Review: Beyonce returns with Mrs. Carter Show

Since 2007 Beyonce has had two hit albums, married rap mogul Jay Z, become a mother, performed at the Super Bowl, and for President Obama. What she hasn’t done since 2007 is play Charlotte (although she brought her “I Am” tour to Greensboro in 2009). No wonder thousands crowded into Time Warner Cable Arena Saturday to witness her spectacular return.

She noted early in the show between “Flaws and All” and “If I Was a Boy” that she noticed the line around the building as she was driving in. What may be the biggest crowd I’ve seen waiting outside the arena (aside from the DNC)  shuffled in during opening act Luke James. James proved a strong, hunky vocalist with impressive range. Female fans outnumbered the guys and were stylishly dressed. Black and white stripes were the print of choice.  

Beyonce hit the stage with “Run the World (Girls”) following a Marie Antoinette-style clip. Her look for the Mrs. Carter promos looks a lot like Madonna’s 1990 MTV Video Music Awards performance of “Vogue.” The pre-taped dissertation on seduction that introduced the peepshow-themed “Naughty Girl” also recalled Madonna's live shows, although Beyonce’s lace longsleeve unitard offered more coverage than most of Madge's old stage clothes.

There were 10 costumes changes ranging from fluid Charlie’s Angels-style gowns for “Freakem Dress” to a black sequined number that was like something Eartha Kitt as Catwoman would wear by the pool in The Hamptons for “Get Me Bodied,” “Baby Boy,” and “Diva.”

I’m not exaggerating when I say her return was spectacular. Could Beyonce create anything but a spectacle? Could she even put on a bad show? Maybe not. Backed by a female 11-piece band she goes move-for-move with her 10 dancers while never faltering in the vocal department without repeating previous tours. 

If you've seen her before, The Mrs. Carter Tour is a completely new show. Yes, she does her signature “Crazy in Love” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” dances, but the production was fresh and many of the songs were ones crowds didn’t hear in 2007 and 2009. 

In addition to “Freakem Dress,” she added several tracks from 2011’s “4” including “Party,” “1+1,” “I Care,” “I Miss You” and the loads-of-fun Diana Ross-style “Love On Top.” It, “Irreplaceable” (which doesn't feature her female band as prominently now), and “Survivor” featured Beyonce and her dancers (including limber French identical twin brothers Larry and Laurent Bourgeois - pictured above) performing on a circular catwalk opposite the main stage where a lucky group of fans got front-row seats for a few songs. Beyonce sailed there on a wire like a superhero, but didn't try to duplicate the aerial stunt-work that Pink treated crowds to in the same arena this Spring.

She’s retired 2007’s Destiny’s Child medley for the lone “Survivor,” during which her eight female dancers posed as backup singers all dressed in sparkling jumpsuits (like Bey's pictured above at the Atlanta show) at the center of the floor like the ending scene from “Xanadu” (sans roller skates). Much of “I Am…Sasha Fierce” has been exchanged for new tracks like the jungle themed “Grown Woman.”

She ended the set on an emotional note weaving “I Will Always Love You” into her anthem “Halo.” My mother teared up at the first lines of the Dolly Parton/Whitney Houston song, although the inspiring video that preceded it tugged at heart strings as well.

Through example Beyonce seemed to be urging her fans to work hard and follow through whatever they might want to achieve. Earlier she mentioned the young girls standing in line outside as she drove by and thinking about when she was that young girl going to see Janet Jackson and Anita Baker. The comment brought her story full circle as the crowd sang along with “Halo.”

As usual there were messages of female empowerment in the music and the videos that ran between sets. My only complaint was the house music that followed a clip for Gucci’s Chimes for Change non-profit which promotes education, protection, and justice for girls and women around the world. The pro-woman clip, which ran before Beyonce's set, was followed by Kendrick Lamar chanting “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe.” The lyrics aren't that misogynistic, but it’s placement after an inspiring video about folks like Malala Yousafzai was way off. 

(Photos courtesy of Parkwood Entertainment)

Thirsty Beaver's brothers honky-tonkin' on new LP

The first time I saw the Loose Lugnuts - the Charlotte classic country-western band led by brothers Mark and Brian Wilson of The Thirsty Beaver and The Rat’s Nest - I was sitting at a picnic table at Mac’s Speed Shop with the speakers blaring at my back. It’s not how I’d recommend seeing and hearing a show. The sound was harsh, but I managed to make out references to local wrestling (Starrcade, Ric Flair, and Harley Race) and NC television personality and musician Fred Kirby. Now, not being from NC I’m not that familiar with Kirby. The Halloween my husband dressed up in one of his country music singer father’s red, fringed stage costumes (a costume Mark Wilson now wears on stage, by the way) I thought he was Jack White, but all the locals thought he was Fred Kirby. So I knew there was local history in singer Mark Wilson's words. 

