Level 42 @ the Regency Ballroom (7/30/10)

Level 42 - Mike Lindup, Mark King, Nathan King, Sean Freeman, Pete Ray Biggin

I'll be honest with you, there are very few artists that I've been a fan of over the years that I haven't had a chance to see live at some point or another. And up until last night, Level 42 had been one of those bands.

Mark King, L42's lead vocalist and bass guitarist, was gracious enough to answer a few questions for the site a few weeks back -- you can find the interview here.  But the real treat was the opportunity to finally see Level 42 live and with original keyboardist and falsetto backing vocalist, Mike Lindup, back in the band after taking a brief hiatus in the mid-late 90's.

For those of you unfamiliar with Level 42, the band was formed in 1980 and found critical and commercial success several years later during the electric brit-pop phase with other bands such as Tears for Fears and the Pet Shop Boys among others. Their biggest hit came with the release of Running in the Family's "Lessons In Love" in 1987 which cemented the band as an international phenom and highlighted the bands pop sensibilities with an electric funk style propelled by Mark King's slap bass technique and vocal harmonies between himself and Mike Lindup.

The show last night was meant to be a seated event, but as soon as the band hit the stage, the crowd roared to their feet at the first sounds of the opening song, "Hot Water." I was only able to catch a short clip before security swept in to have me turn off the video, so enjoy this brief clip:


Through the remaining 90-minute set, Mark and Mike led the audience through their classic hits including World Machine, Running in the Family, Lessons in Love, and Something About You. It was an incredibly fun night, and I was amazed that both Mark and Mike sounded just as good as they did 25 years ago -- and it was just a thrill to watch Mark play his bass guitar! The full set-list is below, so for those of you who don't like spoilers, don't scroll down!

Mike Lindup

And whereas most bands escape to the solitude of their tour bus immediately after a show, both King and Lindup stayed onstage and met with fans, took pictures and signed autographs for nearly an hour after the show.

Mark King

If you have the chance, make sure you catch Level 42 when they play your town!

Because we were on lockdown by security last night, here's "Something About You" from Level 42's show at the Nokia Theater in NYC a week earlier:


And finally, the setlist from the show last night, signed by both Lindup and King:

Level 42 - Regency Ballroom, San Francisco Set-list

Queensrÿche @ the Regency Ballroom (7/25/10)

Queensrÿche's "Cabaret" tour rocked through the Regency Ballroom this past Sunday night with a unique performance that was reminiscent of the Ryche's Mindcrime II tour a few years ago. Without an opening act, the band kicked off with "Hit the Black" shortly after 8pm, and was soon joined on-stage with a performance troupe that numbered around 15 (mainly bikini clad) women who wove through the storyline of the night.

For those who aren’t familiar with Queensrÿche, the band consists of Geoff Tate (vocals), Michael Wilton (lead guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass guitar), Scott Rockenfield (drums), and Parker Lundgren (rhythm guitar.) All but Lundgren are original members who have been with the band over the past 30 years.

Geoff Tate

For those considering checking out the show, this is not your typical rock concert. The show lives up to its ‘Cabaret’ name and is largely a theatrical performance comprised of about twenty songs taken from their expansive 30 year catalog. As you may already know, several of their albums have been ‘concept’ albums with a consistent theme running through each (ie. Operation Mindcrime I & II, American Soldier.) So in this case, the ‘Cabaret’ tour has attempted to create a concept from disparate songs taken from about six or so of their albums – and for the most part, I think it worked. So when I wasn’t distracted by the burlesque dancers on stage, the overall storyline consisted of a guy looking for love and the various women he would encounter along his path. I won’t ruin the ending for you by letting you know if it ends happily ever after! If you’ve seen the show, I’d be interested to hear if you have a different interpretation of the performance, so be sure to leave a comment below!

Eddie Jackson

Be sure to check out Queensrÿche's tour page to see if they're coming through your town!

As for the specifics of the show, here's the setlist for the night:

 Queensryche 'Cabaret' San Francisco Setlist

Here's a clip of "I Am I":

Here's "Another Rainy Night (Without You)":

Here's a clip of "Desert Dance":

Here's "The Thin Line":


And "Lady Jane":


Fans of the band expecting a typical rock concert full of greatest hits will be disappointed. Although, what you'll find is truly a performance befitting the Vegas strip. As you can hear from the clips above, the band was tight throughout the night and Geoff's vocals were spot-on. Don't miss this show!

We had the chance to speak with Geoff a few weeks back as he discussed the Cabaret show and what it's been like to be part of the band over the past 30 years. Be sure to check out the interview here.

An Interview with Mark King of Level 42

Mark King of Level 42

Back in the mid-to-late 80’s, I was a kid whose only outlet to new music was the radio which was driven by top 40 hits and pop music at the time. And luckily, in 1987, I discovered Level 42 who had a string of hit singles off their ‘Running In the Family’ album. A few years later, I purchased my first bass guitar, and looking back, it was probably due to the influence of Mark King, Level 42’s lead singer and bass virtuoso.

