https://newwestsymphony.org/#schedule

I went to hear Alex Ligertwood sing “Winning.”

I felt like I was on vacation. You take the 405 deep into the Valley, and then you go left onto the 118, so far that you end up in a different county. But pretty soon the landscape looks different, like in those westerns the boomers used to watch on television. I’m thinking I haven’t been this far out on the 118 since we were making movies in the eighties. And I haven’t been this far from home since the pandemic. Oh, I’ve left town, gone to Colorado, Utah, but as far as getting in my car and driving… No. Then again, you can’t go anywhere in Los Angeles anyway, because of the traffic. When I checked the map app the day before it said 46 minutes. For this show? But then I realized I oftentimes spend that much time in the car going to a show downtown. And by Saturday afternoon, it said only 35 minutes, and then 33, and I made it there faster than that, because on that stretch of road it’s hard to go less than 75, usually you’re at 80, I had to remember how to use the cruise control, it’d been years since I’d employed it.

Moorpark. For some reason I didn’t think it was quite this far. I mean you can’t live in Moorpark and work in L.A. But that does not mean people don’t do it. People do a lot of irrational things in Los Angeles, in the name of property ownership, in the name of peace and quiet.

So there’s a college out there. Right off the freeway, easy to find. And there were signs to park, but almost no cars in the lot. And I had no idea where the venue was. Turned out it was a field way atop campus, and when I realized this I went back and got my car so I could park in the closer area I had a pass for.

Before that, I’d gone to the porta-potty. I was surprised that at a college campus we didn’t have access to the real thing, but I was even more surprised that these porta-potties were brand new, I think I was the first person to piss in the one I was in!

And when I went to wash my hands… They had that pump dispenser for water, you know, where you step down and you get a modicum of H20, but after a splash I decided to just use the hand sanitizer instead, it requires no drying. But, while I was walking back to get my car, the sanitizer never evaporated. That’s when I realized it was soap. We’ve come a long way, baby, back to 2019, before the pandemic.

So what we had here was…

I’m not exactly sure.

They had food trucks, but only a couple, not a cornucopia. And alcohol, and then a natural bowl facing a portable stage. That was another reason I went back to my car, the weather app told me the temperature would drop into the fifties, and I needed to be prepared, I needed another layer. And even though I was baking under the sun, when it fell below the horizon it got chillier and chillier and thank god I had two layers and a hat.

Ferrone had told me to come. He talked about playing with an orchestra, how the members were so skilled. So what we ultimately had was an orchestra fronted by Jason Scheff, a long time Chicago lead vocalist, and his friends. As for the event…

There was no way they were making money here. It had to be sponsored by the symphony or the college, or both. And it was ill-conceived to boot. There were three layers of tickets, up close and personal with a seat at $150 (came with parking), $75 to sit on the grass in the walled garden, and $50 to sit behind the fence, not that far away, but not that close either.

And it was clear to me, this gig needed to be free. Then it would have been full. There are other ways to monetize a gig like this other than with too expensive tickets.

But what exactly was this gig? Some guy came out and talked about Summerfest, but then he talked about next year, it seemed it was two days, this weekend, and that was it. Not an auspicious debut financially, but you’ve got to start before you can get anywhere.

So I’m sitting there listening to Jason Scheff sing Chicago songs. And it reminded me of seeing Arnel Pineda front Journey, in that the audience now owned these songs, not the band. It was kind of ersatz at first, then Jason’s voice sounded just like Peter Cetera’s, but still…

Then they played “Saturday in the Park.”

This is where the orchestra shined. The sound was full, like the record. In a way you might not even hear if the real Chicago was on stage, then again the real Chicago hasn’t been on stage for eons, and it’s a different Chicago than the one that included Terry Kath anyway.

But now I was grooving, and so was everybody else. Even the eleven or twelve year old kid down front. Does everybody his age know these songs, the words by heart, or was he related to Scheff or somebody else?

