Tag Archives: concert

Lansdowne Open Studios | Open Town | Open Sound

Join the Lansdowne Economic Development Corporation, the businesses of Lansdowne, and Open Sound for Lansdowne Open Studios | Open Town | Open Sound, a free, walkable celebration of Lansdowne’s creative community on Thursday, September 18th (rain date: September 25th) from 5-10 p.m.

Explore open artist studios, live music, gallery exhibitions, sidewalk pop-ups, and special late-night business offerings in our charming downtown.

Here’s a schedule of what’ll be happening:

5-8 p.m.: Open Studios @ Utility Works, 32 East Baltimore Avenue

Meet the artists, view works-in-progress, and enjoy wine and light refreshments in their vibrant creative incubator.

5–8 p.m.: Local Galleries Open Throughout Downtown Lansdowne

Visit exhibitions at:
-The 20*20 House (Stomping Ground)
–Gallery 26 (Exhibit Title TBA)
–Kiosk Gallery (The Cartoonists)
-Lansdowne Artist Collective Window Gallery (Exhibit Title TBA)

5–10 p.m.: Business & Artist Pop-Ups Throughout Downtown Lansdowne

Enjoy shopping, food, demos, performances, and more from local businesses and artists along Lansdowne Avenue and Baltimore Avenue, as well as inside select venues and businesses. Vinyl Revival will be open until 10 p.m. We’ll have wine and snacks and maybe a surprise or two!

7–10 p.m.: Open Sound Performances by Izzy True, The Tisburys, and F. Woods at 30 North Lansdowne Avenue

Outdoor Concert at Veterans Landing curated by Open Sound. Bring a chair or blanket! (Weather permitting.)

Start your evening at Utility Works,  32 East Baltimore Avenue, to grab a map of all locations.

Free parking available at Veterans Landing and Highland Avenue lots.

Come hang out with us in the coolest town in Delco!

Remembering Live Aid

Most people have heard about the Live Aid benefit concerts which took place on July 13, 1985, simultaneously in London at Wembley Stadium and in Philadelphia at JFK Stadium.  But…in case you’re hearing about the shows for the first time, they were organized by Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats fame, known for “I Don’t Like Mondays,” and Midge Ure of Ultravox, to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. The concerts featured a who’s who of pop and rock stars from Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young to Madonna, David Bowie to Run-DMC, and many, many more (look it up – the talent was incredible). As we celebrate the 40th anniversary, I’d like to share a few memories from the day.

Back in 1985, I was a 16-year-old music lover lucky enough to get the green light to go to the show—huge thanks to Mom and Dad! So, I gathered my waitressing money, jumped on the subway, and headed uptown to Wanamaker’s to get tickets. I would be attending with my bestie, Michele, my boyfriend at the time, and another friend. The four of us were the frequent concertgoers of our neighborhood crowd.

On the day of the event, we all met up early, maybe 6 or 7 a.m., and headed to JFK. We had general admission tickets for the field, so we didn’t have seats. Fine with me. The concert began with an attendee’s performance which I thought was pretty cool. How lucky was that dude? From there, the musical extravaganza commenced with one great performance after another. We ended up getting a spot just beneath the MTV stage which was right off the side of the main stage.  It was cool looking up to see some of the performers getting interviewed by the VJs including Mark Goodman who was originally from Philly. During the day, Mayor Wilson Goode was standing near us and grooving to either the Four Tops or Hall & Oates with Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin (both from the Temptations). He was enjoying the show too!

Everyone remembers how brutally hot it was that day—about 95 degrees—and how fire hoses were spraying water to keep people cool. I remember the bathroom floor being really wet, kind of flooded, and gross.  I used all my money to buy a t-shirt and program instead of food.  I think I only ate fries. There were several truly memorable performances. Queen and U2 come to mind, but the highlights of the day for me were seeing Paul McCartney live from London even though his mic was out for part of his performance and the reunion of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones doing a few Zeppelin numbers.  We were near the side of the extended stage when Mick Jagger and Tina Turner performed, and Mick ripped off Tina’s skirt during “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (but I Like It).” That was shocking! And Philly native Teddy Pendergrass’ first appearance since his paralyzing accident was very special. It was a long day but we were so excited we walked back to South Philly.

Live Aid was broadcast to an estimated 1.5 billion viewers across approximately 100 countries, making it one of the largest global broadcasts ever. It raised over 100 million dollars for famine relief.

Even now, I feel so thankful to have been part of such a historical event!

We Interrupt Vacay for…Paul McCartney!

“What if it rained?  We didn’t care.”– “My Valentine,” Paul McCartney.

I’ve seen some great concerts this year. Gregg and I kicked off the summer concert-going season with the Stones and just saw David Gilmour at Madison Square Garden. But sadly, once again, one of my all-time favorites, Paul McCartney, wasn’t playing in our area.  I frequently check his tour schedule as we’ve traveled to see him, most recently to Orlando in 2022.

