People would whip out their headphones, their CD players, their Nirvana references...and I'd be at a loss. My parents were part of the problem: "You listen to music," they insisted. "Sinatra and Gershwin are ten times better than that the junk they play on MTV!" I bore equal responsibility, though, because I did little to correct the problem. My boldest attempt at breaking into the modern music world was buying a Creed cd senior year. Scott Stapp would so make me cool.
Somehow, though, as I entered William and Mary, I did not feel musically secure. Why had Creed not given me more cred?!
The big change came with Weezer a month into freshman year. Listening to “Undone,” “Say It Ain’t So,” “Buddy Holly,” and the rest of the blue album, I found rhythm, emotion, wit, wisdom…everything I could ask for in music. After that came Foo Fighters. And then early Dylan, Chili Peppers, Wilco, and fifty more. By the end of college, music had become the most important thing in my life.
Influential as music had become, I still had never traveled to a live show. As soon as I graduated, though, I made a pact to correct that: concerts would become what music had been in college. A month after graduation (6/21/07), I drove to Maryland and saw my first show, Wilco. The month after that, I took the train to NYC and saw Dispatch. Then came the White Stripes, Muse, and forty more. This past June (6/21/09), at Wolftrap Pavilion in Vienna, VA, I attended my
44th concert – Wilco. I made a full circle.
If you choose to browse this blog, you will be able to trace that circle – to follow the concerts from the first to the last. I had wanted the blog to go live right after 6/21/09 but that clearly didn’t happen. I’ve posted six reviews since then, and the final nine will be posted by mid January, when everything will be up to date.
My suggestion is that you glance at the “Current Concert List” box at the top right corner of the page, type a band you’re interested in into the search bar at the top left corner of the page, and click on that entry. If you’re able to find two or three songs you connect with, awesome. If you’re not able to find any, well, at least you’ll see I’ve moved past Creed…
If you’re interested in the “Full Circle” Wilco show, type “Wilco” in the search bar and that will bring up the 44th concert.If you’re interested in any of the other bands from the “Current Concert List” box, type those in the search bar.Have fun listening. :)
It was advertised a “free fest” – a day-long free concert with better bands at a better venue than last year’s Pimlico Race Track event.If it had actually been possible to get through on Ticketmaster.com at 10am Saturday morning, quite a crowd would have gone to the show: Mike Vance, Andrew Schmadel, Meagan O’Neill, James Porter, Ryan Smith, Kyle West, Taylor Howard, Dahniel-Ross Thompson, etc.As it worked out, though, Magic Mike Erickson was the only person (in all of Virginia?) able to get through and snag a free ticket.
Fortunately, Jim Dunleavey, Matt Decarlo, and Chuck Abbott were willing to pay for online scalper tickets, so I was still able to have some friends at the show.
JET
I had not prepared for Jet because I intended to be at the Hold Steady show for most of the performance.I never made it the Hold Steady, though, because the only available parking space was at HowardCommunity College, which was half the distance to Guam.This turned out not being that bad, however, because apparently the Hold Steady’s frontman, Craig Finn, was not much of a singer, and Jet’s frontman, Nic Cester, definitely was.I had also heard a number of Jet songs before without knowing they were actually ‘Jet songs.’I was intrigued enough by the performance that next time I see they’re coming to the 9:30 Club, I’ll download their stuff and check them out.
Grade: B
THE BRAVERY
Most of what I just said about Jet applies to the Bravery: barely knew them, but was intrigued enough by them that I will prep and attend one of their shows next time they come to DC.In general, when I go, I hope to hear more electronic flourishes and Killer(s) hooks.More specifically, I want to re-hear “Time Won’t Let Me Go,” a song they wrote about The Outsiders, my favorite middle school novel.Any song that has a Cherry Valance reference, I’m there…
Grade: B
BLINK 182
Blink was a bit disappointing.One of my former students, who I later found out had attended the show, said this was because the lead singers, Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus, couldn’t sing.I had not noticed a big dropoff from the vocals on the album.What I did notice was the fifty mindless curses disguised as edginess or humor. In certain cases, profanity can be artistically useful: the few choice words in "Lose Yourself" come at just the right moments, adding further drive and urgency to the song. The many choice words in Carrie-Anne Moss' speech in Memento come like a relentless attack, adding further shock and anger as we realize that she is such a...not nice person.
