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วันเสาร์ที่ 12 กันยายน พ.ศ. 2563

THE BEST EARLY ROCK CONCERTS TO STREAM

From Worldometer,  COVID-19 new deaths:

           DAY USA   WORLD   Brazil      India   South Africa
June      9     1093    4732        1185      246         82
July       5       251    3572          535       421       173
             7       993    5504        1312       479       192
           12       380    4118          659       500       108
           15     1001    5760        1261       614       107
           19       412    4606          715       675         85
           22     1205    7128        1293     1120        572
           26       450    4307         556       715        114
Aug      1    1462     6429       1191       765        193
            3       467     4430         514       514        213
            5     1362     6292       1394       849        345
          10       534     4813         593     1013        198
          12     1504     6556       1242       835        130
          16       522     4525         582       961        162
          18     1358     6312        1365    1089        280
          24       510     4356          679      854        100
          25     1290     5856        1215    1066        149
          30       369     4182         398       960          47
Sept     3     1094     5886          830     1083       174
            4     1033     5814          855     1066       115
            5       707     4822          646     1044       101
            6       432     4129          456     1008       110
            8       496     4477          516     1107         82
            9     1208     6222        1136     1168         82
          10     1090     5988          922     1213         97
          11     1094     5807          899     1202       113

Summary:
  • California, Texas and Florida continue to have new cases exceeding 3,000/day and triple digits new deaths/day.
  • However, New York has by far the greatest number of total deaths with 33,109.  California and Texas are at a tad more than 14,000 deaths.
  • New York has had 476,021 total cases.  
  • California is #1 with 755,714, but with "only" 14,262 total deaths. 
  • You would have thought that the mortality rate of California being much lower than New York would be due to more testing.  But, nope:
    • New York:  47% of population
    • California:  31% of population
    • So why is the mortality rate of California (1.9%) so much lower than New York (7.0%)?
    • Must have to do with the improvement in hospital care.
  • Other mortality rates:
    • Hawaii:  0.9%
    • Wyoming:  1.0%  (has the lowest number of total deaths in the country)
    • Vermont:  3.5% (has the lowest number of cases in the country...but they came early)
    • USA:  3.0%
    • World:  3.3%
    • India:  3.3%
    • Italy:  12.5%
    • Sweden:  6.8% (did not go into much quarantining to maintain the economy--but their economy ended up worse than their Scandinavia neighbors)
    • Denmark:  3.3% (did quarantine population)
    • Germany:  3.6%
    • China:  5.4%
    • Japan:  1.9%
    • South Korea:  1.6%
    • Diamond Princess:  3.4%
    • Thailand:  1.7%
    • Taiwan:  1.4%
    • UAE:  0.5%
    • Qatar:  0.2%
    • Singapore:  0.04%
  • Two points can be made
    • If a country got this infection early in the pandemic, the mortality rate is higher.
    • More testing  tends to lower deaths (tests as % of the population):
      • UAE:  80%
      • Denmark:  50%
      • Singapore:  39%
      • USA:  24%  (in other words, after six months of this pandemic, less than a quarter of the population has been tested...with many more than once, thus, that % would be closer to 20%, and, of course, those professional athletes get tested several times/week)
  • On the other hand, Luxembourg had a 5% mortality rate, but tested 115% of its population.
  • The huge uncertainty continues to be asymptomatic cases.  
    • What is the percentage?  The CDC says 40%.  The world mortality rate is 3.3%, but the eventual mortality rate has long been suspected to be around five times worse than the seasonal flu at 0.1%.  To settle at 0.5% instead of the current 3.3% must mean that the asymptomatic rate is much higher than 50%, and maybe 80% and more.  This is the group that will innocently infect you.
    • A comprehensive medical report that suggests that the asymptomatic rate for the seasonal flu is between 65% and 85%!!!
  • Here is a number you rarely see, deaths/million population:
    • New Jersey:  1818 (New Jersey leads the worst country by a factor of two)
    • New York:  1702
    • Massachusetts:  1332
    • Connecticut:  1257
    • Rhode Island:  1011
    • Peru:  922 (very high in much of Central and South America)
    • Belgium:  855
    • USA:  596
    • Florida:  582
    • Sweden:  578
    • World:  118
    • Denmark:  109
    • Australia:  69
    • Hawaii:  68
    • Alaska:  59  (lowest in USA)
    • South Korea:  7
    • Singapore:  5
    • China:  3
    • Uganda:  1  (but are they reporting everything?)
    • Thailand:  0.8
    • Vietnam:  0.4
    • Taiwan:  0.3
  • People in the Orient have long worn masks, not only when they feel sick, but also because of air pollution.  However, I think the main reason those countries and Africa have been spared has to do with some variety of coronavirus cold/flu spreading through those areas in the recent past, leaving T-cell immunity in place.  We'll know better after medical researchers have time to look at the various whys.
I am on a minor binge, and a week ago watched two concert films on TCM.  So I thought, what do Prime and Netflix have to offer?  But first, here is the top ten rock concerts on film from Rolling Stones magazine.  The Last Waltz is #1, with Woodstock #4.  Paste also had The Last Waltz at #1.

