BTS Run Music Video

I’m heading down a YouTube rabbit hole of K-pop dance practice videos. First up, BTS Run BTS.

Miley Cyrus VMA Performance

That young lady, who is 20, is obviously deeply troubled, deeply disturbed. Probably has confidence issues, probably an eating disorder. And I don't think anybody should have put her up on stage. That was disgusting.

Really?

Cover Songs By Monster

Enjoy the Silence is one of my favorite Depeche Mode songs. This cover is great!

Cover Version 4 from Kristof Luyckx on Vimeo.

Hallelujah Leonard Cohen

"I wanted to push the Hallelujah deep into the secular world, into the ordinary world," he once said. "The Hallelujah, the David's Hallelujah, was still a religious song. So I wanted to indicate that Hallelujah can come out of things that have nothing to do with religion."

Breaking down Leonard Cohen’s classic Hallelujah. I loved this song, even though it has been so played out in the last several years. If you like this song, you should seek out more Leonard Cohen songs.

Why the Fugees Broke Up

I always wanted to know why they broke up. I figure it was relationships within the group that broke down. They did end on a high note, I suppose.

Spotify - No Longer Free and Unlimited

Spotify made its big U.S. debut on July 14, 2011.

In one week, we’ll be marking the streaming music service’s six-month anniversary.

And in one week, all those users who signed up for the free all-you-can-eat desktop music that day will find out that they’re going to be limited to just 10 hours per month now. You’re also only allowed to play individual tracks more than five times per month.

I have the pay version, using it on my iPhone. I’ve used it more for music discovery than as my main listening library. I’m debating whether to cancel it or not.

Eminem and Rihanna

This song has been stuck in my head for the last few days.  Decent video with Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan.

Imogen Heap @ The Mountain Winery, Saratoga

The last time we saw Imogen Heap perform was at the Warfield. She was ill during that show, battling a cold. But the effects of the cold didn’t hamper her performance. She sounded great that evening. During this Friday’s concert at the Mountain Winery, Imogen didn’t need to battle being ill, but rather she fought the cold windy night. She was able to deliver another solid performance.

We haven’t been to a concert at the Mountain Winery since the remodel. Prior to the remodel, we saw two concerts and a attended a wedding there. It’s a great venue with beatuiful views. The drive up can be harrowing for some, as the roads and can get narrow and windy. The remodel helps to define the concert area, which if I recall, was previously one-level plus a bleacher or two. Now the venue has tiered seating which provides a great view of the stage from almost any seat. Parking is the standard steep price of $20.

We caught the last few songs by one of the opening acts, Geese. Interesting act, but not our cup of tea. They would later support Imogen during her performance.

Imogen came out swinging this tube-like object for the song “The Walk”.

The setlist included (not in order):

  • The Walk
  • Swoon
  • Come Here Boy
  • Wait It Out
  • First Train Home
  • Little Bird
  • Canvas
  • A-Ha!
  • Breathe In
  • Earth
  • Improv
  • Bad Body Double
  • Speeding Cars
  • Let Go
  • Just for Now
  • Goodnight and Go
  • Headlock
  • Tidal
  • The Moment I Said It
  • Hide and Seek

Imogen did something interesting with one of her songs, Earth. She has a contest in which the winner would come on stage to perform the song with her. The winner for Saratoga is shown below in this YouTube clip:

Paolo Nutini at the Fox Theater in Oakland

Paolo Nutini - Candy from Nikke Osterback on Vimeo.

This past weekend, we attended our first concert at the Fox Theater in Oakland. The theater opened earlier this year. It’s located down the street from The Paramount, a theater we have been to too often. There is no dedicated parking for the show, but there are several parking lots listed on their website. We easily parked in a lot just down the street.

We passed by The Den at the Fox, a lounge connected to the theater. They offer drinks and some food, but we didn’t have time to look into it there. When we entered the theater, an usher promptly greeted us. Our tickets were for loge seating. But the usher told us we could also access the standing general admissions area on the floor. If we had a Visa Signature card, we could be seated in the limited seating area on the first floor. We opted to take our seats in the lodge. The lodge seating is unusual. The seats are grouped in pairs, with ample space between the next coupled seats. We were in the first row of the lodge, our view partially blocked by the railing, but still a decent view of the performers. The layout of the Fox is very similar to the Warfield in San Francisco, but the Fox is quite larger.

We were seated during the middle of the opening act, Anya Marina. She was roaring through her set, rocking with her electric guitar. She was very crowd friendly, talking and often interacting with the crowd between songs. At one point she asked if the crowd was an “all ages” crowd because she wanted to explain the origin of a song she wrote. The actual meaning of the song could only be described with profanity, which she chose not to utter. Later in her performance, she noticed a Brazilian flag in the standing audience. She asked the pair of Brazilian girls who were holding the flag if it’s true they like anal sex - meaning if Brazilian girls do. (I guess she never got the answer to the “all ages” question.) One of the most interesting songs she did was a cover of T.I.’s “You Can Have Whatever You Like”.

