Bon Jovi: Invincible In The Windy City (Review of February 26th, 2008)

Bon Jovi: Invincible In The Windy City (Review of February 26th, 2008)
Chicago, Illinois - United Center - 2/26/08
By Anthony Kuzminski

Truly great and illustrious bands defy expectations, push their limits and challenge their audiences. I've been fortunate to see multi-night stands by the likes of Springsteen, U2, Pearl Jam, Wilco and the Rolling Stones over the years. Each of these acts have successfully wielded a series of shows in the same city while making their set lists part of a larger emotional arc that don't just make each show unique and refreshing but also showcases their larger catalog in an entirely different light. You occasionally see a song that proves to be revelatory and it makes you rediscover an entire album you may have dismissed. This happened to me with Pearl Jam in 2006 when they performed fifty-one different and unique songs over two nights in Chicago, but it was the performance of "Present Tense" from their 1996 album No Code that proved to be epic. It had me racing back to rediscover an album that upon my initial listen in 1996 I thought was unlistenable on all levels. I was wrong, but it took a defining performance for me to “get it”. Live concerts provide artists with a platform to show you another side of themselves and on Bon Jovi’s final night in Chicago, they did just this.

Bon Jovi's February 26th show (at the United Center in Chicago) capped a three night stand and showcased an illustrious, audacious and blazing band. Bon Jovi delivered one of the best and most preeminent shows of their career and the best part is that the documentary crew for their film was in the house to capture it! Here is a rundown of the show:


“Lost Highway”
“You Give Love A Bad Name”
“Raise Your Hands”
The opening trio of tunes was as fiery as the previous nights with a week night crowd ready to roll.


“Everyday”
I could say it was a let down, but in reality, it was refreshing to hear since it hasn't been performed in a while. It's amazing how when you don't hear certain songs for a while and how they sound fresh again.

“I’d Die For You”
The Slippery When Wet classic was reborn with a assertive and reverberating performance.

“Just Older”
I may have heard it a million times but rotating this one is a smart move and the resolve for this number is still on full display.

“I Love This Town”
This isn’t my favorite song but placing it earlier in the set works wonders and it’s better suited here than in the encore. It should work in the encore, it just doesn’t and I’m glad to see the band move it up in the set.

“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” w/ “Jumpin' Jack Flash”
“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” is the Bon Jovi song that just won’t die…ever. However, when it works…it’s performed with rebellious rock zeal and when Sambora ripped through those opening chords of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, the arena succumbed themselves to the stimulating performance.

“Wild Is The Wind”
OK, time for me to take off my “writer/journalist” hat and put on my “uber geek” hat because this song was for people like me. On the 2001 tour I continued to miss the song by one night wherever I went. This performance wasn’t just resounding it confirmed the matchless and diverse dimensions of this remarkable band. “Wild Is the Wind” is the type of song that could convert a non fan. The song wasn’t just impressive from a set list perspective but was executed strikingly and was just flat out stupendous. Jon played his acoustic as Richie’s solo on this was luminous.

“Whole Lot of Leavin’”
Earlier in the night I had dinner with my friends Andy and Karen who saw a few shows last fall by the band that didn’t leave an indelible impression, but Karen (a wondrous well balanced person) was telling me how when the band played this song she started to cry, because her father had passed a few months earlier and she crawled inside the lyric. There is a releasing and powerful nature to the kaleidoscope elements to music and I can think of no better example. Yet another reminder of the power of music and why I believe this is one of the best songs on Lost Highway

“Born To Be My Baby”
Jon was agile and alert on this one that found him going to the back of the stage where he grabbed a mini camera and sung into it and the unique perspective was showcased on screens for the whole crowd to see. Bobby Bandiera joined him on the back platform before Jon made his way back to center stage.

“Blaze of Glory” w/ “Knockin' On Heaven's Door” intro (With Daughtry)
Since this song has been rotated in and out of sets for the last decade, I’m not tired of it and this performance was elevated by the appearance of Chris Daughtry. He strode on stage in a beanie hat and sung it like he meant it and his enthusiasm for the song made the band raise the stakes and they delivered the best damn performance of this song I’ve seen since the fall of 2000.

“We Got It Goin’ On”
One of my least favorite songs on Lost Highway however, I must admit Jon is once again nimble on stage and the band rocks this one out pretty damn well. Granted, I’d rather see “Any Other Day”, but this song does have genuine crowd movement.

“It’s My Life”
This was pure classic bravado for the consummate arena/stadium band.

“Bad Medicine/Shout”
Yes, it’ll never sound implausibly fresh ever again, but I give them credit for finding a perfect spot for it in the set list.

“These Days” with Richie Sambora on vocals
I’ve seen the You Tube videos and must admit, I was underwhelmed; however this particular performance was delivered with despaired vocals by Sambora that you believed as if his life depended on it. For reasons I can’t go into, the emotions uncoiled here for me tonight. Sambora’s performance exuded aching vulnerability and even though he’s a millionaire many times over, he sold it tonight. It made me think of my mate Adam in Australia who has recently encountered unimaginable darkness and I was hoping that whatever he was listening to at that very moment was making him smile because I was smiling sending good thoughts his way and knowing that tomorrow would be brighter because “there ain’t nobody left but us these days”.

“Living In Sin” w/ “Going To The Chapel” (Jon in crowd)
The unlocking of the treasure chest continues with this forgotten top-ten hit from 1989 off the New Jersey album, the performance was delivered with a rich luster as the band perfectly complimented each other congealing their sound until a gigantic crescendo that took the song into another realm. Jon Bon Jovi was on his side platform for this one, but the band demonstrated their cumulative force and how powerful they can be when they challenge themselves. As the song faded out, I was floored as Jon continued to sing the “Going To The Chapel”, in a subdued manner as Sambora made his way to the platform to perform with Jon.

“I’ll Be There For You” (Jon and Richie acoustic-in the crowd)
The duet from the audience makes this song so profoundly intimate and real, I sometimes wonder why it didn’t happen before now. Bobby Bandiera’s electric solo surprisingly works insanely well in this context.

“Bed of Roses” (Jon in crowd)
TLFR style with some nice accentuation from Lorenza Ponce on the fiddle.

“Who Says You Can’t Go Home”
The new warhorse but when it works as magically as it does, who can complain?

“Have A Nice Day”
A single spotlight found Richie up front and center shredding away on his guitar for a sweltering performance.

“Keep The Faith”
If there is one song in the band’s catalog that is essential to the live performance, this is it. I am glad to see it back as a staple.

“Livin’ On A Prayer”
The vivacious crowd takes the a capella bait and proceeds to lose their minds.

ENCORE #1

“Blood On Blood”
A tale of friendship and loyalty that never grows old and is always played with the energy of young titans.

“Wanted Dead or Alive”
Static and standard…yet essential, why is it the best performances of this song have the crowd singing the entire first verse?

The band took their bows and was ready to leave, but there was no way the ecstatic crowd was letting them go anywhere. The band congregated, discussed and returned front and center and even had Jon Bon Jovi electing to not play a guitar to be more fluid and free.

ENCORE #2

“Twist & Shout”
The song hit on all notes and from the appearance of the arena, you would have thought it was the Beatles at Shea Stadium. It should be noted, the first time the band ever closed a show with this song was in Chicago on November 20, 2000, arguably one of the five best concerts I have ever seen. Tonight, the crowd was just as jubilant and free and I even saw a number of people from the documentary film crew shaking and twisting on the side of the stage in a purely blissful manner as were the 20,000 in attendance.

“Treat Her Right”
The band segued immediately into this number as Jon, who was footloose and fancy free roamed the stage until towards the end, I saw this possessed look I his eyes and he jettisoned from the stage, onto the mini pit and surged into the crowd and from the appearance of things, the security crew appeared to be caught off guard by this and the followed him until he ran to the back of the arena saying “Goodnight” and exiting.

