Concert #172 - Connie Francis and Pat Boone at the Universal Amphitheatre (June 16, 1996)

Connie Francis

My previous post (about Nancy Sinatra's comeback in 1995) seems to have refocused my brain on some of my other guilty pleasures, hence this current post. I grew up listening to a lot of different genres and I loved them all, from easy listening at one end of the spectrum to hard rock at the other. This broad range of musical interests is reflected quite well in my concert-going history: I may be the only inhabitant of this planet who has paid money to see not only the Scorpions, Rush and the Cure, but also Roger Whittaker and Zamfir.

I became a fan of Pat Boone and Connie Francis in my younger days, when as a young child, I first heard Pat's "Speedy Gonzales" and Connie's "V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N". Since then, I have never stopped listening to their music and today, my digital music collection boasts not fewer than 750 recordings of the two, with 500 of them belonging to Connie.

Pat and Connie's co-headlining concert in 1996 took place at the Universal Amphitheatre. About three thousand fans showed up in an auditorium that could seat twice as many. I sat not too far from the stage.

In my estimation, Connie was a bigger star than Pat, so I was surprised when she came out first. Connie came in from the back of the seating area and walked slowly all the way to the stage while accepting the crowd's loud cheers and applause. I wasn't expecting her to sound like her old self, and she didn't, but one could still easily identify her voice. At times, she had some trouble hitting the higher notes. We got to hear many of her worldwide hits: "Stupid Cupid", "Lipstick On Your Collar" "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", "Among My Souvenirs", "Where The Boys Are", "Who's Sorry Now" and a few others. Some of these songs came in medleys, as is often done at nostalgia shows. At the end of her set, as she left the stage, Connie tripped and fell, but managed to immediately stand up, unassisted.  

Pat Boone

Pat Boone's set was somewhat similar to Connie's, as both artists elected to project old movie clips from their younger days on a large screen and just like Connie, Pat talked a bit about his chart-topping days. Accompanied by the New Chordettes, he sang "Ain't That a Shame", "Love Letters In The Sand", "Bernadine" and, of course, "Speedy Gonzales". He was in decent vocal form.

The evening was kicked off by Mel Carter, whose set also included his best known song, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me".

Mel Carter

 

Concert #147 - Nancy Sinatra at the House of Blues (April 19, 1995)

On April 21, 1995, at the House of Blues on Sunset, I saw not one, but two of my all-time favorite acts. The first one was Nancy Sinatra. The second one was even bigger: Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood, whose music still drives me crazy after all these years.

Yes, you heard it right. I did say Nancy Sinatra. Not once, but twice. Go ahead, look up "guilty pleasure" in any dictionary and most likely you will find a picture of me listening to Nancy - I’ve always liked her songs and her singing, too. Many have laughed at me for my uncool taste, but I ignored them all and kept listening. When they announced her unexpected comeback in 1995, my first thought was "I just hope she won’t make a fool of herself". So did she? Read on. 

I went to the show with my Better Half and our good friends Ron and Bobbie. At first, Nancy's vocals were a bit shaky, but soon she found her bearings and from that point on she sounded pretty much like her own old self. Wearing her signature boots and showing a lot of leg, she looked great, too. For the following 70 minutes or so, we got to hear most of her radio hits from the sixties, interspersed with the best songs from "One More Time", her then-current album. Listening to "Sugar Town", "How Does That Grab You, Darlin'" and "Run For Your Life" was fun, but I must say that her newer material did not make a lasting impression on me.

When Lee Hazlewood took the stage, it was goose-bumps time. My beloved duo of Nancy & Lee sang six songs: "Summer Wine", "Jackson", "Some Velvet Morning", "Did You Ever", "Sand" and one other song I can't recall. Overall, they sounded quite well, with just a touch of rust showing up here and there.

Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood a few days before the show

When Nancy said "And now I'd like to sing a song in which the bass guitar plays a special role", we all knew that it was time for the song that put Nancy on the map. Her 1995 version of her 1966 mega-hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" came complete with the same dance steps seen in her old video. The crowd went crazy, needless to say.

Overall, it was a great evening - Nancy most definitely did not make a fool of herself and I will never forget the boundless joy I got from hearing and seeing Lee Hazlewood perform live.

Band line-up: Don Randi (leader), Melanie Vasquez, Michael Hakes, Bobby Furgo, Charles Camper, Tom Lilly, Miles Robinson & Mike Faue.

