House of Rock and Roll

Hiring A Bar Mitzvah DJ: How To Do Better Than Eenie Meenie Minie Mo

The customer is (mostly) always right.

A client’s input is fabulous. DJ’s love to feed off of creative parents and perform to their expectations. But, there are times when parents should defer to the better judgment of the DJ, despite how they’ve envisioned the tenor of the party will unfold.

There’s rarely a Motzi, Candlelighting or Hora at a friends-only party. It’s just a basic, fun “record hop.”

However, if the Bar or Bat Mitzvah is for adults as well as friends (as most are) occasionally parents feel that “It’s my son’s day. Work for his friends. Don’t worry about our family. They’ll enjoy watching.”

Hey, it’s your dime and, if you insisted, your disc jockey will do it. But if this were your position, he might stress that the chance of what he perceives to be a successful function is negligible. He would hate leaving a party thinking “I told you so.” (But, by then, you would know it too!) Sure, the kids would have a great time. But for the adults, it would be like going to a restaurant with bad Musak. They’ll have their meal, light their candle, see what direction the party is going, kiss you good-bye and scoot out of there. Why stay if the music remains unintelligible and unfamiliar?

I’m NOT inferring that a DJ should play Sinatra for four hours. But…every kid is familiar with “I Will Survive,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “The Twist,” “Shout,” “Respect” and “Stayin’ Alive.” I recently had girls request “My Boy Lollipop,” “Build Me Up Buttercup” and “Do Wah Diddy Diddy!”

These tunes were all released long before this group was BORN. (Some, before their PARENTS were born!) But they know the tunes. They love the beat, dance, sing the lyrics and don’t perceive them as “old folk’s songs.” So although your DJ must have a comprehensive, up-to-date music library including rap, hip-hop, rock or any current music trend, don’t have him spin new tunes exclusively, playing strictly to the kids. They’ll usually stay until the end of the party anyway, so the final hour presents itself as a better time to have music blend or trend mostly, or totally, to current.

What if you just can’t decide? Ties aren’t allowed. This is better than Eenie Meenie Minie Mo:

If it comes down to it, thirteen questions to ask (and answers to expect):

1. “Is my deposit refundable?”

No–deposits reserve date and time for you and you alone. Your DJ likely had to turn away other business to protect your date. Deposit range: 20-40%

2. “Do you charge more for climbing steps?”

Hopefully, it’s a moot point. Every piece of DJ equipment is HEAVY. Here’s our routine: out of the house, into the van, out of the van, into the hall, out of the hall, into the van, out of the van, into the house. DJs will do everything they can to keep the weight of each case to less than 50 pounds. Many would opt for doing an hour free rather than setting up and tearing down equipment. It’s no picnic. And they loathe a second story banquet hall. If there’s no elevator, he’s not a happy camper.

Most DJs don’t charge more, but you may see a contract that adds per step, since the DJ will be unable to use his rolling cart and must make multiple trips on the staircase. Ugh!

3. “Do you have a web site?”

Every day DJs open sites. But many don’t have one for the same reasons they haven’t produced a video: a competent single-unit operator is able to fill his calendar without one. Remember, a good web designer doesn’t equal a good DJ. If he has one, of course, browse. But don’t judge him by it. Don’t hire him because he has a great one. Don’t ignore him if he doesn’t!

A company that produces generic brochures for DJs also sells a matching generic web site! So the same web site “look” belongs to many DJs territorially, with their name plugged in. You aren’t inquiring out-of-state and would never know this. There’s nothing wrong with it, of course. It’s just that it’s the brochure company’s creativity. Not your DJ’s.

4. “Do I need to provide a table?”

Yes, and be sure it’s sturdy, not a glass top or a card table. Generally a 6′ or 8′ or two 5′ rectangular tables suffice. Ask your DJ what his arrangement requirements are (straight, L-shaped or one in front, one in back). Your hall should supply them.

5. “Will you provide an equally high caliber replacement in the event of an emergency?”

Yes. Period. (Even if you don’t book through an agency, a pro knows to network.)

6. “Will you work an outdoor affair?”

