The Set List

Set List: The Eagles, Atlanta 2008

On the heels of U.K. dates and their performance at Stagecoach, the Eagles opened their U.S. tour in in Alpharetta, Ga., outside Atlanta. At the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park on May 14 the performed a show that ventured close to three and a half hours.
Kick-off of the "Road to Eden" tour saw the Eagles playing:

How Long / Too Busy Being Fabulous / I  Don’t Want To Hear Anymore / Guilty Of The Crime / Hotel California / Peaceful Easy Feeling / I Can't Tell You Why / Witchy Woman / Lyin' Eyes / Boys of Summer / In the City / Long Run / No More Walks In The Woods / Waiting in the Weeds / No More Cloudy Days / Love Will Keep Us Alive / Take It To The Limit / Long Road Out of Eden / Somebody /  Walk Away / One Of These Nights / Life’s Been Good / Dirty Laundry / Funk 49 / Heartache Tonight / Life in the Fast Lane / Rocky Mountain Way / All She Wants To Do Is Dance / Take It Easy / Desperado

Special thanks to Jonathan Beacher for reporting.

Set List: Tom Waits, New York, 1977

Anticipation of the upcoming Waits tour takes me back to October 1977. Beacon Theater. New York City. The show that got me completely hooked on Tom Waits after seeing him at a benefit in Philadelphia and at the Bottom Line the year before.
Not sure exactly what Waits played that night at the Beacon - he did open with the Dean Martin classic "Standing on the Corner " - but at My Father's Place on Long Island on Oct. 10, 1977, he played:
Standing On the Corner Watching / I Never Talk to Strangers / Pasties & a G-string / Invitation to the Blues>Eggs & Sausage / Depot Depot / Jitterbug Boy / Step Right Up / I I Wish I was in New Orleans / Small Change / The Piano Has Been Drinking / Emotional Weather Report / Muriel / Jack & Neal / Tom Traubert's Blues

Set List: Radiohead, W. Palm Beach, Fla., 2008

Radiohead opened their US. tour at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday. They played:
All I Need / Bodysnatchers  / There There / Reckoner / The Gloaming / Morning Bell / Nude / How To Disappear Completely / 15 Step / Weird Fishes>Arpeggi / Idioteque / Bulletproof…I Wish I Was / Where I End And You Begin / Airbag / Everything In Its Right Place / The National Anthem / Videotape / Optimistic
/ Just / Faust Arp / Exit Music (for a film)  / Bangers + Mash / House of Cards / Street Spirit
The Reviews:
Rolling Stone
Pitchfork
Palm Beach Post
New York Times

Set List: Alicia Keys, Los Angeles 2008

Richard Cromelin of the L.A. Times wrote a spot-on review of Alicia Keys' concert in Orange County; I reviewed the Monday show at Staples Center, the ninth date in her 30-city tour. It appears Keys is pretty much sticking to the same set each night with only slight variations. According to my notes scribbled during the L.A. show, she played:

Ghetto Story / Waiting for Your Love / Where Do We Go From Here / You Don't Know My Name / Teenage Love Affair / Lady Marmalade (backup singers only) /  Heart Burn /   Sure Looks Good to Me / How Come You Don't Call Me / Butterflies /  Goodbye / Prelude to a Kiss / Superwoman / I Need You / Diary / Tender Love /  Unbreakable / Like You'll Never See Me Again / A Woman's Worth / Karma / The Thing About Love / Fallin'>It's a Man's, Man's Man's World / No One / If I Ain't Got You /

Set List: Eric Clapton, Tampa, Fla., 2008

Does Eric Clapton miss the days of Derek and the Dominos? He kicked off his U.S. tour Saturday in Tampa, Fla., with a set that leaned more heavily on "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" than any other album in his storied career.   
Some of it might owe to his band  - Doyle Bramhall II on guitar, Chris Stainton on keyboards and Pino Palladino on bass - as well as the spirit of the opening act, Robert Randolph and the Family Band.
At the Ford Amphitheater on May 3, Clapton played:
Tell The Truth /  Key To The Highway / Hoochie Coochie Man / Little Wing /  Double Trouble /  Don't Knock My Love / Outside Woman Blues / Nobody Knows You / Rockin' Chair / Motherless Child /  Traveling Riverside Blues / Running On Faith / Motherless Children /  Little Queen of Spades / Before You Accuse Me / Wonderful Tonight / Layla /  Cocaine /  Crossroads (with Robert Randolph)

Billy Joel's Biggest Hit Gets An Expanded Push To Celebrate Its 30th Anniversary

Bagging on Billy Joel used to be a fun sport and I practiced it as much as the next guy in the 1970s. All these years later I still don't understand the appeal of the music or the persona.
Legacy, the catalog division of Sony, differs in their opinion, believing you can never have enough of "The Stranger," the album that instantly put "Just the Way You Are" into the wedding band canon 30 years ago and made us jokesters wonder if "she" is not "always a woman," what gender is she. Album sold more than 10 million copies, but only reached No. 2 on the album chart.
There will be two packages of "The Stranger - 30th Anniversary" released on July 8. One is two CDs; the also includes a DVD of Joel's appearances on the U.K.'s "Old Grey Whistle Test" and a 48-page booklet.
Both editions will include a CD of a previously unreleased concert featuring Joel and his band at Carnegie Hall on June 3, 1977. Bonus package includes a DVD with two live promotional videos from "The Stranger" and his 60 minute 1978 appearance on the BBC2's "Old Grey Whistle Test."
Set list from the Carnegie Hall show:
Intro /  Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
/ Prelude>Angry Young Man / New York State Of Mind / Just The Way You Are / She's Got A Way / The Entertainer / Scenes From An Italian Restaurant / Captain Jack / I've Loved These Days / Say Goodbye To Hollywood / Souvenir
A decade later, Joel was the first American allowed to perform in Russia. At Olympic Stadium in Moscow on July 27, 1987, he performed:
Prelude>Angry Young Man / Honesty / The Ballad Of Billy The Kid / She's Always A Woman /  Scenes From An Italian Restaurant / Allentown / Goodnight Saigon / Stiletto / Big Man On Mulberry Street / Baby Grand / An Innocent Man / The Longest Time

