en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/richZed/journal The Last.fm journal for richZed. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/richZed/journal/2007/09/17/b8mp3_3121_spy_report%3A_sunday%2C_sept_16 Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:18:02 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/richZed/journal/2007/09/17/b8mp3_3121_spy_report%3A_sunday%2C_sept_16 Sun 16 Sep – Prince 3121 London


3121 Spy Report: Sunday, Sept 16

2nite’s show started out with a pleasant twist: Shelby and the NPG opened the show sans Prince with Chelsea Rodgers, Misty Blue and the smoker, Baby Love. Shelby knows how 2 pump up the crowd, that’s 4 certain. Everyone was jazzed by the time 1999 started and Prince arrived thru the stage floor elevator.

After Eye Feel 4 U and Controversy, they slowed it down a bit with Somewhere Here on Earth, with another surprise: Prince said he wanted someone 2 dance with, and picked a girl from the audience 2 sit in a chair onstage as he sang part of the song 2 her. It seemed like ALL the girls over there screamed as he sang the last verse 2 her (”eye know u hear me, like a whisper in ur ear.”)

The ? of U/The One 2nite was the a nice, xtended bluesy jam. Prince seemed 2 b feelin the blues and said it was going 2 “make him get all ugly in the face.” He made all kinds of funky faces while playing guitar after that.

The piano medley had a boogie woogie/gospel piano flavour thruout (Elton would no doubt have dug it, if he had been there 2nite). Money Don’t Matter 2nite, which we hadn’t seen live b4, had the entire crowd singing along. Dear Mr. Man started out as almost a spoken-word piece, getting funkier as it went along. It seemed like some verses were new or made up on the spot 2 — very cool.

Toward the end of the show they played Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” with Renato and Prince playing harmonies 2 one another’s parts at times. It sounded great.

4 the encore Prince teased us on keys with samples and even sang part of The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. There’s a new piano song or three nearly every show. We haven’t counted how many songs the band has played since the start of this run, but it’s been many, and Prince is nowhere near running out of material.

The gift of music — this is it, right here!

AFTERSHOW

Prince must really L O V E playing these aftershows becuz at each one it seems like he’s having more fun than the previous show, and he’s been havin’ a ball all summer. (At least that’s how it appears 2 us.) 2nite Prince the jokesta was in the house and kept the crowd laughing almost as hard as they were dancing.

The show kicked off with the hot, slow funk of Thankufalletinme Be Mice Elf Agin. We knew it was going 2 b a fun nite when Prince was already standing out on the speaker plat4ms in front of the stage by this first song. Then came 3121, with verses from DMSR woven in.

During Girls and Boys we heard a few lines from Song of the Heart and even Delirious. Then they kicked the fun up 2 eleven: Prince talked about how he used 2 b like all of us, able 2 walk down the street, go 2 the store 2 buy, ahem, “womanly” things 4 his mom, then try 2 act cool on the way home even with that stuff in the bag. We won’t tell it all 2 spoil anyone’s fun, but he has jokes, that’s 4 sho’!

After Satisfied, still in playful mode, he broke in2 a blues song about his beggin’, cockeyed, 3-handed woman. The place was in stitches it was so funny… it sounded like he was adlibbing as he went and some of the stuff was straight gut busting. During a part about the girl being no good, the crowd said, “awww,” 2 which he replied something like, “that’s alright, don’t b sad 4 me… eye’m gonna talk about her!” This is a great crowd participation song — everyone laughed hard and responded in unison 2 each verse. Big fun.

Check this out: during Everyday People, Prince seemed 2 notice one of the hairstylists falling asleep in the balcony seats, so he took the party up there 2 her 2 wake her up! He (on guitar) and Shelby and Marva with mics got jammed right in front of her and called her out by name: Tresha. Uh oh! Maybe she’s been 2 2 many aftershows, or is just so comfy at them she can sleep thru all that nrg. She’s missing out!

And that was a wrap — thruout the show, a good time was had by all, onstage and off.

Posted by 3121 ~ 2007 Tour, 3121 Spy Report]]> http://www.last.fm/user/richZed/journal/2007/09/11/b8mp2_faithless%2C_shepherds_bush_empire_%3A_sep_10 Tue, 11 Sep 2007 23:01:34 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/richZed/journal/2007/09/11/b8mp2_faithless%2C_shepherds_bush_empire_%3A_sep_10 Mon 10 Sep – Faithless

I have to say that I don't agree with this review completely - it was one of the best gigs I've ever been to - the energy was intense!

