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REVIEW: Fiona Apple @ the Schnitz (Portland, OR – 7/26/12)

30th Jul 12 (Mon) 1 comment

Fiona Apple in Minnesota (July 2012)

Poetic and pop-forward, yet jazzy on record, Fiona Apple turned out a full force band show at Portland’s Schnitzer last Thursday.  She bounced around her back catalogue, only playing a handful from the new album, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do.

What to like about what she played?

Just about everything.  The pain & hurt in “Shadowboxer,” the disappointment in “Paper Bag,” the anger in “Get Gone,” the positivity and whimsy in “Extraordinary Machine.”  I would have loved to hear a live rendition (with vocal loops) of “Hot Knife” from The Idler Wheel, but overall, I was pleased with what she gave us…

Setlist: about 90 mins

  • Fast As You Can
  • On the Bound
  • Shadowboxer
  • Paper Bag
  • Anything We Want
  • Get Gone
  • Sleep To Dream
  • Extraordinary Machine
  • Werewolf
  • Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song)
  • Daredevil
  • I Know
  • Every Single Night
  • Criminal
  • Carrion
  • Not About Love
  • Encore: It’s Only Make Believe [Conway Twitty]

Fiona’s rocking band was helmed by Blake Mills on guitar (the show opener as well), and rounded out by Sebastian Steinberg on bass, Amy Wood on drums, and Zac Rae on keys.

Fiona is on the top of her game, and I just hope that it’s not another 7 years before we hear something new.  But even if it is, I know it’ll be a delight.

The Appropriate Linkage:

She just ended her 2012 summer tour (dates below), but check out her TOUR PAGE for Fall dates that start in September.

Next show for me… Sigur Rós @ Edgefield (Portland) on Aug 9th.

~Dan – np: Celldweller – Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head, Volume 2

Fiona Apple — 2012 Tour Dates
6/19 – Ithaca, NY – State Theatre
6/20 – Baltimore, MD – Lyric Opera House
6/22 – Mashantucket, CT – MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods
6/23 – Holyoke, MA – Mountain Park
6/24 – New York, NY – Governors Ball at Randall’s Island
6/26 – Washington DC – Warner Theatre
6/27 – Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theatre
6/29 – Danbury, CT – Ives Concert Park
6/30 – Boston, MA – Citi Performing Arts Center
7/1 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
7/3 – Montreal, QC – Olympia Theatre
7/4 – Toronto, Ontario – The Sound Academy
7/6 – Cleveland Heights, OH – Cain Park
7/7 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
7/10 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
7/11 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
7/13 – Nashville, TN – The Ryman Auditorium
7/14 – St. Louis, MO – Peabody Opera House
7/16 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
7/17 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland by AMC
7/20 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
7/21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kingsbury Hall at University of Utah
7/24 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum
7/25 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
7/26 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
7/28 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
7/29 – Hollywood, CA – Hollywood Palladium

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Categories: Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Puscifer @ the Schnitzer (Portland, OR – 3/14/12)

15th Mar 12 (Thu) 16 comments

Fourth time seeing Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer.  Always a treat!  I opted out of the hassle of doing the photo pass on this 2nd leg, as I wanted to catch Carina Round’s set and not miss the intro video or any of the Puscifer set like I had to back at the 1st leg kick-off in Seattle in Nov 2011.  Thus… ALL PHOTOS posted on this review are from the official Puscifer photographer and/or Meats Meier (see FB photo album).

I did the VIP soundcheck & wine tasting again (I’m a sucker for that)… Soundcheck performance was again stripped down acoustic on both songs – “The Chain” [Fleetwood Mac] and the personal favorite “The Humbling River” (with Carina Round on banjo).

For the wine, this time we tried the Arizona Stronghold’s Mandala (2010) & Mangus (2010) and the Caduceus Cellars’ Nagual de la Naga (2010).  The Mandala was nice, had a very sweet and somewhat tart nose, but definitely a dry/balanced finish.  It’s still young, but was an interesting viognier white wine blend.  The next two were reds, and I liked them more.  The Mangus was very drinkable.  It was a “super Tuscan” primarily sangiovese blend – sweet, fruity, a little buttery in the mouth-feel.  My favorite of the night was the Nagual de la Naga.  It would have been perfect with a rich meal… this cabernet savignon, merlot, and sangiovese blend was only bottled a week before the tour started; so it was definitely a young wine.  Despite its age, it was full bodied and beautiful to drink now.

