Ben Folds
Which Stage, Bonnaroo Music Festival, Manchester, TN.... sorry, I haven't yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!
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Rufus Wainwright, Guster, Ben Folds
Amphitheatre at Station Square, Pittsburgh, PA..... I think it was technically still the Chevrolet Amphitheater at the time. I believe it was the last night of their tour. Guster played first, then Ben Folds, and finally Rufus. Earlier that evening, I was at a WYEP fundraiser with singer/songwriter Phil Roy . When it was over, he asked me what live music was happening and when I mentioned this show, he said, "I know Guster and their crew, let's go see them!" (He had co-written three songs with Ryan Miller for their Goldfly album.) I told him that I didn't have tickets to the show, but I know people from the promoter. We decided to try our luck and see what we could do using only our connections and communication skills. Sure enough, I was able to talk our way into the venue. Once in, we were able to find Guster's sound engineer and Phil was able to get us backstage. Phil went over to hang out with Guster and I went to meet Rufus Wainwright. As I was making my way...
Ben Folds, The Holmes Brothers, Zero 7, Patty Griffin
Brown Theater, Louisville, KY.... All due respect to all of the artists who played this night (and they were all great), but Zero 7 was utterly amazing to see live. The band was promoting their second album, When It Falls , which was released that spring. A fine album--even better then their 2001 debut. They pulled out all the stops to promote it, at least for the live shows they did in their brief 2004 U.S. tour in May/June, for which this was their first show. The band didn't have one vocalist but rotated through multiple singers on their recordings and they were all present, including Mozez, Sia Furler, Tina Dico, and Sophie Barker. A review of one of their NYC shows from this tour sums up this Louisville gig as well: their music is "full of warm voices, resonant analog synthesizers and satisfying bass." They use "various guitarists, strong players and a handful of singers whose voices can be matched to different songs." But: "Zero 7 aims for a smoot...