The good, the bad, and the random of Cleveland County, NC.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Maroon 5 and Counting Crows in Charlotte (w/ video)
I attended what very well could be my last concert of the summer last night in Charlotte. On the marquee, Maroon 5, Counting Crows, and Sara Bareilles. Showed up just in time for Bareilles to get off the stage.
Photos are upcoming but I wanted to go ahead and share some of the footage I was able to capture.
In recent months, Stevie Nicks has begun performing "Crash into Me," the Dave Matthews Band classic, in concert. You can check it out by clicking the above video.
Having heard it, it's not bad. I have no strong opinion one way or the other. I think the instrumental makes the song. As long as you can somewhat hit the vocal notes, it's passable no matter who covers it.
The ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Spidey-sense. Adamantium claws. If you get any of those references, you were once 10. Or maybe, somewhere deep down inside, you still are. But don't worry, you're in good company. After all, 21 million people this past weekend saw a leather-suited Christian Bale beat up a painted-face Heath Ledger.
For this week's Playlist, I thought I would spotlight some of the songs we've come to associate with the world of comic book super heroes. Some tunes you might remember, some you might not. Some you wish you could forget.
So now, fueled by the inspiration of Stan Lee, Bob Kane, Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster comes this...
“Spider-Man” (1967) Composed by Paul Francis Webster and Bob Harris Theme from the Spider-Man cartoon series
Spider-Man’s first appearance: Amazing Fantasy #15, Aug. 1962
Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Does whatever a spider can Spins a web, any size, Catches thieves just like flies Look out! Here comes the Spider-Man
You know how it goes. Just about every kid does. In fact, my parents have an audio recording of me, at 2 years old, doing my best to sing the song. It's become synonymous with the web-slinger so much so that it's been included in all three of the Tobey Maguire films, with vocalist Michael Buble performing the song for “Spider-Man 2.”
Remy Zero "Save Me" (2001) Theme from “Smallville”
Superman’s first appearance: Action Comics #1, June 1938
Somebody save me And two warm hands break right through me Somebody save me I don't care how you do it Just stay Stay Come on I've been waiting for you
The theme song to The CW’s Superman franchise has been the band’s biggest, and only, hit to date. Kinda like the Rembrandts’ “I’ll Be There For You” from “Friends.” I got into “Smallville” a few years back – a glimpse into the teenage years of Clark Kent – but lost interest when they danced around the Lex Luther bad guy turn one time too many. But the song’s still good.
“Theme from Superman” (1979) Composed by John Williams From The Superman movie soundtrack
So iconic that it was used in the famous Seinfeld clip show, which aired immediately before the series finale in 1998. Of course, Jerry Seinfeld being a hardcore Superman fan probably played a role in that.
“The Batman Theme” (1989) Composed by Danny Elfman From The Batman movie soundtrack
Batman’s first appearance: Detective Comics #27, May 1939
As a refresher, this is the theme used in the first two Tim Burton films and somewhat sampled for the 1992 cartoon series. For the record, I always thought Michael Keaton was an underrated Batman, and actor. “Multiplicity” aside, he did good work. As a journalist, I especially enjoyed “Live from Baghdad.”
“Batman Theme” (1966) Composed by Neal Hefti From The Batman TV series
Best lyrics ever. Actually, no. If the goal of a composer is to have their work remembered for generations, Hefti succeeded. The downside, of course, is this is an awful song for an awful TV show. The only positive from the 1960s Batman is Adam West is now famous enough to be the mayor on “Family Guy.”
Evanescence "Bring Me to Life" (2003) From the Daredevil soundtrack
Daredevil’s first appearance: Daredevil #1, April 1964
Wake me up inside Wake me up inside Call my name and save me from the dark Bid my blood to run Before I come undone Save me from the nothing I’ve become
On the heels of the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises, “Daredevil” was universally panned as a comic book film. Of course, 2003 was a bad year for Ben Affleck. “Gigli.” Jennifer Lopez. Need I go on? But the soundtrack did well, anchored by what would go on to be one of the top songs of the year and a breakout hit for the alt rock band from Little Rock, AR.
