Iggy Pop October 6, 1993 State Theater Detroit, MI

1. Down On The Street
2. Raw Power
3. T.V. Eye
4. Hate
5. Real Wild Child
6. Loose
7. I Wanna Be Your Dog
8. No Fun
9. The Passenger
10. Search and Destroy
11. Fuckin' Alone
12. Lust For Life
13. I'm Sick of You
14. Character
15. Wild America
16. Home
17. Social Life
18. Beside You
19. Sickness
20. Louie Louie
21. Caesar
22. China Girl
23. Johanna

Smoking set from Iggy on his home turf. I've seen Iggy a dozen times and I'm partial to the Instinct tour, but this show rocks! The Caesar material sounds great live! Enjoy this one!  

Download this show HERE.

Iggy Pop December 1, 1981 Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac, Michigan

 

This was the first time I saw Iggy, though I had been a fan for many years. Much has been said about this performance, mostly negative, but I thought it was brilliant. I do recall the staff sweeping the stage after Iggy's set and announcing what was thrown on the stage by the crowd. The article mentioning this below is highly exaggerated. I also recall Iggy being dressed in some sort of skirt. The sound quality of this recording is rough, really rough. I'm posting this for posterity. Enjoy, if you are so inclined.  

1. 1969
2. TV Eye

3. I'm Bored

4. The Winter of My Discontent

5. Some Weird Sin

6. Bang Bang

7. Eggs On Plate

8. I'm a Conservative

9. I Need More

10. Lust For Life

 

Download this show HERE.

Soul Asylum November 17, 2023 Reilly Arts Center Ocala, Florida

So many great bands have come from the Midwest over the years, especially from the early 1980's. A list of those bands would be long and impressive. One fine example is, of course, Soul Asylum, hailing from Minneapolis. Along with Replacements, Husker Du, Suburbs and others, they helped define the sound of mid-America in the 1980's for me. Many of these bands are no more, but Soul Asylum continues to release new music periodically, and tour. The cast of characters has changed many times over the years, but Dave Pirner and whoever may be on stage with him, always put on a great show. I thought it was fitting that they payed homage to another Midwest band from a couple decades earlier with the cover of  MC5's "Looking At You" (Don't get me started on Michigan bands...).

1. Somebody To Shove
2. Bittersweetheart
3. Misery
4. Oxygen
5. Hopped Up Feelin'
6. Never Really Been
7. If I told You
8. Homesick
9. Without a Trace
10. I Will Still Be Laughing
11. Losin' It
12. Summer of Drugs
13. Black Gold
14. Runaway Train
15. Closer To The Stars
16. Made To Be Broken
17. Just Like Anyone
18. encore break
19. Lookin at You
20. April Fool

Download this show HERE.

Check out their social media presence, including Facebook HERE.

Links to video of most of the show (not my source) Here, Here and Here

Robert Cray August 24, 1990 Bogart's Cincinnati, Ohio (with the Memphis Horns)

Here you have premier Rhythm and Blues, spiced up some by the Memphis Horns. Posting this one some thirty-four years after the fact, in anticipation of seeing him again in early 2024. I had seen Robert Cray a couple years earlier in Chicago, which was more raw and loose than this rather slick, Cincinnati show. Both very good shows. All of the shows I recorded at Bogart's from my sweet spot in the balcony turned out great. This one is no exception.

1. Phone Booth

2. March On
3. These Things

4. My Problem

5. Bouncin' Back

6. Bad Influence

7. The Forecast (Calls For Pain)

8. Right Next Door (Because of Me)

9. Consequences

10. The Things You Do To Me

11. Holdin' Court

12. Labor of Love

13. Walk Around Town

14. Acting This Way

15. band intro

16. Smoking Gun

17. Nothin' But a Woman

18. I Guess I Showed Her

19. Move a Mountain

Download this show HERE.

Visit Robert on the innerweb at his website HERE, or on Facebook HERE.

Newsboys October 20, 2023 Family Christian Center Clermont, Florida

I've seen Newsboys several times now, and maybe enjoyed this one a bit more than the rest. 

The "Let The Music Speak" tour included a "trip down memory lane" where the members recalled some of their early favorites and played them acoustically.

Also, different this time was the addition of Adam Agee (Stellar Kart/Audio Adrenaline) to the band, who complimented the band's sound nicely.

