THE B-52S + DEVO: COSMIC DE-EVOLUTION TOUR

I think the music of the 1980's was the greatest of all time. Okay, perhaps I'm being a bit hyperbolic. But this was the era of my formative years as a teen moving into adulthood with this exhilarating music helping by providing a soundtrack to my budding life. This is why I was looking forward to the B-52s and Devo coming together as part of the Cosmic De-Evolution tour with a two night stop at the Hollywood Bowl which I caught on October 19th. I had never seen either of these bands before and excited to see them. Yet I must admit I was also somewhat apprehensive since it's been about forty years since these bands had made regular appearances on the music charts. But I'm happy to report that I was not disappointed for a single moment during their performances. While they may be moving a little bit slower now, Devo and The B-52s were giving their all and ready to party hardy.

The B-52s came out first, launching into the title track of their fifth album, "Cosmic Thing". Formed in Athens, GA in 1976, the band embraced it's queerness from the beginning with their delightfully oddball songs and kitschy fashion sense. Now down to the three original members: Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson who all provide vocals and percussion (Keith Strickland, who played drums, guitar and keyboards, retired from touring in 2012 and Cindy's brother, Ricky died of AIDS-related illness in 1985), the band was still in great form with their sound filled out by Tracy Wormworth on bass, Ken Maiuri and John Andrews on guitars and drummer, Sterling Campbell.

The band covered their quirky songs that didn't really rise up the pop charts but helped create a rabid cult following like "Party Out of Bounds", "Dance This Mess Around", "Private Idaho" and "Rock Lobster". The B-52s did achieve commercial fame with their "Cosmic Thing" album in 1989 where "Love Shack" reached number three on the US pop chart. Another top-ten hit from the album was "Roam" which is highlighted by the soaring harmonies of Wilson and Pierson, a nice contrast to the shout/sing style of Schneider. Still in dynamic vocal form, the women had another opportunity to show off their melodic skills with "52 Girls" from their debut album.

Devo was early to embrace music videos (years before MTV arrived) to enhance their songs, using visual images to express their social worldview with surrealist humor, and the group projected outlandish imagery on screens behind them throughout their performance. This new wave band from Akron, OH, taking their name from from the concept of "de-evolution" which involves the idea that mankind reverts back instead of moving forward, first came together with two sets of brothers: Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerald and Bob Casale and Alan Myers (who passed away in 2013). Devo had disbanded in 1991 but came back together five years later with the Mothersbaugh brothers and Gerald Casale still together on the road performing (Bob died in 2014). On stage, Devo went through many of their best known songs: "Peek-A-Boo!", "That's Good", "Jocko Homo", "Freedom of Choice" with adept precision while placing their biggest pop hit, "Whip It" unceremoniously in the middle of the set.

Lene Lovitch, a prominent figure in the early new wave scene, was the special guest who kicked off the concert, bringing her unique brand of art-rock to the stage. Although born in the Motor City, she moved to London as a teen, soaking up the early punk movement that would influence her explosive musical sound and eccentric style when she began her career. Never gaining more than a cult following in her home country, Lovitch reached the top three on the UK Singles Chart with "Lucky Number" in 1979. The now seventy-six year old performer remains a magnetic presence, delivering a massive dose of wild, quirky energy to her opening set.

The Cosmic De-Evolution tour was certainly a fun, nostalgic musical trip back in time with the crowd made up of the expected fans who were around during the height of each of these band's fame. Yet I was pleasantly surprised to see that the audience also had plenty of Gen Z and younger filling the seats at the Bowl, fully apreciating and enjoying music that was made long before they were born.

JANET JACKSON: TOGETHER AGAIN TOUR

Janet Jackson has been in the spotlight since she was seven years old after being drawn into the family musical act, The Jacksons (which had been started by her five brothers) by her controlling father when they began an engagement in Las Vegas during the mid-'70's. This lead to the family all being a part of a television variety show where the world got a chance to see the budding talent of this precocious child. More acting followed, appearances on the tv programs, "Good Times" and "Fame", but her father, Joseph, who was also her manager at the time, decided the then-fifteen year old should begin to make music. With no real creative input, Jackson's first two albums were fairly generic collections of r&b-pop that were met with modest attention.

After making the decision to take more control over her future recording endeavors, Jackson fired her father, was paired with two promising musicians/producers by her label and together made an album that introduced a dynamic new artist and changed the course of her career.

Jackson has been in this business for a long time, for a little over fifty years. And she has weathered the mercurial nature of a career in the performing arts, continuing to inspire and influence as one of the most distinguished global artists in popular music.

Having foolishly missed the Together Again Tour when Jackson made a stop at the Hollywood Bowl last summer, I was determined that wasn't going to happen again when the second leg of the tour rolled back into Los Angeles on June 8th at the Kia Forum. 