Forty (40) different and unique songs over three nights (44 unique songs if you count the partial covers) is the stuff of legend and I’m happy to say I was there to see it. They proved the naysayer’s wrong delivering three spirited, earnest and buoyant shows that no one will forget any time soon. In my opinion, get the tapes from the three nights, mix them and sell a 3 cd set of all the songs performed over these three nights on the tour, the ultimate souvenir.

I’ve been critical of the band in the past, but they delivered over the course of these three shows. I’ll even go on the record saying that the band I witnessed in Milwaukee last Thursday reminded me of the Who in 1982, a once great band who was still good but whose former glories were behind them instead of in front of them. However, over the last few nights in Chicago, Bon Jovi was like the Live At Leeds version of the Who. It just goes to show that it’s never too late to choose the less traveled road and still find your way home. Bon Jovi was and continues to be a band that is defiant, unbreakable and invincible.

Assorted pictures by Rosie Conway.

Bon Jovi: Shelter From The Storm (Live in Chicago 2-24-08)

Bon Jovi: Shelter From The Storm
By Anthony Kuzminski

United Center-Chicago, IL
February 24, 2008
Concert Review

Oh, a storm is threat'ning, My very life today;
If I don't get some shelter, Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away
-Gimme Shelter

In 1969, amidst the chaos and confusion of race riots, the Vietnam war and what appeared to be not just a country but a world falling apart at the seams, the Rolling Stones wrote and recorded a searing, severe and apocalyptic song that defined the times entitled “Gimme Shelter”. The four-minutes and twenty-eight seconds of this masterpiece embody the entire 1960’s than almost any other piece of art from the entire decade. Even though I wasn’t alive in the 1960’s, I can hear the pandemonium in this track; the incendiary brimstone and fire remains just as revelatory today in its ability to transform and adapt itself to the times. As revelatory as the track was in 1968, it’s continued to evolve and forty-years later, the song is larger than life as fans continue to find refuge and shelter in the art of it.

Twenty-three years after the Stones recorded “Gimme Shelter”, the title track of Bon Jovi’s fifth studio record, Keep the Faith proved to be a reaction of sorts to “Gimme Shelter”. Despite desolate times and a draining economy the band found a spark in the dark and turned everything they knew on its head from a musical perspective. Despite the ambitious worldly nature of the track, it didn’t light up the charts and was the first single since 1985 that Bon Jovi had released to not make the top ten. However, something mystical and miraculous has happened to this song over the last fifteen years, it’s reinvented itself, redefined a band and has proven to be an anthem for the ages. Two-hours into Bon Jovi’s sold-out Sunday night concert at the United Center in Chicago, I’m watching Richie Sambora, less than ten feet away from me, wield his guitar with mastery I’ve never seen from the six string shredder before in my life. Sambora’s fingers graced the frets and delicate exactness, but the look on his face said it all; his narrow eyes were so entrenched in thought that he was able to sway the crowd to another level of euphoria through the pure dominance of his performance. It was a turning point in not just the evening but in the young tour as well. The most powerful aspect of live music as an art form is its ability to evolve and transform; something a film and a painting can’t do. The crashing and exuberant performance of “Keep the Faith” painted a picture that wasn’t just pulverizing but was concurrently cinematic in its scope as well; just like the use of “Gimme Shelter” in a Martin Scorsese film.

The official US leg of the Lost Highway tour began last week in Omaha, NE and began a three-night residency in Chicago this past Saturday. The shows leading up to the Sunday one were good, yet a tad too dialed and domestic for my taste. They were perfectly executed shows, but lacking the extra drive to take it over the top. However, it was an entirely different story on Sunday. Every once in a while all of the elements that make a perfect show fall into place and Sunday night in Chicago, Bon Jovi delivered one for the ages.

Right from the rip-roaring opening trio of “Lost Highway”, “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Raise Your Hands” the band, especially Jon, willed the crowd to life to a euphoric state that never waned. The vigor of the band was on full display on “Runaway” and even though this song is over a quarter-century old this was the best performance I’ve seen of the song to date. The band plunged into the song in a way they haven’t done in decades. Most notable were Tico Torres’ uninhibited yet meticulous fastidious backbeat and Sambora’s sprawling solo. The band appeared reborn and performed “Runaway” as if it was their most recent single and not a banal hit.

The evening showcased eight songs not performed the night before and while I don’t feel some of the choices are among their best (“Bounce”, “Till We Ain’t Strangers”), the drive and determination during each of the performances proved to be refreshing and revitalizing. “Misunderstood” was resurrected for only the second time since 2003 demonstrating how varied and wide their catalog truly is and Jon even invited a fan to hold the lyrics for him since it was a last minute addition to the set list. The comforting “In These Arms” was inviting, impenetrable and winking. “Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen from Mars” was a psychedelic acid trip down memory lane with the fan club section waving their arms in sync like a pro football cheer leading squad while the revelatory and soulful “I’ll Be There For You” literally brought the house down. Saturday night found Sambora taking lead vocal duties on the affecting ballad with a stirring guitar solo but on Sunday night, Sambora joined Jon on a side platform in the crowd where they performed the song acoustically as a duet. Sports arenas usually provide indolent experiences because of the vastness of the room, but these two singular artists found a way to bring breathtaking intimacy to the sold-out crowd through their performance. “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night” triumphed because the delivery was forthright, sincere and found Jon Bon Jovi cuing the crowd into ecstasy into a celebratory finale.
“Stranger In This Town” found Richie Sambora front and center in a dreamy, bluesy and a tour de force moment. When he sung the lyric, “Hey mister can you tell me, what this world’s about, it might just help me out” it rung truer to me than at any other time in my life. Great artists often ask questions they don’t have answers to. It’s in these questions that we derive hope from…and more importantly, faith. I would rather have an enigmatic track that leaves me with more questions than answers and “Stranger In This Town” is a contemplative elegy for all-time. Here is an artist who has climbed some bleak walls in the last few years, clashed with demons and let me tell you, the end result is the most fluid, free form and feverish playing of Sambora’s career. In short, Richie Sambora is at the apex of his career. A month ago, I caught Buddy Guy in his Chicago nightclub and after witnessing that miracle, I wondered why I bother with large shows. Richie Sambora reminded me why I love arena rock with the heartrending delivery of his solo tune. His playing is emotive like the best blues legends, only on a larger and grander scale.

Even the nightly warhorses were riveting; “Whole Lotta Leavin” rung true with an earnestness that is genuine and after the band surged in fully after the first verse, it was like a knockout blow from a heavyweight. During “Born To Be My Baby” (on Saturday night), Jon Bon Jovi strove over to the side platforms and actually kissed a woman and her husband/boyfriend giddily stood by taking a picture. In what world would this be OK with him? Only at a Bon Jovi concert. Jon was more mobile than I’ve seen him on stage in over a decade and appeared to be footloose and fancy free. Right from the first note to the last one, the band was storming to their own groove.

“(You Want To) Make A Memory” continues to attest their relevancy with a hush-like performance where the audience can be heard murmuring the lyrics but when multiplied by 20,000; it’s not just good, it’s divine. The pure adolescent jubilation of “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” secured the emotions of the 20,000 in attendance which was followed by the tangled rawness of “Have A Nice Day”. The simple flipping of these two songs worked wonders for the set list as the pacing improved leading up to aforementioned “Keep The Faith” and the supercharged “Livin’ On A Prayer”.

