There (really) Should be Unicorns

I’d heard of The Flaming Lips for years, but for some reason I never got around to listening to them. There’s just so much music out there these days. Hell, I didn’t even realize “Do You Realize??” was The Lips. I saw they were playing Riot Fest a few years back, and had to see them of course! I instantly fell in love. I have a weakness for all that is over the top, and The Flaming Lips are definitely that. I knew I had to see them again if I ever had the opportunity. I had to wait a few years, but I finally got a chance to see them again. Oh my, by no means did they disappoint. The wait was well worth it. It was such a phenomenal show. In fact, I’d even venture to say it was one of the best staged shows I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen The Rolling Stones and Bryan Ferry, so that’s saying something. From start to finish, it was an amazing show. Opening acts can definitely be hit or miss. 

Opening for The Flaming Lips must be a daunting task. I try to have few expectations of the opening band. I prefer it that way. I love that feeling when I am blown away by an opening act, like when I saw Friendly Fires open for Lykke Li. Last night was one of those nights. The band is Cherry Glazerr, and they came out swinging. I would best describe them as a mix of rock and indie. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of the bands I can think of to compare them to. The singer, Clementine Creevy, somewhat reminded me of Karen O. Her vocals were unique and a bit quirky. Her energy was amazing and remained high the entire set. In that sense, she reminded me of Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells. That is high praise from me. The rest of the band was great too. It was powerful and aggressive. To me, some of the guitar riffs reminded me of Nirvana. Others may disagree on that, though. I was so blown away, I immediately downloaded their latest album Apocalipstick. I also looked up more information on them. Creevy is only 19, and started the band when she was 14. Do I ever feel like an underachiever! I highly recommend seeing them if you ever get the chance. They found a new fan in me! 

While waiting for The Flaming Lips to start, the energy in the crowd was building. At one point the lead singer Wayne Coyne peaked at the crowd, and everyone screamed at the site of his iconic hair. From the second they came on, The Lips killed it. They opened with “Race for the Prize” and it bleed into “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” The theater was filled with giant balloons and confetti. The show was filled with dancers in inflatable costumes, inflatable rainbows, unicorns and other various props and crazy lights! Like I said, it’s over the top and one of the best stage shows I’ve ever seen. About midway through the show they courageously covered David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” Wayne got in his infamous hamster ball for that song and went into the crowd. He did Bowie proud! Once again, that’s high praise from me. I’ve included the link for the setlist here. The show was a spectacle from start to finish. I normally don’t post too many photos when I write my little entries. However, since that is half the appeal of The Lips I wanted to include quite a few to help readers get an accurate idea of what one of their shows is like. The Flaming Lips did not one, but two encores. They closed out the night with their big hit, “Do You Realize??” The audience ate it up, and kept screaming for more. I hope The Flaming Lips do realize just how much we fans adore them. Throughout the show, Wayne kept saying he wanted this to be like the most fucked up party, and I think they just might have achieved that. In the words of Wayne Coyne, “FUCK YEAH! “

This shitty year gave us some great music.