Carina Round opened the show.  She’s a great rocker singer-songwriter who also backs Maynard on vocals during the Puscifer set… she seemed more comfortable than the last tour go around.  Her band was made up of a majority of the Puscifer live band.  She had a lot of energy, and a high kick near the end of the set gave those of us in the front rows a special treat.  She left the stage, and shortly thereafter the video intro started with Billy D (played by Maynard), Hildy, Cherry Piles, Peter Merkin, and other odd characters.

The show started out the same as Seattle… with Maynard wheeling out a small airstream camper.  He set up some tables and chairs and talked about sustainability and what they’re trying to do with Puscifer (listen to the Fall 2011 monologue from NC).

The show overall was very similar to last year’s leg, which is fine with me… it’s a great set of songs, a fantastic light show, and a paradox of high technology with a stripped down feel.  The song selection was also quite similar, except for the middle of the set we got “Potions” and “Mama Sed” instead of “Polar Bear” and “Indigo Children”…

Setlist: about 90 minutes

  • Maynard Monologue while setting up camper/stage
  • The Green Valley
  • Tiny Monsters
  • Vagina Mine
  • Dozo
  • Toma
  • The Rapture (Fear is a Mind Killa Mix)
  • The Weaver
  • Rev 22:20 [Carina Round on lead vocals]
  • Potions
  • Momma Sed
  • Oceans
  • Monsoons
  • Horizons
  • Conditions of My Parole
  • Man Overboard
  • Telling Ghosts
  • The Undertaker
  • Tumbleweed
    No Encore

This is a brilliant tour for a brilliant album.  The western feel also fits extremely well with the newer mellower songs… tumbleweeds blowing by, fake campfire, and a dazzling electrical storm…

Don’t have Conditions of My Parole yet?  I think you should go buy it if you haven’t yet.  It’s at the top of my pile for 2011 releases (by far).

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below… the dates are winding down; so if you missed it, you’ll have to try next time!

Next shows for me… Seun Kuti @ WOW Hall (3/18) and Skerik’s Bandalabra @ Cozmic (3/20).

~Dan – np: John Zorn – IAO: Music in Sacred Light

Puscifer Winter Tour 2012

February
23  Austin, TX – Long Center for the Performing Arts
25 Baton Rouge, LA – River Center Theatre
26 Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre
28 Nashville, TN – Andrew Jackson Hall
29 Louisville, KY – Brown Theatre

March
1 Pittsburgh, PA – Byham Theatre
3 Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
4 Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
6 Kansas City, KS – Kansas City Music Hall
7 Omaha, NE – Omaha Civic Auditorium
10 Edmonton, AB – North Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
11 Calgary, AB – Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
13 Vancouver, BC – The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
14 Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
16 San Francisco, CA Palace of Fine Arts
17 Riverside, CA Fox Performing Arts Center
18 Escondido, CA – California Center for the Arts

Categories: Concert Photos, Metal, Rock & Pop Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Eddie Vedder & Glen Hansard @ the Schnitzer (Portland, OR – 7/14/11)

15th Jul 11 (Fri) 5 comments

MY PHOTOS NOW POSTED (see bottom)

Last night in Portland showed two stripped down musicians, parting ways from their “main gig” and creating some delightful energy despite the solo nature of it all.  First up was Glen Hansard of The Swell Season (see the Once movie) and The Frames (who essentially became the backing band for the Swell Season)…

(not from GH’s July 2011 Portland gig – this shot from Nov 2009)

Glen played a 45 or so minute set.  Among stories of getting drunk and staying out until 5am viewing women only wearing feathers, he played some tunes that featured his powerful voice.

Glen’s Setlist: 45 minutes

  • Pennies in the Fountain
  • Leave
  • Lucia
  • You Will Become
  • Love Don’t Keep Me Waiting (with “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” tag)
  • In These Arms
  • Astral Weeks [Van Morrison] (with “Death Metal” solo)
  • Song of Good Hope

After a short set change, Pearl Jam front-man Eddie Vedder came out.  He was dressed as expected… Seattle casual – complete with flannel.  Shocking, I know…

