by Julian Spivey The Rolling Stones wrapped up their 2024 Hackney Diamonds U.S. tour on Sunday, July 21, at the Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in the remote Ridgedale, Mo. amphitheater just outside Branson. Seeing The Rolling Stones, considered by many to be the greatest rock & roll band ever, in the middle of nowhere in southern Missouri, just a few miles north of my home state of Arkansas, is something I’d never thought I’d experience. The venue opened in 2022 and is centered in the Ozark Mountains, with views of Table Rock Lake in the middle of a 1,200-acre nature preserve. It was one of the dreams of Bass Pro Shops CEO Johnny Morris, who, adding The Rolling Stones to his little piece of paradise, proved that maybe some people can always get what they want. Thunder Ridge Nature Arena reportedly seats about 18,000, but with its large grassy areas can accommodate as many as 80,000 people for shows. The Rolling Stones opened up their set at 9:45 p.m. Sunday with “Start Me Up,” of course, the No. 2 hit from their 1981 album Tattoo You, which has probably led off nearly every show the band has done since it was released. It’s a quintessential rock show opener. The Stones mixed hits, new songs, and some deep cuts into their two-hour set, which also saw many hits fail to make the cut, but that’s always going to happen when you have a 60-year-old band with the number of massive hits as this one. Throughout the night, the Stones featured four songs off their latest album, Hackney Diamonds, which is their prerogative. Still, I found myself having that “play the hits” mentality that so many concertgoers seem to have, which I know firsthand can annoy folks who genuinely want to hear the latest from artists. These are essentially “bathroom songs,” the songs folks choose to head to the venue’s restrooms during, which I must admit I did during “Whole Wide World” and “Mess It Up,” played back-to-back from the new album. There were plenty of hits, however, during the 20-song set that lasted close to two hours, including some favorites of mine like “Get Off of My Cloud,” from their early years, and “Tumbling Dice,” off 1972’s Exile on Main St., when they were the biggest group in the world. The Rolling Stones album that saw the most songs played during the show was 1969’s Let It Bleed, which included the title track as the fan-voted song of the night. Before each stop on their Hackney Diamonds Tour, the band would place four songs on its website for the fans to vote on, and “Let It Bleed” was the winner for the Missouri stop, despite my hope that “Dead Flowers,” my selection, would win out. Sticky Fingers, which featured “Dead Flowers,” is probably my favorite Stones album. Surprisingly, not a single song from it was performed on Sunday night, despite hits like “Wild Horses” and “Brown Sugar,” which the band likely doesn’t play due to obvious content-related reasons. Speaking of content-related reasons, when the band performed 1968’s “Sympathy for the Devil,” one of the show’s highlights, vocalist Mick Jagger omitted the line, “I shouted out who killed the Kennedys,” which has been the case since one of the candidates for President of the United States was recently involved in an assassination attempt. Among my other favorite performances of the evening were “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Honky Tonk Women” and “Gimme Shelter,” which featured amazing vocals from backup vocalist Chanel Haynes, whose previous career was as a Tina Turner impersonator, and I can certainly see why. My favorite performance of the evening was definitely “Paint It Black,” the band’s No. 1 hit from 1966, which has always been my favorite song of theirs. About midway through the show, Jagger took a much-needed break and let guitarist Keith Richards, one of the most legendary figures in rock history, take the forefront to perform a few of the songs he did lead vocals on over the years: “You Got the Silver,” “Little T&A” and “Before They Make Me Run.” When it comes to seeing The Stones live in concert, it’s more about just being there and living in the moment and seeing legends kick ass in their early ‘80s. It’s seeing Jagger strut down the extended center stage like a Prima donna – it’s wild he can still do it at nearly 81 and still belt out the songs. It’s seeing the dual guitar legends of Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood hit their classic licks that are among the most legendary in the history of rock music, like the opening riffs of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” And I still can’t get over this happening in the middle of a forest in the Ozarks. The Rolling Stones finished off their terrific set with a little bit of new and a little bit of old, beginning with “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” off Hackney Diamonds, before ending with the song that kick-started their ascent to rock music icons “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Seeing ‘Satisfaction’ live is going to be one of those “I can’t believe I saw that” moments when I get older, like having previously seen Paul McCartney perform “Yesterday” or all the times I’ve seen Bruce Springsteen do “Born to Run” in person. Blues-rocker Samantha Fish opened the show on Sunday night and put on a guitar hero clinic for the audience. Due to epically long guitar solos and jam sessions with her talented band, she probably only performed four or five songs during the set, including outstanding covers of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins/Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “I Put a Spell on You” and MC5’s “Kick Out the Jams,” but it was a pleasure to watch. Opening for The Stones was a bucket list moment for her. She even said it was bigger than being nominated for her first Grammy Award earlier this year. Despite the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of seeing The Rolling Stones on Sunday, it wasn’t without its headaches. Usually, I wouldn’t put this kind of stuff in a concert review, but I must warn any future Thunder Ridge Nature Arena attendees. If you want to attend a concert at this venue, as beautiful as it is, you had better be prepared for a parking nightmare. The venue being in the middle of nowhere means the parking situation can be a nightmare. It took us two hours, the same length as The Stones’ set, to leave the parking lot once we trekked back to our cars (they do have a tram service if you don’t feel you can walk from the lots to the venue). I’ve never been to a concert venue with a parking situation as atrocious as this one. Morris should throw some of his billions of dollars into correcting this issue because I can see it being a reason for a lack of return customers to his venue.