Concert #74 - Little Richard at the Greek Theatre (June 8, 1991)

 

The first thing I remember about Little Richard's concert at the Greek Theater in 1991 was his entrance: smiling broadly in a clear sign that he knew the answer, he asked the crowd "Are you glad to see me?" Yes, I was glad to see him and so was everyone else.

Equally memorable, but distinctly bizarre, was the end of the show: standing on the top of his piano, Little Richard slowly removed his jewelry from the lapel of his jacket, tossed his jewelry into the crowd, then watched people dive, push and shove to collect the things thrown by the King of Rock & Roll to his mortal fans.

At 58, he may not have had the energy of a twenty-something, but he still had plenty enough to thoroughly entertain us with his music and humor. We got to hear most of his mega-hits from decades ago, "Lucille", "Good Golly Miss Molly", "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally" among them, which he delivered with his own piano accompaniment. He also sang "The Girl Can't Help It", "Great Gosh A'Mighty" and, surprisingly, "Blueberry Hill", a song not commonly associated with Little Richard. And speaking of surprises: even though there weren't any children in the audience, he delivered an outstanding version of "Itsy Bitsy Spider", complete with the accompanying finger play.

Overall, it was a fun evening. Little Richard's singing did not disappoint - his voice was strong and the simple fact of being there, able to hear his trademark vocal style in a live setting, gave me a huge thrill. And being seated in the front section, real close to the stage, did not hurt either.

Concert #707 - Zucchero at Club Nokia (April 2, 2014)

Zucchero ... I love the guy. He's the Italian mega-star whose music first reached me here on the West Coast in 1995. Since then, I've been his slave, listening to his music virtually non-stop, with an ever-increasing appetite and passion. Major European acts hit the East Coast with decent frequency, but sadly, few make it to the West Coast, with Zucchero being a rare and welcome exception. I first saw him live in 1996, at the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard, and it was divine.  Who would have thought, back in 1996, that I would get to see him in concert five more times? Well, it happened. His Wednesday night appearance at Club Nokia marked his sixth concert in LA since 1996, and I'm ecstatic to say that I caught each and every one of them. All of these shows took place in medium-size venues, which gave me the privilege of watching him in action from just a few steps away, a luxury not available to most of his European fans.

Zucchero at Club Nokia

Announced for 8:00 PM, the concert started half an hour late and went on for a generous two hours and five minutes. Seated at center stage with a bright light shining behind him, Zucchero opened his set with three gems from Chocabeck, his 2010 album. Throughout the evening, his voice was in top shape, sounding just like in his studio recordings. As expected, we got to hear many of his crowd-pleasing rockers and up-tempo dance numbers, such as "Diavolo In Me", "Il Mare Impetuoso", "L'Urlo" and "Baila Morena". To these ears, though, the finest moments of the concert were his gorgeous mid-tempo ballads, especially "Diamante" and "Il Volo", which were performed one after the other.

SET LIST
(songs listed in the order played)
Il Suono Della Domenica

Alla Fine

Un Soffio Caldo

Love Is All Around

Con Le Mani

Vedo Nero

Never Is A Moment

God Bless The Child

Blu

Guantanamera

Baila Morena

Overdose d'Amore

Il Mare Impetuoso Al Tramonto Sali Sulla Luna

Dune Mosse

Diamante

Il Volo

Un Kilo (with Don Was on bass)

L'Urlo

Solo Una sana

Diavolo In Me

 ENCORE #1

Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime (with Zucchero on piano)
Bacco Perbacco (with Randy Jackson on bass)
Senza Una Donna

     ENCORE #2

Miserere
Per Colpa De Chi

Zucchero and Kat Dyson at Club Nokia

Not unexpectedly, the crowd's behavior served as an unnecessary reminder as to why I seldom go anymore to larger concert venues, especially where alcohol is served. While most people were there to hear the music and respect all others in the process, there were also way too many party animals (by which I mean animals), incapable of distinguishing between public concert halls and their own living rooms. I found their incessant loud talking and mindless screaming highly distracting.

The crowd remained seated until the band launched into "Guantanamera", at which point the space directly in front of the stage became an instant dance floor, occupied by happy people of all ages. The security staff's efforts to restore order produced no results.

Toward the end of the show, Zucchero brought out two guests with somewhat similar backgrounds. First, producer and bassist Don Was joined the band for the playing of "Un Kilo", followed a bit later by Randy Jackson, a producer and bass player himself. Randy played bass on the infectious "Bacco Perbacco", an up-tempo number that whipped the crowd into a dancing frenzy.

