Catching Up

Sorry for disappearing. I had to finish up Pearl Jam month over at antiMusic. Now that it is done, I will be posting a slew of reviews and commentaries in the coming weeks. Look for reviews of Bruce Springsteen, Anvil, Pearl Jam, Will Hoge, Nick Hornby's latest book and tons more...

xT

Something Holy

There's something holy in the way that the green in the leaves waves goodbye at the end of the summer. It's like the Wizard's Omaha State Fair balloon leaving Oz, with all the munchkins looking up and waving farewell, shouting "Goodbye! Goodbye!" with their tiny little voices. In our case, though, we know that we will see the green leaves again next spring. There's a sweetness in our goodbyes too, because their departure hastens the arrival of their gold and burnt-red cousins, which will dance above our heads in countless degrees of glory for the next several weeks.

There's something holy in the half-moon shaped date cookies that Grandma brings to each and every family Christmas. They are an anticipated part of that magical day, along with the knitted slippers that she will hand to you as a gift. Cookies and slippers filled with holiness because of the hands that made them. And there's something so very holy in the hugs that remain, many years after these hands ache too much to knit the slippers, to make the cookies.

There's something holy there when you find yourself walking behind an elderly couple on a pathway beside a fountain, near red, pink, and violet flowers. Bent over by age, their love and faithfulness stands strong as they enjoy a short walk outside of their retirement home.

And there is something holy in this fine-tip pen and the blue ink that spills down onto this crinkled paper, continuing the evolution, continuing the learning that began so very many years ago with desire, with power, and an explosion of stars.

U2 360 Tour Soldier Field Chicago Reviews For Both Nights (9/12 and 9/13/09)

Busy week and a bunch of reviews have been posted. Both U2 shows proved to be more interesting than I had previously imagined. I have full blown reviews of both nights at the links below.

Read Night One's Review here plus it's over at antiMusic.
Night Two's Review is here and at antiMusic as well.

Pearl Jam Month @ antiMusic

Pearl Jam week over at antiMusic continued...
My review of their new album Backspacer is at this link.
They are also running it over at antiMusic here.

I'm sharing writing duties with by buddy Zane whose works can be read over at Lloyd Zeffler.
Zane handles the following reviews & records:
Vitalogy
No Code
Yield

Over at antiMusic we have every record done through Yield with more coming next week:

Ten
Vs.
Vitalogy
No Code
Yield
Backspacer

Pearl Jam-‘Backspacer’ Album Review

Pearl Jam-‘Backspacer’
Album Review
Album Grade: ***1/2
By Anthony Kuzminski
Mere seconds into Pearl Jam’s ninth album, Backspacer the once flannel wearing bandits growl and grind their way through the buoyant “Gonna See My Friend”. Guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard’s six-strings chime in unison evoking the Ramones with its ardent aggression, bassist Jeff Ament and drummer Matt Cameron are ever reliant with steadfast propulsion while the screeching vocals provided by Eddie Vedder find the band in full form and speeding away like a thief in the night. “Got Some” gnashes its way towards a discreet chorus that actually takes a backseat to the burning performance while, “The Fixer” has a signature grabbing chorus that is pure Pearl Jam. All of this happens in under 9-minutes. Backspacer whips past you in a mere 37-minutes, more rapidly than the speed of light. I’m not going to tell you this is a return to form or their best since Vs., but it’s an unbelievably resilient record that continues to disclose harmonious wonders with every listen. Finding a middle ground between primal guitar riffs and more solemn songs, Backspacer is a quintessential Pearl Jam record and one of their most accessible; simultaneously searing and yet intensely sentimental.

Pearl Jam has always had a way of entrancing the listener in a devoted manner. Beneath singer Eddie Vedder’s lyrics were the forceful drive of the band and an ‘us against them’ mentality. However, one can only channel anger through music before it becomes tedious, especially when you’ve sold millions of records. However, when Pearl Jam turned inward and created more reflective work found on No Code, Yield, Binaural and Riot Act, the results were mixed. Make no mistake, each one of the aforementioned albums has a number of enduring songs, but all too often it took me hearing or seeing the songs live to fully appreciate them. Their 2006 self-titled record (often referred to as Avocado by the core fans for its picture of an avocado on its cover) was an incandescent return to form for the group. Fueled by the world’s troubles, the band re-emerged from a decade long melodic coma to create a record full of all the classic Pearl Jam ingredients; rage and melody paired together. However, since then, the world has begun to shift once again and one has to wonder, what is left for Pearl Jam to tackle? For a group of musicians all in their forties, they’re looking beyond…far beyond their current state. On Backspacer they challenge death, embrace life’s simple pleasures and speak of fear of the unknown proving that despite selling millions of records, this is a band that is still believable.

