Tag: Live

Live music galleries: The Cure [2013]

Post author By jprobichaud
Post date November 23, 2023
2 Comments on Live music galleries: The Cure [2013]

(I got the idea for this series while sifting through the ‘piles’ of digital photos on my laptop. It occurred to me to share some of these great pics from some of my favourite concert sets from time to time. Until I get around to the next one, I invite you to peruse my ever-growing list of concerts page.)

The Cure live at Osheaga 2013

Artist: The Cure
When: August 2nd, 2013
Where: River stage, Osheaga, Jean Drapeau Park, Montreal
Context: I was doing this thing in the spring and early summer this year, posting pics from some of the great sets* I caught at Montreal’s Osheaga music festival back in 2013: a sort of ten year anniversary celebration of a great weekend spent with music and friends. However, I never got around to what was possibly my favourite set of the whole weekend, something I’ve decided to remedy before this year was up.

I had seen The Cure once before back in 2000 for their Bloodflowers tour but this time, it was ultimately more satisfying because the setlist was so wonderfully mixed. The night was cool and pleasant and Robert Smith was at the top of his game, sounding as he did in his prime, but perhaps performing with more joy than he ever had back then. It was a wondrous two hour set, playing everything any fans would ever want to hear. It seemed like it could, and would, go on forever. In fact, festival organizers had to cut the sound just near the end of “Boy’s don’t cry” after the band had gone on way past curfew.
Point of reference song: “Boys don’t cry”

Robert Smith from far away

Reeves Gabrels and Jasson Cooper

Roger O’Donnell

Reeves Gabrels and Robert Smith

Robert Smith closeup

*Past galleries from this festival weekend have included the following:

Tags Alternative, Alternative Rock, British rock, Goth, Icons, Live, Live music, Music festival, Osheaga, Post-Punk, Robert Smith, The Cure

Tunes

100 best covers: #45 Jane’s Addiction “Sympathy”

Post author By jprobichaud
Post date October 1, 2023
2 Comments on 100 best covers: #45 Jane’s Addiction “Sympathy”

<< #46 | #44 >>

Jane’s Addiction were one of those bands that I got into just as I was getting into ‘alternative’ music and my introduction was their commercial breakthrough, 1990’s “Ritual de lo habitual”. Of course, we now know that this was their ‘final’ album* before disbanding the following year. At the time, though, I was super excited about them and listened to both of their albums on cassette tape ad nauseum.

I later learned that they also had a self-titled live album that the band released a year before their major label debut, solely because they wanted their first release to be on an independent label. It was recorded at a small club in L.A. a bit before they had started generating a buzz and was later produced and mixed in-studio, including the addition of an applause track on some songs from another band’s live recording. Their performance is a bit messy at times but it aptly captures the excitement and energy of their live performances that garnered them such a following and for this reason, it’s still a favourite of mine and I included when I counted down my top ten albums for 1987. The track listing includes early versions of classics that would later be re-recorded for their proper debut, “Nothing’s shocking”, as well as a couple of covers: Velvet Underground’s “Rock n roll” and this one, The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the devil”.**

The original recording is probably my favourite ever song by The Rolling Stones, not that I really consider myself a huge fan of that band. I purchased a copy of “Hot rocks” on cassette tape when I was a teenager and that’s really only the material of theirs that I know. I do know that “Sympathy” is a rocking tune that really changed public perception of the band – for better and for worse – and has been covered by more than a few bands since then. Jane’s Addiction’s version feels somewhat faithful to the feel of the original, even including hand drums and maracas. Of course, Perry Farrell is not Mick Jagger. Their vocal styles are not quite diametrically opposed but they are different enough that it changes the overall feel. The cover is a lot more raw and angry than the original, perhaps a less slick devil but definitely not less sexy. And of course, there’s the live element as well that makes you think that everything might just fall apart at any given moment.

I still prefer The Stones’ original version of “Sympathy for devil”, it’s probably one of my favourite ever tunes, but Jane’s Addicition definitely makes it run a little faster and harder for the prize.

Cover:

Original:

*Final until they reunited more than a decade later and released a couple more.

**Listed simply as “Sympathy” on the album’s track listing.

For the rest of the 100 best covers list, click here.

Tags 1980s, Alternative, Alternative Rock, Best tunes, Cover, Covers, Jane's Addiction, Live, Retro, The Rolling Stones

Live music galleries

Live music galleries: Fleet Foxes [2023]

Post author By jprobichaud
Post date July 17, 2023
1 Comment on Live music galleries: Fleet Foxes [2023]

Fleet Foxes at Ottawa Bluesfest 2023

Artist: Fleet Foxes
When: July 14th, 2023
Where: River stage, Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats Park, Ottawa
Context: Well that’s it folks! Last night ended off another successful Ottawa Bluesfest – the local, annual marathon of live music. Out of a possible nine nights, I managed to attend seven and in that time, witnessed a great many sets. There were no disappointments and plenty of pleasant surprises. For me, it was hard to pick a favourite but wanting to do one post to signal my general satisfaction with another return to the festival, I’ve selected Friday’s night side-stage headlining set by Seattle’s indie folk heroes, Fleet Foxes. This selection has as much to do with the fact that this here was one of the few bands on the bill that I wanted to see and hadn’t yet seen before. I’d been following the group for a near fifteen years already and their set list did a great job representing all of their releases, including the recent collaboration they did with Big Red Machine (see below song). It wasn’t a very showy set, low on theatrics and pyrotechnics but huge on groove and ambience. I was so completely into the feels and lost in the tunes that very little else mattered but that moment. I later read that it seemed that the Foxes had drawn a larger crowd to the festival’s smallest stage than had the pop-singing headliner on the main stage but I didn’t even notice. It all felt so warm and intimate and well, great.
Point of reference song: “Phoenix (with Big Red Machine)”