“The Lonely Man Theme” (1978) Composed by Joe Harnell From The Incredible Hulk TV series
The Hulk’s first appearance: Incredible Hulk #1, May 1962
As a kid, I watched the Hulk every Sunday growing up. But in retrospect, I’m not sure why. It wasn’t the most uplifting show in the world. In fact, it was downright depressing. And it never got more depressing than the end of each show when Bill Bixby hitchhiked his way to a new town, hoping to someday find a cure and become normal. And in the background of those scenes played the now famous “sad walking away music.” Sniff.
Stone Temple Pilots "Big Empty" (1994) From The Crow movie soundtrack
The Crow’s first appearance: 1989
Time to take her home Her dizzy head is conscience laden Time to wait too long To wait too long These conversations kill
Man dies violently. Man is brought back to life, or pseudo life, to right the wrongs and make the bad people pay. How great a concept is that? And had Brandon Lee survived the making of the movie, the lead actor and son of Bruce Lee was accidentally killed late in the filming schedule, it would have made him a much bigger star than he was. This kinda flashed in my head after seeing the new Batman film this past weekend. Heath Ledger, anyone?
Mark Collie "In Time" (2004) From The Punisher movie soundtrack
The Punisher’s first appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #129, Feb. 1974
You know your days are numbered, Count them one by one, Like notches in the handle of an outlaw's gun. You can outrun the devil, if you try, But you'll never outrun the hands of time
From a lyric standpoint, this is my favorite song on the list. Mark Collie, a country singer / songwriter, walks into a diner, pulls out his guitar, stares at Frank Castle (portrayed by Thomas Jane) and sings about how he’s going to kill him. How cool is that? Of course, Collie ends up getting his throat slit. Such is life.
That’s what I got for this week, true believers. Check back next week for more.
Yep, I was one of the 21 million to see "The Dark Knight" this weekend. And it lives up to the hype. A strong blend of popcorn summer blockbuster and credible award contender. You almost forget halfway through that this is a story based on a comic book. Gone are the comedic stylings of Adam West and Joel Schumacher. In their place is a story and characters with depth.
And what they say about Heath Ledger is true. The Joker steals the show. The mannerisms. The style. The character. There were honestly points where I wish they would cut from the Batman scenes so I could see more of the Joker. It's not easily compared to Jack Nicholson's take in 1989, but if you were to compare them you honestly believe Ledger's Joker is crazy. The way he explains his character in the film is perfect - he doesn't live to steal money from banks or kill people, he lives to upset the order of things. He's an anarchist with no rhyme or reason to his actions other than to upset the plans of others.
This is a comic book movie done right. Should be interesting to see how the film does as the summer continues. We might be seeing more records broken by the time September rolls around.
Two trailers shown before the movie which caught my attention:
Watchmen (also based on a DC comic)
Terminator Salvation With the "Dark Knight" himself, Christian Bale, in the lead role as John Conner
It's been a long day, and one of those days where I kinda forgot to eat, but I wanted to share a few photos taken during last night's WWE event at Charlotte's Time Warner Cable Arena. The majority of the taping will air Friday on Smackdown, 8 p.m. on The CW Network.
I've been to so many shows since I was a kid that the aura of being there live has kinda worn off; now I go just trying to get good shots with my camera and pretend I'm some artistic photographer : )
"Well she was an American Girl / Raised on Promises..."
I've never flown first class. Been on lots of planes over 26 years but never first class.
But after last night at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, I kinda get the appeal.
I've been to lots of concerts, especially over the past two years. Never sat as close as sixth row. And after last night, I don't think I can ever go back to lawn seating.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tore the place down last night. It's a shame too, because after "airport security" was out patting people down before Dave Matthews a few weeks back, I thought it better to keep my good camera at home and not deal with having to leave it at the info counter. Of course, security ended up being lax last night and bringing the camera wouldn't have been an issue at all.
I was able to get a few shots with my work cell phone but I don't think it does the situation justice.