The collective talents of the seven musicians on this stage bestowed the Chicago crowd with an explosive exuberance none of them will forget any time soon. The inner mechanics of their musicianship is still in tact and is as enlivening as it’s ever been. The cinematic inferno they injected into the crowd during the explosive “Keep the Faith” proved to be a countercultural movement inside the walls of the arena. The bad has had bigger and more ambitious hits but none have resonated and continued to develop the way “Keep the Faith” has progressed. Like “Gimme Shelter” from four decades back, “Keep the Faith” has proven to be a socially vicarious turbocharged plea for trying times. It speaks of the coming storm, wrestling with life’s obstacles and yet finding solace and hope. For 150-minutes on Sunday night in the Windy City, Bon Jovi gave me and 20,000 others shelter from the storm and a renewed sense of faith substantiating that their art is more than a nostalgia trip but an expansive and weighty body of work.

And it's hard to hold on when there's no one to lean on.
Faith: You know you're gonna live through the rain.
-Keep The Faith

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer for Unrated Magazine and the antiMusic Network. He can be found at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

The Best Films of 2007

Every year at some point, movie lovers groan and complain at what a weak year it has been for film. However when they gather their year end lists, they often have the realization that the previous twelve months were far more impressive than they remember. During the summer months we’re exposed to what seems like hundreds of over the top action films that are bombastic in the worse possible way, when in truth there are always shining moments throughout the year and often the sum of the entire year is far more impressive than we remember.

While a number of sequels ending in three proved to be good or just mediocre (Spiderman, Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek, Rush Hour) there were others that enthralled myself and audiences worldwide (they appear on the Runner’s Up list below).

For the first time in years, I did not have one clear cut favorite. “Once” resonated strongest with me throughout the year, alas so did a dozen others. I usually have a handful of films that are vying for the top spot; alas 2007 there were close to twenty. While not one of them stood above the rest, they are all equally impressive and any of them are Oscar worthy. I’ve run out of time to do a full blow by blow account of each film, here is my Top-Ten followed by forty runners up. If time allows, I'll revisit this list and expand on it in the future...

The Best Films of 2007
By Anthony Kuzminski

1. Before The Devil Knows Your Dead

Picking a number one film this year proved to be impossible but in the end I went with a crime thriller that was a case of pure perfection. Every scene and moment in this Sidney Lumet directed film is beyond luminous with career defining performances from Ethan Hawke, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marissa Tomei. Albert Finney is a tour de force in this thriller that is more about karma than about bad luck; a top to bottom masterpiece about a crime gone terribly wrong.

2. Once
This film made me smile for close to two hours. This is a wonderfully warm and endearing film of two musicians who first find a common connection through music and later through each other. Music opens doors and worlds to us and what this wonderfully independent film showcases is how provocative it can be and the connections we make through the music.

3. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Trust me on this one…I guarantee you that once you pop this in the DVD player, you’ll be transfixed and the second the film is over, you’ll want to watch all of the extra scenes and materials because you’ll want to know more and spend more time with these two men vying for the Donkey Kong World Record. This film is so engaging it’s just like a video game where you throw in another quarter to watch it again.

4. The Darjeeling Limited
Maybe a little too obvious rather than mystical, but I found the story to be profoundly vibrant, especially the unexpected second half which is the emotional core of the film. The bi-polar swings of the characters and even the story left my jaw on the ground of the theater. Director Wes Anderson pushed himself with this film and while not as quirky as his previous efforts, it’s just an enchanting and his most enlightening to date.

5. Superbad/Knocked Up
The two funniest films of the year and because it is my list and my rules, I am sharing the spot for them. Judd Apatow was behind both films and both brought tears to my eyes. All around hysterical laughter but heart as well. I have a feeling Superbad will be a classic and resonate longer, but if you need the release of laughter, look no further.

6. Into The Wild
When I saw Sean Penn would be directing this film about a loner and Eddie Vedder was doing the music, I thought this would be highly pretentious, but it’s not. The brushstrokes Penn utilizes while painting this film are stunning and the images of the film, along with the powerful soundtrack, perfectly fit the source material.

7. Juno
Too much has been written about this film by now but it’s so incredibly charming I dare someone not to love it. Another one of those films that makes you smile endlessly.

8. Michael Clayton
Corporate greed, murder and the dilemma of being in the middle of it all proves to be a moral tale that isn’t flashy but haunts you for weeks after seeing it. The metaphorical imagery is awe-inspiring and a slew of tour de force performances.

9. No Country For Old Men
The Coen Brothers films often leave me with my head scratching and it’s only on the second or third viewing that I truly “get” the film. Despite this, No Country delivers on every account and crawls under your skin. The anxiousness of all of the characters seeps into your mind, body and soul…and if it doesn’t then the final scene of the film is lost on you. Another perfect crime thriller.

10. Persepolis
The best animated film of the year that is brisk, biting and permeates with heavy themes through the eyes of a young girl/woman. The film, done in the same style as the graphic novel, simultaneously shows the loneliness and confusion of growing up in hand with growing up in the 1980’s during the war between Iran and Iraq. It delicately balances the heavy themes with a light hearted feel that makes the film all that more digestible. Of the films on this top-ten list, this is the most haunting and will stay in your heart and mind forever.

Wild Cards/Runners Up
11. The Mist
12. There Will Be Blood
13. Zodiac
14. Eastern Promises
15. Charlie Wilson’s War
16. Away From Her
17. The Bourne Ultimatum
18. Hot Fuzz
19. Grindhouse
20. The Lookout
21. Live Free or Die Hard
22. In The Valley of Elah
23. The Namesake
24. 3:10 to Yuma
25. Rescue Dawn
26. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
27, Lars and the Real Girl
28. Waitress
29. Breach
30. The Hoax
31. A Mighty Heart
32. Ocean’s 13
33. Paris, Je T'aime
34. You Kill Me
35. The Simpsons Movie
36. Atonement
37. American Gangster
38. The Kite Runner
39. La Vie En Rose
40. The Savages
41. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
42. Transformers
43. 1408
44. The Golden Compass
45. Mr. Brooks
46. Ira & Abby
47. Beowulf
48. Gone Baby Gone
49. Ratatouille
50. 300


Honorable DVD Mention:

10 Items or Less
Morgan Freeman is beyond charming in this little slice of life film that no one knows about.

Honorable Foreign Mention:

The Lives Of Others
Last year’s Foreign Film Oscar winner which I didn’t see until March. The film will is a spider-web of trickery and deceit, but ultimately one of renewal and reward. Like Persepolis, it is based on real life events and will leave an indelible impression.

Two Wildly Ambitious Films That Ultimately Don’t Work

Across The Universe
I’m Not There
Musical homage’s to the Beatles and Bob Dylan were wildly fascinating to watch but ultimately the total sums of their parts did not equal great work. They’re wildly fascinating and gloriously messy, which is admirable but ultimately left me cold and confused. I’m Not There ended up being too erratic and Across The Universe would up (surprisingly) being too domestic and predictable (even if the images were stunning). Each film gets an “A” for effort and a C- for execution, but I would suggest checking both films out on DVD.

The Worse Films of the Year-Stay Away At All Costs:
Wild Hogs
The Ten
The Nanny Diaries

Bon Jovi: Open Highways and Hearts (Repost)-Milwaukee Summerfest Review 7/5/07

I probably will not write a review of the 2/21/08 show im Milwaukee, WI, so I'm reposting my review from last summer's Milwaukee show. Enjoy...
xT

Summerfest
Milwaukee, WI
July 5th, 2007
Photos by Rob Grabowski

In recent weeks and months I have received numerous emails asking me why I will write such polarizing reviews about Bon Jovi. I consider myself a fan (one of the biggest on the planet) but I also feel obligated to speak the truth and nothing but the truth. I love this band; when they succeed, I’ll praise them and when they disappoint me, I’ll make sure they know why they let me down. I had tickets for their recent Milwaukee show months ago, for their triumphant return to Summerfest (marking the band’s fourth appearance going back to 1985). My expectations for this show were low due specifically to the ridiculous ticket prices the band is charging for their upcoming ten-night stand in Newark, NJ. Despite my extreme hesitations, I’m happy to say that Bon Jovi engaged the Milwaukee crowd and performed a two-hour show that was nothing short of stupendous. Even songs that appeared tired (most notably “Bad Medicine” and “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”, the latter which should be retired indefinitely), the band brazenly punched their way through them absorbing the record breaking crowd. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, when Bon Jovi wants to be, they are one of the three or four best live bands on the planet; when they want to be. Tonight, with a little help from the jubilant Milwaukee crowd, they rose to the challenge and were one of these preeminent bands.