A tiered curtain rises above a tall platform in the center of the stage to reveal Jackson, swaddled in an oversized jacket cape, as she begins the concert with "Night", a track from her criminally overlooked last studio album, "Unbreakable" from almost ten years ago. Once losing the draping and looking resplendent in one of her Thom Browne designed, sparkling bodysuits, she continues with "2Nite", a deep cut from "Discipline", "Rock With U", another single from the album and "SloLove" from her eighth album, "Damita Jo". Jackson had stated that on this part of the tour she was going to change up the setlist to revisit some popular non-singles from her previous albums and songs she had never performed live. She doesn't disappoint with her selections but hearing the hits is what brought her fans out to the show and she doesn't disappoint here either.

Jackson continues on with a few more obscure songs before reaching "Got 'Til It's Gone", the first single from her critically acclaimed 1997 album, "The Velvet Rope", Jackson's early venture into hip-hop which brought music legend, Joni Mitchell along for the ride with a sample of her "Big Yellow Taxi" used on the track. The beloved hits followed fast and furious; "What Have You Done For Me Lately", "Nasty", "The Pleasure Principle", "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" and "When I Think of You" which she reminds us was her very first number one single way back in 1986.

As with all of her previous road shows, Jackson is constantly surrounded by a group of backing dancers. But this time, surprisingly, they are all-male performers. Perhaps she felt that this time she was the only female energy needed for her show. At the age of fifty-eight, Jackson appeared to have no issue keeping up with these dancers, who are certainly more than half her age, delivering moves that were smooth and full of vigor.

And since she was doing a lot of moving on stage, a backing track was used to assist her vocals but let's be perfectly clear, Jackson's mic was turned on. This was evident when Jackson slowed things down with a medley of her well-known ballads which included "Come Back to Me" and "Let's Wait Awhile". During the song, "Again" from her 1993 movie, "Poetic Justice", Jackson chose to let the audience sing most of this Oscar-nominated love ballad. I have to say this is one of my major pet peeves at concerts since I did not pay to hear a chorus of voices bleat out a song instead of the artist. I will admit that I was quite impressed that the crowd knew all the words to this tune.

This two hour concert serves as a vivid reminder of what a vital performer and impressive musical artist that Jackson has remained. We are long overdue for new music from Jackson who I believe still has much to offer contemporary pop. After the tour concludes in the fall, I hope she will be inspired to put forth some fresh musical expressions in the very near future.

TOM JONES: SURROUNDED BY TIME TOUR

I had not actually planned on seeing Tom Jones on his LA stop on his tour to support his latest album, "Surrounded by Time" but it was a surprise by my husband and I'm so glad I was able to catch this show. I can't say I was ever a huge fan of the crooning Welshman but I have enjoyed many of his hits including his breakout smash from 1964, "It's Not Unusual" which is one of my all-time favorite songs. I have to say that Jones put on one incredibly thrilling show despite being forced to sit throughout the entire concert due to him still recovering from a recent hip replacement surgery. What makes this even more impressive is that the now eighty-two year old's rich baritone is still quite vibrant and supple, putting the live performances of many of today's singers who are half his age to shame.

Jones began as a blue-eyed soul shouter who enjoyed success almost immediately, covering pretty much all genres of popular music. But once he hit the bright lights of Las Vegas in 1967, Jones turned into a lounge lizard who amped-up his sexy image with half-unbuttoned shirts and tight pants causing women to become so excited that they threw their panties on stage. This glitzy persona also helped Jones lose some credibility as a serious musician. But by the late '80's when Jones' son, Mark took over as his manager, the singer was encouraged to return to basics, guiding him back to his musical roots, leading to a brand new audience discovering Jones.

He opened the show with "I'm Growing Old" and a rendition of Bob Dylan's "Not Dark Yet", two haunting, meditative songs of looking back on a life lived from his latest album, "Surrounded By Sound", the forty-first in his storied career that impressively debuted at number one on the UK album chart, making Jones the oldest artist there to earn a number one record. While there was a certain sense of melancholy that lingered over the evening, Jones remained gregarious and upbeat, moving as much as he could in his chair.

The aim of the concert was to promote the new album, a collection of songs the singer loved or admired from other artists. We heard his versions of "The Windmills of Your Mind", a song Dusty Springfield first made into a hit in 1969; "Pop Star" which Jones shared an amusing story behind Cat Stevens' writing of this song; another Dylan composition from 1976, "One More Cup of Coffee" and the timely, "Talking Reality Television Blues" from alt-country performer, Todd Snider.

But Jones did not forget the songs that made him famous. Not surprisingly, he started with the song that kicked off his career, briefly sharing the story of his background that lead to "It's Not Unusual" becoming his breakout in 1964. There were rousing versions of "What's New, Pussycat?", "Green, Green Grass of Home", "Delilah" and his cover of Prince's, "Kiss" which launched his comeback to the pop charts in 1988.