The London Paper (http://www.thelondonpaper.com) Gig Review

12 years on and still a class act

Faithless
3 stars
Monday September 10th, 2007
Shepherds Bush Empire
(published 11th September 2007)

FANS have kept the faith for the past few years as they packed out Shepherds Bush Empire last night.

The intimate venue revealed not the coolest of crowds, but a mixed bag of dedicated fans, from teenage nu-ravers to plumbers, aunties and one elderly chap with ear plugs bouncing whole-heartedly - bless his cotton socks.

And their faith was largely rewarded. Twelve years on, 50-year-old lead Maxi Jaxx (yes, 50) and electronic master Sister Bliss are still delivering a classy performance. Insomnia early in the set had the crowd well and truly jumping. The very front of stage was for the energetic, sweaty and loyal fans reliving the clubbing/dance scene from the 90s.

Faithless's slower material was a little ho-hum with sound issues at times - but let's be honest, the crowd just wanted to bounce around with their glow-sticks, wave their hands in the air and have a good time.

The end set delivered the biggest hits, with God Is A DJ being the slamming jewel in last night's crown.

The group are undoubtedly a talented bunch - perhaps from yesteryear - but well worth the live experience.
Faithless play at Brixton Academy tonight
Shannon O'Meara]]> http://www.last.fm/user/richZed/journal/2007/08/20/b8mp1_3121_spy_report%3A_saturday%2C_aug_18 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 20:46:47 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/richZed/journal/2007/08/20/b8mp1_3121_spy_report%3A_saturday%2C_aug_18 Sat 18 Aug – Prince

3121 Spy Report: Saturday, Aug 18

Prince was obviously eating up the nrg from the crowd during 1999 and waved them in2 an uproar, spurring them all 2 cheer louder. During SHHH, he said, “eye love u London.. but not like eye love this guitar!”

The keyboard portion of the show is sicker each time he does it. 2nite he teased us with bits of Sign O the Times, Partyman (singing much of both those), Alphabet Street.. even the opening lines of Erotic City b4 stopping himself. During When Doves Cry, he got so in2 it he ducked down beneath the keyboard 4 a minute while still jamming. We even heard a verse or 2 from Pop Life and Raspberry Beret on keys. The backlighting during the piano set was xtremely cool — rays emanating from behind Prince and xtending out across the rest of the stage.

During the sax and piano rendition of Wonderful World, Renato played possibly the sickest thing we’ve EVER heard during this song… he broke it down in2 a rhythmic, madfunky groove which drove the crowd crazy, then brought it right back 2 where it came from. Renato is a mad scientist when it comes 2 concocting grooves. One never knows what 4m they’ll take or what they’ll morph in2, but it’s always fantastic.

Aftershow:

We knew the aftershow was gonna b HOT when we saw Prince’s keyboard set up center stage. He walks out all in tangerine, complete with a hat that would make Sly Stone envious. (Later he even asked, “What u all think of my hat?”)

It was all about funky keys 4 the first part of the night… Superstition, Higher Ground, A Love Bizarre. Dorothy Parker gets some play on the keys, then Sweet Thing with Marva on lead. They even broke in2 the Bill Withers classic, Use Me.

Highlight reel of the night: Prince steps 2 the mic while the music 4 Satisfied plays. Instead he sings, “learn 2 work the toilet seat.” The crowd was roaring over this one and sang that line quite loudly every time he brought it up in The Rules. 2 funny. Highlight #2: the guitar war between Prince and Mya’s guitarist at the end of Thankufalletinmebemicelfagin… Prince would play a lick, then Mya’s guitarist would try 2 put his own spin on it. Eventually Prince played something 2 sick and won. :)

Posted by 3121 ~ 2007 Tour, 3121 Spy Report]]> http://www.last.fm/user/richZed/journal/2007/08/11/b8mp0_eclectic_musical_preference Sat, 11 Aug 2007 21:10:27 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/richZed/journal/2007/08/11/b8mp0_eclectic_musical_preference Take your top 20 artists. For each of these artists, collect the top 5 similar artists. The resulting number of unique artists is your eclectic score. If the score is small (extreme = 5) your musical preferences are very limited, and if it is large (larger than 80, extreme = 100), then you have an eclectic musical preference. You can compute your own score at http://anthony.liekens.net/pub/scripts/last.fm/eclectic.php


