Remember when Queen Latifah was known as a rapper? You know, back when you’d see her on “YO! MTV Raps” wearing colorful, Afrocentric head gear and pushing oversized chess pieces around?

Well, that early phase of her career was a faint memory Wednesday night as the Queen (born Dana Owens) headlined a sold-out show at the Pantages Theatre. The only evidence that it had even happened was the jazzy revamp of early ‘90s hit “U.N.I.T.Y.” that fans coaxed her into performing.

These days, she’s better known for roles in “Barber Shop,” “Hair Spray” and “Chicago,” or for pitching Pizza Hut and Cover Girl, than for rhyming on the M-I-C. And on display at the Pantages was the multi-dimensional superstar’s latest persona: torch singer. (Surely, you’ve seen that one coming if you’ve kept up with some of her movie roles, which she acknowledged “showed that a girl can sing” on Wednesday.)

Latifah’s set focused on remakes of vintage soul, blues and pop standards from her most recent discs, this year’s “Trav'lin’ Light” and 2004’s “The Dana Owens Album.” And with the backing of a top-notch 12-piece band, and tons of soul and personality to spare, the Queen made it a night to remember.

Fans were hooked from the boisterous opener, Frank Sinatra’s “I’m Gonna Live Till I Die.” So enamored were they that they would interrupt with cries of “go ahead mama!” of “I loved you as Georgia!” (the latter a reference to a role in “Last Holiday.”)

Latifah’s rapport was so easy, natural and spontaneous that it led to some fun moments. When unintelligible cries from the balcony become too disruptive, she joked, “So confusing. Leave me alone! Stop it! You’re gonna have to make an arrangement to go one at a time.”

Then came a shout out for “Chicago,” to which she coyly replied, “I enjoyed ‘Chicago’ myself. What was that song I sang?” That being the cue for a few crowd pleasing lines from “When You Treat Mama Good.”

Later, she introduced Phoebe Snow’s “Poetry Man” by saying it was one of her mom’s favorite songs. “I had to ask her permission to even re-record it,” she added, also bringing papa Latifah out for a brief cameo before delivering one of the night’s most elegant numbers.

Highlights also included a roaring delivery of “Baby, Get Lost,” a powerful “I Know Where I’ve Been” (from “Hairspray”) and a poignant “Georgia Rose.” And all of the above made a couple of her late set selections seem a little puzzling. A sprawling riff on “Simply Beautiful” felt a bit self-indulgent, saved only by her backup singers’ dynamic solos. And a mediocre jazzy arrangement of the Mamas & the Papas’ “California Dreaming,” the last song before the encore, felt a little anti-climactic after Latifah and company had done much stronger numbers earlier.

But those were minor flaws in an otherwise sensational show. Queen Latifah has a residency in Vegas waiting for her if the acting roles ever dry up. Along with the endorsement deals. And the radio gigs. But at this rate, don’t expect any of the above to happen any time soon.

Just got back from Queen Latifah's show at the the Pantages, and it was smokin'. Here's the set list for now. Check in a little later for a more detailed report with photos.

Queen Latifah
Pantages Theatre
Nov. 28, 2007

Gonna Live Till I Die
I Love Being Here With You
Baby, Get Lost
The Same Love That Made Me Laugh
Georgia Rose
Travlin' Light
When You're Good to Mama
I Know Where I've Been
UNITY
Poetry Man
Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars
Simply Beautiful
California Dreamin'

Encore:
Lush Life

While I was on vacation last week, I got a call from Josh Brumley, the local promoter who's been an organizer behind several short-lived all-ages venues, including the Junkyard and the Viaduct this year. And now it looks like the sixth time is a charm, after past spots where he's hosted shows have been shut down because of permit and fire code issues.

Brumley tells me his Viaduct crew is setting up shop at 5412 South Tacoma Way, the recently renovated space that was home to 21-and-older dance spot Club Sapphire for a short time earlier this year. (The former Viaduct space was located in Nalley Valley.) Tacoma fire inspector Phil Ferrell confirmed that the new space is up to snuff and ready for business. So congrats to Josh, who's been trying to make a spot like this work for a couple of years now.

Seattle hardcore band Vanguard will headline opening night. Brumley said he plans to put on about four shows a week spanning a variety of genres. And you can surf on over to the Viaduct's MySpace page for the most up to date schedule.

