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I asked:
How were the XPN concerts? Did you get to see They Might Be Giants? I always wanted to see them live.

Rick Replied:
I like the XPN Festival….new mixed with old…..Steve Forbert was great. They Might Be Giants were funny and quirky…..not sure I’d buy their records but they sure could play. Aimee Mann was very subtle. Dug Louden Wainright III. Only band I didn’t get to see that I wanted to was Guster…..big storm was blowing in and we were really tired after 3 full days. We caught it on the radio. Pete Yorn was great.

by Mudman

North East, Maryland — Last night, I watched the Ryan Payne Band perform for a crowd of several hundred. It was an enthusiastic crowd for an effervescent band. In between songs, Ryan would crack jokes and revel the emotional stories behind the writing of his songs. Now, the unusually thing about this crowd was the age range. The concert was at a children’s over-night camp with the average age of attendance being somewhere around 14. Even though it wasn’t their usual crowd, the band performed flawlessly. Their stage presence rivaled that of Jet. (A concert I saw only a few weeks ago.) For such a young band to have such stage savvy… well let’s just say I was impressed.

They played mostly original songs. Though I was hearing them for the first time, they were so catchy that I was able to sing along by the end of the second verse. The Ryan Payne Band consists of four members: a drummer, an electrical guitarist, a bassist, and a lead singer who plays both keyboards and acoustic guitar. When they started playing, I was taken aback. After I heard the skillful mix of electric and acoustic guitar, I was blown away. They may be small but I highly recommend checking them out at their website: http://www.ryanpayneband.com/

You can buy their CD on their website.

The Ryan Payne Band

Jackson, NJ — Six Flags Great Adventure can be an adventurous place to see a concert. That was the case Sunday night when Yes took the stage.

Yes Concert Photo Gallery
Asia Concert Photo Gallery

Yes is currently on tour with supporting act Asia. Actually, it is hard to call Asia a supporting act. Steve Howe plays in both bands. Steve is an extraordinary guitar player. Guitar Player magazine voted him “Best Overall Guitarist” five years in a row (1977 – 1981). To play in both bands back-to-back, is an amazing feat. For someone born in 1947, it is a truly amazing feat.

As far as a rhythm section goes, Chris Squire on bass and Alan White on drums is hard to beat. (Though, often Chris’ bass playing has been called playing a lead instrument.)

Oliver Wakeman, Rick Wakemen’s son, was an interesting addition to the band. Bearing a striking resemblance to his father, he commanded the keyboards like a veteran. When first asked to join Yes, Oliver was not sure about his father’s attitude; however, he quickly gained his father’s approval. It is interesting that Yes has both the offspring effect of Oliver, as well as, the YouTube effect of lead singer Benoît David. After seeing Journey with their lead singer replacement found on YouTube, I was skeptical of Benoît singing for Yes. Not to worry, he did his part to continue the superb Yes tradition.

Yes took the stage opening with a song from Close To The Edge, Siberian Khatru (Anderson/Howe/Wakeman). The sound was rich and deep. They followed up with a song from The Yes Album, “I’ve Seen All Good People” ["Your Move" (Jon Anderson) and "All Good People" (Chris Squire)]. It was nice to see them playing a Jon Anderson song after finally having got his blessing for this tour.

Right when they announced the next song was going to be “Tempus Fugit” from the Drama album, the skies cracked with lightening, and they took a break. Ironic? Shortly thereafter, the show resumed. Then, they went way back to the Time and a Word album with “Astral Traveler” (Anderson). Having seen Yes a multitude of times, I can not recall ever having seen the song performed live. I suppose Chris Squire was the only remaining member to have played on the 1970 album.

“With the ambitious decision to use string arrangements on most of the album’s songs, Peter’s role as a guitarist was diminished. Tensions within the band increased, and just after the album’s recording was completed in early 1970, Peter was asked to leave, which he reluctantly did. Steve Howe would join the line-up that March… The US and UK releases had different album artwork; the UK version had a black-and-white drawing of a nude woman, but this was deemed inappropriate in the US. So, the cover there showed a picture of the band. Despite appearing on the US cover, Steve Howe does not play on the album.”

