Britney Spears: Sequin, Sex & Spectacle (Live Chicago Review 4/28/09)

Britney Spears: Sequin, Sex & Spectacle
Allstate Arena-Rosemont, IL
April 28, 2009
By Anthony Kuzminski

Watching a Britney Spears concert (if you can call it that) is akin to watching a stripper through a glass wall. It can be slightly enticing; a bit of a turn on and sexy, but ultimately it never gets you off. This is what was going through my mind as Spears put on an elaborate and eye-popping ninety-minute set in Chicago that included almost as many costume changes as it did songs. Therein lays the problem. I have a most bizarre confession; I actually think Spears has some talent. Granted, she’s not likely to ever write something that can compete with “Like a Rolling Stone”, but she is an pop culture icon and probably the last of her kind. However, during her first of two nights at the Allstate Arena you would be made to believe that she has no talent whatsoever and the show’s producers wanted to do everything in their power to camouflage this with lots of spectacle, more sequin than the Sunset Strip in the 80’s and sex, sex and more sex. The show consisted of four distinct acts ("Circus," "House of Fun (Anything Goes)," "Freakshow/Peepshow" and "Electro Circ,") and sixteen songs. Amidst all of this were three stages (trying to recreate a three ring circus), a dozen-plus dancers, multiple props for every performance and enough product placement from Virgin Mobile to make you want to do anything but give them money. Preceding the show was a twenty-minute circus pre-show where acrobatics and other eye candy theatrics attempted to appease the crowd. It was a bit overlong, but when Spears descended from the ceiling during the opening number, “Circus”, the crowd was ready to fully embrace her for any bad PR moves and all that mattered was her and the music; sort of. The sad reality is that this was a poor excuse of a concert. I can’t qualify it as a concert because the music was secondary to the theatrics. Depending on who you are this could either be a good thing or a bad thing. For me, who the music comes first and foremost, it was disheartening.

With a show this mechanical does it allow for highlights? Sure. “Piece of Me” found Spears singing (excuse me, lip-synching) in a cage that rolled out to all three stages. A disappearing and re-appearing magic act during “Ooh Ooh Baby/Hot as Ice” was more memorable than the song, but she rebounded on the reflective ballad, “Everytime”. Despite singing the song from an elevated umbrella over the stage, the moment felt real and genuine. The track from her In the Zone album may have been the only number (to my ears) sung live. The performance was subdued compared to the rest of the festivities (which I do realize is an oxymoronic statement in itself). During this song, you glimpsed at the talent she has, it’s too bad she was not allowed to display more of this over the course of the show.
The carnival atmosphere feels like a façade. I do not want to take away from the meticulous production and execution a show like this needs to work. It is anything but easy or cheap. With that being said, it didn’t match up to the best Madonna shows over the years (including her 1990, 2001 and 2006 treks) or even come close to matching Justin Timberlake’s magnificent tour from 2007 which was a wondrous marriage between music and spectacle. Unlike Timberlake, Spears appears to have completely divorced the music from the spectacle this time around. This was most evident in the set list for the show which contained only one song from her first two albums. While I can understand steering away from songs like “Lucky” and "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" which already show age, she relied far too heavily on Blackout her 2007 album. Songs like “Freakshow” and “Get Naked” bombed and featured most of the crowd in their seats. The video interlude preceding these two songs featured a Eyes Wide Shut freak film done to the beat of the Eurythmics song “Sweet Dreams” and surprisingly, the band (which was hidden in the pits and sides of the stage) received a stronger reaction than most of the actual backing track performances. I must admit to never seeing a band play live during a video interlude but having backing tracks for the actual performances. This was another anomaly that proved to elude reason. “Me Against the Music” had a huge Bollywood dance which felt forced while “Do Something” found me wishing there was an acoustic set. Even “I’m A Slave For You” failed to elicit any cheers until flames encompassed the circling the stage.
“Breathe on Me/Touch of My Hand” found Spears in see-through black sequin stockings and a bra with tassels (no, I am not making this up). She performed the song from a flying antique frame before settling onto a lounge chair on the stage where Spears was blindfolded and two men dressed in their S&M gear descended from the ceiling and proceeded to lift Spears with their legs only into the air. I’m not sure if any sex freak could imagine something this elaborate. With all that being said, Virgin Mobile was the wrong sponsor for the tour, it should have been Trojan. Regardless, by the end of this number, the entire arena smelt like used lubricant and discarded condoms.
By the time Spears ran through her last three numbers (“Toxic”, “Baby One More Time” and “Womanizer”) it seemed like too little, too late. I have no issue with artists pushing boundaries and trying something new, but Spears should have had a few more audience pleasing numbers in the set. This may only be pop music, but she does it quite well and by turning her back on her best selling albums is almost as if she wants to forget how she ascended to fame. On the older numbers, even Taylor Swift (who was in attendance) sung along to every word. The celebrity Britney Spears was front and center the whole show while the pop star took a backseat to the proceedings. For these final three numbers, the pop star finally was front and center and not only did she seem at ease, but the crowd roared and ate it up like boozed out college students entering a pizzeria at 3am. At the end of “Baby One More Time”, she disappeared into one of the trap doors before re-appearing in a full cop uniform for the only encore, “Womanizer”. As the raining pyrotechnics and confetti rained over the crowd, I couldn’t help but think that after ninety-minutes most fans memories would be tied to the theatrics and not the music. Ask any fan the day after what the show was like and I’m sure they will tell you about a number of the sequences and the few dozen sequin outfits full of enough sparkles to make you feel like you were dropping acid. But if you ask them for which songs were performed, I bet they won’t be able to tell you as they too are victims of being seduced by the spectacle of it all. Britney Spears isn’t just a star, she’s an icon and when you are as popular as she is, she is in a position to take true and daring chances. She should have brought a small band and a few dancers out on tour with her and let the music do the talking. Instead, she became just another freak in her own circus. She deserves better.
On a side note, her record company does not want writers like me to see the show and from what I was told, no reviewer tickets would be provided. However, the scalper who provided me with my tickets told me the secondary market for this show was a “bloodbath”. He told me that balcony tickets (which sold for $65) were easier to sell than the $170 lower level tickets. The stage was in the middle of the arena making the vantage point advantageous for all in attendance, but still, $150 plus taxes is steep for a show and as show time grew near, tickets were a fraction of their face price. If there was any lesson I learned from watching the auctions and talking to a few brokers, the price people seemed willing to pay was about $75 to $80 a ticket and no more.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