Rotten Tomatoes has selected 45 great concert movies to watch now.  The top three are:
  • #1  Amazing Grace (2019)  99%:  Concert footage from 1972 of Aretha Franklin performing songs from the best-selling gospel album at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles.  On Amazon Prime (  ), Fandango Now, Hulu and Vudu and Apple TV.
  • #2  The Last Waltz (1978)  98%:  Martin Scorsese chronicles the most legendary night in rock history, as an unparalleled lineup of rock superstars -- including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison -- take the stage for "The Band's" 1976 farewell concert. On Amazon Prime (unavailable, Fandango Now, Apple TV.
  • #3  Woodstock:  3 Days of Peace and Music (1970)  100%:  This iconic musical documentary covers the three-day 1969 music festival on the property of Max Yasger's farm that symbolized the late 1960s in terms of musical, social and political ideology of the era. American audiences are introduced to Ten Years After, featuring guitar great Alvin Lee. Jimi Hendix, The Who and Joe Cocker give riveting performances. As naked flower children romp, the New York freeway is closed because of traffic congestion. Music lovers leave their cars and travel on foot only survive torrential downpours of rain, food shortages and non-stop music. Jefferson Airplane gives the wake up call with their song "Volunteers Of America." Crosby, Stills and Nash deliver a memorable performance. John Sebastian gives an impromptu set with a borrowed guitar from Tim Hardin. Santana, Sly and The Family Stone, Sha-Na-Na, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens and Joan Baez also appear. The movie did big box office business and a successful three record set sold millions of copies. The Grateful Dead, Credence Clearwater Revival and Janis Joplin performed but were not shown in the film. The Dead's Jerry Garcia recalled that it was the worst live show the band ever did, ironic for a band known for their spirited live performances.  On Amazon Prime ($3.99), Fandango Now, Dudu, Apple TV.
Note that Netflix seems not to have much on that list.  They do however have the following highly rated shows:
The Amazon Prime concerts all cost money to watch.  So I turned to Netflix for The Rolling Stones:  Ole! Ole! Ole!, and was truly impressed.  Rated 100% by RT reviewers and 79% by audiences, I share the reviewers' point of view.  The group has been around forever, but more than anything else, they have become ambassadors for freedom of thought.

Their tour through 10 South and Central American cities included countries that previously prevented anyone from even listening to rock music.  High on their list was Cuba, which was the ongoing story, for they had huge difficulty finding a way to give a FREE show.  After all, this would be the first rock concert in the history of the country.  Then, they were stymied by President Obama, who decided to visit Cuba too close their concert date, so they delayed 5 days, then the Pope, who announced that Good Friday was sacrilegious.  They went on this the show anyway.

The Rolling Stones formed when I was still in college, 1962.  There were five of them:  Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Brian Jones (who was the leader) and Ian Stewart.  If you saw my review on Saturday, of the 1964 T.A.M.I. Show, you saw all but Stewart, who left in 1963, but returned on occasion.  Jones left in 1969, and was eventually replaced by Ronnie Wood in 1975.  Wyman quit in 1993.

Why were they at that 1964 concert in Santa Monica, and not The Beatles?  The Stones were more popular in 1964.  Their first #1 international hit was (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction in 1965, written by Jagger and Richards.  They were the first rock group to break the British pattern of same attire and choreographed dancing.  With all the drugs, squabbles and surgeries, they have sold over 240 million albums and held nearly 50 tours, including the three highest grossing ones, and performed at more than 2000 concerts.  As a group, can you believe in 2022 they will have been active for 60 years?

Ole! Ole! Ole! took them to Latin America in 2016.  This film was not only music, but an in-depth look at personal feelings and local culture.  From to banned rolingas of Argentina to what looked like a travelogue of the locations, this was a different kind of rock movie.  The concert in Cuba drew 100,000.  Well worth your time, and free on Netflix.

ZZ Top:  That Little Ol' Band from Texas was a different kind of pleasure.  RT scores of 100% and 90%, and deserving.  Never really liked the, but enjoyed this documentary.  These same three guys playing the three same chords have been around for 51 years.  And yup, they're still touring with concert still planned for September 13 in Huber Heights, Ohio.  They' will be in Las Vegas in April.

But back to that movie, it was put together last year and is all about Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard.  You sort of recognize them because Frank Beard is the only one not wearing a beard.

Their music kind of all sounds similar, and the most popular is La Grange, about a Texas whorehouse.   I particular groove to Gimme All Yor Lovin'.  Here, watch and listen to their top ten.