And then Bill Champlin came out to sing his part on “Hard Habit to Break.”

Bill Champlin was in the Sons of Champlin, which never broke through, barely made a dent. However I knew one song that I loved, from the “Fillmore: Last Days” album, “Poppa Can Play.”

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5n6rkm45

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/3vz2jk3r

That’s from a triple album set, the soundtrack to the movie, the closing of the Fillmore West. The most memorable cut is Santana’s version of Joe Zawinul’s “In a Silent Way,” that was the title track of the Miles Davis LP. Carlos is still here, but Joe and Miles are not, and I’m not sure many people even remember this composition, not that it was famous fifty years ago, but it made an impact, this was at the beginning of the fusion sound.

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/8vuzucy8

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/3bc9d7jh

And I’m thinking about Champlin’s career. How this denizen of San Francisco ended up in L.A. and ultimately a member of Chicago. Ultimately a journeyman, his contemporaries might have been household names, but it didn’t happen for him, and now he’s in his seventies… There are a bunch of these guys, they’ve dedicated their entire lives to the music, Bill even dropped out of school, was it worth it? Well, ultimately you have no choice, there are no do-overs.

So at first Bill’s mic is mixed too low, but then they bring it up and you can hear the characteristics of his vocals. And he’s not oversinging, he’s not hogging the spotlight, it was a master at work.

And then came Alex Ligertwood.

This guy’s about 5’3″ on a good day. And he looks like he hasn’t had a meal since 2020. He’s old and grizzled and even though he fronted Santana for more than a decade, what has he been living on? I mean this guy looked nearly dead. But he stepped up to the mic and…

He was playing to the last row, as if it was Live Aid or something, clapping, imploring, and then…

“One day I was on the ground

When I needed a hand

Then it couldn’t be found

I was so far down that I couldn’t get up

You know and one day I was one of life’s losers

Even my friends were my accusers

And in my head I lost before I begun”

It was jaw-dropping. The guy might have looked decrepit, but he hadn’t lost a step, his vocal was exactly like the 1981 record, Santana’s first hit single since the early, Greg Rolie days.

“I’m winning

I’M WINNING!”

He had us singing the words, pointing the mic at us, sans his vocal,

And damn if people didn’t know it. I certainly did, I bought that album just to hear that song.

And then came “Black Magic Woman”..

And I’m thinking how this is ersatz. Not the real Santana. And then I remind myself that really it’s a Peter Green Fleetwood Mac song, and as I’m listening…it’s better than the version on “Abraxas,” Alex sang it for all those years, he’s adding something to it.

Yes, it was a crack band. Not only Ferrone, but this guy Errol Cooney, Janet Jackson’s guitarist, and keyboardist Brandon Coleman, who plays with Alicia Keys.

Not that the show was dynamic. It was loose. It looked exactly like what it was, Jason Scheff and his friends.

And one of his friends is Steve Porcaro, so Steve comes out and they play “Human Nature,” which Porcaro co-wrote for Michael Jackson.

And then…

They were going to play a Toto song. Honestly, I thought it would be “Rosanna.” But it turned out to be the modern classic, “Africa.”

Now this is strange, “Africa” is the new “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Everybody knows it, it’s got a billion and a half streams on Spotify.

And the place goes nuts. Everybody comes down close, is dancing, hands in the air. That’s the power of “Africa,” astounding.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that Bill and Alex’s background vocals pushed the rendition over the top.

And speaking of Bill…

He comes out to do the number one Chicago song that he sang, “Look Away,” written by Diane Warren.

And now that he owns the mic for the whole song…

Wow, you can hear the character in his voice.

And unlike before, this dignified, well-coiffed guy in a sports jacket is playing a Fender. Cool. But then he starts to WAIL! I mean truly WAIL! And I’m sitting there thinking how guitar heroes are a thing of the past. And I’m thinking about where Champlin sits in the hierarchy and then I’m reminded, everybody’s got their own style, their own sound, and it’s not about comparison, but satiation, of both the player and audience.

