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Tom H.

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4 Reviews by Tom

  • Themetphilly

8/14/19

Philadelphia has a new must-experience concert venue. The Met, a recently refurbished opera house/theater, is nestled elegantly on the west side of North Broad Street, festooned with flashing marquee, red velvet ropes and tidily attired parking valets. It stands as a beacon of urban refinement in an otherwise gray and unassuming neighborhood.
Upon entering, we were taken with a dark yet inviting lobby with white masonry staircases at either end. A full bar of flashing crystal and dark wood beckoned and Concert Gear merchandise areas were set up in alcoves.
We ascended the left stairs, per a misguided attendant, for our seats were at the top of the right stairs in the richly designed loge. Not an issue, since the long walk behind the loge afforded us opportunity to take in an expansive upstairs bar, nearly extending stair to stair. Drinks are no bargain, of course, and water $5 a bottle, but city prices are what they are.
We navigated down the concrete steps of the loge, which, between veiled lighting, cumbersome turns and varying size of the landing steps, required some nimble footwork. Fortunately, there was a handrail from top step to bottom. We took our seats, which were comfortable but could of used more legroom.
Our sight lines for Bryan Ferry, former frontman of glam-rock pioneers Roxy Music, were excellent. The right loge curled toward the side opera boxes, perching us ever so closely stage left, which, fortuitously, was where Ferry set up at the keyboard.
As you would expect in a restored opera house, the acoustics were splendid, strongly carrying the crooner's still rich baritone to our fifth-row seats in the loge.
Ferry sampled his extensive Roxy Music and solo catalog, spanning innovative glam, club dance and, in entirety, the 1982 masterpiece "Avalon," a textured blend of synth-oriented soundscape and moody ballads ("More Than This" "To Turn You On" and the title track among the most notable). The Met's acoustic design served the intricacies of "Avalon" well, the languishing saxophone solos and lilting viola fills washing over the audience.
A mid-show cover of Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" was a rollicking affair, punctuated by Ferry's harmonica. And he was not done resurrecting covers, ending the show with his two most well-known Lennon's "Jealous Guy" (Ferry's biggest seller) and Wilbert Harrison"s Mississippi Delta footstomper "Let's Stick Together."

Note: A couple of accommodations of which you should be aware 1) Parking ranged from $30 (lot about a four-block walk) to $50 (a union hall across the street from the venue) to $60 valet. Or if you arrive early enough, you can try your luck in the back streets for free; 2) the bathrooms are not gender-specific and my wife had to step around a puddle of urine in a stall.

  • Chart House

6/10/19

My wife and I had dined recently at the Chart House In Alexandria, Va., where our interest, as well as our tastebuds, were piqued by some interesting "landlubber" selections (escargot, teriyaki sirloin). In addition, the menu boasted several updated takes on traditional seafood fare; reasonably priced toppings ranging from an avocado pico to a shrimp sauce are generously dolloped upon fresh cuts of swordfish, Ahi tuna, salmon or other fishes.
The lure of further exploring the menu, combined with a treasure trove of gift cards, made our local Philadelphia Chart House an easy choice of venue at which to celebrate my wife's birthday. Our three adult children came to town for the occasion and our party of five was seated on the second deck with a panoramic view of the Delaware River, affording us the chance to watch lumbering barges, swooping sea birds and jaunty riverboats navigate against the muted glare of evening sun.
We started off with a la carte salad selections. Chilled spinach and bacon salad, prepared table side, sated four of us, while my younger son ravenously crunched his way through an interesting looking Street Caesar salad with a brown-tinged dressing.
My wife and oldest son were both content with their entree choice of flounder stuffed with crabmeat ($36 each). My other son followed up his Caesar salad with Teriyaki sirloin ($31), which he regretted ordering because the desired steak flavor was suffused by the Teriyaki (uh, duh). Seeking lighter and healthier, my daughter and I opted for Ahi and swordfish filets, respectively, both topped with avocado pico ($38 with topping). We had nothing but praise for the flaky, moist fish and the zesty bite provided by the lively pico sauce.
Accompanied by imported bottled beers ($6.50 each; no draughts here) for the men, a Moscato Sangria ($12) for my wife and the Tequila-based Bitter Truth ($13) for my daughter, we had little room for dessert, opting instead for the check.

  • Ticketmaster

10/17/18

I treated myself to prog and jazz/rock fusion pioneers Soft Machine at the TLA Sunday night. It was the second stop of the British band's first U.S. tour in 43 years. My admiration for them is deep-rooted; I purchased "Soft Machine 4" back in the mid-70s and rediscovered the group several years later when my college roommate randomly put "4" on the dorm room turntable, leading to a semester-long exploration of the Canterbury-bred group. None of the original members were present Sunday, but lightning-quick and remarkably inventive guitarist John Etheridge joined in '75, drummer John Marshall came on board in '72 (capably filling the huge void left by cofounder Robert Wyatt) and bassist Roy Babbington dates back to the aforementioned "Soft Machine 4" (1971). Add Theo Travis (woodwinds, keyboards) and the quartet delivers impassioned prog classics "Hazard Profile Part 1" and "Gesolreut" and bridges old to new with its updated version of "The Man Who Waved at Trains," originally from the 1975 album "Bundles" but reimagined on the freshly minted "Hidden Details" album. Soft Machine effectively intertwines high-energy numbers with the pastoral. Theo's rapid-fire sax play on "Peff" and Etheridge's frenetic guitar runs on "Tale of Taliesin" playfully volley with the ethereal "Kings and Queens" (1971) and 2018's "14-Hour Dream." Soft Machine, as one audience member quipped, "may look like a bunch of old guys but they certainly play as if they have eternal youth" -- and play they did for a searing hour and 45 minutes on this damp autumn night on South Street. L

  • EventTicketsCenter

6/21/18

Paul Simon meshed a perfect tapestry of early solo hits, recent world music-influenced beats and timeless Simon & Garfunkel classics in a stirring farewell tour stop at the Wells Fargo Center on a muggy Saturday in South Philly. At 76, the diminutive songsmith showed he still had the pipes with a deliberately paced "America" to open. A playful "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" followed. Through the remainder of the set, Simon gave plenty of stage time to his deserving band, which featured an eclectic mix of world performers displaying their mastery of an array of instruments. As promised, Simon offered plenty of "get out of your seat and dance" opportunities as well as quiet and reflective moments (best exemplified by "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" and "Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War", both preceded by engaging introductions by Simon.) The multiple encores sated the crowd with S&G staples "The Boxer," "The Sound of Silence" and "Homeward Bound" assuring the crowd it had seen something very special this night, and reminded it had experienced someone very special these many years.

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Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us, Tom. We're so glad you had a great time!

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