Don Was at Club Nokia

Randy Jackson and Zucchero at Club Nokia

Zucchero came back for two encores. I could not have picked better songs for the second one: first the operatic "Miserere", featuring the voice of Luciano Pavarotti, followed by my favorite Zucchero rocker, the ultra-dynamic "Per Colpa Di Chi". It was a fitting end to an evening that was both exhilarating (Zucchero's incredible performance) and annoying (the crowd).

Zucchero's band was top notch. I particularly liked Kat Dyson, whose raw and soulful backup vocals were very special.

 Band line-up (incomplete)

Kat Dyson - Guitar, vocals

Elmer Ferrer Tres - Guitar

Adriano Molinari - Drums

Nicola Peruch - Keyboards

Polo Jones - Bass

Zucchero and members of his band at Club Nokia

Zucchero at the end of the concert

Zucchero addressed the crowd a few times during the show, but unlike in his earlier Los Angeles concerts, this time he did it in good English. He came across as a friendly and approachable person.

Zucchero playing "Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime"

Zucchero at Club Nokia

The venue's soundboard

Zucchero merchandise

Club Nokia

Concert #64 - Oingo Boingo at the Universal Amphitheater (July 1, 1990)

In a typical case of "better late than never", I joined the legion of Oingo Boingo fans in 1989, mostly at the urging of my friend Scott. I was an avid KROQ listener during those times, and unavoidably, the band's often-played infectious songs were bound to hit me, sooner or later. Quite appropriately, I went to my first, and sadly last, Oingo Boingo concert with Scott, along with Odette, his Better Half.

Danny Elfman and his band managed the improbable feat of selling out four shows on four consecutive nights at the Universal Amphitheater. That's about 25,000 tickets sold in a city that offers plenty of other great things to do at any given time. I caught the first show.

Driven by the band's distinctive music, the fans responded with enthusiasm. With distinctive songs such as "Dead Man's Party", "Grey Matter" and "Only A Lad", Danny Elfman & Co kept the place rocking for two and a half hours. Overall, it was an interesting experience.

Concert #706 - Dirk Hamilton at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 29, 2014)

For me, last night's show at McCabe's was a blind date of sorts, as I went there to see a musician whose career had eluded me for decades. I showed up totally unprepared, without being able to name a single song from Dirk Hamilton's repertoire, but in the end I did not regret my decision to attend.

So what made me want to see someone whose music I did not know? Well, there were two reasons. First, a couple of folks voted Dirk Hamilton as the best McCabe’s concert in 2013 and those few votes did resonate with me. Then there's the Italian thing: I'm a connoisseur and collector of Italian music and the fact that Dirk is bigger in Italy than anywhere else has definitely made an impression on me. Long story short, I bought myself a ticket and went to the show not really knowing what to expect.

My first reaction after the show was "he's the complete package", by which I meant to praise his songwriting, singing, guitar-playing and personality. Dirk played two sets last night, I caught the first one, seventy minutes in all.

The concert coincided with the re-release of his 1996 album titled "Sufferupachuckle", so not surprisingly, he treated us with some of the album's best numbers, among them "Heroes Maybe", "Luck", "Dangerous" and "Black Dog Blues". I liked them all. One may say that "good songs" was the theme of the evening, as there weren't any weak numbers in Dirk's entire set, with the unreleased "Head On A Neck" being the best of the lot. Other stand-out songs: the set-opening "Lady", "Follow Your Bliss" and "Grow A Rose", which Dirk performed with vocal and instrumental support from Waldo Bliss, the evening's opening act.

Dirk Hamilton at McCabe's

Dirk Hamilton and Waldo Bliss at McCabe's

Dirk Hamilton's set list

Waldo Bliss, the evening's opening act, was a pleasant surprise. Except for two well-known cover songs, their relatively short set featured original songs that were not bad at all - the one that impressed me the most was "Freedom Now". The delicate harmonies of "In My Room", the Brian Wilson classic, received by far the loudest applause from the audience. Their overly mellow rendition of Carol King & Gerry Goffin's "Up On The Roof" was less of a hit with me. With three good singers (Dan, Mindy and Daniel), an outstanding lead guitarist (Randy Ray) and a quality leader (Dan), I'm pretty sure that I will hear from Waldo Bliss again sometime in the future.

Band line-up

Dan Carlson (vocals, acoustic guitar)

Mindy Jones (vocals)

Daniel Ahearn (vocals)

Randy Ray Mitchell (electric guitar)

Erik Eldenius (drums, percussion)

Brett Simons (bass)

Waldo Bliss at McCabe's

Waldo Bliss' set list

Dirk Hamilton reporting to work

The stage

Dirk Hamilton merchandise