The Day That Music Changed The World. "Live Aid - Against All Odds"

Live Aid: Against All Odds (2011) 

Not Rated

Starring Bod Geldof, Midge Ure,

Produced by the BBC

The Story:

After the success of Do They Know It's Christmas, Bob Geldof decided that Band Aid should try something even more impressive. Live benefit concerts in July 1985, both in England and America and other locations round the world, and beam it to everyone else via satellite. It had never been done before, and most skeptics said it couldn't be done, period. But with some hard work, elbow grease, and outright lies, the greatest concert in music history did indeed happen.

This is their story.

This amazing documentary is available in 2 parts on YouTube. Each part is 90 minutes.

It keeps you grabbed from the minute you start watching until it's over.

Then you wish for a few more parts to the documentary.

So unless you were lucky enough to catch this on the BBC a few years back, you've likely never seen it.

The documentary does a great job of getting just about anyone and everyone who had something to do with Live Aid for the documentary, and they still manage to squeeze in enough of the performances to really bring back the memories.

So brazen was Geldof to get people to appear, he listed them as performing, oftentimes without even checking with those acts to see if they were willing and able to play.

Then he would lie to each band and say "well, they're in, so why aren't you?" and vice versa.

It's an incredible amount of chutzpah on Geldof's part, and it's an event that will never be duplicated again.

Then there was the American side of things where so many artists were pulling out because the American promoter was a giant POS that everyone hated. :)

Pair that with hosts that have an absolute disdain for the musicians that will be appearing, and it was a recipe for disaster.

Or at least if they do, it will probably roll off a lot smoother than this one did.

So go behind the scenes and see how they pulled this concert off and all the headaches and heartbreaking moments that went into the greatest concert of them all.

Final Grade: A

A Night Over 30 Years In The Making..."Huey Lewis & The News"

So, I'll let you all in on a little secret:

Huey Lewis & The News is my favorite band of all time.

So there you have it, you now know 2 people who admit to that fact (Marty McFly was the other).

When I flipped the radio from country to Top 40 Pop/Rock around 1982/1983, it was just before the debut of Sports.

Needless to say, over the next few years, I wore that cassette out listening to the entire album, not a bad track to be found. A few years later, Fore! came out, and same thing, amazing album from first song to last, and that cassette too was eventually destroyed by constant use.

:)

And much like all musical acts of the 80s, the 90s came, introduced the world to Grunge music, and all of my favorite artists disappeared and became relics of a bygone era.

Thankfully, people realize there was some pretty good music put out in that decade and most of those songs are standard issue on Adult Contemporary stations.

Many of those musical acts reunite now as a nostalgia acts to the amazement of the crowds.

Yet Huey Lewis & The News never stopped working during that time.

They continued to put out material, and while it never really caught on with the changing musical taste of each new generation, their longtime fans bought it, loved it, and continued to sell out his concert tours every summer.

So, about the time I watched Live Aid, little me vowed to someday see Huey Lewis & The News in concert.

Little did I know that journey would take about 30 more years than I expected!

: /

I always wanted to see Huey when I was in Maryland. He came to Wolftrap across the river in Virginia every year, but the timing never worked out right.

Then for the decade plus that I was stuck in South Carolina, I never found him any closer than 4 hours from home, and that just wasn't going to work.

I was amused that seemingly every year he did play a venue or two in Oregon...

Which brings us back to now.

His summer tour was announced, and he was playing two sites: the amphitheater in Bend or a Casino on the way to the Coast.

While I wanted to take everyone to Bend, because I raised a whole family of Huey Lewis & The News fans, that was going to be pricey.

So instead, I bought two tickets to the show at the casino, 21 and older only, and watched as the show quickly sold out.

I won't mention how horrible the website was for purchasing tickets as I saw the 2 front row center seats in my cart vanish...and by the time I was able to get the cart to function correctly, I was now about 20 rows back...

Or maybe I will mention it! :)

Then we were hushed about it.

Because whenever we make plans in the future or for something remotely fun, life or annoying people always seem to arrive unannounced at the last minute and ruin it.

Thankfully, not this time.

So as we sit in our seats waiting, the show is about to begin...

And a very familiar heartbeat begins...

The Heart of Rock & Roll starts playing and we jumped to our feet, as did several people throughout the sold out concert as we clapped, sang and danced along.

That was followed by She's Some Kind of Wonderful, and then went into I Want A New Drug.

Now, you know those songs...

Played live, are those quiet, slow tempo songs you should sit on your hands and listen to?

No.

But apparently for the crowd of old fogeys behind us, they kept poking my wife and me and telling us to sit down.

They even pushed our chairs into the back of our legs.

I turned around mid-song and one lady asked me "How's the show? I wouldn't know because I can't see it."

Apparently she didn't notice the two jumbo screens in front, or two big screens to the side that she could have looked at.

Or, horror of all horrors...actually stood up and enjoyed the show herself.

I shrugged my shoulders, smiled, and went back to clapping and standing, soaking in the moment.

This was a bucket list item for me.

