The Gigs We Go To

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Permalink Reply by Jim on August 3, 2009 at 1:31pm

22nd July:

Arezzo is an acient walled city at the southern end of Tuscany and for a week or so it stages it's own music festival with outdoor concerts in the "Il Prato" and outdoor park with an eliptical, tree lined area for concerts.

Being in the area I wandered along to see the only act that I knew--- all the rest were Italian and were unknown to me.

A warm night, glorious Tuscan sunset, kids in tow, bottle of beer and Tracy Chapman.

Now if I am honest, I would say that if Miss Chapman was advertised as appearing in Glasgow on a wet November night in any of the city's usual arenas, then I would probably not have ventured out. She has never been top of my list of folk to listen to, though to be fair she has never been at the bottom either!
So notwithstanding the glorious setting I went with the expectation of some pleasant but none too spectaculour entertainment!

She appeared at 10pm with a 4 piece band featuring herself, guitarist, keyboards and a drummer.

More or less immediately certain things became blindingly obvious:

1 When she speaks Tracy Cghapman has a squeaky voice
2 The majority of the audience were far more knowledgeable about her repetoire than I was
3 For a 4 piece outfit the band were very tight and made a very big sound
4 I am probably an arse!!!!!!

The last numbered item is included because I went expecting something sort of ok and none to spectacular-- wrong wrong WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TC--- says very little between songs!!!! TC knows one word of Italian and attempts no others " Gratzeeaay" TC changes her guitar between every song.

But By God TC and her band swung between blues, folk, rock, country, reggae, hip hop and all other points in the compass with an ease that beggared belief. Yes she changed guitar after guitar-- electric, accoustic, banjo, six string, twelve string, 5 string-- she even played the drums at one point-- bongos and full beat box-- and generally just directed where they were going and at what pace. The noise would have been worthy of a ten piece set up!

Oh yea I forgot to say that she sang!! In a deep rich voice that carried across the open air-- sometimes strong and loud, sometimes soft and gentle.

She mixed new songs and old--- talking about a revolution, America,Baby can I hold you (stick Boyzone up your ****** ) and my own favourite fast car! She sang about her native America and all it's problems, about love and romance, about scenery and country-- just about damn near everything-- and you can hear every word!

Part way through I began to wonder what age she was--- turns out she is a few years younger than me--- as she seems to have been around forever! A quick check later shows she has made a few triple platinum selling albums, won three grammies including one for the best rock song of 1997!

As if her versatility had not been shown enough, she at one point sat her whole band down at the front of the stage and explained that on each night of this limited tour they played a song by someone else in a style that was very different to the original version. So we were treated to an accoustic, ballad like, arpeggio version of "stand by me"! Later she sang one of her newer songs twice one version after the other--- two completely different styles---- one sort of ballad rocky, the other more upbeat and funky--- I preferred the latter.

The crowd sang along to what they could, some kissed and cuddled, some drank, some smoked. some danced. Some were old, some young. Some were ugly Glaswegians others were very beautiful Italians, some Americans, English, Dutch, Danish and so on-- and after 2 hours we all went away very satisfied at the evenings entertainment!!!!!!

So a question and a couple of observations:

Have you ever gone anywhere to see something and realised that what you are watching or listening to is just very very good? Well it became clear to me that TC is a very talented woman, with no fuss, no great glamour, no laser shows, no giimicks, no bugger all just her own talent which positively reeks from the stage. Her own style, her own culture and who performs on her own terms! I like that!

Now I go back to what i said about not going out on a wet novemeber night in Glasgow to see her! She isn't absolutely brilliant just very very very good! She won't fill Hampden Park but will fill many other halls up and down the country. But therein lies the problem-- smaller halls, smaller numbers--- bigger ticket prices!!!!!!!

What is it about this country where we get used to paying £30, £40, £50, £100, £200, and so on for acts of varying size fame and talent? I don't know what the charges are like in other parts of the globe but the cost of a Ticket for 2 hours of Miss Chapman in Arezzo?----------- 12 Euros!!!!!! Yes TWELVE EUROS--or £9 to those of us from the UK. The best bang for your Buck in over a decade by a country mile or kilometer if you want to go continental!!!!!!

