2021

After more than a year of theatres being closed, Broadway/Off Broadway opened.........gradually. It was a year where there were so many things which were more important that Broadway opening up, but for many people, myself included, it helped make things start to feel a little more normal.

  Month after month I felt horrible for the multitude of performers and anyone who worked in live performance who were not able to work.

   For New York, theatre is one of the main reasons to trek into the city, so the boost to the economy was also a major plus.

  My thanks to all the actors, musicians, technical staff, house staff and anyone working in the theatre.I am sure the regulations are such that you are testing continuously and have to be cautious not only in the work place, but in your personal lives also.

  Things once again are starting to look a little grim, but I know this will pass and shows will be able to run again and not have to worry about closing for a period of time.

 I was unbelievably fortunate to be able to see more shows than I probably deserved.

 Best of luck to all the companies on Broadway, Off Broadway, The West End, Touring and everywhere else.

 Here's to a better 2022. Happy New Year.

 

The cast of Waitress

The Queens

Outside theatre Reopening night

The cast of Girl From The North Country

The cast of Company

   

 

 

 

 

                                                                   Forever

Stephen Sondheim

   

                                                             It's a sad day.

                                                             Rest in peace.

.

                                                             White, a blank page or canvas

                                                             His favorite

                                                             So many possibilities
 

 

Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Count Basie Theatre 10/22/2021

  

 What an amazing concert. Only the second time I have seen Elvis Costello. The first time was back in 2002 at Convention Hall in Asbury Park. That was a very good concert marred only by the horrible acoustics at Convention Hall.

  Mr. Costello's concert the other night was excellent. The main setlist was comprised of deeper cuts and new songs, with a few of his bigger hits added in. The songs I knew, I loved, and the ones I didn't, I now do also. 

  Up to the last 5 songs, it was a GREAT concert, but when he finished with a few of his biggest songs, the show hit a whole new level.

 His band The Imposters in comprised of Steve Nieve on Keyboards and Pete Thomas on drums, both from Elvis' original band The Attractions. Bassist Davey Faragher rounds out the band, and for this tour Charlie Sexton is handling additional guitar duty.

 So grateful I got to see this amazing show and hope they come back very very soon.

 Here is the setlist:

  Big Tears

  Truth Drug

  Green Shirt

  No Flag

  Either Side of the Same Town

  Hetty O'Hara Confidential

  Hey Clockface / How Can You Face Me?

  (The Angels Wanna Wear) My Red Shoes

  Motel Mania

  Mistook Me For a Friend

  Uncomplicated

  Everyday I Write The Book

 We Are All Cowards Now

  What If I Can't Give You Anything But Love?

  Watching The Detectives

  The Comedians

  Brilliant Mistake / Boulevard of Broken Dreams 

  (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea

  The Death of Magic Thinking

  Magnificent Hurt

  Mystery Dance

  Radio Radio

  Farewell, O.K.

  Allison

  Pump It Up / Ain't That a Lot Of Love

  (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love and Understanding

Pete Thomas, Davey Faragher & Charlie Sexton

Pete Thomas, Steve Nieve, Elvis Costello Davey Faragher & Charlie Sexton

  

  

 

  

In Memoriam - Paddy Moloney

                                         Thank you for decades of beautiful music. Rest in Peace.

Christopher Cross - Count Basie Theatre-Red Bank, NJ 9/28/2021

   Christopher Cross brought his delayed 40th Anniversary Tour to The Count Basie Theatre this past week. Very happy to see that he is doing well after being stricken with Covid 19 last year, which he mentioned early on in the concert.

     Through much of the early part of the concert, his voice sounded weak, but his guitar playing was a strong as ever.

      At the midway point he did an acoustic version of Swept Away and he sounded great. It would turn out that the problem was not his voice, but the mix.  A shame, because the few songs where he played solo or with only one accompanist, he sounded great. 

    He was very talkative, and told some great stories including how his Father was his inspiration for wanting to become a musician, how the Beatles were a huge influence on him.

He dedicated Arthur's Theme to Dudley Moore and told a very funny story of spending an evening with Liza Minnelli and her Mothers ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz.

     Here is the setlist: 

 Minstrel Gigolo

 All Right

 Never Be The Same

 Take Five(Dave Brubeck cover-Snippet)

 I Really Don't Know Anymore

 Poor Shirley

 Sailing

 Baby It's All You

 Arthur's Theme(Best That You Can Do)

 Swept Away

 Dreamers

 Spinning

 Say You'll Be Mine

 The Light is On

 Roberta

 No Time For Talk

 Ride Like The Wind

 Think of Laura

 

 

      

In Memoriam - Charlie Watts

 

  Simply put, one of the greatest and most influential rock drummers of all time. Rest in Peace.

Springsteen on Broadway - St. James Theatre 8/19/2021

  Was very fortunate to get to see Bruce's limited run of his one man show(with one special guest) yesterday. The first show to open on Broadway since the pandemic shut everything down. 

   Pass Over has since joined Springsteen on Broadway as the only other


Broadway show now running. Waitress and Hadestown will join on September 4, the same night Springsteen on Broadway will close. 

   In reality, Bruce's show makes complete sense as being the first to open. Only two performers on stage and I am sure a minimal amount of backstage personnel. 

  Open slowly and safely.

  The show, same as last time was great. Bruce did alter some of the segments and switched out 3 songs. American Skin(41 Shots) was a fitting choice given the events of the last year, and I'll See You in My Dreams is a more fitting final song this time around than Born to Run.

