Maybe we didn't have an inkling of how long the hiatus was going to be, but we had a pretty good idea that the concert/Broadway scene would be grinding to a halt on March 10, 2020.
On that date, Mark and I headed to Madison Square Garden for the Brothers concert, the 50th anniversary tribute to The Allman Brothers Band. Masks and hand sanitizer hadn't become part of our daily lives, but it was obvious the pandemic was about to envelop the world. That was the last show that took place at the Garden for a long time, and the last one for me until a couple of weeks ago when I had two shows over the course of one week. Might as well jump back in feet first, right?
Speaking of life returning to a level of normal at MSG, the first show put on there since the world changed was by the Foo Fighters on June 20. I couldn't go to that one, but when I heard they'd be not incredibly far away from me in Bridgeport on Sept. 17, I scooped up a ticket for that. Didn't want to miss them getting down as The Dee Gees, that's for sure. And then the Foos announced on Sept. 10 that they would be performing at Coney Island on Sept. 13.
That combo was too good for me to resist. Decades ago, I used to visit Coney Island with my great Aunt Ruthie. We always walked the boardwalk, went to the Aquarium and ate at Nathan's. I got to ride a couple rides and swim in the ocean.
Got to Coney Island a little later than I expected that day thanks to an unrelated train incident in Edison. But I did get to grab some Nathan's and eat in the same patio I once did with Aunt Ruthie. (Sure miss the individual lines for each item, instead of the long snaking one out the door like a Shake Shack.) The sights were awesome -- the rides (the parachute jump that has been closed for as long as I can remember and The Cyclone and Wonder Wheel, just closed on that particular day) and the pier pointing off to the ocean. It all felt so familiar even though it's been so long since those halcyon days. It's even been a while since I've revisited with family or friends.
But I digress. I turned right instead of left on the boardwalk and headed to the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Ballpark. I must have smiled the whole way, just hearing that familiar sound of feet on the angled planks. Another sense memory from decades ago. Yep, I made the right call, changing my plans from Bridgeport to Coney Island. (I got to make another friend happy by flipping my ticket to him, so even better.)
Setlist: Aurora, The Pretender, Learn to Fly, No Son of Mine, The Sky Is a Neighborhood, Rope, Shame Shame, Breakout, My Hero, These Days, Medicine at Midnight, Walk, You Should Be Dancing, band intros with bits of Blitzkrieg Bop, Somebody to Love, All My Life, Times Like These, This Is a Call, Best of You, Everlong.
I just know Aunt Ruthie would have really been into the Foos. After all, this is a woman who saw Jimi Hendrix at the Fillmore East. (I took her to the Eric Clapton-Elton John show with me at Shea Stadium in 1992. When I went to the restroom, a girl sitting in front of us turned around and asked her whether she really liked the music. "I love it!" Aunt Ruthie had said, and although I wasn't there for it, I could hear the gleeful proclamation and see the gleaming smile today.) She loved music.
I was on my own for this one, and the dude sitting next to me seemed terribly interested in the details of that -- Him: "How did you get to come to this by yourself?" Me: "By buying the ticket?" -- and my stamina. I was definitely up for standing ... and boogeying for the entire show. I've done it before (MSG 2008/Citi Field 2015) and I'll do it again!
The show announced Friday and put on Monday was such a quick turnaround that I didn't think they'd be able to get posters done. Of course, they did! It was such a cool one that I reneged on my previous decision to not get one, and luckily, there was no problem procuring it this time. Also scored a pretty sweet frozen rum concoction in a plastic guitar (Mark's convinced it looks more like a bong.)
The Foos winged their way back east after a late night at the MTV Music Video Awards, where they received the Global Icon Award. One of the last times I actually recall watching MTV was when the Fighters of Foo were on a show called "FANatic," a show that matched up talents with their alleged best fans. (Side note: I thought it was hilarious that the Natalie Imbruglia fanatic didn't know her biggest hit, "Torn," was a cover.) Just looked it up, and the Foos' ep originally aired on Nov. 3, 1999. So I haven't watched MTV for over two decades. Glad they enjoyed the award and the party.
They professed to be pretty gassed after flying back from the big par-tay. Definitely didn't seem that way to me. The songs from Medicine at Midnight sounded good with the assistance of three female backup singers -- Laura Mace, Samantha Sidley and Barbara Gruska. On more than occasion, Sidley knocked Dave Grohl out by holding notes for an unfathomably long time.
