The Wall Comes Down In Las Vegas

Hey You!!

I saw "The Wall" by Roger Waters in Las Vegas last Friday.
I walked a mile in the 35 degree evening and I am glad I did. What a spectacle!
I have to say I am not the biggest Pink Floyd fan. "Dark Side OF The Moon" is in my all time
top 10 album list, however. I saw the original band perform it at the Hollywood Bowl in 1972 before it even came out! Yet most of their albums have left me cold. The WALL (LP and movie with Geldof) just seemed too depressing. But its one of the biggest selling albums of all time.
Finally I realized why.

I did not plan on going to the Vegas show until I hit a football parlay bet on Thanksgiving.
I took the money to the MGM Grand and scored a ticket for $50 (face value $75) from a couple who were happy to get the money. And there's not a bad seat in the MGM Grand, an arena without luxury boxes. I think I liked this more than seeing Waters do "Dark Side" on his own a few years ago. That album really needs David Gilmour as a singer (after all he sang "Money") and guitarist. "The WALL" is really a Roger Waters masterpiece and he did much more singing and performing. I loved it!

With the massive WALL looming you could have sat in the last row and not missed a thing:

-The dramatic opening with the airplane crashing into the just developing WALL.
-"Another Brick In The Wall" with local Vegas kids out on stage and miming the lyrics.
- Waters singing along to a video of himself performing "Mother" live in London 1980, maybe my favorite part of the night.
-"Comfortably Numb" with the guitar soloist (I know, not Gilmour!) spotlighted on top of the impressively tall WALL.
-The WALL almost complete so you can only see small squares with narrow glimpses of the band.
-The rocking moodiness of "Run Like Hell" which Waters (still looking like an older Richard Gere) dedicated to the audience.
-Those damn HAMMERS!
-And of course the WALL finally crashing down.

On my way out I asked a fervent fan the meaning of it all and he said:

"Each of us has our own WALL to break down."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Happy 70th Birthday John Lennon!

Last night I watched a fun movie called “Monday Night Mayhem” about the initial years of Monday Night Football. It’s a rollicking tale featuring the antics of Howard Cosell, Don Meredith and the rest of the crew that put the NFL on primetime TV. Right in the middle of it there’s a somber scene when Cosell breaks the news about the murder of John Lennon. I remember that night-30 years ago-as clearly as if it happened yesterday. I was watching football with my buddy Chris and both of us could not believe what we heard. We immediately left his house and joined up with other friends and headed out to Isla Vista park, where hundreds gathered to sing songs and cry on each other shoulders. It was a tragic evening with a strange Lennon-like twist. Up in the sky we saw a bright light streaking toward the heavens before bursting into a supernova of bright light. We all knew it was John’s spirit and it somehow made us smile amid all the grief.

The next day we found out it was an errant rocket fired from nearby Vandenberg Air Force base. It didn’t change our view of the matter. John Lennon was gone. It took a long time to get over it.

In the passing years the strangest observation is that Lennon's death actually preserved the legacy of The Beatles. Imagine the pressure the band would have felt to reunite and the money that would have been thrown at them. It would have been nearly impossible to say "no" and of course there would be no way they could meet the incredibly high expectations of a Beatles reunion. In 2000 the three surviving members were offered $100 million for one show!

Anyone who knows me knows I am a Paul McCartney fan. His music and its influence on my life cannot be measured. The Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964 is one of my earliest memories and Paul became my hero overnight. As I grew older I knew that Paul and John had a complicated relationship, especially after the Beatles broke up. Accepting John meant accepting Yoko and that wasn’t the easiest thing to do especially since she was the one who broke up the Beatles.

Now I know that isn’t true. Yes, Yoko was a divisive figure in the band’s final days. Just watch the film “Let It Be” and you can feel the tension she created by never leaving John’s side, even during recording sessions. She was just part of a bigger problem. The Beatles were losing money and the controversial Allen Klein was brought in to restore order to their finances. This did not sit well with Paul. George was frustrated in his attempts to get his songs on the group’s albums and Ringo’s presence faded with each argument. The greatest music group of all time imploded and John and Yoko were easy scapegoats.

