Tuesday 30 October 2012

Concert Double-Header: Adam Woodall vs She Stole My Beer

   I was glancing through the North Shore News, which I do periodically, and noticed the ad for the West Van Centennial Celebration in Ambleside Park on June 2nd, 2012. I scanned through the listings for the various stages and noticed two bands I knew playing at the beachside beer garden stage and thought... " Printed Mediis not dead". Nobody had informed me of this big bash going on. Thanks, North Shore News!
  It was going to be a juggle trying to catch both acts which were spread about three hours apart and to take care of other time-demanding errands. I plotted a way to find some time and scooted down to see The Adam Woodall Band first. 


   I walked down to the waterside park and wandered past some food vending stalls past the main stage toward the beach point where a stage was set up with a beachside beer-garden. Adam opened up with Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic", which has lyrics pertaining to the sea, setting a nice tone right off the bat. Adam continued with another classic by Johnny Cash. He played a few of his own tunes but kept the classic rock flowing. It was good, clean, classic beer-garden music. Adam's voice was sounding great. His band is very tight and minimal. Lead Guitarist Jesse Tucker lays down tasty chops and can really wind up a solo when the time comes.

   I played in a band with Adam years ago, called Apple and the Juice CompanyThe band didn't last very long, unfortunately. It had members from Crazy Fingers, Second Nature, The Way and People Play Music ; it was a melting pot of Vancouver early 90's rock.

   We were lucky to have Apple Jensen as a singer. She was our own late '80's version of Janis Joplin with an amazingly powerful voice and a happy, outgoing aura. And she would boogie. The only problem was that she was in at least three other bands- People Playing Music, Second Nature and The Harvesters (Crazy Fingers). All were bands from our scene that I used to love to see, dance to and share stages with.  We knew that pressures were mounted against us in regard to Apple. Her more established band-mates didn't need another band stealing her attention.  It came to a boil when we did our first show together with two of them and she had to play in multiple sets. It became obvious that we were going to be judged critically and that she would be pressured, once the dust settled, to drop her extraneous act -The Juice Co. I remember it being a tense performance that went off okay but didn't make a huge splash.
    As chance would have it, I left Studio 16 with a female companion in my van (which was my home at the time) and headed to Jericho Beach. I had my new amplifier and guitars with me and said good night to the rest of the band and we headed down to the empty windswept parking-lots at the waters' edge by UBC. We had a bunch of drinks and had a hazy night together only to wake up to the sound of seagulls and clinking sails, with a bit of a hangover. 

    We decided to head to The Naam for breakfast. I hopped in the front seat of my van and she got in the back side door and sliit shut, then climbed into the passenger seat up front. Unfortunately, she didn't yank the door hard enough and it stayed slightly ajar. I was partly guilty, for the crime that ensued, for having left my brand new amp (only one rehearsal and one gig's use) standing up on it's castors (wheels) when I moved it off the camper-bed, late the previous night.
 
    As I rounded my way up the hill out of Jericho beach onto 4th avenue I heard a horrendous sound. An evil sound like the grinding of teeth on metal. I turned to my right and, to my surprise, I could see my side door open and my Fender Twin amp outside on the road doing about 50 mph upside down beside the van. I pulled over and collected the bits and pieces of it.  

  We got to the Naam and I was feeling shakey and down right ill. I was cringing at the thought of the monthly payments to Long and Macquade on top of the repair bill and the embarrassment of it all. All of a sudden I felt like I was erupting like Mount Vesuvius and cupped my hands over my mouth and ran for the bathroom. Luckily I made it through the packed restaurant to the restrooms in the back and felt better after hurling. But how barbaric!... in such a healthy, morning-breakfast atmosphere.