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by Tyler Glover There were 14 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs through the first half of 2024. Here are the five best of those No. 1 hits: 5. “Yes, And?” - by Ariane Grande When first hearing the beginning of this song with its 45-second intro, I was immediately taken back to the 1980s. The extended intro is so catchy that by the time Ariana Grande starts singing, you might feel as if you wanted the intro to continue a little longer. “Yes, And?” is a song that feels very similar to “Thank You, Next” in the best ways. Ariana Grande is shrugging off the haters, saying yes, this is my life and what I’m doing, and ... why is that your concern? Some people did not really like this song because of the fact that Grande is with actor Ethan Slater, who was married and a new father very shortly before their romance began. To be honest, though, music is subjective, and I do not think of this when listening to the song. I think of my life and how I want to brush off the haters in my own life. This song is such a bop and one of the best of 2024 by far. 4. "Please Please Please" by Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Carpenter is quickly becoming one of the hottest singers in the music industry. She has been putting out albums for years, but after touring with Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour, Carpenter blasted into the public’s consciousness with her massive single, “Espresso.” “Espresso” could quite easily be THE song of the summer. However, Carpenter followed up the success of “Espresso” with this Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song, “Please Please Please.” “Please, Please, Please” highlights those moments when we are with someone who has the potential to embarrass us. You go out into public, and you want people to like you, you want people to root for you, and you want people to think you are with someone perfect for you. However, sometimes, your significant other can just not help themselves. The lyric resonates when Carpenter sings, “Please, please, please don’t prove them right.” The public may think these things about you, but don’t play right into their hands; show them they are right about you. Carpenter is an artist that will be one to watch in the coming years. 3. “Fortnight” - by Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone “Fortnight,” the lead single on Taylor Swift’s massively successful eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, talks about how sometimes, we are affected in life-changing ways by a romance, even a very short-lived affair. The lyric that stays with me from this song is “I love you. It’s ruining my life.” How many of us can say that being unable to get over someone has caused us severe anguish? I mean, it can be to the point of not feeling like you can go on with your life. You were supposed to be with that person, but you won’t be. There is nothing you can do about it, but you know that loving them is what is causing you so much torment. Swift has a way of writing lyrics like no other. In my opinion, she is the ARTIST and SONGWRITER of our generation. No one can tell a story like her, making this easily one of the best songs of 2024 so far. 2. "Texas Hold 'Em" by Beyonce Beyonce’s commercially and critically successful album, COWBOY CARTER, is the frontrunner for the Grammy for Album of the Year, in my opinion. I also feel like the Record of the Year Grammy should go to the album’s lead single, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The production, the vocals, the lyrics, and the catchiness of this single have been unparalleled this year so far. “Texas Hold ‘Em” is an EVENT song. It is the kind of song you hear and feel like you should be at a stadium dancing to it. The song uses the popular game of Texas Hold ‘Em as a metaphor for a guy who “won’t lay his cards down.” She wants him to get on the dance floor with her and be himself. When we are dating or at the beginning of a relationship, it is natural to have our guard up because of past trauma, but Beyonce encourages him to put his cards down and be himself. She is safe. She will not break his heart. “Texas Hold ‘Em” is such a bop, and the minute it comes on, there is no turning the radio station because it is time for a “real life hoedown!” 1. “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” by Ariana Grande The second single off of Ariana Grande’s blockbuster eternal sunshine album is not only the best Billboard Hot 100 number 1 song of the year, but also the best song of the year, in general. This song brilliantly captures that complex situation where you are trying to navigate a relationship with someone after a break-up. You want to stay friends with that person, especially if you are completely in love with them, but at some point, you realize that you love them so much and that love cannot be extinguished. When you are entering that new relationship with them, you cannot love them the way you want to, and if you are an all-in-or-nothing person, you have to make that sad decision to end all communication with them. Grande’s song captures this complexity in a way that no other song has. The lyrics that truly gut you are: “I don’t wanna tiptoe, but I don’t want to hide/But I don’t want to feed this monstrous fire/Just want to let this story die.” by Julian Spivey *Songs are in alphabetical order by song title “Bonneville Salt Flats” by Luba Dvorak with Ryan Bingham Luba Dvorak, born in Czechoslovakia, raised in Canada and now calling Houston home, has come out with his finest Springsteen-esque song about needing to feel the speed in “Bonneville Salt Flats,” off his latest album Dumpster Fire, featuring Texas country star Ryan Bingham on backing vocals and a terrific harmonica performance. It’s one of the best story songs of the year thus far. “Damn My Love” by John Craigie feat. TK & the Holy Know-Nothings I’m the kind of music lover who often has to hear a song a few times before truly knowing how I feel about it – to separate it from average to something a bit better (I can usually pinpoint why I don’t like a song on first listen). But I loved “Damn My Love” by John Craigie featuring TK & the Holy Know-Nothings from the first listen. It