Orel Family

I prepped for this movie. The catalyst, for me, was watching Martin Scorsese's dry-as-bones film "Beatles '64,"  that so diced-and-spliced things up, mashing together the things I cared about with things that seemed irrelevant to me (I suppose it's interesting in the abstract to see Leonard Bernstein dissect the time signature variations within the 1966 song "She Said She Said," but, really? ), that I found myself going back to the Maysles brothers' film "The First US Visit"  just to see again how exciting and fresh the Beatles were to Americans  in 1964. So I got what I could find to prepare for this film: D.A. Pennebaker's  groundbreaking film about Bob Dylan's 1965 UK Tour, "Don't Look Back,"  that revealed Dylan in metamorphosis yet leaving events to speak for themselves. Then, Scorsese's "No Direction Home,"  a thrilling 200 minute document covering Dylan up through the end of his 1966 UK tour, a...

Stevie Wonder at Little Caesar's Arena, Detroit. October 22, 2024 I've seen Stevie Wonder several times over the past 40 years, going back to a stadium show in Malmö, Sweden, that I remember mostly for getting there in the first place, and then for him doing a hilarious - and spot-on -- Jackson 5 medley. So it seemed almost a surprise to realize it's been almost a decade since I've seen him headline a show . Not that there have been many opportunities; he's basically been off the road since then. This tour was only announced 5 weeks ago, and covers just 10 dates, mostly in election battleground states. But don't accuse Stevie of lacking preparation! Stevie came in with a full band and horn section, a 20+ person orchestra, and was supported on some songs by a local choir. By the time of the finale, "Another Star," there were more than 50 people on the stage -- and somehow it all worked. There was a clear political tone to parts of the show. Before the...

Imagine the scene: Barefoot on the beach, a perfect cool breeze coming in off the water, and there in front of tens of thousands of celebrants, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. That was last night, for a unique performance to conclude the 2024 Sea Hear Now Music Festival . The festival was spearheaded by rock photographer Danny Clinch  in 2018; this was the first performance of the E Street Band. In order to be able to see Bruce and the band without the aid of giant video monitors, there were two basic options: either procure very limited and pricey "VIP" and "Platinum" tickets, or arrive many hours early to the 7th Avenue Beach where the Surf Stage was located. I arrived at the Surf Stage around 1:15pm; many had lined up before sunrise and no doubt would have done so earlier had it been permitted by event staff. Getting to the stage early also meant catching three preliminary acts: Joy Oladokun , Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Kool & the Gang , an...

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band was originally scheduled to play Camden Yard s in Baltimore on September 9th, 2023. The show was postponed for a year due to Bruce's peptic ulcer disease. Friday night, he and the band made up for it. Springsteen has a big show coming up Sunday evening on the beach in Asbury Park as the headliner of the SeaHearNow Music Festival . For this sweltering Friday evening, though, he gave full attention to Baltimore. The band came on stage almost exactly at the stated show time of 7:30. Given that Bruce's first top ten single "Hungry Heart " mentioned Baltimore in the first line, it was no surprise that Bruce opened with it, followed by another River fan favorite, "Sherry Darling." The audience took the first line of "Hungry Heart," and Bruce was down to the front of the stage and in to the crowd even before beginning his own singing. The two openers also gave opportunities for members of the band to shine, in par...

Port Austin, Michigan. August 12, 2024. 2:40am I booked the motel room in early June. Port Austin , in our favorite cute little motel up by Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay . Tip of the thumb, with gorgeous sunsets, quaint little eateries, art barns, farm stands, and easy access to a dark sky preserve. I made the reservation for Sunday, August 11th, the best night for the annual Perseids Meteor Shower s. Astrophotogaphy mode -- the Auroroa moves, and I got a meteorite! Port Crescent Dark Sky Preserve. August 12, 2024. 1:01am. Then Aaron came home at the end of his semester. Then Ezra decided to come, too. And then... at midday Sunday afternoon the motel called. They had some water issues in the room and had to cancel the reservation. Should I cancel the trip? To spend more time with the children? The forecast was iffy, this was my chance if I wanted it.  Port Austin, Michigan. The Autora is out! August 11, 2024. 11:18pm A friend had texted me, "Pray to the sun gods," which meant ...

John Fogert at Pine Knob, August 4, 2024 I've written previously about my childhood rock heroes: The Beatles. Bruce. And John Fogerty. Fogerty, and CCR, was a taste a acquired largely during my first years in college, when I graduated from the Fantasy Records "More Gold" compilation I had bought as a kid to the entire original Fantasy catalogue in 3 neat double albums, creatively titled "1989/69," "1969" and "1970," and then finally daring to purchase the lamentable "Mardi Gras" and Fogerty's first two solo albums as cut-outs. Eventually I even located the pre-CCR "Golliwogs" singles on another Fantasy collection.  Still, it's been a decade since I last saw John play live. Oh, he's been around, but typically sharing the stage with performers I had no desire to see, even performing as an opening act. I wanted the full treatment, and last night I got it. Fogerty's "Celebration" tour came to Pine Kn...