To put it on a bumper sticker, as Kinky Friedman used to say, the festivities surrounding Trump’s inauguration were not as bad as some had feared but worse than others had imagined.
I’m talking here about the musical side of the celebrations. In 2017, the new president struggled to find artists who were willing to perform under his banner as he assumed the role of Commander in Chief. After many (Elton John and the Beach Boys among them) declined, the Trump team managed to snag mid-level alt-rockers 3 Doors Down (“Kryptonite”) and the bordering-on-novelty country duo Big and Rich (they shouldn’t have been either one), famed for “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).”
Not this time, baby! The stars lined up, brushing aside any political objections with variations on the “respect for the office” theme. The list for 2025 included Carrie Underwood, Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, Nelly and – of course – the Village People. Not all went smoothly however, with Underwood forced to sing “America the Beautiful” a cappella when her backing track refused to play. More notably, Cyrus turned in an embarrassingly disconnected performance (and that’s a gracious use of the term) which came to a merciful conclusion when the tech crew turned off his mic and killed the lights while he wandered around onstage.
And then there were the Village People. It’s hard to fathom the reasons why Trump is so attached to the group’s “Y.M.C.A.” and has played it at his rallies for several years now. The song has long been considered something of a gay anthem, though Village People leader Victor Willis (he’s the one dressed as a cop) denies this, in the face of even the Library of Congress declaring it so. And Trump loves to dance to it, though you would think that Bill Maher’s on the, er, nose observations would have been enough to discourage him. Come on, Victor, own it! And Donald, take some hoofing lessons! “Dancing with the Stars” can’t be that far away.
Ticket Alert
The television series “Live from Daryl’s House” has brought dozens of stars into Daryl Hall’s abode, among them Booker T. Jones, Joe Walsh and Billy Gibbons. But something must have clicked – personality- or business-wise – when Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook appeared on the show, as the two musicians will be touring this spring, stopping at the Arena Theatre on Saturday, March 22. Presales are up now, with the general sale on Friday.
And speaking of two artists of substance on tour together, how about Billy Idol and Joan Jett at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday, May 3? Idol still cuts a dashing figure these days and puts on a hell of a show, with great between-songs bullshit. Jett? She is a badass and always will be. Get tickets through the presales now or, failing possession of the proper password, wait until Friday’s general sale.
Metallic prog rockers Coheed and Cambria have a new album coming out this spring, supported with an extensive tour which will hit Houston on Monday, September 8, at the 713 Music Hall. “Preferred seating” is available through Citibank and T-Mobile, or you can buy tickets the old-fashioned way through the venue.
Concerts This Week
Jazzbo Rickie Lee Jones will perform on Friday at the Heights Theater. Though their voices are quite different, Jones can be compared to Joni Mitchell in that both are blond vocalists; often labeled “rock” artists, but possessing serious jazz leanings; composers of music that is, at times, experimental, going against the commercial grain; and ladies who will do whatever the hell they want, whenever the hell they want. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: Jones is the recipient of two Grammy awards, one in 1980 for Best New Artist and another in 1990 for Best Jazz Vocal Performance with Dr. John on “Makin’ Whoopee.” They don’t call her the Duchess of Coolsville for nothing.
Hailing from Croatia, Loreta Kovacic, known by some as “Dr. K,” holds a doctorate from Rice University and teaches music in the Houston Independent School District. When she’s not doing that, Kovacic can be heard around town performing her own songs, both solo and with her band the Texas Slavs – Robert Sutton on guitar, Bryan McVicker on bass, Jeff Vyner on drums and Joe Parani on theremin (!). The word “unique” gets thrown around, but in Kovacic’s case, it’s right on the money. Catch her on Friday at the Mucky Duck.
When the term “shredder” comes up, it generally brings to mind a long-haired dude cranking a Les Paul or a Strat through a Marshall stack. No so with Monte Montgomery, who utilizes an Alvarez Yairi acoustic, some ambient effects and a bit of guitaristic percussion (along with some major chops) to produce a singular sound. Pull up a chair at the Dosey Doe on Friday and prepare to be impressed.
And if you don’t get enough in the way of guitar fireworks at Montgomery’s show, head over to the Heights Theater on Sunday for Al Di Meola, who has been confounding audiences since he joined Chick Corea’s Return to Forever in 1974 when he was 19 years old. Consistently productive and supremely innovative, Di Meola released his latest album, Twentyfour, this past summer.