Since this was a one-off show, the stage was bare aside from the band’s equipment, which I found refreshing. There were no gimmicks, toys or pits full of fans trying to grab band members…just a lot of adrenaline and rock n’ roll. In my book there is no better way to see any band. Kicking off with the one-two punch of “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “You Give Love A Bad Name” the band rolled through the next two-hours like seasoned pros giving the Milwaukee audience a largely greatest hits set flavored with seven new songs from the band’s latest album, ‘Lost Highway’. The hits were irresistible; “Runaway”, “Born To Be My Baby”, “It’s My Life”, “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night”, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” and “Wanted Dead or Alive” all sounded as fresh as the day they were recorded specifically because of the band’s aggression and resolve. I was near the front of the stage and as I peered over my shoulder during all of the aforementioned hits, you saw close to thirty-thousand pairs of hands in the air, a sight almost greater than the tight, fit and healthy looking band on stage. The Milwaukee crowd was completely drunk on Bon Jovi and the band in turn ate it up.
What was a one-off gig to support the new album turned into a superlative show due to the partnership of band and fan. There were no Ticketmaster auctions or ridiculously priced seats and it showed. The front of the crowd knew the new songs inside and out. As a result of their infectious enthusiasm, the rest of the crowd followed their lead during the rip roaring title track, “Lost Highway” by surging their arms into the air during the chorus. The first chorus found only the front of the house participating, but by the second chorus, the entire amphitheater was reaching for the sky. “Whole Lotta Leavin’” was equally victorious as it showed the band at their most cathartic and featured some great acoustic guitar work from sideman Bobby Bandiera. The latest single “(You Want To) Make A Memory” becomes more alluring with every performance and listen. This may potentially be a hidden gem years from now and I only hope the band continues to make it evolve. “I Love This Town” will be a future anthem anywhere they play and even the ridiculousness of “We Got It Goin’ On” went over well (although I still find it to be the most thwarting song Bon Jovi has ever committed to tape). Aside from one stinker, the rest of the new material ascended to new heights with “Any Other Day” taking the cake. A simplistic song on the first listen, the band demonstrated why they are a driving force in concert with Bobby Bandiera playing a gorgeous solo followed by an equally languid one from Richie Sambora (who looked excellent and alert the entire night). As they segued from solo to solo, violinist Lorenza Ponce performed an extended solo leaving the audiences mouths agape. An already good song was elevated to a new apex. This is what was missing from Unplugged but in Milwaukee the band fused all of these elements together for an explosive reaction.

This was one of the five-best crowds I have been a part of in the last few years with only Pearl Jam coming close to the level of fanaticism on display in Milwaukee. It was exhilarating but nerve-racking at the same time. The fanaticism of the crowd made it crystal clear to me that Bon Jovi does not need money guarantees from AEG, auctioned off seats, pits for radio winners, or even high definition screens. This band is so spectacular live, that if they give the same energy into every show as they did this one, they would sell out anywhere they play. Bon Jovi doesn’t need to perform on American Idol, The View or even the Today Show, they just need to hit the road and leave the audience in a spellbinding trance. This is what they do best. They don’t need to ever have a concert ticket over $100. Don’t follow the lead of the Police and Rolling Stones, but follow the lead of Dave Matthews and Pearl Jam; respect your fans, give 110% every night and don’t take care of the suits first. If you do this, the riches and more importantly, respect will follow. All that mattered in Milwaukee were the band and the fans. Sadly, this may be one of the last times I may witness the magic this band has to offer as they are choosing to sell the best seats to their upcoming shows to those who have $750 for a pair of tickets. The roar of the crowd will not be as load and deafening if it was filled with a bunch of suits. The rich get richer mentality is not a road to longevity, respecting your fans is. The Summerfest Bon Jovi show was filled with soul instead of sponsors.
The extra-long encore was seducing. The band performed the Leonard Cohen song, “Hallelujah” which was far better than on Unplugged. I only wish Richie Sambora helped Jon harmonize on this one. Despite it being a good performance, it can’t hold a candle to the Jeff Buckley or Leonard Cohen versions (which Jon gave a plug to). But if a few dozen people left the show in search of either of these artists, then Jon Bon Jovi has done his job. The new song, “The Last Night” proved to be more than meets the eye. It’s at the end of a terribly long mid-tempo group of songs on ‘Lost Highway’ and I initially overlooked it and did not fully appreciate its harmonies. The finale of “Twist and Shout” was not planned and while it’s not the first time the band has done this, they get bonus points for going above and beyond the call of duty. The crowd deserved an extra song and they got it.
During the penultimate anthem, “Wanted Dead or Alive”, I watched the light reflect off Jon and Richie and to the left of the stage their silhouettes graced a wall as they brought the song to its climax. Amidst the darkness of the amphitheater there was inner light shimmering from these two artists. Despite what people may say about Bon Jovi, they bring enlightenment, hope and optimism to millions of people across the world. People who are backed into a corner and feel hopeless find solace in the band’s music and performances. I only hope that these lost souls riding down life’s highways are not shut out from seeing performances like the one in Milwaukee because of ticket prices.
All pics courtesy of Rob Grabowski.

Bon Jovi Kicks Off 'Lost Highway' Tour Proper (Stage Spoilers)-Milwaukee 2/21/08

Bon Jovi has been touring for about nine months on and off again in support of Lost Highway and their “proper” North American opener began earlier this week in Omaha, NE and I was fortunate to score a pair of decent lower level seats for $80 so my kick-ass wife and I made our way to the land of cheese to catch what we were hoping to be an vital and enlivening evening of rock n’ roll. For reasons I won’t go into here, I will not be offering a play by play review of the show. This leaves me with outlining what fans should expect when they attend these shows.

1. First off, the band goes on stage around 8:30, make sure you make it there in time.

2. The sound from where I was sitting was rather spectacular, props to the band’s crew for making this a reality.

3. Richie Sambora’s playing was more fluid and fun than it’s been on the last few tours. He even used a wireless guitar on the triumphant “Keep The Faith” and roamed to the other side of the stage to play it. His arsenal of guitars appears to be more classic than homemade.

4. Only Bobby Bandiera and Lorenza Ponce are on stage with the band this time around. Lorenza only appears on certain songs, while Bobby is on stage for the entire time.

5. The stage itself is nice. On par with U2, Keith Urban, the Stones, etc…almost. The screens are very impressive and are reminiscent of some of the backstage screens U2 used on their 2001 Elevation tour. Alas, the screens when they converge into a giant one do block some of the behind the stage vantage points. I would say this occurs on four songs, however, for no more than two minutes at a time so it could be worse. Certain parts of the stage behind the band rise at times and act as another video screen, on two songs it raises all the way up blocking some behind the stage seats, albeit only for a few minutes. Overall what is lacking is a B-stage by the soundboard or an ellipse (U2) that would allow to band to roam about and get further into the audience.

