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Regular visitors to this space may recall that, last week, we endeavored to answer the question, “Could Mick Jagger really have slept with over 4,000 different women?” Our conclusion: Er, maybe. It would have taken dedication and commitment, but, after all, he is Mick Jagger.
Continuing in our quest to separate truth from fiction with regard to the Rolling Stones in advance of their upcoming performance on April 28 at NRG Stadium, we turn this week to the other Glimmer Twin, Keith Richards. Was Keith really ever so out of it that he fell asleep / passed out while playing guitar onstage?
According to Barbara Charone’s book Keith Richards: Life as a Rolling Stone, the Human Riff nodded off during a performance of “Fool to Cry” at a performance in Germany, part of the 1976 European tour. Charone notes that “Fool” was never one of Keith’s favorites, but my money is on something other than boredom as the cause of his nap. But all’s well that ends well, as Keith was soon awakened by a roar of feedback emanating from his amp and got back to work.
Ticket Alert
This just in: Deep Purple and Yes have announced a joint tour, which will hit the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday, August 17. Billed as “One More Time,” the tour is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Purple’s Machine Head, the album which gave us “Smoke on the Water.” The combo is a bit odd, but any port in a classic rock storm, eh?
Emo mainstays Dashboard Confessional will be on the road this fall, appearing at the Bayou Music Center on Friday, October 25. Boys Like Girls and Taylor Acorn will open. Tickets are currently on sale, with a VIP option available that includes a meet and greet with Dashboard lead singer Chris Carrabba and a chance to watch the soundcheck.
Remember the H.O.R.D.E. (Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere) festival? Formed as a jam band alternative to the Lollapalooza festival, H.O.R.D.E. ran for several years, with performances by artists like the Dave Matthews Band, Phish and Primus. Two of the festival’s more popular alums, Blues Traveler and Big Head Todd and the Monsters, will perform at the 713 Music Hall on Thursday, August 1. Tickets are on sale now, with plenty of good seats available.
Somewhat like Steely Dan, Twenty One Pilots consists of two principals augmented by a collective of studio and touring musicians. Also, like the Dan, they’re kind of difficult to categorize. The band has already release a single (“Overcompensate”) from the forthcoming album Clancy, in advance of a fall tour which will stop at Toyota Center on Wednesday, September 6. Tickets are going fast on the lower level, but lots of seats remain upstairs.
Tickets are on sale now for Cigarettes After Sex at Toyota Center on Wednesday, September 18. The El Paso shoegazers (OK, “ambient pop" band) will be on tour in support of their forthcoming album, X’s. I can’t help but quote Rodney Dangerfield here: “With cigarettes, my wife and I, we made a deal. We only smoke after sex. I’ve got the same pack now since 1975. What bothers me is my wife. She’s up to three packs a day!”
Concerts This Week
Take note of a couple of significant shows this week at the Heights Theater. Tonight, it’s boho chanteuse Rickie Lee Jones. When her breakout single, “Chuck E’s in Love,” appeared on the radio in 1979, many of us weren’t exactly sure what to think. It wasn’t exactly jazz, nor was it strictly rock. Fortunately, folks figured out Jones pretty quickly, and she won a Grammy for Best New Artist. Since then, Jones has remained continuously inventive, keeping her audience guessing in the best possible way.
Homeboy Sam Morrow will celebrate the release of his latest album, On the Ride Here, with a show at the Dosey Doe Big Barn on Friday. The rock /country singer / songwriter grew up near Spring, so he will be on his old stomping ground for this gig.
So what did you do to celebrate your last birthday? Maybe a fancy dinner out? A long weekend at a bed and breakfast? Assemble a concert tour featuring three bands, two of whom you are a member? Sorry, that last one is this year’s 60th birthday party for Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan, who also gigs with Puscifer and A Perfect Circle. The latter two bands will perform on Saturday at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, on a bill that also includes wiggy funksters Primus, the whole thing billed as Sessanta. It promises to be an evening unlike any other. Sessanta? Oh, that’s Italian for “60.”
Metalachi will perform at Main Street Crossing on Tuesday. So what’s the deal with this band? Well, it seems that they perform heavy metal classics with a mariachi twist. Cómo se dice “chutzpah” in español?