THE JAYHAWKS
(Louris - Perlman - O'Reagan - Grotberg)
Rock For Democracy
First AVe. - Mpls - 7/18/04
1. One Man's Problem (w/ Jim Boquist = ac gtr/bg vox)
2. Pray For Me (w/Jim Boquist = ac gtr/bg vox) For some strange reason i don't feel like doing any “research” right now, but I think the last time they played this, Bill Clinton was in his first term.
3. He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (Hollies cover; Tim = lead vox; w/ Jim Boquist = ac gtr/bg vox) One of many songs last night that were perfectly in sync with the vibe of the event. Beautifully sung by Tim, just breathtaking. Man, what an underrated singer. Hell, what a singer, period!
4. Tailspin (w/ David Poe = elec gtr/bg vox) Dedicated by Gary to "GW." Biting political commentary? Wishful thinking? One of the best damn pop songs in recent memory? Answer: D) all of the above.
GOLDEN SMOG
(Louris - Johnson - Murphy - Perlman - Peter Anderson)
Rock For Democracy
First Ave. - Mpls - 7/18/04
1. Starman (Bowie cover; Gary = lead vox, Jim Boquist = bg vox) Live debut - yet another excellent choice from the cool cover stockpile. Pssst: the boys recorded a killer version of this song this summer - don't tell anybody.
2. That's When I Reach For My Revolver (Mission of Burma cover; Dan = lead vox, Ed Ackerson = elec gtr, bg vox = all) Another debut. Dan dedicated this to MN guv "Tiny Tim Palewnty" in the wake of a lot of recent hoo-haw in these parts concerning gun control legislation.
3. Powderfinger (Neil cover; KJJ = lead vox, David Poe = gtr/ bg vox, Dave Pirner = bg vox). Smokin'. Don't think they've pulled this one out since the '96 glory days.
4. Do Anything You Wanna Do (Eddie and the Hot Rods cover; Dan = lead vox) Another '96 blast from the past. An early punk anthem (1976) that fit in well with the spirit of the event.
5. The Dream is Never Over [tentative title] (brand spankin' new; Gary & Dan = lead vox, Blake Hurlbert = percussion). Very catchy little bugger, also recently hammered out in the studio. A new Smog song is obviously welcome news, especially if there's more where this came from. Should be in a car commercial or something.
6. 18 (Alice Cooper cover; Dave Pirner = lead vox; Ed Ackerson = elec gtr; Jim Boquist = elec gtr) Took a while to get this "train wreck" going - two false starts. Very Smog-ish moment indeed. This and the next song definitely evoked the drunken, murky joy of the earliest GS live shows back in the '80s at places like the Cabooze, Uptown Bar, 400 Bar (original version) etc.
7. Shooting Star (Bad Co. cover; Dave Pirner = lead vox) The set ended like it started - with a "star" song. Pirner at his finest. Think i actually saw a few lighters up in the air.
Bunch of other guys played, too.
Monday, July 19, 2004
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Review: Kraig Johnson & The Program - 7/8/04 - Red Carpet - St. Cloud, MN
Here's a mini-review of The Program show last Saturday.
===================
The Program played their first show after their Spanish tour in St. Cloud, MN last Saturday. The absence of David Poe (who will be at the upcoming Mpls and Chicago shows) and the requirement of two 1 hour sets provided the necessary ingredients / inspiration for an experiment that prodded the boys dangerously close to “jam band” territory. Not that there’s anything wrong with that...
The Program's first show as a "power quartet" turned out to be truly enjoyable and memorable, with some positively sterling instrumental work from Mssrs. Anderson and Ackerson. About half of the songs got stretched out and, for the most part, sounded great.
Their recent trip thru Spain with the Jayhawks has evidently done wonders for their set. They’re obviously itching to play, as anyone who saw the energy they were radiating by the end of the second set can attest to.
Along with the regular Program songs, several cool covers were played: a couple of Neil Young songs, the Velvet’s “What Goes On,” and a scorching version of The Stooge’s “TV Eye” which, strangely enough, Wilco saw fit to cover a few years ago in Amsterdam.
There were also two certifiable moments of “Smog-ish” behavior, as in Golden Smog. Kraig, of course, is a founding member, Peter Anderson filled in on drums at the semi-secret, Tweedy-less GS show two summers ago at the 400, and Jim Boquist and Ed Ackerson are “honorary members” who’ve appeared both in the studio and on stage with GS. So everyone on stage had suitable GS credentials. The first set saw The Program debut of “Spooky” - long a GS live staple - and it clocked in at damn near 15 minutes! And, in what easily was peak of the night for me, T. Rex’s “Buick MacKane” - one of the highlights of every ‘96 GS show it appeared in - also made its Program debut, rocking like nobody’s business.
And so it went - another great Program show in St. Cloud in front of just about the strangest damn crowd you can imagine.
===================
The Program played their first show after their Spanish tour in St. Cloud, MN last Saturday. The absence of David Poe (who will be at the upcoming Mpls and Chicago shows) and the requirement of two 1 hour sets provided the necessary ingredients / inspiration for an experiment that prodded the boys dangerously close to “jam band” territory. Not that there’s anything wrong with that...
The Program's first show as a "power quartet" turned out to be truly enjoyable and memorable, with some positively sterling instrumental work from Mssrs. Anderson and Ackerson. About half of the songs got stretched out and, for the most part, sounded great.
Their recent trip thru Spain with the Jayhawks has evidently done wonders for their set. They’re obviously itching to play, as anyone who saw the energy they were radiating by the end of the second set can attest to.
Along with the regular Program songs, several cool covers were played: a couple of Neil Young songs, the Velvet’s “What Goes On,” and a scorching version of The Stooge’s “TV Eye” which, strangely enough, Wilco saw fit to cover a few years ago in Amsterdam.
There were also two certifiable moments of “Smog-ish” behavior, as in Golden Smog. Kraig, of course, is a founding member, Peter Anderson filled in on drums at the semi-secret, Tweedy-less GS show two summers ago at the 400, and Jim Boquist and Ed Ackerson are “honorary members” who’ve appeared both in the studio and on stage with GS. So everyone on stage had suitable GS credentials. The first set saw The Program debut of “Spooky” - long a GS live staple - and it clocked in at damn near 15 minutes! And, in what easily was peak of the night for me, T. Rex’s “Buick MacKane” - one of the highlights of every ‘96 GS show it appeared in - also made its Program debut, rocking like nobody’s business.
And so it went - another great Program show in St. Cloud in front of just about the strangest damn crowd you can imagine.
Saturday, July 10, 2004
Review: Gary Louris - solo acoustic - 7/9/04 - Orchestra Hall - Mpls, MN
(photo courtesy of Karla L)
What an amazing experience. Gary Louris solo acoustic in the Minnesota friggin' Orchestra Hall. Beautiful acoustics. World Class ambience. Front row seats for the taking. And free. What a world...
This was all part of the "Day of Music" festival that takes place on this weekend every year at the MN Orchestra Hall. They feature live music for 24 hours straight, featuring everything from rock bands to solo jazz acts. Some of the music takes place out on their plaza, some in the lobby and a lucky few in the main auditorium.
