| Over the 'Borderline'
Geopolitics being what they are today, Madonna might want to reconsider one element of her "Confessions Tour," which returns to Madison Square Garden tomorrow for two nights. Midway through the show - which is otherwise excellent, even inspiring - a montage of images of world leaders is displayed above the stage. There's President Bush, President Ahmadinejad, Secretary of State Rice, Kim Jong Il, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Fidel Castro, and everyone's favorite punching bag, Vice President Cheney. The montage makes Madonna's worldview quite clear: The only difference between a Republican and a dictator is a mustache. Right, they're all the same. This jolting moment of moral equivalency is topped only by Madonna giving the president of the United States the middle finger. It's all a big dollop of juvenile thinking in the middle of a highly sophisticated show.
Kenny Loggins warms crowd on chilly night
The dogs in "Eight Below" might not have been able to survive the weather at Wente Vineyards on Tuesday night. That's how cold and windy it was at the Kenny Loggins' concert at the lovely Livermore winery. "This evening is going to be like a polar expedition," the 58-year-old vocalist said just minutes after taking the stage. "In order to get through this evening, you'll have to adapt. If you want to stay warm, you're going to have to stand up and dance." Kicking off his likable concert with "Conviction of the Heart," from the 1991-hit "Leap of Faith," the Washington native certainly did his best to keep the crowd warm. Fronting a five-piece band, which was highlighted by the guitar work of Gene Miller, Loggins delivered a highly enjoyable and energetic run through his long list of hits.
Mix picks: CD
DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL, "Dusk and Summer" (Vagrant Records) -- The latest album from Chris Carrabba's super-successful emo-rock outfit Dashboard Confessional continues the artist's emotional excursions into the world of young love -- with all its heightened yearnings and frequent sorrows. And if there are hints of U2-style production textures, as in the standout second track "Reason to Believe," well, U2 collaborator Daniel Lanois had a hand in the production, though Linkin Park producer Don Gilmore, who produced Dashboard's 2004 "Spider-Man 2" soundtrack hit "Vindicated," is responsible for most of it. .
|
