Ziggy: The Old Man’s Shoes

Ziggy Marley

The Fillmore

San Francisco, CA

November 6, 2014

Ziggy: The Old Man’s Shoes

Has there ever been a concert review of Ziggy Marley that does not include comparisons to his legendary father, Bob Marley?  Of course, Ziggy doesn’t entirely discourage the practice since he includes three or four songs by his father at each concert.  And he probably is intensely proud of his father and everything that he accomplished during his short stay on Planet Reggae.  Some of the most warmly received songs that Ziggy played last night included Father Bob’s ‘One Love’ ‘Could This be Love?’ and ‘Iron, Zion, Lion.’  All of which distracts from Ziggy’s own gifts and talents as a songwriter and performer.  I’ve always thought that Ziggy’s songs were very poppy, kind of 'reggae-light'.  However, last night, Ziggy and his band sounded immensely professional and accomplished, there wasn’t a false note in their performance.  And his (now dated) hits, ‘Tomorrow People’ and ‘Love is My Religion’ sounded fresh and full of energy.  Even the predictable clouds, the ganja concert haze, that floats over any reggae audience didn’t mellow the party.    All in all, an evening well spent.

Aida: Stay Classy New York

Aida

The Metropolitan Opera

Lincoln Center

New York City, NY

October 30, 2014

Aida: Stay Classy New York

Oh, did I neglect to mention it was Opening Night?  Sadly, there were not very many tuxedos, furs or diamonds which you might expect to see at Opening Night of Verdi's Aida at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City.  Manhattan ain’t want it used to be.  But The Met still puts on a classy show.  The sets were quite an Egyptian spectacle and even included live horses (that weren’t always happy about being on stage).  At one point, I counted more than 100 people on stage!  Now, that’s a production!  Of course, any opera will be judged by the quality of the singing which I feel unqualified to judge.  There were times when I was engrossed and times when I was struggling to stay awake despite the eye-popping sets and stomping horses.

Though most of the drowsy moments were in the first Act when the performances were static and the singing forgettable.  Everything improved as it went along from the orchestra, to the sets, to the singing and the acting.  And while the audience may dress more casual than they should, the Met will always sparkle and is a special experience every time.

Amateur Night: A Professional Night

Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater

Apollo Theater

New York City, NY

October 29, 2014

Amateur Night: A Professional Night

The original American Idol!  Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, NYC is a legendary event, not least of all because of the legendary stars that have launched legendary careers after performing at Amateur Night.  Going all the way back to the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s!  I think much of the audience at Amateur Night is hoping to see someone like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, James Brown, Lauryn Hill or Ella Fitzgerald who previously debuted on the legendary stage.  Well, to bury the lead, we didn’t quite have that luck but what we did see was a consummate display of professionalism that ultimately belied the title of the show. 

The Amateur Night band at the Apollo was fantastic and tight.  The host comedian Capone kept things moving briskly and knew just how to work the crowd.  And the Set It Off Man, Joe Gray, is a class act.  The opening number included Joe coaxing three audience members from the crowd and egging them into a dancing display.  A young Japanese tourist did some impressive break dancing, capped with a backflip, followed by a twerking tourist from Virgina and an old white guy from Vancouver that did a kind of Chuck Berry hoe-down.  I got the feeling there weren't a lot of people from Harlem in the audience.  At least, not on the ground floor.  Next up, was ‘Stars of Tomorrow,’ performers under the age of 15 which were as good as or better than some of the adults.  The adults are subjected to boos and catcalls if they aren’t up to snuff.  But only a couple of the adult performers were yanked from the stage though perhaps that number should been a little higher because there were several moments of deep unrest in the audience.  Though first place probably went to the best performer, second and third place undoubtedly only got through because of a large number of family and friends that packed the audience and cheered loudly for their favorites.  Nevertheless, a very fun night that I recommend to anyone visiting NYC.  Go to the Apollo!