My eclectic score is currently

88/100

The 88 related artists for my profile are Air (2), Alanis Morissette (2), Annie Hayden, Arctic Monkeys, Astrid, Audioslave, Bananarama, Basement Jaxx, Beck, Belinda Carlisle, Björk (2), Bloc Party, Boards of Canada, Broadcast, Client, Coldplay, Cudamantra, Duran Duran, Fatboy Slim, Foo Fighters, Four Tet, Franz Ferdinand (2), Galaxie 500, Garbage, Gwen Stefani, Huski, Incubus, James Brown, Joana Zimmer, Kasabian, LCD Soundsystem, Ladytron, Lamb, M83, Maroon 5, Marvin Gaye, Massive Attack (3), Michael Jackson, Milltown Brothers, Moby (2), Muse, New Order, New Young Pony Club, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, No Doubt, Oasis, Pale Saints, Papaya, Pet Shop Boys, Pixies (2), Placebo, Prince & The Revolution, Pulp, Radiohead (3), Razorlight, Robots in Disguise, Röyksopp (2), Shakespear's Sister, Silly, Smile.dk, Solar Seven, Stevie Wonder, Supersonic Death Machine, Susan Wong, Swervedriver, Swirlies, The Bangles, The Cardigans (2), The Chemical Brothers, The Cranberries, The Cure, The Flaming Lips, The Murmurs, The Prodigy, The Railway Children, The Shins, The Telescopes, The Verve, Thievery Corporation, Tori Amos, Tricky, Voice of the Beehive, Waldeus Von Dovjak, White Rose Movement, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yo La Tengo, Zero 7, good-cool]]> http://www.last.fm/user/richZed/journal/2007/08/08/b8moz_gig_list_%28from_memory%29 Wed, 8 Aug 2007 01:29:16 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/richZed/journal/2007/08/08/b8moz_gig_list_%28from_memory%29 Been thinking for a while what Gigs I've been to, but for the life of me, I can't remember them all.. maybe starting here will help me pull most of them together?

My "Seen Live" list is probably a bit more upto date that this :) http://www.last.fm/user/richZed/tags/seen%20live

Pre Uni:
Queen, Live Magic Tour, Berlin 1986 (3x support bands, Level 42, a German Band?, Marillion (with Fish))
This is Queen... LIVE.. everyone knows what a great performer Freddie was.. and he didn't let us down! Truly memorable
Erasure (Hannover)
Andy Bell in a TuTu and Dr. Martin Boots - 'nuff said! :o

University (no particular order):
Pop Will Eat Itself (Leics. Poly), Cure for Sanity tour, 1990
One of my favourite ever gigs.. before I grew my hair long.. I was standing too close to the speakers and was deaf in one ear for a weekend.. pretty scary! :o
The Sundays (Leics. Uni x2?)
Simply Wonderful!!
Salad (Leics. Princess Charlotte)
I never understood what the big thing was about the lead singer, she was alright on MTV (as a presenter), but I just didn't get it.. until I saw them live.. At the single moment that she started singing on stage.. I knew.. she had such power and presence.. a truly moving moment!
The Primitives (Leics. Poly)
Moonshake (Leics. Princess Charlotte?)
The Hollow Men (Leics. Poly (Scraptoft Campus))
I won their CD 'Cresta' from a local paper and loved the melodies.. nice bunch of fella's too :)
Th' Faith Healers (Leics. Princess Charlotte)
The Wonder Stuff (Leics. Granby Halls, Bescot Stadium '91, Leics. Uni (Totally Spiked Benefit Gig), at least one other)
Kingmaker (Leics. Uni amoungst other places)
The Newcranes (Leics. Princess Charlotte, Leics. Poly, and others)
The Popinjays (Leics. Princess Charlotte x2)
I had a crush on Polly when I met them backstage, the Tequilla Slammers we drank didn't help me get my essay handed in on time, in fact I was so ill, I missed a day of uni - oops - but it was worth it!
Anna (Leics. Princess Charlotte x2)
Strangely for a hard Rockin' bunch of lads, the first time I saw them was supporting the poppy Popinjays.. Couldn't understand it, but I loved their energy when playing live and I tried to see them as often as I could
Rage Against the Machine (Nottingham Rock City)
Saint Etienne (Leics. Uni)
I was not impressed by their attitude.. great music, great singer, but left the stage after a short set saying "We're not a Rock and Roll band, we don't do encores!" - Grrr!
Stereolab (Leics. Princess Charlotte)
To this day, I still love Stereolab and I'll never forget one of the first times I saw them when a fan jumped up on the stage to dance whilst they played.. but.. he didn't count on them doing a very long extended mix of one of their songs.. he ended up sitting down next to the lead singer, cross legged, just nodding his head - classic! :D
Back To The Planet (a number of times, Incl. free concert in Nottingham)
Carter USM (Leics. Poly)
Marillion (without Fish) (Leics. DeMontfort Hall)
Drop Nineteens (Leics. Princess Charlotte)
Madonna's Angel by this band truly was incredible live!
The Fall (Leics. Princess Charlotte?)
Belly (Leics. Uni)
Pulp (Leics. Uni) and Galaxie 500
I get the impression that this gig may have been when Pulp front man Jarvis Cocker learnt how to hold his mic stand! :)
Curve (Leics. Uni?)
Jesus Jones (Leics. Poly)
EMF (Leics. Poly)
I completely trashed a brand new pair of Basketball boots at this one, but it was completely worth it :)
Kingmaker (Leics. Poly, plus others)
PJ Harvey (Leics. Uni - Dry tour)
Oh God! I was so into her music when the second single came out.. bought the gig ticket the day it came out.. she was supposed to be plaing the Charlotte, but after Dry came out, she got too big and they moved it to the Uni.. I was standing there with my CD's to get signed and she walked into the crowd and chatted with some of the fans.. I just froze! d'oh! wasted opportunity to meet the legend in the making!
The Wedding Present (Leics?)
The Verve (Leics. Princess Charlotte.. might have been called Verve then? had a name change not long after I saw them)
Jacob's Mouse (Leics. Princess Charlotte)
Stiltskin (Leics. Princess Charlotte)
Dream Warriors - had one big hit in the UK if I remember correctly?(Leics. Poly)
INXS (Leics. DeMontfort Hall)
B-52's (Sheffield?)
good music, but largely disappointing
Single Bass (Pub in Leicester)
+ LOADS more