To those of you who have emailed me about whether or not I am attending the Chicago shows, it’s a question mark at the moment. To those of you going to upcoming shows, enjoy!
xT

"U2 3D" Film Review

Ever since the momentous Woodstock four decades back, the art of capturing a rock band on film has proved to be vitalizing, idealistic and at times downright disastrous. The paramount performances have tended to make the artists appear larger than life however, the crux of this enormity has often resulted as underlining tension whether it being The Band breaking up in The Last Waltz, Bono’s political rants in Rattle and Hum or the Altamont disaster the Rolling Stones experienced in Gimme Shelter. With the advent of the DVD, live concert releases have become the norm and I have a full library full of them. Sadly, they often don’t live up to expectations. It may be poor editing, key songs left on the cutting room floor or the horrifying trend of shooting concerts on video over film. However, there has been one concert performance on screen that has been revelatory and until recently was untouchable. The Rolling Stones At the Max, a 1991 IMAX film showcased this larger than life band to be just that on IMAX screens that were taller than buildings. I remember witnessing the show and it was so defining that I largely consider it my first live Stones experience. Jagger didn’t move like a rock God…but exactly like a God. Richards, Wood, Wyman and Watts all had their steel precision accentuated by a boisterous soundtrack and assaulting skyscraper images. I never thought that any concert experience would ever touch that one…until now.

Ever since I was a child, I was fascinated with the idea of 3-D technology. I remember our local Fox affiliate advertising one of the glorious B-Monster movies to be shown in 3-D and I headed to my local grocery store to get the glasses. My babysitter coming over and we got all set on the sofa to watch the movie and I couldn’t tell any different with or without the glasses. Needless to say, it was a deflating and banal experience and soured me on 3-D films forever. A little over a year ago, I caught a 3-D presentation of Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas and was pleased to find that the medium had improved immensely, but for one reason or another, despite other 3-D showings at the same theater, I didn’t seek any of them out. All of this brings us to U2 3D, for which I must admit, until press screenings of the film, I was less than excited for. “Why not just do a flat out IMAX film?” I thought to myself. However, as I made my way to one of the first showings of the film, right from the moment where the lights dimmed and the company logos appeared on screen, there were gasps of shock and awe…without having a single credit roll. As everyone tried to pick their jaws up from the floor, I knew this would be the definitive 3-D experience.
The film opens with fans outside the stadium and once through the gates, they make rush to get into that pit in front of the stage. One thing American audiences don’t always realize is that countries like South America don’t get a lot of rock concerts and when they do, it’s as if the Pope himself is visiting and they treat the experience like a religious one. Their hearts, bodies and mind bleed for the music and it shown gloriously in this film. From the runner inside the stadium, the film effortlessly segues to “Vertigo” which was an awesome assault on your visual and sonic senses; I immediately knew at this moment that the U2 had outdone the Stones with this spellbinding camera work and special effects. Ironically, what made the film so sweepingly impressive was the 3-D visual. As Larry Mullen Jr. muscularly wails on his drum kit, an overhead camera gives us a shot unlike any we’ve ever seen before. I could see the ice cubes in the drink next to his kit pulsate amidst the liquid and glass, making you feel like you were in the hurricane middle of the concert. Adam Clayton veered his bass right in front of my eyes and I jolted backwards because the shot felt real. As “Beautiful Day” was transported with understated perfection, I began to recognize that U2 have never sounded as vivid or euphoric as they did right at this moment on screen. The music mix wasn’t just coherent; it was revelatory as I’d never heard the song sound as fresh or organic as it did here. The Edge commanded the screen and as the chorus swelled I felt I was standing right next to him experiencing it while hearing the music as if I was in a first rate recording studio.

“New Year’s Day” continued the sprawling experience and even if it’s tiresome to some long standing U2 fans, I can guarantee you; you’ve never seen it like this before. “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” gave me my first goose bump moment as Bono’s vocal performance is laced with ostentatious emotions which overflowed on screen. Due to its static inclusion nightly on the last tour I grew a bit tired of the song, but here it was novel once again. “Love and Peace or Else” is a U2 hymn for the ages. This song underwhelmed me on record, but in concert it took on another life with an intense anticipation and a thunderous foreplay drum beat which segues into “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Bullet The Blue Sky” where the emotional, entrenched and earnest Bono rules the stage where U2 raises the stakes from a worldwide perspective which isn’t so much a lecture as a epic story arc executed to perfection. It’s capped with a pleading and unforgettable vocal on “Miss Sarajevo” and the triumphant “Pride” which found Bono so close to you, that you could see arms reaching out from their seats in hopes of touching him. The only person who is provided a better seat than the viewer is the occasional fly who winds up on Bono’s shades; this is how superbly unsubtle directors Mark Pellington and Catherine Owens have made this film.
“Where The Streets Have No Name” defies expectations with a unyielding drive and explosive opening that is a contender for greatest live song ever; cue goose bump moment number two. The uplifting oomph this song brings to every U2 show is a resurrection. I’ve seen the band have an off night and when the opening kicks in, the audience truly roars to life. The film performance captures the rampant enthusiasm of band and fan as the song reaches new heights. “One”, arguably one of the most preeminent songs ever written and recorded, is conveyed with poignant and elegant syncopation coherently allowing the fixating lyrics to shine through. “The Fly” provided a potent mix or irony and alternative rock mayhem as the performance was straight out of Zoo TV with the images and words flying at you providing a tour de force 3-D experience. The triumphant finale of “With Or Without You” provided goose bump moment number three as the band elegantly and slowly seduced the audience before the intoxicating and glorious crescendo providing the ultimate sing-a-long moment. As the credits rolled, not a single person moved or left their seat as the images were just as enthralling as “Yahweh” found the band taking immeasurable lyrics and being able to leave the grandeur of their stage for an intimate performance that brought the film full circle; from an intense and copious opening to a serene and heartrending finale.
Even though the band played it safe with the song selection for this film, each song was executed gloriously with an intense outlook on the thematic and spiritual aspects of the larger whole. I’ve seen U2 twenty-plus times and I felt as if I were witnessing the breathtaking abandonment of these songs for the first time. U2 has always had the spiritual angle of their of their concerts executed with precise perfection. Between the world-weary ballads, the warm vintage feel of their anthems and the blissful conviction of their performances you really do believe that they are doing all of this for a higher power than money. Making a 3-D film could not have been an easy decision and the results could have been disastrous, but the band forged ahead and took a chance and as a result created an experience for the ages. For such an expansive and larger than life experience, the film gradually takes you on a journey to feel the roar of the crowd, throw you smack dab in the middle of it while simultaneously providing a truly intimate and unforgettable experience. The reason U2 is often heralded as the one of the most vital, important and grand bands ever is because of their ability to forge forward while not alienating those who have put them where they are. Only the Beatles and Rolling Stones have taken as many chances. U2 is still alive and vital because they have a penchant for never living in the past and never making decisions with their wallets. Whatever money that has been sunk into this film, I’m not sure if it will reap giant financial rewards, but what I can guarantee you, is that whether you are a U2 fan or not, U2 3D will leave you breathless and the entire experience will be etched in your mind for all time.

Video Links
U2 3D Preview Clips

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer for Unrated Magazine and the antiMusic. He can be found at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Jimmy Eat World, Paramore announce tour dates

February 15, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JIMMY EAT WORLD AND PARAMORE ANNOUNCE TOUR DATES

Jimmy Eat World and Paramore have announced the routing of a U.S. co-headline tour scheduled to kick off April 1st. Said Jimmy Eat World singer Jim Adkins, "We're very excited for the upcoming tour with Paramore. We got to know them last December while playing festivals together. They put on a great show and we think it's going to be an awesome bill." Adds Hayley Williams (Paramore), "If it all ends tomorrow, we will be happy knowing that we got a tour with the band that gave us a reason to play music."

