With a great deal of trepidation, I took a flyer on the San Diego County Fair while in California in last week. Accustomed to quaint livestock shows, scouting displays and sketchy carnies at similar events in Kansas and Missouri, I cringed at paying $10 to park and another $12 to enter the fair at the Del Mar track. My skepticism was unfounded. While I saw plenty of goats, 4-H exhibits and creepy carnival barkers, San Diego's version of a county fair is hardly forlorn or dusty.
The musical smorgasbord was amazing. In addition to several stages featuring cover bands, a stunning array of international acts perform at the festival every day. I caught Lonestar and Eric Burdon.
Lonestar performed on a massive Coachella-sized stage for an audience of about 3,000. As much as I'd like to loathe the band for its undeniable influence on Rascal Flatts, I can't deny the power of songs like "No News". I dug 'em in spite of myself.
The convoluted career of Burdon has always confused me. His set on a smaller stage for an audience of approximately 2,000 contained a mishmash of material. I hadn't witnessed a Burdon performance in about 15 years and I'd forgotten how many memorable songs he's recorded. I almost lost my mind hearing his classic versions of material like "When I Was Young". Crazy.
Back on the ag front, I learned that the sale and purchase of raw milk is legal in California. That's it- I'm moving.
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I reviewed last night's Scissor Sisters and Rye Rye concert.
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I reviewed a Lukas Nelson show a couple weeks ago.
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How is it that I didn't know about the Stepkids' "Legend In My Own Mind" until today? (Thanks, Russell Jelinek!)
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I recognize that it's just one cliché after another, but I adore Lita Ford's new Living Like a Runaway album.
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Big Moon Ritual makes it clear that Chris Robinson loves American Beauty and Sailin' Shoes as much as me.
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The goofy smirks on the faces of the vocalists as the Hood Internet cover the Pretenders' "Back On the Chain Gang" delight me.
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It was love at first listen when I heard the late Manuel Galbán's Blue Cha Cha this morning.
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Kansas City Click: See what you missed last week here.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
3 comments:
I didn't know Manuel Galbán had a new album (I didn't know he'd died either). Thanks for the heads up.
Btw I've been catching up on Breaking Bad, and the episode I saw last Night (Sunset) featured a track by Galbán's 60s group Los Zafiros. I guessed instantly what it was, even though I'd never knowingly heard them before.
That's your secret superpower, Steve. Los Zafiros will provide my soundtrack for the weekend.
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