Tag Archives: #concertreview

Concert Review, Music, Music Review

Concert Review: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals at the Kings Theatre, Brooklyn. August 11, 2023.

I used to describe Ryan Adams and the Cardinals as an Americana, an alt-country outfit, and bringing my soon-to-be 13-year-old son here (Brooklyn, Kings Theatre!!) I didn’t quite know what to expect (I kind of expected Ryan’s band, featuring Don Was (bass), Chris Stills (guitar), Brad Pemberton (drums), and Daniel Clarke (keys, organ), to have moved on, for sure).

But I didn’t expect what turned out to be three hours of downright, rambling, epic rock music – not even rock music at times – but hard-rock music.

They ended up playing more cover songs than originals… Black Sabbath’s “Black Sabbath” and “Iron Man,” KISS’s “Shout It Out Loud,” Iron Maiden’s “Powerslave,” and yes… Don Was (“Walk the Dinosaur“). Understandably, a lot from “Cold Roses.” And then the rest from “Cardinology” and “Jacksonville City Nights.”  

Nothing from “III/IV” or “29.“

BUT I WILL TAKE HIS COVERS OF KISS AND IRON MAIDEN OVER THE LATTER!!! Oh. Yes.

Ryan is now back and with whatever effort he can to bring himself back to his pre-2019 self.

My son was on a short NYC weekend trip with me, and at the start, watching Ryan play, I said, “If you ever really do want to learn how to play one of my guitars, just watch him.” (Yes, “one,” as I have far too many.)

It’s all so effortless and entertaining to watch. Other than the covers, this was all Ryan Adams and the Cardinals materials – there was no veering off to “Oh My, Sweet Carolina.” At one point, my son asked me, “When will he sing “New York, New York?” I didn’t know. 

“Soon, I’m sure.” Errrrrr…….

I’ve never been to a Ryan Adams concert that hasn’t finished with “Come Pick Me Up.” So ending with Iron Maiden… and a hard, rocking version of it on a Friday evening in Brooklyn felt refreshing.

Weirdly so!!

This was just Ryan. With all his stuffed staged cats (God, yes, he loves cats) on stage, fog whenever needed, and with the Cardinals, was why I wanted to see this concert so much. It wasn’t just him alone, on a stage, but with friends. Rocking the hell out of the place.

Listening to their “Cold Roses” favorites like “Easy Plateau,” “Beautiful Sorta,” and “Magnolia Mountain,” but then hearing a completely re-worked “A Kiss Before I Go” from what I consider their most alt-country album ever, “Jacksonville City Nights” was so enjoyable. The song became a ballad, rather than the pedal steel guitar and piano-heavy original version.

He’s fun to watch. He’ll ramble on to the crowd between tracks and respond to them. I even yelled at one point, “It’s Friday Night, Ryan!” and his response was something along the lines of “Did someone just remind me it’s Friday? Despite, well, look at my T-Shirt. [He was wearing a vintage movie “Friday the 13th” shirt]. But because I suffer from a bit from OCD, it’s great to get these reminders.“

At the end, it was the time to stand and give these guys warranted applause. This was a great show. I still don’t know what my 13-year-old thought of it all.

But I hope I made him a Ryan Adams fan.

Chris Garrod, August 17, 2023

Music, Music Review

Concert Review: Depeche Mode sound like they are here to stay.

“I will disappoint you. I will let you down.” Dave Gahan sings halfway through the final song of “Memento Mori,” Depeche Mode’s latest album, released earlier this year. On June 17, 2023, I watched them perform at Twickenham Stadium in London, and one thing is sure. 

They did not let me down.

After the death of Andy Fletcher last year and the release of their newest album, where I thought perhaps it sounded like maybe it was a nod that they were done, seeing them live in a stadium with a capacity of approximately 80,000 folks was jaw-dropping.

