Bob Dylan Philadelphia 11/09/09

I just got back from seeing the legendary Bob Dylan in concert for the first time (IN THE SECOND ROW!!!!). I hear his concerts are hit or miss but I have to say, I was completely satisfied. The guy has still got it! To me his aged and rugged voice sounded great. It has this character to it and it matches the "grizzled veteran" that is Bob Dylan. And he can still play! He stuck behind the keys for most of the night and wasn't turned up all that loud in the mix, but when he ventured out to play some guitar or harmonica, his musical ability shown through. I've never considered him a "great" guitar player but he impressed me with some pretty nice licks here and there and his harmonica playing was solid.

I can't call myself a HUGE Dylan fan, simply because I don't know enough of his (extremely vast) catalog. But I do have a pretty solid collection of his albums and I'm getting more and more into him as time goes on. Despite that, I have the utmost respect for him and ALL that he has done for music and culture in general. A few setlist high points for me were: the "Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" opener, "Desolation Row", "Highway 61", "Workingman's Blues #2", "Ballad of a Thin Man", and the Encore "Like a Rolling Stone", and "Watchtower".

Overall, as I said above, I was (and am) completely satisfied with both Dylan and his backing band, who were extremely tight (highlights were guitarist Charlie Sexton and the drummer who's name escapes me). Although I'm pretty easy to please and have no other performance to compare it to (other than other concerts I've been to) I really have no complaints. I just feel honored to have been able to see the great and legendary Bob Dylan.

I still really can't believe it.


Entire Setlist

1.	Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (Bob on keyboard)
2.	Man In The Long Black Coat (Bob on guitar)
3.	I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (Bob on guitar)
4.	Beyond Here Lies Nothin' (Bob on keyboard, Donnie on trumpet)
5.	Spirit On The Water (Bob on keyboard)
6.	High Water (For Charley Patton) (Bob center stage on harmonica, Donnie on banjo)
7.	Tryin' To Get To Heaven (Bob on keyboard and harmonica)
8.	Cold Irons Bound (Bob center stage on harmonica)
9.	Desolation Row (Bob on keyboard , Donnie on electric mandolin)
10.	Po' Boy (Bob on keyboard and harmonica)
11.	Highway 61 Revisited (Bob on keyboard, Donnie on lap steel)
12.	Workingman's Blues #2 (Bob on keyboard then center stage on harmonica)
13.	Thunder On The Mountain (Bob on keyboard)
14.	Ballad Of A Thin Man (Bob center stage on harmonica)
	(encore)
15.	Like A Rolling Stone (Bob on keyboard)
16.	Jolene (Bob on keyboard, Tony on standup bass)
17.	All Along The Watchtower (Bob on keyboard)

Kid Cudi, Man On The Moon: A Positve Look and Listen Into The Future

Just about two weeks ago, the hyped about rapper, Kid Cudi, released his much anticipated first album, "Man on the Moon: The End of Day". Despite this being his first officially released album, fans of the "indie"/"new school" rapper had already tasted a bit of his style, flow, and skill through his various TV appearances, Album collaborations, Live performances, and free Mixtapes.

This Kanye West protégé (don't worry he only possess a few of Mr. West's character traits, hubris NOT being one of them) first caught the underground's (and Kanye's) attention with the July 2008 release of his mixtape entitled "A Kid Named Cudi", which combined elements of hiphop, jazz, rock and soul. A few months later Cudi made one of his first major musical appearance where he performed with Travis Barker and the late DJ AM on a side stage at the MTV Video Music Awards. Later in the year he also made his first album appearance on Kanye West's 808s and Heartbreak and then followed the (official) release of Cudi's highly popular single "Day 'n' Night".

