Another Case of Neko

After that DEBACLE last fall in Tarrytown, we gave Neko Case another "chance" Wednesday night at the Beacon Theater -- and she definitely didn't disappoint. 

Leaning heavily into her wonderful "Neon Grey Midnight Green" album -- her first release since 2018 -- Neko's voice and mood were in top gear throughout the evening, as she zig-zagged through a set that also included a healthy dose of material from "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," "Middle Cyclone" and "Blacklisted." (As it would happen, "Hell-On," which is the first solo album of hers I really got into, was ignored.)  

I've probably said this before, but it's worth repeating: Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde and Carly Simon are just lucky I didn't discover the New Pornographers chanteuse until the 2000s, because I have to figure the only reason she's not my No. 1 -- that voice! those lyrics! that phrasing! how does she come up with this stuff???? -- is because there's just no way to "catch up" with favorites who have been embedded in your DNA since your childhood. Even after playing Neko's solo music more or less nonstop the past year I still only recognized a fraction of what she played last night and only a couple times did I get the chills they way I do during an entire set of one of my legacy artists. (But when I did get them ... "Magpie to the Morning" ... swoon!) 

In no way does this diminish how much I appreciate her. In fact, that I hold her in such high regard after a relatively short period, or have adopted her at all, is probably the highest compliment someone like me -- who still regularly listens to albums from 1978 on repeat -- could give. 

Great night. Setlist below.

Setlist: 

“Bracing for Sunday,” “People Got a Lotta Nerve,” “Louise,” “Deep Red Bells,” “This Tornado Loves You,” “Little Gears,” “Baby, I'm Not (A Werewolf),” “Ragtime,” “Magpie to the Morning,” “I'm an Animal,” “Destination,” “Lady Pilot,” “Oh, Shadowless,” “That Teenage Feeling,” “Rusty Mountain,” “Match-Lit,” “Neon Grey Midnight Green,” “Tomboy Gold,” “Wreck,” “Star Witness,” Encore: “I Wish I Was the Moon,” “Hold On, Hold On,” “At Last.”

He Ain't Heavy

Had a jam-packed weekend with my brother Terence, who came up for a visit from Frederick, Md. On Friday we caught up over beers at the Emerald Inn, which would be my local Irish pub -- replacing Peter McManus in Chelsea -- if not for an unfortunately placed bathroom that frequently makes the bar area unbearable. (WTF?) 

On Saturday we walked to our local theater, the Beacon, to see comedian Mark Normand. Damian and I happened to see him in November as part of a benefit for the National Coalition Against Censorship and thought he was pretty funny for a non-female, non-gay stand-up. It turned out my brother was a fan, so we snagged the last three tickets on the final night of his sold-out run.

And then on Sunday we caught the matinee of "Aristocrats" at the Irish Repertory Theatre. I'm not very knowledgeable about theater -- I did see "The Aristocats" when I was child! -- but the show is part of a three-play series of works by Brian Friel (1929-2015), who has been likened to an "Irish Chekhov." 

While I don't know much about Chekhov either -- Woody Allen's "September" was modeled on Chekhov's play "Uncle Vanyabeen" (1899), so by the transitive property I guess you could say I'm on it -- I do know dysfunctional Irish families quite well, and thoroughly enjoyed this modest production -- which was helped by the fact that Casimir (Tom Holcomb) and Willie (Shane McNaughton) were most easy on the eyes, and Alice (Sarah Street) was a scene-stealer as the family alcoholic. 

So great to see my brother. And there's nothing like an out-of-towner to make you take full advantage of this fair city of ours! xo 

Tennis Scores at Beacon Theatre

Save for the rain, Damian and I had a perfect evening Saturday seeing Tennis in concert at the Beacon Theatre. It was our second time seeing the band -- made up of wife-and-husband duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley, plus touring drummer Steve Voss and bassist Ryan Tullock -- only this time we didn't miss the first few songs. (That's the difference between Brooklyn Steel on a workday and a theater that's a stone's throw away from your apartment on a Saturday!) 

Tennis performed a number of songs off their just-released sixth album ("Pollen"), including “Forbidden Doors,” “One Night With the Valet,” “Hotel Valet,” and “Pollen Song.”). Thankfully, I'm already well-versed in them, so they blended in perfectly with favorites like “Runner," "Need Your Love,” “Matrimony” and "Diamond Rings," perhaps my favorite song of theirs. I often joke that I never sought out new music after the "last" Bangles album -- in 1988! -- but that's only a slight exaggeration. Although I was out of the loop during much of the '90s dating a music-control-freak Latino -- if I ever hear Carlos Vives or Gipsy Kings again I might gritar! -- I did catch up eventually with the best of the decade. (Breeders, Belly, Ivy, Garbage, Hole, a side of Cranberries) But it's been slim pickings over the past 20-plus years, which is why Tennis is so special to me.

