Just bought tickets to go see Titus Andronicus in October. Their show at The Middle East was in my top 3 shows I've seen, and I'm loving the new album, so I'm excited.
There are some big festivals coming to Berlin this summer, and at the Templehof airport field too, which is a 5 minute walk from home. Lollapolooza looks pretty decent:
Do you ever have that feeling that you saw a performer too late? It's happened to me a few times with jugglers (the worst is to perform in the same show as one of your early inspirations/heroes and you don't like their act and are now a better juggler than they are).
Last night, as a birthday treat for Juliane, we went to see Bobby McFerrin. He's waaaay past it. Thankfully he was accompanied by Chick Corea, and everything Corea did was amazing and genius. McFerrin managed about a 10% amazing and genius, 10% good, and 80% really not great. Such a pity.
And the tickets cost €80 each. So yeah, not cool. Overall a good night, but very disappointing.
Do you ever have that feeling that you saw a performer too late? It's happened to me a few times with jugglers (the worst is to perform in the same show as one of your early inspirations/heroes and you don't like their act and are now a better juggler than they are).
Last night, as a birthday treat for Juliane, we went to see Bobby McFerrin. He's waaaay past it. Thankfully he was accompanied by Chick Corea, and everything Corea did was amazing and genius. McFerrin managed about a 10% amazing and genius, 10% good, and 80% really not great. Such a pity.
And the tickets cost €80 each. So yeah, not cool. Overall a good night, but very disappointing.
There are many concerts I do not go to because of this.
Just bought tickets to go see Titus Andronicus in October. Their show at The Middle East was in my top 3 shows I've seen, and I'm loving the new album, so I'm excited.
Titus' performance was killer. Full of life and energy and hatred and sometimes a little silliness. Unfortunately, nothing else was. The opening acts were garbage, but what do I expect? I always gamble on the opening acts (I got into Against Me! because they were opening for Gaslight Anthem), but I never think I'll be blown away by them. But the real problem with the show was the crowd. I don't know what I thought would happen after the reports of a smoke bomb thrown at an earlier show on the tour, but when I saw them last time the mosh was livable. Not this time. People were running into each other with such force, I was at one point literally swept off my feet, carried by the crowd. Keep in mind, this was after a several minute long speech by frontman Patrick Stickles about how punk ought to be non-violent, and there should be no moshing at this show.
I got out of there after about an hour of concert (Titus usually plays well over two hours), and sat at the back of the club waiting for someone to man the merch table so that I can get my shirt and go. It is at this point that the ambulance shows up. I didn't see anything more than that, but I'm praying that the tiny girl I helped get to the front of the crowd because she couldn't see over all the tall people wasn't involved. After a few songs someone came to the table, I got my shirt and glorified single and left. Very disappointed in the audience for not respecting the rules of not only the venue, but also (mostly) the band themselves. Ruined an otherwise good night for me.
So, a little while ago I saw that The Bones of J.R. Jones was playing a place called The Acoustic Kitchen in Needham on Bandsintown. At the time, there wasn't a link for tickets, so I waited. Fast forward to this week. Still no ticket link. Google around. The only place called The Acoustic Kitchen is in Austin. I figure something went amuck in one of the automated things he uses to update his tour, and he's not playing Boston. However, when I told my dad this, he thought it would be better to ask JR about it. Turns out he was playing a "private event", but that he got us "on the list". I got super excite, expecting some sort of church basement event.
It was a house party. Just a random favor he was doing for a friend while he was passing through. The whole area we were all assembled in was about the size of two rooms in my house. There were, like, 20 people there, and only half of them knew who JR was. Most were just friends of the hostess. This made the half hour between getting there and the show starting extremely awkward, and the two opening acts were the cringiest acts I've seen in person, but whatever it's a fucking house party. I wasn't expecting anyone but JR to be any good, and they knew to just play two songs each and then let JR rock the house. And rock the house JR did.
I'm not even certain how to explain the magic that went on in that room. JR was absolutely in the zone. With a base drum, high hat, electric acoustic with a resonator, and a giant board of pedals, he had an energy that most full bands I've seen can barely imagine. There was one point where he recorded a riff on a pedal, set that up to loop as he played another riff on top of it, recorded that riff on another pedal, and then played on top of both of them -- all while keeping time with just his feet, and it all sounded beautiful together. I cannot imagine a better show that I could plausibly see.
