Boy George & Culture Club, B-52s and Thompson Twins' Tom Bailey, The Boch Center- Wang Theatre Boston, MA 07/27/2018

It was a triple bill last night at The Boch Center in Boston. First on stage was Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins. Tom and his 3 female band members were decked out all in white. The synth pop was strong. There was Love On Your Side and Lies. A couple of tracks from his new album Science Fiction. And be still my heart when he did Lay Your Hands On Me and Doctor! Doctor! I may be in my 40s and he may have gray hair now but the crush on him is still there. He finished his set with the classic Hold Me Now with the venue lit up from a disco ball. The audience got to end the song a capella. Next up was the funky and wild B-52s. Cindy Wilson still has the blond beehive, Kate Pierson the fierce red hair, and Fred Schneider as always is crazy fun. I highly recommend if you want to relieve some some stress rock out to the B-52s live. They performed Planet Claire, Mesopotamia, and Private Idaho. Thank you, thank you for Roam! We got our tin roof rusted with Love Shack and yes our lobster was rocked-Rock Lobster. Finally, Culture Club came on and Boy George had on a hat and a military inspired coat with gold accents. He started the set with David Bowie's Let's Dance and he did it justice. I'm always happy to hear the upbeat I'll Tumble 4 Ya. He took me to the islands with Let Somebody Love You. He gave us Time (Clock Of The Heart) and he turned back time with Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? There's no containing me on Church Of The Poison Mind. He did a cover of Robert Palmer's Addicted To Love and the night was complete with Karma Chameleon. It was a jammed packed night of music!

Shania Twain, TD Garden Boston, MA 07/11/2018

The drum beat started pounding, the excitement built up in the crowd, and from the back of TD Garden in strode Shania Twain to screams and cheers. I had an excellent vantage point to see her profile as she went past. Sporting a cowboy hat and a shimmering dress with a slit up to there, she made her way up to the stage. Since this is the Now Tour, she opened the show with new music from said album. Life's About To Get Good set the tone for the night. This song is upbeat, optimistic, and just puts a smile on your face. The stage throughout the night was very fluid and dynamic. There were large blocks that could move around as well as up and down. Graphics and videos were projected on the blocks. The band was moved all over the stage and at times even on the blocks. This show was energy! Her costume changes consisted of sparkly catsuits, dresses and thigh high boots I desperately want. She gave us all the favorites. Come On Over, Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You), That Don't Impress Me Much, Any Man Of Mine, Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?, and Honey I'm Home. Shania doesn't tinker with the songs either. She gives them to us the way we want to hear them. Later in the concert, while sitting on a seat made from a guitar case, she was floated out across the audience and she sang Soldier and You're Still The One. It was just beautiful when she did From This Moment On. God I love when she does I'm Gonna Getcha Good! And it's always a party when she does Party For Two which she performed with her opening act, Bastian Baker. I was really happy with my favorite off the new album Swingin' With My Eyes Closed. The encore was Man! I Feel Like A Woman and Rock This Country. I didn't want it to end. I wanted it to keep on going. Considering I had been up early in the morning and had worked all day but still wanted to rock this country past 10:30pm I think says it all.

Steve Miller Band with Peter Frampton, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion Boston, MA 07/06/2018

Last night at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion the Steve Miller Band took us back to 1970s rock and roll. The music was as easy as a recliner to relax into and you could drift away on the sound like the sea breeze flowing through the venue. The show opened with Peter Frampton who in my mind's eye I still see as a young 20 something. But at 68 he still sounds great performing Show Me The Way and Baby, I Love Your Way. Next was Steve Miller and proving 74 is not old. I can still remember being 11 years old and loving Abracadabra when it was a hit in 1982 (his gem from the 80s). It may have taken a long time but finally heard it live. He gave us The Joker, Take The Money And Run, Jungle Love, Swingtown, Rock'n Me, the trippy Fly Like An Eagle and finished it off with Jet Airliner. A nice summer night concert.

Depeche Mode, TD Garden Boston, MA 06/09/2018

Last night after waiting a little over 30 years I finally saw Depeche Mode in concert. I was totally rocked and amazed! Well worth the wait. The band pulled in an audience that spanned generations. David Gahan was shirtless in a vest sporting his tattoos, pencil thin mustache, slicked back hair and slightly dangerous facade. He has tremendous stage presence that reached out across the Garden. They started with Going Backwards from their new 2017 album Spirit. The track is quite relevant to the times we are in and prove this band still has something to offer. We got World In My Eyes and Martin Gore gave us The Things You Said. Had almost forgot about Everything Counts so it was great to be reminded about that one. Positively loved hearing Enjoy The Silence. It's funny back in the day when my Mom didn't quite get the alternative rock scene even she got into Enjoy The Silence. Never Let Me Down Again was in there and Martin's voice could bring chills on I Want You Now. And I totally flipped when the night was finished with Personal Jesus. That was always my song. A side note: They did not perform People Are People or Policy Of Truth which you would expect. They are are not the only artists to leave out of their setlist some of their biggest hits. I have heard artists say they get tired of performing the same songs over and over. But the thing is you created something we love and we want the experience of hearing it live. So to all the artists out there keep that in my mind for your fans. Otherwise, I had my Personal Jesus moment and I reached out and touched faith.

The Post (Movie 2017)

The Post takes you into 1971 just when the Pentagon Papers are about to be printed by the press. For several years there had been many nation wide protests against our involvement in the Vietnam War. The Pentagon Papers had been a study created in 1967 by Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense. It was to notate the history of the war but was not meant for the public. With good reason, it showed for several Presidential administrations the American people were being lied to as to the real intentions of our military being there and the fact that the war was not winnable. The New York Times first gets access to these explosive documents but are held up when President Nixon has a court injunction slapped on them. The Washington Post which had been playing runner up to The Times had to make the decision to print when the Pentagon Papers then falls in their laps. Highly unusual for the times was the fact The Post was owned and run by a woman. Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) was heir to the newspaper and it is fascinating to watch her in this business of communication struggle to find her voice and take charge. She is surrounded by men who have their own agendas. Some are afraid for the future of the newspaper if they print the documents. Others, such as her editor-in chief, Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) believe it's about freedom of the press. Katharine believed in the American people's right to know and freedom of the press. Of course, when they did print the White House went after them and it went to the Supreme Court. I say thank goodness the First Amendment was upheld. As the movie reminds us what Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black said "The press was to serve the governed, not the governors." The film also stars Bradley Whitford and was directed by Steven Spielberg.

Labyrinth (Movie 1986)

Over the weekend I decided to revisit what has become a cult classic, the movie Labyrinth. It was released in 1986 and had 2 creative geniuses involved in its making- Jim Henson and David Bowie. At this point Jim Henson had already begun to tap into the darker side of his creativity with The Dark Crystal which came out in 1982. He was bringing forth stories that were ominous compared to the lighthearted Muppets but still were accessible to young people. The movie Labyrinth presents us with the story of a hero’s journey like from mythological tales of old. Our hero is a teenage girl, Sarah, played by a very young Jennifer Connelly. Sarah likes to pretend and live in her own little fantasy world and is not happy when the responsibility of looking after her baby brother intrudes. She creates her own trouble when she wishes out loud that the Goblin King from the book she recreates scenes from would take him away forever. He is real and he is listening. And like that the baby is gone from his crib and before Sarah is Jareth, The Goblin King in the form of David Bowie. He lets her know now she can go play and do what she wants. But now all she wants is her baby brother. The only way she can get him back is to go through the expanse of the Labyrinth to The Goblin King’s castle. However, she only has 13 hours to do it before little Toby becomes a goblin. Her quest as we see will not just lead her to her brother but finally into adulthood and the lessons that come with it. In one scene she yells at Jareth “That’s not fair!” He replies back “You say that so often, I wonder what your basis for comparison is.” Another scene has a creature burdened down with material things and she begins to pile Sarah’s possessions onto Sarah until she realizes what is happening. She throws them off and continues on to find what really matters which is her brother, Toby. When Hoggle, a goblin she has befriended along the way, hinders her progress because of his fear of Jareth, she learns sometimes we have to forgive. David Bowie as The Goblin King can be menacing and seductive. When I saw this movie all those years ago I have to admit was the first time I found David Bowie powerfully sexy. I melt every time I see the ballroom scene. Forget the baby brother, he could kidnap me. Jim Henson gave Bowie a lot of freedom with writing his own dialogue for the picture. And of course he wrote and performed the fantastic songs for the soundtrack. It is sad that both Henson and Bowie are gone but we have this wonderful masterpiece to still watch where both of their incredible talents came together.

Gladys Knight, Chevalier Theatre Medford, MA 05/13/2018

The Grammy Award winning Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight came to Medford tonight and did not disappoint. Without hesitation I would go to see her again. She came out in a light grey top and leggings with a silver sequined jacket and boots. My heart soared with hearing You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me. It seems I'm not the only one who loves If I Were Your Woman because the place went as bananas as I did when she sang it. And it sounded as good as the original recording. We all were on board the Midnight Train To Georgia. She performed I Heard It Through The Grapevine and the place was jammin' to I've Got To Use My Imagination. She did great covers like Sam Smith's Stay With Me, Barbra Streisand's The Way We Were and Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me. She had a 6 piece band and 3 back up singers. She was nice to let each of her back up singers have a moment in the spotlight to sing. Gladys filled the theater with a real positive and spiritual energy. I think when she sang the cover I Hope You Dance it spoke to who she is. Gladys was born on May 28th which is my Mom's birthday, so it was strange to be at her concert on Mother's Day. I was trying to really not think of the day to be truthful but Gladys did a sweet tribute by singing M-O-T-H-E-R. She said she missed her Mom. Me too Gladys. She finished out the night with the 1987 Top 20 hit Love Overboard.