I just finished reading “John Lennon: The Life” by Philip Norman. Its an excellent biography which explains the troubled soul who ended up writing such classics as “Imagine” and “In My Life.” Lennon was born during an air raid on October 9, 1940. His father was absent for most of his life and his mother was hit by a car when he was seventeen. His best friend-Stu Sutcliffe-died a few years later. No wonder the adult Lennon was a paradox of cruelty and humor, cynicism and hope. At first, Yoko was just another enabler, never saying “no” to John’s heroin addiction when they became a couple.

Yet even Yoko had enough of John’s bizarre behavior and kicked him out of their New York apartment in 1973. When he returned he got his act together and lived a peaceful domestic life until his untimely death in 1980. Every year it seems like I learn something else about John Winston Lennon. He was on Nixon’s enemies list and had to fight for years to become a US citizen. He once stayed at the infamous Peter Lawford beach house in Santa Monica where he entertained guests like Keith Moon and Harry Nilsson, and even McCartney. The recording of his “Rock and Roll” album was marred by lawsuits filed by gun wielding music publisher Morris Levy. While sailing he took over the helm during a fierce storm in the Bermuda triangle and guided the boat to safety. Even in 1980 he was still insecure and insisted on enhancing his vocals for the “Double Fantasy” comeback album even though he had one of the greatest voices in rock and roll.

John Lennon would have turned 70 on Oct. 9, 2010 and celebrations are being planned all over the world. All of his albums are being re-issued with plenty of rarities as well as a new movie about his early years called “Nowhere Boy.” His legacy as an artist and peace activist is secure. Will we ever truly understand this conflicted genius from Liverpool? I don’t think so but I do know he will never be forgotten.

Bad Company Is The Real Thing!

At the end of the summer of 1974, I was preparing to head off to college at UC Santa Barbara. During a Labor Day going-away party a friend of mine named Ollie handed me a present which was obviously an album. Remember the days of giving someone a 12" record and trying to disguise its distinctive shape? As I opened it, Ollie said: "Take this to school and every time you play it think of the "bad company" you used to hang out with." Or something like that. 36 years later I still remember Ollie, only because of that record: "Bad Company."

The band of the same name had just put out their first album with the distinctive black and white logo on the cover. I could not go anywhere that summer without hearing the smash "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love." The opening power chords and suggestive lyrics were hard to resist. The entire album was solid from start to finish and became a favorite at my freshman dormitory, along with the follow-up "Straight Shooter" with its massive hit "Feel Like Makin' Love." Singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke were former members of the band Free, who's signature "All Right Now" is still a staple of classic rock radio. I saw Free open for Traffic in 1973 and I knew guitarist Mick Ralphs came from the band Mott The Hoople. Bassist Boz Burrell had played with King Crimson, replacing Greg Lake who left to form ELP. By the time I finally saw Crimson live their bass player was John Wetton, who later formed the super group Asia. As unlikely as it seems, King Crimson's three bassists ended up selling millions of records once they left that band!

These are the types of things I think about whenever I hear the music of the 70s. All those groups were part of the soundtrack of my life: from high school through college, I went to over 100 concerts before I turned 20! Although Bad Company toured relentlessly, I never saw them live. The moment I heard they were reuniting for a brief summer tour in 2010, I knew I had to go. I had waited over three decades to hear Bad Company in person and I wasn't going to wait any longer. I'm glad to say the show exceeded my extremely high expectations.

The night was a perfect example of "less is more" and it started with the venue. Fantasy Springs Casino is my favorite Indian casino, a classy joint east of Palm Springs. The concert was held at the 3,000 seat Special Events Center. That's right, no corporate sponsored name and no advertising blanketing the arena. No charge for parking, no dreaded ticket service fees, no opening act. No video cameras following the band around the stage (although the back-drop images and light show were terrific.) Only two hours of the best rock and roll you could ever want to hear. The casino added a nice touch by giving $10 in free slot play to every ticket buyer. I used it and won $60 playing video poker after the show which more than paid for my ticket!

Anytime a classic rock band takes the stage, the first question I have is: "Can they still sing?" Well, Paul Rodgers can not only sing, he is a true rock and roll star who knows how to put on a show. From tossing and twirling his mike stand on "Rock and Roll Fantasy" (now that's a lost art!) to standing at the grand piano while playing "Running With The Pack", Rodgers looked and sounded great. He implored the crowd to sing along on the opening "Can't Get Enough" and the effervescent "Shooting Star" which received one of the loudest ovations of the night.

