Hey what’s up. Do you happen to be a fan of the legendary rock band Kiss? It’s OK to admit it. Even though Gene Simmons is the Donald Trump of Rock, there are no judgments here. But if that is the case, then you may want to know that for one night only, Wednesday, May 25th at 7:00 PM, Fathom Events will bring KISS to the big screen for an explosive event in KISS Rocks Vegas, a live concert film that no fan will want to miss.
If you are lucky enough to live in or near a big metropolitan area like New York City or Los Angeles, then you probably have the opportunity to see just about every big band that tours, because there is no shortage of huge concert venues. But if you live less centrally, in a rural location, or have life circumstances (kids, weird hours at work, school, shortage of disposable income) that make it hard to get out to a concert, then the rare Live Concert Film that plays in a local movie theater is a godsend. Fans of Las Vegas-based rock band Imagine Dragons who’ve either been unable to catch the band on tour, or just want to see them live again, will be thrilled to know that Fathom Events, CinemaLive and Eagle Vision are bringing Imagine Dragons In Concert: Smoke + Mirrors to the big screen nationwide for a one-night concert event on Wednesday, March 2nd. Exciting!
Something I just learned is that Imagine Dragons‘ lineup includes three out of four guys who are all named Dan! That is crazy, right? Too bad they could not call themselves Band of Dans, because that name is already taken by They Might Be Giants‘ back up band, and The Dan Band is also taken. Anyway, Smoke + Mirrors — which is also the name of the band’s most recent #1 album — gives fans plenty of close-up face time with lead vocalist Dan Reynolds, guitarist Daniel Wayne “Wing” Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. Reynolds is, of course, the focal point, and the fact the that stage has a catwalk, which allows him to glad hand a large number of enthusiastic, smart-phone-wielding fans on the floor, certainly adds to the film’s intimate dynamic. And it really must be said that the fifth band member is the actual stage set itself, which includes a group of tall four-sided, mirrored columns that are staggered in a half-circle formation around the back of the stage. If you’ve ever driven into or out of LAX, think of that Kinetic Light Installation at the entrance and you will have some idea of what it looks like. Various projections bounce off the columns and create terrific atmospheric effects, including one song where it looks like the entire stage is on fire. Very nice.
The featured Smoke + Mirrors concert performance was filmed entirely on one night, July 4th, 2015 in Toronto in front of 15,000 people at the Air Canada Centre; a venue that resembles Madison Square Garden in set up, but is slightly smaller in capacity. Filmed in what is called Dolby Atmos, an array of speakers are not only all around the walls of the theater, but also on the ceiling, so you really do feel like you are right there in the venue. Imagine Dragons is super tight live, and it is obvious from Dan Reynolds’ plentiful on-stage crowd banter that they really love and appreciate their fans. My guess is that if you met the band members in real life, they would not act like dicks to you.
Music taste is more subjective today than ever, I so I really don’t want to turn this into a critique of a band whose music does not necessarily resonate with me, personally. I ‘imagine’ that if you like Imagine Dragons mostly very AOR tunes, Smoke + Mirrors will be the greatest concert film ever. And if you’ve been unable to see the band live, and really want to, this will give you an excellent, next-best-thing-to-being-there idea of how they are in a live forum — which is to say theoretically excellent. For me though, their music goes right through me leaving absolutely no hook residue in its wake, so if you are not fan, I think I can safely say that you can skip this. The only two songs of theirs that I know (and that is mostly because they are both used on TV commercials) — the rousing “I Bet My Life” and dystopian “Radioactive” — come at the film’s very end. Smoke + Mirrors is technically flawless – but I could not help during the screening but wish that I was watching Tame Impala or Hosier; two bands I saw live last year whose shows just blew me away.
For tickets and participating theaters showing Smoke + Mirrors, visit This Link. Run time is 1 hour and 35 minutes.
If there was ever a pop star born with a more sizeable share of outrageous talent than most mere mortals, it is Paul McCartney. Not only is he among the most celebrated and successful song writers in the world, an innovative bass player who also plays the drums, piano and guitar equally well, a charismatic public figure and one of the best looking men on the planet (seriously, in his 20s and 30s, especially, McCartney could hold a close up for days) but he was a member of The fucking Beatles – the greatest band ever in the Universe of All Time. And the craziest thing about Paul McCartney’s many-decades long career is that he has made everything he does look easy. That, my friend, is the mark of a truly gifted and legendary artist.
Paul McCartney still tours, and if he happens to be playing in your city and you have $500 burning a hole in your pocket, you can buy a ticket to go see him. If that price seems a little out of your range, you might consider buying a ticket to see ROCKSHOW, a 1980 concert film by McCartney and his then-band Wings, which is coming to theaters Worldwide on May 15th, and here in the States starting May 16th. That would be a lot cheaper and you’ll probably get better seats! Filmed during the North American leg of the band’s 1976 Wings Over The World Tour, the two-hour plus length film features 30 songs from four concerts of the tour: New York, May 25 (four songs); Seattle, June 10 (five songs); Los Angeles, June 22 (15 songs); and Los Angeles, June 23 (six songs). This tour also spawned the triple live album, Wings Over America.
Although I am as crazy for the music of The Beatles today as I was at age five, when I first discovered the soundtrack of the film HELP! thanks to my older sister, Wings was never a band that yanked my chain all that much. I was probably listening to Alice Cooper and a lot of German Prog Rock at that time, so, I was surprised at the intense waves of deep nostalgia that washed over me as I sat rapt for two hours watching ROCKSHOW on my iMac so I could write this review. Little did I know then that, nearly forty years onward, Wings’ songs would sound like the Classical music of its time! The set list for ROCKSHOW is comprised of tracks from the albums Red Rose Speedway, Band on the Run, Venus and Mars and Wings at the Speed of Sound and some of McCartney’s early solo work, while being favorably augmented by many Beatles’ classics. What a great concert experience this film serves up!
Paul McCartney & Wings included McCartney’s wife and muse, keyboardist Linda McCartney (RIP), drummer Joe English, guitarists Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch (RIP) plus a four piece horn section. Demonstrating that wings was as egalitarian a band as any fronted by a former Beatle, Paul frequently hands over lead vocal duties to Laine and McCulloch, beginning early in the set with “Spirits of Ancient Egypt” and “Medicine Jar,” respectively. Laine also reprises his lead vocal performance of The Moody Blues’ early #1 hit, “Go Now” and shows himself to be a remarkably charismatic front man on the urgent and compelling “Time To Hide.” Although the cameras can tend to linger on McCartney’s ridiculously handsome visage for endless minutes at a time (not complaining), everyone in the group is represented, reinforcing the fact that Wings was a true “band of brothers,” so to speak and not just a group of hired musicians supporting McCartney as a solo act.
Man, this is some sad news right there. Adam Yauch, founding member of the legendary Beastie Boys, has passed away today, May 4th, after hard fought three year battle with cancer. The rapper, also known as MCA, was 47 years old. In addition to his talent as a rapper and musician, Yauch was also a filmaker who, under the psuedonym Nathanial Hornblower, directed many of The Beastie Boys’ videos, including the 2006 Beastie Boys concert film Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That! Yauch is survived by his wife Dechen Wangdu, and their daughter. Rest in peace.