Yes, with a caveat. He must be under a cover, not only to protect against inclement weather, but also to protect against sun damage to the equipment, which could be extensive during a summer luncheon. How far is the socket? Is there rain exposure there? Will the table be level on the grass? When the sun shifts, will he be exposed under the tent?

7. “Will you work overtime if requested?”

Yes, if no other job follows. Expect a prorated fee.

8. “Do you take breaks?”

No. Unless you’d like several minutes to address your guests, during the Motzi or surrounding the Candlelighting Ceremony, music at a DJ’s performance should be non-stop.

9. “Do you carry property and liability coverage?”

Yes.

10. “Can my child supply his own CD’s if he wants something special played?”

It depends–remember those questionable lyrics! Some DJs say no, others don’t care since they want you to be pleased. Chances are, they’ll have his favorite songs in their repertoire, anyway. Some DJs utilize new formats (such as MP3) and can’t play standard CD’s, cassettes or vinyl on their equipment. A great DJ toy was introduced to the Mobile DJ industry a few years ago: laptop software holding thousands of songs in memory! All a DJ requires are speakers and a mic. Less for him to schlep! Find out in advance. (Be SURE he has backup in the event of a hard drive crash.)

11. “Would you allow my child to ‘DJ?’”

Extroverted kids get a kick out of it. Ask the DJ if he’ll teach your child how the POTS work and how to CUE a song using the headphones. Letting your child TALK UP THE POST of his favorite tune will be a highlight for him, so be sure the cameras are rolling. The DJ may chuckle and feel “cheap thrills,” but kids eat this up. Don’t overdo it. One song. Your child only, no friends. Otherwise the DJ will be inundated and might, rightly so, object. (NOTE: some DJs may grumble at this one, anyway.)

12. “Do you need my input?”

You bet! Your contribution is essential and ought to be welcomed. You should always have relaxed dialogs and feel at ease speaking with your DJ.

13. “If I put my backside in, then put my backside out, then put my backside in and then shake it all about, are you going to laugh at me?”

Not out loud.

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Better Than Ezra

Current members

In addition to vocalist, chief songwriter and guitarist Kevin Griffin from Monroe, Louisiana, the other current members of Better Than Ezra as of February 2009 are bassist and background vocalist Tom Drummond and drummer Michael Jerome, who joined the band in 2009. In addition, James Arthur Payne accompanies the band on tour, singing background vocals and playing supplemental guitar and keyboard accompaniment.

History

Formation and early success

Better Than Ezra was formed in 1988 by its four original members – vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin; Joel Rundell, the lead guitarist; bassist Tom Drummond; and drummer, Cary Bonnecaze. All four members were attending Louisiana State University at the time of Better Than Ezra’s formation. Their first practice also took place in 1988, shortly after the band’s formation. Better Than Ezra’s first public performance was in a bar in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, also in 1988. Though many theories abound, the band refuses to disclose the origin of its name. Fans of the group often refer to themselves as Ezralites.

Better Than Ezra circulated a demo cassette tape later in 1988, the Chimes Street Demo. While not an official release, this demo is sought-after by the band’s fans, and traded by collectors. In 1989 the band released a cassette-only album, Surprise.

Joel Rundell, the band’s lead guitarist, committed suicide on August 8, 1990. The remaining three members of the band took some time off to reassess its future following Rundell’s death. However, Griffin, Drummond and Bonnecaze reunited Better Than Ezra as a trio by the end of 1990. The trio continued playing house parties and fraternity shows across The South during the early 1990s.

The band released its first nationally-distributed album Deluxe in 1993 on its own indie label, Swell Records, which caught the attention of major record labels and radio. Better Than Ezra signed with Elektra Records in 1995. Elektra Records rereleased Deluxe in 1995 and the single, “Good”, reached the #1 position on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart which helped push the album to platinum record status by the end of 1995. Deluxe ultimately became a multi-platinum album, which denotes sales of two million or more units.

Success came quickly to Better Than Ezra. Tom Drummond commented later in a 1998 interview with CNN, “It took us seven years to get signed, and then seven weeks to get to No. 1.” when describing the overnight success of Deluxe and its single “Good”.

