191 Toole Avenue

Tucson, AZ 

March 29, 2024

by Mary Andrews 

Victoria Canal made her first visit to Tucson, Arizona on her tour promoting her most recent EP release, Well Well. 191 Toole is a relatively small venue and as soon as Canal took the stage she coined the show a ‘living room’ concert. She seemed to be awestruck by the landscape she has seen since she has been in Arizona. She presently lives in London. Needless to say, there is a big difference in the scenery. As in most living room concerts, the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly.

Multi-instrumentalist, Lucy Clearwater performed a 30 minute set singing her self-penned songs from her upcoming EP release, April. Clearwater is a consumate singer/songwriter whose set was a prime example of an intimate yet dynamic acoustic performer. She is touring North America alongside her BFF, Canal. As an old soul and world traveler, Clearwater’s songs are emotional and vulnerable. She is well worth checking out if she is in your area of the world.

Canal casually saundered on stage followed by Clearwater and her bass player. She starts playing keyboards, but she is just as comfortable donning her guitar early in the set. Her voice was commanding yet vulnerable at times quickly engaged the crowd.

The show is all about her songwriting. Canal introduces each song with a story of how she came to write the songs.Her songs address issues such as depression, grief, body dysmorphia, and queerness. Sbe has a way of softening the heavy topics. “Braver” is about her mother, who grew up in Alabama and Georgia but emigrated to Spain. “You’re braver than I’ve ever been,” the chorus runs, and Canal spoke about how her mother not only moved to a country whose language she couldn’t speak but also broke off an engagement in order to marry the first man she met in Spain, Canal’s father. 

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While introducing “Yes Man,” Canal mentioned that she wrote the song while on a writing retreat in Spain with Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay. He gave her the task of writing a song on his Veillette Gryphon guitar in the time it took for him to do his daily laps of the pool. Canal accomplished the task very well.

“She Walks In” addresses body image and body dysmorphia. Around the most brutal lines of the song, “I’m ugly and nothing will fix it, I’ll never be pretty to you.” Canal seemed unable to sing at moments. 

During most of the set, Canal is very relaxed onstage, feeding off the energy of the fans. She encouraged audience members to hug single members in the crowd (And they did just that). Canal’s default sound is a whispery head voice, but at times, she sang with loud, wide, pain-filled wails. iIf the song touched something unexpected inside her, the crowd was very aware of Canal’s feelings.

Canal created an atmoshere of self acceptance.Throughout the night she took every opportunity to speak to her audience. She touched upon her struggles with her body image and that it helps to know that many people are struggling with it too. She performed an encore per request from her audience after she jokingly said she hadn’t prepared an encore but would “pull one out of my ass and come back if you want me to.” Canal’s lyrics and dynamic vocals  truly made her stand out on stage. If you have the opportunity to experience Canal’s concert, please go.

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Tempe, Arizona

March1-2, 2024

By Mary Andrews – photo and words

Photos of Larkin Poe by  C. Elliott

This was the inaugural edition of the Extra Innings Festival occurring the weekend after the Innings Festival. It’s no surprise that another weekend was added since the last six years have been so successful for the festival in Arizona. The weather has been perfect for the last two weeks.  And don’t forget to check out week one coverage..

Extra Innings had opportunities to see MLB legends Adrian Gonzalez, Ryan Braun, Tim Raines, Rollie Fingers and more. There was also a live talk show, “Off the Mound With Ryan Dempster,” in which the World Series champion hosted interviews and performances from surprise guests.

The fans have been very receptive to the festival with its close proximity to Arizona State University. Here are some of the special moments of the Extra Innings Festival.

Chris Stapleton headlined Friday night. He began his set with “White Horse” playing his electric guitar as he stood at the front of the stage. He followed with “Parachute” and “Second One to Know.” He addressed the crowd, “Hello Arizona. Welcome, thank you for being here with us tonight.”  Stapleton is usually a man of few words and this seemed like the longest speech that he has ever delivered. 

He performed “Starting Over,” “Millionaire,” and “Hard Livin.” The fans were mesmerized by the country crooner throughout the set as he delivered many brilliant guitar solos along with 20 favorite Stapelton tunes. And let’s not forget his performance of “Tenneessee Whiskey.”

