I've lived in Madison since 1989, and have experienced some pretty amazing concerts. I've been fortunate enough to have seen the Rolling Stones at Camp Randall twice, attended all the Madison blues festivals, and have seen some pretty amazing acts in small clubs. But some experiences stand out more than others, and for reasons you might not expect.
MOST TICKED OFF LEAD SINGER
I wasn't in the audience when Ryan Adams flipped out at the Barrymore because some one yelled out "Summer of '69," the title of a Bryan Adams hit. But I was at the Club De Wash when Peter Himmelman couldn't stand the loud bass thumping coming from the gay bar below. He did the entire solo show standing on the bar, his boots just a precarious foot away from my cocktail.
SOMETHING THAT NEVER HAPPENS, HAPPENS
When you attend a concert and you yell for an encore, you usually give up when the house lights come on. But some very determined Barenaked Ladies fans really wanted to hear Be My Yoko Ono as a 1995 show concluded at the Barrymore. When the lights came on, I headed for the exit..only to hear the band return to the stage to fulfill the crowd's demands. Yeah, that was pretty cool.
UNEXPECTED VENUES
I've seen Sonia Dada play at Rose Records, a shop that used to be on State Street. I didn't plan on going to their show later that night at the Crystal Corner Bar, but Paris wooed me with his super low bass voice. I still get chills. I also saw Dave Mason at Best Buy on Madison's west side last year, and I'm still kicking myself I didn't get to see R.E.O. Speedwagon when they played at Walmart a few years ago. (And no, I'm not making that up..ask Jonathan..he was there.)
INTIMATE SHOW THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SO INTIMATE
When legendary Kinks frontman Ray Davies came to Madison on his Storytellers Tour, for some reason the show just didn't sell, and the Barrymore Theatre was almost empty. The show was fantastic not only because the songs are so great..but the stories he told were hilarious! You'd think he would have been ticked off about the low turnout..but he wasn't, and signed autographs afterward. I was so nervous that every one else would get a signature except me, all I could do was say "me, me, me" while holding my paper toward him. (I was successful and now have that autograph proudly framed.)
Hi, Kit. I was at that 95 BNL show too. The best part was when they came out for the encore, all of their equipment was being packed up. The guys just sang with a snare drum. Good moment.
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
Last weeks challenge we thought went excellent! Of course we are a little biased.
The drinking song couldn't have been any better, or any less fun. We had a blast through out the whole process, and our performance rocked.
This week is an easy...
So the story goes Michael Jackson completed this song while watching cartoons with Paul McCartney. We'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Not sure what cartoons they were watching, but it must have worked because this song made it to number 2...
The Dalai Lama is back in town, sharing his message of peace and kindness with likeminded individuals, and the Wisconsin legislature. He also held a private meeting with Gov. Walker, who said he mostly listened to what His Holiness had to say (wise...
This duet by Ol' Blue Eyes and his daughter went all the way to number 1 back in 1967. It seems a little creepy that Frank and Nancy Sinatra are singing a love song. However, a lot of Triple M listeners were in the mood for it.
Here's...
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
Last weeks challenge we thought went excellent! Of course we are a little biased.
The drinking song couldn't have been any better, or any less fun. We had a blast through out the whole process, and our performance rocked.
This week is an easy...
So the story goes Michael Jackson completed this song while watching cartoons with Paul McCartney. We'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Not sure what cartoons they were watching, but it must have worked because this song made it to number 2...
The Dalai Lama is back in town, sharing his message of peace and kindness with likeminded individuals, and the Wisconsin legislature. He also held a private meeting with Gov. Walker, who said he mostly listened to what His Holiness had to say (wise...
This duet by Ol' Blue Eyes and his daughter went all the way to number 1 back in 1967. It seems a little creepy that Frank and Nancy Sinatra are singing a love song. However, a lot of Triple M listeners were in the mood for it.
Here's...