After the set, we got to talk to JR a bit. He was very excited to see that me and dad came out to see him. He had sent me two records when I ordered Dark Was The Yearling, so I got to give him back the extra, and he signed mine. Going to see Gary Clark Jr tomorrow night. His first album and subsequent live releases made me think he was as great as JR, but in the wake of Sonny Boy Slim, I'm certain: The Bones of JR Jones is THE BEST current blues act, especially live. And having heard four or five songs from the unannounced 2016 album, I can guarantee you that he will maintain that status for at least another year.
So yeah that was pretty awful and I'm never going back. I hate arenas. I hate four hour wait time to get a spot in the pit. I hate the security theater that made me throw out my Vault Tec bag to get in. But I will put up with all this if I can just enjoy my Bruce Springsteen. But I can't. I hate old people who talk over the concert. I hate young people taking pictures with flash and blocking my view so they can get a video instead of just watching the thing while it's happening (especially silly at a Bruce Springsteen show since he started releasing recordings of literally every show he does online). I hate people of all ages trying to squirm to where they were before they left to get their beer as if leaving didn't forfeit that spot.
I need to see Bruce Springsteen at the Roxy. At The Bottom Line. At The Paradise. I need to see Bruce Springsteen with Titus Andronicus fans or Andrew Jackson Jihad fans or some other set of fans who care about the music and living in the moment at the show. Albee warned me about this. He's been following Bruce since 1975
I remember being 16 listening to Steel Mill's Live at the Matrix. Steel Mill was Bruce Springsteen's first band, started back in 1969. That December they played The Matrix in San Francisco and Bill Graham loved them so he had the concert recorded. Hearing that recording, I cried. I knew that I was never going to get to see Steel Mill. Now, I cry again, because I will never get to see Bruce Springsteen in a meaningful way.
I kinda half want to go as well, I don't really know mamamoo, and these videos pushed me from no care at all to, where I am now.
Like If I was in Korea and could go to see bands I actually wanted to see, I wouldn't go. And if I lived where I could just take public transport to get there I would go, but CT is still either a pain in the ass train ride or a worse pain in the ass car.
I really want to go to PIXfest this year and its only $50 for the weekend but I don't know how I'd get there without a car and I don't know if I really know anyone else around me who'd want to go.
Saw Melt Banana and the Melvins yesterday. Melt Banana was amazing, the Melvins disappointing.
The Melvins played at Bumbershoot last year and I wanted to see them. It was a pretty lackluster lineup overall so I didn't end up going but maybe it was for the best.
BabyMetal NYC, May 4th. It's a 5 minute walk from my office, so why the fuck not?
Because it is BabyMetal??? I tease. We all have our cheese.
That's just it, though. Since I heard about them like 2-3 years ago I thought they were cheese. I remembered they existed, but hardly paid any attention. Just another weird Japan thing to put on the list. Only just recently did I realize, they are completely legit. It isn't any cheesier than any other metal band. I mean, all metal is cheesy to some extent.
They headlined and filled the arena Wembley in February and then again a couple weeks ago. The first Japanese act to do so, EVER. They're asploding.
Seeing a live performance of Welcome to Night Vale tonight. I've never listened to the podcast, but everyone I mentioned it to seems to have, and says it's awesome.
BabyMetal NYC, May 4th. It's a 5 minute walk from my office, so why the fuck not?
Because it is BabyMetal??? I tease. We all have our cheese.
It isn't any cheesier than any other metal band. I mean, all metal is cheesy to some extent.
My issue with Babymetal is actually that they're an insufficient level of cheese. It's not even that they're cheesy metal - it's more like they're a parody of cheesy metal. Like a meta-cheese band.
See, they have more gimmick than substance, so my brain has to switch to appreciating them on the gimmick level. But then they don't take the gimmick far enough. They're not Rhapsody or Luca Turilli. They have not delivered sufficient cheese to me, nor have they put forth an individual personality sufficient for me to latch on.
They ape at the idea of being a cheesy band, but lack the soul necessary to pull it off.
