Wednesday, November 28, 2007
NEWS LINKS for the clicking...
CSNY and Neil Young DVDs to be released 2008
Van Halen Tour Extended into 2008
CSNY and Neil Young DVDs to be released 2008
Van Halen Tour Extended into 2008
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Note: click on any image to enlarge and MANY more pics from this show appear below!So scroll down, friends!
Michael Bolton and Jennifer Clarke
Live in Concert
November 12, 2007
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
As promised, here's a bit more about the show (do see postings just below this entry also for a nicer picture of the angelic Ms. Clarke)...and a good number of snaps of Mr. Bolton.
Jennifer Clarke, from Cork (that’s Ireland, baby!) but newly moved to London, England (undoubtedly to enjoy the great music scene that I have personally savored more than a few times for more than a couple of decades), simply strolled out on stage, with no announcement as the house lights dimmed. Would it kill somebody of the Bolton or Kirby Center staff to have introduced the lady, humm? But I digress.
Wearing (I guess) a peasant shirt over black leggings and rather stylish knee-high boots, a generous sized cross hanging from a petite golden chain around her neck, she strapped on her acoustic guitar, strummed a few minutes and then a sublimely beautiful voice was heard by all in attendance. I have read her compared to many a singer, but I don’t hear the comparison; this lady is in a vocal class by herself, and if forced at gunpoint I could not find the right words. You simply have to hear her. She is also (although this means little to the pure music fan) as they say, extremely easy on the eyes. Her smile will make YOU smile…every time.
Ms. Clarke was accompanied for a few numbers by (forgive me if I am getting this other great singer’s name wrong) Janice of the Michael Bolton group. The songs were personal, insightful and intellectually seductive. Among them was "Lee" from her self-titled CD. "Lee," she explained is about a female serial killer, and as profoundly moving as it is, it is still hauntingly gorgeous to the ear.
Jennifer Clarke was about as unassuming as any performer who commanded a stage as I have ever seen. Her demure and girl-next-door personality served her well as she interacted with the audience. She did old Zeph a real favor, by dedicating a song to a dear friend of mine. Thanks, Jennifer…you have made at least two fans—for life.
INTERMISSION
The lights dimmed again, and what must have been prerecorded vocals (maybe not, but they sounded "canned" at least in dynamic range) of Michael Bolton were heard in the dark as the band took their places, and slowly began to play along with the vocal. Suddenly Mr. Bolton appeared atop the metal staircase (you can see it to his right in the "guitar-hero" picture above), and gave a letter-perfect rendering of the first number (and the set list follows)…not being a Bolton-fanatic, please forgive my getting the song titles less than perfectly, but here goes…
LOVE IS A WONDERFUL THING—and the crowd went nuts…Bolton in a velvet jacket over a white open shirt and jeans, instructed the crowd, "Don’t hurt yourself too early in the show," when he heard all the screaming and whistles.
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LOVE SOMEBODY—immediately a stool and mike was set up for Bolton and crew on the left side of the stage (inches from the first "pit" rows…more on that later), and Bolton strapped on a black Ovation acoustic-electric guitar to competently strum this one and the next with the band in tow…
DOCK OF THE BAY—I miss Otis, but this was the next best thing.
YOU DON’T KNOW ME—up and a bit sweaty already he removed the velvet jacket and thereby exposed a tad too much chest for yours truly (but some of the audience went wild at this move, the first of several wardrobe changes), he prowled the stage with the wired microphone and gave this tune the gut wrenching soul delivery that it surely deserves.
SUMMERTIME—Michael Bolton said something to the effect that great composers write great songs (like this Gershwin classic) and the songs live forever whilst the composer goes on decomposing (yuk-yuk-yuk, or just YUK!). He said he performed this song in clubs at age 14 or 15; his love for the tune is obvious.
THEY CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME—no Michael, just the band, no vocal at all, and this covered the next wardrobe change. After the song, Bolton reemerged in a dark grey suit (sans tie) with a very subtle pinstripe pattern in the fabric, to pay homage to the late Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra. He surmised "Sinatra performed the definitive versions of these songs," to follow. I’ll delve more into my take on all these cover-work by Mr. Bolton a bit later, but nice live (relatively) big band arrangements of the "Sinatra" songs that followed were a delight to most, and boring to none.
FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE
FLY ME TO THE MOON
SUMMER WIND
NIGHT AND DAY—the only Cole Porter tune so slated by the singer.
