Chris Rock (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Blake Stadnik and Karina-Kay Luchii appear on Goodspeed’s ’42nd Street’. (Diane Sobolevski)
John Mulaney (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP)
The Day’s art writers have picked their favorite live shows and recorded music for 2022.
live show
chris rock
June 3 Mohegan Sun Arena
On this show of the 57-year-old comedian’s “Death of the Ego” tour, Locke’s broad, clever and highly entertaining observations made a strong case for his being appointed philosopher of the entire United States. Capable of putting interesting twists on easy-to-target (but still simmering) topics such as the red/blue political divide, race, and wealth and poverty disparities, Locke masochistically exposes himself and his family. I didn’t forget either. likewise. Only when he broached sex did the routine seem a little dated and predictable. Otherwise, the set was worth it for its thoughtful and provocative tangents and for their entertaining qualities as much.
– Rick Coster
John Mulaney
March 19th and 20th, Foxwoods
Leave it to Mullaney, best known for writing and guest-hosting gigs on “Saturday Night Live,” to turn addiction into something hilarious. , an intervention by a friend of a famous cartoonist, and spent much of his time in a humble experience in rehab. I hope he resumes touring in this area. Buy tickets again in Heartbeat.
– Christina Dorsey
“Walk On Thru: Confessions of a Museum Newbie” and “The Jordan & Avery Show”
Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford in July and August
I go to shows at the National Music Theater Conference in O’Neill because I know they’re in development. That could mean they have a piece of promise. Or they are already a rich, fully realized piece of work. Gavin Creel’s Walk On Through: Confessions of a Museum Newbie and Jay Adana’s The Jordan & Avery Show are the latter. He was one of the most thoroughly enjoyable musicals I’ve seen on O’Neill. Had there been a CD of the music from each show after the show, I would have definitely bought both.
– Christina Dorsey
Old Crow Medicine Show
September 23 Garde Arts Center
Let’s say you hate bluegrass and roots music. Satan incessantly pipes bluegrass music and your cellmate practices scales on an out-of-tune fiddle He’s a nine year old in hell fearing eternity so you line up on this earth Let’s say we draw Got that scenario?
all right. Bluegrass-inspired Americana Her band Old Her Crow Her Medicine I can’t. But it would be a shame to admit that I just saw her in one of the best concerts of my life. Because Old Crow delivered in a big way, as they do every night. They’re never on – and as good as the spectacle of the performance was, the music and singing were just as good.
what’s that? Oh, do you like bluegrass now? Doesn’t surprise me
– Rick Coster
“42nd Street”
16 Sep – 6 Nov, Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam
Sometimes you just need dance-like, feel-good musical comedy to lift your spirits. And after all these years, we need and deserve it, don’t we? Making this 42nd Street was great and fun.
– Christina Dorsey
Mark Ruffalo, Derek Cianfrance, Wally Lamb
22-23 September, Garde Arts Center, New London
Star Ruffalo, director/writer Cianfrance, and novelist Lam appeared at Garde for the big-screen screening of “I Know This Much Is True.” by HBO. They said intriguing, thoughtful, and often self-deprecating things about the miniseries and its work.
– Christina Dorsey
Bill Ma
November 13 Premier Theater, Foxwoods
A week before this show, and in a phone conversation on Election Day when a potential red wave riveted the country, Bill Maher wasn’t confident. A prominent libertarian comic/host expected the worst. So the fact that it didn’t happen meant that Maher was almost dizzy when he hit the stage at Foxwoods.
On the other hand, Maher may have had to jettison a lot of the material he wrote in anticipation of Red Wave, so there were moments when it seemed to wing it. he enjoyed doing so. Of course, Maher still savages Trump and the far right and “left-wing snowflakes” because many hot-button election topics were/are still hot-button. He also spent time targeting millennials, pondering gender identity, and baffling immigration policy.It was cool to see Masters working without the net.
– Rick Coster
Riverside
April 28, Toad’s Place, New Haven
Possibly the best band in the world, but to me anyway, Polish group Riverside are largely unknown in the United States. It was started. We stopped at Toad’s Place in New Haven and backflipped I-95 to get there.
Combining elements of progressive hard rock with a melancholic atmosphere, vocalist/bassist/songwriter Marius Duda’s yearning melodies, and an almost defenselessly casual and courteous stage presence, Riverside can be captivating, haunting or You can stir frenziedly. It seems to sculpt the soundtrack of each audience’s pathetic memories.
