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Rickie Lee Jones Tonight!!!

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(@blueline)
Posts: 1704
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Woohoo!
I am going to see Rickie Lee Jones 8) play tonight in a very small club in the town next to me. I am so excited. I NEVER read the paper, was over a friend's house yesterday and happened to look at the paper on the table. Saw a pic of Rickie and read about her playing tonight. I feel so lucky.

This may not be a big thing for you, but I have adored her since I was 17 yrs old. There just something about her. I can't explain it. I really don't have anyone else to share this with, so figured I'd post . :D :D :D

Teamwork- A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.

 
Posted : 24/06/2008 5:29 pm
(@elecktrablue)
Posts: 4338
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I'm a fan, too! And, I much prefer small, cozy settings to go see people play. Can't handle the big arena's anymore! Have a great time and be sure to let us all know how it went! :D

..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ .·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´ -:¦:- Elecktrablue -:¦:-

"Don't wanna ride no shootin' star. Just wanna play on the rhythm guitar." Emmylou Harris, "Rhythm Guitar" from "The Ballad of Sally Rose"

 
Posted : 24/06/2008 5:38 pm
(@boxboy)
Posts: 1221
Noble Member
 

Hey, have a great time!
The first riff I ever posted in 'Guess That Riff' was from 'Chuck E's In Love'.
:) :) :)

Don

 
Posted : 24/06/2008 7:26 pm
(@vic-lewis-vl)
Posts: 10264
Illustrious Member
 

Have a good time, Matt!

Chuck E's in love is about the only thing I've ever heard by RLJ - definitely a one-hit wonder over this side of the puddle. Shame, that was a really good song - is that typical RLJ, or a one-off? Methinks a visit to the good folks over at youtube might be necessary......

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)

 
Posted : 24/06/2008 7:30 pm
(@blueline)
Posts: 1704
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Topic starter
 

Have a good time, Matt!

Chuck E's in love is about the only thing I've ever heard by RLJ - definitely a one-hit wonder over this side of the puddle. Shame, that was a really good song - is that typical RLJ, or a one-off? Methinks a visit to the good folks over at youtube might be necessary......

:D :D :D

Vic

Hey Vic, That song was a one- off. Her music evolved with each album. If you were going to have a listen, I'd say start with the album called Flying Cowboys. It was produced by Steely Dan's Walter Becker. Songs like "Rodeo Girl" are slow driving, very rhythmic which then lead into songs like "Atlas' Marker which has a tribal feel to it. Very diffreent indeed. By no means is she a mainstrem kind of artist. She's got unusual diction and cadence to her lyrics. She's very versitile and a VERY good guitarist.

If you go to Youtube, be sure to look up Last Chance Texaco---live version from a concert in Paris. Good stuff.

Teamwork- A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.

 
Posted : 24/06/2008 7:56 pm
(@chris-c)
Posts: 3454
Famed Member
 

Hi Matt,

I'm pleased for you and jealous in about equal measure. :mrgreen: I'd say that you're in for a great night.

Chris

 
Posted : 24/06/2008 8:44 pm
(@rahul)
Posts: 2736
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Enjoy the show.

 
Posted : 25/06/2008 5:25 pm
(@blueline)
Posts: 1704
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The Setting:

"Blend" is a small club that boasts 2 levels of stages. The basement is where the national acts come to play. It's a small setting downstairs that hold approximately 100 people. The stage is elevated slightly off the floor so you can have near eye to eye contact with the performers. So to say that this was an intimate setting would be an understatement.

The Show
Rickie was amazing. Nothing short of brilliant. She opened the show with three songs from her sophomore effort “Pirates” from 1980. Living It Up, Pirates (title track) and We Belong Together. None of which sounded like the album version. And it was cool to see that the entire audience really appreciated that. In fact, there was no set list for the entire show. She told the band which song she wanted to do just before starting the tune.

This made for pretty cool dynamic because it turned the entire show into a jam session that was just shy of a rehearsal for the group. She had new band members. So new that she had to ask the drummer his last name when she introduced him!!! That said, I don't think he was completely familiar with her large volume of music and watched Rickie intently through the night. She often waved him off or asked him to do some fills.

