Los Angeles Music Blog

Above: Monsters Are Waiting's lead creature, Annalee. The Oohlas also played the sold out concert. Click the link to see Timothy Norris' full slideshow of pictures from the evening.

Tokyo Police Club and Dappled Cities
The Troubadour, July 25, 2007
Better than: Holding off ‘til the full length release.
By: Courtney Lear

One day I’ll learn that it’s not “cool” to show up early for a show. But last night at the Troubadour my nerdy diligence was rewarded by discovering Sydney rockers Dappled Cities who opened for Tokyo Police Club. Echoing the Shins’ sound and employing the prog-rock conventions of Wolfmother, the fast-paced, experimental pop quintet filled the stage with their presence. Vocalist/guitarist Tim Derricourt sang in split personalities, guttural growls led to high-pitched caws and coos in the same breath, matching vocalist/guitarist Dave Rennick’s falsetto in harmonious complicity.
The last song unveiled the power of their progressive rock undertones while whimsical keyboards danced circles around furiously chugging guitars and driving percussion that built to frenzy.

Their raucous performance put energy in the air and set high expectations for who the crowd really came to see, Tokyo Police Club. The short seven tracks on the Ontario natives’ EP A Lesson in Crime are post-punk, angst driven, sound bites. Driven by sporadic guitars and pulsating urgency, their danceable garage rock has been compared to the Strokes. They opened with lead singer/bassist Dave Monks screaming through a fog of distortion, “Operator! Get me the president of the world. This is an emergency,” the intro for “Cheer It On.”

Editors
Jimmy Kimmel Live! July 25, 2007
By Timothy Norris

OK, so we’ve all heard about it and Jimmy’s Green Room really is the best. I was just surprised that I actually knew some of the folks down there tonight. Well, I knew Juli C. and Kevin B. and even a few other familiar faces from around the block. Just like a regular visit to Romper Room for young Timmy. Yeah, I see you too! But let’s not forget what brought all us kids together tonight; that would be Editors jumping out in support of their latest release An End Has A Start.

Photo by Timothy Norris. Click here for a slideshow of more from Editors.

The lads from Birmingham, England ripped through an abbreviated set on the outside stage at Jimmy Kimmel that consisted mostly of material from the new record with the exception of "Munich" from their debut full length The Back Room. While the sound of An End is not a huge departure from Back Room, it certainly shows maturity in both sonic adventure and lyrical content allowing the band to weave the set together with ease. Opening with the title track "An End Has A Start" followed by "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors" (of which both aired) the band ignited the stage in a fury led by front man Tom Smith and his seemingly uncontrolled on stage antics. At one point during the set he lost his guitar strap and found himself restricted until a stagehand came to his aid. Though like the great John Lee Hooker once said, “If the boy’s got it in him, he’s got to get it out! So let’s boogie!” And boogie they did, or something like it, until the end which saw Tom scurrying off stage dragging the mic stand in a fit of passion straight past Jimmy up the ramp to the dressing room. Following closely were bands mates Russell Leetch (Bass), Chris Urbanowicz (Guitar) and Edward Lay (Drums) shaking hands and kissing babies. Well, shaking hands anyway.

With that I was on my way back to the green room for the proverbial post show cocktail. I chose a Molsen for the funny sayings they have on the bottles, only I didn’t bother to read what mine said. I was already all smiles anyway what all the new friends I’d found today.

The Rapture
July 25, 2007
The Mayan
By Jonah Flicker

If you haven’t yet experienced the phenomenon of people walk-dancing, apparently the best place to witness this is at a Rapture show. Here’s how it goes down: guy in awfully tight pants and girl in white one-piece from the ‘80s enter bar area, dancing while they walk. No, they can’t wait to find a stationary position to begin their spastic maneuvers. It’s the Rapture, for Christ’s sake. If nothing else, this is a dance band, albeit one with all the requisite rock band clichés and poses (guitar up, big smile to the crowd… and solo!).

Photos by Jonah Flicker

This is also an incredibly tight band comprised of musicians whose skills become much more evident onstage than on record. They also surprisingly, refreshingly have an air of normal-guy dorkiness about them. But it’s a snake swallowing its own tail: they’re so uncool that it’s cool, which is kind of uncool, which is ironically cool, and so on and so forth.

The Birmingham band played a short, sweet set on the outside stage for the Kimmel show. Click here to see all of Timothy Norris' photos. The Editors return to LA on September 24 for a concert at the Wiltern.

