Musical Medley....What a week!
The night before I drove to Atlanta to see the Rolling Stones, I was at the Windjammer on the Isle of Palms.
A band I have enjoyed many times - usually in a much larger venue - is
Robert Randolph and the Family Band.
He did not disappoint!
Except for the times I saw the late B.B. King, most musicians I like do not sit down.
Even Buddy Guy.
But Robert sits to play his steel pedal guitar so that's OK.
Especially when he stands and violently kicks away the chair and starts dancing around.
Friday, after Tuesday in Atlanta, I was back at the Pour House for the long-awaited return of
Tab Benoit.
He told us he promises it won't be so long between appearances here in Charleston.
Same bassist from several years ago and maybe the same drummer.
It was a shoulder-to-shoulder almost sold-out crowd so Tab saw ample proof he has a loyal and local following.
He made sounds come from his Fender Telecaster Thinline electric guitar that I've never heard before.
Banjo with a hellish backbeat and even a staccato washboard rhythm beat.
Yikes.
The joint was jumpin'.
A crowd pleaser, this native of New Orleans has won the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award twice.
On the merch table I saw several of his albums, highlighted by the 2012
"Legacy: Best Of."
He is an American Blues guitarist, musician and singer of primarily Delta Blues.
Tab also is in the forefront of Louisiana environmental protection for his endangered hometown.
The threatened wetlands are being washed away which greatly increases the flooding danger from hurricanes.
The Pour House recently went through some extensive renovations.
Special attention was paid to its always pitch perfect sound.
I also saw there now is an expanded lighting system.
I stood back by the control booth to see how the magic is produced.
Very impressive. Computer-controlled and handled by two pros who are good at what they do.
One does sound and the other makes the lights perform intricate patterns on command. **
To round out a busy, exciting musical week, I headed to the Music Farm last night to hear
Gary Clark, Jr.
He was the opening act for the Stones at the start of their Zip Code Tour in San Diego several weeks ago.
Fitting end to a week that included my seeing the Rolling Stones for the first time.
It has been exceptionally hot - and humid - the last few days so I smiled as I realized this would be an indoor show at The Farm. Blessed AC.
The show had sold out months ago but I had not counted on the effect 700+ fans, crammed into the venue would have on the climate inside.
Yep, hot and VERY humid in there as I jostled and wiggled my way to a railing behind the sound and lights booth. Something to lean on and actually some space for the almost stifling heat to waft back and forth.
Talking with a staffer, he explained the combo of so much heat outside and the massive crowd inside, overwhelmed the air conditioning.
They were hustling around, opening windows and doors to gain some needed circulation.
Meanwhile, onstage, the intensity and sound of Gary, his bassist and bare-chested drummer was generating it's own warmth to the room.
The lighting here was superb as I come to expect at such music halls.
The opening act was
Black Pistol Fire, a Canadian Rock & Roll duo, usually playing around Austin, Texas.
They had added heat as the Toronto guitar & drums act worked up a sweat.
In fact, as they left the stage, it was apparent the drummer was wearing only a baggy blue swimsuit with a red stripe down the side.
My shirt and pants came close to being a sweat suit but the music was fantastic.
(Click on the photos and links for more details.)
As we left the Farm, I asked the harried bartender if I could have a cup of ice.
She complied but waved off my attempt to pay. I left a grateful tip instead. I knew there was a bottle of water waiting in my car.
First I turned on the car's AC.
On high.
**I wanted to show a picture of the opening act for Tab Benoit.
A very talented 18-year old Marcus King had a stage full of his band.
Wish you success.
Appears you have the chops and good stage presence.
Labels: #Black Pistol Fire, #Fender Telecaster Thinline, #Gary Clark Jr., #Legacy: Best of Tab Benoit, #Marcus King, #Pour House, #Robert Randolph, #Tab Benoit, #Windjammer, #Zip Code Tour, opener for #The Stones
"You don't always get what you want." Well, I sure did!I
My buddy was given two tickets to the Rolling Stones concert in Atlanta.
Two REALLY good - expensive - seats. More than I have ever paid to see a concert.
Paul McCartney was cheap in comparison!
So Tuesday morning, we took off for the 310 mile, 5-hour, drive to see Mick and the gang.
Kept an eye on the weather on my Smartphone app. Green and yellow with a red cluster was NOT good news, but none was near us.
Really just a little rain.
Until we were 30 miles from downtown Atlanta. It was a little after 3:00 pm when the skies opened, traffic slowed and hydroplaning started happening as we tried to be in the correct lane in the snarl of blending freeways. Yikes.
