Is Jason Segel the new Mike Jones?
To answer the question in the headline, probably not, but Segel did pull a Mike Jones and give out his phone number to fans at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles Wednesday when he appeared as a guest during the Swell Season's concert.
Segel, of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "How I Met Your Mother" fame, sang his digits and, like everything else these days, the video ended up on YouTube. I called the number and the call went straight to voicemail, which made me think he's either A) gotten a lot of calls today or B) set up this number in advance as a gag.
Speaking of Mike Jones (who? Mike Jones!), it's probably about time I deleted his number -- 281-330-8004, as he so memorably imprinted upon the nation's brain in 2005 -- from my phone, but I just can't bring myself to do it.
Video via the great Pigeons and Planes.
Thoughts on Phish at Cobo
Phish opened its 2009 fall tour at Cobo Arena in Detroit Wednesday night -- the band's first area show in a decade -- with a powerful 24-song, 3-hour show before a more-barefooted-than-you-would-expect crowd of 10,500 fans.
It was my first Phish show, so I'm far from an expert. (My previous Phish experiences include missing the band at Bonnaroo in 2009 and enjoying their ice cream.) But I will say this: I've never taken fewer notes at a concert (I mostly just noted how long the songs were, and the 15-minute "Down With Disease" seemed to take the cake), and I've never seen the faces in the seats around me change so frequently (every song, there was a whole new group of people surrounding me. Turns out Phish fans don't much like staying in their assigned seats).
Here are some other thoughts on my phirst Phish concert:
Phish likes to jam! Turns out the rumors were true. Noodly jams dominated the night, though most of them were much more purposeful and driven than I expected. Songs such as "David Bowie" (which closed the band's first 90-minute set), "Down With Disease," "Mike's Song," "Weekapaug Groove" and the encore, "Character Zero," were hard-charging rockers that built to towering heights and crashing crescendos, and took the audience on a journey together. Yes, there were some jams from jam's sake, but the band was rarely self-indulgent -- quite a feat for a band with a reputation for draaaaaging out their shows. They were there to do a job, and they handsomely and compellingly accomplished their goals.
Phish isn't very interesting to the eye. Yes, they're world-class musicians, but unless you're thrilled by watching fingers slide up and down a fretboard -- and, to be fair, many are -- the dudes in Phish just aren't that exciting to watch. In fact, I'm not even sure frontman Trey Anastasio or bassist Mike Gordon moved their feet until second-set closer "Cavern." Thankfully, they've got an astoundingly cool and sublimely trippy light show backing them up, which more than makes up for the lack of showboating -- or any kind of boating for that matter -- going on on-stage.
Cobo's scoreboard is hilarious. When's the last time that thing was even fired up? It's even got an ad on it for the Wellness Plan, the Detroit-based HMO which went into insolvency almost a decade ago. Probably time to update that one, guys.
Phish appeals to the kid in us all. Especially when those kids are actual kids. On the floor in front of where I was sitting, one man had a child, who looked to be about 5-years-old, on his shoulders. There are several ways to look at this. On the one hand, an environment with as much rampant drug use as a Phish concert may not be the best place for a 5-year-old to be hanging out; the contact high alone could have him buzzing for days. But I'm not a professor of being a father, I'm just a guy who writes about music. So then I started looking at it from the kid's perspective, and he looked to be having the time of his life. And why wouldn't he? For one, he was up way past his bedtime (I presume, at least). For another, he got to wear an awesome hat made of glowsticks. Thirdly, there were balloons bouncing and glowy stuff everywhere, not to mention that bananas light show coming from the stage. And loud music to boot! So I could easily see what this kid was enjoying, and perhaps what everyone else around him was, too: Going to a Phish concert is a very visceral experience where you get to act like a kid again. That nakedly expressive dancing that's so prevalent at Phish shows is reminiscent of the kind of free-form dances little kids do, though slightly more controlled. But the idea is the same: You're just moving to the music and doing what it tells you to do and not caring about anything else. On that topic: Phish could probably make a killer children's album one day.
I probably won't be joining Phish on the road this year. I saw my show, I'm good for awhile. I'll gladly see them again the next time they swing through town, but as for following them to Cincinnati this weekend, I'll pass, thank you.
Here are some photos from Wednesday's show taken by the esteemable John Greilick. Greilick is an excellent photographer whose work I admire greatly, and while he usually shoots things like U-M football, he loves shooting rock shows and I love it when he shoots the rock shows I cover. Dude's got a great eye and I'm proud to display his work here in this space.
