The Majestic Theater has played a huge part in my concert going over the last several years. I have been to more shows there than any other venue in Madison. They get great bands and there is plenty of seating for relaxed show going and a large floor area for shows where you want to wade in the crowd and be down front.
You can search this blog for Majestic and find all the shows I have been to. There have been quite a few.
Coming up is an incredible double-show week for me.
First, I am seeing Bob Mould.
I have never seen Bob Mould before, but Dalton loved him. He said he was dense and dark and tried to get me to listen to him, much like he did The Pixies, yet somehow I resisted. He would slip one in every once in a while on mixes, but he picked Bob Mould “lite”, like “Good Idea” from his Sugar incarnation.
Dalton always connected with Bob Mould and I think could identify with a lot of the angst and darkness. I don’t think he ever really listened to Husker Du, but he loved him some Bob Mould.
I have Dalton’s copies of both “Workbook” and “Black Sheets Of Rain” which I am listening to in preparation of the show. His copy of “Black Sheets Of Rain” was often in his car. It looks like it has been IN black sheets of rain. There is a palpable crust and streaking on this CD cover that blends with the cover picture perfectly.
I am going to the Bob Mould show with Otis, who IS a Husker Du fan.
The Bob Mould show is on Wednesday night.
Then on Saturday night… Buckethead!
Buckethead was a Kris B. recommendation years ago when Buckethead’s “Monsters And Robots” CD was in Kris’s music drawer at work. He described him to me as a guitar master who plays with an upside down KFC bucket on his head and a plastic mask on his face. Uh? What?
Turns out he is FANTASTIC. Really. He plays all styles, and his note work is unbelievable. He went on to play with other groups for a while and has settled into his own things again lately.
He is ridiculously prolific. He releases CD’s that he calls Pikes. There are almost 250! Check it out:
http://www.bucketheadpikes.com/
I worked with Kris and he had seen him and recommended him, and where I work now there is another guy (Hey Mr. Rolfs) who has also seen him and recommends him. I have to go. This is a great place to see someone like Buckethead.
This is a down front show for sure. I want to be up close to see this guys fingers melting.
So those are my upcoming shows.
Interestingly, in the office where I work, hanging in several places, are photos of Madison locations. There are notable building, street scenes, parking garages, the lake… and down a less frequented hall there are 2 pictures of, you guessed it… The Majestic. The first is probably from the not TOO distant past.
the other though is from much earlier. It was cool to see it as it used to be.
Here is a link to an Isthmus article celebrating 5 years after the re-opening of The Majestic. Helps explain the older picture a bit.
This theater has been a great part of my history of late and of Madison too.
Stay tuned for show reviews!
The Aural Retentive 