Miers on Music by Jeff Miers

Your favorite Springsteen Buffalo show

Several hundred of you shared your thoughts on Bruce Springsteen's celebrated history of Buffalo concerts, in response to my request for your favorite Bruce show in our region.

Some of these recollections are compiled in my piece on the cover of today's Spotlight section of the Sunday Buffalo News. My thanks to all who shared their memories. I've finally tallied the results. Here are the top three Springsteen Buffalo shows, as voted by you.

1) Shea's Buffalo, opening night of the "Darkness On the Edge of Town" tour, 1978. (By a healthy margin!)

2) HSBC Arena, the solo "Devils & Dust" tour, 2006.

3) St. Bonaventure, "Darkness On the Edge of Town" tour, 1978.

Bruce and the E Street Band play HSBC Arena once again on Friday. Following the show, 97 Rock will run its "Concert Replay," hosted by Little Steven Van Zandt, beginning at 11 p.m.

Find some interesting Springsteen news here.

Police in Buffalo, at last?

According to an interview conducted by, ahem, Fox News, when the Police wrap this upcoming leg of their reunion tour, that's all she wrote. Sting will go back to his opulent digs in Italy, Stewart Copeland will likely go back to film scoring and solo work, Andy Summers will probably work on another book and some new music, and the trio will be laid to rest once and for all.

That means no new album from the still-vibrant band.

That's the bad news. The good news is that the Police have lassoed Elvis Costello and the Imposters for this final leg. And the even better news is that, according to Fox, that last leg will include a Buffalo date.

Read the interview with Sting here.

Five guys named moe.

Moe. played a homecoming gig inside the Town Ballroom on Thursday evening (read the review here). It was pretty great, particularly a stellar version of the brand new "Sticks and Stones."

Anyone have a particular favorite from the show? What'd you think, if you went? If you didn't go, why? Share.

(Photo of Al Schnier in Town Ballroom on Thursday night by Bill Wippert/Buffalo News.)

Rain o'er me...

I wasn't able to attend the Rain Beatles tribute band at Shea's on Tuesday evening, but all the buzz on this band has me curious.

Who was there? What did you think? How faithfully did these guys recreate the intricate interplay of the Fabs?

Neil Young setlist

Wow. Neil Young offered up the best of both worlds on Friday evening inside Shea's (read my review here), starting with a solo acoustic guitar/piano set, and concluding with a rousing electric run. Neil was in remarkably strong voice and his guitar playing was, well, positively Neil-like. Here, to the best of my memory, is the setlist. If i missed a tune, forgive me -- I was having an out-of-body experience, after all. Please write in with additions (including the final encore, which I missed) and your thoughts on the show.

Acoustic set
"From Hank to Hendrix"
"Ambulance Blues"
"Sad Movies"
"A Man Needs a Maid" (piano)
"Harvest"
"After the Gold Rush" (piano)
"Mellow My Mind"
"Love Arts Blues"
"Cowgirl in the Sand"

Electric set (with Rick Rosas, Ben Keith, Ralph Molina, Pegi Young)
"The Loner"
"Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"
"Dirty Old Man"
"Spirit Road"
"Bad Fog of Loneliness"
"Winterlong"
"Oh, Lonesome Me"
"The Believer"
"No Hidden Path"
"Cinnamon Girl "

Long may he run...

Tonight is indeed the night.

Neil Young brings his "Chrome Dreams II" tour to Shea's, and one suspects it would've been easier to get a ticket to see the Pope than it was to grab one of these ducats.

Neil has taken many guises over the years -- one-man troubadour show, big-band leader, sonic space-grunge architect, etc. My two favorite shows are widely different -- a 1987 "Freedom" solo tour stop at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (I didn't live in Buffalo yet), and the 1996 Crazy Horse meltdown inside Marine Midland Arena. (My ears are still ringing from that one.)

Got a favorite Neil Young show or tour? Post it here. And look for a set-list from tonight's show to be posted on Saturday.

Springsteen adds Buffalo date

A friend of mine -- Buffalo native, Manhattan dweller -- swears that, of the many, many times he's seen Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert, in various venues across the country, two cities are consistently hot spots for the band: New York and Buffalo.

According to my friend, Madison Square Garden and the various venues Springsteen has played in Buffalo over the years -- Shea's, Kleinhans, the old Aud, HSBC Arena - bring out the best in "the Boss." I never argue with him on this point.

Now that a March 7th date at HSBC Arena has been confirmed, why not send along your vote for best -ever Springsteen show in Buffalo? Include the tour, venue and year along with your memories of the event. See you at the Arena on March 7th.

In the country of "country" (Urban-style)

On Saturday, Keith Urban played an exemplary show inside HSBC Arena. The musicianship was of a high level, the pacing taut, the presentation  -- including the biggest, highest-resolution video screen I've ever laid eyes on --  impressive. Urban and band played a fantastic gig. I'd hesitate, however, to call what Urban does "country" music. It sure sounded like rock, pop, folk, all combined. But country? I dunno.

After suggesting as much in my review of the show, I received some interesting letters split equally between folks who agreed that Urban is great, but not country, and those who insist, vehemently, that indeed, Urban is as country as country gets.

I'm asking for your help. Please post a cogent, serviceable definition of country music here. I'm not sure I know what it is anymore...

(Photo: Keith Urban at last week's CMA Awards. By Associated Press.)

Viva Zappa

Dweezil Zappa celebrated the legacy of his father Frank's body of work on Tuesday night inside the Town Ballroom. Words will barely do the trick. The show made Dweezil's Zappa Plays Zappa inside UB's Center for the Arts last year seem like a mere warm-up.

This time around, Ray White stood in the spot occupied on the last tour by Napoleon Murphy Brock, and Lord, that man can sing. Also, perfectly-timed video footage meant that Frank could "sit in" with the band. Particularly moving was the "interplay" between father and son during "Cozmik Debris." Thinking about it now gives me chills.

Zappa fanatics - and I know you're out there - please share your fondest memories of Frank in Buffalo.

(Photo Courtesy of Zappa Plays Zappa.)

Phil & Friends at Shea's

Taking your votes here for the standout tune from Thursday's Phil and Friends show at Shea's.

I loved the way the band kicked off the first set with three killer covers, and particularly dug Jackie Green's singing on Dylan's "Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat." "The Wheel" was pretty incredible too.

But for me, the peak was "Althea," particularly Larry Campbell's playing, which was outstanding. The "Scarlet Begonias/Fire On the Mountain" stretch gets my nod for a close second. So go ahead and tell me how totally wrong I am!