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Review: Drakkar Sauna and weird friends

Above: The orchestra known as Dark Meat unfurls itself.

A Tree Grows in Athens, Ga. (or perhaps is grown elsewhere and sold on the Georgian street corners): Both support acts for the Lawrence duo Drakkar Sauna on Tuesday night at the RecordBar, Dark Meat and Quiet Hooves, hail from the Southern college town, and both put on exemplary and cathartically weird shows.

The Hooves play pop songs of a sort but make use of impressively thick textural spaces, of arrangements that refuse the basic geometries of the radio-friendly and bored.

Review: The Cure

Once the sun went down, the stars and the full moon weren't the only thing illuminating the theater by the zoo. Photos by Timothy Finn/The Star

This wasn't quite the best show of the year (it was close), but it was the best show in a long time that almost didn't happen. Two years to the month after the Depeche Mode debacle, the Cure came to Starlight, and it seemed pretty evident right off the bat that lead singer Robert Smith wasn't feeling well. And whatever was ailing him was affecting his voice.

In a low register, he talked/sang through the first couple of songs. After "Pictures of You," he wisecracked something like:  "Welcome to Serge Gainsbourg sings the Cure." He wasn't about to call it a night, however. Between the next several songs ("A Night Like This," "The Walk," "The End of the World")  he would drink beverages from two or three cups and gargle from another. Whatever he applied to his throat, it helped.

Springsteen update: KC bound?

This was posted at Backstreet.com. Here are the dates that matter. The Oct. 11 date at Sprint is open. Be reminded: "None of this is carved in stone."

Oct. 8: Ford Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Oct. 11: Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO

The accompanying note:

I know everyone is impatient for the announcement of more tour dates. I think it is criminal the way fans are forced to wait for information.

None of this is carved in stone. Contracts remain to be signed. This is Bruce-world. Things can change in a New York minute.

Coming soon: A Paw reunion

According to the festival's organizers, Lawrence grunge kings Paw will perform for the first time in about seven years at this year's Wakarusa festival. The band is set to perform from 1:30 to 2:30 on Friday, June 6, in the revival tent. Above, the boys roar through "Jesse," which sounds better than ever.

Radiohead in St. Lou

Having recovered from one of the most transcendent experiences in live music, friend of the blog Joel Francis files his report on the Radiohead show in St. Louis on Wednesday. Above: The boys climb into "Fake Plastic Trees."

Radiohead is more a like sect than a band. Its fans are the most passionate and devoted outside of the jam scene.Theirs are a holy grail of concerts: They tour frequently enough to be accessible, but not often enough to be taken for granted.

It was not surprising to find the lawn at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in St. Louis dotted with Royals and Jayhawks apparel from devoted fans who trekked across the state or farther to catch their band in its first area performance in five years.

Friday night, outside and in

Above: Nothing was ailing the big crowd at the Power and Light District, but the doctor was there anyway. Photos by Keith Myers/The Star

The Power & Light District christened its summer-into-autumn-long free-music series on Friday. The headliner: Three Dog Night.

I was there for the opening set by Dr. Hook, who was not Dr. John, to the disappointment of someone standing next to me. Dr. Hook is not a real physician and in July he'll turn 70, which makes him a year older than Tina Turner. He doesn't move like she does, but he does drink beer while he performs.

After 36 years in the music biz, he has put out some hits, major and minor. He played most of those, like "When You're in Love With a Beautiful Woman," "She Was Only 16, "A Little Bit More" and "Walk Right In." He also did "Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball," which got as big a response as anything else I heard. He also tossed in a few gratuitous verses of "Kansas City."

On the way: Willie at Liberty Hall

I've seen Willie Nelson many, many times, but never at a venue this small and quaint (and one of my favorites). The show is July 20, a Sunday. Tickets will be $69.50. They go on sale at 4 p.m. Wednesday via Ticketmaster.

Sprint Center: Sitting-room only?

At Rockfest, sitting down isn't an option, unless you've passed out. (Just watch where you stick those Metallica horns.)

Last week I attended a show at Knuckleheads, one of my favorite local venues. After grabbing a beverage, I staked out a spot between the back room, which was full of people sitting at bar tables, and the room where the stage is. Great view with good sound.

A few minutes later, someone from one of the tables behind me came up, tapped me and said I was blocking their view. I thought about saying, "Well then get off your bar stool and stand up here with me," but decided to avoid the conflict and move. I ended up in a corner to the side of the stage, where the view was not so good the sound was just OK. (I stood with two friends, one of whom had also been asked by people at their table to move from where he was standing.)

R. Kelly in court

In case anyone's interested, the Sun Times in Chicago is blogging his illegal-sex trial, which is still in the juror-selection stage. Now I must go bathe.

Review: M.I.A.

Above: M.I.A.'s irresistable "Paper Planes," featuring the best use of a cash-register bell in a song since Pink Floyd's "Money."

"M.I.A. will be out in five minutes," a DJ told the frenzied audience inside Liberty Hall.

Two hours of carefully crafted DJ work had gradually elevated the capacity audience of about 1,000 to a fever pitch. Tired of vamping 20 minutes later, the DJ abandoned the stage in frustration.

The crowd wilted in a severe case of buzz kill. Dancing had transformed the packed room into a sauna. Good will and high hopes evaporated in the oppressive heat. Even the most ardent dance music fans might have wondered if they'd erred by not opting for the outdoor Wilco concert a few blocks away Wednesday night.

