The best thing I've heard in days. Thanks Nic Harcourt for playing this this morning during the few minutes I had to turn off Sandra Tsing Loh on KPCC and a commercial on Indie 103.
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The journey to the Wizard of Paul is a long and whining road to say the least. If it had been anyone else I would have bailed before I allowed the chick with the note pad and the blue Sharpie to brand the right top of my hand with a very stylish '281'.
I'm glad I toughed it out but my shoulders still hurt from holding my head up and my giant burnt nose looks like the prize winning tomato at the county fair.
My buddy Bruce and his pal Adam were in the low 250's so it was nice having someone I know not far away because I'm sort of antisocial and I'm terrible at meeting new people.
The line was like a giant game of Telephone being played by hippies and nieces. Whatever info that came from the front of the line had become transformed and mutated to the point of pure neurological pain by time it got to the other end. Rumors flailing around about when, how, why and what number of people would actually see the “cute one” kept the tension high. A sort of hierarchy was assembling amid the fairly new comers and the odd mutants toward the front that seemed to have endless free time sit on the sidewalk for three days. Kinda creepy.
The show attracted some of LA’s most notables---Melrose Larry Green and Dennis Woodruff. Woodruff drew a few hoots and hollers when he paraded down the street in his self-promoting, gas powered billboard of a car…the first time. He liked that small bit of attention so much that he came around for seconds but no one really paid any attention this time as he stuck his head out his window yelling: “I’M DENNIS WOODRUFF, I’M DENNIS WOODRUFF”! While K-EARTH 101 blasted sixties oldies, Melrose Larry got into a neat shouting match about the Vietnam War with guy sporting a Village People handlebar moustache. You really can’t buy this kind of entertainment.
Finally, we cows we’re herded into the legendary Amoeba record store and duly paced into rows between the CD and record racks. I was stationed in the used section by Tim and Jeff Buckley, The Buck Pets and the Buggles. (I’m going back for that Buck Pets CD).
Macca was so good that everybody seemed to forget that we weren’t allowed to move about and Amoeba has no public restrooms. I didn’t remember that I had to pee until I was deep under the Cahuenga Pass on the subway on my way home. That’s pretty good hang time for post concert euphoria in my book.
That was the most grueling gig I’ve ever endured and I’ve endured about two and a half billion gigs but the payoff cannot be measured. I hope the kid in front of me who sold his wristband to a slimy car salesman type for $250 has a severe ‘I’m-dumb-ass’ hang over for the next fifteen years---I’ll bet he does.
–Peter Fletcher
Photos by Mark Mauer
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Ok, I got in to see Paul at the free Amoeba in-store show. The crowd was a buzz wondering if he would play any Beatles songs or mostly stuff off the new album. Which we hear is good, but good eough to sleep on a sidewalk for three-days (which is what many people in the crowd did)? I wasn't sure. When he opened with a Beatles number—Drive My Car— the crowd flipped. He didn't disappoint, he gave them what they wanted, and so the crowd Na-na-na'ed to Hey Jude, pounded their fists in the air to Back in the USSR, bopped their heads to Get Back, and Blackbird and stood solemnly still holding lighters above their heads to Let It Be. At one point someone in the crowd yelled a request for Helter Skelter. "No, now, that's John's," said Sir Paul. "But, let's do one for John. One for John and Linda." He played one of his own, Here Today. The lyrics seemed to be more for John, And if I say I really knew you well/What would your answer be/If you were here today/Well knowing you/You'd probably laugh and say that we were worlds apart/If you were here today/But as for me/I still remember how it was before/And I am holding back the tears no more. And with that Paul got a little choked up and when he was done he let us all know that it was ok to cry. More in next week's LA Weekly. But I'd like to share with you some images from the front lines, the people who camped out since Monday (and before) to get a chance to hear "the cute one" play. Beatlemania was alive and well on Sunset Blvd.