Well enough background information, let's get into the "meat and potatoes" (mmmm) of this whole thing: the actual album itself....Actually, before I get into the album, let me make note of why exactly I'm writing about this. Besides the fact that I happen to really enjoy it, I feel as though the meager, barely over 100 word review by Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone does not do the album justice. It's pretty clear that the writer didn't really even give it a chance. Despite stating " the music is engrossing and Cudi's angst genuine" he mentions "his raps get pedestrian". If Rosen is looking for Eminem or JayZ like rhym prowess, he should probably look elsewhere (not saying Cudi's rhymes and lyrics are juvenile or terribly lacking). Additionally Rosen's comments that Cudi's assertion "ad nauseam that he is a 'lonely stoner' is just annoying" and "a hipster boast masquerading as a confession" is (in my opinion) way off. To my knowledge, the "lonely stoner" reference is only used on ONE of the album's songs (Day 'n' Night) and I feel it is not boastful but a true self-reflective statement. Anyway, maybe I have my own biases, but nonetheless..let's get into my own opinion.

On "Man on the Moon: The End of Day" Kid Cudi combines futuristic-new age-electro-spacerap with the singing, melody, and theatrics of Broadway show tunes (think Q-tip meets the Flaming Lips meets Kanye West meets Daft Punk). This isn't exactly a full on "rap" album to say the least, but that doesn't matter because it's new and it's different and (I think) it works. The production, which combines driving robotic-like drums, synths, melodic strings, and an array of other sounds is extremely ear pleasing and complements Cudi's unique on and off rap/croon style extremely well.

In a way, this is a "concept" album, consisting of 15 songs broken up into 5 separate acts (In order from 1-5 the acts are titled The End of Day, Rise of the Night Terrors, Taking a Trip, Stuck, and A New Beginning). Throughout the different acts on the album, in a sort of dream sequence, Kid Cudi deals with very real human emotions, struggles, and experiences such as: dreams, death, hopelessness, depression, and trying to rise above it all.

Surprisingly (or maybe not?), some of these very same elements make up much of the content of the Pink Floyd album, "Dark Side of the Moon" (which happens to be one of my favorite albums of all time). Because of the emotion expressed at the heart of much of this album (as well as Dark Side), which mirrors the emotions that all humans experience, it also evokes emotion from its listeners as well (especially on tracks like "Soundtrack 2 My Life", "Sky Might Fall", and "Pursuit Of Happiness").

As I said before, these themes are relatable to listeners because they all suggest different elements of the "human experience". Chris Thomas, the mix supervisor for "Dark Side of the Moon", once said, "what makes a great album is that you respond to it on an emotional level”. If this is true, then simply by default, Man on the Moon: The End of Day really is a great album and I'm not the only one who thinks so. Apart from a few less than stellar reviews from Slant, Rolling Stone (which i mentioned earlier), and the New York Times, most other reviews have been highly positive. Check the rest out HERE and if you're so inclined, give the album a listen and see (and hear) for yourself.

Kid Cudi's music not only sounds like the future, but it and he seem to both have a very "stellar" prospect ahead, because right now, where the Man on The Moon is standing, there is no Dark Side (ohhh no I didn't...yes I did).

Thanks for reading.
-b Funk

The Builders and The Butchers (a review)

The Builders and The Butchers self titled album is the type of record you can picture being recorded while you listen to it. Close your eyes and the scene unfolds itself. A group of balladeers and troubadours sitting around in a smokey room, drinking whiskey and beer, playing whatever instruments are available, while singing and shouting heartfelt songs of their travels. Despite the lyrics about death and dying, the record contains loose/fun jamming and sing-along type vibes that are felt throughout its entirety. This creates an energy that makes you feel like you are right there with the band.
Fusing elements of country, folk, gospel, and blues, this band has created a solid album that must have been a blast to record. I definitely recommend giving it a listen and possibly even better, checking them out live.

Buttons

About a month or so ago I went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Prior to sitting in the theater the night I saw it, I wasn't all that interested in seeing the film. Although, after the near 3 hours were over, I was nothing short of impressed. This was not the case for i would say 90% of the rest of the theater, who as the lights came back on, almost simultaneously begin chattering with complaints. I personally enjoyed the whole film and that enjoyment increased as a day or so went by and it sunk in. I don't know if it was the nostalgia of the environment that the story took place in, kind of bringing us back to a better, simpler time, or maybe the fantasy of being able to grow young, or an array of other things but for some reason I really did enjoy this film. I won't go into main details about the plot or anything but I definitely suggest checking this movie out if you happen to come across it.