2009 Tour Set list:

Act 1: CIRCUS
Perez/Parade Intro
'Circus' (Funky Remix)
'Piece Of Me'
Thunderstorm Segue
'Radar'
Act 2: HOUSE OF FUN (Anything Goes)
Martial Arts Segue
'Ooh Ooh Baby'/'Hot As Ice'
'Boys'
'If U Seek Amy'
'Me Against The Music' (Bollywood)
Everytime
Act 3: FREAKSHOW/PEEPSHOW
Everybody's Looking For Something Segue
'Freakshow'
'Get Naked'
Britney's Hotline
'Breathe On Me'/'Touch Of My Hand'
Act 4: ELECTRO CIRC
Break The Ice Segue
'Do Something'
'I'm A Slave 4 U'
Dancer Solo Segue/Heartbeat Segue
'Toxic'
'Baby One More Time' (Remix)
ENCORE
'Womanizer' (Extended Remix)

Dear Bruce Springsteen: Time For Some Set List Changes

{Photo Credit}

I think I am turning into a grumpy old man before I grow old. Bruce Springsteen has now been touring in support of his 16th studio disc, Working On A Dream {review link}, for over a month. Part of me is jaded because Springsteen is such a phenomenal performer, but the last four weeks of shows have let a lot to be desired.

I'm not a fan of Dream, upon repeated listens, I've found the album to have even bigger holes than I had anticipated. It's semi-painful to give it repeated listens. However, I was hoping that when Bruce hit the road, that he would prove me wrong. One of the most interesting aspects of a Springsteen tour is the sheer amount of new material. However, with that being said, I've also found the biggest hindrance in his shows since 2002 to be the fact that he has relied far too heavily on that material when it's obvious that it will never work live (ex. "World's Apart", "Empty Sky", "Into The Fire", "Reno", "Girls in Their Summer Clothes", "Magic"). Considering that the E Street Band were able to perform every song from the 1973-1988 catalog to near perfection, it's surprising to see them struggle with a large bulk of Bruce's new work in the new millennium. So maybe it's a blessing in disguise that Bruce is only performing three or four songs a night? I'm not sure.

It's almost as if Springsteen knows that the album he put out isn't that good because he has no confidence in performing the material. Or even worse, has he truly jumped the shark and is attempting to please anyone and everyone? I'm not sure, only he truly knows, but considering that I do not hold a single ticket for the entire tour and I have no desire to seek one out, that's alarming to me as a few years back I would have traveled continents to see this man and this band and now I don't even feel like listening to the bootleg or Youtube clips. Despite the lack of new material, the warhorses that make up the rest of the set leave a lot to be desired.

"Waiting On A Sunny Day"

Kill me. Performed every night of the 2002-2003 tour, this song can be permanently retired. No one needs to hear this song and no one wants to hear it.

"Land of Hope and Dreams"
I remember what a hard-on I had for this song back in 1999. Every Bruce fan did as well. But as I hear it now, I hear a very incomplete song and one where Springsteen had no idea where to end it. It's overlong at 8-minutes and really only elicits big responses from those in the pit and we must remember, there is more to a concert than those in the pit.

"Working On A Dream"
One word; insufferable. I listen to Bon Jovi and John Mellcancamp and get major amounts of shit for it. If either of them had recording a song this wretched, the east coast elite would be poo-pooing their songs. "Dream" makes Mellencamp's "Our Country" sound like "Born in the USA". This song gets played every night while "My Lucky Day", a song made to be played live by the E Street Band goes unplayed?