Set List: Tom Petty/Mudcrutch, West Hollywood 2008

Mudcrutch, the country-rock band bassist-singer Tom Petty and lead guitarist Mike Campbell brought to L.A. from Gainesville, Fla., almost 35 years ago, is celebrating its reunion with a string of six shows at West Hollywood's Troubadour. Back then they released all of one single.
Now, with Heartbreaker Benmont Tench along for the ride with drummer Randall Marsh and guitarist-singer Tom Leadon, their songbook includes 10 originals, a couple of adaptations of traditional tunes and covers of tunes by Bob Dyan, Bill Monroe, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roger McGuinn and Eddie Cochran. None of the early Mudcrutch tunes, which include "Don't Do Me Like That," made it into Monday's set.
Thirty three years after they broke up - and the day before their debut was released by Reprise - Mudcrutch performed:
Shady Grove / Orphan of the Storm / Six Days on the Road / Scare Easy / Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) / This is a Good Street / Lover of the Bayou / Queen of the Go-Go Girls / Oh Maria / Summertime Blues / June Apple / House of Stone / Love Please Come Home / Crystal River / The Wrong Thing to Do / Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 / High School Confidential

Coachella Day Two: Prince

“Coachella! I am here!” So began the 2-hour closing set of the second day of Coachella. This speaker was, of course, Prince. The rock icon was a late addition to the lineup and many are crediting the addition with lifting a mediocre lineup to something more in-line with previous editions’ headliners. And rumor has it, the artist is taking home a paycheck well into the seven figures. Whatever the case, Prince came to party, and party he did. If Coachella had a roof, it would’ve been blown clean off.

It started out strangely, as Prince used his chance to headline a massive event by bringing out some old friends to perform. Morris Day (of the newly reunited The Time) and his sidekick Jerome played two Prince-penned ‘80s hits and offered some “Purple Rain” schtick while Prince playfully hid behind some amps. Former Prince protégé Sheila E. then took to the drums for her hit song “The Glamorous Life” (also a Prince composition) and a short solo. The band consisted of mostly new faces (some of whom played with him at his 2007 shows), including a five-piece horn section and three female backup singers. No Maceo Parker or Wendy and Lisa. Up to this point in the show, the crowd seemed confused, even a little agitated with the supporting role that Prince was playing.

Any fears of a phoned-in performance were allayed as soon as the opening bars to “1999” were heard. Starting with that classic tune, the diminutive pop star burned through a dozen songs, mostly sticking to the hits and all but ignoring his post-millennial work. There were some surprises too, including two leftfield cover choices. For months before the Coachella lineup was solidified, rumors were rampant that Radiohead would play. They aren’t, of course, but in a nod to Tom Yorke and co., Prince did a faithful rendition of the U.K. band’s first hit, “Creep.” Covers of pop songs have never been Prince’s strong suit (he’s covered, among others, Sheryl Crow, Joan Osborne and Led Zeppelin), but “Creep” was suitably royal in this version. Later, worked as a medley with “7,” Prince tackled another sacred rock text -- the Beatles’ “Come Together” (there were many a Beatles cover this weekend).

Never completely comfortable with hip-hop (remember Tony M.?), Prince performed an awkward rap about the evils of corporate record companies during an extended take on “Musicology.” He didn't play any of his custom made guitars, opting instead for a pair of worn Telecasters and two slightly newer-looking Strats.

The 1 a.m. encore included two familiar standbys: "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy." He left the starstruck crowd with this: "From now on, this is PRINCE'S HOUSE!" No arguments there. Coachella may never be the same.

Prince's complete Coachella Set List:

The Bird (performed by Morris Day) / Jungle Love (performed by Morris Day) /  Glamorous Life (performed by Sheila E.) / Instrumental Jam / 1999 / I Feel For U / Controversy (with snippet of “Housequake”) / Little Red Corvette / Musicology / Cream / U Got the Look / Shh / Anotherloverholeinyourhead / Creep (Radiohead cover) / The Arms of an Angel (Sarah McLachlan cover performed by backup singers) / 7 --> Come Together (Beatles Cover) / Purple Rain / Let's Go Crazy

Check out all of Variety's coverage at www.variety.com/coachella

Posted by David Lewis

Coachella Day One: The Raconteurs

Every record executive in the world should want an artist like Jack White on their label. Whether with the White Stripes or the Raconteurs, White is a fiery, passionate and inventive performer, approaching a show with a life or death commitment. He's the type who makes audiences believe in rock 'n' roll and there just are not enough of his type around anymore.
The Raconteurs demonstrated how to command a large stage with nothing more than performance and material; its was gritty and intense, paced impeccably and balanced between nuanced hard rock and modern extensions of the blues. It was a set that should be remembered for years.