Gary Louris
solo acoustic
"Day of Music" festival
Minnesota Orchestra Hall
Minneapolis, MN
9 July 2004
1. The Man Who Loved Life
2. Save It For a Rainy Day
3. Vagabond (?) [new song]
4. Boston Maid [new song]
5. See Him on the Street *
6. Tailspin
7. Mr. Wilson
8. Jesus Christ Superstar (?) [new song, written with his friend "Paco" from Spain]
9. Waiting For the Sun
10. Stumbling Through the Dark
* - last known performance = 10/28/95 (Mark Olson's last show with The Jayhawks)
Friday, June 25, 2004
Sussed-tacular! - live Susstones event next Tuesday in Mpls
As some of you Twin Citians may know, the Susstones record label (Polara, Faux Jean, Melismatics, etc.) has a DJ event every Tuesday night at the Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis where a host of DJs - including Ed Ackerson - spin a wide variety of very cool music.
Next Tuesday (6/29), Susstones will be offering up "SUSSED-TACULAR!" a special live music event featuring:
The Mood Swings -- a hard rockin' power-fuzz trio who have been ripping up local stages recently. Special "celebrity" bassist for this performance only.
The Melismatics -- one of the best live acts currently performing in the upper Midwest. If you like the first two Cheap Trick albums (pre-Budokan), you'll go nuts over these guys. A special "acoustic" performance.
David Poe -- everybody's fave Lower East Side pop bobo, this talented and charismatic sweetie always puts on a great show and is a major FOJ (friend of the Jayhawks) to boot. Rare acoustic performance featuring new material from his superb upcoming album "Love is Red."
Sideways -- This is Ed Ackerson's futuristic / retro side project, an instrumental combo that will be playing tunes from 2002’s excellent Sideways CD, “Oblivion and Points Beyond.” Blending several ‘60s genres (mod, pysch, R&B, acid rock, Brit blues, spy film soundtracks), with Ackerson’s unique vision and always superb axe work, a Sideways show is like getting lost in the world’s best record collection circa 1968. This will be an extremely rare live outing -- only the third public Sideways performance ever. And check out the killer band: Peter Anderson and Kraig Johnson (who play alongside Ackerson in The Program), keyboardist Tim Oseau and former Jayhawks roadie, Blake Hurlbert on percussion. Completing the trip will be interactive visuals from CoLab.
Also: the usual “Sussed” DJ sets before and after the music plus a strong likelihood of a “special guest” or two or three.
Doors at 9:30; music from 10pm-midnite in the intimate confines of the Bryant Lake Bowl Theater (capacity <100). Located in the heart of Lyn-Lake on Lake St., a block west of Lyndale (and just a few blocks east of Uptown). Tickets will be cheap ($5 or less).
http://www.susstones.com/sussnews.html
Next Tuesday (6/29), Susstones will be offering up "SUSSED-TACULAR!" a special live music event featuring:
The Mood Swings -- a hard rockin' power-fuzz trio who have been ripping up local stages recently. Special "celebrity" bassist for this performance only.
The Melismatics -- one of the best live acts currently performing in the upper Midwest. If you like the first two Cheap Trick albums (pre-Budokan), you'll go nuts over these guys. A special "acoustic" performance.
David Poe -- everybody's fave Lower East Side pop bobo, this talented and charismatic sweetie always puts on a great show and is a major FOJ (friend of the Jayhawks) to boot. Rare acoustic performance featuring new material from his superb upcoming album "Love is Red."
Sideways -- This is Ed Ackerson's futuristic / retro side project, an instrumental combo that will be playing tunes from 2002’s excellent Sideways CD, “Oblivion and Points Beyond.” Blending several ‘60s genres (mod, pysch, R&B, acid rock, Brit blues, spy film soundtracks), with Ackerson’s unique vision and always superb axe work, a Sideways show is like getting lost in the world’s best record collection circa 1968. This will be an extremely rare live outing -- only the third public Sideways performance ever. And check out the killer band: Peter Anderson and Kraig Johnson (who play alongside Ackerson in The Program), keyboardist Tim Oseau and former Jayhawks roadie, Blake Hurlbert on percussion. Completing the trip will be interactive visuals from CoLab.
Also: the usual “Sussed” DJ sets before and after the music plus a strong likelihood of a “special guest” or two or three.
Doors at 9:30; music from 10pm-midnite in the intimate confines of the Bryant Lake Bowl Theater (capacity <100). Located in the heart of Lyn-Lake on Lake St., a block west of Lyndale (and just a few blocks east of Uptown). Tickets will be cheap ($5 or less).
http://www.susstones.com/sussnews.html
Saturday, March 6, 2004
Kraig Johnson & The Program in the Windy City - brief report
checking in from the windy -- and cold -- city. they say there's a bunch of wet messy snow back in mpls. hmm...i wonder what's worse?
kraig and the boys turned in a great set at schuba's on thurday night. very nice crowd; damn near a full house. thanks to everyone who made it; everybody really appreciated the nice turnout.
pretty much the same set they've been working on lately. "on the beach" was wondrous and the big rockers ("freight train," "take me home," etc.) were typically off the hook. the old g. smog classic "if i only had a car" was especially smokin' and the crowd totally was diggin' in, this being sort of a golden smog home away from home.
the crowd really seemed to dig the program thing -- brisk sales of cds after the show amidst the inevitable "when is he coming back" questions.
neil & greendale was swell last night; off to see bobby d at the riv tonite. rock 'n' roll rehab on monday!
kraig and the boys turned in a great set at schuba's on thurday night. very nice crowd; damn near a full house. thanks to everyone who made it; everybody really appreciated the nice turnout.
pretty much the same set they've been working on lately. "on the beach" was wondrous and the big rockers ("freight train," "take me home," etc.) were typically off the hook. the old g. smog classic "if i only had a car" was especially smokin' and the crowd totally was diggin' in, this being sort of a golden smog home away from home.
the crowd really seemed to dig the program thing -- brisk sales of cds after the show amidst the inevitable "when is he coming back" questions.
neil & greendale was swell last night; off to see bobby d at the riv tonite. rock 'n' roll rehab on monday!
Monday, March 1, 2004
Review: Kraig Johnson & The Program - 2/28/04 - Red Carpet - St. Cloud, MN
Yes, the Program show on Friday at the Turf was a blast, in spite of the band not being terribly happy with a variety of technical things. The fact that they were still able to put on a great show is a testament to their dedicated, if not unconventional, work ethic.
And how cool was it to see Perly play the gtr hero? Maybe Gary should switch to bass for awhile!
As fun as the Turf show was, though, the next night in St. Cloud was an all-timer. Unlike Friday, there were plenty of smiles on stage throughout the show. That's the good news. The bad news is that the place was deader than a Al Sharpton rally in Alabama. Plenty o' peeps up there but they all seemed more interested in doing whatever sex-crazed coeds do in places like the Red Carpet. 'twas a shame since the band was a-clickin'. The setlist got thrown out the window and the boys just went into the "zone," in spite of a near absence of meaningful audience response. The Velvets got covered, always a sign of a good Program show; Poe's twangy, rarely played "Death Watch For a Living Legend" actually filled the dance floor for the only time all night; a new, "alt-country," sunnier version of "Right to Me" was debuted; and the 1-2 encore punch of "Take Me Home" (aka "If You See Me" aka "Wandering Around") and "Freight Train" felt like an A-Bomb dropping in the middle of Stearns County. It was especially fun to watch Smokin' Ed -- he was as happy as could be since he got to turn up his amp and do what he does best: make his axe smoke.