The Cobrasnake was at the Daft Punk show at the Sports Arena on Saturday, July 21.

Click here for a slideshow of more from the concert, as well as a trip to the water park.

Slint
Henry Fonda Theatre, July 23
By Randall Roberts

The tension between the dweebs and the rockers was palpable last night at the Henry Fonda Theatre. The dweebs, giddy at the opportunity to hear Louisville band Slint perform its wuss-rock classic, Spiderland, in its entirety, stood in silent reverence as the band sauntered onto stage, picked up their instruments and launched into a pitch-perfect rendition of “Breadcrumb,” the soft, lilting opener to the 13-year-old album.

Photo by Randall Roberts

The boys snuggled with their girls, bobbled their heads in time with the music, and strained to hear exactly what lead-mumbler Brian McMahan was muttering into the microphone. All was well in the world: silence beget more silence, and every harmonic tone floated into the crowd as though launched with wings. As the first song closed, the band received an enthusiastic but measured appreciation, and then more silence. It felt like we were at a Philharmonic world premiere. Song number two, “Nosferatu Man,” received a similar, awed response.

Femi Kuti
House of Blues, July 20
By Matthew Fleischer

Half-way through Femi Kuti’s first song of the night, the powerful “Truth Don Die,” a strange realization hit me -- Femi’s wearing Tevas. For some reason, seeing the heir to a revolutionary musical legacy, and a virtual legend himself, in Tevas struck me as eminently amusing and I spent the next few minutes devising marketing strategies for the Teva Corporation.

“Tevas – 1 out 6 African revolutionaries agree – it’s the footwear of the future.”

I eventually got over it though, and for the next two hours witnessed the afro-beat superstar take turns blasting though several lengthy post-bop inspired sax solos, singing in his breathy, staccato tenor, playing funky keyboard and miraculously flailing across all parts of the stage like an ADD problem child hopped up on pixie stix.

But despite the multi-talented Femi’s charisma and energy, I can’t say unequivocally that he was the star of his own show. Accompanying him on stage were three stunning, female Nigerian dancers, who unabashedly shook their asses in ways a mere pale-faced mortal like myself never thought possible. In what appeared to be a breach of the space-time continuum, one of the girls seemed to be able to stay on the beat with her left cheek and go double-time with her right. (Go ahead and try that at home – I dare you.) Femi may have spent half his set healing lepers for all I know -- I found it nearly impossible to take my eyes off the gyrations. I wasn’t the only one.

Photos by Matthew Fleischer and Mel Schwartz

The Village Voice's Siren Music Festival took place over the weekend with performances from M.I.A., New York Dolls, Elvis Perkins, The Black Lips and a lot more. Click here to visit the Voice's music blog Sound of the City and read more about it. Or go straight to all the photos.

M.I.A. actually stops her set to put on lipstick. Seriously.

Photo by Rebecca Smeyne

Sonic Youth
Urban Outfitters, Santa Monica
July 21, 2007
By Jonah Flicker
Better Than: Dinosaur Jr. playing at Anthropologie
Download: Sonic Youth Archives

Walking through Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade mall, on my way to see Sonic Youth perform at Urban Outfitters , sponsored by Toyota’s Free Yr Radio campaign in support of KXLU… this shit’s enough to make your head spin. Corporate American commercialism shoring up LA’s bastion of indie/college radio and one of the best bands ever to arise from the NYC post-punk/no-wave/art scene undoubtedly equals big bucks for SY. As Henry Rollins recently expounded upon on his IFC show, bands like this deserve the cash and the exposure they’re getting by placing songs in ads, but it’s more than a little disconcerting to hear the KXLU program director shilling for Yaris while introducing the show (“Sign up for the giveaway! They’re really cool!”) Anyway, it’s Sonic Youth, I’m pissed because I missed their performance of Daydream Nation at the Greek the night before, and it’s a free concert for the kids lucky to show up early enough to snag wristbands.

Hecuba
The Bordello, July 20
by Nazanin Arandi

Hecuba opens your eyes, literary and emotionally. The songs are stories of sadness and the most innocent joy. Hecuba is an experience created through epic sounds that take cues from middle-eastern lyrical cadence to hip hop hip shaking. This uncategorizable band belongs to museums, to happenings, to clubs, and to theaters; it is familiar as the past but takes you into the future.