Paolo Nutini came out next. His set was a good mixture of songs from his first album, These Streets, and his latest album, Sunny Side Up. We were very familiar with songs from These Streets and were happy to hear them live. We haven’t listened to his latest album, so they rang as new to our ears and were harder to get into. But Paolo performs with such enthusiasm and passion. It would be difficult not to enjoy his performance.

The big letdown at the Fox was the sound. I don’t have golden ears, and rarely notice the bad sound at a concert, but from where we were sitting the vocals sounded muddled for both performers. At times it is hard to make out any lyrics at all, let alone the blend of instruments. I’m not sure if the sound sitting in the center lodge or on the floor would be better. I’ll need to go to another concert to find that out.

Overall it was a good first-time experience at The Fox. It looks as if several performances are coming up that we’d be interested in attending.

iTunes Store and DRM-free music: What you need to know

If I update my “current” iTunes tracks, it’ll cost me about $15. I’m waiting until they update their whole catalog to DRM free. I’ll then decide whether I should upgrade them or not.

The Bridge Benefit 2008

Farrah and I went to the Bridge School Benefit concert this past Sunday.  The lineup for the concert on that day was:

We chose to go on Sunday the day the Smashing Pumpkins were playing.  We would have liked to have watched Sarah McLaughlin, who was only playing Saturday, but Farrah had never seen the Smashing Pumpkins in concert. They didn’t disappoint.

I wasn’t familiar with Cat Power’s or Wilco’s music but enjoyed their sets. Death Cab for Cutie had many fans in the audience, all enjoying their performance.  I recognized three of their songs, “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”,  “Soul Meets Body”, and “I Will Possess Your Heart”.    I walked away from their performance wanting to listen to more of their songs.

Smashing Pumpkins were up next.  They came with two pianists, a trombone and trumpet player, a dual-violin player, and the regular core band.   I didn’t recognize most of the songs, some of which I think was new.  Josh Groban came out to sing “Disarm”.  It was a good performance, though he did forget some lyrics.

The Josh Groban set was difficult to get into, though you can’t deny he has a strong voice.  Norah Jones had her (somewhat) new short haircut.  She put a country vibe to her standards, and also sang a couple of Johnny Cash songs.  Jack Johnson’s set got the audience on their feet with ‘Bubble Toes’, “If I Had Eyes”, “Good People”, and “Banana Pancakes”.  His set had the overall crowd more enthused than anyone else that performed before him.  I can’t say how Neil Young’s set was since Farrah and I left right after Jack Johnson finished.

We did get to see Neil Young perform several times during the show.  He came out to begin the whole shindig.  He subsequently came out to perform with different artists at the end of their sets, most notably with Josh Groban, Norah Jones, then Jack Johnson.

Other things to note:

  • Shoreline didn’t charge for parking. Does anyone know why they don’t charge?  It seems like a money maker for them, but heck it saved me an expected $20.
  • They charged $9 - $12 for a beer!  Robbery.

Overall, the concert was a nice mellow affair.  The concert began on a warm Sunday afternoon, which subsequently turned into a cold windy night (part of the reason we left early).

Rachael Yamagata @ Cafe Du Nord

The other night Farrah and I went to Cafe Du Nord to see Rachael Yamagata perform. We enjoyed her first album, Happenstance, which is a somber but strong debut album. We downloaded and listened to pre-released tracks from her new album, Elephants…Teeth Sinking Into Heart . Some of her songs on the album go into a more uptempo direction.

Cafe Du Nord, in size, reminds me of the old Cactus Club in San Jose. Except Cafe Du Nord is much darker and has the vibe of Bimbo’s 365 Club. We had dinner reservations which gave us reserved seating. We could see the stage without obstruction, able to enjoy the show while sipping a nice cold beer.

Rachael started off with Be Be Your Love and Letter Read, the first two songs on her debut album and two of my favorite songs. Letter Read was actually the first song I heard from her, a song where she sounds like Fiona Apple. Anyway, after hearing those songs I knew the show could only get better and it did. Rachael moved from the keyboards to an acoustic guitar which she didn’t plug in at first. She then explained she was battling the flu with some Jack Daniel’s. She was a trooper through, continuing with her set and engaging the lively audience.

She played for about 90 minutes total, going through songs like

  • Worn Me Down
  • What If I Leave
  • Would You Please
  • Elephants
  • Meet Me By The Water
  • Faster
  • Accident
  • Would You Please
  • The Reason Why

Part of her encore was Would You Please, a request from the audience. Rachael wasn’t sure she knew all the words but gave it a go, prefacing that she could not be criticized if she f’d up. She got through about 90% of the song. I really enjoyed her last song, The Reason Why.