With Blink on stage, though, they just seemed to dump out as many F words and sex jokes as they could -- as if by the 55th one the audience would finally think, "NOW I get it -- they are so punk." Sorry, Mark and Tom, 'punk' is about being rebellious and clever, not repetitive and lame.
Off-putting as their shtick could be, the actual performance was strong.Delonge had a few nice guitar riffs, Hoppus had some good bass lines, and drummer Travis Barker was able to show off more than just his $30,000 tattoos.And in the end, the best thing Blink had going for them were there actual songs – perhaps the best non-Green-Day pop-punk catalog ever.“Fell in love with the girl at the rock show / She said ‘What?’ and I told her that I didn’t know / She’s so cool…”
Grade: B
WEEZER
They played “The Good Life”!!!Acoustically, lyrically, it is my all-time favorite Weezer song.They’re so reluctant to play anything off Pinkerton, though, and this was one of the album’s more obscure tracks…yet they played it!I was on cloud nine.
Other things I liked about the show: (1) Rivers’ amusing attempt at push ups during “Pork and Beans” (2) The amusing scent that still filtered through the crowd during “Hash Pipe” (3) How catchy their new single, “I Want You To,” was in concert (4)How loud everyone could bellow “Say It Ain’t So”(4) The fact that Rivers abandoned the awful hat/mustache, returning to the classic NYU glasses(5) The fact that they didn’t end on “Buddy Holly.”They did a solid version of “Buddy Holly,” jumping on and off a trampoline between beats (!), but made it the second-to-last song.By ending on a “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” cover, they kept it interesting – they avoided going stale.
Now all they need to do is have a straight Pinkerton show, and my life will be complete…
I am pretty sure there were two distinct groups in attendance at Green Day’s Madison Square Garden concert: those who loved the band’s crowd-pleasing antics – and those who hated them. The latter group saw the gleaming lights, fire balls, and…t-shirt launches (!) as evidence that the band had become a corporate joke. According to them, Green Day was now as Punk as Rob Thomas was Rock.
Fortunately, I had not grown up with Kerplunk / Dookie, fell in the former group, and loved the show. I would admit they could be a bit hypocritical at times: railing against the “Mass Hysteria” of the “Static Age” when you appeared on the finale of American Idol? Really? Overall, though, they were exactly what I expected them to be: high-caliber Arena Punk. When they repeatedly prompted the crowd with “wayyyy-o,” they were not unconsciously crying “sellll out;” they were pumping everyone up!
And they certainly were able to rouse everyone: I don’t think the crowd remained seated for more than five minutes of the three hour show. Why would they, when there were so many opportunities for participation? Two songs in, they opened the gates and allowed everyone in the upper levels two minutes to sneak onto the floor level. Five songs in, they invited Drake, this hilariously cocky little kid, on stage to dance to “Long View.” The fact that they tore him a new one once he went off stage made it even more adorable.
Band-crowd connections continued throughout the night. Billie Joe told this amusingly profane story about taking down a cab driver who dared to insult Green Day. He also took fifteen-second song requests, incorporating Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man,” Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You,” Guns ‘n Roses “Sweet Child of Mine,” Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” and Lynrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” into an absurd, inspired, ten-minute jam.
Moreover, he invited all types of fans to play on stage. A thin, monotone, middle-aged man stumbled through “Basket Case” before diving effortlessly into the crowd. A heavy, vocally-gifted teen nailed all of “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” before thudding on top of crowd. Unquestionably the most impressive fan of the night, though, was the girl who performed “Jesus of Suburbia.” She took lead vocal and lead guitar and hit everything!
In the end, that was what made the concert rock. It may not have had the in-your-face, underground charisma of Rise Against, but it was not an empty corporate show. Finding a girl who can mesmerize Madison Square Garden for nine minutes means you’re looking for soul. It means you still care.
How do you build on an A+? I thought I’d be in for at least some disappointment considering how Rise Against blew my mind the first time I saw them, but there was no dropoff. If anything, they were better this time.
The first show I was mainly impressed they didn’t suck. This time I came in knowing that they’d be far better than on their albums, but I was also looking forward to a number of specific tracks: “Long Forgotten Sons,” “Re-Education (Through Labor),” “Swung Life Away,” even “State of the Union” – for its sheer, decibel-breaking gall. These tracks – and virtually all others – were incredible. I was able to mosh and scream and pump with a thousand other maniacs to songs I actually knew/liked.
