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Tom Waits: Live at Premio Tenco San Remo Italy Nov 22 1986

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

 

L’altra America (1986)

Television concert documentary from the San Remo Festival (Club Tenco), Teatro Ariston.
With Greg Cohen on upright bass. Aired on Italian television by RAI DUE. Rebroadcast in 1988.

“I’m not big on awards. They’re just a lot of headlights stapled to your chest, as Bob Dylan said. I’ve gotten only one award in my life, from a place called Club Tenco in Italy. They gave me a guitar made out of tiger-eye. Club Tenco was created as an alternative to the big San Remo Festival they have every year.

It’s to commemorate the death of a big singer whose name was Tenco and who shot himself in the heart because he’d lost at the San Remo Festival. For a while, it was popular in Italy for singers to shoot themselves in the heart. That’s my award.”
– Tom Waits 1987 (Source: “Tom Waits, 20 Questions”. Playboy magazine via Tom Waits Library) Continue reading “Tom Waits: Live at Premio Tenco San Remo Italy Nov 22 1986” →

Tom Waits On The Tube TV Oct 16 1985

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

“The Tube”
Channel 4 Television
October 16th 1985

Around this time Tom Waits played 8 Times in London
from Oct 16- 1985 – Oct 24 -1985 . at Dominion Theatre.

Hosted by Jools Holland and Paula Yates. From Tyne Tees TV Studio 5, Newcastle/ UK. Performs: “16 Shells From Thirty-Ought Six”, “Cemetery Polka”, “Walking Spanish” and “In The Neighborhood”. Rebroadcast in 1994 by Tyne Tees. Shortened version rebroadcast December, 2004 in “The Best of The Tube” (info from Tom Waits Library) Continue reading “Tom Waits On The Tube TV Oct 16 1985” →

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers London July 9 2017 (videos)

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers performed a rare UK gig in Hyde Park on July 9, armed with a career of classic hits and a reputation as one of the greatest musicians of the past 40 years. The gig celebrated the band’s 40th anniversary.

Their only European date of 2017, this was just the second time Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers playing the UK in 18 years. The band’s last visit in 2012 included a headlining appearance at the Isle Of Wight Festival and two rapturously received sold out shows at the Royal Albert Hall.

Joining him was Stevie Nicks, forever celebrated as singer and songwriter with Fleetwood Mac and perhaps one of the greatest artists of the rock era.
Continue reading “Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers London July 9 2017 (videos)” →

Tom Waits: Two Classic Concerts London 1979 and Chicago 1975 – No Visitors After Midnight

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

First we get a BBC television concert documentary, Tonight In Person, filmed at the BBC television Theatre in London/UK (aired July 26, 1979, probably taped earlier in the spring). Shortened version rebroadcast in 1998 in “Later on… Tom Waits” aka “Later With Jools Holland”, presented by Jools Holland. Producer: Serena Cross
Executive Producer: Mark Cooper. BBC, 1998 for UK-Arena.
There is a download for an audio bootleg of the performance over at Aquarium Drunkard.

“The concert might be regarded as a straight taping of a live show but it also included elements that were more theatrical and seemed to be incorporated into the show as if it were an in-studio taping, a bit like when standup comedians bring in an audience for something that is understood by everyone present to be a recording of a TV special. That’s how this program feels, anyway, it doesn’t feel like a regular concert.”
– Dangerous Minds

The second show is a PBS television show on Tom Waits and Mose Allison. Chicago/USA (aired December 22, 1975, probably recorded November 3, 1975).
With Kenny Soderblum on alto sax
Jim Atlas on upright bass.

Great opening opening number, Tom Waits does an a capella performance of “Eggs and Sausage” that is both soulful and dramatic. He is sitting at the counter of a diner, smoking. We see waitresses, bored patrons, sizzling burgers. Het is the snapping his fingers and slapping his leg. Finishing the song, he turns to a waitress and asks for another cup of coffee.

His voice is more mellow on the 1975 concerts and it’s lovely to get such an early document of Waits as a performer.

Both shows are essential for all Tom Waits fans, enjoy!

Continue reading “Tom Waits: Two Classic Concerts London 1979 and Chicago 1975 – No Visitors After Midnight” →

Tom Waits: Rockpalast 1977 – Classic concert

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

Classic Concert: Tom Waits Rockpalast 1977

Excellent quality recording of Tom Waits, live at WDR Studios, in Koln, Germany on April 18th, 1977. Running time is 79 minutes, the quality is 8 out of 10. The performance is great, classic, jazzy Tom Waits. I’ve collected the whole show into one playlist.

Rockpalast (Rock Palace) is a German music television show that broadcasts live on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR).Rockpalast started in 1974 and continues to this day. Hundreds of rock and jazz bands have performed on Rockpalast. Some acts were recorded for broadcast and for retail sale. All-night marathon shows called “Rock Night” (Rocknacht) were produced once or twice a year from 1977 through 1986 and simulcast throughout Europe via the Eurovision network of TV broadcasters. This was one of the most important influences on my musical education growing up. I longed and lived for those “Rock nights”. We all did, and we arranged all night parties when they aired. Ah, good times!

This is early jazz-quartet style Tom Waits as opposed to the more ragged and loose Waits he turned into after Swordfish Trombones and Rain Dogs. It is different but I love both eras. This is maybe the best tv-concert from that period.

Enjoy!

Continue reading “Tom Waits: Rockpalast 1977 – Classic concert” →

Tom Waits: Songs After Closing Time – Denmark TV Concert 1976

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen




This is the pro-shot of a rare concert from Tom Waits at the Danish TV Channel in 1976, Sange efter lukketid/Songs After Closing Time also known as Elephant Beer Blues – Songs After Closing Time.

The whole show (songs and words) is subtitled in Danish. Tom is standing in the bar with a Carlsberg Elephant Beer (a very strong beer), hence the alternative title, while giving a good long rant along a jazzy tune. He then moves over to the piano and the real concert starts.

00:00 – Elephant Beer Blues (Incl. “Ghosts Of Saturday Night”, “Gee Baby Ain’t I Been Good To You” and others)
09:24 – New Coat of Paint
12:05 – Warm Beer Cold Women
18:21 – Emotional Weather Forecast
24:39 – Bad Liver And A Broken Heart
27:10 – Semi Suite
30:44 – Spare Parts I

DR TV Studios (Copenhagen, Denmark).
June 1976:

Continue reading “Tom Waits: Songs After Closing Time – Denmark TV Concert 1976” →