Detroit: The Motown Museum is Where It’s At

Posted on April 19, 2012 by lisafindley

It took a little wheedling, but I convinced my friends that we could postpone our river walk until after we’d visited the Motown Museum. We were in Detroit for a short 48 hours, so every moment counted, and the warm, sunny day beckoned. But after we’d been on the tour and stepped out into the sunlight, we all agreed that we’d made the right decision. Because let me tell you, dearest fellow travelers, the Motown Museum is fantastic.

The house that Gordy built

You can only visit the museum on a tour, which lasts 45 minutes and costs $10. Worth it! About 20 of us gathered in front of a dynamic young woman who explained to us that Berry Gordy, founder of Motown, bought a total of 8 buildings on this residential street (and later a building downtown) in order to house his growing empire. We were standing in one of those, an administrative building, and later on the tour we’d go next door to the white-and-blue two-story that started it all.

We watched a short video full of hit songs and former Motown employees talking about the beginnings of the business. I liked that they confined the interviews to people who talked about their own legacy, rather than outside music critics or even non-Motown artists waxing poetic about the people and sounds that influenced them. There’s enough of that out there, and fair enough, I’m just another white girl who claims Motown music for a big part of her own history. It’s only right that the museum give the airtime to the people who made it all happen.

Berry Gordy was many things: Clearly, you can see he was a looker. He was also a boxer until he decided that girls wouldn't go for a man with too many scars. He served in the Korean War and wrote songs for Jackie Wilson; getting paid pennies for those songs convinced his pal Smokey Robinson that Gordy needed to start his own company in order to keep the money he earned.

The legacy that the people in the video were careful to emphasize was that of a “positive sound.” One person said they changed the world with love and respect, “without making a big deal of it.” They “changed hearts with music and hope.” (Of course there was a lot of change going on in the ’60s, and more radical forms of protest were necessary to bring about important reforms, sure. But great music that everyone could come together for was a crucial part of those changes. Don’t knock the power of music.)

After the video, we went upstairs and our guide told us the secret to the Motown sound. She stood under a part of the ceiling that had been cut away, which created an echo effect. She sang some familiar songs–Four Tops, Temptations, Supremes–and had us sing along. Luckily, we were in a boisterous group and everyone sang along loudly. It’s no fun to be on an interactive tour if no one’s going to interact.

We wandered around the gallery upstairs, checking out the photos and gold records on the walls, and the special exhibit on Marvin Gaye, which included some of the outfits he wore on stage. Also, a fedora and white glove donated by Michael Jackson, yes! One wall was plastered with album covers. Our guide told us that when they were first starting out, they were careful not to put the artists’ pictures on the covers (can’t cross over if the white audiences won’t even pick up the record), and then when they were hugely popular their faces were all over those album covers, and then when they were promoting some white artists like Teena Marie, those artists’ faces weren’t on the covers because the label was too well-known for having black artists! What a bizarre world we live in.

After all this, we went downstairs and next door to the original house. Everything was left pretty much just as it was up until Gordy moved the whole operation to LA in 1972 (the tour did gloss over what a loss this was for the beleaguered city of Detroit), so when Gordy’s sister opened up the museum in 1985, a lot of it was already there. The front desk that Martha Reeves answered phones at before graduating from secretary to performer; the candy machine that always had Baby Ruths three in from the right so Stevie Wonder could find his favorite candy; the scrap paper with running card game scores. And in the back: Studio A.

the original garage band music

I just about grabbed onto something to keep from fainting when we entered Studio A. I’ve been to a lot of historical sites in my various travels, and some of them hit me hard while others have little impact. This was one of those places that took hold of me right away. Studio A is where all the Motown hits up til 1972 were recorded. For the entire 1960s, it was open pretty much 24 hours a day. The Supremes, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Martha and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, not to mention the Funk Brothers and other musicians who made those voices sound as good as they did. They all stood in this small room–a converted garage, which had a dirt floor for the first couple years of recording–and made the music that we all know by heart. It was a little overwhelming.