The overall high point of the concert was the first song. Tim McIllrath walked onto a dark stage, waited a few seconds to heighten the anticipation, and then pounded into “Collapse [Post-Amerika].” The visuals were, as usual, stunning: McIllrath, bathed in neon light, ran, jumped, and flailed across every part of the stage. The crowd was happy to follow his lead, transforming into a single seething mass before the song even hit the chorus. The added awesome effect this time was that I actually knew the chorus: “this is not a test; this is cardiac arrest.”
Close behind “Collapse” was the last song before the encore, “Prayer of the Refugee.” Powerful as that song is, I love that they didn’t put it dead last. (“Ready to Fall” fit perfectly in that slot.) It still launched the crowd into an inhuman frenzy (“don’t hold me UP now; I can stand my OWN ground”), but did so at an unexpected moment. (Jimmy Eat World, Alkaline Trio, take note: place “The Middle” and “Radio” somewhere else!)
“Prayer of the Refugee” actually threatened to accomplish what “Collapse” had promised: “cardiac arrest.” As soon as the song ended, I felt dizzy and started to have trouble breathing. (Ninety seconds of rage’ll do that to you…) I eventually recovered for the remaining seven (!) songs after the encore, but it was touch-and-go for a few seconds.
The new measure of a great punk rock concert? Cardiac arrest.
Sound stops suddenly. You’re dazed. You’re not sure what to do. Chatter develops, but you don’t want to hear it. You speed walk, trying to get away from the mindless babblers as quickly as possible. Eventually, you separate; you find silence. Then you consider calling someone. The music was so dynamic, the experience was so profound that you need to share. No, you decide, not yet. That would break the spell. Minutes later, as you join the line of cars inching through the parking lot, you’re ready for the call. You fawn, gush, and try anything you can to recreate the concert for the person on the other line, but it never works. They don’t understand.
After you finish the call and inch up a few cars in line, you reach the final stage: you listen to the songs again. Any other concerts, even the good ones, you’d never listen to the songs again. After days of album preparation and two hours live, you’re maxxed out. You’re ready to move on. After A+ concerts, though, it takes longer to let go. The spell lasts through the night...
What made this Wilco concert special – what made it join the A+ elite? The same thing that brought the others to the top: it broke the rules. It was a followup concert that actually improved on the original! Thus far, over 43 concerts, every subsequent show was worse than the original. There was no question, though, that every aspect of the Wolftrap concert was better the Merriweather one. The instruments were loud this time, I could actually understand everything Jeff Tweedy was saying, and I could not have asked for a better setlist. The thing that made the setlist particularly memorable was that I knew every song. It took me a while to remember the name of some of the A.M. / Summerteeth tracks at first, but sure enough, I’d be able to scribble down the title in my notepad by the end of the song.
I am well aware that 99% of you reading this right now do not have that same familiarity with Wilco’s songs. Considering that, I’d advise you to skip over this track-by-track scribbled live blog and move on to the next show. If you happen to be a Wilco fanatic, though, enjoy…
Part One
o “Wilco (The Song).” Great sound! Strong volume and you can actually understand everything he’s saying.
o A much appreciated “Shot in the Arm” early. Rare that a band plays an early song at the start. Nice electronic addition in the last third.
o “At Least That’s What You Said”!!! Right before this song, a guy asked if I could move a few seats over so his friends could all sit together. The physical move enhanced the transition from two mediocre songs to a true performance. A total hush in the audience, who all take in the emotion. Take that, Death Cab!
o “Black Bull Super Nova.” Intro sounds just like “Spiders.” Blood lyrics, red background, fog effect, and fearsome beat make this quite scary.
o “She’s a Jar.” Whoa, tonal shift. They’re distributing tracks from different albums nicely so far. This is clearly from Summerteeth. I really thought this was going to a mediocre night. Love to be wrong!
(Note: there's a better tonal shift on the album: from "Black Bull Super Nova" to "You and I." Check it out.)
Part Two
o “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.” Meh. Feedback in Yankee Hotel Foxtrot can get excessive at times. “One Wing,” on the other hang, is great. Fits “At Least That’s What You Said” well.
o Jeff Tweedy speaks! He explains that he will now play the most requested song on their website, “How to Fight Loneliness.” Says “36 of you are going to be very happy right now.” After the song, he adds, “Um, yeah, that sounded like about 36 people.” He then insists that he wasn’t ‘fishing’ for applause, but he might as well have been ‘cause the song was pretty bad.
o “Impossible Germany”!! The extended guitar rift is incredible.
o “Jesus Don’t Cry.” Such warmth.