1996 – 2000

After Deluxe’s major label release, original drummer Cary Bonnecaze left the band in 1996. He was replaced by drummer Travis McNabb, formerly of the band Vigilantes of Love, who was tapped to play on the band’s upcoming album, Friction Baby. Bonnecaze’s departure set off a series of law suits and counter-suits between Bonnecaze and Better Than Ezra. Bonnecaze, who brought his suit to the United States District Court in New Orleans, argued that the band owed him money “based on his role in fortifying the band’s reputation,” according to Rolling Stone. He asked for approximately million dollars in damages. A settlement was reached between the band and Bonnecaze on August 5, 1999, while a jury was simultaneously deliberating on the lawsuit. The exact terms of the settlement were not released at the time, though Better Than Ezra’s manager, John Isbell, was quoted as saying that Bonnecaze received “way less” than the one million dollars he had originally requested.

Better Than Ezra released their second major label album, Friction, Baby, in 1996 through Elektra Records. Friction, Baby produced the hits “Desperately Wanting” and “King of New Orleans”. Their sophomore release was not as commercially successful as Deluxe, but was certified as a gold album by the RIAA for sales of more than 500,000 units.

The trio began work on their third major release, How Does Your Garden Grow?, soon after the end of touring for Friction, Baby. The album was recorded between mid-January and late-April at a studio in New Orleans. The album was produced by record producer Malcolm Burn and released on August 25, 1998. The sound of album was described “experimental” and a significant departure from their previous two albums. Griffin described the album in 1998 as “guitar driven … rhythmic.” Likewise, Tom Drummond described the band’s thinking on its third major album, “We thought the third album was a very important record, because generally a band either makes or breaks on the third record. We wanted it to be a record that didn’t necessarily sound like what people expected.” Despite the emphasis on guitar experimentation, two tracks, “One More Murder” and “Je ne m’en souviens pas” contain no guitars.

The single At the Stars debuted, and peaked, at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band was dropped by Elektra Records following the release of How Does Your Garden Grow? in 1999.

Subsequent album releases from Better Than Ezra include Closer, (Beyond Records, 2001), Before the Robots, (Artemis Records, 2005) and Paper Empire.

2000 – 2008

The band released the B-Sides and rarities collection Artifakt on its own “Ezra Dry Goods/Fudge” label in 2000. Artifakt was only sold online. Tom Drummond, the band’s bassist, noted in 2002, “It’s basically an album full of rarities.”

Better Than Ezra, now no longer with Elektra Records, signed with the Beyond Records label and began work on new material. Drummond explained the reasoning for choosing a smaller label, “We decided we wanted to be big fish in a small pond instead of a little fish in a big pond. We just wanted to be with a label who wanted success as much as we did.”

Griffin, Drummond and McNabb spent 18 months working on Closer, their follow-up album to 1998′s How Does Your Garden Grow? and their first new material since being dropped by Elektra Records. The album was recorded in New Orleans in the band’s own studio, which allowed the members to focus on creating music rather than rental costs per day. Closer was mixed in Los Angeles by Better Than Ezra and the album’s producer, Brad Wood. However, the band felt that some tracks needed scratching. Producer Brad Wood’s management company recommended DJ Swamp, who had previously worked with Beck, to mix several tracks. The use of a DJ for two of the album’s tracks, the first single “Extra Ordinary” and “Recognize,” marked a departure for the band, who hadn’t previously employed a DJ before.

Closer was released on August 7, 2001. Better Than Ezra launched a tour in support of the album on July 26, 2001. The first single off the album, “Extra Ordinary,” which had been mixed by DJ Swamp, was inspired by an AC/DC song which Griffin heard on the radio. The album’s promotion hit a snag after its record label, Beyond Records, went out of business in 2002 shortly after Closer’s release. Beyond Record’s bankruptcy left Closer out of print for several years. In June 2009, Better Than Ezra announced that it had acquired the rights to Closer and would re-release it in the Fall of 2009 with two new previously unreleased tracks, “Simple Song” and “Screwed Up and Beautiful.”

