On Tour

On October 30, I was one of the lucky ones to be in a sold out Sportpaleis for the concert of Lenny Kravitz. I don’t think he needs an introduction, right? This time, he visited Belgium with his Black and White Tour.The support act that night was Raphael Saadiq, an American singer, songwriter, and record producer, of which I never heard of before (shame on me).

Halloween is a time when the spirits of the past come and dance on this physical plane.  At Bell’s Brewery on Halloween weekend 2011, Strange Arrangement played like it was 1976.

How many successful Grateful Dead tribute projects have graced the music scene since the death of Mr. Jerry Garcia and the disbandment of the original 30-year “long strange trip”? Too many to bother keeping track of. The religious obsession that has continued to develop and flourish is due to an enormous number of factors. First and foremost, we weren’t done listening.

Nothing says Halloween better than vampires.  Except for Zombies maybe.  Never mind the fact that it wasn’t actually Halloween, it was Saturday night, and that’s close enough for those of us with jobs that keep us from partying it up on a Monday night.  Devotchka’s annual Halloween show always draws a crowd of the costumed and enthused, and last Saturday was no exception.  Add to the fact that Boulderites love a costume party more than most people with a killer (or undead?) theme like Vampires vs.

The term “trance-fusion” comes along with certain assumptions and associations depending on whose saying it. Perhaps the term was coined by Frank Zappa’s collection of guitar solos compiled just before his death in 1993. Generally the sub-genre refers to a collective of live improvisational bands that incorporate an electronic music element as key to their sound.

“This song is about interracial sex!” – That’s the raunchy greeting Karl Denson gave to the Boulder Theater crowd on this Halloween weekend.  Denson's Tiny Universe then immediately launched into the Rolling Stones’ 'Brown Sugar,' which was just as raunchy as Denson’s

If there’s any band out there that will make you go out on a school night and shake it, its Fort Collins based Euforquestra. Hell, I was running a fever that night and dragged my ass down to the party. Unfortunately I missed the first opening act Boom Chicken and most of Jet Edison’s set.

These days, it’s hard to define them, isn’t it?  In a musical world full of niche genres and file sharing — everyone’s product may have a better chance of being heard, and that’s great.. But it — as a result of a larger pie of musical choice, gets diluted in value.  I think that’s why the live music experience provides for so many, what the recorded medium cannot.

Phans in VA

The 1990s were an excellent time to see live music. Not only were some of the oldest touring mainstays in their mature prime (i.e., Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers Band, Rush, Eric Clapton) but a legion of next generation bands were emerging as part of a new mentality of what it meant to have a tour following.

Since last spring when I missed Chromeo play the sold out show at the Ogden, I have been anxiously awaiting the dance party that Chromeo is.

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