Top 10 Concerts of 1999
by Seth Rogovoy

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Dec. 15, 1999) - Try as I might, I could not come up with 10 concerts for my year-end, best-of list. I suppose I could have stretched things and listed Bruce Springsteen twice (for his Albany show, in addition to Boston) and Bob Dylan three separate times (for Troy, Amherst and Albany, with Paul Simon).

Does this indicate a decline in quality or quantity of live music in the region? Perhaps. It was a quiet year in general on the local concert scene, especially with the demise of the National Music Foundation in Lenox. But more about that next week.

In the end, I decided, it was poetic justice to list just nine concerts for '99:

1. Bruce Springsteen (Fleet Center, Boston, Aug. 21): The Boss's show at the Pepsi Arena last month was a good one, but the crowd at the Fleet Center on the first of Springsteen's five nights there in August was electrically alive, as was Springsteen himself. The Boss and the E Street Band found a way to capture the mood and energy of various aspects of his career - the grandeur of "Born to Run," the moodiness of "Darkness on the Edge of Town," the giddy party vibe of "The River," the jock-rock of "Born in the U.S.A." and the plaintive protest-folk of "Tom Joad" - with surprising ease and grace, tying it all together in a neat package that laid out the truth for all and plainly to see: that this was a celebration of past accomplishments, "glory days," indeed.
2. Bob Dylan (Troy, N.Y., Feb 22 and Amherst, Mass., Feb 24): At the RPI Fieldhouse in Troy, Dylan dug deep into the legendary basement for a chilling "Tears of Rage" and a spiritual "I Shall Be Released," in one of his most intense, focused shows in recent memory. In Amherst, Dylan and his band let loose with a full-throttle assault the likes of which hasn't been heard since the heyday of Dylan's "Before the Flood" collaboration with The Band in 1974. He and his well-worn road band show no signs of wearing out; if anything, they continue to find new nuances to mine in Dylan's bottomless catalog of classics.
3. Steve Forbert (Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, March 6): Forbert showed that even a solo, acoustic coffeehouse-style show relies on energy and personality, and Forbert exuded both, as he kept the songs and stage patter coming non-stop, working as hard as Springsteen did in front of 20,000 fans at the Fleet Center. In other words, a real pro. Honesty, commitment, humor and raw emotion combined for a winning performance.
4. Chris Smither (Clark Art Institute, Nov. 20): Like Forbert, Chris Smither kept an audience rapt for 90 minutes with his dark, hypnotic, blues-based balladry and impossibly gritty vocals, albeit delivered with an occasionally ironic twinkle.
5. Dave Douglas (Jacob's Pillow, Becket, July 9): Credit the Pillow for not letting trumpeter/composer Dave Douglas - who was in town for a collaboration with Trisha Brown Dance Company - leave without performing the work of his Charms of the Night Sky ensemble. Romantic, timeless yet contemporary, folk-based improvisational chamber music.
6. Los Lobos (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams, May 30): The Mexican-American roots-rockers lent its populist touch to the inaugural weekend of the new cultural laboratory with its unique pastiche of groove music based on Mexican, zydeco, Cajun, polka, country, soul, blues and funk.
7. Mingus Big Band (Chapin Hall, Williamstown, April 9): The highlight of the first of what looks to be an annual weekend of jazz in North County (see below) was a rousing, spirited concert by this ensemble, celebrating the compositional genius and spirit of the late bassist/composer Charles Mingus, drawn from Mingus's broad, deep palette of influences.
8. Philip Johnston's Transparent Quartet (Mass MoCA, Aug. 28): Philip Johnston's ensemble provided witty, quirky yet seamless accompaniment to Tod Browning's witty, quirky yet seamless film, "The Unknown." Tango met gospel, R&B, free-jazz, film-noir and cartoon music.
9. Kalman Balogh's Gypsy Cimbalom Band (Brooks-Rogers, Williamstown, Oct. 7): Balogh's ensemble played inventive, updated versions of traditional Hungarian folk tunes that acknowledged the varied musical backgrounds of the improvisers in his group -- one foot in the village, one foot in the urban nightclub.

Backstage bits

Next spring's "Jazztown" celebration in Williamstown looks to be a big one, expanding into North Adams for a show by Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at Mass MoCA. The festival, April 7-9, will also feature a concert by Billy Taylor and his trio, with vocalist Sheila Jordan, in Chapin Hall at Williams College. Also appearing during the weekend will be the Tom Harrell Quartet. Also coming to Williams: Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas on Feb. 27.

Noppet Hill Bluegrass Festival in Lanesboro will once again feature Del McCoury Band this next July 28-30. Also on the bill are the James King Band, the Freight Hoppers, Dave Davis and the Warrior River Boys, the Goins Brothers, Karl Shifflet and Big Country, and Lanesboro's own Bear Bridge Band.

The Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival, in nearby Ancramdale, N.Y., will also return next July 13-16, but with a new name. Henceforth, Winterhawk will be known as the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival. Artists scheduled to perform include Ricky Skaggs, Del McCoury, Tim O'Brien, Laurie Lewis, Rhonda Vincent and Natalie MacMaster.

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[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Dec. 24, 1999. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1999. All rights reserved.]