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Rainy day music

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Paul’s great song of the day suggestion for today, “Raining in Baltimore”, puts me in mind of rainy day songs. This article from the New Musical Express lists the top 20 songs about rain.  List like this are made to be debated and argued over. I agree with some of the choices here and disagree with others but I absolutely have to give a nod to “Purple Rain”. I think this might be one of the best songs in the last 40 years, not just a great song about rain

https://www.nme.com/list/20-songs-rain-1947915

 

Since Paul’s rainy day song was a cover version, here’s another great cover version. Sometimes it just takes one great artist to do justice to the work of another great artist .

 

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Hmm… – Study claims that attending a concert once every two weeks can add nine years to your life

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From Consequences of Sound:

Dave Grohl watching Metalica from the audience, photo via Seth Daniel Lawson Goldman
Dave Grohl watching Metalica from the audience, photo via Seth Daniel Lawson Goldman
Concerts can be daunting as you get older, what with late start times, a slew of opening acts, and the prospect of standing next to tall, sweaty people for several hours. A new study, however, claims that the effort’s worth it.

Conducted by O2 and behavioral science expert Patrick Fagan and reported by NME, the study finds that regular concert attendance can increase one’s lifespan by up to nine years. The logic here is that live music increases feelings of self-worth, closeness to others, and, especially, mental stimulation, all of which contribute to one’s sense of well-being. According to the study, there’s a “positive correlation between regularity of gig attendance and well-being,” and “additional scholarly research directly links high levels of wellbeing with a lifespan increase of nine years.”

These sensations of well-being were measured using psychometric testing and heart-rate tests, and the study says experiencing a gig for just 20 minutes can result in a 21% increase in feelings of well-being. The study’s recommendation is that one concert every two weeks will score one’s “happiness, contentment, productivity and self-esteem at the highest level.”

Does that sound like a load of hooey to you? Especially once you consider that O2 is a concert venue that plugs its “Priority Tickets” program in the text of the study? Yeah, maybe, but who are we to argue? Some of the most fun we’ve ever had has been at concerts, and who’s going to disagree that happy people are likely to live longer?

Also, this isn’t the first time scientists have come to such a conclusion.

See more live music.

 

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A Change was Made Uptown, and the Piano Man Joined the Band…

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Last night in NYC, Billy Joel celebrated his 100th MSG show with special guest Bruce Springsteen!

From Backstreets.com


“JERSEY AND LONG ISLAND BUST THE CITY IN HALF”
Last night in NYC, Bruce Springsteen headed downtown from 48th Street to 33rd, to join Billy Joel for a big night at Madison Square Garden. Celebrating his unprecedented 100th lifetime show at the Garden, Billy brought Bruce out midway through Wednesday night’s concert, introducing him as “an old friend of mine… an Oscar-winner, Grammy-winner… and a Tony Award-winner, please welcome Bruce Springsteen!”

Taking the stage with mic in hand, to plenty of Brooocing and a hug from his pal, Springsteen congratulated Billy on 100 shows before counting the band into “Tenth Avenue Freeze-out.” “Do it again, do it again!” he called to Billy’s horn section, before working the stage and hopping up on the piano as he has at the Garden many times before — though not in the triple digits. Billy took the second verse, and Bruce didn’t miss the opportunity for a perfect lyric change: “They made that change uptown, and the Piano Man joined the band!” And of course, “Jersey and Long Island bust the city in half.”

Soon Bruce was strapping on his trusty Fender for one more: “Born to Run.” Billy sang the second verse on this one, too, and his longtime saxman Mark Rivera joined Bruce center stage for a deft turn on the iconic sax solo. Interestingly, one other band member on stage has played that solo before, as this appearance also reunited Springsteen with ’92-93 bandmember Crystal Taliefero.

Watch the full appearance above — pretty thrilling to see Springsteen not only back in his rock ‘n’ roll element with two classics, but to be sharing a big moment with his Columbia compatriot. As proclaimed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, yesterday was officially Billy Joel Day in the state of New York — congrats to Billy on the honor and on 100 nights at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
– July 19, 2018 – photograph via Twitter/@WineConcierge – setlist via Twitter/@billyjoel
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Bruce news!

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“Springsteen on Broadway” coming to Netflix

“Springsteen on Broadway” will launch globally on Netflix on December 15, 2018, which is also the final night of Springsteen’s completely sold out 236-show run at Jujamcyn’s Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway. “Springsteen on Broadway” is a solo acoustic performance written and performed by Tony Award, Academy Award, and 20-time Grammy Award winner Bruce Springsteen. Based on his worldwide best-selling autobiography ‘Born to Run,’ “Springsteen on Broadway” is a unique evening with Bruce, his guitar, a piano, and his very personal stories. In addition, it features a special appearance by Patti Scialfa. The evening has received rave reviews in top media here and abroad.

“Springsteen on Broadway” is written by Bruce Springsteen, and directed and produced by Emmy Award-winner Thom Zimny (“Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Live in New York City (2001)”). In addition to Zimny, the film is being produced by the same team that produced “Springsteen on Broadway,” including Springsteen manager Jon Landau, Springsteen tour director George Travis, and Landau Management partner Barbara Carr.

Said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer, Netflix: “We are thrilled to bring Bruce Springsteen — a master storyteller, humanitarian and voice of the everyman — to Netflix in this historic one man show. This groundbreaking experience defies the boundaries of theater, concerts and film and will give our global audience an intimate look at one of the biggest cultural icons of our time.”

Said Springsteen manager, Jon Landau: “The purpose of the film is to bring this incredibly intimate show to Bruce’s entire audience intact and complete. In addition to its many other virtues, Netflix has provided for a simultaneous worldwide release which is particularly important for our massive international audience. Ted Sarandos and the entire company’s support has been a perfect match for Bruce’s personal commitment to the filmed version of ‘Springsteen on Broadway.’”

Bruce Springsteen’s historic sold-out series of performances of his one man show “Springsteen On Broadway” began previews on October 3, 2017 and officially opened October 12. The show was extended three times after its initial eight-week run, and will close on Broadway on December 15, 2018, bringing the total number of performances to 236.

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George Theiss 1949-2018. Bandmate of Bruce Springsteen in his first band The Castiles

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George Theiss passed away this past Friday, July 13.

From Backstreets.com:

GEORGE THEISS, 1949-2018

George Theiss died on Friday after a two-year battle with lung cancer. He was 68. Theiss was Bruce Springsteen’s bandmate in their teen-years band The Castiles; Springsteen is now the last surviving member of that band.

Theiss formed The Castiles — named after the shampoo that he used — in late 1964 and was the band’s lead singer. He had been dating Virginia Springsteen for a while before learning that her brother could play the guitar; George soon invited Bruce to join the band. In his Born to Run autobiography, Springsteen identified The Castiles as “my first real band”….  He also described George Theiss as “the best vocalist we had. He had a real voice and charisma and did the job well. I was considered toxic in front of a microphone…

The Castiles actually got as far as playing New York City’s famous Café Wha? and doing a bit of recording. Their two-track recording of “Baby I,” a song that Springsteen and Theiss wrote together, was featured on Chapter and Verse, the 2016 compilation released in conjunction with the Born to Run autobiography.  After The Castiles broke up, George Theiss remained a fixture on the Jersey Shore music scene through the 1970s and 1980s, later leading Cahoots and The George Theiss Band, and continuing to write and perform.