There Stands the Glass

The Top Ten Albums of July 2026 (through July 26)
1. Play Time- Magic Object
My review.

2. Lesley Mok- transient
My review.

3. Charli xcx- Music, Fashion, Film
Pop nihilism.

4. Oscar Maydon- Música En Mi Jetski
The cure for the summertime blues.

5. Matt Otto- Ephemeral
My review.

6. Nu Jazz- Un Jazz
My review.

7. Orquesta Akokán- América!
Mambo!

8. Punch Brothers- The Unsung Adventures of Punch Brothers
Highfalutin pickin’.

9. Willow- The Thread
Arena-jazz.

10. Jack White- Frozen Charlotte
He’s back in Wichita.

The Top Three Reissues and Reimaginings of July 2026 (through July 26)
1. Gary Stewart- One Track Mind
Jukin’.

2. Seamus Blake- EH!: Plays the Music of Eddie Harris
Trying to make it real.

3. Nicholas Payton and Butcher Brown- A Supreme Blue
A bad idea made good.

The Top Ten Songs of July 2026 (through July 26)
1. Shenseea- “Brucksweat”
Sweltering.

2. Larry June and DJ Fresh- “Organic Motion”
Blurry.

3. Tinashe- “Crash Out”
Psychotic reaction.

4. Ken Carson with Playboi Carti- “deaf note”
What?

5. Fathers- “STUB”
Nate Smith, Kiefer, Carrtoons and Kenny Beats.

6. Dinner Party- "Piece of Mind"
Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin and 9th Wonder.

7. Syd featuring James Fauntleroy- "Any Time"
Diamonds and pearls.

8. Nick Hakim- “The Reason”
Slow jam.

9. Show Me the Body- “Do What’s Right (Happy)”
Backsliding.

10. Rome Streetz featuring Westside Gunn- "Marathon Or Race"
Tortoise and hare.

The Top Ten Performances of July 2026 (through July 26)
1. Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams and John Doe at Starlight Theatre
My review.

2. Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society’s “A Convocation of Exoplanets” at Charlotte Street Foundation
My review.

3. Graham Nash at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

4. Gerald Spaits’ Sax & Violins at Greenwood Social Hall
My review.

5. Drew Williams, Ben Tervort and Brian Steever at the Ship
My Instagram snapshot.

6. The Overland Park Civic Band at Thompson Park
My Instagram clip.

7. JWB with Ernest Melton at 515 Music Hub
My Instagram clip.

8. Trinity Jazz Ensemble at Prairie Baptist Church
My Instagram clip.

9. Eboni Fondren at Vine Street Brewing
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Sally’s Tomato at Black Dolphin
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Image of the John Doe Folk Trio by There Stands the Glass.

I was walking past the designated standing area closest to the stage at Starlight Theatre when John Doe opened a Fourth of July concert with a rendition of Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s “Tonight I Think I’m Gonna Go Downtown”. Much to the chagrin of the ushers, I decided to post up at the spot rather than make my way to my assigned seat at the back of the venue. (I paid $61 to enter.)

I didn’t become a nuisance until Doe revived X’s “See How We Are”. Involuntarily, I became the first of the mentally unhinged superfans who went into ecstatic paroxysms of nostalgia during the next three-and-one-half hours. The dire message of the 1987 protest song- the ongoing deterioration of American society is inevitable- walloped me in ways I didn’t imagine 39 years ago.

X means a lot more to me than Lucinda Williams. Even so, I relished her literate Southern rock jams bolstered by the presence of Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford. Williams diffused the tension incited by her strident compositions by insisting she’s a patriot, a savvy move, given the surprising number of people wearing MAGA-related clothing amid the audience of about 5,000.

Speaking of unaccountable perversities, Bob Dylan’s confrontational performance art routine rolls on. The distinguishing characteristic of Saturday’s concert was a relentless battery of private armaments unleashed in the public park surrounding the venue.

Fireworks repeatedly drowned out Dylan and his band from the seat I illicitly claimed in the front half of the amphitheater. An absurd Irving Berlin-style take on “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” Dylan’s eccentric jazz-based keyboard work and Joel Paterson’s Jimmy Rogers-style guitar riffs were the best bits of what was audible. Ka-boom!

July 2026 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Concert Review: Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams and John Doe at Starlight Theatre