Thursday, December 13, 2012

12-12-12 Recap




Discussion # 1

This show just didn't go to eleven. It had potential. But it fell short. Do you agree? What do you think was wrong?

Discussion #2

Bon Jovi:

I am not a fanboy. I don't own anything by the band. I don't like most of their music. Jon Bon Jovi and Sambora, with their pretty hair and stupid clothes, are easy targets. Sambora looks like he took a 12 hour nap under a sunlamp. BUT...not every song has to be "Hattie Carroll" or "Highway Patrolman." Their little set was filled with more hooks and big choruses than most of last night's line-up. They did their job and the crowd went bananas. I wish I could write songs as big as "It's My Life" and "Livin' On A Prayer." I get not liking them. I don't get the haters.

Discussion #3

That was the best Eric Clapton set I've seen in years. How about a tour with that same trio? Steve Jordan on drums and the legendary Willie Weeks on bass. Killed!

Discussion #4

I love Pink Floyd. All eras. Especially Syd. But let's be reasonable, Syd was on one record and only one song on another. So, what about the other 45 years? David Gilmour. Sorely missed. Eddie Vedder did a stand-up job, but no thank you. Gilmour's voice and guitar playing would have turned that Waters set  into something special. Instead, it was a bit of a snooze. And as one friend put it, "You kinda get the idea that Roger Waters listens to his own records a lot."

Discussion #5

Adam Sandler has a career. Few things anger me more.

Discussion #6

Is is me, or was the Rolling Stones decision to play the loathsome "You Got Me Rockin" a major "fuck you?" And any thoughts on the quick exit?

Discussion #7

Roger Daltrey was having some major voice issues last night. It was hard to listen to. But, aside from that minor annoyance, The Who kicked some ass. Every one of Pete's windmills gave me chills. And Zak Starkey is a god.

WORST SEGUE OF THE NIGHT

Poor, pathetic, emotional and hysterical Phyllis Puglia crying and ranting over her loss and devastation---CUT---"I'm Chris Rock!"  Wow.

Discussion #8

Kanye West- major musical force or douchebag?

This is where I gave up. Kanye's set made me twitch, so I just turned it off and fell asleep.

So...

Discussion #9

How was the rest of the show?










29 comments:

itsok2beright said...

Well, since I couldn't start watching until discussion #7, I can't comment on those. But, for the 2nd half, aside from Kenya A-Hole, you missed a great show. Billy Joel showed how his talent for exceeds that Jersey Boy's. Yes, Daltrey's voice was off, but Pete was on fire. They played a great set.

Chris Martin was actually enjoyable, playing an unplugged set. Playing with Michael Stipe was a great addition. I was extremely relieved that they kept it about the music and the cause, and did not mention politics.

Sir Paul, was, well, Sir Paul. Constantly changing instruments to showcase himself, though. For all of the old geezers that were up there last night, his voice still rings true.

Playing with his Nirvana reunion was also tremendous.

Though, from all that was there last night, Kenya should not have been there. Your sentiment seemed to be felt by many. He brought down the whole vibe.

Sal Nunziato said...

I like Billy Joel. Always have. But is it really necessary to bring up talent? I mean, whether you like Bruce or not, do you really think he is untalented?

drstub said...

Well Sal i gotta agree with you as i've never seen a bunch of more embarassing geriatric English rockers in my life!!!!!I mean the Stones are a complete joke in my book! They should just take a cue from Keith and write books and stay the hell off stage; I'm sure Charlie Watts has plenty to say! Daltry cant sing anymore ,lets face it ! They should have just let Keith Moons video play longer ,would have been better vocally than listening to them do Pinball Wizard! dont know about you but i never could stand Billy Joel,as he should do the Cafe Carlyle and sing NY State of Mind and call it a day And BON JOVI ?? Is that guy a fashion model or a rock and roller??? Never understood what the hell people see in him!! If he aint Bruce lite i dont know what is!!! Kanye West is a major ass hole and i find completely unlistenableI I would have rather heard Taylor Swift ! For this i stay up !! Even McCartney's set was , i thought pretty weak!! yeah a Wings tune here a Beatle song there FINE ! Never tire of hearing Blackbird I think he could be a little more inventive than Helter Skelter and I've Got a Feeling ,which put me to sleep !! Oh well the greatest line up for the ages NAH i dont think so ,but if they get the $$$ in, thats what counts! For me,musically cant help longing for the days of yore when these guys could sing and play !!! Long Live the Concert for Bangla Desh! That reminds me RAVI RIP!!!!!

buzzbabyjesus said...

Kanye is a weenie, just ask Jay-Z.
Of course I wasn't at the show and it sounds like it was on TV or something, which I don't have, but I probably agree with Sal on most of it.