"Youngstown"

Performed every night on the reunion tour and it worked splendidly as part of a tear the house down five-pack ("Youngstown", "Murder Inc", "Badlands", "Out In The Street", "10th Avenue"). It worked magnificently in that context, but rotating it now with a fully fleshed out version of "The Ghost of Tom Joad" is a mistake. Let "Joad" be a nightly staple and leave "Youngstown" on the warm-up bench,

"10th Avenue Freezeout"

Performed every night on the 1999-2000 tour, the version was terribly long, but if you saw only one show on the tour, it was a highlight. Therefore, for the multi-nighters on that tour, we forgave him. But please, it was played so much back then, no one is really pining to hear it again. If you want to include a Born To Run song nightly, add "Jungleland" or "Backstreets", two songs that virtually never get old no matter how often they are performed.

"Out in the Street"

My daughter will probably never see the E Street Band, but one day I will show her the Live in New York City DVD and cue up "OITS" and show her what the E Street Band was all about. The performances on that tour were engaging, never old and fresh every night. Now this song works on certain nights and not on others. The River is Springsteen's most underperformed album from his classic period and there are plenty of raucous songs we all want to hear and this isn't one of them.

What is shocking to me is that Bruce could make a really epic and focused set pulling in some older songs, especially those from his 1992 albums. However, virtually none of these songs have been performed the last few tours to my amazement. I wrote an extensive piece pinpointing fifteen songs in 2007 that can be read here.

So come on Bruce, re-read "Fifteen Songs That Evoke Magic" and let's kick this tour into overdrive.

The Gaslight Anthem: Setting the Night on Fire (Live in Chicago Review 4/3/09)

The Gaslight Anthem: Setting the Night on Fire
The Bottom Lounge-Chicago, IL
April 3, 2009
By Anthony Kuzminski
{Pictures Courtesy of the Gaslight Anthem's MySpace Page}

Inside the Bottom Lounge, Chicago’s newest live venue for music, the crowd is thrusting their perspiring bodies against one another like impassioned lovers who need each others bodies for more than just a sexual release but for internal redemption. The moshing is forceful, verging on furious, as the seven-hundred in attendance throw caution to the wind amidst songs of anticipation and liberation sound tracked by the Gaslight Anthem. “The ’59 Sound”, the title track to their most recent album, is eliciting screams of adoration and a physical churning I haven’t seen since alternative’s hey day in the early 90’s. Some have viewed the Gaslight Anthem as a band whose music is too workmanlike and they borrows too liberally from their influences,, but I dare you to witness the fist pumping and maniacal reactions from the sold-out crowd and not want to fall in love with rock n’ roll all over again. Kerrang! magazine put them on the cover last year without ever having written a single word about them in the magazine before that issue, a record for the publication and a rarity. That is how invigorating and intense their live shows can be. They hail from New Brunswick, New Jersey so when they write blue collar narratives, they’re pulling from their strengths. Their brand of simplistic four-chord rock may not be revolutionary, but one listen to it and like the world’s greatest comfort food; it hits you in just the right spot filling a void.

I walked into the Gaslight Anthem show full of preconceived notions, but ultimately, none of it mattered as the band delivered a set full of heart stopping rock n’ roll. Do not let anyone try and persuade you as to what you think this band may be. Leave their influences at the door, open your heart, mind and most importantly your ears and in the end, you’ll walk away happy for just being able to experience it. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of music one encounters these days. Bands up in your face every way imaginable trying to get you to take notice. But every once in a while you’re thrown back to a simpler time and place where when the music hits your ear drums, life’s problems fade away and you take your mind, body and soul to that rock n’ roll retreat.

Mining territory from the shores of Asbury Park soul with the vicious guitar attack of late 70’s punk London, the Gaslight Anthem hit you head-on with a unremitting sway that is not just sweepingly romantic but irrefutable as well. Steeped in classic four-chord rock, the Gaslight Anthem is a throw back to a time where there were no gimmicks and there was only the music. Aside from their album cover, I wasn’t even sure how they would appear. In jeans and t-shirts, the band harkens back to the best bar bands of the last quarter century but while they can invigorate a club, their songs are made for much vaster and wider places where arms-to-the-air anthems are a necessary ingredient. Ironically they have a song titled “Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts” where optimism meets romanticism amidst warm vintage riffs. Throughout their seventy-five minute set, the Gaslight Anthem charmed the socks off of me and the rest of the Chicago crowd. I’ve had The ’59 Sound since last summer but only recently had the album cast a spell on me. At first, it was too derivative for my tastes, but ultimately, isn’t the best rock n’ roll always derivative?