After that I wanted to hear more. The Loose Lugnuts play a lot of classic country covers and their audience digs that, but when I heard the song “Fred Kirby” I leaned into my friend and said, “Why don’t they play more originals?” On the new album, “Half Tight,” they do. In fact the 13-track album is made up of Mark Wilson's originals about heartache and drinking and struggles and broken relationships.

I first heard it when Brian Wilson brought the fresh off the presses LP into his NoDa thrift store early one Saturday evening. As I chased my children through the racks of vintage clothes I noted that the album sounded as if it’d been pulled from the stack of worn LPs that face the door of the store (where Rita Coolidge stares out on to the gravel parking lot). 

"Half Tight" was recorded at Mitch Easter’s Fidelitorium Studio in Kernersville and was produced by Lugnut Bill Noonan and engineered by Chris Garges. The MP3 versions aren’t given an artificial scratchy LP treatment or anything, but Joe Smith’s weeping pedal steel, sustained guitar notes, and Wilson’s deep vibrato sounds as if they originated decades ago.

Yet it’s not a Hank Williams copy or anything. The Wilsons grew up on punk rock at The Milestone. They dig Antiseen as well as Merle Haggard and Hoyt Axton. In fact the younger Wilson’s voice channels deceased Cramps’ singer Lux Interior with its low vibrato and rich tone (at times it also reminds Glen Danzig or Jello Biafra speaking through the ghost of Lefty Frizzell). That juxtaposition gives the retro feel a contemporary twist.

Many bands strive to be “authentic” and true to themselves. It's something that comes up in interviews. But the Wilsons don’t have to try. Maybe that’s why they’ve done so well drawing crowds without playing the typical local band game. They have their own venue and a built-in audience that seems to follow where they lead be it Mac’s, the Double Door, or Myrtle Beach.  

In his email Bill Noonan says, the Lugnuts (the Wilsons, Jef Pearce on bass, Noonan and Jim Garrett on guitar, and veteran Smith on pedal steel) really stepped it up in the studio. I agree. Live shows are often at the mercy of the sound system, alcohol, or other factors, but “Half Tight” is the Lugnuts at its polished best - playing those colorful original honky-tonk tunes that I suspected Mark Wilson had in him when I first heard "Fred Kirby" (which is on the album too). 

The Loose Lugnuts play its home turf - the Thirsty Beaver Saloon - Saturday, July 27, following the bar’s portion of Recess Fest. Showtime will likely be around 9 p.m. The album is available on vinyl with MP3 downloads included or you can find it online here. 

This week's hot concerts

Lil Wayne/T.I./2 Chainz

7 p.m. Friday, July 26, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, 707 Pavilion Blvd. $38.75-$158.75. www.livenation.com

Just months after being hospitalized, reportedly surviving a coma, and still recurring death rumors, the controversial Lil Wayne is alive, still ruffling "Amerika's" feathers, and headlining the America’s Most Wanted Festival (both its headliners have served jail time) with fellow Southern hip-hop icons T.I. and 2 Chainz as well as Oakland’s G-Eazy.

Drivin’ n’ Cryin’

8 p.m. Friday, July 26, Chop Shop, 399 E. 35^th St. $15. www.chopshopnoda.com

The Southern alt-rock vets took a different approach with its latest release - instead of an album its four EPs that focus on different aspects of its psychedelic, punky, garage, folk-rock history. The final chapter is set for October and a documentary, “Scarred But Smarter: the life and times of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’,” is premiering around the country. With Porcelain Mary and Darlings of the Underground.

Beyonce`

8 p.m. Saturday, July 27, Time Warner Cable Arena, 333 E. Trade St. $59.90-$276.20. www.ticketmaster.com

For those of us that have seen previous tours, some aspects of The Mrs. Carter World Tour like her all female band and her biggest hits will be familiar, but reviews indicate daring new production and a few deeper cuts. Of course it’s doubtful with the actual singing, choreography, and costumes that Bey could put on a bad show.

Davey Suicide

8 p.m. Sunday, July 28, Tremont, 400 W. Tremont Ave. $10-$13. www.ticketfly.com

The Hollywood industrial dance metal quintet mixes Marilyn Manson, Ministry and Motley Crue tackling social and political issues and compelling teen angst with sexed-up glam guitar throwbacks. Frontman Davey Suicide was named Number 41 on “Kerrang” magazine’s list of “50 Greatest Rock Stars Today.” With the Bear the Bunny, Defiled, and the Beautiful Chaos.

