The first concerts I went to see were people like Little Richard and Gene Vincent. But, the one concert I saw that changed me was Buddy Holly and the Crickets. I saw Buddy Holly in Birmingham, England with the Crickets when they toured. And that’s what made me think “yes, that’s what I wanna be.” Because before Buddy Holly, all the American rock people were magic icons. You know, iconic people like Elvis, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Gene Vincent. They’re all iconic. English people couldn’t replicate that. But when I saw Buddy Holly, I realized, “Singer-songwriter. That’s it. That’s for me.” And I think I bought every Buddy Holly record after that, and I learned all his songs promptly. In actual fact, I’ve just been presented with a Buddy Holly guitar from the Buddy Holly Foundation. I received it in July last year, and it’s a beautiful guitar, just like Buddy’s. So, Buddy Holly was the guy.
I’d be lying if I said that 2023 didn’t feel like a super quick blur, even though I had some pretty excellent adventures in the last 12 months. I got out and explored Tampa Bay more extensively, I made plans to move to the mountains by a certain year, and in terms of full-fledged adventures, I’d need a third hand to collectively count how many times I found myself at Tampa International Airport this year.
Through it all, there was plenty of hype in the new music scene, but this year, there were bigger comebacks on the list than I had seen since probably 2016.
Within a month of each other, Taylor Swift, The Rolling Stones, and *checks notes* The Beatles all released brand-new material. If you take Time Magazine’s Person of the Year out of the scenario, this hasn’t happened since 1969, with the respective releases of Abbey Road and Let It Bleed. But those aren’t my only three favorites, and I hate to say it, but even with one of the names mentioned making my annual top 12 list, I feel like I snubbed so much when writing it out.
Obviously, both Taylor’s Versions that came out were brilliant, and I already own both of them on wax. But Graham Nash’s Now was on repeat on my drives to Tampa in the fall. Willie Nelson’s I Don’t Know A Thing About Love—made up entirely of Harlan Howard songs—dropped on the same day I saw him live for the first time at the Florida Strawberry Festival. Ed Sheeran’s – (minus) made me tear up while I was waiting in line at Magic Kingdom’s Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, And Meet Me @ The Altar’s debut album Past // Present // Future? Loved it. I blasted it all the way to St. Pete Pride and back.
I’ve also been a fan of The Zombies since high school, and I heard a few tracks from their new Different Game album at a gig in Clearwater in the spring of 2022. I enjoyed what I heard, but I gotta admit that I still haven’t sat down and listened to the full album yet. I still need to check out boygenius’ The Album, and (don’t hate me) the new Foo Fighters album. I’m reading Dave Grohl’s book right now, so maybe that’ll give me a push in the New Year. It looks like Yusuf/Cat Stevens has a new one out too, and I’m more open to giving that one a shot than stomaching The Steve Howe Band—I mean, err, Yes’ Mirror To The Sky.
I can honestly say that I didn’t listen to the vast majority of these until a few months after they were released, as I mainly stuck to my own playlists in 2023. But considering the situations we endure these days, let some new artists in our streaming queues be the scariest change we ever face. It won’t be, but I can dream, right?
Happy New Year, friends. As always, be strong, love big, and don’t back down.
January: We Are Scientists – Lobes
With the deaths of Jeff Beck, Lisa Marie Presley, and David Crosby within a week of each other, it was looking to be a pretty grim year at first. But if there’s anything I’ve learned about We Are Scientists—an indie-rock trio from California—it’s that whatever follows its act is bound to be unforgettable (read: Innings Festival 2022). The band’s eighth album Lobes adds to the trend of reviving ‘80s music, and takes on the sounds of Ultravox and Pet Shop Boys, with plenty of lyrics about expectations, honesty, and even a shout-out to math rock. Hope to see these guys headline Jannus Live at some point in the future.
February: Gracie Abrams – Good Riddance
While I wouldn’t say that J.J. Abrams’ daughter would be a great fit to soundtrack, say, another “Star Trek” film, Gracie Abrams’ sad-girl-indie debut album is surely the kickoff to an illustrious career that already has “opening for Taylor Swift” under its belt. Good Riddance has the minimalism of an early Joni Mitchell record and the lyrical catharsis of a Lana Del Rey record, and should Gracie toy around with other genres on her next album, she might end up starting up one of the biggest followings—be it cult or mainstream—of the decade.
