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Post by Timeblue on Apr 22, 2023 9:13:38 GMT
I'm surprised that Buster still hasn't bust a blood vessel....
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Post by Grroosss on Jun 26, 2023 3:00:15 GMT
As you might know, I recently travelled to the UK to see Sparks! Yeah, that’s right, I went to a foreign country to see a band that’s from my home state! My first show was at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester; I went with a friend I’d met online and it was great to meet her in person, plus nothing beats experiencing a concert with another huge fan. Neither of us had listened to Sparks’ latest album yet, which had only been released the day before, but we both loved all of the new songs. FYI: if you’re fed up with Jeff’s setlists, become a Sparks fan… they played 7 of the songs from the new album, and the rest of the setlist was a hardcore fan’s dream with the inclusion of multiple surprisingly deep cuts. Russell will never cease to amaze me, somehow he still twists his voice into whatever shape it took on the albums no matter which song, and he bounds around the stage with the energy of a man half his age. Ron’s glares are a little less menacing these days, I think, though it was hard to tell since we were up in the balcony, but otherwise he’s still as stoic as ever behind his keyboard (with the notable exception of one song he contributes vocals to, and of course his special dance). Despite being early in the tour, the backing band were already tight as well. Manchester apparently has a reputation for enthusiastic Sparks audiences, and it certainly lived up to it that night—there were lots of whoops throughout, and the entire hall was on their feet and dancing for the later portion of the show right through to the end. (How anyone could ever possibly sit still through the back-to-back Music That You Can Dance To/When Do I Get To Sing ‘My Way’/The No. 1 Song In Heaven/This Town quadruple-whammy is beyond me, but props to my fellow concertgoers anyway.) Russell had a few microphone malfunctions, unfortunately, but the audience couldn’t have cared less; they filled in with clapping and singing along until he was given a new one. The band were clearly moved by the reaction they received, we even had the rare treat of hearing a few words from Ron at the end, expressing his gratitude. A few photos, since I actually took some that night: {Bonus: Cate Blanchett + Angst In My Pants suit gang!} Two days later…The big reason I’d bothered to come all the way to England: the largest headline show of Sparks’ career to date! (Their upcoming show at the Hollywood Bowl is still 3 weeks out, so I’m still allowed to say that!) My mom accompanied me to this one; her first proper introduction to Sparks. I don’t think she was totally sold on them, but she enjoyed the show nonetheless. It was a super emotional night for the brothers Mael as they had lived just a few minutes’ walk away from the Albert Hall when they lived in England in the 1970s, so it had long been a dream venue for them. Russell was very chatty that night and you could tell how much it meant to him. Same setlist as Manchester, but there was a bit more recognition for the new songs now that the album had been out for a few days. I was wayyyyy up in the back this time, so I missed out on the dance party that was going on down on the floor, but I had an excellent view of the light show (new song We Go Dancing, and the absolutely bonkers 1973 song Beaver O’Lindy, unexpected and a personal live favorite of mine after these shows, were particularly excellent in this regard)… and simply being part of such a large Sparks audience was surreal. Of course, larger audience = more casual fans, so I hope there weren’t too many of them dismayed that there was only one song apiece from Kimono My House, Propaganda, and No. 1 In Heaven—but if they didn’t know many of the other songs, they certainly made up for it during those. The most deafening collective shout of “this town ain’t big enough for the both of us!” that I’ve ever heard. The ovations after the bigger hits towards the end of the show seemed like they would continue forever. There were a few flashlights waving during the last song of the main set, and Russell encouraged them again for the third and final song of the encore… from my high-up vantage point, it was really beautiful, and I’ll admit that there were tears on my face. To commemorate the occasion, the Maels brought out Edgar Wright, director of the recent Sparks documentary, to take the band selfie at the end of the show, and the place absolutely erupted. Truly unforgettable. Here’s a nice review with some much better photos than I could’ve ever taken (though I’d take the author’s calling this the “final act” of Sparks’ career with a grain of salt, they don’t seem to be slowing down just yet…) louderthanwar.com/sparks-london-royal-albert-hall-live-review/…Only a couple more weeks til I get to do it all again! ( lasttrain929 , did you ever make it to Glasgow?)
