Bon Jovi review

Bon Jovi were one of the very first shows I went to - memorable for all the wrong reasons - it was a hot humid day which finished with a hailstorm. Bon Jovi cut their set short. The show is in support of the album These Days. (Still actually on of their best albums in my view).

The nerd in me want to record the setlist from that concert too:

Bon Jovi - Eastern Creek Raceway, November 18, 1995

Rockin' All Over the World (John Fogerty cover) / Hey God / Livin' on a Prayer / You Give Love a Bad Name / Keep the Faith / These Days / (It's Hard) Letting You Go / Lie to Me / Someday I'll Be Saturday Night /  Something for the Pain / Because the Night (Patti Smith Group cover) / Damned / If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Right / Blaze of Glory (Jon Bon Jovi song) / Lay Your Hands on Me / I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (with Papa Was A Rolling Stone… more ) / 
Bad Medicine / With a Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles cover) / Never Say Goodbye / Always (additional lyrics) / Wanted Dead or Alive / Blood on Blood / This Ain't a Love Song

I certainly wouldn't recommend going to Eastern Creek for a concert.  These Days still is up there as one of my favourite Bon Jovi albums. 

I think Bon Jovi may have toured Australia twice since 1995, but this was the first time I managed to go., here's the set-list for the weekend's show via Setlist.fm.

Bon Jovi, Sydney, ANZ Stadium Dec 8, 2018

You Give Love a Bad Name / Raise Your Hands / Lost Highway / Who Says You Can't Go Home / This House Is Not for Sale / Roller Coaster / We Weren't Born to Follow / We Don't Run / It's My Life / God Bless This Mess / Born to Be My Baby / Have a Nice Day / Keep the Faith / Bed of Roses / Lay Your Hands on Me / I'll Sleep When I'm Dead / Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen From Mars / Livin' on a Prayer / 
Encore: Bad Medicine / Wanted Dead or Alive / I'll Be There for You / 
Encore 2: Blood on Blood / Someday I'll Be Saturday Night

They both were wonderful shows. I have to admit it Saturday night had more of a greatest hits tour rather than a tour promoting/supporting their latest album This House is Not For Sale. As an aside I've really enjoyed listening to live recording of This House is Not For Sale.

While I think its fair to say the songs still sound amazing. The noise of the crowd and band during Livin' on a Prayer was amazing Jon Bon Jovi's voice perhaps isn't is good as it once was. Though it might well have been the sound mix (and stadium).

The highlights of the night for me where Livin' on a Prayer, Bed of Roses, I'll Be There For You and Blood on Blood. The band certainly played many of my favourite songs.

Funnily enough the lyrics of Blood on Blood don't sit as well with me now.  The idea of paying for sex equated with coming of age.

I was slightly saddened by the fact they didn't play much of This House is Not for Sale,

I miss Richie Sambora who was involved in a lot of their earlier song-writing.  Can't for the life of me think why, but I hadn't heard as much of their music between These Days and 'This House..''. 

Def Leppard / Scorpions (Dallas Crane) Concert review

Def Leppard was one of the first metal bands I recall getting into - I think it was David Gray and Michael Gromek who were the inspiration. It was I think 1991, and Let's Get Rocked cane out. The attitude in that song certainly resonated with the teenager in me. I don't recall Def Leppard visiting Australia often, so I had been keeping an eye on tickets hopeful that if I was well enough the week before, I'd buy a ticket and go. I do have to admit it was touch and go at some points about whether I would go, but I did end up going, and they did not disappoint.

I have to admit, I am a Scorpions fan, and the fact they couldn't perform was disappointing, as was the way the news wasn't really circulated before the show at the venue. That said I still had an awesome night. Most people would remember The Scorpions from this song Winds of Change. I feel like it was their only big hit in Australia.

It was quite an interesting crowd, comprised mostly of dads and their teenage daughters and sons. There was certainly a lot of long hair in the room.

Have to take my hat of to Dallas Crane - a Melbourne based rcok band who were invited mid afternoon to play. The crowd warmed up slowly for them. Have to admit I won't be checking them out in the future, but they did a great job, in the circumstances.

Def Leppard hit the stage just after 9, and began by playing their album Hysteria in full, before concluding with a variety of tracks - some pre Hysteria and some more recent, like Let's Get Rocked, Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad.  Hard to believe that Hsyteria is now 31 years old.

A couple of highlights for me were Love Bites, Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad, Hysteria, and there was a very tasteful and moving tribute to Stephen Clark, their original lead guitarist. I am blown away every time I look at Rick Allen - their drummer who has one arm and plays mostly with his feet. If you're just listening to the music you'd just never know that.

Joe Elliot fnished by telling us we were a great audience, and that they won't forget us, and they're will be a next time - they will be back. I'm certainly hoping his words come true.