March: Lana Del Rey – Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.
After waiting very patiently since my freshman year of high school, I finally got to see Lana Del Rey perform live in Tampa on September 25, and the show was part of a quick run promoting this latest album of hers. Lana has come such a long way since she dropped Born To Die 11 years ago (!), and the collaborations with Jon Batiste and Father John Misty—just to name a few—aren’t even what sticks out about Tunnel. Lana’s life story and beginnings are kept pretty cryptic, but it’s been said that the album—her best one as a whole since Honeymoon, in my opinion—is her most personal. She messes around with gospel, psychedelic, and of course, her standard orchestra-backed laments, all with a little production help from Jack Antonoff and his unmatched studio skills. It’s currently nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys, and while I’m personally good no matter who wins, it’s about time Miss Lana takes home a Grammy, yeah?
April: Smokey Robinson – Gasms
I know, I know: We’re lucky to still have this national treasure with us. I’m not ungrateful for a second. But there’s just something slightly distressing about an 83-year-old man singing about sex, or more specifically, eyegasms. I don’t know how much ol’ Smokey watched Chef-era “South Park” while making this record—his first of original material since the late aughts—but at the very least, the latter half is slightly more wholesome, pertaining more to wanting to spend the rest of his days with someone, rather than exclusively thinking about, err, gasming. Luckily, I discovered this one a little later in the year, rather than in its month of release, in which I had my bottom two wisdom teeth removed and finally reunited with my best friend for the first time in five years, for the sake of seeing The Eras Tour.
May: Paul Simon – Seven Psalms
I had Seven Psalms up against Graham Nash’s Now for May, and my struggle to pick between the two is why you’re probably reading this in 2024. In the end, I went with Paul Simon’s thoughts about mortality, which came about after a post-farewell tour dream he had. His vocals have gotten a bit more quivery, but for what it’s worth, his acoustic guitar bits are just as solid and masterful as always. If you try and stream the 7-track album, it’s one giant, half-hour epic, rather than being chopped down to its septet of songs. As much as I’d want to add “Wait” to every playlist I have, perhaps that’s how Paul intended to execute it, so who the hell am I to question my all-time favorite songwriter? Well, about anything other than why on God’s green earth he, a New York kid of over 80 years, decided to move to Texas recently. I’m not expecting a tour behind this album (he said recently that he’d play some shows to bump Psalms, had it not been for COVID-related hearing loss), but if any gigs come about, look out for a review.
June: Rufus Wainwright – Folkocracy
My first man-crush duetting with Chaka Khan on a heavily slowed-down “Cotton-Eyed Joe” was not on my 2023 bingo card, but hey: Now I can confuse the hell out of karaoke bar regulars when I say how great Wainwright’s version is, just to realize that they have no idea who the hell I’m talking about until I mention “Shrek.” Rufus is continually giving the Wainwright clan an exceptional name with the way he can write operas and hypnotize his audiences without any sort of band behind him. It was fascinating but not shocking to see him take on some traditional folk semi-standards with some of the names he deserves to be A-list with (Brandi Carlile, John Legend), as well as a version of Van Dyke Parks’ “Black Gold,” with the guy who co-wrote The Beach Boys’ Smile right beside him. I think that a duet with Joni Mitchell is the only thing that would have made Folkocracy better than it already is, because what gay tenor doesn’t want to work with Joni?
July: Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – Sticks and Stones
In a post-Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis) world, amid an era featuring Jason Aldean and Morgan Wallen, it’s refreshing to see some country music that isn’t heavily manufactured. Alcohol is a recurring theme on Lukas’ eighth studio album (and I have to say, I don’t think I’ve laughed uglier than when I heard the intro to “Alcohallelujah”), but the melodies are catchy, the guitar work is clean, and honestly, it’d be no shock if Lukas spent time with his dad’s besties, The Highwaymen as a kid. He would have utterly exploded in the outlaw country scene during its heyday, had he been around for it. Also, did you know that Promise of the Real was Neil Young’s backing band for a time? Man, what a gig that would have been.
