Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness reveals 'Upside Down Flowers,' 2019 tour dates

When Andrew McMahon went “into the wilderness” he started a transformative journey that was both introspective and imaginative. That journey comes full circle with the release of his third full length album Upside Down Flowers available worldwide on Nov. 16 via Fantasy Records and available for pre-order now.

The band will also kick off the Upside Down Flowers 2019 U.S. Tour in January in Phoenix. Tickets on sale today. Full list of tour dates below. For more information visit www.andrewmcmahon.com.

Upside Down Flowers’ 11 album cover is a 1960s-’70s SoCal pool scene with a twist (inspired by jet-set photographer Slim Aarons).

“I have so much emotion wrapped up in this album,” states McMahon, “Upside Down Flowers is a version of real and surreal Southern California that surrounds me physically and emotionally.”

First single “Ohio,” which reached Top 40 at Alternative radio, and the autobiographical track “Teenage Rockstars” are available for immediate download when pre-ordering the album HERE. The official music video for “Teenage Rockstars” features personal footage from McMahon’s time performing and touring with Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin and AMITW. Watch “Teenage Rockstars” HERE.

Upside Down Flowers was produced by Butch Walker (Pink, Weezer, Panic! At The Disco) who also plays drums, bass and guitar on the album. In addition, the album features guest keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. (Beck), and strings arranged by Emmy-winning, Tony & Grammy nominated composer Rob Mathes and recorded at Abbey Road Studios.

“It was just this breath of fresh air to go ‘Here’s a bunch of songs I wrote on my piano,” stated McMahon. Here’s this great producer. And the two of us are gonna play everything and sing everything.’ We would get into the weeds on the songs, yet the process was this really fast, kind of beautiful thing.”

“The thing I tell people often is that when you write great songs, you can record them in any style or production aesthetic and it will still be a great song,” said Walker. “This is Andrew with his songwriting craft. I’m glad to call him a friend and proud of the music we made together.”

Upside Down Flowers is the follow up to 2017’s Zombies on Broadway which featured Top 5 alternative singles “Fire Escape” and “So Close” and the subsequent Zombies in America Tour, their sold-out headlining jaunt across the U.S. Earlier this year, AMITW thrilled fans and critics alike with the intimate setting of the Pen and Piano tour. McMahon recently returned from a string of dates in the U.K., Japan and Australia.

Tour dates:

January 23rd - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
January 25th - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
January 26th - Austin, TX @ Stubb’s BBQ
January 27th - Houston, TX @ House of Blues
January 29th - New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
January 30th - Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
February 7th - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
February 8th - Jacksonville, FL @ Maverick’s At the Landing
February 9th - Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
February 10th - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
February 15th - Philadelphia, PA @ Metropolitan Opera House
February 16th - Niagara Falls, NY @ Rapids Theatre
February 17th - Huntington, NY @ The Paramount
February 19th - Boston, MA @ House of Blues
February 21st - New York, NY @ Terminal 5
February 22nd - Mashantucket, CT @ Fox Theatre- Foxwoods Casino
February 23rd - Clifton Park, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall
February 24th - Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
February 26th - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
February 28th - Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
March 1st - Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
March 2nd - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
March 3rd - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
March 5th - Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
March 7th - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
March 9th - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
March 10th - Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
March 12th - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
March 14th - Missoula, MT @ The Wilma
March 15th - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
March 16th - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
March 19th – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
March 21st - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
March 22nd - Los Angeles, CA @ The Orpheum
March 23rd - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
March 24th - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues

Ronnie Milsap's 'The Duets' slated for early next year

I was glad to finally see Milsap live at Stagecoach last spring (see review elsewhere on this blog). Can't wait to hear the album...

Two years in the works, Ronnie Milsap: The Duets (Riser House/Sony) is scheduled for Jan. 18. The collection spans mainstream country, Christian, Americana, rock & roll and roots music. To give longtime fans an idea of what the project contains, the six-time Grammy winner teamed with People and Relix to debut the first tracks, available at all digital retail outlets now.

People offered Kacey Musgraves' duet of the 1982 Grammy-winning "There's No Getting Over Me." The country legend said of their duet in People, "Singing with Kacey is so much fun. She's a pure vocalist and knows how to lean into a melody. Having her on this gave the song a whole new twist, which is what music is all about. How do you take what you know and make it even more?"

