This will be one of two NC dates, as the band moves on to Charlotte for a show four nights later. While I’m ecstatic that the band has two dates in the state, why would they select Greensboro instead of Raleigh to balance the Charlotte date? Is it because of ticket sales in 2007? As I recall, Raleigh was added to the tour, so by the time we knew about a Raleigh date, we had all traveled to see the band. Additionally, our date was postponed not once, but twice because of Eddie’s treatment, so it’s hard to blame a public for losing confidence that the event will happen. Of course there are other factors (like promoter relationships with venues, the band’s album sales in each MSA, venue size, etc), and there is always the chance a date in between the two gets added, but I’m not betting on it.

No word on ticket sales yet.

The parade will be aired from 11am to 1pm. While NBC is the more prominent network covering the event, HGTV (TWC Channels 1350 and 350) blows NBC’s coverage away year after year. Not only is their commentary about the craft of each float superb, they also show the marching bands for more then 5 seconds each.

Take a look at the Broughton Band during their first pass of the Raleigh Christmas Parade six weeks ago:

(maybe this time The Veldt will actually SHOW for a gig they $%^&ing BOOKED…but I’m not one to hold a grudge…for decades…)

• “Wish You Were Here” – Pink Floyd
• “Tempted” – Squeeze
• “Black Betty” – Ram Jam
• “Born In the U.S.A.” – Bruce Springsteen
• “What It’s Like” – Everlast
• “Highway to Hell” – AC/DC
• “Beautiful Day” – U2
• “Something To Believe In” – Poison
• “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” – Blue Oyster Cult
• “Selling the Drama” – Live

One thing the entire extended playlist has in common is that the songs are all more than 10 years old. While this is a more varied mix that isn’t likely to repeat songs ad nauseum during the workday (eg. Adele, The Script, Train), these are songs that have been played and played and played and played and played. This isn’t an assault on “Alternative”. It’s an assault on anything remotely creative.

Curtis Media Group also has rebranded the station to “Radio 96.1”. While it isn’t a major shift in format, it is a big enough change to warrant new branding.

What makes no sense…NO SENSE, however is the dismissal of Bob The Blade, a great personality in this market for, what, almost three decades now? If we have to endure “Don’t Fear the Reaper” for the 80,000th time, at least do it with a personality that so many people enjoy like a sibling. He was one of the bright spots in a dismal, embarrassing radio market.

If Curtis Media and Clear Channel controlled the production of food and restaurant menus, we would still be eating Pot Roast, Hamburgers, and Hot Dogs. We are one of the best places to live in America, but it surely isn’t a result of local radio’s work.

The first jazz composer to win the Pulitzer Prize in music, New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis also was the first artist to win jazz and classical Grammy Awards in the same year. His Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) features 15 of jazz music’s leading soloists, drawing from an extensive repertoire including the masterworks of Ellington, Mingus, Coltrane and other great jazz composers, and original compositions by Mr. Marsalis, Benny Carter, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Joe Lovano, Marcus Roberts, Geri Allen, Christian McBride and others. “Extraordinarily versatile…”

– Los Angeles Times

It appears that general public tickets are not available yet. Information should appear on the CPA page as they are made available.

The event celebrates the release of the final book in of The Daily Show star’s trilogy of fake trivia, That Is All.

All of that changes on Monday, July 9, when Roger Waters’ tour of The Wall comes to the RBC Center. Waters can’t sing, and never really could, but reviews of this tour point toward it being nothing but impressive. Tickets go on sale on Monday, November 14.

In related news, did you catch Pink Floyd Week on Jimmy Fallon? More specifically, did you see The Shins’ “Breathe”? Wow!

Link (Video): Roger Waters discusses touring with Jimmy Fallon

Evita first hit the stage in London’s Prince Edward Theatre in 1978, and stands today as one of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s greatest works. The story centers around the life of Argentina’s Eva Peron, a beloved actress from the bourgeois who eventually became Argentina’s most beloved personality. As with many leaders, not all was grand with Evita, and Webber and Rice cleverly use the narrator in the story as the contrarian, Che.

In this production of Evita, Lauren Kennedy (Eva) and Ray Walker (Che) reunite in the roles they played for NCT 18 years ago. I was wowed by that production, but realized this time around how little I remembered from that production. The story is well told, as there seem to be no dragging points, and it leaves one pondering many points long afterward.

I had always considered the show’s hit song, “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina”, to mean “weep”, which it does in the song’s reprise in Eva’s older years. However in the song’s featured placement, on the night of Juan Peron’s election, it really means “don’t call out for the beloved wife of the newly-elected president”. It is Webber and Rice’s understated question to the Argentinian people: you do realize you elected Juan Peron, not his wife?

Musically this is a difficult show. The latter 70s was a period where alternative time signatures were being used frequently, and Andrew Lloyd Webber certainly participated. Additionally, all dialogue is sung in the production, so this really is an opera. Thankfully the orchestra, led by Julie Bradley, is voiced in the more traditional arrangement rather than Webber’s trashy Euro synth-pop arrangement.

Lauren Kennedy is, as always, fantastic. It’s about the 1000th time I’ve seen her perform and it never gets old. Kennedy’s soaring vocals are a treat, but her impeccable movement and grande presence seem to always be underappreciated. Kennedy’s voice is as good as ever, however we felt like she was holding back some power in Act I as her sound got overwhelmed by others a few times. During Act II she was certainly as powerful as anyone on stage, so perhaps there was a sound system problem that got corrected in the intermission.

Kennedy has excellent range with her voice, and a great ear to go with it. She has exquisite control. However what hit me last night is that the prettiest, and most endearing vocal moves she makes is when she dips down to the lower register and soars back up out of that depth. The seductive “I’d Be Surprisingly Good For You” was surprisingly good for us, and was my favorite performance of the night. Singing high and loud is something everyone wants to do, but it is some of the intermediate work where a master displays a craft.

Perhaps my favorite moment of the night, however, was “And The Money Kept Rolling In”. Ray Walker’s powerful vocals are outstanding, and quite forcefully remind the crowd this is not  a one-person show. Patrons paid for a full company show and they get that, with no reservations. Walker is the Artistic Director of NCT’s Conservatory, and it appears that Terrance Mann isn’t the only impressive talent to work with Raleigh’s youth theater world.

Jonathon Hammond was good as Juan Peron, and the rest were good, however we wanted better diction from the cluster of nine dancing soldiers. It was the moment were Eva’s class warfare battle was being told, but was somewhat muddied by the cast (or should I say caste?)

NC Theatre has had some hit and miss productions in recent years, but Evita stands as one of their best in recent memory. There are just four remaining Evita performances; two today and two tomorrow.