U2 at Fedex Field, 9 29 09

Last night was U2's latest stop in DC - this time to do a little musical lobbying in support of their new CD, No Line on the Horizon.

After a Rolling Stones concert a few years ago, I swore I'd never go to another show at Fedex Field - too big, poorly set up, pain to get there, etc. But when I heard I could get in to see U2 for $30.00 (plus a mere $20.00 in additional fees and charges), I decided to take a chance.

We took the metro to the show and then walked the mile to the actual stadium. But it was a nice evening and a pleasant walk, and we were inside within 45 minutes of leaving the house. The opener, Muse, went on at 7:30 and played about 40 minutes. Couldn't tell you what they played since it was a big sonic mess of rhythm and pounding bass notes - the usual stadium sound disaster. But they looked good on huge video screens that wrapped the stage.

Our seats were in the upper deck but the stage was so enormous it made us feel like we were much closer than we actually were. U2 came onstage around 9:00 and played for about 2 hours or so altogether. I can 't believe I hadn't seen these guys since 1983 when "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was just taking off and they weren't even headlining big shows yet. I've always thought they were a great band even if I didn't like some of their mid-1990s material. There's a grandeur and power to their music that you rarely find - even in 1983 I knew this band was really special. I got swept away by that same feeling last night when they launched into "Where the Streets Have No Name." What a great moment!

Unfortunately for me, I'm not that familiar with the new album and, honestly, I don't think it's as good as their previous two. But like the Stones and Bowie and Springsteen, who all have amazing back catalogs, they played a number of songs from the new CD since that's what they are promoting on this tour. If anything, the show just made me wish I had seen them more in the late 1980s and early 2000s after they had released Joshua Tree or Atomic Bomb or Rattle and Hum.

But sitting up there at the top of Fedex Field I couldn't help but marvel at those four guys who've had a brilliant 30 year career without jerking from trend to trend or dragging backup players along with them on the road. Just four guys playing rock and roll - which is sometimes way more than enough.

Here's the set list:

Breathe

Magnificent

Get on Your Boots

Mysterious Ways

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Elevation

Your Blue Room

Beautiful Day

New Year's Day

Stuck In A Moment

Unforgettable Fire

City of Blinding Lights

Vertigo

I'll Go Crazy - Remix

Sunday Bloody Sunday

MLK

Walk On

One

Where The Streets Have No Name

Ultraviolet

With or Without You

Moment of Surrender

Fall Film Festivals, part 1

At a quick glance, it seems like Washington, D.C. has more and more film festivals every year. But what's really happened is that any time a theater or interest group strings together three films from the same region or about the same subject, they label it a "festival" and market it that way. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. "Festival" has merely joined "exclusive," "sale," and "VIP" on the list of misused and overused English words.

That said, we still have quite a few exciting and worthwhile film festivals to choose from in and around the District. For the next few posts, I'm going to highlight a few festivals that I've attended and recommend.

Right now, AFI in Silver Spring is hosting their annual Latin American Film Festival, which runs until October 12. This year, they're showing 30 films from Latin American countries, Spain, and Portugal, and they're doing something new – they're taking a few films on the road to Baltimore, Frederick, and Easton. Pretty cool idea. A lot of these films have won awards and are definitely worth your time, so check out the program guide online to find something that suits your interests.

AFI offers festival passes and combo discounts if you plan to see 6 or more films. And every Thursday and Friday evening during the festival, they're having a Happy Hour with complimentary snacks courtesy of local restaurants, Latin American drink specials, and music from 5:30 to 7:00.

30 films! Now that's a festival.

http://www.afi.com/silver/new/nowplaying/2009/v6i4/latin09.aspx

Fall is here, Batter up!

Ahhh . . . fall has arrived and all is well with the world. Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but things sure seem a lot better when the air is crisp, the sky is blue, and town is buzzing with art and music and occasional teabag protester. Around the city, theaters have kicked off their new seasons, movie companies are beginning to release their best films, musicians of all sorts are coming to town, football season has begun (for those of you into that), and baseball . . . well this year baseball has not been so very good to us in the District. But we have something coming our way to remedy that.

On October 2 and 3, the Library of Congress will be hosting a two-day symposium, "Baseball Americana," featuring Hall of Fame player Ernie Banks, all-star pitcher, broadcaster, and manager Larry Dierker, baseball language expert Paul Dickson, and Negro Leagues pitcher Mamie "Peanut" Johnson. The event is sponsored by the American Folklife Center and coordinated with the publication of the Library’s new book, "Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress." 

On Friday, Oct. 2, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. "Baseball Americana" will begin with an exhibition of the Library’s baseball treasures. Library of Congress curators will display and discuss items from the collections, including rare and historically significant baseball cards, photographs, and sheet music. Baseball expert and professional appraiser Frank Ceresi will give a presentation on baseball memorabilia and evaluate memorabilia brought in by audience members. This will be held in room LJ 119, first floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street , S.E, Washington, D.C. 