 For a complete set list:

Charley Crockertt brought his classic country sound to his set to the delight of the country fans. Strange to think the singer has released 12 albums in eight years with his latest album being The Man From Waco in 2022. His set included covers of Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally” and Ernest Tubb’s “Just a Drink Away.” Both songs blended seamlessly with Crockett’s original tunes. He packed many songs into his short set that seemed to be timeless and ageless. 

Setlist: 

Elle King brought her country and pop vocals to a scorching mid-day set. She dressed in a red skirt outfit that mused of a flirtiness to the large crowd. She pulled out her popular “Ex’s & Oh’s” in the middle of the set along with Stevie Nicks’ “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” and “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” were offerings from her 13 song set. Evidently country music is not a new genre for King, but she has evolved into it since her big single “Ex’s & Oh’s” in 2015, as evidenced by her latest release Come Get Your Wife. Even though she is more country now, she still has her ‘rock ’n roll’ edge fans have come to love from the singer.King is a strong woman in the country genre breaking down the doors of bro-country. 

Setlist: 

Ryan Bingham had fans craving for his brand of country rock. The field was packed to capacity as Bingham took the stage. His grins throughout the set garnered the crowd’s attention and added to their mood. His songs are personal and politically charged. The audience sang along and were fully engaged throughout the show. Bingham encouraged as much audience participation as possible, and one couldn’t help but oblige.  He kicked off the set with “Nothin’ Holds Me Back.” “The Weary Kind” and “Hallelujah” were included in the offerings of the night. Setlist

Dave Matthews Band was in the headlining spot of the Extra Innings Festival on the second Saturday. One thing that fans can depend on is that no DMB show is ever the same. If you saw their previous Innings Festival show in 2020, there was very little repetition.  

DMB performed hit songs as well as some covers. Who would have thought Matthews would cover David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” or Billy Preston’s “Will It Go Round in Circles?” That they did and much more. The band performed multi-genre of music. Matthew’s music crosses many generations of fans as seen in the crowd. 

Their special guest, Jennifer Hartswick ,trumpeter and vocalist from Trey Anastasio Band, made the evening very special, even by DMB’s standards. Hartswick joined the band for “Jimi Thing” marking her first ever collaboration with the band. She completed the threesome of the band’s other brass including trumpeter Rashawn Ross and saxophonist Jeff Coffin. They transitioned into a cover of ZZ Top’s “Cheap Sunglasses” and after continuing on with “You & Me,” Matthews stopped to acknowledge Hartswick and thank her for sitting in with the band. 

The band tours throughout the summer and it’s well worth catching their show! Setlist

The Innings Festival and the Extra Innings Festival were very special this year and left the fans craving for next year’s festivities.

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Mary Andrews

February 23-24, 2024

Spring training has ensued once again in Arizona. C 3 Presents has continued to offer music and baseball in the sixth annual Innings Music Festival with big name entertainers and baseball stars in Tempe. The weather was perfectly temperate and the musical acts were scorching.The attendence on Friday was packed, while Saturday left room to move around with ease. 

The festival happened to open at the same time as Arizona’s Cactus League Spring training. Fans were able to see MLB legends Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Luis Gonzalez practicing. Ultimately, it was a win-win for players and fans alike.

Here is some of the best of the best musical acts of the first weekend.

Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined opening day with a crowd pleasing finish to the first day. Drummer Chad Smith set the tone for the set as he banged a gong to get  started. The set was filled with hits as returning lead guitarist John Frusciante, bassist Flee, and lead singer Anthony Kiedis graced the stage. Frusciante fulfilled his reputation as on of the best guitarists in the business as he played electifying instrumental jams throughout the set. “Snow( Hey Oh)” was a fine example.

Flea leaped through the air in his purple shirt with musical chops that added to the intensity of the band’s performance.

Flea and Frusciante were head to head several times during the set seemingly challenging each other with each’s groove. Kiedis had his own swagger with his commanding vocals as the crowds joined in singing their familiar songs.

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/red-hot-chili-peppers/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-6badceb6.html

Even though Greta Van Fleet has matured as the years have past, they still have that young boy aesthetic, facial hair and all. Josh Kiszka’s vocals seem to favor Robert Plant’s voice. That said, his vocals are impressive. The band totally performs to impress their young crowd especially seen with brother Jake on lead guitar. 