Van Halen version 4.0 is all set to rock KeyArena next week, with original mouthpiece David Lee Roth back in place (for now) and young Wolfgang Van Halen on bass in place of the estranged Michael Anthony. And while that's all good and well, I wanted to know which of the earlier incarnations rocked the hardest?

Was it the original Diamond Dave lead bunch, which brought us "Jump" and "Hot For Teacher" while rockin' the spandex and Aquanet like none before. Was it the earthier Sammy Hagar fronted bunch that brought us "Right Now" in the '90s? Or maybe you think "Van Halen III" is a misunderstood masterpiece and that Gary Cherone got a raw deal.

Pitch in your two cents and take the survey here. I'll post the results next week.

I ran into Glimpse's Jason Ott yesterday morning while checkin' out a little NFL action at the Varsity Grill. He explained the mixup about his band being AWOL from Saturday's unplugged Post Stardom Depression show at Station 56 (his boys had never actually agreed to the gig despite being listed on the bill, he said.) And then he gave me the heads up regarding his new project, called the Joshua Cain Band, that's on the way.

The new band is doing more of a rootsy southern rock and gospel thing, and he cited Mavis Staples as an example. You can see other influences and hear a few tunes on its My Space page. Sounds promising. Can't wait to see 'em live.

Just saw Pearl Jam's Matt Cameron and Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell on the Seahawks game! Wonder if Jerry has moved back up her or if he's just visiting. Anyone out there had any run ins?

I hadn’t planned on blogging much while on vacation. But as a public service announcement, I thought I'd encourage you all to go to tonight's M.I.A. show at the Showbox SoDo in Seattle. Sure, it’s probably sold out at this late hour. But it should be well worth it you can find a reasonable scalper.

I’m posting this from Portland where, last night, I saw the British dance act demolish the Roseland Theatre with her stylish and kinetic blend of electro, dancehall, techno and world music. Maya Arulpragasam – aka M.I.A. – was joined by DJ Low Budget and really ripped hype woman who carried a lot of the load. (Still tracking down her name, which is surprisingly hard to find.) And after a revolutionary intro video (see still below) the trio kicked off with “Bamboo Banger,” the lead track from M.I.A.'s new "Kala" album and one of the dopest dance tracks of ’07 for my money.

Arulpragasam came off as a bit aloof in the beginning, striking a pose here and there in her over-sized stunna shades. But throbbing beats kept the crowd bouncing, and her energy level soon picked up. The show peaked with a three-song block that included "Bucky Done Gun," "Bird Flu" and "Paper Planes." For "Bucky,” Arulpragasam scaled her tallest amp and made a scary looking leap into the balcony where she worked the fans up there into a fist pumping frenzy. Before "Flu" she called out, “Where are my leaders at?” before pulling a few dozen bouncing, gyrating kids onstage to help out with that song's cawing. And she demanded prompted fans to hold up their cell phones to begin "Paper Plans," my favorite track from this year's "Kala" album (and the closest M.I.A. gets to gangsta rap.)

DJ Low Budget spiced up the set with snippets of classic dance tracks, including Schoolly D's "PSK" and New Order's "Blue Monday." And an encore remix of "URAQT" featured a fun "Sanford & Son" sample, which almost seemed like cheating. I mean, how can you not have a good time when you're listing to the theme from "Sanford & Son?" Really.

Canadian metal band and occasional Tacoma residents 3 Inches of Blood have kicked drummer Alexei Rodriguez out of the band after an apparent scuffle with the group Saxon, according to a leaked apology letter that you can read on rock gossip and news site Blabbermouth.net.

And today 3IB posted this response to the matter becoming public on MySpace:

If you've heard about the fiasco we've been through in England then just be aware that the letter we wrote to Saxon was never intended not to be posted all over the world wide web. It was a personal letter of apology to Nigel Glockner and the band. We aren't certain who posted it, but we certainly were not the ones who did. None of us want to make a public forum out of any band matters no matter what the level of seriousness. This was a very serious matter, but we know now, for future reference, that you can't let out a fart in public without someone posting a story about it on Blabbermouth.net

Not to mention it being reposted on other blogs. The nerve of those bloggers!

