The summer concerts are well underway. Here are some notes from those I’ve seen thus far.
First up was Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden in July. It was his 66th show at his home venue. Joel plays MSG every month and said he will do so as long as it sells out. I think he’s wrong. When this 70-year-old rocker passes, I think they will prop up a mannequin dressed like Joel sitting at a piano and continue to play tapes to sold out crowds for years to come. That actually wouldn’t surprise me as his concerts are always a semi-religious experience for thousands of fans. Always great musicianship and NY vibe because, after all, it’s Bill Joel. However, this year, something happened that troubled me deeply. At one point, Joel turned to the audience and told them “I’d like you to say hello to my good friends Bill and Hillary Clinton”. The cameras zoomed in on them sitting in the first few rows with Chelsea and her husband in front of them, so they were on the big screen. Half the audience cheered wildly. But the other half booed loudly. Now, I know this isn’t a political forum and politics isn’t the point of my dismay. What pissed me off is that the tone of our country is so divided, and so polarized, that half the people couldn’t find the common decency to let this poor bastard enjoy a simple rock concert with his family without showing their rudeness and disrespect. For goodness sake, what happened to the adage I learned growing up when I was taught “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”. If you aren’t a fan of the Clintons, fine. Just shut up and be quiet as the moment passes. Are we so fanatically divided that those who dislike their politics have to hound him and his family in public? I guess the answer is yes, but honestly, it was so disturbing that I was embarrassed to be an American.
Next up was Queen in Philadelphia on August 3rd. Wowza. What a superb concert. I’m sure most of you know that Queen has been touring with Adam Lambert for the past 7 years. As Lambert readily admits, Freddy Mercury is irreplaceable, but man, can Lambert sing. I honestly don’t know how he’s going to sing at the level he did that night for much longer as his voice was simply incredible, and he milked it for all it was worth. He certainly did justice to the Queen repertoire. The original members were Brian May on guitar who was excellent, as was Roger Taylor on drums. And the production was extraordinary. The set design, the lighting, the lasers, videos and the sound were as good as I’ve ever seen and heard at a rock concert. Broadway show caliber and then some. Speaking of sound, the EQ was nearly perfect. The trusty iPhone meter showed a beautiful response although the low end was likely limited by the mic that is surely rolled off a bit.
The bass in particular was very impressive because the driver array behind the bass player was directed right toward me. There were 4 large cabinets each containing 4 12’s and an 18” woofer aimed right at me, not to mention whatever was coming from the remaining suspended PA rig. (btw, that’s Lambert on the right). I’m talkin’ chest thumping bass but quite flat and very musical with low distortion. Bass done right. Not sure how is was for 20,000 other folks, but I had no complaints!
That said, make no mistake, the music was loud and would not have been tolerable without ear plugs. I’ll share that I’ve bought several concert ear plugs in the past from Etymotic, JBL and others, but by far, I've found the best to be a simple 2" x 2” piece of Kleenex tissue that is made slightly damp with a bit of water (or even a bit of spit), lightly wadded and placed lightly in your ear canals. What’s great is that they can be titrated to good effect to reduce SPL by adjusting depth and density as little or as much as needed, and depending on placement, a very satisfying final EQ can be obtained.
The 3rd concert of the series was at Tanglewood last night. For me, a perfect summer night in Tanglewood is one of life’s greatest pleasures as Tanglewood is a national treasure.
Last night’s concert was the BSO playing Beethoven’s violin concerto and Dvorak’s 7th Symphony. The violinist was the renowned Leonidas Kavakos who also received double pay because he was also the conductor. I have to be honest. I was looking forward to this concert for months and frankly was disappointed. I thought Kavakos’ playing was unusually flawed with lots of errors and his musicianship just didn’t knock me out. The only thing I can think of to put this into perspective is that hey, Tom Brady loses a game every once in a while as well. It just wasn’t Kavakos’ night. And as far as his conducting, I really think he should stick to his day job. He is hardly a good conductor. He was more of a time-keeper and it was no surprise that the musicians didn’t look at him once during either piece. As far as the BSO, there’s a reason they have long been considered one of the “Big 5” in the US. Their playing was simply flawless. Not a missed note the entire evening. Just beautiful playing, especially the Dvorak. Yet one can only wonder how they might have sounded if they were led by their usual conductor, Andris Nelsons. How fortunate the BSO concertgoers are to hear them during their regular season in Boston!
As everyone knows, Boston Symphony Hall has superb acoustics and is routinely ranked among the top halls of the world. But what many may not know, is that the Koussevitzky Shed at Tanglewood is also a superb acoustic venue. Built in 1903 and remodeled most recently in 1994, the sound is warm, full bodied and wonderful both under the shed roof in the seating area as well as on the famous lawn outside the shed where hundreds listen to the music under the stars.
Next up is Santana and the Doobie Brothers at Bethel Woods next week. And then it’s off to Telluride for Blues and Brews in September. Music does indeed make the word turn.