With disregard to the evermore threatening skis, the show continued. Unfortunately, when someone dressed in a Six Flags uniform came on the stage and whispered in Steve Howe’s ear, you could see there was a problem. “There is a storm 30 minutes away headed in this direction. There will be one more song. It is for your own safety.” The crowd let out a loud moan. The band scurried about trying to devise an impromptu plan and launched into “Roundabout” (Anderson/Howe) from the Fragile album.

Under most circumstance, a patron might feel gypped with a 5 song show. Seeing as how it was a double concert plus amusement park ticket at 1/3 the price of a usual concert ticket, it was hard to complain. Not to mention, each song was 6 – 10 minutes long making it a fairly lengthy concert. But, get this… after the show, Chris Squire, Alan White, Oliver Wakeman and Benoît David hung out, signed autographs, took pictures and answered questions for as long as the audience wanted. Maybe they felt bad about the premature ending? Or, maybe they are just good people?

Asia Concert Review

Yes and Asia Concert as Storm Approaches

Jackson, NJ — The original members of ASIA are on tour with Yes:
Steve Howe – Guitars, Madolin, Pedal Slide, Vocals
John Wetton – Bass, Vocals, Guitars
Carl Palmer – Drums
Geoff Downes.- Keyboards, Vocals

The show started with two songs from the first self-titled album Asia “Wildest Dreams” (Downes, Wetton) followed by “Only Time Will Tell” (Downes, Wetton). The sound was sharp. This might have had something to do with Geoff Downes abilities as a producer. The third song was from 2008’s Phoenix, “An Extraordinary Life”.

Then, the show took a turn in an un-anticpated direction. John Wetton asked, “Does anyone remember MTV? I mean when MTV was MTV? Well, the first thing ever shown on MTV was Geoff Downes hands. Those hands on this song!” They then went into The Buggles’ hit “Video Killed the Radio Star”. The crowd got a real kick out of this as they danced and sang along. Next, they played a song from one of John Wetton’s former bands, King Crimson’s “Court of the Crimson King”. ["The Court of the Crimson King" (McDonald, Sinfield) including "The Return of the Fire Witch" and "The Dance of the Puppets".]

Hmmm… isn’t that kind-of like one of those six degrees of separation? Though John Wetton had played the song live with King Crimson, he wasn’t in the band when it was recorded. Greg Lake did the studio version’s bass and vocals. Of course, Greg Lake went on to play with Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP). Carl Palmer playing drums and John Wetton on bass and vocals was an interesting combination to consider for six degrees of separation. It would seem that six degrees from this combination would just about touch every musician you could think of… Robert Fripp, Tony Levin, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins to Eric Clapton.

The concert went back to Asia, again, with two songs from their second album Alpha. “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes” featured Steve Howe on a pedal slide guitar followed by Steve playing mandolin on “Don’t Cry”.

Next, it was Carl Palmer’s turn to be featured on a song ELP brought back to life on their 1977 album Works Volume II. Fanfare for the Common Man was originally written in 1942 by a 20th-century American classical composer, Aaron Copland. Asia had all the musicianship to pull it off. Though some of these guys have been playing live since the 60’s, they still had plenty of umph. Carl Palmer looked as fit as a 20-year-old athlete and played the drums in the same manner. He has to be one of the best drummers of all times. To see him play is like watching a fine artist create a sculpture, but instead of stone he sculpts in rock rhythms. The drum solo was a breath taking spectacle.

They concluded the show with two more songs from the debut album “Sole Survivor” (Downes, Wetton) and “Heat of the Moment” (Downes, Wetton). The journey from radio-friendly AOR pop-rock, MTV, new wave, progressive rock, jazz to classical came to an end.

Links:
Asia Photo Gallery

Yes Photo Gallery

Yes Concert Review

Also played in:
Steve Howe – Yes, The Syndicats, Bodast, Tomorrow, Anerson, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe and GTR
John Wetton – Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson (with childhood friend Robert Fripp), Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry band, Uriah Heep, UK and Wishbone Ash
Carl Palmer – Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Atomic Rooster, Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Geoff Downes.- Yes and The Buggles

[*note: UK is a great band to check-out if you have never heard of them.]

