Borgata 10/18/08 Review/Recount - Excuse the length!
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 10:04 pmCarly Simon at the Borgata Event Center
Atlantic City, New Jersey
October 18, 2008
Chris Matthews
According to her website, Carly Simon decided to join together with some of her favorite band members to have a one-off concert in Atlantic City at the Borgata. She did just that, with a line up featuring many names that have been plastered all over her albums. By her side throughout the concert was her son, Ben Taylor, along with British musician, songwriter and friend David Saw. Peter Calo was to Carly’s other side, acting as guitarist and music director for the concert. On drums were two men we hear about often. One was producer and fellow Vineyard-ite Jimmy Parr. The other was Larry Ciancia. Forgive me for not remembering the names of Carly’s backup vocalist, cellist or keyboardist. Although they both performed wonderfully, both my friend and I agreed that the vocalist had a bit too much of a stage presence, almost as if she needed to be pinched and reminded “this isn’t about you.†Carly seemed to have an issue remember the keyboard player's name, and the cellist had his name pronounced several different ways.There was a longing for Sally to be on stage this evening, in my own opinion and as expressed by Carly – “I really miss [Sally]†she mentioned at one point. It was really a great line-up of incredibly talented musicians. Even Molly the dog joined Carly on stage for the first few songs. She began to act up and Carly actually held the dog in her arm while performing until she was banished backstage. According to Carly, by putting the dog backstage it’s much more exciting when the two are reunited after the show.
The show began a little after eight to what appeared to be an almost sold out house. The Borgata event center isn’t huge, which allows great views all around. A side effect of our seats was the extreme angle we had to crane our necks to which resulted in some (still lingering) stiffness. I guess that’s the price you pay for being a little closer and off to the side. Worth it? In the words of Sarah Palin, “You betcha!.†Speaking of Sarah Palin, Carly mentioned her and “Joe the Plumber†at one point, and Ben mentioned the presidential election. when he played a song that included the word “Americaâ€. The response was interesting, as the people around me were not interested in hearing anything about politics. As our very own Jeffrey (photomojo) pointed out to me this afternoon, one of the first things people cut out of their budget is entertainment and with the economy the way it is, there were empty seats and a theatre full of people who wanted to take a brief vacation from politics. I’d also be willing to bet that many of the audience members have moved a little further to the right since they started listening to Carly in the seventies. From what I understand, Carly is still on the left. I’m assuming Ben may lean that way too. Best to avoid the booing.
The format of the show was different, but I liked it. Instead of an opening act of Ben and David, Carly opened up the show. Twice during the show Carly left the spotlight, once disappearing behind stage and later taking a seat behind Ben to enjoy his wonderful music. This format allowed a full two hours of music, with no intermission. I wish it had been longer, and I think a two hour concert for the ticket price was a bit light, but any Carly is okay with me. Carly expressed her regrets that she couldn’t play more songs after her microphone fell and she recounted her experience playing “That’s the Way I Always Heard It Should Be†as the final song in her set opening for Cat Stevens. I believe I recall hearing the story somewhere, but Carly was distracted and stripped herself of stage fright through the distraction of her microphone going across her piano like a typewriter that night in the early 70’s. As she told the story tonight, she sang a few lines from the song. Cheers erupted and the audience quickly began requesting to hear “That’s the Way I Always Heard It Should Beâ€. Carly conceded that they had taken the song off their list and Ben chimed in that it wasn’t even worth trying to get them to play it. What a bummer! Anyhow, I sort of feel like the alternate format allowed us to be tricked into a shorter concert.
Carly began with “With a Few Good Friends†from Winnie the Pooh. An odd song to start with, but she really proved that her voice was perfect and she was going to be on fire for the whole night. After she finished she told the audience how the first song is always a “throw-away song†as everyone takes a close look to see what the artist is wearing and then ask questions like “Wait, who was she married to? Was it Cat Stevens? Mick Jagger?†An eruption of laughter followed from the audience. She introduced her next song, “Anticipation†by mentioning that as she has aged, her songs have taken on new meaning and therefore required a bit of reworking. “Anticpation†sounded great, a little different at the beginning but ending with the same “these areeee the good old dayssss!â€. A great remix. Carly then performed “This Kind of Love†which sounded great. I was amazed by the way she sang the Portuguese without batting an eye. Next was Ben’s song “Island†that Carly included on her most recent album. She sounded wonderful and really does justice to the song that Ben performs so wonderfully himself.
At this point, as far as I recall, and please forgive me if I’m wrong, Carly left the stage to allow Ben and David to play. I wish I could tell you what they played, but not knowing Ben’s new album or any of David’s music, I was at a loss for trying to remember. So this blurb will have to be filled in by someone who remembers… Sorry!
Carly came back on stage to perform “Let the River Runâ€. Her entrance was awesome, with the band chanting her name over and over in place of the St. Thomas Choir of Men Boy’s. She sounded so good! Next was a beautiful song of Ben’s about leaving a girl. It’s a young song, one and a half months old, and I have no idea what the title is. It was great though, and I hope , for everyone’s benefit, to hear it again soon on a new album. Carly then sang Kris Kristoferson’s “I’ve Got to Have Youâ€. She literally sounded just like she did over thirty-five years ago. Once again, on fire! She followed this cover with another, “a great country songâ€, which turned out to be “Oh! Susanaâ€. I’d be willing to say she sounded better tonight singing that song than she did on the album. A great choice and a great sing-a-long.