And then there were a number of Chicago songs sung by Scheff that were an anticlimax, really, they needed to stop with Bill’s performance, and it’s over.

So what exactly did I experience?

Vail has a daily newspaper, the “Vail Daily.” And you’d be stunned how many events are taking place every day, never mind every week. A surprising amount of name talent, but also a lot of locals.

And this has made me aware of other markets, there’s much more entertainment in each place than there used to be.

And I’m thinking about the big shows. By my east coast perspective, Moorpark is Los Angeles. But if you grew up in Los Angeles, it might as well be San Francisco, it’s one step beyond. But right down the pike is the epicenter of live entertainment. Yes, there’s New York, London and L.A. And in truth, just like the label power is now concentrated in L.A., so is the promoter power, both Live Nation and AEG are here.

So you can see household names on a regular basis.

Then again, if you’re paying attention, Steve Ferrone is a household name, as is Porcaro and… If you’re a fan, you know all these cats, these are not the secondary players of Vail.

So what’s going through their heads?

As Ferrone told me, he loves to play, that’s what he digs most in life, with some other cats, whether it be on stage or in the studio, connecting, egging each other on.

And that’s what was happening here in this backwater. Unbeknownst to seemingly everybody.

This was not about starpower, but music. These guys had dedicated their entire life to music, and they were still on the road, keepin’ on.

Which is where I went, back to the 118.

And I listened to the news on Russia, I didn’t want to ruin the mood by listening to music.

And I’m thinking how dark it is.

And I’m thinking what a great big country it is, and all you’ve got to do is get in your car and drive.

I drove last night. Made me happy.

Tune in Saturday June 24th, to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz

This is American television at its best. 

Watching reminded me of “thirtysomething,” a show made by people who were not pandering, who did their best to reflect real life, who respected the audience, whose main goal was to get it right.

American TV is produced, bright. But too often there are compromises. Big stars who can’t transcend their identity, who never meld with the role, assuming they can act to begin with, that they’re not just a pretty face. Then there’s the happy ending. Or the vivid loss. Everything is supersized. Focus-grouped. You don’t want to take any risk, you don’t want to offend anybody, you want to get the largest audience possible while keeping a modicum of respectability so the industry, and your peers, will acknowledge you, even though what you’ve ultimately produced is forgettable.

There’s something about the look of “The Bear.” I’m not a cinematographer, but I remember working with one who was legendary for getting it “fast and flat.” You didn’t have to wait around, he captured the images, but you were never wowed by the pictures. Not that you’re exactly wowed by the images in “The Bear,” but somehow it all seems real, and immediate, there’s no scrim between you and the actors, you actually feel involved. It’s visceral. And in some way transcendent. This is the art we’re looking for, that removes us from our everyday world and sets us in a better place and not only entertains us, but feeds our brains too, makes us think.

Now let’s not forget that TV isn’t the way it used to be. We’ve all got giant flat screens. It’s not like the tube days, where you felt like you were peeking at something, today it’s all right there. And you can get a really good set for not that much money. And if you’re willing to spend more you can get an OLED set that allows you to watch in 4k… Can I say that at times “The Bear” seems more real than real? That you don’t even see this detail in real life, the pores, the skin of people?

And the people are somehow regular. Tina is like someone you know, a good heart but don’t cross her. A tough exterior waiting to melt, but only at the right point. Before that she’s standoffish.

And Syd… She acts and you don’t see her acting. She seems real, evidences a personality without even speaking.

And Fak. A good time bozo just drifting through life, making no headway, but you can count on him.

And then there’s the utterly astounding Oliver Platt. Who has settled into his features, who now seems like a wholly real person.

And Ebon Moss-Bachrach… He’s playing a variation on the role he played in “Girls,” he’s the kind of guy, who believes he is always right, but is often wrong, who is high-strung, who pisses you off, but you have history.