They are performers in a true sense, breaking boundaries and transplanting the audience to a comfortable yet bizarre space where one cannot be sure whether they should be dancing or waxing poetic over a past life on Mythos.

I was shocked, and in this day and age it's damn hard to be shocked. Isabelle Albuquerque's vocals have a dynamic range as grand as the Alps and her body moves as if she was possessed by the goddess of music. Jon Beasley's mature and unforgettable drums are direct and powerful and he doesn't shy from fronting the piano or guitar, he is a true chameleon and a delightful leading man. They are accompanied by Justin Dicenzo's Japanese koto harp (it has to be seen to be believed), Maryam Blacksher, creating a hypnotic and eerie tenseness by plucking her viola with her fingers while Eric Layer's bass ads groovy dimension to this accessible yet challenging palette.

So put on your dancing shoes for HECUBA at the last night of their residency at Bordello next Thursday, July 26th.

Photos and video by Ryan Ward

Ozark Jubilee was the first nationally syndicated country music show, running from 1953 to 1960 or 61. It was broadcast from Columbia, Missouri, and was hosted by Red Foley (whom you can see talking a bit strangely at the end of the clip). The song is L'il Liza Jane, played by Bill Wimberly's house band, with Thumbs Carlille and Curly Chalker.

There are quite a few clips on YouTube of the old Ozark Jubilee show. Click here for more.

Timothy Norris photos from the sold out Polyphonic Spree show concert Wednesday night. The band's new album, The Fragile Army, came out June 19. Click the photo above to see a slideshow of images of Tim DeLaughter and his robed band of musicians.

Courtney Love
The Roxy, July 17
By Lina Lecaro



"Everybody knows I give the best blowjobs in Hollywood, but there's gotta be something in it for me too," said a fairly subdued Courtney Love at her not-so-secret Roxy show presented by MySpace last night.

Might have seemed like a Love-patented non-sensical rambling, but anyone who heard her impromptu K-ROQ call-in earlier yesterday understood what she meant. She was comparing her recent series of unannounced shows to the give and take of good sex: the fans get to see her in an intimate setting and she gets to try out new material -see what works when and how much- in a relaxed atmosphere.

Click here for the rest of Lina's review at Style Council

Spoon
Little Radio, downtown, July 16
By John Curry

Photos by Timothy Norris

It was at least 100 degrees in the slam-packed, converted, downtown warehouse that is Little Radio. Spoon's prickly main man, Britt Daniels, had a tough time keeping the sweat out of his eyes as he wiped his brow with his sleeve while slashing the down strokes, all in one sweeping motion.

The band came to town to play a few low-profile shows (also tonight at Cinespace) to help celebrate the release of their new record out this week before playing the Fonda in September. And in the case of last night’s Little Radio show, playing for free to support internet radio when they could have easily filled a bigger room.

Spoon's songs are filled with Daniels' angular guitar stabs and tremelo-soaked outros, but that's just part of the attraction. Daniels' best songs incorporate deceptively simple (and sometimes traditional) chord structures that can be found in everything from old standards and torch songs to post punk outfits from the late 70s/early 80s, like Gang of Four and Wire. Look back to these bands' most melodic tunes and you can hear where Spoon has picked up the pieces, and put them back together again to suit their own purposes.

L.A.'s hardcore band Strife haven't put out a record or played live for several years now, but you wouldn't have known it from their Saturay night show at the Roxy.

Timothy Norris was there. Click here for more photos from Strife's comeback show on the Strip.

Chris Cornell
The Wiltern, July 11

Chris Cornell brought it. He brought Soundgarden. We love that. He brought Temple of the Dog. We love that too. He brought Audioslave. We even like a lot of that. He also brought his new solo material. The Wiltern bar staff must have appreciated that however, as each new song drove hoards of people seeking a buzz. The entire night seemed to be one long reminder of what a tremendous singer and songwriter Cornell is, while at the same time how genius each and every one of his former bands were to bring the music together with his lyrics in such unique ways that don’t sound like run of the mill rock music.

It might be something with the translation from the album to live performances, but the songs from his new album Carry On just did not work. And it wasn’t just me. I tried hard to embrace the new stuff. Everyone else tried less, and in the end the only excitement during new material was the guy in front of me chatting about how stiff his drink was. I would have rather watched the oddball opener, Juliette Lewis’ and the Licks, perform Chris’s new material than have him do it himself. That didn’t happen and the night was not lost, as Chris and band mates took it retro and brought a large helping of Soundgarden straight to our domes. His voice was astounding. Somehow in good shape this late into the tour (and his career), still able to hit those opera-like screams that fit in so well with ambiance at the Wiltern. Art Deco and Chris Cornell screams. Thank you.

