My second time seeing this great band and it was even better than before! Same line-up of musicians, but touring in support of a new record which is a very solid effort from the guys. Show lasted a bit over an hour. I recommend you get out and see this band live.

Meet & Greet: Steve Smith

STEVE SMITH and VITAL INFORMATION

I have to admit that I was somewhat unfamiliar with this band when asked to go. I knew that they had toured the area extensively and that they were known as a "jam band" by genre and I knew that the last time I heard of them playing near here was with Robert Randolph at Indiana University a couple of years back. I heard a couple of the albums and thought they were obviously influenced by ska and reggae, but a little on the lighter, pop side of things and that they looked a little too clean-cut to be a legitimate jam band or reggae outfit. The tickets came with a meet-n-greet, which did nothing to deter my preconceved image of the band. The concert did however turn my opinion, as these guys can play. The songs are solid as well as the performance and showmanship. A very pleasing evening after all.

SETLIST:
52-50
Wonderful Day
Dareh Meyod
Hey Girl
Heard the World
Black Rock/Blood Outro
Lay Down
James
The Stranger
About an Hour Ago
Program Director
Patiently
Love and Memories
City on Down

ENCORE:
Dakota
That Was a Crazy Game of Poker/Devil's Intro

Meet & Greet: OAR (Marc Roberge, Chris Culos, Benji Gershman, Richard On, Jerry DePizzo)

O.A.R.
ROSE HILL DRIVE

B.B. King celebrates his 80th birthday in style. Our seats were spectacular, dead center row D. After seeing B.B. twice now, both times outstanding, it is clear that he is more than the King of the Blues, he's a professional entertainer of the highest calibur. People come to hear the man play the blues (and of course he does) but he spends a great amount of time talking to the audience, thanking the audience and telling stories. I felt like a kid on my grandfather's lap and I haven't enjoyed that great feeling in many years! Outstanding marks must also be mentioned for King's band, seasoned road veterans, an 8 pc operation that is fit for a King.

The evening's opener was Ronnie Baker Brooks, son of blues guitarist Lonnie Brooks. The announcer presented the younger Brooks as a blues guitar legend in the making. Though very talented, he's up against some formidible competition for that title. His set ended with some rock-flavored blues, covering a segment of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" and a segment of ZZ Top's "La Grange" before exiting the stage.

B.B. KING
RONNIE BAKER BROOKS

Having seen Jon Anderson a few months ago, I thought it would be nice to hear Steve Howe as a solo performer as well. Of the two, this was a far more enjoyable performance for me. The show started promptly with Howe as the sole musician on-stage. Nevertheless, he provided a wide range of unaccompanied pieces, ranging from his own influences and solo work to the ever popular catalog of Yes material. I was particularly impressed by his mastery of guitar, with so much rich classical and bluegrass seasoning each piece. Steve Howe was not remiss in noting that Wes Montgomery hailed from Indianapolis and he was good to pay homage to other heroes, such as Kenny Burrell, Django Reinhardt and the great Chet Atkins. After attending this concert, it is difficult to believe that Steve Howe was a founding member of the 80's pop supergroup, Asia. The show lasted about two hours.

Meet & Greet: Steve Howe

STEVE HOWE

The Yellowjackets appeared here for two shows at the Jazz Kitchen, just one week before Indy Jazz Fest. The house was packed for both shows. The last time the Yellowjackets played here, the stage was much larger at The Murat Egyptian Room. At the Jazz Kitchen, quarters were cramped to say the least. While the evening was very enjoyable, this was certainly not one of the best overall performances that I have seen by The Yellowjackets. During the first show, Jimmy Haslip's playing was not spot on as I have witnessed in the past. Others lacked a little bit of enthusiasm. I'm going to blame this one on the stage size. It's difficult to branch out and freeform in such a confined space.