All the original instruments are in there. The control room still has grooves in the floor from when producers would pound their feet to the beat. A few pictures taken in the room show you how crowded it got with artists, producers, and writers. Our guide led us all in a verse of “My Girl” and had us do the Temptations dance (you know, the snapping your fingers in a swinging motion from side to side, then a little fancy spin if you have it in you). And then boom, it was over, through the gift shop and back out into the sunlight. Into the world that owes a lot to that small house on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan.

Yeah, that's the Temptations dance I was talking about. Being done to great effect by my friends and me.

Images 1 and 4 mine. Image 2. Image 3.

Hometown Tourist: The Lyric Opera

Posted on March 8, 2012 by lisafindley

Hometown Tourist is a series that hears that chipper tip, “be a tourist in your hometown!” and says, “Okay!” When friends come to visit, I like to show them a combination of standard tourist spots and the neighborhood places they’d never know to look for. Why not write about all those places? If you have suggestions on Chicago places you’d like to see covered for Hometown Tourist, add it in the comments.

For the inaugural Hometown Tourist post, I thought I’d start classy: the Lyric Opera. “Ugh, Lisa,” I hear you all groan. “How boring! And overpriced!” But dearest fellow travelers, let me assure you that it is not boring! And it doesn’t have to be too expensive! I’ve seen three operas at the Lyric over the past five years, and I’ve never spent more than $75 on a ticket. That’s no pocket change, sure, but it’s maybe twice what you’d pay for a show at The Riv, and no one will be spilling beer on you or elbowing past for a better view of the stage here.

The Civic Opera House in Chicago

As to the boring part: I was raised on a lot of different kinds of music, but opera wasn’t one of them, so it’s not like I have an ear for it. But the tunes are stirring and the singing is powerful stuff. When I saw Aida on Tuesday, there were a few moments during Hui He’s solos that actually caused me to catch my breath, they were so lovely. The stories are never too hard to follow, so even when they’re told in Italian or German, they’re easy enough to follow. The emotions expressed onstage would be overblown if they were spoken in a play, but they take on more gravity in song form, and it becomes clear that the only way to truly express love or heartbreak is to devote an aria to it.

Right, so: opera can be riveting stuff, and it can be enjoyed without breaking the bank. Where do you go to see opera? In Chicago, there are a few companies that put on shows, but the biggest, most established one is the Lyric Opera. They have their own building on the Chicago River, and it is beautiful. It was built in 1929, and when they renovated it from 1993 to 1996, they kept the Art Deco style. This means that not only are you classing it up by going to the opera, you are classing it up flapper-style. What more could you ask for?

The theater seats almost 3,600 people, and when my friend Hannah and I were there on Tuesday, it looked to be just about sold out. On a Tuesday night! That’s a lot of music and theater lovers in Chicago, which warms my artsy heart.

That's a lot of aria appreciators

Where is it: Civic Opera House, 20 North Wacker Drive, on the northwest corner of Madison and Wacker

When to go: Weekday shows are cheaper, straight up. If you have a job that isn’t 9-5, they even have matinees, which are much cheaper. The season runs October through April, and show runs overlap.

What to see: Whatever your heart desires! If you wait past opening night, you can read reviews and see if something sounds particularly good. For example, Show Boat is getting raves this year. The only downside to this strategy is that tickets will be few and far between by the time the show run starts.

Cost: Tickets range from $35 to $200. Full-time students can get $20 tickets to some shows.