It was all recorded at Ronnie's Place, the studio the former Entertainer of the Year exactingly built at the height of his success. "A Woman's Love," Milsap's duet with Willie Nelson, premiered at Relix. Nelson ended up recording the Mike Reid-penned song on his own God's Problem Child project.

"It's a compliment to me that Willie loved the song enough to want to record it on his own," Milsap explains. "It says so much about the quality of the song, because the best songs want to be recorded over and over. Ray Charles heard 'Lets Go Get Stoned' all those years ago, and he cut it. It just shows how universal music can be, and how it brings people together."

LISTEN TO RONNIE MILSAP AND KACEY MUSGRAVES
LISTEN TO RONNIE MILSAP AND WILLIE NELSON

Co-produced with long-term collaborator Rob Galbraith, Ronnie Milsap: The Duets also includes collaborations with fellow Entertainers of the Year Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, George Strait and Dolly Parton, as well as CMA winners Little Big Town and Montgomery Gentry, on what may be Troy Gentry's final recordings. The album also features collaborations with Rock icon Billy F. Gibbons, Christian music's Steven Curtis Chapman, newcomers Lucy Angel and Jesse Key, as well as with Leon Russell for what is probably the Songwriters and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer's last recording.

With its roots in the Academy of Country Music 50th Anniversary Duets special, where Milsap sang "Stranger in My House" with Luke Bryan, Ronnie Milsap: The Duets served as a floating jam session. Merging legends, superstars, young artists and myriad generations, the project was met with enthusiastic support from the many collaborators.

Track listing:

1. Southern Boys and Detroit Wheels ft. Billy Gibbons

2. Stranger in My House ft. Luke Bryan
3. Smokey Mountain Rain ft. Dolly Parton
4. Prisoner of the Highway ft. Jason Aldean
5. A Woman's Love ft. Willie Nelson
6. Happy Happy Birthday ft. Lucy Angel
7. No Getting Over Me ft. Kacey Musgraves
8. Lost in the Fifties ft. Little Big Town
9. Houston Solution ft. George Strait
10. What a Woman Can Mean to a Man ft. Jessie Key
11. Misery Loves Company ft. Leon Russell
12. You're Nobody ft. Steven Curtis Chapman
13. Shakey Ground ft. Montgomery Gentry

Box set of archival concerts from The Fall coming soon

The Fall, the legendary UK post-punk band once led by Mark E. Smith, who passed away earlier this year, are the subject of “The Fall Live: Set of Ten Box.” It features 10 previously unreleased live performances in one box set is now available for pre-order. 

“Set of Ten.” (Issued on Cog Sinister, The Fall's official label), is extremely limited edition (less than 300 units left) of 10 discs of previously unreleased live recordings, spanning three decades. The earliest recording taken from 1980 and most recent being 2001, including the legendary London, Astoria from 1998 and the ultra rare New Orleans recording from 1981.

The full list of CDs:

Birmingham 20/11/80
New Orleans 23/06/81
Frankfurt 01/10/93
London 23/10/95
Kings Lynn 28/09/96
Stoke 30/11/97
London 12/08/98

To pre-order: https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/the-fall-live?referrer=project_launched&utm_campaign=project20278&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pledgemusic

An interview with The Wild Feathers

The Wild Feathers was a standout among all the acts at Ohana Festival in Dana Point, CA last weekend (see my review elsewhere on this blog). Next up for the guys are four California gigs with Billy Currington: Oct. 6, Norco; Oct. 7, Fresno; Oct. 13, San Diego; Oct. 14, Silverado-Orange County. Here's an interview that I did over the summer...

Any band with three singer/songwriters could easily get bogged down by disagreements about who’s going to handle lead and secondary vocal duties.

Not The Wild Feathers.

“Most of the time it’s pretty straightforward,” said bassist Joel King.

“You get in where you can fit in. A lot of times, I’ll be singing the higher part just because I can hit it. I like how The Band and The Stones [did] their harmonies. Sometimes you can sing in unison or an octave above in falsetto. I think we try to use our ears and not so much, our ego. That’s what makes us who we are. We’re not The Beach Boys and not that great at singing harmonies. We just find that magic spot when we’re singing and figure out how to do it.”

King is being slightly modest.

