My first self- paid concert-- the Beach Boys at the Boise High School Auditorium maybe summer of 1962? The show was pretty much "Party Tour" material, but it was well before that album. Also before the Beatles, but the girls in attendance couldn't have screamed any louder or more constantly through the whole show. If they were just starting to play the new stuff in, they couldn't have been much more accurate vocally. Dennis wasn't much of a drummer, though... Al Jardine once said something to the effect that when they were still just kids Mr. Wilson would take them to beach days, and they would harmonize in the car on the way home, and he would have to pull off sometimes because tears were blurring his vision. Al said we didn't understand-- we thought anybody could do what we were doing... Rest in harmony, Brian.
They should've made that clearer by adding to the song title "De do do not, sta sta sta stalk your significant other or love interest"
Saw Styx last night and Social Distortion tonight. Styx sounded better than expected, still nailing those old classics like Lady, Come Sail Away, Blue Collar Man, etc. Don Felder was one of the warmup artists and his rendition of Life in the Fast Lane was a brilliant highlight, as was Hotel California, Victim of Love, etc. Social Distortion played a great set. Really good to see how the Portland crowd turns out for the old punk rock heroes. Mike Ness sounded as good as ever, excellent news since he had a recent battle with tonsil cancer which it sounds like they caught early and were able to treat successfully. $25 tickets for Styx (and five minutes from home), $30 for Social Distortion (sold out show but there were some last-minute deals to be found on StubHub). Styx Cascade Amphitheater Social Distortion Crystal Ballroom
If you’ve never seen the Styx episode of “Behind the Music” it’s really something. Dennis DeYoung may be a great guy and he certainly has talent but he’s one of the least self-aware people on the planet. No shade and not knocking you for being a fan nor the current lineup nor even DeYoung himself.
Domo Arigato @bigredfutbol. Domo f********ing Arigato. DeYoung is a cultural treasure. @Quakes05 , those venues and stage designs look great.
Nick Cave says he declined Morrissey’s request to sing ‘silly anti-woke screed’ on new song Responding to a fan question, the singer said he felt the words were ‘unnecessarily provocative’ but called Morrissey ‘probably the best lyricist of his generation’ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jun/17/nick-cave-anti-woke-morrissey-song-red-hand-files
If anyone wants to read Nick Cave's actual words, instead of the unnecessarily provocative mediation by the Guardian designed to get outrage clicks, they are right here: https://www.theredhandfiles.com/morrissey-essense-being-human/
Another demonstration that Nick Cave, along with Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen, is one of the best writers among people who have ever fronted a band. That's off the top of my head, anyway.
I saw Styx live back in the last century when I was a student. I didn't know much about them when I went, but a friend got me tickets so I showed up, and I have to say they put on one hell of a show. What got to me other than the amazing special effects was how they had three band members who were stylistically so different from each other, and depending on who was singing it sounded like three completely different bands. And somehow they made it work.
I listened to 2 1/2 songs and said nah. Which I never do. The moral of the story is, don’t trust Nick Cave’s musical advice.