What was your last concert you went to ?

Very enjoyable evening spent with Colwyn Bay jazz nymph Clare Teal last night.

This particular tour was concerned with 'The great British songbook' so only one of her own hits but plenty of big band favorites all given unique if somewhat middle of the road arrangements.

The highlight for me was a wonderfully emotive cover of Snow Patrol's 'Chasing cars'; though my sister and I were the only members of the audience who had heard of SP.

All in all well worth £16.

Virgil & The Accelerators
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Oli Brown

at The Stables, Wavendon.

Virgil & the Accelerators were pretty much a Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute band and although Virgil can certainly play the notes and has a good feel for the sound no-one is ever going to replace SRV. Just hope these guys can move on a bit and get their own style cause they weren't bad at all - just a bit derivative.

Almost the same for Joanne Shaw Taylor really - she used the Accelerators as backing band and pretty much continued where Virgil had left off. Shame really as she has an amazing blues voice - again I'm hoping that she'll gradually move away from the SRV thang and develop her own style.

And then there was Oli Brown, possibly the youngest band leader of the night but what a difference. This guy is the real deal, blues - yes but not replicated 12 bar, solos - yes but not contrived and not 5 minutes long.

He reminded me a little of Robben Ford in the way he uses dynamics & tempo to liven things up and mix up the mood. He's also a lucky dude to have the funky bass playing of Garry Rackam and solid drumming of Simon Dring to back him up.

If you get a chance to see this tour give it a go it wasn't expensive and was a great night's enterrtainment - and you get to see that the blues is in good hands with guys like this around. Well done Oli - oh and by the way although he's only about 19 he had the audience eating out of his hand.

cheers
Scott

I am not worthy in comparison to Adrian. But I am going to see Jeff Beck in Atlanta in two weeks and can't wait!

Not long back from Mark Knopfler Concert in BeLfast Odyssey, Superb night,Brilliant musicians backing him, Fantastic rendition of Telegraph Road.He sat on a chair for the whole of a non stop, two hour set.He said he had hurt his back.

Natalie Merchant at the Sage. Singing a split set, the first half being her new double CD of poems and nursery rhymes set to her melodies. The second half of the set was a selection of songs from her back catalogue, which were mainly selected by the audience. She played for over two hours and was simply mesmerizing. I am not even that familiar with her work, but she can convey emotion and command the stage like few others.

Cheers Dicuss for dragging me along. An excellent experience.

Regards

Nic

Nice one Nic. I saw her a few months ago and she kept forgetting the words to her "hits" but she was a delight and I had a super evening. I ( and a few other from round here) are going to see her on Sunday in Brighton. Looking forward to it.

Thanks for whetting my appetite for seeing her at the Usher Hall tomorrow night - looking forward to it all the more now

Adrian,

She forgot the words to a couple of songs requested, but was charming with it. Not a bad mover either.

Ian,

If you are sitting as near to the front as Dicuss and I were you are in for a real treat.

One of Dicuss's mates attended and had seen the London gig, but said the one at the Sage was much better for the set being split into the two distinct halves. Natalie really seemed to enjoy herself despite being a bit spooked about how quiet and respectful the audience was during the songs. Shout and bawl and she will keep singing, must have done 8 or 9 songs during the two encores.

Regards

Nic

I was also at the Sage last night, and agree with the comments already made.

I wasn't sure when I heard her new album, but seeing her perform the tracks live, as well as giving quite interesting narratives to each of the songs/poems with a potted biography of their authors, really brought it 'alive' for me.

The second 'half' of the concert where she performed some her back catalogue was fantastic. She has such a powerful, communicative voice which really was impressive live.

A great night.

Looking forward even more to Sunday, if my bloody tickets arrive!!

Nigel,

I hope you were not sitting behind Dicuss (middle of 4th row). At 6' 5" he is not someone who's shoulder you want to looking over. I was the modest 6' 1" bloke sitting to his right.

Glad you enjoyed as much as me.

Regards

Nic

quote:

Originally posted by Nigel 66:
I was also at the Sage last night, and agree with the comments already made.

I wasn't sure when I heard her new album, but seeing her perform the tracks live, as well as giving quite interesting narratives to each of the songs/poems with a potted biography of their authors, really brought it 'alive' for me.

The second 'half' of the concert where she performed some her back catalogue was fantastic. She has such a powerful, communicative voice which really was impressive live.

A great night.

quote:

Originally posted by nicnaim:

Ian,

.
.
If you are sitting as near to the front as Dicuss and I were you are in for a real treat.
.
.


Nic

Front of the circle for us, so should be able to see over any Diccus-alikes that turn up :-)

Ian

quote:

Originally posted by Blueknowz:
Not long back from Mark Knopfler Concert in BeLfast Odyssey, Superb night,Brilliant musicians backing him, Fantastic rendition of Telegraph Road.He sat on a chair for the whole of a non stop, two hour set.He said he had hurt his back.

