Muse

Tonight was the kind of show that I love to write about. I had no idea what to expect from Muse except some Radiohead comparisons I had heard and the abundance of skinny jeans and hair dos that suggest they are popular amongst the kids. It was kind of like seeing a movie that people have told me was good without having even seen a preview. I wasn't sure if they were worthy of playing the recently renamed Bridgestone Center, the local enormo-dome, but they drew a pretty good crowd, more than Green Day by my estimation. From the Pepe Le Pew hipsters to the cool Joe Six Pack and his girlfriend next to me, the kids seem to love them some Muse.

The opening band was an emo 4-piece called The Silverspun Pickups. They were Webster's definition of mediocre. The drummer was energetic as he could be but even that couldn't get the crowd to bob their heads even the slightest bit. Sure there was the obligatory applause after every song, but during the numbers, not one fist in the air, not one teeny girl scream, not so much as an ass out of a seat. Not even in the very front row. They seemed like they were pretty into their songs, even a little proud that they had written them, but they sucked. My God did they suck.

After a stint on the smoking line and a fresh beer, I made my way to my seat and noticed that the stage was set but there seemed to be a lack of any musical equipment whatsoever. The only things on stage were three skyscraper looking props. When the lights went down and the show started with "Uprising", I was excited to see what they had in store. With the first notes, the covers came off of the props and each member of the band was positioned atop a riser that was previously a skyscraper. All in all it was a pretty cool setup, which raised and lowered periodically throughout the night, something I had never seen before. The light show was spectacular with a mix of your run of the mill arena lights mixed with lasers flooding the hazy room and bouncing off of the back walls. The screens in the back ground showed random flashes of unidentifiable images and brief shots of the band, giving no competition to the amazing lights.

Like I said before, the three piece Muse is often compared to Radiohead, although I would tend to differ. This band made the most of their trio by playing real instruments, even if a lot of the sounds were from a mostly hidden fourth member keyboardist. The drummer did a great job of filling in the extra space with Larry Mullin-esque drum lines and the singer/guitarist had a certain Bowie/Bono bravado that made his vocals boom, as opposed to the Thom Yorke wail whine. The guitar sounds were strong and unique, much different than your typical Les Paul-ocaster tones you usually hear from most current popular bands. I was too far away to see the brand of guitar but I could tell that I had never seen anything like them before. The bass player was adequate. That's it, adequate. Lisa Simpson would give him a "Meh". I guess everyone can't be spectacular. I will give him props for the short solo in which he and the drummer spun around on the center riser while he strummed intricate chords in overdrive while the drummer wailed. The one song I recognized was the one with the chorus "I want it now." I guess I've either heard it on the radio or seen it in a Mountain Dew ad on T.V. The show climaxed with a rousing version of "Plug In Baby" complete with huge eyeball balloons dropping from the sky and bursting with confetti. Truly a mohawk raising experience.

Over the course of the night I went from "this sounds an awful lot like Blur" to "is this a Cher song?", all the while bobbing my head and tapping my foot and loving it. I didn't know what to expect but I did know that everyone I had talked to about this band had nothing but good things to say, even some of my most musically opinionated friends. I also know that they didn't disappoint. This show was pretty awesome, from the lights, to the stage, to the music and performance. I can almost guarantee that this show was heads and shoulders above the AARP-fest Clapton show that I got shut out of, choc full of energy and feeling and no one behind me telling me to sit down.

Eric Clapton (bust)

Well, as the wise Dude says, "Sometimes you eat the b'ar, and sometimes the b'ar eats you". My usual routine of pacing the sidewalk at show time let me down tonight, making this the first time I wasn't able to get a ticket for the Sommet Center ever.

There are a few factors that have to fall into place and tonight none of them did. First, the crowd was way too long in the tooth. These types of people go to one show a year, buy a ticket for them and their wife, and think an extra ticket would be ridiculous. And even if for some reason they were to have one, they're not taking one cent less than what it says on that ticket, even if they have to take it in. Another setback was the actual price of tickets. The cheapest ones were 72 bucks, and it appeared that a lot of people were willing to pay that as it was pretty close to sold out. The ratio of extras to buyers was way out of whack, there were people everywhere trying to buy. I even saw a dad teaching his two young boys the fine art of ticket finding, which although it was hard to compete with that, I like to see kids learning the ropes.