After Uni (dropped off a bit :():

Sleeper (Gloucester)
Madness (Madstock '98, Finsbury Park, London)
I been a fan since I was a nipper! I used to get given Madness albums as a reward from my parents for getting good grades! Eventually got a chance to see them after I started to get old.. but totally worth the wait!
Catatonia (Madstock '98, Finsbury Park, London)
Anna 101-Ism album tour (pub in Leeds)
My friend and I ended up sleeping outside Leeds station after this gig, as we'd missed the last train home.. God I looked a right state.. the local homeless guys offered to take us to the soup kitchens as we looked so bad!
Oil Seed Rape (pub in Leeds)
Loud.. not as good as Anna
The Rolling Stones (Wembley)
Joe Satriani (Birmingham NEC, Kerrang Concert)
Michael Schenker (Birminham NEC, Kerrang Concert)
Stereolab (somewhere in Oxford)
Pop Will Eat Itself (Shepherds Bush Empire, London)
A chance to see this fantastic live band once again, they're older and not as fit, but the energy is still totally there! loved it! didn't love the fact that the kid next to me had got into them by listening to his older brother's music collection though - starting to feel old now!
Macy Gray (Brixton Academy, London)
Sohodolls (Islington Academy, London)
An absolute revelation, seriously.. so good I'm going to see them again as soon as I can!
... and guess what.. I did :) many, many times :D
Racine/Wendy James (Islington Academy, London)
Dido (Brixton Academy, London)
I actually won a website competition to meet Dido at this gig, after already buying a ticket for it. Unfortunately, due to the fact that she was filming for her Live DVD, the meet got delayed and delayed. I eventually met her at the end of the gig backstage. She was wonderfully charming and beautiful of course.. I on the other hand, true to form, had been drinking on an empty stomach.. I never did get to see the photo they took of us together.. lol.. my loss!
Faithless (Alexandra Palace, London)
Garbage (Brixton Academy, London)
I didn't know whether to look at the sexy Shirley, or the Sexy girls nearby.. I'd missed seeing Garbage a few times and always regretted it - I was so happy to ave finally caught them live - astounding! sorely missed as a band!
Nine Inch Nails (Brixton Academy, London)
and they played my favourite tunes! Quality!
Ladytron (Brixton Academy, London)
?? (Croydon)
Prince, 3121 Tour (The Dome, London)
Faithless (Shepherds Bush Empire, London)
One eskimO
Prince yes again :)
IAMX
along with the Sohodolls, IAMX will probably be one of those bands that I'll just keep going to see again and again - immense showmanship!
Chemical Brothers
The Charlatans
Electrelene
they shall be sadly missed, this gig really got to me and I left pondering why I had to discover such a great band so late.. thankfully not too latea
Sex Pistols
The Cure
in both Paris and London :) twice blessed, but wow.. they really give you value for money.. each gig was between three and four hours long.. and that was just the Cure themselves, not including the support acts
Inspiral Carpets
You can't deny the attraction of going to see bands from your past.. I really enjoyed this gig, high energy and so many great and familiar tunes
The Kaiser Chiefs The Pigeon Detectives
Alicia Keys
I like this girls music, really I do.. BUT.. the concert was a bit to American and Smaltzy for me.. sorry :(
+ more]]>