Back from the Sara Bareilles show, and it was amazing. So much good stuff to talk about, so I’ll probably do it in three parts over the next day or so. Most of the pics won’t do it justice, but I got a couple…maybe. Catch up with y’all tomorrow!
concerts
Ah…big city living. How I have missed you so. During my 14 months in Lansing, I only saw one concert (Annie Lennox), and I had to drive to Detroit to see that one. Now that I’ve been back less than 3 weeks, I’ve already got a show under my belt, with at least 2 more coming up in the next 2 weeks. If nothing else, this should give me something to write about.
Last night’s show was one that I wouldn’t have necessarily paid to see, but I’m glad it worked out to see it. Chris Cornell, formerly of Soundgarden and Audioslave, has a new CD coming out that was fully produced by Timbaland and J-Roc. Entitled “Scream”, the record’s release date is now up in the air, but looks like January. It’s being billed as something undefinable, but let’s be honest. It’s definitely Timbaland, whether there’s a screaming guitar or a lush line of synths involved. I kept an open mind, and went into the show with no preconceived notions of what to expect. Good thing I did…
The show started out late. Like almost 10 PM late. Now, it was originally scheduled to go on at 9, but still, this wasn’t at a club, this was at a formal concert theater, so I wasn’t prepared for the nightclub attitude. DJ Freestyle Steve, personal DJ for Timbaland, worked the crowd, and he was a great hype man. Everyone was caught up in the vibe, and I didn’t see anyone that wasn’t into it. Good way to start off the night.
From there, it gets a bit uneven. Tim’s band came out and got set up, and then Timbaland emerged. This setting really seemed to work well with him. The Ogden only holds a couple thousand folks, and the show was sold out, so it really had a high energy with a bit of an intimate vibe.
The set consisted of the expected tracks from “Shock Value”, along with tracks with other artists and a few album cuts I wouldn’t have expected. “Oh Timbaland”, “Promiscuous”, “Bounce”, “Apologize”, “Release”, “Throw It On Me”, “Sexyback”, “The Way I Are”…he covered all of the expected bases, but it was a bit awkward at times. Since he utilizes other artists for all of the singing (and a good chunk of the rapping), there were times that he was standing there, grooving while the backing track with the vocals was playing. However, when he was engaged, he was REALLY engaged. The way he took “Release”, and broke it down instrument by instrument was really cool, and showed a bit of his production skill. That helped make up for his excessive talking in between tracks, which got a bit annoying after a while.
In a little bit of a Timbaland exclusive, he announced “Shock Value, Vol. 2” will release on February 14th. As a sampler, they played “Talk That Sh*t”, which the Interwebs say T-Pain is on, but man, it sure sounded like Lil Wayne on that track.
So we’re pushing up on 11, and the set ends, and the crew takes a half hour to change things over, so it’s LATE. Maybe I’m old, but my back was killing me from standing for almost 3 hours at that point. There was no way I was leaving my first concert back in Denver early, so I just hung in there, and Chris finally made it out around 11:20. Had I done research, I would have known that he was going to play the album from start to finish, but I didn’t, which I’m glad for. Sonically, this is definitely a project to hear live. I’ve gone and listened to some of the tracks that have been released as singles on iTunes, and they pale a bit to the live experience.
As a whole, I enjoyed it. There were a few things that bothered me a bit, but I don’t think they are major. Chris appears to have picked up Tim’s habit of grunting and saying “yeah” at the beginning of tracks. He did that on at least three tracks that I remember. Since I haven’t heard the CD with a track listing in front of me, and the track listing hasn’t been released yet, I can’t fully ID all of the songs, but I will say that some of this DOES sound a bit innovative, but much of it sounds like “Shock Value”. “Scream” might as well be the sequel to “Apologize”, but something like “Part of Me” has potential. Chris seemed to get lost in the mix at times last night, but when he was at full energy, he was awesome. “Watch Out” live had a futuristic Offspring sound to it, while the closing “Two Drink Minimum” even got a bit bluesy and sultry.
All in all, a fun show, even with the little nuisances included. Impressively, the crowd was very much into both sets, which helped. I feared that they would lose some enthusiasm after Timbaland finished, but that didn’t happen. If nothing else, I will be checking out the final version of “Scream” when it is finally released.
It’s as if the tea leaves have fortunes typed right out on them…Janet Jackson parted ways with Island/Def Jam today, apparently at Janet’s behest. Rumors are already flying that she’s already looking toward Live Nation, which is looking at established record-and-touring artists, and that might be a good fit, but the press release hints at taking her time in finding a new home, and I can’t say that I blame her. Why rush the decision when you’re actually selling out shows? (LA and Vegas, to start) She’s now added another show to the tour, this time in Tulsa. Could Denver be far behind? Or is that just wishful thinking on my part?