And speaking of "On the Beach," as nice as the Turf version was, the St. Cloud one was simply stunning, and it wasn't even on the setlist! The Turf performance got cut short after one solo but in St. Cloud there were four (for those keeping score: Ed, Ed, Poe, Kraig on acoustic). The line about needing "a crowd of people" seemed especially ironic giving the surroundings.
If it wasn't the best Program show ever (I might still be lost in the haze of a great show), it was at least in the top 2 or 3 of the two dozen or so i've seen, in spite of the lameness of the audience. Who knows why such strange things happen in such strange places? Just another rock 'n' roll mystery, i guess. I was so inspired i composed an essay ("If a great concert occurs and nobody's there to see it...can you still hear a tree fall in the forest") at 6am Sunday morning when i got back home. I'll try and put it up on my tradelist site before i head out of town.
The Freight Train rolls on down to Chicago on Thursday. Hope to to see lots of people at Schuba's.
And how cool was it to see Perly play the gtr hero? Maybe Gary should switch to bass for awhile!
As fun as the Turf show was, though, the next night in St. Cloud was an all-timer. Unlike Friday, there were plenty of smiles on stage throughout the show. That's the good news. The bad news is that the place was deader than a Al Sharpton rally in Alabama. Plenty o' peeps up there but they all seemed more interested in doing whatever sex-crazed coeds do in places like the Red Carpet. 'twas a shame since the band was a-clickin'. The setlist got thrown out the window and the boys just went into the "zone," in spite of a near absence of meaningful audience response. The Velvets got covered, always a sign of a good Program show; Poe's twangy, rarely played "Death Watch For a Living Legend" actually filled the dance floor for the only time all night; a new, "alt-country," sunnier version of "Right to Me" was debuted; and the 1-2 encore punch of "Take Me Home" (aka "If You See Me" aka "Wandering Around") and "Freight Train" felt like an A-Bomb dropping in the middle of Stearns County. It was especially fun to watch Smokin' Ed -- he was as happy as could be since he got to turn up his amp and do what he does best: make his axe smoke.
And speaking of "On the Beach," as nice as the Turf version was, the St. Cloud one was simply stunning, and it wasn't even on the setlist! The Turf performance got cut short after one solo but in St. Cloud there were four (for those keeping score: Ed, Ed, Poe, Kraig on acoustic). The line about needing "a crowd of people" seemed especially ironic giving the surroundings.
If it wasn't the best Program show ever (I might still be lost in the haze of a great show), it was at least in the top 2 or 3 of the two dozen or so i've seen, in spite of the lameness of the audience. Who knows why such strange things happen in such strange places? Just another rock 'n' roll mystery, i guess. I was so inspired i composed an essay ("If a great concert occurs and nobody's there to see it...can you still hear a tree fall in the forest") at 6am Sunday morning when i got back home. I'll try and put it up on my tradelist site before i head out of town.
The Freight Train rolls on down to Chicago on Thursday. Hope to to see lots of people at Schuba's.
Sunday, December 21, 2003
Review: Jayhawks - 12/20/03 - First Ave. - Mpls, MN
Night two of the madness continues...
33 songs. Again. 2-1/2 hours. Again. A fan could kinda get used to this!
Another fine evening. Everybody seemed in good spirits and the wonderful music just kept a-flowin'.
Random thoughts:
* By my reckonin', 13 songs were played Saturday that weren't played Friday (not counting the aborted "Fools on Parade" from Friday). That's 45 songs in two nights! Gary said last night that they were going to continue to break out more songs; he evidently isn't kidding.
*The choir was a bit more audible -- and effective -- last night.
* Karen's upright was replaced with an electronic kybd. Although the piano sounded fine in the house on Friday, my guess is that it didn't work out right for the multi track recording that is being done at these shows, hence the replacement.
* The slower, sadder, quieter version of "Settled Down Like Rain" with Steven picking away on the banjo is just breathtakingly good. One of the major highlights both nights.
* More new SOL highlights. "Bottomless Cup," "Sound of Lies," and even "Poor Little Fish," which came off really well after a false start. That's what trying to rehearse 60+ songs in a week will get ya. They've already played over half of the album -- let's see what tonight will bring.
* "Broken Harpoon" and "Sound of Lies" -- Gary at his most beautiful, to borrow a phrase from R.E.M.
* The rarely played "Caught With a Smile on My Face" (from the RDM bonus disc) was another surprise for the faithful.
* "Red's Song," "Nevada, CA" and "The Baltimore Sun" were all played again, providing some of the biggest thrills of the night for long-time fans.
* They did "I Am the Cosmos" (an excellent post-Big Star 45 from Chris Bell) at soundcheck, which resulted in a magnificent version during the 2nd encore, complete with Jim Boquist on lead guitar and bg vox. Don't think i've heard them do this since 97 (Taste of MN perhaps?).
* 3 more songs from RDM made their bow last night -- "You Look So Young," "Sarajane," and "All the Right Reasons" -- and all sounded just swell, especially ATRR.
* After an aborted effort on Friday, "Fools on Parade" -- Gary's best bigdumbrocker since "Get the Load Out" -- closed out the night, rocking like crazy, kicking ass and taking numbers.
Jayhawks
First Ave. - Mpls - 12/20/03
1. Stumbling Through the Dark
2. Angelyne
3. Jennifer Save Me (Kraig = electric gtr / Jessy)
4. Clouds
5. Two Hearts (Kraig = acoustic gtr / Jessy)
6. You Look So Young
7. Life Floats By
8. Save It For a Rainy Day
9. Broken Harpoon
10. Caught With a Smile on My Face
11. Queen of the World (Kraig = el gtr)
12. Think About It (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
13. Eyes of Sarajane
14. Red's Song
15. Waiting For the Sun (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
16. Poor Little Fish (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
17. All the Right Reasons
18. Expecting to Fly (somewhere in here)
19. Tampa to Tulsa
20. Bottomless Cup (Jessy)
21. Smile (Kraig = el gtr / choir)
22. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Kraig = ac gtr / choir)
23. I'd Run Away (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
24. Blue (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
ENCORE 1
25. Settled Down Like Rain [banjo version]
26. The Baltimore Sun
27. Sound of Lies (Jessy)
28. Nevada, CA
29. Tailspin (Kraig = ac gtr)
30. Sister Cry
ENCORE 2
31. Ode to Billy Joe (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy / Gary = bass / Marc = ac gtr / Karen = lead vox)
32. I Am the Cosmos (Jim Boquist = lead gtr & bg vox)
33. Fools on Parade
One more night...
33 songs. Again. 2-1/2 hours. Again. A fan could kinda get used to this!
Another fine evening. Everybody seemed in good spirits and the wonderful music just kept a-flowin'.