Edited to include the setlist:

Women / Rocket / Animal / Love Bites / Pour Some Sugar on Me / Armageddon It / Gods of War / Don't Shoot Shotgun / Run Riot / Hysteria / Excitable / Love and Affection
Encore: Let It Go / When Love and Hate Collide / Let's Get Rocked / Rock of Ages / Photograph.

What I've been into ...

Over the past few stays at hospital I’ve been able to discover a bit more music, books and a little television. So I thought that I’d take the time to share a few of these.  

Musically speaking – while I often have found U2 to be the soundtrack to my life and I certainly listened to Songs of Experience a lot while I was in hospital - I tried to listen to music from new artists too. 

I used Under the Radar to help. Under the Radar Media is an American based, independent Christian Music website. UTR had coincidentally just put together a playlist on Spotify, so I listened to that; exploring albums from artists I liked the sound of as I went through the playlist.

Some recent discoveries were Drakeford (a folk duo), Jillian Jones (probably folk as well).  The playlist included recent songs from long-term favourite artists of mine like Andrew Osenga, Andrew Peterson, Taylor Leonhardt and Christa Wells to name a few.

Another artist I listened to while I was in hospital was Shane & Shane – I really enjoyed hearing them sing some of the Psalms. The Psalms are a book of the bible I’ve found myself coming back to a bit over the last little while.

Bottom line – if you’re looking for more music, especially Christian music, and don’t know where to start I’ll totally recommend the Under the Radar playlist on Spotify. If you do like what you find – visit the artists website and buy their albums.

Onto books – the last few I finished were Father Rod Bower’s ‘Outspoken’, Behrouz Boochani’s ‘No Friend but the Mountains’ and Kon Karapanagiotidis’ ‘Power of Hope’. Each of which are powerful works, challenging reminders of the times we are living in and in their own way each provoked me to think about the person I am and the life I'm living. 

Boochani is a detainee on Manus Island and writes an account from the prison. His book is a reminder to me that the Australian government and opposition have lost their moral compass. It certainly is a difficult read. It is hard to read it and not be moved by it - moved to action, moved to dismay that our political leadership sees Manus Island and what it represents as how to best deal with refugees. 

Father Bower currently serves at Gosford Anglican Church and came to prominence through some of the messages he has put up on the churches sign board. The church speaks with a compelling voice for social justice. The book is autobiographical and details Rob’s life and ministry, but at the same time offers a challenge to Christians in terms of how they live out and let their faith impact their life.

Kon’s book the Power of Hope is not only autobiographical but details an Australia we could be prouder of, in terms of how the country treats our first peoples, refugees and women. 

Implicit in all three books is the challenge we face to help make Australia better than it is, and to make our world a better place. I know that I’ll be re-reading the books by Kon Karapanagiotidis and Father Bower, primarily to think more about their manifesto for change in themselves.

Currently on my to read list is Dr Kirstin Ferguson's 'Womenkind' which recaps her Celebrating Women project from last year; Leigh Sales new book 'Any Ordinary Day: Blindsides, Resilience and What Happens After the Worst Day of Your Life' and Gillian Triggs' autobiography 'Speaking Up'.

Before leaving books, if anyone has any recommendations for some funny stories to read I’d love to get them, would make a change from the serious and challenging books I tend to read. 

On the TV front – I started to watch Suits. Started to watch might be slightly kind – I slept through some of it. But I plan to revisit it.

Last Monday night’s Australian Story, Four Corners and QandA were all quite exceptional.  The discussion on QandA was really fascinating, and I enjoyed listening to Germaine Greer more than I thought I would.  It has been a while since I really watched QandA and the episode seemed to do better than most at showing how good the show can be. I’m a big fan of the addition of the ‘People’s panellist’ who’s designed to represent the average punter.

Four Corners was a slightly depressing view about the state of aged care facilities in this country. It certainly will be interesting to see what is uncovered by the Royal Commission and what is done especially seeing as along with a Federal Election, elections in New South Wales and Victoria are imminent. I know that the picture of what Aged Care centres look like in Australia is more complicated than shown in the television show and there are some great homes out there, but that the incidents could happen at all is concerning.

Australian Story focused on the story of Emma Watkin (aka Emma Wiggle). Detailing how she became a ‘Wiggle’, her health battles and her relationship with ‘Lachy’ (the purple Wiggle). I certainly admire her openness about both her health and relationship with Lachy.

Year in review - Music and Reading

Time to recap the year in music and books.  I didn't watch any films though I'm hoping to see the new Star Wars film The Last Jedi.

Books
I didn't read much this year - the standout was Prophetic Lament by Soong-Chan Rah.As I mentioned here the book is about the place of lament in the life of the church. The book focuses on the United States, but I feel pretty confident in saying that lament doesn't have much of a role in the Australian church. My goal was to read 43 books, I've currently read seven, so next year's goal will be a little less ambitious.