Some practical tips:

Unless you are an opera buff, you probably aren’t familiar with the various shows. (I definitely am not.) Do a little research beforehand; I always thought of opera as solos alternating with big choral numbers, so I was disappointed that Tristan und Isolde never had more than six people on stage at once. I listened to clips of operas before buying tickets this season, and found that Aida had a lot of choruses, so I went with that one. (And it did not disappoint. There were easily over 100 people on stage at one point on Tuesday, including dancers who really livened things up during the instrumental portions of the show.)
They are obsessive about starting on time here, so do not be late! The ushers will shut you out until intermission if you are late, so give yourself enough time to float elegantly up the stairs to your seat.
Speaking of seating, unless you’re shelling out, you’re probably going to be in either the First or the Upper Balcony. Try to get a seat closer to the front of the balcony, because it can get pretty claustrophobic at the back, with the balcony above crowding in on you and the rows of people in front of you partially obstructing your view of the stage. In fact, the Upper Balcony is less claustrophobic, so if you are looking at seats in the back of the Upper Balcony versus seats in the back of the First Balcony, I’d recommend going against instinct and choosing the Upper Balcony seats. You’ll get a clearer view and save money, too!

Oh look, I made a 30-second video of Tuesday’s trip to the opera.

Image 1. Image 2.

Valentine’s Day Mix (Not Mine)

Posted on February 14, 2012 by lisafindley

Dearest fellow travelers, I had every intention of creating a Valentine’s mix for you again this year, but every time I went to Grooveshark it crashed on me. We are talking through it and expect to emerge stronger than ever on the other side, but for now it’s a difficult time. So in lieu of my Motown-heavy list, might I direct you to The Rejectionist’s indieriffic playlist? (The Rejectionist is a stellar writer and also, as it turns out, a good DJ.)

It’s manufactured, it’s silly, but Valentine’s Day can also be a time to smile more at the people you love, and that’s always a good thing.

It’s a day late, but of course I wish you the best Galentine’s Day too. Leslie 4evah.

Valentine's Day blurry hearts

Image.

Playing for Change

Posted on January 17, 2012 by lisafindley

Several months ago, the video “Stand by Me” went viral, and the eyes of many all over the world welled up with tears at the sight of musicians all over the world playing the same song, separated by distance but united by song. Turns out the organization that distributed that video, Playing for Change, has been busy making many more such videos, touring the United States with some of the featured musicians, and starting up a foundation to build music schools in communities worldwide. The snazzy website features some fun and some touching videos, like “One Love,” “La Tierra del Olvido,” “Satchita,” and “Gimme Shelter.” And at first I was a little wary of the whole operation.

“Good grief, Lisa, will you never just be satisfied with a good thing when you see it?” I hear you asking. And the answer is no, I will always want to look critically at an organization to find its shortcomings, so that I can 1) be fully aware of what efforts I’m supporting, and 2) be in a position to offer constructive criticism to that organization. Mostly, I saw the artists page, which looks like this:

And then I saw the crew page, which looks like this:

And I thought, “Uh oh, white people, what are you doing?”

Because we are so terrified of being called racists that we won’t even talk about racism in this country, white Americans are sorely uneducated about their own privilege and what they can do about it. This leads to a whole lot of nastiness on the more conservative side of the spectrum, and well-meaning condescension of the “let us tell you how to fix your life” variety on the liberal side. None of which goes very far toward mending race relations in the US.

Granted, the whole aim of this project is to go global, to not be confined to the United States. But look at that crew, and the founder, and the company that owns their for-profit arm; they’re all white folks who are likely living a pretty comfortable lifestyle. Contrast that with the artist pages, which shows many people of color in small, poor villages, and maybe you can see why I’m wary of the relationship.

But after I looked into the site more and saw more videos about the foundation, I’m happy to say I think there’s much more good than harm going on here.

Saving the world is a wonderful goal, of course, so long as you’re aware that you can’t do it on your own or all your way. Fortunately, PFC seems to get this. They hold a passionate belief that music is a uniting force that can and will bring peace to the world. They find musicians who share the same belief, and they work together to put the ideal into practice.

Their foundation came about from asking some of the musicians who came from poorer backgrounds, “What can we do to help?” Not “you should do this” — a crucial difference. It was the musicians who said they wanted to schools to teach the next generation how to make music and be a force for peace. The people of Kirina in Mali took the money and supplies provided and built their own school; no outsider crusaders doing it for them and expecting gratitude. This is the kind of assistance — monetary, material, non-invasive — that activists the world over consistently say is the best, most sustainable kind. Kudos to PFC for getting that right.

