Nas + National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap (July 14, 2019)
None of it made sense. Not the artist. Not the venue. Not the crowd. Not the weather. Even still, he almost pulled it off.
In 1994, Nas released the seminal Illmatic. He has seemingly been living off it ever since. For the album’s 20th anniversary, he decided to partner with the National Symphony Orchestra for an innovative performance of the album at the Kennedy Center. Five years later, he repeated the pairing for the album’s 25th anniversary, this time appearing at Wolf Trap.
Whereas the hallowed halls of the Kennedy Center had likely never before been graced with music from a rap album, the laid-back vibe at Wolf Trap seemed almost too obvious a setting for the unusual pairing taking place. On top of that, the excitement of doing something unique, the special vibe that surrounded the original collaboration, was lacking. The boiling heat probably didn’t help with the energy level either.
I have a feeling that Nas noticed. He raced through the album’s first nine songs, never really giving the NSO a chance to assert themselves or for the crowd to really get involved. A song like “Life’s a Bitch” could have been completely transformed by the addition of a full orchestral backing; instead, the crowd barely roused itself in time to yell the chorus. The songs on Illmatic are so excellent that they were able to overcome the inertia just on their own, but just barely. It took until the album’s final song “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” to even get everyone out of their seats, and even then it was more due to a collective realization that the performance was almost over than any excitement inspired by the music. After the last few bars had wound down, the orchestra departed and the entire experiment wrapped up, less than 45 minutes after it had begun.
Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief when Nas kicked into a solo set with his own band, running through his surprisingly long list of hits (with the notable exception of “Ether”, despite the pleading from the drunk dude next to us). Annoyingly, most of these songs were presented in medley form, with Nas content to present small fragments rather than force himself into full performances. The one exception was on “If I Ruled the World”, the one time the crowd truly got engaged (come back Lauryn Hill!). And after another 45 minutes, it was all over, this time for good.
As far as experiments go, I’d say the pairing of Nas with the National Symphony Orchestra was a worthwhile effort, a fun way to reimagine product that might have become stale. But the problem, as always, is that sequels are never quite as good as the original.
Set List
W/ National Symphony Orchestra
- Intro
- The Genesis
- New York State of Mind
- Life’s a Bitch
- The World Is Yours
- Halftime
- Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park)
- One Love
- One Time 4 Your Mind
- Represent
- It Ain’t Hard to Tell
Encore (solo set)
In some order:
- Made You Look
- If I Ruled the World
- One Mic
- The Message / Street Dreams
- Hate Me Now
- Got Ur Self a Gun
St. Paul and the Broken Bones @ Wolf Trap (6/16/17)
White boys have been playing at being soul men since even before Mick Jagger became the little red rooster. So while the idea of St. Paul and the Broken Bones isn’t exactly unique, their performance is still a fascinating spectacle, always a guaranteed fun time. Lead singer Paul Janeway is incredible, floating across the stage with a few (but only a few) James Brown-esque dance steps and belting his high-tenored soul out. It was enough to (eventually) get the crowd at Wolf Trap out of their (rain-soaked) seats.
Janeway is so dynamic, in fact, it made me come up with the following thought experiment: trade Sharon Jones (RIP) from the Dap Kings for Janeway. Which band suffers most? Which combination gets better?It’s a tough call but given that the Dap Kings have created some memorable music to critical and commercial acclaim (not only by themselves but having backed Amy Winehouse and Bruno Mars among others), I’m going to have to say that they would do more for Janeway than Jones could do to heal the Broken Bones.
It’s not a big difference but it says something to me about the band: that they lack a truly dynamic instrumental prowess. On stage, Janeway covers up those deficiencies. But on record, that dynamism doesn’t quite come across in the same, memorable way. Still, I’m hopeful that the rest of the band will catch up to Janeway and turn this band into a musical powerhouse that can match their performing credentials. Because I could always use some plastic soul.
