Sunday, November 23, 2014

Stevie Wonder at Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia on November 22, 2014

     In recent months, my wife and I made a list of folks we would go out of our way to see in concert while they still toured. When I heard Stevie Wonder was touring this Fall, I knew my wife and I were going to be able to see someone we had listed very high on our "must see" list. We were lucky enough to be able to make it work to turn it into a fun short trip to Atlanta, Georgia. We visited the Buckhead Diner for lunch, the Lenox shopping area in Buckhead, and stayed at the Ritz Carlton downtown -- very nice!!
VENUE: Philips Arena is the home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. It is a nice arena with modern conveniences and it is close to the downtown hotels. We bought our tickets on StubHub and sat in the first section on stage left, in row K. I was told earlier in the day that "small cameras" were allowed. I took quite a few photos with my Canon Powershot G16. On a humorous note, a guy asked my how many pixels it had. When he said my pictures with the camera were better despite him having as many pixels in his phone, I had to explain that it is the fast lens and the rest of the hardware that allow the Canon G16 to take such good pictures. 
HEADLINER: This tour is devoted to playing the whole of the "Songs In The Key of Life" album in its entirety, plus a few other hits. That album holds a special place in many fan's hearts, including mine. I listened to the records (it was spread over 2 records and an EP) many, many times. And I have returned to listen to many of the songs since then. Mr. Wonder is playing a limited number of dates, with the Atlanta show in the middle of the tour. The band included so many heavyweights of R&B, jazz, and beyond: Greg Phillinganes (keyboards), India Arie (vocals), Earl Klugh (guitar), and Nathan Watts (bass). The horn section, the backup singers, the rhythm section (with two drummers and two percussionists), the guitarists, and the keyboard players all contributed to a perfectly crafted musical performance this night in Atlanta. A string section and another small choir joined the stage during some songs to good effect.
     Mr. Wonder came to the stage, arm in arm with India Arie and two of Wonder's sons. He spoke to the audience for the first of many times, always making the crowd feel welcome, loved, and appreciated. He then sat at the keyboards and launched into the album plus the 4 EP songs. The band sounded wonderful, perfectly matching the cherished sound of the originals. I was so happy to hear the Mr. Wonder's voice is still in marvelous shape. Highlights in the first part of the set were "Sir Duke", "I Wish", "Knocks Me Off My Feet, "Isn't She Lovely" (featuring Stevie's daughter, referenced on the song and a featured back up singer), "Ordinary Pain", and "Pastime Paradise". Both "Sire Duke" and "I Wish" had the crowd up and dancing while singing along -- these were one of those peak concert experiences that keep me coming to live shows. Wow!
     Late in the show, Mr. Wonder played a segment from "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson -- it was transcendent! Then he played "Cherie Amour", "Do I Do", "For Once In My Life", and finished with a glorious "Superstition". During the encores, Janelle Monae joined the group on stage and sang. During "Superstition", Spike Lee appeared on stage and danced with the group of singers. 
     It was an amazing performance in many ways -- the songs from the featured album were terrific, the vocal and musical performances were great, the crowd was very appreciative, and the closing songs were highlights. 
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

 Stevie Wonder and India Arie and two of Wonder's sons.

Stevie Wonder at the keyboards.

India Arie and Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder and his marvelous touring band.

Stevie Wonder at the piano.

Stevie Wonder playing the harmonica -- a highlight for me!

Stevie Wonder and India Arie share a laugh.

Stevie Wonder and Janelle Monae
Stevie Wonder, his singers, with India Arie and Janelle Monae.

"Superstition" brings on stage all the royalty in the house, including Spike Lee (in Yankees hat), India Arie, Janelle Monae, and Janelle's group.

Stevie and friends say goodnight to the crowd.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Capital Cities with Cherub and Night Terrors of 1927 at the Newport Music Hall, November 5th, 2014

     "Safe and Sound" by Capital Cities has been part of our nation's soundtrack the last 18 months. I love this song. I saw Capital Cities at the A+R Music Bar last year, heard them across the way at Sweetlife Festival 2014, and was lucky enough to see them again this time at the Newport.
VENUE: They had the balcony closed this performance. The Newport has the stage size, the room to dance, and the acoustics to let this show shine.
OPENER #1: I had not heard of Night Terrors of 1927 but enjoyed this 5-piece's performance. Good alternative band featuring Jarrod Gorbel on vocals and Blake Sennet (of Rilo Kiley) on guitars. I look forward to hearing more from the band. Interesting cover of "Talking In Your Sleep" by the Romantics (of "What I Like About You" fame).
OPENER #2: Somehow I missed seeing ahead of time that CHERUB was going to open. I have enjoyed their song "Doses and Mimosas" this year but did not realize until they came out it was them opening for Capital Cities. This two person electro-pop duo have quite the live show with Jordan and Jason playing guitar, bass, and sharing vocals. They are accompanied by recorded tracks and dance, move, and jump all over the stage. They put on a very contagious show -- very likable and you feel the groove pulling you into the performance.  A cover of Calvin Harris' "Fell So Close" really got the crowd jumping. These guys seem to have a bright future ahead of them.
HEADLINER: Capital Cities was touring with a bassist, guitarist, trumpeter last time. Now Sebu and Ryan still have some recorded tracks playing along, but their sound is fuller now with a live drummer. Ryan sang and played guitar, Sebu sang and played keyboards, Spencer Ludwig continues on horns, Manny Quintero played a funky solid bass, and Channing Holmes kept the groove solid all night on drums.
     The band continues to put on a great, fun show. Some funky alternative dance music does not translate well to the live stage, but Capital Cities have a lot of fun on stage and the crowd clearly enjoys their show. They played all their best songs and performed them well -- better, I would say, than last year. The time touring has sharpened this band's skills. A funky cover of "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees was fun. Overall, a terrific performance.
MERCH: All three bands had merch available. I bought the Capital Cities CD and Sebu, Ryan, and Spencer signed the cover. Jason of CHERUB signed the CD booklet after I bought their CD. Both CDs: $10.
My rating for the show: 4 out of 5 stars. Very happy I attended this show!
The photos below were taken by myself at the show with a Canon Powershot G16.

 The Night Terrors of 1927

 The Night Terrors of 1927

 Cherub

 Cherub

 Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities with drummer Channing Holmes in the background.

 Ryan Merchant of Capital Cities. Manny Quintero on bass in the background.

 Spencer Ludwig on horns.

 Capital Cities

 Capital Cities

 Ryan Merchant and Manny Quintero of Capital Cities.

 Capital Cities

 Spencer Ludwig and Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities.

 Sebu and Ryan lead the dance moves.

 Capital Cities

 Capital Cities

 Spencer, Sebu, and Channing of Capital Cities.

 Capital Cities

 Channing and Sebu.

 Channing and Sebu.

 Sebu and Ryan.

Capital Cities