The Giant Panther

I've been sifting through my stacks of CDs I've been meaning to rediscover lately and came across this self titled debut solo release from Robbie Robertson. Released on either New Year's Day 1987 (according to Amazon.com) or October 27, 1987 (according to Wikipedia.com), depending on which allegedly reputable source you trust. I remember thinking how much I loved this record way back when. According to my database I bought 149 CDs as a scrawny 27 year old, but I d0 remember listening to this record incessantly that year. Legends Peter Gabriel and Bono joined a Wisconsin band called The BoDeans (score two points at home if you own even a single BoDeans CD....I just went and checked and apparently I own three....the first two and their fifth....I hate when I have gaps in my collection....stupid economy....say it like Homer Simpson) in support of this record. It didn't sell as well as it should have as I recall.

I don't have access to sales figures, but it did eventually win a Grammy for one of those useless categories nobody remembers. You and I would like to think big stars like Robertson, Gabriel and Bono just happened to be palling around in some swampy southern locale, but the circumstances aren't quite so mysterious. Apparently, at the time, now legendary record producer Daniel Lanois was working Gabriel and U2 at the same time he was messing around with The Band's lead song writer trying to make this record. You may have heard of a couple of minor projects Lanois was working on at the time called So and The Joshua Tree by now. Can you imagine! Talk about monster records. He was on his way and making it (Big Time). Thank you very much on both counts. And Robbie's record makes three great production jobs inside of a year. I was reading Chronicles Volume I by Bob Dylan last summer (absolutely riveting book if you haven't read it...the detail is outrageous. How does he remember what someone was wearing 40 years ago? I can barely remember what I had for breakfast yesterday) and there was a whole chapter dedicated to Dylan working with Lanois during the recording of Dylan's 1989 release Oh Mercy. I know he had some help from Brian Eno on The Joshua Tree, but that's pretty heady territory for a Canadian who basically got his start producing tracks for local bands like his sister Jocelyne's Martha & The Muffins (of Echo Beach fame). Anyway...

The Giant Panther and I agree on one thing for certain; The Band were tremendous. I just happened to catch The Last Waltz, again, on VH1 Classics about three weeks ago on a Friday night. I just cracked a bottle of wine, sliced up a hunk of cheese and thoroughly enjoyed the heck out of the next three hours...again. They really had such a slice of Americana going it was hard to resist. Levon Helm was apparently the only American in The Band, but I would have never known that if I hadn't done a little research on them many years ago. The Band formed officially in 1967 and packed it in, after eleven years on the road, in 1978. I don't want to presume what Robertson was up to for nearly a decade before releasing his solo debut, but did you know Robbie Robertson was allegedly the primary guitarist for the Blonde on Blonde sessions after replacing Mike Bloomfield? Let's just say, as a session musician, if he needed or wanted work, it was there for him. Did you also know he ranked 78th on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time not all that long ago? I don't usually pay much attention to rankings like that lest I lose my mind, but that's pretty impressive when you think about it. I do know he spent time producing Neil Diamond and scoring a couple of movies, one of which was Raging Bull, after The Band broke up, but his debut CD was pretty cool. There is no mistaking the voices of Gabriel and Bono, but probably the best track on this record was Somewhere Down The Crazy River and it had Robertson written all over it. Back when local alterna-rock radio station WFNX was cool, it played songs like this one and Robert Cray's Don't You Even Care right next to The Cure, Talking Heads, New Order, Echo & The Bunnymen and Big Audio Dynamite. Ah Blues and Rock side by side. Yes! Again, sadly those were different times...

It's not like this record was a one hit wonder though. It had another favorite of mine called Showdown at Big Sky and several fairly recognizable cuts in Broken Arrow, American Roulette, Testimony, Sweet Fire of Love and Fallen Angel. It's a subtle and forgotten beauty of a CD. I went back to the reviews on Amazon.com and the preaching to the choir section was handing out stars like this baby was Blood On The Tracks. Know what? I'm glad it was for somebody because I've been enjoying the heck out of it lately myself. How can you go wrong with an intersection of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers like Peter Gabriel, U2 and The Band? Now take a little stroll with me to a much quieter time...in an abandoned '59 Chevy...layin' in the backseat listening to Little Willie John...yeah, that's when time stood still...