And Jones ended the evening with what would have been his encore but since he couldn't go back and forth from the stage with any ease, he just continued on with two songs from musicians from the early days of rock & roll that he greatly admired: Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" which we got a story of how he and Elvis went to see the legendary rocker together while they both were working in Vegas and "Great Balls of Fire" by "the Killer", Jerry Lee Lewis, the recently departed rock & roll wild man. Despite his somewhat limited physical abilities, the still quite charming Jones managed to put on an absolutely captivating show.

MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO: LIVE

While a large, enthusiastic crowd gathered at Dodger Stadium for Paul McCartney's final U.S. tour stop on July 13th, I attended a more intimate concert by Meshell Ndegeocello at the Ford Theatre which was filled with an equally excited audience. Since her 1993 debut, "Plantation Lullabies", Ndegeocello (which means "free like a bird" in Swahili) has been thrilling us with her blend of jazz-infused, funky r&b and has been hailed as the the spark of the neo-soul movement.

On the road to promote her latest album, "Ventriloquism", the fifty year old performer has decided look back at pop and soul songs that inspired her through the years yet delivers each of them with her own special vibe. The concert largely consisted of material from this record with her live versions of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's, "I Wonder If I Take You Home", Al B. Sure's "Nite and Day", the TLC classic, "Waterfalls", Force MDs' , "Tender Love" and particularly the George Clinton song, "Atomic Dog" being twisted and mellowed yet still retaining the power of the originals.

Soft-spoken and low-key, the singer and bass player kept the conversation to a minimum. Ndegeocello really only spoke to acknowledge the love she was feeling from the crowd and how much she appreciated everyone coming out to see her. She simply allowed the music to communicate everything she wanted and with her small yet tight band, Jebin Bruni on keyboards, Christopher Bruce on guitar and drummer, Abraham Rounds, they were able to recreate some extraordinary sounds that smoothly washed over us. With the open-air stage at the bottom of a hill and birds (and helicopters) soaring over head, Ndegeocello was aided by this natural setting to deliver a serene show that left everyone in a wonderful mood.

DAVID BYRNE: AMERICAN UTOPIA TOUR

While Talking Heads were definitely a band, it was David Byrne who was actually the musical and creative director behind the group. With his former alt-rock band now just a footnote in his career, Byrne has continued to create in his own name and after releasing his seventh solo album, "American Utopia", the sixty-six year old performer is on the road to promote the record.

I caught the L.A. show on August 25th at the Shrine Auditorium (thanks to a dear friend who had an extra ticket) and it was an incredible merging of art performance and rock concert. The stage was completely bare and surrounded by a curtain of long, individual strings. With just a table and chair placed out before the start, Bryne emerged solo with a song from the new album, "Here" where he sat holding a human brain as an unusual visual aide.

He was soon joined by his two highly-energetic background singers/dancers who literally moved throughout the entire show. The rest of the band featuring ten musicians eventually appear, all wearing the same identical gray suits and barefoot like Bryne, while each carrying their own instruments (including drums and percussion) and moving along wirelessly throughout the stage.

After a performance of the British electro-duo, X-Press 2's "Lazy" where Bryne was a guest vocalist, he launched in to some Talking Heads songs with "I, Zimbra" and "Slippery People". I thought for sure he would keep his former band's material to a minimum but I was quite surprised for throughout the night Byrne did quite a few including "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)", "Blind",  "The Great Curve", "Once In a Lifetime" and "Burning Down The House".

I knew there would obviously be plenty of middle-aged Heads fans but it was nice to see just as many millennials in attendance. Byrne was in great voice and, still utilizing his signature nerdy dance moves, effortlessly kept pace with his younger band as they filled the auditorium with vibrant sounds and positive energy.

Politics did manage to find it's way in to the show but the approach was subtle and low-key. Bryne, who has an organization on tour with him to help people register to vote at each stop, stressed the importance of making change happen not only nationally but at a local level. And during the encore, Bryne does an artist approved, altered cover of Janelle Monáe's "Hell You Talmbout" which shouts out the recent names of people of color that were questionably killed during police interactions.

With the world in such turmoil and conflict, Byrne has stated that the album and the tour was inspired to promote optimism and offer some comfort through song in these trying times. I can honestly say that he has achieved his goal with a concert that featured vivid style, unparalleled creativity and great music.

KOOL & THE GANG 2017 TOUR

Just as much as audiences love new music, they also enjoy looking back at their old-school favorites. Those concert packages that puts together several vintage bands of the past are a rite of the summer and the latest features the slightly odd combo of Village People, Morris Day and The Time and the headliners, Kool & The Gang. I caught them on the first day of a two-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl on July 21st.

The Village People kicked off the night with a surprisingly brief twenty minute set although in hindsight it was plenty of time as it soon began to feel like they were doing slight variations of the same song. It's not really unexpected that most of the original members of these acts have departed in one form or another but this disco novelty act of gay male fantasy types features the most of their founding members. With the Indian (Felipe Rose), the GI (Alex Briley) and lead vocalist, the cop (Ray Simpson who replaced Victor Willis in their heyday) still around, the People did a fun, high-energy show that featured them doing their signature butch-dance moves while performing their greatest hits like "Macho Man", "In The Navy" and the enduring smash, "Y.M.C.A" which they did a detailed demonstration before the song on how to properly do the hand movements.

