OK, I saw the annual Los Lobos show, it got its annual place in my Top Concerts, and now I can make my list...
It was another great year for concerts and I saw a lot of them, even though I did cut down a little bit on concertgoing to preserve dwindling cash reserves. With the addition of a new venue in the area (the renovated Fox Theater in Oakland) and the addition of a new concert buddy (my nephew Noah), it was a good year...
#10. Bob Dylan at the Greek Theater 10/11
I had taken a 5-year break from Dylan shows, but Michael Jackson's death reminded me I should see this guy every chance I get. (No offense, Bob. You could do it another 20 years, but sometimes you look like you're maybe one too many mornings & a thousand miles behind, if you know what I mean...) Anyway, Dylan didn't disappoint. Well, OK, the set list did disappoint a little, but the performance definitely didn't. Great harp solos, even some good guitar and piano playing, and very spirited vocals added up to another age-defying Dylan show.
#9. King Khan & The Shrines at Great American 5/28
I discovered these guys care of Lou Reed's radio show. They play retro garage-soul/funk music and that's a kind of music that you just know is going to be great live. With a horn section and a charismatic lead singer (Khan) who just might be insane, as well as an enthusiastic crowd, this show rocked from beginning to end.
#8. 1/2 Little Joy at the Independent 6/3; 1/2 The Decemberists at the Fox 5/20
Neither of these concerts deserved to be in my top 10 as a whole, but in parts, they were two of the best I saw all year. Little Joy sounded so excellent and played such great music that they would have been much higher on the list -- except that they played less than an hour. They apologized for not knowing enough music, which was no excuse in the eyes of this full-price-ticket-buying audience member.
Meanwhile, The Decemberists absolutely killed with a straight-through live performance of their Hazards of Love album. The musicianship was excellent as always, and the ending rousing and cathartic. And then, they came back for a second set that was lackluster and uninspiring and made us forget how good the first half had been.
#7. Los Lobos at the Fillmore 12/11
Los Lobos. Need I say more? OK, I will. Cesar Rosas and especially David Hidalgo are such great guitarists, it was like watching a shredding clinic standing 5 rows away from them trading solos on various blues jams. To keep things interesting (though the variety in their back catalog does that just fine), they even brought out Boz Scaggs to play and sing a few songs with them (and he was surprisingly good).
#6. Flaming Lips at Treasure Island Music Festival 10/18
This one definitely wins as the most exciting show of the year. Starting with their entrance, birthing themselves out of a giant pulsating vagina, and followed by literally tons of confetti, big balloons, big balloons filled with confetti, Wayne Coyne in his famous hamster ball surfing the crowd, and even some great songs (capped by the entire crowd singing along to lines like "Yoshimi - they don't believe me - but you won't let those robots eat me"), they really made the perfect ending to a day-long indie rock festival.
#5. Devo at The Grand 11/6
I had to miss the show where Devo played the entire Freedom Of Choice album, but I did see the entire Are We Not Men? show. Besides it being great music, it is also great live music. Every song on that album is upbeat and rocking (believe it or not, it's actually a very guitar-driven rock music on that first Devo album). And though the band is looking a little old for the jumpsuits, Mark Mothersbaugh can still sing. The crowd were extremely nerdy but also extremely into it. Can't wait for these guys to come back again next year in support of a new album.
#4. Iron & Wine at Swedish American 5/7
Iron & Wine (Sam Beam) playing an all-request solo-acoustic show in an extremely intimate venue? Guaranteed Top 5 concert. Beam was funny and self-deprecating. But mostly it was just great to hear this guy doing his amazing fingerstyle guitar, singing in his amazing warm voice, playing his amazing songs. (This video's not from the show, but it's from an in-store he did earlier that day. Same thing.)
#3. Band of Horses at the Fox 4/17
I just love this band. Their music is epic in scale but still subtle, so it's perfect for a venue the size of the Fox -- big enough to fill with sound, not too big to lose the details. They played great, and Ben Bridwell's voice sounded terrific. I had high expectations for this concert, and it met them all.
