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Alyssa Garcia (Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA, March 9, 2016) [CRASH TEST DUMMIES]

Posted in Alyssa Garcia, Regina Spektor, Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA on March 9, 2016| 10 Comments »

[ATTENDED: March 9, 2016] Alyssa Garcia

alyssaWhen I heard that the Crash Test Dummies were playing at Sellersville Theater, I was pretty excited to go.  I’d really liked them years ago (God Shuffled His Feet is an amazing album still).  But I also knew that Brad Roberts was a kind of vulgarian.  So I was really surprised to see a family with two small kids sitting in the row in front of ours.

I didn’t know the opening act (her name was actually misspelled on the bill, sadly).

Well, it turns out there was good reasons I didn’t know her.  She is 16 and recently won the 2015 Philadelphia Songwriters Project Final Showcase.  Turns out the young kids in front of us were her family.

Alyssa had amazing stage presence (I want to say “for someone so young” after just about every sentence, but I’ll refrain, because she was simply good regardless of her age).  She chatted with the audience, told us about her life, sold merch at the back table and, most importantly, she played five or six beautiful songs.

The melodies were fairly simple–I actually expected a little more showoffy flair for a person who has been playing piano since she was 5, but that clearly wasn’t her goal.  She was writing pretty songs to get her words across.  And it was her voice that was so captivating. (more…)

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Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Montgomery High School, February 27, 2016)

Posted in Funny (ha ha), Montgomery High School Theatre, Montgomery, NJ, Non-Dicktion, Ocean, Sesame Street, Set at School, Set in New Jersey!, T., The Little Mermaid on March 1, 2016| Leave a Comment »

mermaid[ATTENDED: February 27, 2016] The Little Mermaid

I pass by the Montgomery High School every day on my way to work.  And for years I have seen them put signs out about upcoming plays.  I’ve always been impressed by their selection of works, but I’ve never considered stopping in to see one.  I guess it seemed weird to go to a high school performance at a school where my kids don’t go (and won’t go).

And yet, why should that be?  It’s a fun way to spend some time watching talented actors doing a good show, right?  With Clark doing stage crew for his upcoming fifth grade play and Tabby really enjoying performing in the house, I thought that perhaps it would be fun for everyone.

Well, it turned out that neither Clark nor Sarah could go, so I took Tabby.  And we had a wonderful time!

Tabby was thrilled by the show and I enjoyed it very much (and was shocked to realize how much I did not know the music for this story–I guess we’ve watched other Disney movies a lot more than this one). (more…)

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Richard Thompson (McCarter Theatre, February 9, 2016)

Posted in Concert, Fairport Convention, George Bernard Shaw, Linda Thompson, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, Richard Thompson, Set in New Jersey! on February 9, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 9, 2016] Richard Thompson at the McCarter Theatre

2016-02-09 19.19.51This was my fourth time seeing Richard Thompson at McCarter Theatre (he says it was his 492nd time playing there).  And this time, I got my tickets early and scored ROW G!  Right in the center!

2016-02-09 19.24.13So there was the man just six rows away.  And I got to watch every amazing solos and chord changes and capo placements and tuning (that’s why I can’t play his songs) and everything else he could do with that one guitar.

For indeed, that’s what it was, just him and his acoustic guitar.  Standing in front of us for 2 hours and blowing us away.  When I bought the tickets, he was touring with a trio (last summer), so I assumed that this show would be the trio show.  But nope, it was just him.

And, more amazingly, he played with no opening act!  The night before he was at the Sellersville Theater (which sold out before I found out and although they called me about the waiting list, it was about 2 hours before show time, so there’s no way I could have gone) and had an opening act.  And the next show after this one he had a different opening act.  But we got just Richard (and we were home by 10, which is pretty awesome for us old people). (more…)

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Cashore Marionettes: Life in Motion (RVCC Arts, Branchburg NJ, February 6, 2016)

Posted in Branchburg, NJ, Cashore Marionettes, RVCC Arts, Set in New Jersey!, T. on February 8, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 6, 2016] Cashore Marionettes

cashoreSarah and Clark were both out on Saturday night, so I thought it might be fun to take Tabitha out to a marionette show at RVCC.

We had gotten the promotional material for it (there’s lots of puppets this season) and it seemed like a fun thing to do.

We got there early (it was general admission seating, and got in the second row).  And it was wonderful.  I was only sad for the puppeteer that it wasn’t more crowded (my constant complaint about RVCC shows–why aren’t more people going to them???).