Photos by Timothy Norris. Click here for a slideshow from Cornell's concert.

Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger
By Rossiter Drake

With the release of Easy Tiger, critics are eager to celebrate the return of Ryan Adams, alt-country savior. The truth, though, is that aside from self-indulgent missteps — Demolition, anyone? — the former Whiskeytown frontman never left. Sure, he took a well-deserved breather last year after releasing three studio efforts in 2005 (among them, the impossibly delicate 29), but rarely since the heyday of Bob Dylan has an artist been pulled in so many different directions by his fans. Some pine for a hefty helping of down-home country. Others prefer Adams the precious balladeer. And then there are the ones still demanding the more aggressive, Gold-era rock 'n' roll inspired by the 32-year-old's punk roots. A single album hardly ever satisfies all three camps.

The Klaxons
El Rey Theatre, July 10, 2007
By Sandy Kanphantha

It's almost like any other night at the El Rey. Lines are stretched along the side of the building. Giddy and shivering cold concert attendees waiting to get inside. But last night, Klaxons brought the heat in L.A. at the sold out show storming up a dance party that could've lasted all night long.

The show opened with Portland, Oregon's local band Fist Fite. Their set did little to get the crowd, a duty which fell ably to the Klaxons, but their mix of electronic, screamo, and dance- pop eventually got a few heads bopping along. It wasn't until after their set was over that the venue began to fill up.

After waiting about ten minutes, which seemed longer in the crowd, sounds of guitars and microphone checks started up the crowd, who began waving their glow sticks enthusiastically as if it would help speed up the process. At last, the band came out kick starting a mass wave of jumping fans who clapped and sang along to their songs. They played the singles of course, like "Golden Skans," "Atlantis to Interzone," "Magick," and "Gravity's Rainbow" from their new album, Myths of the Near Future.

None of the tracks ceased to stop the crowd from clapping and cheering even when they stopped mid-way through "Magick" which kept the crowd wanting for more only to continue seconds later and girls and boys responding to their "oooo's" by "ahhh-ing" during "Golden Skans."

Ironically, their second to last song was "It's Not Over Yet" and the crowd didn't want it to be either. With every beginning there is an end, and this one came without an encore to top it all off. If you missed the show no need to worry, they are coming back again in September. So get your tickets when they come out so you do not have to hustle people for tickets on the day of the show when it's sold out.

-- Sandy Kanphantha

If you haven't watched it yet, this Feist video is the cutest thing I've ever seen. My new girl crush. And if you've already seen it, watch it again because it's so friggin adorable. I love how young white musicians are really into one shot choreographed music videos these days.

--Rena Kosnett

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Jack is Dead; Radio Listeners Rejoice

The Village Voice reports that their version of Jack FM, which is probably very close to our version of Jack FM on 93.1 is going away, headed back to the oldies station it had been before the switch.

The Voice's music blog says:

Jack, that insipid radio-format that's supposed to sound like someone's— the captain of your high school football team's? — iPod on shuffle, is not long for New York, Crain's New York Business reported today on its web site.

Is this station hated in LA too? I'm all for hating bad radio, but what's wrong with a Tom Petty/Cure/Prince set? Plus - no DJs. Mostly I'm just curious if there's a Jack-FM hate-party going on in LA that I wasn't invited to.

Timothy Norris checked our Eskimohunter at Spaceland Monday. Both Eskimohunter and The Mere Mortals sported female bass players. Eskimohunter plays for free every Monday night through the end of the month. Click here or the photo above to see more of the show.

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This press release struck me as curious, mainly in the way it camouflages the fact that this new version of the "reunited" "Smashing Pumpkins" doesn't include guitarist James Iha nor bassist D'arcy Wretsky.

Then again, I'm not a fan. So what do I care?

I seem to be experiencing some vicarious fan outrage that I personally don't feel at all. Weird.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Smashing Pumpkins Add Stop to The Pearl

Influential rockers announce North American tour dates including a September 13 stop at The Palms

Las Vegas, Nev. – July 9, 2007 – Fresh off of the success of their latest single “Tarantula” from the most anticipated album to date Zeitgeist (July 10, 2007), underground rockers Smashing Pumpkins announce their North American tour dates including a stop at the intimate Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The show will take place Thursday, September 13, 2007, at 8 p.m. following just days after the MTV Video Music Awards take the stage at the very same venue.

