Flight of the Conchords played the Agganis Arena at B.U. Friday night.
The concert featured the guys — Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement — performing largely acoustic versions of songs from both seasons of the show, and they even brought fellow cast members Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal along for the ride as their opening acts. Continue reading
It was four years ago that I last saw Jason Mraz live. It was an acoustic show at the Orpheum here in Boston and suffice it to say, it was not a good show — or at least my memories of it are not good. So what a relief that Mraz’s show Friday night back at the Orpheum was so much better and I now have it to refer to when I think of his live performances.
You already know how much I love Mraz’s latest album, We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things. Well, how good was it to hear so many of those tracks live. Mraz really has a beautiful voice, and it was in evidence on songs like “If It Kills Me” and a James Morrison-less “Details in the Fabric,” not to mention on “Life Is Wonderful,” “Unfold,” and others. The seven-piece band — including an impressively tight horn section — really brought songs like “Live High” and “Make It Mine” to life (not that the songs needed help, mind you).
Our seats were four rows from the stage, dead center, so we saw it all — including a couple get engaged right in front of me during the jubilant “I’m Yours.” (Yeah, the guy actually got down on one knee in the middle of the concert.) We couldn’t always hear Mraz singing (I don’t think the speakers were turned up enough), but when we did, he sounded great. I mean, picking a highlight from the 16-song set list was tough. I keep mentioning stuff he sang — “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry),” “Butterfly,” and “No Stopping Us” made for a fun encore — and that’s just because it was all good. I also enjoyed “The Dynamo of Volition,” even if there was synchronized audience choreography.
If I had to quibble with anything, it would be three things: One, I wish Mraz didn’t slow down the tempo of some of his more upbeat songs, like “Remedy.” I also wish he didn’t take such long breaks between each song during the first half of the show to hydrate and talk — it killed the pacing. And finally, although the show was two hours long, I wish he’d played more. Among the tracks not played were “Geek in the Pink” and, a more egregious omission, “You and I Both.” I suppose an old classic like “The Dream Life of Rand McNally” would be asking too much.
But that said, as I previously mentioned, what Mraz did sing was very good. And though he ended the show with the mellow “A Beautiful Mess,” it was simply gorgeous and it sent me out into the night on a high. So now, unlike the last time I saw Mraz live, I can’t wait to see him again.
(One interesting observation before I go, however. I remember a time when bringing a camera to and taking pictures at a concert was forbidden. Mraz encourages picture-taking; at one point, photos from the audience were projected on the screens behind him. Had I known, I would have brought my own camera. The photos above are from the Schreiders. Click here to see the rest.)
(or … Mild August Night)
(or … I Am Letdown, I Said)
(or … Not So Good! Not So Good!)
Since I’d never seen Neil Diamond in concert, I was quite excited to see him Saturday night at Fenway Park.
And sure, I’m not the biggest Neil fan (I own his latest album but still haven’t listened to it), but I do love the classics in his repertoire, and I figured it’d at least be a fun show.
At the very least, it’d be totally cheesy to hear him sing “Sweet Caroline” live in Fenway, and I could totally get into that.
I mean, I’ve seen Barry Manilow live (three times, I believe), so how bad could Neil Diamond really be? Continue reading
Early on during his show Saturday night at Gillette Stadium, Bruce Springsteen played a special request for “the coach,” who apparently was in the crowd: Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Who’ll Stop the Rain.”
Well, for a while on Saturday, I was wondering the same thing.
And silly me, because it became a non-issue.
Like the Boss himself sang later in the show, “Don’t worry Darlin’, now baby don’t you fret.” Although it rained pretty hard at times during the afternoon and there was a heavy downpour again around 8:15, by the time Bruce and the E Street Band took the stage around 9:30, the sky was clear and there were stars out.
It was perfect.
So Bill Belichick, I think you have your answer: Bruce stopped the rain. Continue reading
Longtime readers of this blog know how much I loved the movie Once when I saw it this past summer.
So when my friend Nina tipped me off that the film’s stars, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, were coming to Boston to do a concert to promote their album, The Swell Season, I didn’t hesitate to get tickets.
And I’m happy to report that while the concert on Wednesday night didn’t recreate the same sense of euphoria that the movie did, it was still a damn good night of music that only makes me love the movie more. Continue reading
A Bruce Springsteen concert isn’t just any concert. It’s practically a religious experience.
And Sunday night’s show at the TD BankNorth Fleet Boston Garden Center was no exception.
This was, I believe, my fourth time seeing Bruce live (including the 1999 reunion tour when I had seats third row center, thisclose to the stage), and again, he didn’t disappoint.
Somehow I was able to get real good seats for Sunday’s show — Loge level, center, facing the stage, right in between Bruce and Steve Van Zandt — and it was an awesome evening. (No surprise.) Continue reading
Is there anything funnier than seeing someone throw a beverage at Barbra Streisand?
Perhaps the only thing would be seeing this person hit her with the soda.
Ha!
To put it most simply, the Killers totally rocked the Orpheum tonight … and then they didn’t. Despite two albums’ worth of great material, the band only played for about 70 minutes (including one and a half encores) and left the audience wanting more.