Elsa Buckingham (#2) and Lisa Longuis (#1 in line) wore daisys in their hair because Paul has a new song on his new album that says, "She picks up daisys from a field/She loves to weave them in her hair/I know she knows it isn't real/She still hears music in the air/It's coming from inside her heart." They waited in line since Monday.
Sharon, Troy, And Alexander White, (#6, 7, 8), Sharon had been in line since Monday, she was later joined by her daughter Troy who was airlifted out of the Tahoe fires last night to be with her. Sharon's been a fan since 1973, and raised her kids on Beatles songs.
Audrey Paulson and Toni Johnson, were numbers 9 and 10, waiting since Monday. They are holding up a couple of the 400 signs Johnson made and passed out to other line livers, giving them all the cue to hold them up for the encore. Gratitude is another song of McCartney's new album Memory Almost Full. (which at some point was a message my digital camera gave me).
These kids are eating their dinner, Jack In The Box, in line. They also camped out since Monday and took turns going on food, and pooping runs. At one point Monday night a set of sprinklers went off near their sidewalk street camp and wet their sleeping bags leaving them to huddle in the cold. Omar Olivares (left) is in a Latino Beatles cover band called Los Cucaraches— they're playing on July 4th on the Queen Mary. They wear wigs and all. Olivares is "George Harrison." (myspace.com/loscucaraches)
This couple, Corinne Hofer and Mark Mendillo have been McCartney fans for "like, ever." In line since Monday.
Russian-born Ludmila was the last in the line. She showed up just a couple hours ago and had no idea what everyone was waiting for. One of those people who see a line and gets on it. When I told her it was to see Paul McCartney. Her face was blank. The Beatles? I added. Oh she said vaguely.
This is Jennifer Love Hewitt surrounded by professional autograph-getters. I shit you not. Poor thing was forced to wait on line like common VIPS and press, until she was rescued by a member of security. The said professional autograph getters, who wouldn't let me take their picture, told me John Larroquette was in line, so was a worn out Lucas Haas, Patricia Arquette didn't wait on line, she was ushered immediately inside.
This might be the first Beatle fan in America, Terry Nield, who now teaches art for Poly Tech High School in Sun Valley. She was a teenager in 1963 when her Aunt and Uncle in London sent her over this booklet featuring the Beatles and their first record. They were unheard of in the States yet, but were all the rage in the UK. She later joined the Beatlesaniacs, a group of fans known for restraint in their fanatiscm. Nield won two tickets to this show this morning on K-Earth's Lyric Psychosis Contest. I asked if she might freak out seeing Paul now she said, "We're too old now. But I did feel 14 again when I won the contest this morning!"
Theresa Flores is also a teacher, for 2nd grade at Montebello Unified. She was shaking, tissue in hand. She's been in love with Paul since she was 5 and saw him on the Ed Sullivan show and has been collecting Beatles memorabilia for the last 30 years.
Fans dancing in the aisles.
During the encore the 400 signs (or at least many of them) were unfurled for Paul, all showing him Gratitude.
Pearl Jam,
Copenhagen, Denmark
June 26, 2007
By Ryan Colditz
This show was 7 years in the making...
While playing at the nearby Roskilde Festival in Denmark in 2000, nine fans were killed during Pearl Jam's set by the surging crowd. Last night was their first return to Denmark since the event that nearly brought an end to the band, and it was clear the tragedy was still forefront in everyone's minds. It was a night to honor the nine lost, while at the same time a celebrating life and the long road it is.
Before the show even started, Eddie Vedder brought everyone together when he surprised the early-bird crowd by coming on stage with an amazing version of "Throw Your Arms Around Me." Following Vedder's appetizer, The Futureheads opened up with a very upbeat opening set, high in energy that carried through the eentire evening. I had the chance to meet the guy in The Futureheads before the show – they're an amazing group of guys who lent a helping hand to me and all my friends, making this night one for the history books. Check them out next time they come to town, well worth the time.