Random thoughts:
* By my reckonin', 13 songs were played Saturday that weren't played Friday (not counting the aborted "Fools on Parade" from Friday). That's 45 songs in two nights! Gary said last night that they were going to continue to break out more songs; he evidently isn't kidding.
*The choir was a bit more audible -- and effective -- last night.
* Karen's upright was replaced with an electronic kybd. Although the piano sounded fine in the house on Friday, my guess is that it didn't work out right for the multi track recording that is being done at these shows, hence the replacement.
* The slower, sadder, quieter version of "Settled Down Like Rain" with Steven picking away on the banjo is just breathtakingly good. One of the major highlights both nights.
* More new SOL highlights. "Bottomless Cup," "Sound of Lies," and even "Poor Little Fish," which came off really well after a false start. That's what trying to rehearse 60+ songs in a week will get ya. They've already played over half of the album -- let's see what tonight will bring.
* "Broken Harpoon" and "Sound of Lies" -- Gary at his most beautiful, to borrow a phrase from R.E.M.
* The rarely played "Caught With a Smile on My Face" (from the RDM bonus disc) was another surprise for the faithful.
* "Red's Song," "Nevada, CA" and "The Baltimore Sun" were all played again, providing some of the biggest thrills of the night for long-time fans.
* They did "I Am the Cosmos" (an excellent post-Big Star 45 from Chris Bell) at soundcheck, which resulted in a magnificent version during the 2nd encore, complete with Jim Boquist on lead guitar and bg vox. Don't think i've heard them do this since 97 (Taste of MN perhaps?).
* 3 more songs from RDM made their bow last night -- "You Look So Young," "Sarajane," and "All the Right Reasons" -- and all sounded just swell, especially ATRR.
* After an aborted effort on Friday, "Fools on Parade" -- Gary's best bigdumbrocker since "Get the Load Out" -- closed out the night, rocking like crazy, kicking ass and taking numbers.
Jayhawks
First Ave. - Mpls - 12/20/03
1. Stumbling Through the Dark
2. Angelyne
3. Jennifer Save Me (Kraig = electric gtr / Jessy)
4. Clouds
5. Two Hearts (Kraig = acoustic gtr / Jessy)
6. You Look So Young
7. Life Floats By
8. Save It For a Rainy Day
9. Broken Harpoon
10. Caught With a Smile on My Face
11. Queen of the World (Kraig = el gtr)
12. Think About It (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
13. Eyes of Sarajane
14. Red's Song
15. Waiting For the Sun (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
16. Poor Little Fish (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
17. All the Right Reasons
18. Expecting to Fly (somewhere in here)
19. Tampa to Tulsa
20. Bottomless Cup (Jessy)
21. Smile (Kraig = el gtr / choir)
22. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Kraig = ac gtr / choir)
23. I'd Run Away (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
24. Blue (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
ENCORE 1
25. Settled Down Like Rain [banjo version]
26. The Baltimore Sun
27. Sound of Lies (Jessy)
28. Nevada, CA
29. Tailspin (Kraig = ac gtr)
30. Sister Cry
ENCORE 2
31. Ode to Billy Joe (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy / Gary = bass / Marc = ac gtr / Karen = lead vox)
32. I Am the Cosmos (Jim Boquist = lead gtr & bg vox)
33. Fools on Parade
One more night...
Saturday, December 20, 2003
Review: Jayhawks - 12/19/03 - First Ave. - Mpls, MN
Jesus, Mary & Joseph, that was one hell of a "holiday special" show! And "special" doesn't begin to cover it all. The scary thing is that they may very well get better in the coming nights since a big production like this tends to improve with age, just like a good red wine.
I didn't take any notes, prefrerring to "enjoy the moment" as much as possible. Here's a rough transcript of the "official" setlist I grabbed after the show. Pretty sure this is accurate, although i'm still pretty foggy this AM.
Highlights were numerous. I especially enjoyed hearing all of the "Sound of Lies" material done so nicely. And the Charlie Rich cover ("Life's Little Ups and Downs") made a very welcome return to the setlist -- one of Tim's best ever vocals IMO. And Marc's turn at center stage doing a reading from the Basement Tapes. And seeing Karen playing and singing and smiling just like she never left. And...OK, i'll shut up now.
Jayhawks - 12/19/03 - First Ave.
"Guests" noted where applicable. Karen played piano / keyboards & sang BG vox on virtually every song IIRC.
1. Stumbling Through the Dark
2. Angelyne
3. What Led Me to This Town (Kraig = electric gtr)
4. Take Me With You When You Go (Kraig = acoustic gtr)
5. Real Light (Kraig = el gtr)
6. NLTB (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
7. The Man Who Loved Life (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
8. Save It For a Rainy Day
9. Tampa to Tulsa
10. Jennifer Save Me (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
11. It's Up To You (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
12. Waiting For the Sun (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
13. Stick in the Mud (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
14. Queen of the World (Kraig = el gtr)
15. Smile (Kraig = el gtr / choir)
16. Lights
17. Will I See You In Heaven
18. Break in the Clouds (Kraig = el gtr)
19. Life's Little Ups and Downs (Kraig = el gtr)
20. I'd Run Away (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
21. Blue (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
22. Nevada, California
23. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Kraig = ac gtr / choir)
ENCORE 1
24. Settled Down Like Rain
25. The Baltimore Sun
26. Red's Song
27. Think About It (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
28. Tailspin (Kraig = ac gtr)
29. Sister Cry
ENCORE 2
30. Ode To Billy Joe (Karen = lead vox / Kraig = el gtr / Jessy / Gary = bass / Marc = ac gtr)
31. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Marc = lead vox, ac gtr / Gary = bass)
32. Fools on Parade [aborted]
33. Until You Came Along (Kraig = el gtr / Jim Boquist = ac gtr, bg vox)
Over 2.5 hours! Yikes, no wonder i'm so trashed today!
See y'all tonight!
I didn't take any notes, prefrerring to "enjoy the moment" as much as possible. Here's a rough transcript of the "official" setlist I grabbed after the show. Pretty sure this is accurate, although i'm still pretty foggy this AM.
Highlights were numerous. I especially enjoyed hearing all of the "Sound of Lies" material done so nicely. And the Charlie Rich cover ("Life's Little Ups and Downs") made a very welcome return to the setlist -- one of Tim's best ever vocals IMO. And Marc's turn at center stage doing a reading from the Basement Tapes. And seeing Karen playing and singing and smiling just like she never left. And...OK, i'll shut up now.
Jayhawks - 12/19/03 - First Ave.
"Guests" noted where applicable. Karen played piano / keyboards & sang BG vox on virtually every song IIRC.