In June 2001, Better Than Ezra filmed a series of promo commercials for ESPN’s College GameDay. The promo features the band while sports analyst Lee Corso crowd surfs to the stage, where he continues his sports reporting.

On September 28, 2004, the band simultaneously released their first live concert DVD, as well as an official live album, both entitled Live at the House of Blues New Orleans through Sanctuary Records. The DVD and album were filmed and recorded at two separate shows at the House of Blues in New Orleans during the summer of 2004.

A Greatest Hits collection was released on March 15, 2005, through Rhino Entertainment, a division of the Warner Music Group.

Better Than Ezra’s sixth studio album entitled Before the Robots (Artemis Records), was released on May 31, 2005. In 2005, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry used the band’s song “Juicy” as the background music for the second season of the show’s promotional advertisements, which Griffin credited with bringing attention to the album. The song “Juicy” has also been heard in the background in commercials for Applebee’s restaurants.

2009-2010

Longtime drummer Travis McNabb left Better Than Ezra in February 2009, and their last performance together was Family Gras in Metairie, Louisiana. The primary reason given for his departure was the demand on his time by country and bluegrass group, Sugarland, with whom McNabb had previously been touring for some time. The split was amicable, with bassist Tom Drummond saying, “It’s bittersweet. He’s fantastic. We’re still good friends, and there are no hard feelings. We’ll miss him. But this is an opportunity he needed to take.” Following his departure, McNabb remained on the board of the band’s charity, The Better Than Ezra Foundation.

Announced at the same time was McNabb’s replacement, New Orleans-based drummer Michael Jerome, formerly of the band Pleasure Club. In addition, Better Than Ezra announced the May 12, 2009 release date for their seventh studio album, entitled Paper Empire, which is produced by Warren Huart and singer Kevin Griffin. The first single, “Absolutely Still” was released for iTunes purchase on March 17.

On January 22, 2010, American country-pop singer Taylor Swift covered “Breathless” at a performance on Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief, a charity telethon to benefit the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Discography

Studio albums

Year

Album details

Peak chart positions

Certifications

(sales threshold)

US

US Rock

US Indie

US Heat

1989

Surprise

Release date: 1989

Label: Swell Records

1993

Deluxe

Release date: November 16, 1993

Label: Elektra Records

35

3

US: Platinum

CAN: Gold

1996

Friction, Baby

Release date: August 13, 1996

Label: Elektra Records

64

1998

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Release date: August 25, 1998

Label: Elektra Records

129

2001

Closer

Release date: August 2, 2001

Label: Beyond Music

110

2005

Before the Robots

Release date: May 31, 2005

Label: Artemis Records

84

3

2009

Paper Empire

Release date: May 12, 2009

Label: Megaforce Records

62

17

7

“” denotes releases that did not chart

Compilation albums

Year

Album details

2001

Artifakt

Release date: 2001

Label: Fudge Records

2005

Greatest Hits

Release date: March 15, 2005

Label: Rhino Records

Live albums/DVDs

Year

Album details

2004

Live at the House of Blues, New Orleans

Release date: September 28, 2004

Label: Sanctuary Records

Singles

Year

Single

Peak chart positions

Album

US

US Mod

US Main

US Pop

US Adult

1995

“Good”

30

1

3

17

Deluxe

“In the Blood”

4

6

“Rosealia”

71

24

39

1996

“King of New Orleans”

5

7

Friction, Baby

1997

“Desperately Wanting”

48

11

10

37

37

1998

“One More Murder”

32

How Does Your Garden Grow?

1999

“At the Stars”

78

17

25

23

2001

“Extra Ordinary”

35

13

Closer

2005

“A Lifetime”

19

13

Before the Robots

“Our Last Night”

33

28

2006

“Juicy”

19

2009

“Absolutely Still”

Paper Empire

“Just One Day”

“” denotes releases that did not chart

B-sides and Rare tracks

“Circle of Friends” (1995) (Empire Records Soundtrack/Surprise)

“Know You Better” (1995) (Good B-Side)

“Merry Christmas Eve” (1996) (Rosealia B-side)

“Palace Hotel” (1996) (Desperately Wanting B-side)

“Road Trip to Athens” (1996) (King of New Orleans B-side)