On “Just Breathe” the band’s nuanced performance is discreet but enlivening enough for them to be noticeable. Evoking inner emotions and filling up one’s tear ducts, one can’t help but feel that the song’s overreaching sentimentality and truthfulness evokes what Pearl Jam does best. This is the greatest love song Pearl Jam has ever written. “Amongst the Waves” is a metaphorical life-affirming surfing song with a glorious solo by Mike McCready. “Love ain’t love until you feel it” croons Vedder providing the listener with an empirical experience of floating through the air on with love providing the gas to surge one’s life forward. “Unthought Known” a self-help odyssey that could have ventured into Bon Jovi territory, but the way the band quakes beneath the brooding vocals allows the emotion to erupt. “Speed of Sound” is about a loss of faith (“And yet I’m still holding tight, To this dream of distant light, In that somehow ill survive”). “Supersonic” may feature one-dimensional, almost throwaway lyrics, but one listen to the band’s primitive grooves you can’t help but want to mosh like it’s 1991 all over again.
On each of these songs, the compelling performances allow the lyrics to breathe and unfold into our ears. On Pearl Jam’s 2002 record, Riot Act, the band wrote some of the most concentrated and pondering songs of their life following the death of nine fans at the Roskilde show in Europe in the summer of 2000. However, on Riot Act the band’s arrangements felt obtuse never allowing the lyrics to reach the surface for mass consumption. On Backspacer the band doesn’t try to fight their own melodic strengths and in fact, the music at times embellishes the vocals without ever overtaking them.

Backspacer harbors a personality that shifts from the acoustic melancholy to the raging in-your-face anthems (“Got Some”) of their early days. I don’t think the album is up to par with their self-titled 2006 record, which had all the classic elements of a definitive Pearl Jam album; anger, aggression, performances full of lightning and a keen sense of melody. Backspacer isn’t quite as volcanic but it’s also less political. After spending the better part of two decades carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders, they’re now writing about unpretentious pleasures, the shortage of time and a heightened awareness of the after world. Instead of tackling social issues for an entire generation, they’re tackling issues that are far more personal. If I have one minor criticism of the record, is that it could have potentially been an outright classic with some small editing. A nine-track record may have proven to be fully potent. Yet even “Johnny Guitar” is beginning to grow on me with its plodding simplistic six-string strumming. I’m not sure if it is too clichéd to leave a lasting impact but the more one listens to Backspacer the treasures reveal themselves. The biting political tone of their most recent releases takes a back seat to the paeans of life. Vedder’s lyrics reveal themselves to you in the simplest of manners and yet upon further reflection, they’re intensely compelling when paired with his longing vocals putting the listener in a psychologist’s chair helping them realize the intricate beauties life has to offer one. As Vedder approaches fifty, one can’t help that he feels mortality knocking on the doors of those close to him. The band throws enough life-affirming metaphors in their lyrics that would make a self-help book author giddy. That being said, the relatively organic nature of the mix and performance allow the listener to slurp up the advice with merriment.

On the album’s concluding track, “The End”, the narrator is fighting a terminable disease and is fearsome of what the future holds for them on the other side. What will happen to his loved ones? These are questions no one asks until put into that position. The song ends unexpectedly as if Vedder hushed his final words providing a profoundly lingering and meditative end to any record in recent memory. “The End” reminds us that that when we least expect it, our lives may twist and turn in different directions. We’re all here one minute and gone the next; suck up life, revel in it and soak it up while you can because we never know when we will reach “The End”.

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.

Bruce Springsteen Charity Auction for Giants Stadium Ending Today!

Go this this eBay link for the auction.

Don't have tickets to Bruce's 10/8 show at Giants Stadium but want to go and help a charity in the process? I have a great solution.

Hackensack Riverkeeper is auctioning off two sets of TWO TICKETS to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Concert on Thursday, October 8th at the OLD Giant's Stadium (before it's knocked down!), including passes to the E-Street Lounge before the show!

All proceeds from this auction will go to further Hackensack Riverkeeper's mission
to Protect, Preserve and Restore the entire Hackensack River Watershed.

Bid now!