Everyone involved in the project is devoted to the idea that music can and must be a force for good in the world, that the act of creating music is a unifying one. I absolutely agree, and it’s encouraging to watch thousands of musicians, videographers, editors, villagers, and audience members from all corners of the earth enthusiastically supporting this idea. Check out the participation page on the PFC site to see how you can support an organization supporting the work of musicians and peacemakers all over the world.

And enjoy the music.

Christmas Downers: Tis the Season for Sad Music

Posted on December 13, 2011 by lisafindley

As you can probably tell from all the Monday and Wednesday photo features, I’m really into Christmas. I have nothing but fond memories of the season, complete with cutting down our own tree, singing in the pageant at church, and gleefully opening presents from Santa. All that was set to a soundtrack of cheer, of course, and I start listening to Christmas music right around Thanksgiving (ok, ok, sometimes before).

aww have some egg nog and listen to this, you'll feel... about the same

But some of the best Christmas music is the sad stuff, the songs that address the melancholy inherent in a relentlessly upbeat holiday season. Once you’re grown and the magic of Christmas as a conduit for gifts and family visits has passed, the holiday gets shaded with new meanings, usually wistfully nostalgic. Whether it’s a lost love you can’t forget or just a general sense of loneliness, there’s nothing quite like the isolation you feel if you’re alone or blue during the season of nearly maniacal happiness. And I’d wager that most of us have felt that at some point during the long haul from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day. Here’s a playlist on Grooveshark for when you’re in that mood.

Photo.

The Music Don’t Lie, Part 3

Posted on August 9, 2011 by lisafindley

I have a fraught relationship with music and driving. I mean, of course I love music and I listen to it constantly when I’m in the car (no dry talk radio here). But I seem to have an uncanny knack for finding myself in trouble just as a song’s playing that’d make you go, “and isn’t that ironic, don’tcha think?” (I will pause now for you all to wail along to Alanis’s logic-flawed but bellow-perfect chorus.)

Back? Feel refreshed? Excellent. Onward!

Example 1: I was about 10 years old and my mom was driving the twins and me somewhere on the highway. We’re grooving to “Roxanne” (the meaning of which utterly escaped me for another 4 years or so, I’m happy to say), when suddenly, sirens, lights, and we’re on the side of the road. Mom has a short conversation with the police officer, who probably lectures her on speeding while transporting her “precious cargo” (this phrase has actually been used in reference to child passengers, ew). And then as soon as the police officer turned back to his car I make it SO MUCH BETTER by saying, with utter lack of facetiousness, “Mom! Mom! Isn’t it funny that The Police were on the radio, and the police just came to our car? Mom, isn’t that hilarious?” I do not think she found it hilarious.

Possibly my mom wouldn't have minded so much if these officers had pulled her over.

Example 2: The universe got me back about 7 years later. I was a few days shy of my 17th birthday, when my driver’s license would go from temporary to permanent. I was driving around my hometown, hand delivering invitations to my 17th birthday party, which was to be in the theme of the original Star Wars. (Raise your hand if you’re surprised that this is the kind of party I would throw.) I slowed down for what seemed a respectable amount of time at a stop sign on a residential street and carried on to a main street, where I was promptly pulled over for not stopping at a stop sign. My first ticket, my first time crying in front of a cop, and what’s on the radio? “Free Bird.” No joke.

Skynyrd definitely look like they're waiting to be booked at a police station.

Our latest example came last night, an instance of Instant Karma Gone Wrong. It was pouring on my walk home from the train station, and I passed a woman giving terrible directions to a couple of guys with guitars and travel backpacks. I corrected the directions after the woman walked away, but when they said thanks and they’d start walking now, I said, wait, that’s almost 3 miles away, let me give you a ride. So I drove them to their friend’s house and wished them well. On my way back to my house, rain drummed on the roof, the radio played “Classical Gas” (that instrumental that is clearly made for cruising along in a car), and I started to plan dinner in my head. Then I heard a rumble and it wasn’t thunder. My front left tire blew out, and I rolled along as the wheel moved farther and farther off its axle, til I got to a tire place that was actually open. They fixed it quickly and I headed home, $60 poorer and wary of any song even remotely referencing driving, or freedom, or law enforcement.

