Atlantic City and RINGO

Well, Yesterday was the big day. We started at 9am and left for the granddaughters birthday party where we help babysit so Mommy could get the rest of the preparations completed. Then Half way to the shore I realized I had forgotten the tickets. So I called the Casino box office and they told me to call Ticketmaster. Long end short it was not a problem. The Neal was not able to get me any info on getting an autograph, so That was a disappointment, but then we went forward. Had dinner at the Hard Rock, and then it was show time. Both Dawn and I agree that it is in the top 5 shows that we have ever seen. The talent alone was impeccable, the sound was perfect, and the ambiance was nostalgic to say the least. Every performer had their own solo and then collective with Ringo. Dawn was unaware of the talent that is Edgar Winter. He is a force to be reckoned, with no doubt. Gary Wright was amazing. Billy Squire rocked the house. Colin Hay was note on. And Hamish Stuart has too much soul for a white Scotsman. Alone any one of these performers would have been worth the ticket price, but to have them all and to include Ringo in the mix, well my audience, I could have died and gone to heaven just then. The amount of talent on the stage at one time was unimaginable, and overwhelming, but collectively, they pulled it off with professionalism and so much fun and humor. We are now hooked and God willing there will be another 10 of these tours that we will be in attendance at.

Cant Wait

Well first let me say that tomorrow is Sat and I want to say Happy Birthday to my Mom. I miss you so much. OK that being said, it is also my granddaughters birthday, and I love you so much. With the mush out of the way, I cant wait and the excitement is building. Dawn and I leave in the morning to head to Atlantic City for a show Sat nite that will be one like we have never seen before. We are taking in the Ringo and his All Star band show. And of course I am taking the guitar, and with the help of a friend Neal, and prayers from Mom, Dawn and I will be lucky enough to get Ringo to autograph the "Beatles" related guitar. I am so looking forward to seeing the show also for the claiber of talent collected on one stage at one time. It will certainly be up there talent wise with the likes of the Jimi Hendrix Tribute we saw last year in mmmmmmmm Atlantic City also. Must be the location. Any way before that show, on Friday night we get to visist with the Absolute Zeros who asked us to come and review them. Looking forward to that show also. And on a side note, I have been asked by Electric Fractory Concerts, to do a review of one of their upcoming shows to which I am totally excited to do. I hope that this can turn into a full time gig (with pay would be nice) between the two of us, but only time will tell. So to recap, Firday Absolute Zeros, Sat Ringo, and soon an Electric Factory show, Daryll Hall and some others coming up. Stay Tuned and dont touch that dial.

B O Z

When I took Dawn to see Boz Scaggs, I was going just to spend time out of the house with my wife, as I was not really that big a fan of his. Well, after the show I have to admit, that I did know way more songs performed then I thought I would, and grew, with each passing song performed, a better appreciation of the talent that is Boz. The performance was almost perfect. The music was tight, the harmonies were never faltering, and the band was so together, it could have been a recording. The background singers were par excellent, and the version of Randy Crawford's "Street Life" was in my opinion, better then the original. Boz has a unique voice and although it was hard for me to determine if natural or falsetto, it was none the less, a calm and soothing melodic instrument that blended right in with the band. Having never seen him in the past I would certainly go see him again given the chance and I highly recommend anyone to take in his show if available in your area.

David Jacobs-Strain

Tonight Dawn and I went to see Boz Scaggs and the opening act was David Jacobs-Strain. Not knowing what to expect, I awaited with open mind. Then David came out to warm up the crowd for Boz. I WAS SO IMPRESSED. David's guitar playing was just short of not possible. He appeared on stage solo and alone, and yet, filled the Keswick with just his miraculous finger picking. Between his 16Th note runs and the amazing slide runs either on the acoustic or the National Dobro, his melodic sounds filled the room. At intermission, Dawn and I went to get his CD and autograph, and we told him that he sounded on a 6 string guitar like Robert Randolph does on a 12 string steel pedal. We were pleasantly shocked by the infectious sounds David put out. On the way in to work after the show, I listened to the CD, and although it is also good, it somehow pales to the actual sheer attack displayed as a solo artist in a hall, with no one else to depend on for making the music sound so good. Keep it coming David and we hope to see you in Nov when you come back to the area.

The trouble with getting things autographed

The trouble with getting the guitar signed tonight was that there are an increasing amount of people coming to get things signed that bring an arm full of albums or 100 pictures and take up a good amount of time with the artist, making it hard for the true collector to get one item signed. In particular, there is a set of brothers that have been increasing prevalent at signings, coming with over 20 records between them. There is no way that they are not doing this as a business and selling the items they get. This is the type of thing that both the artist does not want, and it is what makes it harder for the true fan to simply get the autograph of someone they enjoy. I am a collector for an investment it is true, but it is for way down the road, say 15 years from now, not tomorrow on ebay. I decided to start getting my guitars signed by artists I have enjoyed all my life as an investment for the college fund of my grandchildren. They youngest is going to be 4 this year so I have 13-17 years before I even start to think about selling my guitars. And since I play guitar, I wont even do that till after I sell my 20 long boxes of comics ranging from 1960's to 1990's. I think that seeing people with arm fulls of items to sign is a dead giveaway that they are ebay sellers ( or something similar ) for a profit. Also, another alarming trend I see is that the people getting autographs, are not even attending the show the artist is performing at. They merely show up with a mirage of items and stand out behind the venue and at times demand, most certainly push their way into getting some if not all of their items signed. This is a trend I hope to see get smaller as time goes on and not become more of the norm

John Densmore's Tribaljazz

Saw John Densmore and his Tribaljazz band tonight. Enjoyable eclectic sounds to say the least. "Tribaljazz, the brainchild of legendary Doors drummer John Densmore, blends and fuses improvisational jazz, beats and world music. In the end, what you hear is, truly, Tribaljazz. The band features John Densmore on drums, co-founder Art Ellis on Soprano / Alto Sax and Flute, two master African drummers, an upright bass player, a world- class pianist and a multi-instrumental percussionist. Tribaljazz is an acoustic jazz quartet engine, fuel-injected with the percussion power of several African Master drummers. Tribaljazz brings a provocative and energetic new voice to the Jazz and Jamband world. Tribaljazz is an experience - it's a seductive groove, with driving rhythms, that draws a wide eclectic audience - from Jazz aficionados and Classic rockers, to cutting edge Jamband followers without age or demographic limits."

John was gracious enough to come out before the show and sign things for his fans, which brings me to the next post about autograph seekers.