Chad Comello

Tag: Billy Joel

  • My top 10 concert moments

    I’ve been to many concerts in my life. But I noticed the ones I remember most keenly have a specific song or moment that locked into my consciousness. Here, in chronological order with their venue and specific date (thanks internet!), are the ones that have stuck with me the most.

    “The City, The Airport” by Loney Dear

    The Metro. Chicago. April 13, 2007. My former bandmate and I had a connection with Matt and Seth of Anathallo (see below), and they invited us to go see Low. We arrived during the opener, a Swedish group called Loney Dear, as they were playing this propulsive bop. I found Low’s show to be slow and forgettable, but I’ll never forget Loney Dear.

    “On the Safest Ledge” by Copeland

    The Bottom Lounge. Chicago. October 30, 2008. I went with my friend Whitney to see one of my favorite bands at the time (and one I’ve been writing about since this blog’s beginning). You Are My Sunshine has just come out and I was really steeped in Eat, Sleep, Repeat so getting to see them live was a real treat, and this particular song was absolutely electric.

    “Why Can’t It Be Christmastime All Year?” by Rosie Thomas

    Schuba’s Tavern. Chicago. December 7, 2008. This was a Christmas-themed show, with Rosie and her bandmates dressed in ugly holiday sweaters and pajamas and playing festive tunes—including this bouncy original that’s become a staple in my annual Yuletide listening. I emerged from this concert into the unrivaled winter wonderland vibes of Christmastime in Chicago with its snow and cold and twinkling lights.

    “All the First Pages” by Anathallo

    The Union. Naperville. February 20, 2009. This is what inspired me to do this list. I’d seen them before, but this particular song played by an eight-piece group packed snugly onto a small stage in an intimate venue with a standing-room-only crowd… well, let’s just say when the bridge explodes into the final chorus, it felt like the roof blew open and confetti was flying everywhere. Transcendent.

    “You Should’ve Seen the Other Guy” by Nathaniel Rateliff

    The Pabst Theater. Milwaukee. May 25, 2010. About to graduate from college, I drove up to Milwaukee with my friends Steve, Tim, and Andrea to see The Tallest Man On Earth. He was a great show in itself, but Rateliff and his band (not yet “& the Night Sweats”) were a wonderful surprise as the opening act. I could feel his primal yell in this chorus even from the nosebleeds.

    “Hey Jude” by Paul McCartney

    Wrigley Field. Chicago. August 1, 2011. Technically I didn’t go to this concert; my friend Brian and I just joined the crowds gathered right outside the stadium to listen to legendary music reverberating out into Wrigleyville. But that didn’t matter—it was basically a free Beatles show, and singing this song live with thousands of people is an experience I’ll never forget. (The photo at top captures our freeloaders’ view—the big white light is the giant screen in the stadium.)

    “Emmylou” by First Aid Kit

    Lincoln Hall. Chicago. April 6, 2012. My now-wife and I had just started dating when we went to see this Swedish duo who had blown up with the release of The Lion’s Roar, so it’s no wonder hearing this buoyant song about love and winter and music stuck with me. Just as good: watching Emmylou Harris tear up hearing it live.

    “She Lit A Fire” by Lord Huron

    The House Cafe. DeKalb. July 23, 2013. Their album Lonesome Dreams had been my personal soundtrack the previous winter, so it was a thrill to see them live—with a bonus of my friend Kevin Prchal as the opener. As with First Aid Kit, this song’s lyrics (“she lit a fire, and now she’s in my every thought”) spoke directly to my burgeoning feelings for my soon-to-be-fiancée.

    “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)” by Billy Joel

    Wrigley Field. Chicago. August 11, 2017. Back at Wrigley with my sister to see one of our mutual favorites as an early birthday outing, we’d planned to hang outside like at the McCartney show but then out of curiosity checked the box office when we arrived. Tickets weren’t exorbitant, so my sister decided to spring for them and we went in, this final song from Turnstiles leading off the show as we found our seats for what became a magical evening.

    “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” by I’m With Her

    Thalia Hall. Chicago. January 6, 2018. We didn’t know it at the time, but this ended up being the last concert my wife and I went to together before our first child was born. And while their original songs were delightful, their a cappella cover of this Adele song was so unexpected and brought the house down.

