Mon 30th April	Fatboy Slim and Darren Emerson @ Fillmore, SF OK - for starters, it seems Americans prefer what i'd call mindless beeps and whistles (Techno, anybody?!) to a monotonous beat (was that another song?!) than the more song or funk-oriented House stylees of Norman Cook. Having said that, Darren Emerson (Underworld) provided exactly what the crowd seemed to be looking for - just that! The Fatboy himself had a far more eclectic mix, including his own sounds (no reason why not!) and hence was far more listenable for his 2-hr set... but overall, the both of them could do with a listen to NZ's own Bevan Keys and Peter Urlich (check out Nice'n'Urlich streamed @ http://www.95bfm.com) along with a serving of Manuel Bundy. Good songs, varied beats, and great vibe! Norman was stil the man though, communicating with the sold-out Fillmore audience by way of scribbling notes on 12" sleeves and holding up to the camera which was projecting images onto large screens either side of the DJ booth - he's a genuine guy and he genuinely enjoys his work and all it entails...
Sun 29th April	Iggy Pop @ Fillmore, SF Go the Ig! For a 52-yr old, he's one heck of a sprightly chap, jumping around the stage like a man possessed, not to mention stage-diving at least 3 times into the adoring crowd! It also helped performer-audience relations to invite a few dozen people on stage to thrash around and jump back into the crowd... ok - down to bizness: Good sound considering the volume, and an excellent mix of songs old and new. Notable omissions for this listener were "5'1" and "I'm Bored", both from "New Values". Definite crowd-pleasers were the old Stooges tracks "Raw Power" and "Search and Destroy", a nicely-segued "Passenger" and "Lust for Life", and for me the incredibly powerful reading of last years (?!) "Corruption". No slashing of skin or spitting on the audience, but a powerful and memorable performance from one of Rock's true survivors...
Sat 28th April	California Music Awards @ Kaiser Theatre, Oakland
Fri 27th April	Smokey Robinson @ Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento
Sun 22nd April	Colet and Angelika Farewell Dinner, SF Some damn place near North Beach on Broadway that was a b!tch to get parking at! Oh yeah, it was called Pasha. Lots of falafels and yoghurt stuff... nice belly-dancing Colet and Angie!
Fri 20th April	U2 and PJ Harvey @ San Jose Arena, SJ "I want a pistol, I want a Gun!" screamed Polly Jean Harvey (looking as stunning as usual in tight short dress and biiiig black boots!) as her band ripped through one of the songs performed opening for U2's Elevation Tour of 2001. Aside from a few songs frm her recent "Stories from the City..." album, PJ delved into her rich back-catalog and aired raucous oldies such as "Sheela-Na-Gig" and "Dry", surely shocking a few of the less musically-adventurous audience... after an all-too-short 40min set, the lights came on and a while later U2 wandered out on stage to rapturous applause, and had got through a whole song ("Elevation") before the lights finally dimmed. Following with the effervescent "Beautiful Day", U2 then proceeded to mine all stages of their career (bar the forgettable last couple of albums) to present a 2-hr show of worthy presentation and performance. Staging was cut back to a heart-shaped racetrack that Bono strolled around singing to various areas of the audience, and large black-and-white screens projecting images of all 4 band members throughout the night. Other highlights included a tribute to recently-departed Joey Ramone (but no mention of One Tree Hill), energetic versions of "New Years Day" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from "War", a passionate "One" and "Pride", and some genuine thanks from the band to the fans that have stuck by them through thick and thin. A recommended show should it come to your town...
Wed 18th April	David Thomas (Pere Ubu) @ Bottom of the Hill, SF The big man with the unique voice came to town to promote recent project with his band Two Pale Boys, entitled "Surf's Up" after the Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks song of the same name that features in the tracklist. Opening acts went on longer than planned so at the starting time of 11.30pm Thomas came out, yelled at the audience to come out back to the courtyard with him if they wanted a show, and wandered off. Those of us who ventured back to the BBQ area were treated to a couple of impromptu numbers accompanied by only Pale Boy with a trumpet, and the afore-mentioned unique vocal talents of Thomas, known predominantly for his tenure with Cleveland band Pere Ubu from 1975?-present. Once the stage had been vacated around midnight, the show proper began, Thomas swiggin' regularly from his hipflask of Remy Martin, and singing over an incredible soundbed of guitar and trumpet ourtesy of the Pale Boys, enhanced by various sampled and live loop sequences. An imposing figure, sweating visibly with the effort of performance and freely making running commentary on various issues and topics between songs, Thomas was also an amiable bloke after the show, selling and autographing CD's and chatting with some obvious diehard fans... now if only some of the deleted Ubu catalog ("Cloudland" for starters!) would get re-released!
Tue 10th April	Joe Jackson @ Warfield, SF Is she really going out with him? Judging by audience reaction to Joe Jackson's first hit, from the late 70's, the answer is a resounding yes! Over a well-paced, length 2-hr show, Mr Jackson delved into all corners of his varied career and came up with the goods every time, whether it be a slightly-reworked "Steppin' Out" from 1982's "Night and Day" or a couple of solo piano numbers, transforming a rainy night in San Francisco into an evening to remember...
Tue 3rd April	Melanie C @ Bimbo's, SF Sporty Spice came and conquered Bimbo's, in support of her surprisingly good album "Northern Star". Club hits "Never Be the Same Again" and "I Turn to You" were obvious highlights of the gig, but Mel's stage banter didn't hurt either! Those who remained outside after the gig were rewarded with signed CD's and pictures...

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