What followed was one hell of an emotional concert. Even the big vikings who were in desperate search of a mosh pit to stomp around in were awestruck, dripping in tears rather than blood by what was happening on stage. "Love Boat Captain," written about the tragedy in Roskilde, directly addressed the horrible accident, while "Long Road," "Hard to Imagine" and "Alive" brought the 10,000 people from all over the world together as one single voice of strength to get each other through what happened and embrace the night of powerful music with friends all around.
The real jaw-dropping moment of the night occurred when Peal Jam unleashed their the first-ever live performance of The Who's "Love Love Reign O'er Me." The classic piano intro was nailed masterfully by the band's keyboard/organ player, Boom Gasper, and from there Vedder reigned over the entire city for five minutes as he belted out Roger Daltrey-like screams and wails to a shock and awed crowd. You'll have to listen to the official "bootleg" they will release of the show, but it was bone-chillingly good, with even more passion than the studio version. It's just one more reminder that even through all the tragedy and sadness, Pearl Jam are still going strong, sounding better than they have in a decade, and are here to stay.
After the first set, which contained one-after-another jams that had everyone going from tears to shear insanity from one song to the next, everyone was spent like an Amsterdam hooker, and the encore sets were more relaxed and fun, as the crowd sang along to "Black," "Alive," "Better Man," and "Rockin' In The Free World," followed by another Mike McCready-led "Yellow Ledbetter" to close the show. The band was visibly affected by the warm reception and love from the crowd, and as Vedder said, this event was not meant as a closure to Roskilde, but rather as a way to connect some roads and paths, and then move on.
Not much more can explain this show, no written account could convey the feeling inside that building where fans from all over the world came together for one reason. The nine lost friends we all who were taken too early seven years ago. We miss you all.
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Set list:
Eddie pre-set: Throw Your Arms Around Me (by Hunters & Collectors)
Set List: Long Road, Corduroy, Why Go, Do The Evolution, In Hiding, Love Boat Captain, Love Reign O'er Me (The Who), Severed Hand, Light Years, Marker In The Sand, Given To Fly, Breath, I Am Mine, Small Town, Hard To Imagine, Life Wasted, Porch
1st encore: No More, World Wide Suicide, Down, Once, Black, Alive
2nd encore: Better Man/Save It For Later (General Public), Rockin' In The Free World (Neil Young), Yellow Ledbetter
–Ryan Colditz
Visit I Am Fuel, You Are Friends for an MP3 from the concert.
Jorge, above, got lucky #69.
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DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist
Hollywood Bowl, June 25
By Carlie Armstrong
What began as an interestingly ethnic, slightly gimmicky evening at the Hollywood Bowl soon became a night of elaborate and masterful spinning by the likes of two giants of the mix-master realm: DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist.
African band Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars and Brazilian James Brown enthusiast Carlinhos Brown brought their individual cultural flavors to open up the event, leaving most who were not yet inebriated with slight impatience. This was, after all, a crowd yearning to hear some scratched vinyl, and the Refugee All-Stars and Carlinhos Brown simply could not appease that desire with their quirky costumes and reggae-infused world music sets - though Brown thoroughly tried to up the energy with his James Brown impersonations and strange get-up: an indian head dress and gladiator sandals.
(Photos by Carlie Armstrong)
When Shadow and Chemist did appear, however, their entrance was well-heralded by the audience and quite mighty. But, there was one more obstacle before the music started, and before the two renowned spin-masters sauntered over to their respective turntables, a short infomercial-like film blared and flashed, proclaiming little known facts and history concerning the art of spinning and its metamorphosis through the years.
In traditional Shadow style, the presentation was edgy and more than a little unforgiving, giving him a chance to bite back at critics' questions on whether DJ-ing is as creative or skillful as traditional means of music making. Before the night was over, Cut Chemist and Shadow proved to any doubters the wealth of talent and ingenuity they possessed.
The film faded, and finally the DJs began their set, quickly reaching a barrage of succulent, sensual overkill. The lights descended through the audience on to the two performers, and their music was a fusion of far-east dance music with samples by the rock group Queen.