Bill said...

6:

I didn't find the Stones' first song half as tasteless as their second. Singing about a crossfire hurricane? No, not clever. That tin-ear moment was topped by Macca closing with Live and Let Die. Really not the message we're trying to send here, Paul!

They should have made the Grohl/Novoselic/Smear number the last one. The set just fizzled after that.

itsok2beright said...

I didn't say that BS was not talented. Though, if you look at it:

Voice - No!
Guitarist - No!
Songwriter - Ok

Kind of like Bon Giovani, he is more about the image. Though, not as ridiculous as that Jersey Cowboy.

Billy on the other hand, can sing, write and play the piano with the best of them.

Oh, and may I repeat, yes Kenya is a douche of ultimate proportions.

Sal Nunziato said...

Dude! I don't want to turn this into a Bruce debate, but you are clearly not listening if you think Bruce doesn't excel at all three! Hate him if you'd like. That's fine. But for Pete's sake...

jeff k said...

itso2beright:

hahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Unknown said...

Sal...You raised a few questions about the show. Well, you know me a bit. We both know that I can be cynical, too. I've told you how I wouldn't bother seeing most of these acts today. Aside from the fact that the concert "experience" is not what it once was (and too expensive for me, as well), the acts, themselves, are, for the most part, a shell of what they once were. Yet I was drawn in by much of last night's show. Apart from a few missteps, it was entertained...and I was happily surprised by how well some of these old timers held up...this was not a memorable Springsteen set, but still......Roger Waters did seem self-absorbed, but i liked the music...the Stones make me sit up and pay attention and still bring a smile to my face (albeit briefly)...Clapton (and band) understatedly displayed greatness...Roger Daltry was this close to frightening me, yet i still enjoyed Townsend's windmill style playing and, of course, the songs, themselves...you missed Billy Joel (i can't listen to anything that my parents find so appealing) but, y'know what?...these were really good songs, and they sounded good, too...I thought Mcartney was excellent...I didn't think there was much else that needed mentioning (if you can't say anything nice about someone....). Bon Jovi is just not my thing, though...nor is Chris Martin, Alicia Keys, Kanye West etc, so I won't bother. Still, a lot to be satisfied with.

charlie c. said...

#6 - Maybe I am placing too much emphasis on a throwaway line but Jagger's "Next time it rains in London, make sure you come over and help us" made my skin crawl. Glad the set ended when it did.

#7 - Best matchup of video montage and stage music. Keith Moon stuff gave me chills and the Sandy footage . . . I was in tears.

#3 F'ing A! I was standing in my living room gesturing wildly at the screen, hectoring my wife: "It's a trio, it's a trio!" How much did I not miss the horns, singers & dancers arranged wedding cake style around the stage, world percussion, keyboardists out the ying yang. Let me tell you how much. I could still be listening to that set and not be done yet. Had me from the opening beat.

#x - Stephen Colbert channeling Ric Flar. What was that whole deal about? Colbert’s piece was so tasteless and so ill-informed it made Adam Sandler look like Bob Newhart. Huffing good will? Doing a line of human care and compassion?!? Embarrassing – every second of it. Dude had a national if not global stage, had the whole house in the palm of his hand and he gave us . . . that?!? Come to think of it, Flair, bleeding profusely, schilling with Gene Ockerlund for a Hartford, Connecticut Steel Cage Match would have made more sense . . .

#1 - I disagree. I was pumped at 4:30 yesterday afternoon and I still pumped. That was our Katrina concert. Highs, lows, bumps triumphs. (cf #3 I guess)

#y - I just knew that Chelsea was going to blossom inot a hottie!

Anonymous said...

I still haven't seen it all but so far...

It must have been so much better int the building. I always hate the mix of these things on tv...it just sounds weak.

Bruce was good, but not great. I get the choice of songs but in quick succession it was only ok. Again, in the building must have been so much better.

Roger Waters was ok but a bit dull. Then again I really don't care for the Wall.

My wife really enjoyed Bon Jovi. They work hard and write some big choruses. Just not my thing.

The Clapton set sounded kind of crappy on my tv, not the playing but the mix. The trio would kill in a small venue such as the Beacon. I would pay big bucks for that one.

The Stones were awful. Totally turned me off. Time to retire fellas.

The rest will have to wait for a slow night. I don't hold out much hope for the Who. Roger sounded truly awful a few years back. Billy Joel is always good live and Sir Paul is, well Sir Paul. Former Beatles have earned the right to do what they want in my book.

Oh yeah, Adam Sandler is an asshole.

Anonymous said...

#7 - It was real nice to hear 'The Two' play some different songs for once and not only the CSI tunes they normally play(Super Bowl, 9/11). I didn't time it but their set seemed nice and long relative to everyone before them.