Next time I hear “Crash and Burn” by the Bangles on my car radio, I’m pulling to the side of the road and just running.

Previous editions of “The Music Don’t Lie” found here and here.

Image 1 from here. Image 2 from here.

Valentine’s Day 2011 Mix

Posted on February 14, 2011 by lisafindley

Happy Valentine’s Day, all! Forget the flowers and the chocolates; this is a Hallmark holiday full of songtastic possibilities. Check out the mix from last year if you want to get it on, and read on below if you want a smile. Also, be sure to visit Ghostproof Blanket today — she made a whole mix that you can download for your listening pleasure.

Shoo Bop, Shoo Bop My Baby
old-school tunes for old and new loves alike

Just One Look — Doris Troy
It’s Growing — The Temptations
Give It Back — Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Satisfied — Cee Lo Green
I’ll Never Stop Loving You — Carla Thomas
Baby It’s You — Smith
Ooh, Baby Baby — Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Let’s Stay Together — Al Green
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy — The Buckinghams
Give Him a Great Big Kiss — The Shangri-Las
Never Forget You — The Noisettes
Nothing But Blue Skies — Jackie Wilson
I Love How You Love Me — The Paris Sisters
You Send Me — Sam Cooke

Best Music of 2010

Posted on February 8, 2011 by lisafindley

Surprise! It’s an end of year list at the beginning of the year. What, it took me til February to sort out my favorite music of 2010. But it’s still a valuable guide for all you cats and kittens, right? Or at least a quick reference if you’re looking for some new tunes in your life. Keep in mind how I feel about “best of” lists and enjoy.

FAVORITE ALBUMS

These are the albums I’ve been listening to over and over again, with no sign of getting bored.

Midlake — The Courage of Others

Pitch perfect for obsessive repeat listens during those long winter days and nights. Every review I’ve read has mentioned that it’s a medieval-sounding album, with acoustic guitars and flutes, and that it’s a throwback to ’70s guitar rock. True enough; I immediately thought of Lindisfarne and early Genesis. These minor key melodies sung in echoes have haunted me in the best possible way all year.

Yeasayer — Odd Blood

When one of these songs pops up on shuffle, I have to go play the whole album through. It’s absolutely that catchy; the bouncy pop, wailed lyrics, and ’80s/futuristic production coalesce into the most joyous album of the year. Yep, even when they’re singing about heartbreak, you’ll be singing along with a smile on your face. Bonus: great live show.

Wolf Parade — Expo 86

Apparently, Spencer Krug wanted to make a rock album you could dance to, and that’s just what he, fellow songwriter Dan Boeckner, and band did. I don’t know how they settled on the name Wolf Parade, but they always sound a little wolfish to me — aggressive, driving, and wild-eyed. Which is as it should be. Rock n roll should make you shiver.

Cee Lo Green — The Lady Killer

I think I must be one of those people who talks in their sleep, because while I don’t remember Cee Lo calling me up and asking me what kind of classic Motown style songs updated for the 21st century I’d like to hear on his next album, I must have answered the phone in my sleep, since The Lady Killer is the perfect such album. The single everyone knows, of course, is “Fuck You,” but “It’s OK” and “Cry Baby” are also winners. You’ll be singing into your hairbrush in no time.

Patty Griffin — Downtown Church

Clearly, you could happily listen to Patty Griffin sing from the phone book, such is the power and vulnerability of her voice. She’s also a stellar songwriter, which is why I was a bit nervous about this latest album, a collection of spirituals and hymns. But I needn’t have worried; Patty is a wonderful interpreter of songs and this album is no exception. Her “I Smell a Rat” is appropriately loose and dangerous, and I haven’t heard a spookier “Wade in the Water.”

