That was the concert of a lifetime. I think that was the best show I've ever seen.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band made a triumphant return to 1st Mariner Arena last night, playing to a sold-out crowd of more than 14,000.

Here is a link to my full review, which will run in tomorrow's paper.

Wow. Consider me a convert to the Church of Springsteen. Bruce and the boys played 30 songs, and the show lasted almost three and a half hours.

If you were there last night and you want to share your thoughts, leave a comment.

Here is the set list from the show ...

Continue reading "Concert review: Bruce Springsteen at 1st Mariner Arena" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Nils Lofgren might not be a household name, but Lofgren has played with some of the biggest names in rock.

Lofgren was a founding member of Crazy Horse, and has been playing guitar in the E Street band since the '80s. Tonight, he and the rest of the gang will be at 1st Mariner Arena. I talked to Lofgren a few days ago about the show.

Did you know Bruce and company hasn't played here since 1973.

You're kidding. I can't believe that. That's bizarre. ... I can't believe a town that big has been skipped that long. This is a momentous return.

Same venue too.

Is this is the old Civic Center? You're kidding me. 

Have you played there before?

I played there in the '60s or '70s opening up for somebody like Country Joe and the Fish. I can't even remember. Way back in the '60s I went there trying to sneak backstage to see Cream and Jimi Hendrix. I used to go with my Telecaster and try and tell the security that the headline act needed it for the show, and they were expecting me. ...

Continue reading "Checking in with Nils Lofgren" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

A new bar named the Water Street Tavern has appeared on (you guessed it) Water Street, right across from Peter's Pub.

Midnight Sunner F. Pants McFadden sent me this photo of the spot.

Anybody been here yet?

This stretch of Water Street is like a secret cove, tucked away downtown. The best way to get there is to turn left from Light Street -- before Light intersects with Pratt Street. 

I'll try and stop by sometime soon and see what the deal is.

(Photo by F. Pants McFadden)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

After much deliberation, Midnight Sun as an announcement to make.

We have officially endorsed  Bruce Springsteen's "She's the One."

It is -- at least temporarily -- Midnight Sun's official anthem.

Why?

Here are five reasons ...

Continue reading "Midnight Sun's favorite Bruce Springsteen song" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Tomorrow night, comedian Jim Gaffigan is going to be in town for two shows at the Lyric Opera House (get tickets here).

It's been a few years since the last time I talked to Gaffigan, but he still plays the whiny, lovable lazy butt like few can. And his bits about food (especially bacon, bologna and Hot Pockets) are still hilarious.

Gaffigan has accepted the notion that, at this point, he's probably The Food Comedian.

"Every time there's a new bacon-scented envelope, I get 50 e-mails or messages or tweets about it," he said. "It's the same whenever there's a new Hot Pocket. ... It's very flattering."

Here is a link to my piece on Gaffigan, which ran in today's paper.

(Handout photo)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

It started with a simple but spot-on Bruce Springsteen impersonation.

In the spring of 1982, Craig Hankin and a few other members of the local group The Reason were at a party when singer Tom Chalkley started singing TV show theme songs in Bruce Springsteen's voice. It was an instant hit, Hankin recalls.

"Everybody hit the deck laughing," he said. "We thought, 'Oh, this is a funny idea.'"

Hankin hatched an idea to have Chalkley use his Springsteen impression to sing "Meet The Flintstones." They called this knock-off project Bruce Springstone and recruited lead guitarist Tommy Keene and veteran jazz saxophonist Ron Holloway to record with them at Hit and Run studios in Rockville.

They took the recording to Clean Cuts, a local record label then known for its jazz recordings, and played it for label owner Jack Heyrman. (Click on this link to hear the track.)

"[Heyrman] let me know a one-off novelty single was not exactly up his alley, but he was willing to listen," Hankin said. "By the time we got to the end of the tape, he was chuckling. He said, 'I think we may have a novelty record here.'" ...

Continue reading "Meet Bruce Springstone" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Has the whole city gone crazy? Or just me?

A new bar has replaced Leon's/Tyson Place in Mount Vernon. Guess what it's called?

Nadds.

Yeah.

Nadds.

If you notice, the "d"s in the sign are actually musical notes. 

But wait, it gets better ...

Continue reading "Another awesomely bad bar name" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
        

I must admit, I did not have high expectations for Banners (1401 Decatur Street).

Going in, I thought the new Locust Point bar would be another one of those middle-of-the-road neighborhood spots. Boy was I wrong.

When a few friends and I dropped by Banners on a recent Saturday night, it was packed tight with people. I think it must have been somebody's birthday party, which explains the big crowd. 

A middle-aged man who I took to be the owner stood inside near the door, looked us in the eye and shook our hands as we walked in. I don't think I've ever had that happen at a bar before ...

Continue reading "Banners is a surprisingly great neighborhood bar" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

If you somehow managed to swindle your way into the much-coveted general admission tickets for Friday's Bruce Springsteen show at 1st Mariner Arena, there are a few things you need to know.

Actually, kind of a lot of things you need to know. The show's promoters released a 10-point plan for a lottery among general admission ticketholders. Here it is ...