U2: Buried Treasure in the Temple of Love (Live Chicago Review 9/13/09)

U2: Buried Treasure in the Temple of Love
Chicago Night #2 Live Review (9/13/09)
Soldier Field
By Anthony Kuzminski
Photo's Courtesy of Rob Grabowski & antiMusic (Contact Info)
Early on in U2’s second “360 Tour” show at Soldier Field in Chicago (their second North American show) Bono told the crowd “We've got new songs, we've got old songs, we've got songs we've never played before”. It was an ostentatious proclamation that could have meant several things. Following a strong-willed and enlivening trifecta of “Beautiful Day”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “Elevation” the band revealed into the moody sexiness of “Your Blue Room”, a jewel of a song from their often overlooked and forgotten Passengers: Original Soundtracks 1 album from 1995 done with Brian Eno. The album is chock full of musical ambience you would hear in a coffee house, but somehow, U2 took this never-performed track and weaved it into their colossal stadium show seamlessly. The noir facet of the song could be felt amidst the Chicago skyline and perfect late summer night. Bono’s voice induced a dark power reminiscent of a foreign black and white film from half a century ago full of mystifying circumstances and characters. “Your Blue Room” is evocative and should only work in a smaller setting and yet they finagled it to work amid the enormity of a sold-out stadium. This one-off rarity was a crucial example of the indomitable nature of U2. These shows should only be a fraction as good as their 2001 and 2005 arena treks yet over the course of their two nights in Chicago, they exceeded expectations. They’re playing to crowds three to five times as large and yet a third of their set list is from their latest idiosyncratic album, No Line on the Horizon. However, despite the grandeur nature of these shows, there is a prevailing delicate connection; this is something only U2 could pull off, they made the stadium feel snug and cozy.
The second night in Chicago found U2 more fluid and free. They executed their opening night on these shores with relatively few hiccups and as a result, their confidence level was boosted and they stepped up to the plate to take some chances. Premiering “Your Blue Room” would be enough to answer the cynics, but by dumping “(Pride) In the Name of Love” for the first time in a quarter of a century and keeping such stalwarts as “New Year’s Day”, “I Will Follow”, “Bullet the Blue Sky” and “Mysterious Ways” on the sidelines, it made the show all that more invigorating and novel. For a production as epic as this, the band members appear one by one with little flair at the beginning of “Breathe” putting the focus on the music and not the spaceship stage. A total of seven songs from No Line on the Horizon were performed showing that this isn’t a band that is going to let slower than expected sales dampen their need to bring this music to the masses. “Unknown Caller”, a veiled melodic gem, featured abundant participation from the crowd. “Stay (Far Away So Close) with the Edge’s brooding acoustic plucking and Bono’s bravado vocal was languid as it was gorgeous with a breeze sweeping through the crowd from Lake Michigan. “Until the End of the World” found Bono demonstrating his best marathon runner in a performance where the band’s sheer audacity made it work. Make no mistake; they are not resting on their laurels in these stadiums despite the amount of money that is already in the bank. They are actually working twice as hard to make that connection with everyone from the general admission pit to the upper reaches of the stadium. Bono may be the greatest salesman to ever live. He called out Chicago neighborhoods and streets like a lifelong inhabitant of the city making the crowd open their arms, hearts and minds to him in ways few people would. Off the cuff comments like these pull the crowd in and it made him feel like one of us. It may be an act or manipulative, only Bono knows for sure, but I’ll be damned if he didn’t speak it and sell it with persuasion.
One of the most impressive aspects of the stage is the shifting screen which is like a cylinder one minute and a multi-colored ice cream cone the next. The visual imagery was awe-inspiring and never did the screen impede anyone’s view of the stage even when it was mere feet above the band’s heads. It was used to distinguished effect on “The Unforgettable Fire”, “City of Blinding Lights” (which featured further laps by Bono with a young child accompanying him for his jog) and the scintillating “Vertigo”. The conviction of the band’s musicianship with the other worldly theatrics complimented each other hand in hand. The answer and call of “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, “MLK” and “Walk On” engaged the audience while Bono, at his mightiest, made sure his charisma bleed through as he wielded the crowd like a weapon of expressive force. U2 had to work hard to ensure the crowd didn’t feel alienated or lost amidst the gargantuan nature of the event. “Walk On” completed the main set opening up the encores to be a far more enthralling emotional release. After a video of Desmond Tutu explaining the impact of the ONE campaign, the band re-appeared for a no frills performance of “One”. Beneath a shade of purple, the stage was understated bringing U2’s grittiness, sophistication and a tidal wave of emotion to the forefront. No stage tricks of lights were needed as the band played amongst their own shadows allowing for the meaning of the song to swell amidst the 65,000 in attendance. The lyrics of “Love is a temple, love the higher law” found 65,000 voices singing in-sync with rock’s greatest preacher and it hit the sweetest of spots. Followed immediately by a concentrated a capella rendition of “Amazing Grace” which bled immediately into “Where the Streets Have No Name” proving that sometimes music is best experienced amongst a stadium allowing for a communal aspect unlike any other. We seek solace in music but even more so, it allows us to feel things we seek out in our own lives. Whether you witness a show in a club, theater, arena or a stadium, we’re all in search of something more theoretical and on a late summer night in Chicago, U2 nailed it.
Opening the second encore “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)” is one of the preeminent non-singles of the band’s career, this song is a long overdue inclusion in the set list. When Bono sung the lyric of “Your love was a light bulb hanging over my bed” you could literally sense your heart expand and become bigger. The lyric of a lover who yearns for the time where their significant other revealed roads of revelation and devotion, this is a reminder of the turmoil that can embed your life at the loss of love. The lyric is frank, exhaustive and ultimately heart wrenching. And yet, the smoky and soulful demeanor of Bono’s pleading vocal erupted like a symphonic crescendo making you feel vitally alive. Beneath the dry ice, the lit up red jacket and spectacle of U2’s “360 Tour”, it’s moments like this that tear through your insides whether you are mere feet in front of Bono or a football field away. The beauty of a concert is the way an explicit performance can unearth hidden memories long forgotten or put away. Like a great painter, U2 paint these sensations with wide brush strokes so that it could be felt by everyone. The canvas which U2 is painting on this time around is the immeasurable, yet they appear to be reaching the upper corners leaving no piece vacant. U2’s “360 Tour” has proven to be more than an over-the-top spectacle, but is an evening where the songs will penetrate your soul and if you’re really blessed, the other 65,000-plus in attendance will revel in this revelation as well.