   It reminds me how I've destroyed a lot of gear by accident and had some really close calls: like backing halfway over a vintage pedal-steel after bringing it out to a jam session.  My heart sunk to my feet as I drove back off of it, got out and loaded the crumpled Fender 400 into the trunk of my 1980 Mercedes. I was glad nobody had seen my blunder, which was caused by my leaving my keys back in the house. By the time I returned to my car, I had forgotten that I'd left the huge steel-guitar case directly behind the back bumper after I had tried, unsuccessfully, to put it in the trunk. The moral of this whole blog has got to be: be careful how you unload gear. Luckily, when I got home I was stunned to find that the only damage was to the case. Those old Fender cases were well made.  

   I was lucky that time, but in the case of the road-wrecked amp: it was repaired but never felt new again and had an ugly slat of wood across the back to protect the innards. The band fizzled shortly after as well, with all the musicians going separate ways I wish I had some video of the one show we did for a sit-down crowd (in rows on the dancefloor) at the Commodore, opening for Jefferson Starship.


   I'm really glad Adam continues to play because he writes great songs, he's got a friendly attitude and has a good knowledge of music theory. The Adam Woodall Band has got to be the busiest band on the North Shore, which is a rare success story in West Vancouver, an area where it's hard for bands to gain traction.





   Back in the present, She Stole My Beer were now playing and I had returned with some friends to rock out at the beach stage. The beer garden line was long and winding. The North Shore rock band was in fine form playing classics from "Sparks Off the Guardrail". As they played a cover of The Band's "Don't Do It", to their home crowd dancing on the sand,  a jumbo cruise ship floated by in the background, adding to the fatness
   
   It was great hearing some live Grateful Dead-inspired jamming in the open air and in West Vancouver, to boot. SSMB had resurfaced stronger than ever, with double drums and percussion. There was percussionist Franco Diligenti ( his brother Darren had joined my early band: "The Way", and was later followed by Adam, prior to the creation of Juice Co.)  and Geoff Hicks, who also played with "The Way" at the fabled Town Pump and jammed with "Juice Co."at Opto-Trist. They played alongside original stalwart-drummer Dean WaismanTom Taylor, Chad Chilibeck and David Hughes on the guitars were playing well and enjoying themselves. Of course, their sound would not be complete without Jordan on the keys. Hopefully, they play a lot more shows and the upcoming generation of West Van youth will tune into them, because they are a Canadian Classic and one of the better bands to come out of B.C. in the last few decades

       This double header goes to "She Stole", for sheer excitement level and crowd participation. AWB is also a Canadian Classic and may be holding down the most gigs on the North Shore per year, but SSMB proved they can still generate a sizeable crowd and get it moving.



Please feel free to tell some AWB or SSMB road tales in the comments section.

Friday 14 September 2012

Concert Double-header: Roger Waters' "The Wall" vs Tenacious D



Concert Double-Header: Roger Waters' "The Wall" vs Tenacious D

Roger Waters 2010-12-10 GM Place – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Roger Waters 2012-05-26 BC Place – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Tenacious D 2012-05-27 PNE Amphitheatre – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

   I'd seen Roger Waters perform decades earlier, at an outdoor venue, Expo Theatre, Vancouver in September of 1987. As the sun set, he played a few tunes from "The Wall" and other Floyd albums, as well as his solo stuff from the Radio K.A.O.S. tour.

   Those were the good old days and I was excited to be seeing the master of concept rock again with his legendary stage show over twenty years later. I ended up liking it so much the first time the Wall tour came round, I thought I'd go if the opportunity presented itself once they announced the returning show dates.
  
   The first time round, I was offered a last-minute ticket and went with a friend from the local music scene. He had a group of Floyd Heads with him. These guys had center-middle seats with a full, yet far, view of the massive stage. What they also had was a full buzz going. The cat at the end of the row, by the stairway, was rather drunk and getting into altercations with security and other concert goers behind him. This helped to keep the heat off us. We took advantage of the cover provided by our belligerent, red-faced cohort and stood up to dance.

