Well, we are going to try to make it that's for sure. What an exciting day in Hall & Oates land! Fans learned today that Daryl & John will host their very first music festival in Philadelphia, PA at Festival Pier at Penn Landing. The aptly-Daryl-named, HoagieNation Festival: A Celebration of Everything Philly, will roll into town on Saturday, May 27th.
Accompanying the all-time best-selling duo are Tears for Fears, Allen Stone, G Love & Special Sauce, Marah, Vivian Green, Son Little, Kandace Springs, and others to be named as the event nears. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday March 17th at noon. There is also a Daryl Hall & John Oates Fan Club (AAC) pre-sale which will take place for members on Monday March 13th. I've combined a list of links to some useful pages and fun interviews regarding the Festival below: HoagieNation.com
This was the final show for Jim and I on this tour. Bittersweet for sure. We drove down to Atlantic City the day before. No incidents as far as traffic was concerned which is always a plus. Upon arrival, first thing's first...check in. It seems that everyone else in Atlantic City had the same idea! Jim hopped in the huge line...luckily is moved quickly and we were off to our room. We had a relaxing afternoon, a nice dinner, and a lovely stroll on the boardwalk. The band hadn't made it to the hotel yet for good reason. They were thrilling the fans in Virginia at the Wolf Trap. I knew they'd be driving up to A.C. after the show that night so we'd get to see the guys in the AM hopefully. Sure enough we did see them throughout the day on Friday before the show. I finally got the chance to meet Shane. Super nice guy! Shared a few H&O anecdotes with him that he found quite funny. Great conversation with the guys throughout the next couple days. I love those moments. OK, time for the show! Ascending the escalator to the Event Center we spotted some friends! We chatted for a bit outside the concert space and took a few glances at merchandise...nothing new. Rats! We then headed in to find our seats. Easy enough. Jimmy then went to ask security about cameras, etc. He's found through the years that this is the best way to handle things. Talk to them, build a rapport...really, it works. He has Borgata security friends! Hilarious! So, the word was cameras were OK as long as flash and video settings were not used. And of course no pro-cameras allowed. Easy peasy. I noticed throughout the show that there was one guard that actually patrolled the aisles looking for video takers. It seemed to be his only task. Actually made sense to me as the guards in the front didn't have to leave their posts. From a fan's viewpoint it was lousy....from a security standpoint it was smart. As usual the show started with Maneater and Out of Touch. Then all of a sudden I felt like I was in a dream! Well, maybe it wasn't that dramatic. I heard "Do It For Love" come out of Daryl's mouth and I was flabbergasted! I looked at Jimmy and we both stood and cheered! They played it perfectly...didn't miss a beat. It was awesome! To my surprise the next song was another semi-deep cut, "Did It In A Minute" followed by "Back Together Again". I was a happy girl. Whatever came next was icing on the cake! The remainder of the set and the encores were standard...the hits. The encores came and a number of folks rushed the stage. Jim and I were stuck in the middle of a row. Jim being Jim, he decided to move chairs out of the way and stack them on top on one another. It worked. Up we went! They finished off the show with "Private Eyes" and the crowd was more than satisfied! After the cheering and clapping ended Jim snagged a setlist and off we went to the merch table to meet up with Eliot. The lousy thing about the Borgata is that they try to move the crowd out right after the show ends. So there isn't much time for chat, or pictures, buying tees or CDs, etc. Eliot did have time to take some pics and sign CDs for some fans which I was happy about. It had actually been 6 years since Eliot and I had taken a picture together...we had to have a new one for sure!
As the crowd was now descending into the casino via the escalator Jimmy spotted a celebrity! It was none other than Philly native ?uestlove (Questlove). Of course Jim had to get a pic so he ran over to him. You could tell that he was trying to keep a love profile but was quite obliging and honored our request. Very nice guy! Glad we were able to meet him. It was a great ending to a great show!
This was a bit of a steamy day with downpours to boot. I was praying that there would be air conditioning in the theater...you never know. We waited a few minutes for the doors to be opened to the public. The line wasn't overly long. We easily had our tickets scanned and proceeded into the "dome" which apparently used to be the old performance center. There was little to no A/C in there. Very warm.
There was quite a lot to choose from as far as concessions are concerned. Pretzels, hot dogs, all sorts of beverages, etc. We skipped the concessions. They get in the way of dancing. Priorities. We headed into the theater and gradually began to see many familiar faces. It was good to chat and catch up. We then learned that concert footage was being filmed that night for Daryl's new DIY channel show (Daryl's Restoration Over-Hall) which premiers on July 19th. We also found out photos were being shot throughout the performance for a special tour book meant for the upcoming European tour. Exciting stuff!! Needless to say there were TV cameras everywhere. They didn't obstruct the view of the stage at all. Cameras were allowed...no flash and no video, however. Score! Maybe these pics would come out a bit better than Boston! We were quite lucky in Wallingford as we were treated to the Philly-Soul stylings of Mutlu Onaral! He is a born and bred Philadelphian who has been featured on Live From Daryl's House twice in it's 7 year run. Mutlu's songs are full of sweet rhythms and the occasional amusing lyric. He was enjoyed by all. Mutlu was kind enough to meet fans after his set at the merch table to sign autographs and take pictures. The Hall & Oates show was amazing (as always). It was a bit of a bummer that there really weren't any people dancing until the encores for the most part. It seemed to be an older crowd (which I have no problem with)...maybe that was the reason. I was completely blown away by Shane Theriot's solo during Sara Smile. Man, he can play! Such a great bluesy sound coming from that instrument. I'm not kidding when I say that it really moved me. He is the perfect addition to the band. Shaking it up just enough. Speaking of shaking...check out Daryl moving & grooving!