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.

U2: Opening Night of US Tour Live Review (9/12/09)

U2-Opening Night of US Tour Live Review (9/12/09)
Chicago, IL-Soldier Field
By Anthony Kuzminski
{Photo Credit}

Four songs into U2’s opening night of their US tour at Soldier Field in Chicago, the band’s more prevailing side shined through as the “Magnificent” lifted off like a rocket ship into space. If a ship had appeared, I wouldn’t have been surprised as the latest stage by U2 is the most mammoth, audacious, and insane playground ever designed for a rock show. With a moving bridge, an intense desire to bond with the crowd and a chorus that seemed to be sent from the heavens, the band took flight. “Magnificent” was the fourth song to be performed in a row from No Line on the Horizon. The previous three, the rippling “Breathe” led by a thunderous drum attack by Larry Mullen Jr, the distinctive “No Line on the Horizon” and the jagged “Get On Your Boots” were audacious yet failed to elicit much of a reaction from the crowd of 65,000. But with “Magnificent” the band spectacularly connected with each of the 65,000. “Magnificent” is the type of song that lifts souls, embellishes them and turns your insides outward in a rare display of emotions. The overwhelming majority of people were there to see the hits, of which there were plenty but what U2 brought with them was more than a night of nostalgia, but the Willy Wonka factory of rock productions.

Lasting for two-hours and ten minutes, the twenty-three song set were full of stadium ready anthems and bold juxtapositions. The rhythm section of bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. held the line keeping the concert on track throughout the entire evening. These two forces of nature may not have the charisma of Bono or the flash of The Edge, but they are the foundation upon which U2 is built. Both poured their hearts out on the opener “Breathe”, which for as great of a song as it is, doesn’t quite achieve what it should as the evening’s starter. In fact, it loses some of its impact due to the mid-tempo nature of the song. This is where “Magnificent” should be, as it would allow the band to achieve starlight status immediately with a song that elevates everyone and everything that comes in touch with it. Even though the new material was a tough sell to the crowd, I would be lying to you if U2 didn’t fight for their lives in presenting this material to the masses. “Boots” was initially well received but the screams faded fast. However, the stage and screens elevated “Unknown Caller” to sing-along-status proving that U2 uses their glitzy production to their advantage. The biggest re-working of any song in the band’s catalog came from “I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight” reworked in a disco dance beat version which found all four members scowling the entire stage. I was lost at first, but this is a song where the translucent energy of the crowd and the drive of the band worked.