Rodgers joined Ralphs for a side-by-side all-acoustic "Seagull" in the middle of the show and I could only wonder about all the rock and roll memories these two warriors have experienced together and apart in the last four decades. Simon Kirke has always been one of my favorite drummers, and he looked like a happy surfer boy keeping the beat throughout the show. The encore began with a bluesy version of "Ready For Love" and then they rolled the grand piano out to the center of the stage. I knew the next song had to be "Bad Company" and sure enough Rodgers started playing the familiar opening riff while the crowd went wild. For a moment I went back to being a freshman in college, happy and hopeful, wondering what the future had in store. So many years later I was glad that future finally let me see Bad Company in concert. It was worth the wait.

Michael Jackson: King of Insomnia

One year ago Michael Jackson was preparing for his London comeback shows, rehearsing at Staples Center in Los Angeles and apparently, not getting enough sleep. According to published reports, Jackson had a light dinner at his rented Holmby Hills mansion with his children on June 24th, 2009, the last time they would see him alive. Then he headed off to the downtown Los Angeles arena to stage the first dress rehearsals of tunes like "Thriller" and "Billie Jean."
Those who saw and participated in the performances recalled that Jackson seemed in good shape and high spirits when he left around midnight. No one had any idea of the tragedy that awaited the self-proclaimed King of Pop.

When Jackson arrived home he began complaining of fatigue and the need to sleep, a common malady among entertainers who find it difficult to wind down after the "high" of performing, even in rehearsals. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, gave Jackson a 10 milligram Valium tablet but Jackson remained awake. A half-hour later Dr. Murray provided Jackson with 2 milligrams of the sedative lorazepam administered through a saline drip. Despite this medication that would have put a horse to sleep, the drugs had no effect on the singer. The doctor tried a 2-milligram dose of midazolam at 3am and another 2 milligrams of lorazepam at 5am. By the time the sun had risen on the fateful day of June 25th, Jackson was lying restlessly on the sheets of his Renaissance-style double bed. He began asking for the drug propofol.

Propofol is a powerful anesthetic used by doctors to put a patient "under" - to "knock them out" during surgeries. Special equipment and a specialist are usually required to administer the drug. Dr. Murray felt Jackson had become dependent on propofol and tried many alternatives to help Jackson sleep. He finally relented to his client's demands and at 10:40am added 25 milligramsof the substance to Jackson's drip. Finally the singer fell asleep. Forever.

I'm not trying to be cute or clever but we've all had troubles going to sleep, right?
My mom would always tell me to read a book or watch an old movie on TV. She said the worst thing was to lie in bed worrying and thinking. Where was Michael's mom during all this? Whatever happened to a shot of brandy and cup of herbal tea? Speaking of herbs, I bet MJ could have afforded the finest marijuana, and that certainly has a calming effect on most people. What about a hot bath? They say Michael did not drink alcohol, maybe this was the time to start. A couple glasses of wine might have done the trick. Or how about a simple Quaalude?

Obviously Michael Jackson's problems were not simple to solve. He was in debt and under the enormous pressure of completing a 50 show engagement in London. I could understand how it would be hard to sleep with all that going on. I find it remarkable that his doctor kept giving him drugs and no one suggested any homeopathic cures for his insomnia. If you're at the point in your life you need a powerful anesthetic just to fall asleep, then you don't have much of a
life anyway. Even if you are the King of Pop.

Bono's Back Surgery Postpones U2 Tour

Saturday morning at 5:30am I wake to the sounds of helicopters flying over my apartment. They are loud and disruptive. I find out later its another car chase, a rarity for my neighborhood but common enough in the Los Angeles area. Since Friday night is poker night at my place I am usually a wreck the next day, even if I get to sleep in. This day starts with a bad omen (helicopters usually mean something awful is happening) as I toss and turn while trying to go back to sleep. Finally I give up and get up to make the coffee and fetch the newspaper. On the inside of the Calendar section I notice a small article with the tag:

BONO HAS BACK SURGERY.
It goes on to say:

BERLIN — The manager of U2 says that frontman Bono has undergone emergency back surgery in a Munich hospital after he was injured while preparing for the group's tour. Band manager Paul McGuinness, in an MP3 posted on the website, said Friday that because of the injury, the band's "360-Degree" June 3 show in Salt Lake City, Utah, has been postponed. It was not immediately clear if other dates also were canceled. McGuinness says, "We hope to get things resolved as soon as possible."

