Tag Archives: M. Donnelly
Sounds Good: Bon Iver@Uptown, Blink-182@Sandstone, Crossroads Music Fest
I’m kind of confused… 
My friend says that Wilco is soft – at least anything post Ghost is Born. Really?
I mean, yeah, Wilco (The Album) kinda sucked, as did Sky Blue Sky to a certain extent, but does liking those albums automatically make me a pussy?
I’m asking.
He also says that the best new stuff around is Bon Iver. (Say it like you’re French, like "bone eve-air," squares). You know, wispy, high pitched vocals, songs about lost loves, and stuff like that.
And Wilco’s soft?
No, they’re not soft I keep telling myself. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about, right? He’s the one who, after the My Morning Jacket show said, "Well, they’re no Bon Iver."
What does that even mean? I kind of want to release my "friend’s" contact info to the infamous KCC commentariat to do with it what they will. Hmmm…
Side note: Wilco is coming to the Uptown on December 3rd just shortly after the release of their new album, that I hear is not "soft" at all. Nor crappy like the last two. So to recap that’s: 1) new Wilco album and show at the Uptown; 2) not soft; and 3) not crappy.
On to this weekend’s picks…
Sounds Good: Marilyn Maye@Jardine’s, Hospital Ships@Replay, Gillian Welch@Liberty Hall
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We’re going to take it down a notch this week…
Last week was a time to focus on the eccentric bands – the impeccable perfectionist swank of Steely Dan, the weirdo jazz of Dweezil, and the category-less TV on the Radio.
Don’t know about you, but I could go for something kinda simple, something classic, timeless…
Donnelly: Why Won’t Vermes Stay Aggressive Late? SKC Crushed (Again) in Last Second
Well, it happened again…
Despite dominating 3/4ths of the game and leading FC Dallas 2-0 late in the second half, Sporting Kansas City found a way to give up last second goals and hand over three crucial points that were already penciled in under the win column.
And damn it was an exciting game, back and forth action all night.
Dallas scored twice in the final few moments to win 3-2. At the final whistle, a large contingent of the 20,000 plus in attendance at LIVESTRONG rained boos down on the home team. For the previous 90 minutes, though, the atmosphere was the best of the year inside the best stadium in MLS.
However KC has a serious problem this season with their lack of ability to close out games. Remember the Seattle game, Sporting’s first loss at LIVESTRONG, where stoppage time goals ripped away the game?
A similar thing happened in Portland, though that game ended 3-3.
After the game, Sporting midfielder Roger Espinoza offered little to explain the letdown…
Donnelly: Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa@The Midland by AMC, August 26, 2011
You could tell Dweezil was having a great time from the moment he and his band walked onto the Midland stage a few minutes early at 7:56.
He was all smiles as he announced, "We’re gonna start this with something kinda fun that you can dance to."
The eight piece band launched into the Zappa classic, Dancin’ Fool, sounding in sync and full, with the distinctive sound of jazz xylophone accentuating the rare musical style that Frank Zappa explored. It became quickly apparent who the real fans in the audience were.
I mean, people who really like Zappa are, well let’s just be honest, a little bit eccentric usually, right?
You have to be slightly twisted deep inside to truly appreciate what Frank Zappa did for years with his unique brand of music. He put premiums on extremely complex rhythms, mixed with the most off-the-wall lyrics and storytelling, mixed with an ethos that always tried new and weird things just for their own sake.
So like I was saying, people that like Frank Zappa REALLY like Frank Zappa.
I counted at least three standing ovations during Dweezil’s hour long set…
Donnelly: Steely Dan@Starlight Theater, August 25, 2011
When I was younger, I hated Steely Dan. Not that I even knew who they were.
There was a radio show every Sunday night called "Reelin’ in the Years," that played classic rock and other "oldies." Appropriately, the theme song for the show was the Steely Dan song by the same name.
What is this old crap, I thought?
Plus, my parents listened to the Dan on long road trips. Yuck.
Then, in college, I "discovered" Pretzel Logic. THIS is the band that played that theme song?
I got hooked.
Thursday night was my first Dan show, and I must say I was impressed…
Sounds Good: Steely Dan@Starlight, Zappa Plays Zappa@Midland, and TV On The Radio@Crossroads
A lot going on this weekend…
Not only am I personally recommending three really great shows featuring some unique and legendary artists, there’s also some great local music happening in Lawrence and KC, as well as the Chiefs on Friday night and Sporting KC on Saturday night.
Yep, it could be an epic several days if everything goes according to plan.