Music
It has been a different story with music.  I've listened to quite a bit of music and I'd say it's been a good year.

The memorable releases during the year for me:

• U2 - Songs of Experience
• Julien Baker - Turn on the Lights
• December - 33
• Pearl Jam - Let's Play Two
• Amanda Held Opelt - Embers
• Nichole Nordeman - Every Mile Mattered
• The Likes of Us - Roots and Wings
• Taylor Leonhardt - River House
• Lara Landon - The Never Again

As always, I exclude cover albums and live albums from my best of list. Although during the year I've enjoyed listening to Pearl Jam's 'Let's Play Two' which features songs recorded during the two concerts the band played at Wrigley Field (home ground of the Chicago Cubs), and December's album 33, featuring covers of U2 songs.

So onto the rest of the albums, the three that stand out are Nichole Nordeman's Every Mile Mattered; U2's Songs of Experience and Juilen Baker's Turn on the Lights; an honorable mention goes to Amanda Held Opelt's Embers. These albums are tied together by the personal nature and authenticity of the lyrics. The albums resonated with where I am at he moment in my life but particularly Nichole Nordeman and U2. Songs of Experience and Every Mile Mattered are probably my joint album of the year. I've found it really hard to separate them given their emotional impact on me. 

Both albums are really deep lyrically, and with Songs of Experience, I certainly notice different lyrics or notes each time.

In terms of live music, I saw three shows this year - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band; Fleet Foxes and Lisa Hannigan.  Of these, I think my favourite was Bruce Springsteen - He's just an amazing performer, with some really powerful and moving songs.  Lisa Hannigan was brilliant too, she has a beautiful voice and it was lovely seeing how delighted she was to be playing in the Sydney Opera House. 

Next year is looking great too.  I'm looking forward to the new albums by Glen Hansard, Katie Herzig, Christa Wells and Sarah Blasko, and we'll see what else comes along. 

On the touring front, on my wish list are tour announcements from U2, Radiohead, Pearl Jam and Bon Jovi, but who knows :). 

December - 33

One of the albums I've been excited about hearing all year, finally arrived in my email box yesterday.  It's due for release on September 30. I gave it the old school treatment, while I don't yet have a CD book to finger through. I put earphones on, turned off the lights and let the music speak to me.

The album in question is December's '33'.  The album is a collection of U2 songs. They're more than covers,  they've been given a breath of freshnes.  I just love Ails voice, she brings the earnestness and passion you know from Bono. There's a refreshing thing about hearing these songs, sung by a female vocalist and stripped back a little.

The album doesn't contain the band's biggest hits, but rather a collection of deeper cuts from their catalogue, including God Part II (R&H), Surrender (War),  and a couple of my favourites Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (Achtung Baby) and Bad (The Unforgettable Fire).  Along with those there's the beautiful Promenade, the powerful Surrender, and the fan favourite Where the Streets Have No Name. The album also includes A Sort of Homecoming, Invisible, I Fall Down and Ultra Violet (Light My Way).

It's a collection made by a group of people who clearly both know and love the band with songs from throughout the bands history. I'm excited to hear their own new music shortly, and hopefully a volume 2 of U2 covers down the track. The album is out on September 30 and you can order it from here.

OK Computer - Radiohead

It's hard to believe it but Radiohead's OK Computer just turned twenty. It was released on May 21 1997.  The first I heard of Radiohead was their 1993 song 'Creep' which I don't recall thinking much of at the time. I completely missed their second album 'The Bends', though looking back I recall 'Fake Plastic Trees' which was on the soundtrack to Clueless.

OK Computer came out at just the right time for me, I was at Uni and my classmates were introducing me to a range of artists I hadn't heard before and I was looking exploring new music.

I loved the album on my first listen, I remember it being an album that was best listened to with headphones as there was so much going on with both Thom's voice and the band playing behind. I loved Thom's voice which was so unique, and I loved how it changes within and between songs.

The highlights for me back in 97 were Paranoid Android, Exit Music (for a film) and Let Down. Radiohead still have a knack for putting out albums with bleak lyrics, and probably are one of the few bands I listen too were the sound gets me more than the lyrics.

It is an album that hasn't aged, each of those tunes sounding as fresh now as in 97. It was their 1998 live show which really cemented to me how great the band is.  I just remember being stilled by the music, the performance was almost note perfect.

Worth reading this Rolling Stone piece about the album ahead of Friday's release of the anniversary issue.

Lost at Sea: Songs of (or from) Faith amidst trial

 It's no surprise how much I love music, so I thought I'd take some time to share a play list that I have been listening to over the past 11 months. At various points I get stuck in certain songs, but the movement of the playlist in some ways resembles my own journey. I gave the playlist the title: Lost at Sea: Songs of Faith Amidst Trial.