YELLOWJACKETS

The evening was exceptionally nice for an outdoor show, albeit very cool. We were not prepared for the cold Lake Michigan wind and didn’t realize the venue was so close to the lake. Fortunately, the merchandise tent sold blankets for $15, a bargain this night! The show started approx. 7:45pm. The band was very similar to Knopfler’s solo touring band since he began his solo career, although he casually joked that Emmylou was a guitar player and singer within his band for this tour. The two harmonized and traded lead vocal throughout the evening on a variety of the new tunes from their new album, “All The Roadrunning”, as well as staples from each artist’s own evergreen. The two iconic talents blended seamlessly throughout the show, sounding as though they have been a harmonizing duet since long ago. Never once was there a moment of ego between them. In fact, they often showed hints of chemistry, like that shared by Johnny and June Carter Cash. At times, it seemed like the “Emmylou Show” with Knopfler playing a supporting role. Other times, Harris either dropped back or exited the stage completely. For those familiar with the subtlete changes in Mark Knopfler’s playing over the years, it is noteworthy that the guitarist relied heavily on the Gibson Les Pauls more than his signature red Fender Strat from the Dire Straits era. The difference is a bit more growl and less grace to the sound, nevertheless unmistakably Knopfler. Another interesting aspect of this performance in my opinion was that the format of duets was decidedly different than typical Mark Knopfler solo outings. During his own tours, the guitarist is able to stretch out and demonstrate his virtuosity. The duet format allowed fewer opportunities for this, primarily because the format dictated the direction of the set list. This is not to say that Mark didn’t have his moments in the spotlight. He did indeed, but fewer of them perhaps than if the concert was his own. Songs from the set list included, in no particular order: Right Now, All The Roadrunning, This Is Us, Michelangelo, Red Dirt Girl, Romeo & Juliet, Done With Bonaparte, Red Staggerwing, Speedway At Nazareth, Shangri-La, So Far Away, Song For Sonny Liston, I Dug Up A Diamond, and Belle Starr.

SETLIST:
Right Now
Red Staggerwing
Michelangelo
I Dug Up a Diamond
Born to Run
Red Dirt Girl
Done With Bonaparte
Romeo and Juliet
Song For Sonny Liston
Belle Starr
This Is Us
Boulder to Birmingham
All the Roadrunning
Speedway at Nazareth

ENCORE:
If This Is Goodbye
So Far Away
Our Shangri-La
Why Worry

MARK KNOPFLER and EMMYLOU HARRIS

Having seen only one version of ELP, featuring Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and the late drummer Cozy Powell (lucky for them I guess that Powell started with a "P"), I was interested to see and hear legendary drummer, Carl Palmer. Wow, what a show it was. I knew from browsing the internet that the set list would feature primarily the music of ELP and I knew that the music was re-arranged from keyboard/bass/drum to guitar/bass/drum. Still, I really didn't know what to expect. The result was amazing. The closest analogy that I can think of is that it sounded like King Crimson performing the music of ELP. To phrase it another way, it sounded like Carl Palmer playing with someone like a Tony Levin on bass and someone like an Yngwie Malmsteen on guitar. Carl's bandmates did not carry such high profile names however. A very yound and talented Paul Bielatowicz handled guitar duties with Stuart Clayton on bass. Carl will be joining fellow and original ASIA members for a tour celebrating the band's 25th anniversary in September.

Meet & Greet: Carl Palmer

CARL PALMER

Sammy and Tequila...must be summertime! The Red Rocker once again on tour with the Wabos and Michael Anthony in tow. This year's extravaganza included a pre-show Cabo Wabo Village and the setlist was divided into two sets to accomadate Michael Anthony. Set one features Sammy's solo music with the Wabos, then an intermission, then set two follows with Van Halen relics from "The Other Half" featuring Sammy and Michael. Both Davie Lauser and Vic Johnson remain on stage for set two and easily handle chores formerly provided by brothers Van Halen.

Having been to numerous shows featuring Sammy Hagar, I would have to place this one around a 3.75 on a 5 scale. Everybody just seemed a little bit out of gas, or possibly reserving some energy for the next night in Chicago. Either way you look at it, they still pour on more effort than most bands. It is true that the traveling Hagar show, with Wabo Waitresses and the fans that get to stand behind the drum kit, is getting to be a tired schtick. I won't say the Cabo Village was a let-down, because the bikini contest was well worth my time, but certainly not enough activities happening there to warrant opening the gates 5 hours before showtime. On paper, it sounded like a great concept. In execution, a little weak. Did I mention the near boozeless maragritas for $10 each? Sammy, here's an idea...you own a tequila empire, put some sting in those drinks buddy! With unbearable sunny heat, laying out a Hamilton note for a cold drink, that tasted more like limeade than tequila, was highway robbery.

Everyone is going to get on my back to get over it, but here again it needs to be said...the security issues at Verizon Wireless Music Center in Indianapolis are preposterous. At no other venue (as you can see I've been to many different venues) do security people consistently harass fans the way they do at Verizon/Noblesville. It's really a shame that such a nice place has to be run like a Russian gulag.

