Anyone here going?
I am.
Preview
http://pantagraph.com/articles/2007/10/ ... 965871.txt
Dublin to Chicago Fri.( tomorrow) morning , Chicago back to Dublin Monday evening/ Tuesday morning. Ker-azzy schedule but , hey, any other way would be boring.
Inbetween I hope to see Blue Rodeo/Ron Sexsmith doing a club
show on Fri, Zimmy/Elvis Sat./Sun. and spend the days seeing one of America's more iconic cities.
See , hopefully, some of you along the way!
Dylan, Elvis - Chicago , Oct. 27- 29 '07
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mood swung
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bronxapostle
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Are you staying downtown, John?
If you have time for sightseeing you have to visit Chess Records at 2120 S.Michigan Avenue. Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson, Chuck Berry etc all recorded there.
Outside of New York, Chicago has one of the best skylines you will see in the US.
Take the opportunity to try Chicago style pizza!
There are some great record stores around. Your schedule doesn't look like it will allow much time for shopping though!
Where are Elvis and Bob playing?
Sorry for the crappy weather, it has been warm & dry until this week.
Enjoy your stay. I am in Chicago most weeks, not this one unfortunately. Would love to have shown you the sights. Feel like I owe you after all the information you put on this site.
If you have time for sightseeing you have to visit Chess Records at 2120 S.Michigan Avenue. Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson, Chuck Berry etc all recorded there.
Outside of New York, Chicago has one of the best skylines you will see in the US.
Take the opportunity to try Chicago style pizza!
There are some great record stores around. Your schedule doesn't look like it will allow much time for shopping though!
Where are Elvis and Bob playing?
Sorry for the crappy weather, it has been warm & dry until this week.
Enjoy your stay. I am in Chicago most weeks, not this one unfortunately. Would love to have shown you the sights. Feel like I owe you after all the information you put on this site.
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bambooneedle
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Not to mention The Rolling Stones' famous early session there. When they first went to the states in 1964 it was one of the first places they insisted on visiting. And another customer was in attendance, Muddy Waters. He even helped carry their bags up the stairs.Richard wrote:If you have time for sightseeing you have to visit Chess Records at 2120 S.Michigan Avenue. Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson, Chuck Berry etc all recorded there.
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Otis Westinghouse
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bronxapostle
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sweetest punch
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Raving blog account from october, 27:
http://jimmydumpssunnyjimmy.blogspot.co ... dylan.html
But it was Elvis Costello opening for Dylan who stole the show. One man, one guitar, one voice. He absolutely tore the house down. I've seen Elvis before, with the Attractions, with the Imposters, in fact, I saw Elvis when he first came to U.S. shores all those years ago, at a little club in Schaumburg, Illinois way back when "My Aim is True," first hit the shelves, he's always been good, but this time around, you realize the man really is a master.
Elvis (excuse my French), fucking rocked. So much passion, so in the moment. He had the audience in the palm of his hand. he was wielding an Epiphone Acoustic/Electric, the same model J. Lennon used to play, it was hooked up to a small tube amp, and he got a perfect, creamy overdriven sound to back his superb vocals. I can't say enough. It was so powerful, so inspiring. When he quoted Lennon's line, "I don't want to be a soldier mama, I don't want to die," in "Wake Up," when he did a rousing, punkish, version of "What's So Funny about Peace, Love and Understanding," he hit the bullseye. The audience roared with delight. It was one of the best performances I've ever seen. Totally unexpected. Elvis truly is the King. This one writes his own songs too! Elvis lives!
http://jimmydumpssunnyjimmy.blogspot.co ... dylan.html
But it was Elvis Costello opening for Dylan who stole the show. One man, one guitar, one voice. He absolutely tore the house down. I've seen Elvis before, with the Attractions, with the Imposters, in fact, I saw Elvis when he first came to U.S. shores all those years ago, at a little club in Schaumburg, Illinois way back when "My Aim is True," first hit the shelves, he's always been good, but this time around, you realize the man really is a master.
Elvis (excuse my French), fucking rocked. So much passion, so in the moment. He had the audience in the palm of his hand. he was wielding an Epiphone Acoustic/Electric, the same model J. Lennon used to play, it was hooked up to a small tube amp, and he got a perfect, creamy overdriven sound to back his superb vocals. I can't say enough. It was so powerful, so inspiring. When he quoted Lennon's line, "I don't want to be a soldier mama, I don't want to die," in "Wake Up," when he did a rousing, punkish, version of "What's So Funny about Peace, Love and Understanding," he hit the bullseye. The audience roared with delight. It was one of the best performances I've ever seen. Totally unexpected. Elvis truly is the King. This one writes his own songs too! Elvis lives!