“Revolver”

“Imperfect” (Streamed on website)

“Cars Crash” (Website download)

“Dirty Work (Steely Dan cover)” (Website download)

“Tom Collins” (One More Murder B-side)

“Simple Song” (Streamed on both Better Than Ezra and Kevin Griffin’s MySpace profiles)

“Stall” (Better Than Ezra Live @ New Orleans House of Blues)

“Cold Year” (Better Than Ezra Live @ New Orleans House of Blues)

“False River” (played live on the air at KLSU in 1993)

“Chain Smokin’” (bonus song on Christmas cassingle)

“Conjunction Junction” (Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks tribute album)

Pop culture references

On the hit New Zealand television show “This side of Ingle,” the main character Annie’s relationship with Ezra Gro is broken off harshly, to which Annie remarks that her next boyfriend will certainly be “better than Ezra.”[citation needed].

References

^ Spera, Keith (2009-05-28). “Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin’s move colors new ‘Paper Empire’”. The Times-Picayune. http://blog.nola.com/keithspera/2009/05/better_than_ezra_on_their_new.html. Retrieved 2009-08-19. 

^ a b c d e f g h Crean, Ellen (2005-08-27). “Better Than Ezra: Than Ever?”. The Early Show (CBS News). http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/26/earlyshow/saturday/secondcup/main798630.shtml. Retrieved 2009-07-12. 

^ Seastrand, Andrea (2009-06-19). “Interview with Better Than Ezra: Better Than Solo”. The Aquarian Weekly. http://www.theaquarian.com/author/andrea-seastrand/. Retrieved 2009-08-19. 

^ a b Bell, Tanya (1998-12-20). “Better Than Ezra’s Name Is Mystery Around It”. The Gazette (Colorado Springs) (The Ledger). http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8xATAAAAIBAJ&sjid=z_wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6480,8422672&dq=better+than+ezra. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 

^ http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ezralite

^ a b c d e f g h Freydkin, Donna (1999-03-08). “Better Than Ezra break new ground on third album”. CNN. http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9903/08/better.than.ezra/index.html. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 

^ “Better Than Ezra break new ground on third album”. MTV News. 1998-10-07. http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9903/08/better.than.ezra/index.html. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 

^ a b c d “Really Randoms: Oasis, Beck, David Bowie”. Rolling Stone. 1999-08-11. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5926177/really_randoms_oasis_beck_david_bowie. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 

^ a b c d Fischer, Blair R. (1998-06-26). “Better Than Ezra Going Gardening”. Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/betterthanezra/articles/story/5918443/better_than_ezra_going_gardening. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 

^ a b c d e f Shrum, Lycia (2002-02-06). “Better Than Ezra brings its show to Hurricane Harry”. The Battalion. http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2002/02/06/AggieLife/Better.Than.Ever-516901.shtml. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 

^ a b c d e f g h i j D’Angelo, Joe (2001-07-26). “Better Than Ezra Get ‘Ordinary’ With AC/DC-Inspired Single”. MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1445418/20010726/better_than_ezra.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 

^ a b c “Better Than Ezra To Re-Release Closer”. Alternative Addiction. 2009-06-09. http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/musicnews/article/1408/Better-Than-Ezra-To-Re-Release-Closer. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 

^ a b Devenish, Colin (2004-09-15). “Better Than Ezra Go Easy”. Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/betterthanezra/articles/story/6484727/better_than_ezra_go_easy. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 

^ Farley, Mike (2009-05-12). “A Chat with Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra”. Bullz-eye.com. http://www.bullz-eye.com/music/interviews/2009/kevin_griffin.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 

^ http://blog.nola.com/keithspera/2009/02/better_than_ezra_drummer_travi.html

^ McKee, Sheri. “Catching Up with BTE”. Where Y’At Magazine. http://www.whereyat.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=856&Itemid=1&ed=83. Retrieved 2009-07-12. 