1. Stumbling Through the Dark
2. Angelyne
3. What Led Me to This Town (Kraig = electric gtr)
4. Take Me With You When You Go (Kraig = acoustic gtr)
5. Real Light (Kraig = el gtr)
6. NLTB (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
7. The Man Who Loved Life (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
8. Save It For a Rainy Day
9. Tampa to Tulsa
10. Jennifer Save Me (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
11. It's Up To You (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
12. Waiting For the Sun (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
13. Stick in the Mud (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
14. Queen of the World (Kraig = el gtr)
15. Smile (Kraig = el gtr / choir)
16. Lights
17. Will I See You In Heaven
18. Break in the Clouds (Kraig = el gtr)
19. Life's Little Ups and Downs (Kraig = el gtr)
20. I'd Run Away (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
21. Blue (Kraig = ac gtr / Jessy)
22. Nevada, California
23. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Kraig = ac gtr / choir)
ENCORE 1
24. Settled Down Like Rain
25. The Baltimore Sun
26. Red's Song
27. Think About It (Kraig = el gtr / Jessy)
28. Tailspin (Kraig = ac gtr)
29. Sister Cry
ENCORE 2
30. Ode To Billy Joe (Karen = lead vox / Kraig = el gtr / Jessy / Gary = bass / Marc = ac gtr)
31. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Marc = lead vox, ac gtr / Gary = bass)
32. Fools on Parade [aborted]
33. Until You Came Along (Kraig = el gtr / Jim Boquist = ac gtr, bg vox)
Over 2.5 hours! Yikes, no wonder i'm so trashed today!
See y'all tonight!
Saturday, November 29, 2003
The mystery of "Freight Train" revealed
(updated 2024)
Recent converts to Kraig Johnson and the Program are frequently blown away by a song that usually gets played at or near the end of the show. It's a kick-ass rocker called "Freight Train" -- and that's usually what the listener feels like they've been hit with after experiencing The Program's power on this song. After collecting their senses, I've had more than a few people ask me at shows, "what is that song?...is it a cover?...did the Replacements do it?...it sounds familiar."
"Freight Train" is indeed a cover and an obscure one at that. It was originally done by Sister Double Happiness, a Bay Area supergroup of sorts, formed in the mid-80s and featuring members of The Dicks - an OG punk band originally from Austin, TX who released a seminal punk single "The Dicks Hate the Police" in 1980 - and a SF band Pop-O-Pies. It was written by Gary Floyd, former front man of The Dicks, in 1985-86 and was recorded in October 1987 for SDH's self-titled debut 1988 album on the SST label... which just happens to be the label that put out some records by Kraig's band at the time, Run Westy Run. Floyd's agitprop, confrontational stance in The Dicks - who were once described as a "communist Queercore band" - had diminished by the time he relocated to California in the early 80s but he possessed a keen, insightful eye for what was going on around him.
Recent converts to Kraig Johnson and the Program are frequently blown away by a song that usually gets played at or near the end of the show. It's a kick-ass rocker called "Freight Train" -- and that's usually what the listener feels like they've been hit with after experiencing The Program's power on this song. After collecting their senses, I've had more than a few people ask me at shows, "what is that song?...is it a cover?...did the Replacements do it?...it sounds familiar."
"Freight Train" is indeed a cover and an obscure one at that. It was originally done by Sister Double Happiness, a Bay Area supergroup of sorts, formed in the mid-80s and featuring members of The Dicks - an OG punk band originally from Austin, TX who released a seminal punk single "The Dicks Hate the Police" in 1980 - and a SF band Pop-O-Pies. It was written by Gary Floyd, former front man of The Dicks, in 1985-86 and was recorded in October 1987 for SDH's self-titled debut 1988 album on the SST label... which just happens to be the label that put out some records by Kraig's band at the time, Run Westy Run. Floyd's agitprop, confrontational stance in The Dicks - who were once described as a "communist Queercore band" - had diminished by the time he relocated to California in the early 80s but he possessed a keen, insightful eye for what was going on around him.
Interestingly, the lyrics of "Freight Train" have some cultural and historical significance -- it's one of the very first rock songs I'm aware of that references the AIDS/HIV epidemic, something that wasn't exactly front page news in the indie rock world when the song was written. That SDH was based in the Bay Area is no surprise either, considering how San Francisco was one of the earliest battlegrounds for that "plague of the century."
Kraig first came across the song in the SST offices in CA in the late 80s. In short order, "Freight Train" started showing up occasionally in Run Westy Run setlists in the early 90s as a vocal showcase for Kraig, but The Program have really claimed it as their own over the last few years, eventually releasing a studio version in 2004 for the Kraig Jarret Johnson EP, recorded with The Program (featuring David Poe and MN musical luminaries like Jim Boquist, Peter Anderson, various Jayhawks, etc). It even pops up occasionally during Iffy shows, Kraig's funk/pop/rock crew with his brother Kirk. Damn near every performance of it these days is a life-affirming experience!
Freight Train
I wake up in the middle of the night
My skin is like a block of ice
Hot sweat pouring out of me
I got the plague of the century
(Chorus)
It's like a freight train
It's like an airplane
It's like a hurricane
Taking me away
I was as good as i could be
My skin smooth as ivory
I swear to God i hardly messed around
That modern plague put me into the ground
(chorus)
I call my mama, she said "Don't come home"
My friends shun me, I'm all alone
Before they touch me they put on gloves
C'mon, people, I need some love
(chorus)
UPDATE (2018)
Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp has been performing "Freight Train" live in recent years and a studio version is slated for an upcoming album expected in 2018 (EDIT: Primetime Illusion, released in 2019). Trapper and his band learned it while on the road in 2014-15, opening for The Jayhawks, who then featured Kraig Johnson in the lineup.
Kraig first came across the song in the SST offices in CA in the late 80s. In short order, "Freight Train" started showing up occasionally in Run Westy Run setlists in the early 90s as a vocal showcase for Kraig, but The Program have really claimed it as their own over the last few years, eventually releasing a studio version in 2004 for the Kraig Jarret Johnson EP, recorded with The Program (featuring David Poe and MN musical luminaries like Jim Boquist, Peter Anderson, various Jayhawks, etc). It even pops up occasionally during Iffy shows, Kraig's funk/pop/rock crew with his brother Kirk. Damn near every performance of it these days is a life-affirming experience!
Freight Train
I wake up in the middle of the night
My skin is like a block of ice
Hot sweat pouring out of me
I got the plague of the century
(Chorus)
It's like a freight train
It's like an airplane
It's like a hurricane
Taking me away
I was as good as i could be
My skin smooth as ivory
I swear to God i hardly messed around
That modern plague put me into the ground
(chorus)
I call my mama, she said "Don't come home"
My friends shun me, I'm all alone
Before they touch me they put on gloves
C'mon, people, I need some love
(chorus)
 |
| Sister Double Happiness s/t album (SST - 1988) |
UPDATE (2018)
Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp has been performing "Freight Train" live in recent years and a studio version is slated for an upcoming album expected in 2018 (EDIT: Primetime Illusion, released in 2019). Trapper and his band learned it while on the road in 2014-15, opening for The Jayhawks, who then featured Kraig Johnson in the lineup.