SAMMY HAGAR

CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO

The honest to God's truth is that these guys get better and better every time I attend one of their shamefully undersold shows. I think the attendence at this show was probably less than 150, a crying shame for the quality of entertainment they put forth. This particular set concentrated heavily on older material which had not been performed live for a few tours. Additionally, there were treats sprinkled throughout, including the theme from Napoleon Dynamite to open the show! Unfortunately, I had to exit before the conclusion of the show. I understand the encore was a CG3 version of none other than Lynyrd Skynyrd's classic, Freebird.

CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO

This concert was (pleasantly) almost a carbon copy of Ian Anderson's 2 disc performance of the same name, although the title can be a bit misleading. The show was not necessarily centralized in Tull classics as the bill might lead one to believe. There was a fair amount of classical music here and again, a pleasant treat to be sure. Anderson was almost grandfatherly with anecdotal stories amid the song selections. One that that was not particularly pleasant, though no fault of Anderson and company, was the boorish quality of the audience. Again, another perfect example why many performers pass over Indianapolis.

FIRST SET:
Eurology
Living in the Past
Şefika's Tango
Life Is a Long Song
Bluegrass in the Backwoods
Wond'ring Aloud
Griminelli's Lament
Mo'z Art
Cheap Day Return
Mother Goose
Runty
Bourrée in E minor - Johann Sebastian Bach cover

SECOND SET:
Pastime With Good Company
Thick as a Brick
America
Pavane in F-Sharp Minor - Gabriel Fauré cover
Aqualung
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - traditional
My God
Budapest
Locomotive Breath/Hoedown

IAN ANDERSON

My first (and last) plaid-fest. The first and biggest problem with any plaid-fest is that everyone is soooo damn serious. It's a concert for god's sake - have fun. The evening got off to a rocky start with the opening act, Three 5 Human. I wasn't sure what their angle on music was, but it came across as a rough mockery of Living Colour, a band that already accomplished what these cats were trying to do, except LC did it over 15 years ago. The music didn't lend itself to complimenting the headliner and oddly they were given an opening slot of 75 minutes, near equal to the headliner. That didn't make a lot of sense to me, considering the theater was quite empty during the opener. The crowd consisted of die hard IG fans, of which I was not. My exposure to The Indigo Girls was limited, but I enjoyed what I had heard OK. We attended largely for my wife's benefit, who incidentally had a great time, even though she agreed with my assessment of Three 5 Human! I recently read liner notes in the Indigo Girls "Best of" retrospective CD that it was a wonder that they hadn't been recognized artistically to a higher degree than they have. It is certainly no wonder to me. I think it's an entirely correct response from the general record buying public. The Indigo Girls are one of those groups whose songs essentially sound alike after awhile. After sitting through the first 30 minutes of the show, I felt as though I had heard the same 3 or 4 songs played over and over with moderately different words, yet the themes all seemed alike as well. So there isn't a lot of variety among their repetoire. They have a solid, if not niche following who appears to love everything they do or at least they love everything that they believe the Indigo Girls represent.

INDIGO GIRLS

All hail to Brother Bob. That pretty much sums up the audience response to the return of one of the midwest's favorite sons. Bob Seger, a name absent from active duty in popular music and culture for over a decade. Bob Seger, the hall of famer, the man behind so many great songs with such a familiar voice. I attended the show with (perhaps unfair) expectations of a near flawless show and in many ways it was near flawless. The truth is, for this crowd, whatever Seger did was going to be alright with them. He had been gone so long that he could have played anything to a more than enthusiastic and sold out crowd. Somewhat odd to me was his choice of setlist. With so many great songs, it would have been impossible to please everyone, yet I couldn't help but ask myself why would he do so many tracks from the new record - It's a good record, but within the context of a live show, the songs don't hold up to Bob's deep list of classics. By doing so many of the new songs, it means ditching some of the classics to make room and to me that was bordering on criminal. Nevertheless, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band sounded great. The band was tight. Bob's voice held up and despite a very brief intermission, the momentum never slowed.

SETLIST:
Roll Me Away
Tryin’ to Live My Life Without You
Wreck This Heart
Mainstreet
Old Time Rock and Roll
Wait For Me
Face the Promise
No Matter Who You Are
Simplicity
Betty Lou’s Going Out Tonight
We’ve Got Tonight
Turn the Page
Travelin’ Man/Beautiful Loser
Between
You Never Can Tell
The Answer’s in the Question
Sightseeing
Sunspot Baby
Horizontal Bop
Katmandu

ENCORE:
Night Moves
Hollywood Nights

ENCORE II:
Against the Wind
Rock and Roll Never Forgets

BOB SEGER
STEVE AZAR