Which I hope doesn’t overshadow the fact that the Killers did put on a great show. Sure, the sound wasn’t clear enough for me to really hear Brandon Flowers singing or talking, but damn, the one-two punch of “When You Were Young” and “Somebody Told Me” truly got the crowd going, as did the band’s other hits “Mr. Brightside,” “Smile Like You Mean It,” and the new single “Bones” (which I totally love). And it was cool that they did “Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll” (off the re-issue of Hot Fuss), and that they closed with “All These Things That I’ve Done,” which left me on a real high. But I really wanted to hear “The River Is Wild” and “Andy, You’re a Star,” among others, so that was a bummer.
Some other thoughts: Flowers is a fun frontman to watch. He’s so straight-laced and earnest in his performance that you’re tempted to think he’s not enjoying himself, but then he does a variation on what Whitney called “the Dave Matthews jig” and it’s pretty fun. With his long sleeve shirt and vest, the guy had to be hot up there on the stage. Also, man, does the mezzanine of the Orpheum shake. We were in row B, and at various times during the show, I stopped bopping and still was vibrating. It’s pretty scary. Granted, the Orpheum has probably seen rowdier shows than the Killers, but damn … one of these days the mezzanine is going to come crashing down. I just hope I’m not there when it does.
So anyway, is it so wrong for a performer to leave its audience wanting more? I suppose that’s the mark of a good show, right? Still, I think in this case the concert would have been truly great had it been just 15 minutes and maybe three or four songs longer. Then the band would have truly, ahem, killed.
I told Pyles as the Jamie Cullum show was ending tonight that I should have guaranteed it, and promised to give her her money back if she didn’t enjoy it. That’s how much I love Jamie Cullum, and how strongly I can stand by his live shows. They’re just incredible, and tonight’s show at the Orpheum was no exception. No sense going into too many specifics, but from top to bottom, start to finish, I think this may have been the best Jamie Cullum show I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen him four times. It was another rowdy, fun time. The crowd was into it, despite some folks who just kept getting up to go out. Our seats were great. And the set list was spot-on: Jamie played his good stuff (including “Mind Trick, which was missing from the set list the last time I saw him) and he played some really cool covers really well, particularly Norah Jones’ “Turn Me On” (which, oddly, Jamie dedicated to his father, who was in the audience, because apparently it’s his favorite song) and James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain.” Jamie came into the audience a couple times, and he actually sang a cover of “Nature Boy” entirely in an aisle. Otherwise, “Photograph,” “Frontin’,” and “London Skies” were great, as were “These Are the Days,” the solo version of “All at Sea,” and, of course, my favorite of his songs, “What a Difference a Day Made.” Of course, there are songs I wish he’d played (like “My Yard”), but that’ll happen when I like most everything on his three albums.
Perhaps you don’t know Jamie, despite the fact that I’ve written about him before on this site. Well, for all you who don’t know him — and those who like a little soundtrack with your reading — check out the new widget I’ve added to the blog in the upper right hand column. Just click “play” and you’ll hear one of his songs, likely “Photograph.” And know that as nice as that song is, and as good as his albums are, they don’t compare to how good Jamie is live. As I said, I’ve seen him four times now and I’d see him anytime. I guarantee his shows as some of the best ones out there.
Sure, the show took place at the Opera House, and sure Jamie Cullum is a contemporary jazz-pop singer, but the concert this young Brit gave Thursday night was anything but a subdued affair. The first indication was the fact that Cullum walked on-stage chugging a Full Throttle energy drink. After that, it was the music that did the talking. And sure, it took maybe three songs for Cullum to hit his stride, but once he launched into “Twentysomething,” the two-hour-and-fifteen-minute show was on cruise control.
To single out specific songs as favorite moments would be pointless, although “What a Difference a Day Made,” “Nothing I Do,” “Frontin’,” and “London Skies” were all great, as was a duet with opener Brandi Carlile on “Rocket Man.” Cullum even did a fun medley of hip-hop songs (jazzed-up, of course) that included Ne-Yo’s “So Sick” and Amerie’s “1 Thing.” Perhaps the one obvious omission was “Mind Trick,” one of my favorite tracks off Cullum’s current CD, Catching Tales. (You can hear it at his site on MySpace.com.) I also was disappointed he didn’t play “My Yard.” But the stomping on the piano keys was there, as was Cullum’s ratty appearance, playful banter, and athleticism. And the Opera House’s acoustics made it all sound great. This was my first time in the building, and man, what a great venue.
It’s just a shame that so many people missed so much of the show. I don’t know what was up with the crowd. Every other minute, it seemed, someone (or two people) would get up and go out for a drink, or to the bathroom, not even waiting for the end of a song or an opportune moment. It was the most restless audience I’ve seen in a long time. And given the show’s location, the moving around was more pronounced — and annoying to those of us who were enjoying the show and didn’t ever leave.
Jamie Cullum isn’t a household name yet, and admittedly, his CDs — good as they are — really don’t do justice to how great he is live. But I can’t recommend him highly enough. He deserves repeated play on your CD player (or iPod) if he’s not already programmed in.
Martin's Musings 