Currently Booming: Blondie - 'One Way Or Another' on American Bandstand

TBT- Daily Boom Exclusive: 'The Rage and Rapture Tour' Review- Garbage

It's Throwback Thursday so here's an oldie but goodie.

A certain kind of magic is almost inevitable when you take two legendary bands, each fronted by iconic female rockers and you have them hit the road together for a 27- city North American tour. The Rage and Rapture Tour, co-headlined by Garbage and Blondie seems to have only picked up momentum as it rolled into a series of East coast dates. The Aug. 2^nd tour stop in Philadelphia at The Mann Center, a beautiful outdoor venue nestled in Fairmount Park, was absolutely everything that I had hoped it would be. You know how sometimes you see a show that's so fantastic that when you wake the next day you're still carrying it with you? This was one of those for me. I left the venue a little bit changed. I'm not exactly sure how or why, but I do know that it's a good thing.

I've always been entranced by Shirley Manson, from the very first moment that MTV introduced her and the rest of Garbage to me. My college-girl self thought that she was the epitome of cool, drop-dead stunning and most importantly, she was smart. As Manson took the stage, 25 years after my first impression of her was made, she was still all of those things and more. Fire from the top of her hair to the tips of her combat boots, owning every inch of the stage.

“Here we are in the city of brotherly love. This is the city I fell in love with when I grew up on the tiny little island of Scotland.” proclaimed Manson after the band’s first few songs. Clad in star stockings, a shimmering silver dress and of course, a head full of flame-colored hair Manson owned every bit of the stage as she lost herself in the music. At times she seemed to be stalking the cords and then in other moments, she was vulnerable to the point of fragility before bouncing back with authority.

Manson has a way of making you feel the anguish of her songs while turning them into a bit of performance art. She appears almost catatonic for part of “#1 Crush” and then twirls with abandon through “Stupid Girl”.

Manson introduced several songs by weaving in bits of her own personal history as well stories of strong women rockers that affected her and drove her to get to America, somehow. She was intensely connected to the band and the audience simultaneously and somehow managed to absolutely break my heart along with hers during a very still rendition of “Cup Of Coffee”.

Their set continued gaining momentum for well over an hour so that by the time Garbage cranked out one of their anthems, “Only Happy When It Rains”, it truly gave the audience the eventual outburst that it needed. Manson started the song sitting on the stage and as she slithered through the opening lyrics The Mann was fixated. By the time the music crashed in, she was lying face down, soaking up the cheers as the band enjoyed an energetic and deserved moment in the spotlight.

As The Rage and Rapture Tour continues it's North American run I'm going to bet that it'll only get better with each show. Garbage can't help but leave absolutely everything on the stage.

Setlist:

No Horses

Sex Is Not the Enemy

#1 Crush

Empty

I Think I'm Paranoid

Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)

Blackout

Special

Cup of Coffee

Even Though Our Love Is Doomed

The World Is Not Enough

Stupid Girl

Only Happy When It Rains

Push It
Vow

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Blondie - 'Rapture'

" Fiab Five Freddie told me everybody's fly

DJ's spinning I said my, my 

Flash is fast, Flash is cool

Francois sais pas, Flashe no deux
And you don't stop, sure shot
Go out to the parking lot
And you get in your car and you drive real far
And you drive all night and then you see a light
And it comes right down and lands on the ground
And out comes a man from Mars
And you try to run but he's got a gun

And he shoots you dead and he eats your head"

I've always been a little bit Blondie obsessed. Ever since my parent's Halloween party when I was 8 I've known exactly who Debbie Harry is. That night, my dad played the extended dance mix of "Heart Of Glass" no less than 20 times and I went to bed wanting to grow up to BE Harry. Fast forward a few years and along came "Rapture" which was a total game changer.  Not only did Harry rap that legendary verse, but it was the very first rap verse to sit at the number one spot on Billboard's Hot 100.

Harry took what only guys like Grandmaster Flash and The Sugarhill Gang were doing, and made it even better. She was a game changer and "Rapture" was such a huge song. It was playing in the background of everyday life no matter where you went and I certainly wasn't complaining. The video is iconic and I still have to stop and watch it at least once a week. Check it out below!