The Gaslight Anthem have created two stellar albums and an engaging EP, but they are a band that needs to be seen in order to fully grasp the exuberance of their songs.
Opening with “Great Expectations”, the band hit the stage full throttle ahead and devoured the concert hall with their raucous and soulful anthems. “Casanova, Baby!” was endearing on record, but in concert, it’s downright sacred. The musical arrangement invites you to step inside the car of getaway dreams where hope springs eternal once a foot slams on the gas pedal. Lead singer and guitarist Brian Fallon delivered the lyrics with ardent emotional need as if he believes in the place where all your worries are in the past and the future is wide open (“Forget this dead mans town, I’ll take you home”). “Old White Lincoln” was delivered with the same heartfelt force and it reminded me about capturing soaring hearts and repairing broken dreams making you feel that the impossible is possible. All along the crowd was possessed, high-spirited and created an electrical feeling that only added to the atmosphere and spirit of the performance. They elevated the show and matched the Gaslight Anthem’s onstage intensity which is saying a lot. “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues” features a menacing guitar lick Social Distortion would be proud to call their own paired with lyrical imagery that fastens itself into your brain. “Film Noir” asserts amping riffs while “The Backseat” twists and turns down the roads of heartbreak and promise that a summer breeze can bring. The latter was the evening’s final number and when the lights came on, everyone was leaning on one another attempting to grasp for air. The show was a physically intense yet a blissful escape from the realities of the world and the four piece band swept the crowd off their feet and far, far away to a world where the possibilities are endless.

If I had one minor criticism about the evening, it would be about the length of the show. This is a band who could truly wallop a crowd with an epic two or three hour show. They stand to leave not just a good impression but an everlasting one if they were given enough stage time. Granted, I caught them in the midst of eight straight nights in a row, so something had to give. Plus considering the Heartless Bastards opened the show with a riff-roaring set, yet, as good as they were, I’d kill to see the Gaslight Anthem have the spotlight for the entire evening. They stand to increase their audience ten-fold in the future if they have a chance of seducing the unsuspecting crowds with an extensive version of their thunderous anthem waving shows. Watching the Gaslight Anthem reminds me of falling in love with rock n’ roll in the first place. They come with no frills, no gimmicks and come to your town with one mantra; let it rock. When it comes to rock n’ roll, can you ask for anything more?

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Glasvegas: A Storm on the Horizon (Live in Chicago Review 4/6/09)

Glasvegas: A Storm on the Horizon
The Bottom Lounge-Chicago, IL
April 6, 2009
Pictures By Peter Weiss
By Anthony Kuzminski

Rock n’ roll is a delicacy I have always felt is best served by deafening live shows that leave you drained, fatigued and on the verge of losing consciousness. I’ve never believed in having the act leaving you wanting more. I want to see marathon shows where I personally feel that the artist is going above and beyond what you think they are capable of. Now, few acts can attain the Springsteen workmanlike theatrics of the live performance, but an even tougher obstacle is making an impression with a short and succinct set, a near impossible feat. However, while their show was a solid two-hours shorter than most of Springsteen’s show, Glasvegas leaves a haunting and immediate imprint that shocks your system. I often admire many bands for giving their all, but few do I want to see again. Glasvegas is one of those bands that I can promise you will be opening up for a major band sooner than later and before you know it, may be headlining much bigger venues before too long. Their all too brief 55-minute set in Chicago recently is among the shortest I have seen in years, but fear not, it was the perfect length. Glasvegas, a foursome from Glasgow, may be a sonically complex band, yet they pull off an enthralling live show. I want the artist to not just rock me, but slay me and few can muster this over the course of ninety-minutes, let alone sixty, but Glasvegas did so with ease.

Trying to pigeonhole Glasvegas into a genre or typecasting them against bands that came before them would be far too easy. The band consists of four highly accomplished musicians who together construct a wholly matchless and alluring sound ready made for stadiums. Lead by vocalist and rhythm guitarist, James Allan, Glasvegas is the rare band that can evoke fierce feelings through the sheer drive of their performance. I have had their self-titled debut album on consistent rotation the last few months but doubted the band could successfully recreate the sensational sounds that inhabit the record. I’m pleased to say that they didn’t just replicate the sound, but delivered it with an insurrectionary spirit of sneering endearment. Lead guitarist Rab Allan, bassist Paul Donoghue and drummer Caroline McKay (all dressed head to toe in black) complimented Allan who brings the extravagant aural muscle that defines their sound. Beneath the grisly demeanor of their sound are pining lyrics that are as angelic as they are auspicious, which were featured on the evening’s opening number, “Geraldine”. Allan infused the verses with a dreamy punctuation (“I’ll be the angel on your shoulder”). The lyrics may not have always been decipherable but a great front man doesn’t need to speak clearly, he needs to convey intoxicating sentiments and evoke resilient feelings, which is exactly what James Allan did.