I had plans to see the band on June 6th in Anaheim for my birthday but I was more concerned for Bono's health. I started a 72 hour vigil where I kept checking the band's website and other news sources for updates. Emergency back surgery sounds frightening and I was hoping Bono would have a speedy recovery. The guy just turned fifty and deserved to have a much better birthday than this! If the tour was going to be canceled, then I had hotel rooms to cancel. By the time Monday rolled around I was definitely worried about the singer because there had been no updates and I was expecting the worst. Maybe he was paralyzed. Maybe he broke his neck. Finally on Tuesday the internet was full of news:

(CNN) -- U2 lead singer Bono has been discharged from a German hospital where he was treated for a back injury. The band's North American shows have also been postponed until next year. Bono suffered a serious back injury Friday while preparing for the resumption of the band's U.S. tour, the band said, and had emergency surgery. "Bono suffered severe compression of the sciatic nerve," Dr. Muller Wohlfahrt said. "On review of his MRI scan, I realized there was a serious tear in the ligament and a herniated disc, and that conservative treatment would not suffice. I recommended Bono have emergency spine surgery." Tonn said Bono was in severe pain and had already suffered partial paralysis in his lower leg when he was referred. Tonn said Bono is now "much better" and has regained all movement. "The prognosis is excellent, but to obtain a sustainable result, he must now enter a period of rehabilitation." Eight weeks of rehabilitation is considered a minimum, Wohlfahrt said.

"Our biggest and I believe best tour has been interrupted and we're all devastated," McGuinness said in the statement. "For a performer who lives to be on stage, this is more than a blow. He feels robbed of the chance to do what he does best and feels like he has badly let down the band and their audience. Which is of course nonsense. His concerns about more than a million ticket buyers whose plans have been turned upside down we all share, but the most important thing right now is that Bono make a full recovery."

I did not go to the U2 show at the Rose Bowl last October (soon to be a DVD) because that place is a zoo when there's 50,000 people in attendance, even crazier when there's twice that much. I watched the YouTube broadcast that night and loved it, and regretted my decision to stay home. Now I regret it even more. Another lesson that you can't take anything in life for granted. All the great rockers who've entertained us throughout the years will not be performing forever. So if there's someone out there you want to see, GO FOR IT.
It might be your last chance.

Eagles' Long Road To The Hollywood Bowl

I first saw the Eagles in concert in 1972. They opened up for Procol Harum at the Santa Monica Civic and it was obvious they were going to be big stars. Four talented guys singing four-part harmonies on catchy hits like "Take It Easy" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling," effortlessly combining country music with rock and roll. I saw them many more times in the 70s, the decade they eventually embodied. Opening for Yes at the Long Beach Arena, headlining a New Year's Eve show at the Shrine (their first show with Joe Walsh as a guest guitarist) all leading up to their incredibly successful "Hotel California" tour. Since then "Their Greatest Hits" has become the biggest selling album of all time, and they've split up and reformed while adding and subtracting members. Their "Hell Freezes Over" show at San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium in 1994 was a incredible celebration of their body of work, both as a group and solo performers. It was great to see them back together again.

In April of 2010 the Eagles played their first set of shows at the Hollywood Bowl. It was hard to believe they'd never performed at the historic concert hall. Because if there's any place their music belongs, its Hollywood, city of dreams. The kind of stuff they've written about since 1972 and of course, not all those dreams come true. "Don and I wrote that song in a little apartment two blocks from here," Glenn Frey said about "Witchy Woman." Later he related the inspiration behind the hit "Lyin' Eyes." It came from hanging out at the notorious Dan Tana's bar in the 70's and watching the pretty women do their thing with often disastrous results. In the songs of the Eagles, everyone has dreams, but as that song concludes we find out "your new life didn't change things. Your still the same old girl you used to be."

It was good to see the Eagles as the same old band they used to be, although much more polished than they were in their heyday. Joe Walsh is now a senior member (in more ways than one!) of the band and contributed with his rowdy guitar playing and sense of humor on solo hits like "Walk Away," "Funk 49" and "Life's Been Good." The latter was played while videos and photos of the band in the 70s were shown on the massive video screen behind the stage. It was a humorous and touching addition to a "silly song" which appears to be the un-official anthem for a group whose members are now over sixty years old. In the middle of the song Walsh let us know that "the Lakers won!" which earned a roar from the hometown crowd.