This Nashville-based Americana group - which also includes guitarists Taylor Burns and Ricky Young and drummer Ben Dumas – has a seamless harmonic blend. It’s evident throughout The Wild Feathers’ sumptuous third studio effort Greetings from the Neon Frontier, especially the breezy early Eagles-styled “Wildfire” and “Big Sky.”

The former track describes life on tour and the idea came to fruition after “our manager thought we should do an honest, ‘Who the hell are you guys’-type song.’

“We sat around my kitchen table and wrote it,” recalled King. Unlike in the past, where they “would’ve totally tried to mask” lyrics that might be considered cliché, this time, good ‘ol truth won out.

While 2016’s Lonely is a Lifetime was crafted on the road, had songs that evolved from “jamming out” and an expansive sound that sometimes recalled My Morning Jacket, the new album often has a more laid-back vibe because much of the material was penned at home. Instead of adding weird noises, King said they tried to make it “like a Tom Petty record or something and serve the song.

“This record is just sitting down with acoustic guitars and getting down to the core of it.”

The Wild Feathers reteamed with Jay Joyce, the award-winning producer whose credits range from the top names in country music to Cage the Elephant and Mikky Ekko. King said one of the things he likes about Joyce is that he’s tuned into the guys’ musicologist side.

“He knows exactly what we’re doing. If he wouldn’t have got it, we would’ve went with somebody else. It probably would’ve been a different album. We kind of look for that George Martin-type dude with us playing. Maybe he can get behind the keys or shake the maracas while we play, and it feels like home.”

There’s still some rocking out in strategic places. The spacey dramatic sweep of “Hold onto Love” is akin to U2. Organ-drenched opener “Quittin’ Time” could be a Black Crowes outtake. “No Man’s Land” has a Tom Petty feel and chunky guitars drive “Stand by You,” co-written by country veteran Jeffrey Steele (Keith Urban, Tim McGraw).

“That was really great,” King said about the rare experience. “We’d been burnt before, trying to co-write. Except for Gary Louris of The Jayhawks – because we loved the dude and thought he was awesome. We wrote a couple songs” together.

(“American” appeared on The Wild Feathers’ 2013 self-titled debut disc and “Backwards Women” finally made it on The Jayhawks’ Back Roads and Abandoned Motels, out now.)

“With Jeffrey, I didn’t know what to expect. We went over to his place and he’s telling stories, just yukking it up and having a great time.

“He’s such a craftsman and a pro, like smoothing things out with sandpaper,” King continued. “We had a bunch of verses. He reigned it in and made it a cohesive thing.”

Lately, the band has been getting prominent airplay on Sirius XM’s The Highway channel. Satellite radio has been a major supporter for years.

“Before, The Spectrum would play us and people really responded to it. The Highway is huge. When they said they’d play us, it was amazing. We take any fans we can get. We didn’t realize we could fit in.”

Judging from comments online, fans have been excited about the fact that The Wild Feathers restarted its popular Truck Stop cover video series.

“People asked about it all the time,” said King. “We needed something else to do. We stopped it because we were so busy and didn’t have time. This record had been done for a little bit and we needed to be seen on the internet, so we resurrected the Truck Stop thing. We came up with a million ideas. We’re still talking about it. Maybe getting some of our buddies in to do it and trying to make it fun. It gives people something else to do besides listening to the record over and over again. We should do a song by Ryan Bingham, who’s one of our best buds, and have him play accordion on it.”

In the time since The Wild Feathers’ 2010 inception, it has shared stages with Paul Simon, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan. Did the young musicians glean anything from those legends

King said, “Simon talked to us for a while and gave us some words of wisdom.” As for the Red-Headed Stranger, “His whole career and the way he runs his whole organization is fucking awesome. He makes it like a family. We learned how to be on the road and treat people.”

Ohana Festival (Day 2+3) review: Dana Point, Calif.

photo: George A. Paul

In Hawaiian culture, the word “ohana” means extended family. Last weekend, during the third annual Ohana Festival in Dana Point, Calif., event curator Eddie Vedder helped foster a sense of community by performing with Mumford and Sons, Johnny Marr and X’s John Doe.

Meanwhile, Switchfoot, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and the Pearl Jam leader all stressed the need to forget about negative news and all our differences for awhile and share a common love of music.

The relaxed vibe and beautiful locale at Doheny State Beach makes Ohana stand out from other area music festivals. Even Bahamas frontman Afie Jurvanen raved about his view from the stage. Many concert attendees got into the spirit by donning Hawaiian leis, shirts or flower crowns (McMahon’s entire band sported the latter item).