A very memorable Trapper live version of "Freight Train" occurred in 2015 at an appearance at the Turf Club in St. Paul, MN. For the encore, they kicked off with the familiar opening chords of the song, introducing it with "here's a song we learned from Kraig Johnson while on the road with The Jayhawks." Trapper's brother Tanner handled the lead vocal duties and during the guitar break in the middle, Trapper hopped down into the crowd to continue with his solo. After a minute or two, he spotted Ed Ackerson (long time Minneapolis musician and producer, who just happens to be the lead guitarist in The Program and recorded their version at his Flowers Studio) in the crowd. Without missing a beat, he walked up to him and offered him his guitar. Ed obliged and continued the solo while the band raged behind them on stage and Trapper exhorted the crowd to do some call-and-response on the chorus. (EDIT: Ackerson died in 2019)
UPDATE (2024)
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Review: Los Lobos - 11/15/03 - private charity event @ Milwaukee Road Depot - Mpls, MN
"Charity On Ice"
Saw Los Lobos last night at a very hoity-toity, formal charity benefit here in Minneapolis. The whole night had a certain element of adventure attached to it since it was kind of a "private" function that barely made a blip on the radar screen. The thought that LL was in town doing a show that hardly any "music lover" was aware of still blows my mind a bit. We headed down to the event not even knowing if we would be able to get in. When all was said and done it turned out to be one of the coolest, most enjoyable concert experiences I've had in well over 30 years of attending live rock shows. The whole night was kind of a surreal dream: what if you went to a LL concert and hardly anybody was there? In terms of stage proximity and access to the band, this ranked right up there with those 1999 Marlboro Miles "private" shows.
The venue was the refurbished Milwaukee Road Depot, a former train station that has become one of the coolest renovation projects in recent Mpls history. It's smack in the middle of a much delayed overhaul of the historic (pre-Civil War) riverfront on the West bank of the Mississippi river in downtown Mpls. As Conrad L. noted after the show, whoever did the work has done a superb job. Five years ago this site was a rusted out piece of urban blight. It's now a first class complex that features, among other things, a beautiful indoor skating rink that doubles as an event center. The skating rink area has a glass wall so you can drive down Washington Ave. and see people skating as you zip by. Now that I think about it, if people looked closely last night they would have seen LL playing on stage! It's a huge space with a large stage and top notch lighting and sound. Behind the stage you can view the old Milwaukee Road clock tower through a glass ceiling. A low angle photograph of this with the boys on stage would've been a perfect cover for a bootleg of this show that would just have to be called "Charity on Ice." BTW, even though some of the guys got a tour of the facilities before the show, none of them realized they were actually playing on a big slab of ice (which was covered, of course, for the show). The space was set up with the stage and a very large open space in front of it at one end, a bunch of banquet tables in the middle, and a bar / coat check area on the other end.
The event itself was a fundraiser for the Minnesota Children's HeartLink charity, an annual function held in conjunction with a celebrity pool tournament that used to bear the name of former Minnesota Twin Kirby Puckett. There were tons of local "celebrities" in attendance (mostly TV news cats and pro athletes), although I was shocked when the band started playing and noticed Leslie Nielsen standing a few feet away near the edge of the dance floor. I guess he was the premier "real" celeb in attendance - read into that what you will.
This event had been billed as a "private party," but that wasn't entirely accurate. Tickets were available to the public, but at $200 per person I guess it was, for most common folk, essentially a private shindig. My wife and I, veterans of several dozen LL shows, had been fretting about this thing since I first heard about it. All we knew was that there was no friggin' way we were gonna stay home and watch Saturday Night Live when Los Lobos was in town!
Paying wasn't an option, so we decided to just head on down since we live right across the river, less than 10 minutes away. The event ran 6pm-midnight and, through a bit of "advance scouting," my wife found out the set time was 10pm. We decided to head on down around 9 or so to check things out. The Depot complex is connected to a brand new Marriott hotel so when we got there we headed for the lounge. We promptly spotted David, Victor and Steve enjoying a cocktail with a small group of people. I immediately took this as a good omen. I could bore you with a bunch of useless details, but suffice it to say we essentially got in the old-fashioned way - by crashing the party. I won't give away any trade secrets but here are two tips: 1) try to blend in 2) when in Rome...As for "event security," by the time we got there (after 3+ hours of dinner, speeches and auctions) there essentially wasn't any. I wish I could say that we concocted a complex plan of Mission Impossible-like subterfuge in order to gain admission, but the simple truth is that we just walked right in with nary a glance from anybody with a walkie talkie.
The show began promptly at 10, about 20 minutes after a live auction had ended. A significant portion of the crowd had left or was in the process of doing so. The large dance floor in front of the band was totally empty. 30 minutes into the set there couldn't have been more than a few hundred people left in what is a very large space. The number of people up by the stage was even less. After an hour the total crowd was down to about a hundred. It's amazing how many of the "stuffed shirts" clearly had no interest in the music.
The stage setup was very typical and, with the large stage, the boys certainly had lots of room to move. The band flew in their guitars, drums and keyboards and rented the "back line." The sound was, somewhat to my shock, totally excellent. I moved around a bit during the first 10 minutes and found a "sweet spot." Being a semi-retired taper I soon had that sinking feeling that accompanies a "LTO" (lost taping opportunity). Then I realized that I was 15 feet away from David Hildago ripping through "Don't Worry Baby" and suddenly all was right with the world! I was surprised to see two huge video screens on either side of the stage which showed all the action on stage. There were 4 or so cameras and a mixer - all very professional. At least there's a video recording of the night somewhere.
Given the setting, I didn't figure we'd get much in the way of jamming, but the 90 minute set was actually a nice mix of a little bit of everything that LL does so well. It was very clear that the boys were loose and in fine spirits. Since this obviously wasn't a typical LL crowd, I had no idea what to expect. The fact that virtually everybody I saw was decked out in formal wear just added to the strangeness. Like I said, very surreal... A fair number of people did hit the dance floor in front of the stage right way -- always a good sign at an LL show. David, bless his heart, did his usual exhortation for people to dance and "come up closer," which pretty much kicked off the dance party. Anybody who saw the Guthrie Theater gig here in Mpls earlier this year knows how critical it is to get the band's "seal of approval" for dancing in venues that normally don't see much in the way of rump-shakin'. Nothing shuts down an overzealous usher like a guy in the band telling them from the stage to chill out!
They went "Top 40" early with Richie Valens, but they soon stretched things out with a Papa>ICY>Santana run that was absolutely superb, one of the best I'd ever seen or heard. On this particular night the band may have been the "entertainment" at a big party, but for all intents and purposes they pretty much treated the whole night like just another concert. Some local radio dude who has a blues band on the side popped up to blow harp on "One Way Out" and "All Night Long," which I'd never seen LL do before. David actually asked for requests a couple of times; "Kiko" was the direct result of some very well dressed woman standing next to me. At one point I yelled out "Mas y Mas" and she excitedly started jumping up and down saying, "ooh, that would be a good one." You just never know when (and where) you're gonna run into a lobos-head!
I had no idea how long the set was going to be and was pleasantly surprised to see the boys cruising along after the 1 hour mark. When they went into "Angel Dance" - a frequent jam "launching pad" - I started entertaining thoughts of a marathon set but they ended it early, which was still fine with me as this is one of my fave live LL songs, one that I _never_ get sick of hearing. The set wound down with a typically beautiful Marvin Gaye reading and "La Bamba," with a little Young Rascals thrown in for good measure. You just knew they were gonna play their big "hit" for this kind of crowd; at least they did it last. David invited all of the ladies on stage for the finale and most all of them (and a few dudes, too) dutifully headed up to join the band. Victor and Cougar handed out some percussion thingies and my wife and I stood their, our mouths agape, watching the pride of "East Los" playing away in the midst of 60 or 70 people dressed in tuxes and prom dresses! Who needs drugs, huh? This was beyond surreal.