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Post by Horacewimp on Jun 26, 2023 16:39:54 GMT
Great review and pictures (especially Cate Blanchett) Grroosss I’m glad you had a super time. I didn’t realise when we met that my brother had tickets to see Sparks in Wolverhampton, he told me that they put on a brilliant show.
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Post by unomusette on Jun 28, 2023 21:39:39 GMT
Brilliant review, and really pleasing to hear that Sparks more than lived up to your expectations. They prove that a class act will always be just that, regardless of age.
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Post by Horacewimp on Jul 25, 2023 14:46:34 GMT
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Post by Timeblue on Jul 25, 2023 16:07:28 GMT
Tra la la .....
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Post by unomusette on Jul 25, 2023 20:54:31 GMT
... la la la laaaaa! Fantastic pics Horacewimp, so many huge grins, looks like a properly good night out
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Post by Timeblue on Aug 4, 2023 21:27:51 GMT
Just watched a TOTP from 1980 and Bad Manners were on (Lip Up Fatty) and Buster treated the viewers to his rather amazing tongue! were you afforded the honour of this wondrous sight @horacewimp?
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Post by eloneen on Aug 4, 2023 22:43:54 GMT
I'm going up to DC in two weeks to see Earth Wind and Fire with my older brother, his wife and grandson (19). In late September, I'll be seeing Chicago in my area with my dear hubby. I've seen each of these bands once before, and I thoroughly enjoyed both shows. Can't wait! I'll give a report after each show. Live Nation had a great summer promotion (ending August 1) with dirt cheap tickets for a number of great shows around the US (4 tix for $80 - all for the same show, with no extra fees except taxes. WOW!!) With that deal, I thought about going to see Parliament Funkadelic (for the first time) in my area next week, and The Doobie Brothers (with Michael McDonald) in Greensboro in early September, but for a number of reasons, that didn't work out. All of these guys are up in years, but still going strong. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to see them some other time. If I never get to see the Doobies again, I can at least say that I've already seen them three times.
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Post by orioles70 on Aug 5, 2023 14:08:02 GMT
eloneen - you've got to tell us about these fantastic deals before they expire Have a great time at the shows. It is nice to be able to see your favorites for reasonable prices. Unlike, ahem, McCartney, Eagles or Springsteen shows which asked astronomical rates this summer.
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Post by eloneen on Aug 5, 2023 15:14:21 GMT
The Chicago tix were fairly reasonable - about $75 each after all the taxes and fees. The venue (DPAC) has about 3000 seats, and all of them are good. The EWF prices were on a par with what I remember from purchasing ELO tix in 2019.( It's actually a double header with Lionel Richie, which I forgot to mention. They are calling their combined gigs "Sing a Song All Night Long." ) That venue (Capital One Arena) has over 10000 seats, and ours are decent, but not as good as my ELO seats. It came to about $540 after all the taxes and fees for the four of us. Looking at EWF's tour schedule, they are playing many of the same venues that ELO did on the last two tours. I think both shows will be a blast! From what I've seen, the prices for the Doobies are really good if you can get lawn seating at an outdoor arena. (Also, check Groupon. )That's what we've done each time we've seen them - very pleasant- and that's what we were looking at in Greensboro. They put on a good show. Despite their age, because they have three lead singers, they are able to rotate the songs throughout the setlist in such a way that they can do a pretty long show without a break until the encore. No running around or crazy antics on stage, but a nice level of energy, audience engagement and enthusiasm from these guys in their 70s.
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Post by unomusette on Aug 5, 2023 19:12:58 GMT
Eloneen, the Bargain Queen! Nice work, and I agree the gigs should be awesome
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Post by eloneen on Aug 5, 2023 19:15:54 GMT
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Post by unomusette on Aug 5, 2023 19:19:27 GMT
It's good to see a ticket company actually offering something to benefit the concert-goer for a change, good work Live Nation.
Ticketdisaster should take note.
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Post by Horacewimp on Aug 13, 2023 15:05:37 GMT
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