Lament - St Paul's Castle Hill: I cannot say how thankful I am this song was written. The song is based on Psalm 88. The Psalms have been a source of encouragement to me. The authenticity with which the Psalmist knows his own emotions, how he cries out to God, recognising this is not what life should be, but often returning to a declaration of faith.

Lost at Sea - Carisa Turner:  Decided to include this one as there is no telling how many times in the past year I have just felt lost or all at sea.

Oh My God -Jars of Clay and Vice Verses - Switchfoot: These songs were both included as the cry of my heart to find meaning to it all..

Darkest Night - Chasing Summer: Loved how the song reminds us we are not alone even in each of our darkest nights. They have been a few of thoses, but as the Psalmist writes 'Joy comes in the morning'.

When the Rain Comes - Third Day:  A reminder from a friend that though they can't stop the pain, they will stand with you.  I have been so blessed with all of the friends who are standing with me in the rain.

Carry Me - Jenny & Tyler (w Mac Powell):  Not only that, amidst the pain, the author of life has had my cries, and is carrying me. Providing strength, when I have none. In terms of the song, I just love with Mac Powell adds to it.

Hold On - Nichole Nordeman  A beautiful reflection on the love of God, how it is with us wherever we are, and believes we are worth it.

You Hold it All Together - All Sons & Daughters  A great reminder that, no matter how messy things are or get. They are all held together by God. In Him remains our salvation, our strength, and our song.

You Never Let Go - Rebecca St James - A reminder that God is with us in and  through the storms of life. A day is coming when all of these storms will be stilled.

Desert Song - Hillsong. "all of my life, in every season, you are still God. I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship".

Blessed Be Your Name - Rebecca St James The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, and our hearts chose to bless the name of the Lord.  Whatever the Lord, gives, or doesn't give me, I know He has given what He intended me to have.

Find You On My Knees - Kari Jobe - I have certainly found prayer hard at various points during the year. But I think that there's certainly truth in the words of this song. When the pain is real ...  I hope to find God in the place I am.

We'll Rise Again - The City I Long For A great reminder of what this broken world is destined for, renewal and rebirth.

We Declare - Carisa Turner - Like the Psalmist I wanted the playlist to end with a declaration of praises. As I'm often at  this point too, I am holding on to the promises of God. Sometimes it seems like its with a monkey grip, at other times I'm clutching for fingernails.

Live it Well - Switchfoot I've included this song as a reflection on how I want to be living - living for more than just a funeral. One Life, One Story to tell.

My Musical Journey with U2

I have been meaning to write this post for sometime, and given March has been 'U2 month' (thirty years since The Joshua Tree, and twenty since Pop) it seemed like the perfect time to write about what the band means to me. 

I am fairly sure the first I heard of U2 was listening to Rattle and Hum in a friends car heading down to a church camp. The version of I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For really struck me.

In 1991 U2 released Achtung Baby for the first time and was totally blown away by both the music and lyrics. The taped copy I owned is now worn out from being played so much.

The first CD I bought with my own money was a recording of their Dublin concert during the ZooTV tour (28 August 1993). In hindsight I wish I went to the Sydney show. 

After the Passengers album I was more excited for new U2 music. Pop was the first album I really got into and was really excited when it was released. I joined the mailing list Wire and read what I could about the album and the tour. I remember tracking down singles for If God would Send His Angels. I loved the B-sides too - Slow Dancing (w Willie Nelson), Edge singing and playing Sunday Bloody Sunday on his own. Not to mention North & South of the River.

After Pop and Achtung Baby I explored U2's back catalogue. The Unforgettable Fire became another of my favourite U2 albums.

PopMart was the first time I saw the band live. It was just a special show. I'll have to post my thoughts about the concert too. The two lasting memories of that night were hearing the first notes of Bad and the performance of One.  Bad has always been one of my favourite songs so it was awesome to hear them play it live. The second moment was at the end of the concert when Bono dedicated One to Michael Hutchence, the band turned off the lights and the screen and played illuminate by an electrical storm. That moment highlighted to me what a special band they were. and how Bono was able to create extraordinary moments out of nothing.

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is the only album I queued up at midnight to buy. I was pretty excited for the album after hearing Vertigo  I sat in bed reading through the booklet and listening to the album through headphones.  For me, it would be one of the strongest albums in terms of the song-writing. I love Edge' solo in Miracle Drug, just magical.

During the Vertigo tour, I saw U2 overseas for the first time, watching shows in Miami and New York, before seeing them play in Sydney on my birthday.

Each of the three shows was memorable in different ways - Miami for Miracle Drug, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses and 40, New York, for Original of the Species and Bad, Sydney for Kite. 

The band is the soundtrack to my life, with a song for every occasion. Songs of faith, doubt, love, political songs, and some fun romantic songs too, Wild Honey for example :). 

