Concert #120 - Pete Townshend at the Wiltern Theatre (July 29, 1993)

Pete Townshend. One of the truly great ones. Someone I have been following for a life time, thanks to the fact that neither of us has died before getting old. I went to the concert with my good friend Jim F, who showed up wearing his nicest jump suit, the kind he thought was in order for nicer venues located in the heart of LA. Twenty years on, I still tease him about his exceedingly sporty appearance that night.

Concert poster

We caught the first of Pete's two sold-out shows at the Wiltern. He had just released "Psychoderelict", an ambitious concept album that, by the way, went nowhere, so we knew from the get-go that we'd be treated to many of the songs of the new album. Well, he did the entire album and there was nothing particularly memorable there. But there were plenty of other great songs, some from Pete's solo output, others from the catalog of the Who. As a huge fan of "Tommy", I certainly enjoyed hearing a couple of songs from Pete's masterpiece.

The Set List

Tommy Can You Hear Me?

Cobwebs And Strange (band introduction)

Save It For Later

Eyesight To The Blind

Face The Face

Heart To Hang Onto

I'm A Boy (fragment)

Eminence Front

English Boy

Meher Baba M3

Let's Get Pretentious

Meher Baba M4

Early Morning Dreams

I Want That Thing

Outlive The Dinosaur

Meher Baba M4

Flame

Now And Then

I Am Afraid

Electronic Wizardry

Don't Try To Make Me Real

Predictable

Flame

Meher Baba M5

Fake It

Now And Then (Reprise)

Baba O'Riley

English Boy

 

INTERMISSION

Let My Love Open The Door

Corrine, Corrina

A Little Is Enough

You Better You Bet

Rough Boys

Girl From The North Country (Bob Dylan)

Pinball Wizard

Naked Eye

ENCORE

 

Magic Bus (with John Entwistle)

Let's See Action (with John Entwistle)

Won't Get Fooled Again (with John Entwistle)

Pete came out with a band consisting of top-notch musicians, among them guitarist and singer Andy Fairweather-Low of Amen Corner fame, bassist Pino Palladino and Katie Kissoon, a well-known British back-up singer. Late in the show, the place erupted when Pete brought out John Entwistle, who helped wrap up the evening.

The concert went on for a stunning three full hours. Pete was in good vocal shape and his spirits were high. At one point during the show, Pete and his entire band stood for a few seconds on one leg, in a humorous attempt to prove that they were all sober.

The highlight of the show? My vote goes to the forty-eight year old Pete Townsend doing his trademark windmill guitar strokes. Unforgettable.

Concert #667 - Black Prairie at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 16, 2013)

The Black Prairie is an ensemble that marches in its own yet-to-be-named musical direction. I have seen other acts who "do their own thing", away from well-established genres, but in terms of blazing new musical trails, no one impressed me as much as the Black Prairie. Any attempt to classify their music would be an utter exercise in futility, as there is no name for their blend of experimental bluegrass, Balkan-folk, tango, gypsy music, alt-country, old-time music, klezmer, modern jazz, folk-rock, ragtime, avant-garde Americana, polka and God knows what else.

Terms such as "experimental" and "avant-garde" are quite often associated with music that I find unlistenable, yet everything the Black Prairie played last night at McCabe's sounded refreshing and decidedly tuneful. With their humor, youthful energy and mostly with their music, they took me and everyone else for an unusual yet thoroughly rewarding ride.

Band Line-up

Chris Funk - Dobro, banjo, autoharp

Nate Query - Upright bass

Jenny Conlee - Accordion, backup vocals

John Moen - Drums, backup vocals

Annalisa Tornfelt - Lead vocals, violin

Jon Neufeld - Acoustic guitar, backup vocals

Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee & Annalisa Tornfelt on stage at McCabe's

The set list

The concert had plenty of highlights. I loved the all-instrumental numbers, which showcased exceptionally well the band's talent and eclecticism. My vote for the best instrumental number must go to "Dirty River Stomp", a gem of a piece with an obsessively gorgeous melody line. But I also enjoyed Annalisa's vocals - "Little Songbird", "Nowhere, Massachusetts" and especially "Lay Me Down In Tennessee" were all great.

Here's a great live version of "Dirty River Stomp":

I liked the fact that, as a band, the Black Prairie does not have any individual stars. Most of the time they played together as a true band, without flashy protracted solos, the kind that typically generate applause directed at one of the musicians, as opposed to the whole group. Last night, the band also used a few unusual instruments, which was certainly in line with the innovative spirit of their music. Jenny Conlee's contribution to the overall sound of the band cannot be overstated - her accordion sounded great to these ears.

Jenny Conlee & Annalisa Tornfelt

The evening kicked off with a five-song set delivered by Ashleigh Flynn, a singer-songwriter of some talent. Accompanying herself on acoustic guitar and mouth harmonica, Ashley performed her first two songs solo, before being joined by some members of the headlining band. By the time her set ended, Ashleigh was flanked  by the entire band, in a truly nice show of support. The highlight of the opening set was "How The West Was Won".

Ashleigh Flynn (right), with Annalisa Tornfelt

Ashleigh Flynn's sheet

The stage

Ashleigh Flynn merchandise

Concert poster