Soaked in wallowing howls and biting reverb, “Flowers and Football Tops” reveals profound passion through the absolute force of their performance. The heart wrenching ballad of a child who dies is delivered with furious sentiment (“My baby is gone…”). In the course of one song, the band evokes devastation, consoling and ultimately prayer to heal. The song is as epic as “Amazing Grace” with a bit more bite and distortion. “Polmont on My Mind” twisted and turned out wailing crescendos while “Fuck You, It's Over” was downright vicious. “S.A.D. Light” was sung by lead singer James Allan in a pensive, reflective almost yearning voice akin to a love torn school boy heightened by drummer Caroline McKay’s snare drum which provides an unleashing fury of bullet shots amidst the reverberating sonic the rest of the band provided bringing the song to a awe-inspiring climactic finale. “Go Square Go” closed the main set in a storming fist flying frenzy illustrating what a modern day Clash concert would look like. Finding a balance between simplistic high school stories and weighty life experiences, Allan shifts gears between heart-on-his-sleeve emotions with profound life changing experiences. If you think you know what this band or their songs are about, I suggest you give a closer listen. In the course of one album and show, they reveal layers of emotional wreckage with a silver lining of hope, featured brilliantly on elegiac “Ice Cream Van”:

There’s a storm on the horizon
And for that I can’t see the sun
For I’ll keep a waiting on the pavement
For the ice-cream van to come

As the evening’s finale, “Daddy’s Gone”, transcended throughout the Bottom Lounge, the crowd raised hands to the air to engage and enrage. Voices soared above the band and drifted into the air as the band left the stage one by one as the crowd continued to chant the chorus amidst a dreamlike and churning strobe light extravaganza.

Glasvegas is empathetic rock theater drenched with ambiance and cathartic melodies which they showcased in their poignant set drenched in atmospheric distortion. Some bands need a dozen performers to recreate what Glasvegas does with four. For a band who takes to the stage with minimal gimmicks, they deliver a stadium-ready sound that isn’t just lush but they entrance everyone who comes within contact of them. The music of Glasvegas yearns to be played in stadiums to be swallowed not just by thousands but ten of thousands. Some may feel the music is highfalutin, but if you listen carefully and see the visionary significance of their storming musicianship, you’ll stand there in awe at their ability to capture this magic in a bottle. This is no mere pastiche but a band who has a grasp on their artistry and who can convey it to a large audience. If there was any limitation to the evening, it was the size of the venue. The band entrances you with a cocky snarl paired with heart wrenching lyrics and a mysterious yet consoling aura that oozes off the stage and into your psyche. This is a band ready to take their shot in the ring for the chance at the title.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Set List for 4/6/09 Chicago Show:

Geraldine
Lonesome Swan
It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry
Polmont On My Mind
Fuck You, It's Over
S.A.D. Light
Flowers And Football Tops
Ice Cream Van
Go Square Go
Please Come Back Home
Daddy's Gone

Ang Lee's 'Ride with the Devil' review

Ang Lee has more talent in his pinky finger than the average human has in their entire body. People know him most from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain. While I feel both of those films are superb, neither is his best work. That honor goes to The Ice Storm; a brewing and intense drama that takes place in the early 1970’s and was my second favorite film of 1997. Upon near universal acclaim for that film, Lee gathered financing for hiss next flick, Ride with the Devil. When released in late 1999, it was lost amidst a year end shuffle and basically disappeared before it even appeared. Despite Lee being one of my favorite working directors, I never sought the film out on video and DVD. However, the film recently ran on IFC and I DVR’d it and finally got around to watching it tonight. All I can say is that Matt Damon was one smart dude to pass this up in favor of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Ride with the Devil is a well made film, but one that could put an insomniac to sleep.

It’s no wonder I never got around to seeing it. When it comes to films, I can usually tell whether I am going to like the film about 95% of the time. It’s all about expectations. I know when I walk into a horror film or even a Jason Statham film for that matter that I’m not going to judge it on the same scale as I’d judge a Scorsese of David Lynch film. But sadly Ride with the Devil is an exercise in ego. The characters are flat, the film is entirely too long and aside from Jeffrey Wright, ever single character is miscast. To make matters worse, Ang Lee gave Jewel a lead role and she didn’t even have to show her boobies (No, the breast feeding scenes does *not* count). I guess we should thank him from keeping her from yodeling. {Scratch that...the credits are still rolling and there is a Jewel song}

The film is well shot and has some well thought out action sequences, but this can not save the film. I can always tell the quality of a script and story based on my feelings of the characters. Do I care about them? Am I engaged in their pain, happiness and conflict? This film left me cold and bewildered and whenever something happened in this film (good or bad), I felt indifferent. Ang Lee rebounded triumphantly winning an Oscar for Crouching Tiger just a year later and since then, has made a series of films that entrance me (and I include the Hulk in that category). Ride with the Devil is a film that should work and had everything going for it, but is proof that even great directors can misfire at times.

The Smashing Pumpkins on the Chris Isaak Show

Chris Isaak recently launched a talk/music show on the Biography Channel and despite my initial reservations, it's become quite intoxicating. If you're looking for something biting or edgy, this isn't it, but it is insightful. Isaak is very laid back and puts the guest at ease. This was apparent during his episode with the Smashing Pumpkins. Despite all of Isaak's ease, this was an odd episode.

For a full recap of he show, I would check this link out. The writer basically gives you a blow by blow account of the interview. However, what makes this interview so unique is that is has Jimmy Chamberlin was still in the band for the interview but by the time it aired, he had left.