Hey Sal, a bit off-topic (sorry), but speaking of aging rockers, what did you think of Celebration Day by Zep? Randy

Sal Nunziato said...

Randy,

I'm borderline psychotic when it comes to LZ. (I collect live versions of the song "Celebration Day.") So when I first heard the bootlegs fo the show 5 years ago, I just wasn't into it. I don't like Jason Bonham. Sorry.

5 years later, and with the help of the visual, I made a complete about face.

Loved it. Thought Plant, Page and JPJ really drove it home. Certain things..."Black Dog" & "Nobody's Fault But Mine," for starters...blew me away.

Still don't like Jason Bonham

David Handelman said...

I did not get to see the concert because Time Warner and or my TIvo did not record. So I am playing catchup with youtube and have only seen McCartney's hoarse Nirvana reunion. I loved seeing Grohl on drums but it makes me ask: were there any other crosspollinations besides that and Chris Martin/Stipe?

Please say yes. It seems crazy if you have the Who, Stones, and Mccartney that there wasn't any attempt to Rock N Roll Hall of Fame-ize the gathering.

Sal Nunziato said...

Bon Jovi/Bruce- Born To Run, Who Says You Can't Go Home

Eddie Vedder/Roger Waters- Comfortably Numb

Stipe/Chris Martin- Losing My Religion

Stones weren't on stage long enough to invite anyone up.

HippieGirl said...

OK, why you all hatin' on The Stones? I don't think it's time for them to retire. "You Got Me Rocking" is, in my humble opinion, one of their better songs. It's got that hard rock sound that would attract alot of people in the younget generations to their music. I didn't see the concert, but I'm willing to bet that The Who and the Stones did one hell of a show. Yes, they're not young spring chickens anymore, yes they're getting older. But the fact of the matter is they are still around and still rocking. They have to be; alot of people like them and loads of people in their teens and early 20s, like me, are just now discovering their music.

Chris Collins said...

I thought that the lineup skewed WAY too old, white and English. Not that I particularly have a problem with any of the performers. And presumably, those were the performers who stepped forward. But a bit more diversity would have been a good touch. Where was Jay-Z? A Run DMC reunion? Public Enemy? All would have been great. And I'm gonna be the minority opinion and say that I think Kanye was actually pretty good. I'm a fan and I have almost all of his stuff. He's unquestionably an asshole, but he's a talented one.

And Alicia Keys was wonderful.

Bruce is always tremendous, so he had to be judged on the basis of being Bruce. On that scale he was good, not great. But very effective.

Bon Jovi did exactly what Bon Jovi does. He's not my favorite but he's very good at what he does.

Your comments about Roger Waters were right on.

The Stones performance puzzled me as much as it does you. These guys can perform until they're in the grave as far as I'm concerned. But "You Got Me Rockin'?" HUH? the quick exit was strange too.

Billy Joel was in good form, although he looks more like Uncle Fester every day. And Sir Paul and Nirvana was a nice moment. I wanted it to go on. They should have played on "Helter Skelter" too. At the very least.

I think the performance of the night might belong to the Who. Roger's voice notwithstanding. They were still majestic.

Anonymous said...

Thought EC was quite snoozy and the latest version of "Crossroads" was weak, loved KW's kilt(my students didn't like it), BS and Bon Jover did some good duets (not easy seeing how these get butchered in these events),Stones were good and their set was understandably short given the late addition, The Who - RD voice ok, but Pete was missing those chords on his windmills. One more note, my high school students were pretty impressed by "the energy of those old guys" compared to West and Keys

Sal Nunziato said...

Just got around to the Billy Joel set. Pretty great. Kinda nailed it, actually. And he didn't do "You Got Me Rockin'."

The Patman said...

Can someone comment on the quality of Springsteen's voice? He sounded like crap on my TV. Later on I listened to a bootleg from '78 and it really hit me how much power and tone his voice seems to lack now. But maybe it's just my sound system.

I loved The Who. Great performance.

I thought Clapton sounded inspired. Great ensemble of players.

My wife went crazy as usual for Bon Jovi. Some things never change.

buzzbabyjesus said...

I just watched Paul McCartney and Nirvana on Youtube. Pretty effin cool. I won't be surprised if they do something else in the future. The chemistry was there.

neal t said...