A three-song encore of “I’ll Haunt You,” "My Better Self" and “Glorietta” brought the show to a close, before Damian and I made our way to a local diner just as we had after seeing Chrissie Hynde on our second date, nearly nine years ago. ❤️

P.S. Kudos to opener Kate Bollinger, who put on a charming set to kick off the evening. 

P.S. Just need to go back to retrieve my umbrella! 

Tori! Tori! Tori!

Saw Damian’s all-time favorite artist last night at the Beacon -- his Blondie, if you will. Tori Amos was never really on my radar — slightly after my time(!) — but after spending the night with her she kind of reminds me of Kate Bush’s half sister. (Oddly they are from different eras but were born the same year.) Although I didn't know one song from the other -- just Tori and a huge piano and an electronic keyboard up onstage, by the way -- it was highly entertaining watching a crowd full of people hanging on her every word, movement and hair flip, and seeing how much her music means to them. (Especially sweet to see Damian so happy -- he's going back again tonight.) P.S. It smelled like everyone bought “Like a Prayer” on the way there. (Brooklyn Vegan's review HERE.)

And in an exclusive new interview, Amos talked with Hornet Stories’ Alexander Kacala about getting her start in a gay bar/restaurant in Washington:

Well, when I was 13 years old, the first place that gave me a chance professionally was a gay club. There were all men there. My father had his clerical collar on as a minister [and we were] turned down at all these other piano bars. We walked into Mr. Henry’s on Wisconsin Avenue and there was a man there with a studded something. It should have been a key but my dad didn’t get it. And he asked, “Will you give my daughter a chance?” And the person said, “Can she play?” And my dad said, “Yes, she can.” And the person said, “Well, she can play for tips and then let's see how it goes.”

The audience embraced me and started asking me to play songs that I hadn’t heard of. I knew hundreds of songs but I didn’t know necessarily all the ones that were being requested of me. I had The Beatles’ catalogue, but they weren’t really asking for that. They wanted musical theater, show tunes, and ’40s, some of those wonderful torch songs. So they made a deal with me. They said, “If you learn as many as you can and come back next week, we will be here.” I went and learned things and then I came back and back and back. And that was the beginning.

Had no idea she was from the D.C. area. Mr. Henry's -- which is actually on Pennsylvania Avenue -- was a regular haunt of mine when I was crashing with my brother Bill on Capitol Hill and is where Damian first met my family! (Robert Flack also got her start there.)

Full interview HERE.

Chrissie Hynde at the Beacon Theatre: Not Just Another Night in My Veins

Saw Chrissie Hynde's "solo" show at the gorgeously renovated Beacon on Wednesday, spur-of-the-moment via StubHub. As I started to write my recap, I realized this email exchange with my friend I ran into at the venue said everything I wanted to say ...

Him: Why do you think she didn't play Brass in Pocket? I was over the moon to hear The Message [sic]*, Tattooed Love Boys, and Precious. Crowd didn't seem to be as excited as I was, though. 

Me: She's pulled that before -- also skipped two of her other biggest, Middle of the Road and I'll Stand by You, not that I minded as much. But no Message of Love either! To her credit it was still riveting. I agree that the audience did not appreciate the stuff from debut as they should have. Pack It Up was a pleasant surprise from Pretenders II!!

Him: And I guess it was a little early in the season for 2000 Miles. She's always been on my list of Five Coolest People on the Planet (Bryan Ferry's on there, too--not sure who else, though, to be honest), but seeing her live just put her at the top. She's just effortless with that cool thing. Aside from the true punk heritage and the amazing music, it must be the confidence/doesn't-give-a-fuck thing which she wears so well. 

Me: Yep. Or as I said afterward, Debbie who?

Him: WoW. If you said that...

Me: Ha ha. Debbie is cool in her awkward way. But like you said, Chrissie just embodies that "I don't give a fuck" attitude that is so effortless that it's truly remarkable.

Him: Chrissie is my new Spirit Animal that I'm going to try and emulate from here on out.

Didn't write down the set list, but I remember she did a lot of her great new solo album, plus "My City Was Gone" followed by "Downtown (Akron)," "Biker" (random), "Don't Lose Faith in Me" (random again), "I Go to Sleep," "Back on the Chain Gang," "Don't Get Me Wrong," "Night in My Veins" and "Talk of the Town" and "Kid." I've seen her a half-dozen times -- which is why I wasn't going to go this time -- but I have to say she sure seemed to be enjoying herself more than in years past. Maybe time isn't the avenger after all.

Favorite moment: When she stopped singing mid-song and stared down someone who was taking flash photos of her and said, "Ya gonna keep doing that all night?" ... then later stood at the edge of the stage "posing" for photos.

* "The Message" being "The Phone Call," of course :-)