Monday 20 April 2015

Standing Ovation.


Mediocre photo credit: David Hughes.

Saw song writer Jimmy Webb in concert last week in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England for God's sake! He talked a lot about his life and performed a selection of his classic songs - Galveston, Wichita Lineman, By The Time I get to Phoenix, MacArthur Park. He reminded me of myself, I like to think, good humoured but under pinned with bitterness on his history in the music industry, the record companies, the rip offs, the crooks  the missed opportunities perhaps, but interlaced with great stories featuring Richard Harris, Glen Campbell, Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Willie Nelson. Two hours in the company of a genius. An honest beautiful performance. Shame the hall was only two thirds full. Webb and just his piano produced an incandescent operatic version of MacArthur Park, a record that I've both loathed and grown to like in a kind of ironic fashion but seeing and hearing the composer playing like his life depended on it was an unforgettable and privileged experience. Goose bumps and hair raising shivers. 

Here endeth my humble opinion.

3 comments:

  1. Blimey David! MacArthur Park - save us! But now I've read your review, I'm sorry I wasn't there. Sounds
    Ike an interesting bloke as well.

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    1. I sort of wrote this with you in mind I think you would have appreciated the performance too, I think I own one Jimmy Webb track and a couple of other songs by others ie Richard Harris for one. But to see a 'legendary' songwriter be it bad or otherwise in my local town was one I couldn't let slip by. As you can probably tell I really enjoyed it and then took Mr. Webb to the pub afterwards to compare notes.........

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    2. Are you joking? If not, lucky you. Do tell us more. Spill the dirt...

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