I love city life. You're always a heartbeat away from seeing a great show. All you have to do is be vigilant. Here in Boston we have a cultural & political free rag called The Boston Phoenix. Politics is not my thing, but you do have to overlook the constant coverage if you want to get to the good stuff. Your friend John has been battling a cold the past week that doesn't seem to want to get lost so I was holed up in my condo much of this past week. Finally Friday rolled around and I was itching to do something fun. I had been mindful of a Robyn Hitchcock show scheduled for November 21st, last night, for about six weeks. I used to write every show down on my bathroom calendar so I wouldn't forget them. Now I don't write anything as a way of sorting out what shows I REALLY need to see (as if I REALLY need to see any of them). I'm trying to be respectful of the Wall Street news night after night. Know what? I know I should just batton down the hatches and start treating quarters like manhole covers, but that will never ever be me. I like to have a good time; plain and simple. Last night was one of those times.

Trying to talk myself into feeling better than I probably was, I hemmed and hawed all day yesterday about trying to scalp a ticket to see Robyn Hitchcock. I hadn't been out of the house all week and I was restless. I waited until the absolute possible last second before deciding to go. I don't recommend my time management skills yesterday to anyone. I called the venue, The Somerville Theatre, around 6:45 PM for a 7:30 PM show to see if there was a warm up band (see my Smashing Pumpkins gaffe below). I was told there wasn't one. I said when did they think Robyn Hitchcock would go on? The oh so cheerful fellow on the phone, who has to answer that question 200 times per show, said 7:30 PM. I knew that was bull, but I could tell this kid was in no mood. I didn't even bother to ask if the show was sold out. I left my house, a good twenty minutes from the venue not counting a dicey parking situation, at 7:15 PM. Davis Square in Somerville, MA is a hotbed of bars, restaurants, shops and theatres. It's crawling with Tufts University students and has a tremendous vibe. It's home to Redbones, one of the best BBQ places around these parts, and there are more nooks and crannies than an English muffin. I love the place, but I don't seem to get over there much. The Somerville Theatre is mostly a movie house, but it still has a small 1000 seat stage set aside for relatively tame rock and folk shows. Robyn Hitchcock is a folkie, so he fits the bill. They even serve good beer. I will say that last March or so The Black Crowes played there. That was one hot ticket. I'm surprised the place still stands to be honest. The Black Crowes are always a good take.

Robyn Hitchcock is an eccentric Englishman. He is sort of an acquired taste I would speculate. He and I have one thing in common though; we both worship Bob Dylan. He put out a CD in 2002 where he covers Dylan exclusively called Robyn Sings. Check that one out Dylan fans. He claims that the song Visions of Johanna is the reason he is a performer today. As for Hitchcock's own catalogue, he is kind of all over the place. I was managing a retail compact disc outlet on Newbury Street in Boston back in the late eighties when CDs first came on the market. We ordered all kinds of imports trying to compete with Tower Records (RIP) and Newbury Comics (my personal favorite brick and mortar music store). One of the artists I immediately noticed during the course of my ordering was Robyn Hitchcock. Man this guy was hard to get a handle on, but was he ever prolific. The titles just kept coming...Black Snake Diamond Role, Groovy Decoy, I Often Dream of Trains, Fegmania!, Gotta Let This Hen Out!, Element of Light, Globe of Frogs, Queen Elvis...and that doesn't cover the half of it. My friend Rick, who worked with me at the store, was constantly playing New Order, Joy Division, The Durutti Column, The Cocteau Twins, and Robyn Hitchcock when his turn came up. It was kind of fun for me, as curious as I am about music, to see all the employees work their preferences into the mix as their turns came up. My other friend Tom was a big Santana and Jazz guy for instance. I was probably just heading into my alternative rock years after living on classic rock for twenty years straight. I couldn't get a handle on Robyn Hitchcock though. He didn't seem to have any hits, but I just loved that accent. He had the strangest tunes, most under three minutes, that were just plain odd. He played with a critically acclaimed psychedelic punk band called The Soft Boys before beginning his solo career in 1981. I recently saw a documentary on him on The Sundance Channel called Sex, Food, Death...& Insects that kind of renewed my interest in him. He plays with Peter Buck of R.E.M. fame these days. You may have noticed him in the photo above.