^ “RIAA – Gold & Platinum – Better Than Ezra”. Recording Industry Association of America. 1995-11-10. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Better Than Ezra&format=ALBUM&go=Search&perPage=50. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 

^ “Canadian Recording Industry Association search results”. Canadian Recording Industry Association. 1996-01-25. http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 

External links

Better Than Ezra (Official Site)

Official Better Than Ezra Myspace

Allmusic entry for Better Than Ezra

Personal site of Better Than Ezra’s 1996-2008 drummer Travis McNabb

2009 interview with Kevin Griffin at Bullz-Eye.com

CBS News: Making New Orleans “Better”: Rock Band Better Than Ezra Donates To New Orleans F.D, Brad Pitt’s Foundation

v  d  e

Better Than Ezra

Kevin Griffin  Tom Drummond   Michael Jerome

Travis McNabb  Cary Bonnecaze  Joel Rundell

Studio albums

Surprise  Deluxe  Friction, Baby  How Does Your Garden Grow?  Closer  Before the Robots  Paper Empire

Live albums

Live at the House of Blues New Orleans

Compilations

Artifakt  Greatest Hits

Singles

“Good”  “In the Blood”  “Rosealia”  “King of New Orleans”  “Desperately Wanting”  “One More Murder”  “At the Stars”  “Extra Ordinary”  “A Lifetime”  “Our Last Night”  “Juicy”  “Absolutely Still”  “Just One Day”

Videos and DVDs

Live at the House of Blues New Orleans (Better Than Ezra live DVD)

Related articles

Discography

Categories: Better Than Ezra | 1980s music groups | 1990s music groups | 2000s music groups | American alternative rock groups | Musical groups established in 1987 | Musical groups from New Orleans, Louisiana | V2 Records artists | American post-grunge musical groupsHidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from August 2009

Bon Jovi Tour – They Just Get Better

Well we are coming into that time of the year where you start to see the major acts come out of hiding and bring their wares on the road. This year we are seeing quite of few heavy hitters on the road like Tom Petty, Toby Keith, Dave Matthews and Sugarland but while all of those acts are good, nobody puts up the numbers like a Bon Jovi Tour does.

While the band has been touring quite a bit over the last few years, seems every time you see them they just get better and better. The played out tired story about them is that they emerged from the caldrons of the 80′s hair metal days and while this is true,  it is time to now identify them as one of the true legends of Rock and Roll. If you want to go strictly dollar and cents, they will rank right up there with all time touring acts and if you want to go catalog for catalog, look their music has endured and has actually gotten better with age.

Sure I know many of the old school hard rock guys will argue this and that is fine. Go down to your local bar and argue with all the bands you defend that nobody has heard of, because that is where they are at that bar. While Bon Jovi is STILL selling out stadiums nationwide.

The 2010 tour is being fueled by their latest CD, “The Circle” and this CD has a more country feel to it then the last couple and the last couple definitely had a bit of Twang value. Sorry did not mean to steal George Strait’s song!

I have read some of their recent reviews out of the Pacific Northwest and California and what do you expect? They are all glowing. One of the sets lists I saw went like this:

1.    Blood on Blood

2.    We Weren’t Born to Follow

3.    You Give Love A Bad Name

4.    Only Lonely

5.    Born to Be My Baby

6.    Whole Lot Of Leavin’

7.    Lost Highway When We Were Beautiful

8.    Superman Tonight

9.    We Got It Goin’ On

10.  Bad Medicine / Bad Case of Lovin’ You

11.  It’s My Life

12.  Homebound Train Richie Sambora VOX

13.  (You Want To) Make A Memory

14.  Something For The Pain

15.  Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night

16.  Bullet

17.  Work for the Working Man

18.  Who Says You Can’t Go Home Love’s The Only Rule Encore:

21.  Runaway Wanted Dead or Alive Livin’ on a Prayer

This set list is a nice mix. You have new some way back old and some more recent songs. You can buy tickets for this tour at your local box office or at my preferred site, ConcertKings.Com.

Look, with the economy the way it is, none of us will be doing a ton on the entertainment front, so why not treat yourself and take in a true legendary band. If you are young, go see what rock is, and if you are my age, feel like you are 17 again only this time leave the leather fringe jacket at home, the kids will think you are weird!

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The Who? the Greatest Band Ever? You Better, You Bet!