The Raconteurs' set list (or so my notes say):
Consoler of the Lonely / You Don't Understand me / Top Yourself / Old Enough / Yellow Sun / Blue Veins / Level / Attention / Hands / Many Shades of Black / Salute Your Solution / Steady as She Goes / Rich Kid Blues / Carolina Drama

• Coachella photos

Set List: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Louisville 2008

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss started their Raising Sand tour in Louisville, Ky., on Sunday. Performances at the Palace Theater were deemed flawless by a local reviewer. Backed by T-Bone Burnett, Buddy Miller, Dennis Crouch and Stuart Duncan, the duo performed:

Rich Woman / Leave My Woman Alone / Black Dog / Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us / Through the Morning, Through the Night / Fortune Teller / Black Country Woman / Hey Hey What Can I Do / The Rat Age (Burnett) / Bon Temps Rouler (Burnett) / Trampled Rose / Green Pastures / Down To The River To Pray / Nothin’ / Killing the Blues / Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson / When the Levee Breaks / The Battle of Evermore / Please Read The Letter / Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) /  Instrumental / Stick With Me Baby / One Woman Man / Your Long Journey

Set List: Van Morrison, San Francisco, 1974

In honor of Van Morrison securing his first top 10 album, we look back to a prime period for the Belfast Cowboy on the concert stage. Band had Jack Schroer on sax and David Hayes playing bass; "It's Too Late to Stop Now" had quickly earned a place as one of the greatest live albums ever; and  Morrison, then and now, rock 'n' roll's finest singer, was insisting he was a jazz singer and his current release, "hard Nose the Highway," was proof. Thankfully he did not stick to his guns on that last one. 
At Winterland on Feb. 2, 1974, Morrison played:
Ballerina / Streets of Arklow / Just Liek a Woman / Try for Sleep / Into the Mystic / I Just Want to Make Love to You / Moondance /These Dreams of You / Listen to the Lion / Wonderful Remark / Warm Love / Help Me / Here Comes the Night / Gloria / Caravan>You Don't Pull No Punches / Cyprus Avenue

Set List: Counting Crows, Los Angeles 2008

During the Q&A portion of a shoot for a Yahoo! video concert,  Adam Duritz shared his fondness for Miles Davis, Rhino's 1970s punk box set "No Thanks!" and the string arrangements Vince Mendoza wrote for their performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He actually joked around a bit as well.
Band is out promoting new album "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings," for which All Music Guide is giving a thorough explanation in its enthusiastic review.
Counting Crows will be at the L.A. Apple Store Thursday; perform in Europe from late May to early July and then start a tour with Maroon 5 on July 25 in Virginia. Monday's Nissan Live Sets concert can be seen here beginning April 15. 
The Monday show found Counting Crows performing:
Round Here > Have You Seen Me Lately / Hanging Tree / If I Could Give All My Love (Richard Manuel is Dead) / Cowboys / Washington Square /  All My Friends / When I Dream of Michelangelo / Insignificant / Long December / Colorblind

Set List: Dolly Parton, Los Angeles 2008

Dolly Parton got her promotional duties started on Friday with with a lunchtime appearance  at the House of Blues to discuss "9 to 5: The Musical," which will debut in L.A. at the Ahmanson.  At night, Parton drove up Sunset to the Roxy to deliver a half-hour set for radio contest winners celebrating the first anniversary of KKGO. Parton and her 11-piece band delivered the classics and the new tunes with aplomb. This week she will appear on "American Idol."
On March 28 Parton performed:
Better Get to Livin' / 9 to 5 / Backwoods Barbie / Jolene / I Will Always Love You / Jesus & Gravity

George Michael By The Numbers

It has been a long time since we have had an opportunity to watch George Michael perform in American venues where tickets are sold. Let's break down his "25 Live" U.S. run slated for this summer.
DATES ON SUMMER TOUR: 22
YEARS SINCE HE LAST TOURED THE U.S.: 17
YEARS SINCE THE BEVERLY HILLS ARREST: 10
TOP TICKET IN ST. PAUL, MINN.: $175
AGE: 44
'25 LIVE' SHOWS IN EUROPE: 80
WHY '25'?: Years in show business as of 2006 when the tour started
LAST TIME I SAW HIM PERFORM: 16 years, four months ago
DAYS UNTIL L.A. FORUM CONCERT: 92
NEXT RELEASE: "Twenty-Five," a hits compilation
LAST HITS COMPILATION: "Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael," released November 1998
ALBUMS RELEASED BETWEEN THE TWO COMPILATIONS: Two
OVERLAP BETWEEN COMPILATIONS: 12 songs
SET LIST FROM BARCELONA, SPAIN (Tour opener on Sept. 23, 2006): Flawless / Fast Love / Father Figure / Star People /  First Time Ever I Saw Your Face / Praying for Time / Too Funky / You Have Been Loved / Everything She Wants / My Mother Had a Brother /  Shoot the Dog / Faith / Spinning the Wheel / Jesus to a Child / An Easier Affair / A Different Corner / Amazing / Too Funky (reprise) / I'm Your Man / Outside / Careless Whisper / Freedom 90

Set List: Van Morrison, Austin, Texas 2008

The day before Van Morrison was to make his first-ever appearance at SXSW, he delivered a set heavy on tracks from his album due April 1 from Lost Highway, “Keep It Simple.” Some might argue – and I am sure plenty of car discussions on the way home involved this – that a concert with prices of $250 and $150 for orchestra seats deserved a heavy dose of the familiar.
Not so with VanMo. The Belfast Cowboy delivered seven or eight tunes from “Keep It Simple” in his encore-free show March 11 at the Austin Music Hall and beyond “Moondance” and “Bright Side of the Road,” Morrison stuck with tracks from his recent country and jazz discs. He did however, play more alto sax than usual and his voice was spot on.
The set: 

This Love of Mine / Can You Dig It / Playhouse / Magic Time / Moondance / I Can’t Stop Loving You / How Can  Poor Boy / That’s Entrainment / Keep It Simple / School of Hard Knocks / No Thing / Professional Jealousy / Don’t Go to Nightclubs Anymore / End of the Land / Bright Side of the Road / St. James Infirmary / Behind the Ritual

Set List: Bette Midler, Las Vegas, 2008

Bette Midler officially opened her first Las Vegas residency Friday night at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The full review is here.  "The Showgirl Must Go On," with about 100 performances per year on tap, finds Midler performing the following:
The Showgirl Must Go On /  In the Mood / The Rose / Do You Want To Dance / From a Distance / My Kind of Town / Dolores Delago disco parody medley / It's Now or Never / (Interlude) Also Sprach Zarathustra / Medley: Viva Las Vegas>Luck Be a Lady>Blue Hawaii>My Way>My Kind of Town / Hello in There / When a Man Loves a Woman / Pretty Legs and  Big Knockers / Glory of Love / Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy / Wind Beneath My Wings

