THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Arts & Entertainm ent Thursday, February 17, 1977 Page Five
- I IIA
Spings
By ALAN RUBENFELD and MIKE TAYLOR
THERE'S NO DOUBT about it, "The Boss"
is back! After almost a year's absence
from Michigan, Bruce Springsteen and the E
Street Band returned Tuesday night to the Ma-
sonic Temple to prove once again that they
can make claim to the title "tightest live rock
band around."
Springsteen, who due to contractual diffi-
culties has been unable to make an album in
over a year and a half, has been able to per-
form new material only in concerts. For ex-
ample, he opened Tuesday evening's show with
"Something in the Night," a melancholy song
that gradually built to a rousing crescendo of
wailing guitars, immediately setting the fer-
vent pace of the concert.
Looking like a cross between early Bob Dy-
Ian 'and Graham Parker, clean-shaven Spring-
steen sported a greasy-haired 'punk look, com-
plete with sunglasses and leather vest. "The
Jersey Devil" handled his guitar as if it was
his weapon for striking out against the world.
Two of the concert's most impressive as-
pects were the striking lighting effects and the
superb sound system. Each number received a
lighting arrangement as complex and inven-
tive as the musical arrangements themselves,
ranging from the frenzied lighting of "Ren-
dezvous," a new rocker, to the somber green
and purple tones of "Something in the Night."
The sound system was precise enough to allow
Springsteen's marvelous lyrics and the instru-
mental interplay between tlhe band members
MOT's 'Mag
'Flute': See t
t
N
en springs
e heard clearly, yet powerful enough to
ey the incredible energy that is the E
t Band in concert.
pirit in the Night," an early Springsteen
drove the crowd into a frenzy as Bruce
ed straight into a sea of raving'admirers.
charge into the audience was repeated
g Eddie Floyd's classic "Raise Your
," another crowd-pleaser, thanks to the
Lance of the Miami Horns.
'RINGSTEEN'S PORTRAYAL of his life
the New Jersey short played a strong
in several of the numbers. During "Back-
ts," he related a tale of a planned love
future which concluded with his screams'
Liar, Liar, LIAR!" The emotional tension
is point in the song was deeply felt by
crowd. During the band's haunting intro-
on of "It's My Life," the old Eric Bur-
song, Springsteen told a story of fights
his father, and, the pains of growing up.
back
SNEAK PREVIEW FILM TO AIR
Rudolph
By OWEN GLEIBERMAN
THE ROBERT ALTMAN Festival kicks
into high gear tonight with a sneak
preview of Welcome To L.A., a soon-to-be-
released film written and directed by Alt-
man protege Alan Rudolph and produced
by Altman. Following the film, which is
Rudolph's first solo directorial effort, Ru-
dolph will be here personally to speak and
answer questions. The single showing be-
gins promptly at 6 p.m. in Angell Aud. A.
Rudolph has been an assistant director
on three of Altman's films: The Long Good-
bye, California Split, and Nashville. In ad-
dition, he co-wrote the screenplay to Buf-
falo Bill and the Indians.
Welcome To L.A. was conceived by Ru-
'dolph and Richard Baskin, musical director
for Nashville. The film is based on a jazz
in
town
suite composed by Baskin and contains all
the songs from the suite. The plot centers
around a songwriter (Keith Carradine) "who,
after' living in London for a while, finally
gets, a chance to have his songs recorded
in L.A. He comes to the city and gets in
volved with an >assortment of people, play-
ed by - among others - Geraldine Chap-
lin, Harvey Keitel, Sally Kellerman, and
Sissy Spacek.
ACCORDING TO RUDOLPH, Carradine's
character "wanders through all these peo-
ple's lives trying to find out why he's here.
We examine everybody alone and then with
each other. The conclusions of all their lives
are really inconclusive. And the music ties
everything together. L.A. is the common
denominator of modern society."