   Seeing that production for the first time was truly awe inspiring. I've known every word to "The Wall" since I was old enough to sort through, and appreciate, my mom's record collection ( back around 1983 ) . Seeing those animated, retro-visuals, combined with the new lightshow magic, kept my cornea darting to and fro, while my feet and arms moved to the periodic moments of danceability. The show seemed to go on forever as we barked along with the songs and acted out lyrics at a safe distance from "The Wall" which would eventually come falling down
    
   That particular concert was one of my favourites. It was the 45th time he had performed the returning classic. It had the right combination of spectacle and substance. Roger and his band nailed it and seemed to be really enjoying themselves. With all its depressing imagery and lyrics about the atrocities of war, it was surprisingly fun and uplifting. I would go on to rave to my friends about the show and eventually return to it when it came back to Vancouver over a year later. 

   
   My second "Trip to The Wall" would be quite different, though. I ended up, this time, being generously given two seats up front ( fifth row ). I went with high school buddy and band-mate Gary the Bull-Ox who I knew would appreciate Roger's depressing brand of concept rock and sat in anticipation, watching a strange looking mannequin at the front of the stage.
    
   Next to me was a lady and her husband in their golden years. I started raving about how great the show was going to be and how she'd love it. All of a sudden the show began with Roger showering this humble effigy of a soldier with fake machine gun fire during the sinister sounding "In the Flesh". The lyrics got dark fast : " ...what's behInd these cold eyes...you'll just have to claw your way through thIs disguise." Then there came the perverted animation sequence during "Empty Spaces". Somehow, I'd forgotten about the endless parade of psychically disturbing images that "The Wall" has to offer. And how utterly depressing and shocking it really is. 
    
  Back, first time round, I was distracted by the rowdy revelry of the group I was with and stunned by the visual aspect of the stageshow and the construction and destruction of The Wall. There was less scrutiny at the back of GM Place and more room to move and dance. I dIdn't feel lIke I was in a p.o.w. camp with security marching back and forth. It was the opposite at  BC Place in the fifth row on the floor below the sides of "The Wall". 
   
   I suspected my neighbors weren't real Floyd Heads and more there out of curiosity and hoped they wouldn't mind my pontifications and interactions with the show. I always prefer to dance at shows, or at least have the option to. I recalled dancing quite a bit the first time I saw it, so I figured I'd be rocking out again. 
   
   Being up front actually made it hard to dance and participate because your involvement and approval implied agreement with Roger's twisted vision. Security was rabid as ever; pacing up and down, rousting anybody sticking out too far into the aisle, and escorting interlopers away I wasn't gettIng shut down for dancIng; I was shuttIng myself down from dancing. I had gotten too close to "The Wall". I'd seen it twice now, the magic was old and I knew the lyrics too well. 
   
   As the plot of "The Wall" unfolded, I found myself conflicted as a fan. I wanted to cheer on the band and raised my fist to pump it in the air just as images of nuclear explosions appeared. I quickly pulled my hand down, embarrassed to be apparently cheering mass destructionIt only got worse as Roger began his routine of turning the show into a twisted demonstration of how quickly fascism can take over crowds.  All this as security guards hassled concert goers that strayed in the aisles: sticking flashlights in their faces and trying to yell above the musicThe band was all dressed in black military outfits and singing of fascism, racism and crowd control. It was brilliantly done- the next thing you know you were in a concert steeped in paranoia and your every move became strangely symbolic. 

       You could compare it to watching The Stephen Colbert Report. Colbert does such a good job of acting right wing, that some may not notice how left wing the jokes actually are. In The Wall, Waters' redeeming message comes in a short brilliant burst at the very end, once the Wall crumbles and the band does a singalong. Until that time, it is bleak.

   "The Wall" compares the fervor and decadence of rock to the unchecked rise of dictators. It all makes sense, if you understand the themes and plot of "The Wall", but I worried for the unsuspecting elders beside me. What did they think of me as I danced to  the song 'Young Lust' ("ooooooh I need a dirty woman....ooooooh I need a dirty gal ") ? Did they wonder why I seemed to be singing along to "Waiting for the Worms", chanting "smash in their windows and kick in their doors"? 