May Erlewine — Golden

Daisy May has dropped the stage name and now goes by her full name, May Erlewine, but she continues to write the same lovely tunes just perfect for singing along to around a campfire, especially “Down in the Valley” and “Heavy.” She and some other Earthwork Music folks came through Chicago last year, and only noise laws kept them from playing (and us cheering) all night long.

Frightened Rabbit — The Winter of Mixed Drinks

When “more of the same” means more bleak lyrics, catchy tunes, and a mesmerizing urgency, it’s a good thing. Frightened Rabbit’s follow-up to their sophomore album is a fantastic continuation of the sound.

Robyn — Body Talk Part 1

Last July I mentioned how exciting it was to see Robyn at Pitchfork Music Fest, but looking back I can say that it was my favorite concert of the year. She was just so damn happy to be dancing and singing as we all joined in, and this album (as well as Part 2, which I don’t know well enough to include here) is like having that dance party in your pocket.

Janelle Monae — The ArchAndroid

There’s a reason Janelle Monae topped so many critics’ lists; she’s an amazing artist, and the album is bursting with new sounds, new beats, and a mythology made up of equal parts history, cinema, and funky invention. Don’t let the mania for Lady Gaga obstruct your view of this visionary artist and her wonderful music.

FAVORITE HALF-ALBUMS

I pick and choose songs from these albums, but they’re some damn good songs. I generally like more than just the songs in the parentheses, but those are my most favorites.

New Pornographers — Together (“Moves,” “Crash Years,” “Up in the Dark”)
The National — High ~~Velvet~~ Violet (“Anyone’s Ghost,” “Bloodbuzz Ohio”)
Bettye LaVette — Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook (“Nights in White Satin” and “It Don’t Come Easy”)
Mark Ronson — Record Collection (“Bang Bang Bang” and “Hey Boy”)
Deerhunter — Halcyon Digest (“Memory Boy” and “Helicopter”)
Lissie — Catching a Tiger (“When I’m Alone,” “Loosen the Knot,” and “This Much I Know”)

GOOD SINGLES OFF ACCLAIMED ALBUMS THAT JUST DON’T MATCH UP

Arcade Fire — “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”
Nicki Minaj — “Right Thru Me” and “Dear Old Nicki”

OTHER GOOD ALBUMS THAT DON’T GET A BIG WRITE-UP

Beach House — Teen Dream
Tame Impala — Innerspeaker
Vampire Weekend — Contra
Mountain Man — Made the Harbor
Macy Gray — The Sellout
Teenage Fanclub — Shadows
Blitzen Trapper — Destroyer of the Void
Marina and the Diamonds — The Family Jewels
Roky Erickson With Okkervil River — True Love Cast Out All Evil (be sure to check out my friend Josh’s in-depth review of this album at his blog, We Check Records)
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings — I Learned the Hard Way
The xx — xx
Neon Indian — Psychic Chasms
John Mellencamp — No Better Than This
Bryan Ferry — Olympia

DISAPPOINTMENTS

Black Mountain — Wilderness Heart
Tom Petty — Mojo
Best Coast — Crazy for You
The Black Keys — Brothers

NO THANK YOU, STOP TRYING TO TELL ME IT IS THE BEST THING EVER

Kanye West — My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

ALBUMS I MIGHT WANT TO GET TO KNOW IN THE FUTURE

Mumford & Sons — Sigh No More
Retribution Gospel Choir — 2
Les Shelleys — self-titled
Mavis Staples — You Are Not Alone
Robert Plant — Band of Joy
Los Campesinos — Romance is Boring
Motion City Soundtrack — My Dinosaur Life
Peter Gabriel — Scratch My Back
Erykah Badu — New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh
Bonnie “Prince” Billy & The Cairo Gang — The Wonder Show of the World
Drive-By Truckers — The Big To-Do
MGMT — Congratulations
Nada Surf — If I Had a Hi-Fi
The Fall — Your Future Our Clutter
Phosphorescent — Here’s to Taking it Easy
Nas and Damian Marley — Distant Relatives
Reflection Eternal — Revolutions Per Minute
Jenny and Johnny — I’m Having Fun Now
Tift Merritt — See You on the Moon
Various — Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine
MIA
The Books — The Way Out

So what did YOU like best from the last year?