I caught up with Sonics guitarist Larry Parypa yesterday to find out how the Cavestomp gigs in New York went last weekend. He and singer Jerry Roslie had said those would be the gauge for whether they played any more gigs -- say, in Tacoma. Hmmmm?

Click here to hear his account. Sounds promising.

I also asked Larry to clarify the Sonics' somewhat convoluted history. Many bios, including this one on AllMusic.com, list the "original" lineup as follows:

Gerry Roslie (lead singer, piano, organ) (note: He actually spells it "Jerry.")
Andy Parypa (guitar)
Larry Parypa (bass)
Bob Bennett (drums)
Rob Lind (saxophone)

But it's a little more complicated than that. After my A1 reunion story ran last Friday, I started getting calls from the friends and family of drummer Mitch Jaber saying he should have gotten at least a mention. The guy's sister referenced the album cover for the CD "The Savage Young Sonics," which features Jaber and was shot in their Lakewood home. And she alluded to other band members that had come and gone before the lineup that we all know and love solidified circa 1963. So I went straight to the source to sort things out.

"If you wanna go back far enough, my mother was our first guitar player," Parypa said with a chuckle. He was being serious, though. He said his mom actually played some guitar for the band early on.

The Sonics seeds were planted in Parypa's early teens, he said, with an earlier version of the band playing instrumental songs at local dances. Eventually, the Sonics veered towards and R&B-influenced garage sound. And along with Jaber, other members that he said came and went included Bill Dean, Tony Mabin, Rich Koch, Stuart Turner, Ray Michaelson and a bass player whose name he couldn't recall.

But Parypa felt it was the same band in name only. Once Roslie came along "we changed everything," he said. "Our style and aggression and everything."

So just thought I'd clear that up for the record before I shared a few clips that I found from Cavestomp. Cheers.

Allow me to quote a preview to this week’s “South Park” episode, which is apparently about the video game "Guitar Hero": “Real guitars are for old people.” Same goes for drums and synthesizers. And French horns. As pop culture writer Bill Hutchens and I explain in our cover story for today's SoundLife section, there are enough new video game simulators available now – stuff like Traxxpad, Jam Sessions, Rock Band – that you could start an entire video game band using only virtual instruments.

For example, check out a track we threw together in a few minutes using Eidos’s Traxxpad. The part where it sounds like a synthesizer? That's just the square button and a joystick. It's no Grammy winner, but it's a start. Click here.

I just got a show announcement about Bremerton's MxPx making a trip south to play Club Impact @ Brick City on Dec. 1. They'll be playing tunes from this year's "Secret Weapon" album, which marks their return to Tooth & Nail records. Look for more details here.

And that's as good a reason as any to revisit that point counterpoint on the merits of Bremerton that I had them do with Sir Mix-A-Lot a while back. Heee-larious!!

I’ve played the Hold Steady pretty obsessively since last spring. And having seen them perched at No. 9 on Rolling Stone’s “best live bands now” list recently, I had pretty lofty expectations for Sunday night’s show at the University of Washington’s HUB Ballroom. And what I was treated to was one of the year's most fun performances.

From the opening notes of “Party Pit” – a track from year’s excellent “Boys & Girls in America” – to the closing notes of “Killer Parties,” the Hold Steady was a rush. Singer Craig Finn is as kinetic and engaging as his rambly lyrical style suggests. And highlights included fist pumping deliveries of “Your Little Hoodrat Friend,” “Massive Nights,” "Chips Ahoy" and “South Town Girls,” and subdued encore opener "Citrus," to name a few that went over especially well.

THS even unveiled a couple of new songs – one called “Magazines” and another even better one that Finn didn't identify. A quick call to guitarist Tad Kubler this afternoon revealed that it's "Joke About Jamaica," which is mostly uptempo, a la “Hoodrat,” with slower, arena rock style passages that break up the flow and lyrics covering familiar Hold Steady territory. (Sample line: “Everyone was 21, we could all still get high.”) Based on those two tracks, album No. 4 should be slammin' whenever those guys can get off the road to record it.

An encore version of “Hornets! Hornets!” morphed into a feel good jam that hinted at Prince’s “Purple Rain” (perhaps an intentional nod to the greatest rocker to hail from the Hold Steady’s beloved Minneapolis.) And Finn sported a big, endearing gring as he addressed the crowd.