See Huey Lewis & The News LIVE IN CONCERT!!!

Mission accomplished!

And they did not disappoint.

It was an amazing set full of hit after hit after hit!

Huey has an easy rapport with the crowd, telling us he knows we want to hear something new, but too bad, he's in charge, and he's in a hit-singing mood.

Eventually he did indeed give us 2 new songs that night, and they seamlessly fit in with the rest of his catalog.

Slowly, as the concert wore on, others finally unable to ignore the infectious energy of the band and those of us in the crowd who know a good thing when they see it, rose to their feet and really seemed to bring the entire energy level up in the place.

Aside from some sticks that never get out of the mud, by the time it came to cheer for an encore, that place was rocking.

And gracious Huey came back to the stage and played us 3 more songs.

When it was all over, you know there were some hits that just don't make it out due to time limits, but you feel like you've had the best night of your life.

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat.

I got to see Huey Lewis & The News in concert, and I was able to take my beautiful bride with me!

The only downside, all of the kids at home who wanted to go, but were age restricted.

So if we do it again next year, I'm probably going for the venue that doesn't restrict by age.

And we'll be there.

And we'll be standing.

Cheering.

Singing.

Clapping.

Dancing.

You've been warned.

Buy your tickets accordingly.

:)


Final Grade: A+

This Is What It Sounds Like When We All Cry... R.I.P. Prince 1958-2016

 

 

What the $%&@* ?!?!

I would say that was probably the collective reaction to most of America and most of the music-loving world yesterday when we found out that Prince Rogers Nelson passed away.

Prince.

Surely it had to be a mistake, another internet hoax that people would debunk shortly.

I was driving home yesterday and was halfway through a Prince song, it ended, and then another Prince song started.

I looked at my radio and thought, maybe this station is doing rock block Thursday?

Then the song ended and the announcer repeated that the breaking news from 45 minutes earlier, Prince had passed away.

WTF!!!???

Well, one doesn't just spontaneously burst into tears while driving, but I was crying hard on the inside.

Trying to wrap my head around the fact that one of the greatest musical artists of all time, and most importantly for me, one of the pillars of my 80s musical childhood was gone.

Takes the wind right out of your sails.

I now have 2 musical regrets in my life:

I had concert tickets to see David Bowie back in 1989/1990. We ended up not going because Tacoma was a long way from Scio and college and life... so we didn't go see him.

About 5 years ago, Prince was coming to North Charleston, and I got tickets! But with little Ari on the way, momma didn't want to risk damaging little ones ears by attending the concert, and I really didn't want to go without her.  In hindsight, I wish I had taken one of my daughters and gone, because I know the concert would have been amazing. But we didn't go.

You always think, well, I'll get to their concert the next time they come around.

Sadly, eventually they stop coming around.

So if you ever get the chance to see your favorites, do it. Don't have any musical regrets in life!

Thankfully, I have the music. I can pull up life footage on YouTube or watch his amazing SuperBowl halftime show again.

Sure, it's not the same, but at least it's something.

The man was a creative force of genius and the world is a better place for having him in it, and we are now worse off for him no longer being here.

But oh, the music he did leave for us.

Pick the best Prince song.

It's nearly impossible.

Sure you can try and pick a favorite, but then you go, oh but there's this one, and there's that one...

He was incredible.

Take the Purple Rain Soundtrack out of the equation, and he still had a mountain of memorable hits.

Heck, I never even saw the movie until it was celebrating it's 20th, or 25th Anniversary. I had the soundtrack, I never even bothered with the film!

And yes, the film was as energetic and full of life as the star of the movie.

Prince created a mountain of music.

Then he became "The Artist Formerly Known As..."

Then he finally reconciled with the studio and reclaimed his name and was set to release new material.

My hope, that while his long fight with his record label may have slowed the output of released material, I have a feeling that Prince has a back catalog that could be released posthumously.

In addition to all of the music he gave us personally, we also have some Prince hits out there that he wrote but didn't perform.

Everyone remembers Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O'Conner.

But there was Stand Back by Stevie Nicks;  I Feel For You by Chaka Khan; Sugar Walls by Sheena Easton; and Manic Monday by the Bangles, among others.

Like I said, he's one of the pillars that gave us great 80s music, and his legacy will never be forgotten.

As for that best Prince song?

I really love Raspberry Beret.

But man, Kiss sure is great and lots of fun.

The awesome duet U Got The Look with Sheena Easton.

Then there's the hauntingly sorrowful guitar on Purple Rain that chokes you up.

And who can forget the ultimate party anthem, 1999?

So many great songs.

Thankfully I'm not behind the wheel of a car right now, so I guess it's okay to finally cry.

Thanks for a lifetime of musical memories, Prince.

There's Gonna Be Some Heartache Tonight... R.I.P. Glenn Frey 1948-2016

If you can say that you wrote Desperado or Hotel California, well, you can pretty much do a mic drop when it comes to musical accomplishments in life.

That's where Glenn Frey and The Eagles belong, game-changers in the music industry.

