Tag Archives: Concert

Jonny Lang & Buddy Guy

September 15, 2012 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

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Wendy and I don’t have an official bucket list. Nevertheless, there are a few things that we’ve agreed we want to do at some point along the journey. One of those items was to see Jonny Lang in concert. Lang is not a well known artist in the main stream sense. A soft spoken white kid from America’s northern plains, God reached down and touched the boy with an unmistakable gift. Lang was born to play the blues. I’ve always been a fan, but after Wendy and I saw Lang in concert on DirecTV a year or so ago, we knew that we had to see him perform live.

It just happened that I knew Wendy and I would need a little treat after a long couple of months planning for USP’s 25th Anniversary Gala. So, a month or so ago I began looking for something that she and I could do together on this “week after” at the lake. That’s when I found that Jonny Lang was going to be performing with blues legend Buddy Guy outside of St. Louis.

I surprised Wendy and whisked her away yesterday. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner together then, settled in for a great evening of blues. Anthony Gomes, a local St. Louis artists, was the first act. Gomes’ music was aweseome, but the guy looked and acted like a cross between Wierd Al Yankovic and Wormtongue. Next came a pleasant surprise in the form of ZZ Ward, a wonderful young lady we’d not heard before but with whom we fell in love. Wendy downloaded her album from iTunes during the concert. Next came Jonny Lang. The concert was everything we’d expected. I only wish he’d have played for another hour or so. Finally, it was Buddy Guy who was nothing less than a master bluesman practicing his craft perfectly. They guy has been making records since before I was born (back when they were vinyl records). There’s a reason for his longevity and we saw it on display last night.

I’ve attached the pics I took at the concert in the slideshow above. The worst part of the night was the wee hours drive back to the lake, but it was well worth it! If you’re unfamiliar, here’s a sample of what you missed 😉 :

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Green Eyes, Red Hair

March 13, 2012 Tom Vander Well 1 Comment

Wendy and I made our annual pilgrimage to see Gaelic Storm in concert this past weekend at the Val Air Ballroom. As always, we had a great time. This year we loved having Taylor and Clayton along as we dined at Nick’s before the concert with our friends Kevin and Becky.

One of the songs on the group’s newest CD is entitled “Green Eyes, Red Hair” and it’s become one of my favorites. In part, my affinity for the song goes back to a brief experience I had in Dublin back in 1998. I was there with friends and we’d been pub hopping most of the afternoon and evening. We ended up in a small pub that was packed with people. It was November and the weather was cold and damp. As with most pubs, the atmosphere was dark. People were dressed in dark leather coats and (in those years) the place was full of smoke.

Suddenly, like the sun bursting through a hole in the clouds, a young woman walked through the crowd wearing a bright, white cable knit sweater that accentuated her beautiful porcelain complexion. She had the largest, most gorgeous mane of long, curly red hair that flowed over her shoulders and down her back and when she turned she had the brightest, most penetrating green eyes I’d ever seen. With a glance, her eyes communicated that you’d better not mess with her because beyond her beauty was a temperament that could cut you down and squash you like a bug should she choose to do so. It was like an apparition had just appeared in the bar. In my memory, I can see the packed crowd parting to let her through and as people turned their heads.

Anyway, the moment I heard Gaelic Storm sing this song I knew that somewhere, at some point in time, they’d seen the same apparition.

Shes a cup of tea, shes a Jaegerbomb
Shes an angel, shes an Amazon
Shes a poem, shes an alphabet
Shes a violin with a bayonet
Shes a revolution, shes a peace accord
Shes a grain of sand, shes the Cliffs of Moher
Shes Friday night, shes Sunday Morning
Shes a fair wind, shes a sailors warning
Green eyes, red hair, long legs
Devil inside her
Green eyes, red hair, long legs
Shes got the devil inside her
Shes a glass house, shes an ivory tower
Shes a tin roof, shes a summer shower
Shes a carnival, shes a masquerade
Shes a picket fence, shes lemonade
Green eyes, red hair, long legs
Devil inside her
Green eyes, red hair, long legs
Devil inside her
Green eyes, red hair, long legs
Devil inside her
Green eyes, red hair, long legs
Shes got the devil inside her
She can disappear, she can walk on water
Shes the Queen of Sheba, shes the farmers daughter
Shes a cocktail dress, a cowboy boot
Shes a question mark, shes absolute
Green eyes, red hair, long legs
Devil inside her…

Wayfarer's Journal

Simon Estes (& Madison!) Kick Off Tulip Time

May 6, 2010 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

Simon Estes, Iowa's world-renowned bass-baritone, kicked off Tulip Time with a pair of concerts. Last night, Madison and the Pella High choir joined Estes in concert. Grandpa and Grandma came down to enjoy the concert. Estes, who is a famed performer in opera's around the world, was born in Centerville. He and his wife have returned to live in Iowa, and he is doing a series of "educational" concerts around the state to raise money for scholarships.

Estes was outstanding, singing a range of music from opera to broadway to spirituals. He was joined in the concert by local soprano Natalie Chamat, who was absolutely delightful. Pella's choir was equally outstanding and certainly held their own. The concert ended with Estes and Chamat joining the choir singing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

As Madison prepares to graduate in a few weeks, she is winding down her high school choir career. Singing with Estes certainly ends things on a high note.