I love guys like Hitchcock though. They just keep doing there thing without worrying about sales or perception. He has a nice following. He finally got some commercial success in the late eighties when he released Globe of Frogs. WFNX was playing Balloon Man night and day in those days, but I was mesmerized by a song called Vibrating. I have included it for you below. He went on to have a couple of more minor hits, Madonna of The Wasps and So You Think You're in Love specifically, before fading back into relative obscurity by 1992. So obscure in fact that I was able to waltz up to a 7:30 PM show at 7:40 PM, check with box office, and plop down $26.50 for a fourth row center seat. I get inside and the house lights are still on. Perfect! What a treat. I Often Dream of Trains is widely considered to be Robyn Hitchcock's finest hour and I knew he was playing the entire CD during his show this time around. I have to confess I knew Element of Light and Globe of Frogs better, but I read enough critics lists to know that where Hitchcock was concerned I was a novice. I was psyched to hear I Often Dream of Trains as if I had heard it for the very first time. I was not disappointed. Hitchcock was filming his show and when you sit that close you can really check things out you normally couldn't if you were miles from the action. The camera guy was hovering over the piano the whole time. Hitchcock comes out in a shirt with large white polka dots under his suit jacket and top hat. He is a comical performer; constantly telling seemingly nonsensical stories in between songs. It was highly entertaining and recommended. I even witnessed a three man accapella performance during Uncorrected Personality Traits that was probably my first ever. I had a great seat in a tiny venue at a good price, a cold Harpoon IPA and a performer doing what he loves right in front of me. Local scribe Brett Milano was also in attendance. I don't know why, but seeing that guy always makes me think I'm in the right place. If you have any interest in the history of music in Boston check out his book The Sound of Our Town. I was going to blog about it, but I never seem to get around to it. It's well worth reading if you lived it like I did. OK, I've vibrated long enough. Robyn Hitchcock was a lot of fun last night and he just keeps on trucking. Check him out sometime if you get the chance.

Before I begin, let me say that, in my opinion, Smashing Pumpkins produced one the the best CDs of the 1990's in Siamese Dream. I used to absolutely love this band. I can remember hearing Rhinoceros on WFNX here in Boston in early 1991 and instantly taking a liking to it. I recall going to the store the day Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness came out securing my copy. I kept on buying Smashing Pumpkins CDs long after the general public had given up on them. I own copies of Adore, Machina/The Machines of God (still in the running for the worst album title ever in my book), Pisces Iscariot (I am a Pisces after all) and Zeitgeist. There can be no doubting my fandom. The thing is; I have to decide whether I'm still as big a fan as I once was or if Smashing Pumpkins are just a shaky live proposition. There's no shame in that really. I've seen a lot of concerts and some bands just can't make the transition live. Other bands don't even try. As I've noted in previous posts two of my favorites, XTC and Steely Dan, have checkered touring histories (in fairness though Steely Dan has righted the ship and tours fairly regularly these days...for them anyway). Even The Beatles, arguably the greatest band in the history of rock music, didn't care much for touring. I don't think this is Smashing Pumpkins issue, but I really struggled with last night's concert at The Wang Center here in Boston. I wish I could say otherwise.

