Rod y Gab, June 10, 2009

Saw an incendiary show by Rod y Gab last night under the stars in Saratoga, along with Peter, Dom & Drew. This was the first gig of their summer tour, after putting the finishing touches on a forthcoming new recording. They sounded great, and they even managed to get the typically sedate Mountain Winery crowd out of their seats cheering on several occasions. It was also Gabriela’s birthday (today), so Rodrigo poured some wine for us at the front of the stage, much to the discomfort of the security people. A fantastic night out!

Rodrigo Sanchez

What does she mean when she sings “Oh oh child, the way you shake that thing, gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting”?

Alison Krauss & Robert Plant
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2008, San Francisco CA

I think I’m going to quit my job and go on the road, following Dream Theater from show to show. Flickr set here.

Despite the ill-tempered chill wind, it was good to see the Cowboy Junkies last night in Saratoga. They have a new record, and they played a generous, soulful show drawn from new and classic material. Never a band to dwell on the happier moments, they segued a very pretty Anniversary Song into the lilting but dark To Love Is To Bury. Their cover of Neil Young’s Powderfinger was a highlight of the evening. I wished for 200 More Miles, but alas. Margo Timmins wandered offstage several times to attend to her 4 year old son Ed, who had banged his head and needed motherly ministrations. Michael Timmins seemed a bit distracted on guitar, but his presence was nonetheless deeply resonant in the lyrics of his songs. Peter and I had hot dogs and beer, not necessarily in that order. It was a good night.
[more pics in my Flickr set]

O. M. F. G. Beautiful, savage, astonishing, unbelievable.

…go to the show…to feel the warm thrill of confusion, that space cadet glow…I’ve got some bad news for you sunshine, Pink isn’t well, he stayed back at the hotel, and they sent us along as a surrogate band…we’re going to find out where you fans really stand!
Update: see more pix in my Roger Waters flickr set

Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert and John Petrucci during the G3 ‘07 show in Berkeley. We were in the front row of the pit, almost dead center. It was St. Patrick’s Day, thus the weird headgear. Freakishly stunning concert.

The devastatingly amazing John Petrucci at the Berzerkely Community during G3 ‘07, not too bad for a cameraphone shot I guess.

Okay, not Sabbath exactly; it was the Ronnie James Dio edition touring as “Heaven and Hell” that played the HP Pavilion this past Tuesday night, their second stop on the US tour. But when you look down at the stage and there’s Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler tearing it up, well you know who it is. I’m not sure why they aren’t using the Sabbath name nor playing any pre-Dio songs, whether it is a legal thing or out of genuine respect for Ozzy and Bill. Probably because the original band still plays together I guess. In any case, an amazing show especially considering those guys are well into middle age. I’m just stunned at how Dio’s voice has held up, that dude can really shriek.
Although H&H were the headliners, I’m sure they must hate having to follow Megadeth. Mustaine and company continue to pump out tremendously heavy rock, and their chops are ferocious. Their stage show was toned way down compared to their headlining performance at last year’s Gigantour — no pyro stuff and a lot less gear — but they kicked serious ass musically. The mix could have been better, but overall the sound was pretty decent for a big barn like the Shark tank. BTW, Megadeth have a new record coming out soon, for which we are waiting impatiently.
Talk about getting hit with a Tuesday night music club…wham!

Via BB, you guitar types should check out CityRag’s compilation of links to videos of some of the best rock & roll guitar solos of all time. Just superb.