Recently hailed by Blender as "the Judd Apatow of pop-punk," Jimmy Eat World have already shifted their new year into high gear, as the band is in the midst of an international headline tour that includes the UK, Europe and Japan. 2007 saw the release of Chase This Light, which Entertainment Weekly called "a masterclass in hard rocking for the soft-hearted". Executive produced by Butch Vig, Chase This Light features the singles "Always Be" and the chart-topping "Big Casino", which Rolling Stone described as "an exhilarating seize-what's-left-of-the-day anthem." For more information on the band and the upcoming tour, visit jimmyeatworld.com.

Fueled By Ramen recording group Paramore has toured nearly nonstop for over three years, most recently selling out a major headline tour of North America. Their sophomore album "RIOT!" has gone on to sell over 700,000 units and has been certified RIAA gold. The album features the breakthrough hit singles, "Misery Business" and "Crushcrushcrush", both Top 5 at Modern Rock radio and on MTV, FUSE, MTV2, and MTVu. The band has received coast-to-coast acclaim with a recent Grammy nomination for "Best New Artist" as well as with a variety of national publications. Alternative Press recently hailed Paramore as "Band of the Year" on the cover of their February issue while Revolver called "RIOT!" "a masterful mix of springy drum beats, crisp guitar hooks, and [Williams'] girlish snarl." Spin praised the album for its "arena- rocking potential." For more information, visit paramore.net and fueledbyramen.com.


Confirmed tour dates below

April 1st - San Antonio, TX - Freeman Coliseum
April 2nd - Lubbock, TX - Lonestar Amphitheater
April 3rd - El Paso, TX - El Paso County Coliseum
April 5th - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amph. (Bamboozle West)
April 6th - Bakersfield, CA - Rabobank Arena
April 8th - San Jose, CA - Event Center at San Jose State
April 9th - Sacramento, CA - Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
April 10th - Salem, OR - Salem Armory
April 12th - Pocatello, ID - Holt Arena
April 14th - Orem, UT - McKay Events Center
April 16th - Council Bluffs, IA - Mid America Center
April 17th - Springfield, MO - The Shrine Mosque
April 18th - Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom
April 19th - DeKalb, IL - Convocation Center
April 22nd - Dayton, OH - Hara Arena
April 25th - Rochester, NY - Gordon Field House
April 26th - Washington, DC - Bender Arena
April 28th - Albany, NY - Washington Avenue Armory
April 30th - Lowell, MA - Paul E. Tsongas Arena
May 2nd - Atlantic City, NJ - Taj Mahal Mark G. Etess Arena

JAKOB DYLAN RELEASES FIRST SOLO ALBUM -

JAKOB DYLAN RELEASES FIRST SOLO ALBUM -
SEEING THINGS - IN STORES MAY 13

New York and Los Angeles – Columbia Records and Starbucks
Entertainment are pleased to announce the co-release of Jakob Dylan's debut solo album, Seeing Things on May 13, 2008.

Seeing Things was produced by Rick Rubin at his home studio in the
Hollywood Hills throughout 2007. Jakob Dylan's raw and dynamic
performance on this primarily acoustic album reflects the continuation
of Rick's spare and compelling production work.

Seeing Things Track listing:
1. Evil Is Alive And Well
2. Valley Of The Low Sun
3. All Day And All Night
4. Everybody Pays As They Go
5. Will It Grow
6. I Told You I Couldn't Stop
7. War Is Kind
8. Something Good This Way Comes
9. On Up The Mountain
10. This End Of The Telescope

A headlining tour will be announced shortly with festival dates at this
year’s Rothbury & Bonnaroo already confirmed and more to come.

Seeing Things will be available simultaneously at Starbucks
company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada and at traditional
retail.

WILCO Live Webcast Tonight-Chicago Night #5 or 5

Greetings. Last minute addition: we're streaming tonight's 5th and final show of Wilco's

Winter Residency live from the Riviera Theatre in Chicago. Show time 730 central. Here's the link:

http://wilcoworld.net/roadcase/index.php

SPOON DATES AND VENUES CONFIRMED FOR SPRING 2008 VICTORY LAP

SPOON DATES AND VENUES CONFIRMED FOR SPRING 2008 VICTORY LAP
The Walkmen & White Rabbits To Support

Spoon has begun confirming cities and venues for its April 2008 victory lap of the United States. Confirmed dates as of press time are:

Wed/Apr-02 Kansas City, KS @ Uptown *#
Fri/Apr-04 Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre *#
Sat/Apr-05 Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts *#
Sun/Apr-06 Detroit. MI @ Emerald Theater *#
Mon/Apr-07 Pittsburgh, PA @ Carnegie Music Hall *#
Wed/Apr-09 New York, NY @ Terminal 5
Thu/Apr-10 Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory *
Sat/Apr-12 Norfolk, VA @ Norva *#
Mon/Apr-14 Atlanta, GA @ Centerstage *#
Wed/Apr-16 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution *#
Fri/Apr-18 Nashville, TN @ Vanderbilt University (Rites of Spring)
Sat/Apr-19 Indianapolis, IN @ Vogue

* = w/ The Walkmen
# = w/ White Rabbits

Additional cities and venues will be announced as they are confirmed. For information on tickets, please go to www.spoontheband.com

Wilco: Chicago Winter Residency Night #2 In-Depth Review (2/16/08)

Confession time, even though I physically own every one of Wilco’s album’s I have had an arduous time over the last thirteen-years coming to terms with them. At Jeff Tweedy’s best, I believe he is a cathartic songwriter who often does his best to disavow his inner pop talent. He writes these songs that could potentially be power pop, but does his best to spin them on their heads. Plus, I must admit that being in Chicago has proven to be a disadvantage to warming up to them. I’ve often found their music polarizing and the Chicago press continual praise hasn’t helped. I’ve often wondered if the elitist mentality of some of these writers and fans elevated the band to an undeserving level. However, at my core, I always admired the band because they defy expectations and are savvy with their business acumen I often wonder why every act doesn’t follow their lead? However, my watershed moment has come to pass. I had never seen Wilco live and figured if there was ever a time to let their music reveal itself to me, a five night stint at Chicago’s Riviera Theater would be the place and I’m glad to say, my gut instinct was dead on.

What I witnessed was a band with an abundance of pop hooks, restraint and searing intensity who matched the best arena rock shows I’ve ever seen while simultaneously yielding moments so intimate and reflective they could only happen in a club. I was sent to cover for antiMusic and that review will run in the next week, but until that has been completed, I will do a song by song breakdown here.

1. “Someone Else’s Song”
Jeff Tweedy arrives on stage alone and picks up his acoustic guitar and strummed this shiny pop ditty as the other five members arrived one by one and subtly joined in before the ending which found a fully fleshed version.

2. “Hell is Chrome”
From A Ghost Is Born the track has never revealed itself to me until witnessing it live tonight. To fully comprehend and appreciate these salty tunes you have to let the music live with you and embed itself inside of your soul. I’ve never been a fan or Ghost but feel I may need to go back and rediscover it.

3. “Handshake Drugs”
Guitarist Nels Cline steals the song with a trembling physical emancipation of musical soul. The multilayered instrumentation of the entire band jiggles and jangles like a beautiful woman who stops traffic on a hot summer day as the song builds and builds until the droning wall of sound hit a crescendo. The whole song was a cinematic experience with the stellar lights accentuating the shadows of all six band members on the back wall with lighting on par with an arena and stadium act. Wilco songs are like puzzles; you build the framework and slowly fill in the missing pieces until it’s complete. These songs may start one way and as the song moves forward, it shows an entirely different light.

4. “Muzzle of Bees”
The beauty of this tune lies in its simplicity. The spacious and ethereal melody is unlike anything else I’ve heard. Tweedy is a really a pop star who finds a way to defy the odds and morph songs like this into something so much more.