Photo Gallery

Atlantic City, NJ [Borgata Hotel And Casino] — The Music Box is a smaller theater at the Borgata. It is one of the nicer places to catch a concert on the East Coast. Although Jet’s latest album has not been released, they are already out on tour.

The Paper Tongues was the first band to take the stage. They are a seven piece band (Aswan North, Devin Forbes, Cody Blackler, Joey Signa, Clayton Simon, Jordan Hardee and Danny Santell) with face-to-face keyboardists. It is really a stage show that has to be seen. The lead singer announced, “This is the first time we’ve ever played a theater.” The sound levels were not quite right; nevertheless, they ripped it up with some gangster style rock. I Won’t Let Go, Move To California and Everybody were among the songs they played. Their record label A&M/Octone says, “Paper Tongues plays for the people. Fusing massive rock n’ roll melodies with fiery hip hop beats, the Charlotte band conjures an infectious, incendiary sound….” Keep your eye out for this up-and-coming band.

Next up was Automatic Fire. Their website says they are from Philthadelphia. Actually, they are comprised of two long-time favorite Philadelphia bands — Silvertide and Pepper’s Ghost. This combination has a driving rhythm section, searing guitar and vocalist with a wide range. When asked why they didn’t include Failed Parachute in the set, they replied, “We just couldn’t work it in with our live sound.” Their live sound is tight and hard. The drummer, Brian Kilian, spent the last five years playing country music in Nashville, but you could never tell. Together with his friend from high school on bass, Brian Weaver, they were a driving force in every song. The guitarist, Rob Bennett, was in Pepper’s Ghost. His on stage presence reminds you of a young Jimmy Page. Add to this mix a lead singer, Walt Lafty, with a effervescent personality and it is like a champagne bottle popping its cork. In fact, at one point in the show, Walt went over and poured his beer on to the snare drum. It looked great from the seats. (Biran Kilian later told me it was a bit sticky on stage. “Luckily, there is a backstage shower.”) Their set included Whipping Boy, When Are You Going to Wake Up, Push, Snitches, Pipe Bomb, What Are You Made Of?, and Take Me Away. Their MySpace credits read as follows:
Walt Lafty (Vocals/stage leaping)
Evil Rob (Guitars/noises and all around sound guru/Backing Vocals)
Brian Weaver aka BMW (Bass/low end manipulation/groove maker)
Brian Kilian (Drums/percussion /groove maker)

Then, it was time for Jet to take over. They started off with the first single from their forth coming album, KIA. It got the crowd jumping. Lead vocalist and guitarist, Nic Cester, invited the crowd to get out of their seats and come on down to the stage. With everyone on their feet, dancing and singing, the place was jumping. It was not long, though, before you could see the security guards bustling about. After the next song, Nic interrupted, “I’ve only got two things to say. First, whoever picked out this carpet is a real dick. Second, the Fire Marshal is a real dick. He says you have to go back to your seats.” This got a good laugh and didn’t suppress the crowd’s enthusiasm. All continued to stand and sing.

The sound in the Music Box is perfect and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Chris Cester’s credits list him as drummer and backing vocals, but he sang lead vocals on a few songs. It is always amazing to see someone play drums and sing at the same time. With all the band members helping on vocals and the pristine sound system, there were sweet harmonies and plenty of incentive to sing along. By the time they got to “Are You Gona Be My Girl?”, every mouth was in motion. A surprise song was, Timothy. Wikipedia states, ” Get Born also includes the song “Timothy”, dedicated to deceased brother of vocalist/guitarist Cameron Muncey, who died before Cameron was born. Due to the sensitive nature of the song, the band rarely plays ‘Timothy’ live.” It was a treat when they announced it was the next song.