   It felt wrong dancing to thIs band, all clad in black-leather, military-like outfits. Slowly but surely, I found myself sitting down instead of rocking. I was still enjoying watching Roger and the band and things in the lightshow I had missed the first time, but I was way more reserved. I kept seeing it through the eyes of the people next to me and felt like a bit of a freak for knowIng all the lyrIcs so well. I conclude that "The Wall" was not a gig to go to with your mother or your girlfriend; it was far too cynical. It's the all-time most depressing Rock Opera, without a doubt.

     Heading to the bathroom during intermission was insane. I've been to many shows and the lineup for the men's was the longest ever. Seeing all those men quietly shuffling in an orderly line seemed like a scene out of "Another brick in the wall". It was like we were off to the grinder. It was the biggest sausage-fest to hit BC Place since the last monster truck show.

   I've had decades to make sense of the meaning behind "The Wall". At it's core, it is anti-war with lyrics like "mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?". One particularly  effective moment was when the animation showed bomber planes dropping red logo-bombs. There was the Mercedes logo, Shell and Exxon, the hammer and sickle, American and Saudi logos. I was surprised at the pinpointing of powerful corporations and their involvement in war profiteering. I thought it was bold and fearless.

     What I couldn't understand, was how Roger could go through with this dark work every night for so long- to the point of returning to Vancouver with it. I was psychically weathered by all the negativity that pervades "The Wall", which I really started to dwell on, second time round. He's obviously making good money and has the show perfected but I hope he lays it to rest and cranks out something new. I have to hand it to him for exposing some really messed up problems with the human race that still continue. He tied in similarities between WWII and the modern-day war on terror through some pretty radical visuals. Hopefully, the show's message got through to some hardened hearts.

      The second show seemed anticlimactic. Roger was upset at the end, seemingly a bit unhappy with the amount of applause and saying that the crowd was great except for this one guy up front. It was probably someone yelling: "Pink Floyd!". Who knows? I'm sure a few people thought he was talking about them. Paranoia again!

    The very next day I was miracled a couple of tix to Tenacious D at the PNE outdoor Forum. I couldn't find anyone for the extra so I dropped it on a kid at the front gate who was stoked. Once inside I went down to the floor area and blended in to watch Jack Black and Kyle Gass do their hilarious rockin' brand of joke-rock. 


    The D did their famous bits: "Kyle quits the band" and "Tribute", their guitar-off with Satan. Black looked like he was in his element, enjoying the rock n' roll lifestyle and the great weather. The band played fiercely before the raucous crowd with a giant inflatable winged,demon-headed penis towering over them. I had to laugh at the end when it sagged and shriveled as the band took their bows. 

    The band was tight and heavy, performing characters from the Tenacious pantheon. Guitarist John Konesky was funny as Satan, when he accidentally fell backwards over his amplifier. Jack Black did some ad-lib comedy when he cracked" you $#$%ers don't realize how rare It is for you to see the Lord of Evil trip over his amplifier!! It happens, like, once in eternity! 

    It was amazing how different the two shows were. One was an epic masterpiece that left you spiritually crushed/revived and, the other, a rock show that made you laugh and holler. If I had to choose to see one again I'd have to go with Tenacious D because it was such a gas. Hopefully the jokes wouldn't get stale the second time round. Bottom line is: very few bands can be seen night after night. Most bands don't change their set lists night to night because they're expecting to play to a completely new crowd. 

     The Grateful Dead were the ultimate band to tour with because they changed their shows up each time. No show was ever remotely the same. The song list would change, segues would randomly happen and the solos and tempos of the songs would change as well. It was partly for that reason that many Deadheads collected tapes of shows and followed them around on extended tours - some even living on the road, selling wares to the crowd in the lot. Dylan, Hendrix, Zeppelin and Phish, also changed up their set-lists nightly. Keep it fresh! 

Who did I leave out? Think of bands that changed their set-lists every show and leave suggestions In the comments. Cheers, Str34mDwellr