“The thing I’m gonna say, I have to admit, I say pretty much every night,” he said. “It’s only ‘cause it’s true. There is so much joy in what we do here.”

The band's enthusiasm was palpable, one of many things to love about the Hold Steady. This is an indie rock band that's seemingly unconcerned with its image or appealing to hipsters. They just cut loose, have a great time and the vibes on stage are infectious.

I'd expect them to headline a larger venue, i.e. the Moore, next album cycle, which is great since navigating U-Dub in search of parking as you're running late for the show is enough to trigger a gamma-fueled rampage. Raaargh! Hulk smash!!

Anyway, here are a few shots.

This year I've been thinking about adding a new sidebar to my best albums column, about albums that I overlooked in the previous year. Hey, can't hear 'em all. But the most embarrassing omission from my Best of 2006 list was the Hold Steady's "Boys & Girls in America," an album that hasn't left heavy rotation in my iPod since last spring.

Needless to say, I plan to check the band out tonight at the University of Washington's HUB Ballroom. And recently I caught up with guitarist Tad Kubler to talk about his band's big breakout year.

Part 1: Vacation in Morocco

Part 2: The wisdom of Gene Hackman in "Hoosiers"

Part 3: It's all about the live show

Part 4: How the Hold Steady came to be

As you know by now, if you're a reader of this blog, the Sonics are back!

No, not the basketball team. Who cares about those guys? They're movin' to Oklahoma, anyway. I'm talking about Tacoma's garage rock legends, the ones that have been on ice for the better part of four decades.

They're playing a couple of reunion shows and recording a DVD this weekend in New York City. And after I'd heard so much about how reclusive they were, I was stoked that I was able to get ahold of not only guitarist Larry Parypa, but also lead howler and keyboard player Jerry Roslie, the most elusive Sonic of all. (He spells his name with a "J," by the way, instead of the usual "Gerry" spelling you see, his wife informed me.)

Click on the links below and check out some of what the guys had to say. Then check out tomorrow's News Tribune for more coverage.

"We all kind of missed it ..." (Roslie)

"Jerry's never heard a monitor before ..." (Parypa)

"Picture the audience naked ..." (Roslie) (I think he meant four years, by the way.)

"They don't speak English, do they? ..." (Roslie)

"Nobody was doin' a lot of that stuff ..." (Parypa)

"I'm squeezin' out polkas right and left ..." (Roslie)

"We've always hated that album ..." (Parypa)

"It might just be a one time shot ..." (Roslie)

I was just reading Blender's hilarious "40 worst lyricists ever" story (in the November issue) and I was pissed at the inclusion of KRS-One, easily one of the best rap lyricists of all time. You say too-may-to, I say toe-mah-to. And of local interest, they dissed Queensryche (No. 19) and our man Ben Gibbard (No. 16). Of Gibbard, Blender writes "... he's got five albums of come-ons so abstruse the ladies will barely notice him tugging on their ankles." Ouch! Getting dissed in glossy mags is the price of fame, I guess.

Here's Blender's top 5 worst lyricists:

1. Sting

2. Neil Peart

3. Scott Stapp

4. Noel Gallagher

5. Dan Fogelberg

I have a few ideas. I agree with Diddy and Anthony Keidis, though the Chili Peppers at least make up for it with a killer live show. Scott Stapp is too obvious to put on another list, but I'd throw in his separated at birth brothers in lyrical suckiness, Sully Erna and Chad Kroeger. (Defend Nickelback's "If Everyone Cared." I dare you!) If you read a Kanye West post I wrote a while back, you know I'm a lot more impressed with his beats than his rhymes (and I'm less and less impressed with both on the new album.)

But what are your picks?

Sunday was the 30th anniversary of the Sex Pistols' seminal album, "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols." And I asked you to vote on the best song (and then promptly forgot to post the results. Heh.) Well, here they are:

Coolest songs from "Never Mind the Bollocks":

1. (tie) "God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy in the UK"

2. "Holidays in the Sun"

3. "Submission"

"God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy in the UK" topping the list? That's a surprise. And hey, where are all the "Pretty Vacant" fans? Whatzamaddawitcha? Out.