– Rick Coster
Paula Poundstone
May 27, Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, Old Saybrook
Poundstone is the queen of quick comic thinking. As she poses questions to various people in the crowd, it becomes an impromptu idea of beauty. On this show, she marveled at someone making microscopes for a living. This was never mentioned by anyone for her profession, which has been asking audiences about their careers for decades.
– Christina Dorsey
“Misery”
October-November, Chestnut Street Playhouse, Norwich
It’s not easy to compete with big-name movies or stage dramas that focus almost exclusively on two characters. But this rendition of “Misery” was charming. Maureen Pollard (as Unhinged Annie Wilkes) and Derek Kolibor (as the steadfast author in the first part of the story) were very good, and kudos to the director, Lisa Bono.
– Christina Dorsey
recorded music
turning point
tears of fear
This off/on duo returns after a 17-year hiatus, and every album they make is a reminder that their brand of elegant and sophisticated pop music is timeless. Now in their early 60s, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith have the wisdom and experience to look back. It’s true that much of “Tipping Point” seems inspired by the premature death of Orzabal’s wife from alcohol-related dementia, but the grief is only part of a wonderful, uninterrupted record. .
– Rick Coster
Threesome Vol. 3
Lickerish Quartet
I hope my instincts are wrong. I hope you continue to write and record great albums like the one you did… Between The Beach Boys, Grassroots, Moody Blues and Jellyfish. This his third EP completes the blueprint the trio set out to release his trinity of four songs EP. After all, they’re all doing well-paid gigs as side musicians for smaller (but more successful) bands. With all that, Vol. 3 is a great way to go out.
– Rick Coster
Anil
von herzen brothers
This six-and-a-half-minute song by Finnish band The Von Herzen Brothers is my favorite song of the year. I hope every critic who contributes to the end-of-year best of lists includes the same seven or eight artists…you can’t help but hear this miracle song. But they never hear it. too bad. The vocal harmonies and soaring melodies are reminiscent of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina’s Renaissance choral works, but the brothers’ voices sound so fresh, almost divine. Backing instruments such as tuned angelic wing flapping arpeggios, glacially beautiful synths, his patches, drums like a leopard throbbing across a grassland, and more, lead to a breathtaking climax. to lift you up. Oh, and the fan-posted YouTube footage of him shows that VHB can totally pull this off live. Wow.
– Rick Coster
every 5 seconds
fix
Yes, they will forever be confined to the “New Wave” category and associated with minor hits like “Saved by Zero” and “One Thing Leads to Another.” But the truth is, The Fixx are the band with the most distinctive sound and should work in any iteration of rock music, simply because they write and play great songs. “Every Five Seconds” is the latest in a remarkably consistent series of albums in that extensive catalog. Vocalist His Cy Curnin is an instantly recognizable singer, the group’s sheep-shanked knot in song structure – “Gotcha!” Prince-style rhythm guitars, counterpoint bass and drums, flowing keyboards and contrasting riffs are better than ever.
– Rick Coster
time before dark
Marillion
Album titles can have two different meanings. If you’re the type to look back on your childhood with nostalgia, the music here can evoke images of the last days light, when your child is supercharged with energy to make the most of playtime. . Always like this. Marillion has the sonic ability to capture it brilliantly. At the same time, the phrase “his hour before dark” could also suggest that we as global citizens are nearing the end of our time. It’s our own responsibility. Marillion also manages to provide the perfect soundtrack for anxiety and loss – and it all happens in every song on this recording. It’s an album that demands a flickering listen.Invest your time in doing so. worth it.
– Rick Coster
Palomino
Miranda Lambert
When I wrote about this release earlier this year, I said: And Lambert’s peerless voice brings emotion, nuance and, at times, bad taste humor. I keep saying that Lambert’s new album is her one of her best, and it’s true. she doesn’t disappoint.
– Christina Dorsey
Kelly York
Kelly Clarkson
If there’s one part of Clarkson’s talk show you don’t want to miss, it’s the opening part where she plays a cover of the song. She brings powerful pipes to the proceedings. Although she is, she also has an amazing ability to reinterpret numbers, either small or large, allowing songs to be heard anew. Clarkson has recorded some of her most popular covers here.
– Christina Dorsey
Leap
James Bay
James Bay is back in the form of ‘The Chaos and the Calms’. beautiful work.
– Christina Dorsey