Once again, I think Ben and David took over for a few songs. Carly sat in the background and even joined in on a few songs. I noticed during one song she was holding up the lyrics so she could sing along. I always forget that she doesn’t always remember every lyric.
Back to Carly… She sang “Coming Around Again†which sounded great, but I was disappointed that it didn’t segway into “Itsy-Bitsy Spider†as I’ve always felt like it was magic the way the two songs were joined together. Oh well! We then heard an energizing “You Belong to Me†which got the crowd standing. It was at this point that the stereotypical drunken women began standing and dancing and singing. There’s always a few at every concert I go to. They’re always quite entertaining. The one in front of me was almost kicked out. Carly closed the set with “Jesse†which sounded great. Such a loud song and a great way to end the night. Obviously, everyone stood and cheered. The cheering lasted a very short time and they came back out for an encore.
When she began her encore with “You’re So Vainâ€, I was worried that it would be her only encore. This was probably my least favorite mix of YSV so far, but at least her voice sounded good. I wa relieved when they finished YSV to a standing ovation and then began to sing another song. She began Neil Young’s “Ohio†by sort of singing along without words over and over, and then finally began singing the lyrics. I must say, what an amazing song. I’ve seen both Neil Young and Crosby, Stills and Nash in the past year, and I believe I heard “Ohio†at at least one of those shows, and I’ve heard the recording a hundred times at least, yet Carly’s was the most powerful I’ve heard yet. The relevance of the song is there, I’m just relieved that it’s not TOO relevant. As she said her goodnight and thanked us again and again, it was sad to know the night was over, but what a way to end it!
In conclusion, the show was AMAZING. As I said earlier tonight, the only thing that Carly left me longing for was a long list of tour dates to show off her beautiful, rejuvenated voice and her energy that rivals that of any twenty year old. As my friend and I discussed the show on the way back to our hotel, we both agreed that she looked hot tonight, like cougar hot, and she defiantly did not look, sound, or dance around the stage like the 63 year old she is. The only sign that she wasn’t eighteen like us was her discussing her status of being a grandmother and how people wonder about the authenticity of her hair color. She also mentioned how she feels a bit older when she sees herself in the mirror without her makeup on, but who cares! Carly proved tonight, once and for all, with or without make-up, hair color, or a band, that baby, she’s the best!
Atlantic City, New Jersey
October 18, 2008
Chris Matthews
According to her website, Carly Simon decided to join together with some of her favorite band members to have a one-off concert in Atlantic City at the Borgata. She did just that, with a line up featuring many names that have been plastered all over her albums. By her side throughout the concert was her son, Ben Taylor, along with British musician, songwriter and friend David Saw. Peter Calo was to Carly’s other side, acting as guitarist and music director for the concert. On drums were two men we hear about often. One was producer and fellow Vineyard-ite Jimmy Parr. The other was Larry Ciancia. Forgive me for not remembering the names of Carly’s backup vocalist, cellist or keyboardist. Although they both performed wonderfully, both my friend and I agreed that the vocalist had a bit too much of a stage presence, almost as if she needed to be pinched and reminded “this isn’t about you.†Carly seemed to have an issue remember the keyboard player's name, and the cellist had his name pronounced several different ways.There was a longing for Sally to be on stage this evening, in my own opinion and as expressed by Carly – “I really miss [Sally]†she mentioned at one point. It was really a great line-up of incredibly talented musicians. Even Molly the dog joined Carly on stage for the first few songs. She began to act up and Carly actually held the dog in her arm while performing until she was banished backstage. According to Carly, by putting the dog backstage it’s much more exciting when the two are reunited after the show.
The show began a little after eight to what appeared to be an almost sold out house. The Borgata event center isn’t huge, which allows great views all around. A side effect of our seats was the extreme angle we had to crane our necks to which resulted in some (still lingering) stiffness. I guess that’s the price you pay for being a little closer and off to the side. Worth it? In the words of Sarah Palin, “You betcha!.†Speaking of Sarah Palin, Carly mentioned her and “Joe the Plumber†at one point, and Ben mentioned the presidential election. when he played a song that included the word “Americaâ€. The response was interesting, as the people around me were not interested in hearing anything about politics. As our very own Jeffrey (photomojo) pointed out to me this afternoon, one of the first things people cut out of their budget is entertainment and with the economy the way it is, there were empty seats and a theatre full of people who wanted to take a brief vacation from politics. I’d also be willing to bet that many of the audience members have moved a little further to the right since they started listening to Carly in the seventies. From what I understand, Carly is still on the left. I’m assuming Ben may lean that way too. Best to avoid the booing.
