Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2008 > January > 25
Friday, January 25, 2008
Review: Hannah Montana
There is a certain pitch of “squeal” that only several thousand pre-teen girls can make. Thursday night at the Erwin Center, that perfect harmonic convergence was reached and, somewhere in Waco, a dog opened its eyes, cocked its head and wondered, “What’s the big deal?”
That big deal was the appearance of Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana, the blond-wigged, Disney Channel tween icon currently on a 14-date extension to her North American “Best of Both Worlds” tour.
It’s not hard to see what kids find so appealing about Cyrus — although she’s loaded with talent and is backed by a competent, full band with numerous semi-tractor trailers carting her show across the country, she tells her fans they’re just like her. They’re not, of course, but on Thursday they could be, for a while, as Cyrus encouraged them to sing and dance along with 17 songs, most from her 2007 double CD “Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus.”
That CD features Cyrus performing as her alter-ego and herself, and the similarly structured concert confirmed that she’s pushing beyond her Disney roots, with the “Hannah” set leading into the main “Miley” event. I can only imagine how exhausting a 69-date concert tour must be — especially for someone who is 15 years old — but in the Hannah set she often seemed weary (not that the kids would notice), turning her back to the crowd at the ends of songs. A more personal interest in the songs from the Miley set might explain her increased energy, as she finally appeared to be having as much fun as the ecstatic crowd, especially during “G.N.O. (Girl’s Night Out)” and the Cuban-tinged “Let’s Dance.”
Cyrus’ handlers should loosen up the proceedings and let the charismatic performer go off-script. I understand that the art of entertaining pre-teen kids has been honed to a science, but the pacing of this show was so tight that even a malfunctioning trap door at the end of the catwalk, which left Cyrus singing beneath the stage for half a minute at one point — exactly the kind of thing that might happen to her television character — warranted only a quick, between-lines apology for “my delayed entrance” to her back-up singers instead of a fun moment with the crowd.
Not surprisingly, the most joyous number of the evening was also the most spontaneous, as Cyrus shared the stage with the harder-edged and more experienced sister act Aly & AJ (who performed a terrific, straightforward opening set that showcased their growth since their last local appearance at 2007’s Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo). The three romped through the KISS anthem, “Rock and Roll All Nite” (currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity because of its inclusion in the “Guitar Hero III” video game) nearly colliding with one another as they strutted across the stage, at points unsure of who should sing which lines. This “kids being kids” moment was an authentic and welcome addition to the highly choreographed sheen of the rest of the show, which likely served as a great, confetti-cannoned introduction to the concert scene for many of those in attendance.
If Cyrus finished the show energized and ready to rock and roll, thousands of stomping, jumping, singing, squealing kids (was it really necessary to encourage them to scream more, Miley?) — and at least one Waco puppy — must have slept well Thursday night.
Aly and AJ’s set
“Closure”
“Bullseye”
“Division”
“Potential Breakup Song”
“Like Whoa”
“Insomniatic”
“Rush”
Hannah Montana’s set
“Rock Star”
“Life Is What You Make It”
“Just Like You”
“Old Blue Jeans”
“Nobody’s Perfect”
“Pumpin’ Up the Party”
“I Got Nerve”
“I Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll” with Ally and AJ
“Chemicals React” with Ally and AJ
Miley Cyrus’s set
“Start All Over”
“Good and Broken”
“See You Again”
“Let’s Dance”
“Right Here”
“East Northumberland High”
“G.N.O. (Girl’s Night Out)”
“Best of Both Worlds”
“I Miss You”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Reviews
Vineland launch pushed back a year
Austin’s C3 Presents, which produces Lollapalooza, ACL Fest and the Big State Festival, will have one less extravaganza to worry about this summer. The Vineland Festival, set for Aug. 8-10 in New Jersey, will now kick off in 2009, it was announced Friday. A press release from co-promoters Festival Republic (which puts on Glastonbury in Europe) and C3 attributed the delay “to the overall festival traffic in the northeast and big bands touring through this area at the same time.”
Pollstar reports that two other big festivals- Virgin Fest near Baltimore and an East Coast Coachella spinoff - are planned for the same weekend that Vineland was going to take place. Wonder which one got Radiohead?
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Review: Van Halen!
The mullets were minimal and the spandex was scarce when Van Halen returned to “1984” Thursday night at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
Reunited with singer David Lee Roth and shirtless when they should be saggy, the middle-age men of Van Halen rocked the cradle off the hinges with a greatest hits list laced with nuclear guitar solos and plenty of strut.
Playing to a rowdy crowd that reached to the rafters, Van Halen was lacking the Farrah Fawcett locks of yesteryear but still had loads of licks, high kicks and mike stand tricks while running like the devil through such classics as “You Really Got Me,” “Everybody Wants Some,” “I’ll Wait,” “Somebody Get Me a Doctor,” “Panama,” and “Jump.” Like a barroom brawl at Mardi Gras, the hits just kept on coming.
Fueled by the guitar of Eddie Van Halen and his drummer brother, Alex Van Halen, the family franchise now includes Eddie’s teen son, Wolfgang Van Halen on bass and backup vocals. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members worked the “S” shaped stage like Barnum & Bailey backed by amplifiers while the overhead video screen captured every goofy grin. It also brought the audience up-close and personal to the guitar god’s gnarled, Yoda-like fingers.
Ringmaster Roth, of course, still brings a contact high. When he wasn’t balancing a top hat on his crotch or doing his Bruce Lee moves, he was strumming acoustic guitar and telling childhood make-out tales while introducing “Ice Cream Man.” By the time he asked if everyone was having a “reasonable time,” the eruption was deafening.
All told, Van Halen unchained a thriller.
The set list:
• “You Really Got Me”
• “I’m the One”
• “Runnin’ With the Devil”
• “Romeo Delight”
• “Magic Bus”
• “Somebody Get Me a Doctor”
• “Beautiful Girls”
• “Dance the Night Away”
• “Atomic Punk”
• “Everybody Wants Some!!”
• “So This Is Love?”
• “Mean Street”
• “Oh, Pretty Woman”
• “Unchained”
• “I’ll Wait”
• “And the Cradle Will Rock …”
• “Hot For Teacher”
• “Little Dreamer”
• “Little Guitars”
• “Jamie’s Cryin’”
• “Ice Cream Man”
• “Panama”
• “Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love”
• “Jump”
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment Categories: Reviews