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
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Otis Westinghouse
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So by my reckoning that's 1. that's almost less than me, as I can count England and the Channel Islands, while not technically a separate country, it is economically and politically independent. I nearly saw him in Spain, but had a wedding to attend to.bronxapostle wrote:answer the question foyle!!!!!!!! i've seen him in 8 states and D.C.!!Otis Westinghouse wrote:Way to go, John! It's an expensive hobby, but a great one. How many countries have you seen Elv in? Bet it's a board record.
John must be at least 6 (Ireland, England, Scotland, Denmark, Holland, I think, US). Any advance?
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/6 ... 29.article
A pair of musical mavericks link legendary talents
REVIEW | Costello fires up spirited set, and Dylan is simply not to be missed
October 29, 2007
BY JIM DeROGATIS Pop Music Critic
They grew up literally a world apart, but the current tour by Bob Dylan, the legendary son of Hibbing, Minn., and London-born rocker Declan MacManus, better known as Elvis Costello, proved to be an inspired pairing on Saturday, the first of a three-night stand at the Chicago Theatre.
Both are literary-minded songwriters more interested in storytelling than in crafting catchy pop product. Both have famously gruff and unconventional voices, to put it kindly. And at the end of the day, despite the occasional tune sold to a lingerie company or a luxury car commercial, both are musical mavericks possessing immeasurable integrity.
Performing solo acoustic, thereby making his debt to Dylan all the more obvious, Costello delivered a spirited 11-song set mixing pared-down versions of some of his best-known songs -- "Veronica," "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," "Radio Sweetheart" -- with less familiar material, including a sassy and very funny tune recently written with country great Loretta Lynn.
Running throughout was an anti-war message Costello expressed both in rousing terms -- via a raucous version of "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding" -- and in a quieter mode, with a set-closing reading of "The Scarlet Tide," co-written with T-Bone Burnett.
Dylan's set started slowly, with laidback, almost lazy versions of "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" and "It Ain't Me, Babe." He played guitar for those but shifted to electronic keyboard, where he remained for the rest of the night.
The 66-year-old musician reportedly has avoided the guitar in recent years because of arthritis. Fans have tried to see the upside by arguing that this puts more focus on his vocals. But for my money, none of the shows I've seen since the shift have been nearly as inspiring as those during the hot streak that stretched from the mid-'90s into the early 2000s, when Dylan gleefully traded fiery solos with some of the best bands of his career.
Part of the problem Saturday was also due to the current band, which shuffled and swayed more than it rocked, even though every member was decked out in ridiculous black leather pants. You couldn't help thinking Dylan would be kicking their shiny derrieres if he was still wielding his ax, but it was too hard to motivate anyone when he was riveted in one spot, and when his keys were either barely audible or none too impressive. (When it comes to tinkling the ebonies and ivories, Bob is no Al Kooper.)
The show only really caught fire three-quarters of the way through, starting with solid versions of "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Ain't Talkin'," and drawing to a moving conclusion before the encore with the poignant and sadly once again timely "Masters of War."
On this night, Dylan was outshone by one of his disciples, and Costello put on the better show. But to be fair, while I've seen much better Dylan performances, I've also seen much, much worse, and Bob playing at the "B" level is still better than many other artists at "A+."
jimdero@jimdero.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/ ... 5812.story
chicagotribune.com
ROCK REVIEW
Dylan's performance uneven, but he remains intriguing as ever
By Greg Kot
Tribune music critic
October 29, 2007
"You think I'm over the hill/you think I'm past my prime," Bob Dylan sang with a wink. "Let me see what you got/we can have a real good time."
The capacity crowd Saturday at the Chicago Theatre whooped in appreciation as Dylan roused himself just in time to salvage what had been a fairly sleepy concert, the first in a three-night stand.
The 66-year-old singer, looking dapper as always in a black suit and mariachi hat, frequently tinkers with the lineup of his backing bands, and the current five-piece incarnation is still going through some growing pains. "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" sputtered out of the gate, a surprisingly mellow and ramshackle take on a song that only a few years ago was flying higher than ever when guitarist Charlie Sexton was playing alongside Dylan.