The stage was set up with a sparse bungalow living room feel.  Some chairs, a reel to reel, antique lamps, guitars and shelving strewn about.  While this was billed as the Ukulele Songs tour, Eddie started out on acoustic.  He played a wandering and energy filled set: some stripped down Pearl Jam tunes, some Into the Wild tunes, some ukulele numbers, some covers.  While his casual flannel may make him seem like stuck in the 90s slacker movement, Eddie is anything but a slacker.  He delivered 2 hours of music…

Eddie’s Set: 2 hours

  • Walking The Cow [Daniel Johnston]
  • Can’t Keep
  • Sleeping By Myself
  • Without You
  • Goodbye
  • Blue, Red And Grey [The Who]
  • I Am Mine
  • Thumbing My Way
  • Just Breathe
  • Far Behind
  • Long Nights (with Glen Hansard)
  • Setting Forth
  • Guaranteed
  • Rise (dedicated to Gerry Lopez)
  • Immortality
  • Unthought Known
  • The End
  • Arc
  • Encore 1: If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out [Cat Stevens]
  • You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away [The Beatles]
  • Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
  • The Golden State (with Corin Tucker) [John Doe]
  • Tonight You Belong To Me (with Janet Weiss) [Billy Rose & Lee David]
  • Sleepless Nights (with Glen, off mic, a cappella, gorgeous) [Gram Parsons]
  • Society (with Glen) [Jerry Hannan]
  • Falling Slowly (with Glen on lead vocals) [The Swell Season]
  • Porch
  • Encore 2: Hard Sun (with Glen, Corin & Janet) [Gordon Peterson]
  • Dream A Little Dream [The Mamas & the Papas]

Eddie has such passion for what he does.  He doesn’t do things half-assed.  While I’d say he isn’t in my short list for “best singers,” he is on the short list for “most passionate singers.”  He’s a gritty and emotive rockstar, definitely – all while being down to earth.  I also find his voice to be distinct, despite the copycats of the 90s.

Eddie shared a funny story about a party with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell trying to help Eddie create the perfect “evil ukulele” sound.  Too much wine brought on Chris hurling over the balcony… “the ukulele won.”

The session of duets Corin Tucker (from Sleater-Kinney/CT Band) and Janet Weiss (from Sleater-Kinney/Quasi/etc) was fantastic.  The absolute highlight for me was when Glen came back on for the encore and played three songs with Eddie… the first being a stunning off-mic, a cappella version of “Sleepless Nights” and the third being “Falling Slowly” (from Glen’s band The Swell Season).

This tour ends tonight in Seattle…

One question of note: why were the roadies dressed in white lab coats?

more EV photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

The tour dates below… all done tonight in Seattle.

~Dan – np: Garage A Trois – Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil

EDDIE VEDDER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Eddie Vedder & Glen Hansard – Summer 2011 Tour Dates

June 15: Providence, R.I. (Providence Performing Arts Center)
June 16: Boston, Mass. (The Wang Theatre)
June 18: Hartford, Conn. (The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts)
June 21: New York, N.Y. (Beacon Theatre)
June 22: New York, N.Y. (Beacon Theatre)
June 25: Philadelphia, Pa. (Tower Theatre)
June 26: Detroit, Mich. (Fox Theatre)
June 28: Chicago, Ill. (The Chicago Theatre)
July 1: St. Louis, Mo. (Fox Theatre)
July 2: Minneapolis, Minn. (Orpheum Theatre )
July 5: San Diego, Calif. (Copley Symphony Hall)
July 6: Long Beach, Calif. (Terrace Theater)
July 8: Los Angeles (The Wiltern)
July 9: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Santa Barbara Bowl)
July 11: Oakland, Calif. (The Paramount Theatre)
July 14: Portland, Ore. (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall)
July 15: Seattle, Wash. (Benaroya Hall)

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Eddie Vedder @ Schnitz (Portland 7/14)

15th Jul 11 (Fri) 2 comments

Stupendous show last night at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall from Eddie Vedder & Glen Hansard.  I should have my review up with photos later this weekend.

Updated ~ Review & setlist posted: HERE (photos still to come)

The highlight for me was the duets set capped with a Eddie/Glen duet on The Swell Season’s “Falling Slowly.”