5. “Via Chicago”
The inexplicable cinematic inferno that walked a thin line between bombast and refinement while keeping a straight face the entire time. Glenn Kotche unleashed his inner Keith Moon on this one as he exuberantly performed with precision the entire evening.

6. “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”
While listening to Tweedy steer the band through this heart wrenching emotive number, it really helped me understand Tweedy’s lyrical genius. If he wasn’t making Wilco records, he could make a living and possibly more money writing songs for other people. Granted, they would be polished up to the point where he would disown them, but one can not deny the timeliness nature of the lyrics.

7. “Hotel Arizona”
A song that very easily could have strayed into the mainstream, it’s kept in check with the band finding a way to seclude their inner Top-40 while remaining wonderfully nostalgic and aching.

8. “A Shot in the Arm”
The opening dichotomy of red and white lights offered an orchestrated a sublime moment. The performance gave the crowd a shot of adrenaline and lifted everyone to another level. Cline once again unleashed his inner rock God and at one point during the song I felt as if someone had to throw a bucket of cold water on me because the hurts-so-good feeling of the theater was contagious and almost too good to believe.

9. “Impossible Germany”
The one Wilco song I have listened to the most in the last year and surprisingly, didn’t reveal anything new to me. It just goes to show how many revelatory moments I had on this particular night.

10. “It’s Just That Simple”
A flash from the past provided the hometown crowd a whiff of nostalgia and the reaction of the crowd was electrifying and even though I wasn’t overly familiar with the song, no one could deny the spellbinding power of the song on the crowd.

11. “When You Wake Up Feeling Old”
An elegantly intrinsic pop ditty showcasing the band at their power pop best performed with doe-eyed sincerity.

12. “Too Far Apart”
It was during this number that the awesomeness of this residency came to light. Bands are often too scared and afraid to take chances and revisit their early material because they feel they have moved on from it. What most artists don’t realize is that like life, we have to embrace our past, cherish it and learn from it before moving forward. What made this song so sinuous were the otherworldly smiles on all six bands members’ faces.

13. “Hate it Here”
A refreshing pop song cleverly disguised as an alternative rocker.

14. “Jesus, Etc.”
Andrew Bird joins the band on violin (and will so through song #17) for a song that a soul singer from the 60’s would have a field day with on the sonically ambitious Wilco track.

15. “Forget the Flowers”
The wonderfully poetic and visceral lyrics cut right through in the intimate theater environment, a hall of fame alt-country ditty.

16. “Dash 7”
Delivered with crafty strumming, sweet fiddle and rigorous slide guitar for a fixating version of this song I completely forgot about from their debut and a song that has rarely been performed.

17. “Christ for President”
This is what I love about intimate and daring shows like these when bands dig deep into their catalogs and casual fans like me have defining moments. Going in I would have rather have seen “I’m Always In Love”, but instead I walked away knowing I had seen something that I needed to hear again.

18. “Walken”
With the addition of a three-piece horn section, Wilco proves to be that they are in deed an arena rock band who defies the odds by playing clubs and theaters. There was lots of bombast and glory here for the band to take in, highlighted by an orchestra of assaulting guitars.

19. “I'm the Man Who Loves You”
The first part of the set found the band elegantly pacing the show in a controlled atmosphere with the potent crowd moments mixed in. The band ends this set on a high note with the entire theater’s arms in the air for a riveting and goose bump moment.

Intermission

20. “The Late Greats”
The band retuned to the stage fifteen-minutes later with a vengeance where the band without any introductions reintroduced themselves as a ferocious rock n’ roll band.

21. “Heavy Metal Drummer”
Until the soaring encore, this proved to be the defining and incendiary moment of the evening. There’s a great bit of irony here as the band is singing about a genre of music that is largely vilified yet it didn’t stop the crowd for making this the evening’s most well received song. At its core, music is all about emotion and sometimes it takes a clichéd lyric to connect us. Then there are times where a band sings about artists who make livings off clichéd lyrics. Both experiences are equally divergent and luminous proving that rock n’ roll comes in many faces and forms. The ending of the track was utterly fantastic providing a physically releasing moment where the crowd collectively radiated.

22. “Red-Eyed and Blue”
Andrew Bird returns for a number on which the crowd completely was completely enthralled by the rock n’ roll ecstasy on stage. One of the most ironic items about Wilco is that if they played it straight they could be one of the biggest arena bands in the land. Instead, they’ve gone down the cult road and as a result, they’re the second biggest cult band in the world (with Radiohead being the first). As the delirious crowd vibrancy could be felt, I found myself praying that these shows are being preserved for posterity and will find its way onto some kind of physical or digital box set.

23. “I Got You (At the End of the Century)”
The band embraces their inner classic rock aura with their lean virtuosity and eagerness enchanting the crowd.

24. “A Magazine Called Sunset”
There’s no denying that the band is led by Jeff Tweedy, but the other five musicians bring their collective talents to the stage and gloriously throw themselves into the emotional thick of the action with their collective chemistry.

25. “Monday”
Post-intermission the band turned into the greatest rock band on the planet as their channeled the Faces and Stones. One can not judge a band’s power, importance or relevancy by record sales or concert receipts. However, after this performance in the ice tundra that has been Chicago over the last few months, there was no doubt in my mind that Wilco by a knock-out qualified for a championship fight for the heavyweight rock band of the world. As 1,300 hands boisterously thunder clapping, drummer Glenn Kotche hyperactively shows off his virtuoso bare-knuckle awesomeness proving he is indeed the MVP of Wilco.

26. “Casino Queen"
Imagine a ginormous wall of sound that is fierce, storming and dazzling as the cumulative force of all six members pummeling their instruments was the equivalent of seeing a the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

27. “Kingpin”
The hometown crowd is intoxicating on this one and is a slice of heaven to be in the midst of.

28. “Passenger Side”
The bright chorus, delivered with joyous conviction, made me want to see the other three shows.
29. “Dreamer in My Dreams”
The boogie woogie stomping beat paired with a sunny melody furthered the rock spectacular with a biting finale.

30. “The Lonely 1”
This song is a sedate homage to fanaticism that wields a wide range of emotions with Tweedy front and center on stage. His vocal delivery yields an aching and unabashed vulnerability in his voice. I for the first time in my life knew I could now call myself a fan. I could see inside his head and the picturesque storytelling lyric sealed the deal for me. The entire evening up to this point found Tweedy steadfast and confident, but here he opens the curtains and lets us inside.

For my first concert experience with Wilco, I could think of no better way to end the evening. The band said their goodnights and left the stage at 11:05 PM. However, the crowd was not ready to let go…just yet. The crowd’s aggressive side crushed my eardrums as the fanatical reaction is something I’ve only witnessed a handful of times before in the hundreds of concerts I’ve attended. Not one person left the building and even though the lights were turned on, music could be heard on the speakers, a crew was on stage breaking the set down going so far as to lift the curtain exposing the cases for all of their equipment. Despite all of this, not a soul left and at 11:10, the howls were rewarded as the band surged back on stage. This is only the third time in my life where the roars of the crowd have willed a band back on stage for an extended encore; the other two artists being Bon Jovi and Will Hoge.

Encore
31. “ELT”
Tweedy is at a loss for words as he’s clearly thematically worked out set lists for all five nights and didn’t want to throw the balance off, so they band surged into Friday’s opening number. By a simple chance of luck, an LA writer was standing next to me and confessed to seeing the band upwards of fifty times and told me this performance was in the top-three of all time.

32. “Hoodoo Voodoo”
What impressed me so profoundly with Wilco is their willingness to take chances and never rest on their laurels. All they had to do was a simple cover tune and the crowd would have walked away ecstatic, but they delved deeper pulling a track from Mermaid Avenue, their collaboration with Billy Bragg. Even though there was a false start, the band quickly found their groove with dueling guitar solo’s that morphed into a duel to the death before the music descended into a moment of resurrecting ecstasy.