August: Quavo – Rocket Power
I took a listen to this one—the first Migos solo project to emerge after the murder of Takeoff last year—while working on a preview for a Quavo gig to happen at Tampa’s Armature Works. It basically takes you through his navigation process of mourning his bandmate-slash-nephew (who actually appears on this record) and also features guest spots from Young Thug and Future. I’m not gonna pretend that this is wholly my scene, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Migos had to have done a killer concert. Hopefully, there’ll be some unreleased material out soon, or maybe some unreleased Takeoff demos that Quavo and Offset could work on together to morph into new Migos material.
September: Bruce Springsteen – September 3, 2023, East Rutherford, NJ
I very nearly went with Stephen Sanchez’s Angel Face for September. Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts was great too, of course. But September 3, 2023 was a night I’ll never forget. I flew to New Jersey the day before, just so I could see The Boss in his homestate. It’s like seeing the Pope speak at the Vatican or seeing one of The Beatles perform in Liverpool. I caught Springsteen in Tampa, on opening night of his 2023 tour, and I guess the power of the E Street Band put me in such a frenzy that I was planning my fall venture a few weeks later. And as it turned out, I was right to attend the last date of a three-night stint at MetLife Stadium. I thought I’d have to chase “Jungleland” for years, but sure enough, Bruce’s encore kicked off with just that. “Lonesome Day” was a surprisingly epic opener, and “Spirit In The Night” has to be my favorite pre-Little Steven song of Bruce’s. You can’t find this on streaming services, but if you’re jonesing for some quintessential live Springsteen, do yourself a favor and just spend the $15 on nugs.net. As a guy who has been to nearly 500 live gigs, this was the best one I’ve ever seen, and probably ever will see.
October: The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds
I’m still sad that I never got to see Charlie Watts live (I did buy Stones tickets right before the world shut down in 2020, though), but it’s comforting to know that one of his two contributions to Hackney Diamonds—believed to be his final recordings—happened to be with original bassist Bill Wyman, reuniting the band’s original rhythm section for the first time since 1989’s Steel Wheels. Steve Jordan does a great job on drums both live and on this album—the Stones’ best in decades, in my opinion—and I really admire how Mick, Keith, and Ronnie still manage to maintain their original sound and avoid taking the KISS route, relying solely on merchandise sales and lip-syncing on their fourth farewell tour. Ronnie Wood is now the only long-tenured Stone who has yet to pass his 80th birthday, but considering how solid of a rock album his now-octogenarian friends can make in 2023, something tells me that we haven’t heard the last of the mighty Rolling Stones.
November: Dolly Parton – Rockstar
“Now And Then” wasn’t the only new Beatles lore we got in November, you know. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr—with Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood—were featured on Dolly Parton’s version of “Let It Be,” off of her long-promised, long-awaited rock album, which came about as a result of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ignoring her request to not be inducted in 2022. Generally, when an artist releases an all-covers rock album, you start to feel like the downhill descent has commenced. But ol’ Dolly’s 30-track collection made up of mostly covers is a hardcore exception to that rule. The songs she chose to tackle for this album were recorded with both original artists (i.e: “Keep On Lovin’ You” with REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin, “Every Breath You Take” with Sting, etc.), or other A-list musicians also willing to pay tribute. She couldn’t get the now-retired Bob Seger, so Chris Stapleton guest stars on “Night Moves,” and instead of a sick guitar section from Jimmy Page on “Stairway To Heaven,” Lizzo plays flute behind Dolly’s vocals. Truthfully, I never thought Dolly would turn to rock, but if you can get Steve Perry to return to the studio, reunite the remaining Beatles, and put respective collaborations with Kid Rock and Stevie Nicks on the same album, why hide away your talents?
