Saturday 16 August 2014

Beatles and Bruce

I saw a couple of really great concerts this week.


First, on Wednesday, "Twist and Shout : The British Invasion" at the Kings Wharf Theatre in Penetang. It's a nostalgic trip back to the Swingin' Sixties. Peace and Love, Baby! 

Twist and Shout your way back to the ’60s in Penetanguishene
Laura Mae Nason (from left), Jennifer Kee, Valerie Stanois and Lindsay Croxall perform in “Twist and Shout.”
There's just one group of talented musicians and dancers who start the 2 hour show off as The Beatles belting out She Loves You, From Me To You, I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Then they morph into everyone from Petula Clark, The Searchers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Dusty Springfield, The Kinks, Lulu, the wonderful Shirley Bassey, The Hollies and The Rolling Stones. 

Remember the Freddie dance... from Freddie and the Dreamers?  And the unforgettable Donovan, who seemed to be high on a little more than just music, man. They call me Mellow Yellow.....

The concert marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles first visit across the pond.... was it really that long ago? Lots of grey hair in the audience, but of course ..... this was our music, the music we grew up with, the music that shaped our generation. The final number that got everyone dancing in our seats: The Beatles Twist and Shout and Lulu's Shout! It was groovy, man.

I'd hardly recovered from Twist and Shout when, on Friday, a trip to the Markham Jazz Festival and a free concert by Canadian icon Bruce Cockburn at the outdoor band pavilion. Bruce had his trio... percussionist Gary Craig and violinist Jenny Scheinman with him. Jenny opened Bruce's concert with some of her own songs, accompanying herself on violin and mandolin.

Sorry, blurry photo, I was about 10 rows back from the stage. Bruce has been singing and performing for getting on for 50 years, and he's still great. My favourite Bruce Cockburn song? Lovers In A Dangerous Time. um.... no, I liked If I Had A Rocket Launcher.  And of course Wonder Where The Lions Are. Loved this concert, especially the price! 

10 comments:

  1. WE remember those days, of course. Just think: WE WERE THERE when it all happened. UGH. 50 years??? Man, time sure has flown. HA!

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  2. Sounds like a good time..takes you right back doesn't it :-)

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  3. Sounds wonderful. I love the nostalgia.

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  4. Music is universal language which unites us to the special memory of a certain time without borders. Beatles music reminds me of my high school days when I would listen to them on music programs of FM made up of phone calls by listeners.

    Yoko

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  5. We just saw Jersey Boys at the flicks. A trip down memory lane.

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  6. Sounds you had a great time!
    I wish I could be there with you!

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  7. Sounds like you're having a wonderful summer! GREAT!

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  8. I would have loved to see these concerts. I think the music was so much better then than it is now – I guess it shows my age. I remember watching the Beatles on TV when they came to the US for the first time. I also liked Donovan and the Kinks. For our honeymoon we went to the Monterey pop festival and watched The Mamas and Papas, Janice Joplin, Jimi Hendricks, and many others. They really made you feel like dancing. How about Petula Clark? They liked her a lot in France too. That must have been so much fun to listen to these “oldies.”

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  9. Nothing like a concert to make one feel younger. My tastes run more to the hard rock/heavy metal side, so when I see Deep Purple or Black Sabbath (both still tour) I spend a couple of hours pumping my fist in the air, headbanging and jumping up and down like a kid again.

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