Concert rarities such as "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" and "Positively 4th Street" fell surprisingly flat; the band tiptoed around Dylan, and the singer's voice fired on only one cylinder: a monotone rumble.
Dylan was back on guitar for the first time in years on the first few songs, but he returned to keyboards for the majority of the 110-minute performance. And those keys were integral to the new sound Dylan has been searching for on the last few tours. Guitarists Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman aren't really rockers; their role was to create space and breathing room for Dylan's voice. He used that voice to talk as much as sing, but on the jazz-swing of "Spirit on the Water" he sounded spry and playful, and the music started to open up.
He reinvented "Highway 61 Revisited," with his carnival organ chords and Donnie Herron's pedal-steel guitar laying an ominous foundation for George Recile's surging drum crescendos. The song turned from a mischievous biblical blues into something far more ominous, a reckoning from on high.
With the band silhouetted against a curtain, Dylan tapped the menacing heartbeat of "Ain't Talkin'," as Herron's violin and the singer's keyboards emerged from the shadows. "Summer Days" has been a high point of previous tours, and this was no exception, with Tony Garnier's fingers dancing up and down his upright bass. Then an eerie "Masters of War" wrapped up the main set, in another retooled arrangement that united pedal steel, organ and bowed upright bass in a dark cloud of drone.
This tour marks another intriguing new direction for Dylan, a move away from the guitar-heavy attack of his recent past and into more muted, spacious arrangements better suited for his voice. As this show affirmed, he's still writing this chapter. Can't wait to see how it ends.
The night's biggest disappointment was that Dylan didn't collaborate with his stellar opening act. Elvis Costello mixed his past ("Radio Sweetheart") with his present ("Down Among the Wines and Spirits") and closed with a potent anti-war plea, "The Scarlet Tide." He sang with gusto over rude, rough guitar, a one-man band on a mission.
A pair of musical mavericks link legendary talents
REVIEW | Costello fires up spirited set, and Dylan is simply not to be missed
October 29, 2007
BY JIM DeROGATIS Pop Music Critic
They grew up literally a world apart, but the current tour by Bob Dylan, the legendary son of Hibbing, Minn., and London-born rocker Declan MacManus, better known as Elvis Costello, proved to be an inspired pairing on Saturday, the first of a three-night stand at the Chicago Theatre.
Both are literary-minded songwriters more interested in storytelling than in crafting catchy pop product. Both have famously gruff and unconventional voices, to put it kindly. And at the end of the day, despite the occasional tune sold to a lingerie company or a luxury car commercial, both are musical mavericks possessing immeasurable integrity.
Performing solo acoustic, thereby making his debt to Dylan all the more obvious, Costello delivered a spirited 11-song set mixing pared-down versions of some of his best-known songs -- "Veronica," "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," "Radio Sweetheart" -- with less familiar material, including a sassy and very funny tune recently written with country great Loretta Lynn.
Running throughout was an anti-war message Costello expressed both in rousing terms -- via a raucous version of "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding" -- and in a quieter mode, with a set-closing reading of "The Scarlet Tide," co-written with T-Bone Burnett.
Dylan's set started slowly, with laidback, almost lazy versions of "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" and "It Ain't Me, Babe." He played guitar for those but shifted to electronic keyboard, where he remained for the rest of the night.
The 66-year-old musician reportedly has avoided the guitar in recent years because of arthritis. Fans have tried to see the upside by arguing that this puts more focus on his vocals. But for my money, none of the shows I've seen since the shift have been nearly as inspiring as those during the hot streak that stretched from the mid-'90s into the early 2000s, when Dylan gleefully traded fiery solos with some of the best bands of his career.
Part of the problem Saturday was also due to the current band, which shuffled and swayed more than it rocked, even though every member was decked out in ridiculous black leather pants. You couldn't help thinking Dylan would be kicking their shiny derrieres if he was still wielding his ax, but it was too hard to motivate anyone when he was riveted in one spot, and when his keys were either barely audible or none too impressive. (When it comes to tinkling the ebonies and ivories, Bob is no Al Kooper.)
The show only really caught fire three-quarters of the way through, starting with solid versions of "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Ain't Talkin'," and drawing to a moving conclusion before the encore with the poignant and sadly once again timely "Masters of War."