2016-02-06 19.43.10Joseph Cashore is the creator and operator of all of the marionettes.  And while most of us think of marionettes as the puppet on the string and that giant T crossbar, Cashore has taken this art to levels that far exceed anything you can imagine.  I mean, check out thephoto on the left from the show we saw.  Look at that contraption!

cash3The puppets are puppet-sized and Cashore stands behind them–he doesn’t try to hide himself.  And he doesn’t need to. The puppets are so life-like (jointed in countless places) that you are totally sucked into their story.  Except for the few times when you have to watch his hands and wonder how that all works.  What kinds of things is he doing with those handmade (and decidedly NOT T-shaped crossbar) handles–some of which (like the elephant) have 42 strings on them! (more…)

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Muse (Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, January 31, 2016)

Posted in AC/DC, Ennio Morricone, Led Zeppelin, Muse, Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center on February 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 31, 2016] Muse

2016-01-31 19.03.02I have liked Muse since their debut album, although I really got into them with Origin of Symmetry.  Given their over the top sound and Radiohead meets Queen meets really heavy metal I am astonished that they are as popular as they are.

I wished that I had seen their previous tour because I really liked their last album, and while I enjoyed Drones, it was a bit more basic than the over the top sound of The 2nd Law.  Nevertheless, I was pretty excited to see them live, especially when my friend Joe said they were the best show he has ever seen.

And I have to concur with him.  This show was outstanding.  There was nothing disappointing about this show at all.  Even before the show started, they had a Drone Processing Entrance for anyone with general admission seats (I didn’t know there was such a thing, but they all got to stand on the floor inches from the band, which is pretty cool).  2016-01-31 19.23.49The stage setup itself was spectacular–a circular stage with two catwalks extending out to either side–like a bow tie–which guitarist/singer/superathlete Matthew Bellamy and bassist (and growler) Chris Wolstenholme ran to throughout the show.

2016-01-31 20.15.57Just before the band came out, a dozen stormtrooper-looking guys with batons and blue glowing lights came out to “patrol” the perimeter while they played “Straight Outta Compton.”  And then the lights went out.

The giant orbs lit and up descended from the rafters while the prerecorded “Drones” played.  These drone balloons had lights on the bottom which scoped out the audience.

And then the band came out and launched into “Dead Inside” while the drones floated around above them.  It was cool to see Wolstenholme’s bass with the led lights on the fretboard.  And before I forget, drummer Dominic Howard is a monster.  His set was right in the center of the stage anchoring the whole business. And his drums were loud and impressive and super fast when needed.  I also liked that at the end of the show, he ran to both sides of the bow tie stage to wave to fans. (more…)

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X Ambassadors (Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, January 31, 2016) [MUSE]

Posted in Muse, Phantogram, Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center, X Ambassadors on February 1, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 31, 2016] X Ambassadors

2016-01-31 19.33.02I have had a great string of luck with opening acts in the last year.  But that more or less came to an end with X Ambassadors (the first half of the tour had Phantogram as the opening act, whom I would have been pretty psyched to see).  I didn’t know X Ambassadors at all before seeing this show (although I understand that they have a number of singles out).

It’s not that X Ambassadors were bad, because they weren’t.  It’s not even that they didn’t fit with Muse, although really they don’t.  There was just something flat about them.  And that is really surprising because they sure looked and acted like they were ready to be huge.

They played the center circular stage.  Noah Feldshuh on guitar was at 9:00 as I looked at the stage.  Keyboardist Casey Harris was at 6:00 and drummer Adam Levin was at 3:00.  Lead singer Sam Harris was all over the place.  He ran around, jumped and bounced and really got the crowd into it.  I assume they were into it.

Sam Harris has a great voice–he can wail, he can hit high notes, he can croon, he can do it all.  He might as well be a star on a TV music show.  And I think that’s where the problem with the band is for me. They are playing a show with Muse and they have a sound that is kind of heavy.  But I think they’d be better suited with a less “alternative” rock sound.  I think an RnB vibe would suit his voice better. (more…)

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Indigo Girls (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, January 30, 2016 )

Posted in Blue Öyster Cult, Indigo Girls, Jill Hennessy, Library Related, Lyris Hung, Michael Stipe, Montclair, NJ, Set in New Jersey!, Wellmont Theater on January 31, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 30, 2016] Indigo Girls

2016-01-30 22.57.42When I was a radio DJ in college, I received a promo disc by a band called the Indigo Girls, which I listened to because Michael Stipe sang on one of the songs.  I really enjoyed the sampler.  The Girls’ harmonies were outstanding and the lyrics were clever and funny and very very smart.

And I’ve enjoyed them intermittently for twenty some years.  I even saw them at Newport Folk Festival back in 1998 when they put on a fantastic show.

Sarah has been a fan of the band for a long time as well.  She saw them at an even more unusual venue–at the American Library Association Convention in 2002.

