Concert #823 - Peter Himmelman at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 15, 2018)

 

It's hard to believe, but thirty-one years have passed since I first saw Peter Himmelman in concert. Back then, in 1987, he did not make an instant fan out of me, but his 1991 album, "From Strength To Strength", was nothing short of a life-changer for me, in a musical sense. Peter's Sunday night appearance at McCabe's was my twenty-third time to see him live, a clear sign that the passage of time has done nothing to dampen my love for Peter's music and his idiosyncratic stage act.

Performing in front of about one hundred loving fans, Peter delivered a set that had quite a few newer songs, but also a healthy dose of oldies, such as "Impermanent Things", Mission Of My Soul", "Measure", "Waning Moon", "7 Circles" and the epic "Been Set Free". The vocal cord surgery that Peter underwent in 2015 must have been a success, as the voice I heard Sunday night was as strong as ever.

There was nothing in Peter's act that appeared to be scripted - there were lots of spontaneous remarks, improvised songs and, of course, the unpredictable crowd response - yet the concert had something I had never noticed before: a predetermined set list!

Peter's set list, featuring his unmistakable penmanship

Peter Himmelman having fun at McCabe's

Peter Himmelman at McCabe's

Peter Himmelman singing "Been Set Free"

Peter Himmelman at the end of his set

Concert announcer Brian Rodriguez

The stage

 

Concert #799 - Peter Himmelman at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 23, 2017)

I have a confession to make: I suffer of an incurable mental condition called Himmelmania. My first symptoms appeared in the summer of 1993, when KCRW, Santa Monica's much-respected radio station, played Peter Himmelman's "Impermanent Things" - the song hit me so hard, that I ran straight to the nearest record store to buy "From Strength To Strength", Peter's then-current album and. I've been a himmelmaniac ever since.

A few weeks back I went to McCabe's to see Peter in concert for the twenty-second time, a clear sign that the passage of time has not diminished my interest in his music. Overall, the concert did not disappoint. I enjoyed everything Peter sang and said and I was particularly happy to see that his ad-libbing skills remained as strong as ever. I had a good laugh listening to his soulful, albeit brief, version of Prince's "Soft And Wet", followed by "Fireman" and "Baby Let Me Be Your Cigarette", Peter's own and most decidedly humorous attempts to write songs in the same vein.

Peter Himmelman at McCabe's

Peter's set included many old favorites, among them "Mission Of My Soul", "Measure", and "Seven Circles", but also quite a few newer songs - the one I liked the best was the uptempo "In The Hour Of Ebbing Light".

Seeing Peter's evolution as a singer-songwriter over the decades has been a joyful ride that is still ongoing.

Peter Himmelman at McCabe's

Peter Himmelman with a fan at McCabe's

The set list

The stage

Concert #635 - Peter Himmelman at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 30, 2012)

This was my twenty-second encounter with Peter Himmelman, an artist who has affected me more than most anyone else. Nineteen years have passed since I first saw him at McCabe's and I still can't stay away from his appearances there. Nor can I stop "spreading the word" - turning friends on to Peter's music remains something I still love doing - this time I talked two of my McCabe's friends, Paul and Steve, into seeing Peter for the first time and, long story short, Peter has two new fans.

Peter is in his low fifties now - his live show is not very different from what I saw in the 90s, but there are a few subtle changes. The improvisations are still there, albeit in smaller amounts. The humor is as good as ever and he still sprinkles his show with various accents, whether US regional or foreign - these amuse me a lot. Overall, there is less interaction with the crowd.

Being in Peter's band is no easy thing - if you are not 100% alert, if you allow your mind to wander away for just a split second, you will be left behind by Peter's frequent and mostly sudden changes of style, pace, or both. With the greatest of ease, Peter can blend rock, western swing, reggae, R&B and who knows what else in a single song - such musical adventures have always been a fun part of Peter's live performances.

Peter Himmelman at McCabe's, with guitarist Greg Herzenach

Gone are the casual clothes and black bandanas Peter wore on stage during the 90s. For last Sunday's appearance, Peter came out wearing a suit, tie and a hat. Was he comfortable playing rock & roll dressed up like that? I know I wouldn't be.

Once again, Peter's band included drummer Andy Kamman and bassist Al Wolovitch - hard to believe, but the three of them have been playing together since their high school days. They were joined on stage by guitarist Greg Herzenach, yet another long-time collaborator of Peter's, and Israeli keyboardist Daniel K. Man. What resulted was an almost-entirely electric concert, a welcome departure from what I expected to be a mostly acoustic affair.

Peter Himmelman (left), with Al Wolovitch

There were a few songs I did not know, but I did get to hear plenty of old favorites, among them "Impermanent Things", "Mission Of My Soul", "Tremble", "Phone Call From Chicago", "Eleventh Confession", "One Shot At Love", "Seven Circles", and "Been Set Free". Most of these songs are not easy to sing - Peter's frequent strained facial expressions are much more than just a measure of his intensity and I found myself wondering whether ten years from now he would still be singing songs as difficult as "Seven Circles".

After having seen Peter so many times, I don't believe he will ever surprise me with anything new or different, yet I remain solidly under his musical spell. In other words, I'll be back for more.

Keyboardist Daniel K. Man (left) with my friend Steve

Concert poster

Concert #555 - Peter Himmelman at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 25, 2010)

This was my 20th time to see Peter Himmelman in concert - you may say that I'm a fan. My friend Steve, whom I had talked into giving Peter a try, was there too. At his very first exposure to Peter's music, Steve became an instant fan and all Peter had to do was to perform his usual schtick. Peter was not in top vocal shape, he had a hard time hitting some high notes and later in the show he even avoided the high notes. Did he just have an off-night? Probably. On the other hand, there was nothing lacking on the intensity front - as always, Peter gave it all, and he did it with humor and great songs, among them "Mission Of My Soul" and "Seven Circles".

Here's a live in-studio version of "Seven Circles", one of the most powerful love songs you'll ever hear:

Peter received a helping hand from three musicians who had been working with him for decades: vocalist Kristin Mooney, bassist Al Wolovitch and drummer Andy Kamman.

Concert #36 - Joe Cocker at the Wiltern Theater (November 23, 1987)

One fine day I felt like going to an air-guitar concert, so I got me a ticket to see one of the better air-guitarists around, Joe Cocker. Oh, he sings, too. The opening act was a certain Peter Himmelman, someone I had not heard of. A few hours before the show, I stopped at a record store and right there in the discount bin, I saw a Himmelman LP selling for 99 cents. I bought it.

Peter came out with an acoustic guitar, sang a few of his songs, but no one cared. I thought it was a stupid idea to try to grab the people's attention with just a voice and an acoustic guitar, when people actually came to see a screamer who also happened to be a living legend. The sound was bad, and after a few boring songs, I remember thinking "Enough already, We want Joe".

A few days after the show, I sold the Himmelman LP for a dime, for a net loss of 89 cents. But at least I did not have to store a useless album in my music room.

I had absolutely no inkling at that time that Peter Himmelman would one day become one of my most beloved musicians, whom I would follow with unmatched interest and passion for many years.

But back to Joe. His show was great, absolutely great. He sang "You Can Leave Your Hat On", probably the first time I ever heard the song. He also did "You Are So Beautiful", "Shelter Me" and of course, "With A Little Help From My Friends".