has this infectious, bouncy melody throughout. Some of the lyrics are an absolute chef’s kiss that makes me jealous of Craigie’s songwriting like: “pink trees raining such a beautiful mess/walking in on nature like she’s still getting dressed” and “I was over-dressed and under tattooed/cowboy hats and neck tats all around the room.” I’d bottle this song up and wear it if I could. “I Lie” by Zach Top Zach Top’s sophomore album Cold Beer & Country Music has shot him to the forefront of the nonmainstream country music world. Honestly, with upcoming opening slots on Lainey Wilson’s tour, he might even trickle into the mainstream, with his throwback sound that hearkens back to the best of the neo-traditionalists of the early ‘90s. There’s a lot to love on the album but the one I’ve been digging most thus far is “I Never Lie,” co-written with Carson Chamberlain and Tim Nichols, about the futility of trying to cope with heartbreak. It reminds me of something Tracy Lawrence or Mark Chesnutt would’ve knocked out of the park 30 years ago. “Right Back to It” by Waxahatchee feat. MJ Lenderman Waxahatchee has often been considered more of an indie or indie-folk artist but the latest release Tigers Blood certainly has an alt-country/Americana sound to it, especially the album’s lead single “Right Back to It.” The song sees Katie Crutchfield dueting with MJ Lenderman, who was called in to play guitar on the album, and the harmonization between the two is incredible. Crutchfield told NME that she wanted to write love songs that are “gritty and unromantic” but find a “newness or an intimacy” with the same person. She accomplished it brilliantly here. “Same Water” by The Secret Sisters The Secret Sisters – Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle – have always had brilliant harmonies. That’s one of the best aspects of their music. On “Same Water,” off Mind, Man, Medicine, sees that beautiful harmonizing on a serious song about dealing with depression and extending an empathetic hand to others dealing with the same problems. “We’re all drowning in the same water as you” is a beautiful line about struggling through these moments and this world together. “Sober Thing” by Cody Jinks There are a handful of selections off Cody Jinks’ latest album Change the Game that could’ve made this list but the one I’ve probably listened to the most thus far is “Sober Thing.” The lead-off track on the album paints a picture of a man fighting, and potentially losing, a battle against alcoholism. It’s a classic country music theme and Jinks’ baritone fits the song perfectly. “Solitary Road” by Charley Crockett Honestly, I could’ve placed any number of songs from Charley Crockett’s excellent $10 Cowboy on this list but the one I’m going with today is “Solitary Road,” which opens with a fantastic guitar that follows along for its entirety. Written by Crockett and Billy Horton, it comes off almost as a country version of the Bob Dylan/Jimi Hendrix classic “All Along the Watchtower” in tone and theme telling a tale that feels almost mythical and apocalyptic. “Watch Me Gone” by Mark Knopfler Mark Knopfler has had an interesting career going from guitar hero and frontman of one of the biggest rock bands of the late ‘70s through the mid-‘80s in Dire Straits, to premier Americana singer-songwriter as a solo artist. His return on One Deep River, his first album in six years, sees him having not lost a step. The breakup tune “Watch Me Gone,” which sees Knopfler in his famous whispery growl, is my favorite off the album – even if the chorus of female voices on backing vocals annoys me. “White Lies, White Jesus and You” by Katie Pruitt Katie Pruitt had one of my favorite songs of 2020 “Loving Her,” a beautiful song about same-sex love. Now, she’s released “White Lies, White Jesus and You,” off her latest album Mantras, a devastating look at people failing to respect and love others because of their sexual identity or preferences and the hypocrisy of using religion. The line: “speaking of some things I’ve put behind me: white lies, white Jesus and you” might be the best I’ve heard all year. “Yearnin’ For You” by 49 Winchester 49 Winchester’s song “Russell County Line” and album Fortune Favors the Bold were among my favorite country music songs and albums of 2022 so the band’s upcoming album Leavin’ This Holler, debuting August 2, is one of my most anticipated of the year. The album’s first single, “Yearnin’ For You,” which was released in early April, is a roaring testament to longing to be home with the one you love while living the life of a touring musician. It’s essentially a more up-tempo, raucous take on “Russell County Line.” by Julian Spivey
That was your mistake Dave! It seems Swift’s band does play live, at least according to her, and Swift never being the kind to simply shake it off called you out for it at her next show in the U.K. But you know what, Dave? You deserved that man. If you’re going to make a point your point had better be correct. So, what’s going to happen now is you’ll get dragged by many people online. People who perhaps never would’ve been fans of the Foo Fighters, but they also might have been and now likely won’t be. Do I care? No, not really. I’ve been a fan of yours for over 20 years now. I’ve had the blast of seeing you and the Foos in concert. I’d rather watch you and your band on tour than Taylor Swift. It merely comes down to my musical preferences. But you also had a reputation as one of the nicest guys in show biz. And this, while in jest, may have harmed that reputation a little bit. Should it? No, not really. You’re still the guy who goes out and cooks BBQ for the homeless. But now you’ll also be known as the cranky old fart who took a swing at Taylor Swift and missed. And that fan base may never let you live it down. You’re a legend, Dave! But I truly thought you were smarter than this. by Julian Spivey It was a fantastic night of good music and remembrance at the Ozark Highlands Theater at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Ark. on Saturday, June 8, when singer-songwriters Tommy Prine and Keith Sykes got together to pay tribute to the late, great John Prine. For Tommy, a 28-year-old singer-songwriter from Nashville, it was a night to remember his songwriting legend of a father. For Sykes, it was a night to remember his longtime friend and multiple-time songwriting collaborator. The small town of Mountain View, known as the folk capital of the world, was dear to John Prine. He first started coming to the town on