Category: Music

What I’m listening to, and why I’m listening to it.

I Love This Bar?

If you read my blog at all, you know I’m a bit of a Toby Keith fan.

I was stunned when Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill opened in the local mall.

toby keith bar and grill 2The chain doesn’t have that many locations, and my poor, rust-belt city isn’t exactly the kind of market I would expect a place like this.

I’d heard rumors about tax issues–as in, the restaurant isn’t paying its taxes and isn’t long for this world here.* So one night, I convinced TV Steve (not a country music fan) to go there for dinner. I mean, I had to experience the place once. Right? Actually, I think TV & I negotiated the outing, with him probably bribing me along the lines of: “If you’ll go to the mall with me, I’ll buy you dinner at Toby Keith’s.”

So we went. It was a Tuesday night. The mall was dead. The restaurant was dead. It’s a huge, echoing barn of a place. Texas line-dancing lessons were happening over by the stage. No one sat at the bar. Only one small section of the dining room was open. It was about half full. There was a twenty minute wait for a table. So we waited. 

Once we were seated, another ten minutes passed before anyone asked if we’d like something to drink. I ordered Purple Cowboy wine because of its name. We read the menu. Several times. Another ten minutes passed. Someone asked if we’d been waited on. Um, no. Finally our drinks were delivered and someone–not our assigned waitress–took our food order.

We made the mistake of ordering pulled pork sandwiches. Why was that a mistake? We live in Dinosaur country, home of one of the top barbecue places in the USA. Why did we bother?

Our assigned server eventually found us, but was too late to change our impression that it’s a restaurant on a downhill slide.

Toby Keith: I don’t love your bar & grill. Sorry.

*Rumors only. I have NO idea if they are true or not.

My Summer of the Living Beatles, Pt 2: SIR PAUL McCARTNEY

Paul McCartney

Sir Paul McCartney kicked off his US tour in a city a few hours away from where I live. TV Stevie somehow managed to get tickets (the concert was sold out in 28 minutes or so). Yes, I saw the two living Beatles within 10 days of each other. Our seats were shockingly good–not on the floor, because I hate floor seats, being just under five feet tall. Crowds tend to trigger claustrophobia in me.

We arrived in Albany early enough to take our time finding a place to park (free, on the street, about 6 blocks from the venue) and to find a restaurant that would seat us without reservations for a light meal before the show. I love taking my time like that.

I’m sure you’ve all seen the story about the couple from Rochester, NY who held up signs: “He won’t marry me until he meets you,” and “I have the ring, and I’m 64.” (ABC Nightly News showed the story, although they had the concert location wrong.) It was a lot of fun seeing the whole thing–especially when the security guard kept trying to drag the couple off the stage–as it happened.

The whole concert was–incredible. Just seeing a legend perform would have been enough, but Sir Paul played for 3 hours. The ROI was in the black. Sir Paul looked good, sounded great. He connected with the audience in a way I’d never seen before, even in smaller venues. When women in the front rows screamed, he jumped back and said, “Don’t do that to me. Those days are gone!” He paid tribute to John Lennon and George Harrison. There were pyrotechnics during “Live and Let Die,” something I’ve never seen at a concert before.

Other Sir Paul quips:

“People have these signs, but I can’t really read them, because I’m trying to remember the words and the chords for the songs I’m playing.”

“People always applaud when I play a song from my new album, but when I play something really old, they whip out the cell phones and start recording.”

Now, I’m going to admit, I was never a huge, die-hard Beatles fan. A co-worker once quipped: “One was either a Beatles fan or a Rolling Stones fan.” I replied, “Neither. Dylan.”  That’s not to say I didn’t like their music, but I also didn’t consider them the be all, end all. In retrospect, they probably were tied with Dylan as Be-All, End-All. And I’m really, really glad I got to see Sir Paul perform live.

 

My Summer of the Living Beatles, Pt 1: RINGO STARR

Ringo Starr.

I’d seen Ringo one other time, over twenty years ago, and his concert was more like a variety show. It wasn’t just Ringo, but a lot of other rock n’ roll stars. Some things don’t change. The only difference this year was we took the Chromos with us so they could say they’d seen at least one former Beatle live, in concert. Oh, and the All Starrs were different.