I have often see I Still Haven't Found as a theme song, I love the restlessness in it 

What I really love about the band is the timeless nature of their songs - their music is as relevant (or more relevant) than when they recorded it. So for me its hardly surprising the band is performing shows to celebrate 30 years since the release of The Joshua Tree. It is not a tour based from nostalgia, the album hasn't aged, and the themes are as relevant today as they were when the album was released in 1987.

Other songs, are reborn due to historical events - Please during 2001 and during the last tour Bullet the Blue Sky, Zooropa and Where the Streets Have No Name were used to speak about the refugee crisis, which worked perfectly. 

I can't think of another band who would have handled playing New York after 9/11 and Paris last December as well as U2. The class of U2 showed when they brought on The Eagles of Death Metal to play with them (and play one of their own songs) and the respect they showed to the victims. 

My favourite albums change, but at the moment, its Achtung Baby, Pop, and The Unforgettable Fire (with How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb  just missing out).  They are the albums I keep coming back to.  

The other great thing about U2 is being introduced to great new artists, that I may not otherwise have heard. Also through reading interviews and books I have also found new artists or films.

Pop- 20 Years on ....

March is a big month for U2, in 1987 The Joshua Tree was released. In 1997 U2 released Pop, what was then and still is now one of my top three U2 albums.

A favourite both in terms of the song writing and the music which was unlike anything U2 (or perhaps anyone) had done before. I vaguely recall hearing Discotheque prior to the album release. 

After the album was released I joined the U2 fan email list WIRE so I could find out more about the album and tour. It was the first tour I followed, and eventually the first time I saw the band live. It was also the first time I made an effort to buy each single. The highlights being a new mix of If God Will Send His Angels, Slow Dancing (w/ Willie Nelson) and live versions of Please and Staring at the Sun and the stunning acoustic version of Sunday Bloody Sunday from Sarajevo sung by the Edge.

Back to the album, I recall being struck by the lyrics the first few times I listened to the CD. It was one of the deeper albums U2 have written. The standout tracks for me were If God Will Send His Angels, Staring at the Sun, If You Wear that Velvet Dress and Please. The album still resonates with me as much as when I first heard it, primarily because the songs have not aged, Please is as relevant now as when it was written.

PopMart was the first time I saw the band live. It was just a special show. The two lasting memories of that night were hearing the first notes of Bad and the performance of One.  Bad has always been one of my favourite songs so it was awesome to hear them play it live (complete with snippets of Waltzing Matilda).

The second moment was at the end of the concert when Bono dedicated One to Michael Hutchence, the band turned off the lights and the screen and played illuminate by an electrical storm. That moment highlighted to me what a special band they are. and how Bono was able to create extraordinary moments out of nothing.

It still bothers me that U2 seem to have forgotten the album exists. With only Gone, Discotheque, Please and Staring at the Sun played in concert since the PopMart tour. PopMart is up there as my favourite tour. I would have loved to see at 20th Anniversary Edition of Pop complete with another PopMart show and other remixes from the era. 

The Joshua Tree - Thirty years on

I don't recall the first time I heard The Joshua Tree. I have a vague recollection of hearing I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For on my sister's radio. I have a stronger recollection of hearing the Rattle and Hum version during a car trip down to the South Coast. I know the first U2 album I bought was Achtung Baby. The first album I was really excited about was Pop. I know I explored the U2's back catalogue between the two albums, but I can't tell you when I first heard it. 

The Joshua Tree is an almost faultless album. I can't just listen to one or two songs, I have to play it right through, which is exactly what is intended

Where the Streets Have No Name is the best opening track to an (maybe any) album. The way it starts, builds in intensity before easing off is just magical.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For is a great song, and in some ways became my theme song. I love the restlessness in the lyric.  I know that Bono talks of it being a song from doubt, but I've always seen it as a song of or from faith. 

Even though the album is now thirty years old, the themes the album wrestles with are still present today. One of my favourite lyrics is In God's Country, 'We need new dreams tonight'.  I can't help but look at Australia (and America) and say where are the dreamers, where are those who would lead and guide us to be all that we can be, as people or as a nation.

The other songs which have resonated with me Running to Stand Still (about Heroin), Red Hill Mining Town (feel this song is so relevant in Australia as our manufacturing industry suffers and the mining boom ends), One Tree Hill (on the death of a friend), Mothers of the Disappeared (political prisoners).

Listening to it recently, I am valuing Trip Through Your Wires more, it's the song that lightens the mood, and prepares you for the second intense wave of emotion.

Speaking of emotion - With or Without You is just a magical song, and it goes to another level when the band plays it live, with the 'Shine like Stars' and 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' snippets. 

The album's strength is show in the songs left off the album - Walk to the Water, Luminous Times (Hold on to Love), and Spanish Eyes. Each of these are powerful and emotional songs and deserve to be more well known. I'm hoping, but not expecting, we'll see and hear some of these in the tour later this year.