In 1993, the Smashing Pumpkins became a familiar name to underground and alternative rock fans throughout the work with the release of the haunting Siamese Dream. Although a previous release Gish (1991) created some buzz underground, it was the radio friendly singles on Siamese like “Cherub Rock,” “Today” and “Disarm” that placed the Pumpkins on the path to commercial success, with the band dragging their heels and holding on to as much indie power as possible along the way.

The band took time in its follow up release wanting to deliver to fans a two-disc set as previously promised. Keeping fans interested, they released Pisces Iscariot (1994) which was a collection of rarities and b-sides. Finally in 1995, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was released with singles like “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” “1979,” “Zero” and “Tonight, Tonight” placing it at the top of every rock chart and eventually pushing the album to sell more than 4 million copies in the United States alone. The album was eventually certified platinum over eight times – a feat not many rock bands of their stature have accomplished.

Following line up changes and a farewell tour in 2000, the Smashing Pumpkins have reunited to much anticipation from fans and critics alike, and are releasing the latest album tomorrow, titled Zeitgeist. Judging by reaction to the first single “Tarantula,” fans will not be disappointed and will hear the familiar rock sounds synchronized with lead singer Billy Corgan’s haunting vocals.

Presented by Andrew Hewitt and Live Nation, tickets for Smashing Pumpkins are $60.50, plus any additional box office or service fees, and go on-sale Saturday, July 14, 2007, at 10 a.m. Please visit any Ticketmaster location, call 702-474-4000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets. The Pearl Box Office is open from noon – 7 p.m. daily. Doors for Smashing Pumpkins will open at 7 p.m. and show time is 8 p.m. The Pearl is home to the Miller Lite concert series, for more information on upcoming concerts, please call 702-942-6888.

About Smashing Pumpkins:

The Smashing Pumpkins formed when Billy Corgan returned to his home town of Chicago in the late ‘80s and met guitarist James Iha. The two began working together – performing and recording with the help of a drum machine. At one of their performances Corgan met D’Arcy Wretzky who eventually became the groups bassist and later Jimmy Chamberlin joined the group as drummer. The band gained local popularity and a dedicated following. Personal struggles throughout the band and individually led not only to problems within the group, but was also the force behind many of the acclaimed lyrics and sounds heard on Siamese Dream.

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The Decemberists, Andrew Bird, Band of Horses

The Hollywood Bowl, July 7
Review and photos by Carlie Armstrong

The relationship between opening bands and headliners is often a temperamental thing. Either the support is tremendous, and the opener will successfully do their job in exciting the crowd for the impending headliner set, or they will suck with bravado and create some sort of mood rift – tainting the pre-show vibe.

In the case of Band of Horses, Andrew Bird, and The Decemberists, the former situation was delightfully in play.

Band of Horses was the first act of the night, playing right at sundown and creating the perfect air of anticipation, performing songs from their CD, Everything All the Time, "The First Song," "The Funeral," and "Wicked Gil" among them. Their guitar sounds aroused the audience into sparse clap-alongs, and the set was short and sweet.
When it came time for Andrew Bird, evening had already fallen, and much of the stage had been covered with Andrew’s peculiar and consistent tour comforts: such as a spinning gramophone-like contraption and a black and white obelisk/horn. His music was more up-tempo and experimental than Band of Horses', and the audience's excitement ratcheted up a few notches. As he often does, Bird re-tooled some of the older favorites, such as "Nervous Tic Motion of The Head to the Left", adding more drums with the help of tour-buddy Martin Dosh (who also plays on Bird’s new CD, Armchair Apocrypha). Bird kept his violin in hand most of the show, leaving his guitar by the wayside (thankfully), and played his newer songs in a more traditional Bird-like fashion. Among the songs Birds played were: "The Fiery Crash," "Imitosis," "Armchairs" and "Plasticities." Remarkably, each song sounded completely re-imagined compared to their versions on the album.

Upon the departure of Mr. Bird and his menagerie of props, the stage was dismantled and an orchestral platform was revealed. At this point, the entirety of The Bowl felt enveloped in a haze of stressful ecstasy and excitement. When Colin Meloy, Jenny Conlee, Chris Funk, Nate Query, and John Moen stepped into the spotlight and walked to their respective instrumental plots, most everyone who had previously been sitting was standing and cheering.

