|
|||||
| basement tapes | concert reviews | cd reviews | interviews | ticket swap | music news |
 Glen Campbell |
 Glen Campbell |
|
Story and photos by Andy Argyrakis Given the fact that Glen Campbell was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, this year's farewell tour is certainly bittersweet in nature. But the classic country singer/guitar slinger's inaugural visit to this summer's spectacular Ravinia Festival also served as an example of how he continues to triumph personally and artistically amidst the adversity. Considering his illness is prone to limiting short term memory but preserving the past, it wasn't surprising to see him knocking several storytelling hits ("Gentle On My Mind," "Galveston," "By the Time I Get To Phoenix") out of the park early in the set.Vocally, the 76-year-old demonstrated just the right balance of ease and grit as he's accustomed to, while his guitar playing chops were just as fiery as ever. The solo during "True Grit" was especially impressive, also recalling why the versatile player was one of the best session players in the business backing The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Phil Spector (to name a few) before embarking on a solo career. In spite of his veteran status, the 70-minute show was more than mere nostalgia, starting with the fact that the oldies earned a fresh coat of paint from a six piece backing band (anchored by three of his immensely talented children). Campbell also offered several remarkable selections from his current CD "Ghost On The Canvas" (Surfdog), a poignant collection featuring collaborations with Jakob Dylan, Billy Corgan, Chris Isaak, Paul Westerberg and Guided By Voices' Bob Pollard, plus a few autobiographical tunes. While the obligatory "Rhinestone Cowboy" closed out the initial portion of the night with fervor, an encore of the new acoustic ballad "A Better Place" was the most touching moment as it referenced his resolve to persevere. The end date of Campbell's tour may still be in question based on his condition, but aside from using a teleprompter and a few forgivable memory slips, he's truly saying goodbye with a bang. Adding some extra star power to the evening was fellow country turned crossover favorite Ronnie Milsap, who's also overcome his fair share of challenges. The singer/piano player just so happens to be blind, but even at 69, he's still regularly hitting the recording studio and road. Though his voice was noticeably weathered compared to yesteryear and some arrangements came across a bit dated, Milsap still had no trouble merging pop, R&B and doo-wop into his primary genre. No matter how many times he's sung "Stranger In My House," "Any Day Now," "(I'm A) Stand By My Woman Man" and "Smokey Mountain Rain," they continued to captivate thanks to a slew of colorful characters and plenty of down home charm. |
 Glen Campbell |
 Glen Campbell |
 Glen Campbell |
 Ronnie Milsap |
 Ronnie Milsap |
 Ronnie Milsap |