December: Peter Gabriel – i/o (In-Side Mix)
Genesis may not have needed Peter Gabriel for its final bow in 2022, but the band’s ex-frontman is finally back after what felt like an eternal hiatus. As it turns out, i/o has been in the works since before I was born and was even partially recorded while he was on tour with Sting in 2016. It’s difficult to dive deep into simple terms regarding this record’s eclectic, modernized sound, but at a point in his life where some artists his age are only revisiting old material and pathetically trying to stay relevant with half-assed new songs (I said “some,” not “all”), Gabriel’s lyrics about struggling with quintessential loss and making peace with how short life is could win him a Grammy in 2025. Oh, and considering the success behind his tour promoting i/o last fall, I’m thinking that a second U.S. leg is going to go down in 2024. This man has never been to Tampa, so the mental preparation for TicketMaster’s verified fan program has officially started on my end.
Rhythm guitarist and brother of Pete, Simon Townshend
If you’re not crazy for British rock legends The Who, but enjoy them for their hits, this is not really the kind of show that would be up your alley.
Longtime, and current, lead singer Roger Daltrey has done solo tours before, but none quite like this. The A Quick Run While Pete’s Away five date tour was announced back in August, and only features Daltrey with members of The Who’s backing band. Pete Townshend is on a yearlong sabbatical from The Who, as the tour name says, but there was still a Townshend onstage – – his little brother, Simon on guitar.
Around 7:30, a somewhat newcomer to the music world, Grammy nominee Leslie Mendelson, opened with selections from her 5+ year career and her new album, Love & Murder. One of these songs were created with help from the Grateful Dead’s own Bob Weir. Really.
“Roger and I go way back. Well, we actually do.” Mendelson bragged halfway through. She once played Baba O’Riley with The Who during a benefit gig for charity. “I was tossed a harmonica, and I said ‘But I don’t play it.’ And they said ‘Well, you do now.'”
“The New York weather is following me around!” she earlier joked while acting surprised about how Florida’s weather has suddenly become cooler. Following her 35 minute set with guitarist Eric Kimock, a brief intermission occurred, as she made her way near the Ruth Eckerd lobby to where two Daltrey shirts were being sold to sell and sign CD copies of Love and Murder. Fans were immensely impressed at this new talent, but at 8:21, the lights went down for the real deal. The Pinball Wizard and company walked out to Clearwater for the first time in eight years.
Following a few jokes of how forgettable the night may be if he forgot the words, the band ripped into the overture from The Who’s legendary 1969 rock opera, Tommy. Immediately following was their smash hit Pinball Wizard, also off of Tommy.
As the songs kept dropping, they got more and more obscure. 1981’s Another Tricky Day was dedicated to Donald Trump. “Nothing to do with me, but I’m sure he’ll relate to this song.” There were also some songs that were obscure enough to have never been played in front of a live audience, be it Who, Townshend, or Daltrey. Athena off of 1982’s It’s Hard, the second most recent Who studio album, hasn’t been played since the tour to promote that album.
But the biggest surprise was the debut, the literal live debut, of The Who’s 1975 album track, How Many Friends, which has never in written history been performed live by the band. “Way back when we recorded this in 1975, you even wondered, and I doubt many of us can, count on our friends.” Daltrey recalled. “I knew people with…millions of friends.”
Just about every song had the audience give at least a standing ovation, from the doo-wop style Daltrey earworm Days Of Light, to the song to thank us fans for being fans (Without Your Love), to the electrifying Baba O’Riley. The latter had every member of the audience frenetically howling out the words, as you would likely expect – – After all, it was The Who’s biggest 1970s hit. (with the possible exception of Who Are You, which was also performed to a standing crowd.)
Two songs from The Who’s 1971 live album, Live At Leeds were performed. In comparison to other Who tunes, Young Man Blues and Summertime Blues have faded away into obscurity, but you know what? Nobody seemed to care.
The night ended with Roger and keyboardist Loren Gold playing Always Heading Home, a brand new song from a “forthcoming album.” Needless to say, it’s never been played anywhere else before, at any time.
Daltrey is very openly involved in the Teenage Cancer Trust charity, which helps out teenagers with cancer. “At least, before they turn eighteen, and get moved in with old farts like me.” Daltrey pointed out. He went on to praise the Tampa Bay area for having three hospitals working together to fight teenage cancer, including Moffitt.