Most genres made their way onto the DJ's turntables through the evening, from cut-up chunks of The Foo Fighters ‘Everlong,’ to a short pseudo-song lamenting the plight of a lovesick jukebox. Shadow stuck, surprisingly, to more instrumental licks, sometimes incorporating old radio spots into his mishmash of music, but he consistently stayed away from most of his newer stuff - there wasn't a trace of Bay-area influence in sight.
The visuals were as diverse and intense as the music: a well-cut combination of 50’s advertisements, bellydancing, and a spinning record on the pupil of a giant eye. Chemist and Shadow kept the energy high by pausing to rouse the audience a few times mid-show, but they also took time out to momentarily feast at a small white table on center stage, where they devoured food that had been laid out for them.
DJ shows usually suffer from the mixer being unable to leave the decks, but these guys took their spinning and scratching prowess to a portable level, strapping themselves with mini-turntables, and gallivanting around the stage like true rock stars.
Upon returning to their natural, earlier positions DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist closed out the event with true style, spinning a few more songs from their joint imaginations, a new mix-up entitled "The Hard Sell" and then sending out a cautionary scrap of advice, telling the crowd that though they “had too much cocaine tonight, having more will not help you drive home!”
–Carlie Armstrong
Dodger Stadium, June 23
By Siran Babayan
Dodgers Stadium. Never Again. I had an easier time getting through the birth canal than I did zigzagging in and out of the stadium’s graveyard of a parking lot where the traffic was so brutally long and slow all four passengers in the Prius in front of me took naps in between stop-and-gos.
Well, one has to earn comped $250 floor seats a few feet away from Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Marisa Tomei who had come, like I, to watch the Police - a band that turned their brand of reggatta de punk into commercial gold, doing what predecessors like the Clash couldn’t do and essentially becoming one of the biggest bands in the world - reunite and play to 55,000 castaways looking for a home.
It’s easy to pick on Sting for making one smooth jazz album after another as if he’s been stuck inside an elevator since the Police‘s unofficial split, when in fact, all three had jazz backgrounds before and after the band. (It was Sting, by the way, who made the first move towards reunification). And maybe 23 years was just the right amount of time the boys needed to pursue all those other ventures (solo efforts, movie roles, film scores, autobiographies), regroup, and sound as cohesive and effortless as they did on this night, each under his own colossal spotlight - Andy Summers, in control of the ax, minus the guitar god bravado; Stewart Copeland, a marching band geek in a headband and white gloves behind the skins; and Sting, so at ease and confident, with nary a bead of sweat on his toned and tanned 55-year-old body.
The band opened with “Message in a Bottle” and then coasted through a mostly best-of, two-hour set spanning their catalogue from the1978 debut Outlandos d’Amour to their blockbuster swan song Synchronicity. "Don’t believe what I saw,” sang Sting, eyes rolling across the filled high-altitude seats. Ah, but this was no ordinary greatest hits show. The trio kept themselves off the nostalgia bandwagon and exercised their might as musicians by tweaking some of the more familiar numbers, making them soar to newer and greater heights. Sting turned all scat man jazzbo during “Roxanne,” when the stage lights appropriately went red, and lowered his register to emphasize the lecherous lyrics on the hot-for-student “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” proving there’s still a lot of passion in those pipes. (No one wants to hear Sting the preacher man, yet “Invisible Sun’s words - “I don’t wanna spend the rest of my days/Keeping out of trouble like the soldiers say” - sadly resonate more today than they did in 1981 when he wrote it as a lamentation on Northern Ireland.) And Copeland gave songs such as “King of Pain” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger” a more exotic, Eastern flare by tinkering with a nifty set -up of hanging chimes, cymbals and a xylophone displayed behind his drum kit.
There were two show-stealing moments: “Voices Inside My Head” drifting into “When the World is Running Down,” the baddest bass line Sting’s ever conceived of. And “Can’t Stand Losing You,” the peppiest song written about suicide, morphing into “Reggatta de Blanc,” which, if you recall, won the band their first Grammy for best rock instrumental.
