Sunday 19 October 2014

Fleetwood Mac at the ACC

a fantastic show
all the hits
and sing song songs
one after another
performed perfectly
i love when older bands step up
decades of experience shows up
and takes over

the mix was excellent
immediately the bass and drum grabbed me
they opened with the chain
john mcvie is the driving force
the rock
and he's the one that no one knows
but his playing is the groove
so big that you can set up a small commune inside it

mick fleetwood was wonderful
a fat drum sound and a nice touch
the old master at work
him and john the only remaining founding members
best friends still
it made me think about how the road
is confirming
and goes on forever
mick spoke lovingly of the others on stage
and finished his performance with a very forward thinking drum solo
the old dog

everyone was happy to see christine back
she sounded great
looked great
i imagined her alone
back in her hotel room
a cup of tea and a crossword
an english garden
she sang effortlessly
i'm not sure why she spent sixteen years away from the band
perhaps the chaos was too much
but in the end
it's the call of tour
that brings you back
and perhaps rids your life of the other chaos
or boredom
christine was a joy to behold

and stevie
beautiful
and in control
she had a couple of cool stories she shared
i like when we get a look behind the velvet rope
stevie has paid her dues
she's one of the greats for a reason
i saw an interview with her
she quietly spoke about not having children
because of fleetwood mac
that the band and fame et al was just too demanding
when she sang landslide
i didn't expect to be riveted
but i was
we're all getting older
stevie was the first to unashamedly tell us this
she was a kid at the time
she always made us think

when the band performed silver spring
it was heavy
lyrically haunting
my one complaint about the concert was that there wasn't much interaction
between the members
i started imagining hard feelings
they all slept together
all of them
they were young
it was the 70s
they had all the money in the world
and every weasel in the business wanted a piece of the kill
so they went insular
things got messy
feelings were strained and confused
lindsey left the band for a while
but last night
during silver spring
when stevie turned her mic towards lindsey
and the two of them sang to each other
'you'll never get away from the sound
of a woman that loves you'
that was opera
emotional and telling
decades of music together is the glue
the iron

lindsey is mad genius
i don't think he has a regular life
i think his entire existence is about sound
he's a monster guitarist
one of my favourites
he performed big love alone
just him and the guitar
the camera / screen cats knew enough
to go in tight on his fingers
and show everyone that you need superpowers to do this
that this kind of playing is a lifetime's study
that you have to sacrifice a great deal to get here
sure you make millions along the way
but there's nothing you can buy
that will ever make you feel as good as a guitar will
lindsey buckingham is mad genius
a gentle soul with tiny brains in each finger
his solo during 'i'm so afraid' brought the house down
we revelled in his ability

there were some stupid visuals on the big screen
it would have been nice if they peppered the night
with some personal old photographs
but instead it was blobs of light and colour
that did nothing to enhance the music
it wasn't needed
they should have hung curtains and a chandelier

all in all
a great night out
the vibe was velvet
and the groove was gold
the audience awed
and the band beamed
i took a quick trip to the facilities
and ran into a couple cats listening to some doobie brothers
i stopped and had a quick listen with them
returned to my box
and immediately started thinking about CAL
by the time that band teared into 'go your own way'
i had rethought performing our rumours show
i've decided to hold off for a few years
the original masters are taking good care of their music
it's heart warming

 craig
october 19, 2014
shari's apple cake and milk













Monday 6 October 2014

Dream Big

and today
the new season starts
we announce more shows
and we connect with more music lovers
people whom we have a symbiotic relationship with

first out the gate is the beatles' white album
4 shows in the sunshine state
i can't wait to perform this album
it's like we all got presents
and get to collectively unwrap them
the white album has something for everyone
for me
it's about revolution 9
we're the only ones in the entire world
attempting to perform it note for note

then it's into our true north capital city
with our inaugural performance of the bat out of hell album
followed by a full on ontario tour
that promises to awe and inspire
many of us grew up with this album
it plays out like a musical staring us in our teens
certain songs wail through our hearts like sirens on there way to a three alarm fire
one thing is clear
the arrangements are unprecedented in their range and commitment
murray james bosch is defining himself as a singer on this album
i'm excited at rehearsals
working alongside of him
hearing him relive the words
it's like being in a movie
where memories are blinking by
the bat out of hell show is CAL at it's best
every cylinder is firing on high octane fuel
and we're all revved up with a clear indication of where we want to go
(cheese)

recently
i made another play for vegas
and i was handed another defeat
i don't gamble with money
never have never will
but i do put myself and my company out there for challenges
unfortunately vegas wants the dancing bears
not the serious musicians
the cat we ended up dealing with doesn't see it
doesn't get it
and doesn't want it
which is a drag
because from what i can glean
vegas is all sheen
and while everyone is out there shooting icicles at each other
we're warm and fuzzy
a breath of cool
genuine cool
that would stand out as the cool destination for music lovers
perhaps another venue another day
but for now
vegas is a mirage

it's been an emotional entrance into autumn
old friends are reconnecting
and we're sparking on each others love vibe
we're welded together by years of travel and music
the two hand in hand
brothers in arms
literally at times
one thing is crystal
music unites and clears out the cob webs
the dust of yesterday is replaced by a the breeze of forgotten hope
and our fingers and throats itch to play again
last night we crashed a jam
and a beautiful mess emitted
my thanks to alumni dale harrison and toad for the accommodations

we're announcing a new batch of florida dates later this week
it's nice to have bookings that carry us into 2016
it's as close as job security gets for a working musician
we have beauty in our lives
when we have black ink on the calendar 

this coming season
has musicians on planes and in cars
all over north america
wish them love and safety
and if you see them
point them in the direction
of good coffee

craig
october 6, 2015
good coffee