The LA Philharmonic gracefully descended upon their platform, and with the arrival of the musicians to their places, the band and orchestra began to play “The Crane Wife” (off of The Decemberists' new CD of the same title). It was as if The Decemberists had been fuel-injected with an epic film score, and they confidently took advantage of the energy it gave them. Colin ran across the stage and furiously bounced everywhere, including into the audience.

The harmonious duo of symphony and band continued to create record-breakingly epic versions of the old Decemberist favorites: “We All Go Down Together,” “Odalisque,” “Bagman’s Gambit,” and “The Infanta,” and when “Los Angeles, I’m Yours” began, the Bowl roared with recognition and pure ardor.

The band gave the LA Phil a rest to play on their own, specifically for “I Was Meant for the Stage” and their encore, which was “The Chimney Sweep,” in which Colin mimed an acoustic solo that Chris Funk played on his distorted electric guitar.

The climax of the show, however, had to be “The Tain.” The song continued for what seemed to be ages, and to break up the epic length, Colin asked all of the crowd to break out their cell phones and stereotypically wave them, creating a galaxy of swaying screens spanning the whole Bowl. The song ended with each member of The Decemberists shuddering on the ground, playing their instruments either blindly (in Jenny’s case with her keyboard) or with their feet (in Colin’s case). The reaction was enormous, to say the least, and it will be a while before The Bowl will see as epic a show, if ever.

–Carlie Armstrong

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(Photo by Erin DeWitt/OC Weekly)

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"You all know Josh Homme? Big tall blonde guy, singing with Queens? If he ever offers you a pill, don't take it. Or, trust me, just take half." Words of wisdom by Eddie Vedder at the end of the Pearl Jam set at Rock Werchter in Belgium summed up the progression, or digression of the evening depending on how you look at it.

I indeed slept in front of the gates to the festival, wound up in the front row, which by the time all the campers at the 4-day event stumbled out of their soggy tents, was 70,000 people strong. The lineup for the day included Kings of Leon (with appearance by Vedder, see video below), Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys, Queens of the Stone Age and Pearl Jam. If it wasn’t for so many good bands one after another, I’m not sure how else I could have survived being trapped by the crowd without food or water for 14 hours. But I did it, even with one friend sleeping on the barricade next to me half the day.

With each following band, a heightened energy grew and Queens of the Stone Age delivered the drop kick to the face everyone was begging for. The addition of bass player Michael Shuman to the mix has filled the void they’ve been missing since Nick Oliveri exited. This guy is straight bad-ass, complete with demonic backup screams and windmill head bangs. The Viking-man himself, Josh Homme, led the crowd through a twisted set capped off by ass-kickers like “Mexicola,” “Feel Good Hit of the Summer,” “Songs for the Dead,” and newbies “Battery Acid” and “Sick, Sick, Sick.” Always an intense performance by the desert ensemble, these guys really brought it, setting the stage for Pearl Jam, who would have to rely on crowd participation to match the energy of Queens.

Pearl Jam took the stage at 11p.m., to a hungry crowd who were biting and clawing to get to the front, literally. The bruises on my ribs and wrists are battle wounds from the entire pit constantly surging on me, with only a steel barricade to brace the impact. I did however have the joy of being stuck directly in front of lead guitarist Mike McCready, who’s always a ham for the crowd. Complete with a behind-the-head guitar solo during “Evenflow,” and a constant confetti of guitar picks for the fans, McCready kept the everyone occupied as Vedder struggled his way through the show, obviously feeling the effects of the day. His wine bottle that usually flows all night was empty the entire set from what I saw. I think that pill he popped had him taken care of for the night.

A rare live performance of “Smile” had bassist Jeff Ament switching instruments with guitarist Stone Gossard for the tune. One of the few slower songs of the evening, along with rarity "Dissident", sing-alongs dominated the set and kept everyone involved. The command and precision demonstrated by the guys was obvious as compared to the earlier bands of the day, but it just wasn’t the same as the small indoor shows we are used to in the states. Ed Ved also unleased a new song of his, “No More,” standing solo on stage in front of 70,000 people, who sang along to the chorus, “No More War.” Hopefully the White House could hear our plea.