Having the large Main stage and medium sized Tiki stage located side by side meant people didn’t have to walk far to view each one. Those who arrived early enough could lay out their towels and blankets between both and not even have to move. Everything seemed to go right according to schedule, with no major delays. As soon as one act finished, the next stage started soon after. One minor quibble: Saturday’s sound mix from both stages was fine; Sunday’s was too bass heavy on the Main stage.

photo: George A. Paul

A portion of festival proceeds are slated to benefit the San Onofre Parks Foundation, a local non-profit that works with California State Parks to develop, preserve and enhance the Golden State’s coastal parks.

Beach conservation was a prime topic at the Storytellers stage as reps from Surfrider Foundation, National Geographic, Sea Legacy Collective and others provided tips and food for thought about plastic usage. A silent auction of music memorabilia benefitted some of these groups.

Award-winning OC surfer Greg Long mentioned the recent bans of plastic straws, Starbucks’ future lid reformulation and said only 9% of what we use gets recycled. “If we make small changes in our lives, eventually, we’ll force the plastic industry to look for better alternatives…it helps to demand (them).” He described surfing in remote locations around the world where he still saw plastic remnants around.

photo: George A. Paul

San Diego surfing legend Rob Machado (pictured far left) talked about how his namesake foundation initially stemmed from going to his daughter’s grammar school and noticing that they didn’t have a simple recycling program and none of the kids drank water from the fountains.

Ohana had water stations sponsored by Machado where you could fill up your empty reusable container. Nearby, kids could marvel at Ranger Jim’s Mini Museum, which displayed shark teeth of various sizes. A visual artist periodically did live painting on surfboards.

Early Saturday afternoon, Bahamas’ breezy brand of pop/rock, included songs from latest album Earthtones on Jack Johnson’s Brushfire label such as “So Free” and “Opening Act (The Shooby Dooby Song).” There was a nice early John Mayer feel to “No Wrong.” Before “Lost in the Light,” Jurvanen deadpanned that he and his fellow Canadian musicians onstage were “honored to represent the soft rock community; it’s a dying art.” They closed with “Lost in the Light,” a top 10 hit at Adult Album Alternative radio here in 2014. 

For this writer, one of the must-see acts at the entire festival was Johnny Marr. Over the past five years, the former Smiths guitarist has been on a creative tear, putting out three compelling solo albums. In Dana Point, the Brit opened with “The Tracers,” an eerie song from current release Call the Comet, where the shimmering guitar effect was unmistakably Marr.

photo: Paul Hebert for Ohana

The crowd responded loudly during a fierce take on The Smiths’ “Bigmouth Strikes Again.” They went crazier for “How Soon is Now,” as Marr twisted the tuning pegs on his Fender Jaguar in tandem with his backing guitarist on slide to get the classic ‘80s modern rock tune’s famous swirling sound. When it ended, Marr said “that’s a good one” (lest anyone needed convincing). Both “Bug” and “Easy Money” were extremely catchy. Vedder was among the all-star collaborators with Marr on Neil Finn’s Seven Worlds Collide projects in the 2000s. Here, he handled lead vocals for closing Smiths song, “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” and acquitted himself well. Marr prompted a crowd singalong at the end.

A few months ago, Matador Records released Girly-Sound to Guyville: The 25^th Anniversary box set to commemorate Liz Phair’s acclaimed debut Exile in Guyville. The remastered collection includes that title along with all the content from the infamous Girly Sound demo tapes. 

photo: Amy Harris for Ohana

Playing electric guitar on the Main stage, Phair sounded great, constantly smiled, pogoed a bit and obviously had some fun. Her winsome Ohana set was highlighted by “Never Said” and hits like “Supernova,” the melodic gem “Why Can’t I” and grungy “Extraordinary (where she noticed “all the ladies vibing on it”).

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – led by singer Karen O. – were wild as ever. Clad in a shiny and colorful, seemingly tailor-made patchwork outfit with kneepads, she laughed while singing opening number “Y Control” as Nick Zinner added clarion call guitar effects. Later, she’d do such risqué moves as putting the microphone in her mouth and caressing the cord. Fans in front near the stage barrier got to contribute their own yelps as Karen walked in front and went all down the line, putting the microphone in their faces. “Heads Will Roll” (inflatable eyeballs were rolled out into the audience) and the ballad “Maps” fared the best.