Mona

8 p.m. Monday, July 29, Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Rd. $7-$9. www.themilestoneclub.com

One of the highlights of this year’s Coachella festival, this Nashville rock quartet released its sophomore album, “Torches and Pitchforks,” last week. Imagine early Kings of Leon’s Southern garage soul filtered through a steady diet of U2, the Clash, and Queen.

Psychedelic Furs/Space Hog

8 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, Chop Shop, 399. E. 35^th St. $25-$28. www.chopshopnoda.com

The legendary new wave band has luckily graced Charlotte annually for the past few years. This time it plays its string of dreamy, alternative pop classics (“Heaven,” “Love My Way,” “The Ghost in You”) at a new venue. Fellow Brits Spacehog, who scored a hit with “In the Meantime” in the `90s and reunited in 2008, are along for the ride. With Cement Stars.

Paper Bird

Thursday, August 1, US National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway. Free. www.usnwc.org

This harmony-driven septet may follow in the bootprints of fellow Denver folk-pop group the Lumineers, but its bluesy and bluegrassy strings, psychedelic production, and multiple vocalists give it a rootsy originality as if Crosby Stills and Nash were jamming with the ghost of `50s girl groups like the Paris Sisters.

Molotov

8 p.m. Thursday, August 1, Fillmore, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. $40. www.livenation.com

For almost two decades the Latin Grammy winning quartet has been seamlessly mixing classic rock, hip-hop, punk, blues, and funk into its amped up Spanish language rock like Mexico’s answer to Beastie Boys, the Black Keys, Cypress Hill, and Rancid all rolled into one.

Locals honor Doors' Manzarek & children Saturday

When Cora Tucker was two-years-old she was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma - a childhood cancer. Cora spent a year enduring surgery to remove the tumor, chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, radiation, and a six-month long antibody treatment. During her recovery from the bone marrow transplant she and her mother Candice were practically quarantined at Levine Children’s Hospital.

“You have to be completely secluded. It doesn’t just kill the cancer, it kills everything. So it was me and her in the hospital for 45 days,” says Tucker who sings for the Charlotte rock band the Situationals. Tucker’s story seems to have a happy ending though. In May Cora, who turned 4 in January, was declared cancer free. She’ll continue to get check-ups.

“I’ve read that if you can get passed the first two years normally you’re good. We’ll do (check-ups) for four years. If we come out clean when that’s done, they consider her cured,” Tucker explains.

Sick children are sadly not uncommon, which is why local musicians will hold a benefit for Levine Children’s Hospital - the institution where Tucker spent so much time - Saturday at Neighborhood Theatre.

“So many wonderful stories like that have come to light since I started working on this,” says Justin Fedor of the band the New Familiars who spearheaded the concert which serves as a tribute to Doors’ keyboardist Ray Manzerek. Manzarek died May 20. 

“I actually ran into my friend, George Westberry of the band Deluge, this weekend. He lost his daughter a few years back, but they had spent some time at LCH. He expressed his deepest gratitude for the folks there. It's a special place - that hospital - winning or losing,” Fedor adds. “The staff there has a reputation of being gentle, patient, and courageous and for that we are all working to support them in any way we can.”

It wasn’t difficult to round up musicians. The lineup features New Familiars, Bums Lie, the Sammies, members of Heywire, Ancient Cities, the Funky Geezer, the Midwood Horns, Jon Lindsay, Sherman Hellville, Eric Mullis, Kodiak Brotherhood, Duk Tan, Time Sawyer, Ross Adams, and Brian Doyle & the Hamiltons.  The evening promises new collaborations and twists on familiar Doors’ tunes with unDoors-like acts like solo acoustic senior Funky Geezer and the bluegrass band Time Sawyer putting a completely different spin on Jim Morrison and company’s signature tunes. Keyboardist Jason Atkins will handle Manzarek’s infamous organ parts.

The concept came from Fedor’s discussion about concert ideas with the Neighborhood Theatre’s new manager, Alex Shaw, following Manzarek’s death.

“Growing up it was my dad’s favorite band. It’s always been around the family. That’s how I realized my dad was cool,” Fedor recalls. “The Oliver Stone film came out. I remember watching it and looking at my dad like ‘This is your favorite band?’”

It wasn’t difficult to decide where the money from such a tribute should go.