This year celebrates 30 years for the band who recently launched into a worldwide tour hitting festivals throughout Europe and a handful of dates throughout the US and Japan.

Here in the bay area, Level 42 will be playing the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on July 30th and we were lucky enough to catch-up with Mark a few weeks ago for this brief interview below.

If you don’t already have your tickets, be sure to grab them soon and we’ll see you at the show! And be sure to check back for a review shortly after!

For now, here’s the text to the interview with Mark King:

SF Bay Area Concerts: It's been a few years since you’ve toured this extensively with the band. Can you talk about how this tour came about and if the tour will expand beyond Europe and the US?

Mark King: Yes, it’s been way too long since we played the US, but we are coming over as part of our 30th Anniversary tour that has already taken us back into Japan in June, we had some great shows there, and we have been playing festivals every weekend in Europe which has been fantastic too. Our fans seem to think that it is our decision whether we play certain territories or not, but the fact is every band need local promoters to bring them into local venues, that’s where the tour planning starts, so I’m thrilled that the guys at The Regency Ballroom in SF have had the faith to bring us in, and I promise we’ll give them a great show!

SF Bay Area Concerts: Do you have any fond memories of previous performances in/around San Francisco?

Mark King: I have many memories of SF, being ejected from a $1.50 a night Hotel back in 1979 being one of them ( I had back-packed across the US with the original guitarist and current lyricist Boon Gould for 3 months – crazy days! ), but my favourite memory is when we opened for Steve Winwood back in 1986 and a guy from Alembic Basses came by with a small case of some fantastically exotic hard-woods and asked if they could build a signature model for me. Well, my hero Stanley Clarke used Alembics so I really thought I’d arrived!

SF Bay Area Concerts: Over the years, you've played to audiences around the world, besides the Bay Area, do you have any favorite places to play?

Mark King: Aside from the Bay Area obviously, I really just love playing live with this band. Whether it is Japan, or Denmark, London, or LA, you realize what a small world this is, and wherever you go people are really just the same, you know, the same concerns for the future, for their children, and it’s a privilege to see this first hand. If we were to believe the world was just what we see through the media we’d all be going to hell in a hand cart! The guys and I still get a kick out of the fact that we can make a living doing what we love to do. How bad can it be?

SF Bay Area Concerts: Now that Mike Lindup (L42’s keyboardist and vocalist) is back with the band can you talk about your longer term plans? I’ve read that you’re working on new music for the Universal special/deluxe editions coming out this year. What about beyond the special releases, can we expect a full release of new music from Level 42 in the near future?

Mark King: For sure there will be an EP of tunes to coincide with our UK and European tour which kicks off in October. So far the vibe is very much in the Funk direction, with more than a nod to the great James Brown, but currently Universal Music are celebrating our 30th Anniversary with a 4 cd Box Set which, along with 2 cd’s of all the singles we ever released, plus a cd of rare live performances and original demos of some classic L42 tunes, there is an album of 10 acoustic arrangements of our songs, which was great fun to make, and quite different from anything we’ve done before.

SF Bay Area Concerts: I believe you have a fairly robust home studio. Can you talk about your favorite gear? Can you talk about your favorite software?

Mark King: I’ve been a big believer in the ‘home studio’ thing ever since I got my first Teac 8 track back in 1984, and by 1990 I’d expanded this to a fully blown SSL equipped room with 2 Otari MTR 90’s and 48 tracks of Dolby SR. Then the revolution happened with Mac’s moving in and the whole digital-domain and that’s where I find myself at the moment, along with everyone else!, but the freedom afforded musicians these days is amazing, and the huge, ever expanding range of plug-ins and mastering tools means everyone can have a crack at making great sounding music without having to find a budget of tens of thousands of dollars. I’m loving Logic Pro 9, and despair that Digidesign and Apple have gone their separate ways, so I’m using Apogee converters and find the sound very nice indeed.

SF Bay Area Concerts: Over the past 30 years, the industry has changed dramatically. You’ve seen format transitions from vinyl to cassette to CD to digital download. How do you feel about digital downloads?

Mark King: Well I love the digital download thing personally. How cool is it to hear a piece of long forgotten music and then be able to go and get it right away! I’m terrible for over-doing the iTunes store, especially when I’ve had a glass of wine or two in the evenings! But I also remember the real thrill of going into town and ordering a Mahavishnu Orchestra album on vinyl when I was 14 years old, waiting impatiently for a week or two for it to arrive, then putting it on the stereo and devouring every word on the sleeve and liner notes. Great days indeed.

SF Bay Area Concerts: As a multi-talented musician and prolific bass guitarist, who has influenced you over the years?

