Billy Joel Helped Us Celebrate Our 50th Birthdays

Doug: What a fun night! Last Friday, 26 August 2016, my wife and I rushed home from school and finished packing, grabbed a snack, and made tracks straight north. We faced no delays on the way into Chicago, as most people are heading out of town around 4:30-5:00 in the afternoon. Smooth sailing all the way to our hotel. The reason? Back in the waning months of winter we heard that Billy Joel would be making a third appearance at Wrigley Field late in the summer. Big fans who grew up through junior high all the way through college with his music, we decided it would be a great way to celebrate our 50th birthdays. I turned 50 in the middle of June, and my wife reaches that "milestone" late in September.

Great night - perfect weather. It's been a very (let me say VERY) humid summer in Chicagoland. It was that evening, but the temperature had cooled to the low 70s making it just about awesome. There were a few clouds in the sky and a light breeze. And the old stadium looked fantastic, as she always does. I have been a Cubs fan for the better part of 45 years and it never ceases to be a highlight to get to see a game. We've also taken two tours of the stadium over the years; we did just that back at the end of June. It's really, in my biased opinion, one of the most beautiful places on earth. And the place has been busy in August -- the weekend before Pearl Jam played two concerts, of course we saw Billy Joel, and then the next night Luke Bryan played.

I was very interested to see how the outfield grass would be covered. I knew the infield would be roped off and guarded by security, as would the famed ivy that clings to the outfield wall. I was surprised to see not tarps, but thick modular plastic covering every blade of grass from the moment we stepped through a large service door in right field. And lined up on the covering were rows and rows of light white-plastic folding chairs. They were zip-tied together, so when all us middle-aged fans got crazy we wouldn't tear the place up! We (obviously) had field seats, and were maybe 65-70 yards from the stage. But we were very happy. We could see the performers and make out facial expressions, so it was fine.

The stage had three large video boards hanging down from the rigging. They were actually comprised of several small boards, and the way in which they could be manipulated with live footage from the concert but also footage from Joel's music videos was captivating. The lighting was phenomenal and just seemed to breathe through the show's life. What an enhancement to the experience.

Here's the setlist from the show:

There were so many really cool, "man, that makes me smile" moments. The first was when Joel played Take Me Out to the Ballgame on the piano. He of course greeted Chicago and then made some comments on the great season the Cubs are having. If you don't know, it has been a tradition at Wrigley Field to sing that song during the break between the top and bottom halves of the 7th inning, immortalized by now-decesased announcer Harry Caray. Joel scored big again with his rendition of Frank Sinatra's My Kind of Town.

Sticking to the baseball theme, Joel gave the audience two different "fielder's choices", letting the level of noise decide between two songs. The first time our choices were both off "The Stranger" album. He asked if we'd prefer Just the Way You Are or The Stranger. You can see which one won. Later, we could choose between a song of which I was unfamiliar (can't even recall the name) and Vienna. The latter won big. "The Stranger" was the record of choice on the night, with the band performing six cuts from it. It's long been my favorite of Joel's albums.

You'll notice a cover of Layla on the setlist. They actually played only the instrumental ending to that song. But there were more surprises when percussionist/vocalist/saxaphonist Crystal Taliefero burst out in Martha and the Vandellas' Heat Wave, embedded in The River of Dreams. As part of the encore set, Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll was embedded in You May Be Right, and sung by guitarist Michael DelGuidice.

The show was to have started at 8:00, and we assumed with an opening act. Well, 8:00 came and went and nothing. Lights still on, crowd still filing in and milling around. But about 8:20 a score began to play that might best be described as an anthem from a Disney film. Suddenly the baseball lights went down and the place erupted with the opening notes of Prelude/Angry Young Man. Wow-o-wow, was that cool! The band seemed to miraculously materialize, and overhead cameras caught Billy Joel's hands on the piano keyboard -- all monitors large and small showed that footage. They went right into My Life, and I sent my sons a text telling them I was singing that loud and proud like it was my job!

It was interesting that during some of the ballads the crowd sat down, but every time it seemed the next song would bring them right back to their feet. Perhaps the most notable of those occasions was the winding down and finishing of And So It Goes. There were a few seconds of silence and darkness, and then that famous whistle at the beginning of Allentown sounded. Bam! Right back up and the house was rocking. 

The concert ended at 10:50 -- they'd played an almost-solid two-and-a-half hours with only a three minute break before the encore set... and what a set that was! We Didn't Start the Fire was fast and loud, with the video screens flashing every person or event named in the song. Uptown Girl continued a theme of Joel reminiscing about the hits he'd gotten out of his three previous wives -- Just the Way You Are and She's Always a Woman were the other two. Hey, you have to be able to poke fun at yourself, right?

So a good time -- no a great time -- was had by all. Super memory for us, and for the other 60,000 attendees, too.

PS: An attendee at the same concert we attended has uploaded this video of one of the great performances of the evening. The camera's view approximates our own -- we'd have been back a bit and slightly to the left. Enjoy!

 

Adding to One's Musical Resume'

Doug: How about musicians who get around? OK, you're thinking "sex, drugs, and rock -n- roll". But I'm thinking of a guy like Steve Winwood. You almost need a scorecard to follow the guy's career. Notable stops included the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and of course his fine solo career. Another singer/guitarist is the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar. From Montrose to a solo career to Van Halen to a solo career to Chickenfoot. Wow. Lots of tickets punched with just those two examples.