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Last night, as a birthday treat for Juliane, we went to see Bobby McFerrin. He's waaaay past it. Thankfully he was accompanied by Chick Corea, and everything Corea did was amazing and genius. McFerrin managed about a 10% amazing and genius, 10% good, and 80% really not great. Such a pity.
And the tickets cost €80 each. So yeah, not cool. Overall a good night, but very disappointing.
I got out of there after about an hour of concert (Titus usually plays well over two hours), and sat at the back of the club waiting for someone to man the merch table so that I can get my shirt and go. It is at this point that the ambulance shows up. I didn't see anything more than that, but I'm praying that the tiny girl I helped get to the front of the crowd because she couldn't see over all the tall people wasn't involved. After a few songs someone came to the table, I got my shirt and glorified single and left. Very disappointed in the audience for not respecting the rules of not only the venue, but also (mostly) the band themselves. Ruined an otherwise good night for me.
It was a house party. Just a random favor he was doing for a friend while he was passing through. The whole area we were all assembled in was about the size of two rooms in my house. There were, like, 20 people there, and only half of them knew who JR was. Most were just friends of the hostess. This made the half hour between getting there and the show starting extremely awkward, and the two opening acts were the cringiest acts I've seen in person, but whatever it's a fucking house party. I wasn't expecting anyone but JR to be any good, and they knew to just play two songs each and then let JR rock the house. And rock the house JR did.
I'm not even certain how to explain the magic that went on in that room. JR was absolutely in the zone. With a base drum, high hat, electric acoustic with a resonator, and a giant board of pedals, he had an energy that most full bands I've seen can barely imagine. There was one point where he recorded a riff on a pedal, set that up to loop as he played another riff on top of it, recorded that riff on another pedal, and then played on top of both of them -- all while keeping time with just his feet, and it all sounded beautiful together. I cannot imagine a better show that I could plausibly see.
After the set, we got to talk to JR a bit. He was very excited to see that me and dad came out to see him. He had sent me two records when I ordered Dark Was The Yearling, so I got to give him back the extra, and he signed mine. Going to see Gary Clark Jr tomorrow night. His first album and subsequent live releases made me think he was as great as JR, but in the wake of Sonny Boy Slim, I'm certain: The Bones of JR Jones is THE BEST current blues act, especially live. And having heard four or five songs from the unannounced 2016 album, I can guarantee you that he will maintain that status for at least another year.
I need to see Bruce Springsteen at the Roxy. At The Bottom Line. At The Paradise. I need to see Bruce Springsteen with Titus Andronicus fans or Andrew Jackson Jihad fans or some other set of fans who care about the music and living in the moment at the show. Albee warned me about this. He's been following Bruce since 1975
I remember being 16 listening to Steel Mill's Live at the Matrix. Steel Mill was Bruce Springsteen's first band, started back in 1969. That December they played The Matrix in San Francisco and Bill Graham loved them so he had the concert recorded. Hearing that recording, I cried. I knew that I was never going to get to see Steel Mill. Now, I cry again, because I will never get to see Bruce Springsteen in a meaningful way.
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-03-15/idol-group-perfume-to-hold-concerts-in-4-u.s-cities/.99774
During PAX Prime...
New album April 6, tho.
Super excited and will try not to swear at God in Latin and drop my cigarette on the floor over my grief at the death of Mrs. Landingham.
Seeing Flight on the Conchords in June. Tickets sold out really quickly, but napped a good one!
I half want to go, but only if at least one other person will buy a radish light stick and go with me. Maybe these videos can convince somebody.
Like If I was in Korea and could go to see bands I actually wanted to see, I wouldn't go. And if I lived where I could just take public transport to get there I would go, but CT is still either a pain in the ass train ride or a worse pain in the ass car.
Also, you should live out here. I would also love to roadtrip to PIXFest but can't.
Next probs going to this
They headlined and filled the arena Wembley in February and then again a couple weeks ago. The first Japanese act to do so, EVER. They're asploding.
See, they have more gimmick than substance, so my brain has to switch to appreciating them on the gimmick level. But then they don't take the gimmick far enough. They're not Rhapsody or Luca Turilli. They have not delivered sufficient cheese to me, nor have they put forth an individual personality sufficient for me to latch on.
They ape at the idea of being a cheesy band, but lack the soul necessary to pull it off.
Also, I'm a pretentious asshole.