[Janet…I know you’re out there somewhere. Call me. I’ve got some ideas.]
From RCA Records comes word that David Cook’s new CD is arriving in November (like that was in question):
NEW YORK, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ — American Idol winner David Cook’s debut album will be released on November 18th, 2008 on 19 Recordings / RCA Records. Cook has teamed with Grammy winning producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Kid Rock) on the album.
Today marks the launch of DavidCookOfficial.com, Cook’s official social networking site where fans can interact with David, his music and each other. Fans can create their own profiles, make friends and contribute their own blogs, photos, videos and connect with other fans in their towns by various search functionality.
Cook describes the site as a place where he and his fans can communicate with each other. Cook will be hugely involved in all interactive aspects of the site. He personally welcomes fans to his site via video blog and fans can communicate with David by sending him email to David@DavidCookOfficial.com, Cook’s personal mailbox. Those that sign up to his newsletter will be the first to be notified of the title of his first single in the coming weeks. Additionally, Cook will regularly message his fans so they are the first to know breaking news and album updates.
Color me intrigued…many artists have attempted to utilize the web to connect with their fans, but David seems to be even more proactive than many of his contemporaries. This actually sounds a lot like KylieKonnect.com, where fans are encouraged “to make friends, upload pictures, send messages and more.”
It will be interesting to see how successful the website is, given that DC has a pretty wide range of fans (including yours truly, if I’m working on a full disclosure basis). From pre-teens to their moms, the base is pretty impressive for an artist releasing their first album, and the seasonal timing (right before Black Friday) sure doesn’t hurt, either. Rumor has it that the first official single will hit in the next couple of weeks, so we’ll just sit here and wait patiently for it to hit. [FYI…”The Time of My Life” is over 860,000 downloads since its release. Not too shabby for a debut single, eh?]
So what is it that I like about Cook? As a guy who always fantasized about being a pop star, David Cook is living a dream that I’ve harbored for almost as long as I can remember. I can relate to where he came from and how he struggled, and I can actually see aspects of myself in him. Maybe it’s just a front, but he strikes me as a bit of a dork (uh, have you met me?), and he’s got a solid, grounded attitude about everything that’s going on around him, which I admire. Check out this blog post from last month if you have any questions about what I mean. For those of you who are cynical about it, I can’t blame you, but it isn’t like he hasn’t been working at his craft for years. Truthfully, that entry sounds just like something I would write myself.
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Speaking of Kylie, she recently announced tour dates in…wait for it…the Americas! Well, South America, but it says “America”, right? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Okay…it’s a whole lot of wishful thinking, but a couple of dates in major US and Canadian cities with a set that’s already more than paid for, and what’s the harm? Someone even decided to start an online petition. Nice thought…honestly. It’s an optimistic idea, but let us know how that works out for you, mm’kay?
Well, not exactly showgirls…more like shows. In Denver! In the span of a week, Sara Bareilles, Maxwell, and Jason Mraz are all playing shows, and I must go see all three! About an hour ago, I got tickets for the mezzanine of the Paramount Theater for Sara (with Marc Broussard opening) on October 20th. The funny thing is, I resisted Sara for a while, but Mr. Moody wore me down, and now I’m a big fan.
This string of concerts is long overdue, as I’ve had quite a drought from live music here in Lansing. My only concert in the past year was Annie Lennox in Detroit, which I enjoyed, but wasn’t exactly the stuff of legends. Most of the shows that I’ve wanted to see recently have passed through Chicago or Toronto, but unless you’ve got a day to invest in that round trip journey, it’s just not feasible. There’s no doubt in my mind that I will be making up for lost time over the next couple of months.
Of the four artists listed above, I have only seen Maxwell live. That show was a blast, with Angie Stone opening. He worked that crowd, and the ladies were just losing their minds over him. Oh yes, panties were thrown.
Turns out, a kindred spirit by the name of Marissa was also at that show, but we didn’t know each other at the time. I’ve already made arrangements to see this show with her, and we’ll get caught up like we normally do. She’s a blast to see shows with, and our last outing together was the Sugar Water tour with Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and Queen Latifah.
The wild card show for me is Mraz. I actually have all of his regular-release CDs, and I do consider myself a fan, but this will be my first show. Jason makes Denver (and Boulder) a regular stop on his tours, and the fans love him long time. (With the occasional skin shot like the one to the right, who wouldn’t?) No matter what your image of what Denver is all about, Jason embodies it for me. Chill, laid-back, funky, eclectic…all of those qualities are what I love about Denver, and the same goes for Mr A-Z. Add in some actual intelligence and social relevance, and you’ve got a winning combination.
Jason’s playing the Fillmore Theater on October 27th, and it will be a blast. I will probably hang toward the back, given that this is a general admission show, but you never know. Wading into the masses is never fully out of the question. I’m a man of the people, you know.
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