Sam Gooden

http://chattanoogaradiotv.com/general/remembering-sam-gooden-1934-2022/

 

Sam was a member of one of my all-time favorite vocal groups, the Impressions. I was fortunate enough to have seen them live in Bethesda five years ago.

 

Lyle Lovett & His Large Band / Chris Isaak – Wolf Trap, 8/6/2022

Prime Orchestra, Row F, Seat 119. Again.

 

No rain this time!

 

On the way down, there was a backup on the Beltway approaching the bridge. No problems on the way back, although there was certainly more traffic on a Saturday night than for my two previous Sunday evening shows.

 

In a somewhat novel twist, Lovett, Isaak, and one other guy came out on stage just before the 7:30 show time. They announced that they would flip a coin to see which of them did the opening set. Lyle won the toss and “deferred”, which meant that Chris went on first. Which worked out well, since his band’s equipment was already on stage.  😉

 

Isaak and his four bandmates put on an excellent 90-minute set, pulling out the rock-and-roll licks (and moves) on the faster numbers while providing just enough accompaniment on the ballads to highlight Isaak’s vocals. (Yes, he can still hit those high notes.) While they made sure to roll out the hits, including “Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing” and “Wicked Game”, I was also impressed with some of the songs I hadn’t heard before, especially the show-closing “The Way Things Really Are”. While most of their material was original, they also did full justice to songs made famous by others, such as James Brown (!), Elvis, Johnny Cash, and (of course) Roy Orbison.

setlist

 

Lovett and crew kept the momentum going after “halftime” of the show. Isaak added to the fun by coming back onstage for three songs mid-set: a duet on “Straighten Up And Fly Right”, a cover of Roy Orbison’s “Dream Baby” on which Isaak’s band provided backup vocals, and a hilarious novelty number entitled “We Gave Each Other Covid”. That mini-set was immediately preceded by the always-entertaining “Here I Am”, and followed by two of the show’s highlights: the gospel-flavored “I Will Rise Up” and a version of “I’ve Been To Memphis” that featured solos by the many band members.

 

Lovett certainly can’t be accused of self-promotion; he never mentioned that earlier in the year he had released his first new album (12^th of June) in 10 years, despite performing 5 of its 11 tracks. IMHO, the title track is one of the best songs released so far this year.

 

Lovett and the band also drew well-deserved cheers for two of his best-known tunes near the end of the set: “If I Had A Boat” (my personal favorite) and “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas)”. The strict 11:00 curfew did bite at the end, however, as the band had to exit with only a brief instrumental reprise of “Here I Am”, with no time left for an encore.

setlist

 

July 31, 2022 – Cardinals 5, Nats 0

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/cardinals-vs-nationals/2022/07/31/662475#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=662475

 

Time: 2:50

Attendance: 28,738

 

Honestly, there wasn’t much to cheer about Sunday afternoon, despite it being Baby Shark Day. The afternoon was warm and muggy, with light rain off and on. The Nats had just a handful of baserunners in the first eight innings off St. Louis starter Andre Pallante, only one of whom got as far as second base. After fanning 4 of the first 7 batters he faced, Josiah Gray allowed one run in the third (double, wild pitch, RBI grounder) and then lost the strike zone in the fourth, walking two before allowing a home run to Corey Dickerson. Paul DeJong hit a solo shot off Jordan Weems two innings later for the final run of the day.

 

There was a bit of excitement in the bottom of the ninth, as a leadoff single by light-hitting backup catcher Tres Barrera was followed by a Lane Thomas double, ending Pallante’s bid for a complete game. (During the pitching change, we did get a few seconds of “fame” on the big screen, thanks largely to my t-shirt featuring a shark holding the 2019 championship trophy.) Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley ended any hope of a rally by fanning César Hernández and Juan Soto before retiring Josh Bell to finish the shutout.

 

The drive down was uneventful, although the return trip featured a much longer backup than usual to get onto the Beltway, not to mention a hard rain that fortunately waited until the game was over. At least our pre-game lunch at Atlas Brew Works/Andy’s Pizza went well, with an excellent large cheese pizza feeding four of us for just $22.00.