So what about the stage, often referred to by fans as “The Claw”. It’s alien-like in every manner imaginable and makes even the audaciousness of Zoo TV and the voraciousness of Popmart seem petite by comparison. The stage takes up over half of the football stadium’s floor and the stage encompasses almost two-thirds of the stadium. An immense circular screen vividly encapsulates the performance so even those in the cheap seats don’t feel alienated. To their credit, all four members of U2 work the stage to ensure that every angle gets to see the band in every which way possible. Adam Clayton seemed especially fluid as he crawled across the stage on what seemed like every song. Larry Mullen Jr. had a rotating drum kit and The Edge and Bono did their best to utilize all aspects of the 360-degree stage. With a stage this vast, the truth is that there is no optimal seating. Side stage seats only give the viewer partial sightlines, the people on the floor have to deal with an overcrowded pit and the zaniness of being in the thick of the action. In some ways, the balcony seats provide the best overall view and experience for everyone. The lights which often shot up through the Chicago skies were awe-inspiring. To the band’s credit, as vast and megalomaniacal as this tour is, the ticket prices are in line with the immensity of the production. The only aspect the band failed on was poor sound which affected the lower third of the stadium (mostly those in line and behind Mullen’s drum kit). There was a massive amount of reverb in the stadium causing muddiness and making all of Bono’s speeches undecipherable. For a production that costs $100-million, this is a blemish that should not exist. Before any prop is created, the sound should be executed with perfection and no in-house speakers should be on allowing this to occur.
As far as the classics went, they were impossible to beat even if the band played it safe. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is lacking the oomph from previous tours and could be retired but spirited renditions of “Pride”, the acoustic “Stuck in a Moment” and “Walk On” were all spot on. The finest treats were the rarities “The Unforgettable Fire” which before this tour had not been played in over two decades. “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)” hasn’t been performed since the Zoo TV tour and was a welcome addition to the set. I wish the band would mine their catalogs for more chestnuts like these. “Drowning Man” was rehearsed for the tour but has yet to make a performance. Standing out were much of the material from the band’s two previous records; “Beautiful Day”, “Elevation”, “Vertigo” and “City of Blinding Lights” were all created for shows like this. The enormity of the crowd reactions equaled the performances of the songs creating an atmosphere that is almost impossible to put into words. During the lean end of the show the band was in all their glory. “Where the Streets Have No Name” ascended in ways that no language on the planet could ever describe, you simply had to be there to experience it. “One” and “Bad” enveloped the crowd in a soulful blanket of bliss reminding us that few on the planet can unite with a crowd this substantial. On these monster hits the band appeared to play out of their skins eliciting a manic explosion of musicianship and crowd contributions. As grand and epic as the staging for this tour is, it just goes to show, that U2 can’t go it alone. Their fans provide the final and most essential ingredient to these shows; soul.

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:
09/12/2009 Soldier Field - Chicago, Illinois, USA
Breathe, No Line On The Horizon, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Beautiful Day / Blackbird (snippet), Elevation, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Stand By Me (snippet), Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, Unknown Caller, The Unforgettable Fire, City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight, Sunday Bloody Sunday / Oliver's Army (snippet), Pride (In The Name Of Love), MLK, Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone (snippet), Where The Streets Have No Name, One, Bad / Fool To Cry (snippet) / 40 (snippet)
encores: Ultra Violet (Light My Way), With Or Without You, Moment of Surrender

Leaving The Path Behind

Living a religious or spiritual life is often compared to taking a path. The destination is often a peaceful, joyous afterlife, where “real life” begins after this temporary, earthly existence. But before getting there, we walk the path, accomplishing necessary tasks along the way. For evangelical Christians – I’ll speak of this particular religion due to experience – the start of the journey is critical and happens when a person makes a decision to believe that they’re a sinner and that they need Jesus to forgive them of their sins in order to be acceptable to God. After this is done, other tasks along the journey may include getting baptized, trying to share their faith with other friends who are not on the path, and reading books in order to find out how to walk the path more accurately. Prayers are prayed, sermon notes are jotted down.

And this is all quite fulfilling to a great deal of people; it provides meaning to their existence. I truly realize this, and am reminded tonight of the quote, “Religion doesn’t work because it’s true, it’s true because it works.” So for the countless throngs for whom this pathway works, I have an increasingly deep and genuine appreciation for that fact and am happy for you.