They only toured Texas until one day in 1971 a producer in Memphis mistook them for a black group, and invited them to participate in a blues concert.  They were placed at the end after midnight, they performed 12 songs, and slew the still large crowd.  One was  Brown Sugar.  But, apparently, this is not the Rolling Stones version, which also was released in 1971.

Their first big break, of all the things, occurred in 1973 when they were invited by the Rolling Stones (left) to open for them in three Honolulu shows.  I remember just returning from my stint in DC, and wanting to attend.  Forty-seven years later I'm still waiting for The Rolling Stones to return, with ZZ Top (below, that's how they looked then) as their opening act, for both of them are still touring (The Stones were supposed to tour the USA this year, but came the coronavirus).  About  ZZ's Honolulu visit, they came two weeks early and spent most of the time at the Halekulani bar:

“After the first night, Bill Ham came to me and Frank and said, ‘You’ve already run up this bar tab pretty high. You guys have gotta cut back,’” Hill recalled. The manager wanted the group to focus on its music -- while also curtailing mounting expenses. He put the ZZ Top members on a two-drink limit per night.

Undeterred, the band found a loophole. “He had us on a two-drink limit,” Beard explained. “So Dusty and I found ... they made a drink called the chimp in orbit.” The giant specialty cocktail was so large it had to be placed on the floor, while patrons drank it from an oversized straw. It proved to be the band’s go-to drink for the remainder of the trip.

Then:

Liquid courage was replaced by adrenaline when ZZ Top hit the stage on Jan. 21, 1973. The members were keenly aware of the challenge before them: Opening for the Stones carried weight, and the audience would turn on them if the group didn’t deliver.

“I was scared shitless, I really was,” admitted Hill. “And we walked onstage the first show with cowboy hats on and boots and jeans. And you could hear a pin drop.”

Gibbons continued: “And when we took the stage the immediate reaction was, ‘Oh my god this is a country band!’

Country and Western music then...not popular at all in Hawaii.  But they pulled it off

One of the early efforts was Festival, a documentary from the Newport (Rhode Island) Folk Festival.  Rotten Tomatoes graded it 100%/78%.  The first was held in 1960, then almost annually until 1969:

Filmed over the course of three festivals at Newport (1963-1965),[2] the film features performances by Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, Odetta, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Howlin' Wolf, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Spider John Koerner, Theodore Bikel, Hobart Smith, the Osborne Brothers, The Staple Singers, Mimi and Richard Fariña, Donovan, Sacred Harp Singers, Georgia Sea Island Singers, Mike Bloomfield, Ronnie Gilbert, Moving Star Hall Singers, Blue Ridge Mountain Dancers, and many others.

While most of these performers already had early success, you thought, why didn't Judy Collins sing Both Sides Now.  Well, Joni Mitchell did not write that song until 1967.

I also saw Monterey Pop (can't believe it, but this is a 2 hours and 15 minutes version, the whole thing, RT:  96%/90%), a 1967 weekend, where everything went well.  However, the compilation available on TCM was only 78 minutes long, and was dominated by a lengthy Ravi Shankar performance at the end, which must have lasted for 20 minutes, or a quarter of the whole production.  I saw more of the bottom his feet and toes than Janis Joplin.  Again, you wonder why many of the performers did not sing their hits.  Same reason, for Joplin's Me and Bobby McGee was not yet released by Kris Kristofferson, and same for many others.  Monterey Pop came too early.  In any case, this is the concert where Jimi Hendrix burned his guitar and tossed the remaining fragments into the crowd.  Note the poster, which reflects the dress of those days when a lot more was allowed.  Same for the foul language.  You can't do today what you once did.

So, finally, let me end with Woodstock, The Director's Cut, which I watched last night.  Going to Roku, I found I had to pay from $12 to $15 at various sites.  However, TCM had a showing, which I earlier recorded.  I don't think Rotten Tomatoes viewed those 25th and 50th anniversary upgrades, where director Michael Wadleigh did not cut anything from the 184 minute original...he ADDED either 40 minutes or 56 minutes, the latter is reported to bring the length to exactly four hours.  I think there are several of these floating around, and I saw the 50th anniversary special, which played one night only in your local theater in August last year, and was 3 hours and 44 minutes long.

While this concert film was the iconic game-changer of them all, it was a mess, and the weather did not help.  The film production was also a desperate attempt after Hollywood turned down the offer quite late.  Michael Wadleigh took charge and got his former New York University film students, such as a young Martin Scorsese (who chronicled The Last Waltz, and a whole range of these concert productions) involved.  Read about Scorsese's experience.

Tomorrow, The Case for God.  Today, happiness from Woodstock:


And Here is Happiness from Teddy Chinen, a high school classmate.  Will it make my top 100?


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