Them Crooked Vultures in Toronto .. or... John Paul Jones is a God!

[Baird6869]

I was lucky enough to get last minute tickets to the Them Crooked Vultures show on Saturday at Toronto's Air Canada Centre (and was even luckier to be able to weasel my way to within 10 feet of Jones on the floors).

In any case, I have never seen a bassist play weirder instruments - 4, 8, 10 and 12 string basses, a key-tar, a mando bass thing, a fiddle, piano, a weird sideways slide-bass, etc.

Regardless of what he plays, he is truly an incredible musician and it was a privilege to see him live. He was obviously having fun as he was moving all over the place (and he is 66!!). He is such a great bass player. He uses a pick when needed and when he plays fingerstyle, his fingers are like a blur.

What amazed me was that Dave Groll and Josh Homme were visible blown away and giggling like school girls every time Jones played a little bass solo/riff. Too cool.

I had listed to the new CD once or twice and really the only song I knew going into the show was New Fang. It blows me away that my wife and I had such a great time and I really didn't know any of the music (they played NO Zeppelin, Queens of the Stone Age or Foo Fighters... it was all Crooked Vultures tunes).

Anyways, go see Them Crooked Vultures if you get the chance as it is as good an opportunity to see a living bass legend as you might ever get.

[IPA]

Their ACL performance has a permanent home on my DVR... he does some amazing stuff. He was pumping out a great bassline on the bass pedals, playing keys, and singing... I'd give a nut just to be able to do one of those half as good ;-)

[jaywa]

Led Zeppelin without JPJ wouldn't have been anything more than Blue Cheer with a good drummer.

Nuff said.

[rocknrollbandit]

I'm seeing them tomorrow in Chicago at the Aragon.

I'm super excited

[Mark Wilson]

DAMN.
My room mate was supposed to go, but couldn't.
I had NO idea JPJ was in this band! All i knew was that Grohl was in it...

[busta_bird]

I seen them (for the second time) last night in Indy. They are incredible. JPJ is the bee's knees, but watching Grohl drum was outta this world. Everyone should attempt to see this band whenever they come anywhere close to you.

[cap'n crunk]

TCV's album is nuts. Without a doubt pick it up if you don't have it already.

[jaywa]

Good to see Grohl's back behind the kit again. I like Foo Fighters and all but in my mind he's always a drummer first.

[Baird6869]

Originally Posted by busta_bird

but watching Grohl drum was outta this world.

My wife (who is a HUGE Foo Fighters fan) said Grohl looked like Amimal from the Muppets! He actually did. Man that dude hits the drums HARD!

One of my top 10 concerst of all time and I have seen hundreds of concerts (Rush's 1981 Moving Pictures was my first!).

[Steve Clark]

Originally Posted by Baird6869

He actually did. Man that dude hits the drums HARD!

Don't tell my son. He's broken two cymbals this month.

[busta_bird]

Originally Posted by Baird6869

My wife (who is a HUGE Foo Fighters fan) said Grohl looked like Amimal from the Muppets! He actually did. Man that dude hits the drums HARD!

One of my top 10 concerst of all time and I have seen hundreds of concerts (Rush's 1981 Moving Pictures was my first!).

haha. no doubt. i'm not a big foo fighters fan by any means, but i think grohl is one of the most talented musicians alive today. and he does indeed hit the drums harder than anyone i've seen. haha

[busta_bird]

Originally Posted by jaywa

Led Zeppelin without JPJ wouldn't have been anything more than Blue Cheer with a good drummer.

Nuff said.

Not a Jimmy Page fan?

[jaywa]

Jimmy's OK... just sayin JPJ was the guy who really got that band over the top with his combination of multi-instrumentalist skills, composing ability and production chops.

[busta_bird]

Originally Posted by jaywa

Jimmy's OK... just sayin JPJ was the guy who really got that band over the top with his combination of multi-instrumentalist skills, composing ability and production chops.

+1

[jaywa]

Just to add on as far as the production chops... I remember reading that as the band evolved, JPJ's hand was more and more in the production to the point where the "In Through The Out Door" album was essentially a John Paul Jones studio creation. Page and Plant were pretty disengaged by that time (for reasons I can't remember, maybe drugs or something), and so JPJ just put the material together with Bonza and Page & Plant did their stuff piecemeal.

[Noseferatu]

I'll be straight up. John Pau Jones WAS Zeppelin. Don't care who's offended by that. It's the truth.

[busta_bird]

Originally Posted by Noseferatu

I'll be straight up. John Pau Jones WAS Zeppelin. Don't care who's offended by that. It's the truth.

I doubt you'll be offending anyone by saying that.

[GregC]

Them Crooked Vultures did a full hour on Austin City Limits. Fine performance and nice A/V quality. About 1:40 of commercials and introductory stuff at the beginning, then it's uninterrupted.

http://video.pbs.org/video/1397479116/

[Noseferatu]

Originally Posted by busta_bird

I doubt you'll be offending anyone by saying that.

Well, you never know....

[62Jazzbass]

Originally Posted by jaywa

Just to add on as far as the production chops... I remember reading that as the band evolved, JPJ's hand was more and more in the production to the point where the "In Through The Out Door" album was essentially a John Paul Jones studio creation. Page and Plant were pretty disengaged by that time (for reasons I can't remember, maybe drugs or something), and so JPJ just put the material together with Bonza and Page & Plant did their stuff piecemeal.

From what I have read over the years, this is close, but not quite right.

It was Jones and Plant that worked very closely on that album (I still have a Page interview backs this view).