Concert reviews by Mark E. Waterbury

 
Veteran acts rule in 2003
http://www.musicmidtown.com
All photos by Mark E. Waterbury, click on pics on this page to see larger versions.

After the tenth installment of Atlanta's Music Midtown finished on a warm Sunday evening in early May, it would be both cliche and accurate to say that this festival has come into its own. Still a fairly new festival when compared to fests such as New Orleans Jazz Fest (which runs the same weekend) or behemoths like Pennsylvania's Musikfest, Milwaukee's Summerfest and Seattle's Bumbershoot, the festival created by local promoters Alex Cooley and Peter Conlon is settling into veteran status. Yes, there have been growing pains; several venue changes, complaints from neighbors and complaints from fest-goers about stage sound bleed, the scheduling of like bands at the same time, too little parking and too few porta-toilets. But Music Midtown is about...well...music! That is what the tens of thousands of fans who attended the 2003 edition were there for. Surviving tightly packed crowds, a severe lightning filled thunderstorm and even a flying drum set, the fans were there again, witnessing quality music performances from top acts that Cooley and Conlon have always brought to the event in prodigious numbers. Even though Music Midtown has been known to showcase new talent, it is only fitting as the fest itself achieves veteran status that the acts who seemed to be the most popular and put on the best shows this year were veterans themselves.

CRACKER - 96 Rock Stage - 6:30pm Friday, May 2nd
We only saw the first song by this now veteran act created by former Camper Van Beethoven front man David Lowery, but it was definitely enjoyable. First of all, the song was a nearly ten minute version of "Euro-Trash Girl" off of "Kerosene." Not many bands beyond prog rockers are brave enough to kick off a show with a song that long. Cracker was not only brave enough, they turned it into a musical feast where all the musicians, especially Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman got to show off their chops, keeping the crowd firmly in their grasp. Although we had to leave quickly to hike several city blocks to the 99X Stage, Music Midtown got off to a good start. The bands and musicians were going to rule the day again.

AMERICAN HI-FI - 99X Stage - 7:30pm Friday, May 2nd
This is one of the few newer bands we saw during the weekend, but if their show was any indication this Boston based quartet could be around for the twentieth anniversary of Music Midtown. Melding styles of rock, alt & punk with roots from the Stones to the Stooges, American Hi-Fi's set bristled with power. While the energy was raw, the execution was not as the band played like they were comfortable in all facets of their music as well as with each other. Of course there are veteran players here, who came from bands such as Veruca Salt and Tracey Bonham. American Hi-Fi's live show has the feel of a band that has been together for longer than four years. Their love of performing live transferred to the audience as they kept their own fans enthralled while bringing new ones into the fold.

SHERYL CROW - 96 Rock Stage - 10PM Friday, May 2nd
We could hear Sheryl Crow as we rounded the bend and walked down the hill towards the 96 Rock stage, but a fierce thunderstorm roared through Midtown temporarily suspending the festivities as we scrambled for cover along with thousands of others. In spite of hearing some misinformed festival staffers saying they were shutting down, we waited it out and when the weather cleared, trekked back to the stage to see the end of Sheryl's set. We only saw four songs but they enforced our theory that we were glad we waited out the storm. Sheryl is a veteran performer although her popularity with her own music has been a bit more recent. Her music style matches her on-stage presence; toeing a triangular midground between pop diva, bluesy folk artist and gutsy rocker. No matter what slight variance of style a song may have, she puts a matching level of intensity into her live portrayal of it. Including killer versions of "Soak up the Sun" - a song that took on a touch of irony considering the weather - and "Picture" with one of her band members doing the vocals Kid Rock had done on the recording, our brief tour into Sheryl's world was very satisfying. She proved why she is becoming one of the top ladies in music today.

UNWRITTEN LAW - 99X Stage - 10:45pm Friday, May 2nd
We missed most of the abbreviated set by this brash SoCal video darling rock act with punk overtones. But the last raucous minutes of their set left a lasting impression on me. The band seemed to be a bit perturbed that Ma Nature's pyrotechnics had forced them to shorten their set. They kept playing after someone had cut the power to the mains, leaving tinny sound slipping from just their backline. Suddenly, wildman drummer Wade Youman, whom at a distance appeared to be clad only in a pair of briefs or nothing at all, proceeded to chuck his drum set - no, not his sticks - his drum SET into the audience! I've seen broken guitars hit the crowd before, but a drum set may have been a bit extreme. If nothing else, Unwritten Law did make some lasting memories, especially for someone in the front row I would imagine. ("Hey man, check out this guitar pick I got.." "So what, check out this bass drum!")

LIVE - 99X Stage - 11:15pm Friday, May 2nd
You know that time flies when you realize that Live is a veteran act. Yes, they still attract a youthful crowd, but the majority of the hardy souls who braved rain, wind and lightning to see clean shaven Ed Kowalczyk and cohorts were more of the age group that had worn out their copies of "Throwing Copper" while in college a decade ago. Their set was also cut short by the weather, but Live did not need to throw drums or play through their backline. They were complete professionals, playing a polished act that still had plenty of the fervor that had made them one of the favorites in the college alt rock movement of the late 80's. Hits like the melodic "I Love You Like Water" and the crunchy "Lakini's Juice" anchored the short show, and helped to send everyone home wet but happy.

