc Tarozzi researched how the venue looked when it opened in 1929 and his team succeeded at restoring the Beacon to its original 1929 grandeur.

Here’s a list of all the changes they made…

Richly detailed Rotunda Lobby, including restoration of the “scagliola” faux marble wainscot and recreation of the long-lost mural over the entrance doors
Historic finishes in the lobbies at each theater level
Original historic seats and custom patterned carpet based on the original designs
Polychromatic, Moorish-inspired “tent-like” main theater ceiling
All murals throughout theatre to original design

READ ON for more photos and information about the Beacon’s reopening…

Video: Blind Pilot – One Red Thread

Jeffrey Greenblatt February 13, 2009 2 Comments

Blind Pilot – One Red Thread

Televised Tune: On The Tube This Weekend

Scott Bernstein February 13, 2009 1 Comment

It’s not very often that you get to watch a 23 minute jam on television, but you can on Saturday when VH-1 Classic broadcasts Led Zeppelin’s newly-remastered The Song Remains

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