Coldplay - review

There are only a few bands that can really pull off a stadium show. Where the music, performance and staging combine to reduce the size of the arena and bring the audience together, and break down the barrier between performer and audience. U2 are one and attending Coldplay's December show last year confirmed that they belong in this category.

The first thing I noticed was Chris Martin's energy, he ran and jumped onto the stage, and didn't stop running for about two hours.  Everyone who attended the show was given a wristband, which was illuminated in different colours at different points of the show, which just looked awesome. The other highlight was the balloons which were released during Adventure of a Lifetime.

Setlist, December 13, 2016
O mio babbino caro (Intro) / A Head Full of Dreams / Yellow / Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall / The Scientist / Birds / Paradise (with Tiësto remix outro) / Always in My Head / Princess of China / Everglow / Clocks / Midnight / Charlie Brown / Hymn for the Weekend / Fix You / Heroes / Viva la Vida / Adventure of a Lifetime / Kaleidoscope (tape) / In My Place / Green Eyes / A Sky Full of Stars /  Up&Up / Christmas Lights.

It was hard to be disappointed with their setlist. They played all my favourites, and a few surprises including 'Christmas Lights' (their Christmas song). They also snippeted John Farnham's You're the Voice at a couple of points during the show. have been together for 20 years now, and it shows in the chemistry they have.

The music and positive energy really filled the stadium and created an electric atmosphere, which I doubt would have been replicated at Homebush.

Bruce Springsteen - review

Last week I went and saw Bruce Springsteen & the E Street band in Sydney. He has always been on my list of musicians to see live, and needless to say I was not disappointed. One of the first things I noticed on the way to the show was the average age of the concert goer. His shows have been described as a religious experience, I might not chose those words, but it was an awesome night, with a crowd who were really into the show.

I really love both his voice and the passion he sings with. Hard to believe at 67 he's still powering on, even crowdsurfing.. I also love how a lot of his songs are telling stories,which less seems less common these days. It was great that he let the songs speak for themselves, which is perhaps more powerful than speaking before or after the song.

What really struck me at the show was the chemistry between the band members. It was awesome to see a tribute to the original saxophonist Clarence Clemens during 10th Avenue Freeze Out. I love Jake Clemen's saxophone, particularly in Jungleland, Dancing in the Dark.  The saxophone adds so much to each song.

Setlist:
New York City Serenade / American Land / The Ties That Bind / No Surrender / Out in the Street / My Love Will Not Let You Down / Hungry Heart / Long Tall Sally / Wrecking Ball / Darkness on the Edge of Town / American Skin (41 Shots) / Youngstown / The Promised Land / Mary's Place / Candy's Room / She's the One / Downbound Train / I'm on Fire / Because the Night / The Rising / Badlands / Thunder Road / Jungleland / Born to Run / Dancing in the Dark /
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out / Shout / Bobby Jean.

There were so many highlights in the show.  I was really excited to hear American Skin, Jungleland, Dancing in the Dark, and really loved New York City Serenade, complete with a string section. The other awesome thing about the show was seeing the energy he put in to connecting with the crowd that night, and making it special.  He played at list three songs from sign requests, and pulling people up onto the stage for Dancing in the Dark.

I certainly would go back and see him again if I got the chance, but the other awesome thing with Bruce Springsteen is that you can buy a CD or digital recording of the show and relive it :)  Personally I wish more bands would do that.

Music ..

Given it is almost February, I thought it about time to write about my favourite music from the past twelve months.

The top five are

5. All Sons & Daughters - Poets and Saints
The album is a journey into the lives and stories of a handful of Christ-followers God used to wake up the world. The songs on the album reminded me that God never changes, but God changes everything.

His Spirit moves among those who seek Him"forged in fires of suffering and brokenness"poets and saints continually redeemed and restored by His grace.

An album which was what I needed to hear through the past year.

4. The Rescues - The Rescues
I just love the sound and harmonies of the band.

3. December - I Will Let You Have Your Say
I first heard December when they penned a tribute song to Alison Stewart in 2015.  Their full length album was released in 2016, and I wrote about it here. Love the concept of the album, and the stories it tells. They also include an awesome cover of 'A Sort of Homecoming' (one of my favourite U2 songs).

2. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Just a great album it reminds me of both In Rainbows and Kid A. Would love to hear the album played live, but to date their are no rumors of concerts in Australia. :(

1. Switchfoot - Where the Light Shines Through
Easily the most played album of the past twelve months for me. The lyrics really spoke to the circumstances of my life, and the social and political situation in the US.

The songs which really hit me from the album were Where the Light Shines Through, I Won't Let You Go, and Live it Well.

The lines which struck me were about darkness being where we see the light, and from the song Live it Well - I'm living for more than a funeral, I wanna shine brighter than the dawn; is a huge challenge in how I face this year.

