Some Concert Reviews, way post facto

Well here I am, firmly entrenched in bar studying. Phrases like "Holder in Due Course" and "Bona Fide Purchaser" dominate my existence, but not right now. Now I'm taking a brief moment to reflect on the shows I've seen in the past year.

Neil Young (Lethbridge, Alberta): Still can rock it out, though his voice has lost a bit. Hard to beat hearing Four Strong Winds when you're kicking it on the prairies. Unfortunately, this show was so overshadowed by the following night's performance by Leonard Cohen that I sometimes forget I was even there.

Leonard Cohen (Calgary, Alberta): I don't care whether you like his music or not. When a 76 year old man comes dancing onto stage, plays for over 3 hours, and captivates an entire theatre to the point where nobody wants to leave, it says something. Without question the best show I've ever seen. Who by Fire was probably the my favorite tune of the evening, but there really wasn't a bad one. There were probably ten standing ovations at various points. The fact it was a concert hall instead of an arena made it even better.

Laura Viers (Seattle, Washington): Laura puts on a decent enough show; the real problem was the venue (the Crocodile). Got there at 8, no chairs, stood around through a couple of opening acts until she finally appeared for a measly one hour. Most of the stuff she played was off of her July Flames album (new) and was decent, but man, I was just tired of standing. They did play Cohen's Songs album during the intermissions, so that was cool.

Lyle Lovett (Missoula, Montana): Lyle was performing as trio at a renovated opera house. GA seating, so my parents and I walked up ten minutes before the show and somehow managed to get into the third row. Lyle is comical as always, calls out pot smokers, and tells crying babies to act their age. Best song of the night was probably his version of Friend of the Devil, though North Dakota and Penguins were great, too.

Steve Earle (Missoula, Montana): If I wanted to see a Townes Van Zandt concert, I would rent a DVD. If you're adding something new to the song, fine. If you're just trying to introduce people to Townes, fine -- do it in one song. You're not Sarah McGlaughlin, I don't need to hear your voice that bad.

Taj Mahal (Missoula, Montana): Outstanding, but I don't reckon there a lot of fans on this sight, so I'll pass on any more detail.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Missoula, Montana): If you ever get a chance, just go. Trust me and thank me later.