2016 may have been horrible year in many ways, but at least it gave us some great music. I was planning on writing a review of The Rolling Stones new album Blue & Lonesome, as it’s wonderful. I've been working a lot lately, though, and haven't had time to really thoroughly analyze it and give it a nice, full review. I decided instead to write quick little blurbs on my three favorite albums of 2016. I'm sure my list won't come as a surprise to those that know me. 3. Iggy Pop, Post Pop Depression If you know me, you know I love me some Iggy. I also will be the first to admit, though, I'm generally not a fan of his non-Stooges work. I really wasn't excpecting anything that great from this album, to be honest. Upon a first listen, I was pleasantly surprised. I liked it enough. The album definitely grew on me, though. The more I listen to it, the more I like it. The stand out songs to me are "Gardenia" and "American Valhalla." There isn't a real bad song on this album at all, though. "Gardenia" is just a catchy tune that can easily get in my head. "American Valhalla" has fairly simplistic lyrics, but it seems very fitting at this time in American history. I personally like to imagine it'll be playing in the background of future documentary about how Trump's presidency ruined this nation. Anyway, I was very pleasantly surprised by this album. Iggy's still got it! On a side note, I also highly recommend the Jim Jarmusch documentary about The Stooges called Gimme Danger. 2. The Rolling Stones, Blue and Lonesome When I heard The Stones were releasing a new album, I was excited. When I heard the album was going to be covers of blues songs, I became super excited. If you don't know the history of The Stones, they started off covering Chicago blues bands. The blues are a passion of Mick and Keith's. This album most definitely did not disappoint. I can't name a stand out song, because I think they are all great. Some of you may think they're too old. Well, the old men still got it! Charlie keeps great rhythm on the drums. I feel he's often overlooked by Mick and Keith, but he is just as an important part of the band as them. Keith of course rocks the guitar, and makes it sing the blues along with Mick. I am still in amazement of how well Keith can play. Jagger does a great job on vocals, but an even better job on the harmonica. I believe Keith once said Mick was one of the best ever on the harmonica, and he may just be right. I had pretty high expectations for this album. Not only were those expectations met, I'd say they were exceeded. This is definitely a must for anyone who loves music at all. Number 1 should come as no suprise if you know me. 1. David Bowie, Blackstar SO MANY FEELS...I'm going to have a hard time with this one. Naturally, I was excited when I heard Bowie was going to be releasing a new album. I even had my mom preorder it for me as a Christmas gift. I received it on the day it was released January 8th, and listened to it non-stop. It's such a beautiful album. "Blackstar" and "Lazarus" are brilliant, gorgeous songs. "Girl Loves Me" kept getting stuck in my head. I liked this version of "Sue" better than the one that had been previously released. I quickly feel in love with this album. Then Jan 10th...the day the music died...Bowie passed from liver cancer two days after the album was released. Bowie's producer Tony Visconti was one of the few people who knew Bowie was sick. When Bowie passed, Visconti revealed this was Bowie's good-bye gift to the fans. Oh man, I'm starting to tear up while writing this...Visconti's words made the album much more poignant and added a haunting beauty to it. I listened to it after hearing he passed and bawled like a baby, especially at "I Can't Give Everything Away." I put the album away for awhile. I couldn't listen to it. About nine months after Bowie's passing, I was finally able to listen to it again without completely losing it. I am grateful for this final masterpiece Mr. Jones left for us. I know I'm biased, but to me this is easily hands down the best album of 2016, nothing even comes close. Bowie meant so much to so many of us. He's greatly missed. The stars really do look very different today. Honorable mentions: 1. Sleigh Bells- Jessica Rabbit 2. Savages- Adore Life 3. Die Antwoord-Mount Ninji and da Nice Time Kid

Me and Mr. Jones

I knew this day would have to eventually come. I was still ill-prepared. I knew it would be pretty unrealistic, but a part of me hoped I would go before him. I woke up this morning to all kinds of notifications on my phone. I didn't want to believe it, but knew it had to be true. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I was still in shock, and felt numb. All I could do was post some of my favorite Bowie clips on social media. It hit me that I felt like this after my dad passed. I was just 19 years old and a 1,000 miles away from home. I then too was too numb to cry, and focused on getting back to my family. Once I realized I was comparing my dad's death to Bowie's, I felt silly. Bowie's just a pop star, right? But he was so much more than that to me and many others. He made it okay to be different, a little weird. I was fan since seeing the Labyrinth​ when I was 8. It wasn't until my late 20s when I got as obsessed with him as I am now. I started getting into Bowie and music more. For the first time, I felt comfortable and happy with myself. I am flawed, but for the most part, I can honestly say I'm pretty happy with the person I have become. Maybe to some Bowie is just a pop star, but not to me. He helped me discover who I really am, and most be okay with that. I am positive many others could say something similar about Bowie's influence on them. Mr. Jones you are larger than life. You have left the world with so much beautiful and strange work. You have left an amazing legacy. All I can say is THANK YOU!