THAT’S LIFE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK—there was a bit of a laugh here. Bolton introduced this as a song about the best city in the world, and the crowd yelled "Wilke-Barre!" in almost unison…for the non-locals it’s pronounced ‘Wilkes-BERRY’ (like strawberry)…anyway, the headliner seemed a bit amused by this and said he’d have to check the song book again, and launched into this cool tune about a very cool town.
GEORGIA—we then left the "Bolton Swings Sinatra" section and he gave a fine, almost perfect rendition of this cover tune from the album "Soul Provider"… sorry fans, I still preferred the studio version for some reason; this was the only song of the night that I had that feeling about, by the way.
INSTRUMENTAL—warning, incoming wardrobe change!!! This was a smooth-jazz ditty, that I didn’t recognize, but it gave the lead guitarist and male sax player a chance to stretch their limits and appropriately solo. Note the Bolton Band has three more female (and traffic stoppingly stunning) horn players, termed "The Sugar Horns." Oh, any excuse to give Michael a clothing break…but wait there was more….
WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN—began by the band obviously, with no Bolton in sight….and then the vocal (with good live dynamics) and no Michael….wait wait wait…he’s coming down the aisle (surrounded by security…the guys in the suits and ties that look like they just happen to be at the end of the rows in the middle of the theater are actually sitting around Bolton who is standing on a box, and the men blocked any chance of a high 5 from the audience)…and he sang it on a wireless mike, and did a nice job…which of course is little removed from the original Percy Sledge recording, but nonetheless very nice to hear. Oh, I almost forgot, Bolton was NOW wearing a black (or very dark red) shirt over a lighter blue pair of jeans, and the jeans were a bit tattered (professionally no doubt), and thereby obviously a different pair to his "opening" pair…whew whew.
HOW CAN WE BE LOVERS—marched by an overly large number of security from the aisle (the theater holds maybe 1200 max), this a real Bolton-hit-song, with a spunky tempo signaled the end of the show to me at least, and the crowd sensed it too, and finally became a bit extra animated, singing and clapping more than they had (we were a somewhat sedate group…it was a Monday evening for goodness sake). This song was a show highlight.
TIME, LOVE AND TENDERNESS—great song, great show closer and rather abruptly began for some reason. I would have stretched the previous song a tad more, or at least milked the applause, but that’s just my rock and roll fantasy! This was the apex of the show, flawless, loud and as alive as the band, the singer and the crowd could have ever been. I loved it.
ENCORE—ROCK ME BABY—strapping on his screaming blue electric guitar, Michael Bolton showed his guitar chops through some overdriven Mesa stage amps and a fair amount of echo and delay on the axe, he proved a very competent lead guitarist. This one went on a bit long, but it gave him a good few moments to individually introduce every member of the band. I would have liked it if he had thanked Jennifer Clarke for opening, or better yet invited her on stage to sing with him, but that didn’t happen. Nice jam closer for the end of the show.
OK, in summary for those of you still with me…. the local paper called this a "Vegas" like show, and if you mean great musicianship and hearing Michael Bolton in great voice, so be it. He’s a consummate performer, period, and his show was a delight overall. I admit panning his "Sinatra" CD when it came out (check the archives if you dare), but in concert these tunes do fly…Bolton is not Sinatra…nobody is. Moreover Bolton is great at choosing and performing so-called classics, and such cover work is hardly a new idea. Three Dog Night made a very long career of it, for example. That is what he does and he does it well. The crowd loved it. Oh, and I admit a new fascination with the music of Jennifer Clarke. Long may SHE run!
BOTTOM LINE 5/5 stars for anyone who enjoys great live music.
Zeph, out
Live in Concert
November 12, 2007
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
As promised, here's a bit more about the show (do see postings just below this entry also for a nicer picture of the angelic Ms. Clarke)...and a good number of snaps of Mr. Bolton.
Jennifer Clarke, from Cork (that’s Ireland, baby!) but newly moved to London, England (undoubtedly to enjoy the great music scene that I have personally savored more than a few times for more than a couple of decades), simply strolled out on stage, with no announcement as the house lights dimmed. Would it kill somebody of the Bolton or Kirby Center staff to have introduced the lady, humm? But I digress.
