Houston Concert Watch 12/26: George Clinton, Erykah Badu and More

Thanksgiving 1976 was one for the ages in San Francisco.  The 5,000 people lucky enough to score tickets for The Band’s “Last Waltz” concert attended maybe the best rock and roll party ever.

A full Thanksgiving dinner was served to kick things off, followed by ballroom dancing and readings from Beat poets like Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Michael McClure.  Then came the concert itself, which began with a 12-song set from The Band.  Then it was time for (musical) dessert, as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Jone Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters and others joined The Band to celebrate their shared musical heritage.  In all, over four hours of incredible and historic music making.

Firing up the Martin Scorsese film which documented the event as part of your Thanksgiving celebration is a fine idea.  The Last Waltz looks great, and the audio is excellent considering the era.  However, don’t be sucked in by the myth that is created by Scorsese and Band guitarist Robbie Robertson.  Each man wanted out of the collaboration.  As a mega music fan Scorsese wanted a path into the world of rock and roll.  Robertson, on the other hand, was looking to get into the movie business. 

All well and good, but Robertson had unilaterally made the decision to terminate The Band’s performing career, and the other members of the group – particularly drummer / vocalist Levon Helm) were not happy about it.  This accounts for their collective glum demeanor during most of the film’s interview segments, and it also explains Robertson’s desire to cast (with Scorsese’s help) The Band as musicians who had given their all for their art and were simply too depleted – physically and emotionally – to continue any longer.

In point of fact, The Band had not toured all that much during its existence, certainly not in comparison to bluesmen like Muddy Waters.  Sure, business travel of any kind is taxing and not all the fun that it’s cracked up to be, but don’t buy dramatic (and probably pre-scripted) Robertson quotes like, “16 years on the road. The numbers start to scare you.  I mean, I couldn’t live with 20 years on the road. I don’t think I could even discuss it.”

As a footnote, check out Scorsese during the interview segments.  Remind you of anybody?  If you said, “Marty DiBergi from Spinal Tap!” go to the head of the class.  But – to quote the esteemed Mr. DiBergi – enough of my yakkin’. Whaddaya say? Let’s boogie!

Ticket Alert

San Angelo’s purveyors of Texican rock and roll, Los Lonely Boys, kind of wandered in the desert (maybe literally, considering their location) for several years after hitting it big with the single “Heaven.”  After taking a lengthy break, the Garza brothers checked the balance in their bank accounts, got back together and released a new album (Resurrection) last year.  Tickets are on sale now for their concert at the House of Blues on Saturday, February 14. 

Also performing on Valentine’s Day is Houston’s own Kat Edmonson, whose “Only the Bare Essentials” tour promises intimate evenings in which “[s]ubtlety and nuance will be served up as main courses for this show, and the music, so delicately played, will leave you feeling entirely full.”  Wow, that’s a lot to swallow!  You can get tickets now for Edmonson’s show on Saturday, February 14, at the Heights Theater.

Wolfmother will play at the House of Blues on Monday, June 8, marking the 20^th anniversary of the band’s debut album, and tickets are on sale now.  Though the band has been hounded (sorry) by accusation of classic rock appropriation, that’s a bit off the mark.  Sure, you can tell that these guys listened to a lot of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath growing up, but is that such a bad thing?

After working behind the scenes in the music business as a songwriter and producer for several years, Meghan Trainor’s solo career took off with 2014’s “All About That Bass,” a song that flipped the gender of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” and threw in some body-positivity messages for good measure.  Trainor’s “Get in Girl” tour will stop at Toyota Center on Tuesday, July 28, and tickets are on sale now.

Much like the Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffett before him, Jack Johnson has made a career by creating a surf-and-sand vibe that is easy to listen to and not terribly demanding.  But hey, he comes by it honestly, having been raised in Hawaii and making a name for himself as a professional surfer during his teenage years.   Johnson will perform on Friday, August 28, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, so get yourself a pocketful of edibles and get ready.

Concerts This Week

While the following week will be occupied with Thanksgiving-related activities, there are a few options available if you and your cool cousins want to get out of the house for a bit.  On Friday, OG funkster George Clinton will perform at the House of Blues along with Parliament-Funkadelic. George is 84 years old, so you might want to catch his act while you can.  But, as “Flashlight” says, “most of all, most of all” this show represents the opportunity to experience some 100 proof funk as dispensed by the master.

The always unpredictable and irrepressible Erykah Badu will play two nights, Friday and Saturday, this week at the 713 Music Hall.  Badu’s “Return of Automatic Slim” tour marks the 25^th anniversary of her album Mama’s Gun, and indications are that “reimaginings” of some of the disc’s tracks will be on the set list.  Hope she doesn’t stray too far from the original arrangements – they were classics.

Think you might need some honky-tonk after all that turkey and dressing?  Then Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge is your spot on Friday, when Dale Watson and His Lonestars will be tending the flame of traditional country music.  How rootsy is Watson?  He opened a recording studio in Memphis with the original board from Sun Studio, where Elvis, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lewis produced all of their early hits.  Now that’s hardcore.

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