At 7 p.m. they will have a screening of memorable baseball clips from the Library’s film and television collections. The screening will be held in the Mumford Room, sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C.

On Saturday, Oct. 3, at 9 a.m., a series of presentations will examine baseball from a number of perspectives. Speakers will include former players, others who make their living through the game (including a stadium organist and a head groundskeeper), and experts on baseball cuisine, the language of baseball and baseball memorabilia. The last session of the symposium will be an extended interview with Ernie Banks, a two-time National League MVP and 11-time All Star, got his start in the Negro Leagues and was the first African American player hired by the Chicago Cubs. 

Admission to all of these events is free, but advance registration is required. To register, go to www.loc.gov/folklife/Symposia/Baseball/registration.php.  For more information, go to http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2009/09-168.html.

Rockin' at the 9:30 Club

Robert Gordon, original member of 1970s New York punk band Tuff Darts and well-regarded rockabilly singer is playing the 9:30 Club this Friday, August 14, with a punk/rockabilly all-star band of sorts. On guitar is Chris Spedding. Who's he played with . . . oh, Tom Waits, John Cale, Roxy Music, Johnny Thunders, Pretenders, and Paul McCartney, to name a few. Also in the band is former Stray Cat drummer Slim Jim Phantom and original Sex Pistols' bassist Glen Matlock. A powerful combination. As an added plus, New York garage rockers The Fleshtones are opening the show.

The music starts at 8:00 and costs a mere $20.00. What else would you want to do on a hot August night?

Devon Sproule at Jammin Java, July 21

Today's tip was sent in by Kris:

Musician Devon Sproule will be playing at Jammin Java next Tuesday, July 21.

Sproule is more fun to watch than listen to while dancing around a kitchen or driving down the road, which is saying a lot. Her facial expression, full body playing, and fervent energy for her music and life infuse the space with blues-y and bluegrass-y charm. Her original songwriting is upbeat and serious, reflective and joyfully present. While the show will be a trek from DC-center, Devon's a musician and performer well worth the jaunt. (And her last name rhymes with troll.)

A native of Canada, Sproule grew up in Virginia and now lives in Charlottesville. ¡Don't Hurry For Heaven! is her fourth CD (her first was released when she was 16).

The show starts at 7:00 p.m. The Waybacks are also on the bill. $15.00

http://www.devonsproule.com/

http://www.jamminjava.com/home/events/the-waybacks-devon-sproule

Capital Fringe Festival, July 9 - 26

The Capital Fringe Festival kicks off this week with performances in nontraditional venues in the Penn Quarter (Verizon Center area) and Mount Vernon Square neighborhoods. Now in its fourth year, the DC Fringe Festival brings hundreds of actors, musicians, comedians, and dancers to the city to perform in more than 125 unconventional works, produced by the artists themselves.

Individual tickets are a mere $15.00, yet multi-performance discounts are also available. And wearing your $5 fringe button gets you discounts in restaurants, stores, bars, theaters, and museums in the festival area.

Since 2006, the DC version of the fringe festival (the movement started in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1947) has grown each year. Over 20,000 tickets were sold to last year's festival.

http://capfringe.org/

Happy 4th of July!

This is THE big day here in Washington, with tens of thousands of people heading to the National Mall to watch the fireworks over the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, or the Capitol building (depending on where you're sitting).

In a way, it's odd that D.C. would be the epicenter for July 4th celebrations since it wasn't emer in John Adams' mind when the Continental Congress gathven a glimered in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776 to debate whether to declare independence from Great Britain. Considering the history, Philly should have the most spectacular firework show in the county. Oh well, the real history so often gets lost when it comes to holidays and commemorations. Labor Day, anyone?

So if you're at a BBQ this weekend and the talk turns from sports and television to American history (as it often does), here is a little July 4th trivia you can use to impress your friends:

1) Thomas Jefferson was only 33 years old when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. (Actually he wrote a draft of the Declaration, it was edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, and Congress made a number of other changes. But the poetry in the document was pure Jefferson.)

2) On July 2, 1776, twelve of the thirteen states voted for independence. The outlier? New York. The state had not approved the measure so the delegates to the Continental Congress abstained from the vote on July 2. They finally came around on July 15.

3) So why don't we celebrate July 2 rather than July 4? Good question.

John Adams once wrote: "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

He was off by two days. July 4th was the day the Declaration of Independence was actually approved and that's what stuck in minds of Americans.

4) So when did the 4th of July become a holiday? In 1870 it became an unpaid holiday for Federal employees. It wasn't until 1938 that it became a paid Federal holiday, increasing its popularity among many Americans.

Huzzah!