Often she would direct the band during the course of the song. During one song she said…”OK…go ahead, anyone can jump in here” and each band member improvised for a few mins. Early on, she played a few chords to one song and admitted to the audience that she was changing her mind and may want to play it at the end of the show. With encouragement from the crowd, she began agreed to play it but said that she may not remember all of the words! And she didn't, which made for a good laugh as she improvised by saying…”OK, so there's a bridge here that goes something like…” :P

Being true to who she is as an artist, Rickie improvised over many of the songs. She has always used music as a canvas to paint vivid images and this show was proof of that. She really performed her music. There were no predefined moves, no predefined breaks in the music. She simply got up on stage and performed. 8)

I have to say, this was one of the best shows I've ever seen. Maybe the small setting added to it, I don't know. Rickie played for 2 hours and played at least one song from each of her albums. The highlight, for me, was when she played Last Chance Texaco unaccompanied. There is something to be said about an artist that goes on stage totally unscripted and plays her music. Can you tell I liked the show???

Teamwork- A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.

 
Posted : 25/06/2008 6:43 pm
(@elecktrablue)
Posts: 4338
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Sounds like you had a great time! :D Excellent!

The band may not have been her band. When Ben E. King ("Stand By Me") came to play Billy Bob's here in Fort Worth, he got a local band (my brother-in-law-at-the-time and his band to be precise) to back him. They ran through his material once before the show and that was all the rehearsal they got. But, the show came off great! It takes a great entertainer to pull off a great show with people he/she hasn't played with before! I would have loved to have seen Ricky Lee pull it off!

I'm jealous! :D

..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ .·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´ -:¦:- Elecktrablue -:¦:-

"Don't wanna ride no shootin' star. Just wanna play on the rhythm guitar." Emmylou Harris, "Rhythm Guitar" from "The Ballad of Sally Rose"

 
Posted : 25/06/2008 7:03 pm
(@blueline)
Posts: 1704
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Topic starter
 

I listened to them warming up before the show. She was providing some instructions for the opening tune. Which you could tell they've practiced because it was the only tune that everyone knew what they were doing. All the cues were on time, etc..
But like I said, being unrehearsed really added to the show.

Having fallen "in love" with her back in 1979, it was a real treat for me. She is not typical by any stretch of the imagination. She always defied labels. I think that's one of the things that I like about her. Wished I had brought a camera to the show. I hung out for a while and the band came to the bar. The place was nearly empty. Maybe 4 people. So I got a chance to talk to Rickie and the band. Man was I nervous!!

Teamwork- A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.

 
Posted : 25/06/2008 7:49 pm
(@vic-lewis-vl)
Posts: 10264
Illustrious Member
 

So did you enjoy it then? Eh? Eh?

Just joking, sounds like you had a great time! It's always cool when you get to see someone whose music you've loved for years. I saw Dylan in 2005 for the first (and so far, only...) time, and though his voice was well below par, I didn't really care - I saw DYLAN!

Must look up some Rickie Lee.....

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)

 
Posted : 25/06/2008 8:16 pm
(@general-savage)
Posts: 31
Eminent Member
 

Woohoo!
I NEVER read the paper
:D :D :D

Might be best if I don't mention who was on at Manchester Apollo Sunday night then!

General Savage

 
Posted : 25/06/2008 10:01 pm
(@blueline)
Posts: 1704
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Come on then!!!

Teamwork- A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.

 
Posted : 26/06/2008 1:07 pm
(@vic-lewis-vl)
Posts: 10264
Illustrious Member
 

The band may not have been her band. When Ben E. King ("Stand By Me") came to play Billy Bob's here in Fort Worth, he got a local band (my brother-in-law-at-the-time and his band to be precise) to back him. They ran through his material once before the show and that was all the rehearsal they got. But, the show came off great! It takes a great entertainer to pull off a great show with people he/she hasn't played with before! I would have loved to have seen Ricky Lee pull it off!

Chuck Berry used to do the same thing back in the 70's, didn't he? Rather than go to the expense of hiring a touring band, use local musicians? His gigs used to get pretty good reviews, too.

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)

 
Posted : 26/06/2008 1:58 pm
(@blueline)
Posts: 1704
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Topic starter
 

I think that's a pretty common practice. It gets more difficult when the artists music is not straight forward rock-n-roll. Songs that go from a whisper to a scream and have lots of tempo chnages can be pretty difficult to pull off if you are not 100% familiar with the song.

It would certainly be difficult for me!!

Teamwork- A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.

 
Posted : 26/06/2008 2:17 pm