311 had the fans singing their faces off as they danced in place when lead singer Nick Hexum hit the stage with “Beautiful Disaster.” The set was hot in more ways than one.

Setlsit: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/311/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-6badceae.html

The Beaches’ all girl alternative rock band was a pleasant surprise in the afternoon set. Bassist Jordan Miller had a perfect voice to expose their music to the crowd with harmonies presented by the rest of the band. Highlights included “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid” and”Everything Is Boring.” They are presently on their ‘Blame My Ex’ tour. 

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-beaches/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-7bad228c.html

Phantogram gave fans a splendid set in the afternoon. The band is listed as a duo, but the show is definitely led by Sarah Barthel doing vocals, guitars, keyboards, and synthesizers. Barthel takes command of the stage from start to finish. Electronic rock never had so much energy. The red-haired singer dances, spins and throws her hair about as she sang the songs “Don’t Move,” “Mouthfull of Diamonds,” and “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore.” The set left the crowd wanting more. 

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/phantogram/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-1badc94c.html

Macklemore was the highlight of Saturday’s fare. His present tour is dubbed the ‘Ben’ tour. That happens to be the title of his latest album. Five minutes late, the rapper ran on the stage singing “Chant” from his latest album with a cavacade of support performers including background singers, dancers and musicians. 

His energy was infectious and the crowd was thrilled to experience Macklemore. “Thrift Shop,” “No Bad Days” and “White Walls” followed. Fans were eager to sing along. Maclemore informed the crowd he and his family had been in the Phoenix area for the entire week and took in some of the local sights. He also discussed struggling with addition in the past and mentioning that the fans with addition problems were not alone. There seemed to be an intimacy Maclemore had with such a huge crowd.

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/macklemore/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-63ad3e77.html

This was the second appearance for Young the Giant at the Innings Festival and again they were a welcome sight. The first song of the set was “Wake Up” and was a crowd pleaser. Sameer Gadhia, the band’s lead singer. guided the band through songs from their latest album “American Bollywood.” Fan favorites like “Cough Syryp” were also performed.

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/young-the-giant/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-6bad3e76.html

Hozier was Saturday’s headlining act. He is on his ‘Unreal,Unearth’ World Tour promoting his new album of the same name. He stepped out on a blue darkened stage and started performing “DeSelby (Part 1) and (Part 2). Then he slid into the more familiar “Jackie and Wilson.” Hozier has a commanding stage presence. Other songs included tracks from his three studio albums. “Cherry Wine” and “Take Me to Church” were among the songs included in the set. Hozier is adorned with incredible vocals, stage presence, and musical talent. Well worth attending.

Setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/hozier/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-7bad3e70.html 

It was a great weekend of great vibes and rock music during this two day weekend. New this year: Innings Festival will continue next weekend with an Extra Innings Festival with Chris Stableton and Dave Matthews Band headlining. We will report on this next week.

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Gov’t Mule,

Fox Tucson Theatre

Tucson, Arizona

February 22, 2024

Review and photos by Mary Andrews

Gov’t Mule’s return to Tucson was sold out weeks in advance. The show was a resounding sucess as anticipated by their faithful fans. The band emerged as a Southern rock and blues jam band in the 1990s after guitarist, Warren Haynes, splintered off the Allman Brothers band. They have been performing across the world every since. 

The band, in addition to Haynes, consists of Matt Abts on drums, Danny Louis on keyboards, guitar, trumpet and vocals, and Kevin Scott on bass. There was also a special guest appearance by electric banjo player, Ryan Cavanaugh, considered to be the most versatile banjo player in the country. https://www.ryancavanaughbanjo.com/about The entire band excels at playing, especially playing live, and improvising around fixed compositions. Their songs are long, and the players improvise and focus on playing.

The blues and classic rock is a major influence on Haynes. 

Their set consists of less songs, but the songs are longer, filled with extensive instrumental selections and improvisation. They opened the set with “Bad Little Doggie” and they cruised along during the first set of the evening with the highlight being “Time to Confess.” The second set was like an entire new concert beginning with “Unring the Bell” from the High and Mighty album.The entire show was a look back at the Mule’s entire career.

“Stone Cold Rage” was more laid back than the original recording with more improvisation by the band. “Endless Parade”was soul music at its best. The songs had the fans on their feet and dancing in the isles for the entire show. 

