Category Archives: concerts

Stones’ Exhibitionism a Must See

stones2I FINALLY got to New York City last weekend to see the Rolling Stones’ Exhibitionism show at Industria.  I’m glad I went because it really had a nice mix of memorabilia, instruments, artwork, and personal items from members of the band.  The exhibit is broken down into different sections that take you on a musical journey from the band’s earliest beginnings until now, over 50 years later.  Here’s a quick re-cap from what I remember.

The exhibit opens with a recreation of Mick, Keith and Brian’s apartment in London with piles of dirty dishes, blues records by the turntable and clothes strewn about. There’s a room filled with all types of instruments including some of Mick’s harmonicas, a number of Keith’s guitars and a drum set.  There’s an interactive listening station where you can isolate vocals, drums, etc. on songs and mix them in whatever way you want which was fun to do. There was a cool section that had drawings of their stage sets then pictures of the actual stage and clips of live performances, a GREAT section on album artwork and tour poster art, hand-written song lyrics, and of course, an area dedicated to their iconic lips logo.    One of my favorite sections was the couple of rooms filled with the colorful, sequined, feathered, leather, outrageous stage costumes  that the guys have worn through the years.  There was more than one fabulous jacket that I would’ve loved to get my hands on!  The exhibit ended with a walk through a backstage area followed by a 3-D concert clip of the band.

I LOVED Exhibitionism and if you think you’d like to go see it, you better go soon because it only runs through March 12th. It took me about an hour and half to go through the entire thing so plan on spending up to two hours there.  It’s a must see for Stones’ fans and music fans alike!

 

2016 in Review

We had a great 2016 thanks to you, our customers!

Here’s a look back at some of last year’s events. We had a great time at our live shows, indie film screenings, book signings, Record Store Day events, and more.  We look forward to offering a wider variety of new and vintage vinyl and programming more unique events that you can enjoy in Lansdowne!

2015 in Review

2015 has been a great year and we have our customers to thank!

The popularity of records continues to grow and in addition to our regulars, we also have new customers stop in all the time.

Many of you attended events here or came in to buy the latest releases and special Record Store Day titles.  Let’s take a look back at some of the fun we had this year!

We screened great indie films with FirstGlance Film Festival and Film Festival Flix and Italian Cinema with Ciao Bella!  Living Italian Style.

We hosted concerts in The Vault featuring original music as well as covers with local musicians Tommy Davis, Third Man In and Electric Fallback. 

We had great new, exclusive, limited edition releases for Record Store Day and Record Store Day Black Friday, new releases from Kurt Vile and Jeff Lynne’s ELO plus hard to find vintage MFSL versions of Dark Side of the Moon and Magical Mystery Tour.

We also had books signings with authors Charlie Gracie, Jim RosinWyatt Doyle, Andrew Biscontini and Richard Adelman.

As we look to 2016, we hope to offer a wider variety of new and vintage vinyl and program more unique events that you can enjoy in Lansdowne!

 

Paul McCartney Brings It Every Time

McCartneyLast night’s Paul McCartney show at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly was a real treat for first-timers and fans like me who catch him every time he’s in town.  He played close to 40 songs over an almost three hour set that included Beatles’ songs, some Wings’ numbers, and a few tracks off his new album, New.  As someone who regularly goes to see him, I was pleasantly surprised to see him perform a few songs that I’ve never seen him play – “All Together Now,” which was fun for young and old alike, and “Temporary Secretary,” which he had never before performed live.  I particularly enjoyed “Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite” and “Lovely Rita,” both off of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, too.  Some other highlights of the night included the fire explosions during “Live and Let Die,” his tributes to John Lennon and George Harrison, and of course, the crowd sing-a-long of “Hey Jude.”

Paul’s voice was in fine form.  My daughter commented that he sounded like an angel and I’d have to agree.  My friend noticed that he didn’t even take a drink all night which I found hard to believe. I, on the other hand, was constantly popping Tic Tacs in my mouth to moisten it from all my singing and cheering. McCartney is such a huge talent you might think that musicians playing with him might not be able to perform up to par but that’s not the case with his band.  Paul Wickens (keyboard), Brian Ray (bass/guitar), Rusty Anderson (guitar), and Abe Laboriel Jr. (drums) did a fabulous job keeping up with the always energetic, playful and entertaining McCartney.

Some people ask how I could go see Paul time after time, and for me the answer is simple.  Even though I obviously don’t know him, I feel like he’s an old friend.  For 35 years, his music has touched my heart and soul and given me such joy.  I think he feels the same way about me, about us, his fans.  Sir James Paul McCartney always puts on one hell of a show and I always want to be there to thank him for that. May God bless him and may he keep on rockin!