Before the show, in fact before any show in this general vicinity, that I see at The Orpheum, The Wang Center, or The Wilbur Theatre I stopped for dinner at Silvertone Bar & Grill at 69 Bromfield Street near Park Street Station. Long time Bostonians know of this awesome restaurant, but if you've never been there you should check the place out; great food, drink, vibe, service and prices. It's a great place to go before and after any event within a ten block radius. Sometimes it's a victim of its own success as the concert and show traffic collides with the regulars, but if you give yourself enough time nothing is better. Where was I? Oh yeah, Smashing Pumpkins. One of the head honchos over at Silvertone, my friend Josh, always asks me "who you going to see this time?" When I mentioned Smashing Pumpkins we started talking about them. He mentioned that they had 15 great songs and several good ones. He mentioned Bullet With Butterfly Wings. I got to thinking about that and made my own mental list; Rhinoceros, Cherub Rock, Today, Hummer, Mayonnaise, Disarm, Here is No Why, Porcelina of The Vast Oceans, Zero, Muzzle, Tonight Tonight, Ava Adore, Appels + Oranjes, Pug (a HUGE sleeper cut on their catalogue), probably Stand Inside Your Love and my all time favorite; Drown from The Singles Soundtrack. That's a tad more than 15, but Josh had it right. After the initial 15-20 though, the drop is pretty steep. Still, after spending all day yesterday prepping for the concert by listening to Smashing Pumpkins records I was confident that I was still a big fan. This morning I have doubts.

Didn't I just get done saying how I think more bands should play completely different shows in stops where they are playing more than once in a given city? Well, this time it backfired on me. I did a cursory search to find the set list for the show I witnessed last night, but I couldn't find anything definitive so I'm using the set lists from a prior two stop show in Washington, DC. From what I can gather, the set list from the second show was fairly identical to what I witnessed last night. First, I deserve severe criticism for showing up late for the concert. I didn't call the Wang in advance or search the web for evidence of a warm up band. As a veteran concert goer you have to be aware of a venue's predisposition for entertaining rock crowds. If memory serves, The Wang Center was once known as The Music Hall many years ago. I can remember seeing Heart on the Bebe Le Strange Tour in the late 70's or very early 80's there. Take that Sarah Barracuda. Anyway, the building has a long history with rock music. Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead played there to name just two of thousands. For the last 25 years or so you'd be much more likely to see Jerry Seinfeld, The Nutcracker or 10,000 Maniacs than you would be to see an all out rock band like Smashing Pumpkins. My point is I was guilty of winging it and showing up 45 minutes after the doors opened figuring there would a warm up act. A venue like the Wang Center is more likely to start the show a little earlier so they can get you out of there earlier. The poor ushers were all used to seating, shall we say, a more family friendly crowd. The ones I saw were older (than me!) and wearing concert plugs. This time they were justified. Sadly I can now add this show to the list of shows over the years where I've misjudged and ended up being late. It doesn't happen often and it's every concert goers nightmare, but I was having a good time at Silvertone. What can you do? As it turns out I missed Ava Adore if the Washington, DC set list matches what they played last night, but aside from that 1979 was never a big song for me. We showed up during Soma missing the first six songs. I was on my third or fourth concert inside of two weeks so I wasn't too broken up about it honestly. I had seen the Pumpkins fizzle in the past and I wasn't expecting much here. Be careful what you wish for.

My friend Marc, who attended the show with me, and I caught Cherube Rock, Zero, Bodies, Landslide (I made a beer run, but Marc was happy he caught that one...and I'm the big Fleetwood Mac fan...go figure) and Disarm. Suffice to say that the Pumpkins do not sound in concert like they do in the studio. The wall of noise and distortion overshadows the music to me. I thought the songs were played too fast and that the band was going through the motions a bit. Billy Corgan is an eclectic dude no doubt, but this is his baby. The Pumpkins are the only vehicle he has to shine as far as I can tell. I don't pay much attention to personnel changes I'm ashamed to admit. I know this is a shell of the original Pumpkins, but as long as Corgan is manning the ship you would expect a decent product. From Disarm on we got, as far as I'm concerned, nearly an hour of feedback, banging, speed metal thrashing and very little in the way of melody. Marc and I left before the encore was over. I don't know...yes only three of my top 15-20 Smashing Pumpkins favorites were played, but I'm not that hard to please when it comes to live music. I'm not hypercritical of set lists or covers or rearrangements. All I ask is that I can discern the lyrics and something akin to an actual melody. I really couldn't do either last night so I'm giving this show the thumbs down. Sorry Billy. No offense intended...to anyone. I'm sure there were many Pumpkin fans in attendance last night that enjoyed this show, but I wasn't one of them. I just can't recommend these guys live anymore.

