The (Rained Out) Noah Kahan Concert at Alpine Valley

 Ok, so somehow, despite taking after me in many respects, Junie has abandoned that standard when it comes to concert going. I'm still not a big concert guy - and Lordy, there better be chairs! - but as a high schooler I saw ZERO shows. I was waaayy too anxiety ridden to go to one. Meanwhile, thirty years later, if you've so much as hummed a tune and she's heard it on Spotify, there goes Junie to see you in concert. 

The latest, back on July 13th, was songwriter/performer Noah Kahan at Alpine Valley. 

The cost of tickets was an issue for a long time, but eventually she and a friend purchased good, (expensive) seats on a payment plan and got ready for the show. 

She borrowed my car for the trip to Alpine Valley, a venue about 45 minutes to the southwest of Milwaukee, and while I had concerns with both the traffic and the parking situation there she did fine. 

Like I said, she had good seats, under the awning - that would come in handy later. 

Meanwhile Lisa and I were at home watching as a major storm rolled into that area. A co-worker of mine was at the concert (but only *lawn* seats, hmph. What do you expect from a lawyer? It's not like he has the resources of a teenage girl!). Soon he reported that the lawn seats were being ordered to evacuate, but that most people weren't budging from their hard earned spots. 

Junie texted to say that she was being ordered to shelfter in place, as was everyone under the canopy. She was scared, and I daresay with reason. The threat of a tornado was on a lot of minds. 

I should mention by the way, that Alpine Valley had pathetic cell and wifi reception, leaving many concert goers without accurate information or means of contacting loved ones. I mean, it wasn't a national tragedy, but yikes. 

I think we got word at home - via Instagram - of the concerts postponement at pretty much the same time anyone at the venue did; maybe even sooner. 

The thought of Junie getting out of that parking lot in under four hours, and doing it in the middle of a storm, just didn't compute. They ran to the car, and as luck would have it, because they got there quite late (relatively speaking) the car was near the exit and so they got out before most poeple even started rolling. 

They got home safe, which is what matters, and the concert was rescheduled, albeit for September 11th, which is little more of a jinx if you ask me. In the meantime, she had some fun with all the memes and posts about the mess. 

Fresh Coast Jazz Festival 2024

LuLu graciously agreed to go with me to the Pabst Theater to attend the final day of the 2024 Fresh Coast Jazz Festival. If you were expecting mellow sounds and a prim and proper crowd, you were mistaken - the joint was jumping. 

Heck, there was even an obnoxious legally blind woman that security randomly sat in front of us, and who then turned on the flashlight on her phone and began a long, loud Facetime call with her man. We moved to different seats before I got to the point where I grabbed her phone and tossed it off  the balcony. 

 

Up first was Aussie Andrea Lisa, whose voice and guitar work were superb. 

Then Lemek and Quintin Gerrard W, a father/son combo, took the stage. They were great, but of the three acts we saw, were our least favorite. 

Finally, the headliner! The incomparable Boney James!!! 

How was Boney? Let me quote a guy I overheard in the stairwell on the way out. 

"Boney James don't owe me nutthin.' That man gave me what I paid for," 

It might go down as my favorite compliment of anyone, EVER. 

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience

As Led Zeppelin disbanded after John Bonham's death in 1980, when I was six, I've never had a chance to see the band in concert. My closest brush with Zeppelin? Meeting Jimmy Page in 2003. But I'd long remained aware of Bonham's son Jason, who not only went on to forge his own name in rock but filled in expertly at the sole LZ reunion show in 2007. When I saw his LZ tribute band was coming to Milwaukee, I had to get tickets. 

As my friend Tre has a leg problem we were "upgraded" to handicapped seating in the balcony. The venue quickly began to fill with a crowd my age and slightly older, with maybe a fifth of the seats by 20 and 30 something year olds. 

My view was great but as normal here in 2023 camera phone zoom sucks. But here's some pics I took: 

The pics that follow were taken by the Rave's official event photographer. 

You may note that the guitarist, while Asian, bears more than a passing resemblance to Jimmy Page. His name is Akio Sakurai, a man so famous for his dedication to Page's work that there's an entire movie about him (Mr. Jimmy). I must say his playing is *phenomenal*, far, far about whatever I had anticipated. 

That goes for the band as a whole too. I didn't doubt Bonham's ability, but I had expected him to be surrounded by a collection of B list musicians. Not so. Song after song, the band nailed it, not merely copying Led Zeppelin but playing tight, wonderfully adept versions of their catalog. I think, having heard it with my own ears, that they were A BAND of their own that just happen to be devoted to the music of another. 

My heart bled for Jason Bonham too, as he told the audience of losing his Dad at 14, and how he was ashamed that he had been so embarrassed by him during his lifetime. "Why?," he said, "because he was they guy on the news who threw a telly out hotel windows? How foolish of me. He was John Bonham, the best drummer in the world, playing in the best band in the world, and he was my Dad."

Yo, I'm the guy in the white and orange shirt circled below!

A great time, and a great show! I'd love to see them again!

Smells Like Nirvana

On Friday, July 28th, Tre and I went to see a Nirvana tribute band, Smells Like Nirvana, play at The Back Room theater the Collectivo Coffee on Prospect Ave. 

The "opening act" for the group was the group themselves, performing original songs under the band name Dead Original. 

I really enjoyed that set. I thought their songs had a great grunge vibe with just enough of a  modern influence to be relevant. It was good enough for me to buy their CD during the intermission. 

I was less impressed by the Nirvana set. The music was fine, but it was hopelessly interrupted by tech issues. The guitar kept falling out tune. The bassist's wireless transmitter failed, then something happened to the amp, and the bass. . . kudos to the band for improvising and filling the awkward delays, but man, what a mess. 

I think it would have been better too had they stuck to a firm set list instead of fulfilling audience requests. And "Rape Me," really? 

It's got a good hook, but even back in '93 I felt it was offensive song and a woefully ignorant lyric of Kurt's. To hear a crowd that included more than one group of young teens sing out "Rape Me" in 2023 . . . nah man.  Pass. 

But overall, it worked well. It's probably as close as I'll ever get to hearing Nirvana live, and I enjoyed it very much.