Depeche Mode has become a band built for stadium concerts, proven ever since the release of “101” (their 1988 Rose Bowl concert, released in 1989 as a live album and as VHS… I had both.) Electro-rock-synth-pop, (I refuse to call them “synth-pop”…), the band is now just Dave Gahan and Martin Gore (backed now by keyboardist Peter Gordino and longtime touring member, drummer Christian Eigner). This was my first Depeche Mode concert (*crosses off list*), but other than the lovely tribute to Andy Fletcher during “World in My Eyes,” where huge black-and-white images of their late keyboardist were beamed onto the gigantic screens, did it ever feel like this was a band that had been compromised. 

Gahan strutted around the stage with such vigor and swagger, so many journals likening him to Mick Jagger, but, I dunno… he’s… Dave? He will swirl around and around, given any opportunity during a song to do so.

Photograph: Jim Dyson/Getty Images

They played practically half of their new album, starting the show with its stark opener, “My Cosmos Is Mine,” and then their latest single, “Wagging Tongue.” But things really kicked off when “Walking in My Shoes” and favorites such as “It’s No Good,” “Sister of Night,” and “In Your Room” followed.

And then, “Everything Counts,” a fan favorite where Dave runs (literally) around the stage singing, and with the fans clapping and singing the chorus with him at the end, “The grabbing hands, grab all they can. Everything counts in large amounts.” It was hard to make them stop, but you could tell – he loved it.

Gahan ruled the stage. His voice is still fantastic.

Following “Precious” and “My Favourite Stranger,” Dave took a backseat and let Martin take over vocal duties. “The beautiful angelic sound of Mr. Martin Gore!“…he tells the stadium. And Mr. Martin Gore did, beautifully, walking onto the catwalk of the stage into the crowd, first singing “A Question of Lust” and then the very quite tender “Soul with Me” from “Memento Mori.” His voice singing “I’m going where there are no cares, and I’m taking my soul with me.” eventually brings back Dave to the stage and you can tell the two are so warmly connected, the way they interact with each other.

Dave is happy to be back after just a two-song absence.

“Ghosts Again” is sung by Gahan with the video of them in black and white on top of a rooftop playing chess in homage to The Seventh Seal. Though released just earlier this year, it sounds like a classic Depeche Mode song already. It is their best song in years.

Ripping through (and I mean it) “I Feel You,” then Fletch’s “World in My Eyes” tribute, we hit “Stripped“(one of my favorite DM songs) and then their pre-encore closer, “Enjoy the Silence.” Grade A+ to end a Depeche Mode concert part one!!

Gahan and Gore are well into their sixties but didn’t show it during this concert. Partly the former, who snaked and slithered his way around the stage, he was a magnet to watch.

When they came back on, it was just the two of them: “Waiting for the Night” from “Violator.” They walked on the stage into the crowd and sang together just as it was turning dark, into the Twickenham stadium:

“Been waiting for the night to fall,

I knew that it will save us all.

Now everything’s dark…

Keeps us from the stark reality.”

With an emotional hug after the end, it was so very well done, moving, and the iPhones were lit… everywhere.

So the remainder of the encore? Well, we had “Just Can’t Get Enough,” followed by “Never Let Me Down,” followed by the finale, “Personal Jesus.”  

Honestly, yes, there I was at just over 50 years old (I’m not going to be specific), first bopping up and down, then waving my arms back and forth as Dave demands amongst the rest of the crowd (as it started to rain), and then enjoying the final track – bluesy, punchy, electro-rock-synth (call it whatever).

About 3 hours of a musical treat I won’t forget. Thank you, Dave and Martin, I hope I’ll get to see you again.

Chris Garrod, June 23, 2023

(Image: © Katja Ogrin/Redferns)
Concert Review, Music, Music Review, Technology

Concert review: Holy crap, what was that?

All photos by David James Swanson 

Jack White, formerly of The White Stripes and founder of Third Man Records, performed live in Baltimore on August 24th, 2022. I sat happily in the 3rd row of the Pier Sixth Concert Pavilion in awe.