So today we're discussing rock and roll artists (and if you want to branch into other genres, that's fine -- some of us will appreciate the education) who've been in multiple bands with perhaps a solo career squeezed in for good measure. And don't feel like you have to stick within any temporal parameters, and our comic book Silver Age will have some wonderful examples we can kick around, too (I'm looking at you, Graham Nash). Have fun -- artists, albums, favorite tracks, etc. It's all fair for today.

A Simple Question: Who is the Most Influential 50s Rocker?

Karen: Which 50s  rocker has proven to be the most influential? And why? (Don't feel limited to the candidates below.)

When It Came On, I Couldn't Sit Still

Doug: Back on January 31, I was charged with driving my sister the 50 miles or so up to Midway Airport so she could catch her flight home after a short visit. It was really early on a Sunday morning, so I needed some tunes on high just to keep me awake for the ride back home. I had the Sirius-XM set to "70s on 7" because, after all, I am a Bronze Age Baby. I really like that station, because you could get Led Zeppelin, Al Green, the Bee Gees, and the Knack all back-to-back-to-back. And then it came on -- the Spinners' Rubberband Man. At no point for the next three minutes was I in any danger of falling asleep at the wheel. I'm sure other drivers gave a sideways glance at the champagne-colored Highlander and wondered who the whackjob behind the wheel was.



Doug: Enjoy a live version of the song in question. And of course, what makes you move to the music?

Time May Change Me

Doug: My wife and I were recently offered a deal we couldn't refuse on a used vehicle. We weren't in the market, as the SUV I was driving had relatively low miles for its age and had been paid off for several months. Yet we were able to upgrade after negotiating a best-case scenario trade-in and adding several thousand dollars from my original art sales as a down payment on the new loan. I say all that to tell you that the new SUV has satellite radio capabilities, so I've been enjoying an introductory offer from Sirius-XM radio. For those who don't know, satellite radio not only offers several "genre stations" across the musical spectrum, but also stations dedicated to specific artists. I've also enjoyed their "decade stations", featuring popular music from the timeframe we cover on this blog -- the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. And it was a day not too long ago while listening and driving that the inspiration for today's topic struck me.

Doug: Simple question -- of the three decades just mentioned, during which do you feel popular music changed the most? Of course music exists in so many layers that many of us will approach our answers with different songs or artists in mind. I hope that will be a fun part of the conversation. For example, I might think of the early 1970s as characterized by the advent of AM radio "soft rock" and the end of the decade as the "disco era". You might have thought of some of the hard rock acts emerging from the 1960s, with the '70s ending with punk. Regardless of who or what you choose to cite, in your opinion which decade's music had changed the most by the time the next decade rolled round?

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Who's the Best... Song About School?

Back Me Up on This, Will You?

Doug: Back in 2013 we ran a post about surprise back-up singers. Stevie Nicks, Mick Jagger, Phil Collins, James Taylor, and many others made our list of suggestions for conversation. Today we're not talking surprises at all, but those regulars who appeared... regularly on the songs of certain bands or solo acts.

Doug: Below I've pictured some vocalists/band members who came to mind when, well, this post came to mind. We'd like you to expound on favorite performers of your own, but also favorite performances. We all know that Paul McCartney sang lead on many, many Beatles hits. But one of my favorite performances from Sir Paul is his backing of John Lennon's lead on "One After 909" (the 1963 version).

For those who occasionally enjoy a little AM pop...

Discuss: Devo

Karen: Are we not men?

Discuss: That Band You Hated in High School... and Still Can't Stand Now

Karen: Regular readers here know mine (sorry Doug):

Karen: What's yours?

With a Side of Jam

Doug: Raise your hand if you love long plays where the band just seems to love what they're doing and gets into an extended jam. Me, too. I'm betting we can come up with quite a list of fun songs, particularly when we get into album versions, live versions, etc. of favorite songs.

Doug: One of my nominees, and you can hear it below, is the extended version of the Doors' "Light My Fire". Of course, for much of my life I was held a musical hostage by the radio version. What most of us knew to be true was in reality missing about a 5-5 1/2 minute jam in the middle. And doesn't that make a difference when you hear the whole thing! Other songs that are enhanced by the "jam version" are the Blues Brothers' "Sweet Home Chicago"and the album version of  "Abacab" by Genesis.

Doug: And the ending of Guns 'n' Roses' "Paradise City", which is tremendous, may just get nominated right now in the "best ending ever" category!

Face-Off: The Rock Operas of Pete Townshend

 

Doug: Yeah, we're fond of rock music around here. We're certainly high on the all-time greats, like the Beatles, the Stones, Led Zeppelin, etc. Today we're going to focus on one of the true geniuses of rock and roll, Pete Townshend, and his two rock operas: Tommy and Quadrophenia.

Doug: Your job is to discuss each of these albums, and the films if you wish. Which rock opera had the better radio hits? Tommy of course birthed "Pinball Wizard", but also "See Me, Feel Me", "I'm Free", and "We're Not Gonna Take It". On the other hand, Quadrophenia gave us "The Real Me" (my personal favorite Who song), "Love, Reign o'er Me", and "5:15". As far as narratives go, which story resonates more with you -- that deaf, dumb, and blind kid, or the teen with four personalities (one mirroring each member of The Who)?

Doug: On a side note, can you separate the songs "Pinball Wizard" and the "Acid Queen" from the visual concepts provided by Elton John and Tina Turner, respectively? It's tough for this guy.