 

Leaving Circadia Is NOT Playing Today or Tomorrow

Someone told me that yesterday’s News of Delaware County says that the film, Leaving Circadia, is playing tonight or tomorrow, forget which day, BUT IT IS NOT.  It played last Friday.  Also, our Up Nights Concert scheduled for Friday night, November 14th, has been cancelled.  Our next evening event is First Friday, December 5th’s Open Mic Night.

Robert Plant Bowled Me Over

lullaby and...THE CEASELESS ROAR

lullaby and…THE CEASELESS ROAR

I’ve had a love affair with Robert Plant for as long as I can remember.  From the first time I heard his voice on a Led Zeppelin record, I’ve been a devoted fan, following his career post-Zep in each and every re-incarnation, whether he’s playing solo, with Jimmy Page or Alison Krauss, or with one of his talented bands, “Strange Sensation,” “Band of Joy,” or “Sensational Space Shifters.”  I’ve seen him play all over Philly:  The Spectrum, The Electric Factory, The Tower, The Mann, and at every Philly show since 1983.  So it was such a huge thrill for me to see him play last night at a pop up concert at the Brooklyn Bowl, a very cool music venue/bar/restaurant/bowling alley in Brooklyn.  With only 850 or so tickets available for sale, this show would put me up close and intimate with Plant like I’d never been before.

The doors opened at 10:30 p.m. and we took our place as close to the stage as possible (3-4 rows of people back.) While we waited for Plant, who was scheduled to come on around midnight, we were treated to an opening dj set by Philly’s own, Questlove, of The Roots.  He spins there every Thursday and seemed comfortable and very approachable in the dj booth.  He got the growing crowd moving with a mix of funky songs until Robert Plant and the “Sensational Space Shifters” took the stage.  The band opened the show with a Howlin’ Wolf cover, “Spoonful,” and they did a killer version of Bukka White’s “Fixin’ to Die.” They played “Rainbow,” “Poor Howard,”” Turn it Up,” (one of my faves) and “Little Maggie,” all off their new album, lullaby and…THE CEASELESS ROAR.  I honestly thought they’d play more songs off the new album (which I love) and I was looking forward to hearing some of the other new stuff live, but there were some “folk” songs (Plant jokingly remarked that they were old enough to be considered folk songs)  that they performed instead.  These songs included “Thank You,” a gorgeous rendition of “Going to California,”  “Black Dog,” “Rock and Roll,” ”Nobody’s Fault but Mine,” and a kick ass version of “Whole Lotta Love/Who Do You Love” as the finale. Plant encouraged audience participation and we did not disappoint!  I feel bad for the people in front of me who had to listen to my constant singing and super loud yays and whoo hoos.

The show featured about 13 songs in all, and overall, it was really a great mix of blues, African rhythms, Celtic/English traditions, and good old rock and roll. The band was true to their name, sensational, and included Billy Fuller, Dave Smith, Liam “Skin” Tyson, John Baggott, and most notably, Juldeh Camara on a single-string fiddle, and Justin Adams, who co-wrote Mighty Rearranger, and really got the crowd in a frenzy with his dizzying guitar playing.

All in all, it was well worth the ride to Brooklyn. Even though the ride home at 2:30 a.m. this morning didn’t leave me much time for sleep, I would definitely do it all over again if I could.  Robert Plant can be my rainbow and bring a song for me anytime!

 

 

 

Queen Rule Again

Queen and Adam Lambert rocked the Wells Fargo Center in Philly on July 16, 2004.

Queen and Adam Lambert rocked the Wells Fargo Center in Philly on July 16, 2004.

I have seen many, many bands play live over the years but there was always one band that I wished I had seen but hadn’t… until the other night.  The band I’m talking about is Queen.  Queen’s last American tour was in 1982 and I remember when they played the Spectrum.  A friend of mine saw them and loved them.  I always said I’d catch them the next time but unfortunately there wasn’t a next time.

When Queen got together with Paul Rodgers around 2006, I just couldn’t bring myself to go.  It’s difficult to see a band you really like play without all of the original members, but I think it’s even more difficult when the original front man isn’t there.

When I heard Adam Lambert would be touring with Queen, I actually gave some serious thought to going.  I was a big Lambert fan from his days on “American Idol” and thought he certainly had the singing chops to do Queen’s songs justice.  Although, once again, it just didn’t seem right to me that they’d have another lead singer, but when I got a last minute invite from a friend who had an extra ticket, I decided to go.