Other highlights included an acoustic set which began the second half of the three hour show with the haunting acapella take on "No More Walks In The Woods." They played my favorite "Take It To The Limit" which always makes me miss original bass player Randy Meisner. His replacement, Timothy B. Schmidt, had the crowd singing along to his gorgeous ballad "Love Will Keep Us Alive" and of course his big hit "I Can't Tell You Why." Yet Walsh and Schmidt also provided the evening's two clunkers: "Guilty Of The Crime" and "I Don't Want To Hear Anymore" from the latest album "Long Road Out Of Eden." Those are the weakest songs from that otherwise delightful album. The Eagles played plenty of it at the Bowl, including the shoulda-been-a-hit "Too Busy Being Fabulous" and the epic title track.

It certainly has been a long road for the Eagles, a group that many love and others abhor. They've always been at the top of my list and I enjoyed hearing the new songs as well as the old ones. It was kinda like going back to your hometown years after you've left. Everyone
looks older but inside they're still the same people you once cared about, and still do.

McCartney's Magical Night At The Bowl

I have seen Paul McCartney five times in concert, beginning with a show at the Forum in 1989.
Every performance has been better than the last one, which is quite a feat, considering Paul was already forty-seven years old at my first show. Now he is three years shy of 70, giving credence to the old adage: "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?" In Paul's case, he still has the energy and enthusiasm of a 24-year old, which he was when The Beatles played their last show at Candlestick Park in August, 1966.

By then, Paul and his music were already a huge part of my life and I wasn't even ten! I knew all the words to every one of his songs and would lip-synch them for the amusement of my three sisters. He made me want to learn the guitar (and bass) a skill that greatly enhanced my teen-age years. In 1997 I finally made it to Liverpool where I went to a McCartney birthday party at the famous Jacaranda Club where the Beatles started out. Just like the man himself, his hometown exceeded my life-long expectations as I rode the Magical Mystery Tour bus and visited such sacred sites as Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane.

Obviously the man has had a huge influence on me. I have seen him perform with family and friends at my side and they've been some of the greatest moments in my life. So what made his show at the Hollywood Bowl March 30th so special? First, the location itself. The Beatles played the first rock concerts ever held there in 1964 and there's a special display about those dates near the entrance. A full moon in the sky and perfect weather added to the euphoric atmosphere inside the fabled amphitheater. And there was Paul, on stage with his killer band playing for nearly three hours! Looking good and sounding good, Macca played 34 songs which covered my entire life span. From the gentle "Blackbird" to the raucous "Helter Skelter," he played his old Hofner bass while singing complex vocals at the same time. Some songs he'd never done on stage before: "I'm Looking Through You" and "Ob-La Di-Ob-La-Da" were big surprises.

It wasn't just the old tunes that stood out. I loved the two songs from his recent "Fireman" project: "See The Changes" and "Highway." My favorite was "I Want to Come Home," a beautiful ballad from the movie "Everyone's Fine." Since the show it has become one of my favorites.

But my favorite song of all time is "Hey Jude." Hearing it for the fifth time, with 18,000 people singing the chorus, was as good as it gets for me. Because seeing Paul in person is not just another concert. Its an affirmation of the hero I chose as a kid whose music has guided my life for over five decades. During that time, I've learned how to "take a sad song and make it better"
and for that, I have to thank Sir Paul!

Paul McCartney's Return To Hollywood Bowl

John Lennon is singing "Stand By Me" on the radio, which is odd because I'm listening to my favorite sports talk show with Petros and Money, not an oldies rock station. It inspires me to sit down and write something but I'm not sure what. I started reading Philip Norman's biography of Lennon last week and I've been mowing through the 800 pages as if I was reading a John Grisham novel, instead of a John Lennon bio called "The Life." Part of a larger story that never fails to fascinate me. I've read countless books about the Beatles yet there is always more to learn about the greatest musical group in history. Norman's highly detailed account of Lennon perfectly mirrors the Paul McCartney bio by Barry Miles (Many Years From Now)
which I read last year. Its always good to hear both sides of the story. Who knew that folkie Delbert McClinton met Lennon in 1962 and showed him how to play harmonica?