Since this wasn't really a "concert," when the band thanked everyone and headed off the stage most of the people just kinda stood around and didn't do much of anything! Everybody filed off the stage and eventually a few people stared clapping and yelling. Before long more people joined in and, sure enough, the band came back and offered up a nice "Bertha," in response to a request. A Deadhead at a black-tie $200 event? Now that's what I call a long, strange trip.
We talked to a few people after the show, including a fellow "scammer" we met who shocked his wife earlier in the night when he pulled out his suit at 9pm, causing her to ask, "you're going where?" He was a commercial real-estate broker and said that LL was his favorite band. He found out about the gig earlier in the week and made up his mind on the spot that he was going to go. Sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta do.
We headed out of the rink close to midnight, still stunned by what had transpired. Seeing one of your fave bands do a full concert in the kind of setting where you could practically walk up to the stage and start talking to the band (something I actually saw occur a few times during the show!) was more than a little freakin' weird. We soon noticed 3 attractive young ladies that had been hanging out with the band before the show in the hotel lounge. We kinda nodded at them as we all headed in the same direction. As we were trying to find our way out to the street where our car was, we noticed that they were going into a hotel "meeting room" with a sign on the outside that said "band." We kinda tagged along and ended up hanging with the boys for awhile as they wound down and chatted with friends and a few other fans. They couldn't have been nicer or more gracious. I soon "came to the rescue" when I volunteered the use of the corkscrew on Swiss Army knife to Conrad as he wandered around the room with a full bottle of wine, a glass and a confused look. My knife was pressed into service several more times as people needed beer and wine bottles opened. I knew my Boy Scout training would come in handy some day! I'd met the boys on a few occasions over the almost 20 years they've been coming to Mpls but my wife was in seventh heaven. She got hugs and kisses from Conrad and Cesar (quote from her: "I can die happy now"), a few autographs and even a nice T-shirt. The highlight for me was David sincerely thanking us for supporting the band over the years when we unabashedly told him we were huge fans. You could tell how much the fans mean to these guys and that's no BS. At the risk of being self-serving, I think they dug the fact that a few of us "fans" had shown up. They certainly got a kick out of our chutzpah! I got the impression that they don't always get the same vibe from the "stuffed shirts" at these "private" gigs that they do out in the real world.
Conrad and Cesar also talked about the new record they are in the midst of recording (at Cesar's studio) with a plethora of guest artists including Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and Richard Thompson. It's scheduled to be released in May - no title yet.
So, that's most of the dirty details. Needless to say, a truly memorable evening - one surreal moment after another and a great set from the best live touring band in the biz. The price sure was right! Apologies for anything resembling gloating but the "back story" was, I thought, almost as interesting as the show itself.
LOS LOBOS
15 November 2003
Milwaukee Road Depot Skating Rink
Minneapolis, MN
Children's HeartLink Benefit
1. Luz Di Mi Vida
2. Don't Worry Baby
3. Done Gone Blue
4. Come On Let's Go
5. Sabor a Mi
6. Evangeline
7. Papa Was a Rolling Stone >
8. I Can't Understand >
9. Oya Coma Va
10. One Way Out *
11. Georgia Slop
12. Cinnamon Girl
13. Maricela
14. Kiko and the Lavender Moon
15. All Night Long *
16. Anselma
17. Angel Dance
18. What's Going On
19. La Bamba >
20. Good Lovin'
21. La Bamba
ENCORE
22. Bertha
* With Chris Hawkey - harmonica
[90m]
Saw Los Lobos last night at a very hoity-toity, formal charity benefit here in Minneapolis. The whole night had a certain element of adventure attached to it since it was kind of a "private" function that barely made a blip on the radar screen. The thought that LL was in town doing a show that hardly any "music lover" was aware of still blows my mind a bit. We headed down to the event not even knowing if we would be able to get in. When all was said and done it turned out to be one of the coolest, most enjoyable concert experiences I've had in well over 30 years of attending live rock shows. The whole night was kind of a surreal dream: what if you went to a LL concert and hardly anybody was there? In terms of stage proximity and access to the band, this ranked right up there with those 1999 Marlboro Miles "private" shows.
The venue was the refurbished Milwaukee Road Depot, a former train station that has become one of the coolest renovation projects in recent Mpls history. It's smack in the middle of a much delayed overhaul of the historic (pre-Civil War) riverfront on the West bank of the Mississippi river in downtown Mpls. As Conrad L. noted after the show, whoever did the work has done a superb job. Five years ago this site was a rusted out piece of urban blight. It's now a first class complex that features, among other things, a beautiful indoor skating rink that doubles as an event center. The skating rink area has a glass wall so you can drive down Washington Ave. and see people skating as you zip by. Now that I think about it, if people looked closely last night they would have seen LL playing on stage! It's a huge space with a large stage and top notch lighting and sound. Behind the stage you can view the old Milwaukee Road clock tower through a glass ceiling. A low angle photograph of this with the boys on stage would've been a perfect cover for a bootleg of this show that would just have to be called "Charity on Ice." BTW, even though some of the guys got a tour of the facilities before the show, none of them realized they were actually playing on a big slab of ice (which was covered, of course, for the show). The space was set up with the stage and a very large open space in front of it at one end, a bunch of banquet tables in the middle, and a bar / coat check area on the other end.
The event itself was a fundraiser for the Minnesota Children's HeartLink charity, an annual function held in conjunction with a celebrity pool tournament that used to bear the name of former Minnesota Twin Kirby Puckett. There were tons of local "celebrities" in attendance (mostly TV news cats and pro athletes), although I was shocked when the band started playing and noticed Leslie Nielsen standing a few feet away near the edge of the dance floor. I guess he was the premier "real" celeb in attendance - read into that what you will.
This event had been billed as a "private party," but that wasn't entirely accurate. Tickets were available to the public, but at $200 per person I guess it was, for most common folk, essentially a private shindig. My wife and I, veterans of several dozen LL shows, had been fretting about this thing since I first heard about it. All we knew was that there was no friggin' way we were gonna stay home and watch Saturday Night Live when Los Lobos was in town!
Paying wasn't an option, so we decided to just head on down since we live right across the river, less than 10 minutes away. The event ran 6pm-midnight and, through a bit of "advance scouting," my wife found out the set time was 10pm. We decided to head on down around 9 or so to check things out. The Depot complex is connected to a brand new Marriott hotel so when we got there we headed for the lounge. We promptly spotted David, Victor and Steve enjoying a cocktail with a small group of people. I immediately took this as a good omen. I could bore you with a bunch of useless details, but suffice it to say we essentially got in the old-fashioned way - by crashing the party. I won't give away any trade secrets but here are two tips: 1) try to blend in 2) when in Rome...As for "event security," by the time we got there (after 3+ hours of dinner, speeches and auctions) there essentially wasn't any. I wish I could say that we concocted a complex plan of Mission Impossible-like subterfuge in order to gain admission, but the simple truth is that we just walked right in with nary a glance from anybody with a walkie talkie.