Possible set list
- Crumbling Light Posts Pt. 1
- Back to the Future
- Like a Mighty River
- Flute Solo
- I’ll Be Your Woman
- Tears in the Diamond
- All I Ever Wonder
- I’m Torn Up
- Band Jam (instrumental)
- The National Anthem (Radiohead cover)
- Brain Matter
- Waves
- Midnight on the Earth
- I’ve Been Working (Van Morrison cover)
- Broken Bones & Pocket Change
- Call Me
- Loran’s Dance
Encore
- Sanctify
- Eventually (Tame Impala cover)
- Half the City
- Burning Rome
Brian Wilson @ Wolf Trap (6/6/11)
Brian Wilson retired from performing with the Beach Boys in 1964. Based on his recent performance at Wolf Trap, he probably made the right decision. Under a perfect summer night, Wilson performed to a half-filled arena of aging surfers and hard-core fanatics (myself included). Sitting front and center in front of a keyboard he never touched, focusing on what appeared to be a teleprompter, Wilson mumbled his way through a collection of Beach Boys favorites, beginning as always with “California Girls.” While great to see live, Wilson sadly bequeathed his vocal portions to his bandmates, settling instead to sing harmony and occasional low-pitch leads. Losing his trademark falsetto was understandable; but to not even bother singing “Darlin’” or relegating himself to singing Mike Love’s parts on “Wouldn’t It Be Nice?” and “Surfer Girl”? Depressing. On the other hand, the band sounded phenomenal, making me almost consider going to see whatever version of the Beach Boys Mike Love is currently calling his touring ensemble (thankfully I caught myself before running to the box office). Wilson redeemed himself by tackling “God Only Knows” and pushing his way through “Heroes and Villains” and “Good Vibrations,” though not without a few stumbles.
After a brief intermission, the band returned to perform Wilson’s latest album, on which he performs a series of George Gershwin songs. Amazingly, Wilson’s vocals and arrangements fit Gershwin’s songs perfectly (the night sky also helped with the atmosphere). “Summertime” and “Rhapsody in Blue” were immaculate, though I prefer hearing Nina Simone singing “I Loves You Porgy.” Witnessing the juxtaposition of one legendary composer performing works of another made me appreciate Wilson for what he is: a conductor, an arranger, a bandleader. He won’t make any one forget Mick Jagger with his performing, but that’s beside the point. Jagger’s talent is showmanship- he owns every inch of that stage and connects with every pair of eyes in the building. Wilson’s talent lies behind the scenes: he connects with you, but in an indirect way, through his music. Both can make your heart jump, but Wilson does it in an incredibly subtle way. Just hearing those first few chords of “California Girls” transports you back to some wonderful memory, whether it’s your first love or the first time you heard the song on the radio.
Wilson closed the show by actually picking up a guitar and strumming a few chords as the band ripped through a handful of classic sing-alongs: “Help Me, Rhonda,” “Barbara Ann,” “Fun Fun Fun,” and “Surfin’ USA.” The crowd was happy, the band was happy, and everyone left not with a memory of a lackluster performance by an over-the-hill rocker, but reminiscing on a lovely summer night to the best soundtrack anyone has created. Ahh Brian…
Set List:
- California Girls
- Dance, Dance, Dance
- Do It Again
- Then I Kissed Her
- Salt Lake City
- I Get Around
- Surfer Girl
- Don’t Worry Baby
- Darlin’
- Little Deuce Coupe
- Catch A Wave
- All Summer Long
- Do You Wanna Dance?
- Sail On, Sailor
- Sloop John B
- Wouldn’t It Be Nice
- God Only Knows
- Good Vibrations
Encore:
- Rhapsody in Blue (intro)
- The Like in I Love You
- Summertime (George Gershwin cover)
- I Loves You, Porgy (George Gershwin cover)
- I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’ (George Gershwin cover)
- It Ain’t Necessarily So (George Gershwin cover)
- Wonderful (George Gershwin cover)
- They Can’t Take That Away From Me (George Gershwin cover)
- Love Is Here to Stay (George Gershwin cover)
- I’ve Got a Crush on You (George Gershwin cover)
- I Got Rhythm (George Gershwin cover)
- Someone to Watch Over Me (George Gershwin cover)
- Nothing but Love (George Gershwin cover)
- Rhapsody in Blue (reprise)
Encore 2:
- Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry cover)
- Help Me, Rhonda
- Barbara Ann
- Surfin’ USA
- Fun Fun Fun
Encore 3:
- Love and Mercy
Rollin' and Grumblin' 