When you're that close to the stage, you're sitting in (or standing beside) folding chairs, rather than the typical stadium seating. Everyone around you is standing. You're packed in like sardines on what was already a hot Carolina night. And even though you're not drinking, after a while - with the heat and crowding, especially after a long week at work - you do start feeling a little inebriated.
And I was dead center to the stage, so getting out of the crowd for some hydration and a T-shirt was a lot of effort. Finding my seat again was a headache and a half.
The set list to last night's show isn't yet on the band's website but through a little Google-ing, I tracked it down. Very "singles" heavy, which is how I like it.
You Wreck Me
Listen To Her Heart
I Won't Back Down
Even The Losers
Free Fallin'
Last Dance With Mary Jane
Cabin Down Below
End Of The Line
Breakdown
Saving Grace
A Face In The Crowd
Honey Bee
You Don't Know How It Feels
Learning To Fly - The acoustic performance is perhaps my favorite song by the band. Of course, I spent most of the song trying to find my seat after getting my drink and shirt.
The iPod. A nifty little toy. It can be expensive as hell but good to have around on long car rides or just to tune out the rest of the world.
It’s inspired the iPod Nano, the iPhone, and – given a few years – probably the iToilet. It’s inspired the name of this column. And, on this occasion, it’s inspired the content of the column.
The shuffle option is one of the best things about the iPod, or any portable music player for that matter. The unpredictability of what song comes next is almost like listening to the radio, except there’s no chance of you changing the dial. After all, you’re the DJ.
For this week’s Playlist, I set the iPod on shuffle and left the rest to chance. A proverbial spin the bottle. It might land on something good, it could land on something not so good. What you see below are the results of that endeavor. Some of the choices you might love, some I might get heckled over. But it’s about as accurate a look at my musical tastes as it gets.
Want to share your own shuffle results? Shoot me an e-mail at grahamcawthon@shelbystar.com or leave a response here on my blog.
And away we go…
1) “Tonight, Tonight,” The Smashing Pumpkins (1996)
Album: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Not a huge Smashing Pumpkins fan but this one always works.
2) “Kings and Queens,” Aerosmith (1978)
Album: Draw the Line
An often forgotten song from the band’s successful run in the late 70s, “Kings and Queens” is used in their new video game, “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.”
3) “Down South,” Tom Petty (2006)
Album: Highway Companion
Perhaps Petty will sing this tomorrow at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre? I’ll be there, sixth row.
4) “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” Poison (1988)
Album: Open Up and Say…Ahh!
Probably the most romantic song written about a stripper.
5) “Gold Dust Woman,” Fleetwood Mac (1977)
Album: Rumours
Just a year after the Mac Attack released the song, which is reportedly about cocaine, Waylon Jennings did a cover of it. I have to track that down.
6) “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Bon Jovi (1986)
Album: Slippery When Wet
Twenty-two years later and it remains the band’s signature song.
7) “Wonderful Tonight,” Eric Clapton (1977)
Album: Slowhand
This song, as well as “Layla,” was written about Pattie Boyd, George Harrison’s then wife. After Boyd and Harrison ended their 11-year marriage in 1977, Clapton married her but the couple divorced nine years later.
8) “King of Kings,” Motorhead (2006)
Album: Wreckless Intent
If Lemmy’s face isn’t custom made for his own line of Halloween masks, I don’t know what is.
9) “Somewhere Out There,” Our Lady Peace (2002)
Album: Gravity
It remains the Canadian rock band’s biggest international hit.
10) “Cocky,” Kid Rock (2001)
Album: Cocky
You have to admit, at least this is better than his new song that samples “Werewolves of London” and “Sweet Home Alabama.”
11) “Jersey Girl,” Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band
Album: Live / 1975-85
The song was originally written and released by Tom Waits. Which reminds me to eventually listen to some Tom Waits.
12) The “Miami Vice” Theme, Jan Hammer (1984)
I still plan on dressing as Sonny Crockett for Halloween one of these years.
13) “You Look So Fine,” Garbage (1999)
Album: Version 2.0
My favorite song from one of my all-time favorite albums.
14) “Float On,” Modest Mouse (2004)
Album: Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Fitting, the song appeared on the soundtrack for “Ice Age 2: The Meltdown.”
15) “Omaha,” Counting Crows (1993)
Album: August and Everything After
One of the few non-singles from Adam Duritz I actually know the words to.
16) “Pocket Full of Sunshine,” Natasha Bedingfield (2008)
Album: Pocket Full of Sunshine
If you can’t at least smile to this happy little pop song then your internal programming is set to jaded.
17) “I Ran (So Far Away),” A Flock of Seagulls (1982)
Album: A Flock of Seagulls
I get “Flock of Seagulls” hair naturally. All I have to do is wake up in the morning and it’s there. I’m not kidding.
18) “Baba O’Reilly,” The Who (1971)
Album: Who’s Next
The song is often covered at USO concerts by the Lt. Dan Band, comprised of “Lt. Dan” himself, Gary Sinise.
19) “Simple Man,” Shinedown (2004)
Album: Leave A Whisper
Forget “Sweet Home Alabama.” This is my favorite Lynard Skynard song.
20) “Hey Joe,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1966)
Jimi sure has an interesting take on how to solve infidelity with firearms.
That’s what I got for this week, kids. Check back next Thursday for more and feel free to send your comments, questions, and suggestions to grahamcawthon@shelbystar.com.
(Not to be confused with the Superbowl Shuffle, below)
The iPod. A nifty little toy. It can be expensive as hell but good to have around on long car rides or just to tune out the rest of the world.
It’s inspired the iPod Nano, the iPhone, and – given a few years – probably the iToilet. It’s inspired the name of this column. And, on this occasion, it’s inspired the content of the column.
The shuffle option is one of the best things about the iPod, or any portable music player for that matter. The unpredictability of what song comes next is almost like listening to the radio, except there’s no chance of you changing the dial. After all, you’re the DJ.
For this week’s Playlist, I set the iPod on shuffle and left the rest to chance. A proverbial spin the bottle. It might land on something good, it could land on something not so good. What you will see in Thursday's Star are the results of that endeavor. Some of the choices you might love, some I might get heckled over. But it’s about as accurate a look at my musical tastes as it gets.
Want to share your own shuffle results? Shoot me an e-mail at grahamcawthon@shelbystar.com or post a response here.
Check back later this week for videos of each song.
They tore into the music scene with a take-no-prisoners mentality. In a world of pop music and glam metal, they stood out for having an appetite for destruction.
Some called them the next Rolling Stones. And while they didn’t have the longevity of Mick and the gang, they still rank high, on lists compiled by Rolling Stone magazine and VH1, for their contributions to the rock genre.
Axl Rose’s trademark red bandanna and microphone sway. Slash’s customary top hat, sun glasses, and cigarette. For about five years, before fame and egos caused Guns N’ Roses to implode, they were the face of rock ‘n’ roll.
While the band still exists today and tours, it’s a shell of its most famous line up. A new album is in the works, “Chinese Democracy,” but after being teased for a decade it’s unclear when it will be released.
TIME magazine’s Joel Stein wrote last week, regarding the album, “Every few years Rose assures his fans that it's about to be released, and then it isn't. It's gotten so ridiculous that the album title is used to mean something that is long promised but will never happen, like "That marriage proposal is total Chinese Democracy. Move on, girl."”
While we might never get another GN’R album, or at least not another good one, we can enjoy the music they’ve already given us, like these songs:
“Welcome to the Jungle” (1987) Album: Appetite for Destruction Billboard Top 100 peak position: 7
You know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby You’re gonna die
The fourth-best-selling album in US history was anchored by this, the band’s first breakout hit. Despite being aired in the early morning hours on MTV, the video went on to be the channel’s most requested.
"I wrote the words in Seattle,” Axl once said in an interview. “It's a big city, but at the same time it's still a small city compared to L.A. and the things that you're gonna learn. It seemed a lot more rural up there. I just wrote how it looked to me. If someone comes to town and they want to find something, they can find whatever they want."
