Concert

Stevie Nicks is touring with The Pretenders this year, and you might think Stevie Nicks would be the hot item on this ticket. But after watching Crissie Hynde and the Pretenders rock out for about an hour, I have to say they are as fun and exciting as any throwback rock group I’ve seen.

The Pretenders played like they were still in their 20’s, playing such hits as Talk of the Town, Middle of the Road, and Brass In Pocket. They really rocked the house, and the audience, which was about 65% female, responded with huge cheers.

The audience was an interesting group. You had everything from 70’s Rockers, to 80’s Madonna Wannabes, to Wicca Princesses. The audience was fun and full of energy, especially after The Pretenders got them so pumped.

At the break everyone was buzzing. It was a delicious feast for people watchers. After what seemed to be a long break, the lights went out and Stevie’s band took the stage one by one. Once the band was in position, Stevie strolled out from the back center of the stage, and the crowd jump to their feet with a gracious applause.

She was wearing her traditional black scarf that her mother gave her years ago. She later told a fun story about how her mom gave her the scarf years ago, and how it has stood the test of time.

She opened the show with two of her solo songs before she invited Crissie Hynde on the stage with her to sing the duet Stop Dragging My Heart Around.

I wasn’t sure if she do many Fleetwood Mac songs, but about five songs in she sang Gypsy, and I knew she was going to sing all her hits.

Stevie has a lot of ballads, so this was not the regular “stand and dance” type of concert. A lot of people were sitting through out, listening to the beautiful ballads Stevie is so well known for.

She drew her show to a close with her Fleetwood Mac hit Golddust Woman and her solo hit Edge of Seventeen, And then, after a bit of a wait, she returned for an encore to close out the show with her Fleetwood Mac hits Rhiannon and Landslide.

Stevie Nicks enjoys performing by adding narratives between her songs. Because she has so many rich stories to tell, this really gives the show a unique feel. It’s kind of like taking a joy ride through time in the life of a rockstar in the 60s 70s and 80s.

In the back of my mind I remember the stories a friend of mine used to tell me about seeing Stevie Nicks at parties in the 70s with other celebrities. He said “I never seen anyone do so much cocaine in my life.” LOL. As you can guess, she didn’t talk about that. But she is a rockstar and lived a rockstar lifestyle. So what would you expect?

It’s always fun seeing the legend perform, and Stevie Nicks is truly a rock legend. I feel blessed to be able to still see people like Stevie Nicks and Crissie Hynde perform. I have to say they both have still got it!

Stevie Nicks is touring with The Pretenders this year, and you might think Stevie Nicks would be the hot item on this ticket. But after watching Crissie Hynde and the Pretenders rock out for about an hour, I have to say they are as fun and exciting as any throwback rock group I’ve seen.

The Pretenders played like they were still in their 20’s, playing such hits as Talk of the Town, Middle of the Road, and Brass In Pocket. They really rocked the house, and the audience, which was about 65% female, responded with huge cheers.

The audience was an interesting group. You had everything from 70’s Rockers, to 80’s Madonna Wannabes, to Wicca Princesses. The audience was fun and full of energy, especially after The Pretenders got them so pumped.

At the break everyone was buzzing. It was a delicious feast for people watchers. After what seemed to be a long break, the lights went out and Stevie’s band took the stage one by one. Once the band was in position, Stevie strolled out from the back center of the stage, and the crowd jump to their feet with a gracious applause.

She was wearing her traditional black scarf that her mother gave her years ago. She later told a fun story about how her mom gave her the scarf years ago, and how it has stood the test of time.

She opened the show with two of her solo songs before she invited Crissie Hynde on the stage with her to sing the duet Stop Dragging My Heart Around.

I wasn’t sure if she do many Fleetwood Mac songs, but about five songs in she sang Gypsy, and I knew she was going to sing all her hits.

Stevie has a lot of ballads, so this was not the regular “stand and dance” type of concert. A lot of people were sitting through out, listening to the beautiful ballads Stevie is so well known for.

She drew her show to a close with her Fleetwood Mac hit Golddust Woman and her solo hit Edge of Seventeen, And then, after a bit of a wait, she returned for an encore to close out the show with her Fleetwood Mac hits Rhiannon and Landslide.

Stevie Nicks enjoys performing by adding narratives between her songs. Because she has so many rich stories to tell, this really gives the show a unique feel. It’s kind of like taking a joy ride through time in the life of a rockstar in the 60s 70s and 80s.

