NELSON RIDDLE ORCHESTRA . . . . . Route 66 Theme (opening theme) . . . . . Route 66 and Other Great TV Themes/More Hit TV Themes
RANDY NEWMAN . . . . . Lonely At The Top . . . . . Sail Away
JOE HENRY . . . . . The Man I Keep Hid . . . . . Blood from Stars
THE REAL TUESDAY WELD . . . . . The Show Must Go On . . . . . I, Lucifer
TOM WAITS . . . . . Live Circus . . . . . Glitter and Doom Live
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN . . . . . Wild Billy’s Circus Story . . . . . The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
THE DECEMBERISTS . . . . . My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist . . . . . 5 Songs

SPIRAL STAIRS . . . . . Maltese T . . . . . The Real Feel
IGGY POP . . . . . The Passenger . . . . . Lust for Life
THE CAESARS . . . . . Boo Boo Goo Goo . . . . . Strawberry Weed
PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS . . . . . Just Like Me . . . . . Paul Revere & The Raiders - Greatest Hits
VISQUEEN . . . . . Hand Me Down . . . . . Message To Garcia
THE BEATLES . . . . . Got To Get You Into My Life . . . . . Revolver (Remastered)
CAMERA OBSCURA . . . . . Honey In The Sun . . . . . My Maudlin Career
SAM & DAVE . . . . . You Don’t Know Like I Know . . . . . The Very Best of Sam & Dave
SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS . . . . . Tell Me . . . . . 100 Days, 100 Nights

WILCO . . . . . Sonny Feeling . . . . . Wilco (The Album)
LOU REED . . . . . Crazy Feeling . . . . . Coney Island Baby
THE RAVEONETTES . . . . . Bang! . . . . . In & Out of Control
THE TUBES . . . . . Don’t Touch Me There . . . . . Young and Rich
THE POSTMARKS . . . . . 7-11 . . . . . By-the-Numbers
RAY PETERSON . . . . . Tell Laura I Love Her . . . . . Tell Laura I Love Her
GIRLS . . . . . Laura . . . . . Album
THE MINUS 5 . . . . . Desperate For Someone . . . . . Because We Hate You/Let the War Against Music Begin
ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE VENUS 3 . . . . . Intricate Things . . . . . Goodnight Oslo

ALELA & ALINA . . . . . Matty Groves . . . . . Matty Groves
FAIRPORT CONVENTION . . . . . Farewell, Farewell . . . . . Liege & Lief
THE SWELL SEASON . . . . . Fantasy Man . . . . . Strict Joy
JONI MITCHELL . . . . . Urge For Going . . . . . Hits
JOE PUG . . . . . Dodging The Wind . . . . . Born On Flag Day
ROSANNE CASH . . . . . She’s Got You . . . . . The List
GEORGE JONES . . . . . A Picture Of Me (Without You) . . . . . A Picture of Me (Without You)

The previous program ended with Bruce Springsteen's "New York City Serenade" and my noting that I'd never seen that tune performed live, and wondering whether it would be part of the set list for the two upcoming MSG shows. This show included another track from Springsteen's second disc, along with the happy news that I would be attending the 11/7 concert . . . where he would be playing the entire second album from start to finish! I managed to snare two tickets through the tiny drop released a few days before, and Kathy (my wife) and I ended up on the side of the stage, about 10 yards from the band. Remarkably, they were the best seats I've had at a Springsteen show since we sat in the ninth row at the old Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ, in 1978. The Wild and the Innocent was wonderful to hear, and the E Street Band did a magnificent job of recreating the original sound of the album, with the help of a five-piece horn section, along with a string section plus Richard Blackwell on congas (he played on the album) for NYC Serenade (which was powerfully beautiful). It remains to be seen if this will be it for Bruce and the band, as they are taking some time off after spending the better part of the past decade on the road and in the studio together. If so, this show brought me back full circle to the early days when I first discovered Springsteen, and that added a little something extra to an extraordinary concert.

The track heard here featured Garry Tallent on the tuba and Roy Bittan on accordian; it's one that neither Kathy or I had seen live before as well, and was another highlight. Following it was a Decemberists tune with a suitable title, and preceding it we heard a Tom Waits track from his upcoming live CD that made for a perfect segue. The Real Tuesday Weld contributed a track that seemed to fit quite nicely as well, and Joe Henry's song felt like it could be an inner monologue of the guy in the Randy Newman tune that opened the show.

The next section opened with one from the new Spiral Stairs disc, and the guiter on that one brought to mind an old favorite from Iggy Pop. From there we heard the Caesars with some of their Swedish garage rock followed by Paul Revere & the Raiders offering their prototype for that sound. Visqueen provided some more guitars along the addition of some horns, which the remastered Beatles used to prominent effect. We then stepped on the Scottish soul train with Camera Obscura, which led to one from the soul originators Sam & Dave before Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings took us home with a 21st century take on that heartfelt sound.

While listening recently to Wilco's last record I was suddenly struck by the similarity between the slide guitar on this set's opening track and the old Lou Reed tune that followed, which is why we heard them back to back. From there it was a new one by the Raveonettes that opens with a line that could be referencing another '70s Lou Reed song, and the sound of that one led to the Tubes having some fun with Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. The Postmarks covering the Ramones took us into teen tragedy territory, and of course Ray Peterson had a big hit during the peak of that niche in the early '60s. Girls followed with one about a different Laura, which led to the Minus 5 and a tune about a girl with some serious issues, and that brought on Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 (including Scott McCaughey, mastermind of the Minus 5) mulling over the nature of love and relationships between men and women.

The last portion of this program began with Alela & Alina taking on an old English folk song that many (including myself) were first introduced to through Fairport Convention, who followed with a different one from the album that contains their version. Then it was the Swell Season from their new disc with one on which Marketa Irglova sings the lead and seems to reference the rather short-lived relationship she had with Glen Hansard (the two of them have decided to continue performing together even though they are no longer a couple). A beautiful song of changes from Joni Mitchell led to a new one from Joe Pug that finds him working hard to maintain his equilibrium. Deer Tick unable to shake free of the girl he lost brought on Rosanne Cash surrounded by the material remains of a departed lover, and then we hit rock bottom with George Jones and a classic weeper from the early-'70s.

Here's another one from George Jones