SETLIST
Set 1:
01. Say Hallelujah
02. Why?
03. Another Sun
04. Mountains of Things
05. At This Point In my Life
06. Baby can I hold you
07. The Promise
08. Let It Rain
09. Fast Car
10. Almost
11. Crossroads
12. You’re The One
13. Telling Stories
14. Give Me One Reason
Encore 1:
15. Talkin’bout A Revolution
16. Change Is Gonna Come
17. Get Up, Stand up
Setlist submitted by: Tanya
REVIEWS & PREVIEWS
- Chapman launches Marymoor venue with solid show – By: GENE STOUT, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, Monday, June 9, 2003
The new Marymoor Park amphitheater made its debut Saturday with a powerful, inspirational performance by singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman.
Chapman, who launched her career in the late ’80s with the hit songs “Fast Car” and “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution,” opened her U.S. tour at the new Redmond amphitheater with songs from her current album, “Let It Rain.”
Rain was the furthest thing from the minds of concertgoers on one of the hottest, sunniest days of the year. But Chapman found symbolism is the unseasonally warm weather.
She was last in Seattle, she explained, on a cold, wintry day to visit a dying friend. Her latest trip coincided with the birth of a child to friends who lived in the area.
“Here we are on this crazy hot day and a new life is about to come into the world,” she said, beaming at the capacity crowd.
By a stretch, Chapman could also have been talking about the new amphitheater, which joins a crowded field of outdoor venues in the Northwest. Among the dozens of acts in the 20-show 2003 Concerts at Marymoor season are The Moody Blues, Meat Loaf, the Irish Tenors, Jackson Browne, Tori Amos, Norah Jones, Garrison Keillor (in “A Prairie Home Companion”), Steve Miller and Ringo Starr. Additional information can be found at www.concertsatmarymoor.com.
The concert series is a joint venture among concert producers the Lakeside Group ahd House of Blues and King Country Parks. The Marymoor amphitheater will generate revenue for King County Parks and reduce dependence on general taxes during lean economic times.
The new 5,000-capacity venue — located near the old Clise mansion, originally built as a hunting lodge in the early 1900s — looked terrific on its first day of operation. Concertgoers sprawled on new gently contoured, grass-covered berms that afforded good views of the new stage, located in the same spot as the main stage at previous WOMAD festivals of summers past.
Parking was a cinch. Attendants directed drivers from the park’s main entrance at 6046 West Lake Sammamish Parkway Northeast to a giant soccer field east of the amphitheater where parking was free. A short walk took them to the main entrance, where lines were several hundred feet long a hour before the start of the 7 p.m. show.
The amphitheater is surrounded by wire fencing. Also fenced is the new food, beer and wine court, which offers eight vendors selling frankfurters, pizza, kabobs, barbecue, bagels, gyros, ice cream and soft drinks. The Songbird Foundation sells “shade grown” coffee, and there’s also an ATM machine and picnic tables.
At the state liquor board’s behest, everyone entering the court was asked to show i.d. in exchange for a beer-and-wine wristband, regardless of whether they intended to drink. This arrangement meant that children and teens had to rely on parents to fetch food and beverages, unless they brought their own picnic items.
“I’m very upset,” said Katie Behrens, 16. “If I didn’t have a parent here, I’d be starving.”
Her mother later handed slices of pizza over the fence to Behrens and her friend Whitney Easton, 15.
Concert officials promised the problem would be fixed for future shows.
It was one of the few snafus at the smooth-running venue. Most concertgoers sprawled comfortably on the newly sodded lawn on blankets and low-slung beach chairs (patio furniture and elevated chairs are not allowed). Those in the 600-seat reserved area in front of the stage sat on padded folding chairs.
The new covered stage featured a “line array” sound system that provided quality sound throughout the amphitheater. If King County Parks wants to generate additional revenue from the amphitheater, it might consider adding the logo of a corporate sponsor to the large green awning above the stage.