And Jeremy Allen White as “Carmy”…

I don’t know this guy, I never watched “Shameless,” but he’s intense and committed and you really believe he’s the character, who is driven yet emotionally lost, who needs to get it right, who has climbed the mountain to the top and is trying to do it again, who believes in respecting everybody to get them to be their best selves. Chef!

You see life is small. We’re constantly told it’s big, but it’s not. Sure, there are celebrities, but most people carve out their own little niche, they intersect with a society, they’re not generating a lot of attention, but it’s important to them to be a member of the group, garner respect, and put a dent in the universe, however small.

And Natalie… If it weren’t for blood, she’d have nothing to do with these people. She’s conflicted, not sure whether to be in or out. She’s a professional in the business world, but that’s not how a restaurant is run, and this bugs her.

And Syd’s father… How come parents specialize in saying the wrong thing? They want to protect us, but at the same time they don’t cheer us in our dreams, assuming they’re out of the prescribed verticals. They rain on your parade. But they’re your parents. You’ve got to talk to them, but you don’t want to, you hold back your interior thoughts, you don’t want them squashed.

So everybody’s got a story. In truth, it’s a lot of oddballs thrown together. There is no hurdle, no test necessary for qualification. Everybody fell into it, and here they are. Is this serious business or just a living? And restaurants…

That was a big story a few months ago, how the numbers don’t work, how it takes so much time and effort to prepare these meals, at Noma and other high end spots. In other words, you don’t do it to get rich. But you have to be rich to go to a lot of these places.

Not really, assuming you can get a reservation.

And that’s another change in the last half-century. People no longer live in split-levels, they want more room than the cookie cutter houses provide. And they expect good grub at the airport and the arena, which used to specialize in hot dogs and popcorn, none of it good. And when you see these meals in the show…man, they look delectable.

It’s about getting it right. On a relatively small stage. It’s important to the people involved, it’s not that important to everybody else, but that’s fine.

And then there’s the old girlfriend…

We’re only four episodes in, so I can’t tell you exactly how this plays out, but when Carmy and she meet each other in the grocery store, it’s like Dan Fogelberg’s “Same Old Lang Syne,” they’ve got so much history. Which they’ve buried, and now it’s all come back to the surface, can they cope with it?

Yes, we watched four episodes tonight.

I could debate the drip versus drop distribution model, but the bottom line is the public likes the drop, of the entire season, and what we’ve learned in the twenty first century is you fail to deliver for the audience at your peril. Give people what they want, or there is trouble. People love to binge, love to marinate. I certainly do. To watch two hours of “The Bear” was the highlight of my day. I know I can watch more tomorrow, I’m looking forward to it. When shows are dripped out episode by episode, week by week, it’s unfulfilling, you can’t remember what happens from week to week, it’s not the same artistic experience.

Then again, streaming TV is becoming more middlebrow, got to get those eyeballs, got to keep people subscribing.

Which is why I end up watching the foreign shows, because they shoot higher.

But “The Bear” is right there with them, at the same level, but different. Foreign shows don’t look like this, they don’t feel like this, “The Bear” is positively American, it’s the essence of the entertainment we used to deliver that conquered the world. That’s the power of a great show, that’s the power of a great song. But the irony is in both shows and songs, America is getting trounced by the foreigners. It’s the foreign language acts that are triumphing. I mean how big is Bad Bunny? He taps into something that the usual suspects can’t, and the people can feel it.

Being alive is so complicated, and there are so few answers. When Marcus cooks with the chef in Copenhagen and they discuss their families and their pasts, how they got from there to here… Man, that’s everyday life, meeting people and connecting, as human beings, not as a business transaction. We’re all searching for understanding, commitment, the feeling that another human being knows us and gets us. That’s universal.

And so is “The Bear.”

Check it out.

“Pineapple Street”: https://tinyurl.com/5c3vmd4b

As in the book doesn’t demand much, but calls out to you and keeps you reading.

As a matter of fact, once I started, I finished in a day. Because I was invested, I wanted to know how it all turned out.