So, imagine my surprise and excitement when I recently checked his website and saw that he was playing in San José, Costa Rica on November 5th.  Gregg and I were going to be in Costa Rica then! But we were staying on the other side of the country. Sigh. I did some research and found out that the Estadio Nacional was about a 4–5-hour drive from our resort.  That was doable! There was NO WAY I was going to miss him!  When I proposed the idea of going to the concert to our friends that we were vacationing with, thankfully they were as excited to see him as I was!  We hired a driver and made the trek across the country to San José.

San José was a big city and the traffic was brutal.  The ride there ended up taking 6 hours. Our driver Don was very patient the entire way and as the stadium came into view, we hopped out of the car as quickly as we could to get in line. We ran up to the first gate we saw and tried to enter the stadium.  UGH, the entrance for our section was on the other side of the stadium! They told us we had to walk around the entire building.  You couldn’t enter and walk around on the inside; it didn’t go all the way around.  So, we started walking. Briskly. As we went, we dodged the street vendors selling ponchos and concert t-shirts; the aroma of grilled skewered meats and the sounds of “carne” filled the air. As we were walking in, we heard Paul coming on – he was singing “A Hard Day’s Night.” We got to our seats during the second song, “Junior’s Farm.” There was no time for food, beer, or a bathroom break.  We had to see Paul!

Rain began to fall, and as we stood at our seats screaming our heads off, I was surprised that the Costa Rican crowd wasn’t as vocal as us. Everyone was singing, bopping their heads, and tapping their feet, but only occasionally stood up and danced, at least in our section.  But the phone lights came out for “Let it Be” and “Hey Jude” just like in Philly.

He played for about 2 and a half hours, somewhat shorter than his U.S. shows, but we were told that concerts typically end at 10 p.m. at the stadium. All in all, it was a solid set that featured Beatles’ faves, classic Wings’ hits, and a good number of newer songs. He’s recently been including tributes to John Lennon and George Harrison, and he included them. There were a few songs I could have done without, namely, “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” and “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” I would much rather have heard “Elenore Rigby” or something from Venus and Mars.  It’s my favorite Wings album and he rarely plays anything from it.  One song glaringly missing from the setlist was “Yesterday.” He almost ALWAYS plays it. Not sure why he didn’t but I sure missed hearing him sing it.

All in all, I am soo glad that we went to the show. I might not have many more opportunities to experience the pure joy that a McCartney concert provides. 

I found the setlist from the show somewhere online in case you’re wondering what he played; a total of 37 songs!

1. A Hard Day’s Night

2. Junior’s Farm

3. Letting Go

4. Drive My Car

5. Got To Get You Into My Life

6. Come On To Me

7. Let Me Roll It

8. Getting Better

9. Let’ Em In

10. My Valentine

11. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five

12. Maybe I’m Amazed

13. I’ve Just Seen A Face

14. In Spite Of All The Danger

15. Love Me Do

16. Dance Tonight

17. Blackbird

18. Here Today

19. Now And Then

20. New

21. Lady Madonna

22. Jet

23. Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite

24. Something

25. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

26. Band On The Run

27. Get Back

28. Let It Be

29. Live And Let Die

30. Hey Jude

31. I’ve Got A Feeling

32. I Saw Her Standing There (DEBUT)

33. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

34. Helter Skelter

35. Golden Slumbers

36. Carry That Weight

37. The End

Band Fan Night – October 23rd

All killer, no filler!

Join us for our Band Fan Night on Saturday, October 23rd at 7:30 p.m. We’ll be celebrating The Beatles to coincide with the release of the “Let It Be” special editions.

Enjoy live clips on the big screen, lively discussion, and music by the group.

Feel free to bring your band memorabilia for show and tell!

With COVID cases on the rise, we recommend that attendees wear a mask.

$5 admission at the door.

Band Fan Night – September 25th

All killer, no filler!

Join us for our Band Fan Night on Saturday, September 25th at 7:30 p.m. We’ll be celebrating The Faces, Humble Pie, Robin Trower, and Ten Years After.

Enjoy live clips on the big screen, lively discussion, and music by the groups.

Feel free to bring your band memorabilia for show and tell!

With COVID cases on the rise, we recommend that attendees wear a mask.

$5 admission at the door.

“Summer of Soul” Hits all the Right Notes

I’ve wanted to see “Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” ever since I heard about its premiere at Sundance earlier this year. So when I saw that it was playing in the area, I decided to make my first movie theater visit in over a year.  I am so happy that I did!

For those unfamiliar with the film, “Summer of Soul” is a feature documentary about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African American music and culture, and promoted Black pride and unity.

The directorial debut of Questlove from The Roots, the never-before-seen performance footage was fantastic and I loved how it was weaved into the overall historical and cultural context along with present-day interviews with attendees and performers.

