Live music is just my favorite pasttime in life.  I'd just about rather go to a great concert than anything. Believe it or not, it is even better than the exquisite, almost orgasmic experience of working with Handel in the morning. So recently when I went to three shows in eight nights, it was a great time for me. Here are my reviews:

   FLOGGING MOLLY:  Sold out for weeks at the Grove in Anaheim, the crowd ranged from 18 to 70 and everybody was ready. Unfortuantely for those in the higher age range, there were no seats, everything was standing room. As is now the custom, the younger fans converged in front of the stage where the moshing became a little wilder and a litlte more physical with each song. The band was, as always fantastic. Fliogging Molly has been together so long, are constantly on tour and take great pride in their music, so they always are muscially right on target, and give a full effort. They never just mail it in. As a ticket buyer, I appreciate that. as I detailed in my earlier blog, the sound was just horrible, and that took some of the edge off the concert for me. Most of the fans didn't seem to mind, but for those of us who actually like the words to their music,. it would've been nice to be able to hear frontman Dave King actually singing. And I know its not that the band jsut plays loud and out of control, because in all of the other concerts of Flogging Molly, hearing the singing has not been a problem. So I will grade the concert a B+.

PETER FRAMPTON:  Frampton is going through an unbelievable resurgence in interest and fandom. In fact, as his 35th Anniversary Tour of the magnificent Frampton Comes Alive album has unfolded, he's been playing to sold out houses everywhere. He was the subject of a feature piece on the CBS show, Sunday Morning and now is popping up in commercials. What blew me away was the crowd reaction. Overwhelming! The fans went nuts, screaming and dancing and singing. He seems completely revitalized by it. As for the music, in a word, perfect.  Frampton is a tremendous guitar stylist, and his voice sounds just as it did on the night I heard him at The Forum in November of 1976 when his album came out. I thought two phrases from his songs were appropriate:"Something's Happening" which actualloy is the name of the first song he plays, and in Frampton's case, something very definitely is happening. I saw a show of his two years ago, and it was nice, the music was good, the fans enjoyed and they went home. This was different, a rebirth of Frampton with full enthusiasm on both sides of the stage, his and ours. The other phrase is from the song "Show Me the Way", in which he sings "I can't believe this is happening to me".  I'm sure he is actually feeling that. Concert was well over two hours, much of it taken up by doing the full album of Frampton Comes Alive.  He's confidant enough in his music that a CD of the full concert is available to fans 15 minutes after the show, and the quality is shockingly good. I can tell you, there was a long line to get that CD.  Grade for the concert:  A+

RAIN: The Beatles Tribute band has been together for years, and they recently had their show on Broadway. They are slick, they are totally together on stage, emulate the Beatles movement and way of speaking, and do a great job capturing their musical sound. Rain plays note for note the Beatles songs in their different phases, and the music is accompanied by a nice video presentation as well. They did need to prompt the fans to clap their hands, or to stand and dance (let's face it, the crowd is older for this one), but a good time was had by all. If you are a Beatles fan, you'll like it.  Grade:  B