I remember the first time I heard “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, 1980. Keith Moon had been dead for two years but I didn’t know. I had no idea who Keith Moon was. No idea who the band was that sang this classic rock anthem. In 1980, I was just old enough to appreciate rock, classic rock. I was tired of The Bay City Rollers (give me a break, I was a kid). It was time to graduate; not in a cognisant way but in a magically natural moment that grips you, no matter what age you are. All of us experience these feelings of amazement and wonderment to something new… and never forget that moment and time. Music is that powerful. More powerful than any book or movie, music can touch your soul, stop you in your tracks with its sound and lyrics and bring back memories that, once forgotten, can touch a persons heart with joy or sadness. This is what music does to us… and more than any musician(s), The Who affect and reach me like no other band.

In the 1960′s, new rock bands were born, it seemed, every week. This was an era of unparalleled creativity in music. Whether an act was European or North American, the output of music was so fresh and unique in its sound that it sent a shock wave to a new generation of kids craving more than the generic brand of pop music. This was the golden era of contemporary music. Of course, The Beatles led the way in musical output, quality and popularity. The Rolling Stones were always second to the “Mop Tops” as far as adulation and music sales go.With their rebellious image, they were the polar opposites of The Beatles in terms of image and sound. The perfect contrast to the squeaky clean Beatles. The competition between The Beatle and Stones is legendary, with the two bands trying to outdo each other with the next #1 hit. The Who never had a chance to eclipse The Beatles or Stones whether it be number 1 hits or album sales. They were the perennial number three rated band in the British Invasion era… there were only so many sales to go around. It didn’t matter. The Who never competed with anyone. The only battles they fought were amongst themselves. Their drive to create music that mattered to them was stronger than any critics opinion or public adulation. Their irreverence and disregard of public approval is what endeared me to The Who. What mattered to The Who was something more tangible than accolades, something deeper than sales and gold records. The only way to truly reach the public in a spiritual way; to be the most entertaining and loudest live band in the world!

The Who, throughout the ’60′s, were constantly touring and as a result, building a reputation as a working class band. Their legendary energy and power of the live shows gave fans an infusion of Rock and Roll in its rawest form. The fans, over the years, had become fascinated with these four brilliant musicians in all their dysfunctional ways. With The Who, there was no mistaking their rage and anger towards the world and at times, each other. This anger was the engine that ran and sustained The Who and their ability to create music that was relevant to a generation. With The Beatles and Stones being watched under a microscope, The Who had the freedom to be honest with their music and fans and not have to portray a certain image or create a sound or formula that The Beatles and Stones were expected to perpetuate for the sake of sales.

The Who, since their incarnation in 1964, released 11 studio albums. Before the death of Keith Moon, eight classic Who albums were produced with the original lineup of Townshend, Daltrey, Entwistle and Moon. Not a huge output of albums, considering other bands of their era averaged an album or more a year. The Who never cared about quantity… they made an album when they (more accurately, Pete Townshend) were ready. It’s the quality and significance of their music, combined with an almost religious approach to their live shows, give The Who cult status. Of all the great live bands, it was The Who that added elements of musicianship, power, enthusiasm, rage (smashed guitars and destroyed drum sets) and anger. Though they were often at odds with each other, this dysfunctional foursome, once on stage were genuinely having FUN. The rage and anger was aimed at society and an imperfect world. When they were on stage, they were brothers working towards a common goal. Feelings aside, no member would ever let the other down. As individuals, The Who were supreme musicians. If none of the members had ever met, the members would have certainly been respected musicians, though I doubt without the esteem and adoration that is held for them to this day. They would have lacked each other. What allows Daltrey, Entwistle, Moon and Townshend to excel, is the sum of the whole. Each member feeds off the other in order to create their genius. As a group, the four created a sound and chemistry that only fate could have created and allow their evolution as musicians to be fulfilled. They met and lived in the right time and place.

Though half of The Who exist today and in reality they could never truly rekindle the classic years, Daltrey and Townshend never let the passing of Moon or Entwistle affect the passion that The Who are about. When all is said and done, it’s the music that counts and give the two surviving members credit for never allowing the sound or the legacy to die.

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