Neither one of us had seen them in a “proper” venue and thought it would be cool to see them in this small theater in Montclair.

And man, did they sound fantastic.  Their first album came on in 1989 and their voices sound exactly the same.  Emily can hit the high notes and Amy still has that great gravelly sound (despite claiming to be ill and on steroids to get her voice to actually work–I never would have guessed).  And their harmonies are still perfect together. (more…)

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Jill Hennessy (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, January 30, 2016) [INDIGO GIRLS]

Posted in Crossing Jordan, Indigo Girls, Jill Hennessy, Law & Order, Montclair, NJ, Set in New Jersey!, Wellmont Theater on January 30, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 30, 2016] Jill Hennessy

2016-01-30 20.26.55Jill Hennessy is an actress who was on Law & Order  from 1993-1996 and then starred on Crossing Jordan.  She is one of the reasons I watched L&O for the couple seasons that I did.  I pretty much stopped once she left, although I never watched Jordan).

I genuinely didn’t think that this was the same Jill Hennessy.  It’s been twenty years and all, but she looks so different (ans still so young) and the name didn’t seem that uncommon.  But nope.  It’s her.  She started playing music a long time ago.  She was busking in the subway in New York before getting a big Broadway gig.  And in fact, she appeared with the Indigo Girls in a Mountain Stage concert back in 2009 (it’s on NPR here).  Hennessy’s voice suits the Indigo Girls very well, she even sounds a bit like Amy Ray if you don’t think too hard about it.

clairehennesyyBefore the concert, I looked her up online and saw her bio–she’s from Edmonton, Alberta–and has been acting for ages.  She was even a candidate to be Scully on The X-Files.

Then I found a few songs and really liked what I heard–she’s sorta country but more in line with the style of the Indigo Girls.  So I was looking forward to hearing her.

We may have missed a song or two, I can’t find setlists online anywhere, but she played a fairly long and solid set.  (more…)

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Blue Öyster Cult (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, January 15, 2016 )

Posted in Blue Öyster Cult, David Bowie, Lemmy Kilmister, Montclair, NJ, Patti Smith, Set in New Jersey!, Vanilla Fudge, Wellmont Theater on January 17, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 15, 2016] Blue Öyster Cult

2016-01-16 23.20.39I first got into Blue Öyster Cult in 1981 with “Burnin’ for You” (yep, I knew that before “Don’t Fear the Reaper”).  Fire of Unknown Origin was my favorite album for years.  When I got to college, I met my friend Nick when I drew the Blue Öyster Cult logo on my notebook and he saw it.  And then I found out that my neighbor Glen was the biggest Blue Öyster Cult fan, possibly ever.

He has seen them play a bunch of times, but for some reason I never went.  And that is my one major regret after seeing them–I wish I had seen them before when the whole band was together and when they were 20 years younger.  For while they did not disappoint, they weren’t quite up to the standards I had imagined.

The week before the show I listened to their whole catalog and imagined an ideal setlist–deep cuts and weird songs.  But honestly, they could have played any of their songs and it would have been great.

And I loved that they played a sampling of songs from throughout their career. (more…)

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Vanilla Fudge (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, January 15, 2016 ) [BLUE ÖYSTER CULT]

Posted in Backstreet Boys, Blue Öyster Cult, Carmine Appice, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Montclair, NJ, Set in New Jersey!, The Doors, The Monkees, Vanilla Fudge, Wellmont Theater on January 16, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 15, 2016] Vanilla Fudge

2016-01-16 20.13.10I had never seen Blue Öyster Cult even though I’ve been a pretty big fan since college.  So when I saw they were playing at the Wellmont, I had to go see them.  As it turns out Vanilla Fudge was going to be the opener.

I have known of Vanilla Fudge, but I realized that I had no idea what they sang.  And when I looked them up, their biggest hits were all covers.  It turns out, that’s what they are–the world’s most successful and unusual cover band (Led Zeppelin opened for them in 1969, and Deep Purple got their organ sound from Vanilla Fudge).

Although they do covers, their sound is very much their own.  They don’t so much cover songs as transform them into their own style.  And that style is psychedelic and very heavy.

The band released five albums from 1967-1969 and then broke up.  They reunited and recorded an album in 1984.  Then split up.  And reunited in 2002 (with a different singer) and released an album of rerecorded old Vanilla Fudge as well as a cover of a Backstreet Boys and an N’Sync song (!).

Then the original lineup reunited in 2007 for an album of all Led Zeppelin covers called Out Through the In Door.  And then last year they released a new album called Spirit of ’67 (a collection of songs from 1967).  This featured all of the original members except the bassist who has retired.

So, here it is almost 50 years later and the original lineup (sans bassist) is still touring.  And they sounded amazing.  (more…)

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