Before The Time came out, a tribute to Prince, who they were closely associated with, played on the video screens that featured his music and early pictures of him with Morris Day. Then the band arrived on stage to the sound of the Purple One's "1999" with Day checking out his look in a mirror carried by his "valet", Jerome Benton before launching in to their first hit, "Get It Up". They sounded great but seemed to have a hard time getting this crowd engaged. I think it may be for a lack of recognizable hits as The Time didn't have a major impact on the pop charts in their day as Prince did. The group fared better when they touched on his music with them doing a cover of "D.M.S.R". During the sentimental ballad, "Gigolos Get Lonely, Too", Day had his son, Derran come on stage to belt out a verse. While he has an impressive voice, it still came across like a shameless plug with the proud father advising the audience to find him on social media afterwards.

By the time Kool & The Gang arrived to close out the show, the crowd was warmed up and ready to party. Bass player and the namesake of this popular band, Robert "Kool" Bell (who is still on hand) started this group as a funk band in the late sixties before moving towards r&b and pop with the arrival of James "J.T." Taylor as lead singer in 1979. They got everybody on their feet with solid versions of their hits "Hollywood Swinging", "Ladies' Night", "Jungle Boogie" and "Get Down On It" enhanced by a fantastic horn section that features a couple of original players. Taylor has been long gone from the group but Lavell Evans does a serviceable job of filling in for the former vocalist yet not completely escaping moments that made them sound like a wedding band. Kool and company wanted everybody to know they are still in the game as they performed a new song, "Sexy (Where'd You Get Yours)". While it was perfectly keeping with their funky spirit, it was hardly anything noteworthy and just gave people a chance to head out for a beer run. With the sound of Kool & The Gang's biggest hit, "Celebration" signaling that the night is coming to a close, it was an enjoyable evening of music and memories.

BEYONCE: THE FORMATION TOUR

The last time I went to a concert at Dodger Stadium was back in 2008 to see Madonna's Sticky and Sweet Tour. Due to the horrendous traffic to get in to the venue (which caused us to be late for the show), lousy sound system and the inability to see what was happening on stage, I swore I would never go back there to see a show.

Well, I have found myself returning to the scene of the crime to witness Beyoncé's Formation Tour on September 14th. Only the Queen Bey had the power to lure me back. Now I still think that a colossal baseball field makes it virtually impossible for a performer to connect with their audience but Beyoncé certainly tried to make it work. Using a towering, LED lighted vertical parallelogram that served as a stage prop as well as flashing images and projecting what was happening on stage upon it, this helped somewhat to draw us in to her glittering orbit.

After an army of female dancers strutted out on to the stage, Beyoncé ascended from below, kicking off the show with "Formation", the slinky first single off her critically acclaimed recent album, "Lemonade". The emphasis of the show was on those eclectic new songs and she covered most of them with highlights included the Jack Black penned, guitar-driven "Don't Hurt Yourself", the unrepentant electro-soul track, "Sorry" and the unexpected country-pop of "Daddy Issues".

But she certainly didn't forget her older material. While some of the songs were done in abbreviated forms, she performed full versions of her hits "Run The World (Girls)", "Me. Myself and I", "Drunk in Love" and  "Crazy in Love". Girl power was on full display as Beyoncé once again had an all-female band, background vocalists and dancers by her side on this tour.

During one interlude, which Bey changed from one revealing bodysuit in to another, the stage was awash in purple as Prince's version of "Purple Rain" played in honor of the late artist. 

Throughout the show, Beyoncé was determined to give you an incredible array of spellbinding effects that you couldn't believe was coming from her stage. That ranged from massive blasts of fire (which you could still feel the heat from as far away from the stage as I was) shooting in to the air, several firework displays shot in to the sky and on the actual stage and a powerful shower of colorful confetti that covered the entire arena.

Perhaps the most amazing moment in the show came near the end when the entire front of the stage was transformed in to a shallow pool of water with Beyoncé and her ladies splashing about during energetic performances of "Freedom", Destiny Child's, "Survivor" and "End of Time". I wonder if I was the only one concerned that if Bey dropped her mic during these numbers that we would be witnessing a high-profile electrocution.

By the time a drenched Beyoncé reached her final song of the night, "Halo" (and one of my favorites from the singer) alone on stage, she looked physically and emotionally drained yet quite content. She knew that she had given her all and left the audience, judging from their enthusiastic response, with a thrilling, magical and memorable evening.

