Well, I saw one of these two Smashing Pumpkins concerts at Madison Square Garden.
Smashing Pumpkin shows have been interesting adventures for me; I am not particularly a big fan of the music, or Billy Corgan, but I always find myself having a rollicking good time every time I see them. Corgan is a Howard Stern favorite and has been on the radio show a number of times, the most recent with Perry Farrell promoting their upcoming tour.
1979
Rock on!
GQ
The combination of Paul McCartney and Fenway Park in Boston made this concert irresistible and worthy of a road trip. The weather forecast for the second night of McCartney’s two night stand was ominous, calling for heavy rain throughout, but fortunately the weathermen were wrong on this one and it was a perfect night. My wife and I had a great dinner with a couple of her friends who coincidently ended up at the same show and who had similar seats as us in the second part of the field; ours to the left of the stage. We were close enough that we did not have to depend on the giant screens on either side of the stage, and we were surrounded by happy folks who came to see the 79 year old McCartney perform likely for the last time. I was a little nervous about seeing Paul on the second night with no day off in between shows as I was concerned his voice might be shot; it was a little ragged at times but he made up for it by performing an amazing 37 songs for about three hours with no intermission. It was an extraordinary journey through this career with even the new songs holding up well to the classics. Paul McCartney is finishing up this particular tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey this week. As I am a New York Jets season ticket holder, I would be hard pressed to go and see anyone at the Meadowlands (hence the trip to Fenway) but for those wanting to catch an all time legend who will give you your money’s worth (and more), go see Sir Paul in concert while you still can.
I’ve Got a Feeling
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GQ
Every time Robert Plant tours he continues to prove to everyone why he is a true rock and roll artist who is constantly reinventing himself throughout the musical journey we are privileged to witness and enjoy. This 2022 tour that stopped at the iconic Forest Hills Tennis Stadium nestled in a residential Queens neighborhood that usually (but not this night) demands a ten o’clock curfew.
Plant & Krauss’ guitarist JD McPherson opened the show at 8 with his rockabilly band for a quick, but entertaining, half hour set that included an interesting take on Iggy Pop’s “Lust For Life”.
Plant & Krauss, with band, came on at 9 and played much material from the two albums they have recorded as a duo. The crowd was respectful and attentive during the quieter songs which were fantastic, with Robert Plant and Allison Krauss trading off lead vocals and playing off each other’s voices, while Krauss played violin intermittently throughout the evening. Plant placated the diehard Led Zeppelin fans early on with a countryish “Rock and Roll”, which he has similarly played on past solo tours, but undoubtedly the highlight of the evening was an epic “The Battle of Evermore” from Zeppelin’s fourth album with Allison Krauss expertly singing the Sandy Denny harmonies of the song and Plant taking the audience on an extraordinary sonic trip. You have to hand it to Mr. Plant; he is still a rock god who could have easily gone on a Led Zeppelin stadium reunion tour, play the beloved classic rock tunes, and make millions living in the past, but he has chosen to follow his muse, playing to somewhat smaller audiences, but living in the present creatively, and maintaining the artistic integrity that his true fans are grateful and appreciative to experience.
When The Levee Breaks
Raise the Roof
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GQ
What is most interesting for me about this trio of Neil Young & Crazy Horse concerts in 1996 is twofold. The Madison Square Garden show for any Neil Young tour is a given. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center show happened because we took a summer family vacation to the Bonnie View at Lake George and conveniently Neil and the band were playing SPAC while we were there. I left the kids with my wife to watch for the evening, jumped in the car and headed south. I made the solo run to nearby Saratoga Springs where I sat in the mezzanine and witnessed, for what I believe was the first time, Young & Crazy perform “ Dangerbird” in concert. The Pittsburgh gig at the summer shed Star Lake was a road trip to visit my buddy Eric with the specific objective to catch the Neil Young & Crazy Horse concert. We have attended many Neil Young concerts together through the years and while we are traveling down the highway of life, every once in awhile Neil’s path will intertwine with ours so that we can catch the rock snd roll show and whatever else it may lead us to.
No Hidden Path
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GQ
I just recently saw Jackson Browne perform an unannounced set at the Beacon Theatre with a line up that included an X-Pensive Winos reunion (not a bad night out). My daughter and I saw Jackson and Shawn Colvin perform together at City Winery some time back which was a blast (and I think it was the same night that Judy Collins came out of the audience to sing a song with Shawn but I may be blurring memories here.