And just keep that in mind. The next time you buy something related to The Who, be it a ticket, a licensed shirt, or Roger’s album when it releases, there’s a good chance that at least a portion of your sale will go to the trust.
Once again, I will officially be reviewing Yes featuring Anderson, Rabin, and Wakeman on October 11 at Ruth Eckerd Hall! This will be my second time seeing them and my first time reviewing them over here. I reviewed them for my school paper last year as a sophomore, but needless to say, nobody, even my journalism class director, didn’t really pick up on it. But I thought that perhaps you would. I walked in that venue thinking of Yes as sort of a mediocre band. But I walked out with them in my top 10. Barely edited for accuracy, this was the first concert review I ever wrote last year, following ARW’s first Ruth Eckerd (and second overall) show that I was invited to the night before it happened. And keep in mind that it was mainly directed towards stupid teenagers who probably hadn’t heard of Yes.
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In today’s generation, a typical teenager enjoys rap and autotune, and a lot of them don’t know of some amazing music of the past. I’m the only one without a silver head at the concerts I go to, because I have an odd taste in music. This year, with the passings of David Bowie, Glenn Frey of the Eagles, and Prince, a load of people, including myself, have learned to never take anybody for granted, and this is why now is the best time to see some rock legends live before they pass away. Friday night, however, in Ruth Eckerd Hall, stood three gentlemen, two in their 60s and one in his 70s, playing a reunion concert. And you know what? The gentlemen sounded just like they did since the beginning.
The former members of the progressive rock band YES, Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, and Rick Wakeman have embarked on a world tour as ARW. Anderson still has his truly soprano voice, Rabin still shreds out the guitar solos like a master, and Wakeman played more than five keyboards and a keytar that night, sometimes two at once. They decided to kick off the tour in Orlando on Wednesday night, and were scheduled to play a show in Hollywood, FL, but had to cancel because of Hurricane Matthew. Rabin and Wakeman opened with the iconic Cinema from Yes’ 1983 album, 90125, as Anderson came running out with his Mickey Mouse gloves. The new reunion band gave its audience of about 2,000 people an electric ride through songs such as Hold On and the classic Rhythm of Love. About three quarters of the way through, as Rabin walked offstage for about two minutes, Anderson and Wakeman played a four minute song from when they were a part of a different incarnation of former members of Yes in the late 80s, which featured both of them, as well as guitarist Steve Howe and original drummer Bill Bruford. The piano accompanied song, The Meeting, which was written “at midnight, under the stars” according to Anderson. The band wrapped up the evening with their nearly 20-minute epic, Awaken, from their 1977 album Going For The One, and perhaps their most iconic song, Owner of a Lonely Heart, along with an encore of Roundabout.
“You’ll never hear a finer show,” lifelong fan Rodney Wademan stated at the end of the show. Concerts are always amazing to attend, especially if they’re somebody who has aged and still has energy and talent, because thirty years from now, if the artist has passed on, you’d have a bit of a bragging right, because you will have experienced something that your children, and possibly even your peers, unfortunately, never will get to. But with the way that all three members of ARW look and sound, even after almost 50 years, they could stay alive for another 50.
On April 15, 2015, one of the most popular British Invasion bands kicked off the US leg of their 50th anniversary/farewell tour (whatever) in Tampa. The Who’s two surviving original members, guitarist Pete Townshend and lead vocalist Roger Daltrey have been on the road nearly all their lives, be it solo or together. But following the 1979 death of drummer Keith Moon, they’ve seemed to make every tour since then a farewell tour, yet they always came back. It was a close call for them in 2002, though when bassist John Entwistle died only a day before the second leg of that year’s tour began. The Who was on the road a little bit this year, playing few cities in the US, and holding a nearly three-week long residency at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Later this year, however, along with some shows in South America with Def Leppard and Guns N’ Roses, the two will (hopefully) temporarily go their separate ways to fulfill solo projects. Townshend will be doing a short Classic Quadrophenia tour with Billy Idol next month.
Daltrey will also be doing a solo tour of about five different cities. And Clearwater just got lucky.
Roger Daltrey will play Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall on Monday, October 30. The show will be opened by Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Leslie Mendelson at promptly 7:30. While Townshend will not be there, other touring members of The Who – – including drummer Zak Starkey – – will be. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, starting at $63.50.