CULTURE CLUB TOUR 2016

Culture Club, the British new wave soul group led by the flamboyant, gender-bending vocalist, Boy George, burst on to pop scene and ruled the charts beginning in 1982 before imploding due to in-fighting and George's growing drug addiction a few short years later. The group managed to kiss and make-up for the first time in 1998 and now all the original members (which include Roy Hay on piano and guitar, Mikey Craig on bass and Jon Moss on drums) are on their first major world tour together in fifteen years.

I caught one of their West Coast stops on August 27th at the Hollywood Bowl and the band's sound was greatly enhanced with backing by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra who also opened for the band. The last time I heard George live, during a Halloween event in West Hollywood last year, the singer sounded raspy and had difficulty hitting all the notes.

When the group came out performing "Church of The Poison Mind", the Boy, in the first of three costume changes, wearing a wildly colorful, over-sized hat with matching suit, was in fine voice with three amazing female vocalists helping to fill out the song. Their hits came in a steady stream with "I'll Tumble 4 Ya", "It's a Miracle", "Time ( Clock of The Heart)" and "Miss Me Blind". Culture Club even performed a couple of songs from Boy George's solo efforts with his versions of Bread's "Everything I Own" and "The Crying Game".

During one of the costume changes, there was a surprising and quite moving moment with a brief musical tribute to David Bowie. As images of the late singer from his Ziggy days flashed on video screens, the band performed "Life on Mars?" as an instrumental with backing from the L.A. Phil which sounded amazing.

The Boy was in good spirits, making jokes about our political race and announcing some of the famous faces in the crowd (which included Sting as he told a silly, semi-uncomfortable story about him) although he appeared to almost get in to some sort of scuffle with a person in the front row but quickly dismissed them. It seems the notoriously feisty singer has actually mellowed with time.

The show closed with a re-working of their minor 1984 hit, "The War Song" which George recalls the group receiving a lot of flak back then for the over-simplistic message but now quite proud of how timely the tune has become. Culture Club came back out by audience demand and performed an encore of their best-known song, "Karma Chameleon" and closing the evening with a hard rocking cover of T. Rex's "Bang a Gong (Get It On)". It was a really fun trip back down Memory Lane with one of my favorite bands of the '80's.

Here is the music video for "It's a Miracle" which featured highlights of the group's career at that point:



And here is Culture Club performing live recently in Australia one of favorites songs, "Black Money", which George said during our show that he has no idea what it means. And he wrote the song:

ROCK HALL - THREE FOR ALL: HEART & JOAN JETT

I caught the Rock Hall - Three-For-All tour on August 23rd at it's L.A. stop at the Forum in Inglewood which features three legendary rock bands of the '70's, Cheap Trick, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Heart. Due to my late arrival, I didn't catch Cheap Trick (although I must admit I'm not really much of a fan) but two out of three ain't bad.

At fifty-seven, Jett is still in ass-kicking shape, decked out in a leather and sequins body-suit and combat boots, as she tore through a tight set of hard-driving rock & roll. With her long-time producer, Kenny Laguna playing on keyboards and percussion, she delivered the expected hits like "Bad Reputation" and "I Hate Myself for Loving You" along with her popular covers of Gary Glitter's "Do You Wanna Touch Me? (Oh Yeah)" and Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover".

Jett was only just inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame just two years ago which is shameful because she's been an important, long-time crusader of the music. As a teen, she was a part of the first all-female rock group, The Runaways and takes us back with a performance of their biggest single, "Cherry Bomb".

Jett also went back to her starring role in the family drama, "Light of Day", where she played the sister of Michael J. Fox (!) who both play in a local bar band seeking fame. The singer performed the title track, written by Bruce Springsteen, as images from the 1987 film played on the large screen behind the band. I had forgotten that Gena Rowlands was in it playing their mother (!!). The best was saved for last as Jett and The Blackhearts closed out their set with the smash 1982 number one hit, "I Love Rock & Roll" where the audience sang along, loudly confirming that phrase.

Heart was also only recently added to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and I hate to think that Ann and Nancy Wilson's gender played a role in the long delay but there were bands that are less influential and sold far fewer records that were quickly inducted in to the hall.

Anyway, on the road to promote their recently released record, "Beautiful Broken" which is made-up mostly of re-interpretations of music from their earlier albums, Heart blasted on to the stage with "Wild Child", a cut off their 1990 album, "Brigade". They followed that up with a string of some of their classic tunes, "Magic Man", "Even It Up", and "What About Love". Ann, whose gritty, soulful voice has lost none of it's power, surprised the audience by giving us a little James Brown and his "Get Up Offa That Thing" before launching in to a funky version of their song, "Straight On".

Taking center stage briefly, Nancy slowed things down by performing two ballads; Heart's number one smash from the '80's, "These Dreams" and one of the new tracks off the current album co-written by Ne-Yo, "Two".

The Wilson sisters have never made it a secret that Led Zeppelin were the inspiration that lead them to pursue music and Heart paid tribute to that iconic band during their encore by performing "Immigrant Song" and the song at the center of a recent lawsuit, "Stairway To Heaven". It was a perfect way to end a perfect evening of electrifying music.

