Joe Cocker @ Madison Square Garden 06/01/2011

Anonymous said:I’m with you on the sound issue. I felt the exact same way, but I hesitated to bring it up because, honestly, it sounded almost nonsensical. At times, he seemed quieter than the backup singers—who, to be fair, were singing beautifully, even if their style wasn't quite my cup of tea. During "Up Where We Belong," I actually thought he was gesturing toward the crowd to sing softer and more gently, just like I was doing from my seat. Otherwise, it was a decent show. The crowd really jumped in during "You Are So Beautiful," though it turned out okay in its own chaotic way... and "With a Little Help" was an absolute blast.

Do you happen to know the name of that last song? It sounded like a remix.
There was a recording of a Cocker concert playing on WNYC, but I couldn't quite catch the title. It sounded incredible.

Such a shame about the audio quality.

It’s such a shame, honestly, seeing Madison Square Garden looking that half-empty; I'd estimate there were maybe only 6,000 people there, which is just plain sad if you ask me!

boldjackal70 said:Do you happen to know what that last song—the mix—was called?
I heard some recording of a Cocker concert on KROQ once, but I couldn't catch the title. It sounded incredible.

Shame about the sound quality.

I think this was the closer... man, that performance was intense:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMwXPueu-RM

....my take:

The first 20 minutes were a mess—everything from the audio quality to the setlist selection. But after that, things really turned a corner. Both the sound and the flow improved significantly. Joe is still the absolute king of performance, especially when he hits those gritty, screaming notes. And those two backup singers? Absolutely killer, especially the Black vocalist.

My one gripe is that the whole thing only lasted an hour and a half. Maybe it’s just me, but I always walk into a show expecting at least a solid two-hour set.

Bottom line:

-it was worth every penny.

Maybe I just had too high of expectations for this show. Joe doesn't need a flashy stage or crazy lights, but the sound system at Madison Square Garden really needs to be up to par for an artist of his caliber, and it definitely wasn't tonight. Compared to that '98 show at Madison Square Garden, this was nothing. Old Joe and the band did a solid job, but the backing band back in '98 was way, way stronger than this crew. Personally, I'd give it a 3/5. The culprit? Cheap production and bad acoustics.

rustycrane23 said:I think this was the last one.... the performance was intense:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMwXPueu-RM

....my take:

The first 20 minutes were rough—everything from the sound quality to the setlist selection. Things picked up significantly after that, though. Both improved drastically. Joe is still the king of performance, especially those raw, gritty vocal runs he does. And those two backup singers? Absolutely incredible, especially the lead vocalist.

One more gripe: the show only lasted ninety minutes. Maybe it’s just me, but I always expect at least a two-hour set for a concert of this scale. Is that too much to ask?

Bottom line:

-it was worth every penny.

Thanks for the link. It’s a shame they didn't kick things off with Summer in the City.

Maybe the tone felt off because the tour trucks were branded with the Guinness logo.
A video wall wouldn't have hurt, either. At least then I could actually see Joe singing when I couldn't hear him properly.

The concert was absolutely incredible. I will say, I had some gripes with the acoustics—likely due to the sound bouncing off those oval walls in the arena—but honestly, that could have been fixed if they'd tried harder. Still, all that technical stuff just fades into the background when you're caught up in an atmosphere like that, both from the band and the crowd. It was class; no shoving, no rowdy nonsense, just pure energy. More than anything, I just hope they keep their word and we get to see them again.

Hey everyone!

I’m trying to track down that specific music they were playing right before Cocker's set. You know, that background stuff playing through the house speakers while everyone was filtering into Madison Square Garden around 8:30 or 9:00 PM?
Honestly, nobody was probably paying any attention to it, which is just killing me because there was one song that sounded absolutely incredible and I have zero clue how to find it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😢
I actually managed to record a tiny snippet on my phone, but the audio is terrible because the crowd noise completely drowned it out!!!! Help meeeee!!!!
I have a hunch it was something by Seal or maybe another legend—possibly James Brown or Marvin Gaye! But honestly, I'm just guessing!
If any of you who were actually at the concert happen to recognize them, please let me know!!! thanks btw 🙂

By the way, Joker is fantastic. Who would've thought a guy who looks like he manages six different banks could rock like that? Seeing him perform Hard Knocks twice was just pure magic!!!