But for many others, any kind of path that one must follow is much more like a maze that is far too exhausting to navigate. They wonder if they are walking too slowly or too quickly, if they should turn left or right. Energy is spent trying to find the right book or tool. If they become unhappy or unfulfilled they sometimes will chalk it up to themselves, that they must be straying from the path, or not having enough faith. This can get all the more confusing when you have countless varying groups claiming to hold the secret to walking the path more accurately than anyone else. Recently a Christian pastor told me of another minister, who, in referring to their particular denomination, remarked that of the many varying denominations, it “most closely resembled how the church was in Jesus’ day.” Have you heard of anything more ridiculous? I have a strong aversion to the over-used acronym “LOL,” but…LOL!!! (I will not, however, be rolling on whichever floor that people roll on in times such as this. I draw the line there.)

But back to the pathway to God.

In my humble opinion, there is no path.

The path may very well be something that has been constructed over the course of human history because of humanity’s fear of the unknown. I tend to agree with John Shelby Spong when he writes that humans were confronted with powerful forces which they felt they had no control over, such as wind and fire. Over time they came to believe that god(s) held control over these powers, and if only they could figure out how to please these gods, or follow the right path, they’d be a-ok. And if you want to be cynical, there’s a fair amount of importance and prestige to be gained by religious leaders who claim to know the right way to walk the path.

Another thought is that while walking a set path may seem to provide some comfort and safety – and safety to a great degree is really so very wonderful – is that what we really want? Maybe. But maybe we also want wildness, and passion that does not “follow a path.” Maybe to find this passion that we ache for, we have to let go of the idea of a path. Anyways…

There is no real path which we must follow. For those people who have struggled to walk the path, only for it to become an exhausting maze, hopefully something will happen for them to realize that they don’t have to be caught up in it any longer. It can vanish before your very eyes.

And that is the key. To learn to see with your own eyes and to trust them. This requires a decisive step to say goodbye to the false assumption that humanity – and you – are essentially flawed or in need of something or someone to make you better or good. It’s all up to you. We can take the steps that are uniquely ours to take. What are the passions inside of you that are waiting to be lived out? What are the gifts inside that are just waiting to be born into the world?

There is no path.

But don’t take my word for it. Take yours.

Extra pair of U2 GA tickets for Sunday 9/13 available for face value

Subject line says it all. I have an extra pair of the illustrious GA tickets for the Sunday U2 show for face value.

Whoever wants them, email me: thescreendoor@gmail.com

I'll be selling them for face value and not a cent more.

xT

Before You Say Goodbye

Funerals are unique things to be a part of. It’s very interesting to watch and listen to what goes on during the couple days of visitations and the service.

Besides the undeniable and necessary presence of grief, one of the other most notable presences is that of family and friends whom you haven’t seen for years. Forget about seen, at funerals you see people whom you haven’t talked to or perhaps even thought about, since, well, who knows when. Generally it is good to see these people again, and so you sit down next to them and get caught up on the details of their lives. Over coffee you hear about your Great Aunt’s granddaughters terrific new job; between bites of the finger sandwiches you’re scarfing down – maybe ham and cheese or perhaps salmon – you smile as you listen to cute stories about your distant cousins sons first words or first steps.

…And then perhaps more often than not you go your separate ways, until the next funeral, where you will have more stories to tell under a different but still familiar umbrella of grief. Sure, there’s weddings too, but chances are if you never talk to these people, you aren’t going to invite them. With funerals the invitations are null, whoever comes, comes. Bottom line, though, is that you sometimes find yourself saying “It was really good to see so-and-so again…why is it again that we are never in touch?

Another noticeable, and striking thing about funerals is how nice everyone is when talking about the person who has passed away. Whether it’s the funny stories that are shared with others as you strain to read the cards on the flowers to see who sent them, or the minister attesting to the person’s praise-worthy attributes. Almost always you will hear something like “Remember when Uncle Frank ate 7 donuts all at once on a dare?” or “Edith had a serenity about her that brought a sense of calm to everyone around her.” Seldom will you overhear things like “Cousin Jen was always the lazy one; that’s why she dropped out of college,” or “Aunt Brenda never had as good of a personality as her sisters.” And of course this positivity is the way it should be.

What can be learned from all this? Firstly, we can put more effort into keeping in touch with people - not just on special occasions. And more importantly, treat people kindly on a day-to-day basis, in life, not just after they're gone. As nice as it is to honour, memorialize, and reminisce about someone who has passed, isn’t it better to honour, uplift, and enhance the lives of those who are still around us?