The series of shows, directed and emceed by singer and DJ Tony Lawrence, took place over six weeks in the summer of 1969 at Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park) in Harlem and attracted a combined audience of over 300,000.  The shows were filmed. TV wasn’t interested.  The footage sat for 50 years…until now.

The archived footage was restored and it looks and sounds amazing! Some of the footage featured in the film includes performances by: Stevie Wonder who even played the drums at one point, B.B. King, Sly and the Family Stone, David Ruffin, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Nina Simone, The Staple Singers, Mahalia Jackson, The 5th Dimension, Hugh Masekela, Herbie Mann, Mongo Santamaria, and more!

There was a variety of musical styles and artists but the two performances that stood out for me were The 5th Dimension singing “Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In” and Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples sharing singing duties on one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite songs – “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.”

An interview with Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. about their performance was particularly touching. McCoo spoke about how some people thought that The 5th Dimension was not Black enough. She said that playing to the predominantly Black crowd who embraced them made her happy.

And the vocals in the performance of “Precious Lord” will give you goosebumps.  In an interview for the film, Mavis spoke of her great love for Mahalia and that sharing the mic with her that day in Harlem was one of the best moments of her life.

I find it so disappointing that I never heard about this incredible festival before but I am so glad that Questlove and the documentary team decided to share the music, history, joy, pride, and culture of the Harlem community with us now!

I can’t say enough good things about this film.  I loved it and if you love music, you will too!

Foo Fighters Open MSG with Epic Show

Besides not seeing my family during COVID-19, the one other thing that I missed TERRIBLY was going to concerts. You see, I am somewhat of a concert addict.  There’s just a rush that I get when I’m singing along live with one of my favorite bands. So when I heard that Foo Fighters were going to reopen Madison Square Garden on June 20th – the first full capacity show since the world shut down in March 2020 – I just HAD to go.

Getting tickets was no small feat and I was unsuccessful on the day of the sale. I checked Ticketmaster over, and over, and over again, up until a couple days before the show with no luck. Reluctantly, I caved and bought tickets off StubHub. There was no way I was gonna miss this show!

As I rode up to New York, my anxiety was setting in…what if the vaccine wasn’t as effective as they said, what if I got sick from being near so many people…I was trying hard not to panic. 

Once I got through security and into MSG, my anxiety turned to excitement.  I was actually at a concert again! Everyone around me loved Foo Fighters too! I felt a comradery that I hadn’t felt in over a year and it felt wonderful!

The energy in the room was palpable and the band couldn’t have opened the show with a better song than “Times Like These.” Everyone was rocking out and singing along and as I sang, “it’s times like these you learn to live again,” I almost had a tear in my eye.   I truly felt like I was living again.

The band had as much fun as the fans as they ran through lots of hits but also a few deep cuts and new material off of Medicine at Midnight. Some show highlights included a surprise appearance by Dave Chappelle who sang Radiohead’s “Creep,” a rendition of the Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing” which will appear on their recently announced July Record Store Day Drops release, and a turn on drums by Dave while Taylor sang Queen’s “Somebody to Love.” The three hour show ended with “Everlong.”  

They certainly brought rock and roll back to the Garden!

A Lucky Little Lady in the City of Brotherly Love

 

robbykrieger

I don’t know how I missed the news about Robby Krieger playing Ardmore Music Hall on April 23rd but when I heard that he was doing a show for the Doors’ 50th anniversary, I knew that I had to try and get tickets.  I went online, and naturally, it was sold out.  Disappointed, I thought I’d try my luck at the door the night of the show.  Arriving before doors opened, I bypassed the line to ask security if they released any last minute tickets.  They hadn’t but the guard kindly pointed us in the direction of someone who was selling two tickets.  Jackpot!  Gregg and I were able to take the tickets off his hands.

The tickets were general admission so we proceeded to the floor area, parking ourselves about 10 feet from the stage.  Robby and his band, which included his son Waylon on vocals, opened the show with “Break On Through” and proceeded to play a great number of songs off of The Doors’ first album plus not often heard titles like “Spanish Caravan.” They concluded, not surprisingly, with “The End.”

Robby seemed to be in good spirits; he told stories about some of the songs that he wrote including “Light My Fire” and “Twentieth Century Fox”, which he wrote for his wife (they’re married for 45 years now), he talked about Jim and Ray’s favorite songs, and even joked with the crowd after being booed for wearing a Joe Namath jersey, saying, “At least it’s the right color.”  The over two hour show was the last one of the tour so I was thrilled that I was able to see him play live. Absorbing the essence of The Doors, I felt wonderfully connected to the songs and the original band members.

My amazing night got even better after the show when Robby autographed my newly acquired Doors’ Record Store Day album.  I now have a beautiful new treasure in my rock and roll collection!

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!

 

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?