Mark King: That’s very kind of you to say so, thanks. My first big heroes were Cream, fantastic players and great tunes, then Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Rich, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, and all the amazing fusion musicians from the 60’s and 70’s. I feel very lucky to have been born when all this stuff was just coming online. Currently there are some fantastic young players coming through so the Bass is in very good hands, and I look forward to saying hi to any aspiring players when we visit The Regency at the end of this month. Love to all, Mark.

Level 42

An Interview with Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche, Pt 3

Queensrÿche will be performing at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco this coming Sunday night, and I had the opportunity to chat with Geoff Tate a few weeks ago while he and the band prepared for this leg of the tour. In this part of the interview, Geoff and I discuss what it's been like to be in a successful band for the past 30 years and how making a record has changed throughout the years.

Be sure to check out previous parts of the interview and be sure to check back soon for a review of the show on Sunday night and the conclusion of our chat.

And of course, if you don't already have tickets to the Cabaret show on Sunday night, be sure to get them here.

Part 1 of the interview can be found here.

Part 2 of the interview can be found here.

Here's part 3 of my interview with Geoff:

Primus @ the Great American Music Hall (7/18/10)

It’s been years since I’ve found myself in the middle of a mosh pit, but that’s what happened last night at the sold out Great American Music Hall for a ‘warm-up’ show with Les Claypool’s Primus. And I’m almost ashamed to admit this, but I haven’t made the time to see arguably one of the most talented bassists of all time before last night since the 1993 Lollapalooza tour. That’s especially shameful since Bay Area local, Claypool, typically puts on an annual New Years Eve show at either the Fillmore or Great American.

As I walked into the show around 8:45 – thinking that Primus wouldn’t hit the stage until around 9 or 9:30 – I recognized that my assumption was wrong and found out that the band was already well into their first set. But luckily, that meant there’d be at least 2 sets! I also recognized that this was probably one of the most, if not *the* most crowded Great American Music Hall concerts I’ve ever been to. I had to elbow my way through the crowd just to get through the LOBBY and into the main floor. Shortly after I found a decent spot, Les and co. launched into a classic, and one of my favorites, ‘Jerry was a Race Car Driver’ to end the first set. The band took a 30 minute break, and it seemed like a decent number of people left – maybe thinking that the first set was going to be all the band was going to play?!?

Here’s ‘Jerry was a Race Car Driver’ shot by Youtube user, AngryDadRocks:


By the way, GAMH security was in full effect last night and forced people to check their cameras at the door (mine included), so thanks to AngryDadRocks for getting his snuck in successfully!

All I can say is that Claypool is a bass-god and the crowd treated him as such. What a great show and I’ve learned from my lessons, when Primus comes to your town, be first in line to get a ticket!

Set 1
Pudding Time
Here Come the Bastards
Behind My Camel / Ground Hog’s Day
Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers
De Anza Jig
Seas of Cheese
Mr. Krinkle
Eleven
Bob
Jerry was a Race Car Driver

Set 2
To Defy the Laws of Tradition
Tommy the Cat
Sgt. Baker
Frizzle Fry
Golden Boy
American Life
Over the Falls
My Name is Mud
Kalamazoo
Harold of the Rocks

Encore
John the Fisherman
Too Many Puppies

Thanks to the folks over at the BullBoard for the set-list details!

Tool @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (7/12/10)

Maynard James Keenan and crew rocked the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium last night to a sold out crowd with a nearly 2-hour set that included classics like, 'Intolerance', from their first full-length album released in 1993, Undertow. MJK asked how many from the crowd were under 21 just before kicking into the song and joked that they hadn't been born yet when the song had been written.

The stage show was heavy on some great visuals across several screens and the addition of a laser show throughout points of the concert as well. Here's a clip of 'Vicarious' that shows some of the lasers and trippy videos that kicks in around the 1-minute mark:



The complete set-list included:

The one thing that I've always loved about Tool is the driving, rhythmic bass lines and the fact that MJK takes a back seat to the music. Once again, he positioned himself towards the back of the stage, with the rest of the band taking lead positions. Whether it's stage fright or his interest in trying to keep out of the public eye, you'll rarely see him in the spotlight.

Here's their performance of 'Schism' last night:

An Interview with Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche, Pt 2

As I mentioned in my previous post, I recently had the opportunity to interview Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche while promoting their upcoming "Cabaret" concert at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on July 25th.

Part 1 of the interview can be found here.

In Part 2 of the interview, Geoff talks about what it's like to tour the world:



Part 3 of the interview can be found here.

An Interview with Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche, Pt 1

I recently had the opportunity to interview Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche while promoting their upcoming "Cabaret" concert at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on July 25th. Over the next few weeks, I'll post additional clips from the interview. In the meantime, enjoy this short clip of Geoff explaining what fans can expect at the Cabaret.



Part 2 of the interview can be found here.

Part 3 of the interview can be found here.