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  • In the Mood for a Melody

    The other day I came upon Brian Eno’s article about singing with other people:

    There are physiological benefits, obviously: You use your lungs in a way that you probably don’t for the rest of your day, breathing deeply and openly. And there are psychological benefits, too: Singing aloud leaves you with a sense of levity and contentedness. And then there are what I would call “civilizational benefits.” When you sing with a group of people, you learn how to subsume yourself into a group consciousness because a capella singing is all about the immersion of the self into the community. That’s one of the great feelings — to stop being me for a little while and to become us. That way lies empathy, the great social virtue.

    The next evening, as if to accidentally confirm this thesis, I went with my sister to see Billy Joel perform at Wrigley Field. And boy was there group singing, 40,000 strong. Not only that, but several times Billy gave the crowd a “fielder’s choice”: he’d name two of his songs and played whichever one got more cheers and applause.

    One song he had no choice but to play was “Piano Man”. Because everyone knows it so well, he let the crowd take one chorus a cappella:

    Sing us a song, you’re the piano man
    Sing us a song tonight
    Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody
    And you’ve got us feelin’ alright

    Civilizational benefits indeed. That cliche about gathering around a fire to sing “Kumbaya” came from somewhere.

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  • Soundtrack of the moment, part III

    Haven’t done one of these in a while. Since the last one, I’ve tightened my music collection dramatically so as to eliminate the stuff I don’t listen to, as well as the stuff I had just for the sake of having. Here it goes…

    “I’m Waiting for the Day” – The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
    Pet Sounds has grown on me. At first I thought it was overrated, but after repeated listenings, I can’t get enough of it. Now if I can only get the vinyl…

    “Your Mother Should Know” – The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour
    Such a catchy melody. Tight composition and easy to listen to over and over again.

    “Prelude/Angry Young Man” – Billy Joel – Turnstiles
    I’m so glad I’ve discovered more of Billy Joel’s catalogue. His late ‘70s music is among the best of all pop music.

    “Jesus” – Brand New – The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me
    From a former pop punk rock band comes this thoughtful, heavy-hitting tune in an album worthy of decade-best lists. A great spiritual song from a great rock band.

    “The Greatest” – Cat Power – The Greatest
    I’ve just gotten into female singer-songwriters and I’m lovin’ every minute of it! Down to the bare bones, a la the Plastic Ono Band.

    “Rubylove” – Cat Stevens – Teaser and the Firecat
    Again with the singer-songwriters. This just goes to show that all you really need is a guitar or piano and a voice to make really good music. Check out any of Cat’s stuff.

    “You Are My Joy” – David Crowder Band – A Collision or (3+4=7)
    Listened to this album all the time at summer camp. It flows together well and provides the usual Crowder kick in the upbeat songs, as well as the deep thoughts in the slower ones.

    “When Your Mind’s Made Up” – Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova – Once
    Such a brilliant movie. Since it’s basically a musical, the songs make it what it is. This song is quite powerful and driving, but you need to see the movie and buy the soundtrack. I hope ‘Falling Slowly’ gets an Oscar nod, and hopefully a win.

    “Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple) – John Lennon – Mind Games
    Basically all of John’s solo stuff is great, but this song is especially catchy. I finally have the vinyl as well.

    “Potato’s in the Paddy Wagon” – the Main Street Singers – A Mighty Wind soundtrack
    I think I heard the soundtrack before I saw the movie, but both are awesome. I just love this song’s groove and altogether folksy spirit.

    “Man We Was Lonely” – Paul McCartney – McCartney
    This was the solo album that was released right after the Beatles broke up, and pre-Wings, so it’s good. All the songs are acoustic and stripped down, which is good.

    “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” – Peter, Paul & Mary – Album 1700
    I didn’t know PPM did this song. I love this kind of stuff.

    “Videotape” – Radiohead – In Rainbows
    I’m no Radiohead snob, but it’s a great album overall. I paid a few bucks for it on their website because I wanted to be legit, and I also wanted to reward them for sticking it to the recording industry.

    “Political Science” – Randy Newman – Sail Away
    This song was written in the 1970s, but it is still all too relevant today. Plus, I love Randy Newman. His voice is quite off sometimes, but having just piano and voice for most of it is a plus for me.

    “America” – Simon & Garfunkel – Bookends
    Yet another ridiculous catchy S&G tune. I could listen to their albums all day.

