Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

A Live-ly New Year
by Gregg Shapiro
2003-01-01

This article shared 2328 times since Wed Jan 1, 2003
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


I've seen Ben Folds perform live more than half a dozen times and each concert tops the previous one. A natural-born showman, Folds is equal parts Elton John, Billy Joel, Peter Allen and Burt Bacharach. When I attended his solo concert on the night before Thanksgiving 2002, he not only covered Bacharach ("Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head," a song that was written before at least half the sold-out audience was born) and Wham! (a spot-on reading of "Careless Whisper"), but he also did a rendition of Liz Phair's "Chopsticks," leaving the gender of the original version unchanged. On Ben Folds Live (Epic), an obvious play on the name of his former trio Ben Folds Five, Folds does one cover (Elton John's "Tiny Dancer"), and the remaining songs include crowd-pleasing favorites from Folds's solo album and the discs he recorded with his band, including "Zak and Sara," "Army," "Brick," "Philosophy," "The Luckiest" and "Best Imitation of Myself."

Start spreading the news, Liza's Back (J), as she declares in the song of the same name on her new live album. In good voice, sounding stronger than she has in years, Liza Minnelli belts out songs written specifically for her (the title track penned by Kander & Ebb), songs she's waited a lifetime to sing ("Something Wonderful," directed at husband David Gest), and songs she's earned the right to sing ("Some People" and "Rose's Turn" from Gypsy). The "Cry" Medley ("Cry," a slightly revised "Don't Cry Out Loud" and Orbison's "Crying") sounds cornier in theory than it does in practice. Even war-horses such as the required Cabaret tunes ("Mein Herr," "Money, Money," and Liza's own theme song "Maybe This Time"), "New York, New York," and "Over The Rainbow," sound as refreshed as the diva herself.

Long out of print and overdue for remastering and CD issue, It's Better With A Band (DRG), Barbara Cook's 1980 concert recording has the potential to introduce a whole new generation to this acclaimed Broadway musical theater actress. On this 15-track live recording, Cook is as at ease singing Irving Berlin, Noel Coward, Leonard Bernstein and Jerry Herman, as she is with Peter Allen, Harry Nilsson, Melissa Manchester and Carole Bayer Sager, and Laura Nyro.

A song by Irving Berlin can also be heard on The Last Concert (Concord) by the late Rosemary Clooney. Her rendition of "God Bless America," closes the disc "to honor the victims" and "to salute the heroes" of Sept. 11, as well as "invoke the spirit of all Americans," according to Allen J. Sviridoff, the album's producer. Recorded in Hawaii with the Honolulu Symphony Pops, Clooney performs such classics as "Sentimental Journey," "I'm Confessin' That I Love You," "Just In Time," "You Go To My Head," and "They Can't Take That Away From Me," in her inimitable style.

Back In The U.S.: Live 2002 (Capitol) is Paul McCartney's latest live disc. McCartney makes the most of the Beatles' 2001 chart-topping success on this live effort by performing Beatles tunes on more than half of the double-disc album. The live renditions of the solo and Wings-era McCartney numbers hold their own in such auspicious company, and all the songs take on new meanings in light of McCartney's personal history and struggles.

One of the most fascinating things about the McCartney disc also holds true for Bob Dylan's The Bootleg Series Vol. 5 - Live 1975: The Rolling Thunder Revue (Columbia/Legacy). Hearing McCartney sing Beatles tunes in his lived-in, 60-year-old voice, alters our perspectives on the songs just a little bit. On the previously unreleased Live 1975, we hear the always evolving Dylan as a 34-year-old man, performing songs from the early days of his career ("Blowin' In The Wind," "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll") through the mid-seventies ("Isis," "Sara," "Hurricane"), which makes for a compelling listening experience. A bonus DVD includes performance footage of "Tangled Up In Blue" and "Isis."

You don't have to see the roster of guest performers on the live album Stars & Guitars (Lost Highway) by Willie Nelson and Friends to know that Nelson is acquainted with some very cool people. It's hard not to share the audience's enthusiasm after hearing Nelson sing with Sheryl Crow ("Whiskey River"), Rob Thomas ("Maria"), Lee Ann Womack ("Mendocino County Line"), Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora ("Always On My Mind"), Norah Jones ("Lonestar"), Patty Griffin ("Angel Flying To Close Too The Ground") and Emmylou Harris ("Till I Gain Control Again"), to mention a few.

I am well-aware that Dave Matthews inspires nothing short of rabid devotion in his fans, but I'm just as interested in the parody and poking he gets from his detractors. Apparently a magnetic live performer, Matthews has released as many studio albums as he has live discs. I'm unconvinced, even more so after listening to Live At Folsom Field - Boulder Colorado (RCA).

Sort of a cross between the country picking of Willie Nelson and the jam band gymnastics of Dave Matthews, Leftover Salmon swings and solos through nine songs on aptly named Live (Compass).

The late Jeff Buckley continues to be a source of inspiration and fascination, years after his death. The five-disc box set The Grace EPs (Columbia) is, as you might have guessed, a collection of five EPs, between three and four songs in length, that include the promo-only Peyote Radio Theater, So Real (a.k.a. Live At Nighttown), Live From The Bataclan, The Grace EP and Last Goodbye, that do what they can to expand on and extend Buckley's all-too-brief legacy.

Finally, the now-defunct Smashing Pumpkins live on in live recordings from the early-to-mid 1990s on the CD Earphoria (Virgin) and DVD Vieuphoria. The previously bootleg-only live releases present the Pumpkins in concert venues around the world and even in their hometown. The Frogs, a controversial gay band, also make an appearance on the DVD.


This article shared 2328 times since Wed Jan 1, 2003
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

'Rumors' performers create alternative drag playground 2024-03-24
- At first glance, Dorian's Through The Record Shop (1939 W. North Ave.) looks like a brightly-lit shop with a handful of records on the wall, but there's a secret world behind those unassuming shelves. Visitors are ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman 2024-03-21
- Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...


Gay News

THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar' 2024-03-21
- Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...


Gay News

Lollapalooza announces lineup; SZA, Skrillex among headliners 2024-03-19
- Lollapalooza has released its line-up for the event that's taking place Aug. 1-4 at Grant Park. Headliners include SZA, Blink-182, Skrillex, The Killers, Hozier, Melanie Martinez and Stray Kids, among others. Some of the other acts ...


Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18
- Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition' 2024-03-15
- Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

House-music festival on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; icons, Idris Elba to be part of it 2024-03-13
- The ARC Music Festival—an event celebrating house music—will take place Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Chicago's Union Park, per WGN-TV. This will mark the fourth year that the festival will celebrate the genre at Union Park—less than ...


Gay News

COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy 2024-03-08
- COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer 2024-03-08
- Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05
- Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05
- Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer actors, icons duet, Hunter Schafer, Oscars, Elizabeth Taylor 2024-03-01
- Queer actor Kal Penn is set to star in Trust Me, I'm a Doctor—a film that chronicles the final days of actress/model Anna Nicole Smith, whose overdose death in 2007 at age 39 sparked a tabloid ...


Gay News

'Always Olivia' celebrates Olivia Newton-John at Raue Center 2024-02-26
- From a press release: Always Olivia, a tribute to one of the most celebrated and beloved pop culture icons of all time, the late Olivia Newton-John comes to Raue Center in Crystal Lake on Saturday, May ...


Gay News

Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams's violin stylings help COH mark Black History Month 2024-02-23
- As part of its celebration of Black History Month, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., presented a solo jazz performance by violinist Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams on Feb. 21. The two-hour long performance presented a showcase ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.