If you missed the show, have a listen to the original recordings of some of my favorite tunes. It's not the same as hearing them performed live but it's the next best thing:

 "Bad Reputation" (1980) - Joan Jett mp3

"Crimson and Clover" (1981) - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts mp3

"Barracuda" (1977) - Heart mp3

"Straight On" (1978) - Heart mp3

ADAM LAMBERT: THE ORIGINAL HIGH TOUR

I caught Adam Lambert at The Orpheum in downtown L.A. for his last show of the North American leg of The Original High tour on April 3rd. The runner-up of the eighth season of "American Idol" (and was robbed of winning the title, in my opinion) is an incredible vocalist and dynamic performer. After fifteen years, the popular singing competition just aired it's final episode which had allowed America to vote for their favorite singers from among your average Joe or Jane. To honor the show, contestants from every season showed up to perform and I was quite surprised that Lambert didn't appear considering he's one of the bigger artists that came from "American Idol".

He just ended a very successful worldwide tour with Queen and wasted no time returning to his solo career by releasing a new album and getting back on the road. Lambert seems to have been heavily influenced by the rock & soul style of Freddie Mercury as his third album, "The Original High" features a looser and funkier side to the singer. The record is also his most commercial using top producers like Max Martin and Shellback to help shape a slicker pop sound.

Lambert (dressed all in red in the first of three costume changes) took to his minimal stage with only a short platform in the middle but had impressive, state-of-the-art video screens behind to add an extra jolt to the show. He kicked-off with "Evil In The Night", a generic dance track from "Original High" before launching in to two of his biggest songs; the title tune from his debut album, "For Your Entertainment" and "Ghost Town", the haunting first single from the latest album.

Lambert continued to burn through many other songs he has recorded over his short time in the spotlight before reaching a tune that took us back to his early "Idol" days . His hypnotic cover of Tears For Fears' "Mad World" was a star-making moment for the singer and from the frenzied response by this audience, still makes quite an impact today. After the song, Lambert turned up the lights and began talking, which I then realized was the first time he actually stopped singing to speak to the crowd. He's an effusive charmer delivering positive energy and literally getting on a soap-box with his modest political statements.

It wasn't too long before Lambert got back to singing that delighted the largely female audience with more dance-powered songs before closing the show with the title track from his second album, "Trespassing" which was written by the singer and Pharrell Williams. He's taking a little time off before continuing his tour throughout Europe, then re-team with Queen for a mini European tour. Even through he didn't take home the top Idol prize, Lambert seems to be doing quite alright.

Here he is performing "Mad World" when he appeared on the show last month, recreating one of his magical moments on "American Idol":



And let's go back to early Adam Lambert with the music video of "For Your Entertainment" when the young singer was going through his goth period:

BETTE MIDLER: DIVINE INTERVENTION

If you want to be thoroughly entertained, then I highly recommend catching Bette Midler live in concert. I have seen her many times over the years with the last was during her Las Vegas residency back in 2008. Her current show is called "Divine Intervention" and it's to promote her most recent album, "It's The Girls" which features her favorites songs from girl-groups. I caught the L.A. show at the Staples Center on May 28 and the Divine one emerged from behind a large scrim with her face in place of God's on the famous Michelangelo fresco. Midler, sounding good and looking better, was a whirlwind as she zipped across the stage virtually non-stop throughout the show.

Time seemed to weigh on the mind of the sixty-nine year old singer (and made several hilarious jokes regarding her age throughout the evening) for she's indicated that this may likely be her last spin on the road. Midler found the greatest success in her musical career by covering old favorites from other singers and making them all her own. Clearly feeling nostalgic, she decided to dig out some she hadn't done live in years. Those tunes ranged from a cover of the Rolling Stones, "Beast of Burden", "Optimistic Voices" from "The Wizard of Oz" and "I Put a Spell On You" which was done in full witch costume from her 1993 film, "Hocus Pocus".

Midler did lively takes of music from the new record including The Andrew Sisters' chestnut, "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön", The Exciters, "Tell Him" and the surprising choice of TLC's "Waterfalls" which I found much more moving performed live.

Although her long-time mermaid character, Dolores Delago is now actually resting comfortably with the fishes in a funny bit, Midler did bring back Sophie Tucker where she hit the audience with a series of her infamously bawdy gags.

Midler waited until the final leg of the show to sing her crowd favorites such as "From a Distance", "Stay With Me" and "The Rose" which she instructed the audience to wait for her command to sing along while the light from cellphones in the air added a warm glow to the arena as she performed this number. She saved "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", a cover of another Andrew Sisters song that launched Midler's recording career over forty years ago, for her encore.

