There are things for people to do this weekend if they want to get out of the sun, or play in the sun.
FRIDAY –
BRIAN JONES ROCK & ROLL REVIVAL is at Humphrey’s Backstage Music Club in SHELTER ISLAND. Perfect city for them to do “Gimme Shelter.”
For fans of Neil Diamond, now that he’s stopped touring, your chance to hear his songs live can be with SUPER DIAMOND, not on a September Morn, but September evening, at the Belly Up Tavern in SOLANA BEACH.
On the opposite end of the music spectrum, the punk band CIRCLE JERKS will be at the Observatory in NORTH PARK.
SATURDAY –
If you want a free concert, the band ERAS (not to be confused with Taylor Swift), will be doing Yacht Rock songs outdoors in SAN MARCOS at North City.
One of the biggest yacht rock cover bands around, YACHTLEY CREW, will be rocking (and I use that term loosely) the folks at PALA Casino. Wear your sailor hat and favorite Hawaiian shirt.
We all know about the SAVANNAH BANANAS doing their wacky and fun baseball games (think Harlem Globetrotters but with baseball). They’ll be at PETCO PARK for a game.
CHICKENBONE SLIM AND THE BISCUITS, which feature the best blues guitarist around (local Laura Chavez), will be at Hooley’s Irish Pub in EL CAJON.
Another popular local female talent, singer REBECCA JADE, will be at L’Auberge in DEL MAR.
And local music legend and producer, JEFF BERKLEY is having an album release at the Jazz Lounge in SAN DIEGO.
JACKSON BROWNE is at Humphrey’s by the Bay on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets start at $150, so…your wallet might be running on empty after that.
SUNDAY –
On TV you got the first games of the NFL season, but if you want some live “football” (or soccer, as we call it here), the SAN DIEGO WAVE FC play Houston Dash. You can dash over to Snapdragon Stadium for that game. They are retiring the jersey number of Alex Morgan and they are in 3rd place, working toward a play-off spot.
Since Linda Ronstadt isn’t touring, well…it’s so easy…to still hear her songs live, with the RONSTADT REVIVAL at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach.
If you’re going to enjoy the air conditioning of the movie theaters, you’ve got a remake.
ON THE BIG SCREEN…
THE ROSES
The studio decided not to screen “The Roses” for the San Diego critics. So off to the Angelika Film Center I went on Labor Day. My wife and I both thought the trailers looked good. And I was surprised to find out she’s one of the few people, like me, that wasn’t a fan of the original (War of the Roses, with Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito). But I had recently seen a short film called “Death of a Rosebush” by local filmmaker Rich Varville, and it was brilliant. So I’m ready to stop and smell these roses again (as it’s a remake / new adaptation of the novel). The reason the original worked for a lot of people is they had seen Douglas and Turner together in previous movies with a romantic vibe. That was a hardcore dark comedy (with the funny guy from “Taxi”). What this new version has going for it is Olivia Colman (who is terrific) and Benedict Cumberbatch. He’s good, but they make him too mean, so you never once root for him. And while Colman had a few lines that made me laugh, this film really didn’t have a lot of comedy going for it. Even when they bring in the usually reliable Allison Janney as the tough lawyer, or Andy Samberg. He was amazing in “Palm Springs” (and I love “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”). Kate McKinnon (SNL) is usually funny, but only had one scene that cracked a smile on me (she did this type of sex-crazed character a lot better in the underrated comedy “Office Christmas Party”). The talented Zoe Chao (Nightbitch) and Sunita Mani (Death of a Unicorn, Mr. Robot) were wasted in these roles, and didn’t seem the least bit believable (which falls on the weak screenplay). This was directed by Jay Roach, who I’ve always been hit and miss with (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents, Dinner for Schmucks). The tone for the whole movie just doesn’t work; is it a dark comedy, is it a drama? Shouldn’t we worry about the alcoholism these people might have, or what they’re putting their kids through? It makes it hard to laugh at what is going on, or even buy it. I mean, he helps her set up a restaurant, and now he’s going to sabotage it? She lets him build their dream home (he’s that profession many are in the movies – an architect), and then she’s going to destroy it? I just don’t buy it. You’ll still get some enjoyment out of this because you’re watching Colman and Cumberbatch, two of the best in the business. 2 stars out of 5.
ON THE SMALL SCREEN…if you’re a fan of music documentaries, a couple of good ones that have been out for months now….
BILLY JOEL: AND SO IT GOES
I have a love/hate relationship with Joel’s catalog. As a kid, I had three albums, and loved them (The Stranger, Nylon Curtain, 52nd Street). When I got “Glass Houses” in the dollar bin at a record store, I recognized the hits on it, but didn’t care for it. I also got one of his early albums, “Piano Man” and really only liked the title track. His later stuff never really moved me (other than the beautiful ballad “Lullaby”). In fact, I loath “River of Dreams” and “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (which isn’t a song, it’s a list; and a list that doesn’t even make sense, but I digress). As I’ve always said about documentaries, they’re usually interesting, even if you know nothing about the subject (or aren’t necessarily a hardcore fan). It’s strange that they made this five hours (in two parts). The first part is excellent. We see Joel go from a nerdy musical genius, to a variety of bands (with some regional success), but struggling when he moved to L.A. with his new wife (who was his best friend, and bandmate’s wife). And, who doesn’t love a good rags-to-riches story? It’s interesting that Joel gives us some of the warts in his life, but he’s also being a tad selective on just exactly what he reveals. Some of the talking heads include Pink, Nas, McCartney, Springsteen, Garth Brooks, and Sting. My wife and I were more surprised that there were interviews with all his ex-wives (including Christie Brinkley), some of whom were women more than half his age. It was interesting to find out about his two suicide attempts, his mother’s mental illness, his classically trained dad who just disappeared, and his grandfather escaping the Nazis. I’m also glad they covered my favorite song – “Vienna.” 3 stars out of 5, and you can watch it on HBO Max.
YACHT ROCK: A DOCKUMENTARY
My wife and I have the weirdest debates about music. She loves Springsteen (she’s from Jersey, it’s required), and doesn’t like a lot of the classic rock bands I love (how she can’t stand Led Zeppelin and AC/DC is beyond me). Another one of our disagreements is on yacht rock. It’s a guilty pleasure for me, while she dislikes it. But as a kid in the ‘70s, I have fond memories of hearing these songs in my mom’s Pinto while she drove me to basketball practice. Hearing Pablo Cruise, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins…brings back fond memories. It’s interesting to hear the artists comment on it all. Who knew Toto played as session guys on so many of the hits? And who knew that Michael McDonald would love the various ways people have made fun of him (even his kids liking how Warren G sampled it in “Regulate” better than his hit “Keep Forgetting”, or Rick Moranis making fun of him on a show). You also feel bad for some artists (Christopher Cross for example, had such a huge first album, and not much after that). One of the members of Steely Dan, wasn’t so willing to participate (he told them to F-off, before hanging up on the filmmakers). And that leads to the question nobody can truly answer – what exactly is yacht rock. In fact, they show a chart of what is and isn’t Yacht Rock. Boz Scaggs: Yes; Fleetwood Mac: No. It’s also interesting to learn that yacht rock blends R&B, jazz and rock ballads. There’s actually some talent involved. I was also floored to find out the term “yacht rock” came from these dudes in their early ‘20s who would buy albums in the dollar bin, obsessively read the liner notes of musicians on them, and make funny YouTube videos about what they discovered. All this made me especially excited to see the band “Yachtley Crew” (who are featured in the dockumentary), on September 6th at Pala Casino. 4 stars out of 5.