The sun was still blazing when Americana trio eastmountainsouth opened the show with a melancholy set featuring such songs as “Ghost” and “Rain Come Down,” based on an African-American spiritual. The group’s self-titled debut album, due next week on DreamWorks Records, blends hill-country harmonies with smart, contemporary lyrics. Co-producer was Mitchell Froom, who has worked with Los Lobos, Elvis Costello and Crowded House.
Singer Kat Maslich, a Virginia native, spent part of her childhood on Clinch Mountain, home of bluegrass veteran Ralph Stanley. Maslich formed the group with a fellow Southerner, keyboardist Peter Adams, who holds a master’s degree from the University of Alabama School of Music. Rounding out the trio was drummer/percussionist Quinn.
The trio’s music was haunting and powerful, but it might have been better suited for a rainy Sunday morning than an unseasonably hot spring day.
Fans were giddy with anticipation for Chapman. “There she is! There she is!” squealed a female fan when the singer-guitarist took the stage.
Chapman, backed by a top-notch six-piece band, opened with the new “Say Hallelujah,” an upbeat funeral song. “Have mercy, it’s a wonderful life,” she sang in a strong, clear voice. “Eternal rest for the weary/ Mourners party tonight.”
Chapman’s set explored life, death, love and revolution with warmth and humanity. The set included such gems as “Fast Car,” “Telling Stories” and “Baby, Can I Hold You?”
“Why?” took a hard look at war and politics with the line, “Why are all the missiles called peacekeepers when they’re aimed to kill?”
Dressed in black shirt, black boots and blue jeans with rolled-up cuffs, Chapman looked trim and stylish. But she joked about her drooping dreadlocks and “beat the heat” hairdo.
Chapman reminded the crowd to visit the voter registration and Amnesty International tables at the venue. She drew cheers and applause when she said, “Democracy in America — we need it.”
Chapman closed with the most rocking song of the set, “Give Me One Reason.” She returned for a two-song encore of the rousing “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution” and “A Change Is Gonna Come.”
Perhaps fearing gridlock in the parking lot, concertgoers began filing out when Chapman left the stage. But they quickly returned when she launched into her final song, a revved-up version of Bob Marley’s reggae classic “Get Up, Stand Up.”
© 1998-2003 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Tracy Chapman delivers a perfect opener for Marymoor – By: Patrick MacDonald, The Seattle Times, Monday, June 09, 2003
The Concerts at Marymoor got off to a perfect start on Saturday, with hot, sunny weather, a big, family-friendly crowd and a moving, entertaining performance by singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman and her six-piece band.
The new concert site created by King County in Marymoor Park proved to be an inviting, surprisingly intimate venue. A thick, green lawn rises gently from the stage and up the sides of a berm, which forms a semicircle around the back of the site.
Those gradations give everyone clear sight lines to the big, state-of-the-art stage, and a sense of closeness to the performers. The 600 reserved seats down front are roomy and comfortable, and don’t block the view of the 4,400-capacity general-admission area.
The concessions and restrooms are behind the berm, so they don’t intrude on the concert area. There’s plenty of space around the food booths and beer garden, although there could be more tables and chairs.
Chapman proved to be a good choice to christen the new outdoor concert site. She said she loves Seattle and has close ties here, telling of visiting in December to see a friend who was dying, and that before the concert she visited a couple expecting a baby. That cycle of birth and death led into her philosophical song of acceptance of life’s ups and downs, “Let It Rain.”
Known for political activism, Chapman expressed her views in songs such as “Mountains O’ Things,” about rampant consumerism, and “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution,” calling for political change.
But most of her songs were about love and relationships, and many had happy, danceable rhythms. “Give Me One Reason” had most of the crowd up and dancing, especially to an elongated, rocking ending.
Chapman, with her slightly quavering voice, is a master at capturing feelings of need and longing, expressing them in moving, poetic terms. In one song, she sang of being “in your arms, where all my journeys end.” Songs such as “Baby Can I Hold You” and “You’re the One” were testimony of strong, romantic passion.