I'm leaving you with Drown since it reminds me of better times with regard to my relationship with Chicago's Smashing Pumpkins. I hope they keep recording, but with ticket prices and the economy these days I think I've bought my last ticket to see them live.

The Set List for Washington, DC 11-12-2008 - Ava Adore, Cupid de Locke, 1979, 99 Floors, Owata, Sunkissed, Soma, Cherub Rock, Zero, Bodies, Crestfallen, I of The Mourning, A Song For a Son, Landslide, Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness, Galapogos, Gossamer, As Rome Burns, The Sounds of Silence/Li'l Red Riding Hood/The March Hare/Suffer, Age of Innocence.

Encore - That's The Way (My Love Is), I Am One Part II.

Smashing Pumpkins - Drown.mp3 YSI

OK, let's get the juvenile rock digs out of the way. I know many people, The Giant Panther included, who don't find Australian rockers AC/DC particularly compelling. They're too loud; they're too heavy; they're bad boy image is too juvenile; all of their music sounds the same. I've heard it all and I could care less. I LOVE AC/DC and I don't care if I am 48 years of age. They rock my world. Unfortunately for the masses, most people MIGHT be able to name one song after Back in Black, Shoot To Thrill, You Shook Me (All Night Long), Hells Bells, TNT, It's a Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll...Thank you School of Rock), Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Highway To Hell or For Those About To Rock (We Salute You). For me and 20,000 other hard core AC/DC fans at the TD BankNorth Garden last night that is a crying shame. I'm a huge fan of legendary guitarists such as Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, The Edge and anyone else you'd probably care to name. None of them get me going like Angus Young. I can't explain it and I won't even try. I'm not much of a dancer, but I cannot sit still when this guy is playing his guitar. I'm so glad a camera wasn't on me during last night's rendering of Hell Ain't a Bad Place To Be. It was the second song of the night and I swear I was hollering like some school girl at Paul McCartney. It's quite embarrassing to see a grown man enjoying himself so much. You're going to have to trust me on this. I have to laugh just thinking about it. I must have close to a thousand rock shows under my belt and I swear my level of enjoyment at AC/DC shows borders on the absurd. What a rush. This was my sixth AC/DC concert. For the record I'm noting the dates below for fun...

I'm sure I missed a few over the years, but it doesn't seem like they come around here much anymore. I know the seven year gulf between the last time they played here and last night felt like decades. I went with a couple of long time friends of mine and one of them donned a kilt for the show. I'm not sure exactly why, but two separate TNT chants broke out (Oiy! Oiy!) as we made our way towards our seats and people caught wind of his get up. It was hilarious. Before the show we usually gather at a local establishment owned by a friend of mine called The CharlesMark Hotel on Boylston Street in Back Bay Boston. The place usually caters to the traveling salesman or the families visiting college kids so the music is toned way down to snoozeville most of the time. Every now and then, for special occasions like this concert, my friend Mark will go against the grain and crank out some good old fashioned rock and roll. I love this side of Mark. It's in remission most of the time, but he does have his moments when he lends his bar to our cause. Coupled with our friend Dave the limo driver we do it right for every concert we attend in Boston. So a tip of the hat for Mark from me here...

Like The Rolling Stones, AC/DC is unfortunately bound to play certain songs. The nine I mentioned above are usually wedged into every set to the dismay of folks like me who don't really care if they play them at all anymore. I'm clearly not your average concert goer anymore, but I could subsist exclusively on AC/DC "B" cuts like Rock & Roll Singer, Girl's Got Rhythm, Shot Down in Flames, Down Payment Blues, What's Next To The Moon, Rock & Roll Damnation, Have a Drink On Me, Can't Stand Still, Sink The Pink, Touch Too Much, Rock & Roll Ain't Noise Pollution, What Do You Do For Money, Money Talks, Hard as a Rock, Stiff Upper Lip, Problem Child, Dog Eat Dog, Let's Get It Up, Sin City, Who Made Who, Hold Me Back, This House is On Fire, Burnin' Alive, Whiskey On The Rocks and Jailbreak. In fact, though the concert would reach Springsteenian proportions in length, if they only played these songs I would consider it to be the perfect AC/DC concert. It would be under the radar nirvana for me.