~Dan

Categories: Concert Photos, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: A Perfect Circle @ the Schnitzer (Portland, OR – 6/29/11)

1st Jul 11 (Fri) 19 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

A Perfect Circle [APC] is a beautiful collaboration between music-writer Billy Howerdel (Tool guitar tech, Ashes Divide frontman) and lyricist Maynard James Keenan (Tool & Puscifer frontman, winemaker).  Their first album, Mer de Noms, took the artistic approach that is also in Tool’s world into a more mainstream hardrock setting.  They dug deep into addiction-themed lyrics on their follow-up, The Thirteenth Step, and then got really politically bent on eMOTIVe (which was released on the day we failed as Americans by electing George W Bush for a 2nd term).  WTF!?  Anyway, sorry for my personal injection… here is their oeuvre to peruse if you are unfamiliar:

Their last full-length studio album (the aforementioned eMOTIVe) also showed less songwriting and way more covers… Lennon, Costello, Marvin Gaye, Zeppelin, Devo, Black Flag, Joni Mitchell, Depeche Mode, and more.  Its political nature was maybe a last “rock the vote” push in the 2004 Presidential election?  Well, the peace and war and political conflict from 2004 is still here in 2011.  It’s different, but alas it’s still here.  I think that album is still very relevant… while APC plans on releasing some new material in the near future (digital format initially), the first thing I noticed when I showed up at the Schnitzer on Wednesday night was their stage setup: camouflage curtains, ammo boxes, and military-like gear littered the stage.

This was their first show of the six-week tour… Was the show going to be a musical battle-zone?  Maynard has been quite theatrical with his live shows lately (see my Puscifer Nov ’09 review links below), but APC tends to be a different beast… Maynard in Puscifer is the outgoing one, in APC is a bit reserved, and in Tool is many times cloaked and hidden for 75% of the show.

Before digging into APC’s set, the opener…

The opener was a Japanese noise-pop hardrock trio Red Bacteria Vacuum.  The reviews I’ve read have really dissed them.  I’m a fan of this type of thing (poppy Tsu Shi Ma Me Re & noisy Melt Banana); so I dug them plenty.  Plus they were cute a button when exchanging words with the crowd… “please… to… eat you.”  Nice 30-minute sugar punk from Japan.  I didn’t have my photo pass issue sorted out for their set.  Photo above courtesy of Meats Meier.

Well, the 90 minute set from A Perfect Circle seemed less like a battle zone than the stage lead us to believe.  Not as much energy as the props suggested (a generally more subdued Maynard sticking to his perch, etc).  As far as song selection, they played a decent mix of their originals material, but the night was really heavy on the covers.  While I like their “making the song theirs” in the approach, I was hoping for more of the rawness and angst from their original tunes…

Setlist: 90 minutes

  • Annihilation [Crucifix] (false start)
  • Imagine [John Lennon]
  • Weak and Powerless
  • The Hollow
  • What’s Going On [Marvin Gaye]
  • People Are People [Depeche Mode]
  • The Outsider (lyric flub)
  • (What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? [Nick Lowe/Elvis Costello]
  • When The Levee Breaks [Led Zeppelin]
  • The Noose
  • 3 Libras (All Main Courses Mix)
  • Gravity
  • Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie [Black Flag]
  • Orestes
  • Passive
  • Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums
  • The Fiddle and the Drum [Joni Mitchell]
  • By and Down [new song]
    No encore

I was hoping for “Judith” and perhaps the Failure cover “The Nurse Who Loved Me,” but it was still a highly enjoyable night.  While there were a few flubs, it was their first tour date in a while, and they pulled off quite an entertaining show.  Maynard explained, “I’m closer to 50 than 40” in an attempt to get some forgiveness.  The band didn’t talk much, outside of a few brief apologies from Maynard and the band introductions.  The band was Maynard on vocals, guitarist/co-founder Billy Howerdel, guitarist/keyboardist James Iha, bassist Matt McJunkins, and drummer Jeff Friedl (filling in for Josh Freese who is currently out with Weezer).

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of Maynard’s bands.  This year promises some new music & tour from Puscifer, some new music from A Perfect Circle, and potentially some Tool (they’ve been in a writing phase, but they take longer).  If APC is hitting your next of the woods, do your damndest to make it out to the show…

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

Next show for me… Portland Cello Project at Alton Baker Park / Art & the Vineyard on 7/4.