She opened with the gospel-influenced “Say Hallelujah,” a nod to her earliest influences. The set featured songs from her new album, “Let It Rain,” and favorites from her other CDs, including her career-making 1988 smash, “Fast Car.”
On top of creating a great new summertime concert site, King County expects to make as much as $400,000 from the 19 concerts scheduled this season. Now that’s your government at work.
- Chapman a steady show of honesty – By: Jeff Simons, Associated Press – Heraldnet.com, June 06 , 2003
Slow and steady, she reels you in.
There’s an alchemy to Tracy Chapman’s music, and it’s rooted in her seductive simplicity: basic chords resonating off her Martin Dreadnought guitar; a rich vibrato tenor delivering clear, straightforward, confessional lyrics.
It’s the stuff of life — a jilted lover, a battered woman, a woebegone kid, a stranded sailor.
Chapman, 39, is the voice of dreamers and outcasts: The ones she sings about in “Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution.” The ones ready to “rise up and take what’s theirs.”
“I’m inspired by things I read, I’m inspired by people I meet,” Chapman said. “I’m inspired by thinking about the world and the potential — and the sometimes lack of potential — there sometimes seems to be.”
Chapman gained almost instant international recognition and critical acclaim when she performed on the televised “Nelson Mandela’s 70th Birthday Tribute” concert at London’s Wembley Stadium in June 1988. She has continued to draw a strong following.
Howard Kramer, curator at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, said people will recognize any art that’s true to itself.
“What she does is honest and forthright, and people can see that. She doesn’t let down her audience,” Kramer said.
Born on March 30, 1964, in Cleveland, Chapman started playing guitar when she was 8.
“I didn’t have any records of my own,” she said. “My parents mainly listened to R&B, gospel and soul music. When I listened to music, I listened to the radio.”
Initially, Chapman taught herself the fundamentals.
“I was playing things like ‘Greensleeves’ — the kinds of stuff they put in basic music books. I’d already been playing other instruments. My first instrument was a ukulele. Then my mother bought an organ that my sister and I would play on.”
Chapman studied classical clarinet for about six years, beginning in elementary school.
In 1985, she linked up with an African drum ensemble at Tufts University, where she was studying anthropology and African studies. A year later, she began performing original material at Boston folk clubs. After recording some demos at the Tufts campus radio station, she signed with Elektra.
Her debut album “Tracy Chapman,” recorded in 1987, was a critical and commercial success, eventually selling more than 4 million copies. By the end of 1988, three hit singles had been spun off: “Fast Car,” “Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution” and “Baby Can I Hold You.”
Throughout 1989, Chapman was in the musical limelight, winning awards.
After her third album “Matters of the Heart” was released in 1992, Chapman seemed to disappear.
“I understand why people have that perception, because if you’re not touring or don’t have a record out, they think you’re not doing anything,” she said, explaining that she had become busy in the business end of her music.
Chapman released the album “New Beginning” in December 1995, “Telling Stories” in February 2000, and “Let it Rain” in October 2002.
“Music will always be part of my life. I don’t know that I’ll always be in the music business, but I’ll certainly always be a musician as long as I can play and sing. It’s a passion for me; it’s as essential to my life as waking up every day.”
- Tracy Chapman to lead off concerts – By: The Seattle Times, April 09, 2003
REDMOND — Tracy Chapman will open a summer concert series at Marymoor Park, King County announced yesterday. Chapman, who has won four Grammy Awards, is another coup for the series promoters after Norah Jones signed in February and The Moody Blues signed last month. The complete summer series lineup will be announced later this month.
The county introduced the concert series as an innovative way to make money during a budget crisis. The series is run by the Lakeside Group. The 5,000 tickets for the 7 p.m. June 7 Chapman concert will go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday at Ticketmaster outlets. For more information, visit www.concertsatmarymoor.com.
- Tracy Chapman to kick off ‘Concerts at Marymoor’ on June 7 – By: dnr.metrokc.gov, April 07, 2003
Excitement for the Puget Sound’s newest outdoor concert venue jumped again today with the announcement that gifted singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman will open the summer series at King County’s Marymoor Park in Redmond.