Set List: Steve Winwood & Eric Clapton, New York 2008

On Monday, Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton performed the first of three nights at Madison Square Garden, opening with a classic from their short-lived supergroup Blind Faith. BF and Traffic dominated the set list and included a mystery tune called "Low Down."
Rolling Stone has a review of their performance of:

Had To Cry Today / Low Down / Forever Man /  Them Changes / Sleeping In The Ground / Presence Of The Lord / Glad>Well Alright /  Double Trouble / Pearly Queen / Tell The Truth /  No Face / After Midnight / Split Decision /  Ramblin On My Mind (EC solo acoustic) / Georgia On My Mind (SW solo) / Little Wing / Voodoo Chile / Can't Find My Way Home / Dear Mr Fantasy / Crossroads

Set List: Los Lobos, Boston, 1984

Preparing for Los Lobos's performance at UCLA's Royce Hall Friday - split down the middle between acoustic and electric - sent me venturing down memory lane to a time when I had no money, no children and an insatiable appetite for their EP "...And a Time to Dance." Must have played that thing a few times each day for three months, struck by the energy, innocence and simplicity. It has stood the test of time.
First time I caught the band was July 12, 1984 at the Rat in Boston. They played:
I Got to Let You Know / Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio / Our Last Night / Come On Let's Go / We're Gonna Rock / Let's Say Goodnight / Los Ojos de Pancha / How Much Can I Do? / Soul Twist / A Matter of Time / Evangeline / My Little Suzie / Walking Song / Volver, Volver / Anselma / I Got Loaded / Farmer John / Don't Worry Baby / Buzz Buzz Buzz / 300 Pounds of Heavenly Joy>Whatever Shape Your Stomach’s In jam>La Bamba / Why Do You Do? / Sleep Walk / Serenata Norteña / I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday

Set List: Garth Brooks, Los Angeles, 2008

Garth Brooks started his first of five shows in two days at L.A.'s Staples Center right on time for CBS's live broadcast to all but the West Coast. Raising money for firefighters, Brooks did 12 tunes in the first hour - we were led to believe "Two of a Kind" and "Beaches of Cheyenne" were not aired - and then another 30 minutes before closing out with a 30 minute encore that included his performance, solo, of songs written by his heroes.
Going in to the show, Brooks had already raised $5 million for the firefighters' fund.
Brooks performed at the 6 p.m. show  on Jan. 25:

The Thunder Rolls / Callin' Baton Rouge / Rodeo / More Than a Memory / We Shall Be Free / Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House / Beaches of Cheyenne / Papa Loved Mama / In Another's Eyes (with Trisha Yearwood)  / Two Pina Coladas / Workin For a Livin' (with Huey Lewis)  /Friends in Low Places / Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) / The River / The Fever / That Summer / The Dance / Ain't Goin' Down ('Til The Sun Comes Up)  / Unanswered Prayers / Medley: Fire & Rain>Amarillo by Morning>Ten Feet Away>Night Moves>Piano Man>American Pie

On Saturday he did the most of the same songs, using "Chase" instead of "Workin' For a Livin'" and "Mama Tried" and two Jim Croce tunes instead of the medley that ended with "American Pie." The order, though, was more to his liking and made for a better concert.

Set List: Ringo Starr, West Hollywood, Calif., 2008

Ringo Starr's promotional tour for his fine new album "Liverpool 8" continued Friday with a four-song concert at the L.A. House of Blues for a collection of contest winners. Starr has Dave Stewart heading up his band and the eye- and ear-catching violinist Ann Marie Calhoun giving Ringo's act a touch it has had in the "All-Starr" incarnations. Show was webcast at Starr's site.
On Jan. 25, Starr and his seven-piece band performed:
Photograph / Liverpool 8 / Boys (with Ringo on drums) / With a Little Help From My Friends

Set List: U2 3D

Shot in Mexico City, Santiago, Chile, Buenos Aires and Melbourne, Australia, U2 performs 15 tunes in "U2 3D," which opens Jan. 25 after premiering at Sundance. Songs performed in the G-rated, 85-minute film, which boasts some impressive uses of 3D technology, are:

Vertigo / New Year's Day / Beautiful Day / Sometimes You Can't Make It On You Own / Love and Peace / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Bullet the Blue Sky / Miss Sarajevo / U.N. Declaration of Human Rights / Pride (In the Name of Love) / Where the Streets Have No Name / One / The Fly / With or Without You / Yahweh

Set List: Kinks, San Francisco, 1977

Still salivating over the possibility of a Kinks reunion, let's rewind the clock 30 years to a San Francisco show held right after the release of their first album for Arista, "Sleepwaker," and just a  few months before Ray Davies announced his retirement - for the second time.
On Feb. 19, 1977 at Winterland, the Kinks (Ray & Dave Davies, Andy Pyle, John Gosling, Mick Avory, Nick Newell) played:
One of the Survivors / Sleepwalker / Rush Hour Blues / You Make It All Worthwhile / Banana Boat Song / A Well Respected Man / Sunny Afternoon / Waterloo Sunset / Celluloid Heroes / Schooldays /The Hard Way / Education / Brother / Stormy Sky / Life Goes On / Full Moon / Lola / Alcohol / You Really Got Me / All Day and All of the Night / Life on the Road / Victoria

Neil Young's New York Journey Takes Him Back to High School

Four nights into Neil Young's New York City run at the United Palace and he appears to be sticking to the same basic set list he has used on most of the tour, save for a few surprises each night.
He pulled out his biggest curio Sunday when he performed "The Sultan," a local hit by his Canadian high school band the Squires.
Rather than obscurities, each night has seen an old hit or two make the set list: "Old Man" and "Heart Of Gold" were performed on night one,"Cowgirl In The Sand" and "After The Gold Rush" on night two, and "Don't Let It Bring You Down" on night four. "Cortez the Killer" has cropped up as well.
According to the website Sugar Mountain, Young performed a tune called "Try," a song so obscure it doesn't even appear on one of the most in-depth Young song lists.
Young closes out his run at the United Palace tonight (Tuesday) and Wednesday.