I guess I'm not too upset about missing this one, definitely not worth 72 bucks if all I really wanted to hear was "Crossroads". This was really more of a concert bucket list thing, not knowing how many more chances I will get to see Clapton, even if half of his catalog bores me and the other half is played so slow nowadays that it's more of a novelty. I guess for now, I'll have to settle for cheesy cell phone commercials, televised relief events, and geezer reunions.

Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB

There were a few reasons why I didn't think I was going to make it to this show. I had been disappointed by a few Trey solo shows before, and with Eric Clapton on Saturday, I figured I could only afford one of the two. Boy am I glad my friend came through with a free ticket (front row center balcony) and I was able to go. It was by far the best Trey show I have been to. Classic TAB was a great band and the Ryman is always a memorable place to see a show.

This tour with Classic TAB is similar to when Trey set out on his own during the first Phish hiatus. There was a 3 piece horn section containing sax, trumpet, and trombone, along with bass, keys, and drums. Trey of course took on all of the guitar responsibilities. The first thing that stood out to me was Tony Markellis, the portly bassist, sitting in the back on a riser. What is this, a Panic show? He sat as still as a statue the whole time. His playing was adequate, maybe even above average, but not stellar enough that someone with some personality couldn't pull it off. The horn section included Russell Remington on sax and the occasional butt scratching yawn inducing flute solo, Jennifer Hartswick on trumpet, and Natalie Cressman replacing her father in the band on trombone. This element of the band added something that I hadn't seen at a Trey show before. Also adding back ground vocals, they basically doubled the size of the band and made the sound huge. Their parts in the songs were well composed, their solos were a welcome alternative to constant lead guitar, and they knew when to leave the stage while Trey did his trademark jams. Ray Paczkowski on keys was one member I recognized. His work with one hand on the B-3 and one on the Clav made the band sound extra funky. Russ Lawton was just a straight forward rock drummer, a far cry from the technical scientist that is Jon Fishman. And of course, Trey was Trey, although I must say he was more animated than I have ever seen him, even in his cocaine days. He was bouncing around that stage like a dreadie with a head full of molli. It was good to see him having such a good time, obviously feeding off of the crowd and the amazing building.

Some first set highlights were "Louise", "Stars Above", and "Night Speaks to a Woman", which included one of those aforementioned Trey style jams. It was long enough, but not too long and reached a huge crescendo. When he picked up the acoustic guitar for "Backwards Down The Numbers Line", I skipped out for a smoke, but upon my return, I was surprised to see the Del McCoury band joining Trey on stage. I was thrilled when they played two of my favorite old Phish bluegrass numbers "Blue and Lonesome", and the Del original "Beauty of My Dreams". Even if the "special guest bluegrass/country star" thing is a little tired, Trey and the Del band have played together before and obviously like each other and have great musical chemistry.

The second set was a little more Phishy, including a "Gotta Jiboo" opener and a long jammy "Sand", which where both more rocking versions due to the different drumming style of this show, but really just made me miss Page McConnell's singing. The set ending suite of "Sultans Of Swing" and "Black Dog" sent the crowd into a frenzy. "Sultans" has always been one of my top 5 favorite songs, and this band did it justice. Trey nailed the middle guitar solo note for note and the horn section equaled his efforts in the outro, killing that solo exactly. Jennifer Hartswick took the vocals for "Black Dog" to a new level, ending the show with a huge bang. "First Tube" served as the encore, being the first song Trey wrote with this band back in 2000. It was fun, I've always liked this song when Phish did it, but again this band rocked it out more.