For the last: part of the show, Springsteen
had the entire house up and stomping as he
sliced into a razor-sharp version of "Rosalita,"
which many consider to be the greatest rock'n'
roll song ever written; in concert, it's a breath-
less show-stopper. Coming back for his first
encore, Springsteen acknowledged his Motown
influences with a frenetic medley of Mitch Ry-
der hits. After dedicating his second1 encore to
Ann Arbor's Bob Seger, Springsteen and Co.
launched into perhaps the first live version
of "Born to Run" to capture the wall-of-sound
dynamics of the original single.
. ..
Spheeris LP: Laid back
J
Sprinstee
ric
Kottke's latest shows taste
By LEE DONALDSON
I INLESS YOU'RE an ardent
connoisseur of folk music,.
the name Jimmy Spheeris prob-
ably means nothing to you. This
is especially unfortunate, con-
sidering his latest album re-
lease, Ports of Heart. An ar-
tist so noteworthy on disc de-
serves better vecognition in pub-
lic.
In the early seventies, with
his beatnik appearance and
"hey man" demeanor, Spheeris
seemed to be the typical es-
tranged flower child. His ear-
lier albums, Isle of View and
The Original Tap Dancing Kid
reflected a soft, aimless folk
style, reminiscent of James
Taylor or Cat Stevens.
With Port of Heart, the final
product is tighter, with a more
confident back-up. His voice
maintains its "laid-back" quali-
ty and is almost lost within his
music. Songs such as "Child
By JIM STIMSON aroo," a sprightly western tune
which could only be played by
IYEO KOTTKE has definitely-
By MICHAEL JONES
TO MANY PEOPLE the word+
opera conjures up several'
images: tank-like women brand-,
ishing braids, swords, and boom-
ing voices; the aging dilettante
in tails; and Lady Vanderbilt
with a pincenez. If you aref
.caught up with these miscon-F
ceptions, and wish to break'
yourself of a most unjust stereo-,
type, then I suggest you toddle
off to Detroit's Music Hall
Center this week-end and treat{
yourself to a performance of the
Michigan Opera Theatre's en-
gaging production of Mozart's
classic opera, The Magic Flute.
The mnost striking aspect of
this production is how well it'
is able to communicate the to-
tality of the opera as dramatic
musical theatre. The music and:
text are equally highlighted;
through very imaginative, yet
restrained, staging. We are'
made to. believe from the very
beginning that we are not look-
ing through a fourth wall into
some highly abstract represen-
tation of life, but are ex-
periencing the dramatization of
a childlike fantasy or fable from
which we receive, and give, di-
rect stimulus to the characters
on stage.
Much of what we see is sug-
gestive, forcing us to draw our'
own conclusions as to value and
meaning. Each individual is
drawn into a personal interpre-
tation of the fantasy-story be-,
ing presented, leading to a joy-
ous and total experience which
is truly entertaining.
-"- Kottke. The songs on the album
THIS SUGGESTIVE quality is hit the bigbtime. The title shift from fast and bouncy to
of his new album is Kottke so n oatc
achieved largely through, the (Chrsal1106.slw and romantic.
production's technical features: "Rio Leo" is one of the most
costumes, set, and lighting. The Far and away the hottest g eo"i o ne of
g g couticguiar paye toaygraceful and pretty tunes of
careful thought and creativity acoustic guitar player today ttkes on record. It begins in
that went into their, execution Kottke shows no signs of slow- a minor key and resolves de-
demonstrates a concern for uni- ing down. His latest is a mas- lightfully into the theme in a
ty, a clear knowledge and feel- terpe. While Kottke pre- major key. The pino back-
ing for the spirit of the opera, serves some of the best quali- ground is subtle and sparse,
and a respect for the needs and ties of past efforts, he ventui'es sounding almost like vibes.
orientation of a modern audi- into new territory guided by,
ence.. impeccable taste. k "Range" follows "Rio Leo,"
tle alone should merit closer
inspection. How Kottke does it
I don't know, but he injectsI
more energy into his acoustic
o itqr than anyone I've encoun-
tered.
