U2
Giants Stadium II
June 28th

Lets get one thing clear – The Joshua Tree is a fantastic album… but it’s not even close to being my favorite U2 album (hello Achtung Baby).  So when the JT tour was announced, I was going regardless, and knew I had some brushing up to do.  Probably re-listened to the album 50+ times since I secured tickets, and while I certainly liked what I heard and rediscovered, I wasn’t exactly jumping up and down in anticipation of the show.  Which is strange, cause I usually am for a U2 show – as this would be my 9th time seeing them (previously on U2TWS – 2015 / 2011 / 2009 / 2009 again)

I was 10 when the album was released, and not of concert going age.  The album is now 30 years old, and the concert experience put on to celebrate it is probably a better show than the original one was.  Obviously I cannot say that for certain, but just by looking at one of the shows from the ’87 tour, it looks like a primitive caveman staged it!!!!  U2 of today could never go back to those sparse good old days of yesteryear – their INCREDIBLE Zoo TV tour cinched that, ensuring all future tours would be a visual spectacle, each trying to top the previous, but U2 could at least go back and revisit the music, and refresh our memories of their past greatness, while dazzling our eyes with their current greatness

Surrounding the full run-through of the album, in order, U2 played a collection of greatest hits – all lovely choices, but I felt the non-JT songs (especially the modern ones in the encore) should have also had a more throwback feel.  How about a few more songs from the proceeding The Unforgettable Fire?  Or why no love for the follow-up/continuation of where Joshua left off – Rattle & Hum?  I think I could have forgone hearing ‘Vertigo’ and ‘Beautiful Day’ for an 8th time to hear me some ‘Van Diemen’s Land’!!  Well, at least the JT tour gave me one of the things I’ve always wanted to hear live – ‘In God’s Country’.  Next wish – Zoo TV 2 tour, 2021.  Make it happen lads!

While the theatrics have certainly changed, Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry are still the same 4 blokes we’ve always loved and admired, and perhaps we love them and admire them even more than we ever have.  Sure, they aren’t the Beatles, but the Beatles couldn’t stay together beyond a decade.  OK, so the Rolling Stones have never stopped rocking/touring, but they’ve also never stopped making albums more forgettable than the 2nd Vanilla Ice album.  U2 have carried and inflamed the torch of those rock gawd forefathers, and perhaps have even given us more than they ever have, and hopefully continue to do so.  New, old, newish-old – U2, you keep showing us what we’re looking for, even if we don’t know what it is we’re looking for!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV6OEx6jt8y/

Setlist – Sunday Bloody Sunday /  New Year’s Day / Bad / Pride (In the Name of Love)

The Joshua Tree - Where the Streets Have No Name / I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / With or Without You / Bullet the Blue Sky / Running to Stand Still / Red Hill Mining Town / In God’s Country / Trip Through Your Wires / One Tree Hill / Exit / Mothers of the Disappeared

Encore – Miss Sarajevo / Beautiful Day / Elevation / Vertigo / Ultraviolet (Light My Way) / One / The Little Things That Give You Away

1984
Hudson Theatre
101 Minites
now through October 8th

1984 – the book is usually required reading for all high school students.  I personally consider it an essential read for all human beings.  In fact, although I have only read it once, it remains the best book I have ever read (that isn’t Chicken Soup With Rice).  The new 1984 play on Broadway isn’t required or even essential viewing, but it never hurts to take a fresh look at the material, regardless of how painful it is to do so.  The play is both fresh, and painful.  I’m sure you’re asking – where do I sign up??