The setlist was more or less the same as Boston the night before. I thought I had been able to
secure a setlist from this show...but apparently not as I can't locate it anywhere! Oh, well! Does anyone remember what they played? Anyhow, at the final encore we were lucky enough to snap my most favorite Hall & Oates picture ever. What a great feeling to witness this. I seriously has goosebumps!
After the show we met with some fans near the merch table. Eliot Lewis came out to sign a few CDs and take pictures with fans. He was met with a great response! It was cool to see that people were so excited to meet him. Overall, a great experience was had for our first visit to the Oakdale Theater. We began our 2 1/2 hour journey home and began to get even more excited for our next road trip which was a week away. Atlantic City here we come!! Here are some more pictures from the show!
Have I been away too long? Probably!! This post stems from a conversation happening on Facebook regarding the 2003 Hall & Oates spread and article in Dirt Magazine. The spread featured Daryl Hall, John Oates, Tanner Oates, and Hall's longtime friend, Marcia Strassman (although named as Marcia Strassburg in the article).
Marcia (of Welcome Back Kotter fame) and Daryl have been friends since the mid-seventies. So friendly, in fact, that Daryl gave Marcia a "wings necklace" in which she wore on a regular basis. She can be seen wearing it in episodes of Welcome Back Kotter as well as in press photos. Hope you enjoy!
What an incredible show! I am still reveling in the happiness three days later! My friend and I arrived at the Historic Prowse Farm in Canton, MA for the Life is Good Festival at about 4PM. Our goal was to pick up our passes, tour the festival grounds, grab something to eat, and settle into our spots for the show.
Our passes needed to be picked up at Will Call upon arrival. After traveling from the parking lot to the festival grounds via the super efficient shuttle, we proceeded to the Will Call tent. My tickets for entry were waiting...however, my passes for side stage viewing were missing. Of course anxiety set in...but the Life is Good staff is wonderful and they assured me my passes would be found and delivered within an hour. They allowed us to go into the festival and told us to return in 45 minutes or so.
Life Is Good Food Stalls.
Let me just say, what a beautiful setting for a festival. Prowse Farm is an amazing piece of land with a lovely meadow and a pond in the center. This historic property boasts the Great Blue Hill as it's backdrop. The festival grounds are clean with trash/recycle/compost repositories within every few yards. Staffers are stationed at these repositories to help you make decisions as to where your trash needs to go. It's quite incredible! Children pranced, danced, and frolicked in the meadow as their parents looked on from their blankets. It was such a wonderful, family friendly atmosphere. Music played from one of the three stages at all times. An overwhelming positive feeling and good vibes were present for the entire evening.
Summer Shack Ribs, Cole Slaw, Kettle Chips, and Magic Hat.
Delicious smells wafted through the air from the line of food stalls that met us upon entering. After walking the grounds and checking out the different areas we decided to have a bite to eat. We split the ribs and an order of kettle chips from the Summer Shack booth. Needing a beverage to wash that down we each selected a Magic Hat #9....it's got a great apricot finish...must find this at my local package store!! Both the ribs and kettle chips were great and hit the spot quite nicely! We finished our food and beer and then it was time to check for the passes. Upon arrival at the Will Call tent we were greeted by the wonderfully friendly and helpful Chelsea who had our passes ready to go! YAY! We were golden! I was so excited to learn that our passes were actually listed as artist's guest passes and would give us full backstage access. Omigosh! Hyperventilation!
Life Is Good Artist Hospitality Area
Beverages!
Off we went to the backstage entrance, proudly donning our wristbands! Sure enough, we were allowed right in and treated like queens! And the first face we saw upon entering the artist hospitality area is celebrity chef Ming Tsai! (As an aside...call me crazy...but the best perk might just have been the REAL bathrooms as opposed to the Port-A-Potties!) We needed another one of those Magic Hat #9's! As we were in line, who popped up?? Brian Dunne, drummer extraordinaire! As always, he was super nice and we were so happy to see him. Chatting away with Brian I suddenly felt an arm around my shoulder....ELIOT LEWIS! So great to see him and talk...it had been a few months...always glad to catch up!!
Me, behind the soundboard.