“Sweet Child o’ Mine” (1988) Album: Appetite for Destruction Billboard Top 100 peak position: 1
She's got eyes of the bluest skies As if they thought of rain I hate to look into those eyes And see an ounce of pain
While “Welcome to the Jungle” put the band on the map, “Sweet Child” made them a mainstream success. The song was inspired by Axl’s then wife, Erin Everly. And if the last name sounds familiar, it should. Her dad is Don Everly of the Everly Brothers (Bye Bye Love). Sheryl Crow won a Grammy for her cover of the song in 1999, used in the Adam Sandler film “Big Daddy.”
“The thing about 'Sweet Child,' it was written in five minutes,” bassist Duff McKagen once said. “It was one of those songs, only three chords. You know that guitar lick Slash does at the beginning? It was kinda like a joke because we thought, 'What is this song? It's gonna be nothin', it'll be filler on the record.’”
“Patience” (1989) Album: G N’R Lies Billboard Top 100 peak position: 4
Said sugar make it slow And we'll come together fine All we need is just a little patience
The bare-bones acoustic love song is a concert favorite for the likes of Finger Eleven, Carrie Underwood, and Slash’s current band, Velvet Revolver. For Guns N’ Roses’ Use Your Illusion tour in 1991 and 92, “Patience” followed a cover of the Rolling Stones classic “Wild Horses.”
I was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for over an hour during Kings Mountain’s recent furniture giveaway and heard this song coming from another car. It fit the occasion.
“You Could Be Mine” (1991) Album: Use Your Illusion II Billboard Top 100 peak position: 29
When I come home late at night Don't ask me where I've been Just count your stars I'm home again
The antithesis of “Patience,” “You Could Be Mine” saw a full-throttle aggressive GN’R. The song was featured in the 1991 summer blockbuster “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” after director James Cameron decided to take advantage of already having the band’s t-shirts and posters in the film. Reportedly, Arnold Schwarzenegger even had the band over to his house to negotiate use of the song. Schwarzenegger also appeared in the song’s music video, which was put in heavy rotation that summer.
“November Rain” (1992) Album: Use Your Illusion 1 Billboard Top 100 peak position: 3 When I look into your eyes I can see a love restrained But darlin' when I hold you Don't you know I feel the same
With an orchestral backing and a running time of 8:57, “November Rain” stands as arguably the band’s crowning achievement. And while the power ballad earned Guns N’ Roses even more accolades, it also marked the point in which they “jumped the shark.” It was their last Top 10 hit and subsequent singles failed to even reach the Top 50. The video, which remains one of the most costly of all time, starred Rose’s then-girlfriend, Victoria’s Secret model Stephanie Seymour.
Those are my picks, what about you? Shoot me an e-mail at grahamcawthon@shelbystar.com.
Usually when I come back from the concert, I have a lot of photos and videos to share. Case in point, Bruce Springsteen in Atlanta.
I didn't realize security at Verizon Wireless were nazis. All cameras had to be left at the information counter before you even got inside.
You won the battle, Verizon Wireless, but I'll win the war.
Anyway ...
Show was good. Not 06 good but probably better than last year.
The set list:
The Stone Old Dirt Hill You Might Die Trying Everyday Eh Hee Don’t Drink the Water Grey Street Corn Bread Two Step Proudest Monkey Satellite Jimi Thing Sledgehammer (yes, the Peter Gabriel song) Bitch Ants Marching
Encores
Money (yes, the Pink Floyd song) So Much To Say Anyone Seen The Bridge Too Much
The seats were the best I've ever had for DMB, so it's a shame I wasn't able to get any good shots with the camera. The latter part of the concert is a blur; I ended up making calls about the fatal Ramblewood shooting, trying to get more info as "Ants Marching" was performed. Ended up leaving just before "Money," which was a great cover that could still be heard out in the parking lot.
My next concert: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 6th row, next Friday
I haven't seen any concert videos from last night end up on YouTube but here's a clip of their finale ("Trippin Billies") from the 06 stop.
I've been with The Star since October 2005 - Shelby follows Germany, DC, Alaska, Florida, Arizona, and Oklahoma as just some of the places I've called home. Started as the cops reporter and just recently took over as city editor.