OK, I say “sat.”  I mean “stood.” 

OK, not just stood. A lot of jumping and clapping along with my hands in the air, and since the guy behind me was yelling so much, I didn’t feel any need to hold back when necessary. 

Well, holy crap, what was that? That, indeed, was a Jack White concert.

The use of technology. Or non-technology

I have been to loads of shows where people appear to be enjoying themselves, but during so much of the show, they are taking photos and recording parts of the show on their smartphones without actually engaging with what they should be. The show. The artist.

I’m guilty – I’ve previously taken photos, video clips, etc.

But some folks will record entire songs and post them on YouTube, and to be honest, very rarely is the quality not… ultimately… crap. As the artist, I’d be f*&ing irritated. And why bother buying a ticket to see the artist in the first place if you’re wasting your money hoping for more “likes” on social media?

So, along comes Yondr, which Jack White and other artists (most prominently Dave Chappelle) are pioneering. It is actually brilliant. 

How it works: you arrive at the venue, and if you have bought along your smartphone, you’ll get a pouch. Enter your smartphone, which is locked in the pouch, so you cannot use it.  You’ll get briefly scanned to ensure you’re not hiding some other smartphone (smarty-pants) and then let in.

At first, it feels weird. “Hey, there’s the stage! Let me take a photo to send to my buddies!”  Nope. I arrived a bit early, and after getting something to eat from one of the stalls, I went to my seat and sat. Waiting. Watching and listening to the DJ on the stage. 

I began people-watching. The couple sitting next to me arrived to check their seat position and said, “Hey man, how are you?” I thought we were about to break into some sort of conversation, but they left. The opening act came on, and they were great. Cautious Clay from New York.

I’d never usually (as in, really, really rarely) sit and watch the entirety of an opening band, but these guys were really, really good. I later looked them up on the internet, and yes, they are.

Jack White

So, the Yondr made me pay attention. And once Jack White and his band hit the stage, I was happy it did.

Jack absolutely killed it, which I mean in a good, “I love rock music” way.  He reminded me why I love rock music so much. The total energy.

He played songs from his solo albums (mostly from his latest two, Fear of The Dawn and Entering Heaven Alive) but also a number from his time with The White Stripes (I will admit, I went bat-shit crazy when he played “Hotel Yorba”), The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather (he finished the official set with “I Cut Like a Buffalo”).

During the encore, there was a brilliant mix towards the end of what began to sound like “Seven Nation Army,”… getting everyone excited, but which then turned into “Steady, As She Goes” (from his time with The Raconteurs), which then slowed down…stopped, and turned into “Seven Nation Army.” The audience went unsurprisingly nuts.

I wasn’t initially sure he would use older material or just stick with his solo stuff. Still, as soon as he ripped into “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” earlier on, I thought, “Well, so he’s definitely going to end with Seven Nation Army,” then.

It didn’t matter anyway.  

The entire thing was brilliant from start to finish, and the lack of smartphones kept the audience enraptured (appropriately so). Jack slid across the stage everywhere, singing, playing, and jumping around. His opening songs from Fear of the Dawn justified how brilliant an artist he really is. His energy on the stage is practically atomic, and he is one of our best guitarists.

The songs are not only hooky and catchy, but they rocked the hell out of the place. Seeing Jack live singing them left my jaw open, but for the fact that I was singing along, clapping along, etc.  

He stopped at points to take breathers (him and the audience), dry off, trade guitars (I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an artist exchange so many guitars), and play a few slower songs from Entering Heaven Alive. He cheekily played “We’re Going to be Friends,” a White Stripes song where he managed to get the audience to sing practically half of it, as it is such an iconic song from The White Stripes.

I have a sort of funny list of “Bands and Artists I Want to See Before I’m Dead.”  Well, Jack White, you were on it, and thank you.  You did not disappoint. 

Chris Garrod, August 25, 2022