The Lakeside Group, House of Blues Concerts and King County today announced that Tracy Chapman will perform the series’ inaugural show on Saturday, June 7, at 7 p.m. Tickets for the show go on sale Monday, April 14 at 10 a.m.
The Tracy Chapman show is the third major announcement for the new Concerts at Marymoor series. Concert promoter Dave Littrell of the Lakeside Group launched the series in grand style in February with the announcement that Grammy-sweeping jazz-pop artist Norah Jones would perform August 5. Littrell, House of Blues and the King County Parks and Recreation Division in March, announced rock and roll legends The Moody Blues will perform two shows, June 14 and 15. The entire summer series lineup, including more of the best blues, jazz, bluegrass, acoustic and contemporary artists performing today, will be announced later this month.
Since her remarkable debut in 1988, Tracy Chapman has captivated audiences around the globe with her pure voice, evocative songs and intense spirit. Along the way she has sold millions of albums and won four Grammy Awards. Few artists can match Tracy’s gentle but passionate vibrato, her literate lyrical compassion and her uncompromising stance. From the startling honesty of her multi-platinum debut, which features the now-classic “Fast Car,” to the phenomenal reaction she received for New Beginning and its gem “Give Me One Reason,” she has always shared with her audience stories that matter and songs that ring true. Let it Rain, Chapman’s sixth studio album, marks another major achievement in a career that already spans nearly 15 years.
The new concert venue will be located on the great lawn next to historic Clise Mansion. The King County Parks and Recreation Division has constructed a naturally shaped earthen berm at the park to accommodate outdoor seating. Construction on a state-of-the-art stage is expected to begin later this month. The picturesque venue will feature space for 600 reserved seats and 4,400 general admission lawn tickets.
Marymoor Park is conveniently located in Redmond, Washington, near the Microsoft Corporate campus. The Park’s 640 acres border the 520 Freeway on the north, Lake Sammamish Parkway on the West, and the waters of Lake Sammamish on the south.
The King County Parks and Recreation Division’s partnership with the Lakeside Group to produce the Concerts at Marymoor series is part of a new way of doing business in the parks division that encourages revenue-producing amenities that complement parks. The County is headlong into dealing with a 2003 budget crisis by exploring new and innovative concepts that enhance services and generate revenue to operate parks and pools.
Tickets for Tracy Chapman are $32.50 general admission and $49.50 reserved (plus service charges) and go on sale Monday, April 14 at 10 a.m. at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com (external link) or by phone at 206-628-0888.
- Stellar outdoor concert season is ready to blast off – By: GENE STOUT, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, Friday, June 6, 2003
What promises to be a record-breaking season for outdoor shows takes off this weekend with opening concerts at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville and the new Marymoor Park amphitheater in Redmond.
The latter is a 5,000-capacity venue operated by King County Parks at the site in Marymoor Park where WOMAD festivals were staged in recent years. The new amphitheater features grass-covered berms, a covered stage and a “line array” speaker system that promises superior sound. The venue includes a food court and beer and wine garden, as well as acres of park grounds for picnicking.
The inaugural “Concerts at Marymoor” series opens with a performance by singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman and roots-music duo eastmountainsouth tomorrow night at 7 (tickets are $32.50 and $49.50).
The 2003 season features such acts as Meat Loaf, the Irish Tenors, Jackson Browne, Norah Jones, Steve Miller and Ringo Starr. For a complete list, go to the Web site at www.concertsatmarymoor.com.
Chateau Ste. Michelle, the top Eastside concert venue since the early ’90s, opens with rock groups Hootie and the Blowfish and Big Head Todd and the Monsters Sunday night at 7 (tickets are $39.50 and $49.50).
The “2003 Summer Concerts at the Chateau” series continues with “an evening of music and conversation” featuring Vince Gill and his band Wednesday night at 8 (tickets are $39.50 and $55.50). Gill’s concert features two sets — one acoustic, the other with his full band.
