Barcelona-Show / March 5th, 2005 (Review):
Here’s a review of Howe’s Barcelona-show in the Catalan newspaper EL PERIÓDICO (author: NANDO CRUZ): „Howe Gelb, an underground laboratory. None of his concerts will ever be perfect, but nobody will see another one that is exactly the same. Howe Gelb confessed that he needed 20 years to understand that his concerts shouldn’t last more than an hour. And right after saying this, he extended the show to an hour and a half. At the encore he asked the audience to intonate the chorus of Hey Jude while he’d interlace it with Ring Of Fire, but then preferred to play the melody of Over The Rainbow first. He had already said good-bye when somebody asked him to play Napoli. `Good idea´, he agreed. He started at the piano, but in the middle of the song changed plans, ran backstage, took out the acoustic guitar and resumed the interpretation with the new instrument. The man from Arizona goes on the stage with a vague idea of what he wants to do: reinvent his songs (and a few covers) each night. Even without band he’s able to multiply himself thanks to the three microphones and his constant mobility. There are parents who over-protect their children and there are others who force them to learn according to the old method of `let it stumble, it’ll stand up again´. Gelb is of the latter sort. On stage, many of the songs stand the test. But who cares when one fails? He repudiates it and begins another one. His performances aren’t conventional concerts. They’re rather a laboratory open to the public where Gelb, with an unsuspected gift for an entertainer, gives us clues on the mysterious process of musical creation. Clues in an inverse, deconstructive direction which reflect on the limits of the song-format. A lecture on meta-music, maybe somewhat hard to understand for the non-initiated, but absolutely revelatory to his fans.“ http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=5&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=193068&idseccio_PK=15&h=050309&c=howe gelb
--
“It's much harder to be a liberal than a conservative. Why? Because it is easier to give someone the finger than a helping hand.” — Mike Royko