Okay.  Way too much time on my hands if I'm bothering to write this ...

I thought the dancing was great, and the staging was inventive.  I especially liked that they had the band on the stage.

Then there was the book:  Interracial love – it’s forbidden.  This is a premise that a writer could draw enormous subtlety and nuance out of, or be completely ham-fisted, which is what this writer did.

And the music:  I was very excited to see this show.  Memphis in the early ’50s-  The end of jump blues, the dawn of rock ‘n’ roll, what a great time in American music.  The preview said not to expect the songs of Elvis or Carl Perkins, and I figured that, due to licensing complications and fees, there would be no music from that period, per se.  I also read that the music was done by the keyboard player from Bon Jovi.  I figured that the poor guy had cut his teeth in an ’80s pop band, but as a fervent blues scholar, he was going to mine the rich field of American music and give us original tunes in the style of that region and period.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  For mass appeal, I can understand not wanting to be strictly constrained to the sound of that era.  A story about Jesus sung in ancient Hebrew utilizing historically accurate modal scales would not have the same oomph or commercial appeal as Jesus Christ Superstar,  but in JCSS, the music had a unifying aesthetic principle: modern rock of that time.  Memphis, a musical named after a town with its own brand of blues, rock, gospel and pop, was all over the map.  As hard as I tried to approach Memphis with a willing suspension of knowledge of American music history, I couldn’t help but cringe at the anachronisms and the geographical errors. “Someday”  Felicia’s song, supposedly the hit of the show, considering all the play it gets, is styled after 1960s  Motown.  It’s like having the main tune of a musical called Detroit being a surf rock number. 

I could throw all these complaints out the window if the music was undeniably great.  I have a fairly sharp musical memory, and anything resembling a hook is bound to get stuck in my head.  Two days after seeing Memphis, I couldn’t hum a single tune.  In the end, I guess it’s fair to say the music was written by the keyboard player from Bon Jovi.

I was asked to write an article about the 10 best places to see live music in New Orleans by what I consider to be a prominent paper.  The identity of said paper will be revealed when the article prints.  I had to keep it to 1000 words and, out of shape as I am I clocked in at 1400.  I also couldn’t help but spout about proper audience behavior.  This section was cut from the article for space reasons, but I think it’s worth sharing.

Welcome to New Orleans.  I’m so glad that you’re here to appreciate our greatest resource- live music.  New Orleans is one of the last places in the United States, or maybe even earth where one can make a decent living as a musician.  Not  a top tier million seller nor a dilettante or a hobbyist, but a journeyman making art for a living.  In order to protect and preserve this wondrous and mostly environmentally friendly resource I recommend the three following things to make you a desirable and appreciated audience member.

1. Pay the cover-  When I first started following the Rebirth Brass Band they were playing on a corner in the French Quarter in front of a tip bucket.  That was thirty years ago.  Now, for their legendary longstanding Tuesday night show at the Maple Leaf there is a $20 cover.  Are you aghast?  I say good for them.  They have a grammy, they’ve been at this for 30 plus years.  They deserve it and you’d be paying twice as much in New York or San Francisco.  Also, don’t try and  negotiate the cover.  If you drunkenly stumbled up to the airlines departure desk and suggested that since you have a group of 6 and it’s your friends birthday you should all get in at half price  -you would not be let on that plane.  You didn’t pull that bullshit when you were buying your ticket here.  Musicians have utility bills same as airlines.  Don’t waste the doorman’s time.  
2. Tip the band-  If there is no cover, or even if there is , passing the hat is a common thing in New Orleans.  The deal at a lot of places is the band will get a percentage of the bar ring.  That’s a supplement to what the band collects in the hat.  Don’t be cheap.  If there’s a five piece band on stage and you throw a dollar in the bucket you are giving each musician 20 cents for their time and effort.  Do the math.  Chips from the casino and coupons for tourist crap are insulting.  Drugs aren’t always appreciated.  You should be tipping the bartender every time you get a drink, the band has the right to pass the hat every set.  Also this isn’t Europe, coins are not money
3. Buy the CD’s.  This is the third stream of revenue and it helps keep the musicians going.  Copying your friends Rolling Stones CD’s or stealing Lady Gaga off bit torrent is wrong, but these artists are set for life.  None of the bands you’re seeing in the bars is on a real record label and the CD they made represents their hard work and investment.  You might not be able to find it online when you get home.  Most bands will have a sharpie on hand and they’ll be happy to autograph the product for you.  You couldn’t get a better souvenir.
4. Check your listings and come see me.