“I’ve dealt with children being sick all my life,” says Fedor who lost a childhood friend to leukemia when he was 10. “I’ve had band mates and friends who’ve had to visit the Levine Children’s Hospital with their children. It’s an important thing that children are able to be taken care of.”

The concert takes place at 8 p.m. Saturday at Neighborhood Theatre. A $5 donation is recommended. Click here for more information.

Scowl Brow celebrates compelling, raw new record

There’s a lot of darkness to Robby Hale’s storytelling on Charlotte-based indie rock trio Scowl Brow’s new full-length album, but that darkness doesn’t mean it’s depressing. Maybe if it was delivered as slow, stark folk music it would turn sad, but the fast pace, driving rhythm, frank lyrics, and gruff delivery don’t allow the songs to cave-in on themselves. The makeup of the band is a simple and direct guitar/bass/drums. The rhythm section is rock solid with Scapegoat’s Justin Driscoll and A Stained Glass Romance’s Joshua Taddeo on bass and drums, respectively. It doesn’t musically reinvent the wheel, but the songs are strong, the melodies are catchy with ample bite, arrangements are engaging, and the songwriting is risky. 

Risky? Yeah. Think of a mainstream band like Kings of Leon or the Strokes. Scowl Brow seems like its white trash cousin. That’s not a criticism. It’s like “Roseanne” following “The Cosby Show.” Hale’s stories aren’t pretty and neat - they’re more like Drive-By Truckers on meth - but that’s what makes them so compelling. His songs are populated with cheating and death and booze and drugs and, in one case, the sexual demise of a relationship.

Some of the tracks are angry and even chauvinistic, but it’s honest and it’s real. The album captures what life is like during your twenties (or maybe longer depending on your lifestyle) when you work a job you don’t necessarily enjoy to pay the rent and you spend your downtime time hanging out at a bar and, in this case, playing in a band. Drugs, booze, and dysfunctional relationships are the norm. And that makes for interesting storytelling.  

Hale writes like someone would actually speak and you might not always like what he has to say. On “Compound Girl” he calls a girl “Nothing but a tramp” repeatedly, but reveals a romantic side asking for a serious commitment and reconciling past mistakes on “Tell Me Now.” Whether you agree with the sentiment, those songs are relatable. Relationships are messy and that’s something that’s easy for a listener to identify with. There’s a certain charm that comes from the flawed characters - real or otherwise - that populate Scowl Brow’s songs. Besides, it's not like Kanye West or Axl Rose got popular by being cheerleaders and playing it safe. People want warts and honesty in their art and entertainment, especially in a volatile economic, social, and political climate. 

The approach works because the stories aren’t only compelling and the songs aren’t just snappy. The songs display heart and vulnerability as Scowl Brow combines the urgency and youthful angst of early Replacements, the messiness and distortion of Dinosaur, Jr. (without the searing solos), and the working class punk of Avail with more folk-based storytelling. It reminds me of a grittier Gaslight Anthem - as if Springsteen lacked a filter and really didn’t care what you thought about him.

Scowl Brow created buzz in local circles with its live shows and this self-titled album proves that it’s warranted. It should translate on a national level if given that kind of exposure. The group celebrates the album release tonight, July 19, at Snug Harbor. Tickets are $5 and 2013 Wolves and Black Pope open the show. For more on Scowl Brow and to check out tracks click here. 

(Left to right: Taddeo, Hale, Driscoll. Photo courtesy of http://scowlbrow.bandcamp.com/)

This week's hot concerts

Toad the Wet Sprocket

8 p.m. Friday, July 19, Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36^th St. $30-$35. www.neighborhoodtheatre.com

Reunited on the road for the last six years, the sunny California alternative pop band is back with its first album since 1997 (set for September 17). If the title track is any indication, the aptly titled “New Constellation” updates Toad’s sound without sacrificing its harmony-driven pop formula.

The Catch Fire/Onward Soldiers/Mark Crozer & the Rels

8 p.m. Friday, July 19, Visulite, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. $8-$10. www.visulite.com

Mike Mitschele’s (Jolene, Alternative Champs) band with former members of Laburnum and Bellglide team with new member and fellow NC music vet John Morris while co-founder Jon Lindsay has left to pursue his solo career. They team with Wilmington’s bopping theatrical pop outfit Onward Soldiers and local Brit Mark Crozer who returns home after touring Europe with Jesus & Mary Chain.

Scowl Browl

10 p.m. Friday, July 19, Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St. $5. www.snugrock.com

The local trio delivers on early buzz with a new full-length album. With his gravelly voice Robby Hale delivers honest storytelling that’s rich in detail and working class realism against gritty guitar and chugging rhythms that recall Dinosaur Jr., an indie-rock Avail or a gnarlier Gaslight Anthem.

