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. 

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. 

Joe McIntyre at the Turner Hall Ballroom

Saturday night Lisa and I went downtown to the Turner Ballroom, right across from the Fiserv Forum, to see Joe McIntyre. This was the 3rd time I've seen him perform solo, and Lisa - I don't know if she can even count the times, given the cruise, the convention, etc. 

There was of course merchandise, and my lady bought - and looked great - in a t-shirt from the stand. 

This might be one of my favorite pictures of us, ever: 

This picture is from well before the show started. The main floor was sold out (400 seats if I heard the guard correctly), but the balcony, where we bought tickets, only sold 20 or 30 seats. I think that had to be by design, because what the heck otherwise? Yet why turn down revenue; tickets were being offered for $100 on the secondary market, so it isn't like the demand wasn't there. 

(even though Harley's 120th birthday party was in town) 

That pic too was well before the show but even so, we were front and center to the stage, had a table to ourselves, and best of all (hey, I'm almost 50!) there was a restroom only 25 feet away. It was like we lucked into a private suite LOL!

Now Joe, of course, is a member of New Kids on the Block, and idgaf if you like the group or not, as I do, but the point is moot at a Joe solo show. He performs a couple of NKOTB hits, some of his solo stuff, and covers.  He leans traditionally to the standards of the Rat Pack era, and included a few, but this time around it was largely covers of rock artists. 

He performed accompanied only by backing tracks and a single guitarist/pianist who also co-wrote a song Joe performed. 

I will not come up for excuses for his bright red sequin suit. 

 Turner Hall was built in 1882 and wears its age on its sleeve as a badge of honor. This includes netting to prevent any stray chunks of ceiling to crash into the crowd - something that Joe mentioned between songs, along with a few other friendly jabs to the appearance of the venue.  I don't believe it was said with anything other than affection; Joe is a sarcastic and blunt performer. Case in point: two women insisted on standing in front of the stage, in front of all 400 seats. He sarcastically called them out: "I appreciate you coming and standing there, but you know, you can see the same thing sitting in your seat"

It was a fun show, full of the talent and natural theatricality of Joe. Here's a setlist from a PRIOR show on the tour (none was available for this one yet.)

Like I said. A great show, a great time, a great night with a great woman!