The venue was a nearby casino, so getting there in a timely manner was relatively simple.

We had pretty good seats–kind of high up, but straight on to the stage. And we could definitely see the musicians.

And what an All-Starr line up! Besides Ringo, there was Steve Lukather (Toto), Richard Page (Mr. Mister), Gregg Rolie (Santana and Journey), and Todd Rundgren (successful solo career).  The high point of the concert (for me) was Richard Page doing “Kyrie,” which is one of the few songs of the 1980s I not only tolerate, but love. Whoever would have thought I would actually get to hear Richard Page perform it live?

The concert would have been better with more songs and less jamming. X-Chromo & Y-Chromo both said: “There didn’t need to be a guitar solo after every number.” And they were correct. That has always been one of the sources of my indifference to Santana and several other bands. I am not into the jamming. While I like music, I am a word woman.

Other high points included audience participation in “Yellow Submarine” and, at the very end, “Give Peace a Chance.”

The low point. Unanimous vote in my house, Ringo’s “Anthem”, from his latest album.

Here’s a link for the complete set list.

Overall, I’d give the concert 3 of 4 Starrs.

Former Yankee Great Bernie Williams

Bernie Williams was in town last weekend. It was Father’s Day, and TV Stevie wanted to go to the ballpark to see him. Well, hear him. You see, Bernie is now a professional musician. His CDs have been nominated for Latin Grammy Awards. And Bernie was scheduled to play the national anthem on guitar. So we went to the game. I hadn’t been to a game all season. It was nice to be back, although we couldn’t get our old seats (we were season ticket holders for three years, and I wrote a blog with the woman in the seats next to us:  From Section 207). Still we did sit in 207 and got to chat with our former neighbors.

B WMS SSB AT NBT STADIUM 061514 B WMS SSB AT NBT STADIUM 061514 02

And we got to see and hear Bernie.

We left the game early (me with a nice sunburn), grabbed take out from a local Italian restaurant, then went downtown to hear Bernie in concert.

 

2014-06-22 11.56.20

No, I did not take photos during the concert. I am under the impression that to do so is illegal. Too bad the jerk in front of me didn’t care. Every time he turned on his camera to record Bernie, he blinded me. So I would kick the back of his seat. Childish, I know, but he was completely rude and completely oblivious.

The concert was nice. Bernie is incredible on the guitar. I never knew he actually went to a performing arts high school in Puerto Rico–studying music.

But . . . there’s always a but, isn’t there?

I am not a fan of big, brassy music. I know many people who are huge Chicago (the band) fans. I am not one of them. And Bernie’s band had a lot of brass, soprano sax, etc. After a while, the music all started sounding alike to me. To me. That is not a criticism of the performances. The musicians were all amazing. The band leader/saxophonist was indescribable, especially on the alto sax. The style of music just isn’t my cuppa.

But hey! I got to see Bernie Williams in concert, and baseball fan that I am, that’s enough.

Challenge Accepted

This was on Facebook earlier this week. I had a lot of fun doing it.

 

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions.  Try not to repeat a song title. It’s a lot harder than you think!
Pick your Artist: Bob Dylan
Are you a Male or a Female: JUST LIKE A WOMAN
Describe Yourself: ONLY A PAWN IN THEIR GAME
How do you feel: FOREVER YOUNG
Describe where you currently live: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: BLACK DIAMOND BAY
Your Favorite form of Transportation: BLOWING IN THE WIND or LIKE A ROLLING STONE
Your Best Friend is: ABSOLUTELY SWEET MARIE
You and your best friends are: RAINY DAY WOMEN
What’s the weather like: A HARD RAIN’S GONNA FALL or HURRICANE
Favorite Time of Day: MEET ME IN THE MORNING
If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: WHEN I PAINT MY MASTERPIECE
What is life to you: I SHALL BE FREE
Your last relationship: MR. TAMBOURINE MAN
Your fear: MONEY BLUES
What is the best advice you have to give: DON’T THINK TWICE, IT’S ALL RIGHT
Thought for the day: ONE MORE CUP OF COFFEE
How I would like to die: KNOCKING ON HEAVEN’S DOOR
My soul’s present condition: BEYOND THE HORIZON
My motto: THE TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGING