11 February 2017, Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills, CA
This was a sweet, tender, and just slightly odd night. Sweet and tender because of three women whose voices individually and separately are delightful, whose signature songs are weighty and whose humility is endearing.
At the risk of appearing somewhat Eagles-centric, I offer one more post on this subject for now. Don Henley once wrote “Don’t look back, you can never look back”, but those of us that come from a simpler time and were raised on music that is still at the core of our very being today will always look back.
17 January 2017, Majestic Theatre, San Antonio, TX
At the final of three shows on my Texas mini tour (four if you count New Years Eve across the state line in Oklahoma), and maybe the last time I will see him with this particular 15-piece band behind him, in the gorgeous theatre that Don Henley performed in on Tuesday night in San Antonio the sound was excellent, the crowd was rowdy, the security was very slack, but as always the experience was mesmerising.
It’s right about this time of the day on January 18 last year that I saw the news appear on my screen.
8 January 2017, Canyon Club, Agoura Hills, CA
When I heard an early preview of Timothy’s new album, Leap Of Faith, last year, I immediately said out loud, “This is Timothy’s time.” I meant it in a couple of ways. Musically, he’d reached a new level of buoyancy as a solo songwriter and performer; and also with the tragic ending of the Eagles, an insatiable need from Eagles followers and fans for connection with and music from the three remaining members, and a general interest from the media in the aftermath of that tragic ending meant – I believed – that Timothy’s solo work and subsequent touring would be more noticed than ever before.
11 December 2016, The Theater at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles, CA
When thinking about how I would describe this outstanding event I wondered what I could add to the detailed reviews in the LA Times and Billboard, the links for which are at the end of this report. While I can certainly speak to the excellent musicianship, the thoughtful choice of songs to represent Linda Ronstadt across all the genres of her repertoire – country, folk, rock, pop, standards, Mexican and more – and the seriously outstanding singing from the female performers on the bill, the greatest impression on me, what mesmerised and touched me, was the outpouring of love for Linda on stage, on the video tributes, and in the audience.
10 September 2016, Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA
This just might be among the best live concerts I’ve ever seen. It should have been longer and it should have been louder, but it was visually and aurally spectacular and, similar to when I saw Barbra Streisand last month, I was aware that I was among the very privileged few even getting to see this show, Jeff Lynne’s ELO tour of the US playing only three nights in Los Angeles and two nights in New York, and nowhere else.
3 September 2016, Blue Sun Music & Wine Festival, Westlake Village, CA
I hadn’t seen Daryl Hall & John Oates in concert since 1998 and had never photographed them, so in the setting sun I enjoyed focusing in on the lustrous locks and funny faces of Hall, and the craggy mean looks of Oates, but what you can’t see is the amazing voices singing those soulful songs sounding as great as they did back on Abandoned Luncheonette and Bigger Than Both Of Us, the latter still in my vinyl album collection. “She’s Gone”, “Sara Smile”, “Rich Girl”, “Do What You Want, Be What You Are”, and all those ’80s pop hits too. The best of Philadelphia white soul – perhaps the best white soul anywhere – on a California summer evening, quite sublime.
5 August 2016, Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
A superb month of concerts culminated in the Adele show I didn’t think I would get to see. Not so secret trick: great seats are released just a few hours before show time. If you can’t get one online, call the ticket phone line. Buy a face value seat instead of outrageous broker prices.
Three nights after Barbra, here was Adele at the Staples Center, for the first of eight sold-out shows.
2 August 2016, Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
So many moments, so many photos. She was my bucket list item, the last great performer I hadn’t seen live. Why wouldn’t I want to capture “every single look and sweet expression on her face”, to quote a line from one of the songs in Yentl, “The Way He Makes Me Feel”? Barbra didn’t sing that one; she sang – and I knew she would – “Papa Can You Hear Me?”. It had been my father’s favourite song from the Yentl soundtrack and so I thought of him with tears in my eyes as she sang it mesmerisingly, and that was just fine.
DEBBIE DOES MUSIC 