He was still in his chair last night at Manchester! Great concert, he did different renditions of all the classics.

I don't know if it's a good thing to have Naim gear in the household. After the second song, my partner turned to me and said she thought the music was sounding better than the first song. I said "yes, I agree, I think the amps will be warming up". At this point I realised we had both become unwelcome guests at parties.

Last night we went to the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Ivan Fischer/COE. Some entertaining Rossini, Schubert No. 5 and Julia Fischer played the Mendelssohn Concerto. A well-deserved standing ovation and encores for the orchestra and the soloist. Good seats down the front and a close view of a top-flight violinist in action.

Thursday last week at the Wigmore Hall London we heard the Ruysdael Quartet play works by Prokofiev (Sergei and Gabriel) and the Schubert Quintet with Rafael Wallfish. Another outstanding concert.

Both halls have great acoustics, always a joy to be at a place where they get it right.

Cheeky buggers

Acid Mothers Temple at Corsica Studios in Elephant. Yeeesh. If you've got a crash helmet and a strong stomach, highly recommended. According to Wiki, the genre is something like extreme hallucinogenic trip - good old fashioned head pummeling and internal organ mashing in other words - but kind of fun! Right now, I'm listening to kool fm on 94.6 to slow the heart rate...

I just got back from seeing Jacques Dutronc play a stonking concert in Nice.

What a superstar, a legend and deservedly so. If I have even half that energy when I am 67, I shall be very happy. Two hours of unbridled joyful entertainment. I'd go again tomorrow if the option was there.

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Roberts:
Last night we went to the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Ivan Fischer/COE. Some entertaining Rossini, Schubert No. 5 and Julia Fischer played the Mendelssohn Concerto. A well-deserved standing ovation and encores for the orchestra and the soloist. Good seats down the front and a close view of a top-flight violinist in action.

I have just got in from the very same concert except the one held tonight at the Festival Hall in London.

I must have had the best seat in the house 10 feet from the stage and I loved the whole thing. But Julia Fischer playing the Mendelssohn was just absolutely stunning. Wow, what a lady - she played stupendously and the audience loved her. I went to the after concert chat with Ivan Fischer and it was very interesting. He was asked a question about American vs European orchestras. I'll save that discussion for another day....

Faithless at Wolverhampton civic hall.
What they were doing playing such a tiny venue I have no clue.
I have seen literally hundreds of concerts there over the years.
Non have been remotely near the energy level produced last night.
Not brilliant on sound, acoustics, and a tad loud.
I wish I was at it again tonight though, and tomorrow.
It would appear they have a couple of new anthems as well.

Actually, it was a musical play, with a score/soundtrack by an artist I enjoy named McKinley (who was in attendance).

This was a full professional production of McKinley's first play "Gracie and the Atom". I have been listening to the album since last fall and now the songs all make "sense". The play was funny, poignant, sad and uplifting. The singing was exceptional and the small four-piece band was some of Portland's finest.

A wonderful night out with friends.

more info here and here

one more from Gracie and the Atom which is a trailer for the play/show here

Natalie Merchant, Brighton Dome.

Fantastic concert - Adrian, Howard, where are the pics.

Natalie Merchant at Colston Hall, Bristol, 29 May 2010

Phyllis: There's a speed limit in this state, Mr. Neff. Forty-five miles an hour.
Walter Neff: How fast was I going, officer?
Phyllis: I'd say around ninety.
Walter Neff: Suppose you get down off your motorcycle and give me a ticket.
Phyllis: Suppose I let you off with a warning this time.
Walter Neff: Suppose it doesn't take.
Phyllis: Suppose I have to whack you over the knuckles.
Walter Neff: Suppose I bust out crying and put my head on your shoulder.
Phyllis: Suppose you try putting it on my husband's shoulder.

This was as close to perfection as it gets.

About two and a half hours, virtually all of 'Leave Your Sleep' then joined by Katell Keineg on stage for the first encore ('Carnival' and 'Gulf of Araby').

And in her final encore, to introduce 'Motherland', a stinging swipe at BP, the US administration and all of us for our dependence on fossil fuels.

Brilliant! Let's hope she comes back very soon.

Regards, CB

quote:

Originally posted by Clive Blackman:
And in her final encore, to introduce 'Motherland', a stinging swipe at BP, the US administration and all of us for our dependence on fossil fuels.

Brilliant! Let's hope she comes back very soon.

No doubt by plane. I thought she was lovely last night in Brighton and she looks great when she dances round the stage. A beautiful rich voice and a real talented woman.

Saw Weller on Friday night. Pretty good but the sound at the Albert Hall I find is terrible. Way too live for rock.