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Friday, May 1, 2009
Music, finances, concerts and cuts…
So, Bob Dylan will be bringing his age-worn musical croak to Fifth Third Field in July, the latest big annual summer concert at the venue. Nice choice, especially since he’ll be playing with the at-least-somewhat-smoother-voiced John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson.
My question is, who’s the main draw on that bill anymore? Sure, nobody bumps Dylan from the head of a program, but his last show in the area, two years ago at the Nutter Center with Elvis Costello, drew poorly. Anyway, it was still a terrific concert and Bob is Bob — so in other words, he’s somebody you should see while you can. And the ballpark is a great place for a show.
Meanwhile, elsewhere this week…
Beep-beep, beep-beep, oh, no: I know times are tough, and that that forces unpleasant decisions on people who hold corporate purse-strings, but I feel the need to say I’ll really miss hearing Ann Stevens’ warm, cheerful voice and fan’s passion during “Breakfast With The Beatles” on WTUE-FM on Sunday mornings. She was a victim of Clear Channel’s nationwide budget cuts last week. She’s always been a friend to the paper, and is something of a community institution. I thought it was telling about the times we’re in when a reader of our website commented that Ann should create her own online Beatles program and forget about broadcasting; didn’t sound like a bad idea, actually….
Speaking of starting over: If you find yourself in the Schuster Center Wintergarden soon, be sure to take a look at the large posters showing off the snazzy, radical redesigns offered by local architects of 10 key downtown structures. Downtown proponents and planners asked the firms to reimagine the looks and uses of the buildings, which range from the Price Brothers clothing store to the old KeyBank Building on Main Street. What they came up with is eye-popping and original — and while it’s hard to imagine some of them coming to pass, with or without the necessary funding, it’s fascinating to peer into 10 possible futures for downtown. Who knows what could happen? My favorite: The multi-colored dance party that Lorenz Williams proposes for the staid, concrete Lehigh Building at Second and Ludlow. Visit www.downtowndayton.org for the drawings.
Bravo, bravo: Speaking of the Schuster, Thursday night’s concert by the Dayton Philharmonic was a stunner, as Neal Gittleman led the crew through an intense and perfectly rendered performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 6. It’s a stirring, emotional piece written in response to Stalin’s purges of the late 1930s — hard to interpret and difficult to take in, yet completely engrossing. The DPO nailed it, too. Let’s hear it for the woodwinds; they were brilliant. Smart, by the way, to put solo violinist Stephanie Chase and the Beethoven at the end, so that folks didn’t skip at intermission. Yes, we’ve seen you do it….
And finally: Gittleman’s remarks before the DPO show included a word to the audience about the tough times the orchestra is facing during the awful economy, and he made a gentle but insistent plea for financial consideration in order to keep things running. We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: He’s right. Do your best, if you’re able, to remember the hard-working arts groups that are trying to make our community a better place to live, and are doing so under increasing budget stress. If you can afford to write a check to your favorite, do.
Now write one to your next favorite, too. You got the idea.