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Blondie - 'Nothing Is Real But The Girl'

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Blondie - 'Rapture'

" Fiab Five Freddie told me everybody's fly

DJ's spinning I said my, my 

Flash is fast, Flash is cool

Francois sais pas, Flashe no deux
And you don't stop, sure shot
Go out to the parking lot
And you get in your car and you drive real far
And you drive all night and then you see a light
And it comes right down and lands on the ground
And out comes a man from Mars
And you try to run but he's got a gun

And he shoots you dead and he eats your head"

I've always been a little bit Blondie obsessed. Ever since my parent's Halloween party when I was 8 I've known exactly who Debbie Harry is. That night, my dad played the extended dance mix of "Heart Of Glass" no less than 20 times and I went to bed wanting to grow up to BE Harry. Fast forward a few years and along came "Rapture" which was a total game-changer.  Not only did Harry rap that legendary verse, but it was the very first rap verse to sit at the number one spot on Billboard's Hot 100.

Harry took what only guys like Grandmaster Flash and The Sugarhill Gang were doing, and made it even better. She was a game-changer and "Rapture" was such a huge song. It was playing in the background of everyday life no matter where you went and I certainly wasn't complaining. The video is iconic and I still have to stop and watch it at least once a week. Check it out below!

Daily Boom 70's Throwback: Blondie- 'Heart of Glass'

"Once I had a love and it was a gas 

Soon turned out, had a heart of glass." 

A few lines in and I'm standing in my parents' very first apartment where my love of music all began. It's a few days before Halloween and my parents were throwing a party for all of their friends. The night before was my kiddie party in our basement. I wore a Wonder Woman costume that was so NOT a Wonder Woman costume because it had a skirt and no lasso. I remember a punch bowl and bobbing for apples and little else. But my parent's party, well that was the real deal. There was neat lighting, a table full of sweets that I was never allowed to have and all of our doorways had beads hanging from them that you were supposed to walk through. 

I was 7 years old and beginning to develop my own taste and thanks to my dad's music obsession disco was a big part of it. When I was about five dad started to train as a DJ at a local radio station and his little record collection on a tiny cart with wheels suddenly took over a whole wall of our living room. Even in that small apartment dad's stereo was front and center. His love of music turned into an educated love of stereo equipment. He spent two hours without fail every night cranking out tunes, everything from Pink Floyd to Blue Oyster Cult to ABBA and all the while he was fiddling with levers on all sorts of boxes that were supposed to somehow enhance the sound. I didn't know if the “woofers and tweeters” did any good but the day that he played Chic's “Le Freak” my life immediately changed.  

The last song of every evening was picked out by me and by the time 1978 rolled around I was choosing things like “Ring My Bell”, “The Hustle” and “Disco Inferno”. I also waited anxiously for Saturday afternoons to roll around because, thanks to cable television and WPIX in NYC I had discovered The Soap Factory, a weekly dance show.  A few weeks before my parent's party we were all watching as Blondie performed a song called “Heart of Glass”. I was mesmerized by the lead singer's blonde hair, bright lipstick and her turquoise pants suit. My dad always watched The Soap Factory with me, but this time even my mom stopped to check out Debbie Harry. I mean, how could you not? 

My mom spent the next week or so in party planning mode. She would fill the bathroom sink with water and bubbles and I'd spend an hour in there playing with all of my Fisher Price Little People. I loved having them swim and ride in their boats every night after dinner and I can remember my mom on the phone in the next room on the phone night-after-night making plans for this bash. My dad was always the laid back one and seemed to have little involvement. She hung sparkly decorations, made food and spiked the punch all while dad was engrossed in his albums. Neither of us realized what he was actually up to and as it turned out, dad's involvement was actually monumental because he was preparing to put all of those newfound DJ skills to good use. 

My mom had a surprise or two up her sleeve as well. The creativity was always flowing in that little apartment and so for the week leading up to the party when dad and his music was taking over the living room, mom was in her studio. It was a small room with her easel and mountain of art supplies on one side and her Singer sewing machine on the other. Beneath a window was a big cushion with built-in pillows to nap on. That was my spot to read or draw when mom was busy drawing advertisements for our local newspaper. Dad had thought that mom was working on extra assignments for art school when in fact she had been busy at her sewing machine making a turquoise satin pants suit, just like Debbie Harry's. She had decided to put her blonde wavy hair and 100-pound frame to good use and transform into his new favorite singer, gold cuff bracelet and all, for their Halloween party. 