As I was departing from this sensational show, a wave of sadness suddenly came over me. I realized that as the Divine Miss M seemed to be winding down her illustrious career, there doesn't appear to be any young performer out there with an innovative spirit, respect for tradition or genuine fabulosity to fill her well-traveled shoes. Bette Midler is clearly a unique talent and all-around entertainer and since most of today's generation displays little interest in the music of the past, it feels unlikely that a successor is on the horizon. Hopefully, I'm wrong but in the meantime, we still have our Bette.

ROBYN & ROYKSOPP: IN CONCERT

My first visit to the Hollywood Bowl this year was to see Röyksopp and Robyn on June 29th. The evening's weather was perfect and the crowd at the sold-out event were ready to party. Röyksopp came on stage first and the Norwegian electronic band, led by Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland, went through some of their biggest dance tracks. The songs, such as "What Else Is There" and "Poor Leno" were moody and funky which are not usually associated with electronic music but were quite effective.

After Röyksopp finish their set, Robyn suddenly appeared with little fanfare. This was who I had been waiting for and the Swedish pop artist didn't disappoint. Don't even get me started on trying to understand why she's not a bigger star here in America especially with such great songs such as "Call Your Girlfriend" and "Dancing On My Own" which she performed. Although now in her mid-thirties, Robyn came across decades younger as she was in constant motion throughout the night. She also introduced a couple of new songs which were quite intriguing and made me anxious to hear more.

The final act had these two Scandinavian artists join forces to perform songs from their new EP together, "Do It Again". Berge and Brundtland returned to the stage sporting masks, although far less elaborate than anything fellow EDM musicians, Daft Punk would wear, while Robyn changed in to an over-sized sequined jacket. With the help of an amazing light show and trippy video screen displays, this team burned through some of the record's tracks that put the euphoric audience on their feet to dance the night away. Have a listen to the title track:

"Do It Again" - Robyn & Röyksopp (2014)

SADE: LIVE IN CONCERT

 

I was a little disappointed that I didn't get a chance to catch one of the three L.A. Sade shows at the Staples Center but luckily a friend managed to get tickets (through Groupon) for the August 31st show at the Honda Center in Anaheim. It was over an hour away (with plenty of hellish traffic) from where I live but this concert was well worth the trip.

It's been ten years since Sade last toured and judging from the wildly, enthusiastic reaction from the audience that evening, the band was most certainly missed.

The stage floor opened up with a bright white light bursting through and Sade Adu emerged from it, looking incredible wearing a skintight black catsuit. The band kicked off the show with the title track off their latest album, "Soldier of Love". After the song, Ms Adu thanked the audience, seeming surprisingly shy, then announced that this evening's show was being recorded.

Sade continued on with my personal favorite, "Your Love Is King (Remastered Version)" and then proceeded to cover many of their classic songs from throughout their long career. They were no surprise covers or any obscure songs from their back-catalog performed as the band knew exactly what everyone had come to hear.

They were many magical moments throughout the show but the highlight had to be the performance of "Is It A Crime (Remastered Version)? " as the other members of the band, Paul Denman on bass, Andrew Hale on keyboards and Stuart Matthewman on the sax, were each given a spotlight to really show off their stuff on this song.

Sade's stage show was much like a stadium rock concert that featured an amazing combination of lights, shadows,and fog, as well as the obligatory projected images on large video screens but they also placed them on a full-length sheer scrim that covered the entire set for a very striking, dramatic effect,  All of this was certainly quite dazzling to see but Sade seems to be a band more comfortable in the "less is more" camp as all of the grand production was more of a distraction to their intimate, slow-groove sounds but the group definitely was able to adjust to performing on a much larger scale.

Best known as a r&b balladeer, John Legend opened the concert and while I can't say I'm a huge fan but he did put on a good show with his hit song, "Green Light" getting the audience dancing in the aisles.

Despite the unnecessary excess, Sade put on quite a memorable and entertaining show and in fact, it is certainly one of the best concerts I have seen in a long time, perhaps ever.

To give you an idea of the concert, here is the music video for Sade's latest single, "Love Is Found" which just happens to be a performance from the tour:

THE GO-GO'S: GIRLS GONE WILD TOUR

The Go-Go's are on the road promoting the thirtieth anniversary of their 1981 debut album, "Beauty And The Beat". I saw them on their stop in Los Angeles on August 17th at the Greek Theater.

The ladies marched out to the sound of Foreigner's "Hot Blooded" and looking not much different from when they first came on to the scene. With the original line-up still intact; Kathy Valentine on bass, drummer Gina Schock, Charlotte Caffey on keyboards/lead guitar, the newly, bleached blonde, Jane Wiedlin on guitar and lead vocalist, Belinda Carlisle who came out barefoot and ready to rock.

I have seen the Go-Go's many times over the years and they still put on a high-energy, good time show, doing not only most of the songs from their first album but a few tunes from their other two albums, "Vacation" and "Talk Show".

This time the girls ventured out to do other artist's songs as well as some of the member's solo efforts such as Carlisle's "Mad About You", Jane's hit song with Sparks, "Cool Places" and the Rolling Stones tune, "Mother's Little Helper" in which Belinda got to sarcastically sing the line "What a drag it is getting old" as today just happened to be her birthday. During the encore, a cake was brought out and the audience sang "happy birthday" to her and she looked visibly touched by the moment.

Here are a few songs from The Go-Go's first album, which were performed that night:

"We Got The Beat" - The Go-Go's (1981)

"This Town" - The Go-Go's (1981)

"How Much More" - The Go-Go's (1981)

Enjoy the music video of The Go-Go's first hit song as they were one of first bands to have MTV help break them out:

PRINCE: WELCOME 2 AMERICA CONCERT

As he did at Madison Square Garden in New York last December, Prince is now in Los Angeles performing a multi-night run at The Forum with his "Welcome 2 America" tour which I saw April 22nd..

On a large, lighted stage that was in the shape of the symbol when he was known as "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince", The Purple One made his entrance rising from the middle of the structure, wearing one of his over-the-top, trademark suits, where he performed the first song with all of the lights up.

I was not familiar with this song, (it might have been "Welcome 2 America", the song that he opened the New York shows with) in fact, I didn't recognize the next three songs he performed as they were probably newer material but it could have also been because The Forum's sound system is so awful that it made the music sound muddy and unrecognizable. If this venue wants to continue booking music events, they really need to invest in an updated sound system.



Photo: Dean Decent

The song that I finally knew was, "She's Always In My Hair [12" Version]", an unusual choice since this was the b-side of the single to his hit song, "Raspberry Beret" (which he played later) but since he had no new record to promote, it was clear that Prince was going to be adventurous and play whatever interested him. He continued on with some interesting and inspired musical choices that included his version of  Kool & The Gang's "Hollywood Swinging" and The Time's "Cool" where Prince brought on stage actor, Cuba Gooding, Jr and I think, Nicole Schertzinger of  The Pussycat Dolls to dance with the band during the number.

Prince soon arrived with a collection of his own hit songs; "When Doves Cry", "Cream", "Controversy (LP Version)" and "U Got The Look". He began playing on the piano, singing "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore (LP Version)" when he is joined on stage by Alicia Keys where they perform a sizzling duet.

Since Prince has become a Jehovah's Witness, he has stated that he will no longer perform any of sexually-oriented material but that didn't stop him from teasing the audience by playing musical snippets of  "Darling Nikki" and Vanity 6's "Nasty Girl" but he just shook his head.

After his third encore of a soaring version of "Purple Rain", the lights of the theater came up, so we chose to leave after having a hot, sweaty funky good time. It is entirely possible that Prince may have returned to the stage to play some more as people were staying put, screaming for more.

Here are some of the nastier stuff I wish he had played:

Dirty Mind - Prince (1980)

Lady Cab Driver - Prince (1983)

Erotic City - Prince (1983)

Gett Off - Prince (1991)

JANET JACKSON: NUMBER ONES- UPCLOSE AND PERSONAL TOUR

Janet Jackson is in the middle of her world tour to support her recent collection of  her hit songs, "Number Ones" as well as her memoir, "True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself" and the current stop was in Los Angeles which I saw April 16th at the Gibson Amphitheater.

After keeping the audience waiting for an hour and fifteen minutes after show time, (and without an opening act), the lights finally go down and a message displays on the screen dedicating her songs, "All For You" and "Together Again" to the people of L.A. but then proceeds to show the music videos for both of them in their entirety. WTF??

I was briefly concerned that this was going to be the show but Janet finally emerged, looking toned, sexy and ready for action in a white tank top, tight black jeans, combat boots and close-cropped hair.

She kicked things off with "The Pleasure Principle" and the rest of the hits followed fast and furious. After a few songs, she took a lengthy break and in-between we were treated to a few clips from her acting career including the television show, "Good Times" and the film,"Poetic Justice" before returning to the stage, without a costume change, to slow things down with a series of her ballads like "Let's Wait Awhile" and "Again". This appears to be the only true time when Ms Jackson actually sang "live" while throughout the rest of the show, she seemed to be "vocally enhanced".

After that was over, she took another long break which we saw various photos of Ms Jackson from throughout her career while we waited for her to come back. She came back raring to go but still wearing the same outfit. Ms Jackson wound up taking four lengthy breaks throughout the ninety minute show which seemed a little excessive but perhaps she was getting some needed extra oxygen backstage because at the age of  44, Janet definitely managed to effortlessly keep up with her younger back-up dancers.

Despite the numerous breaks, lack of costume changes and a much more scaled back production than what she usually puts on, Janet Jackson still delivered a fast-paced, high-energy and just plain fun concert full of all of her great dance hits

Here are a few of the songs she performed:

"If" - Janet Jackson  (1993)

"Got 'Til It's Gone" - Janet Jackson (1997)

"All For You" - Janet Jackson (2001)