I am so glad I did!  Although NO ONE could ever take Freddie Mercury‘s place, Adam’s voice was amazing and he really put on one hell of a show.  With costume changes, an audience sing-off, effortless interaction with the band members, and his own unique styling, I think Freddie would’ve been pleased with his performance.  It sure seemed like the audience was pleased and happy to hear all of Queen’s wonderful music live again. Queen’s remaining original members were pretty terrific too! Brian May’s guitar playing was sick! I especially loved his trippy guitar solo and his tribute to Freddie. Then there was Roger Taylor who was totally rockin’ out on the drums.  He gave the younger drummer playing with them a run for his money! Overall, the entire band sounded great and they looked like they were really having a fun time on stage.  They gave the audience a great show over two hours long with just the right mix of hits and lesser known numbers.   I would definitely see them again.

If you went to the show, what did you think and would you see them again?

 

 

Record Store Day Re-Cap

 

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate Record Store Day with us last Saturday!

Thanks especially to our customers, concert promoters who worked hard to organize the day’s events, Jim Rosin for doing a book signing, and all the bands and performers who generously played at our celebration too!

I hope you found what you were looking for on RSD but if you’re still searching for a title, here’s a list of the RSD releases we still have in stock. These are mostly single copies so if you if’d like one, come in as soon as possible before we sell out.

Adventure Club – Calling All Hereoes

Aerosmith – Draw the Line

Aerosmith – Rocks

Allicara  2743

Joan Baez – Blessed Are

Bastille – Of the Night

Beauregarde – Testify

Bleachers – I Want to Get Better

Hollis Brown – Hollis Brown Gets Loaded

Neko Case & Jason Little – Satellite of Love

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – West of Memphis

Michael Chapman – Playing Guitar the Easy Way

Eric Church – The Outsiders

The Civil Wars – Live at Eddie’s Attic

Dillinger, Trinity, Wayne Wade, Al Campbell, Junior Tamlin – Five Man Army

Disclosure – Apollo

Ramblin Jack Elliott – Jack ElliottIce-T,

Everly Brothers – Roots

Frightened Rabbit – Live From Criminal Records

Mayer Hawthorne – Wine Glass Woman

Heavens to Betsy – Calculated

Ice -T – Greatest Hits

Rick James – You and I

Waylon & Shooter Jennings – Fenixon

Jimi Hendrix – Live at Monterey

Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes – Live at the Greek

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – She’s on It

Stephen John Kalinich – A World of Peace Must Come

Jorma Kaukonen – QUAH

Kings of Leon – Wait for Me

Kodaline – Coming Up

Ray Lamontagne – Supernova

Henry Mancini – Sountdrack to Pink Panther

Dean Martin – Dream with Dean

Jim McCarty – Frontman

Randy Newman

John Oates – Stone Cold Love

The Orwells – Righteous One

Outkast – SOUTHERNPLAYALISTICADILLACMUZIK

Nina Persson – Sometimes

Pussy Galore – PUSSY GOLD 5000

Rodion G.A. – Misuinea Spatiala Delta (Delta Space Mission)

Bobby Rush – Upstairs at United, Vol. 11

Gil Scott-Heron – Nothing New Slipknot – Vol. 3 The Subliminal Verses

Spanish Gold – Out on the Street

Regina Speckor – You’ve Got Time

Sun Ra – Outer Spaceways Incorporated

Tayla Lynn – Coal Dust

Tears For Fears – Ready Boys & Girls

Whirlwind Heat – Do Rabbits Wonder?

James Williamson, Carolyn Wonderland – Open Up And Bleed

Johnny Winter – Live Bootleg Special Edition

Record Store Day Schedule of Events

Vinyl Revival is proud to be participating in Record Store Day, an international day to celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store, on April 19, 2014.  Vinyl Revival will stock a selection of titles that are Record Store Day exclusive, limited edition and first releases.  As part of the Record Store Day celebration, there will be free entertainment by indie/alternative musicians, a book signing, light refreshments and drinks during store hours from 10 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Record Store Day Schedule of Events

10 a.m. – Store opens

11 a.m. – Book signing with James Rosin, author of “Philly Pop, Rock, Rhythm & Blues”

11 a.m. –  Performance by Aaron Hug

12 p.m. – Performance by Nina Marie

12:45 p.m. – Performance by Traffic Nightmare

1:30 p.m. – performance by Ghost Gum

2:15 p.m. – Performance by Family Vacation

3:00 p.m. – Performance by Tom Curtis Jr.

3:45 p.m. – Performance by The One2s

4:30 p.m. – Performance by Big Tusk

5:15 p.m. –  Performance by Wild Rompit

6:00 p.m. Performance by DRGN King.

For a complete list of titles being released for 2014 Record Store Day, visit http://recordstoreday.com/.

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