Most of the performers all have real interest in the cause and you could feel it. I thought all the old timers were enjoyable.
To be able to have songs from the Wall and DSOTM performed by the real writer's complete touring band on the same stage 10 minutes after full stage production from the Boss's Wrecking Ball tour's setup was mind boggling.
Can't stand BJ music and fans but he always seems likable enough and seemed sincere in his concerns (who wouldn't be touring through the wreckage as we saw him do). When I did turn up volume when Bruce joined him it didn't sound as bad as I thought. Worse things in the world than being Bruce lite.
-Comments about Colbert absurd.
Sandler not one of my faves but thought his bit was spirited and hilarious.
Never big fan of Stones as people but thought Mick was funny.
The behind the scenes in the call center stuff was enjoyable.
Agree the Nirvana thing should of been at the end of Paul's set.
Great 6 hours of TV. Hey old timers (I'm 59) think back how starved we were for any R n R on the boob tube back in the day. Always waiting through whole shows for one lip-synced song by an act. We saw more good shit in one night then we would of had in a year back in the day.
End on the Boss, anyone who doesn't think he's the greatest just doesn't get it IMHO. He constantly puts 110% in all that he does. Everyone on that stage could never be happier. I saw this tour 4 times. A total of 13+ hours and in that time the minutes where the band was not playing or Bruce wasn't talking totaled less than 20 minutes. The first and last forty five minutes of each show were literally seamless.
They should have done 2 nights and put all the younger acts and more urban shit on the 2nd show. Do it @ the new Brooklyn place and have all the NYC hip hop types and other NYC centric acts. Think of this line up. Beasties, Madonna, Jay Z and the misses, Nas, Public Enemy, Strokes, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Kid Creole, Television, Blondie, Talking Heads. Great blog Sal, keep up the good work.

Eric said...

There never was and never will be a Nirvana reunion. Sir Paul Macca taking the Cobain slot is like red grange filling in for Walter Payton on the 85' Bears..... some things are never to be fucked with...

soundsource said...

I'm 62 years old. I grew up with the stones and the beatles. When Bon Jovi (who I've got nothing against, some great rocking songs to their credit) blow the stones off the stage it's time to hang up your rock and roll shoes and exit stage left gracefully.

On the other hand voice problems and weird Keith Moon thing aside, The Who (ok lets say Pete Townshend, Roger Daltry and an amazing backing band) blew me away with their power.

Finally Eric Clapton should take Willie Weeks and Steve Jordan out and tour every mid size theatre he can (hope he gets to Tarrytown Music Hall). I would pay a ridiculous price to see that band play for two hours. One word....Sublime (not the band)

Oh Bruce was great (it must be tough for him. He's as good as anyone else on that stage last night and most people say "well it was just like a typical Bruce set"...I wish I could be that typical)

Like Mr. Wood I think I tuned out with Alicia Keys so I've gotta go back and watch the tape to see the rest.

soundsource said...

on a side note I thought the sound mix was pretty great on the Springsteen set.
First time I was able to hear what Gary Tallent was playing other than just sonic rumble in years.
And you could actually hear most of the instruments pretty clearly not the usual arena bombast.

Sal Nunziato said...

Thanks Neal. Good points.

I'd like to say one last thing about the Stones.

When does it end? At what point do RS fans, and I am one, just admit that what they are playing...the music they are making.. the sounds...just ain't cutting it?

Beatles fans never had any qualms at all trashing Paul McCartney's solo work, sometimes even before listening and this was when Macca was half the age of the Stones and putting out records that were at least as good as any of the Stones records since 1981.

What is this loyalty? Is it just about longevity and nothing else? They don't even play for the fans anymore. Look at this current set list. I don't care how old they are, how long they've been around, how cool Keef is or how amazing "Sticky Fingers" is, this band is done. It's ok. Just say it.

buzzbabyjesus said...

"There never was and never will be a Nirvana reunion. Sir Paul Macca taking the Cobain slot is like red grange filling in for Walter Payton on the 85' Bears..... some things are never to be fucked with...

Kurt Cobain was talented, no argument there, how talented we'll never know, as he made some poor life choices* he couldn't handle. We do know however that Paul McCartney is one of the biggest talents ever to grace us with his presence. As Miles Davis would say, he is a motherfucker.
Your comment was just as brainless as the dude downgrading Bruce's abilities.

*heroin and Courtney Love. Isn't that enough?

Anonymous said...

I agree with most of the Clapton comments. He did seem to be in much better form with a trio. Steve Jordan can be in my band anyday!! Remember his tour with the Expensive Winos, and backing Neil Young on Sat Nite Live. He is just Rock solid!. As for the Stones, they were a last minute add-on, and had a full show the next nite in Newark, but I'm glad they showed their support.

buzzbabyjesus said...

Everyone complains about The Stones overly familiar set list, but I just Youtubed "You Got Me Rockin", a song I never heard before, and found the band in fine form. Keith and Ronnie were doing the weave, and the slide solo was was vintage Woody, who for me has emerged as the go-to guitar in the band. Mick looks terrible in interviews, but onstage he becomes the Mick we paid to see.