Concerts. 2021 and beyond.

Better Than Ezra at Bogart’s.

While Bogart’s is definitely not my favorite venue, I did not want to miss these guys.

Great show (as always) with their classics, new forthcoming music, and several covers. If you’re a fan of the band, be sure to read Kevin’s new inspirational book, The Greatest Song.
 
Tried to see Willie’s Outlaw Festival at Blossom but gave up after 60 minutes of very heavy rain, lightning, and thunder. Saw Half of John Fogerty and it was really good but alas they shut him down because of the lightning and we left because we had enough rain to last me a month. Heard he went back on after a 90 minute delay but I had left, the lawn was like a sponge. Willie went on at 10:40 and played a short hour set and got out of town. Stinks because Willie doesn’t have a lot more performances in him at 90.
 
So trekked back out to Blossom on Sunday to see Audra McDonald backed by the Cleveland Orchestra and it was a pleasant evening of standards and show tunes by one of the best sopranos in the business. They probably didn't need the amplification as her instrument was loud and crystal clear for most of the evening. She sang all of her better known tunes including "I Could Have Danced All Night", "Summertime", and "Somewhere". Also added a couple new tunes with "Rose's Turn" being a nice addition to her set. Might have been better in a cabaret type setting but with a nice sized crowd that was probably in the mid teens this is probably not an option. Nice banter between the tunes too telling some poignant stories and always giving credit to the songwriters of each tune she performed. I will go see her again.

 
Bob Dylan and His Band present the Rough and Rowdy Ways
tour this fall in North America!

See http://bobdylan.com/on-tour/ for October dates,
which go on sale this Friday, August 25.

Two dates in Ohio were announced:

OCT 20 Cincinnati, OH Andrew J. Brady Music Center
OCT 21 Akron, OH Akron Civic Theater

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How was Wonderbus, anyone?

My buddy was trying to dump his three day pass on Friday for $85 and I declined. Then he called me Saturday saying he traded it in for two $50 tickets, however that works I don’t know. I still was on the fence because my wife had to coach softball so I’d be flying solo. I only wanted to see CAAMP and the 502s today and so I’ll catch them again down the road. I regret not going down - it’s ten minutes from my house - but only slightly. $30 parking sealed it for me. If I’d had someone to pick me up after, I would have walked there blazing. Alas, I was able to get two full appraisals typed tonight. :)
 
Steel Valley FB said:
How was Wonderbus, anyone?

My buddy was trying to dump his three day pass on Friday for $85 and I declined. Then he called me Saturday saying he traded it in for two $50 tickets, however that works I don’t know. I still was on the fence because my wife had to coach softball so I’d be flying solo. I only wanted to see CAAMP and the 502s today and so I’ll catch them again down the road. I regret not going down - it’s ten minutes from my house - but only slightly. $30 parking sealed it for me. If I’d had someone to pick me up after, I would have walked there blazing. Alas, I was able to get two full appraisals typed tonight. :)
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My scheduled changed so I did not get to go. Weather was fantastic so I assume a solid crowd showed up for a hometown show.
 
Helping Mrs. Z's with her vendor booth at the Obetz Zucchinifest today thru Monday. The Spin Doctors are playing tonight. Tomorrow it's Vanilla Ice, Tone Loc, and All 4 One. Should draw the geezers who wear knit hats with dangling ear flaps, and HGTV fans.
 
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Saw X at the House of Blues on Tue night. They sounded amazing and were incredibly entertaining. Considering most of the band members are close to, or over 70 they didn't disappoint. The set was tight and they delivered as always. A very influential and important band from the LA punk movement, always good to see them still enjoying what they do and really good to see an audience of a wide age range. Good venue to get close to the band and thought the acoustics were good.
 
SayMyName said:
Saw X at the House of Blues on Tue night. They sounded amazing and were incredibly entertaining. Considering most of the band members are close to, or over 70 they didn't disappoint. The set was tight and they delivered as always. A very influential and important band from the LA punk movement, always good to see them still enjoying what they do and really good to see an audience of a wide age range. Good venue to get close to the band and thought the acoustics were good.
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Was there a mosh pit? If so did you jump in? Last one I did was a Social D show at the HOB, it was rough on my bones. Agree that is a good venue for punk shows.

Decline of Western Civilization was an eye opening film for me. Made the NYC and London punk scenes look tame.

 
Auggie said:
Was there a mosh pit? If so did you jump in? Last one I did was a Social D show at the HOB, it was rough on my bones. Agree that is a good venue for punk shows.

Decline of Western Civilization was an eye opening film for me. Made the NYC and London punk scenes look tame.

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Lol, no mosh pit. That may have killed some folks in attendance. Great film btw. They also played some new material which was good.
 