Motley Crue repackages its greatest hits... yet again
Here's a question: How many versions of "Home Sweet Home" does one really need?
The answer, according to Motley Crue: 5, and counting.
The legendarily decadent Los Angeles foursome releases its "Greatest Hits" album today. Sound familiar? It should, because today's release follows 2005's "Red, White & Crue," 1998's "Greatest Hits" and 1991's "Decade of Decadence," not to mention Hip-O Records' 2003 set "The Millennium Collection: The Best of Motley Crue."
Overkill much?
Besides, if we're being honest, all the Motley you could ever want was collected on the band's original hits set, "Decade of Decadence." The 1990s and 2000s have not been bountiful years for new Motley Crue hits; that well pretty much ran dry after the band's signature release, 1989's "Dr. Feelgood."
Regardless, that hasn't kept the band from pumping out Greatest Hits packages, and we're smart enough to know this probably isn't the last hits package that will emerge from Camp Motley.
Here's a look at the hits sets from the band to-date:
"Decade of Decadence" (1991)
What's on it: 15 tracks, including Crue essentials "Shout at the Devil," "Looks that Kill," "Smokin' in the Boys Room," "Girls, Girls, Girls," "Wild Side," "Dr. Feelgood" and "Kickstart My Heart." It also includes "Home Sweet Home '91 (Remix)," which has very slight, if any, differences from the 1985 original.
"Greatest Hits" (1998)
What's on it: The aforementioned Crue classics, as well as two songs recorded especially for the set ("Bitter Pill" and "Enslaved"), three additional songs from "Dr. Feelgood" ("Same Old Situation (S.O.S.)," "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" and "Without You") and a pair of songs from the band's electronic-leaning mid-90s effort "Generation Swine."
"The Millennium Collection: The Best of Motley Crue" (2003)
What's on it: A curious collection, in that it omits hits such as "Dr. Feelgood" in favor of non-hits such as "Generation Swine's" title track and "Hooligan's Holiday," recorded when Vince Neil had left the band and John Corabi took over the frontman role. To the Crue's credit, they had nothing to do with this release.
"Red, White & Crue" (2005)
What's on it: An overstuffed 37 tracks, including the previously mentioned Crue hits, the "Dr. Feelgood" tracks, three newly recorded songs and the two "new" tracks from 1998's "Greatest Hits" (whaddya know, they became hits!). A pared down single-disc version was also released.
"Greatest Hits" (2009)
What's on it: 19 tracks, including the can't-miss Crue classics, the five "Dr. Feelgood" singles, two of the "new" tracks from "Red, White & Crue" (hey, they became hits, too!) and two tracks from 2008's "Saints of Los Angeles." At least the guys were honest with the cover art -- see those dollar signs? This is nothing but a cash-in... until their next greatest hits set is released.
R. Kelly at the Fox Theatre: 10 outrageous moments
R. Kelly performed Saturday night at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, the second night of his 2-night stand at the venue on his "Ladies Make Some Noise" tour.
Because a straightforward review wouldn't do justice to the absurdity of the show, here is a list of the 10 most outrageous moments at the show.
10. The red carpet song. R. Kelly hit the stage, for some reason, to the sound of Kanye West's "Flashing Lights." He was joined by a hype man and dressed in blue jeans, a white sportcoat, a red scarf and a Cincinnati Reds hat. (It was the first of several outfits he'd wear throughout the night.) During the first several songs, the stage was made up to look like the outside of a club, complete with roped-off sections of girls and a red carpet in the middle of the stage. When that portion of the show ended, he asked his crew to remove the red carpet from the set because he almost tripped on it "three God d*** times," a refrain he turned into an impromptu song. "Said I almost tripped three God d*** times," he sang, as his band backed him up with some smooth R&B licks.
9. "I'm F***** You Tonight." Kells sang a portion of his remarkably to-the-point duet with the Notorious B.I.G. and focused mainly on the chorus, one of the least romantic ever penned. But that didn't seem to bother him. "I like the words to this one," he said, crooning the chorus several more times.
8. Kells' forgetfulness. During a mid-show stretch where he sang just the choruses to some of his best-known songs -- Kells seemed happy to simply remind people of songs he'd done or appeared on in the past -- he abruptly stopped in the middle of "Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby," from his self-titled 1995 album. "I forgot the rest, but y'all remember that s***," he told the crowd. "I ain't gonna remember them all." Of course not, Kells.
