Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

CONTACT US -• jb™EYSMDIT Story ideas? Questions? Comments? destroying my enemies when I make E-mail us at gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com friends of them?” w . The unlikely pair of Billy Joel, left, and Sir Elton John, right, performed Friday night at the Carolina Center as part of their “Face to Face” tour In front of almost 16,000 fans. Billy Joel and Elton John’s ‘Face to Face’tour showcases their popular songs in duets and solo performances BY BEN ANGSTADT THE UAMECOtK Sometimes, even the most unexpected pairing can yield amazing results. The partnership of Reginald Kenneth Dwight and William Martin Joel is an out standing example of unlikely friends giving their tal ents to the world. But Friday night, these two men from different countries and different worlds were together on one stage in Columbia. The Carolina Center was just one stop on Elton John and Billy Joel’s “Face to Face” ^our that has seen massive crowds throughout the ®Jnited States. Reginald Kenneth Dwight — now known as Elton John — was born in Middlesex, England, in 1947. After learning piano at a young age, he showed great musical ability by age 11 and joined his first band in 1961. After a few years of touring, Dwight became dis satisfied with the band and pursued a solo career. He had a failed audition with Liberty Records, but ended up with something better: lyrics from an as piring young musician, Bernie Taupin. A few short months later, Dwight had changed his name and started a song-writing partnership with Taupin. Taupin wrote lyrics and John composed mu sic to go along with them. This team of musicians achieved unimaginable results, and John soon reached pop superstar status and enjoyed a Top 40 hit every year from 1970 to 1996. William Martin Joel — better known as Billy — was born in 1949 in Bronx, N.Y. He was classically trained as a pianist from age 4, but his love of Ray Charles, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones made rock seem like a far better musical pursuit. After his parents divorced when he was young, Joel began to take professional music jobs to help his mother support the family. This early encounter with paid performance was a springboard to a block buster career highlighted by critical acclaim, nu merous awards and widespread popularity. At the Carolina Center on Friday, after two grand pianos were elevated from’underneath a platform on the arena’s floor, the two superstars sauntered onto the stage and began to make music. They took turns singing lyrics on John’s “Your Song” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and Joel’s “Just the Way You Are.” Joel’s piano then dropped beneath the stage, and John, wearing one of his signature flamboyant suits, began a solo set. They played some of John’s greatest hits, led by “Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,” “Philadelphia Freedom” and “Crocodile Rock.” Things were a bit calmer on the solemn “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” “Tiny Dancer” and “I Want Love” from his 2001 album, “Songs From the West Coast.” The true standout of John’s set, however, was the marathon version of “Rocketman,” which began as John’s classic hit but transitioned into a bluesy, wail ing jam in which John and his band demonstrated the depth of their musical ability. Joel took the stage next, and from the start, he and his band showed an exuberance and excitement that wasn’t seen in John’s band. During high-energy songs such as “I Go to Extremes” and “Only the Good Die Young,” he and his band members interacted with each other and the audience, which made the music all.the more enjoyable. The highlight of Joel’s set was undoubtedly “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” during which he danced and ran around the stage while singing and spun and juggled the microphone stand during the instru mental sections. Afterwards, both artists came to the stage again, after a costume change from a blue suit to a bright pink one for John. They played together on such memorable songs as John’s “Bennie and the Jets” and Joel’s “You May Be Right.” They left and returned for one more encore, and John, wearing his third costume of the evening, joined in on Joel’s trademark “Piano Man,” a song that peaked when the two musicians dropped out and let the nearly 16,000 fans sing the chorus. Columbia witnessed a concert of truly epic pro portions Friday night, delivered by a veritable odd couple of musicians. Despite their differences, how ever, the two piano men gave a stellar performance that was a testament to the amazing talent they both possess. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com MOVIE REVIEW Reliable romantic comedy won’t astound # HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS" Starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey ★★★ out of BY MEG MOORE THE GAMECOCK There are two general types of movie viewers: those who con sider romantic comedies reliably entertaining, and those who would rather sit through “Gods and Generals” than watch Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks fall in love — again. Whether rehashing “Sleepless in Seattle” or chronicling the courtship of Sandra Bullock’s lat est character, romantic comedies barely offer audiences anything new. But box- office numbers have proved that when fools start falling in love, America is there to watch it — provided there’s no new Vin Diesel movie monopo lizing ticket sales. “How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, stays safely within the box-office hit blueprint: it features two good looking stars who endlessly tor ment each other until they real ize they’re head over heels in love — and quickly running out of punch lines. Although predictable, the film certainly entertains, and Hudson and McConaughey make an un deniably cute on-screen couple. Hudson’s character, Andie Anderson, works as a columnist for Composure, a women’s mag PHOTO COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey mock traditional rules of love in ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.’ azine that ropes her into produc ing a feature on the “what-not-to do’s” of dating. Although she dreams of wrestling world issues in her writing, Anderson fits into the* girlymagazine world remark ably well —- she is not only a bud ding success story, but she’s chic enough to know that a green T.S.E. cashmere sweater will un doubtedly cure an aching friend’s broken heart. Besides, the stoic, suited political colum nist has never been an audience favorite. Fortunately for formulaic movie lovers, Anderson’s weighty career conundrum takes a back seat to her budding ro mance with McConaughey. Initially agreeing to date him for the sake of her column, she soon finds herself unwilling to ac tually lose her guy—too bad she has a publication deadline to meet. Meanwhile, McConaughey’s ♦ ‘10 DAYS,’ SEE PAGE 9 BY TRINA RAHMAN TIIK (JAMECOCK The female form had a one night stand at the Roger Center on Thursday. It was a frank, hu morous and at times shocking discussion of a taboo topic brought to light in USC’s produc tion of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues.” A group of comfortable chairs sat on stage where the actors took their places — ideal for a set of girl friends to talk while sipping wine. Guys who attended — an<jl there were some — were treated to an insightful look at how women tick, how they feel about themselves. The dialogue was blunt, brash and saucy, never tiptoeing around the subject. The show glo rified not just a part of a woman’s anatomy, but womanhood in gen eral. Though famous actresses such as Calista Flockhart, Winona Ryder and Claire Danes have joined the play in bigger cities, USC students and Columbia community members were the actors for this version of the now ^amous show. Eve Ensler, who compiled more than 200 interviews with all types of women — old, young, married, white, single, black, Asian, Native American, Jewish —began showing her play in 1997. The performers stuck close to the script, but delivered the humor or shock value each line demanded. Separated into vignettes, such as “Hair," “The Vagina Workshop,” “Because He Liked To Look at It” and “I Was There in the Room” each had a point to be made. In “Crooked Braid,” an American-Indiap woman’s words ring solemnly as she recounts a tale of abuse from her husband and finally decides to cut off his braid, his mark of pride, while he slept. There were “Vagina Happy Facts” and “Not-So-Happy Facts” interspersed with the vignettes. These facts addressed subjects from the number of nerve endings in the clitoris, (8,000 — twice the number in the penis) to female genital mutilation, which occurs mostly in Africa from 80 to 100 million girls and women, and its ♦ MONOLOGUES, SEE PAGE 8 CD REVIEWS ‘Vertical Vision’reveals McBride’s many talents “VERTICAL VISION" Christian McBride *★★★ outof***** BY ROB SEAL THE GAMECOCK -■ Christian McBride is a true musician. The man is one of the greatest bass players of our time, easily distinguishable in a pantheon that includes such people as Vic Wooten and Otiel Burbage. His latest album, “Vertical Vision,” showcases not only his abilities as a bass player, but also his noteworthy songwriting and bandleading abilities.. McBride is equally at home on the upright and the electric bass. His chops on the upright are second-to-none, and he plays with a maturity of phrasing and clarity of tone that sets him apart. On the electric bass, McBride’s playing sounds quite a bit like that of the late Jaco Pastorius — like Pastorius, he plays a fretless Fender Jazz Bass. ♦ MCBRIDE, SEE PAGE 9 Broussard’s debut CD explores multiple genres “MOMENTARY SETBACK” Marc Broussard ★*outof2r&*<rir BY ROB SEAL THE GAMECOCK Marc Broussard, a Louisiana native, stands poised to break onto the national pop scene. His music, a mix of rock ’n’ roll and R&B, manifests his abilities as t t_ a singer-songwriter. Broussard recently released his debut CD, “Momentary Setback,” on an independent record label, and says he is cur rently seeking a major label to distribute the album. , Currently on tour, Broussard made a stop at Senate Park on Sunday night. He is currently opening for bands such as Maroon 5, who also played Sunday, and O.A.R. Broussard’s music seems to draw heavily on classic R&B in fluences and is reminiscent of Motown in many ways. “Momentary Setback” tests the genre’s waters, including songs that range from progressive rock to a slightly hip-hop-fla vored R&B. ♦BROUSSARD, SEE PAGE 8 4