The show was, of course, amazing, and Duncan Phillips' drum twirl never gets old. The entire drum riser elevates (no big deal). Then the riser tilts 90 degrees toward the audience (a little more interesting), then the riser spins in complete circles while Duncan continues to play (ok, pretty cool). 

I really became a Newsboys fan by proxy. I caught onto DC Talk toward their end, and followed Michael Tait's solo career for many years, so the logical progression was to check out Newsboys. 

Download this show HERE. Check out this tour (or any of their tours) if you have a chance. Visit their Facebook page HERE,

 

1. Magnetic

2. That's How You Change The World

3. Live with Abandon

4. Something Beautiful

5. I Still Believe You're Good

6. Restart

7. banter

8. Born Again

9. Miracles

10. banter

11. Jesus Freak

12. band intro

13. Shine

14. In The Light

15. Breakfast

16. Entertaining Angels

17. banter

18. One

19. What If I Stumble

20. It Is You

21. You Are My King (Amazing Love)

22. The King Is Coming

23. Your Love Never Fails

24. He Reigns

25. King of Kings

26. Stand

27. I Speak Jesus

28. banter

29. We Believe

30. God's Not Dead

31. Revelation Song

Matchbox Twenty October 7, 2023 Hammond Stadium Fort Myers, Florida

Hurricane Ian had been downgraded from category 5 to a category 4 hurricane when it made landfall on September 28, 2022, devastating parts of southwestern Florida. Particularly hard hit was the Fort Myers’ area and the beautiful islands off the coast. Relief efforts have been ongoing, and on this night, relief came in the form of the Hurricane Heroes All-Star concert featuring Matchbox Twenty, Don Felder and others. The Charity Pros put together this event at Hammond Stadium, the first time such an event was permitted in the stadium in over ten years. The facility is home to the Mighty Mussels minor league baseball team, and is the spring training facility for the Minnesota Twins. On this particular evening though, it was all about giving back to the community in the form of music.

Having seen Matchbox Twenty just two months prior (after the tour had been rescheduled three times over three years due to Covid), on their Slow Dream Tour- their first since 2017, I knew what to expect, but was no less entertained. In fact, the band was a bit more raw this time since their tour formally ended in August and they hadn’t been playing together nightly. A new drummer, playing his first gig with Matchbox that evening, also added to the rawness. 

Grab their new album, Where the Light Goes if you are so inclined, and snag some merch HERE. Enjoy this one!

Download this show HERE.

1, Friends
2. How Far We've Come

3. Real World

4. Disease

5. Wild Dogs (Running in a Slow Dream)

6. She's So Mean

7. All I Need

8. Queen of New York City

9. Hand Me Down

10. If You're Gone

11. Mad Season

12. Don't Get Me Wrong

13. These Hard Times

14. The Way

15. Downfall-Knocking on Heaven's Door

16. Bent

17. Back 2 Good

18. Long Day

19. Rebels

20. 3 AM

21. Unwell

22. Push

23. Bright Lights

24. Don't You (Forget About Me)

Matchbox Twenty September 26, 2000 Value City Arena Columbus, Ohio

 Seems odd now that this one didn't make it to the blog sooner. Here you have Matchbox Twenty touring for their sophomore release, Mad Season. I enjoy their early work much more now than I did back then. When Rob Thomas talks about his songs, a repetitive theme is he wants each one to have meaning to the individual listener. That seems to be the way it has worked for me. Throughout the years, these songs have become increasingly meaningful as I've had another twenty-three years to relate to some of them.

I remember thinking when the Columbus Dispatch review of the show came out, how unfair I thought the reviewer (who I knew back in the day) was. Still seems a bit harsh.

I had a chance to catch their tour for their fifth studio album, Where The Light Goes, in Tampa a few days back, which led me to post this one from the archive. 

Anyway, like them or not,  you can listen if you want.  

1. Bent

2. Crutch

3. Argue

4. Girl Like That

5. Kody

6. 3 AM

7. Last Beautiful Girl

8. The Burn

9. Long Day

10. Hang

11. You Won't Be Mine

12. Rest Stop

13. If You're Gone

14. American Girl

15. Mad Season

16. Angry

17. Real World

18. Back 2 Good

19. Stop

20. Leave

21. Busted

22. Push

23. Black and White People

Download this show HERE.