I'm not sure when the downpour started, 'cause like I said, I was rocking out the whole time, but at some point during the band's loving and lively cover of The Bee Gees' "You Should Be Dancing," Grohl gestured toward the side entrance of the building. That's when I first saw the heavens raining down. I looked down at my feet and my sneakers were tapping along in a light stream of water. The top of the amphitheater was covered, but the sides were open. The band didn't stop playing, even as the rains got harder and the thunder and lightning became more evident. So we just kept on dancing.
As is their want, the Foos never leave the stage, they just keep playing until they can't play no more. So when they get to their signature song -- "Everlong" -- you know the night's over. It's the most beautiful and sad moment at the same time, because it's a perfect song that gives you all the feels every single time.
Even though I had given up my Friday Foo ticket, there was still more great music in store Thursday with Lindsey Buckingham at a favorite venue of ours for Lindsey -- New York City's Town Hall. Although I grew up as a tried-and-true Stevie Nicks devotee, consider me (and Mark) firmly in the "Team Lindsey" camp when it comes to the ongoing fracas between the elements of the once-mighty Fleetwood Mac. (Also, Christine McVie has supplanted Nicks as shining beacon of womanhood and talent for me as well.)
Lindsey's team -- the tour management one, not the band of unhappy Fleetwood Mac fans -- came up with a good idea for the post-pandemic playing field. We can't "meet and greet" with the susceptible Buckingham, so a special pass was created giving us the opportunity to witness a few songs at soundcheck. There were a few minutes of concern there when my name wasn't found on the VIP list, but Lindsey's tour coordinator Pat made sure we got our goodie bags with signed flats, caps and passes on lanyards. Then I got to add to my bandanna collection with a cool Lindsey scarf -- which reminds me when I was picking up a Foos bandanna during that show, the merch lady said, "We don't have scarves, we only have bandannas, is that OK?" No, sorry, I only want it if it's called a scarf.
Setlist: Not Too Late, In Our Own Time, Soul Drifter, Stars Are Crazy, I Must Go, Doing What I Can, Shut Us Down, Trouble, Never Going Back Again, Big Love, Scream, I Don't Mind, On the Wrong Side, Swan Song, Second Hand News, Tusk, I'm So Afraid, Go Your Own Way. Encore: Love Is Here to Stay, Time.
The songs played at soundcheck were all new songs (including "Stars Are Crazy" and "I Must Go") and sounded really great. The self-titled album didn't come out after the show. Although a few songs were released prior to the show, I was waiting for the complete release to hear it the way Lindsey put it together. It was just the first time that day we marveled at how there was no noticeable difference between pre- and post-op Lindsey. He hasn't missed a single beat.
The Town Hall setup really messed with Buckingham's sense of order. Drummer Jimmy Paxson's kit wasn't on a riser, it was on the same level as Lindsey and the rest of the crew. "Jimmy, you look like you're in a pit!" Buckingham declared. Lindsey welcomed all of the VIPs and explained a little bit about how they were checking on the acoustics of the room by doing a few songs before going to work.
When I think about how worried we were after his 2019 open-heart
surgery, his tour's announcement seemed so remarkable. But all our fears were quickly put to rest. The man literally showed no physical signs that he'd gone through anything that petrifying. And in sharp contrast to the eternally dysfunctional Fleetwood Mac relationships, Buckingham and his band seem to be in complete sync.
I was particularly thrilled "Soul Drifter" was in the setlist, possibly my all-time favorite solo song of his from the "Out of the Cradle" album. It fit in nicely alongside the new songs from his self-titled album. There was a nice swing back and forth from the up-tempo numbers to the more contemplative ones.
And, of course, there was still an acoustic segment to remind us all of how wonderfully Lindsey plays the guitar. The four songs he played by himself -- "Shut Us Down," "Trouble," "Never Going Back Again" and "Big Love" -- resonate all the more when echoing out over a crowd that either respectfully remains silent or just can't bear to make a sound while he's matching each note on the guitar with emotion-packed syllables.
By the time Buckingham got back to the Fleetwood Mac hits, anyone who was on the fence about #teamlindsey probably had swung wildly to his side, not to be moved. I didn't see the Mac's last tour with Mike Campbell and Neil Finn jointly trying to fill Lindsey's shoes, but I have seen Stevie Nicks' solo show, and I'm here to tell you, the juice in that band comes from Buckingham. Mark deems "I'm So Afraid" the best blues rock song that doesn't have the audience it deserves, and I just have to agree. It's always a set highlight.
Lindsey closed with two songs -- the first, "Love Is Here to Stay," was from his album with former Mac bandmate Christine McVie, and the second, the brand-new "Time." After pumping us up so vehemently with his most famous tunes, those brought us back down to earth in the most calming way. It was like a bow on a wonderful evening and the capper on my return to live music.
No comments:
Post a Comment