The rest of the set was rollicking rock and roll. The set list showed “Bring It On Back” as the first song for the encore, yet it didn’t get played. As it was approaching midnight, it is a good guess that time did not permit them to play it. No one seemed to notice taking in every note that was offered. As far as great concerts go, Jet is a sure bet. (More About Jet)

Setlist
KIA (Killed In Action)
Last Chance
She’s A Genius
Beat On Repeat
Are You Gonna Be My Girl?
Seventeen
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Look What You’ve Done
Timothy
Holiday
Times Like This
Rip It Up
Get Me Outta Here

Encore
That’s All Lies
Cold Hard Bitch

Pictures From Freedom Fest 2009
Featuring Foghat

Foghat Live

Photo Gallery

Cooper River Park, Camden, NJ — Radio station 102.9 WMGK and the Camden County Board of Freeholders put on the Let Freedom Rock Fest on July 4. The show opened with their houseband, The Dead Poets. They got the crowd jumping with a nice mix of coversongs. Then, The Marshal Tucker Band took the stage for a set of southern rock culminating with their hit “Can’t You See”.

You might have thought that the headliner, Foghat, would be a let down. After all, two of the original members are dead. Lead singer and guitarist “Lonesome” Dave Peverett died of cancer in 2000. Lead and slide guitarist Rod Price died from a fall in 2005. How could the remainder of the old folks in this classic band still rock?

Well, unlike Journey and Yes that have resorted to recruiting replacements from YouTube tribute bands, Foghat enlisted two superb veterans. Charlie Huhn has been Foghat’s lead vocalist and guitarist since Lonesome Dave’s death. Charlie has a great voice and plays a solid guitar. In 1978, he joined the Ted Nugent band for the album Weekend Warriors. At the time, Nugent was one of the hottest bands selling out large stadiums around the world. Charlie recorded three studio albums and two live albums before leaving Nugent’s band in 1982. Between 1982 and 1987, he did a variety of projects including a band with former Alice Cooper members called DeadRinger. From 1989 to 1999, he was the lead vocalist for Humble Pie. Now, he brings his energy and enthusiasm to Foghat for some outstanding frolicking boogie blues rock.

Bryan Bassett took Rod Price’s place on lead and slide guitars. In the 1970’s, Bryan was in the band Wild Cherry when they had their big hit, “Play That Funky Music, White Boy”. (During his on-stage introduction, Foghat broke into a bit of the song.) For the 1990’s Bryan played with Molly Hatchet. His guitar style complements Charlie’s to give Foghat the ability combine rhythm and solos in a spectacular way.

Craig MacGregor has been Foghat’s “on again / off again” bassist since 1976. He recorded “Night Shift” in 1976, a live album in 1977, and “Stone Blue” in 1978. Although most people would think the album “Fool For The City” was Foghat’s biggest album, it was actually the live album that achieved the highest sales record selling over 2,000,000 copies.

The combination of Craig and original drummer, Roger Earl, give Foghat that solid boogie rhythm section. Roger was in the group Savoy Brown from 1967 – 1970 before leaving to form Foghat with Dave Peverett and bassist Tony Stevens. “Roger Earl is the man with the beat. Pounding his drums for over 35 years, this British rock ‘n’roller is partial to rock & blues (always has been).”

The Foghat set for the Freedom Rock Fest concert included: Ride, Ride, Ride, Chateau Lafitte ‘59 Boogie, Drivin’ Wheel, Third Time Lucky, Fool for the City, I Just Want To Make Love To You and Slow Ride.

Upper Darby, PA — Dream Theater is on their Progressive Nation tour which comes near Philadelphia to the Tower Theatre on July, 31. Zappa Plays Zappa is included on the bill. Frank Zappa’s oldest son, Dweezil Zappa, put together a show featuring his late father’s work.

“Black Clouds & Silver Linings”, the latest album by progressive rockers Dream Theater, debuted at #6 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart.

“This is truly amazing. After almost 25 years together, Dream Theater is still growing and progressing and doing bigger and better than ever. I can’t think of many bands that can claim that. We are truly thankful to have this incredible support from fans who believe in the band as a musical force,” said drummer Mike Portnoy. “An album with four songs over 12 minutes in the US Top 10? Hell must’ve frozen over! This is one small leap for Dream Theater, and one giant leap for music in general.”

It is quite amusing when you look at their company in the top 10 — the Jonas Brothers, Black Eyed Peas and Regina Spektor.