#2. Bon Iver at the Fillmore 9/22
The Bon Iver show was truly mesmerizing. Justin Vernon's falsetto is even more amazing when you can see the big guy it's coming out of. I loved the Bon Iver record, and never would have guessed it could be transformed to a viable live show, but the concert was the perfect performance that doesn't just match the recording but builds on it into something unique and memorable.
#1. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings at the Warfield 1/28
As it turns out, the first concert I heard this year was never matched. This was a classic soul revue, with a big band, strong musicians but tight and well-rehearsed. And most important, fronted by a true master. Sharon Jones owned the stage, entertaining with her charm and wit, interacting with audience members on and off-stage, as well as with her dancing. And did I mention she's an incredible singer? I love all of her originals, but she really brought down the house with her rendition of Sam Cooke's powerhouse A Change Is Gonna Come.
Sometimes technology empowers me. Things work smoother and faster and I can write, connect, watch, create and generally do and be more, as result of magic of technology.
Then there are times when technology thwarts me at every turn. Things break, slow down or just become ridiculously complicated. When that happens, technology can suck the energy out of just about every task big and small.
After months of everything working relatively smoothly, I seem to find myself thwarted by machines, captive to electrical conundrums, bogged down by bad connections and generally wading through the muck of technology gone wrong.
The televisions have had memory cards replaced, firmware upgrades and new panels installed. The cordless phones have taken to randomly deciding to let me know who's calling or not, as it pleases them. The programmable thermostat seems to want to decide for itself when the heat should go full blast or completely off. Bulbs in my bedroom and the backyard refuse to power up and provide light. My Blackberry's trackball has developed a sluggishness and a stickiness that makes me suspect that some of that nasty green goo from Ghost Busters is oozing just behind the faceplate.
But the most vexing problems are with my computer and its relationship to programs and the Internet. It's slow. Really realley sl-o-o-o-o-o-o-w. Which is maddening enough, but it loses things. It forgets things. It doesn't want to connect to sites and people it should connect to. It misbehaves, acting like it doesn't care to help me do the things I need and want to do. This defiant, sluggish laptop was purchased in May of this year.
I've tried all the usual (but not extreme) remedies that those of us with an above average comfort level with personal technology know to do in these situations. I've tried them two and three times or more.
It might be time for more drastic measures. But before I go that far, one of my business partners offered up his "Technology Cleansing Ritual".
I think it might be worth a shot.
When you are in the snowy cold of Minnesota, take your laptop, remove any jewelry and do the following:
1. Gather freshly cut parsley and place it in a pan of distilled water. Let it soak for nine minutes. Sprinkle the water throughout the house while visualizing a calm environment.
2. Go outside, face Seattle and chant the following: I will uphold the Redmond creed. High in spirit, I shall succeed. Power of the Elements Five, will help my data stay alive. From grains of earth to the moving air, past the burning fire that magic flares, flow with water, lakes, and streams; around the spirit's aura and dreams. Keep my karma high aloft and let me play with Microsoft.
3. Avoid eating any liver or organ meat for one month.
You should be good to go!
J
Sometimes I wonder if God uses me as a vessel to do something for him. I always try to approach everyone I meet even enemies with kindness and love. I'm thankful for the wonderful opportunities I have had to *bump* into some amazing individuals.
Los Lobos were amazing (of course) last night. I was looking to see if there were any videos of the show already up on YouTube, and stumbled on this:
and this:
Yo, Josh, I'm-a let you finish with your Best of 2009 list, but some group called Grand Atlantic had one of the best covers of that Beyonce song all year...
Hey Theo Epstein, I was just looking at an article on ESPN.com and, I'm not sure if you realize this about Red Sox Nation, but:
WE WANT A PITCHER! NOT A BELLY ITCHER!
Watch this stunningly beautiful, breath-taking vision of Picasso's anti-war masterpiece Guernica animated by Lena Gieseke.