The tour is promoting their new album release, Peace. . . Like a River, and they were happy to introduce new tunes from the album. Selections included “Dreaming Out Loud,”  “Same as It Ever Was.”and “Gone Too Long.”  The songs are familiar yet fresh and appealing. 

The encore was “Soulshine” a song written by Haynes and Greg Allman and was a pure crowd pleaser. The show seemed to be over as soon as it began. The show was on fire and Tucson is ready to have the band back again. It was a pleasure to have two full sets from ‘the Mule.” 

Setlist

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Fox Tucson Theatre

Tucson, Arizona

11/26, 2023

by Mary Andrews

It was two years ago when Jake Shimabukuro brought his Christmas tour to Tucson. The 40 something year old ukulele virtuoso has performed here many tines over the years and the fans welcome him with enthusiasum every time. Shimabukuro started playing the ukulele at the age of four along with other instruments,. Shimabukuro revealed that his first band was called Pure Heart. His career exploded when a fan posted a video of him on YouTube in 2006 playing George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” The video became a viral hit and Shimabukuro became an international sensation. 

Shimabukuro brought an old school chum and bass player, Jackson Waldhoff and singer, composer, and guitarist, Justin Kawika-Young, on this tour. Young’s vocals added tremendously to the scope of the show. He mentioned Donny Hathaway early in the set as he introduced “This Christmas.” It seemed his vocals had the same quality of Hathaway’s vocals. Young has worked extensively wiith Colbie Cailiat in the past. He also has written some of the songs on Jake’s new album incliuding “Grateful.” 

The opening song was “Eleanor Rigby” that was given Shimabukuro’s finese and creative musical exploration. He typically holds his instrument close to his heart with the care of a newborn baby. However, the notes he pulls from the instrument is not as tender. He extracts notes that one normally could not imagine coming from a four string ukulele. He’feels’ the music as much as the fans hearing the music. It’s obvious that he is a big Beatles fan since he covers many of their songs.

Shimabukuro greeted the energetic fans, “Hello Tucson. It’s so great to be back. This is one of my favorite places to play. We have a brand new album out called Grateful and we will be playing tunes from that as well as some Christmas music. 

The show had several Christmas songs, but the music featured a well rounded repertiore of great interpretations of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” “A Place in the Sun,” and “Try to Love One Another.” They started Little Drummer Boy” Beatles style heavy on Young’s bass in the beginning of the song. However, Shimabukuro’s brilliance was demonstrated throughout the song that had the fans giving the star a standing ovation. There were many well-deserved standing ovations during the show. Don’t miss Shimabukuro when he comes to town!

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AVA Amphitheatre

Tucson, Arizona

October 21, 2023

by Mary Andrews

Alice Cooper, the godfather of shock rock, returned to Tucson, on His ‘Too Close for Comfort’ tour. Even though he normally tours six months out of the year, it’s been seven years since Cooper’s last appearance at AVA amphitheatre in Tucson. However, the memory of his vaudvillian, shock-rock show lingers on. Many artists from Cooper’s genre are getting close to retirement, but Cooper clearly states that is not true with him.

His new album, Road, was released this year and is his 29th studio album to date. It was recorded live in the studio with his touring band: guitarists Nita Strauss, Ryan Roxie, and Tommy Henriksen, bassist, Chuck Garric, and drummer, Glen Sobel. The first single from the album released is “I’m Alice.” This tour is supporting the new album. That said, the show was filled with most of his hit songs starting from the 70s through to the present. The Rock-and-Roll Hall-of-Famer includes his many hits like “School’s Out,” “ Eighteen,” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy.”

The performances have a vaudvillian feel (In a good way), utilizing a macabre on-stage persona, he slides into a guillotine for the highlight of the show. Cooper still looks and sounds good. Shocking maybe, but all is done in fun. The fans know what’s coming but they relish the skits and the music as they sing along to Cooper’s familiar tunes.

There are completely new stage sets this tour. The castles are gone and he has added videos in the background. The videos appear behind the drum kit and much of the footage is live video of the show on stage. Alice’s wife, Sheryl Cooper, appears during the show as a part of the skits. She is an extraordinary dancer and entertainer in her own right that adds to the storytelling of the skits. Her choriography, facial expressions, and costumes complement Alice’s performance immensely. She designs many ot her costumes on her time off.