Set List: Led Zeppelin, London, 2007

At Led Zeppelin's first reunion gig in 27 years, Robert Plant dedicated "Whole Lotta Love" to Ahmet Ertegun, noted that "Trampled Under Foot" was his Jimmy Page's attempt to sound like Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues" and provided no clues as to whether Led Zep will take the stage again, like on a  tour of the States.
Variety's Steve Clarke reports that Led Zeppelin, with Jason Bonham on drums, performed the following Monday at London's O2 Arena:

Good Times Bad Times / Ramble On / Black Dog / In My Time Of Dying / Your Life / Trampled Under Foot / Nobody's Fault But Mine / No Quarter / Since I've Been Loving yOu / Dazed and Confused / Stairway to Heaven / The Song Remains the Same / Misty Mountain Hop / Kashmir / Whole Lotta Love / Rock and Roll

Set List: Amy Winehouse, Minneapolis, 2007

In honor of Amy Winehouse nabbing six Grammy nominations, we will return to the days before she was married, when she didn't appear to have any scars and when she wasn't afraid to take the stage and let it rip for 45 minutes or an hour. At SXSW she was a hot and ferocious presence, tough as nails and yet so very gentle. That spring tour was mostly shows like the one she did on May 2 in Minneapolis at the Varsity Theater where she played:
Addicted / Just Friends / Cherry / Back to Black / Wake Up Alone / Tears Dry on Their Own / He Can Only Hold Her / Fuck Me Pumps / You Know I’m No Good / Me and Mr. Jones
/ Rehab / Love Is a Losing Game / Valerie

Set List: Spice Girls, Vancouver, 2007

The Spice Girls opened their reunion tour Sunday at the GM Place in Vancouver, B.C. A reviewer for the CanWest News Service wrote that the highlights were "Mama" and "Wannabe"; Daily Swarm created a compendium of reviews. No one noted if Posh ever smiled.
Their set list:
Spice Up Your Life / Stop / Say You’ll Be There / Headlines (Friendship Never Ends) / Lady Is A Vamp
/ Too Much / 2 Become 1 / Who Do You Think You Are (featuring Victoria) / Are You Gonna Go My Way (featuring Mel B) / Maybe (featuring Emma) / Viva Forever / Holler / It’s Raining Men (featuring Geri) / I Turn To You (featuring Melanie) / Let Love Lead The Way / Mama / Celebration Medley / Goodbye / Humpty Dance (Dance Segue) / If U Can’t Dance / Wannabe
/ Spice Up Your Life

Set List: James Taylor & Carole King, Troubadour, 2007

Memory lane was packed at the Troubadour Wednesday as every audience member journeyed to a time and a place where a  tune or six from Carole King and James Taylor had touched their lives. Personally, it was a journey back to the sixth and seventh grade, when King's "Tapestry" was a smash hit in everybody's house and Taylor's two Warner Bros. albums - not to mention his Apple debut - were undiscovered treasures that, little did I know, were the seedlings of a desire to be surrounded by intelligent, touching songs.
Taylor was the singer-songwriter who arrived fully formed and unburdened by any '60s baggage. He was a true '70s figure, disillusioned and questioning, wondering if a simpler life isn't a better life. His songs continue to limn the human condition; the evening was a perfect give-and-take beween Taylor and King until they finished with his oh-so-bubbly arrangement of "Up On The Roof." Then I remembered why I lost  interest.
The full review is here.
Backed by the band they used on those early albums - Russ Kunkel, Danny Kortchmar and Lee Sklar - James Taylor and Carole ventured back to a handful of shows they performed together nearly 40 years ago in the club.
For their first set Wednesday at the West Hollywood club they performed:
Blossom  / So Far Away / Machine Gun Kelly / Carolina in My Mind / It's Too Late / Smackwater Jack / Something in the Way She Moves / Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow / Country Road / (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman / Fire and Rain / Sweet Baby James / Steamroller Blues / I Feel the Earth Move / You've Got a Friend / Up On the Roof   

Set List: Garth Brooks, Kansas City, Mo., 2007

As Garth Brooks prepares for his ninth and final show from Kansas City's new Sprint Center, which will be beamed into 300 theaters around the country Wednesday, its time to look at how he has been filling his set lists.
There have been 29 songs performed over the eight nights, not counting his medley of others' hits that can be as short four tunes and as many as a dozen.His shortest show was 20 songs.
The songs that have made it into every show are: "The Fever," "Two of a Kind (Workin’ on a Full House)," "The Thunder Rolls," "We Shall Be Free," "Unanswered Prayers," "The River," "Papa Loved Mama," "The Beaches of Cheyenne," "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damned Old)," "Callin’ Baton Rouge," "Friends in Low Places" and "The Dance."
"When You Come Back to Me Again" and "American Honky-Tonk Bar Association" have been played only once each; he has done a duet with his wife Trisha Yearwood on "In Another’s Eyes" on four of the nights;  twice he has performed  his version of Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love."
Each night he has opened with "The Fever" and usually ends with "The Dance." His encore most nights includes a medley of rock and country standards. The medley has included George Jones' "She Thinks I Still Care," Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried," Paul Simon's "Mrs. Robinson," Cat Stevens' "Wild World," Billy Joel's "Piano Man," Bob Seger's "Turn the Page" and "Night Moves," George Strait's "Amarillo By Morning," Randy Travis' "1982," Keith Whiteley's "Ten Feet Away," "James Taylor's "Fire and Rain," Dave Loggins' "Please Come to Boston" and Don McLean's "American Pie."
The Kansas City Star has been reviewing each night's show, differentiating between the family affair and the rowdy show.