Note: All images taken from Paste Magazine, Pitchfork Media, and other music review sites.

The Best Way to Get Back at an Ex

Posted on February 1, 2011 by lisafindley

1) Record one of the wonderful songs your ex wrote and made famous, and do a whole verse in his trademark growling wheeze, highlighting just how silly it sounds.

2) Place this song on the same album as a heartbreaking ode to the relationship you once had, with all the wistfulness and bitterness mixed up in a haunting melody.

3) Watch your record climb to #11 on the charts.

Dig it, Joan Baez.

The Worst Concert Ever, or, I’m Sorry, Chuck Berry

Posted on January 4, 2011 by lisafindley

This New Year’s, I was focused more on the day after rather than the Eve before. A New Year’s Day dance party concert with Chuck Berry at the Congress! The man is 84 years old and still rocking out in St. Louis and occasionally on the road. Here was probably my last chance to see a living legend like Chuck Berry, and no way was I going to miss it. Too bad it turned out to be the worst concert I’ve ever attended.

Chuck Berry early in the night at Saturday's Congress Theater concert (credit: Scott Stewart/Sun-Times)

It started badly, with a long delay before Dick Biondi (the first DJ to play The Beatles in the US) came out on stage to announce the opening act, local group Deal’s Gone Bad. We’d already waited for 30 minutes and now we had to listen to an opener? The crowd rustled uncomfortably. The band took the stage, and although they were technically just fine, playing their instruments well and moving easily from one song to the next, all I heard was white guys doing reggae, and that is enough to make any music fan go “ugh.” Worse yet, the lead singer (who sounded like Michael McDonald of The Doobie Brothers and Bob Seger had a child and raised him solely on Mighty Mighty Bosstones) kept asking us how excited we were to see Chuck Berry. Why yes, now that you mention it, we are pretty excited to see him and NOT YOU. Rookie mistake, that — playing to an indifferent to hostile crowd and trying to get them on your side by reminding them of what they can’t yet have.

But finally, their last strangled note faded away and the stage was reconfigured for the man himself. After a short intro from Biondi, the small backing band of drums, keys, and bass set up and then Chuck Berry came out in a delightfully spangled red shirt and a captain’s hat. He went right into a slowed-down version of “Roll Over Beethoven,” and the hyped-up crowd was a little taken aback by how much harder it was to dance to this tempo, but we got into it. Unfortunately, that was the only problem-free song of the night.

The Tribune would have you believe that everything sounded good for another few numbers, but I’m with the Sun-Times on this one: something was off almost right away. The backing band was keeping up just fine, but Berry couldn’t seem to make any of his solos work, or indeed the basic rhythm parts. He was playing in the wrong key, or off-tempo, or sometimes both. He started playing songs right in the middle, leaving the band to scramble to keep up. He moved from song to song, sometimes after just a few bars. He stopped and recited a poem for no apparent reason.

Eventually, he told us that his guitar was out of tune, and he walked over to the keyboard to get in tune. After arguing with the keyboardist over what notes to play, he shooed him away and sat down at the piano himself. He tinkered around for a few minutes, then came over to the center microphone again and declared that the electronic keyboard was out of tune. Um. Probably it wasn’t. I was really annoyed at this point; I’d braced myself against the winter weather in a dress for this? Why didn’t he just get a roadie to tune the guitar real fast, since it clearly wasn’t working for him? Why did he still insist on touring with no backing band, and then berating the performers who showed up as support?