Eddie Vedder’s nifty center stage setup included an old reel-to-reel machine, a cluster of various electric and acoustic guitars, a chair and more items. His walk on music was the “Batman” theme sung by children. The solo, sometimes acoustic, set started with the first of many Pearl Jam tunes. Fans sang along loudly to “Wishlist.” The singer talked about how being grateful is a key to life and that he was grateful for Mother Nature before doing a fine take on Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart.” Another hearty singalong ensued amid Pearl Jam’s “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.”  

photo: Steve Sherman for Ohana

Phair guested on “Better Man” and Vedder wondered whether he’d "ever heard a woman sing it." Other times, Vedder would go on humorous tangents about surfing etiquette and politics.

There were some quiet ukulele songs from the soundtrack to “Into the Wild.” Then Scott Thurston from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers appeared on organ and guitar for songs by his former boss, like a touching “Wildflowers,” “Room at the Top” and “I Won’t Back Down.” Simply amazing. Alone again, Vedder took to the organ for a quiet cover of George Harrison’s “Isn’t it a Pity” as a cameraman zoomed in on a lyric sheet.  

Sunday afternoon, Dana Point’s own Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness drew a large audience. With his parents watching, McMahon turned in a high energy set as always. Starting with “Fire Escape,” he briefly stepped away from the piano to work the stage and go into the crowd on a percolating “Island Radio.”

“I wrote this in San Clemente,” the singer said before a soaring, syncopated piano-led “Dark Blue,” by previous band Jack’s Mannequin. On-again, off-again guitarist Bobby “Raw” Anderson is now back by McMahon’s side. The singer’s usual crowd surfing on a yellow inflatable duck was fun to watch.

Reaching all the way back to the Something Corporate days, the guys played “I Woke Up in a Car” after McMahon proudly recalled growing up on Doheny Beach and going to high school nearby. “This is my town! It’s a dream for me to be here. My mind is blown.”

Majestic new single “Ohio,” from the forthcoming new album, was a highlight. The multi-colored parachute came out for “Synesthesia” as McMahon went underneath it to sing. Finally, the jubilant “Cecilia and the Satellite,” penned for his daughter, ended the terrific set on a high note.

Americana was well represented at Ohana. One of the more underrated bands of the genre is Nashville’s The Wild Feathers, whose latest album Greetings from the Neon Frontier is among the year’s best. Launching with a rousing “Quittin’ Time,” the guys provided some seamless harmonies on “Wildfire” and impressive vocal tradeoffs during the Petty-ish “No Man’s Land.” By this point, the crowd was stomping, clapping and dancing up a storm. So the catchy-as-hell, Motown-styled bass groove in “Happy Again” fit perfectly. A vigorous take on The Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” also went down well. The band capped it all off in fiery fashion with “The Ceiling.”

Jon Foreman's messianic stage presence and Switchfoot’s inspiring anthems proved especially life affirming near the beach. Mostly eschewing hit singles (except for “Meant to Live,” “Dare You to Move”), the San Diego band with a few surfers among the musicians brought out expert boarder Rob Machado to play guitar on a couple tunes and pal around.

Beck didn’t really scale down the dazzling production that I caught at Hollywood Bowl two days prior for his Ohana set. This hour-long version opened with a frantic “Devil’s Haircut.” Surprisingly, “Loser” was dispatched early and OC got to hear “Black Tambourine.” Elsewhere, “New Pollution,” “Mixed Bizness,” “Girl,” “E-Pro” and “Where It’s At” were all given spirited deliveries and greeted with plenty to enthusiasm from the huge crowd stretching all the way back to the grandstand seating.

Having been impressed with my first Ohana Festival, I definitely hope to return again next year.   

A Bowie Celebration concert review: Riverside, Calif.

Mike Garson: A Bowie Celebration

David Bowie never performed in Riverside, California during his lifetime, but the British rock legend's spirit was strongly felt last Thursday during a thoroughly satisfying show by A Bowie Celebration.