I don't want to start any Blasphemous Rumors, but I'd dump Back in Black, You Shook Me, The Jack, Whole Lotta Rosie, Let There Be Rock, Highway To Hell, and Thuderstruck and For Those About To Rock immediately if I were running the ship. I would keep TNT, Hells Bells, Dirty Deeds, and would get It's a Long Way back into the set as well. If they all sound the same then what's the harm right? You still have to promote the present record, but (and I'm stealing this from an online article I read this morning) AC/DC songs need ten years to mature and become staples of their set according to one fan. It's beer run time for most when the new stuff is played. I go during some of the war horse staples. I realize it's futile to complain about the hits, but I love bands that shuffle the deck and play something different every night. I think that's what made The Grateful Dead so popular. You never knew what you were going to get. People rarely follow bands more than two or three nearby cities in this day and age the way The Dead's following traipsed across the country to see them anymore, but more bands should promote that. It's a great sales gimmick and the artists wouldn't get bored in the meantime. Yeah it's harder to rehearse and recall, but what a draw. It's so fan friendly it seems like a no brainer to me. I don't know why more bands don't do it to be honest, but what do I know?

I'm probably preaching to the converted if anyone is still reading, but AC/DC definitely gets your adrenaline rushing in concert. Go see them if you never have. From Rock 'N Roll Train to the cannons firing in For Those About To Rock it was a spectacle and loads of fun. I don't care how old you are. They rule in my book.

Setlist: 1. Rock 'N Roll Train 2. Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be 3. Back In Black 4. Big Jack 5. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap 6. Thunderstruck 7. Black Ice 8. The Jack 9. Hells Bells 10. War Machine 11. Shoot to Thrill 12. Anything Goes 13. You Shook Me All Night Long 14. TNT 15. Whole Lotta Rosie 16. Let There Be Rock Encore: 17. Highway To Hell 18. For Those About To Rock

I know I'm not the only one who wakes up one day, turns on the radio and is numbed by news of the passing of a famous person. This morning was one of those days for me. Let me admit for the record I don't have any feel for the body of work Miriam Makeba produced over her long career as a recording artist. I'm not much for World Beat music, but aside from being a bit of a Top 40 snob, I'd like to think I am very open minded when it comes to "popular" music. If I own anything to be embarrassed about, and I definitely do (hello Ohio Express and every bubblebum pop record I hung my hat on in the late 60's), I'm more likely to embrace my phases more than distance myself from them these days. I was weened on AM Gold (call it 1967-1972 if we have to pin it down) and proud of it. WABC-AM in New York was a monster station in my child hood. Even the school bus driver had it playing in my small New Jersey town of Millington when I was doing the K-4 shuffle. I loved bands like Steppenwolf (a legitimate rock band hiding among the one hit wonder fluff of the day), The Grass Roots, Three Dog Night, The Monkees, The Box Tops, and the early Bee Gees. To this day I'm not ashamed of my fondness for these bands. Slowly but surely the FM dial took over and bands that were shifting the charts toward heavier sounds like The Doors, Cream, Grand Funk Railroad, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, The Velvet Underground, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Traffic, Led Zeppelin, Mountain and scores of others needed a place to go. What was cool and still deemed AM friendly were bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Free, The Kinks, Chicago, Sly & The Family Stone, The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Procol Harum and The Moody Blues. The reason I mention this is because radio was so wide open there was room for diverse artists like Miriam Makeba, Desmond Dekker, Jean Knight, Mungo Jerry, Alive & Kicking, Edison Lighthouse, The Zombies, Tommy James, Hugh Masekela, Chaka Kahn, Ray Charles and the like. Today many of these artists would never see the light of day. It was literally a free for all. I liked it a lot better then. Today you can barely get new and interesting Indie artists played anywhere let alone on the face of new music here in Boston WFNX-FM. It's discouraging.