The Power & Light shows: Adults only

Above: The Dogs aren't so young anymore, but they still hunt.

A reader wondered whether the free shows at the Kansas City Power & Light District were strictly 21-and-older. I thought not. But I checked with one of the district's PR people. The verdict: Yes, 21-and-older. But they are considering making the country shows 18-and-older. So leave your kids at home or locked in the car.

The district's music series start this weekend. The lineup: 7 p.m. Friday: Three Dog Night (above) with Dr. Hook; 7 p.m. Saturday: Vertical Horizon with Josh Gracin; 11 a.m. Sunday: the Armies Rock Band celebrates Armed Forces Day (and it's also game day for the Kansas City Brigade). The rest of the lineup is below.

PS: For the record, never lock your kids in the car, unless they're 21-and-older.

Review: The Police

(Photos by Rich Sugg, The Kansas City Star.)

If you attended the Police reunion show at Sprint Center on Tuesday, your reaction to it probably depends heavily on a few factors: where your seat was; what you paid for it; and whether you were ready for how the band treated about 20 of its greatest hits.

According to Sting, about 12,000 fans were in the arena, an official figure that looked pretty accurate. All the seats behind the stage were roped/curtained off; the rest of the place looked about 98 percent full. That's an accomplishment for a tour that charges fans $200-plus for seats that run the spectrum from great (floor) to average (like Row 13 in Section 107, where I was sitting). The upper-level seats weren't cheap, either ($100). So lots of money was spilled, which meant expectations were high.

The Kinks en espanol

This YouTube clip is cool and sweet, on many levels. Here's the back story, from Friend of the Blog, Mike Webber:

I guess at some point, everything will reach YouTube. I've been telling people for years about three of my brother-in-laws having been in a really popular band in Mexico during the 60's: Los Hitters on Discos Capitol de Mexico.

Their biggest hits were covers of the Kinks and the Animals, apparently because those bands received less exposure in Mexico and therefore the covers were less likely to be compared with the originals than either the Beatles or the Stones.

KC Swell Season show is online

Above: A bit of the Frames' "Your Face" by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from the Uptown Theater show.

Last week's Swell Season show at the Uptown Theater show is now available for download. We got this testimonial from someone who was there (thanks, KevRocket):

I believe the cost is (thru PayPal) $9.95. It contains the entire show, with all of Glen's stories so I had to burn it to two discs. I've only listened to a few tunes, however the sound quality is pretty amazing for mp3s.   

The Foos: Feed us right

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The Web site Smoking Gun got hold of a Foo Fighter's tour rider. There's lots of wry, sarcastic and funny stuff buried in it, like: "Fat roadies have to eat immediately so they can being their arduous 70- to 90-minute work day!" And this about chicken breasts: "I cannot tell you how many times in catering all over the world I have seen island after tiny island of chicken boobs floating in a mercury like sauce that gets pawned off as a $13 (US) entree.. This is not a diss to lunch rooms and the genus of the tater tot  or the surly lunch lady per se. It's just a thought."

The Foos come to Kemper Arena on July 19. Looks like the floor is sold out and the first level is close. A request for a single ticket, "best seat" got me one in Row E, Sec. 114, which is back in the bowl, farthest from the stage.

Tina Turner adds second KC show

Above: From way back in 1972, Tina does "Get Back" with three dancers in teeny-tiny skirts.

The official word is that her first Sprint Center show sold out in two minutes, but it doesn't say whether that includes the pre-sale, which was four days before the "general public" sale. Anyway, she's pulling a Bon Jovi, but in the other direction: She has scheduled a second show Oct. 8, a week after her first show (instead of four days before the first). Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday through Ticketmaster or visit the lady's Web site. Word: It'll be her third show in three days (and her fifth in six days). Neither site mentions a pre-sale for this show.

The Nu-Metallica: Watch us, hear us

The boys have set up a Web site, "Mission: Metallica," to give fans a peek at the construction of the new album, due in September. The band this week is in California and Arizona, warming up for its summer tour of Europe, which begins May 28. The Web site is loaded with videos and sound clips and opportunities for fans to join/sign-up for concert premiums, including backstage passes. The European tour ends Aug. 24, in time for the band to launch a North American tour right around the album release -- its first in five years.

On the way: Jill Scott, G Love

If G Love doesn't come through KC/Lawrence three times a year, it sure seems like it. He'll be at the Uptown Theater on July 31, a Thursday. It'll be an all-ages show. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. They'll be $25.

Jill Scott (above) is coming to Starlight Theatre on Aug. 7, a Thursday. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. They'll be $39.50 to $55. If you're a fanatic, take the long walk up to the "Producer's Circle" for $125.

Tom Waits in the 'Lou

He doesn't tour much, so when he does, it's a big deal. He's coming to the 4,192-seat Fox Theatre in downtown St. Louis on June 26, a Thursday. Here's the entire 13-show tour. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday (May 16). They'll be $70 and $102.50. The only way to get them: Metrotix or by calling (314) 534-1111.

On June 25, he's at the Brady Theatre in Tulsa (about the same distance, depending on where your house is). Tickets for that go on sale at noon Friday. Call (866) 443-8849 or visit GetTix.

On the way: Robert Randolph

He's coming to Starlight Theater on Oct. 11 as part of the Music Builds Tour, an "eclectic" (odd) collection of "spiritual" bands: Jars of Clay, Switchfoot, Third Day and RR & the Family Band.