Thursday it’s some chill rock with Steely Dan, Friday we get a little weird with Dweezil, then Saturday it’s off to LIVESTRONG to watch Sporting keep climbing the ladder. But no after-game beers this time because it’s a bee-line for Crossroads to catch one of the cooler live acts around on Saturday night, TV On The Radio.
Who’s with me?
Donnelly: KC’s Best Pro Team Wins Again, Does It Vermes’ Way
Remember when Sporting Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes was considered a dead man walking?
It seems so distant, but in reality it was about two and a half months ago. Sporting was mired in a horrific road trip and struggled to earn any points. Players worked hard, but confessed that always being “the enemy” was starting to sap their energy.
After a particularly lackluster showing, club president Robb Heineman called in unannounced to 810 Sports and admitted live and on the air that the team was underperforming. He stopped just short of calling SKC’s performance embarrassing, but he did mention that anything short of the playoffs could/would result in heads rolling.
That was then…
Donnelly: Scary moment After Idiot Hits Sporting Goalie in the Head With Projectile
After dominating the game early, Sporting KC finally found joy in the 25th minute. 
The LIVESTRONG crowd erupted in celebration of a spectacular goal by breakout midfielder Graham Zusi that KC coach Peter Vermes called “a bomb,” putting Sporting up 1-0 over the visiting Portland Timbers.
The big screen flashed with images of “Brisket Bob” slicing his way through some juicy KC barbecue, poking fun at the Timbers’ practice of firing up a chainsaw to cut through a massive log each time they score a home goal.
At the other end of the pitch, Sporting goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen laid motionless just to the side of the net…
Sounds Good: Buzz Beach Ball@LIVESTRONG, HOD & Grisly Hand@Knuckleheads, Quixotic@Crossroads(FREE), Dumptruck Butterlips@Perry Bar & Grill, Janet Jackson@Starlight
Have you ever rolled up to someone’s house to pick them up, blasting Janet Jackson or something?
Then, before they come out, you put in a different cd, cue it up right at the exact moment that makes you seem like you’re the coolest ever.
And when they get in and ask what you’re listening to, you say something nonchalant like, "Umm, oh, that’s the new Bon Iver album. It’s been stuck in my player for weeks."
Then you drive to some cool-ass, acrobatic/ hip hop/ electronica show that is kinda like Cirque du Soleil but with awesome beats and bolster your coolness even further. I mean, Brandon Draper is there, it’s in an arts district, and it’s totally free.
This is going great, you think. Then, on the way home, she finds the Janet Jackson cd and asks, "Is this yours?"
You scramble, "Are you kidding? That’s my little sister’s. Janet sucks, she just rode the coat tails of her brother for 30 years."
And then she says, "Oh, I love this album. It’s really sexy."
You make a mental note to slap yourself in the mouth when you get home…alone.
Never happened to you? I can’t be the only one…
Donnelly: Farm Aid at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, August 13, 2011
It was the 26th Farm Aid but the first-ever concert at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
How did it go? How did it sound?
How was the crowd? How high was Willie?
Were there any kinks that need worked out before this weekend’s Buzz Beach Ball featuring Jane’s Addiction, Bush, and others?
Yeah, a few…
Sounds Good: Mardi Diaz@Bottleneck, Farm Aid@ LIVESTRONG, Pitch Awards@Uptown
What a month for music in KC…
Last week, My Morning Jacket decimated the Uptown’s face.
Then Kanrocksas dropped its bomb on KCK’s punk ass.
Coming soon is Steely Dan at Starlight, Bon Iver at the Uptown, and Jane’s Addiction at LIVESTRONG.
Not to mention Yonder Mountain String Band and TV On The Radio.
But first, some old school musical legends would like a word with you…
Donnelly: Muse@Kanrocksas Day 2, August 6, 2011
Day two of Kanrocksas boasted what I considered the better lineup of the two days – Muse, The Black Keys, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Cage the Elephant, and a bunch of others.
If you can’t tell, I’m more into the rock than the electronic and hip hop stuff.
Saturday night’s headliner was the band I was most looking forward to, English prog-rockers, Muse. I mean, how can you go wrong with the band that Queen’s Brian May called "probably the greatest live act in the world today"?
You can’t .
Muse emerged to warning sirens blaring, right on time at 11 p.m. – just like nearly every other act of the weekend, the on time part, not the sirens – and they were coming hard right off the bat, with one of their biggest hits, “Uprising.”
Too bad the crowd was probably half that of the previous night for Eminem…
Donnelly: Kanrocksas 2011 Wrap Up
So what’s my takeaway from the inaugural Kanrocksas festival at the Legends?