Hon Mentions
Audrey Assad - Inheritance - a beautiful collection of hymns an album I've played to preach to myself through the past twelve months.
Lisa Hannigan - At Swim
I love Lisa's voice and this is just a great collection songs.

Others: 
I've excluded these because they are Christmas albums. But Garrell's Christmas album is one of my favourites from the year. The other two I listened to were JJ Heller's - Unto Us and Jenny & Tyler's Christmastime.

The other albums I've listened to through the year were R.E.M's Out of Time (which was reissued during November when it celebrated it's 25th Birthday); the Hamilton musical, recordings of several Bruce Springsteen concerts and Coldplay's A Head Full of Dreams.

The other musical highlights for the year where seeing Glen Hansard and Coldplay. I'll post about the Coldplay concert shortly. As I write this, I have a Bruce Springsteen show to look forward to next week.

There are rumours of a U2 tour, but I will believe that when it's announced. I am looking forward to reading about U2's Joshua Tree tour, running from May to August in the US and Europe. The other great music news for me is that Pearl Jam will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

Ten albums

I've seen this in a few places, list ten influential albums when you were a teenager.  I've taken this to mean that albums influential to me while I was a teenager. I've limited this to one per artist. Most of the albums were released in 1991 or 1992.

U2 - Achtung Baby (1991) - Not much to say about this album than hasn't already been said. Almost the perfect album for me.

R.E.M. - Automatic for the People (1992) - Was a toss up between this one and Out of Time. Automatic for the People got it because of Everybody Hurts (the film clip is one of the more moving ones you will see).

Bon Jovi  Keep the Faith (1992) - Loved the film clip for Bed of Roses. Keep the Faith was not only the first Bon Jovi album I owned, and one of my first CDs. I've never forgotten their Eastern Creek Show in 1995. Jimmy Barnes and Keanu Reeves band (Dogstar) were support. But I think Dogstar didn't play because of the weather. We stood through a massive hailstorm before Bon Jovi took the stage.

The Corrs - Forgiven not Forgotten (1995) - I've always liked traditional Irish music, and The Corrs were easy and fun to listen too. One of the first concerts I saw too.

Jewel - Pieces of You (1994) - A distinctive voice (and sound), and I love her lyrics.

Def Leppard - Adrenalize (1992) -  Loved the attitude of Let's Get Rocked (which was my introduction to Def Leppard).  They one band that I would have loved to seen live.

Living Colour - Stain (1991) - One of the bands which were big with my school group. They were the first band I saw live (at the Hordern Pavilion, in 1993, Set list). I'd only heard their song Love Rears its' Ugly Head (on a compilation tape).

Genesis - We Can't Dance (1991) - I recall being moved by their song No Son of Mine.(the song is the story of a boy who runs away from his abusive home and then returns home to be rebuked). Really love Phil Collins voice. The album also features the fun I Can't Dance.

Roxette - Joyride (1991) -  Really enjoyed the title track, and the distinctive voices of Pers and Marie. Was such a blast seeing them live in 2014, such a fun show.

Bryan Adams - Waking up the Neighbours (1991) - After Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Every I Do (I do it for You) was heard quite frequently in our house, and I got into the album from their.

A few other albums I recall fondly from the period were Extreme's - Pornograffitti (1990) (the song with the biggest radioplay was More than Words) and Mr Big's - Lean into It (1992) - a great album, and the biggest (only) single was To Be With You. Though I wasn't into them at the time, Pearl Jam's Ten is another brilliant album from that era which I'v grown to love.

Three albums...

A while ago I saw a lot of people post about influential albums to their life.  I've finally taken the time to list mine. Each album prompted me to not only know more about the artist, but also through their tastes, and interaction with other fans my musical taste was broadened. 

(1) Achtung Baby - U2

One of the first albums I bought with my own money. An almost perfect album, I love both the music lyrics. The darkness of the album is one of its' strengths. Standout tracks (10 years later), Love is Blindness, One, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, So Cruel.  Love is Blindness is still one of my favourite U2 songs, the live version is just magical.

Can hardly believe the album is now 25 years old. Would pay so much to hear U2 play it straight through and can you imagine if they played it with an orchestra!

(2) Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay

Jars of Clay were the first "Christian" band I listened too.  Love the authenticity of the lyrics.  World's Apart is one of my all time favourite songs - the music and lyrics blend perfectly together.  Through Jars of Clay I discovered so many other artists.  My love of Jars of Clay has grown with each album, and I think their song writing has also developed a great deal.

 

(3) The Swell Season - The Swell Season 

Another almost perfect album. Glen Hansard's voice matches perfectly with Marketa Irglova. Like the others above, its an album you listen to all the way through. Hansard and Irglova bring light and shade to each song and the result is just beautiful. Just can't rate this album highly enough. 