So many “yo-yo-yo”’s we sang that night in our ridiculous faux Jamaican accents.
–Siran Babyan
Click here for a gallery of photos from the concert by Timothy Norris
So, lately I'm liking a band called the Clorox Girls. They are very Ramonesy, in a respectable way.
There's kind of a cool Ramones event happening next weekend (Fri. June 29), by the way, at Hollywood Forever Cemetery...
RAMONES DOUBLE WORLD PREMIER
Check out the premiers of both "Too Tough to Die" and "Live at the US Festival 1982" on Friday, June 29th at 6 PM at The Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles. "Too Tough to Die" captures highlights of The Ramones 30th Anniversary Concert from 2004 and included performances from Eddie Vedder, RHCP, X, Rollins and many more. The film also covers the bittersweet tribute ceremony unveiling the Johnny Ramone monument at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, also the resting place of DeeDee Ramone.
"Live at the US Festival 1982" features footage from the classic Southern California rock festival and was mixed from 24 tracks by honorary Ramones producer Ed Stasium.
In addition to the films, Arturo Vega will be presenting an amazing display of Ramones memorabilia and Monte Melnick will be on hand autographing his book "On the Road with The Ramones."
As always, the proceedings will be hosted by Linda Ramone and both Marky Ramone and Henry Rollins will be on hand to introduce the evening.
If you have never been to one of the events at the cemetery, please know you are allowed to bring food and drink. It's a proper nocturnal picnic so bring a blanket, spread the goodies and prepare for a lot of fun.
A $10.00 donation is requested to benefit Prostate Cancer Research.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood
PS: Some Friday cuteness.
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Ferraby Lionheart, Great Lake Swimmers, Eleni Mandell, Marissa Nadler
at Hotel Café, June 21, 2007
By John Payne
Music: Stream the upcoming album by Marissa Nadler.
An intriguingly balanced night of the newer various strands of, er, uh, well, acoustic rock or pop, I guess you’d have to refer to it. Post-post Americana in one shape or another figured heavily in these performances – lots of acoustic guitars, banjos, strap-on harmonicas and so forth, of course loads of irony-tinged but heartfelt, yearning sincerity, etc. – but the seemingly infinite possible varieties within the form was what was really on striking display.
Gentle but firm, Farabey Lionheart strikes you with the focused intelligence underlying his down-to-earth, laid-back persona and his engrossing story-songs. With eyes shut and a slight grimace, he delivered a lyrically involving and musically deep set drawn from his very fine recent EP and upcoming Nettwerk full-length. He’s a real musician, his acoustic guitar- and piano-accompanied pieces showing great technical craft and, interestingly, dual cues drawn from the burnished Dylanish strains of ‘60s folk and, almost perversely but not quite, what sounded like Elton John channeling Cole Porter; his love-and-loss-and-love-again-type subject matter was thus often given a rather bubbly and bouncy musical field of play, which gave his songs a resonant ambiguity and highly visual impact.
She plays mostly 12-string guitar, with alternate tunings to aid the hypnotic, droning effect, and hers is that more classical or European base for harmony, with Bachlike bass lines; she was given extraordinarily sensitive bass accompaniment by Jonah, who’s other day job is with the exceedingly heavy metal gods Earth. Meanwhile, as the ghost of Judee Sill hovered nearby, Nadler did some nice covers, including Leonard Cohen’s very fitting “Suzanne” and something by Townes Van Zandt. Nadler’s debut album, Songs III Bird on the Water, comes out in August – it is all the abovementioned and more, and you’re advised to seek it and savor.
– John Payne
All photos by John Payne
Marissa Nadler - Under an Old Umbrella
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Javier's Cantina & Grill
Newport Coast, CA 
Cinespace
L.A., CA 
House of Blues
West Hollywood, CA 
Hotel Bel-Air
Bel-Air, CA 
Birds
L.A., CA 
Jones
L.A., CA 