The band didn’t forget to take their steroids before the show as they strutted all over the entire stage giving Alice a run for his money as showmen.  Cooper wouldn’t have it any other way. Tommy Henriksen is the musical director. All three guitarists have individual solos throughout the show. Henriksen can also sing and does backing vocals. He is also a member of the Hollywood Vampires. He is working on some solo ventures.

Ryan Roxie adds a lot of pizzaz to the band as a guitarist. In addition to touring with Cooper, he hosts a very successful podcast called In the Trenches/Ryan Roxie. Roxie and Henriksen are in step with each other as a duo.

Nita Strauss was a member of The Iron Maidens a tribute band to Iron Maiden. Her big break came in 2014 when she was chosen to replace Orianthi in Alice Cooper’s band. She’s is very talented and has done some solo work during tour breaks. Strauss is fresh off a tour with Demi Lovato in 2022. She has a new solo album coming out soon and she will be touring in support of that.She gave an amazing performance during her solos. 

Bassist, Chuck Garric, has a resume including playing with Billy Bob Thornton, Ted Nugent, and Don Felder, among others. He’s a very good musician and also plays with Beasto Blanco in between the Cooper gigs.

Drummer, Glen Sobel, is the backbone of the band. He claims there is no band he couodn’t play with. His past resume includes playing with Motley Crue, Hollywood Vampires, Orianthi, Richie Samora and many more.He was a lot of fun to watch during the show.

Let’s not forget cast member Christopher the boa constrictor snake. He’s named after the horror film actor Christopher Lee. Chris is actually a family pet when he’s not performing.

Cooper is a consumate performer who knows when to give the fans a lip curl, a sneer, pucker, and an entire repertoire of stage mannerisms to get his character across. He outsmarts a towering Frankenstein, grits his teeth as he is electrocuted and stuffed into a guillotine. He has all this down to a science after doing this for a half a century. He introducted himself as a man who plays Alice Cooper. And he plays him with eloquence. 

The show is more about the performance as it is the music. Alice Cooper never disappoints.

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Ruoff Music Center 

Noblesville, Indiana

September 23, 2023

by Mary Andrews

The 37^th annual Farm Aid all day concert once again will go down in history as one of the best to date. It has been a year long celebration of Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday and today’s festivities have been an extention of that celebration. The festival had a cavalcade of musical legends. The press conference started the day’s festivities with the Farm Aid board, local farmers, members of the bands, and other Farm Aid officials. The purpose every year is  to deliver vital information on the progress of Farm Aid’s efforts to help family farmers. The local farmers spoke of challenges in the state and educating the local population on eating organic foods and the effects on human health.

Neil Young always has vital comments on concerns of the day regarding family natural farming.  Here’s what he had to day:”How important it is that the family farmers do what they do by sustaining organic food. They bring back the earrh from the ground up. There are all great things, but they all pale in comparison to one thing, the people who go to the stores. People who are out there right now. We are all together in this. The climate change crisis is out there. If we go to our media, we don’t hear about it. We hear about rediculous stuff that doesn’t mean anything. We hear about the pontificating about political views. All of this meaningless in today’s world. We as the people all around this world can do something about it. We can work together and try to do natural things. Things that help you make decisions about what foods to gather, where to go to buy it. Don’t go the the wrong place to buy the right food. Research, read a little bit to find out what they are doing. It would be great if we could stop using fossil fuel but, things could come to a crashing halt anyway. We need to forget about those kind of things and think about natural things we could do.”

