Music Fest: Days 1 and 2

Forgive me, reader(s?), for I have been lazy. It's been about a month since my last post. I'll do some Hail Marys and try to be better.

I got back to Boston last night after attending the Beale Street Music Festival. I started writing this post during the plane ride home and realized I had a lot to say, so this is going to be a two-parter.

Day 1:

--Cake: I've seen them twice, so it's hard to get too excited about Cake anymore, but they are always worth seeing. While some find John McCrea's tendency to insult the audience offensive, I choose to believe I'm in on the joke and think he's likable and funny. But then I've always had questionable taste in men. My friends pointed out a guy in a bar once, saying "Look, he's Asian AND old, just your type!" Anyway, I'd see them again, but only in a situation like Music Fest. They're fun, but not worth the $50-60 it costs to see one of their regular shows. Also, they seem to be getting tired of touring and it's starting to show. They finished their set with "The Distance," and you could tell they were so sick of playing that song, but felt obligated because it was a festival crowd. While music festivals are great places to see a wide array of performances, most people are only marginally invested in seeing any particular act and aren't devoted enough fans to want to hear too many lesser known tracks. To be fair, though, Cake has been playing that song since 1996, so I can understand if they've gotten bored with it.

--Jason Mraz: Kind of a let down, to be honest. I was really looking forward to his performance, but I walked away feeling underwhelmed. I still love listening to his music, but will probably avoid going to another live show. He lost probably a third of the audience after he only got through about three songs in the first twenty-five minutes. While it didn't bother me, the tendency to let the band take off on three or four minute solos wasn't holding most of the
audience's attention. The musicians were all very talented, but that's apparently not what appeals to sixteen year old girls. Another downside to watching a musician with a fan base consisting primarily of teenage girls: they drag their boyfriends along and seem to think it's appropriate to dryhump each other in public. It's not. Just putting that out there. Maybe I'm just old and crotchety, but I found that kind of unpleasant and more than a little trashy.

But back to his performance! Despite most likely being stoned, he did manage to get through the songs everyone was there to hear--"Lucky," "I'm Yours," etc.

Day 2:

Overall, Saturday was much more fun than Friday. My companion for the weekend (speaking of old and crotchety...kidding! Best crazy uncle ever) wasn't feeling quite as old as he had felt Friday night and the music was infinitely better.

--Amy Lavere: I've seen her live several times and she seems to get better with every show. I've seen videos from some of her earliest tours, and I have to admit they were a little weak. But every live show I've been to has impressed me and last weekend's was no exception. As soon as she had finished her sound check ("Mr. Spaceman"--always great), she asked the audience, "Anyone have an ass-pocket of whiskey they want to share? C'mon, this is Memphis, someone's gotta be able to help me out." And of course, because it was Memphis (<3), some guy pulled out a flask-shaped bottle of Wild Turkey and tossed it up to her. She took a swig, tossed the bottle back, and started the show. You're not supposed to bring alcohol into Music Fest, so maybe five minutes later security approached the guy and gave him a hard time about the liquor. They tried to confiscate it, but he showed them an empty bottle (which he must have had in addition to the full bottle he shared with Amy, because there's no way he downed most of a bottle in under five minutes), and they left him alone. Well played. But c'mon, security guys--to use a cliche, that was SO not rock'n'roll.

Anyway, the set was fantastic. Since the end of her last relationship, Amy's gotten a new band (that's why you never date your drummer--or any drummer, for that matter. One of the sagest pieces of advice Mrs. Millen ever gave me) and recorded a new album. "Stranger Me" is coming out July 19th, and I can't wait. There's going to be an album release party at the Levitt Shell on July 16th, and anyone who lives in Memphis should go and tell me about it. I'm incredibly jealous. She played several tracks from the new album and they sound great. A lot of them center around her recent breakup, and she hasn't lost that slightly homicidal bent she displayed in her first few albums. Of the songs she played, my favorite tracks off the new album are "Damn Love Song" and the title track, "Stranger Me." She also played a song called "Lucky Boy," written for her by Jimbo Mathus. It's not as good as her original work, but decent. Expect a full review of "Stranger Me" this summer.

I was impressed that she didn't feel the need to perform "Killing Him," her only song that's gotten any radio play, and a few other staples from her earlier albums. She had a solid set without it, and I appreciated getting to hear more of her new material.

--Lucinda Williams: From a distance, she looks a little like Bob Dylan. I'm just sayin'. But she's also one of the best performers I've ever seen, so we can forgive her for that. She played several songs from her new album, "Blessed," as well as some of my favorites from her older albums. There's no such thing as a set that pleases absolutely everyone, and she certainly left out a few songs I would have liked to hear, but she was engaging and talented enough that I wasn't disappointed. And she really doesn't look bad for 58.


I'll save Day 3 for tomorrow night.