If you've listened to just about any radio station since the 1970s, odds are good that you've heard their music. Pop music. Classic Rock. Even Country.

Eagles songs, or covers by other artists, are played on those stations every day.

And that's a nice comforting thing to hear on the radio.

Once upon a time I was asked who my favorite band of all-time was, and I answered The Eagles.

There were some snickering as typical answers are supposed to be The Beatles, The Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, blah blah blah

Apparently if you didn't start in the 60s, you aren't eligible to be a greatest of all-time.

Well, I disagree with that assessment. The Eagles were an amazing band, and after they broke up, they all went on to varying degrees of solo success.

I'm sure if we counted the hits from some of those bands to those of The Eagles, the tally would be closer than you might think at first glance.

Which brings us to the 80s, and I began listening to Top 40 music and was hearing classic Eagles songs while Don Henley and Glenn Frey were bringing their solo efforts to the airwaves.

With hits in Beverly Hills Cop and Miami Vice, Frey proved he was more than just the Garfunkel of the Don Henley/Glenn Frey collaboration.

Imagine the surprise when the Eagles reunited nearly 15 years later and buried their creative hatchets. Embarking on worldwide farewell tours that seemingly never ended, the guys sounded just as good decades removed from the 70s as they did in their prime.

And while they could have easily just played their greatest hits, Frey and Henley sat down and continued to write new Eagles songs.

Their last radio hit, Hole In The World, was their response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

It is as moving and beautiful of a song as the songs they had penned together decades earlier. 

And now with the passing of Glenn Frey, the music industry has lost another musical genius.

For the fans, we are left with a "hole in the world tonight..."

Farewell and Rest in Peace, Glenn. Thank you for all the musical memories.

Legend Doesn't Begin To Describe Him... R.I.P. David Bowie 1947-2016

Well, I can imagine that it's safe to say that if you're a fan of pop/rock music, you've woken up and are reacting to the gut-punch of losing David Bowie with shock, anger, sadness, and the whole range of emotions.

Musical legends don't come along every day, and I would say that Bowie's career rivals him to be in the same ballpark as The Beatles and Stones when discussing his career and influence.

Not bad for a guy who had to change his name from Davy Jones so as to not be confused with the lead singer of The Monkees!

My first memory of the music of David Bowie was an appearance on Saturday Night Live in 1979 where he performed "Boys Keep Swinging" with a puppet body.

It creeped me out! I just re-watched the video, and it's still a little bizarre, and the child inside of me trembled just a little bit.

:)

Fast forward to the 80s, and I finally moved the dial on my FM radio to Top 40 music.

Needless to say, when asked for the best decade of music, I am a firm believer in the 80s.

And that's where I met David Bowie again for the first time.

"Let's Dance"

"China Girl"

"Modern Love"

Those 3 songs alone are a great testament to the man's musical legacy, and it would be joined on the radio for me with a past classic "Under Pressure" with Queen.

Needless to say, I was a fan.

As time moved forward, so did Bowie, continually releasing new music and changing his style. Bowie continued releasing music into the next millennium, including the release of his latest album which came out just days before he passed away. All recorded while he battled cancer.
I actually went backward and learned most of Bowie's hits because my wife was a big fan and she introduced me to much of his back catalog.  That knowledge served me well because after joining the military, at my first duty section we played classic rock while rigging parachutes all day. Guess who was a staple with his 70s hits?  Yep, David Bowie.

Amusingly, many of my favorite 80s bands were influenced by the very same David Bowie who was releasing music right alongside them.

For that, and for all of his music, I will forever be grateful.



 

He's Done Everything For You...Including the Documentary "An Affair of the Heart"

Putting the fan, in fanatic!

The Story:

Rick Springfield is still rocking today.  Sure, everyone knows "Jessie's Girl", but the man had a serious amount of hits, and has continued putting out quality music over the years.  This is a look at some of his fans, and the relationship Rick now enjoys with these ardent fans.

That's devotion!

First, it should be noted, and is, by Rick, MTV VJ Mark Goodman and others, that back in the day when Rick was at the height of his popularity... he was a bit of a dick. ;)  Never had time for his fans, or just paying them lip service, Rick moved through life at a breakneck pace.

But someday, when the star stopped shining as brightly, Rick realized that the fans were still there.  They still loved the music; they still loved him.

This relationship has worked well for both, the fans and Rick both gaining insight, strength and happiness from the interaction.

While Rick appears throughout, the documentary really focuses on some of the fans.  From those that came to know Rick in times of dire need and have remained loyal to the man and his music ever since, the majority of the tales aren't too borderline obsessive...

But we come close a few times!

:)

As the documentary is nearing its conclusion with the cruise, even some non-fans question how healthy the fans are obsessing after Rick Springfield.  After sitting down with one, they are still just as skeptical, if not moreso. 

While not nearly as consumed as anyone in this documentary, I still remain a fan of his music to this day.

The man had quite a catalog of really good songs from the 80s, many of which will be heard live on this documentary.

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Interesting once, but since the focus is on the fans more than Rick or his career, replay value really isn't there.