The Smashing Pumpkins are one of the most fascinating bands in the last twenty-years, if for no other reason that they reached staggering heights and yet seemed perfectly OK with throwing it away. Being from Chicago, it was easy to get tired of these guys in the 1990's as the local press felt they were descendants of Jesus. However, that time has passed and now they love sticking Billy up on a cross. With all of that being said, I find him fascinating because while most artists are concerned with record sales, airplay and ticket sales Corgan doesn't give a rats ass. I think it's too easy to say that he's an a-hole for not playing his hits. Heck, look at Bob Dylan. He gives an interview where he feels the Stones aren't really the Stones without Bill Wyman and you can barely understand his lyrics in concert, but he's a legend. Corgan tells it like it is, is brutally truthful and he's peggaed as a first rate jerk. Granted, Billy Corgan isn't Bob Dylan (no one is), but still, we bitch and moan about rock stars who hide behind a fake image and who smiles for the cameras but when we get one rock star who is brutally truthful, we call him an "asshole".

I didn't see the Smashing Pumpkins on their last tour (I miss Iha and Darcy), but as difficult as Corgan may be, I find him endlessly entertaining and wildly fascinating to watch and will continue to do so, hopefully for a long time.

Dear Aerosmith...

Dear Aerosmith:

Do you enjoy ass-raping your fans? If your answer is “no”, than please…someone…tell me how you are justifying charging upwards of $200 for your latest tour (a pair of tickets costs $464). As of now, there are still 13th row tickets available at this link. It used to be tickets to Aerosmith were impossible to get, now you have to skip your car payment to attend the show. According to a recent video message posted by Joe Perry he talked about how great the recent Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame was because fans were allowed to be there. It changed the atmosphere of the event and the stuffiness went out the window and in came a breath of fresh air for a ceremony that may never be repeated. So why limit the majority of your fans from attending your shows? You do realize that when you charge what you are charging you alienate your core fans and open your arms to corporate suits who couldn’t name you ten Beatles songs, let alone ten Aerosmith songs. Yeah, I know there is a $35 lawn ticket, but after service fee’s its way past $50, for a lawn ticket. Even if they were playing theaters, these prices would be insulting. Not even AC/DC charged these prices when they returned to the road last year and they had a seven year absence from the road. You guys have come so often and played the same songs over and over again is there anyone who hasn't seen you?

It’s not as if you guys are hurting for money. You have a huge contract from Sony, you’ve grossed hundreds of millions of dollars between 1997 and 2007 and you have a Guitar Hero game that grossed $50 million in its first three months of release. I understand that you guy got screwed on your publishing and basically snorted any and all money you ever made between 1973 and 1986, but $200 for the best seats is ridiculous. I love you guys, think you’re underrated, I think the Geffen years are spectacular and despite my reservations, the September 2007 show I caught in Chicago was spectacular. However, there were quite a few empty seats at that show and the top ticket price was $130. If you couldn’t get 12,000 people to attend the show in Chicago (the third largest concert market in the US), how many people do you think you will get at prices ranging from $89 to $200 (before fees)?

You guys toured in ten different calendar years between 1997 and 2007 (taking only 2000 off and even then there were a few scattered international dates that year). 2008 was the first full year you guys had off in quite some time and then couldn’t even finish a new studio record! To make matters worse, your co-headline jaunt with ZZ Top doesn’t have the Texas threesome playing either show in the Chicago market. Yet, tickets are higher than they are in other markets. For a band who saturated the market with their live show, you would think that every ticket would be $75 and under. I want to like you, I want to see you, I want you guys to rock my socks off, but these prices are pure greed.

Until you guys remove a certain body part from my ass, I won’t be seeing you live any time soon and neither will the next generation of music fans.

Read all of my related Aerosmith articles at this link.

Butch Walker: So Alive (Live in Chicago 3/10/09 Review)

Butch Walker: So Alive
Chicago, IL-House of Blues
March 10, 2009
By Anthony Kuzminski

Read other Butch Walker reviews at this link.
{Pictures Courtesy of Butch Walker's MySpace Page}


Rock n’ roll is best served where there is familiar bond between the artist and the audience. In recent years, that barrier has become wider distancing the fan. In the summer of 2004, inside the 400-person capacity Abbey Pub, Butch Walker delivered a performance that wasn’t just illuminating, but one that turned me into a lifer. After he had just finished performing a full-throttle work up of “Freak of the Week”, he grabbed an acoustic guitar, entered the audience and took a seat...literally. The campfire sing-a-long that occurred was one of the most personal moments I’ve witnessed in my twenty-plus years of concert going. The landscape of music has changed in the last decade and it’s tough to get noticed, let alone be remembered. After witnessing his show, I didn’t just want to buy his latest release, I wanted everything he ever recorded. How many artists can you say that about today? Flash-forward five years later and Walker is in the audience once again, but this time it is amidst 1,400 fervent fans at the House of Blues. With limited airplay and a do-it-yourself ethic, Butch Walker expands his fan base one person at a time with his live shows. In a day and age where major label artists are struggling to get anyone to listen to their music, buy it and have careers, Walker’s solo career is thriving. Almost everyone I encountered at the show had learned about the gospel of Butch through word of mouth. In the last half decade, Butch Walker has evolved in ways no one could have imagined. He has become more than a top tier record producer, he’s become one of the most introspective and earnest artists on the musical landscape today. His live shows are amongst the best on the planet and he’s currently touring in support of his most reflective record to date, Sycamore Meadows.