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Bruce just PPDed the balance of his September dates:

nypost.com

Bruce Springsteen postpones September shows over peptic ulcer disease symptoms

The Boss also postponed two tour days last month after he fell ill.
nypost.com nypost.com

Reading some reviews of Boston & NYC and the shows were just plain awful. Not only was Bruce's performance below par but the band looked like they were just mailing it in and they suffered serious sound issues in these big football stadiums. One fan review remarked about how in Boston only about 60% of the stadium was there for the encores. He should just go back to mumbling on Broadway w/ just a guitar for the rich New Yorker's that think Jon Stewart is God because at this point no insurance company will under write a Bruce stadium tour.
 
Speaking of Indy, I drove there with my 13 yr old son last Thursday to see Houndmouth at the Hi-Fi Annex. Got there early to eat and had enough time to be about 7-8th in line so we got the front row SRO outdoor. Billie and the Pollies opened and I was pleasantly surprised with them. We had found an AirBnB about 10 minutes out of Indy on working farm called Moenacres and stayed in the rehabbed barn loft that was pretty high quality. Fresh eggs and meat could have been delivered to our room through the app, but we opted to sleep in and head straight home. Really cool place though with a decked out tree house available to stay in also.

Houndmouth was good, but my last two shows with them were Indy and Kentucky, so I’ll probably hold off on the Houndmouth road trips for a while lol. Too old and too busy with tax reduct revision appraisals right now. Hi-Fi Annex is in Fountain Square, which I didn’t remember was a block from Radio Radio where I saw Ryan Bingham in 2009; way before he was a known musician. Put it this way, I blazed Bingham before out back and talked about growing up rough in a steel town vs rural New Mexico and Texas. Then opened with a song I asked him to play 10 minutes earlier. He was cool and I met everyone in the band, helped them pack up, and then went in the basement and did a little more low key partying with the drummer. The next few times I saw him they had graduated from a van with a tralier to a decent bus to a laid out charter bus and they were hardly approachable when I talked to them lol.
 
Mt. Joy at KEMBA Oct 3rd is coming up for me and my son. Last outdoor show of the year there so hoping for good weather. I also need that to get here fast before Mt. Joy gets nervous watching CNN and implements VAX requirements lol. Have you seen their keyboard player though? Pretty hot.
 
Zunardo said:
Helping Mrs. Z's with her vendor booth at the Obetz Zucchinifest today thru Monday. The Spin Doctors are playing tonight. Tomorrow it's Vanilla Ice, Tone Loc, and All 4 One. Should draw the geezers who wear knit hats with dangling ear flaps, and HGTV fans.
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I'll wait for the movie.
 
Quick Bourbon & Beyond report. Billy Strings was the center of attention yet again. Played on the Blue Grass stage with fiddler Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, had his own set with Michael Cleveland sitting in, and then played a couple tunes with Brandi Carlile. Train also had a surprisingly strong set, Billy heads were having fun dancing and singing to peppy pop tunes prior to his set. Great 1st evening.
 
Auggie said:
Quick Bourbon & Beyond report. Billy Strings was the center of attention yet again. Played on the Blue Grass stage with fiddler Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, had his own set with Michael Cleveland sitting in, and then played a couple tunes with Brandi Carlile. Train also had a surprisingly strong set, Billy heads were having fun dancing and singing to peppy pop tunes prior to his set. Great 1st evening.
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Tonight the black Crowes?
 
Trying to make ot back for Alice Cooper in Troy.

Should be epic as I saw him at the Shoe last month.

He puts on one helluva show.


Also..
Stephen Pearcy...ratt.
.in Versailles a few days before....


Rock on
 
Since Bruce has postponed twice, I got tickets for Brian Setzer's Rockabilly Riot for next Tuesday. His past few visits to Cincinnati have been with his swing band and it was billed as a holiday show. I am looking forward to hearing him get back to his Stray Cats groove.

I'll let you know how it goes.
 
Mt. Joy was amazing tonight at Promo Lifestyles LC Kembavillion West. I’m actually surprised that you’re not into them more, Bennie. Mellow jam groove rock seems to be up your alley.
 
Purplemojo said:
Since Bruce has postponed twice, I got tickets for Brian Setzer's Rockabilly Riot for next Tuesday. His past few visits to Cincinnati have been with his swing band and it was billed as a holiday show. I am looking forward to hearing him get back to his Stray Cats groove.

I'll let you know how it goes.
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Rockabilly Riot was a blast last night. Setzer played a lot of Stray Cats stuff, some stuff from his new album and a couple great covers. He did a solo riff on Georgia on my Mind that was amazing. His band was tight with a fantastic drummer and stand-up slap bass that sounded as good as he was entertaining with his acrobatics.

The warm-up band was pretty good as well. Buchannan Lane, a Memphis Blues inspired band that played some BB King stuff and a lot of stuff that sounded like BB King.

One thing I could not help but notice, the graphics for the back-drop and on all of the merchandise included two flags. Everything else in the design was straight from 1950's greaser culture, but, the flags were depicted as pirates flags. Twenty years ago those would have been confederate flags. When I was a kid, confederate flags had nothing to do with racism and simply was the sign of someone being a cultural rebel. I knew a Black kid that had one on his motorcycle jacket. Oh, well, I understand the hurt that symbol causes a large segment of our society and the jolly roger looks just fine.
 