I would like to take this chance to thank the Ryman staff for their diligence. I agree there where just far too many elbows leaning on the stage and the show couldn't have gone on for one more moment if that guy didn't put his shirt back on. I understand there should be a certain level of due respect for this room, and it's cool that you've been working here for fifty years, but aside from snuffing out joints and cigarettes, just keep the place free from riots and let the kids have fun. I've seen people get away with more debauchery on stage (Jesco).

I really am glad I made it to this show. I underestimated Trey and more so this band. My overall feeling was "why go see Trey when I can still go see Phish?" This was just completely different from a Phish show, as well as the Trey shows I've been to before. There was a sense of simplicity in the fact that there wasn't a huge light show, in fact it was just the house lights. There was also a kind of humility from Trey himself that I have never seen before. It was refreshing and a pleasure to see him have such a good time, almost enjoying his band and the show like a fan. I can't believe I was going to pick Eric Clapton over this. I'm still going to Clapton, but he's gonna have to bring it pretty strong to reach the energy level from this show.

Johnny Neel and the Criminal Element

Here we go again. Playing 2 shows in 2 weeks after a 6 month break is a great way to get back in the swing of things. This time it was 12th and Porter playing host and the C.E. were the third of four bands, the fourth being Shauna P and the Earthfunk Tribe, the soul singer I missed last time.

The first band was The Ugli Stick, who appeared to be the same members of the Earthfunk Tribe doing their own thing without Shauna P. The second band was the Cooling System, who were a funky band with a great horn section. I missed both of these groups while running about before the Element but what I heard was cool.

The Criminal Element started their set off with what appears to be what you might call the "single" from the upcoming Volume 3 record, "Sum of it All". They also broke out another new one, a really cool reggae tune called "Closing In On You". This one was one of my favorites of the night with a super slick bass line and some tight vocal harmonies. About mid-way through the set Johnny announced that they were going to make up a song for Drummer Curt Redding who was celebrating his 31st birthday. If he hadn't announced this, you might have thought that this was another song they had been working on. They nailed it right off the cuff proving that some of their best work is made up right there and then. It had everything you would expect from the C.E. including a catchy riff and mumbled jibberish words from Johnny, both of which even their most well-known songs have. It was funny to hear guitarist Randy Boen say "that's gonna be on our next album", which is probably true. Later on they invited a whole gaggle of people up including some of the horns from the Cooling System and Shauna P for a song that I didn't recognize but Shauna seemed more comfortable with than last time. It went over well with some good singing and a nice sax solo from Adam Livingston (yes, from Boom Ticket). The rockin' "Damn Right" is always a great show closer and didn't disappoint this time. Good show from the Criminals. It looks like they're getting back into the groove.

I was exited to see what Shauna P and the Earthfunk Tribe could do after hearing everyone rave about them for the past two weeks. The first thing that stood out was her awesome bass player. Aside from rocking out, his technique was very unique. Imagine him holding the bass way up high, cradling it on the inside of his right elbow, pointing the head stock towards the floor, and playing with right hand coming up on the strings instead of from above. Something cool to see and like I said, he was thumping that thing like it owed him money. Moving on to Shauna P herself, she sure is quite the singer, although I couldn't help thinking on more than a few occasions that this was the lady funk equivalent to Bon Jovi. There's no denying that she is a great singer, but her stage moves, dramatic facial and body contortions, and her adult contemporary-themed songs pushed the cheese envelope just a little far for me. The robust Wednesday crowd was really into it, which is saying something for after midnight on a school night in this town. The band was great and again, she can sing real well but I probably wouldn't go see them again if they weren't opening for someone else.

Old Union

I've been looking forward to two things on this, the second weekend of February. Celebrating our presidents and sucker relationship savers? Not so much. The beginning of the Olympics and the Old Union show at Third and Lindsley with Ballhog were on the calendar and the talk of the town. Third is not my favorite place to see a show. With the L shaped layout, it's hard to find a place to stand without being in I-65 like traffic and you might as well get right back in line for the bathroom because it will take that long to get back in. However, the sound is usually pretty good and it is a sentimental favorite for me, as I have done and seen some great shows there.