Then, suddenly, it stopped raining.
We parked, dropped our bags at the Marriott and took the MARTA to the Georgia Tech campus and joined the milling crowd and found the gate we needed to enter out onto the actual football field.
White folding chairs - hundreds? Thousands? - were set up in neat rows on interlocking white panels that protected the fake grass.
Seats in one end zone were not being used - they were behind the huge stage - but the chairs on the field added to the total of 42,000 seats for this musical setup.
The opening act was
St. Paul and the Broken Bones who had closed the Spoleto Festival on Sunday. We saw him about a year ago at the Pour House. His gigs have grown enormously as he travels overseas and all over the U.S. He wowed the Atlanta crowd.
We were there to see the Rolling Stones and they gave the impressive high-energy performance we had hoped to see.
The staging was first rate. The sound quality belied it being in
an open air stadium.
The lights were a bright, dazzling show in themselves.
Did I mention we were in the 14th row, on the aisle, so I had legroom and could stand and zoom in when needed.
Jagger was in continuous motion.
No exaggeration.
Prancing, dancing, skipping, hopping.
Arms raised, arms flapping.
Hands clapping. Singing while running.
Racing along with his shirt flapping from one side of the stage to the other and back again.
Then strutting out on the catwalk.
Keith Richards had his time in the spotlight as did Ronnie Wood and other members of the band.
Charlie Watts manned the drums for the 2-hour show and for the two encore songs.
I brought my camera up to my eye for a brief moment Jagger actually stopped and stood still, opening a bottle of water.
I clicked and didn't realize I had caught the arc of water as he doused a few in the audience and laughingly said
"Hey, cool off!"
Luck was with me. LOL.
Then he was off running again, darting back and forth in front of the other three main band members.
I wanted to get all four in a tight shot together in stage center.
Will need some more of that lucky shot karma.
Well, these ARE the main four faces gathered together, but not quite what I meant.
Outside the stadium a radio station had a small jazz band playing and Stones-on-a-stick for people to use for their selfies.
Or other photos too, I suppose.
The
Atlanta Journal Constitution the next day ran a review of the concert and recapped the last two times the Stones were in the city.
Guess this is where I'll find statistics and I did learn the name of the little jazz band playing outside to amuse the crowd was
"Wasted Potential Brass Band."
Here is one of the few moments I caught when the core Stones are relatively close together.
By this time, Jagger has changed clothes several times, played a guitar, blew an harmonica and has moved on to a pair of maracas.
He also has raced from side to side of the main stage and numerous saucy jaunts out on the catwalk.
Two huge steel towers were erected about the 30 yard line that housed huge speakers for the fans in the upper tiers as well as the spotlights that tracked the band.
At the conclusion of Sympathy for the Devil, Jagger let the bright red feathered wrap he was wearing drop off his shoulders and slide to the stage.
Another rare moment of motionless drama and my zoom lens brought in the details that delight a photographer.
I sense he also was catching his breath and gathering his strength to jump right back into his restless pace.
The link to the AJC newspaper stories about the Stones' tour stop contain great tidbits such as the proposed set list and, the next day, the list of actual numbers played.
Perhaps ALL of the show is carefully choreographed and planned but I felt Mick would just take off in any and all directions as he felt moved by the music.
He has lead this tight band for many decades so I am sure they are totally in tune with whatever he decides to do.
(Click on the photos and links for more details.)
A nice guy with a camera sat in front of me and he mentioned this was his 15th Stones show.
He added that others in the national fan club had attended many, many more.
He asked how many I had seen.
I said
"Counting tonight, I have seen one."
This final photo shows how 42,000 people can see what's going on.
Tall vertical screens were placed on either side of the stage and a giant horizontal screen was in the middle.
As we slowly filed out of the stadium, I looked back at the sea of white chairs, now empty and not as neatly aligned.
I savored just how nice it was to be seated up close to the action.
(Be sure to click on the photos and links for more details.)
There's a stadium link that shows the behind-the-scenes 5 days it took to put this all together! Also some more great concert shots.
Hmm, they play again in Raleigh on July 1....
Labels: #Charlie Watts, #GT Bobby Dodd stadium, #Keith Richards, #MARTA, #Mick Jagger, #Rolling Stones, #Ronnie Wood, #Satisfaction, #St Paul & the Broken Bones, #Zip Code Tour
Yep, hot and VERY humid in there as I jostled and wiggled my way to a railing behind the sound and lights booth. Something to lean on and actually some space for the almost stifling heat to waft back and forth.
**I wanted to show a picture of the opening act for Tab Benoit.