African born Miriam Makeba's 1967 single "Pata Pata" was a spectacular example of a song with global appeal. Jamiacan born Desmond Dekker's 1968 single "Israelites" was another masterpiece from that era. Cameroon singer Manu Dibango's 1972 single "Soul Makossa" is yet another one that comes to mind. All of these songs got massive radio play back in the day and were ingrained into my brain at an early age. I had almost forgot about Miriam Makeba until one day I was watching the recently cancelled show Las Vegas a couple of years back. That show was famous for resurrecting James Caan and for the parade of ridiculously attractive women; Vanessa Marcil and Molly Sims in particular. If memory serves it used to show on Friday nights (loser alert) at 10 PM and though it may appear that I am friendless I used to videotape (yikes) it so I could watch it later. Since we are getting held up at gun point by cable companies anyway...DVR is a fantastic invention. So I'm mindlessly wasting yet another hour of my life watching Las Vegas when, at the end of one of the episodes, Miriam Makeba's Pata Pata comes on. I had totally forgotten what a great song that is. I hadn't heard it in years. Of course I went and downloaded it within minutes and actually play it on my computer jukebox fairly frequently when reading other sites.

I guess my point here is unfortunately musicians die every day. I can tell you this one touched me with one single song. It's such a feel good song I can't even express it in words. It's kind of funny coming from a guy who listens to Nine Inch Nails, Stabbing Westward and even Marilyn Manson from time to time, but this song will always have a place in my heart. People love to used the phrase "one hit wonder" as if it is something to be ashamed of. How ridiculous. Making ONE great song is something I always wished I could do. It's like a .203 career hitter homering in his only World Series at bat (who is 1976 New York Yankee reserve shortstop Jim Mason). It's something to be celebrated. Miriam Makeba has had a full life of performing music I'll probably never hear, but she made her mark on this music lover. She was performing when her heart gave out at 76 yesterday. Rest in Peace Miriam. You earned it.

This feels like one of those dreams where you show up to class in your underwear. Itunes has a feature that lets you create "smart" playlists. One of the smart playlists lets you track your top 25 most played songs of all time. It's almost like reading someone else's diary if you think about it. I'm surprised at a lot of the songs on this list. I haven't listened to a Rogue Wave song in over a year, but damn I must have been rocking that album hard when it came out.

Some of these songs make sense for me, and some I wouldn't even think to put in my top 50 if I was making a list from scratch. When using hard facts like this smart playlist, my hands are tied on the cool factor. I'm unable to tweak this by adding any kind of obscure noise rock band just to prove I'm worthy of your readership (I actually considered playing a Battles song over and over again until it made the list), or conjure up any visions of me being one of those "hip" people you see walking the streets wearing an outfit that is supposed to look like they don't care, but actually probably took way more effort and money to put together than a normal outfit.

By some minor miracle or act of God, Phil Collins' "Don't Lose My Number" didn't appear in my top 25. So here it is without any edits, and without any shame, my Top 25 most played songs in Itunes.

Last night Warren Haynes and Gov't Mule played The Orpheum Theatre here in Boston. I have seen Gov't Mule roughly ten times now, but I'd have to say I enjoyed last night's show as much as any of them. Like Phish, the Mule love to pay tribute to some of the bands they love when the holidays roll around. This is a really attractive trend for concert goers. We all knew there was something special in the works, but we didn't know what it was going to be. That in turn creates a selling opportunity for the band to the converted. I'm sure you have all come across the buy the concert you just saw on CD on the way out the door trend of the past couple of years. I haven't seen it lately, but I would imagine they haven't yet mastered the technology to the point that they can cut down on the wait after the show. Someone told me at the show last night that the concert we were about to witness will be available to the public in about two weeks. Sure enough, when I checked Gov't Mule's web site this morning a pop up advertisment confirmed it. To illustrate the potential for sales of live concerts I recently bought a copy of Holy Haunted House (thank you Carter Alan of WZLX fame for the tip) by Gov't Mule myself. It is a copy of the show they put on last Halloween in St Paul, MN. Their second set that night was basically a cover of every single song that appears on Led Zeppelin's House of The Holy. Since it'll be a cold day in hell before Led Zeppelin is bumped out of my top three bands of all time I was an easy mark here. In fact I'm listening to Gov't Mule's thirteen plus minute version of No Quarter as I type. Holy Haunted House is worth every penny I spent on this one track alone. I'm sharing it with you below. Enjoy. Now I have to save my pennies for a CD of a show I actually attended. Done and done. It's a pretty neat marketing trick.