~Dan – np: Klezmerson – Siete

A PERFECT CIRCLE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld / Pacificlectic,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

APC 2011 Tour Dates

  • May 22 – Columbus, OH @ Rock on the Range
  • June 29 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
  • June 30 – Kent, WA @ Showare Center
  • July 2 – Gibbons, AL @ Boonstock Festival
  • July 4 – Winnipeg, MB @ Centennial Concert Hall
  • July 6 – St. Paul, MN @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium
  • July 8 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
  • July 9 – Toronto, ON @ Edgefest
  • July 12 – Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion
  • July 13 – New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
  • July 15 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
  • July 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Penn’s Landing – Festival Pier
  • July 17 – Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
  • July 19 – Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre
  • July 20 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
  • July 22 – San Antonio, TX @ Freeman Coliseum
  • July 23 – Grand Prairie, TX @ Verizon Theatre
  • July 25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre
  • July 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheater
  • July 29 – Sacramento, CA @ Memorial Auditorium
  • July 30 – Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre
  • August 1 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kingsbury Hall
  • August 2 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
  • August 8 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion at Riverbent
  • August 9 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
  • August 10 – Wallingford, CT @ Oakdale Theatre
Categories: Concert Photos, Metal, Rock & Pop Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Imogen Heap @ the Schnitzer (Portland, OR – 6/16/10)

17th Jun 10 (Thu) 2 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

As many others, I got into Imogen Heap via her band Frou Frou‘s inclusion on the Garden State soundtrack.  Their song “Let Go” was featured heavily in the Garden State trailer and movie.  Thanks to Zach Braff, a love of all things Imogen Heap started to develop.  A solid electronic-pop singer-songwriter in her own right before and after the Frou Frou debut Details, she took a longer break before her 2009 re-emergence, Ellipse.  She needed some time away, and many times the much needed time away brings forth some great work.  Ellipse is a solid album in both song catchiness and experimentation.

Her interest in experimentation spanned to her openers for this 6th leg of the North American tour… Geese is a stringed duo, backed by Imogen’s drummer.  They started out slow and moving with high use of looping of their violins.  Their 20 minute set only featured 3 songs, but it was quite captivating.  It went from the aforementioned moving piece to a more spastic, experimental uproarious piece to a final piece that I’d describe as “noodley junkyard chic” with occasional drumming bombast.  Being a fan of more experimental instrumental music, I was quite fond of their set.  They also played with Imogen on a few of her songs that required strings (definitely “Little Bird” and a few others).

Ben Christophers came on shortly after Geese… he also played a fairly short set (and joined her on stage as part of her Ellipse band).  Ben is a British singer-songwriter who focused mainly on the electric guitar with a voice in the higher registers.  I found him similar to Sean Lennon mixed with the late falsetto/whispy singer Jeff Hanson.  Ben played five songs for about 25 minutes… quite delightful, with a nice reference to Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.”

Imogen and her band started shortly after 9pm.  First off, Imogen has an adorable stage presence.  She is very unassuming, and even came out to introduce both openers.  She told many stories in between songs, and carried on a nice dialogue with the audience.  She really made a concert in a large concert hall seem like an intimate show in a smaller venue.  The intimate setting was quite beautiful at times with the simple but sleek stage design.  The center piece was a tree which worked in nicely with the light show, even appearing to be on fire or dancing in the wind at times (sorry, no photos of that, as press cameras were not allowed past the 3rd song).

Second, Imogen knows how to mix it up… she played rockier songs, mellower songs, songs from across her catalogue.  Some favorite moments were “Let Go,” the dancing trees in “A-ha!,” the rocking out of “Goodbye and Go,” the loops and general excellence of “First Train Home,” and the gentleness of “Little Bird.”  Oh, and the ’80s sunglasses and keytar used in “Tidal” was quite the throwback… it nicely showed off her silly, fun side.

Setlist: about 2 hours

  • The Walk
  • Swoon
  • Come Here Boy
  • Wait It Out
  • First Train Home
  • Little Bird
  • Canvas
  • Breathe In
  • Charity Improv
  • A-Ha!
  • Speeding Cars
  • Let Go
  • Just For Now
  • Goodnight and Go
  • Headlock
  • Tidal
  • The Moment I Said It
  • Hide and Seek

Half way through the set, she did the charity improvisation that is an important part of her tour this time around.  Each city’s fans help her pick an important charity.  The audience gets to recommend the key and melody starting point.  Imogen records the song and it becomes available later for purchase.  The charity improv song for Portland was for Eco Trust, whose mission is to “inspire fresh thinking that creates economic opportunity, social equity and environmental well-being.”