I watched the documentary Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll! a few months ago and was struck by a few things: 1) damn, Chuck Berry had a huge effect on rock n roll and I was sadly unaware of that before; 2) he is very protective of his money/gig situations, after having been screwed over by promoters and managers in the past; and 3) even his most devoted fans find him difficult to work with. The 1986 concert that Keith Richards headed up with Berry, which is the focus of the documentary, was the first time Berry rehearsed with a band regularly leading up to a concert, rather than showing up the day of and playing with an ad hoc band of local performers, as he usually does (and as he did on Saturday).

The 1986 concert was wonderful to watch, and I admit that I’d hoped that Saturday’s concert would be more like that — with a tight band and an artist on top of the world. Instead, he refused to ask for help with his guitar, berated the band in front of everybody, and spent almost half of his time on stage struggling to keep up with his own songs.

I was getting pretty upset with Berry for not calling in some help or just shaping up and playing the right chords, when two things occurred to humble me right up: First, Berry apologized eloquently for the rough playing, saying, “It’s all my fault. The band, they’re doing their job, but I messed up. It’s my fault the guitar isn’t in tune. I feel bad. The promoter, the band, they all did their job, and we are supposed to be entertaining you, but we aren’t doing a very good job of entertaining you.” When we all responded with loud cheers of support, he said, “You’re very kind, you’re very kind. Now, you don’t want to listen to me talk about what’s wrong, you want me to entertain you, and that’s what we’re going to do.” And then he launched back into an aborted effort at “Johnny B. Goode.” What, was I thinking I knew more than the king of rock n roll about how to put on a good show? Was I thinking he didn’t know just how bad it sounded and that it didn’t matter to him? For shame.

The other thing that shamed me was, as the papers all reported, he sat down at the keyboard and laid his head down on his arms. Several people came over to talk to him, and they eventually led him off stage. The promoter hurriedly told the crowd, “Thanks for coming out, there will be DJs if you want to stick around,” so most of us left, although apparently Berry came on later and tried again, but left for good not long after. The man is 84 years old and had to be checked over by an ambulance crew for exhaustion, and here I was moaning that he wasn’t trying hard enough. I feel real bad about that.

Saturday was musically the worst concert I’ve ever been to (well, ok, except maybe a show at The Mutiny one time), but it was also the saddest concert I’ve ever attended. Here was a living legend, doing his best for loving fans, but despite past glories, his best wasn’t good enough anymore, and he knew it. I was excited to see Chuck Berry because I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, but maybe I shouldn’t have been given that chance. Maybe it’s time he retired to just playing his own concert hall in St. Louis, with a backing band of good friends and an audience that lets him play around with bluesy tunes and doesn’t scream out for “My Ding-a-Ling.” Maybe it’s time for retirement.

But then again, that’s not my call to make; it’s his. He’s called his own shots for twice as long as I’ve lived, and for an industry infamous for managers, promoters, executives, and just about everyone else mishandling artists’ money and creativity, that is quite impressive. He doesn’t take shit from anyone and he plays his music the way he wants to play it, all critics be damned. What’s more rock n roll than that?

In the documentary, Keith Richards says something like, “He’s really the best. I don’t think Chuck even knows how good he is.” I love you, Keith, but you’ve got it all wrong. As with most cantankerous geniuses, a big part of Chuck Berry’s brilliance isn’t that he doesn’t know how good he is, but that he knows exactly how much better he is than all the rest. I’m sure I wouldn’t want to be friends with someone that full of himself, or have to work with someone that controlling of his work, but that’s neither here nor there for the music.

Many reviews of the documentary Hail! Hail! like to focus on how often Berry talks about making money and keeping his money, but damn, he came of age as a black man in the South in the 1950s — of course he’s focused on keeping his money! The part that the reviews don’t focus nearly so much on is how much he talks about singing HIS songs and playing HIS music, about how focused he is on bringing that vision to life again and again, about how much joy he gets from performing. This love of performing — a love that has lasted SIXTY YEARS — makes a performance like Saturday’s all the sadder, because it surely means that Berry knows just how far he fell short of greatness that night. Why, he was almost like one of us, and I’m sorry about that, Chuck. Get some rest and keep on rockin’.