7. The court case speech. During "I Believe I Can Fly," Kells stopped his band and spoke to the audience. "This is my first tour since my court case," he said, to a round of emphatic cheers from the crowd. (The half-dozen or so protestors outside the show might have had a different reaction.) He said the case -- during which he was cleared of child pornography charges -- was "something I went through, and y'all went through it with me," before shouting, "and I'm still here! I coulda been gone!" He then sang a jubilant take on Marvin Sapp's "Never Would Have Made It," ran off stage and returned, defiantly, to "I Believe I Can Fly." He ended the song with his arms outstretched, invincible to the world.
6. Kells' underwear. It's one thing for an audience member to throw their underwear on stage, but Kells is all about subverting expectations. During the midway point of the show, a small screen was brought on stage, and he stood behind it and changed his clothes. (Whether he really changed his clothes or not is questionable.) When he emerged, he had a pair of underwear in his hands, which he proceeded to toss out into the crowd. Take that, Tom Jones.
5. The Michael Jackson tribute. After an early segment where a movie theater scene was recreated on stage -- the theater marquee read "Screamer," a clear reference to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" -- Kells left the stage and cut to a videotaped message of himself talking about Michael Jackson. So, to recap, we were watching a videotaped message from R. Kelly AT AN R. KELLY CONCERT. On the tape, Kells talked about how much Michael Jackson meant to him and what it was like working with him, though that part of the message was lost when the tape cut to a video of Michael Jackson grooving in the backseat of a car to R. Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)." Basically, Kells' Michael Jackson tribute was an excuse to show how much Michael Jackson dug R. Kelly. Sly, Kells, very sly.
4. Kells' ADD. As mentioned, R. Kelly isn't really interested in full performances of songs in concert, he's barely even interested in choruses. He'll do just enough of a song to remind you that song exists, then he's on to the next one. On Saturday, he did abbreviated portions of at least 20 songs, including "Pass That S***," "Go Getta," "So Sexy," "Hotel," "Thoia Thoing," "I'm a Flirt," "Fiesta," "Bump & Grind," "Sex in the Kitchen," "Your Body's Callin'," and more. The technique allowed him to do a lot of songs, but not really do any. It's almost as if he doesn't understand the concept of concerts -- or maybe he's the only one who truly does?
3. The Sam Cooke segment. R. Kelly came out at the end of the 1 hour, 45-minute show wearing a tuxedo and a red bowtie, and dedicated a mini-set of Sam Cooke songs to his late mother, Joanne. Kells sang "Bring It on Home to Me" and "A Change is Gonna Come" into a vintage microphone with a large video screen behind him showing the logo of the Copacabana. It was classy, cool and, well, strange, and it was hard to believe it was even a part of the same show as some of the other moments (say, the "I'm F***** You Tonight" bit). Kells is nothing if not unpredictable.
2. The guy behind me. The seats on the floor were only about two-thirds full on Saturday, but from what the guy sitting behind me told me it was a different case on Friday night. "Man, there was so many hoes up in here last night," he told me, unprompted. I nodded and smiled and went back to the show. He took off a few songs later.
1. The booty moment. R. Kelly is a humorist. If that wasn't clear before the bizarre "Trapped in the Closet" saga, it was readily apparent afterwards. Still, one of the most ludicrous songs in his catalog remains "Feelin' On Yo' Booty," the end of which finds Kells singing the word "booty," up and down the musical scale, ad infinitum. After dedicating the song Saturday to all the "little booty girls" in the crowd (he told a story about dedicating the song to all the "big booty girls" the last time he was in town), he reached the climax of the song, and sang "b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b" for roughly 30 seconds or so before hitting the big "Booty!" moment. At any other concert it would be a beyond ridiculous episode, but for Kells, it was simply par for the course.
Trouble in Weezer land?
Weezer's latest album, "Raditude," debuts at No. 7 on this week's Billboard albums chart. Here's the troubling part: The album sold 66,000 copies its first week in stores, about half of the 126,000 copies last year's self-titled "Red" album sold its first week out.
Yes, music sales are eroding and album sales are off about 15 percent from where they were last year, which is off about 15 percent from where they were the year before, and so on. But a 47 percent drop off in 18 months time is cause for concern.
