Tag: live

music musings, music suggestion, song of the day, you tube

sotd: Jessie J – Who You Are

by duane • March 11, 2011 • 0 Comments

I already posted this on Facebook, but it is definitely worth another mention here as my song of the day. I love the message and the sincerity with which she sings this wonderfully beautiful song. I normally don’t feel live versions of things, but this is STELLAR, and sounds just as good as the studio version. I gave her album a listen, and wasn’t really feeling it for whatever reason, but I listened to it again tonight, and was blown away. Jessie J’s album, also called Who You Are, is pretty amazing overall; and as you can see by this video, this girl has some REAL talent.

This took place in a subway in NYC I tell you!!! Those were some lucky subway riders to get to experience this performance first hand. I cannot get enough of this song, and as I am glad I gave Jessie J’s album another go, because it is very, very good. This song is going into very heavy rotation for me as of NOW.

music musings, music suggestion, song of the day

sotd: City and Colour – Boiled Frogs

by duane • March 29, 2010 • 0 Comments

This was released not that long ago on iTunes, and any “new” material from City and Colour is always something to be excited about. This song is a “cover” of Alexisonfire’s song of the same name. I use quotations around cover, because it isn’t really a cover, so much as it is Dallas’ acoustic take on the song; and seeing as he’s in Alexisonfire, he isn’t really covering the song. Either way, it’s beautiful, and I love it, so I thought I would share it.

It’s weird that the video is out of focus, but the sound is great. If you loved the track as much as I did, buy it on iTunes and support the amazing City and Colour, won’t you!?

concerts, flickr, hotness, music musings, photography

Mat Kearney at Center Stage, October 16, 2009

by duane • November 3, 2009 • 0 Comments

Well, this is a definitely a few weeks overdue, but I have had good excuses: I have definitely been busy. But enough about that; let’s get to my Mat Kearney concert experience.

Overall, the concert was great. Mat sounds amazing live, and totally delivers in concert. He probably played all of his songs from his first album, as well as his new album (which is amazing, btw). I couldn’t have wished for a better performance.

I got a lot of great pictures of Mat, and even a few good ones of his crazy hot guitar player that was to the left of him; in fact, all of the backing band members were cute and bearded (which was definitely an added bonus). You can check out the whole set on flickr.

One cool thing that happened during his set, was when he was singing a song, and started to get down off of the stage to lean over and touch people’s hands: surprisingly, instead of just shaking hands and what not, he jumped off the stage into the crowd and ran right past us!! You could tell that no one was expecting it, because instead of rushing up to him, people just ran away from him. It was kind of funny, actually, because you would have expected the opposite. I managed to get a very paparazzi shot of the moment he was closest to me. Neat stuff indeed. I think it added to the whole concert, because he was clearly having fun because of the crowd. I did think that he was a bit cocky with expecting everyone to know the words to all of his songs, because near the end of the show, he pretty much just held up the microphone to the crowd for like 15 minutes. While that was a little annoying, it didn’t distract from how good the rest of the show was.

Since it was at a standing room only venue (Center Stage), I just knew that I would encounter some of those “we are entitled to walk to the front and stand in front of you because we are better people just because we are” people, and low and behold, about an hour into the show, they tried to push their way up in front of us. The best, though, was that they ended up in front of the people in front of me, and they were very vocal about their disapproval; they left after like 2 songs. I just don’t understand why people have that sense of entitlement. If you want to stand in the front, do like we did; get there early, and wait it out. If not, don’t complain when someone doesn’t want you to come up in front of them and stand there; we put in the time, so we deserve to be up front… you don’t. /rant

music musings, music suggestion, song of the day, you tube

sotd: Portishead – Roads

by duane • July 1, 2009 • 2 Comments

Sometimes, you come across a song that can only be described as purely brilliant, and utterly perfect. Roads, by Portishead is one of those songs.

I have been a huge fan of Portishead for many, many years, and I was more than pleased when they released a new album last year. While it was different from their previous material, it reinforced the simple fact that Portishead is still an innovative band, who is out there changing the face of music for the better. Roads is by far my favorite song of theirs, and it is one of those songs that seems perfectly poised for an intimate scene on the soundtrack of your life (which is why it fits so well on shows at the “right moment”). Additionally, it is one of those songs that really makes me appreciate good music, because it sets the bar so incredibly high with its arrangement, raw emotion, and overall brilliance.

I couldn’t post this video without commenting on how strikingly similar Beth Gibbons looks like a cross between Emma Thompson and Kristen Scott Thomas; it’s freaky, don’t you think!?!

music musings, music suggestion, song of the day, you tube

sotd: Robyn – Be Mine (live acoustic)

by duane • June 27, 2009 • 3 Comments

I gave it some thought, and I feel like the 5SF may introduce some great music to you guys, but every once and a while, I really want to focus on a particular song. So, every once and while, I’m going to do a post about a song of the day (sotd), and I hope that you will find it just as enjoyable (if not moreso) as the 5SF. It will also give me a chance to feature a song that I feel like deserves more than a one time posting in the 5SF; for you see, I don’t repeat songs in the 5SF, no matter how many times I play them on my ipod.

