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 Arts Department!, Phone 764-0562 Midwest's Larest Selection of European ChartersI Conadion and U.S. from $289 CALL 769-1776 . Great Places _,; , - TAVEL CONSULTANTS 216 S. 4th Ave, Ann Arbor 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 EMI FI p I m 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 } _ I :t', Lft ti~:; t r iF 6:.::r4.; _ F I I f..