Showing posts with label Orpheum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orpheum. Show all posts

Friday, November 2, 2012

Music T Friday: When I'm Up I Can't Get Down

The universe conspires against me. Just when I make the conscious decision to really buckle down and become fiscally responsible (stop laughing, you), Barbra Streisand decides to perform in Vancouver for the first time EVER, Paul McCartney returns to perform for the first time since the Beatles played Empire Stadium in 1964, and Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan also book dates here. Leonard Cohen is scheduled to play here on November 12. And the Barenaked Ladies are playing with the VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA *sigh*

Vancouver is far from the no-fun city it once sported the reputation as. Nowadays, it's more like "no funds" city. Interestingly enough, the seat I had at the Streisand concert on Monday would've gone for $1500 in Toronto. Made me feel better for spending $100 on it. For the record, I passed on McCartney, Young and Cohen. And, yes, dammit, that's me being all mature and restrained and stuff.

Today's shirt is quite possibly my first Vancouver concert tee. It's definitely the oldest one still in my wardrobe and it's in fantastic nick for being AS OLD AS MY GRADE EIGHT STUDENTS. Yup, in fact, I bought this shirt on November 1st, 1999, at the Vogue Theatre, a fact that didn't occur to me when I picked it this morning. Happy buy-day, GBS "Turn" shirt! Sadly, the plaid PJ pants I bought at the same concert have been reduced to scraps years ago but they were gorgeous and comfy and served me well.

 

The b'ys from The Rock are celebrating their 20th anniversary next year and touring the continent with their "XX" album. They'll be at the swanky Orpheum Theatre here in Vancouver on March 10th next year. Of course, I bought my ticket already. One more seat at the wedding reception or a night with three fabulous Newfoundlanders? Pfft.

Like most of the musical acts that I follow, I appreciate that Great Big Sea has never lost that feeling of camaraderie and fun that made them so great to listen to when they first emerged on the scene. Furthermore, their salt-of-the-earth NewfoundLANDer personalities have never failed to strike a genuine note with their audiences. The b'ys have found individual as well as group success over the two decades and their fans are the first to flock to a solo show or tune in to a TV show to catch a cameo appearance. Pretty sure that Alan Doyle's stint on Republic of Doyle (no relation, haha) saw a ratings boost for those episodes. Mind you, Russell Crowe showing up might deserve some of the credit too...

To sign off on topic, enjoy a video of Alan, Sean, and Bob playing their unreleased single "Great Big World" in studio. 

 
And to sign off slightly off-topic, I've been edumicated recently on the existence of NaBloPoMo (National Blog Post Month), an homage offshoot of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). This was exciting news but, unfortunately, because I only write on school days and NaBloPoMo requires you blog everyday for the month of November, I don't think I technically qualify. I've sent a note to the organizers to see if I can still participate. As of sometime yesterday on Google-Time, I crossed the 2000 pageviews milestone and I don't THINK me checking my own page accounts for more than half of those so.... yay! Thanks, readers, commenters and especially you lurkers because I've really been enjoying this exercise and even when there isn't a lot of chit-chat, the stats show that you're all sticking around. :)

Friday, October 26, 2012

Music T Friday: Ya Gotta Have ...


to be...


Sisters, Ann and Nancy Wilson have been making incredible, indelible music for a long time as the band "Heart" and when I saw them in 2010 at the Orpheum in Vancouver (a city they credit with fostering much of their success) it was clear that their fans had never considered their hiatus anything but a temporary absence. Their music and stage presence continue to draw crowds eager for new and classic songs featuring Ann's signature vocals and Nancy's impressive guitar skillz. 2010's Red Velvet Car was a return to the soul of Heart (o_O ... hrm... ) - music that reaches out to their listeners and sticks with them long after the song has ended. They are an act that eschews drama and scandal, choosing to focus their public lives on creating quality music that evolves and grows the way true art always does. They are women who staked claim on the boys' own territory of rock 'n' roll of the '70s and carved out a throne all their own. When I talk Heart with friends and fellow music fans, it's always about the music, the craft, the amazing talent the Wilson sisters exhibit and how wonderful it is to know that there are musicians who can live their lives with purpose, branching out all the time with daring, knowing that their roots are firmly anchored in their art, their relationship, and their public. It's a positive story in an industry filled with cautionary tales.

So, from my archived videos from that concert in 2010, one of my favourite songs sung by the phenomenal Ann Wilson. Happy Friday, everyone!