Young continued, “What’s the best way to get a mile and a half down the road? Probably the best way to do that is to walk. It’s the natural thing to do. It makes you stronger and it makes you hungry for good food. In the world you make the right decisions, the natural decisions. The natural way of life. Try to do things the way they used to be. Before we got so smart and so greedy. When I first came here with Willie and John, and Dave, we had a lot of these red shirts around that said stop factory farms. This was in the first and second year of Farm Aid. There’s a couple of them out there in the crowd. This is a serious business. This factory farm thing doesn’t work. It doesn’t work for us. It doesn’t work for humanity. It doesn’t work for the planet. It doesn’t work for the animals. It doesn’t work for the humans. It doesn’t work for anything that grows naturally. Everything that we do, we need to think about natural ways. What were the ways that our forefathers used? Because their ways worked. What we’ve done has gotten so greedy. i’m not going to decent to corporated farming gustalt. But I would like to say that we have a choice and its really the people on the street who are going to make the difference. The farmers are doing everything they can do. Without the people behind the farmers, it’s not going to work. The people need to support the farmers. That’s not just a phrase. We need to think about the world and what we are doing, the natural way. Where is this food coming from and what can I do to get to it? How can I get there without hurting the planet? What things can I do today that will help? What things can I leave off my list that are going to hurt something? If we research this, we will find that it’s not b that hard to figure out. So it’s all in our hands. It’s in the hands of the people of the world to support the farmers. Support everyone who is working for a better tomorrow. A better tomorrow is based in natural ways, mother nature. Mother nature will take care of the earth. We know that. We’ll all be gone. . . .Mother earth has mother nature to protect her. We need to follow those rules. We need to follow the natural ways of living. That’s all I know to say about this. It’s so simple. People have to support the world. 

The festival is always headlined by board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, and Margo Price. This year’s surprise guest was Bob Dylan. It was one of the most packed lineup of entertainers  seen in recent years. 

Immediately following the press conference, the entertainment started with the Wisdom Indian Dancers, Clayton Anderson, and the Black Opry. The Wisdom Indian Dancers are a permanent act at Farm Aid and their colorful set is very short. 

Clayton Anderson, originally from Bedford, Indiana, is inspired by board-member, John Mellencamp. Local fans seemed to be very familiar with Anderson and gave him a warm welcome during his uplifting set. 

The Black Opry featured Lori Rayne, Tylar Bryant, and Kyshona. The band was concieved to support black artists in country music. All of the members in attendence were superb singers. Their set demonstrated the reason Allison Russell introduced Kyshona as one of the best singers in show business. The set seemed far too short.

Particle Kid is Willie’s son Micah Nelson. The young Nelson is following in his father’s footsteps as a songwriter. The multi-instrumentalist always delivers an innovative set with new music offered. He often performs with The Flaming Lips and Neil Young. Nothing like singing “Everything is Bullsh*t” to a country crowd. His hard driving guitars easily pumped up fans.

The String Cheese Incident has been celebrating 30 years as a band. They are celebrating their forcoming album Lend Me a Hand featuring their blues-inspired new music. Fans were on their feet dancing to their loosely structured jam music.

This is the third year for multi-instrumentalist, Allison Russell, to appear at Farm Aid. Doesn’t matter if she is playing clarenet, banjo or guitar, her performance is stellar. Her vocals are compelling and emotional. It’s a great sight to see her at Farm Aid.

Nathaniel Rateliff and the NightSweats delivered another outstanding folk and Americana set prior to Lukas Nelson and The Promise of the Real. Nelson has come a long way since his appearances opening for BB King in 2009. “Sticks and Stones” and “Finding Yourself” were some of the performer’s offerings. The set was amazing as usual.

Bobby Weir and the Wolf Brothers bandmates included bassist Don Was, drummer Jay Lane, keyboardist Jeff Climenti and pedal steel guitarist Barry Siess. The band was aygmented by Sturgill Simpson on guitar, Margo Price on vocals and Lukas Nelson on guitar. It was a three song set that started with an extended version of “Truckin’”

The Jim Irsey Band featuring Ann Wilson and Kenny Wayne Sheperd were up next with Wilson and Sheperd performing the bulk of the set, thankfully. Both entertainers are the best at what they do. Also session guitarist, Tom Bukovac, thrilled the crowd. Margo Price followed with Sturgill Simpson sitting in during her set as well. They covered Simpson’s “Life of Sin.” “Paper Cowboy” and “Hurtin’ (On the Bottle)” were extra treats performed.

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds gave another spectacular acoustic set, prior to homeboy, John Mellencamp, gave the fans a run of his hit songs. Once “Jack and Diane” was started, Mellencamp stopped the song to chastise the fans for not singing it properly. It was all in fun and I must say the fans knew the lyrics to all of his songs. It was definitely a Mellencamp crowd.

