Concert Review Site

Steely Dan is going back out on the road. They are well known as one of the best bands of the last few decades. Maybe they aren’t well known amongst everyone in the world like U2 that we talked about earlier this week. But there are a lot of people who are interested hearing their music and seeing them in person. This is why they have found themselves on tour once again. Their show is a little edgier than before. They usually sing songs that have a strong emphasis on lyrics that aren’t the most upbeat, but are very touching and emotional. But now they are starting to sing some of their pieces in a more impressive way that is more explosive and a little bit more raw. People really enjoy Steely Dan and you too can also see them in person in the next few months during the rest of their tour.

When U2 hops around the world, it makes sense that they might have some difficulty with some of their different performances. They are still playing great. But after a lot of gigs in a row in cities all across Europe so far, they were apparently a little tired during their recent performances in Sweden. The Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg is one of the biggest places that they will perform in this year. Meanwhile, Bono had some trouble with his vocal cords, because he’s tired out. And he wasn’t able to sing as well or get the audience in on the action the way that he usually does. Most people probably didn’t notice, just the people who see U2 on a regular basis. It was otherwise a great performance with fantastic music. American and Canadian U2 fans will like this show when it gets to North America in a few weeks. For now, they’ll just have to envy the people in Europe.

I was thinking about Philip Glass, whom I wrote about earlier this week. His music seemed especially interesting, so I took a listen to some of his songs and other pieces. It’s interesting to listen to his older stuff, which you could hear in certain parts of Koyaanisqatsi. It starts out tenderly and then you hear about 12 parts being played at once. It’s kind of insane sounding, but it’s very nice to hear. Meanwhile, his music got more detailed and quiet. This way you can catch the soft sounds and the fun of the music. Even in his operas, you can hear the beauty of the moment and the great harmonies between the singers. Take a listen if you haven’t had a chance yet. If you’re into classical music, you will like it much better.

Philip Glass appeared at the Hollywood Bowl for the first time ever this month and it was a great performance. He played some of his best pieces, including Opening and Facades from Glassworks, a piece from Einstein on the Beach and the entirety of Koyaanisqatsi, live. 20 years ago, it wouldn’t have been possible for him to be onstage there, because he was so controversial back then, but now it’s not so surprising anymore. Shocking in other ways, daring in many ways. But it isn’t considered the terrible destroyer of classical music that it would have been seen back then. It was a great performance and he played well just as he always does. The ensemble, as usual, kept the music flowing just right and his travel-with sound engineer mixed it all perfectly. It’s hard to get such good things going.

So You Think You Can Dance tickets have just gone on sale and I’m going to get some for me and my friends. We’ve been watching this fantastic show and it sure looks like it’s going to be a real nailbiter all the way to the end. But the good thing about the live show is that they will bring in all the top 10 contestants to perform solos and in combination with each other. This will be one of the most interesting shows for fans of the show! Maybe Ade and Melissa will perform their beautiful contemporary dance in which the man supports a woman suffering from breast cancer. This was perhaps the key moment of the season so far. It was really exciting, so I hope they do it at the actual performance when I’m there! Don’t miss it yourself!

When the New York Philharmonic played Mahler again at Central Park, they played with great strength as they usually do. The forecast called for rain and the estimated 40,000 spectators were understandably concerned. They don’t want their fancy New York clothes ruined by some rain! But Gary Parr, a staff designate for the orchestra, told the crowd that they needn’t worry, because they were going to play extra strong to blow the clouds away. But at 9:30 the clouds dropped open and everyone went running for cover. What a fun show, but it’s not the way they expected it to go. Park performances usually aren’t huge issues for those who organize the practical aspects of shows. This one, however, turned out to need a little more planning, in terms of where the musicians and instruments go during a rainstorm.

Billy and Elton took the stage at Wrigley Field in Chicago last night and it was an impressive effort as ever. They are both still very talented and can give you a great set of songs. Their songs, however, were essentially the same set of music that they’ve been singing for 20-30 years already and for the crowd it never gets old. The reviewer doesn’t think that Joel was as good as John that night, because there was just a little bit too much sense of Joel trying too hard. He tried to be self-deprecating, but it didn’t work so well. Some of his songs have visibly aged on him. Meanwhile, Elton with his band  hit the stage with enough energy that it worked out really well on a rather cool Chicago evening.

What an odd concert it was. Herbie Hancock was one of the special solo pianists. But they didn’t introduce him, or the orchestra, or the conductor. Nor did they mention what pieces they would be playing that evening. And if you’re looking for a program, forget it, they didn’t have any of those either. It’s like they didn’t know what they would be playing beforehand. But Hancock played a great third set, complete with fun jazz and everything. The classical parts of the concert were also decent and talented. It’s going to be interesting to see if they play this kind of concert again, or if it was just a one-shot deal. Check it out if you get the chance and are in London.

The Hollywood Bowl is well-known as one of the best concert venues in the western part of the country. You can be happy that the Hollywood Bowl season has now opened and it’s going to be a lot of fun. As it has been for the last 10 years, the Hall of Fame Opening Concert is packed with the best in classical opera stars. They brought out many of the world’s best singers to perform some of their favorite pieces and the ones that people are looking forward to hearing. But the show wasn’t supposed to be merely opera. It is for all kinds of vocalists to showcase their abilities in the best way possible. The pop singer Josh Groban was one of the highlights of the show, and obviously much of the audience felt the same way. The rest of the season at the Bowl will be even better, with a great variety of musicians coming out to sing, including classical musicians, musical theater and jazz.

30 years ago, Isaac Stern went to China to bring in some more interest in classical music and get the style of music, especially string and piano players, out into the culture. At that time, China was relatively backwards, but with Deng Xiao Peng’s new programs, a growing prosperity was coming. In that context, it was perfect for Stern to come in. He was the only master violinist that people could meet back then and he really attracted a lot of people and encouraged many talented musicians. Many of the young musicians he discovered have become standard players in auditoriums around the world. His support of a developing music scene in that country has made it a major powerhouse of that style of music as well! This year, there have been many important players, like Lang Lang, to emerge on the scene in the US concert halls, so we keep in mind this ground-breaking trip they made.