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Palais Theatre St Kilda, 30 March 2009 (Review)

I’ve never been a big Counting Crows fan. Not sure why, I just haven’t been exposed to or heard enough of them to make up my mind. Sure I’ve heard the hits, “Mr Jones” and “Round Here” but I didn’t know what to expect. I must have been the minority as the crowd was certainly well versed in their repertoire. This was certainly a gathering of the faithful and based on comments around me a very high percentage had already been to the previous concert on Friday night.

The band hit the stage around 9:30 and right from the start, the energy from lead singer/songwriter, Adam Duritz, was infectious. With the beginning of each song, the crowd would leap to their feet in approval and join in. Even the more obscure songs brought sighs of gratitude from members of the audience who had obviously attached their own special meaning to the lyrics. I think this is the key to Counting Crows success. The quality of the songwriting has obviously impacted the lives of many and the opportunity to see and hear the band play them live brings on an extra special meaning.

Setlist included: ‘Angels Of the Silences’, ‘Rain King’, ‘Holiday in Spain’, ‘Hanging Round’, ‘Sullivan Street’, ‘Miami’. Disappointment of the night was the exclusion of ‘Mr Jones’. No ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ either but this has never seemed to fit the Counting Crows style.

I’ve come away from the concert with a whole new appreciation of the band and Adam Duritz in particular. Not sure I’m a total convert, but I’ll certainly seek out their CDs for another listen.

Melbourne - Formula 1 Grand Prix Finale.

I love The Who. I loved it even more when I just strolled into the concert after the Grand Prix race had finished without a ticket.

Pete Townsend, the grumpiest man in the world, despite calling Australia a ’shithole’, is still one of the most fascinating guitarists to watch on stage. Bald, grey and unshaven, if you met him in the street you’d probably slip him a few dollars to help him on his way. But once he straps on his guitar, the arm starts winding around and around and the sound builds and builds into a chainsaw crescendo, you know you are experiencing one of rock’s great moments.

After the race, the Who hit the stage with their standard opener, ‘I Can’t Explain’ and those new to the Who experience were mesmerised from the first riff. Daltrey was in fine form with his microphone twirling antics and Ringo’s son, Zak bringing the wall of drums alive.
Pino Palladino on Bass, Simon Townsend on guitar and keyboardist John Bundrick rounded out the sound and helped fill the void that the the racing cars had left an hour earlier.

This was probably a much different crowd for the Who with the majority being under the usual 40+ age bracket and calls to ’smash your guitar’ could even be heard on stage. Townsend commented that ‘we used to smash our gear so that we didn’t have to do an encore. Now If I smash it, I won’t be able to do what I’m about to do …. play more songs’. I’m not sure the fans saw it that way as he seemed to have quite an array of instruments. Must be what happens in your old age … you get a bit stingy.

The song list was a standard Who show with only ‘Fragments’ and ‘Tea and Theatre’ from the more recent album, ‘Endless Wire’, being added since I saw them last in 2004.
Highlight of the night was ‘My Generation’ which just rocked with so much power and passion. Further highlights included the CSI revived hits, ‘ Who Are You’, ‘Won’t Get Foolded Again’ and ‘Baba O’Riley’.
‘Behind Blue Eyes’ was the “sing-along” after a brief wave of bewilderment for the younger crowd members who suddenly realised that the Limp Bizkit version wasn’t the original. Roger’s voice croaked a bit in the cool night air, but nonetheless he soldiered on.

A Who concert is what a true rock concert should be: Loud guitars, bright lights, a soaring voice, over the top posing, elongated song endings, guitar feedback, not too many special effects and lots of loud crashing drums.

Full list:

I Cant Explain

The Seeker

Anyway Anyhow Anywhere

Fragments

Who Are You

Behind Blue Eyes

Baba O’Riley

5.15

Love Reign O’er Me

You Better You Bet

My Generation

Won’t Get Fooled Again

Encore:

The Kids Are Alright

Substitute

Pinball Wizard/Amazing Journey/Sparks/See Me Feel Me

Tea And Theatre

Who Interview SMH

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Palais Theatre, Melbourne March 11, 2009

“Play a happy song!” was a comment I heard from the audience.
Fact is most of Chris Isaak’s repertoire is to do with crying, lying, blue and bad, bad things. Yet from the moment the band starts up, it’s anything but a sad affair.
With the hits mixed in with the new songs from “Mr Lucky” it was a night of fun and not to be taken too seriously. Set list included: Somebody’s Crying, Let Me Down Easy, Speak Of The Devil, Wicked Game, Only The Lonely, You Don’t Cry Like I Do, Want You To Want Me (Cheap Trick cover), Blue Hotel, Bad Bad Thing, Love Me Tender, San Francisco Nights, Notice The Ring.

Some people want to put Chris Isaak into a category as a ‘retro-rocker’ or the next ‘Roy Orbison’ or the ‘Young Elvis’. Fact is he is in a category all by himself: Mr Showman.
Bottom line: If you wanted Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen to sing a moving eulogy at your funeral to be immortalised forever, it might be a better idea to get Chris Isaak to play at the wake.

Palais 5th March 2009

Jackson Browne is here to promote his new album and use the tour as a warm up for his upcoming US Summer Blockbuster tour.

“Time The Conqueror” is a good album as per most of his outputs, but alas some of the crowd (40+ age group) now seem to only be happy at a greatest hits show. Tonight we got both. Over two and half hours of music spread over two sets mixing old and new material.
Perhaps we were lucky to have the special family perfomance for his son who lives in Australia was present.
From the new album, ‘Time The Conqueror’, a fantastic ‘Drums Of War’, ‘Live Nude Cabaret’, ‘Just Say Yeah’, ‘Off to Wonderland’, ‘Going down to Cuba’ and others were interspersed with ‘Doctor My Eyes’, ‘About My Imagination’, ‘Boulevard’ , ‘The Pretender’, ‘The Barricades Of Heaven’, ‘Culver Moon’ , ‘Lives in The Balance’ and many more. Those who came for the big hits weren’t disappointed with ‘Running On Empty’ and ‘The Load Out/Stay’

Mark Goldenberg on guitar has a hard task living up to previous standards. Those of us spoiled by David Lindley were not disappointed.

A very good concert and another ‘great’ I can tick off my list.