So I went with my friend Mike (Thank you Mr. Baughan for the tickets once again!) and his friend Sara to see Ben Fold's last night. It was great to get out of the house and back into a venue where I belong after suffering from some severe cabin fever these past few weeks. Opening for Ben was Miniature Tigers and Wibi, an a cappella group from York University.
An amazing show from top to bottom that I'll have to expand on later. I'm getting some promo shots done this afternoon in Toronto for my solo project. For now, here is Ben's setlist from lastnight:
Ben Folds @ The Koolhaus, Feb. 17, 2009
Staying Together For The Kids...
I'm Feeling This!
Tonight was the 51st edition of the Grammy Awards and, unlike most years, I've left the show feeling... enthused. First and foremost, it actually wasn't that bad a show. You couldn't tell from the audience, as they were absolutely silent the majority of the night, but there were some great performances, entertaining moments, and even a few deserving winners. One moment, all though brief, inspired this blog and I'm sure you can guess what it is from the title. But before I dive into it, here are some other highlights:
- Radiohead's performance of “15 Steps” with the USC Marching Band (video)
- A rocking musical tribute to Bo Diddley by John Mayer, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Keith Urban
- Dave Grohl's giddy face as he played drums for Sir Paul McCartney
- Jack Black, in reference to Paul McCartney, "Remember that name people, it's gonna be big."
The awards themselves were quite typical; great artists went completely unmentioned and “bigger” artists clean up due to their name value. I take the Grammy's for what they are because what else can you really do? At least this year was a performance heavy show, which is what kept me watching all night.
One thing the Grammy's are always good for is the musical collaborations (like the two mentioned above) and bringing artists together, or in this specific case: back together. As announced, Blink 182 took to the stage together for the first time in four years to present the award for Best Rock Album. After making light of their own reunion by mentioning how "great" it was to see Stevie Wonder and the Jonas Brothers finally back together, the band announced their plans to play music together again.I tuned in just to see Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker, and Tom DeLonge reunite on stage. I'm not sure why their friendship was important to me, except from a fan standpoint it was obviously with hopes that new music would be made. But there was something more for me and I just wanted to see those guys reconcile. They were one of the first bands that I grew up listening to that broke up. There were plenty of bands that I listened to that had broken up or broke up after I started listening to them, but Blink was the first one that was from “my generation”, a band I listened to from the start, and wrote the songs in my life's mix tape.
Rumours had been circulating of a possible Blink 182 reunion since a tiny blurb on Hoppus' blog (link) mentioned that the trio had been “reconnecting.” I never wanted to get my hopes up, so I ignored the speculation and waited for an official announcement.
While some may think I'm making too big a deal out of this, the happiness I'm feeling right now couldn't go unmentioned. All it took was Travis saying, “We use to play music together and we've decided to play music together again.” and I was instantly brought back to happy memories of much more innocent times. Not to mention the possibility of maturity and new music. Blink 182's self-titled final release was arguably their best effort musically as a band. Added with +44's awesome record and... well, Angels and Airwaves existence, the Blink boys could be geared up to make an amazing return. All of which takes a back seat to the ability of seeing them live again and performing the songs that made them a staple in my life in the first place.
Consider me officially stoked for the summer of 2009.
The Hold Steady, "A Positive Rage"
The Hold Steady battled for the top spot on my "Best Of 2008" album list this year, and are now set to release a live album and DVD combo early this spring. A Positive Rage follows the band as they embark on their first performances in London and make their way back to the US for a 24-date tour. The DVD also includes backstage interviews and fan commentaries.
The live album was recorded at the Metro in Chicago on Halloween of 2007. The album will include the following 17 tracks:
2. Stuck Between Stations
3. The Swish
4. Chips Ahoy!
5. Massive Nights
6. Ask Her For Adderall
7. Barfruit Blues
8. Same Kooks
9. You Gotta Dance (With Who You Came With)
10. Lord, I'm Discouraged
11. You Can Make Him Like You
12. Your Little Hoodrat Friend
13. Southtown Girls
14. Citrus
15. First Night
16. Girls Like Status
17. Killer Parities
An enhanced version of the live album should also be available which would include additional and unreleased tracks.
Vagrant Records looks to release A Positive Rage on April 7th, 2009.
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