Check out their new album, however you prefer to listen. 

Pink Spiders November 09, 2018 Soundbar Orlando, Florida

More than a decade had past since we first saw (a variation of) these guys, opening for Good Charlotte. Matt Friction, the only remaining original member of the Pink Spiders, brought this version of the band to the City Beautiful in support of The Smoking Popes. A great double bill, right? My first visit to the now defunct Soundbar, I ended up in the "balcony", a maybe 10'x10' stage overlook on the second level. It was a great spot to see the show, but not optimal for recording. Now, five years since seeing it, I post this as the Pink Spiders have released FREAKAZOID, their 5th studio album .

1. Teenage Graffiti
2. Sleeping On The Floor

3. Black Dagger

4. So Dumb

5. Capital F

6. Little Razorblade

7. Hollywood Fix

8. Still Three Shy

9. Modern Swingers

10. Easy Way Out

11. Gimme Chemicals

Download this show HERE.

Pick up FREAKAZOID and/or see these guys when they come to your town and buy a t-shirt for everybody you know.

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage April 30, 2022 Orange Blossom Opry Weirsdale, Florida (late show)

Fantastic Bluegrass music in a Fantastic venue. Four of these songs are from her new Grammy nominated release, Music Is What I See. This is a really solid album that you can pick up at her website, rhondavincent.com. It also come as a pretty cool mandolin shaped USB drive. At one point, the Rage was joined on stage by Bobby Randall (Sawyer Brown/Confederate Railroad) for their cover of Sawyer Brown's The Dirt Road. Randall is currently the band leader for the venue's house band that also opened the show.   

Download this show HERE.

1. intro
2. Jolene
3. instrumental
4. Beneath Still Waters
5. I'd Like To Be A Train
6. Tonight My Baby's Coming Home
7. Boston Boy
8. Farewell Party
9. Who's Cryin Baby
10. Mama Tried
11. Missouri Moon
12. Anywhere Is Home When You're With Me
13. banter
14. Music Is What I See
15. The Old Rugged Cross
16. The Dirt Road
17. There's A Record Book
18. I Ain't Been Anywhere
19. banter
20. Muleskinner Blues

Colin Hay April 23, 2022 Plaza Live Orlando, Florida

I bought this ticket sometime in 2019 before all the madness. Not really familiar with his solo work, so really wasn't sure what to expect. Some of the between song banter is pretty funny. Enjoy this one. 

1. intro/banter
2. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
3. banter
4. Beautiful World
5. banter
6. Man Without A Name
7. banter
8. Starfish and Unicorns
9. Maggie
10. banter
11. Now and Evermore
12. There's Water Over You
13. banter
14. Waterloo Sunset
15. The Sea of Always
16. banter
17. Agatha Bell
18. Frozen Fields of Snow
19. banter
20. Who Can It Be Now
21. banter
22. I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You
23. Overkill
24. Waiting For My Real Life To Begin
25. banter
26. Down Under

Download this show HERE.

Iggy Pop November 08, 1986 St. Andrew's Hall Detroit, Michigan

 So here is how I remember it 36 years later... 

A group of friends and I decided to take the trek to Detroit from small town Ohio for this show. I was a college student at the time and had recorded concerts that I attended on the cheap GE recorder that I used for lectures at The Ohio State University. I bought a Sony WM-D3 professional recorder to capture this show. I had seen Iggy on two prior occasions, so I knew it would be a great show. For some reason, I hadn't yet purchased an accompanying microphone. Instead, I borrowed one for this show from a fellow taper. 

We stayed at the Hotel Pontchartrain and walked to St. Andrew's Hall plenty early enough to hang out and meet Iggy if we had the chance. Instead, we met some folks out back that contributed to our party...

Once in the venue, we made our way to the balcony, where we had a great vantage point, and waited for the show to begin. 

It escapes me now, who opened for Iggy that night. When the main event started, I pushed the record button on my new recorder, and away we went. It truly was a fantastic show. Anyone who has ever seen Iggy will admit that his energy onstage is unmatched. I'll let the audio (and video) speak for itself and move on with the story. 

After the show, we waited around out back of the venue for a chance to see Iggy and get autographs, which we were ultimately successful at doing.

