A recent trip to London provided opportunity to take in some live music: Tom Russell at the 100 Club, the Sarah L. King Quartet at Piano Smithfield, and ABBA Voyage. We had seen Tom Russell last 2018 in Felton, CA and he did not disappoint with his usual mix of stories and favorite tracks. I was looking forward to returning to Piano Smithfield, an intimate basement club in the Barbican, and location and the Jazz quartet did not disappoint - a comfortable, and classy evening. Lastly - and quite a contrast - ABBA Voyage provided an immersive audio-visual experience unlike anything I had experienced before and yes, the holograms are indeed quite realistic and credible.
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Luckily there is lots of new music coming out despite the circumstances. My favorite release so far is David Crosby's For Free, a smooth and relaxed affair with contributions from Michael McDonald and Donald Fagen. Unfortunately, no luck with attending concerts this year - tickets for Alan Parsons Live Project, Ilse de Lange, Albert Hammond, John Coghlan's Quo, and 10cc were purchased and then returned.
My first visit to the City National Civic theater in San Jose to see Lindsey Buckingham & Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac. Parking was easy on a Saturday night and the theater was a pleasant surprise - somewhat charming, not too big and with a relaxed atmosphere. Despite the big names there were lots of empty seats though. The opening act Wilderado was so-so but an indication that things were going to be loud .... Buckingham and McVie started with a couple of solo pieces and then embarked on a set of mostly tunes from their recent album with some FM stuff thrown in.
To my ears the sound was incredibly loud, which was a bit disappointing. New and old blended well together, Tusk was nicely done with a great drum performance, So Afraid was not really necessary for me, and I would have enjoyed Don't Stop but that track seems to be reserved for real FM shows. All in all it was a bit too much Buckingham and too little McVie for my taste but then he is the driving force and deserves center stage ... |
Raoul
Started to get into music during the mid-70s and love making and experiencing music in all shapes and forms. Archives
July 2023
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