Knowing I can usually score a great ticket with a little patience I rarely buy tickets for any event too far in advance. Between Craigslist and Ticketmaster releasing the tickets they sometimes have on hold for god knows who the day of the show, I'm usually in good shape by the time the show starts. Last night wasn't one of my better efforts. I ended up waiting about twenty five minutes in line for the box office to open hoping I would score unused band tickets. I wound up with the same fairly awful tickets I could have bought from Ticketmaster earlier that afternoon; right behind the mixing board about 40 rows from the stage. That never happens to me, but I was determined to get in no matter what because I knew they would play a set of covers. Why that fascinates me is odd I suppose, but I love covers; always have. To put this cavalier approach to ticket buying for this show in perspective last summer I wandered down to South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset, MA to see the Mule play a big top tent. This venue would be my favorite, even with the 45 minute drive, because it is tiny and intimate. The big drawback is that for reasons unknown they don't let you bring any beverages that you might purchase to your seat. That means, after selling you a super sized beer, they hang you out to dry by forcing you to consume it on the fly, in the heat, before entering the tent. They make sure you can't see in as well or everybody would just hang out outside because the vibe is so chill. The stage rotates so nobody is missing anything and aside from the post concert parking lot traffic jams the place is great. I always make one trip down there each summer no matter what. The reason I tell you this story though is because the Mule played there not five months ago before MAYBE 1500 people. I'm no crowd size expert, but the place was empty. I felt awful for a couple of reasons. One, because people have no clue what they are missing and two, because Gov't Mule may never play there again with that kind of turnout. I was embarrassed for the concert going public, but I had a blast. I socialized with a couple of Mule fans I figured I would never see again until I ran into one of them last night. That was kind of comical even though the Mule crowd is very loyal and seeing the same folks at each show is not unusual. They are a lot like the Allman Brothers concert going fans for obvious reasons. They do have Warren Haynes in common after all.

Back to the show; ever see those pictures in US Magazine (I read 'em at the gym for free...lighten up) where they say "Stars - They're Just Like US" as they show Jennifer Aniston picking out cereal or some such mundane task? That is what it feels like when Warren Haynes starts doing his Jimmy Page, or in last night's case David Gilmour, impression. It seems Warren Haynes has the same feelings about Pink Floyd that I do. That's pretty cool. I hear he's an extremely nice man, but this kind of makes me want to support him even more. I'm publishing the set list below, but the house was packed as the Mule lit into their second set last night. The first song was One of These Days from the 1971 Pink Floyd album Meddle. I figured this was the record they were going to play, but aside from a positively sublime version of Fearless, one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs, they didn't play any more from Meddle. They started skipping around. You can follow the set list below, but let me just tell you this was a great show and it's doubtful I could have enjoyed myself more. The whole audience sang like a church choir in unison throughout the whole Pink Floyd set. Happy Halloween indeed. Looks like I chose the treat again. Support Gov't Mule! P.S. Warm up act Back Door Slam was excellent. Blues fans should keep an eye on them.

First Set: Brighter Days, Bad Little Doggie, Brand New Angel, Game Face - Mountain Jam - Game Face, Trane - Third Stone From The Sun - Trane - Eternity's Breath Jam - Trane - St. Stephen, Monkey Hill, Child of The Earth, Kinder Bird Jam - Kind of Bird

Second Set: One Of These Days, Fearless, Pigs On The Wing Part 2, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Have A Cigar, Speak To Me, Breathe, On The Run, Time, Money, Comfortably Numb, Shine On You Crazy Diamond Reprise, Wish You Were Here

Encore: A Million Miles From Yesterday, Blind Man In The Dark