The now bearded Jackson Browne will be playing a multi-night stint at the Beacon Theatre in the next couple of months.
Running On Empty
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GQ
Leon Russell was one of my favorite artists; he had the rock and roll pedigree and a great catalog of somewhat underrated solo material. I saw Leon Russell perform a number of times to include B. B. King’s Blues Club in Times Square and at the Beacon Theatre doing a set with Elton John following their collaborative album at least partly inspired by Russell reportedly being in financial straits at the time. Leon did not age so well, moving around with the aid of a cane, but once he got on stage he could still deliver the goods.
Tight Rope
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GQ
On Friday, August 2, 1996, Mr. Nut, AKA Mr. Vegas, and I went to the Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh to see Alice Cooper open for Scorpions. I have seen Mr. Cooper a few times through the years, but I think this may have been the only time I attended a Scorpions concert (although I did go to a SiriusFM meet and greet with the band some years back and have a nice photo with the band to commemorate the event). As I remember it, I mostly went to the Jones Beach concert to see Alice Cooper who always puts on a great show. I remember seeing the Scorpions on stage that night from our seats midway up to the right of the Jones Beach stage, but do not recall being wowed by the band’s performance despite the hard rock familiarity. I have got to check, but I think the only Scorpions album in my vinyl collection is “ Virgin Killer”, which I liked, but the German accent vocals always turned me off a little; I can appreciate what the band brings to the table but it was never my bag.
He’s a Woman, She’s a Man
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GQ
In a Mother’s Day whirlwind weekend extravaganza, I took my wife to see Chicago at the legendary Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York on Friday, then the following night we went to Patchogue to catch what may be the world’s premier Chicago tribute band, by way of Russia, Leonid & Friends.
Chicago was back in action after a brief hiatus during which they have replaced three touring members. The core of the group is starting to look more grey and a little ragged, particularly standing next to the new “youngsters” at keyboard, guitar and bass, but they give their fans what they want, hit after familiar hit. The band, that seemingly never takes a day off, Chicago is touring through the summer and beyond, this time playing the sheds with Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys opening. I do not know how the founding members will survive the daunting schedule that lay in front of them in 2022, but Chicago has always seemed to find a way to rock on.
We had never seen Leonid & Friends before this past Saturday night and my balcony seats at the Patchogue Centre for Performing Arts was worth every penny of the $40 bucks per ticket I paid. After a speech about the Ukrainian invasion and how music can bring us all together, the band pretty much followed Chicago’s successful performance formula to a tee, mixing those familiar Chicago tunes with Blood, Sweat snd Tears “ Vehicle”, Earth, Wind & Fire, and a few other songs to break up the Chicago tribute nicely. I think I counted eleven in the band total; brass section with the saxophone player providing entertainment snd reprising the Jimmy Pankow vibe, guitar, drums, keyboard, four different vocalists including a female and a young gypsy fellow singing the Peter Cetera parts (and yes, according to the emcee, a real gypsy). Leonid plays bass snd oversees the festivities. After introducing the band, Leonid introduced the road manager and a few others which made me wonder how they made any money at all on tour. Like Chicago, Leonid has been plugging in replacement players with one member in Kiev and unable to travel, a trombone player on paternity leave, and the Gypsy fellow stepping in as Cetera. Other than missing the Kentucky Derby (a story I would rather not get into) Leonid & Friends delivered an excellent and, reasonably priced, night of entertainment. I have never been a proponent of seeing tribute bands since I have attended do many original shows and act through the years, but musically Leonid & Friends was spot on, particularly on the Chicago arrangements, and once you got passed the Russian accents on some songs, they were nearly as good as the originals.
Make Me Smile
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GQ
The iconic James Taylor played the Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, New York on Saturday, July 27, 1996. I have seen Mr. Taylor perform many times to include a free Central Park concert and an impromptu Newport Folk Festival appearance; “Sweet Baby James” never fails to deliver with hit after glorious hit (as heard in heavy rotation on SiriusXM “The Bridge”) Taylor’s catalog of music is obviously tremendous, and when he plays the summer shed circuit it always makes for a great night out.
How Sweet It Is
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GQ
The Who performed the double album masterpiece “Quadrophenia” in its entirety at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, July 20, 1996. If memory serves me correctly, this was the tour that Gary Glitter performed on before he allegedly got jammed up with authorities in a faraway land resulting in complicated legal entanglements.
Rock ‘n’ Roll ( Part 2)
Rock on!
GQ