In the back of my mind I remember the stories a friend of mine used to tell me about seeing Stevie Nicks at parties in the 70s with other celebrities. He said “I never seen anyone do so much cocaine in my life.” LOL. As you can guess, she didn’t talk about that. But she is a rockstar and lived a rockstar lifestyle. So what would you expect?

It’s always fun seeing the legend perform, and Stevie Nicks is truly a rock legend. I feel blessed to be able to still see people like Stevie Nicks and Crissie Hynde perform. I have to say they both have still got it!

By Bob Dietrich

I attended the Spend The Night With Billy Crystal show on Thursday, February 16th at Symphony Hall in downtown San Diego California.

This unique performance was set in an interview format, as essentially a retrospective on the five-decade career of comedian Billy Crystal.

Mr. Crystal was accompanied by actress/comedian Bonnie Hunt who served as the interviewer for this unique performance format.

I found the format, as well as the show itself to be quite entertaining, as it included lots of storytelling interspersed with bits of stand up, as well as a plethora of film clips from crystals remarkable career.

The format, which included Mr. Crystal and Ms. Hunt seated on stage in a pair of chairs that one might find in ones living room, made the audience feel like they were invited guests. This intimate feel to the evening was greatly enhanced by the numerous behind the scenes stories related by Crystal that were both touching and hilarious.

Moreover, during the 2 1/4 hour performance, the conversation ranged from crystals earliest attempts at standup, to his role on the sitcom Soap, to Saturday night live, to his feature films, to finally his 9 times hosting the Academy Awards.

However, it was his descriptions of the genuinely private moments with icons such as Muhammad Ali, Sammy Davis Junior, and the late Robin Williams that made this performance very unique and very memorable. Billy Crystal fans will definitely love “Spend The Night With Billy Crystal” as it is a great stroll down memory lane with one of the finest comedians of the last 50 years.

Click here for a full list of upcoming performances http://www.livenation.com/artists/151413/billy-crystal

By Bob Dietrich and Calvin Goetz

The rock band Chicago performed at Pechanga Casino on February 3, 2017. The show featured three of the founding members of this group, Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, and James Pankow. While the fourth original band member, Walter Parazaider, was not present.

However the band itself certainly hasn’t missed a beat, with all of the current members sounding like a finely tuned machine.

The show was unique in that Chicago performed as a solo act, and delivered two hours plus of their bounty of hits. The group, which has been performing live every single year since his formation in February 1967, certainly showed that they still love to perform. And that’s right, Chicago is the celebrating 50 years of performing its unique blend of rock and jazz, or as Walter Parazaider once described the group as “a good little rock band with horns”.

And even though the most well-known member of the group, Peter Cetera, has not performed with the band in 30 years, on this evening the group definitely did not disappoint the sold-out audience at the Pechanga Casino.

Chicago started out the evening by playing many of their early hits, such as Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is, Color My World, Beginning’s, and Saturday In The Park. The audience seemed to genuinely enjoy each of the group’s hits, and roared their approval throughout the evening. The concert rocked continuously without a break for more than two hours, with the group displaying great energy and enthusiasm for their music.

Chicago capped off their performance with a three song encore highlighted by their classic hit “25 or 6 to 4”. Lastly, the members of the band came back on stage and appeared in their trademark chorus line lineup, as the crowd showered the members with a standing ovation.

Yes, even after 50 years of live shows, Chicago remains “a great little rock band with horns”!

By Calvin Goetz and Bob Dietrich

Unless you’ve been living in a cave you’ve at least heard of Amy Schumer. And what you’ve heard is true – she is funny, fearless, and as vulgar as you think she is. So when my friends and I heard she was performing at the Valley View Casino Center in my hometown of San Diego on December 3rd, we purchased our tickets immediately.

We arrived during the opening act. I’m an avid listener of Pandora’s comedy channels and recognized the comedian immediately (though I can’t recall his name now) because he was doing a routine I’d heard. He was great on Pandora and even better in person. I wish I’d caught his entire act.

Next, of course, came Amy Schumer. The stage was raised about 10 feet off the floor so she was easier for the audience to see. Her set was a smart combination of the sexual observations she’s known for mixed with some ‘slice of life’ bits concerning some of the celebrities she’s had run ins with since conquering the comedy world. And of course she did the anti-Trump material that made some of the audience at one of her shows leave. Fortunately California isn’t just a blue state, it’s pretty tolerant of different opinions.