The preliminary round featured local string band Ballhog. As I mentioned before, the sound at Third is usually pretty good. On this night however, I don't know what happened. Actually I do. The sound guru Mikey split after the 7 o'clock show and left the late night to some apparent amateurs. An obviously bad connection kept producing loud popping noises on stage and after a couple of songs' worth of frantically turning knobs and running around, the sound guy duo finally looked at each other and shrugged, leaving the rest of the set prone to deafening feedback bursts and connection pops, which was unfortunate because Ballhog was really on. The return of sax man Chris West to an already ample horn section and a crowd full of Ballhog enthusiasts provided an energy boost to some already fun songs, even if there were some early forgotten lyrics and slight confusion. Starting off with a crowd favorite "Holy Ghost Train" got everyone singing along and "I Can't Hide Where I'm From" got everyone dancing. Some other favorites of mine included "The El Fandango" and "Cameras", which is a clever Randy Russell song about the ever-intrusive big brother. I also love when banjo man Craig sings. Although I don't know the exact titles of his songs,he is the classic case of how you don't have to sing like an American Idol to be a great singer. All in all a great Ballhog show and a good opener for the U.

Old Union came out with a bang. Unfortunately, the combination of my O.U. song title ignorance and a missing pen along with a raging buzz by this time made it hard to gather much of the set list. Highlights for me included "Last Chance", with Chris West being invited back up on stage to trade sax licks with Chuck's electric piano, which was pretty cool to see in a band with two spectacular guitarists who usually take that role. Speaking of spectacular guitarists, Johnny Z won the gold medal for his performance on this night. I might be wrong but it seemed like Johnny took more solos than usual, reaching those epic, finger in the air Woo Hoo moments that make this band awesome. Another good one was "Traveling Show" with Patty D adding another sax and Spotty Dog killing it on his Les Paul. I'm pretty sure this is also the song that featured Dave's drum solo. His solos are unique in the fact that they aren't all about playing a million beats per second with high flying fills. Not that he couldn't do one of those, but his are more groove oriented with lots of rolls and cymbal crashes. By the way, bass player Jason Williams or "J. Dub" is so tight I can barely stand it. He is the classic soft-spoken, quirky bass powerhouse. O.U. is lucky to have obtained him a few years ago.

Even though I can't name every song they played, I do know that there was a steady mix of old and new ones and the entire show rocked a hundred or so asses, including mine. An Old Union show has come to mean not only a good concert, but also a party with a close community of friends and fans alike that make the whole experience a blast.

Johnny Neel and the Criminal Element

Tonight was the long awaited return of The Criminal Element after what appeared to be somewhat of a break. Knowing that they have been making their third record during this hiatus made me exited to hear some new stuff. They were slated as the second of three bands playing at Exit In, so I figured it wouldn't be the usual improvisation-fest, but I knew that they would bring it.

As I arrived, the first act, Shawna P and the Earthfunk Tribe, were getting their set started. While I stood at the bar, she sang a slow number with her acoustic guitar player, thus inspiring me to go see what was going on backstage. Then while I was back there, I heard her band fire up and put on what appeared to be a smokin' set. I guess I missed it.

Johnny Neel and the Criminal Element came on and got right to it with their crowd blaster "Damn Right", setting the tone for the rest of the set. For a band that hadn't played a show since October and haven't officially rehearsed in their years as a band, their undoubted chemistry and talent allowed them to get up there and play like they'd been on tour for weeks. Moving on in the set, they played what ended up being the only new number of the night, "Sum of it All". I guess they're saving all the new ones for the CD release party. It was cool to see Johnny and Guitarist Randy Boen converse back and forth musically on this song even though Johnny can't see. This is actually a unique thread that runs through this band, including Russell "Damn" Wright and Curt Redding on bass and drums respectively. They have an incredible ability to improvise and follow Johnny's lead and keep up with his ever-changing, rapid fire curve balls. After a rockin' version of their ode to whiskey "Mikey" and "Go", they invited Shawna P back up for a slightly disorganized and obviously unplanned cover of Bill Withers' "Use Me (Till You Use Me Up)". Shawna was indeed a great singer and the song went over pretty well. They ended the set with the ballad "Playin' On the Tracks", which started like a lullaby and ended like a raging tent revival before morphing into another spur of the moment choice, "Immigrant Song". It was a fun show, although it was way too short for these guys to really showcase their love for improvisation and other criminal shenanigans.

