A Curated Concert Roundup: June 5-13
Lazlo Holly Feld plays Radiohead, SZA & Kendrick Lamar in Toronto, Ricky Skaggs at Sportsmens Park, and Buddy Guy in Niagara Falls.
Time to play catch-up…
Concert season arrived like a wave and crashed on my shoreline as if without warning, though I’d had plenty, and yes, I’ve been at this whole thing for a minute. Still, while it wasn’t exactly like going from 0 to 100 mph in a few seconds, it did feel like it happened pretty quickly, even though like so many of you, I’ve been going to shows all along. So forgive me if my head is still spinning a bit…
Here at my house, we’d been eagerly anticipating Lazlo Hollyfeld’s take on Radiohead’s In Rainbows ever since the tickets went on sale back in February. I can think of no troop of musicians more ‘up to the task’ than these guys, who have a deep legacy built on blending alternative music, post-rock, progressive, ambient and dance-able textures into a delicious instrumental gumbo.
As it turns out, we were far from alone in our heightened anticipation for this gig, and the Town Ballroom was filled with fans giving off a vibe I can only describe as grateful - based on past Radiohead-based Lazlo gigs, and our city’s love for Radiohead (despite the fact that the band has ignored us since an opening slot for Alanis Morrisette at Darien Lake in August of 1996), we all knew we were in for something special, and we were thankful for the intimacy of the engagement.
Guitarist/vocalist Dave Calos, guitarist/vocalist Sonny Baker, keyboardist Scott Molloy, bassist Chris Gangarosa, drummer Matt Felski and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Chris Groves lived up to that enthused anticipation rather handily, straight out of the gate.
Opening with ’15 Step,’ the band made it clear that this would be no thrown-together and under-rehearsed tribute gig, but rather, a multi-media presentation where live sound, lights and visuals, a blend of acoustic and programmed textures, and fully committed performances would commingle in service of a world-class presentation - one that certainly operates on a high enough level that it could be taken on the road.
The sound was built from the rhythm section up, as Gangarosa’s walloping bass sound and Felski’s spot-on percussive renderings laid the groundwork for Molloy’s wash of keyboards and synth textures and the twin guitar interplay of Calos and Baker, who ably covered the twin textures of Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Ed O’Brien, while adding their own sounds and sensibilities to the stew.
Similarly, the way that Baker and Calos traded lead vocal duties lent to the dramatic arc of the show, with Baker truly crushing the more aggressive material and Calos inhabiting the esoteric and ethereal aspects of Thom Yorke’s idiosyncratic and virtuosic singing.
Videos by Kim Miers.
In addition to the entirety of the In Rainbows album, Lazlo chose the rest of the set wisely, adding a riveting take on ‘Black Swan’ from Yorke’s debut solo effort, The Eraser, a heart-rending ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ from The Bends, an almost Led Zeppelin-like ‘Optimistic,’ a gorgeously avant garde ‘The National Anthem’ (with help from the awesome 12/8 Path Band horns, who opened the show), and an epic ‘Paranoid Android’ in the encore position.
The key to a great tribute-type of show is a band’s ability to stay true to the compositional aspects of the original material, while simultaneously breathing their own life into the music and melding aspects of the unique musical personalities of all involved into the presentation. Lazlo Hollyfeld made doing this look and sound easy.
What a fantastic night this was.
Lazlo Hollyfeld: Radiohead’s In Rainbows
The Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY. June 7
Set 1: In Rainbows
15 Step
Bodysnatchers
Nude
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
All I Need
Faust Arp
Reckoner
House of Cards
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Videotape
Set 2: Favorites
2+2=5
Where I End and You Begin
Myxomatosis
Black Swan
Full Stop
Go to Sleep
Fake Plastic Trees
Optimistic
The Daily Mail
The National Anthem
Encore:
Everything in its Right Place
Idioteque
Paranoid Android
SZA & Kendrick Lamar - The Grand National Tour
Rogers Centre. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. June 13
It’s impossible for me to claim objectivity here, as my son is SZA’s bassist, so I’ll stick to a broad overview, and simply tell you that this show - which seamlessly blends and interweaves the music of both Kendrick Lamar and SZA throughout - was hugely impressive as both surprisingly understated and deeply artistic multi-media design & presentation and musical performance.
Both artists truly shined, and the music of each complemented the other. Kendrick’s rhythmic complexity and aggressive-yet-poetic lyrics commingled to an often stunning effect, and the breadth of SZA’s deeply emotive marriage of alternative r&b and pop was equally moving.
An incredible show, all 2 and 1/2 hours of it.
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
Sportsmens Park. Buffalo, NY. June 8
If you were at Sportsmens Park on this overcast but awesome Sunday, then you already know - we were in the presence of absolute royalty in the form of Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, his ensemble of Americana virtuosos. Bluegrass just doesn’t get any better than this. What a gift this booking was for Buffalo music lovers of all ages, tastes and tendencies.
Buddy Guy
Seneca Niagara Casino Events Center, Niagara Falls, NY. June 6
I wasn’t able to make it this time, but I heard from a trusted source that Buddy was as awesome as ever… Enjoy these awesome photos of the show by my colleague Michael Lee Jackson.
I wish I could’ve been there at the SZA show!