Held at the Fox Performing Arts Center, ABC - not your average "tribute" band - featured four musicians who had previously recorded and toured with Bowie: longest serving pianist/keyboardist Mike Garson, frequent lead guitarist Earl Slick (heard on LPs spanning Diamond Dogs to The Next Day and four other albums), bassist Carmine Rojas (Let's Dance, Tonight, Never Let Me Down) and guitarist Mark Plati (Earthling, Hours, Heathen, Reality).

Rounding out the lineup was vocalist Bernard Fowler, who has sung behind Mick Jagger for more than 20 years; vocalist Joe Sumner, known for his six albums with Fiction Plane and touring with Gordon Sumner AKA Sting; Latin Grammy winning vocalist Gaby Moreno and drummer Lee John, the son of Slick. He previously played with his father and Fowler in a tour that spotlighted Bowie's Station to Station album overseas.

After a few special shows to mark the first anniversary of Bowie death, the band did a tour earlier this year with a slightly revised lineup (various cities tend to have special guests dropping in, like Evan Rachel Wood did in San Diego this past Friday) and hit elsewhere in Southern California. Another return is scheduled for 2019; see all the dates below.

In Riverside, Garson introduced the singers and provided warm anecdotes. Occasionally, he'd ask Slick, "do you remember this" about the '70s. ABC covered many Bowie bases. As an introduction, the pianist praised Bowie as someone who was "like our Gershwin or Bacharach." 

Bernard Fowler: A Bowie Celebration

He mentioned "this used to be our encore on the Reality tour" before the band launched the two-hour set with a jazzy "Bring Me the Disco King," off that same release. Fowler's deep vocal register served the haunting song well and he went into spoken word bit at the end.

Switching gears, Fowler yelled "we're gonna have a party" and it was time to rock out on "Rebel Rebel" and "Moonage Daydream." Plati, Sumner and Moreno strummed acoustic guitars during the latter and Slick - still the epitome of Keith Richards-styled coolness - provided searing electric lines.

Everyone locked into a solid groove on "Fame," where Fowler was all over the stage. He exited for awhile, so Sumner could handle lead on "Changes," "Space Oddity" (a crowd favorite) and "Starman." An enthusiastic Sumner acquitted himself well on those tracks and urged a crowd singalong (it wasn't necessary; people dutifully did it unprompted).

Moreno took over during "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" and "Time," elevated by Garson's memorable music hall-styled piano work. Rojas got to spotlight his famous bass lines during fun set standout "Let's Dance" and audience members took the title to heart. She also provided some understated drama on "Where Are We Now," from Bowie's final album Blackstar, and "5 Years."

Earl Slick: A Bowie Celebration

Once Slick and Fowler came back, they were both forces to be reckoned with on a powerful "Station to Station," the guitarist adding eerie feedback and sonic shards. Garson relayed how Bowie loved the ballad "Wild is the Wind," a riveting duet between Moreno and Fowler. It was another highlight.

"Ziggy Stardust" and "Suffragette City" rocked with abandon. Come encore time, "Diamond Dogs" was lean 'n' mean; Sumner really impressed while belting out "Life on Mars." The haunting "Aladdin Sane" featured a classy piano solo by Garson, who incorporated melodic signatures from Lennon and McCartney's "Let it Be" and "Imagine."

Finally, Fowler infused one of Bowie's frequent concert closers, "Heroes," with just the right amount of gravitas. All told, the show was a fine way for Bowie enthusiasts to remember their idol. I would definitely see it again.

2019 North American Tour Dates:

Wed 2/6 Mesa, AZ Mesa Arts Center
Thu 2/7 Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theatre
Sat 2/9 Cerritos, CA Cerritos Center
Sun 2/10 Modesto, CA Gallo Center
Tue 2/12 Livermore, CA Livermore PAC
Wed 2/13 San Francisco, CA The Warfield
Fri 2/15 Seattle, WA Benaroya Hall
Sat 2/16 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
Sun 2/17 Portland, OR Revolution Hall
Tue 2/19 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
Thu 2/21 Madison, WI Orpheum Theatre
Fri 2/22 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
Sat 2/23 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Music Hall
Sun 2/24 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre & Ballroom
Tue 2/26 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom
Wed 2/27 Kitchener, ON Centre In The Square
Fri 3/1 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall
Sat 3/2 Montreal, QC MTelus
Sun 3/3 Boston, MA Wilbur Theatre
Tue 3/5 New York, NY Irving Plaza
Wed 3/6 Albany, NY Palace Theater
Thu 3/7 Syracuse, NY Palace Theater
Sat 3/9 New Brunswick, NJ State Theater
Sun 3/10 Philadelphia, PA Keswick Theatre
Tue 3/12 Louisville, KY The Brown Theatre
Wed 3/13 Nashville, TN Polk Theatre
Fri 3/15 Ponte Vedra, FL Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
Sat 3/16 Fort Lauderdale, FL Parker Playhouse
Sun 3/17 Clearwater, FL Capitol Theatre
Wed 3/20 Houston, TX Heights Theatre
Thu 3/21 Austin, TX Paramount Theatre
Fri 3/22 Dallas, TX Majestic Theatre