The Chateau has added concerts by Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve July 20 and Kenny G Aug. 15 to its 20th anniversary series, which closes with Julio Iglesias Sept. 4. The venue also plans to use a state-of-the-art line array speaker system when possible.
Amenities at the winery include food and wine concessions, a gift shop, picnic areas, free parking and shuttle service. Most shows will seat up to 4,200 concertgoers. For additional information about upcoming shows, go to the Web site at www.ste-michelle.com.
The new amphitheater will increase the number of major outdoor venues serving the Seattle area to six. In addition to Marymoor and Chateau Ste. Michelle, the list includes Pier 62/63, the Woodland Park Zoo, The Gorge in George and the new White River Amphitheatre in Auburn opening June 14. Adding to the venue glut is the new Clark County Amphitheater opening this summer in Vancouver, Wash.
“We’re looking forward to a spectacular season,” said Terry Morgan, the new entertainment director at Chateau Ste. Michelle. “I think we have something for everyone. The quality is top-notch. If we’re competing with other venues, it’s down to aesthetics at this point.”
Chateau Ste. Michelle’s new rival in neighboring Redmond will make its debut with one of the finest singer-songwriters of the ’90s. Chapman’s new album, “Let It Rain,” is intimate, brooding and confessional. It was co-produced by John Parish, who has worked with P.J. Harvey, Sparklehorse and the Eels. Parish added bouzouki, ukulele, dobro and other traditional and ethnic instruments.
The album features such songs as “Hard Wired,” a humorous tune that makes fun of today’s high-tech culture but has an old-timey sound; and “In the Dark,” about a painful childhood.
Chapman launched her career in the late ’80s with the songs “Fast Car” and “Talkin’ About a Revolution.” She has since sold more than 34 million albums.
In April, Chapman made a surprise appearance at the We the Planet 2003 Festival in San Francisco, joining Bonnie Raitt on stage for a duet of “Angel From Montgomery.”
Opening act eastmountainsouth features Peter Adams and Kat Maslich. The duo’s self-titled album includes “Hard Times,” a song by 19th-century composer Stephen Foster. Adam and Maslich were moved to record their own version after hearing bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley sing the tune.
At the Chateau, Hootie and the Blowfish and Big Head Todd and the Monsters kick off the season with an eclectic evening of rock. Hootie’s new self-titled album, the band’s first new record in five years, was produced by Don Was, known for his work with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.
Hootie, led by singer Darius Rucker, hit pay dirt with the 1994 single “Hold My Hand” from the “Cracked Rear View” album. Subsequent albums didn’t have the same impact. The group’s current single, “Innocence,” was meant to rekindle some of the excitement, but the album (released in March) has dropped off the charts.
Colorado-based Big Head Todd, another band that rose to popularity in the ’90s, was founded by high school pals Todd Park Mohr, Rob Squires and Brian Nevin. Their first album, “Sister Sweetly,” was a smash.
The classy, soft-spoken Vince Gill will perform songs from his 11th album, “Next Big Thing,” a blend of rock, country, bluegrass, Cajun dance music and harmony-laden ballads. “This Old Guitar and Me” is an autobiographical, talking-blues song.
Gill, winner of 15 Grammy Awards, produced the album himself, assembling a band of top studio musicians. Among the players were NRBQ guitarist Al Anderson, steel guitar player John Hughey, slide guitarist Tom Britt, and saxophonists Jim Horn and Kirk Whalem.
Wife Amy Grant sang guest vocals on “In These Last Few Days.” Other singers included Emmylou Harris, LeAnn Womack, Michael McDonald, Dawn Sears and Bekka Bramlett. Gill’s live show should be a special treat, with songs, stories and perhaps a few special guests.
VENUE: Marymoor Park 6046 West Lake Sammamish Pkwy NE, Redmond, WA 98052 – USA (Capacity: 5000)
PROMOTER: LAKESIDE & HOB
OPENING ACT: EastMountainSouth