To get the Portland improv song to help out the charity, go to imogenheap.com/charity.  To donate to the charity directly, click the banner below…

Imogen wrapped up her final two songs solo, bringing to a close a wonderful night of both danceable and gorgeous music.  The only disappointment: there was no “Earth” with Portland-based chorus this time.  All in all, a great show!  Thank you, Immie!

Check out her latest album, Ellipse, or her forthcoming documentary DVD, Everything In Between:

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings

IMOGEN HEAP PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

North American Tour Dates (2010 World Tour – 6th Leg)

  • May 22nd Detroit, MI Fillmore Theatre
  • May 23rd Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre
  • May 25th New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
  • May 26th Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
  • May 27th Philadelphia, PA Tower Theatre
  • May 29th Washington DC Warner Theatre
  • May 30th Norfolk, VA Norva
  • June 1st Orlando, FL House Of Blues
  • June 2nd Miami, FL Fillmore Theatre
  • June 4th Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
  • June 5th Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
  • June 7th New Orleans, LA House Of Blues
  • June 8th Houston, TX Verizon Wireless
  • June 9th Dallas, TX Nokia Grand Theatre
  • June 11th Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
  • June 12th Salt Lake City, UT Rail Event Center
  • June 14th Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
  • June 15th Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
  • June 16th Portland, OR Schnitzer Hall
  • June 18th Saratoga, CA Mountain Winery
  • June 19th Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
  • June 20th San Diego, CA Humphrey’s
  • June 21st Santa Barbara, CA Granada Theatre

#ihportland

Categories: Concert Photos, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Tori Amos @ Arlene Schnitzer Hall (Portland, OR – 7/11/09)

12th Jul 09 (Sun) 9 comments

Tori Amos has been a big part of my musical fanaticism for a long time.  I first heard of her my freshman year of college, got Little Earthquakes & Under the Pink from BMG, got Boys for Pele right when it came out, and I’ve been a fan ever since.  There was a period of time where, if I could, I’d drive all over the Midwest to go see her.  This show was going on the 6 year mark since I’d seen her, and let’s just say that I was itching for some classic Tori live… but first up, the opener:

One Eskimo hit the stage right about 8pm, and played 4-5 songs (about a half hour’s worth of material).  I liked their sound… sort of a singer-songwriter blown up into a pop group (sort of if Maroon 5 had more interesting musicians).  Their drummer had a nice style, sitting on a box-type drum and using that as the kick drum.  Their guitarist and bassist/trumpet player were also fun to watch.  They played “Kandi,” “UFO,” and “Astronauts” for sure, as those songs are on the EP that I picked up for only $5.  They’re working on wrapping up their full-length debut now…

I was too far away to take any good concert photos;
so the marquee is all you get this time.

Tori hit the stage with her band (Matt Chamberlain on drums & John Evans on bass) at around 8:50pm and played for a solid two hours without much stopping. I forget how much I love her live shows.  Great lights, great mix of tunes from her whole career, fun stage presence, pretty energetic crowd… she played a lot more older songs than I would have thought, and only four songs from her latest record.

Setlist:

  • Give (a fave of the night)
  • Caught a Lite Sneeze (a fave of the night)
  • Welcome to England – John’s bass intro was very Tool-y… as if Justin Chancellor was in a pop band
  • Graveyard
  • Cornflake Girl (a fave of the night)
  • Icicle (a fave of the night)
  • Little Amsterdam
  • Siren
  • Starling
  • Black Dove (January)
  • 1,000 Oceans
  • Joni Mitchell’s River (solo – Lizard Lounge)
  • Winter (solo – Lizard Lounge)
  • Playboy Mommy
  • Little Earthquakes (a fave of the night)
  • Fast Horse (a fave of the night)
  • Take to the Sky (a mega fave of the night)
  • Carbon
  • Honey
  • Precious Things (a fave of the night)
  • Strong Black Vine – crowd floods front part of theatre, much to the “oh crap, what do I do?” of the security guys
  • Encore: Big Wheel (a fave of the night)
  • Tombigbee

Fantastic show… prior to this show, I was kind of in a “cooling” phase with Tori.  I hadn’t seen her since the Scarlet’s Walk tour (2003), and I’d only been slightly fond of The Beekeeper and American Doll Posse albums.  Forcing myself recently to dig into her newest one, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, and then seeing it live was great.  It was a much warranted end to the break from being a big time Tori fan.  Sure, Abnormally isn’t going back to the Little Earthquake through Boys of Pele days, but it’s still good music and she still puts on a great show, full of songs from her vast catalogue.