Opening his sold-out show at Chicago’s House of Blues, Butch Walker walked out in a t-shirt, jeans and a vest and sat behind the piano alone. Right from the first note, Walker wore his heart on his sleeve and brought immediacy to the show. On past tours, the meditative set would appear midway through the show, but tonight it was upfront and center for everyone to take note. As he pensively sung “ATL”, “Passed Your Place” and “Joan”, you could hear a pin drop, a rarity for the House of Blues where usually the rivers of alcohol would warrant shouts from the drunkest members. However, tonight was something different. I’ve only witnessed this once before at a Will Hoge show in 2005. A performer has to instill an acute impression to have this much attention. Walker relished the silence as he was able to deliver these songs without any obstruction. “Going Back / Going Home” proved to be just as wistful and insurrectionary as it is on the record with the crowd in impassioned anticipation for the break down rap portion which Walker nailed with a gleeful smile. Throughout the entire show, Walker appeared to be in high spirits and not even the downbeat nature of some of the songs could hide it. The entire performance was filled with a melancholy and primitive force.

The movement of the piano/acoustic set to the front of the show worked wonders for when the five-piece band joined Walker on stage for an electric set that went into overdrive with “Closer To The Truth” before the band spun the crowd with the grooves and sledgehammer riffs of “Uncomfortably Numb”, “The Weight of Her” and “Vessels”. Classics such as “Don’t Move”, “Laid/Taste of Red” and “Race Cars and Goth Rock” found the crowd unison singing with heaving guitars and a complete union between band and fan. Walker shifts between his back catalog and material from Sycamore Meadows with ease and always finds a way to meld the themes of unhealed heartbreak bringing the crowd to an emotional apex.

Unlike mot concerts these days, where the classics elicit the most fanatical reactions, Walker’s 100-minute show featured most of his magnum opus, Sycamore Meadows, all of which was met with zealous enthusiasm. Walker has always been able to play outside of the box allowing for growth. With Sycamore Meadows, Walker has found a way to flip his music on its head. His naked vocals and brooding lyrics take center stage. His five-piece band allows these songs to come to life where tempos surge, emotions flow and the harmonies leap at you through a series of visceral lyrics and jolting guitars. The soul groove of “Ponce de Leon” is more dazzling live while the svelte “Here Comes The…” sets a crystalline picture of heartache and heartbreak in a way that no one else can conjure up quite like Butch Walker.

During the encore, Walker serenaded the audience with authentic audience sing-a-long cover of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”. Walker really let loose as he soared off the stage into the throes of the crowd where he sung all of the riff-rocking “Hot Girls In Good Moods”. It is a delicate balance to write selfless and pensive songs and then be able to relinquish your inhibitions and throw all caution to the wind. When Walker leaped from that stage, it wasn’t about show boating but about getting skin to skin with his fan base. This is an example of an artist pushing his limits and wanting to permanently tattoo the experience into your brain.

The significance of Butch Walker’s indelible drive to satiate his fans is a unique one. While he hasn’t forgotten his past, Walker is the rare artist who is about the journey ahead of him. He has burst back to life with a collection of songs that are his best with introspective lyrics paired with remarkable hooks. He’s on the upswing with a tidal wave of rejuvenation and in concert he manages to paint a unique portrait of his life through his eclectic catalog of music. Being on stage performing to a crowd isn’t enough; he needs to push those boundaries by taking his audience along for the ride. He wants them to be active participants in his art. To truly understand a fan, you have to be one. Most rock stars elicit a holier than thou attitude, but for Butch Walker he believes in making his audience feeling like they belong, which is just what his audience ordered.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

The Only Pearl Jam Deluxe Edition Review of 'Ten' You Will Need

My buddy Adam over at the AudioProject knocked my socks off with his detailed, insightful and stunning review of the deluxe $100+ version of Ten.

What makes this review definitive is the detailed pictures, insight and complete breakdown of the package. Most reviews I have read skimmed over everything, but Adam let's it all hang out here.

Do yourself a favor and click on this link to read about it now!

U2 GA tickets available for second Chicago show on 9/13

The subject line says it all, I have an extra pair of GA tickets for the second Chicago show available for Sunday 9/13.

Here's the catch, I'm not selling them. Don't email me offering $400+, I won't respond.

I am only interested in a trade for a pair of seats in section 100. Trades only and no other offers will be accepted.

I am only interested in the following 100 level sections:

Sec 101 to 107
Sec 141-155

If you want to set up a trade, email me for further details.

thescreendoor at gmal DOT com

Bon Jovi Documentary Film To Debut on 4/29/09 at the Tribeca Film Festival

It's official, Bon Jovi's documentary, When We Were Beautiful, will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 29th. There will be other screenings to follow in the days after this initial screening according to this article.

Bon Jovi's official fan club is having a contest to win free passes to the screening, but you must be an active member to be eligible.