I hope you’re enjoying your summer day.

Mark Andrew

The Biz: Don't Believe The Hype

It’s been a long week…devastatingly long. I’m now up and can’t seem to fall asleep even though I am exhausted. I should be writing about Pearl Jam (we’re doing a daily feature on them every day for the next month over at antiMusic) but I can’t focus. It’s not been a good week on the music front in my opinion either. The Wall Street Journal ran yet another article about how the Van Halen made an extra $1-million on their last tour by scalping the 500 best seats to every show. Seriously, on a tour that grossed $90-million they really needed an extra $1-million? They couldn’t just add one extra show? Trent Reznor two nights ago cancelled a LA show; they announce it on Twitter but don’t put anything on the website for another 14 hours? That’s disrespectful. The show was to hold 1,300 and immediately upon the final notes of the previous show, fans left the show and got right back in line. I love Twitter but it’s not the be-all/end-all. You have to respect your fans, make an announcement, and put it on the official site. Because if it’s not on the official site, then it’s not official. Then there was a Daughtry pre-sale at an arena and no seating chart was listed. So his fan club was buying seats not knowing where they would sit. The fans didn’t blame Daughtry but AEG & Ticketmaster. But didn’t Daughtry trust these people to do the right thing? Do these artists realize that their fans are their customers? Without them they are nothing? Without them no manager would broker deals and no promoter would pay them a seven-figure advance? No agent would book those shows or TV appearances because if there is no audience, then there’s no need to do any of the above. I sometimes think the net has too much information out there and in the case of music, it hinders my enjoyment of it.

My inbox fills up daily with story after story about said artist who was “rude” and/or “mean” to someone and is only out for themselves. I get these emails because of the many Biz pieces I have written for antiMusic. They come from an assortment of people; fans, producers, record company employees, studio musicians who helped write a song but “Mr. Rock Star” wouldn’t give them a piece of the publishing even thought they have millions in the bank. I don’t write about 99% of these emails because the person writing will not go on the record or there is a lack of information and writing about it would be unprofessional. But I’d be lying to you if I said it didn’t grate my soul. Most popular artists are megalomaniacs. Let’s face it, to make it as big as some of these acts do, they have to do a lot of shady and back door deals to get where they are. It’s the same thing I see in the corporate world. Many of the truly good people I meet never make the big bucks, but those whose moral compass is broken, the floodgates always appear to be flowing. Don’t get me wrong, there is often a lot of hard work there, but they also seem to lack perspective on family, life and the overall meaning of what it’s like to be happy.

But I’m getting sidetracked here. Where was I…oh yes, the fan. With a legion of followers one will always have a career. Granted, you might not play stadiums, but who cares. I’m seeing U2 next week at Soldier Field and in all honesty, I’m not psyched or pumped. In fact, there’s a part of me that does not want to go. Why? I hate stadiums. I’ve seen great shows in stadiums by U2, Springsteen, Kenny Chesney, the Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi. However, all of the aforementioned acts have been better in arenas. That’s something people never discuss. Sure, they throw figures and stats around, but the truth is that the stadium experience, no matter how great the show, is never as good as the arena, theater or club and a stadium show will never be the ultimate show by that act as much as you want to believe it is (probably to make you feel better about paying $50 for parking). Not to mention the amount of press one needs to do to hype up and fill a stadium. I’m in information overload and the truth is, I wish I could go back to being a teen alone in my room with no information whatsoever about these acts

In the background I have Metal Mania on VH-1 Classic and they’re playing the Cinderella song, “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” and one line hit me; “Now know what I’ve got, it’s just this song”. “Just this song”. I wish I could live in a time where we only had the music. In a world where eight pre-sales didn’t exist, partnerships with Major League Baseball were nonexistent, where artists were forbidden to give interviews and all we had was the music. Because all that other stuff…it’s gets in the way and in truth, makes me think less of the music because I often wonder is it really genuine…or just hype?

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.