Paul McCartney astounded a Tampa audience on July 10.
Where were you on September 17, 2005? Maybe you were a teenager, child, or toddler. Maybe you didn’t live in Tampa. Hell, maybe you weren’t even born yet. But some special people were at Amalie Arena, then known as the St. Pete Times Forum, seeing Sir Paul McCartney, a quarter of the biggest band of all time, live. It was only his third time in Tampa. Until his 1990 stop at the old Tampa Stadium, his only time in Florida for a ticketed performance was in Jacksonville with The Beatles in 1964.
But now, things are different.
Paul McCartney playing away on one of his two pianos onstage at Amalie Arena.
In April, the people over at Amalie Arena made the groundbreaking announcement that The Cute One was going to present his One on One tour at the venue, causing a practically instant sellout. People were literally standing in line at the box office to get their tickets the old fashioned way. Those that had seats behind the stage were probably feeling incredibly lucky because we all knew that if we didn’t have a ticket already, we’d have to be dedicated to Macca enough to risk buying an overpriced nosebleed seat on StubHub, and then face the fact that there would be a slight chance that you wouldn’t get in, considering all the bots on there.
The doors opened at 6:30, food and merchandise stands opened, and at 8:38, the blue spotlights on stage went out. Some eighteen-or-so seconds of darkness later, there he was. Macca, in a white button down and dark blue blazer, received probably the loudest roar of excitement ever given at this venue upon walking out. The show opened with A Hard Day’s Night, a song that he hasn’t played on tour since The Beatles’ 1965 tour, followed by a lively blast-from-the-past, Junior’s Farm.
Paul McCartney told stories of his career, and cracked jokes with Tampa on Monday night.
“I’ve got a feeling we’re gonna have a lot of fun here tonight!” Paul declared. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he was right. Every element of the show, from the 39 song set list to the psychedelic laser show during Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!, made the tickets worth purchasing in every way. And only two decades of his long and winding career were ignored. Though pushing the 90s and 2000s aside, Paul went as far back as The Quarrymen’s In Spite Of All The Danger. Whaddya mean “who?!” They were the band that would evolve into The Beatles! On the other hand, the first few verses from his 2015 collaboration with rapper Kanye West and singer Rihanna, FourFiveSeconds, was also given a segment to shine.
To bring the 60s into the show, Paul and friends made a point to pick and choose mostly the better known songs of his off of every Beatle studio album, except for Beatles For Saleand Yellow Submarine. Representing the 70s, to a lesser extent, were those monumental anthems from Wings. A piano-driven Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five, and a turbulent ride through Jet were both early specifics on the setlist. The 80s? We were treated to 1980’s Temporary Secretary, and also a heartbreakingly poignant composition from his career, which I’ll get to.
Paul told stories of all kinds, from the time he saw Jimi Hendrix open a show with the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band title track two days following its release, when he was told by the Russian Defense Minister how his records helped him learn English, and to when he fell in a hole onstage during his last visit to Tampa. “I’m lucky to be here tonight.” he remarked. Sadly, many of his musical compadres were not so lucky. He dedicated songs like Love Me Do to late Beatles producer George Martin, who passed away last year, and earlier, Maybe I’m Amazed to his first wife, Linda Eastman.
But the two major dedications he made were to the two fallen Beatles, John Lennon and George Harrison.
Paul dedicated his 1982 album track, Here Today to Lennon, following a twenty-six second applause, after Paul demanded to “hear it for John.” The song was written shortly after his 1980 death in New York City, and was written as “like, a conversation we never had, where I could tell him things I couldn’t tell him.” A lot could have been gotten out of the entire show, but he concluded that segment with a really good life lesson:
“If you want to tell someone something, tell them now.”
Later on in the show, Paul was handed a ukulele, and began a relatively upbeat rendition of the Harrison penned Beatles track, Something. But out of nowhere, once the first three verses were complete, the entire backing band broke in and finished the song off the way it originally sounded, with a slideshow of photos of primarily Harrison scrolling by.