Neil Young’s set was a solo set with Young playing harmonica and guitar as he walked around the stage and sang. It has been three years since Young has made a live appearance at Farm Aid. He was very apologetic regarding his absence. Young at one point shouted,”What’s your favorite planet?” and everyone roared back: “Earth!” The answer was written on the tee shirt he was wearing. The set seemed to be far too short with only four songs, granted they were long versions of the songs. One has to wonder if the set was cut short because of Bob Dylan being added to the list of performers.

Dylan’s surprise set was also short with only three songs including :Maggie’s Farm,” “Positively 4th Street,” and “Ballad of a Thin Man.” Dylan was accompanied by the Heartbreakers, Tom Petty’s band, making his Farm Aid reunion with that band very special. He took the stage without uttering a word to the crowd. Dylan has been touring and has dates lined up for the fall.

Willie Nelson and Family had the final set of the day and it was one of the best this reviewer has seen in many years. Nelson delivered exceptional guitar solos. He was flanked by sons Lukas and Micah as well as Waylon Payne. Some songs performed were “Always on My Mind,” “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Be Cowboys,” and “Texas Flood.” Nelson’s energy level could not have been higher. And Farm Aid could not have had a better day of music.

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AVA Amphitheatre

Tucson, Arizona

August 25, 2023

Mary Andrews

It didn’t take long for Ludacris aka Christopher Bridges to have the sold out AVA crowd up and on their feet grooving on Ludicris’ hit songs. The rapper and actor was thrilled to have the crowd knowing his songs by heart for the entire two hours. He has performed in Tucson a few times and professed to returrn before the show was over. 

He is one of the first ‘Dirty South’ rappers to achieve mainstream success in the 21st century, with several commercially and critically successful studio albums. Ludacris has won three Grammy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critic’s Choice Award and an MTV Video Music Award.

His prevalent and somewhat controversial contribution to popular culture over 20 years is a steady stream of clever lyrics weaving short-tempered aggression and sexual promiscuity with comedic punchlines. Tonight, he had many videos and photos projected in the background illuminating his career during the show.

Ludacris jokingly deemed the Tucson audience “the liveliest” he’s performed for in a long time. Backed by DJ Infamous and hype-man Lil Fate, Ludacris and his crew revisited the entire Ludacris catalogue of old hits — songs such as “Get Back,” “Rollout,” and “Pimpin’ All Over the World,” just to name a few.  “What’s Your Fantasy,” also included, was Ludacris’ 2000 breakout. Ludacris even performed some of his most famous featured verses, including his verse from Usher’s “Yeah,” and Fergie’s “Glamorous.” As the crowd sang along with his hits, he cheered hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. It was an unforgettable evening and Bridges repeatedly asked the audience to “turn it up to 11” and, sure enough, they got to 13, suggesting he could make a return visit to Tucson anytime. It was apparent that Bridges was having as much fun as the fans. He gave fans everything he had to give.

Twista was slated to open the show but for some unknown reason was unable to perform. The rapper had many Tucson fans who were disappointed. He was replaced by a local rap performance by AO.

LUDACRIS setlist

Southern Fried Intro / Southern Hospitality

Welcome to Atlanta (Jermaine Dupri cover)

Act a Fool

Glamorous (Fergie cover)

My Chick Bad

Splash Waterfalls

Money Maker

Area Codes

Pimpin’ All Over the World

Lovers and Friends (Lil Jon cover)

How Low

What’s Your Fantasy

Rollout

Stand Up

Yeah! (Usher cover)

All I Do Is Win (DJ Khaled cover)

Move Bitch

Get Back

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Damn Right Farewell Tour

AVA Amphitheatre

Tucson, Arizona

September 9, 2023

By Mary Andrews

Buddy Guy and opening act, Samantha Fish were doing their best to keep the blues alive in Tucson. Guy, the 87 year old legend, was determined to stand his ground and play music dating back to his early days in the 1950s. The Chicago bluesman has influenced everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and many more. He even played with Muddy Waters as a session musician. To this day, Guy plays with originality and a spark like no other guitarist.

Guy has had several opening acts during this tour. Samantha Fish opened for Guy tonight and she very pleasantly surprised many of the fans who were not familiar with Fish’s blues guitar. Fish was accompanied  by Jesse Dayton and her band that seemed to add to the verosity of her one hour set. The set steamed with lots of gusto and high energy. 