La Roux at Concord Music Hall

I've been saying for awhile, music is my therapy.  Last night proved that once again.  I'd been in a little bit of a funk the last few days, just a case of a the blahs.  I wasn't even looking that forward to going to the La Roux show.  I was hoping it might help pull me out of my little funk, and it sure did! The opener Midnight Magic was pretty good.  They had a very disco-influenced sound to me.  It was a lot of fun.  I plan on downloading some stuff of theirs, to check them out more.  Finally, it was time for La Roux.  Of course, I must mention her hair.  It is a work of art, and defies gravity.  I want to know how she does it.  She danced around quite a bit, and it did not move!  Now that that's out of the way, let's discuss the important stuff, the music!  I read in a recent interview, she wanted to work on her stage show.  Her first album was so electronic, there wasn't much of one apparently.  She made a very conscious decision to make her second album more organic in every since of the word.  She toned down her appearance, opting for more laid back clothing and a lot more natural makeup.  She also learned to play bass and guitar.  I did not see her tour her first album, but if that is what she was going for, it worked!  Her songs from the second album seemed to be better live with a band than the songs from the first.  It was a great, fun and energizing show.  The drummer was even standing up and really dancing around.  I don't recall every seeing a drummer dancing like that.  He was a lot of fun to watch himself.  Naturally, she closed out the show with the hit "Bulletproof."  The crowd got super into it.  I even noticed the entire bar staff was filming it on their phones.  It was such a fun, fantastic show!  Check La Roux out if you get a chance.  It definitely pulled me out of my funk.

I also wanted to write a little bit about Concord Hall as a venue.  I have mixed feelings.  The acoustics aren't super great, but I've been to worse.  I'm looking at you Metro!  The thing that really got me, though, was drink prices.  I ordered a vodka/cran and a Jim Beam, and it was $19!  That's ridiculous! I don't plan on drinking there again.  One the plus side, it's got a pretty cool layout.  We just kinda chilled near the back, and I still felt pretty close.  Anywhere ya stand, you'll probably  have a pretty good view.  I can't stress how wonderful the entire staff is.  The staff was all very super nice, and polite even.  If they lowered drink prices, they could be in contention for one of my favorite venues!
  

Bowie is...incredible!

It was announced quite awhile ago that the exhibit "Bowie is" would be coming to Chicago.  After about a year of waiting, the day had finally come.  Whenever    I get so excited about something, I worry I'll be disappointed.  Thankfully, that was very far from the case.  I was not disappointed in the slightest.  I really wish pictures were allowed, but alas they were not.  That was probably my one complaint.  The first thing you see, when you walk in, is a Kensai Yamamoto costume.  It happens to be one used in one of my favorite Bowie pictures ever, see below.  When I saw this, I knew the exhibit would be something special.  The exhibit does a great job of explaining Bowie's influences, as well as tracing his evolution.  I was amazed at what was contained in the exhibit.  The exhibit even has his cocaine spoon on display!   It's now my understanding that Bowie gave the curators pretty much total access to his archives.  The costumes and clothing were definitely a highlight for me. Seeing a lot of the costumes from the Ziggy area was incredible.  They had all the iconic ones. Seeing the "Life on Mars" and "Ashes to Ashes" costumes was also cool.   The exhibit even had quite a few of the costumes/clothing Alexander McQueen designed for Bowie as well.  It was incredible to see the Union Jack coat from "Earthling" in person, also see below. Bowie has also had a pretty great acting career, and there was a whole room dedicated to that.  I have liked Bowie every since seeing The Labyrinth as a little girl, so I was excited to see Jareth's crystal ball and riding crop.  The last room was probably my favorite.  The exhibit definitely eneded on a high note.  It had huge screens with "Rock n Roll Suicide" playing.  The room was also full with tons of costumes, this is were many of the iconic Aladdin Sane costumes were.  The 8yr old in me, who would dance in her room to the Let's Dance album, had trouble containing the excitement.  I wanted the exhibit to last forever!  Do yourself a favor if you are in the Chicago area, and check the exhibit out.    David Bowie is...an icon!

The flawless Bryan Ferry!