To me, plays are usually a too stage-y and static for my enjoyment.  I prefer musicals cause the songs keep the pace going, in between the slower talking expositiony bits.  Well, there is no music in 1984, but there’s nary a lull or dull moment.  If you somehow find yourself napping during the show, the constant yelling, sirens and blackouts will jolt you back into the surreality being performed on stage

1984 isn’t a happy place or time, but you know this cause you’ve already read the book (or seen the underloved film).  If you haven’t, I don’t think you can sit through the play and appreciate Orwell’s text.  You may get the message, but you won’t get the details.  Also, you will be served a Winston Smith that wasn’t really to my liking.  Don’t get me wrong, Tom Sturridge gives it his ALL in this adaptation, and I actually feel for him that he has to endure the fake pain he encounters night in and night out on the Hudson Theatre stage, but there was something totally off about his interruption and diction of the character.  He sounded like a bro that was rad + cool, and not a radical brother.  Maybe I just picture Winston to be more like the stoic, and recently departed John Hurt, which hurt Sturridge’s chances of being my new Winston Smith

But Sturridge isn’t alone.  I didn’t really care for Olivia Wilde’s Julia (she didn’t get naked), or Carl Hendrick Louis as whomever he was, or Robert Duvall’s cousin (who doesn’t seem very Duvallian) loud loudness.  I did care for Reed Birney and Cara Seymour‘s work, and all else that went into the production.  The staging in the early parts was pretty fixed, but as things got more fcuked up in the story, so did everything else with it.  As Winston got stripped down, so did the production.  As the tension mounted onstage, it did the same for its audience.  And you know your play is working its intended magic when the lead has his teeth pulled, spits waterfalls of blood from his mouth, and your wife turns to you and says ‘this is the worst play I’ve ever seen!‘  She didn’t say anything like that after the show was over, but I’m sure she was thinking that she was happy to live in a society that wasn’t 1984 (no matter how many of you Trump revilers think we are)

that’s some goodthink right there, so to newspeak

Neil Diamond
Madison Square Garden
June 17th

I don’t even need to explain or expound on how great Neil Diamond is and why you should see him play live (I have twice already).  OK, I will – He’s Neil Diamond.  You love ‘Sweet Caroline’.  He plays it live – it will probably blow your mind.  It always does mine (see video at the bottom).  He used to do a 15+ minute version of it live – mainly letting the audience do all the work (besides him egging us on by saying ‘ONE MORE TIME!!’, like 18 times).  Well, Neil’s getting up there in years – this tour celebrates his 50 years in the bidness!!!  And at this show, his walk and rocking seemed a bit slowed down, but nothing else about him or his voice seemed to be losing touch.  Done too soon?  Hardly, and I’ll continue to see him play, even if eventually pars down his ‘Sweet Caroline’ to a minute, cause it remains beyond SO GOOD, SO GOOD, SO GOOD!!

Setlist – Play Me / Song Sung Blue / Beautiful Noise / Jungletime / Dry Your Eyes / If You Know What I Mean / Glory Road / Forever in Blue Jeans / You Don’t Bring Me Flowers / Red Red Wine / I’m a Believer / Brooklyn Roads / Pretty Amazing Grace / Be / Lonely Looking Sky / Skybird / Jazz Time / Crunchy Granola Suite / Done Too Soon / Holly Holy / I Am … I Said

Encore – Sweet Caroline / Cracklin’ Rosie / America

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVd4QIDDFso/

Elvis’ TV, gun, and remote

photos by Henry Leutwyler

Peace The Forks Out

to

Jonathan Demme

&

Don Rickles

&

Joanie Cunningham

+

LAST PERSON BORN IN THE 1800s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zen and then

Cuba Gooding Sr

Charlie Murphy

THAT GUY!!!

she Cherie Amoured

Boston stick man

Dan Rooney

Bulls architect 

manager Sandy

Quiz Show izler

James Rosenquist

does compute

she put the WE and I in REI

he cooked anarchy

he sported life

Chucky Gong

Inspector Morse creator

he made March madder

1st Philly WS winning manager

Bonnie Grape

he took the rainbow away from straight people

David Letterman’s mom

she laughed, in and out

Roland with the home boys

his angel was a centerfold

indie producer

hung, over

Groundlingser

some British actor

baseball lady

a Rockefeller

soup heiress

John Lennon’s BFF

and

Girls, which means no more naked Lena Dunham

(for now, but PLEASE, go away forever)