family trips from their home in the suburbs of Chicago in the late ‘50s or early ’60s. It became a frequent source of relaxation for him, where he could fish, enjoy the outdoors and be among common folk. The two songwriters would switch off throughout the evening playing their favorite John Prine songs and some of their original work – both were fantastic and fascinating to see. However, I couldn’t help but wonder if the audience didn’t feel tricked as the event was billed as a “John Prine Tribute Concert,” which to some might have implied an entire evening of John Prine songs. If some in the audience were upset by this they were polite and didn’t show it, which was nice because the event was being recorded for a future episode of the Ozark Highlands Radio show that can be found on local public radio stations or streaming online. I would’ve liked to have heard a few more John Prine songs but I was also thrilled to see the terrific songwriting talent trickle down to his son, whose debut album This Far South came out last year. Sykes began the show at roughly 7:20 p.m. with a performance of “Take a Look at My Heart,” a song John Prine co-wrote with John Mellencamp from his 1991 album The Missing Years. Tommy’s first song was “Far From Me,” off John Prine’s self-titled 1971 debut, which he told the audience of roughly 1,000 people was his favorite of his dad’s and the greatest breakup song ever written, though he admitted he was certainly biased. The duo would essentially play John Prine songs one after the other, then each an original song they’d written, then back to John Prine songs and so forth throughout the nearly two-hour show, with a short intermission in between. Sykes played three songs during the show he had collaborated on with Prine: “Long Monday” off 2005’s Fair & Square, “You Got Gold” off The Missing Years and “Love, Love, Love” off 1985’s German Afternoons. Sykes also performed the sarcastic “The Accident (Things Could Be Worse)” off his sophomore album Sweet Revenge in 1973. Tommy had my favorite John Prine covers of the evening, maybe feeling more at home with some of his dad’s best works, whereas Sykes wanted to highlight the numbers the two had co-written. Tommy performed two of my favorite John Prine songs, “Angel from Montgomery” and “Souvenirs.” I also found Tommy’s original numbers to have more substance than those performed by Sykes, though some within the audience seemed to prefer the more humorous numbers by Sykes. Tommy performed a couple of beautiful songs that have not been released yet like “Purple Paint,” written for his wife, and “Piling Up.” But my favorite performances from him during the show were two I’ve already heard and been a fan of like “Mirror and a Kitchen Sink” off This Far South, and “Ships in the Harbor,” the first song he ever released in 2022, that likely left much of the audience teary-eyed when he got to the line toward the end that said: “I’d do anything just to talk to my father.” Sykes certainly had some funny original songs during the evening like “Television,” which he said he wrote last year and hasn’t been released. It’s a humorous song about just wanting your family to leave you the hell alone so you can be distracted by the tube. “Horseflies” was also a comical song about hating horseflies. My favorite original from Sykes, however, was “Volcano,” one I’d seen performed multiple times before in concert by the man whom he co-wrote it with and made it into a classic, Jimmy Buffett. Tommy Prine and Keith Sykes ended the night in the only way in which a John Prine tribute concert should end with a sing-along of “Paradise,” one of Prine’s most famous songs about childhood trips to Muhlenberg County, Ky.
by Julian Spivey
Today is the 40th anniversary of the release of Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen, his seventh studio album and the last he would record with the E Street Band for nearly 20 years. The best-selling album of his career, Born in the U.S.A. would turn Springsteen from a critical darling with a loyal fanbase to one of the biggest musical acts in both the U.S. and the World with all seven of its singles reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Born in the U.S.A. “Born in the U.S.A.,” the title track from Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 album, is the most misunderstood song of his entire career and has been from the very beginning back when President Ronald Reagan felt it was a patriotic anthem, not a song partially built out of his policies that helped to separate the classes of American citizens. The easy-to-chant chorus makes the song feel anthemic and that was a smart way to try to bring listeners into the plight of Vietnam vets struggling to return home, find work and make a living. It’s just that some of the casual listeners of the song didn’t want to pay enough attention to the verses in between that sing-along chorus. Springsteen rarely performs the song live anymore. I wonder if it’s potentially due to people misunderstanding it. Cover Me There was a period when Springsteen was a sought-after songwriter for others – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band had a No. 1 hit with his wordy “Blinded By the Light,” the Pointer Sisters had a soulful hit with his romantic “Fire” and Patti Smith drew all of the emotion out of “Because the Night.” So, when R&B singer Donna Summer came calling in the early ‘80s Springsteen felt he had the right song for her with “Cover Me.” But like “Hungry Heart” before it – which had been intended to give to The Ramones – Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau heard the potential for a hit with “Cover Me” and told “The Boss” to keep it. The steamy rocker about “looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me,” was the second single off Born in the U.S.A., and while it wouldn’t become the biggest hit off the album it would peak at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Darlington County I don’t know how things were in Darlington County, South Carolina in the early ‘80s but I’ve been to Darlington County within the last few years and there’s not much there but a kickass NASCAR track. Anyway, that’s where the two guys in Springsteen’s “Darlington County” head off to from New York City looking for a good union job. It sounds like they had a good ol’ time there too in one of Springsteen’s Heartland rockiest tunes off Born in the U.S.A. Working on the Highway Bruce Springsteen first wrote and recorded “Working on the Highway” during