Following his main set ending with Live and Let Die, which involved about four explosions and some fireworks, and Hey Jude, which surprisingly did not start much of a sea of cellphone flashlights, Paul brought up two fans to the stage: A Sarasota veterinarian in Paul’s Sgt. Pepper outfit, and her son, sporting a black shirt with the Beatles logo on it. They, by Paul’s request, danced onstage together to Get Back. “Speaking of getting back, we’ve gotta go home!” he concluded, to which boos and moans were his response. His band ripped into the medley you hear at the end of the Abbey Road album, which involved Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, and The End. “Tell you what, we’ll see you next time!” were his final remarks to Tampa.
Many people probably doubted that, but from the good spirits Paul was in, and the way he sang and played, there just may be a next time. But hopefully not with a twelve year gap in between.
Paul Simon playing for a sold-out crowd of old and young at the St. Augustine Amphitheater.
Paul Simon hasn’t played Florida since his 2014 tour with Sting, and he hasn’t been as a solo artist since late 2011. It seems like an eternity ago to some fans such as myself. Last year when he announced that there would be a massive US tour promoting a new album Stranger To Stranger, he totally snubbed Florida. The lowest in the southeast Paul played in was Atlanta. I would have gone, and still would go to Georgia for certain artists, Paul Simon topping that list, had my leg not been cooped up in a cast.
But in March, we Floridians learned of a miracle: The Kodachrome singer would be doing a summer tour, and where else would he start but St. Augustine, FL?
On Thursday night, the St. Augustine Amphitheater doors opened at promptly 6:00, and members of the sold-out crowd began to worry that one of Florida’s famous rainstorms from a few hours prior would start up again. The worst that happened was the show being postponed by ten minutes. “The rain came, and the rain…cooled us off!” Paul observed early on.
The turnout was enormous, quite like a class act you see at a sports stadium or arena. And this was not just a bunch of old folks who were fans of Simon’s days recording with his former partner, Art Garfunkel: There were actually quite a lot of fans who enjoyed his solo works, like his 1986 Grammy Album Of The Year winner, the South-African inspired “Graceland.” Most of those fans were in their thirties or forties. I’m fifteen, which is a bit young to have Paul Simon in your top 10, top 5, and top 3 these days, and I saw other people there that were my age – Most of them had been dragged there by their parents because they were just trying to be totally awesome parents. I mean, how many of today’s children will get the chance to say that they experienced this man live? But no matter, I was probably the only much younger fan who actually understood that this was Paul Simon for God’s sake, a twice Rock and Roll Hall Of Famer, a Songwriter’s Hall Of Famer, and the first recipient of the Gershwin Prize For Popular Song.
The theater itself filled relatively quickly with over 4,000 fans, and at 7:40, Paul’s backing band came out and played a breathtaking instrumental version of Gumboots off of Graceland. Three minutes later, their boss walked out onstage waving in a grey t-shirt with a dark blue overcoat. His ecstatic audience had an unusual but great amount of energy; more people were cheering than just plain applauding. Within seconds, he picked up one of his many acoustic guitars and ripped into Graceland’s exhilarating opening track, The Boy in the Bubble. Through the night, Paul really mixed up some of the songs by either changing their keys, giving them new rhythms during certain parts, or simply adding in more time for his band to play solos. He gave his fans two and a half hours of almost the entire first side of Graceland, some of his greatest hits old and new, and some deep cuts, including One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor.
Six songs from his days in Simon & Garfunkel were played as well, most notably an instrumental edition of El Condor Pasa (If I Could), Mrs. Robinson, a song that has been played only once per tour since 2009, and a tear jerking version of The Boxer. And that wasn’t an exaggeration. I never cry at concerts, but when Paul strummed the first chord of The Boxer, I just lost my goddamn mind. I bawled my eyes out for the first time in a very long time.
Early on, Paul gave a brief but amped up cover of Mystery Train, and later, during Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, the entire audience actually got up and danced, clapped, or at least sang along, because apparently, it is a much bigger hit than most of the songs he played before. Paul’s backing band was much larger than a typical rock and roll backing band. It was about the size of Brian Wilson’s backing band – about eight other gentlemen onstage, one of which performed on Graceland in 1986. Guitarist Vincent Nguini even stepped up to Paul’s microphone to introduce The Cool, Cool River, “a very powerful tune that we haven’t done in a very, very long time,” of which they actually started playing again on the 2016 tour.