Set List: John Fogerty, New York, 2007

John Fogerty opened his fall-winter tour Friday in New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Touring in support of his fabulous new album, "Revival," eight songs from the disc made it into the show with 16 coming from his days leading Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The concert:
River Is Waiting / Good Golly Miss Molly / Bad Moon Rising / Longshot / Green River / Lookin' Out My Backdoor / Gunslinger / Born On The Bayou / Midnight Special / Ramble Tamble / Déjà Vu / Bootleg / Who'll Stop The Rain / Creedence Song / Keep On Chooglin' / Don't You Wish It Was True / Have You Ever Seen The Rain / Broken Down Cowboy / Down On The Corner / Long Dark Night / I Can't Take It No More / Centerfield / Up Around The Bend / Old Man Down The Road / Fortunate Son / Travelin' Band / Proud Mary

Dylan Set List Arcana: Tracking the Titles

Gotta love the Dyan obsessives, like this guy who created a compendium of every Dylan show this year.
In 98 concerts this year, he sang 1,616 songs. There were 80 unique titles, only two of which he did not write or co-write. "Thunder on the Mountain" was the only song performed at every show.
If you want to feel like you saw something special - and what Dylan concert isn't? - he performed the following songs only once:
Cold Irons Bound, Floater (Too Much To Ask), Friend Of The Devil, House Of The Rising Sun, Man In The Long Black Coat, Meet Me In The Morning, Not Dark Yet, One More Cup Of Coffee, Outlaw Blues, She Belongs To Me, Shooting Star and Sugar Baby.

Joe Jackson Moves To Berlin And Keeps The Band Employed

  Joe Jackson's original band has made three fantastic albums and one good one. It would have been nice if two entire decades didn't pass in between albums three and four and we had not been subjected to his pseudo jazz, pseudo classical and even pseudo Joe Jackson Band efforts.
Still, open arms should greet "Rain," which Rykodisc will release on Jan. 29. Joe continues to work with the "Sunday Papers"/"I'm a Man" crew of bassist Graham Maby and drummer Dave Houghton. Album was  recorded in Berlin, where Jackson now lives. Their last album, "Vol. 4," earned strong reviews as did the shows that supported it.   
Joe's quote on the four-year break between albums:  "I wasn't in a hurry to make a new album. I promised  myself  that  I  wouldn't  make a record until I had an album's worth of songs that were the best  I could do. I think  several  of  these  songs  are  the  best  songs  I've ever written, and I wanted to have 10 or 12 songs that I felt that  way about before I put out another album. I used to be a bit of a  workaholic, but I am now much more patient. The quantity has gone down, but the  quality has gone up."
Band will tour shortly after the album's release date; they already have five dates booked for March in Europe.
I remember Jackson's first U.S. tour quite well. With my buddies Eddie and Don, we rushed the stage at the Barn at Rutgers U and Jackson even gave me the mic to sing "Ain't That a Shame" during the encore. I missed my spot to enter and he actually held the mic until the music came around and I got to bellow.
His set that night was rather similar to the one he played on Oct. 20, 1979 at Park West in Chicago:

Look Sharp! / On Your Radio / The Band Wore Blue Shirts / Sunday Papers / One More Time / Friday / It's Different For Girls / Is She Really Going Out With Him? / Baby Stick Around / Don't Wanna Be Like That / Happy Loving Couples / I'm The Man / Got The Time / I Can't Give You Anything / Ain't That A Shame

Bruce Springsteen By The Numbers: Preparing for Two Nights in L.A.

Heading into Los Angeles,  Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are at a baker's dozen moment. Not only have they performed 13 shows since their Oct. 2 kickoff, 13 tunes have made it into every evening's set list. Two songs - "Lonesome Day" and "Girls in their Summer Clothes" - have been given different nights off  to keep their tallies at 12.
From the new album, Springsteen has performed nightly "Radio Nowhere," "Magic," "Livin' in the Future," "Devil's Arcade," "Last to Die" and "Long Walk Home." He has yet to perform "You'll Be Comin' Down," "I'll Work for Your Love" and the hidden track, "Terry's Song." "You're Own Worst Enemy" has been performed three times.
In preparation for Springsteen's two shows at L.A.'s Sports Arena on Monday and Tuesday, here's a breakdown of the shows by the numbers and bit of what to expect.
A musical triptych in the middle of the show featuring "She's the One," "Livin' in the Future" and "The Promised Land" and a closing of the main set with "Last to Die," "Long Walk Home" and "Badlands."
A main set of about 18 songs and a four-song encore that will include "Born to Run" and "American Land."
Springsteen has performed 49 different songs on the tour, 10 of which have been performed once and eight of which have been played only twice. At the last show, Friday in Oakland, Springsteen premiered three tunes: "Two Hearts," "Racing in the Street" and "Working on the Highway."
From the catalog,  Springsteen has played three of the 15 tunes from the last E Street Band album,  "The Rising." The rest:
"Born to Run": 7
"Darkness on the Edge of Town": 7
"Born in the U.S.A.": 5
"The River": 4
"Tunnel of Love": 3
"Greetings From Asbury Park": 2
"Nebraska": 2
"The Wild, the Innocent...": 1
The only cover came in Toronto in which he was joined by Arcade Fire to perform that band's "Keep the Car Running."
Set lists of all Springsteen shows appear on backstreets.com.

Set List: Sex Pistols, Los Angeles 2007

Billed as their one U.S. show to commemorate the 30th anniversary of "Never Mind the Bollocks," the Sex Pistols delivered a 65-minute set - complete with bathroom break for the band - for a room full of radio contest winners, radio station Indie 103.1 personnel and Motorhead's Lemmy. Sounding polished and prepared except for some missed lyrics, the Sex Pistols will perform three 30th anni shows at Brixton Academy in London in November.   
At the Roxy in West Hollywood on Oct. 25, they performed:
Holidays in the Sun / 17 / No Feelings / New York / Liar / Pretty Vacant / Submission / No Fun / (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone / Problems / God Save the Queen / EMI / Anarchy in the U.K.