I have performed stand up comedy locally, one show featured Dat Phan, the first winner of “Last Comic Standing” but that doesn’t give me any special insight into the hard work and dedication necessary to get to Amy Schumer’s level. I does give me insight into who comedians are though: they’re self aware storytellers. Over a year prior to the performance, there was a shooting at her film “Trainwreck” that deeply affected her. Two of her fans were killed in that shooting and she immediately educated herself on both sides of the gun control debate, joining her cousin, Senator Chuck Schumer, as an advocate for gun control.

She did a bit that covered some of the insane gun control laws that exist. The more we laughed the more I wondered who created these odd laws.
The staff of Valley View Casino Center were very quick to shut people down who were trying to video the event. Maybe it was because of this vigilance at her shows that Amy seemed at ease with the audience… though it was probably her hundreds of performances that we can credit that to. Either way, a good comedian makes the jokes seem like a conversation between the performer and the audience so I’m not sure how much was off the cuff and how much was planned but it seemed like a blending of the two. In any case, she’s got plenty of material for her new stand-up special, “The Leather Special” on Netflix. As of this writing, the premiere of that special is in two days but I’ve no doubt I’ll be treated to familiar material.

Amy Schumer’s performance was full of the sexual talk I was prepared for. What I wasn’t prepared for was her well-informed and hilarious take on gun control. She’s using her humor to bring awareness to a serious issue and talk about her sex life. It was an event worth attending and I hope you’ll get to see her when she comes through your city.

By Chris Hammell and Bob Dietrich

The warm wind was blowing as we stepped out of the car at Marango casino for Buckcherry’s solo performance on this final day of September 2016. You could feel something was in the air and as we walked into the venue it’s circular shape really lent itself to and intimate concert setting.

The signature Buckcherry drum set was already set up on the stage, and as a roadie came out in tune the guitar is the crowd chatter increase in volume and excitement begin to feel the air.

Buckcherry always draws in an interesting and dynamic crowd, and tonight was no different. Tattoos, colored hair and suicide girls filled this venue as Josh The warm wind was blowing as we stepped out of the car at Marango casino for Buckcherry’s solo performance on this final day of September 2016. You could feel something was in the air and as we walked into the venue it’s circular shape really lent itself to and intimate concert setting.

The signature Buckcherry drum set was already set up on the stage, and as a roadie came out in tune the guitar is the crowd chatter increase in volume and excitement begin to feel the air.

Buckcherry always draws in an interesting and dynamic crowd, and tonight was no different. Tattoos, colored hair and suicide girls filled this venue as Josh Todd walked out onto the stage with his bandmates. Josh Todd’s raspy and spectacular rock voice begin with their song Sunshine as he warmed up the crowd. Josh supported his signature style; long pants with a jacket and no shirt, later shedding the jacket to reveal his multiple tattoos for the second half of the show as per usual.

Buckcherry is one of the last remaining rock bands of this genre. They bring a level of passion that keep them on the doorstep of being a huge rock band. Remaining true to the sex drugs and rock ‘n’ roll mantra, Josh Todd flirted hard with the audience throughout the entire set. His raw sexuality set the tone for the finale which included Crazy Bitch, Lit, and Too Drunk…

His rendition of Sorry was heart felt, so much so Josh said it gave him chills. Men and women alike were singing along with this classic rock ballad, which reminded me of the first time I heard the song several years ago on a long solo drive from Albuquerque to San Diego. For me it was an instant classic and I still ponder the circumstances that inspired the words and melody.

Keith Nelson, Xavier Muriel and Stevie D crushed it as this hard charging band rocked the crowd. The guitar solos were outstanding as you would expect from a professionals like Buckcherry.

The only thing this experience was lacking more was time. I would have love to see an opening band lead off the concert and warm up the crowd first. Buckcherry is such a fun experience, they could’ve played for another two hours as far as I was concerned.

Maybe next time they grant us an interview so they can say a few words to their fans and the troops, the amazing men and women that love their style of rock.

So keep a fresh eye out for this hard charging band. These guys are just plain fun in the classic sex, drugs and Rock ‘n’ roll style. Check them out at Buckcherry.com and I’ll see you at the next concert.