Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Wonderous In The Rain...

we're back! slightly slack and dead dog tired but also revitalized by the amazing excitements of the last two weeks. starting with Quebec City. the International Summer Festival has more than 400 shows from 20 countries performing at 15 venues, mostly outdoor, and a total audience of 2.5 million people over the 10 days. truly a unique musical urban happening. festival goers can wander from one venue to another for everything from classical music to worldbeat.
and this year the AB Power Trio was the band voted by the press as Best Of Show in a raving article titled "wonderous in the rain"!
high five.
even at the soundcheck earlier in the day, I could tell we were set to surprise. the canadian stage crew seemed stunned. sure enough when we left the stage after our 10:00 set that evening the rain-soaked crowd went nuts. Paul Green who was there with the School of Rock All-Stars gave us the ultimate compliment when he quietly remarked, "do you know this is the best band in the world?!"
quebec city was lovely in spite of the occasional misting. it reminded us of europe. little outdoor cafes serving delicious table wines in the shadow of old architecture. we stayed in the very same Hilton in which the bowie Sound and Vision entourage encamped for a week of production before starting our world tour of 1990. I knew the hotel well. it instantly brought back a flash of memories.

8 comments:

  1. WELL---FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD--RE-THE QUEBEC --SHOW--WAS EVERYTHING
    YOU'VE STATED---WHILST THE SHOW WAS
    ON--MSSR GREEN HAD SENT A TEST MESSAGE TO ROBIN---"THE TRIO'S KILLIN EM"---SO WHEN WE-ACTUALLY ROBIN--SEARCHED-FOR A REVIEW--WE HAD TO WAIT-FOR THE TRANSLATION-SINCE WE DON'T SPEAK FRENCH---AND YES---"BEST OF THE SHOWS"--THIS IS
    THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD--HANDS DOWN!!!--POSSIBLY BEST "POWER TRIO"
    EVER--!!--DID I JUST SAY THAT--OH HELL-SORRY JIMI-ERIC-JACK-MITCH-ETC
    OH YES GINGER AND NOEL--LOVE YOU GUYS-GARY

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  2. Yeah, but the San Francisco Bay Area missed out!!!

    We want some Power-Trio luv too!

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  3. I'm not surprised at the crowd's reaction that you described. You three certainly were awesome at the Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA a few weeks ago. I was standing right in front of you, having my mind blown.

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  4. I guess those Canadians would fall over and die if they saw the royal treatment us lucky fans here in Tokyo got.

    It was fabulous to see the greatest rock and roll 3 piece right up close in the tiny Tokyo blue note.

    So fabulous in fact that I just had to raid the piggy bank and go back for two more nights in a row. But that was nothing compared to at least one guy in the Audience who was there for all 12 Blue Note shows.

    All the shows were great but of the ones I saw the second Saturday Night show was the Barn Burner.

    Adrian belew my mind when I first heard him on "The Lodger" 28 years and he has been continueing to do so ever since. It is not just the other worldly melodies and modality, but the way he is the master of not just his guitar but every item in his signal chain. Everything in his vicinity including the air itself is his instrument and he gets everything out of it there is to be had.

    I felt this in a HUGE way the first time I saw him with KC at the Show Box in Seattle 25 years ago, and now after all this time his signal chain has gotten vastly more complex and the melodies of his improvisations have gotten even deeper, and on Saturday night at the Blue Note in Tokyo there were these moments when there was that click when all the atoms in the room seemed to align and bounce along to that higher level of awareness that all great music seems to be trying to touch.

    But enough pompous music critic bullshit, bottom line it was one of if not *the* best Rock and Roll show I have ever seen.

    Tokyo Blue Note tickets are a small fortune but it was a tiny price to pay to see the greatest living electic guitarist in such an intimate venue.

    From a fan's point of view the experience was heaven, but from a larger perspective I guess Tokyo Blue Note is probably the wrong venue.

    Not that there is anything wrong with the Blue Note. The staff are nice, the food is great, and so is the sound, but it is a Jazz venue where people pay high ticket prices go to sit around tables and eat expensive meals and have expensive drinks while listening to some excellent but not generally extremely loud music. Though they are *the* premier venue in the Jazz market the do not have a lot promotion umph with the rest of the music world. The shows do not get pushed very hard in the general media.

    So while it was extremely fun to see the ABPT playing such to such an intimate gathering
    it pained me to see the hottest rock band in the world playing to such a small audience and I could see a lot of people in the audience wanting to get up an boogy to Young Lion, Frame by Frame, Elephant Talk etc. but refraining for fear of upturning tables and spreading those expensive sausage plates and beers all over the floor.

    Anyway thanks again for the great Rock and Roll.

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  5. I found myself pricing flights to West Palm Beach a few days ago...bad, bad...(I'm now hoping for a Saturday show within a 1000 mile radius). :-)

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  6. dennisgunn said "the way he is the master of not just his guitar but every item in his signal chain. Everything in his vicinity including the air itself is his instrument and he gets everything out of it there is to be had....

    his signal chain has gotten vastly more complex and the melodies of his improvisations have gotten even deeper, and on Saturday night at the Blue Note in Tokyo there were these moments when there was that click when all the atoms in the room seemed to align and bounce along to that higher level of awareness that all great music seems to be trying to touch. "

    i could'nt have said that better !

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  7. I must echo the sentiments. Having been fortunate enough to've been in Indy near the kick-off of this 'fab free', I'm not surprised by these extrapolations.

    I try not to fall into 'best of' traps, so in attempted fairness to past live renditions of 'Solo-Ade', I have to say the difference is, rather, intangible:

    It would be too easy to give credit to the youth and enthusiasm of the youngsters Slick, and indeed Adrian, you've said that's why you searched out relative inexperience: to avoid jadedness.

    I think perhaps this band is so on fire because of the fact that they're at once bright-eyed and bushy tailed with outstanding chops to catch one off guard, if you will. This simply blows us away.

    We can't discount Eric's frenetic fervor and Julie's cool competence. That's rock and roll, man!! And these carry over and make Adrian even more animated, yet focused somehow, qualities he's never lacked. Cheesy as it sounds, I'm really happy for you, Ade.

    If y'all're anywhere near these "guys" in the coming months, you gotta check 'em out. Whatever it is, they got it.

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  8. Oh Adrian, how it broke my heart to see Quebec City on your tour dates on not Montreal. Had it been a weekend show, I'd have hopped a bus and been there in a heartbeat... well, a three and a half hour heartbeat. Unfortunately, with work and all, it proved impossible. Nonetheless, I'm glad you had a great time. The Quebec festival an incredible event and I have been up to see several shows, including Mr. Levin with the CGT, Jon Anderson, and Rick Wakeman all on the Planes of Abraham. I don't think it had been voted best in show, but Wakeman had later stated that it was the best show he had ever performed in his life. Definitely a magical event and I am happy for you that you were able to participate. Now start booking Montreal gigs. :-D

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