 This one night, in particular, reminds me that at one point in time my parents really, truly were on the same page. They really did “get” each other.  As mom shocked dad with her costume he was just getting the party started. Dad was the man, but his music collection was the true star of the evening. His friends were all on the floor in front of his racks of records, flipping through everything in amazement and helping him to decide what to play next. Dad's dedications were also a hit because the songs that he played weren't just for particular people but he also had hilarious reasons for his selections.  

An hour or so into the party dad pulled out a surprise record that he was really excited about. It was Blondie's “Heart of Glass”, an extended dance mix that wasn't available in the states yet. When he ordered music for the station he would also add a few import records from the UK for his own collection and Blondie had just become available. It was a song that no one else knew until he played it that night but everyone loved it. Even the guys that had been downing their Michelob beer on the floor in front of the stereo all night were finally dancing. One spin of that record led to about 20 more before the night was over. 

At first, I might have been the only one not in costume and that was because there was no way that I was going to put that fake Wonder Woman thing on again. My aunt (mom's younger sister) decided in the middle of what looked like a Soul Train line dance that I needed some makeup at least. She grabbed me and her purse and hauled us both into the bathroom. There Aunt Elaine pulled out her black eyeliner and within a few minutes had transformed me into “Cleopatra”. I wasn't sure exactly who that was but my eyes looked like I belonged on The Soap Factory so that kinda sorta made me Debbie Harry for the night too, right? 

Everyone left after midnight. I remember my dad explaining the concept of time to me and how the digital clock turning to 2:01 am meant that it was Sunday morning even though it still felt like Saturday night. Truth be told it was far later than that and somehow I was still awake. My mom tried to make me go to bed but when I begged for one more spin of “Heart of Glass” my dad put the record on before she could even bother to protest. My room needed to be cleaned up anyway because my bed was where everyone left their belongings upon arrival. They and their coats might have been gone but my toys were all over the place and my precious Little People were scattered all over the room.  

 I swore that I would help clean up if they let me stay up but instead I climbed into the green recliner that had been temporarily moved into my room during the party. The French doors to my room were open and I curled up there, watching as my parents dragged garbage bags around to clean up the wreckage. My mom told me that I had 5 minutes until she was putting me to bed and so I closed my eyes as Debbie Harry sang.  

Who knew that nights like this one actually existed? If beaded doorways, little packs of M&M's and unexpected dance battles were what it meant to be an adult then I really couldn't wait to grow up. I closed my eyes tighter as I heard mom approaching and when she whispered to dad that I was asleep I stayed extra still until she went back to cleaning up. Eventually, I really did drift off to sleep in that chair and woke as dad was carrying me across the room to my bed. As mom tucked me in and kissed me goodnight she did the only thing that could have made this night any better, she took off her shiny cuff bracelet and put it on my arm.   

Daily Boom 70's Throwback: Blondie- 'Heart of Glass'

"Once I had a love and it was a gas 

Soon turned out, had a heart of glass." 

A few lines in and I'm standing in my parents' very first apartment where my love of music all began. It's a few days before Halloween and my parents were throwing a party for all of their friends. The night before was my kiddie party in our basement. I wore a Wonder Woman costume that was so NOT a Wonder Woman costume because it had a skirt and no lasso. I remember a punch bowl and bobbing for apples and little else. But my parent's party, well that was the real deal. There was neat lighting, a table full of sweets that I was never allowed to have and all of our doorways had beads hanging from them that you were supposed to walk through. 

I was 7 years old and beginning to develop my own taste and thanks to my dad's music obsession disco was a big part of it. When I was about five dad started to train as a DJ at a local radio station and his little record collection on a tiny cart with wheels suddenly took over a whole wall of our living room. Even in that small apartment dad's stereo was front and center. His love of music turned into an educated love of stereo equipment. He spent two hours without fail every night cranking out tunes, everything from Pink Floyd to Blue Oyster Cult to ABBA and all the while he was fiddling with levers on all sorts of boxes that were supposed to somehow enhance the sound. I didn't know if the “woofers and tweeters” did any good but the day that he played Chic's “Le Freak” my life immediately changed.  

The last song of every evening was picked out by me and by the time 1978 rolled around I was choosing things like “Ring My Bell”, “The Hustle” and “Disco Inferno”. I also waited anxiously for Saturday afternoons to roll around because, thanks to cable television and WPIX in NYC I had discovered The Soap Factory, a weekly dance show.  A few weeks before my parent's party we were all watching as Blondie performed a song called “Heart of Glass”. I was mesmerized by the lead singer's blonde hair, bright lipstick and her turquoise pants suit. My dad always watched The Soap Factory with me, but this time even my mom stopped to check out Debbie Harry. I mean, how could you not? 