The format of the show was different, but I liked it. Instead of an opening act of Ben and David, Carly opened up the show. Twice during the show Carly left the spotlight, once disappearing behind stage and later taking a seat behind Ben to enjoy his wonderful music. This format allowed a full two hours of music, with no intermission. I wish it had been longer, and I think a two hour concert for the ticket price was a bit light, but any Carly is okay with me. Carly expressed her regrets that she couldn’t play more songs after her microphone fell and she recounted her experience playing “That’s the Way I Always Heard It Should Be†as the final song in her set opening for Cat Stevens. I believe I recall hearing the story somewhere, but Carly was distracted and stripped herself of stage fright through the distraction of her microphone going across her piano like a typewriter that night in the early 70’s. As she told the story tonight, she sang a few lines from the song. Cheers erupted and the audience quickly began requesting to hear “That’s the Way I Always Heard It Should Beâ€. Carly conceded that they had taken the song off their list and Ben chimed in that it wasn’t even worth trying to get them to play it. What a bummer! Anyhow, I sort of feel like the alternate format allowed us to be tricked into a shorter concert.
Carly began with “With a Few Good Friends†from Winnie the Pooh. An odd song to start with, but she really proved that her voice was perfect and she was going to be on fire for the whole night. After she finished she told the audience how the first song is always a “throw-away song†as everyone takes a close look to see what the artist is wearing and then ask questions like “Wait, who was she married to? Was it Cat Stevens? Mick Jagger?†An eruption of laughter followed from the audience. She introduced her next song, “Anticipation†by mentioning that as she has aged, her songs have taken on new meaning and therefore required a bit of reworking. “Anticpation†sounded great, a little different at the beginning but ending with the same “these areeee the good old dayssss!â€. A great remix. Carly then performed “This Kind of Love†which sounded great. I was amazed by the way she sang the Portuguese without batting an eye. Next was Ben’s song “Island†that Carly included on her most recent album. She sounded wonderful and really does justice to the song that Ben performs so wonderfully himself.
At this point, as far as I recall, and please forgive me if I’m wrong, Carly left the stage to allow Ben and David to play. I wish I could tell you what they played, but not knowing Ben’s new album or any of David’s music, I was at a loss for trying to remember. So this blurb will have to be filled in by someone who remembers… Sorry!
Carly came back on stage to perform “Let the River Runâ€. Her entrance was awesome, with the band chanting her name over and over in place of the St. Thomas Choir of Men Boy’s. She sounded so good! Next was a beautiful song of Ben’s about leaving a girl. It’s a young song, one and a half months old, and I have no idea what the title is. It was great though, and I hope , for everyone’s benefit, to hear it again soon on a new album. Carly then sang Kris Kristoferson’s “I’ve Got to Have Youâ€. She literally sounded just like she did over thirty-five years ago. Once again, on fire! She followed this cover with another, “a great country songâ€, which turned out to be “Oh! Susanaâ€. I’d be willing to say she sounded better tonight singing that song than she did on the album. A great choice and a great sing-a-long.
Once again, I think Ben and David took over for a few songs. Carly sat in the background and even joined in on a few songs. I noticed during one song she was holding up the lyrics so she could sing along. I always forget that she doesn’t always remember every lyric.
Back to Carly… She sang “Coming Around Again†which sounded great, but I was disappointed that it didn’t segway into “Itsy-Bitsy Spider†as I’ve always felt like it was magic the way the two songs were joined together. Oh well! We then heard an energizing “You Belong to Me†which got the crowd standing. It was at this point that the stereotypical drunken women began standing and dancing and singing. There’s always a few at every concert I go to. They’re always quite entertaining. The one in front of me was almost kicked out. Carly closed the set with “Jesse†which sounded great. Such a loud song and a great way to end the night. Obviously, everyone stood and cheered. The cheering lasted a very short time and they came back out for an encore.
When she began her encore with “You’re So Vainâ€, I was worried that it would be her only encore. This was probably my least favorite mix of YSV so far, but at least her voice sounded good. I wa relieved when they finished YSV to a standing ovation and then began to sing another song. She began Neil Young’s “Ohio†by sort of singing along without words over and over, and then finally began singing the lyrics. I must say, what an amazing song. I’ve seen both Neil Young and Crosby, Stills and Nash in the past year, and I believe I heard “Ohio†at at least one of those shows, and I’ve heard the recording a hundred times at least, yet Carly’s was the most powerful I’ve heard yet. The relevance of the song is there, I’m just relieved that it’s not TOO relevant. As she said her goodnight and thanked us again and again, it was sad to know the night was over, but what a way to end it!
In conclusion, the show was AMAZING. As I said earlier tonight, the only thing that Carly left me longing for was a long list of tour dates to show off her beautiful, rejuvenated voice and her energy that rivals that of any twenty year old. As my friend and I discussed the show on the way back to our hotel, we both agreed that she looked hot tonight, like cougar hot, and she defiantly did not look, sound, or dance around the stage like the 63 year old she is. The only sign that she wasn’t eighteen like us was her discussing her status of being a grandmother and how people wonder about the authenticity of her hair color. She also mentioned how she feels a bit older when she sees herself in the mirror without her makeup on, but who cares! Carly proved tonight, once and for all, with or without make-up, hair color, or a band, that baby, she’s the best!