Wearing (I guess) a peasant shirt over black leggings and rather stylish knee-high boots, a generous sized cross hanging from a petite golden chain around her neck, she strapped on her acoustic guitar, strummed a few minutes and then a sublimely beautiful voice was heard by all in attendance. I have read her compared to many a singer, but I don’t hear the comparison; this lady is in a vocal class by herself, and if forced at gunpoint I could not find the right words. You simply have to hear her. She is also (although this means little to the pure music fan) as they say, extremely easy on the eyes. Her smile will make YOU smile…every time.
Ms. Clarke was accompanied for a few numbers by (forgive me if I am getting this other great singer’s name wrong) Janice of the Michael Bolton group. The songs were personal, insightful and intellectually seductive. Among them was "Lee" from her self-titled CD. "Lee," she explained is about a female serial killer, and as profoundly moving as it is, it is still hauntingly gorgeous to the ear.
Jennifer Clarke was about as unassuming as any performer who commanded a stage as I have ever seen. Her demure and girl-next-door personality served her well as she interacted with the audience. She did old Zeph a real favor, by dedicating a song to a dear friend of mine. Thanks, Jennifer…you have made at least two fans—for life.
INTERMISSION
The lights dimmed again, and what must have been prerecorded vocals (maybe not, but they sounded "canned" at least in dynamic range) of Michael Bolton were heard in the dark as the band took their places, and slowly began to play along with the vocal. Suddenly Mr. Bolton appeared atop the metal staircase (you can see it to his right in the "guitar-hero" picture above), and gave a letter-perfect rendering of the first number (and the set list follows)…not being a Bolton-fanatic, please forgive my getting the song titles less than perfectly, but here goes…
LOVE IS A WONDERFUL THING—and the crowd went nuts…Bolton in a velvet jacket over a white open shirt and jeans, instructed the crowd, "Don’t hurt yourself too early in the show," when he heard all the screaming and whistles.
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LOVE SOMEBODY—immediately a stool and mike was set up for Bolton and crew on the left side of the stage (inches from the first "pit" rows…more on that later), and Bolton strapped on a black Ovation acoustic-electric guitar to competently strum this one and the next with the band in tow…
DOCK OF THE BAY—I miss Otis, but this was the next best thing.
YOU DON’T KNOW ME—up and a bit sweaty already he removed the velvet jacket and thereby exposed a tad too much chest for yours truly (but some of the audience went wild at this move, the first of several wardrobe changes), he prowled the stage with the wired microphone and gave this tune the gut wrenching soul delivery that it surely deserves.
SUMMERTIME—Michael Bolton said something to the effect that great composers write great songs (like this Gershwin classic) and the songs live forever whilst the composer goes on decomposing (yuk-yuk-yuk, or just YUK!). He said he performed this song in clubs at age 14 or 15; his love for the tune is obvious.
THEY CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME—no Michael, just the band, no vocal at all, and this covered the next wardrobe change. After the song, Bolton reemerged in a dark grey suit (sans tie) with a very subtle pinstripe pattern in the fabric, to pay homage to the late Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra. He surmised "Sinatra performed the definitive versions of these songs," to follow. I’ll delve more into my take on all these cover-work by Mr. Bolton a bit later, but nice live (relatively) big band arrangements of the "Sinatra" songs that followed were a delight to most, and boring to none.
FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE
FLY ME TO THE MOON
SUMMER WIND
NIGHT AND DAY—the only Cole Porter tune so slated by the singer.
THAT’S LIFE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK—there was a bit of a laugh here. Bolton introduced this as a song about the best city in the world, and the crowd yelled "Wilke-Barre!" in almost unison…for the non-locals it’s pronounced ‘Wilkes-BERRY’ (like strawberry)…anyway, the headliner seemed a bit amused by this and said he’d have to check the song book again, and launched into this cool tune about a very cool town.
GEORGIA—we then left the "Bolton Swings Sinatra" section and he gave a fine, almost perfect rendition of this cover tune from the album "Soul Provider"… sorry fans, I still preferred the studio version for some reason; this was the only song of the night that I had that feeling about, by the way.
INSTRUMENTAL—warning, incoming wardrobe change!!! This was a smooth-jazz ditty, that I didn’t recognize, but it gave the lead guitarist and male sax player a chance to stretch their limits and appropriately solo. Note the Bolton Band has three more female (and traffic stoppingly stunning) horn players, termed "The Sugar Horns." Oh, any excuse to give Michael a clothing break…but wait there was more….
WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN—began by the band obviously, with no Bolton in sight….and then the vocal (with good live dynamics) and no Michael….wait wait wait…he’s coming down the aisle (surrounded by security…the guys in the suits and ties that look like they just happen to be at the end of the rows in the middle of the theater are actually sitting around Bolton who is standing on a box, and the men blocked any chance of a high 5 from the audience)…and he sang it on a wireless mike, and did a nice job…which of course is little removed from the original Percy Sledge recording, but nonetheless very nice to hear. Oh, I almost forgot, Bolton was NOW wearing a black (or very dark red) shirt over a lighter blue pair of jeans, and the jeans were a bit tattered (professionally no doubt), and thereby obviously a different pair to his "opening" pair…whew whew.
HOW CAN WE BE LOVERS—marched by an overly large number of security from the aisle (the theater holds maybe 1200 max), this a real Bolton-hit-song, with a spunky tempo signaled the end of the show to me at least, and the crowd sensed it too, and finally became a bit extra animated, singing and clapping more than they had (we were a somewhat sedate group…it was a Monday evening for goodness sake). This song was a show highlight.
TIME, LOVE AND TENDERNESS—great song, great show closer and rather abruptly began for some reason. I would have stretched the previous song a tad more, or at least milked the applause, but that’s just my rock and roll fantasy! This was the apex of the show, flawless, loud and as alive as the band, the singer and the crowd could have ever been. I loved it.
ENCORE—ROCK ME BABY—strapping on his screaming blue electric guitar, Michael Bolton showed his guitar chops through some overdriven Mesa stage amps and a fair amount of echo and delay on the axe, he proved a very competent lead guitarist. This one went on a bit long, but it gave him a good few moments to individually introduce every member of the band. I would have liked it if he had thanked Jennifer Clarke for opening, or better yet invited her on stage to sing with him, but that didn’t happen. Nice jam closer for the end of the show.
OK, in summary for those of you still with me…. the local paper called this a "Vegas" like show, and if you mean great musicianship and hearing Michael Bolton in great voice, so be it. He’s a consummate performer, period, and his show was a delight overall. I admit panning his "Sinatra" CD when it came out (check the archives if you dare), but in concert these tunes do fly…Bolton is not Sinatra…nobody is. Moreover Bolton is great at choosing and performing so-called classics, and such cover work is hardly a new idea. Three Dog Night made a very long career of it, for example. That is what he does and he does it well. The crowd loved it. Oh, and I admit a new fascination with the music of Jennifer Clarke. Long may SHE run!
BOTTOM LINE 5/5 stars for anyone who enjoys great live music.
Zeph, out
More Pictures of Michael Bolton from November 12, 2007 in Wilkes-Barre, PAClick on any image to enlarge it.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Jennifer Clarke
12 November 2007
Live in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Jennifer Clarke, a most unassuming and lovely young woman who sings so well, I can only describe the sound of her voice as "delicious" opened for Michael Bolton tonight and with her acoustic guitar and piano playing simply stole my heart, and the heart of so many audience members. What a charming young lady. If you haven't heard her, please click on the above link or this one to Jennifer Clarke Music to enjoy! Click on photo to enlarge...
I'll post much much more (w/ photos!) on the blog about this show in a few days, so please stay tuned. Suffice it to say, Ms. Clarke is someone whose music I will enjoy for years to come, and Mr. Bolton (and a superlative band) did a great show too.
Forgive the short post...be back in a few, I promise dear readers!
Zeph, out
PS: thanks Jennifer for making this a special evening for a truly special lady (among many, many others).
12 November 2007
Live in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Jennifer Clarke, a most unassuming and lovely young woman who sings so well, I can only describe the sound of her voice as "delicious" opened for Michael Bolton tonight and with her acoustic guitar and piano playing simply stole my heart, and the heart of so many audience members. What a charming young lady. If you haven't heard her, please click on the above link or this one to Jennifer Clarke Music to enjoy! Click on photo to enlarge...
I'll post much much more (w/ photos!) on the blog about this show in a few days, so please stay tuned. Suffice it to say, Ms. Clarke is someone whose music I will enjoy for years to come, and Mr. Bolton (and a superlative band) did a great show too.
Forgive the short post...be back in a few, I promise dear readers!
Zeph, out
PS: thanks Jennifer for making this a special evening for a truly special lady (among many, many others).