The show began promptly at 10, about 20 minutes after a live auction had ended. A significant portion of the crowd had left or was in the process of doing so. The large dance floor in front of the band was totally empty. 30 minutes into the set there couldn't have been more than a few hundred people left in what is a very large space. The number of people up by the stage was even less. After an hour the total crowd was down to about a hundred. It's amazing how many of the "stuffed shirts" clearly had no interest in the music.
The stage setup was very typical and, with the large stage, the boys certainly had lots of room to move. The band flew in their guitars, drums and keyboards and rented the "back line." The sound was, somewhat to my shock, totally excellent. I moved around a bit during the first 10 minutes and found a "sweet spot." Being a semi-retired taper I soon had that sinking feeling that accompanies a "LTO" (lost taping opportunity). Then I realized that I was 15 feet away from David Hildago ripping through "Don't Worry Baby" and suddenly all was right with the world! I was surprised to see two huge video screens on either side of the stage which showed all the action on stage. There were 4 or so cameras and a mixer - all very professional. At least there's a video recording of the night somewhere.
Given the setting, I didn't figure we'd get much in the way of jamming, but the 90 minute set was actually a nice mix of a little bit of everything that LL does so well. It was very clear that the boys were loose and in fine spirits. Since this obviously wasn't a typical LL crowd, I had no idea what to expect. The fact that virtually everybody I saw was decked out in formal wear just added to the strangeness. Like I said, very surreal... A fair number of people did hit the dance floor in front of the stage right way -- always a good sign at an LL show. David, bless his heart, did his usual exhortation for people to dance and "come up closer," which pretty much kicked off the dance party. Anybody who saw the Guthrie Theater gig here in Mpls earlier this year knows how critical it is to get the band's "seal of approval" for dancing in venues that normally don't see much in the way of rump-shakin'. Nothing shuts down an overzealous usher like a guy in the band telling them from the stage to chill out!
They went "Top 40" early with Richie Valens, but they soon stretched things out with a Papa>ICY>Santana run that was absolutely superb, one of the best I'd ever seen or heard. On this particular night the band may have been the "entertainment" at a big party, but for all intents and purposes they pretty much treated the whole night like just another concert. Some local radio dude who has a blues band on the side popped up to blow harp on "One Way Out" and "All Night Long," which I'd never seen LL do before. David actually asked for requests a couple of times; "Kiko" was the direct result of some very well dressed woman standing next to me. At one point I yelled out "Mas y Mas" and she excitedly started jumping up and down saying, "ooh, that would be a good one." You just never know when (and where) you're gonna run into a lobos-head!
I had no idea how long the set was going to be and was pleasantly surprised to see the boys cruising along after the 1 hour mark. When they went into "Angel Dance" - a frequent jam "launching pad" - I started entertaining thoughts of a marathon set but they ended it early, which was still fine with me as this is one of my fave live LL songs, one that I _never_ get sick of hearing. The set wound down with a typically beautiful Marvin Gaye reading and "La Bamba," with a little Young Rascals thrown in for good measure. You just knew they were gonna play their big "hit" for this kind of crowd; at least they did it last. David invited all of the ladies on stage for the finale and most all of them (and a few dudes, too) dutifully headed up to join the band. Victor and Cougar handed out some percussion thingies and my wife and I stood their, our mouths agape, watching the pride of "East Los" playing away in the midst of 60 or 70 people dressed in tuxes and prom dresses! Who needs drugs, huh? This was beyond surreal.
Since this wasn't really a "concert," when the band thanked everyone and headed off the stage most of the people just kinda stood around and didn't do much of anything! Everybody filed off the stage and eventually a few people stared clapping and yelling. Before long more people joined in and, sure enough, the band came back and offered up a nice "Bertha," in response to a request. A Deadhead at a black-tie $200 event? Now that's what I call a long, strange trip.
We talked to a few people after the show, including a fellow "scammer" we met who shocked his wife earlier in the night when he pulled out his suit at 9pm, causing her to ask, "you're going where?" He was a commercial real-estate broker and said that LL was his favorite band. He found out about the gig earlier in the week and made up his mind on the spot that he was going to go. Sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta do.
We headed out of the rink close to midnight, still stunned by what had transpired. Seeing one of your fave bands do a full concert in the kind of setting where you could practically walk up to the stage and start talking to the band (something I actually saw occur a few times during the show!) was more than a little freakin' weird. We soon noticed 3 attractive young ladies that had been hanging out with the band before the show in the hotel lounge. We kinda nodded at them as we all headed in the same direction. As we were trying to find our way out to the street where our car was, we noticed that they were going into a hotel "meeting room" with a sign on the outside that said "band." We kinda tagged along and ended up hanging with the boys for awhile as they wound down and chatted with friends and a few other fans. They couldn't have been nicer or more gracious. I soon "came to the rescue" when I volunteered the use of the corkscrew on Swiss Army knife to Conrad as he wandered around the room with a full bottle of wine, a glass and a confused look. My knife was pressed into service several more times as people needed beer and wine bottles opened. I knew my Boy Scout training would come in handy some day! I'd met the boys on a few occasions over the almost 20 years they've been coming to Mpls but my wife was in seventh heaven. She got hugs and kisses from Conrad and Cesar (quote from her: "I can die happy now"), a few autographs and even a nice T-shirt. The highlight for me was David sincerely thanking us for supporting the band over the years when we unabashedly told him we were huge fans. You could tell how much the fans mean to these guys and that's no BS. At the risk of being self-serving, I think they dug the fact that a few of us "fans" had shown up. They certainly got a kick out of our chutzpah! I got the impression that they don't always get the same vibe from the "stuffed shirts" at these "private" gigs that they do out in the real world.
Conrad and Cesar also talked about the new record they are in the midst of recording (at Cesar's studio) with a plethora of guest artists including Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and Richard Thompson. It's scheduled to be released in May - no title yet.
So, that's most of the dirty details. Needless to say, a truly memorable evening - one surreal moment after another and a great set from the best live touring band in the biz. The price sure was right! Apologies for anything resembling gloating but the "back story" was, I thought, almost as interesting as the show itself.
LOS LOBOS
15 November 2003
Milwaukee Road Depot Skating Rink
Minneapolis, MN
Children's HeartLink Benefit
1. Luz Di Mi Vida
2. Don't Worry Baby
3. Done Gone Blue
4. Come On Let's Go
5. Sabor a Mi
6. Evangeline
7. Papa Was a Rolling Stone >
8. I Can't Understand >
9. Oya Coma Va
10. One Way Out *
11. Georgia Slop
12. Cinnamon Girl
13. Maricela
14. Kiko and the Lavender Moon
15. All Night Long *
16. Anselma
17. Angel Dance
18. What's Going On
19. La Bamba >
20. Good Lovin'
21. La Bamba
ENCORE
22. Bertha
* With Chris Hawkey - harmonica
[90m]
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