Richard Thompson Puts The Set In the Fans' Hands

Richard Thompson has long been one of the few musicians who actually attempts to listen to and chat with his audience during shows. He has been known to actually perform songs requested by audience members who think its still 1971 and they're shouting "Whipping Post" at the Allman Brothers. Gotta get on that live album! Shout too much, though, and out comes the biting humor - that's the fun part for those of us who stay quiet.
All bets are off, though, when he returns to Bay Area to play the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga from Dec. 6 to 8 and give his fans free rein when it comes to the set list.
"As you come in, you get a little form and fill in your request, and we pick them at random out of the bucket. It poses tremendous problems for the artist, and may afford some amusement and confusion for the audience," Thompson, who will perform solo, writes at his website.
According to his schedule, he's not trying this at any other venue

Set List: The Hold Steady, Providence, R.I., 2007

The Hold Steady are headlining a tour sponsored by the Brit music mag NME. Art Brut and Demander are opening. Tour has 26 shows between tonight in Boston and Nov. 21 in New York; the triple bill comes to the Wiltern in Los Angeles on Nov. 7.
Sunday night at Lupo's in Providence, R.I., the Hold Steady played:
Party Pit/ Your Little Hoodrat Friend / Bangin' Camp / Chicago Seemed Tired / Stuck Between Stations / Hotsoft Light / Ask Her For Adderall / 'Multitide Of Casualties / Positive Jam / Massive Nights / Chillout Tent / Same Kooks / You Can Make Him Like You / Chips Ahoy / Stevie Nicks / You Gotta Dance / First Nite / Southtown Girls / Killer Parties
An opening night report.

Set List: Neil Young, Boise, Idaho, 2007

Neil Young opened his "Chrome Dreams II" tour on Thursday at the Velma V. Morrison Center for fhe Performing Arts in  Boise, Idaho. Show is divided into two parts, acoustic and electric, the first set comprising:
From Hank To Hendrix / Ambulance Blues / Sad Movies / A Man Needs A Maid / No One Seems To Know / Harvest / Campaigner / Journey Through The Past / Mellow My Mind / Love Art Blues / Love Is A Rose / Heart Of Gold
Second set:
The Loner / Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / Dirty Old Man / Spirit Road / Bad Fog Of Loneliness / Winterlong / Oh, Lonesome Me / The Believer / No Hidden Path / Cinnamon Girl / Tonight's The Night
Set list coutesy of sugarmtn.org

Set List: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, New York, 2007

The first of two nights at Madison Square Garden sparkled thanks to a spectacular rendition of "She's the One" and a smart meshing of the material from the new album, "Magic," with guitar-driven monolithic pieces from "Born to Run" and the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" warhorses. On Oct. 17, Sprigsteen and the E Streeters performed:
Radio Nowhere / Ties That Bind / Lonesome Day / Gypsy Biker / Magic / Reason to Believe / Adam Raised a Cain / She's the One / Livin' in the Future / The Promised Land / Brilliant Disguise / Backstree ts / Darlington County / Devil's Arcade / The Rising / Last to Die / Long Walk Home / Badlands / Girls in Their Summer Clothes / Thundercrack / Born to Run / Dancing in the Dark / American Land

 

Set List: Bruce Springsteen, Hartford, 2007

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band opened their "Magic" tour Tuesday in Hartford, Conn. Songs were pulled from eight Springsteen albums and the second solo disc by his wife, Patti Scialfa. Set list revealed a striking balance of material from various eras.

Radio Nowhere / Ties That Bind / Lonesome Day / Gypsy Biker / Magic / Reason To Believe / Night / She’s the One / Livin in the Future / Promised Land / Town Called Heartbreak (Duet with Patti Scialfa) /  Darkness on the Edge of Town / Darlington County / Devil’s Arcade / The Rising / Last To Die / Long Walk Home / Badlands / Girls in their Summer Clothes /  Thundercrack
/  Born to Run /  Waiting on a Sunny Day / American Land

Set List: CSNY, Westbury, N.Y., 1974

David Crosby and Graham Nash opened a fall tour Sunday night in North Carolina while Neil Young is preparing for a tour that begins Oct. 18 in Boise, Idaho. Stephen Stills spent the month of July on the road.
In 1974, the members of rock's finest supergroup were at the peak of their powers. On Sept. 8, 1974, at Roosevelt Raceway, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young played:
Love The One You're With / Wooden Ships / Immigration Man / Helpless / Military Madness / Johnny's Garden / Walk On / Almost Cut My Hair / Teach Your Children /. Only Love Can Break Your Heart / The Lee Shore / Time After Time / Southbound Train / Another Sleep Song / Our House / Hawaiian Sunrise / Long May You Run / Ambulance Blues / Old Man / Change Partners / Myth Of Sysiphus / You Can't Catch Me>Word Game / Suite:Judy Blue Eyes / Deja Vu / First Things First / Don't Be Denied / Black Queen / Revolution Blues / Pushed It Over The End / Pre Road Downs / Carry On / Sugar Mountain / Ohio 

Set List: Van Halen, Charlotte, N.C., 2007

Van Halen opened its reunion tour Thursday night at Bobcats Arena with a show that lasted more than two hours. They played:
You Really Got Me / I'm the One /  Runnin' With the Devil / Romeo Delight / Somebody Get Me a Doctor / Beautiful Girls /  Dance the Night Away / Atomic Punk / Everybody Wants Some /  So This Is Love? /  Mean Street /  Pretty Woman /  Drum Solo / Unchained / I'll Wait /  And the Cradle Will Rock /  Hot for Teacher /  Little Dreamer / Little Guitars / Jamie's Cryin' /  Ice Cream Man / Panama / Guitar Solo (incl. "Women in Love" intro, "Cathedral", "Eruption") /  Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love /  1984 / Jump
Idolator has done a roundup of largely positive reviews.