Continue reading "Got Bruce Springsteen general admission tickets? Read this." »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

It might not be Tuesday anymore, but "Owl Meat's Tipsy Wednesdays" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Better late than never, right?

Here, Midnight Sun guest columnist Owl Meat Gravy takes us on a tour through some of the best music movies out there. Are you ready? I am. Let's go:

Movies: great.

Music: great.

Movies about music: awesome.

Below is a baker's dozen of music movies that bubble up in my brain now and then. I'm not saying these are the best movies ever, just some that are stuck in my gray matter ...

Continue reading "Owl Meat's (belated) Tipsy Tuesday: Music + movies = awesome" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (52)
        

Since Bruce Springsteen hasn't played in Baltimore since 1973, we're pulling out all the stops and going all Bruce, all the time.

Dig if you will this entire online section devoted to Bruce Springsteen.

It has Springsteen photos.

It has a test-your-Bruce-knowledge pop quiz.

The page also has a ton of Springsteen stories. Sun researcher Paul McCardell and I spent a good deal of time yesterday digging through the vast, dusty archives looking for colorful old Springsteen stories and photos.

You would not believe how many times The Baltimore Sun has gushed about Springsteen.

Former Sun writer Rafael Alvarez called Springsteen "the messiah of rock and roll." Columnist Dan Rodricks wrote a couple columns in the '80s that were blatant ploys to get free Springsteen tickets.

Surprisingly, we could only find one actual interview with Springsteen -- back in 1975 after a show at Painter's Mill (here's a link to the piece) ...

Continue reading "Bruce Springsteen blowout coverage" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Over the years, I've asked plenty of bar owners and bar-goers what the ideal neighborhood joint is like.

One answer that keeps popping up is Cheers. Like, the bar Cheers on the show "Cheers." You know, where everybody knows your name and stuff.

Today, I thought about "Cheers" and something occurred to me: As a bar, Cheers wasn't all that great.

Think about it: Aside from the main characters and maybe a couple random people sitting at a table in the corner, there was never anybody in the place. It was empty pretty much 24/7 ...

Continue reading "Dispelling the myth about "Cheers"" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Faithful Midnight Sun readers know, I'm not Natty Boh's biggest fan.

I usually only drink the stuff if I'm desperate, broke, on a bender or all three.

Still, I can't deny Natty Boh's rich history here. That's why you can still get the stuff really cheap at local bars. Usually, it's as cheap as -- if not cheaper than -- Miller Lite.

It's been a loooooooooooong time since I last posted about the cheapest Boh in town. That was more than two years ago, which is an eternity on the Interwebs.

Two of the bars people suggested (Cheerleaders and Red House Tavern) on that post have since closed. ...

Continue reading "Who has the cheapest Natty Bohs in town?" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

A new semi-upscale looking spot named Waterstone Bar and Grille appears to be replacing the lesbian bar Coconuts at 309 W. Madison St.

If you recall, there was a beating and shooting at Coconuts back in March. With Coconuts gone, that means there is only one stand-alone lesbian bar in Baltimore: Port in a Storm. (I'm not counting Sappho's because it's technically part of Grand Central).

Before it was Coconuts, this building used to be Kavanaugh's, the cop bar portrayed on the Wire, I'm told.

I used to live right by Coconuts, and I never went in. I heard that guys weren't allowed inside on Saturday nights, and I didn't want to press my luck.

Google has a number listed for Waterstone, but when I called it, nobody picked up.

Thanks to ryan97ou for the tip.

(Crappy cell phone photo by me)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Real encores are hard to come by these days.

Encores used to be spontaneous. Bands would come back out if the crowd refused to leave. But over the years, encores became just another part of the show. I've seen a lot of live music in the past seven years, but I had never seen a real encore -- until last night.

Irreverent new wave (at what point do they become old wave?) mainstays Devo plowed through their landmark debut "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!" in its entirety last night at the 9:30 Club.

It was the first of two shows where the band plays an entire album from start to finish at the club (the second night, featuring "Freedom of Choice" is tonight). Last night's show was sold out, at $45 per ticket.

Devo's entire performance lasted less than an hour. That's being generous. There was only 45 minutes of live music. Before the band took the stage, they played the music videos for "Secret Agent Man" and "Jocko Homo." If that wasn't an effort to soak up time, it sure felt like it.

After a couple of encore songs, the band left the stage, the house lights and music came up and roadies started unplugging the gear. But the audience wasn't about to leave ...

Continue reading "Concert review: Devo at the 9:30 Club" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

It might feel like Monday morning right now, but Friday night is fast approaching. And this isn't any ordinary Friday night, either.

This is the first time Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have performed in Baltimore City in more than 36 years.

I wrote a piece for yesterday's paper about what makes Bruce The Boss. Read it here.

Even among A-list musicians such as Billy Joel, Elton John and Paul McCartney, few performers have a magnetism and mystique quite like Springsteen. 

That's pretty much the gist of the piece.

Also, this week, we're going to be compiling all kinds of online Springsteen stuff ...

Continue reading "Are you getting ready for Bruce Springsteen?" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)