abowiecelebration.com

Beck concert review: Hollywood, Calif.

photo: Nick Agro

Beck Hansen is definitely a proud Angeleno.

That was clear from his warm - and often humorous - reflections about growing up in the area during an excellent Hollywood Bowl concert.

“We’re here to celebrate a homecoming,” said the singer/guitarist, who mentioned friends, family and neighbors in attendance. “There’s no better place to be on a Friday night.”

Indeed. Beck’s first headlining gig at the venue since ’08 came amidst more than a year of touring for latest album “Colors.” The solid batch of exuberant pop, rock and dance gems, co-produced and performed by fellow Grammy winner Greg Kurstin, has spawned a career high four top 10 hits at alternative radio.

Hoisting his instrument like a guitar god, Beck and the tight seven-piece backing band (including mainstays Jason Falkner and Roger Joseph Manning Jr.) opened the nearly two-hour set with chugging rocker “Devil’s Haircut.” The musicians were strong out of the gate with “New Pollution,” as dazzling images appeared behind and around them. “Mixed Bizness” was a veritable dance party and had the soulful vibe of a 1960s revue.

An infectious “Up All Night,” from “Colors,” had fans dancing up a storm; Beck did his own spirited moves across the stage. Before “Que Onda Guero,” he talked about how he used to hear the Spanish phrase (loose translation: “What’s up, Whitey?”) while walking around Pico and Union streets in Boyle Heights. “I think it’s more appropriate to do it here than other parts of the country,” Beck said.

The crowd went crazy after he appeared onstage alone with an acoustic guitar for “Debra,” a slow jam prominently featured in the plot of 2017 flick “Baby Driver.” Concertgoers sang along loudly while Beck did his best Prince-style falsetto croon, some funny ad-libs (name checking “the mean streets of Glendale,” Hollywood Blvd., various freeways) and re-iterated that people in other parts of the world don’t always get his playfulness like L.A. does. “You really are the product of your surroundings,” Beck noted.

Recalling a first visit to the Bowl for a Prince concert and being impressed by late The Purple One’s smooth moves, the singer paid tribute with a partial cover of “Raspberry Beret.” After the band returned, even more fans stood and vigorously moved around to the totally funky “Nicotine & Gravy,” which incorporated a snippet of Melle Mel’s “White Lines (Don’t Do It).”

photo: Nick Agro

There were also some rarities in the set, such as the old school drum machine-driven, airy R&B of “Hollywood Freaks” off 1999’s “Midnite Vultures” and a bit of “Truck Drivin’ Neighbors Downstairs” (inspired by weird apartment dwellers on Silverlake Blvd.).

Beck brought out Fred Martin & The Levite Camp, a local gospel group, for his upbeat 1994 blues tunes “Fourteen Rivers Fourteen Floods” and played harmonica. They also performed the old spiritual “Like a Ship (Without a Sail)” as a salve for the “weird times and rough week” we’ve all had. “I have faith we’ll make it,” said Beck.

Later, an acoustic segment with half the band nicely spotlighted their seamless harmonies on “Lost Cause” and the baroque “Blue Moon.” It was all upbeat grooves from there with the frothy fun of “Dreams,” “Girl,” the hypnotic “Wow,” a rambunctious “Loser” and hard-hitting “E-Pro.”

Come encore time, the choir returned to help elevate ‘Where It’s At” more than usual and Beck introduced the band with cover song snippets comprising Chic, The Stones, New Order and Talking Heads.

St. Vincent opened the evening with a 40-minute DJ set consisting of rap, dance and a few rock songs. Most people chatted away until they heard Beastie Boys or Talking Heads pop up.

A version of my review originally appeared in the Orange County Register and other So Cal News Group newspapers.