Bootleg Bin |
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|  | | Richard Thompson Video - Live from Amoeba |  | He rocked the house, and now you can get a taste of the show. |  | | | | John Lee Hooker - Awesome Box Set Cover Comps |  | The process of creating artwork goes through a whole series of ideas before we settle on the final presentation. | | | | | Photoset from the recording of Nashville |  | Not as good as actually being there, but definitely a nice taste of what it must have felt like. | | | |  | CD Pick of the Moment |  | | | Portishead - THIRD | From Pitchfork:
As radical reinventions go, Third is surprisingly natural. You can credit Gibbons as the familiarizing factor: She possesses a voice that seems impossible to shackle to just one musical setting, even if it already sounds perfectly at home in brooding downtempo ambience. As the most recognizable component of the group, she has the most established stylistic tendencies-- subtle quivers, an ability to go from hushed to piercing without laboring over the transition, an aching timbre that expresses anxious vulnerability better than nearly any other singer-- and she slips back into them comfortably when she needs to. | | | | Kim's Korner |
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Does it have to be controversial?!? |
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Music & Melodrama |
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 | | | Praise to The E Street Band | Bruce Springsteen and the mighty E Street Band roared into the LA Sports Arena for 2 shows October 29-30. It's been 19 years since he last played here with the band and as he said from the stage "it's old school."
This is where the Boss and his band were meant to be heard, away from the cavernous echo chamber that is the Staples Center.
It's been said that at some venues on this tour the "older" crowd have been sitting on their hands, but laid-back LA came to life and were on their feet for the 2 night stand.
"Is anybody alive out there" Bruce screams in his opener "Radio Nowhere" and he proceeds to tear the house down for a 2 hour set.
Yes, the shows are shorter, with less mugging and goofy antics and less story telling but it was as if Bruce wanted to strip it all down and go back to the bars and basics.
In addition to touring behind his strongest album in years Magic, he pulled out some songs he hasn't performed in a while, "Candy's Room," "Workin' On The Highway," a John Lee Hooker inspired "Reason To Believe," "Tunnel Of Love," and "She's The One."
The opening LA night surprise came during the encores when he went into "Thundercrack" where he reminisced that he played it at a Los Angeles record company convention in 1973. Music geek note: only 3 members of the band would remember that performance, Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici and Garry Tallent. The song never made it to any album until it was released on the rarities box set Tracks but it was certainly heard on the many bootlegs that it came out on.
Generally if Bruce plays on Halloween he's going to do something special. 1980 LA Sports Arena (he opened with "Haunted House" and also played "Out Of Limits"), 1984 LA Sports Arena ("High School Confidential" was the rockin' opener with an elaborate Halloween opening skit) and 2007 yet again at the LA Sports Arena (All though this time it was Halloween Eve. Bruce came out in a coffin and Little Steven handed him the life-reviving telecaster)
Our early Halloween treat came during the encores - "Kitty's Back" which is rarely played out here on the west coast. For many fans and maybe even in Bruce's mind it's kind of an east coast song so longtime fans were stunned when he began the song.
Let me give praise to The E Street Band. They define the words Rock and Roll and what it means to play as a band. Bruce acknowledges them every night as I will here; Miami/Little Steven Van Zant (Silvio!) - guitar, gangsta actor and DJ, the Mighty Max Weinberg - drums and late night talk show band leader, Phantom Danny Federici - keyboards, accordion and longest member of the band-give him a gold watch Bruce!, Garry Tallent - bass and producer extraordinaire, Patti Scialfa, vocals, guitar, she's from a "Town Called Heartbreak," Nils Lofgren - guitar, former member of Crazy Horse and Grin, he plays a Martin guitar once owned by Neil Young, The Professor Roy Bittan - Keyboards and accordion, Soozie Tyrell - violin and do I have to say his name? Clarence "Big Man" Clemons - Sax.
Both nights ended with the raucous Celtic flavored "American Land" a song about immigration particularly relevant given California's debate on the issue. As the band joyously jumps around with acoustic guitars, tin whistle, accordions, mandolin and violin, the lyrics scroll across the video screens making no mistake about where Bruce stands on this issue. It was a joyous and uplifting end to two fantastic nights. |
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