Writing this review is a prob-
lem for me. This is supposed
to be a critical analysis buti
I can't find a single thing wrong
with this album. Well, maybe
that there isn't more info on
the cover - nothing but the
name "Kottke" and psychedelic
pictures of Leo himself.
from Nowhere," and "Whirl-
pool" are quiet and pensive.,
Jackson Browne, Chick Corea,7
and John Guerin add back-
ground vocals and instrumenta-
tion that seem to provide the
mystical aura surrounding the
album.
SPHEERIS further captures
mood with his lyrics. They are
thoughtful and agonizing. If one
is not caught up in what he's
saying, he's floating through
their musical chant. Spheeris
sings in painful contemplation
but still rings hopeful.
Jimmy Spheeris seems to sac-
rifice nothing but popularity
Thurs.-Fri.-Sat.
P- TpFIAg
with his best efforts. The pity
is that someone who puts so
much of himself into his mate-
rial gets so little in return.
Kathleen Battle (Pamina) has;
a voice, the clarity of which
could cloud the Star of India.
Musically speaking, this opera
can be performed anywhere,
anytime, by anybody and still
be delightful. The quality of the
voices and the tempi of the or-
chestra make this production;
glorious. By far, it is the best
production of an opera I have
seen by the MOT, which, con-
sidering their past successes, is
high praise indeed.
Join The Daily
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Leo has thankfully given up
singing on this album. While at
times his voice blends well with
his guitar ("Standing on the
Outside" from Chewing Pine
springs to mind), it usually
sounds, in Kottke's own words,
"... like goose farts on a mud-,
dy day."
SIDE ONE opens with "Buck-
and it is in a similar mood. Tie
string accompaniment (and this
reviewer generally despises the
inclusion of "strings") is truly
melancholy, and is a perfect
foil for Kottke's sympathetic
slide guitar.
ANOTHER SONG of note
"Up Tempo," which by the
is
ti-
inAD
CANCER
AND
ILIVED.
##NN#"######"# [ELMrCC-ii iii
TONIGHT in AUD. A, ANGELL HALL
The Robert Altman Festival Continues
WITH
ALAN RUDOLPH speaking
and previewing his new film "WELCOME TO L.A."
AT 6:00
ADMISSION $3.50
THURSDAY, FEB. 17
TWO ENGLISH GIRLS
(Francois Truffaut, 1971} 9:30 ONLY--AUD. A
Truffaut's beautiful exploration of the pain and pleasure of
shared love and the difficulty of forcing life and love to live up
to predetermined standards contains many echoes from JULES
AND JIM (both are based on novels by Henri-Pierre Roche).
Apart from Truffaut's tender direction. Nestor Almendros' splendid
photography and George Delerue's score deserve special mention.
Jean-Pierre Leaud, Stacy Tendeter, Kiki Markham. French with
subtitles.
ADMISSION $1.25
FRIDAY, FEB.'18 in MLB
"HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD"
"SEX MADNESS"
"REEFEDF MADNESS"
"THE BEST OF BETTY BOOP"
SATURDAY, FEB. 19 in MLB
"THE TALL BLONDE MAN
WITH ONE BLACK SHOE"
"BED AND BOARD"
"SUCK A GORGEOUS KID LIKE ME"
Gerry Peirce
----
MUSICAL DOUBLE FEATURE
DANCING LADY
(AT 7)
Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and Fred Astaire
star in this 1933 Rogers and Hart comedy
about a poor but talented youngster who is
rescued from night court and given a chance.
ROBERTA
(AT 9:05)
Music by Jerome Kern, this 1935 tale of an
oil-American football hero who goes to Paris )
is one of the perennial favorites in the history
of musicals.
CINEMA GUILD $1.25 for one OLD ARCH. AUD.
$2.00 for both
Have aPAPtest.
It can save your life.
American
Cancer Society.
WISPC ONTiUE $ +ala . IE
P0
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17
THE ROBERT ALTMAN FESTIVAL presents...
ALAN RUDOLPH
plus a SNEAK PREVIEW of his new film
WELCOME TO LA.
STARRING
Sissy Spacek Sally Kellerman Harvey Keitel Denver Pyle
Keith Carradine Geraldine Lauren Hutton John Considine
Chaplin Viveca Lindfors
Richard Baskin
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