On this night, Dylan was outshone by one of his disciples, and Costello put on the better show. But to be fair, while I've seen much better Dylan performances, I've also seen much, much worse, and Bob playing at the "B" level is still better than many other artists at "A+."
jimdero@jimdero.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/ ... 5812.story
chicagotribune.com
ROCK REVIEW
Dylan's performance uneven, but he remains intriguing as ever
By Greg Kot
Tribune music critic
October 29, 2007
"You think I'm over the hill/you think I'm past my prime," Bob Dylan sang with a wink. "Let me see what you got/we can have a real good time."
The capacity crowd Saturday at the Chicago Theatre whooped in appreciation as Dylan roused himself just in time to salvage what had been a fairly sleepy concert, the first in a three-night stand.
The 66-year-old singer, looking dapper as always in a black suit and mariachi hat, frequently tinkers with the lineup of his backing bands, and the current five-piece incarnation is still going through some growing pains. "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" sputtered out of the gate, a surprisingly mellow and ramshackle take on a song that only a few years ago was flying higher than ever when guitarist Charlie Sexton was playing alongside Dylan.
Concert rarities such as "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" and "Positively 4th Street" fell surprisingly flat; the band tiptoed around Dylan, and the singer's voice fired on only one cylinder: a monotone rumble.
Dylan was back on guitar for the first time in years on the first few songs, but he returned to keyboards for the majority of the 110-minute performance. And those keys were integral to the new sound Dylan has been searching for on the last few tours. Guitarists Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman aren't really rockers; their role was to create space and breathing room for Dylan's voice. He used that voice to talk as much as sing, but on the jazz-swing of "Spirit on the Water" he sounded spry and playful, and the music started to open up.
He reinvented "Highway 61 Revisited," with his carnival organ chords and Donnie Herron's pedal-steel guitar laying an ominous foundation for George Recile's surging drum crescendos. The song turned from a mischievous biblical blues into something far more ominous, a reckoning from on high.
With the band silhouetted against a curtain, Dylan tapped the menacing heartbeat of "Ain't Talkin'," as Herron's violin and the singer's keyboards emerged from the shadows. "Summer Days" has been a high point of previous tours, and this was no exception, with Tony Garnier's fingers dancing up and down his upright bass. Then an eerie "Masters of War" wrapped up the main set, in another retooled arrangement that united pedal steel, organ and bowed upright bass in a dark cloud of drone.
This tour marks another intriguing new direction for Dylan, a move away from the guitar-heavy attack of his recent past and into more muted, spacious arrangements better suited for his voice. As this show affirmed, he's still writing this chapter. Can't wait to see how it ends.
The night's biggest disappointment was that Dylan didn't collaborate with his stellar opening act. Elvis Costello mixed his past ("Radio Sweetheart") with his present ("Down Among the Wines and Spirits") and closed with a potent anti-war plea, "The Scarlet Tide." He sang with gusto over rude, rough guitar, a one-man band on a mission.
Some images ; words still fail me .
Here's what I came for -
Me at Millennium Park -
.........and at the 'Wilco' building ( my name for the towers that are featured on the cover of the Wilco album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
......which I couldn't, all weekend, pass without photographing -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_City
Here's what I came for -
Me at Millennium Park -
.........and at the 'Wilco' building ( my name for the towers that are featured on the cover of the Wilco album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)
......which I couldn't, all weekend, pass without photographing -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_City
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Who Shot Sam?
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- Contact:
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Who Shot Sam?
- Posts: 7097
- Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 5:05 pm
- Location: Somewhere in the distance
- Contact:
Damn, I didn't know they even offered that. Must be new since my last visit. This is my favorite Chicago building...johnfoyle wrote:I did the architectural boat tour - far more relaxing!
http://www.peterbeers.net/interests/flw ... atrium.htm
A bit over the top, but what an impressive space. Knocked my socks off.