Even with Jesse Dayton on guitar and vocals, it was Fish’s show from the get go. The Kansas City native kicked out great arrangements of “Feelin’ Good,” “I’ll Be Here in the Morning,” “I Put a Spell on You,” and “Brand New Cadillac.” Many highlights during the set had fans out of their seats clapping and dancing. One must consider that at 800 pm, the temperature was well over 100 degrees. That didn’t keep Fish from delivering her best! Fish garnered many more new Tucson fans during this show.

It wasn’t any cooler during Guy’s set. However, Guy was as cool as a cucumber. He always seems to enjoy his shows as much as the crowd. When he decended on stage he stood momentarily so the fans could get a gander of his polka-dot guitar and shirt. Polka-dots seem to be ever present in his shows paying homeage to his late mother. He once promised her that he would buy her a polka-dot Cadillac when he made it big. That didn’t happen in time before her death. The presence of polka-dots in his show is the next best thing.

Guy started playing “Hoochie Coochie Man” and stopped  and quipped, “I don’t come down to Tucson often, but when I do come, I don’t want you to f**k up this song.” That was Guy’s feisty mood for the evening. More remarks included “I can play something so funky, you can smell it.” No one doubted anything Guy had to say. His playful mood was accompanied by his legendary guitar playing. He paid reverence to the guitar legends from the past:  BB King, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Bobby Rush, and Albert King. Some of the songs were only snippets instead of full versions. He laminted that they don’t play blues songs on the radio anymore. 

There was the moment when he laid his guitar on one of the amps and played the strings with a drumstick.  He still knows his way around the fretboard on a guitar better than most musicians. After a velvety version of “Fever,” Guy played a medley of tunes from Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”, and Hooker’s “Boom Boom.” Blues or no blues, Guy’s show are always uplifting for the rock and roll fans. The master bluesman is not to be missed.

Check out some of Samantha Fish moments on Unrated.

2017 Interview with Unrated

SAMANTHA FISH PLAYS THE TRALFS

Samantha Fish Plays Tucson, AZ

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AVA Amphitheatre

Tucson, AZ

June 29,2023

by Mary Andrews

The band, Alabama, has been churning out country hits for over 50 years. The band originated in Fort Payne, Alabama, in the late 1970s. By 1980 they had a recording contract with RCA records. Since that time, they have released 21 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums, 42 singles that topped the charts at number one, and sold over 75 million records in total. They have a lot of material to draw from for a 90 minute concert.

They have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and were named the Academy of Country Music‘s Artist of the Decade in 1989, and the Recording Industry Association of America‘s Country Group of the Century in 1999. In 2005, the band was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Fans showed up in droves at Casino del Sol to see and sing some of their favorite country songs. Alabama’s music is a mix of country, pop, gospel, and bluegrass. Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry are the only original members left of the band. That said, Alabama still is a sizable band.

The band walked out to a patriotic tribute video featuring officers in full dress uniforms, shots of Arlington cemetery and lots of flags. This seemd more appropriate since this is the 4th of July weekend. Their 50th Anniversary Tour delivered a majority of their hits. They dropped crowd pleasers like “Feels So Right” and “Dixieland Delight” without making much effort. The crowd got revved up early on with a lightning-fast version of “If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (“You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band).” “High Cotton” was dedicated to Owen’s mother whom he lost approximately a year ago. 

Owen brought up the subject of the night’s temperature several times during the evening with it still being 98 degrees at eight pm. He mentioned that their last gig was in South Dakota and it was 61 degrees. He also mentioned that everyone in the band has had Covid and pulled though without a hitch giving credit to the love in their ‘family.’ The band’s musical precision is equalled only by their stage charisma. The show felt very intimate even though there were 4,000 people present. The group took a final bow and danced off the stage, proving that over 50 years of performing hasn’t slowed them down.

Setlist

Pass It on Down
If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)
The Closer You Get
Sad Lookin’ Moon
Song of the South
Feels So Right
Can’t Keep a Good Man Down
High Cotton
As Long as There’s Love
Dixieland Delight
“You’ve Got” the Touch
Born Country
Angels Among Us
Orange Blossom Special
(Rouse Brothers cover)
Tennessee River
Take Me Down
Mountain Music

Encore:
Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)

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