KING'S X - 96 Rock Stage - 4:45pm Saturday, May 3rd

I've seen this hard rocking Texas trio twice in the past few months and my respect for them has grown at a phenomenal rate. This is a band I kick myself for not getting into earlier, because they are one of the hottest rock acts to see live that are touring today. They had to play an early slot, which meant the crowd was not that big, but the folks who were there were immersed in the honest, soul-powered rock Doug Pinnick, Ty Tabor and Jerry Gaskill put into their music. They just take their solid, gutsy riffs and power vocals and channel it into something that starts with the stroke of a match and then burns white-hot like a forest fire, with the unbridled intensity of say The Who on a Soundgarden trip. Crowd pleasers like "We Were Born to be Loved" and more recent tunes like "Static" got Saturday off to a roaring start. King's X has been around for awhile, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility that this band's popularity can increase if more people can experience them live.

MORRIS DAY & THE TIME - V-103 Stage - 9PM Saturday, May 3rd
We really crammed a big party into two songs. But that's Morris Day & the Time for you; any one song of theirs could be a party. Of course the two songs were the mega hits that exploded after the movie "Purple Rain;" "The Bird" and "Jungle Love." While the artist who can't figure out his name is off on his own trip, Morris and his friends keep touring, whipping crowds into dance frenzies with their on-stage antics as well as the welcome familiarity of the tunes. It was brief, but damn, it was fun!

TONY BENNETT - Fox 5/WABE Stage - 11PM Saturday, May 3rd
Some may wonder why - since I am such a rock and roller - I was not at Godsmack. You just can't pass up a golden opportunity to see someone perform whom the term legend seems painfully inadequate. And I wondered why some of the crowd at Tony Bennett's show was not at Godsmack either, since the people who were in their teens through 40's far outnumbered anyone who even approaches the septuagenarian status of this last of the great Italian "crooners." Maybe they had the same reasons...anyhow it was worth it. Tony Bennett's musical passion and talent are simply stunning. The sweet timbre of his voice rings as clear as it ever did as he performed song after song that your parents loved, but you cannot help enjoying yourself. From "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" to "Impossible", Tony not only performed flawlessly and with a youthful vigor, but he was obviously enjoying himself as much as the crowd was, and that may be the key to longevity with any performer. With today's fickle music market, who knows; Tony may just outlast Godsmack.

SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & THE ASBURY JUKES - Z-93 Stage - 5:00pm Sunday, May 4th
Coming from the area that gave us Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Jewel and Skid Row, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Dukes have always kind of been the second cousin to its more famous peers from the Smokestack - uhh - Garden State. What a lot of people may not realize is that this band has been around for a long, long time. And they are still as energetic and fun to watch and listen to in concert as they were twenty years ago. More rock than Tower of Power, and more R&B then say Chicago, the midground music is just plain, good music, performed by excellent musicians who know how to get the crowd into it. They may not be the biggest act from Jersey, but they always get out and work their buts off to please their fans, and their performance at Midtown was no exception.

DRIVIN N CRYIN - 96 Rock Stage - 5:45pm Sunday, May 4th
Drivin N Cryin may be the only Atlanta area band that has had more Midtown performances, and for that matter more performances in Atlanta than the Black Crowes. Although they may have never achieved the same levels of widespread popularity as the Crowes, Kevn Kinney and the boys have built a tenacious following due to powerful live shows. They did not disappoint the very large crowd on Sunday, who sang along at the top of their lungs classics like "Honeysuckle Blue" and "Goin' Straight To Hell." Further enhanced by the guest appearance of another local fave, Edwin McCain, the band's rootsy blues and country injected rock with a touch of punk is always enjoyable in concert. They are another band that just seems to put that extra something into their live performances, and in Drivin N Cryin's case, I think their fans are so loyal that not only would they follow them straight to hell (just like their mama said...), they'd build a special amphitheater for them when they got there.

DEF LEPPARD - 96 Rock Stage - 8:30pm Sunday, May 4th

It's hard to fathom why one of rock and roll's top acts hasn't performed in one of the biggest markets in the country in over two decades. The last time Def Leppard performed in Atlanta they were on their first tour of the U.S., opening for Ted Nugent and the Scorpions in 1980. In any case their fans flocked to see them up close and personal at Music Midtown 2003, creating one of the largest crowds I have ever seen at a Midtown stage. This band's legacy of overcoming numerous adversities reads almost like folklore. The adversity bug did manage to rear its ugly head on Sunday. Singer Joe Elliott's normally incredible voice was a tad off. He has been receiving treatment for a recent shoulder injury, and there is speculation that the medication he was on could affect his singing. But I have to give Joe credit - he sang as good as he could considering the circumstances, not trying to overdo it but not sounding bad by any means either. The other band members helped to cover for their mate by taking the fairly simplistic but signature sound of the Leps' melodic power rock to another level. They seemed that much tighter, and rocked that much harder. The interplay between guitarists Vivian Campbell and Phil Collen gets better with every tour, as they continue to do more freestyle interpretations of their more familiar solos and riffs. Bassist Rick "Sav" Savage and amazing drummer Rick Allen shoveled a couple extra hoppers of coal into the rhythm power plant. Roaring out of the gate playing the first side of the second album "High N' Dry" straight through, it was obvious from the crowd reaction that there were many long time Leppard fans here, as this album (and I DO mean album, you know those flat vinyl things) is twenty years old. After that, the hit machine started, albeit a bit more choosy being limited to a ninety minute set but the fans with those previous nuggets from the past, they weren't disappointed if they didn't hear one of their favorite songs. The powerhouse hits, including "Rock of Ages," "Women," "Animal" and the rowdy show closer "Let's Get Rocked" brought the festivities to an intense and satisfying end. And as the throngs trudged slowly towards the exits, heading back to "real life" after three days of music and fun, one thing was apparent. Both Def Leppard and Music Midtown plan on being around for quite awhile.