This is the story of the rich you don’t see in the newspaper or on TV. Not exactly blue bloods, but something in between them and today’s wealthy. The blue bloods inherited their wealth, and downplayed it. In the sixties you could tell them by their khakis, Topsiders and Country Squires. And at this point, after decades, in some cases centuries, many were not rich, then again rich yesterday is different from rich today.

Rich yesterday?

You not only went to private school, you went to private boarding school. And this school set you up to get into an Ivy League college, or close to it. There’s a big story about affirmative action in today’s “Times,” as a result of the policy:

“By the early 1990s, affirmative action helped boost the percentage of Black Americans in medical school by a factor of four,”

https://tinyurl.com/4u5kcw8t

Do you want to go back to the old system?

Actually, that’s exactly what the rich and powerful would like, to close the doors and leave you out. If everybody starts on the same line, you’d be surprised who doesn’t make it to the finish, for so many reasons, poor schooling, poor home life…

And now this screed has the wrong spin. I don’t want to write a diatribe here, but to give you an idea of the book without telling you so much that you don’t need to read it.

You see the Stocktons made their money in real estate. And they want to preserve this wealth. They don’t want to dip into principal. Do you even know that concept?

I hear it again and again from friends. They fret about their income, take Social Security early, forgoing thousands on the back end, because they don’t want to dip into their principal, which in some cases consists of double-digit millions.

They don’t want to kill the core nest egg. Do you have a nest egg? Let me hip you, you want one, start saving now. Did you read that story about…

“Violet Carson married her high-school sweetheart in a small North Carolina town and raised two children in a three-bedroom ranch.

“When her husband died a decade ago, her children expected their mom, then 78, to follow soon after. She had Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia and required 24/7 care.

“‘Never in my wildest dreams did I think she would last until she was 88,” says her daughter, Teresa Wyche. Violet died last July.

“The Carson family spent more than $1.3 million taking care of Violet at her home over the last decade. Fortunately, she and her husband had saved, and the family could cover the cost of round-the-clock in-home care without going into debt.

“Many people aren’t as well positioned.”

“‘We Thought Within a Year, She Would Be Gone.’ When Mom’s Care Costs Over $1 Million. – Caregiving costs are rising as people live longer and their needs increase”: https://tinyurl.com/3xn56upf

Too many are worried about dying early and sacrificing “their money” to the government. They’d be better off worrying about living too long.

But if you know people like the Stocktons, you know all this.

And if you don’t know people like the Stocktons, you probably stopped reading this diatribe long ago, and probably don’t even read books.

Amazing what books will teach you. Fiction even more than nonfiction.

But this is why you go to an elite college, to have contact with these people. Otherwise, you live in the dark. I went to college to find multiple people who came from the same town I did, but I’d never known them or of them or of their families. You see they never set foot in a public school.

So the question arises, can the poor or middle class be happier than the rich? There’s nothing worse than being broke, then all you can think about is money, but assuming you’re a bit more comfortable…

Those rich people in the press living it up, those are not the people I’m talking about. These rich want privacy, and they don’t party to the extreme. And they don’t have to work and if they do they often get the gig because of who they are. Amazing how many times you can fail if you’re connected.

So Sasha is from Rhode Island and middle class. She meets Cord in a bar. They get married.

And Cord’s two sisters can’t accept her. Partygoers think she’s the help. All she is trying to do is please her in-laws, but no matter what she does they won’t accept her. Furthermore, ultimately Cord’s loyalty is to his family, not his wife. He can’t understand her frustrations. He just tells her to get along. That’s what these rich do best, get along, at their clubs and…

“Pineapple Street” is a very easy read, a very engaging read, and it will make you think about your place in society, your choices. You’re reading for more than plot, and you never feel like your time is being stolen.

It’s not heavy, and it’s not dreary, and if you’re looking for something to read on vacation, or if you’re a voracious reader who finishes books in a day, I highly recommend it.

And then we can talk about it.