First, I have a question:
What was the actual attendance? No, wait, even better:
How many tickets were really sold?
I’d like to know.
If you can answer that you win half of a happy hour cocktail and 30 minutes of meaningful conversation with none other than KCC godfather Hearne Christopher, Jr.
On to the observations…
Donnelly: Sporting Shattered By Heartbreaking Loss At LIVESTRONG
What an atmosphere Saturday night at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
The 17,000-plus in attendance was the most energetic crowd of the season thus far. A packed Cauldron kept the place loud with chants taunting Seattle Sounders’ keeper Kasey Keller all game long.
Sporting’s play was gutty and inspired, especially so when they went down to 10 men after Omar Bravo was shown a red card early in the second half.
Before the red card, SKC dominated possession and created multiple dangerous chances mostly off crosses. Winger Kei Kamara played an inspired 80 minutes, and put KC on top in the 20th minute with a nice header off Matt Besler’s long throw-in (which is becoming quite a weapon).
For 90 minutes of regulation KC battled and scrapped, putting together what I thought was one of their best performances of the season, holding onto that one goal lead all game.
Then with mere moments left in the game, and a scrappy victory seemingly in hand, everything went to shit…
Donnelly: Kanrocksas Day 1, Friday August 5, 2011
Oh, it was hot all right….jpg)
Thousands of music fans flocked to the Kansas Speedway this past weekend to partake in one of the weirdest named festivals ever: Kanrocksas.
When I first arrived I noticed the main stage was packed out with half naked twenty-somethings pumping their fists in the air.
Who was playing?
It sounded like a DJ, spinning tunes at the Granada or something. Nope, it was none other than Bassnectar, spinning records for probably the biggest crowd of the festival.
What happened to live musicians?
They’ve been rendered obsolete.
Or so I thought until the sun went down and I wandered to the second stage…
Donnelly: My Morning Jacket@The Uptown Theater, August 3, 2011
There may not be a more interesting personality in rock music right now than My Morning Jacket’s enigmatic front man, Jim James.
During his band’s Wednesday night concert at the Uptown Theater, James mentioned that the brightly painted interior of the venue made him feel like he was in a small village in Mexico. (Maybe that was because of the heat and humidity inside the Uptown. Or maybe that’s just James.)
He raised his open palms to the sky in what looked like a pagan rain dance while spewing guttural shrieks at the sky. And at times he wore a hooded cape that looked like it came straight out of Sleepy Hollow.
Obviously he and his band have ample style, but their substance is what really sets them apart as one of the premier live acts around right now. And Wednesday night they delivered big time.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of openers, Delta Spirit…
Sounds Good: My Morning Jacket & Delta Spirit@Uptown; Eminem, Muse, Ween @Kanrocksas
This week is looking like one of the best of the summer if you’re a live music fan in KC.
There is literally something for everyone, as long as you don’t mind getting a little hot and sweaty.
You don’t mind, do you KC?
I mean, at this point hasn’t your right elbow developed a callus from being burned so often on your center console?
Donnelly: Late Game Heroics (Again) Salvages Tie For SKC Despite MLS Refs
Peter Vermes threw his hands up in disgust.
This would end up being a theme of the night.
The New England Revolution had just broken through on a longball that found a questionably offside Rajko Lekic who proceeded to bury an outside-of-the-foot shot past a hung out to dry Jimmy Nielsen.
Vermes was irate. And he had a right to be, Lekic certainly looked to be a good 4 yards off.
These officials were struggling to find any balance…
Donnelly: That’s More Like It! Sporting Man-Handles Toronto, Matches Longest Unbeaten Streak
Remember the last Sporting KC game, the one I called a ‘snoozefest’?
Well, Saturday night’s game was certainly a welcome contrast to last week’s friendly against English Premier League club Newcastle United.
First of all, there were goals scored. Six of them!
Some fans I spoke with after the game described it as the most entertaining of the season so far.
I’m guessing Kei Kamara‘s bicycle kick goal to open the scoring had something to do with it…
Donnelly: Bela Fleck and Bruce Horsnby at Crossroads KC, July 22, 2011
Bela Fleck has been described in a lot of different ways.
"Best banjo player ever."
"Musical buffet."
"Humblest superstar I know."
And it makes sense, because musically, he is a virtuoso, who moves effortlessly through styles and genres – and sometimes even makes up entirely new ones – while plying his trade alongside musicians from every conceivable background and style.
But until Friday night I had never heard Fleck described the way Flecktones bassist, Victor Wooten, did…