For the first sotd, I wanted to post this live, acoustic version of Robyn’s AMAZING song, Be Mine (h/t Arjan):

What an amazingly beautiful version of the song! I still remember the first time I heard Be Mine, and still to this day, it is a song that I truly love. A friend of mine gave me a copy of her fourth, self-titled album, and I instantly fell in love with it. At the time, it was an import, and it took like 3 more years for it to finally be released here in the US; and I had been enjoying it immensely that whole time. The whole album really highlights how incredibly talented Robyn is, and songs like Be Mine show the massive contribution she is giving to pop music. I can’t wait for a new album from her, and I hope that the wait isn’t too long.

concerts, flickr, music musings, music suggestion, photography

lady gaga @ center stage ATL 4/9/09

by duane • April 15, 2009 • 1 Comment

I finally finished sorting through the TONS of pictures that I took at Lady GaGa last week, so I am finally ready to do a post about the concert. First of all, I will start by saying that yes, it was amazing. Lady GaGa knows how to put on a show, as I witnessed the first time I saw her back in October of last year. However, this time, I got to see a full show, instead of just a few songs at an intimate venue.

I will say this; I have been to Center Stage MANY times. Most of the time, it is sold out. I have never, however, seen as many people there as I did the night of Lady GaGa. It was insane. Speaking of which, people need to be more respectful of others. You can’t save 5 seats. You can’t get all assholish when someone in the standing room only area accidentally bumps into you. People really need to learn how to be nicer. Anyway…

There were 3 (!!!) opening acts for Lady GaGa, and I really enjoyed Chester French (who I have featured on the 5SF in the past), and I also liked White Tie Affair (who’s CD was on my ipod, but I have never listened to it). After much anticipation, and some shuffling around trying to find a great place to watch the show from (IT WAS PACKED), the curtain fell, and Lady GaGa emerged from a funky looking set up in the middle of the stage. What followed was a full hour of costume changes, dance routines, and killer vocals from Lady GaGa. She completely delivers live, and she owned that stage like a seasoned professional.

A few songs into the show, she got more intimate, and put on her now famous bubbles outfit, and played a bubble filled piano. She played a new song, which I think is called Future Love, and it was, to quote the Lady herself, marvelous. It seems that Lady GaGa has a lot more great music to give us in the future.

Overall, the show was energetic, and the crowd was totally into her. I will admit that she is a bit “out there” with her fashion and her style, but I think that it makes her unique in that she isn’t afraid to be different, and do something funky. The result was a sold out show full of people clamoring for more of the newest, and biggest, pop diva to take hold of the reigns of pop music. I can say that I was really glad to see her again, and whenever she comes back to the ATL, you can bet that I will be there.

Check out the pictures on flickr.

concerts, flickr, music musings, music suggestion, photography

adele @ the variety, march 19, 2009

by duane • March 18, 2009 • 3 Comments

Last night, I had the distinct pleasure of seeing the amazing, two time 2009 Grammy winner, Adele, live and in concert. My friend Jason and I headed out to the show, and while I knew it was going to be good, I didn’t expect to be as amazing as it was.

First up, Kameron Corvet opened for her, and he was delightful. I loved his acoustic style, and he sings beautifully. I loved his cover of Little Red Corvette, and his set, while short, was impressive. This local artist definitely made some new fans last night. My only complaint, is that I wish he sang in his regular range more than he sings in falsetto, because his “regular” voice is beautiful. It has touches of John Legend and Michael Jackson to it, and is beautiful on its own without the need for too much falsetto.

After Kameron left the stage, it wasn’t long before the amazing Adele took the mic. While I was watching her perform, it was really difficult to believe that she is only 19 years old; she commanded that stage like a seasoned professional. She was so cute, and adorable in the way that she genuinely had a great time performing, and I love seeing someone who genuinely seems to be having a good time while they are performing. She giggled and laughed in between songs, waved to the audience, and proclaimed her gratitude for everyone coming out to see her; she seemed surprised that so many people knew who she was. She even told of how she acquired her “drag queen eyelashes” earlier that day in Little Five Points, as well as how much she enjoyed seeing Atlanta for the first time. I thought it was a bit strange that someone in the front held up a CD for her to sign, but she did sign it between songs, and was very sweet about it. Overall, she came across as a beautiful person as well as a beautiful singer.

One of the things that I like most about Adele, is her beautiful voice, and fantastic song writing skill. I love how she uses her voice more as an instrument, which takes her songs from being simply sung, to truly performed; which translated amazingly live. Also, she played both the guitar and the bass on several songs, and did so effortlessly.

It is rare that you see someone live who is arguably better than they are on their CD (even though, she is pitch perfect, and fantastic on her CD), and Adele definitely falls into this elite category. Her voice was flawless, and her live singing ability was very impressive. She has a powerful gift, and I feel privileged to have gotten the opportunity to see her in such an intimate venue. As I mentioned to Jason after the show, this is the reason I love going to concerts; sometimes, you have an opportunity to see a truly amazing artist who’s talent just blows you away. Adele’s performance was nothing short of amazing, and after seeing her live, I definitely consider her amongst my favorite singers. She played a bit of a new song last night as well, and it was beautiful; I can’t wait to hear more from this beautiful Brit. Overall, it was an amazing night, and an amazing performance, and I am glad that I was able to be a part of it.

(to see all of my pictures from the show, click here.)