I’d go back to Cafe Du Nord to see another show. The drink and food prices aren’t bad, but parking can be an issue. Well, it’s San Francisco, so parking is always an issue.

You can also find another review of this concert here.

Morcheeba @ The Fillmore 4.11.2008

I’m a bit late with my review of the Morcheeba concert Farrah and I went to last week.  The taxman could not wait, taking up all my spare time until today.

I knew of Morcheeba, owning a couple of albums, but to be honest I hadn’t really been into them.  I prefer Massive Attack’s music. Morcheeba has always taken a backseat on my playlists.  They are touring to support their latest album, Dive Deep.  I downloaded the album via Amazon and enjoyed it’s laid back groove.  It’s no Big Calm, but it’s worth a spin.  So when I heard they were touring, I asked Farrah if she wanted to go.  We haven’t been to a concert for awhile so why not?

It was difficult to get into the opening act, who’s name escapes me now.  It just wasn’t my cup of tea. It probably didn’t help that we were a bit tired and they sang in Spanish(?).  About a half hour after the end of their set, Morcheeba took the stage.

Morcheeba @ Fillmore

[Photo by Julien Genestoux]

I wasn’t sure what to expect.  All I knew was that they’ve had revolving lead singers since Skye Edwards was asked to leave.  The lead singer that night was Manda from Nemesea, who flew in from France.  Cool, huh?

Manda sang the new songs and the hits.  Songs I remember from that night, that I enjoyed Part of the Process, The Sea, Over and Over, Tigger Hippie, Rome Wasn’t Built In a Day, and the new single Enjoy the Ride.  I clearly enjoyed a lot of songs for not being a big Morcheeba fan.  This just goes to show you how good the performance was.

Friday night concerts are difficult at times.  You come home from work, you really want to enjoy the weekend starting that night, but an hour drive up to the City, plus waiting time for the band you want to hear, well, it’s just plain tough on the body.  I chalk it up to not being as young as I used to be. But I must say, Morcheeba lived up to what I thought the concert would be.  They put on a very solid performace at the always enjoyable Fillmore in San Francisco.

Tori Amos - The Paramount Theater in Oakland, CA

This review is about a week late, but it has taken me a bit of time to digest the Tori Amos concert Farrah, and I saw it last Friday. Tori is touring in support of her latest album, American Doll Posse. I wasn’t a huge fan of the new album, but after watching Tori’s performance, it makes me want to play the album every day. I guess that’s what good concerts do to you.

The Venue

I like going to The Paramount Theater in Oakland. The theater looks great and the sound has always been well producing in the handful of shows I’ve been to there. Parking is very convenient, located directly across the street. The staff is nice and helpful, showing each attendee their seat.

The Performance

Tori Amos photo by ericskiff on Flickr

Photo by ericskiff as posted on Flickr.

In Tori’s latest album, she sings her songs through various personas. I believe she performed first as Santa, then for the second half as Tori. Yes, I guess Tori is one of Tori’s personas. Her set list included:

  • Body and Soul
  • She's Your Cocaine
  • Hoochie Woman
  • Secret Spell
  • You Can Bring Your Dog
  • Raspberry Swirl
  • Big Wheel
  • Crucify
  • Sugar
  • Cornflake Girl
  • Bells For Her
  • Caught a Lite Sneeze
  • Winter
  • Cooling
  • Virginia
  • Hotel
  • Code Red
  • Precious Things
  • Bouncing Off Clouds
  • Hey Jupiter

We enjoyed the concert overall. I especially enjoyed Caught a Lite Sneeze, even though I saw her perform this song before. I believe Farrah enjoyed her new song, Bouncing Off Clouds

When we entered The Paramount there were several signs noting that the show was being taped. Farrah and I have only been to one previous show that was being filmed, Jack Johnson at the Greek Theater. [sample video] The Greek Theater is a big venue, so filming wasn’t obtrusive. Unfortunately, where we sat in The Paramount a boom crossed our viewing path often. This made parts of the performance frustrating to watch, breaking up the rhythm of the show for us.

End Result

Overall it was a good performance. I think it was the first time I’ve seen Tori do costume changes. This added a different element to the performance.

Set list information obtain from [here] and [here].

Mandy Moore Covers

I wasn’t sure if I heard Marlon right when he was talking about Mandy Moore doing Umbrella at Music in the Park.  But I guess she could have since Yahoo! has her doing a cover of that song.  It doesn’t sound half bad.

But honestly, all I could think about as the video progressed was “Damn, how close do you need to be to the microphone?”

Mandy Moore - "Umbrella" from Ringleader on Vimeo.