I have produced over 700 concerts here at the Blue Door and occasionally at other places, from the newest singer/songwriter on the block to Jimmy Webb, but last Thursday's show with Alejandro Escovedo and his band had to be among the best ever, one of the real highlights of my 13 years here. Maybe it was the anticipation of seeing an old friend who just walked away from death's door, one year removed from his last Blue Door show. After I heard the news of Alejandro's illness I thought of his last time he was here and played "The Last To Know" (at Blue Door regular Dusty's request) and many covers while sitting on the patio with Andrew Duplantis. He played country, rock, folk songs, and his own, nearly playing an entire set out there under the stars. I think there might have been ten of us left hearing Alejandro and Andrew just playing songs from the heart. After I heard the news a year later, I figured we had seen the last Alejandro Escovedo show at the Blue Door.

Well thankfully the rumors of Alejandro's demise were greatly exxagerated in my mind, and on this hot July night, when the Blue Door was actually cool and comfortable, he played with a passion that is missing from most music today. Dressed in a handsome suit (the entire band dressed up) Alejandro began with "Baby's Got New Plans" and it just got better and better with each passing song. This is the best band Alejandro has brought to the Blue Door and that is saying a lot. Old friend and fellow True Believer, Jon Dee Graham opened the show with a great set highlighting songs from his overlooked masterpiece 'The Great Battle" and later supplied the right ingredients to Alejandro's songs, be it spooky slide on a ballad or full force guitar on the rockers. This is a band that knows dynamics, knows how to play quiet and how to rock hard, but not in a goofball rock & roll sort of way. The ageless Hector Munoz was again on drums ( he could give a clinic on how to rock hard without making your ears bleed) Susan Voeltz on violin, Matt Fish on cello, Mark Andes on bass and Bruce Solomon on keyboards, to add accents, energy and a beauty within a rock context that is just breathtaking.

I have always said that Alejandro's music is what happens when rock and roll really grows up, but that isn't all of it either. It's what happens when the rock & roll audience grows up. Of course being mid fifty (well almost) doesn't mean you want to resign yourself to the rocking chair just yet, doesn't mean you don't like music made by kids in their twenties, but it does mean that for rock to still be important it has to be something beyond nostalgia. It has to speak to where we all are now. No aging rocker you can name is as good as Alejandro Escovedo is right now, NONE! They are either too damn famous, or just too stale to really be meaningful. Few artists are as gracious to their fans, and few realize as Alejandro does how he is just a link in a chain of many. After finishing with "Put You Down" Alejandro launched into Ian Hunter's "All The Young Dudes," and I thought the place was going to combust right then and there. Now this became a sing-a-long folks, but not some namby, pamby folk music sing-a- long. As Alejandro led the first chorus, I swear he exhorted "Sing It Greg," unaware that I was singing as hard as I ever have at a Blue Door show. I may not be obliged to sing on some quite folk number, it's just too quiet in here, but with Al and Jon Dee playing guitar like their life depended on it, I could hold my own in any rock and roll chorus. I do not sing on any other song except "This Land Is Your Land" so you know I was on another planet that night. With Jon Dee opening with a stellar set and then this great seven piece band, it was one for the ages. While I hate anyone reading this to have missed this great show, it really was better for the rest of us - the Blue Door was filled to the brim, it was cool, no one was crowded and Alejandro was back and rockin' like he never took a break.

Oh yes, as the band was breaking down, Alejandro had one last request. Dusty said "play more miles than money for us again out on the patio," and as Alejandro was breaking out his guitar, he looked at me somewhat quizzically before remembering that the line is from "The Last To Know." So he once again played the song and I sat their thinking that his career and the life of the Blue Door can both claim the most famous lines from that song. But we are both still here thirteen years later, still hoping that the money might just one day catch up with the miles.

Greg Johnson

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The Alejandro Escovedo Orchestra played the Casbah last night. The Casbah is a rather small club with a capacity of about 200 people. Amazingly the 7th largest city in the US was not able to sell out this small club, I estimate there were about 120 people at the show. Mario Escovedo, Al's youngest brother, opened the show with a 30 minute acoustic set. Very nice. Next up was Jon Dee Graham for his 30 minute acoustic set. Jon has a unique raspy voice, it reminds me of Tom Waits, his set was great! He was very funny. He was begging people to buy some of his merchandise. 1 CD sold means breakfast in the morning, 3 CDs means breakfast and 3 packs of cigarettes and 15 CDs means getting his prescription filled, very important to the other people on the tour bus!

Finally the Alejandro Escovedo Orchestra was on. For this tour they consist of:

Alejandro Escovedo - lead vocals, accoustic & electric guitars Jon Dee Graham - electric & slide guitars
Hector Munoz - drums
Mark Andes - bass & vocals
Susan Voeltz - violin & vocals
Matt Fish - cello
Brian Salmon - keyboards & vocals

The first 3 all played in the True Believers. Al mentioned
that the True Believers played the Casbah a long time ago.

After the show I was able to get a setlist. Not 100% sure if they followed the list exactly but here it is.

1. Baby's Got New Plans
2. Way It Goes
3. Five Hearts Beating
4. Notes On Air (new song??)
5. Everybody Loves Me
6. Sex Beat
7. Crooked Frame
8. Rosalie
9. I Died A Little Today (new song)
10. Evita's Lullabye (new song, about his mother)
11. Arizona (new song??)
12. I Was Drunk
13. Sacramento & Polk
14. Velvet Guitar
15. Put You Down
Encore 1
16. Sway (Rolling Stones)
Encore 2
17. All The Young Dudes (Mott The Hoople)
18. Powderfinger (Neil Young)

They played pretty loud, I was standing in front of Jon Dee Graham's electric guitar and had to move back to where it wasn't that loud. As always it was a great show and I enjoyed it immensely. During Sway each member left the stage, first Al, then Jon followed by Mark and Brian. Susan and Matt finished the song on violin and cello. At that point I thought maybe the show was over but they came for a 2nd encore.

Alejandro told us he was playing some new songs and that he was planning to record a new album later in the year with John Cale producing. Can't wait!

Piet

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Michael Mayer <berkeleymike@gmail.com>
Alejandro in SF

Alejandro Escovedo was here this past weekend and it was the best I've
ever seen him. He seemed in good spirits and he had the 7-piece
orchestra in tow and they were tighter than ever.

He even broke away from the setlists he's been playing for what seems
like 5 or 6 years now. Actually didn't play Castanets, which was a
relief. Had a few new songs: a couple good rockers and one slow sad
one, called Evita's Lullaby, written for his mother after his
97-year-old father died in February. Encored with a couple of his
standard covers: All the Young Dudes and Sway. Both pretty faithful
covers, played with great feeling and fun to sing along with.

Shows were at a newish club in the Mission called 12 Galaxies and were
promoted by a local guy who started something he calls the Jackpine
Social Club. He had a weekly JSC night at a club called Thee Parkside
that featured alt-countryish bands. This night was like the annual JSC
party and featured Jon Dee Graham as opening act (and smoking
guitarist in Al's band) as well as a couple of other singer/songwriter
types. One stood out: Jesse DeNatale. I picked up his Shangri-La West
album and it's really good. Tom Waits-like.

The club was packed and the night was a lot of fun. Lots of Bay Area
artists drinking and hanging out. Mark Eitzel was there holding court
from about 7 till 1. You'd never know the guy had issues of insecurity
on stage.

If you get a chance to see Alejandro soon, don't pass it up. He's at
the top of his game.

BMike