Your live music connection has become unplugged. Sorry, I’ve been busy going to Red Rocks for Tedeschi-Trucks and Jason Isbell/Lucinda Williams shows. But I don’t want to let down Dan “The Reds are going to win it all… this year!” Lewis.

I totally missed out on letting you know about both Hall and Oates. (They’re at Riverbend tonight… from my palatial estate in Mt. Washington I can sometimes hear tunes emanating from that venue, so I stuck my head outside the window earlier in hopes of catching the sweet strains of “Maneater”… no dice.)

Apologies for the slacking. Let’s get to the list, and skip the ol’ jazz hands.

The Wallflowers open up for Matchbox Twenty tomorrow at Riverbend. Guess I’ll have to stick my head out the window earlier tomorrow night. (The Wallflowers new album is a solid effort, btw… but “One Headlight” is still my favorite dance tune.)

Also Tuesday:

• Shakey Graves plays Bogart’s
• Enjoy a free local show with Ricky Nye Inc. at the Blue Ash Nature Park. (Pro tip: don’t make the same mistake I did… it’s a nature park, not a naturist park… wear clothes!)

Todd Snider is playing the 20th Century Theater in Oakley on Wednesday, with the amazing Aaron Lee Tasjan as the opener.

On Thursday, Buddy Guy plays the PNC Pavilion with Robert Randolph & the Family Band. Wait, this just in, that show is CANCELLED.

Friday, it’s a Yacht Rock special at Ludlow Garage: Pablo F-ing Cruise!

Wait, this just in… the Pablo Cruise show has been cancelled. Next thing you know, they’ll cancel the Catalina Wine Mixer.

https://youtu.be/RGB8QgwxZqw

Still slated for Friday: Live at the Fillmore (“the definitive tribute to the Allman Brothers Band”) and Joshua Ray Walker play outdoors at my new favorite venue, RiversEdge in Hamilton! Ohio. And Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Cheap Trick play PNC Pavilion. I won’t have to stick my head out the window to hear Rick Nielsen’s guitar.

Saturday is a huge day for gigs:

Maroon 5 plays Riverbend… I’ll stick my head out the window and hear every middle-aged woman in the Tri-State — including my wife and her Jazzercise friends — squealing about the lead singer. (Oh, and probably Dan Lewis too.)

Also on Saturday, Soul Asylum is playing the old Annie’s with Local H. Juliana Hatfield was also supposed to be on the bill, but she dropped out of the tour due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

Plenty o’ local bands in action on Saturday as well:

• This Pine Box is playing Southgate with Buck the Taxidermist and Circle It.
• Lung has an album release party on Fountain Square, with Paige Beller and Small Reactions.
• Last but certainly not least, list member Dave “Lenny” Lenehan’s band Outta Here (“a good time blues-rock band) is playing Wiedemann’s taproom.

Looking ahead to next week (because I’ve been slacking and probably won’t get another post out before then), St. Paul & the Broken Bones are at the old Annie’s on Tuesday, 8/31. And Kings of Leon and Cold War Kids are playing Riverbend. (Although they cancelled a show in Cleveland last week due to a positive COVID test for a band staffer.)

Thursday, September 2nd, Drive-by Truckers are playing the old Annie’s… and I’ll be down in Louisville for the Waxahatchee show at Headliner’s. Jefferson Starship plays Memorial Hall that night too. And Ben Levin will be at Big Ash Brewing. (Ben’s also opening for Booker T. Jones on Thursday, September 9th… amazing!)

JJ Grey & Mofro plays RiversEdge on Friday, September 3rd, with opener Jackie Vernon. This is the only show of the season where general admission isn’t free. But JJ Grey is totally worth it.

That same evening, Neko Case plays Memorial Hall with A.C. Newman… a double dose of New Pornographers! Let’s hope Neko is in a better mood than she was at her gig at the Taft a few year’s back. And The Roots are at the Icon.

On Saturday, September 4th, Meshell Ndegeocello is at Memorial Hall, and the Legendary Wailers (featuring Julian “Junior” Marvin) are at Ludlow Garage.

Tuesday September 7th:

• St. Vincent plays the Icon
• Chris Hillman is at Memorial Hall with Herb Pedersen and John Jorgenson.

Lots of venues and artists are requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test… I’m on board with that. As is my bud Jason Isbell:

I feel like some of us saw the exit, and the building was on fire, and now we are trying to talk everyone into following us to the exit so we don’t get burned. It’s pretty much as simple as that. And also, I just don’t think that our business is going to be able to continue this way unless we put some restrictions in place. I know my crew and my band might not be able to withstand another shutdown, and I think a lot of people are in that same situation. So I’m just happy that it’s happening and that people are getting on board.

Jason Isbell in this Variety interview

Reading list:

Tip o’ the hat to list member Dave Tellmann for the link to this great article about how Happy Chichester of the Royal Crescent Mob (97X faves from back in the day) nearly joined the Foo Fighters.

Listening list:

Speaking of Dave Tellmann and 97X, the newest episode of our podcast features another interview with former station owners Doug & Linda Balogh. Tune in via the 97Xbam website or on Podbean, Spotify , Google Podcasts, TuneIn or Apple podcasts. You can even tell your Amazon or Google spying machine device “Play the latest episode of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast” and hear it.

Must-see TV

I leave you with this gorgeous Tanya Donelly cover by Gabi Lima (who also sat in on bass and vocals on “Darl” when I saw Buffalo Tom in L.A. a few years ago and crushed it). Gabi’s dog isn’t blown away by it, but I am.