Once back to the hotel, we listened to the recording and continued the party, only to discover the first half of the show did not exist. Side A of the tape was not recorder. Not sure what may have happened, but this was the first time I had used the new recorder, so I chalked it up to user error. You can only imagine my disappointment. 

The next morning as we were preparing to head home, I noticed that the microphone I had borrowed was missing. As it was nowhere in the hotel room, we retraced our steps from the night before. We got back to the venue, and there was a cleaning crew that let us in to look around for the microphone. No luck inside, so we went out back to look around the parking lot. We found a cassette tape laying in the gravel. I picked it up and we headed back to the hotel. 

Once there, I placed the tape in the boom box (it was the '80's), and what played was the soundboard recording of the show from the prior evening.

Download the soundboard audio HERE
Download the audience audio HERE
Download the video HERE

Download the preshow interview from WLLZ HERE

1. I Got A Right
2. Gimme Danger
3. Some Weird Sin

4. Real Wild Child

5. Sister Midnight

6. Blah-Blah-Blah

7. Baby, It Can't Fall

8. Nightclubbing

9. Firegirl

10. 5'1

11. Shades

12. T.V. Eye

13. Down On The Street

14. China Girl

15. Hideaway

16. Winners and Losers

17. Isolation

18. encore break

19. Lust For Life

20. Raw Power

21. Cry For Love

Parts of this recording have been included on various bootleg vinyl and CD releases over the years, the most popular of which is Where the Faces Shine Volume 2.

Los Lobos February 12, 2022 Reilly Arts Center Ocala, FL

I hadn't seen Los Lobos since 1987. That year I saw them twice, touring behind their recently released By The Light Of The Moon- the follow-up to their major label debut How Will The Wolf Survive. That same year, they recorded several Richie Valens' covers for the soundtrack to La Bamba. These early releases were certainly represented in the set list of this show, as were several others from their now vast catalog, including their most recent release, Native Sons. This 2021 release features all cover that in one way or another relate to their native Los Angeles. Covers have always been a large part of their live shows. In fact, half of the songs played this evening were covers. This was a fine evening of entertainment, bringing back memories from my past, and making new ones for the future. 

Download this show HERE.

1. One Time One Night

2. Choco's Cumbia

3. The Valley

4. Shakin' Shakin' Shakes

5. Will The Wolf Survive

6. Come on, Let's Go

7. Love Special Delivery

8. Georgia Slop

9. That Train Don't Stop Here

10. Sabor a mi

11. Teresa

12. Kiko and the Lavender Moon

13. Ay te dejo en San Antonio

14. Volver, Volver

15. Don't Worry Baby

16. Mas y mas

17. Farmer John

18. La Bamba

Colt Ford October 8, 2021 ACE Cafe Orlando, Florida

1. It's All

2. Mr. Goodtime

3. Answer To No One

4. The Highlife

5. Back

6. Crank It Up

7. We The People

8. Chicken and Biscuits

9. Workin' On

10. Ride Through The Country

11. Keys to the Country

12. Slow Ride

13. Washed In The Mud

14. Cold Beer

15. Waffle House/Can't You See

16. No Trash In My Trailer

17. When Country Comes Back

18. Drivin' Around Song

19. Let's Go Crazy

20. Gimme Three Steps

21. Dirt Road Anthem

Download this show HERE.

Visit his website and buy his merch/music HERE.

Mr. Goodtime gettin'r done in Orlando after a way too long Covid-19 break. This was my first show since the onset of Covid, and my first time recording in this venue. Sounds pretty darn good. 

As always, Colt put on a great show. Not sure why, but he (the band) didn't sound quite as tight as I've seen in the past. They did throw in a couple covers during the encore, which surprised me. Anyway, enjoy the show!  

Wussy October 29, 2011 Northside Tavern Cincinnati, Ohio

1. Little Paper Birds

2. Pulverized

3. Chicken

4. Asteroids

5. Banter

6. Dreadful Sorry

7. Pizza King

8. Banter

9. Shunt

10. Happiness Bleeds

11. Muscle Cars

12. Magnolia

13. Airborne

14. Tiny Spiders

15. Wrist Rocket

16. Little Miami

17. Encore break

18. Waiting Room

19. Maglight

20. Rigor Mortis

This was the Strawberry CD release party and also the tavern's annual Halloween party. Wussy was dressed up as Lynyrd Skynyrd, post plane crash. Download this show, as well as many more pictures HERE: