Morris Day and the Time live (6/5/16)

Sunday (6/5) was day two for us at the Belle Isle Grand Prix here in Detroit. And the threat of inclement weather was not going to deter us (and hundreds more) from seeing the performance by Morris Day and the Time. And if you even had to guess, yes we had another great spot right at the stage rails. As you'll see below, we were so close we almost could have reached out and touched the stage.

The Romantics live (6/4/16)

My wife and I attended the Belle Isle Grand Prix this past weekend, sponsored by Chevrolet Detroit. There was plenty of racing, lots of automotive displays, a wide variety of food, and also some great music. One of the two concerts we got to see on Saturday the 4th was the Romantics.

Duran Duran - Arena

Yesterday (November 12th) marked the thirtieth anniversary of Arena, the first live album from Duran Duran. The Platinum selling collection of some of their greatest hits to date charted at number 10 in Canada, number 8 in Australia and Finland, number 6 in the UK, number 5 in the Netherlands, number 4 in Switzerland, number 3 in New Zealand and number 1 in Germany and Italy. Here in the US, it spent twenty-eight weeks on the Billboard Album chart and peaked at number 4.

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense

Today (October 15th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Stop Making Sense, the live album from Talking Heads. It served as a soundtrack to the concert film of the same name that was released in theatres in April of 1984. It spent one-hundred and eighteen weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 41. It also went to number 33 in Canada, number 26 in Sweden, number 24 in the UK, number 13 in Switzerland, number 12 in Austria, and number 2 in the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Styx - Caught in the Act

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Caught in the Act, the first live album from Styx. The 1984 double-album spent fifteen weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 31. It also reached number 44 in the UK.

Ramones - It's Alive

This month marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of It's Alive, the appropriately named 1979 live studio album from the Ramones. Recorded at London's Rainbow Theatre on December 21st of 1977, the double-album charted at number 38 in Sweden and number 27 in the UK.

Hanoi Rocks - All Those Wasted Years

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of All Those Wasted Years, the first live album from the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks. Initially pressings of the album misspelled wasted as "waisted"; this was corrected in later releases. It was recorded in December of 1983 at the Marquee Club in London.

Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick At Budokan

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday.

This month marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of Cheap Trick At Budokan, the first live album from the American rock band Cheap Trick. It was taken from the April 28th and 30th shows from 1978 in Japan (with 12,000 screaming fans in attendance at each show) and released world-wide in February of 1979.

Rufus - Stompin' at the Savoy

On August 10th of this year, Stompin’ at the Savoy celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. This double-album from Rufus, their final release as a group, went to number 64 in the UK, number 50 on the US Billboard Album chart and number 4 on the US Billboard R&B chart.

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Nocturne

Today (November 25th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Nocturne, the first live album from Siouxsie and the Banshees. Taken from the shows at the Royal Albert Hall on September 30th and October 1st of 1983, this double-disk release charted at number 35 in New Zealand and number 29 in the UK; it achieved silver sales status in the UK also. Robert Smith (of the Cure) played guitar with the band for these shows.

Thin Lizzy - Life: Live

Today (October 16th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Life: Live (as it was noted on the original vinyl - later CD releases just called it Life), the double-disk live concert album from Irish rockers Thin Lizzy.

Pat Benatar - Live From Earth

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Live From Earth, the fifth album from Pat Benatar. This 1983 release, which sold over a million copies and reached number 60 in the UK, number 45 in Sweden, number 13 on the US Billboard Album chart and number 2 in Australia, features live concert recordings of eight earlier tracks taken from Benatar’s Get Nervous tour. It then ends with two new studio recordings.

DVD: Queen - Live In Budapest

On July 27th of 1986, British rock legends Queen performed at the Népstadion in Budapest, Hungary, becoming the first western act to perform in front of a stadium crowd behind the “Iron Curtain”. János Zsombolyai, one of the country’s leading cinematographers and directors, captured that landmark event on 35mm film.

The Jam - Dig the New Breed

Today (December 10th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Dig the New Breed, a collection of live performances from the English rock band the Jam. Spanning the years from 1977 to 1982, this compilation album reached number 2 in the UK and number 131 on the US Billboard Hot 200.

It was also the final release of “new” material by the band before they broke up that same month.

Ozzy Osbourne - Speak of the Devil

Today (November 27th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Speak of the Devil, a live concert album by Ozzy Osbourne. What is interesting about this 1982 double-record release is that Osbourne chose to do all tracks from his days in Black Sabbath the decade prior. The album charted at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 200, eventually going Platinum. In the UK, the album topped off at number 21 on the charts.

The record was mostly culled from recordings done at the Ritz in New York City on September 26th and 27th in 1982. Three of the tracks came from rehearsals with crowd noise added during the post-production.

Talking Heads - The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads

Happy sixty-second birthday today (November 22) to bassist and percussionist Tina Weymouth.

On March 24th of 1982, Talking Heads released their first live album. The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads was a double-album with seventeen tracks total. It charted at number 31 on the US Billboard Hot 200. It also reached number 32 in Sweden, number 22 in the UK and number 7 in New Zealand.

DVD: Styx - The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight LIVE

In November of 2010, the current line up of Styx (Tommy Shaw on guitar/vocals, James "JY" Young on guitar/vocals, Lawrence Gowan on keyboards/vocals, Todd Sucherman on drums/percussion, and Ricky Phillips on guitar/vocals) did a concert at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis, TN. That performance was captured in high definition video with eleven cameras, to create a live performance package for those not lucky enough to catch a show on the tour.

The idea for the show was a novel one. Take two of the big classic Styx albums from the late 70's - the Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight - and perform them live from start to finish. That meant eighteen songs total, three of which the band had not played live previously. This DVD set gives you that show in all its musical brilliance.

DVD: Lindsey Buckingham - Songs From the Small Machine (Live in LA)

American singer/guitarist/composer Lindsey Buckingham has enjoyed a successful career for nearly four decades, both as a member of Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. In September of 2011, he released his sixth solo album Seeds We Sow on his own label. In April of 2011, he filmed a concert in support of that album at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills; this month that show has been released on DVD and Blu-ray.

Having the opportunity to review this two-disk package this week, I thought I would share my thoughts with you all.

The B-52's - With the Wild Crowd!

Happy birthday to Keith Strickland of the B-52's, born on this day (October 26th) back in 1953. To celebrate, I'll review the first ever live compilation from the B-52’s, released earlier this month.

In February of 2011, to celebrate the 34th anniversary of their first ever live show, the quartet (Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland and Cindy Wilson) returned to their hometown to make this recording - With the Wild Crowd! (Live in Athens, GA)