The night's closer, Casme, was a lady r&b singer, with a 10 piece back-up band including black chick background singers (which I always love), a horn section and a couple of keyboards along with the guitar, bass, and drums. This was a fun band to watch with their lady dancers and their swaying to and fro. Casme was a pretty good singer but didn't even come close to Shawna P. I guess it was as close to a J-Lo show as I will ever get. They seemed pretty green to the whole "playing shows" thing as indicated by their poor staging etiquette. Moments after the end of the Element's set, all 12 of them were crowding around the stage with their gear before the guys could even get Johnny walked off. They then proceeded to just stand in the way while the Criminals tried to maneuver a timely breakdown. I mean for a three-piece, it's not that big of a deal, but if you're gonna roll with 12 to 15 band members, just wait a damn minute for the previous band to get out of the way. No one's in that big of a hurry to see your bush league band. Just an observation.

Mean Tambourines

Tonight I figured it had been too long since I had seen a show so I made the pilgrimage to the Exit In to see the Mean Tambourines. I had heard about this band and was interested to see for myself. What I found was a sea of tight jeans and stand-still hipsters.

I showed up about halfway through the Astronomers' set. This foursome was the most entertaining of the night with their choreographed stage moves and dance style beats. Their drummer seemed to drag a little, but he had to be tired from playing fast 16ths for the majority of the show. The chick bass player was easily the coolest part of the band playing her solid unique bass lines effortlessly while bouncing around the stage. Their lead guitar player seemed a little more interested in "performing" and adjusting his fanny pack than being any good but the overall set was fun. I was confused when they announced that they had two songs left and then totally switched to a whiny Coldplay style for their finale. I would have thought that if they had to do those downers, they would at least put them in the middle of the set and then finish strong, but I guess they figured they would leave the kids with something to dwell on.

After a long set up, the Mean Tambourines finally took the stage and went right into their set of quick hitting brit rock. The singer/rhythm guitarist Ryan Truso started off with some good energy but after a couple of songs, he seemed to mellow out to the crowd's level and pretty much mailed in the rest of the show. No "thank yous" or "this song is called", just bang bang song after song filled with heeeeeeeyyyyy ooooohhhhhhh refrains and poppy vocals. Gabe Pigg on the other hand was on fire for the whole set on the drums making very similar songs all sound like individuals and bobbing up and down back there with a fury. The other lead guitarist Austin Brown and the bass player Chris Boyle just sort of stood there looking cool but not really inspiring much awe. By the end of the set, the audience was still just standing there in their Chuck Taylors and spotty bleach jobs still seemingly unaffected. I can see these guys having a much different vibe with a crowd that gave off a little more energy. Tuesday night in Nashville is hard to get a rise out of anyone, especially if most of the fans are drinking Cokes and water.

With an introduction from their drunk buddy, and a pre-recorded over done opera sample, Halo Stereo took the stage and blasted off. They had some good songs and they definitely rocked out the In. I did get a little tired of the drum machine intro to every song. Why not give it a break every once and a while with a good old drum stick click and a one, two, three, four? This theme of "too much gear" seemed to continue through their show, as they often had to pause to fix their wireless monitor ear pieces or make robot voice noises. The thing was that their rock could actually stand on its own, so why bother with all the bells and whistles? The lead guitarist Nathan Macdonald reminded me a lot of Pearl Jam's Mike McCready the way he shredded his solos and added his flare to otherwise run of the mill rock songs and the drummer Brian Meeks was rowdy and tight. This band was polished, their songs were fun, but these guys really didn't inspire much awe, again due to an under zealous crowd. Hopefully they will draw a better reaction on their upcoming tour.