He wrapped up his main set with back to back songs from Graceland, starting with a beautiful rendition of Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, and ending with a frenetic ride through You Can Call Me Al, which also had everybody standing up and dancing. After his band took a bow, they came back out for two generous encores, and then after everybody was offstage and it was just Paul and his guitar, he strummed the recognizable chords, and sang the magic words:
“Hello, darkness my old friend.”
Paul mentioned many times how all of the profits from this tour would be donated to the E.O Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, which is involved in saving the Earth and the human species. In fact, he’s so dedicated to it, the book that inspired him to do it was for sale at his merchandise stands, entitled Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight For Life by Edward Wilson.
But you know, regardless of what charity Paul chose, he sure as heck would continue to save at least the music world, long as he keeps playing those sold out shows for years to come.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play a show in Tampa on their 40th Anniversary Tour, their first time in Tampa since 2014.
How many big name bands originated in Florida? Not very many, with the exception of The Doors’ Jim Morrison being born in Melbourne. But one band that originated in Gainesville announced in December that they would embark on a 40th anniversary tour. Yes, it’s really been 40 years since Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers released their self-titled debut album.
A lot of shows’ opening acts are artists who are trying to get out there. But when the lights went down at promptly 8:00, who else walks out to open but Joe Walsh of The Eagles? “Good morning!” He rasped before beginning his electric 45 minute setlist. He played songs from his own successful solo career (Meadows; Rocky Mountain Way) and two songs from The Eagles (Take It To The Limit; In The City), the first one being dedicated to his “brother and fellow bandmate, Glenn Frey,” who passed away last year.
The Eagles’ Joe Walsh opens for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Amalie Arena
Walsh left the stage around 8:45, and the roadies began to set up for Tom Petty. People went out to mingle with fellow fans, and to buy t-shirts and beer. Then, at 9:47, the lights went down, and the almost-sold out crowd of over 20,000 fans brought the house down as Tom Petty and his dearly beloved Heartbreakers entered the stage for their second Florida show, their first being the night before in West Palm Beach.
“We’re bringing you 100 percent natural rock and roll, no artificial sweeteners!” he announced as the Heartbreakers prepared their instruments for the best night that Tampa Bay has had in months. The band started out with “the first track from [their] first album,” which was Rockin‘ Around (With You). Petty then went onto his famous sing-along, Mary Jane’s Last Dance, which had the young and old in the audience singing along the whole way through.
Through the rest of the night, Amalie Arena heard mainly greatest hits: The acoustic guitars of Free Fallin‘ and Learning To Fly, and also some deep cuts from Petty’s second solo album, “Wildflowers.” After ending their main set with the frenetic Running Down A Dream, Petty and the guys walked offstage for about two and a half minutes as the ecstatic audience chanted “Petty” until they came back out. The group finished up the show with an encore of You Wreck Me from “Wildflowers,” and American Girl, which was their first album’s closing track.
Petty stated many times through the night how pleased he was to be back home in Florida, and how he “felt the mojo in this room,” to which the roar of the audience was the response he received. At that point in the show, he turned towards the people up in the nosebleeds on each side of the dome.
With Tom onstage were old and new members of the Heartbreakers, including his old buddy and original guitarist Mike Campbell, and alsotwo new members on backing vocals. The Webb Sisters, Charley and Hattie, who were also backup singers in Leonard Cohen’s band from his latter days, are touring with the group for the first, and possibly last time.
In an interview with Rolling Stone from last year, Petty stated how he’s thinking about making this tour “the last big one” with the Heartbreakers, due to the fact that he has a granddaughter he wants to spend time with, and that they’re getting older. That being stated, last night was the perfect opportunity for Petty fans old and young to either relive the old days, or to discover something new.
“Before we leave, I want to hold the world record for the loudest sound ever made in this building,” was his final request to his hyped audience before ripping into his final song of the night.
Josh Bradley Live 