The Appropriate Linkage:

~Dan – np: Riceboys Sleeps – All Animals -EP-
no torrent or free download available

The rest of the Abnormally Attracted to Sin tour dates (as of now)

  • Mon 07/13/09 Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre
  • Tue 07/14/09 Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre
  • Thu 07/16/09 San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay
  • Fri 07/17/09 Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
  • Sat 07/18/09 Phoenix, AZ – Dodge Theatre
  • Mon 07/20/09 Salt Lake City, UT – Abravanel Hall
  • Tue 07/21/09 Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
  • Thu 07/23/09 Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
  • Fri 07/24/09 Grand Prairie, TX – Nokia Theatre At Grand Prairie
  • Sat 07/25/09 Austin, TX – The Long Center For The Performing Arts
  • Mon 07/27/09 Atlanta, GA – Chastain Park Amphitheatre
  • Tue 07/28/09 Orlando, FL – Bob Carr Perf. Arts Centre
  • Wed 07/29/09 Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theater
  • Fri 07/31/09 Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center
  • Sat 08/01/09 Washington, DC DAR – Constitution Hall
  • Mon 08/03/09 Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
  • Tue 08/04/09 Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theatre
  • Wed 08/05/09 Minneapolis, MN – The State Theatre
  • Fri 08/07/09 Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
  • Sat 08/08/09 Detroit, MI – Detroit Opera House
  • Mon 08/10/09 Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
  • Tue 08/11/09 Montreal, QC – St. Denis Theatre
  • Thu 08/13/09 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
  • Fri 08/14/09 Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre
  • Sat 08/15/09 Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theatre
  • Mon 08/17/09 Boston, MA – Bank Of America Pavilion
  • Sun 09/06/09 Manchester, United Kingdom – Apollo Manchester
  • Mon 09/07/09 Birmingham, United Kingdom – Symphony Hall
  • Tue 09/08/09 Glasgow, United Kingdom – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
  • Thu 09/10/09 London, United Kingdom – Apollo Hammersmith
  • Fri 09/11/09 London, United Kingdom – Apollo Hammersmith
  • Sun 09/13/09 Basel, Switzerland – Festsaal Messe Basel
  • Mon 09/14/09 Munich, Germany – Circus Krone Bau
  • Tue 09/15/09 Zurich, Switzerland – Kongresshaus Zurich
  • Thu 09/17/09 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Heineken Music Hall
  • Sun 09/20/09 Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Theatre
  • Mon 09/21/09 Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene
  • Thu 09/24/09 Prague, Czech Republic – Prague Congress Centre
  • Fri 09/25/09 Vienna, Austria – Wiener Stadthalle
  • Sun 09/27/09 Hamburg, Germany – Laeiszhalle
Categories: Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Flight of the Conchords @ the Schnitzer (Portland, OR – 5/14/09)

15th May 09 (Fri) 5 comments

Well, let’s just say… this show was mutha’uckin’ AWESOME!!!

Before the show, there was a spot-on Murray look-a-like in the crowd.  A little bit younger looking, but definitely pretty damn close.  At around 7:45pm, the lights dimmed and what sounded like Jemaine (from FOTC) announced the opener.  Arj Barker, who plays Dave on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords show, came out and did a hilarious 30-minute stand-up routine.  Very witty humor.  He’s got a Comedy Central special coming soon, plus he’ll be doing his own solo tour later in the year.  Should be fun… I’d definitely recommend Arj, and if he comes near me again (Eugene, please?), I’ll be there.

Arj introduced Flight of the Conchords Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie immediately after his set, and they came out swinging right away in their robot costumes.  To which they immediately broke into a song from their 2nd season, “Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor.”  They never got back into their robot costumes again, which was… well… unfortunate.  Great show though.  They also had a cellist, Nigel, who was “New Zealand’s symphony orchestra.”  Due to budget cuts, Nigel is the entire NZ symphony orchestra. :)  Here’s what they played…

Setlist: (YT: YouTube video from the HBO show)

  • Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor (YT)
  • Hurt Feelings (YT) (*a fave of the night*)
  • The Ballad of Stana
  • The Most Beautiful Girl (in the Room) (YT) (*a fave of the night*)
  • Carol Brown (Stick Around)
  • Jenny
  • Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros (YT) (*a fave of the night*)
  • I’m Not Crying (YT)
  • Freebird (upon request, but we think it was a planted request… Bret moved over to drums)
  • Mutha’uckas (YT) (Bret continuing on drums – *a fave of the night*)
  • Business Time (YT) (*a fave of the night*)
  • Think About It (Think, Think About It) (YT)
  • Lazy Eye
  • Sugalumps (YT)
  • Encore: Albi the Racist Dragon (YT)
  • Bus Driver’s Song
  • Bowie (YT)

The only real disappointment was the obvious lack of “Robot Song (The Humans Are Dead)” (YT).  “Foux Da Fa Fa” (YT), “If You’re Into It” (YT), and “Ladies of the World” (YT) would have been fun, too.  They show was really great, though.  They played and talked and talked and played for an hour and 45 minutes.  Really funny, and I liked most of the new songs… I’m looking forward to the 2nd season when it comes out on DVD (as I don’t have HBO).  I wasn’t able to take any photos due to the venue’s rules.  Here is one from SPIN‘s Miami review (more further down in the links):

The Appropriate Linkage:

~Dan – np: Wynton Marsalis – He and She

Categories: Concert Photos, Hip-hop, Humor, Indie Rock, Movies & Television, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Sigur Rós @ Arlene Schnitzer Hall (Portland, OR – – 10/6/08)

7th Oct 08 (Tue) 8 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM

This was my third time to the Arlene Schnitzer Hall.  It’s a great venue, and while I thought I would have gotten a better ticket via ordering from Klink (the Sigur merch site)… well, I was further to the back and left than I would have liked.  It was still a good spot for pics and hearing some wonderful music.

The opener, Parachutes, is a band I got into sometime in 2007 due to a linkage to Sigur Rós via the MySpaces.  I was excited to see them on the bill.  They were obviously influenced by Sigur Rós.  I mean… obviously.  But in my world, that’s not a bad thing.  They had 8 or 9 players, and at one point I know 10 people were playing with them.  Again, very Sigur Rós-y, slow build, xylophone, strings, bombastic drums, keys, soft vocals.  They played about 40 minutes, and I enjoyed them very much.  I picked up their EP for $5 (usð)… i.e.- a steal.  Unfortunately, my pics of theirs didn’t come out, as they didn’t have as much light on stage as Sigur Rós.

Now on to Sigur Rós…

Sigur Rós was… Sigur Rós.  This was my 5th time seeing them, and while some may consider there to be the law of diminishing returns, with Sigur Rós the diminishments are such minutae that it’s not even diminishing anymore.  Their shows are like taking a nap on a cloud during a rainstorm… or something.  It’s completely surreal, mesmerizing, powerful, gentle, sublime, and… shiny.


(not my pic… obviously)

It’s funny to me, that with their non-English song names and their non-English singing… I still knew about half of the song titles within the first few chords.  I think it’s osmosis or something, as I’ll admit that I don’t listen to them all that often (or often enough to know all of their song names).  Anyway, thanks to the SR forum, I was able to fill in the remainder of the setlist (see below)…

10/6/08 Portland Setlist: (as noted on the SR forum)

  • Svefn-g-englar *fav of show*
  • Glósóli
  • Ný batterí *fav of show*
  • Fljótavík *
  • Við spilum endalaust *
  • Hoppípolla *fav of show*
  • Með blóðnasir
  • Inní mér syngur vitleysingur *
  • Svo Hljótt
  • Heysátan
  • E-bow – on setlist, not played
  • Viðrar vel til loftárása – on setlist, not played
  • Sæglópur
  • Festival *
  • Gobbledigook * *fav of show – confetti kaboom*
  • encore: All Alright *
  • Popplagið *fav of show*
    * For pronunciations of the songs and album name from their most recent album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, go HERE (blog link with audio).

Overall, this was an amazing time.  Every time I see Sigur Rós, I am blown away.  This was their 2nd to last date on the North American tour (and their last date in the United States for this tour); so they’ve been getting a lot of practice lately.  They were on top of their game, and put together an amazingly mesmerizing show

The Appropriate Linkage:

~Dan – recently played: Yoshie Fruchter – Pitom

SIGUR ROS CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Post-rock, Rock & Pop, World Music Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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