the stripped-down sessions in early 1982 that would turn into the Nebraska album. That version was originally titled “Child Bride” and didn’t include what would become the rock melody on Born in the U.S.A. or the title refrain. On Born in the U.S.A. it pairs terrifically with “Darlington County” before it as you can imagine the guys from New York are hard at work in the hot Southern heat. Downbound Train Some of the lyrics in songs that precede “Downbound Train” on Born in the U.S.A. certainly have melancholia behind them but this is the first track in which the band’s music truly fits with the melancholy of the lyrics. The song sees the narrator lamenting about being laid off and losing his wife as a result with her catching the “downbound train” out of town. I’m On Fire “I’m On Fire” is about as short and sweet as Bruce Springsteen gets. It’s also the sexiest Springsteen gets – although some fools misinterpret the “hey little girl is your daddy home” line to mean something much more nefarious than is meant and screw those folks for doing so. The track off Born in the U.S.A. just oozes sensuality from the very beginning with Max Weinberg’s snare cross stick hits and the softly sensual twang of Springsteen’s guitar with the two together giving off the old Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two “boom-chicka-boom.” It’s simplistic, but shouldn’t a song about urges and sexual feelings be succinct and to the point? There is so much tension in this vocal and then the ending release of the “whoo-whoo-whoos” at the end. It’s the type of desire you don’t get a whole lot out of Springsteen’s discography but it’s a slam dunk here. No Surrender “No Surrender,” off 1984’s Born in the U.S.A., has one of my all-time favorite song lyrics in it: “We learned more from a three-minute record, baby, than we ever learned in school.” Now, I was a fairly good student and I believe in education and gaining as much knowledge as one can but dammit if I don’t feel that line deep down in my soul. This quick, two-and-a-half-minute rocker just absolutely gets the feeling down pat of a kid breaking out of his small-town bubble with his buddies on the way to make something more of himself. Bobby Jean When I saw Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band perform in Oklahoma City, Okla. in the spring of 2015 they finished their epic show that night with a performance of “Bobby Jean.” It was a bit surprising to me that Springsteen would end his show with the song but it’s clearly one that has great meaning for him. It was one of the last songs recorded for Born in the U.S.A. and came during a time when his longtime bandmate and more importantly best friend Steven Van Zandt was leaving the E Street Band for his own music career. The song tells the story of two friends saying goodbye after a long-time friendship with the gender of the titular Bobby Jean perhaps intentionally being ambiguous so that the song could work as one about friends or lovers. I’m Goin’ Down “I’m Goin’ Down” is fairly similar to “Cover Me” in being a fun, short rocker about just wanting to find someone to love, though it is my favorite of the two – even with its simplistic chorus of simply repeating “I’m Goin’ Down.” This is the Springsteen and E Street Band that must’ve been a kickass bar band before the songs got more lyrical and storyteller - which I usually prefer, so don’t get me wrong, but sometimes you just want something energetic about sexual frustration, especially on a steamy summer night. “I’m Goin’ Down” was the sixth single off the album and went to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. Glory Days “Glory Days,” a No. 5 hit in the summer of 1985 a year after the album’s release, is the comic rendering of how small-town folks spend so much time reminiscing on the “glory days” of the past that they can forget to do their living in the now. The song, inspired by an encounter Springsteen had with a former Little League teammate some 10 or so years prior, sees old friends and schoolmates reminiscing on their old ball skills, good looks, etc. while wishing they could go back and live those days again. The nostalgic tale is one of Springsteen’s most accessible heartland rockers and finds itself in frequent play as one of his ”greatest hits.” And, folks, let’s let the “speedball” reference go already. It simply sounds cooler than “fastball.” Dancing in the Dark “Dancing in the Dark,” off 1984’s Born in the U.S.A., is the closest “The Boss” ever got to a No. 1 Billboard hit as a recording artist when it topped out at No. 2 for four weeks and was kept off the top spot by Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” (Boo!) and Prince’s “When Doves Cry” (OK, that’s understandable). “Dancing in the Dark” would, however, win Springsteen his first Grammy Award in 1985 for Best Rock Vocal Performance. The song is one of Springsteen’s poppier-sounding tunes of his career but just taking a listen at the lyrics lets you know it’s still the same old Springsteen ready to bust loose from a dead-end job or town and who can’t identify with lines like: “I check my look in the mirror/wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face/Man, I ain’t getting’ nowhere/I’m just livin’ in a dump like this/There’s somethin’ happenin’ somewhere/Baby, I just know that there is.” My Hometown This might have me on the outskirts of many Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band fans but my favorite track off the epic Born in the U.S.A. album has always been the album-ender, “My Hometown.” It might be unusual because it’s an anthemic album that sent Springsteen from critical rock God to one seemingly everybody in the United States loved overnight and this track is more in line with something like the title track off The River – which now that I think about it was a great deal different than most of that album, as well. “My Hometown” sees Springsteen’s narrator both waxing nostalgia about his hometown and feeling all the dark times that have always bubbled under and now are about to breach the surface and knowing he needs to get out for the benefit of his family. It’s a mixture of beauty and pain and you can feel every bit of it via Springsteen’s almost pained vocal. Portions of this article were previously published on The Word on Pop Culture. What is your favorite track on Born in the U.S.A.? by Tyler Glover Lately, almost everywhere you go, you will hear one name: Taylor Swift! Taylor Swift! Taylor Swift! Taylor Swift! It should come as no