The Shins at Kemba Live on September 4, 2022.
During the early 2000’s, The Shins were considered to be the face of indie rock by many. Their first album Oh, Inverted World was released 21 years ago in 2001. Their 2022 tour (of the same name) is in commemoration of their first album in which they play it in its entirety. The Shins would go on to do another four albums through 2017. They had large commercial success with songs like New Slang and Simple Song, both of which are staples for indie pop rock. While there was nothing particularly innovative to note about the show at Kemba Live, it was ‘excellent’ on all levels from the stage set, lighting, sound mix and the artist performance. The Shins fans definitely fell in love with this show! A few numbers included the very talented openers, Joseph (more below).
Joseph at Kemba Live on September 4, 2022.
Joseph is a powerhouse folk trio of sisters coming from Portland, Oregon. Some families have more musical talent than others. In this case, MUCH MORE! Natalie Closner Schepman (vocals, guitar, floor drum) was originally pursuing a career as a solo artist, but eventually invited her twin sisters Allison and Meegan Closner (vocals) to collaborate. The band Joseph was born in 2014 and they’ve been blowing audiences away since. The sound is very raw and stripped down with a single guitar and floor drum as the only instrumentation besides vocals. Joseph are brilliant song writers and singers with each member showcasing their abilities individually throughout the set. Joseph will fully capture the audience whether it be a small coffee house or an arena. You must check them out if you like Joni Mitchell or Stevie Nicks!
Victor Wooten Bass Extremes at Woodlands Tavern on September 6, 2022.
Bass Extremes is a trio of musicians that feature Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey with a rotation of drummers. Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey are two of the world’s leading bass players and they have dedicated much of their lives to sharing their passion and knowledge with others. Victor Wooten has been awarded bass player of the year three times by Bass Player Magazine (only person to win more than once), was named one of the top ten bass players of all time by Rolling Stone, and has won five Grammy Awards. He is the long standing bassist for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Steve Bailey, the current chair of the bass department at the Berklee College of Music, is considered one of the best fretless bass players in the world. It is hard to describe in words the range of musical talent from these two that took place over a two and half hour set. This was one of the coolest shows that I have ever seen and it is true jamming at its absolute best!
Eric Clapton at the Schottenstein Center on September 8, 2022.
This was absolutely a bucket list show for me. Like tens of thousands of other musicians in the world, Clapton has been a major influence in learning to play the guitar. I immediately attempted to play his most popular licks when I first picked up the guitar at the age of 16. Wow, how a person can put their personal mark on music and the blues! Clapton needs no introduction, but just in case you actually do need (or want) one, then you should check out his Wiki and plow through endless videos, interviews and documentaries on YouTube. He has had such an incredible musical and personal journey here on earth, including struggling with addiction and the loss of his son in a terrible accident. I was expecting to see a somewhat degraded 77 year old musician that would show signs of aging, going deaf, and a particular troublesome neurological disease. I was more than surprised to the contrary and Clapton still has it!!! But for how long?