Let me just start out by saying this is one of the most amazing concerts I have ever seen.  Hell, it may even have been THE best show I've ever seen.  It was just absolutely flawless all the way around. They came out swinging to "Re-Make/Re-Mode" from Roxy Music's first album.  They grabbed the crowd the second Bryan Ferry came on stage, and held the crowd captive for the rest of the show.  I can't stress enough just how flawless, perfect everything was.  His musicians were amazing.  The drummer was female, and just kicked ass.  I think she may have had her own Beyonce fan, because her hair seemed to blow in the wind.  The lead guitar player owned his Les Paul, and the sounds that came out of it were spectacular.  The saxophonist was incredible, and was a very integral part of the show. Bryan Ferry's voice was still top notch, and incredible sounding.  I think he has one of the most unique voices in the business.  He also played keyboards at times.  He had two great back-up dancers/singers that were just awesome too.  The lighting and costumes were great too, and definitely added to the show.  He obviously still cares a lot about the visuals.  In his talk he mentioned his first concert was Bill Haley.  I could see the influence.  It was almost like an old school rock n' roll show. The highlight for me was hearing the glam anthem "Virginia Plain" in person.  I am not ashamed to admit, I went a little crazy! He also performed an amazing cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy." My one complaint was that he didn't play "2HB"  but that's being self-indulgent.  I just don't know what else to say at this point, except it was an incredible show.  I find this show hard to write about, because it was just so amazing and special.  All I can think of to say at this point is, if you ever get the chance to see Bryan Ferry, run do not walk!

Bryan Ferry, this is your life!

Riot Fest has ended, so now begins Glamapalooza!  If you know anything at all about me, you know I'm a huge Bowie freak.  I was beyond psyched when I heard the "Bowie is" exhibit was coming to Chicago.  That time is fast approaching.  A lot of programs were created to correspond to the exhibit. It's not hard to figure out, I'm also a fan of Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry.  When I heard he'd be speaking, I knew I had to go.  I figured the talk would be about the glam rock movement, and thought it'd focus on Roxy Music.  That was not the case.  Glam Rock wasn't really discussed, and Bowie's name was not mentioned even once.  This talk was not even mentioned as being injunction with the exhibit, not even during the introduction.  My friend and I both thought this was odd.  It was still cool, and great to hear Bryan Ferry talk.  It was more along the lines of a retrospective of his career. That's not a bad thing by any means!

Bryan Ferry grew up in an industrial part of England.  He said it wasn't pretty, but there was one area that was beautiful.  A picture of it was shown, and it looked like an ancient Greek temple in a park. He used to dream about escaping.  He had been of fan of music since he was 10.  He won tickets to a Bill Haley concert, from a radio contest.  He delivered newspapees twice a day, and would read rhe music magazines in them.  He became a fan of all types of music.  He mentioned Charlie Parker being a hero of his.  He went to college in Newcastle.  By the time he atarted college, he said his influences were anywhere from Duchamp to Smokwy Robinson.  He started to sing when a friend asked him to audition for his band.  The audition was in a bizarre hair salon.  He compared the experience to a David Lynch film. He studied art under the pop artist Richard Hamilton.  A newspaper clipping was projected that showed Ferry painting, with the caption "angry young artist". He said he wasnt angry at all then.  He  was having the time of his.  To me, this helped explain how the visual image of Roxy Music was sso important.  Newcastle had a pretty active music scene.  He formed his first band during this time. Some of the band members also became part of Roxy Music.

After college, Ferey moved to London.  He started song writing, learning to play the piano, and start to put together Roxy Music.  According to Bryan, it took a few years to get the line-up for Roxy Music.  I enjoyed the story of how Brian Eno became part of Roxy.  The band wanted to record, but didn't have a tape recorder.  Eno came over with one, and never left! They recordes the fieat album.  Ferry seemed to like it, but thought it was unfocused, a mix of too many genres.   A friend of Bryan Ferry's Antony Price helped formulate the bands image.  Eno once called their style as intergalactic parliament.   Antony designed clothes for the band and helped design album sleeves for the band. He is pretty much responsible for the Roxy girls, the girls on the various album covers.   One notable Roxy girl is Jerry Hall.  Ferry went to say, he thought the second Roxy album was their best work ever. 

After the second Roxy Music album, Ferry decided to do a solo album of old standards. This started a very busy time for him.  He'd record with Roxy, tour with Roxy, record solo, and then tour solo.  I admired his honesty when he admitted it was very exhausting.  He also admits everything was rushed.  At one point, two videos were shot in a single day.  Most of the people involved in helping where friends of his or the band.  He got emotional when talking about the bassist, on "Love is the Drug" who just passed away a week ago.  Also, he's wearing a real eye patch in the video.  He had hurt his eye somehow right before.  Fun factoid, Manolo Blahnik is pictures on the back of his second solo album, Another Time, Another Place.