Steel Valley FB said:
Mt. Joy was amazing tonight at Promo Lifestyles LC Kembavillion West. I’m actually surprised that you’re not into them more, Bennie. Mellow jam groove rock seems to be up your alley.
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I like Mt Joy, my schedule just hasn't matched up with theirs yet.
 
So it has been a few weeks since Bourbon & Beyond but still wanted to give a review on the weekend.

  • 1st night was my favorite as it included Billy Strings and he never disappoints, played mostly his tunes which is great as he is an underrated song writer. Saw Buddy Guy and love his blues infused set, worked well with the bill that day too. Billy Strings was also all over the place; showing up on the Blue Grass stage with Michael Cleveland, then Michael Cleveland on stage with Billy String, and then Billy Strings playing with Brandi Carlile. Add in the surprise of the weekend, Train's well played hit filled set that had everyone up dancing and singing along. This year Brandi Carlile did a more rocking set than last year which I thought was cool, she also really changed things up and only had a couple big hits repeat. Day one was a great way to kick off the festival.
  • Night 2 was the 1st pop night and it was OK. Didn't get to see Wayne Newton but talked to some that came in early to catch his set and he actually did a great job in a festival setting, not his typical Vegas act which was wise. I have seen Hozier and while not bad it is not my cup of tea, also played basically the same set I saw in May. Same for Duran Duran, strong musicians that have their hit filled set down but no set list variation at all. Killers are actually a decent act and their set was more rock then anything else during the evening. Lead singer knows how to command a crowd of 30K and that is really helpful in this setting. Second time seeing them and the set list variation was appreciated.
  • Then back to primarily rock on night 3 with Spoon and the Black Keys standing out. Saw Old Crow Medicine Show and they played a strong set, get a few more good songs and these could really move up on a festival bill. Spoon has potential and played a strong set, was surprised that many around us came primarily to see them, this is a band to keep an eye on. Black Crows had limited energy and looked like they were just going through the motions, not sure if they were just tired or the Robinson Brothers really cannot stand each other. Like The Avett Bros a lot and they were good just not sure if this was the right place for them as their set was lacking the punch I saw when they were part of Willie's Outlaw Festival. Black Keys rocked and I liked what they were doing but many started to leave due to the misty rain; they probably would have been better as a supporting artist than a headliner on Saturday.
  • Then you have Sunday's true pop show. Baby Face was eh but the Bruno Mars fans seemed to like his set. Really wanted to like Ryan Bingham but something just didn't click with his set. Not sure if was his band or setting but the energy was low, he does have a good voice and the tunes are decent so I will give him another try in a different setting. Jon Batiste owned the day as far as I am concerned, a New Orleans style show with fun call and response tunes and great band worked well. Blondie actually had a really good set too, Debbie Harry had good energy for being 78 and held her own on the punk songs, the pop tunes where the high notes are key was not as well executed but then again everyone was singing along so it didn't matter. Then you have Bruno Mars. I get that he is a talent and great entertainer but I am not a big fan of the music. Also unlike Wayne Newton he tried to translate his Vegas show to a festival setting and it just didn't work for me. But by far the worst aspect was his fans, I still have a head ache from all the screaming and at times couldn't see a thing as all had their phones up high trying to catch video of the performance.
The Bluegrass stage was not as strong as the past. Don't get me wrong there were some really good acts but more country than traditional Bluegrass that we have seen in the past. Town Mountain stood out but then again it was more like a good country bar band than a true bluegrass act like Greensky, Traveling McCourey's, Sierra Hull, etc... that we have seen on the past. They also need to be able to buffer what is coming in from the main stage so we can hear the more nuanced acoustic music on this stage.

All in all another great weekend in Louisville and they do a good job of mixing in various genres to create a more "adult" music festival. But alas the group I roll with at the festival is worried this will go the way of Coachella or Gov Ball and turn into a pop/rap festival. They get a lot of pub and tons of social media hits including acts like Bruno Mars so the promoters get tempted and head in this direction. I would usually say that is OK but there are tons of festivals of this type and fewer of the mixed genres that I am looking for. I guess we will see what they offer next year before committing.
 
Foo Fighters announced some 2024 dates to day and they will be playing in Cincinnati on this swing:

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The big news in concerts this past week has been the opening of the MSG venue in Las Vegas, the Sphere. I saw this thing going up for what seems like years in LV and it has looked so cool and the concept is great if it sounds as good as advertised. So far everything I have been reading has been positive, especially the surrounding visuals. That is great but one worry is bands will just go to LV and expect us to travel and see this show and pay big $s for the right. Below is a video to give you an idea on what it feels like:

 
Auggie said:
I like Mt Joy, my schedule just hasn't matched up with theirs yet.
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I’d highly recommended them live. I‘m a big fan so I’m biased, but the background screen and light show were amazing and I generally don’t care about that. It made the music better to me. I was with my son and those days are long gone, but I would have loved to have been dosing lol. Sorry I called you Bennies…we apparently both knew who I meant. ;)
 
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