And the story continues every day, even in this digital-I-don't-care world of 2010. What could be further from the idealism of the Beatles than the current narcissist trend which has pervaded our society? Somehow the Beatles survive: all four on CDs and film, Paul and Ringo in the flesh. The latter just released a fine new album called "YNot?" and will be touring this summer at the ripe old age of 70! At his Hollywood Walk of Fame induction last week he looked twenty years younger while announcing his upcoming tour with his All Starr band.

Then within a minute of hearing Lennon on the radio I found out Paul McCartney will be playing the Hollywood Bowl at the end of March and I hope I can get a ticket. Even the dear departed are represented in the modern day Beatle world. Tim Piper is performing to sell out crowds in Studio City as John Lennon in the "Just Imagine" play. George Harrison's spirit will forever live on in the Beatles LOVE show at the Mirage in Las Vegas. He was the one who had the foresight to create this incredible show before his untimely death.

Heck: all the Beatles are alive and well when I put on one of their records. While reading about Lennon's early days as a Beatle, I dragged out my Beatles at the Star Club 2 LP set (vinyl baby!) and listened to the whole thing while reading about the Hamburg days. Then I pulled out the Decca sessions LP and the Tony Sheridan LP. Man o man, I have not heard this stuff in ages
and the book and music really made things come alive.

Oh yeah, Petros and Money had a segment on their show about "things we appreciate."
Like I said, when you're a Beatle fan, there's plenty to appreciate.

And I did get a ticket to see Paul after all. Being a member of his fan club helped me get an $80 ticket at the presale. I'm so happy I won't even complain about the extra $20 in Ticketbastard fees! I missed seeing him and the boys at the Bowl in '64 and '65 but I'll be there March 30th ready to twist and shout.

Late To The Party But Lovin Elvis Costello's Spectacle

Last year when I first heard about Elvis Costello hosting a show on the Sundance Channel I laughed out loud. Surely this surly rocker was the last person anyone would choose to host a party, much less a television show. Yet Elvis Costello's "Spectacle" -which just completed its second season- is not only a musical treat but a sincere surprise from the chameleon crooner. On a foggy Saturday afternoon I watched 5 different hour-long episodes which left me wanting more. For that I'll have to wait until Wednesday Feb. 3rd when Sundance will televise the December episode featuring Bono and The Edge. I didn't see it when it originally aired because of a dispute with my cable company, Time Warner. I bet nearly everyone reading this has had a dispute with Time Warner, starting with their refusal to carry the NFL channel. Once I smoothed things over I began to catch up on some lost programs.

"Spectacle" is remarkable not only for the wide swath of guests who've appeared and often perform together (Norah Jones with John Mellencamp, Diana Krall (Elvis's wife) with Elton John (one of the show's producers), but also the enthusiasm which radiates from Costello as he interviews his guests. You could hear the reverence in Bruce Springsteen's voice as he discussed his Inauguration Day performance with folk legend Pete Seeger. The Boss also related his love for early punk music and the British band The Buzzcocks. Then the two of them blasted through a duet of Sam and Dave's "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down." When Bruce took center stage he settled down with a touching version of "Galveston Bay" (a request by Elvis) before ripping through "The Rising," strumming his guitar with a ferocity I haven't seen from him in years.

I have been going to Springsteen concerts since 1975 and I've read about five books on the guy but I learned more about The Boss in the "Spectacle" two-part episode than anywhere else. Prodded by Elvis, he kept referring to his songwriting as "just trying to figure things out. As a writer I'm trying to make sense of my own life and then what's going on around me." Then he shared one of his favorite quotes about rock and roll: "It creates an energy that pushes you into the future. It's about what's coming next, trying to pull tomorrow into the present."

On another episode Elvis sat in the guest chair and was interviewed by Mary Louise Parker who was thrilled to hear a solo acoustic take of "Brilliant Mistake." He talked about song writing with Paul McCartney before delving into a full band version of their unreleased song "So Like Candy." His band consists of long time sidemen Steve Nieve (keyboards) and Pete Thomas (drums) who play like its 1979 while backing up the musical guests. One performance included a line-up of Richard Thompson (guitar), Nick Lowe (bass), Allan Toussaint (piano) and Levon Helm (drums). The music was great but the stories they told were even better.

My thanks to Elvis Costello for allowing their stories to be told and their songs to be sung. Though I'm hoping for more, it looks like this will be the final season of "Spectacle." Repeats are shown Wednesday evenings on The Sundance Channel. (Season One is now available on DVD and Blue Ray).