We still needed that beer! HA! Back in line we went like giddy school girls! 2 Magic Hat #9's please! The artist hospitality area was a great space. Lots of areas to relax and enjoy the music and food. Beautiful tents, chairs, pillows, and floral arrangements. We found a nice little seating area and took in the surroundings.
Sea of people!
We could hear The Roots playing in the background at the Positive Purpose Stage (they were supposed to be on the Main Stage however some of the band ran into some travel issues which forced the stage swap with Dawes). It was getting close to show time so we took our places behind the soundboard at the Main Stage. We could look out and see The Roots finishing up their set.
Teleprompter laptop
Andrea, my favorite Production Assistant, arrived and took her place behind the ever important laptop which controls the teleprompter on stage. She promised me a set list after the show! (And came through as always! Thanks, Andrea!) The butterflies hit! Out of nowhere! It's that pre-show excitement/nervousness/elation. It happens every time! Then we see the guys coming up on stage, waiting off to the side. Wooo! We are about to get started. Daryl donned his guitar. Porter and John waved to us! All of the guys were casually chatting. Each one with a smile on his face. Here we go!! The band ripped into Out Of Touch! Being a festival they decided to go with a set list used previously at the Ryman Auditorium show in Nashville earlier this year.
Happy Daryl!
I will say that they played one of THE best versions of Uncanny that I have ever heard. It was the perfect combination of funky and soulful! The crowd simply ate it up! Daryl and John were both loving the crowd right back. Daryl had very few issues with his monitors and even the sound tech was rocking out! At one point John did have trouble hearing drums but that was quickly remedied. Looking out on the sea of people, I was so proud of my favorite band.
John Oates in the zone!
After the show we spoke with Paul Pesco for a few moments then headed back to the hospitality area. One more celebratory beverage was in order! Daryl Hall & John Oates had once again proved that they can deliver a stellar show that is fresh and fun even after 40 years. Next on deck....The Borgata - Atlantic City, NJ on October 4th and Tower Theater - Upper Darby, PA on October 5th. Until then...Do It For Love! x K
Well, the summer is coming to a close and I am gearing up for the upcoming Hall & Oates performance at the Life is Good Festival in Canton, MA on Saturday September 21st! The weather forecast is looking good and I am excited for the chance to see my most favorite band play in the late summer sun!
I'm currently debating what camera to bring. Do I go with my old standby...the Canon PowerShot S5IS or do I step out of the box and try the Olympus SP-600UZ that I have been procrastinating on picking up and using? The Canon takes excellent shots in dark theaters where there are frenetic stage lights...that's usually why I go for it. But given that this is an outdoor show where presumably there will be lots of natural lighting...I may be tempted by the Olympus! I really won't have room for two cameras in my bag so I need to make a choice...and fast! Another reason I am excited for this particular show is that The Roots will be on just before H&O take the stage!! Oh yes...THE ROOTS! This wouldn't be the first time these fellas would share a stage. It should be noted that Daryl Hall sat in with The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon back in October of 2011 upon the release of his album Laughing Down Crying. Also, Daryl performed at Philadelphia's 4th of July celebration along side The Roots and Queen Latifah back in 2012.
As a fan, I am secretly hoping for a mini jam session between H&O and The Roots. I have this sneaking suspicion that they will make it happen. I hope I am not proven wrong! And seeing as we are in this transition of seasons I thought it would be the perfect time to post some pics of the Change of Season Tourbook. It's one of my most favorite books with some amazing photos inside. Enjoy! And I will have a full report on Life Is Good this weekend! Until then, do it for love!
INXS, Daryl Hall, and Nile Rodgers during the recording of Original Sin.
Anytime I see Nile Rodgers performing on television, etc, this picture pops into my head. Nile's Sunday night's appearance on the MTV Video Music Awards with Pharrell Williams and Daft Punk was no exception.
This picture was taken in 1983 during the recording and production of INXS's Original Sin from their 1984 album titled "The Swing". Nile was producing the album for INXS. He had worked on producing and arranging the remix of the Hall & Oates' hit "Adult Education" earlier in 1983 and decided to call in Hall for some additional vocals on Original Sin. Daryl and Michael Hutchence (pictured seated next to Daryl) supply the vocals for the chorus.
As I mentioned above, this wasn't the first time Daryl had worked with Nile. Rodger's had worked on the arrangement and production of the remix of "Adult Education" earlier in 1983. Nile and Daryl would hook up once more in the eighties. This time both Hall and Oates would be involved. Daryl and John cut a cover of the Gamble & Huff classic, "Love Train" for the original motion picture soundtrack, "Earth Girls are Easy". It just happens that Rodgers was the producer for the project!
This wouldn't be the last time Daryl, John, and Niles would get together! In December of 2003 they were each presented with New York Heroes awards by the New York Chapter of the Recording Academy.
Photo courtesy BMI.com
I urge you to check out Niles' recent work with Daft Punk. It's got that just-right mix for R&B and Funk. Here are a few vids to check out!