My mom spent the next week or so in party planning mode. She would fill the bathroom sink with water and bubbles and I'd spend an hour in there playing with all of my Fisher Price Little People. I loved having them swim and ride in their boats every night after dinner and I can remember my mom on the phone in the next room on the phone night-after-night making plans for this bash. My dad was always the laid back one and seemed to have little involvement. She hung sparkly decorations, made food and spiked the punch all while dad was engrossed in his albums. Neither of us realized what he was actually up to and as it turned out, dad's involvement was actually monumental because he was preparing to put all of those newfound DJ skills to good use. 

My mom had a surprise or two up her sleeve as well. The creativity was always flowing in that little apartment and so for the week leading up to the party when dad and his music was taking over the living room, mom was in her studio. It was a small room with her easel and mountain of art supplies on one side and her Singer sewing machine on the other. Beneath a window was a big cushion with built-in pillows to nap on. That was my spot to read or draw when mom was busy drawing advertisements for our local newspaper. Dad had thought that mom was working on extra assignments for art school when in fact she had been busy at her sewing machine making a turquoise satin pants suit, just like Debbie Harry's. She had decided to put her blonde wavy hair and 100-pound frame to good use and transform into his new favorite singer, gold cuff bracelet and all, for their Halloween party. 

 This one night, in particular, reminds me that at one point in time my parents really, truly were on the same page. They really did “get” each other.  As mom shocked dad with her costume he was just getting the party started. Dad was the man, but his music collection was the true star of the evening. His friends were all on the floor in front of his racks of records, flipping through everything in amazement and helping him to decide what to play next. Dad's dedications were also a hit because the songs that he played weren't just for particular people but he also had hilarious reasons for his selections.  

An hour or so into the party dad pulled out a surprise record that he was really excited about. It was Blondie's “Heart of Glass”, an extended dance mix that wasn't available in the states yet. When he ordered music for the station he would also add a few import records from the UK for his own collection and Blondie had just become available. It was a song that no one else knew until he played it that night but everyone loved it. Even the guys that had been downing their Michelob beer on the floor in front of the stereo all night were finally dancing. One spin of that record led to about 20 more before the night was over. 

At first, I might have been the only one not in costume and that was because there was no way that I was going to put that fake Wonder Woman thing on again. My aunt (mom's younger sister) decided in the middle of what looked like a Soul Train line dance that I needed some makeup at least. She grabbed me and her purse and hauled us both into the bathroom. There Aunt Elaine pulled out her black eyeliner and within a few minutes had transformed me into “Cleopatra”. I wasn't sure exactly who that was but my eyes looked like I belonged on The Soap Factory so that kinda sorta made me Debbie Harry for the night too, right? 

Everyone left after midnight. I remember my dad explaining the concept of time to me and how the digital clock turning to 2:01 am meant that it was Sunday morning even though it still felt like Saturday night. Truth be told it was far later than that and somehow I was still awake. My mom tried to make me go to bed but when I begged for one more spin of “Heart of Glass” my dad put the record on before she could even bother to protest. My room needed to be cleaned up anyway because my bed was where everyone left their belongings upon arrival. They and their coats might have been gone but my toys were all over the place and my precious Little People were scattered all over the room.  

 I swore that I would help clean up if they let me stay up but instead I climbed into the green recliner that had been temporarily moved into my room during the party. The French doors to my room were open and I curled up there, watching as my parents dragged garbage bags around to clean up the wreckage. My mom told me that I had 5 minutes until she was putting me to bed and so I closed my eyes as Debbie Harry sang.  

Who knew that nights like this one actually existed? If beaded doorways, little packs of M&M's and unexpected dance battles were what it meant to be an adult then I really couldn't wait to grow up. I closed my eyes tighter as I heard mom approaching and when she whispered to dad that I was asleep I stayed extra still until she went back to cleaning up. Eventually, I really did drift off to sleep in that chair and woke as dad was carrying me across the room to my bed. As mom tucked me in and kissed me goodnight she did the only thing that could have made this night any better, she took off her shiny cuff bracelet and put it on my arm.