Mother, Moose-Hunter, Maverick
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sweetest punch
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Setlists from wiki:
October 28, 2007:
01. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
02. Either Side Of The Same Town
03. Watching The Detectives
04. The River In Reverse - including line from I Don't Want To Be A Soldier
05. Down Among The Wines And Spirits
06. Alison
07. From Sulfur To Sugar Cane
08. Song With Rose
09. Uncomplicated / Not Fade Away
10. Suit Of Lights
11. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
12. The Scarlet Tide
October 29, 2007
01. Radio, Radio
02. Clubland
03. Either Side Of The Same Town / Just Someone I Used To Know
04. The River In Reverse - including line from I Don't Want To Be A Soldier
05. Down Among The Wines And Spirits
06. How Deep Is The Red
07. From Sulfur To Sugar Cane
08. I Want You
09. Radio Sweetheart / Jackie Wilson Said
10. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
11. The Scarlet Tide
October 28, 2007:
01. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
02. Either Side Of The Same Town
03. Watching The Detectives
04. The River In Reverse - including line from I Don't Want To Be A Soldier
05. Down Among The Wines And Spirits
06. Alison
07. From Sulfur To Sugar Cane
08. Song With Rose
09. Uncomplicated / Not Fade Away
10. Suit Of Lights
11. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
12. The Scarlet Tide
October 29, 2007
01. Radio, Radio
02. Clubland
03. Either Side Of The Same Town / Just Someone I Used To Know
04. The River In Reverse - including line from I Don't Want To Be A Soldier
05. Down Among The Wines And Spirits
06. How Deep Is The Red
07. From Sulfur To Sugar Cane
08. I Want You
09. Radio Sweetheart / Jackie Wilson Said
10. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
11. The Scarlet Tide
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
Elvis's performance both nights was pretty much faultless. Familiar as I was with recordings from earlier in the tour there was a lack of surprise. I found myself concentrating on aspects of presentation , like the channeling of different guitar sounds , his adept use of pedals etc. The overwhelmingly positive reaction he was getting from the audience re-enforces my perception that the tour with Dylan has been a very astute move , re-introducing/ introducing himself to a whole new audience. It also serves as a very good calling card to any promoter who may wish to serve up a tour of Elvis solo. Elvis' seeming comfort with the format also bodes well.
It's worthwhile to consider the contrast with when he last regularly toured solo, in the 1980's. Back then he continued the declamatory style of his in-group performances. It was also before he did the vocal lessons he did for the Brodsky project. What we are now getting is a more assured, paced performance .
Other than that I could bore you for ages with other aspects of my trip. In short , I was lucky enough to meet up a with great bunch of people who ensured I had a blast of weekend , discovering a city of endless character that I can't wait to get back to. Along with Costello related visits to the U.K. , Denmark and Holland over the years I have been very lucky to find that people I've got to know via the 'net have been as good as their posts indicated.
Another aspect intrigues me. Over the years I've been curious about how an artist like Elvis deals with all that ( not so common now!) trans-Atlantic travel. If my experience is anything to go by it's not so onerous after all. My over-night flight from Chicago had me back in Dublin by 8.15 on Tuesday morning. Having slept through nearly all of it I dropped into my shop at about 10 , expecting to start conking out and having to take it easy for the rest of the day. Not so - I worked for the rest of the day and quickly re-adopted my regular sleep pattern that night. What ended up tiring me and delaying these comments was some dental work I had later in the week . I was able to do all that scanning and pasting of my photos and the Mojo feature . String some words together ? Forget it!
Right now I'm anticipating , in the next few months , a string of shows in Dublin by many different artists . However , I'm also wondering , in the back of mind, what next bit of Costello related travel awaits me in '08!
It's worthwhile to consider the contrast with when he last regularly toured solo, in the 1980's. Back then he continued the declamatory style of his in-group performances. It was also before he did the vocal lessons he did for the Brodsky project. What we are now getting is a more assured, paced performance .
Other than that I could bore you for ages with other aspects of my trip. In short , I was lucky enough to meet up a with great bunch of people who ensured I had a blast of weekend , discovering a city of endless character that I can't wait to get back to. Along with Costello related visits to the U.K. , Denmark and Holland over the years I have been very lucky to find that people I've got to know via the 'net have been as good as their posts indicated.
Another aspect intrigues me. Over the years I've been curious about how an artist like Elvis deals with all that ( not so common now!) trans-Atlantic travel. If my experience is anything to go by it's not so onerous after all. My over-night flight from Chicago had me back in Dublin by 8.15 on Tuesday morning. Having slept through nearly all of it I dropped into my shop at about 10 , expecting to start conking out and having to take it easy for the rest of the day. Not so - I worked for the rest of the day and quickly re-adopted my regular sleep pattern that night. What ended up tiring me and delaying these comments was some dental work I had later in the week . I was able to do all that scanning and pasting of my photos and the Mojo feature . String some words together ? Forget it!
Right now I'm anticipating , in the next few months , a string of shows in Dublin by many different artists . However , I'm also wondering , in the back of mind, what next bit of Costello related travel awaits me in '08!
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bambooneedle
- Posts: 4533
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- Location: a few thousand miles south east of Zanzibar