What happened? For the most part, "Raditude" was better reviewed than last year's "Red" album, and first single "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" is the band's best-received single in years. But it didn't translate on the sales front.
And while the "Red" album had a buzzworthy first video in "Pork and Beans" -- the sole intention of which seemed to be to stoke Internet chatter -- it's not likely that made people run out and buy the album.
The problem is the "Red" album was largely viewed as a letdown, and following 2005's "Make Believe" -- still the most beleagured album in Weezer's catalog (though, to be fair, it's got more high points than the "Red" album) -- perhaps people were feeling burned by Weezer albums and soured on the idea of picking up "Raditude" right away. In other words, fans are jumping ship.
There is a silver lining in all this for Weezer, however: The album sold 3,000 of those 66,000 copies via Internet mail order, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which likely can be read as sales through the Snuggie promotion on Weezer's Web site (long story short: Order a $30 Weezer Snuggie, get the album for free).
As album sales continue to erode, bands need to find new revenue streams to stay afloat, and Weezer Snuggies -- which netted Weezer all sorts of oddball press in the last week -- are as good an idea as any. (There's even a super deluxe $150 "Raditude" package being offered on Weezer.com, and if you can get people to pony up $150 for a new album, hey, more power to you.)
At any rate, as things seemingly cool off for Weezer, at least those Snuggies will help keep their fans warm.
Photoblogging Metallica
Metallica brought its electrifying World Magnetic tour -- which played to a sold-out crowd at Joe Louis Arena in January -- to Grand Rapids' Van Andel Arena on Monday.
It is, without a doubt, an incredible show -- a visual marvel that takes full advantage of its dynamic in-the-round set up. The wide open configuration allows for clean sight lines throughout the building as the band wanders judiciously around the stage, creating a loose environment for the crowd and the band. The setlist may continue to lean a little heavily on "Black Album" material -- they could have easily done without "The Unforgiven" -- but Metallica is clearly in a healthy place and enjoying performing, even after being on the road for the better part of the last year. And they remain a monstrous live act: Aggressive but not rage-filled, emphasizing the humanity in their music rather than blindly blowing off adolescent steam. These are professionals playing a mature form of hard rock, and it's a thrill to watch these masters play together. If that means hearing "Enter Sandman" for the 500,000th time, so be it.
Here are my photos from the show:
Van Andel Arena before the show, shot from the parking garage across the street.
Lead singer James Hetfield.
Bassist Robert Trujillo.
Drummer Lars Ulrich.
Guitarist Kirk Hammett.
We should probably talk about this new Lady Gaga video
It's hard to know quite what is going on here, but it's tough not to be sucked in by it. A lot like Lady Gaga, actually.
This newly released "Bad Romance" video combines the human trafficking elements of "Hostel" (in this instance for sex, not mutiliation) with the clean, futuristic visuals of "2001." Throw in some skin, some over-the-top costuming and a bit of David LaChappelle-style absurdity in the closing shot and voila, you've got Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance."
How to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew
Hint: It involves a shoe, a concrete wall, and several vageuly drunken (or just European) Europeans.
Movie titles as lines of dialogue within the movie: A celebration
Sly, stellar work by Videogum on this video which exposes the ham-handedness of movies whose titles appear as lines of dialogue within the movie.
Let's hope Jake Gyllenhaal mentions he's the Prince of Persia at least once in his upcoming movie (what's the title of it, again?).
V: Let's hope the special effects have improved
So, a rather impressive 14 million viewers tuned in to watch the kickoff of the new-and-improved "V" Tuesday night, making it the second highest debut of the new TV season (behind that show with LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell, a pairing which I can barely remember living without).
Viewers got to see a lot during the show -- including the hovering alien ships, which are outfitted with gigantic hi-def TVs on the bottom! Can you imagine watching the new LL Cool J/ Chris O'Donnell series on those things? -- but what we didn't get to see is the aliens EATING RATS. Because that's what the aliens do, they EAT RATS. They're RAT-EATING ALIENS!
Or maybe they're not? Since we didn't get to see them dine during the premiere, we don't know what kind of meal plan they're on these days (maybe they eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch, who knows?). But let's just hope if they do indeed snack on rats, the show's FX team makes use of the vast improvements in technology since the original "V" hit the air in the Regan years. Witness:
Also, if they go with some sort of robotic overlord voice like in the above clip, let's hope they hire T-Pain (or at least get someone to use the T-Pain iPhone app).
Clip via Vulture.