Rock Reads: ‘Metallica: The Club Dayz 1982-1984’ Photo Book by Bill Hale (Book Review)

‘Metallica: The Club Dayz 1982-1984’ Photo Book by Bill Hale
Book Review By Anthony Kuzminski
{Purchase This Book}


In a world obsessed with fly-by-night celebrities it’s rare to find a picture book that transcends its subject. Bill Hale’s Metallica: The Club Dayz 1982-1984 is one of those few books that are more than developed film on paper, but a time machine in book form of the mightiest metal band the world has ever known; Metallica. Bill Hale was a photographer for Metal Rendezvous and he happened to be at the right place at the right time and captured Metallica’s birth, infancy and childhood period as a band and he has now published it for the world to relish in. I wasn’t old enough to appreciate these early days and even if I was, I am half way across the country from where all the real action was taking place in California. Despite never being able to see the Metallica line-up with Dave Mustaine or Cliff Burton’s first show as I paged through Metallica: The Club Dayz 1982-1984 I felt like I was there. Anyone can gather pictures together but can they weave a story and tell a tale? Hale manages to do this with a chronological sequence of pictures from a variety of shows he shot mostly between 1982 and 1984.

Picture books are a tough sell, especially in this day and age where they are a dime a dozen. Anyone these days who has a digital camera thinks they are a pro. Yet what most people miss out on that there’s more to a picture than good light and a good angle. Back in 1982 and 1983 when Hale captured these shots of Metallica, not everyone with a Polaroid considered themselves a professional photographer. In fact, few would want to bother with carrying the equipment with them for a whole evening, but Hale did. Overlooking the book, one can see that Hale always managed to get the shots he needed regardless of whether he was in the photo pit or not. Capturing the band in all their youthful innocence is a joy to see. His pictures leap off the page and breathe. Whether it is a goofy James Hetfield transforming into an onstage demon, or childlike Lars Ulrich wailing away on his drums, Hale captures their evolution from a very raw garage band to the San Francisco areas defining metal band and well…you know how the story ends. It’s refreshing to look at pictures where the artist being captured isn’t self conscious. As people grow older and become more aware of a camera, there is a certain level of pretentiousness that invades the space. They know they are being photographed or even worse, they are being shot for a very specific purpose. People are worried how they may look. A certain angle can be unflattering, you may look heavier or older depending on the angle, how you looked at the lens and it may capture you at a moment that is not your best. I’ve always preferred a documentarian style of picture taking and all of Hale’s Metallica pictures are raw and in the flesh capturing their free and unyielding spirit.
Hale’s pictures seizes one of the mightiest of metal bands at a profoundly unique time in their life; the beginning of their career. Capturing an artist of Metallica’s stature during this time is like capturing lightning in a bottle. The band is youthful, full of innocence and seeing glorious color shots of the band as they began to crawl and walk is nothing short of incandescent. Including photo’s from shows at The Stone and The Old Waldorf in San Francisco. Hale captured the band on stage and off. The beauty of these pictures is he captures them in informal moments that they would never allow today. In truth, I wouldn’t allow anyone to take pictures of me like this. There’s a shot of Lars Ulrich in his underwear that made me chuckle because it shows that these were just a bunch of friends who got together to make music. It’s these candid moments that make you feel like you were there. There are numerous shots of the band saluting Hale whenever he tries to get them to pose and even a picture mere weeks before Cliff Burton died with an old friend (sorry, I won’t reveal this one, you need to buy the book to discover who he was with). Another unique aspect of Hale’s book is that he manages to capture the band with Ron McGovney and a few short months later with Cliff Burton at his first gig. There are even shots of Exodus with a young Kirk Hammett. He even manages to grab a shot of both Hammett and Mustaine backstage together, talk about being in the right place at the right time.

Metallica: The Club Dayz 1982-1984 is full of eye-wide innocence, yet it also showcases a band who was defining not just their own sound but metal’s overall. I have seen pictures similar to these plastered across net, never before have I seen a book that transcends the way this one does. Bill Hale is to Metallica as Astrid Kirchherr was to the Beatles. Kirchherr captured those legendary shots of the Beatles in Hamburg that are a testament to their first steps into a much wider world. Both Hale and Kirchherr caught these respective bands in a distinctive time and place that can never be replicated. Metallica: The Club Dayz 1982-1984 is more than a mere picture book but a historical document of one of Metallica’s early days. These pictures leap off the page at you and finally give one perspective as to what it would have been like to witness Metallica with three distinctive line-ups over a short period of time. It’s a one of a kind book that captures one of the world’s great bands, highly recommended.

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.

Other Metallica Book Reviews:
‘To Live Is To Die: The Life and Death of Metallica’s Cliff Burton’ review at this link
&
‘So What! The Good, The Mad, and The Ugly: The Official Metallica Illustrated Chronicle’ (Edited by Steffan Chirazi) review at this link