Mic Christopher - Skylarkin'

Continuing the journey through some of my favourite (lesser-known) albums. This week it is the turn of Mic Christopher's posthumously released Skylarkin' (2002)  

The album was finalised by Karl Odlum (of Mic's old band, The Mary Janes) and David Odlum (of The Frames). Many fellow musicians from the Irish music scene contributed to the album including Glen Hansard and Colm Mac Con Iomaire of The Frames, Rónán Ó Snodaigh of Kíla, Lisa Hannigan and Gemma Hayes.

Mic Christopher is an American born - Irish singer-songwriter, who died in a tragic accident during 2001. You can read more of his story here.

I think I first heard of Mic Christopher when The Frames covered his song Hey Day. As mentioned in the article above Glen Hansard and Mic Christopher often went busking together. 

The album is best described as folk rock.  My favourite tracks are Hey Day, Listen Girl and Daydreaming. It's certainly an album that demands you listen and pay attention. 

I definitely recommend checking out the album if you are a fan of Irish music in general, or Glen Hansard in particular. 

The Rescues - Crazy Ever After

The second album in the series is The Rescues' 2008 album 'Crazy Ever After'. I cant't remember how I first heard the band (It might have been via Noisetrade or possibly Grey's Anatomy), but once I heard the opening song 'Lost along the Way' and Break Me Out  I was hooked.

The first thing you will notice about the album is the amazing three-part harmonies of the band members, a couple of great examples being Crazy Ever After and Break Me Out.

It is another one of those rare albums that I love every song on, and often play from start to finish.

If you do like this album, know that The Rescues new (self-titled) album is being released during this December.

Glen Hansard - Review

On Saturday night I went and saw Glen Hansard play the first of two shows at Sydney Opera House. 

Main Set: Just to Be the One, Winning Streak, My Little Ruin – When Your Mind’s Made Up, Bird of Sorrow, Renata, Wedding Ring*, Vigilante Man (Woodie Guthrie), Way Back When, McCormack’s Wall, Lowly Deserter, Astral Weeks (Van Morrison) – Smile (Pearl Jam), Star Star – Pure Imagination – Hotellounge (dEUS), Falling Slowly 

Encore: Love Don’t Leave Me Waiting – Respect (Aretha Franklin), Say It to Me Now – Stay the Road, Leave a Light** (Peadar O’Riada),Aisling Gheal** (Peadar O’Riada), O Sean** (Peadar O’Riada), Gold** (Interference), Her Mercy 

*with Curtis on vocals **with Peader O’Riada on piano/vocals. (Setlist courtesy of Order in the Sound).

The highlight of any Glen Hansard gig is the stories he tells about each song - My Litte Ruin  a song about the privilege friends have to speak the uncomfortable truth to each other; Renata written to a barmaid in a New York pub; McCormack's Wall a song written in the birth place of the great Irish Tenor  John McCormack.

Other notable songs on the night were Bird of Sorrow, Viligante Man (adapted for Donald Trump), Way Back When (dedicated to the migrants in the world), McCormack's Wall and the beautiful fiddle section, Star Star (with its detour into Pure Imagination), Stay the Road performed without microphones, Gold (and the harmonies)

Hard not to leave a Glen Hansard show without feeling like you've been talking with a friend.The show is definitely among the best I've seen with the special combination of exceptional story-telling and brilliant music.

December - I Will Let You Have Your Say

I'm going to start posting reviews of some of the hidden gems in my CD collection. 

December - I Will Let You Have Your Say

First cab of the rank is the debut CD from the Scotish band December. I first heard of them when a few of the U2 fans (@Hwy_Girl and
@U2_ultraviolet) I know on twitter posted a song called 'Alison Stewart' inspired by Alison and U2. It's a beautiful tribute to her, and the band.  

Following that I heard their cover of 'A Sort of Homecoming'. The band originally said the wouldn't cover U2, but this cover is just beautiful, I especially love Ails Pattison's voice which captures the essence of the song beautifully.

The album 'I Will Let You Have Your Say', is a collection of songs inspired by some of the people they look up to or admire.

I recognised some of these names (Barack Hussein Obama, Aaron Sorkin, Maria McKee, and Kenneth Dalglish) while few others I don't know, like American country singer George Jones, lead singer of the Waterboys Mike Scott. I'll be sure to find out more about each of these people now. 

When it comes to music, I'm a words person, I love knowing what a band is writing (and singing) about.  I could relate to their optimism about Barack Obama (like many others, I certainly will be sad when he leaves office), how they found America through Aaron Sorkin, he certainly opened my eyes to a lot about America.

December has lived up to its promise to create emotional songs which are easy to relate too. I can't wait to hear what they do next. Whether you're a U2 fan or not, you should check out this album, especially if you are a fan of good song writing.