Dwele/Chrisette Michele/K. Michelle

8 p.m. Saturday, July 20, Ovens Auditorium, 2700 E. Independence Blvd. $68.50-$113.15. www.ticketmaster.com

This trio straddles romance and sex with a modern take on R&B and soul traditions. There’s soft, romance and lovelorn belting, but there’s also blatant sexual lyrics especially from the newest act on the block - K. Michelle (the star of VH1’s “Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta”) whose new single “I Just Wanna” begs for the description "hardcore ballad."

ASG

8 p.m. Saturday, July 20, Chop Shop, 399 E. 35th St. $10. www.chopshopnoda.com

The Wilmington outfit etches out its own brand of psychedelic stoner metal with big, heavy anthems that conjure up images of purple skies and mountain peaks on Mars. It’s new album “Blood Drive” continues to balance Jason Shi’s soaring vocals with sludgy riffs and stomping tempos. The show features two stages with DSR, Gruppe 36, Mercia, Dr. Cirkustien, and Cop Graves.

Vienna Teng

8 p.m. Saturday, July 20, McGlohon Theatre, 345 N. College St. $15. www.blumenthalarts.org

The piano pop singer-songwriter took a break from music to study sustainability at grad school. Before delving into a second profession next February she’s releasing a new album, “Aims,” in September and hitting the road on what may be her last tour for a while. Recent tracks indicate the new material is heady and beautiful.

Black Crowes/Tedeschi Trucks Band

6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 21, Uptown Amphitheatre, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. $47.35-$101.70. www.livenation.com

The again reunited Crowes and husband and wife Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks join forces to riff on blues, jazz, rock n’ roll and other bits of Americana. TTB’s set will likely rely heavily on its upcoming album (out August 20), while the Crows should dig into its rich catalog.

Girls & Guitars Benefit

7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, The Fillmore, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. $12.69-$52.50. www.livenation.com

Albemarle’s own recent “Dancing with the Stars” champ Kellie Pickler headlines this benefit for the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, which works to enhance quality of life for seriously ill and injured children. Katie Armiger, “The Voice’s” Cassadee Pope, Rachel Farley, and Maggie Rose also perform.

Leopold & His Fiction

8 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, Tremont, 400 W. Tremont Ave. $10. www.tremontmuischall.com

Although frontman Daniel James looks like Freddie Mercury as a silent film star, this combo is rooted in classic folk and `50s guitar rock (not `70s arena rock) and features James’ interesting songwriting that can come across as simple, literate folk music or as churning, Jack White-style howling garage rock.

The Aristocrats

8 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Tremont, 400 W. Tremont Ave. $20-$23. www.tremontmusichall.com

The members of this international instrumental trio are revered experimental players with impressive resumes that include stints with Asia, GPS, Steve Vai, and Dethklok (to name a few). Its adventurous fusion of flowery jazz, hard rock backbone, bluesy skills, and technical, but fluid licks spells mind warp for guitar geeks.

Field Report

10 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. $10-$12. www.eveningmuse.com

Justin Vernon from Bon Iver’s former band mate Chris Porterfield is an impressive songwriter in his own right as he proves as band leader for the folky Field Report, who stop by the Muse on the way to play Floyd Fest in Virginia this weekend. With Ancient Cities.

Impressive lineup at upcoming God Save QC fest

God Save the Queen City - a day-long indie music festival that takes place at The Chop Shop in NoDa September 14 - recently revealed an impressive lineup.

Athens' psychedelic folk-rock combo Futurebirds (pictured), Ohio-based singer-songwriter Jessica Lea Mayfield, Birmingham classic soul throwback St. Paul & the Broken Bones and its country soul-rock neighbors Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, Athens' quiet pop--rockers White Violet, and Durham's bluesy laid-back folkies Hiss Golden Messenger make up the out-of-town acts.

Temperance League, Benji Hughes, Bubonik Funk, the Catch Fire, Ancient Cities, the Hot Gates, the Loudermilks, the Elves, and Pullman Strike represent Charlotte.

It's a pretty killer lineup. Mayfield, for instance, hasn't played a solo show here in several years (she was here with her brother - who plays Evening Muse solo a week earlier - in December). The others are proven live acts and the local lineup is worth the price of admission alone.

So far the only information I've found is on Ink Floyd's Facebook page (that's the screenprinting shop behind the festival). Check it out here. It says the first 200 tickets sold will go for $15 each. Check www.chopshopnoda.com for more information as well.