surprise that across the nation, there are all kinds of Taylor Swift-inspired events hoping to bring Swifties in for business. It is not just major cities like Los Angeles, New York City or Chicago. Swift mania has traveled across the entire country. I live in Conway, Ark. and in the last few months alone I have seen several Taylor Swift-themed events. T.H.I.N.K. Coffee has had Swift-inspired drinks, Good Day Pottery & Art Studio held an event perfect for any painter, and The Bears Den held a Taylor Swift Trivia Night (which I won along with my friend, Allison Barber). My favorite thing, though, has been Taylor Fest! Taylor Fest is a Swift-themed dance party put on by Perfect Night Productions at a live music venue called The Hall in Little Rock, Ark. This event tours all over the United States but one stop, they have made at least five times has been in Little Rock. I have attended every event except one. It is a dance party put on by Swifties for Swifties and promises "everyone will feel like the main character." The entire atmosphere is the closest thing to reliving The Eras Tour. I got to attend Taylor's record-breaking tour twice: in Arlington, Texas and Nashville. It is by far the best concert I have ever attended. It will take one heck of a concert to top it. That is why Taylor Fest's dance parties are so exciting. The minute you walk into the room, you feel you are surrounded by friends. You may try on your costume and get weird looks while leaving home but NOT at Taylor Fest! I have had friends laugh at what I was going to wear and the outfit will get tons of compliments at Taylor Fest. You will NOT be the only one dressed up. It is rarer to find someone not dressed for the occasion, and normally that is a boyfriend who has been dragged there by their girlfriend. That is not all though! Aside from getting compliments and amazing people-watching, there are always friendship bracelets. Almost everyone there will be wearing friendship bracelets and want to exchange them with you. The room unites everyone in our love for Swift. At the last event held on Tuesday, May 25th, conversations were mostly about her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department. The bar also has drinks inspired by the megastar. This time, it was called "Cherry Lips" after the lyric in Swift's song, "Blank Space." In the past, a popular drink has been called “The Cruel Summer,” after her hit song that opens The Eras Tour. From the moment the dance party begins, enthusiasm matches The Eras Tour perfectly (with just 65,000 fewer people). The DJ does a fantastic job of including almost every era. The only two I have noticed absent at most of the events are folklore and evermore. It does make sense because these two pandemic indie folk albums are not filled with the kind of songs you immediately think of when you think of dancing. You will not be disappointed if you are an older fan either. They will play a song from her debut album like "Our Song" right before playing her most recent hit, "Fortnight." The atmosphere invites you to dance like you do not care and most of the people in attendance don’t! We are there to forget all the worries of our lives and dance to songs by an artist who truly has saved so many of us through her music. The energy of the room continues strong throughout all three hours of each event. Every passionate Swiftie will leave feeling like they took Swift's words to heart when she says, "Shake It Off." I am always ready to go again after Taylor Fest ends. Luckily, they have come back multiple times and hopefully, will continue to do so. I can't help it! I just want to stay in that "Lavender Haze." by Julian Spivey Zach Bryan electrified the sold-out crowd at the Simmons Bank Arena in Little Rock, Ark. on Monday, May 13 on night one of his two-night stand at the venue on his Quittin’ Time tour. Bryan has seen a meteoric rise in the music industry over the last half decade made especially unique by the fact that he doesn’t really get any mainstream airplay in the genre his music is most familiar with – country music. He’s truly been a DIY success story going from uploading videos on YouTube and recording his own albums in a rented Airbnb to an artist capable of selling out multiple nights at big arenas in cities across the country. In all my years going to shows and listening to music I’ve never seen a rags-to-riches success story happen this quickly and I’m not sure I completely understand it. Bryan has a down-to-earth personality that seems to speak to his loyal and massive following and his songwriting speaks to the ills and issues of a life lived hard in the heartland without dumbing it down to the level you’d hear on mainstream country radio. In his song “Highway Boys,” he sings: “this sound I got is mine, man” and it’s a line that early on upon hearing the song it kinda made me roll my eyes a bit with its audacity. But after seeing his legions of fans connected to his music on Monday night I can tell he’s certainly hit upon something that few artists today, especially outside of the “mainstream,” have found. Monday’s show was a bit unique for me as a concertgoer. I like Bryan. But this crowd at his shows LOVES him. The closest thing I’ve ever really seen to it in all my years of attending concerts is Bruce Springsteen’s following. Bryan began his set a little after 9 p.m. with “Overtime” from his self-titled 2023 album. The crowd erupted right off the bat and never calmed down for the entire two-hour, 24-song set. The upper bowl of the arena was literally moving below our feet, which was something of a disconcerting feeling. He performed the show in the round moving from mic to mic set up in four locations on the stage in the middle of the arena floor. In the round isn’t my favorite staging setup for a concert but it’s not as rough with Bryan as in past acts I’ve seen use this format because he goes from mic to mic rapidly, sometimes hitting all four spots during the performance of one song. Bryan performed seven songs from the newest album on the night, including “Tourniquet,” “Smaller Acts” and “Hey Driver.” “Hey Driver” is one of my favorite tracks on the album but it does lose a little something live without the soulful sounds of Michael and Tanya Trotter of The War and Treaty throughout. I was thrilled to hear his first career Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “I Remember Everything,” one of the album’s highlights because I didn’t think we’d get the song since it’s a duet, but Bryan aptly handled it all solo. My favorite performance from the newest album on Monday night was “East Side of Sorrow,” which has a stellar chorus and a terrific tribute nod to Turnpike Troubadours, one of my favorite bands and clearly an inspiration for Bryan. Bryan’s output of music over the last few years has been insane. He released a double album American Heartbreak in 2022, the self-titled album last year and two EPs over the last two years and already has a new album ready to come out sometime between now and the end of the year, of which he performed two new songs from on Monday night: “The Great American Bar Scene” and “28.” I can’t give my opinion on those new songs as sometimes an arena show isn’t conducive to making out all of a new song’s lyrics. Bryan performed five songs from American Heartbreak on Monday, including two of my favorite performances in “Oklahoma City” and “Open the Gate,” a terrific rodeo song. Other highlights of the show included “Oklahoma Smokeshow,” “Heading South” and “Nine Ball.” Bryan ended his set with the title song to his current tour, “Quittin’ Time,” a song that should be a country hit if radio would dare to play him, but you know you have to “play the game” to get country music airplay and Bryan doesn’t seem to play anyone’s game but his own. Bryan returned for an epic – mostly in length, not necessarily in performance – encore of “Revival” in which he introduced his talented bandmates between repeated choruses. Listen, the song itself is awesome. The chorus is killer. I appreciate the namedrops of Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash, both personal heroes of mine. But damn it seemed to go on forever and, well, I have a thing about repeating choruses too much. The audience loved this extended version of “Revival,” which seems to have become a staple at Bryan’s live shows. I would’ve been a bit happier with another song or two in the encore, perhaps my favorite “Something in the Orange,” which unfortunately didn’t make the cut on Monday night. Bryan’s show on Monday was a fun night filled with great songs and a ridiculously “on” crowd. If you have the chance to see him perform live don’t pass it up. by Julian Spivey Singer-songwriter Charles Wesley Godwin brought his brand of homespun Appalachian-inspired country music to The Hall in Little Rock, Ark. on Wednesday, May 8, for an incredible evening of music. The 30-year-old from West Virginia has released three albums in his half-decade-long recording career and has proven to be one of the best up-and-coming singer-songwriters on the outside of the mainstream of country music. Godwin has toured and recorded with his friend Zach Bryan, who’s become perhaps the biggest act on the outskirts of mainstream country music, and it’s surprising to me he hasn’t reached the same heights as his buddy because he’s arguably better. Much of Godwin’s set these days comes from his most recent album, the exquisite Family Ties from September of last year. The album can truly be considered a concept album in that the whole project is the theme of his family and how the life of a touring musician can impact that life. The show began a little after 9 p.m. in the jam-packed club-style venue with “Cue Country Roads,” which pays tribute to Godwin’s home state and its most famous song, John Denver’s “Take Me Home Country Roads,” both of which appear on Family Ties. Godwin performed most of Family Ties on Wednesday night. Honestly, it’s the kind of album he truly should consider performing from start to finish and then put some of his other album tracks either before or after it. My favorite songs on Family Ties are the title track and “All Again,” which were probably my favorite performances of Godwin’s set, but the entire show was so good it’s truly hard to pick favorites. “All Again,” clearly written for his wife, reminds me so much of mine – and my wife who attends almost all of these shows with me said it reminded her of me, as well, which made for a lovely moment. And, when Godwin gets to the epic “strike me down” line in “Family Ties” makes for a very memorable in-concert moment with the entirety of the building shouting along. Other highlights from Family Ties during the set were his beautiful tribute to his daughter, “Dance in Rain,” the tribute to his father, “Miner Imperfections,” and the incredible performances of the entire Allegheny High band on “The Flood” and “Another Leaf.” Godwin might be the face, the frontman, but the Allegheny High already should have a reputation as one of the best backing bands in country music, all contributing beautiful on their respective instruments while leading to a fun, camaraderie onstage you just don’t see all that often. The band is led by guitarist (and the group’s co-producer with Godwin) Al Torrance, who even took the audience by surprise at one point on Wednesday night by appearing in the mezzanine for a solo. Max Somerville is on piano, Nate Catanzarite on bass, Read Conolly on pedal steel and banjo, Eric Dull on guitar, mandolin and one very kickass trumpet solo and Joe Pinchotti holding things down on drums. I’m not sure how long all of these guys have been playing together but it feels like a tight-knit group of like-minded individuals who were meant to be brothers on stage. One of the crowd’s favorite moments of the evening was clearly when Godwin performed “Jamie,” a song he collaborated with Bryan on for Bryan’s 2022 EP Summertime Blues. He immediately then performed “Jesse,” which Bryan had collaborated with him on for Godwin’s 2021 album How the Mighty Fall. Godwin and the band performed many of their best tracks from their previous two albums, Seneca (2019) and How the Mighty Fall (2021) throughout the night including “Lyin’ Low,” “Temporary Town” and “Strong” from the 2021 release. It was Seneca that introduced me to Godwin’s work and the tracks “Seneca Creek” and “Hardwood Floors” on that album both appeared very high on my list of best Americana and Country songs of 2019 for this very website. So, I was thrilled when Godwin placed both songs into the later portion of his set. The Allegheny High took a break for Godwin to perform “Seneca Creek,” a tribute to his grandfather who fought in the Korean War and came home to his wife to help build a family and homestead, alone just him and his guitar. The band would come back for a terrific two-song encore that consisted of “Hardwood Floors,” a terrific barn-burner about just wanting to spin his wife around the floor of a dance hall, and finished off with