Now lest you think that was a fluke or whatever let me point out a few truths:

While I was in Tuscany there were various festivals and within a one month period I noted the following bands or acts were performing in the area:

Leonard Cohen: Bruce Springsteen: Kraftwerk: Scissor Sisters: Motorhead: Moby:Patti Smith: James Taylor and others

Whats more I also discovered various towns which were putting on their own misic festivals one after the other--- Blues, folk, classical-- as well as culture festivals including cinema, opera, painting etc etc-- and well i hate to point it out most of them were FREE!!!!! yep free music in the stret every night!!!! Not headline acts but some bloody good stuff. In the bars you got one free drink too and at some there was complimentary food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Going anywhere with 4 kids is not cheap---- Ice creams, drinks, meals, tickets all add up but can I say to each and every person reading this if you like your music in the open air then get to Tuscany ( or wherever in Italy--- by the way the base price for my flights was £5.99 with Ryanair to Rome ) as you cannot beat it for value in that respect!!!!!!!!

Tracy Chapman??? Well my 14 year old has been playing her stuff on the ipod-- so that says something. just very very good-- really good--- a pleasure to go and see someone do something so well and so simply with such ease-- so if you get the chance...................

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Permalink Reply by sharon on August 3, 2009 at 7:43pm

Zeeez Jim
You are back !..I have had 'Finding Jimbo' websites set up, Helen teased with her claim of you being in her wardrobe... she had to rush to feed you strawberries and cream,make your hot chocolate and tuck you in!!!

I had a slot booked on 'crimewatch' (Which I have now cancelled) I was gonna wave a toy haggis at the camera's ,wiping away a tear as your profile pic appeared on screen...just as well you are back as frankly I had misgivings about that pic.....
Anyway glad you enjoyed Tuscany. As for T Chapman, well I can tell you exactly when she was flave of the year.!989...I know this because I was preggers with my first -born and hubby bought the record for me. Unfortunately the hideous condition ,in which most women blossom rendered me unable to move without chucking up -delightful I know...this went on for 9 miserable months, not to mention hair falling out in clumps and skin turning deathly white and scaly. ...Yuk , and so If I hear the opening chords to T.Chapman I immediately feel like hurling into the nearest vase / bowl or whatever......even as I post this I feel a slight nausea rising!!


A shame is'nt it ..as I am sure she 's brill!!...Talking of open air stuff, I went to Kirkstall Abbey nr Leeds last night to watch 'A MIdsummer's Night's Dream'...it was very magical ,although the other half was'nt overwhelmed...not really into a bunch of fairies dancing round a forest !!can't think why....... must away anon ...Lord what fools these mortals be!

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Permalink Reply by Jim on August 4, 2009 at 12:02am

Hiya shaz,

well! The idea of mw hiding in Nelly's wardrobe ia an interesting one. As I have been out for a few pints and am slightly the worse for wear i will confess to having hid in a wardrobe or two in my time--- lest that sound bad I should explain that mostly I was hiding from parents in a house i shoudn't have been in and once in an hotel when there were six of us in the wardrobe when room service arrived-- although the waiter must have thought that the two who were staying there were a right pair of greedy buggers with a drink problem.

However at the risk of being very very serious can I go back to TC!

Hopefully, most of us joined this and indeed any other music related forum because we love music-- whether it be Roxy, Bowie , Wagner, Sinatra or Pavorroti. One of the things I genuinely like about this medium is that at times someone posts something that makes you think, or delve into your past or the contemporary music scene or whatever.

If you look at the footage on you tube-- and I mean some of the amateur footage as well as the pro stuff-- you will see that TC arms herself with the most gorgeous smile--- just someone who enjoys what she is doing and knows that she is doing it well. She does write a good song or two. With no disrespect to the Eno's and other synth driven, knob twiddling, techno gurus of this world, what I loved most was the fact that this woman sang and played simply about her America, about ambition and hope, about regret and emotion, about love despair and joy,and about the street, the job, the 9 to 5 and so on. I would love to take her for a pint!!

So-- cast off the memories of pregnancy, childbirth and all that-- though still treasure them for what they brought---but go listen to a bit of Tracy-- it will honestly do your soul some good!

As for a mid summers nights dream? Mmmm I was never the greatest fan of Willie Shakespearse's ventures into the whimsy! I am more a fan of his dramatis personae-- Othello, Marc Anthony, Hamlet, Richard the 3rd, Macbeth. But we best not get into Theatre in terms of live performances as that could take us into a whole new genre.

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Permalink Reply by sharon on August 4, 2009 at 7:14pm

foresooth you misunderstand me sire...o.k.enough of the bard.Yes I totally agree that TC is fabulous ,which is why I asked for the record in the first place, but honestly, so engrained is the 'Pavlov 'conditioned response that I really cannot hear her dulcit tones without feeling sick !!

Great to have you back out of the wardrobe....although you appear to have an attraction to them !!
Oh -left you a msg round about the time Willie S started to pen 'M.S.N. Dream'

It may have disintigrated by now ...Chiao 4 now. Going to gaze at my new wheels-black smart car,have just stencilled gorgeous purple orchids over it.!!

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