There is still no announcement if the film has found a distributor or if it will be released in theaters or merely on DVD before the end of this year.

In other Bon Jovi news, they are apparently suing a tribute band, Blonde Jovi according to this article. I'm assuming this is because of the close similarities between the two bands and how fans may be misled and disappointed when they show up to a small club expecting to see Bon Jovi for a $10 door cover.

The Screen Door's Links You Should Read 4/2/09

OK, so I'm way behind on everything, but am hoping to catch up in the coming few weeks. In the meantime, there are a ton of great articles, reviews and links you should read:

• Here is an interesting article on why prog rock bands are ignored by the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame.

• DJ Ashba becomes the latest guitarist in Guns N' Roses according to this link. Let's just hope that Axl doesn't allow him to produce the next GNR record, or else we could have another Saints of Los Angeles on our hands {SOLA review link}

• Steve Van Zandt of the E Street Band gave a great speech at SXSW, check it out here.

• The Smashing Pumpkins are now down to one original member. Jimmy Chamberlin tells NME why.

• Jack Ponti (who once was Jon Bon Jovi's guitarist in The Rest) has a brilliant blog at this link about the "dilution of the core", read all the way to the end, it's essential reading for anyone who loves music.

• Prince once again outshines everyone with doing 3 shows in one night. Rolling Stone has a full report here.

• The most in-depth review of Bob Dylan's new album, Tougher Than Life, can be read at this link.

Rolling Stones Reissues Coming...Why?

The Rolling Stones own their post 1971 catalog (Sticky Fingers onward) and hence why the albums get reissued every ten years or so. However, according to press releases in Billboard and NME.

I have one question: Why?

Now I understand that the Stones have a new deal with Universal, but seriously, what do these reissues offer us that we don't already have? OK, so they may get all of the artwork correct this time around, but is that enough for me to spend $200 to get all of these again? No.

What's most interesting is that they appear to be planning an expanded edition of Exile on Main Street, why not the others? Granted, the desire for a expanded reissue of Dirty Work isn't on anyone's wish list, but they would sell more copies with a bonus disc than in its current incarnation. These albums were remastered (quite well I may add) in 1994, so aside from adding bonus material, what is the point?


More importantly, they could possibly show everyone another side of Emotional Rescue, Undercover and yes, even Dirty Work.

Bruce Springsteen Opening Night Tour Setlist 2009 (4/1/09 San Jose)

Despite what appears below, reports are that this is a better than average tour openener and one of the longer ones.

Show started at: 8:33

1. Badlands
2. Outlaw Pete
3. My Lucky Day
4. No Surrender
5. Out In The Street
6. Working On A Dream
7. Seeds
8. Johnny 99
9. Ghost of Tom Joad
10. Good Eye
11. Good Rockin' Tonight
Collecting signs
12. Darlington County
13. Growin' Up (sign request)
14. Waitin' On A Sunny Day (sign request)
15. The Promised Land
16. The Wrestler
17. Kingdom Of Days
18. Radio Nowhere
19. Lonesome Day
20. Born To Run

Encore
21. Hard Times
22. Thunder Road
23. Dancing In The Dark
24. Tenth Ave Freezeout
25. Land of Hope and Dreams
26. American Land

Show ended: 11:12

Yes, seeing "Sunny Day" on the setlist flat out sucks, but it could have been worse. Per a report from someone who had his hand on the stage, the lyrics to Mary's Place" were taped down.

The Criterion Collection: A Step Above The Rest

Sometimes films may not jump off the screen at you, but they will remain in your mind long after seeing them. This is how I feel about almost every Criterion Collection DVD I watch. For those not in the know, Criterion is a boutique DVD (once Laserdisc) distribution company who focus on great art {Wiki link}. My first paycheck at my first “real” job went towards a combo Laserdisc/DVD player. At the time, the lines had been drawn in the sand and DVD had not been fully embraced by all of the major studios, so I covered my back and got a player that played both. I still have a slew of Laserdiscs and they’re the musical equivalent of vinyl. DVD gives a better presentation, but so many of the extras on those original Laserdiscs were never moved over to DVD, including some killer extras on both the Raging Bull and Taxi Driver laserdiscs.

In short, I’ll watch anything Criterion puts its name on. It’s the highest sign of quality when it comes to film. I may not even like the film, but it’s worth seeing and often discussing. Thanks to my wonderful library system and Netflix, I’m divulging all sorts of titles I never thought I could afford, let alone see. So many people are turned off by subtitles, but trust me on this, if you give these films a chance, they will stick in your brain far longer than some mundane romantic comedy you’ve seen a dozen times and don’t even like.

What I love about movies more than any other art form is their ability to show you different shades of the world and life. The truth is that as often as we like to think that we’re open to new cultures and discoveries, many of us are secure and safe in our own little world. Film has a way of making people’s lives and experiences come to life. We learn that despite cultural and even continental differences, at our cores, we are all humans who yearn for love, live our lives in fear and seek acceptance.

Get ready for the ride and reviews…

All Criterion movies can be bought on dvd directly from their website at this link.