their cover of the aforementioned Denver classic that has become West Virginia’s state song. It was a fantastic evening of terrifically written and brilliantly performed country music that was completely true to Godwin’s way of life and inspired almost wholly by those he loves most. Family ties truly run deep in him. If you ever have the chance to see Godwin in your neck of the woods do not pass it by. by Tyler Glover "You and I are about to go on a little adventure together and that adventure is going to span 17 years of music and it's going to be one era at a time." This is what Taylor Swift says after welcoming all of her fans to her record-breaking Eras Tour, the tour Swift began in March of last year and will continue until December of this year. The tour has grossed over $1 billion and the film of the concert became the highest-grossing concert film in box office history last year. The Eras Tour celebrates the journey of Swift as an artist who has reinvented herself throughout her career-spanning different music genres, different sounds, and different Eras. The different Eras Swift has created throughout her career are the reason she appeals to so many people (if they let her, of course). If you are driving a pickup truck and listening to "Tim McGraw," you are in your Debut Era. If you’re Daddy's princess trying to have a "Love Story" with somebody forbidden, you are in your Fearless Era. If you are a girl born in "1989" going out on your own and discovering love and life, you are in your 1989 Era. If you are one who has been wronged and feels vengeful due to your damaged "reputation," you are in your Rep Era. Lastly, if you are in your sleepless nights era contemplating life and love, you are in your Midnights Era. (Personally, I am in my Midnights Era) What is so great about these different Eras is that I may be in my Midnights Era today but I could be in my Rep Era tomorrow. Some of these Eras may never really appeal to me but that is OK. This brings me to the newest Era being entered into Taylor Swift's catalog: The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology. The most important thing people need to know about this album before listening is that it is an album to soak in and reflect on. It is not a pop album you can listen to and fully get the meaning while dancing and moving on to the next album. The Tortured Poets Department is not an album to consume like a fast food burger and fries; it needs to be wined and dined. You need to allow the time to ruminate on all of the lyrics and fully immerse yourself into what Swift is trying to tell us. The Tortured Poets Department is an album that initially, I was skeptical about upon my first listen. However, the album grows on you the more you listen to it. The best way to describe this album is that it has the overall continued synth-pop sound of Midnights matched with the lyricism of folklore and evermore with the biting pen she used when writing reputation. This really should not be too much of a surprise considering her producers are frequent collaborators, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner who had a hand in all or a few of those albums. This album truly has some phenomenal songs to add to her canon. "Down Bad," a song where she imagines a love being reminiscent of an alien abduction. She falls in love with him and what he shows her but then he leaves her back into the world alone. This song is an absolute favorite and most of my Swiftie friends' favorite song on the album. The lead single, "Fortnight" featuring Post Malone has one of my favorite new lyrics: "I love you. It's ruining my life." TTPD also has the anthem, "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart" that reminds us we can all put on a smile no matter what we are going through and still do what we need to do. "loml" is one of her saddest songs to date. (I'm not going to spoil what loml stands for). The song that sounds the most like her country days is called "But Daddy I Love Him." It tells the story of a girl in love with a boy that her community and her Dad don't like because he is wild. It is like a more adult version of "Love Story." There are many more pluses but these are the highlights for me. My biggest criticism of this album is that the lyrics are not always as concise as what we would expect from Swift. The most glaring example is during the title song where she sings: "You smoked, then ate seven bars of chocolate. We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist." I also was surprised to see so many songs without strong bridges. Swift is known for writing some of the best bridges of all time: "You're On Your Own, Kid," for example. While some of them are fantastic ("The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"), they are rarer on this album than others. Lastly, I feel during the ‘Anthology’ songs added at 2 a.m. the night of release, the songs run together a little too much. It is like they are full of so much melancholy, you may not notice the song changed if you are listening for the first time. (This happened to me the first time I listened). While this album is not Swift's best, it still has a lot to say and offer to the world. If you are feeling broken, this album can be healing, even the world's biggest superstar knows what it feels like to have her heart broken. If you are looking for an album full of pop bangers, this is not the album for you. What this album does so well though is to continue Swift's unparalleled success as a storyteller. We all are anxiously waiting to hear what she is going to tell us next. Swift's many different Eras appeal to so many different people and for so many different reasons. This Era is not the Era I would consider MY Taylor Swift era, but that does not mean this album is taking her career in the wrong direction. While this may not be her best, it’s not a career misfire. Even a Swift album that isn't on par with the rest of her work is still going to be better than a lot of music today. The thing I don't relate to her on is while I do share the sadness she goes through; I don't view things as darkly as she does. This makes some tracks not speak to me as much as others. While The Tortured Poets Department may be one of those Eras I may never find myself in, it is an Era that makes me believe that it is OK to be a flawed human being and reminds me that even though it may be in different ways, we all have ways in which this life tortures us. |
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