A little before 11:30, the band finally retreated from the stage and for good this time, however, not before leaving an indelible impression on the sold-out crowd, many of whom have flown in from all over the world to catch these series of shows. Being a music fanatic, I understand why, but to others, they don’t always get it. They would find traveling for a handful of concerts to be foolish, but it’s anything but. These five shows, in Wilco’s hometown no less, are for the ages. More importantly, the band isn’t falling into the trap that hounds arena and stadium acts. They have laid a blueprint to not just perform every single song from their catalog over five nights, but they’re doing it with a wide array of emotions that are proving to be intransient. If this is a chore for them, it’s not showing, they are a band who believes in their albums and songs and at this moment in time are reclaiming them not just for themselves, but so that people like me could see them soar as well. The pop framework of their earlier material contrasts rather stunningly against their more endearing work, however, it helps bridge these songs as catalysts for one another where they may reveal a new color or transform themselves in ways no one could have ever imagined, including the band.

Many may wonder why Wilco hasn’t taken that next step and graduate to arenas. I’m fully confident it will happen one of these days, but when and where doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Wilco has grand ambitions for themselves and their music as long as it is on their own terms. Whether they play to 1,300 or 13,000 is irrelevant, what’s important is that Wilco continues to grow and push the envelope in ways few have done before. I only wish every band was as ambitious and truthful as Wilco. Their pained pop crescendos and emotive lyrics are cemented in the DNA of their fanatical fan base and to see the band embrace their fans, their hometown and their catalog is beyond inspiring, it’s divine.

Wilco Winter Residency Night #2 In Chicago 2/16/08

I am mentally and physically exhausted from the entire evening but my first Wilco experience proved to be one for the ages. The band enthralled the sold-out audience with a 32 song set list that lasted over 2.5 hours.

I can now say without a shadow of a doubt that I completely GET Wilco and not in a respectful way, but I understand the inner beauty of these little pop ditties. The entire performance was a like a drug and I need another fix.

More tomorrow when I wake up...for a set list, go to Greg Kot's blog here.

xT

Soraia: 'Shed the Skin' Album Review

Soraia: Shed the Skin Album Review
By Anthony Kuzminski

In the iconic 1976 Oscar winner for Best Picture, Rocky, the lead character prevails in the face of adversity and simultaneously becomes an icon for the eternal underdog. Rocky Balboa faced impossible odds proving it’s never too late in one’s life to take charge and defy the naysayers. Ironically, there’s a band from the city of Brotherly Love who is reminiscent of the fictional hometown hero; Soraia, a five piece rock band who has risen like a phoenix from personal calamities only to turn their tragedy into triumph. We live in a day and age of exhaustive overexposure of music where the end product often does not live up to the hype. In the MySpace generation it’s hard to find artists who make thematically connected albums that speak volumes. An illustrious album has a collection of songs that provides you with an engaged experience between the artist and your psyche. This rarely happens anymore. However, just recently, I was sent an album that proved to be not just invigorating but whose songs collectively were unyielding, gut wrenching and gloriously elegiac. Soraia’s Shed the Skin delivers a broad stream of influences which cajole an earnest reaction that leaves you yearning for more after just one listen.

There are dozens of acts today who create divinely delicious melodies but what makes Soraia stand out from the rest is lead singer Sue Mansour. Mansour was a school teacher whose true passion was music and through her unbridled passion and perseverance, convinced Bon Jovi engineer Obie O’Brien to helm their debut album, Shed the Skin. Obie has made a career of making sure Bon Jovi concerts, albums and demos are as seductive as they are sincere. O’Brien took the no-nonsense approach to Soraia where the end result is nine all-killer no-filler transporting blissful meditations filled with golden harmonies, funkadelic riffs and spiritual soul bearing lyrics.

As Mansour belts out the title track, her voice crows with an immediate and defiant pulse which is nothing short of pulverizing. Her vocal styling’s are a throwback to the past but what’s integral is that she is well aware of the rich tradition of singers who have come before her as she reaches back further than just one decade but five decades to the inner workings of Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett before recording her dynamic, soulful and mesmerizing vocals. The sexual aura is prevalent as the lyrics effortlessly slip off her tongue on the song “Long Time”, a divinely palatable executed sexual plea. If you were to close your eyes while listening to this song, you’d be taken back to the time of Cream, Jefferson Starship and Janis Joplin where the image didn’t evoke sexuality but a voice on vinyl could. There’s the wistful cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, heavily influenced by the White Stripes’ version on their Live Under Blackpool Lights DVD further signifying the Soraia’s unique and diverse styles. It is more of a sophisticated homage to both the Stripes and Parton versions with Mansour’s vocals conveying an unexpected searing intensity.

Mansour sought out long-time Bon Jovi engineer Obie O’Brien who offered the advice to not quit her day job, but she persisted in enticing him with enough vigor and passion that he eventually agreed to help produce Soraia. What he thought would be a one-time favor proved to be a labor of love and the grandiose sonic virtuosity shines through. O’Brien even has Richie Sambora, Lorenza Ponce, Bobby Bandiera, John Shanks and Jeff Kazee all make appearances on the album. Besides guiding Mansour, O’Brien ensures that Soraia’s other members (guitarist Dave Justo, bassist Travis Smith, drummer Joe Armstrong and rhythm guitarist Joe Diablo) leave their distinctive imprint on the record coloring in the corners and birthing these songs to life. It’s unlikely you’ll hear any album in the next year whose rock and soul architecture sounds this fresh. It’s no nonsense approach to recording is a refreshing jolt to the system where many indie bands underwhelm and multiplatinum artists overcompensate. The ocular nature of the recording is spot on, bridging a musical marriage between style and subtleness.

Shed the Skin is a cohesive collection of songs and warrants an in depth listen that is ambitious and affecting without being overly sentimental. Soraia are not hopping on any bandwagons, they merely check vintage classic rock riffs and find a way to swathe them into a package that is intoxicating and enthralling. There is a profound depth to the lyrics which are enhanced by the layered roars of guitars that make you yearn for a time where albums and artists ruled the landscape. The entire album yields a windfall of truthfulness that carefully wields soul-searching lyrics that ring true. “Had Enough”, my favorite track on the album, showcases the will to survive with a defiant full-throated vocal performance by Monsour. “Damn Dirty Woman” is stripped and thorny in a clawing, languid, gorgeous and sedate arrangement. The titillating voodoo mysticism of “Little Cat” provides the listener with an unforgettable sensory experience while the sixties flavored mysticism of “Home” finds a love that defies carnal reasoning with accentuation on the mental stimulation. “Long Time” best represents the visceral lyrics of lost bluesmen, which is enhanced by her “soul of the 60s” evoking voice reminiscent of Janis Joplin, Grace Slick and Ann Wilson. Closing the record out is “Need”, a distortion-orchestra of convincing thunderous pinpoint precision. However, what makes this record so profound is the raw intensity of the soulful lyrics which put you right in the emotional thick of the action. While it connects American musical traditions, it’s sonically and implausibly fresh. Producer Obie O’Brien’s instinctive, enlivening and revitalizing production does the material justice and significantly brightens the album to A-grade levels, but always keeping the vibe organic and elegiac. As impressive as the sonic framework may be, the real star is Mansour’s cooing vocals paired with the elliptical lyrics which combined make Shed The Skin a harrowing, endearing and essential album.
Album Grade: A-

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer whose daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor (AT) gmail (DOT) com.

Soraia Web Page
Soraia MySpace Page
Soraia Music Video for "Need"
Interview with Sue Monsour