Re: James Brown - my worst Show i've ever seen :-(
Date: July 13, 2005 21:05
"And the concert at all was like a cheap hotel-show in vegas"
I love this description of classic Americana. I have seen several acts over the years, older performers whose act and bands have been, I'll say...reduced... to this.
This is what a western Canadian would characterize a Vegas type show as....
1) the main entertainer does not take the stage for two or three songs
2) one member of the band will have the duty of pumping the croud "#### will be out in just a minute"
3) when the performer does come out he postures for the croud a while, may play or sing two or three notes, just milks entrance.
3a) Star is wearing something totaly slick, shiny, unique.
4) the band consists of American stereo types, few of which look like say rock stars. The guitar player (three hundred pounds), sitting on stool, dressed in three piece suit with a white towel draped around his neck for the sweat of having to look that good under the lights. The guy with the Jersey accent, slicked back hair, playing harp and dressed like an east coast mobster. Or conversley they all dress alike yet you still have the three hundred pounder and the guy from Jersey in them, neither looks good in this case.
5) for R&B or soul bands throw in all of the classic Mowtown dance moves.
6) they make as big an exit as they did an entrance.
I just took in a Shemecia Copeland (daughter of Jonney Copeland) concert with such a band. The guitar player looked just like Bob Ubanks (Newlywed game) with white shoes, black pollester matching pant/shirt outfit....played a mean rock/R&B guitar but looked like a blackjack dealer (or game show host), he did the croud pumping. et.
Just had a nasty memory on topic....when I went to see CCR I had this image of the jack shirt (Canadian for plaid shirt), jeans with big buckle and the pageboy haircuts. The rest of the band looked like that but JF showed up in a hot pink or orange, matching pants, collarless tunic and cowboy hat, black frilly shirt with a cowboy bow tie....it was a classic example of CCR goes Vegas.
It is funny how one equates these types of presentation as cheap. I wonder what Celine's show will look like in a decade? Will someone drape a cape over her shoulders and escort a seemingly exausted Celine from the stage?