At the end of the night we were sent home with a rousing version of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley,” complete with a guest spot by Homme. A peek at the set list showed six songs left out of rotation, explaining the short performance and validating just how much Vedder enjoyed himself the entire day, and I would expect nothing less.

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Set: Go, Animal, Brain Of J., World Wide Suicide, Once, Dissident, Do The Evolution, God’s Dice, Corduroy, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Why Go, Given To Fly, Even Flow, Life Wasted, Porch

1st Encore: No More, Smile, Better Man/(Save it for Later), Alive

2nd Encore: Baba O'Riley (with guest Josh Homme)

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Morrissey: Please stop working and get some rest. We need you healthy.
Love,
your fans

For Immediate Release:
July 3, 2007

Morrissey Postpones New Jersey Dates

Following last nights performance at the Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia Morrissey was seen by an ear, nose and throat specialist this morning in Washington, DC. The doctor confirmed that Morrissey was still suffering from a viral infection that had caused the postponement of several shows last week and that his throat had not healed. As a result he has ordered that Morrissey not sing again before the 7th of July at the earliest. Consequently in addition to tonight's show in Baltimore the scheduled concerts in Atlantic City at The Borgata on the 5th of July and Holmdel, New Jersey at PNC Arts Center on the 6th of July have been postponed. An announcement will be made as soon as possible as to whether it is possible to reschedule any of these shows and in the meantime ticket holders should maintain possession of their tickets. The tour is scheduled to recommence in Boston on the 7th of July at Bank Of America Pavillion.

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Just a hop, skip and a jump away from the hippiest place on earth, Amsterdam, myself and my fearless crew of touring friends invaded Nijmegen, Holland. This one-day festival, billed as "Pearl Jam in the Park," also featured Satellite Party (Perry Ferrell’s new band), Kings of Leon, and Incubus. Rain had dumped down for the past few days, but just hours before the start of the show the clouds parted, and mixed just right with the aromatic cloud formations that loomed above the crowd, created the most beautiful setting for a night of rock n’ roll.

The surprise of this night came from Satellite Party. I didn’t even know these guys were playing. Who wouldn’t like to hear some Jane's Addiction songs to start off the night. The new stuff wasn't too shabby either. Also very impressive were the Kings of Leon. They came out with a lot of energy, and the crowds ate them up. At the end of their set, Eddie Vedder joined them for "Slow Night, So Long," where he demonstrated his masterful skill of annihilating tambourines.

The previous two Pearl Jam shows I attended in Düsseldorf and Copenhagen were “Ten Club shows,” meaning the band’s fan club (Ten Club) offers members tickets to shows, allowing early entry to the venue, ensuring the best spots in the house. These shows draw many long time, devout Pearl Jam freaks, and it seems the band is more inclined to dig deeper into the vault rather than stick to the hits. However this was a festival show, so many people assumed it would be a radio-friendly set. They were very wrong.

"Release" opened the set, with 50,000 people screaming “release me” at the top of their lungs, letting the band know from the start that everyone was ready to see something special. It was indeed the start to yet another amazing night. Looking rested and relaxed, with a day off and a stop in Amsterdam under their belts, Vedder mentioned the spectacular cloudscape sunset happening in the distance and how they “could play all night.” The band was on top of their game, ripping through hell raisers like “Go,” “Whipping,” “Leash” and “Blood” with savage aggression and no hints of losing their edge. Countered with rare gems like “Nothingman” and an extended version of Daughter, with snippets of W.M.A. and "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. II" added to the jam, the band did not disappoint even with a shorter than normal set. By the end of the night, after the closing set of Alive, Rockin' in the Free World (Neil Young), and Yellow Ledbetter, all there was left to do was go on a quest to find munchies and relive another night of musical bliss.

One more show remains for the European tour, Rock Werchter, in Belgium. I’ll be there. I don’t have a place to stay tonight, so I’ll be sleeping at the front gate. See you there.

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Prince William and Prince Harry honored the memory of their mother Princess Diana with a huge concert at Wembley Stadium in northwest London on Sunday before 63,000 people and tens of millions watching live around the globe. Was it cheery or cheesy? Cheesy, if you consider P. Diddy's rendition of "I'll Be Missing You" (At one point he screams, "If you miss Diana, make some nooooise!!!"). Cheery, if you watch Prince William spontaneously do the classic funky granddaddy shuffle at the very start of Nelly Furtado's "Maneater." No need to watch more than the first few seconds, but please refrain from peeing your pants: