Recently, I saw a list of what were purported to be the worst live music performances during the \u201880s.\u00a0 And that got me to thinking.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how many concerts I have attended in the past 50 years, but it\u2019s a bunch.\u00a0 Maybe not quite 1,000 shows, but getting close to it.\u00a0 And you know what?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know that I have ever seen a truly horrible show.\u00a0 That is to say, a performance that was totally wretched.\u00a0 But maybe I have that attitude because I love live music.<\/p>\n
Sure, some concerts were better than others.\u00a0 Occasionally, an artist is sick but bravely (or, in some cases, unwisely) soldiers on.\u00a0 When the Stones played at NRG stadium in 2024, hardcore fans were concerned about Keith Richards\u2019 lack of movement and energy, only to find out later that he was still recovering from COVID.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the Houston show on Tom Petty\u2019s last tour, it was obvious that he was in considerable pain.\u00a0 He performed like the champ that he was, but I could see that his hand was shaking when he grabbed the mic stand for support.\u00a0 And then there was Jon Bon Jovi, doing his best due to a throat injury, but croaking like Kermit the Frog through his Toyota Center gig in 2022. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Sometimes it\u2019s the weather.\u00a0 No one who was there will forget Pink Floyd\u2019s 1994 concert at Rice Stadium, when the heavens opened up shortly after intermission, and the field (which was full of seats) began to flood.\u00a0 The band played on as the rain pelted down, but the show ended when the power went out and the stadium got really dark really fast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And who could forget another epic Pink Floyd soaking, when the band played at Jeppesen Stadium on the University of Houston campus in 1977?\u00a0 It was a general admission show \u2013 and aren\u2019t those fun? \u2013 so many of us had been sitting in the rain all afternoon in order to secure a good spot on the field in front of the stage.<\/p>\n
But here\u2019s the thing: live music is not supposed to be perfect.\u00a0 That\u2019s part of the thrill. \u00a0That\u2019s part of the magic. \u00a0\u00a0A concert is a series of singular moments in time. \u00a0In this age of choreographed shows and backing tracks, much of the danger has been taken out of the live experience.\u00a0 On a scale of 1 \u2013 10, most shows reside in the \u201c7-ish\u201d range.\u00a0 They rarely drop so low as a \u201c5,\u201d but neither do they often hit a \u201c10.\u201d\u00a0 And you know what? Sometimes it\u2019s worth a train wreck here and there to get a \u201c10\u201d night.<\/p>\n
Ticket Alert<\/p>\n
Still going strong and staying busy at 75, Alejandro Escovedo and his band the Electric Saints will perform at the Heights Theater <\/a>on Saturday, May 2, and tickets are on sale now.\u00a0 Whether he is pursuing his punk, rock or country influences, with Escovedo you know it\u2019s going to be the real deal.<\/p>\n After settling a legal brouhaha over who controlled the band\u2019s name, Guess Who founders Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings have announced a summer tour that will operate under the banner of \u201cTakin\u2019 It Back,\u201d which is actually kind of clever.\u00a0 Presales begin today for the band\u2019s concert at the Smart Financial Centre<\/a> on Saturday, August 8, with with the general ticket sale set for Friday. <\/p>\n As the old saying goes, \u201cthe best-laid plans of Sex Pistols and men often go awry.\u201d\u00a0 Or something like that.\u00a0 When Pistols guitarist Steve Jones broke one of his wrists last fall, the band\u2019s tour was canceled, much to the chagrin of aging punks everywhere.\u00a0 Good news, though, in that Jones\u2019 is back in fighting trim, and the band (sans Johnny Rotten aka John Lydon, but with three of the four original members) will perform on Sunday, September 13, at the House of Blues<\/a>.\u00a0 Snag presales now or wait until Friday for the regular sale date.<\/p>\n Concerts This Week<\/p>\n Every year, when March comes in like a lion (or bucking bull, I suppose), much of the local concert action takes place as part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Stadium<\/a>.\u00a0 The annual run of performances began on Monday night with Riley Green and continues this evening with a post-rodeo concert by Rascal Flatts.\u00a0<\/p>\n From there, the week ahead stacks up like this:<\/p>\n Russell Dickerson\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thursday, March 5<\/p>\n Lizzo\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Friday, March 6<\/p>\n Dwight Yoakam\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Saturday, March 7<\/p>\n Forrest Frank\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sunday, March 8<\/p>\n Luke Bryan\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Monday, March 9<\/p>\n Megan Moroney\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tuesday, March 10<\/p>\n Since Lizzo grew up in Houston, her show will be just like Old Home Week, with plenty of shout-outs, fun, and maybe even a special guest or two.\u00a0 However, it\u2019s hard to beat Dwight Yoakam, who is still conjuring up the sounds of Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Bakersfield honky-tonks.<\/p>\n Just a week or so after Cardi B destroyed various items (including a video monitor) in the \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d offices while appearing as the show\u2019s musical guest, she will be in Houston for a concert tonight at Toyota Center<\/a> as part of her Little Miss Drama tour.\u00a0 It seems that Cardi (Ms. B?) was upset at the prospect of a Weekend Update joke mentioning her arch nemesis Nicki Minaj. \u00a0In other news, at her San Francisco gig a few days later, the rapper appeared to be taunting her (recent) ex, New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, asking, \u201cWho you playin\u2019 with, motherfucker?\u201d\u00a0 So, if you have VIP tickets for tonight\u2019s concert that include a meet-and-greet, ixnay on the Ickinay and the Efonstay.\u00a0 OK?<\/p>\n When the Jayhawks first gained national attention with 1992\u2019s \u201cWaiting for the Sun,\u201d some felt that the song sounded like the unholy offspring of a union between Neil Young and Bob Dylan, and they weren\u2019t that far off the mark.\u00a0 The band has been through a number of personnel changes over the years, including the departure \/ rejoining \/ departure of founder Mark Olson.\u00a0 However, vocalist and guitarist Gary Louris has kept the band recording and touring sporadically over the years to generally positive reviews.\u00a0 Catch the Louris-led Jayhawks on Friday at the Heights Theater.<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Recently, I saw a list of what were purported to 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