  I did feel that the segment of the show where Bruce talked about the giant tree which towered over the street he grew up on, was skimmed down so much, the emotional impact wasn't as great as during the last run of the show. However, more focus was given to the section of the show where he talked about  lost friends and the sections about his parents. I think this was intentional, given the last year plus, to have the greater emotional impact be more about the people in our lives, and how even if they are gone, much of our lives are shaped by these people. Something which usually continues long after we are separated from them, whether by death, or just time itself.

 I swear Bruce sounds better every time I see him. And to his credit, he is one of the few performers who can have me laughing one moment, and getting choked up the next. 

 I felt blessed to be sitting in a Broadway theatre, seeing my favorite artist, and hearing his voice once again. At an age where he can phone it in and it would probably still be great, he always gives everything he has, and he seems genuinely grateful for the dedicated fans and casual fans who still show up for him, since he shows up for us.

 Here is the setlist:

Growin' Up

My Hometown

My Father's House

The Wish

Thunder Road

The Promised Land

Born in the U.S.A.

Tenth Avenue Freezeout

Tougher Than The Rest w/Patti Scialfa

Fire w/Patti Scialfa

American Skin(41 Shots)

The Rising

Dancing in the Dark

Land of Hope and Dreams

I'll See You in My Dreams

Max Weinberg's Jukebox - Suneagles Golf Course, Tinton Falls , NJ 7/17/2021

 E Street Band Drummer Max Weinberg brought his popular Jukebox concert to the Suneagles Golf Course in Tinton Falls New Jersey this past weekend, He performed two shows, one on Friday July 16th and the second on Saturday July 17th.

 I went to the Saturday show with my Wife and Daughter and had a great time. 

 The format is very simple. Max and his band have a list of roughly 200 songs, and you can request a specific song and, if chosen, they will perform it. Mostly classic rock with a few Bruce songs thrown in.

 His band consisted of veterans of the Jersey Shore music scene. Originally the band was supposed to be 3 members of the Asbury Park based The Weeklings, a Beatles tribute band. I think for the first show, guitarist and vocalist Bob Burger, Bassist and vocalist Glen Burtnik and Guitarist and vocalist John Merjave all appeared. On the second night, Ralph Notaro filled in for Bob Burger. 

  Mr. Burger had recently recovered from a heart attack he had while performing on stage, and Max mentioned how great he had been the previous night. I only hope his absence was more a preventative measure, and did not have anything to do with him not feeling well.

 The mood was loose and very fun from beginning to end. Max was a great MC and kept the pace moving throughout the night. He told many great stores about the bands, drummers and songs that influenced him, and skillfully handled his way with audience members who seemed to think this was the best time to try to have a conversation with him.

  Glen Burtnik, John Merjave and Ralph Notaro all took turns singing lead vocals, and sounded great on the wide variety of styles. Glen sang lead on the Beatles covers, John on the Bruce songs.

   I was happy that Max only did 2 Bruce songs. As big a Bruce fan as I am , it is a real treat to hear Max show off his skills on drum parts for bands as varied as The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Surfaris, and Deep Purple. 

   The night was a long overdue reminder of how great the Jersey Shore music scene was and continues to be, and how many great musicians we are lucky to have in the area. 

  As Max said at the end of the night, it was everything a Saturday night on the Jersey Shore should be. Great music, great stories and maybe a cold beer or two. 

  Here is the setlist:

    She Loves You (The Beatles)

    Hush (Deep Purple)

    Good Times Bad Time (Led Zeppelin)

    American Girl ( Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)

    Glad All Over (Dave Clark Five)

    Highway to Hell (AC/DC)

    Lola (The Kinks)

    Pink Cadillac (Bruce Springsteen)

    Nowhere Man (The Beatles)

    Wooly Bully (Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs)

    Hang on Sloopy (The McCoys)

    Cinnamon Girl ( Neil Young)

    Surrender (Cheap Trick)

    Start Me Up (The Rolling Stones)

    Honky Tonk Woman ( The Rolling Stones)

    I Can See For Miles (The Who)

   Wipeout( The Surfaris)

   Glory Days (Bruce Springsteen)

   

Nicole Atkins and The Family - Stone Pony 7/9/2021

         Nicole Atkins returned to The Stone Pony on Friday July 9,2021 for what was supposed to be an outdoor concert at the new stage setup for the summer. Due to the potential for inclimate weather, the performance was moved indoors, which helped making the evening feel like a return to normal, if only temporarily.

          I have seen Ms. Atkins several times, but this was the first full concert of hers that I have seen, and I intend to make sure it is not the last. Great voice, great band, great songs. The very large crowd was treated to a great performance and what I am sure will be a nice memory of when things started to feel a little like normal. Ms. Atkins in on the road in support of her new album/cd Italian Ice. 

           It has been almost a full year since I saw Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes perform a drive in concert, the last live music I saw since the pandemic started. Being in a club and getting to see and hear a great live performance reminded me to really enjoy and be grateful for the amazing live music New Jersey has to offer. 

           Opening the show with a strong performance was Rachel Ana Dobken and her great band who were joined for their final song by photographer Danny Clinch, who later joined Nicole Atkins for a couple songs.

            Here's the setlist:

 

        Maybe Tonight

        Sleepwalking

        Goodnight Rhonda Lee 

        A Little Crazy 

        Darkness Falls So Quiet 

        AM Gold 

        Mind Eraser 

        Brokedown Luck 

        Domino 

        Girl You Look Amazing 

        Captain

        St. Dymphna    

       Who Killed the Moonlight 

       You Come To Me 

       Night of Serious Drinking 

       Forever 

       Love Surreal 

       In The Splinters 

       Listen Up 

       The Way It Is 

       What Is And What Should Never Be (Led Zeppelin cover)

Rachel Ana Dobken and band

London Theatre Returns