Ornette Coleman Is Still Dancing In My Head

A day after witnessing Ornette Coleman’s sumptuous concert at UCLA’s Royce Hall, I am still taken aback but how gracefully this 77-year-old saxophonist performed so rigorously and with such intensity.
Nearly every moment of the 85-minute show found him performing, primarily on alto sax but also sawing away on the violin and using the trumpet for bullhorn blasts, never resting while his three bassists or drummer solo. Song after among was a group effort, tribute to him sticking to his guns and insisting the musical form he birthed  nearly 50 years ago continues to resonate artistically.
This was one of those concerts in which a review doesn’t seem to be enough. Rebel music delivered in a stately fashion by musicians comfortable in their harmolodic skin. They know where to start and stop; the rests after a handful of bars of music are plentiful and shocking. That several of the songs from his “Sound Grammar” sounded richer in Royce than on the recording only drove home the idea that this music continues to grow after it is set on tape. (A concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall in '04 yielded a similar response).
Sure Coleman was known as wild man in the 1960s, one of the guys the Jazz Police decided was out to ruin jazz as if he, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler and Sam Rivers had conspired to make nothing but noise. If the music had no validity it would not have been recorded, right? Not only was it recorded, it was issued by Atlantic  Records where he was a labelmate of Charles Mingus, John Coltrane and the Rascals.
His slowdown over the last two decades has often worried those who want to hear new recordings or hope that one of his rare appearances will occur in their town. He has a performance Oct. 28 in San Francisco and gigs in Croatia, Spain and Hong Kong next year; earlier this year he performed at the Bonnaroo Fetsival. He continues to compose.
Last year, the hoopla afforded his fine album “Sound Grammar” overshadowed the divine reissue of some early recordings issued by the fine Bay Area reissue label Water. That album of superb recordings from 1959 and ‘60, “To Whom Who Keeps a Record,” sounds “startling and fresh” according to NPR critic David Was. The band was his classic lineup: Don Cherry on trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and either Ed Blackwell or Billy Higgins on drums. One fabulous record store labels it essential.
The reissue only exists because Filippo Salvadori, a native of Naples who founded the Water label in the Bay Area, was a fan. Atlantic had issued the LP overseas in 1975, but never in the U.S..
Having struck up a relationship with Warner Music, which owns Atlantic, to reissue Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding albums on vinyl, he approached them to do the Coleman reissue.
“I was trying for that one for a long time,” he says. “Right now, it’s easier to sell ‘70s folksinger-songwriters but years ago it was different – a lot more jazz.. And that’s one of the things you have to take into consideration when you decide what to reissue – you can’t afford to make mistakes.”
By the time WEA gave the OK to the Coleman tapes it didn’t matter: The album was too important. Besides, there is always a thirst for Ornette Coleman recordings.
For the record, Coleman and his band performed the following songs at Royce Hall on Sept. 26, 2007:
Following the Sound / Sleep Talking / Jordan / 911 / Call to Duty / Turn Around / Out of Order / Bach / Those That Know Before It Happens / Taking the Cure / Dancing In Your Head / Song World / Song X / Lonely Woman

Springsteen Delivers "Magic" in N.J.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band delivered 21 songs in two hours Monday at the Asbury Park, N.J.,  Convention Hall.
The AP reported that Springsteen unveiled six songs and got political in introducing "Livin' in the Future," referring to terrorist suspects and "illegal wiretapping." "This is about the things you didn't think could happen," Springsteen said.
"Born to Run," "No Surrender," "Promised Land," "She's the One," "Night," "The Rising," "Candy's Room,"  "The Promised Land" and "Thundercrack" were all part of the show. Band closed with  "American Land."
Pointblankmag reported that Springsteen did seven songs from "Magic," including
"Radio Nowhere" and  "Gypsy Biker." Site also noted that  "Badlands", "Hungry Heart" and "Thunder Road" were not in the set.
Shows, as usual, are billed  as two benefit rehearsals; tour's offical start is on the day of the album's release, Oct. 2, in Hartford, Conn.
A third rehearsal concert will be staged Friday at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.. Tickets, $100, go on sale at noon today (Sept. 25).
Springsteen turned 58 on Sunday.

Westerberg Unveils New Songs

Paul Westerberg performed 10 songs in Minneapolis on Sunday night and discussed the craft of songwriting, his love for "Tumbling Dice" and his disappointment in the Twins for not re-signing Tori Hunter.

Set List: Bruce Springsteen, Los Angeles 1980

It's now official: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's L.A. performance will be at the Sports Arena on Oct. 29. But don't hold your breath for a second show to be added  on the 28th. Monster Massive, an all-night Halloween techno concert that begins on the 27th is scheduled to end at 4:30 in the morning on the 28th. It is highly unlikely that the building would be willing to schedule a load-out and load-in so close together, not to mention the staffing nightmare.
Springsteen has had some memorable nights at the Sports Arena, which became an also-ran when the Forum was built in 1969. (It was the one place the Grateful Dead would play in L.A.)
Twenty seven years ago, Springsteen brought "The River" tour to the Sports Arena. On Oct. 30, 1980, he and the E Streeters played:
Born To Run /  Prove It All Night /  Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out /  Darkness On The Edge Of Town / Factory /  Independence Day /  Jackson Cage /  Two Hearts /  The Promised Land / Out In The Street /  Racing In The Street /  The River /  Badlands /  Thunder Road / Cadillac Ranch /  Fire / Hungry Heart /  Sherry Darling /  I Wanna Marry You /  Ties That Bind /  Wreck On The Highway / Stolen Car / Point Blank / Crush On You /  Ramrod /  You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) /  Drive All Night /  Rosalita /  I'm A Rocker /  Jungleland /  Detroit medley