Getting the Perfect Concert Photo

Everyone has a camera on them at all times, which makes it that much harder to get a perfect concert photo. 

There are phones and cameras blocking views pretty consistently.  I was guilty of that today in Central Park.  Not that this shot was during the middle of a song, but the timing of the woman whose hand graces my photo could not have been better.  She completely blocks out Keith Urban.  Well not completely, you can see his elbow if you look close.  It made me laugh. 

Keith Urban's performance  on GMA today was as always A-1.  Hearing him live in Central Park was the perfect kick off to the weekend.  He performed:  Somewhere in My Car, Even The Stars Fall 4 U, You Gonna Fly and Long Hot Summer. 

Things To Do In NYC and Some are on the Upper East Side

• Tonight Keith Urban is at the Garden with Little Big Town.  He's a consistently good show.  I'd put him up there with a Springsteen, Cheap Trick or Tom Petty any day. 

• This one came to my attention because Vincent D'Onofrio's name was attached to it.  He reads from his journals at Joe's Pub on January 31st.  while serenaded by Dana Lyn.  Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day of show.  I can imagine it will be an intense evening. 

• Feburary 6th at the 92Y It was Fifty Years Ago Today...Celebrating 50 years of The Beatles in the USA.  Paul and Ringo won't be there but Peter Asher, Donovan and Freda Kelly (one of the few Beatles employees that stayed with them throughout their 10 year career) will be joining Martin Lewis for conversations. The Beatles arrived at JFK on February 7, 1964 and music was changed forever. 

• Armistead Maupin will be in a discussion (also on) February 6 at 7pm at Barnes & Noble on East 86th St.  His latest Tales from the City is titled The Days of Anna Madrigal: A Novel. 

• If you want to venture to Times Square, Super Bowl Blvd is in full swing until Saturday night when Blondie closes it out with a show at 8pm on Broadway between 39th & 40th streets.   The Bacon Brothers are there tonight.  Can't imaging it's easy to perform in the weather we've been having. Parka Up. 

New Yorkers Buy The Most Country Music

On the heels of the CMA's last night (How wonderful was the tribute to Glen Campbell? How great are those Jimmy Webb songs?), this week's Nielsen report states that New York City is the biggest market for country music sales.  They attribute that more to the larger population of NY than say a city like Nashville.  Country is the new rock so it's no surprise that New Yorkers buy country music.  The surprise is that radio still ignores this market and has yet to bring back a country station.  Maybe there are a lot of Sirius XM subscribers in Gotham City. 

Urban Mayer & Jones

Not a law firm, just a nice collaboration on the Grammys.  Their tribute to Dolly Parton and worth a watch.

Keith Urban-Madison Square Garden

Keith Urban plays to the crowd, while in the crowd. Heard hints of Prince, Cheap Trick and The Who in the show last night. All phenomenal performers. Keith holds his own in their company.

He shakes up his arrangements, plays an incredible guitar, is very appreciative of his audience and his crew and looks like he's having the time of his life.

He closed the show by leaving his uber tight band to play while the camera followed his exit through the bowels of The Garden to 33rd St. He proceed to hail a cab, wave good night, shut the door and head west. The crew credits rolled. A surprise ending to a perfect night of music.

Celebrity Playlist Podcasts

I usually check out the celebrity playlists on the weekly iTunes email. Today I finally discovered a celebrity playlist podcast. I listened to two and they are short and informative insights into a musicians head. This week Keith Urban shares 10 of his favorite songs. In all 10 choices, songwriting played a big part in the appeal of the song. He also cites lyrics. Lyricists are some of the most underrated professionals. Everyone knows Burt Bacharach, but how many people know he had a lyricist/writing partner name Hal David?

Keith on the songs:

God Only Knows-The Beach Boys "Shines as an original way to say I love you." He always loved the bands harmonies, but as he got older he really appreciated the songwriting.

Joelen-Dolly Parton Rhythmatically there is great stuff going on in this song. "The story is fabulous. It's a really hypnotic track."

Bohemian Rhapsody-Queen. "It continues to be mind blowing. A masterpiece."

Nothing Compares 2 U-Prince "He's a genius." Regarding his live show: "You see him and you're like that's what great is." The Song: It's haunting. It gets under my skin."

Jamey Johnson-The High Cost of Living "The Lyrics are not watered down." It reminds him of the rawness he heard in Waylon Jennings records.

Secret Garden-Bruce Springsteen "One of the last great romantics. He has a great way of describing a woman."


Tom Jones' list is more about the music he discovered early on in his career and how some of it developed into relationships with other musicians. Midnight Hour by Wilson Picket and Dance to the Music by Sly and the Family Stone are two songs he heard on his first trip to NY. He brought Dance to his producer as he loved the sound of that record. He and Stevie Wonder did a duet of Superstition on his TV. Dusty Springfield also performed with him on TV and he lists her classic Son of a Preacher Man.

Most of these podcasts are less than 15 minutes. There are snippets of the song choices interspersed in the interview. It's worth a few minutes each week to get a glimpse into what makes musicians tick.