    “Island” – The Starting Line – Direction
    I didn’t think they could top their previous album, but Direction is just flat-out good. It’s different enough from their past work to be progress, yet it sticks to what’s worked in the past, so it succeeds on every level.

    “Sir Duke” – Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life
    We played this in pep band. It’s such a fun song. I haven’t delved too far into Stevie’s music, but I will eventually.

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  • you never give me your money

    I love antique shops. There are 3 here in Naperville but only one of them is that good. I just love walking through aisles and aisles of history and nostalgia. Recently I’ve been finding piles upon piles of old records. Because of my love of history and good music, I naturally appreciate a good record. I only own two so far; The Beatles’ Abbey Road and Billy Joel’s The Stranger, but I plan on getting a lot more in the future.

    I realized that back when records were the only form of music, you couldn’t just throw your entire music library on shuffle like you can nowadays with iPods and CD changers. They required listening to the whole record straight through, so music back then was made to make this possible. Consequentially, albums made sense. They weren’t just random songs put together to make some money–they were fluid and coherent. So recently I’ve been making myself pick an album to listen to and listen to it straight through. It makes the experience so much more fruitful and enjoyable. You can get the overall feeling of the record and then decide if you like it or not. Just try it a few times. I will suggest starting with Abbey Road because it is the greatest album ever made.

    P.S. Don’t forget to send me your guesses for the Academy Award nominations which are immediately under this post.

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  • Soundtrack of the moment, part I

    No, this isn’t that stupid random listing of songs that supposedly follows your life. These are some songs that have changed me, made me think, made me cry, and want me to become a better person. Enjoy.

    “Candy Shop” – Andrew Bird – Oh! the Grandeur
     So nostalgic. The groove makes you want to do the Charleston.

    “Martha My Dear” – The Beatles – The White Album
     There are so many Beatles song I could have chosen but this one is so catchy and my current favorite. Do yourself a favor and listen to this whole double album.

    “Vienna” – Billy Joel – The Stranger
     I recommend this entire album. I wish I could make music like Billy Joel.

    “Love Affair” – Copeland – Eat, Sleep, Repeat
    Ridiculously good song off of a ridiculously good album. Their musicianship and composition skills inspire me so much.

    “Changes” – David Bowie – Hunky Dory
     One of the catchiest songs you’ll ever hear.

    “Time Bomb” – The Format – Dog Problems
    This band is going to be huge. Such a great blend of acoustic pop, rock, and brilliance.

    “Backyard” – Guster – Keep It Together
    I just love the grooves they create. The chord progressions are so emotionally charged.

    “The Mixed Tape” – Jack’s Mannequin – Everything In Transit
    I didn’t know anything about this band before listening to this disc. So glad I did. The first time I heard this track it felt like music was completely new and uninhibited.

    “At the Mercy” – Paul McCartney – Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
    I never listened to any Wings stuff, so that’s probably why I love this. Paul’s still got it.

    “Bicycle Race” – Queen – Greatest Hits I
    At a weird yet awesome song. You will not be able to forget it.

    “Short People” – Randy Newman – Little Criminals
    Most people probably know Randy Newman from the Toy Story soundtrack but his other stuff is piano pop at its best.

    “Samson” – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope
    Brass + strings + inspiration = musical bliss. Such a heart throbbing song.

    “I So Hate Consequences” – Relient K – mmHmm
    Lyrically, this band is the greatest I’ve ever seen. Everyone can relate to these songs, and this is just a taste of the spiritual and emotional maturity that Matthew Thiessen brings.

    “The Only Song” – Sherwood – Summer EP
    Pop rock glory.

    “The World” – The Starting Line – Based on a True Story
    An solid, anthemic pop punk rock song.

    “Come On! Feel the Illinoise!” – Sufjan Stevens – Come On Feel the Illinoise!
    This man is truly gifted. Where he gets his inspiration/ideas is beyond me.

    “Amateur Lovers” – Switchfoot – Oh! Gravity.
    This album is so much better than Nothing Is Sound. Had to pick one song but listen to the whole album.

    “View From Heaven” – Yellowcard – Ocean Avenue
    Such an emotional song from an unlikely source. A great summer record.

    So there are just a few of the songs that fill my day. What are yours?

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