o “Deeper Down” and “Sonny Feeling” are both lackluster. He hilariously makes up for messing up a “Sonny Feeling” lyric by explaining, “at that moment, I realized I’d written a song that mentioned Eminem, so I became afraid he’d come and kick my a--.” Nice recovery. Take that, Jack Johnson!
o An even funnier moment occurs in the transition to "Handshake Drugs.” Tweedy points to a group of people in the crowd who had letters written on their t-shirts and says, “Huh? There’s no ‘F’ in Wilco?” As soon as he said that the 14 people rearrange themselves and reveal W-I-L-C-O (T-H-E F-A-N-S). Heeeee! Quick as ever, Tweedy insists, “Man, this parenthetical stuff is getting out of hand.”
o I’m surprisingly happy to hear “Handshake Drugs.” The guitar battle is indulgent / awesome.
Part Three
o “Hate It Here,” that laundry song from Sky Blue Sky, is pretty funny. Nice lights-on effect during the chorus. Man, the volume at Wolftrap rocks.
o “Walken.’” Meh about the song, but their genial funk persuades me.
o “I’m the Man Who Loves You.” God, they’re so hip. They have so many styles; it’s seamless.
o “Hummingbird”! Starts off without no guitar, does some faux grandstanding. The audience joins in – aww. Mic flipping and electric guitar at the end – nice!
Encore
o “You Never Know” and "Heavy Metal Drummer” both pale in comparison to “Misunderstood.” I do not know “Misunderstood,” but hearing how appreciative diehard fans are, knowing they’re listening to a track from 14 years ago, from Being There, is touching.
o "Spiders" is even better than last time. And it’s DIFFERENT. They put the rhythm in a different key. :) I lose all self consciousness. My eyes are closed; I’m slapping my knees, my chest, the chair, anything that beat tells me to.
o They end on “I’m A Wheel”!!! “Spiders” is more profound, but ending on a simpler song, showing they’re not just showoffs, feels perfect.
My relationship with TV on the Radio is an unhappy one. I desperately hoped they would be another Unlikely Success Story, but they weren’t. They did not follow the Smashing Pumpkins model or the Arcade Fire model. (I initially hated Smashing Pumpkins’ albums, but grew to love the band when I saw them live. I thought I would hate Arcade Fire because I perceived them as a critically revered “homework” band, but I grew to love them more and more every time I listened.)
As it turned out, the model they actually did follow was Radiohead. This meant that they were a critically revered “homework” band that remained homework no matter how many times I listened. This makes sense, I suppose, considering TV’s first album is OK Calculator, a clear reference to Radiohead’s Ok Computer. Both groups have some songs I enjoy: "Karma Police" and “Fake Plastic Trees” for Radiohead; “Staring at the Sun” and “Wolf Like Me” for Tv on the Radio). Overall, though, I’d rather write a term paper.
Grade: B- Note: This grade could have been a lot lower, considering my distaste for most of the songs, but the lead singer was actually really good. I assumed that he would be a detached douche, like the New Rockers guy, but he brought energy and excitement to each of his songs. With more accessible material, he would make me want to see them again.
I had the worst seat in the arena. I was in the back of the upper deck behind the stage. And it was still incredible. There are no bad Bruce shows.
For the second straight concert, I missed “Badlands.” This time I was stuck outside the arena, searching for a seat. There was no repeat of last year’s four-rows-from-the-stage miracle, but I was at least able to pay face value (less than $100) and get settled in after just two songs. The third song, “Outlaw Pete,” was perfect for where I was sitting because it’s a simmering epic – the type of song that lets you close your eyes, listen to it build, and ignore the mediocre non-fans sitting around you.
“Waitin’ on a Sunny Day” proved to be a top moment once again. My excitement had been building for a few songs (“Blinded by the Light,” “Little Latin Lupe Lu,” and, hilariously, “Hava Nagila”). Once “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day” started, I decided to get up and leave the slugs I was sitting next to behind. In one of the unticketed rows below, I could move, breathe, and take in each shift in tone (i.e. from “The Promised Land” to “The Wrestler,” from “Radio Nowhere” to “Lonesome Day,” from “The Rising” to “Born to Run.”) When “The Rising” started, two other guys left their seats and joined me in the unticketed row. We spontaneously fist pumped and high fived all the way through “Born to Run.”
Remarkably, though, that was not THE top moment of night. The top moment was the last song. I assumed he would end with “This American Land,” as he had done at the Verizon Center last year. After “American Land,” however, he walked to the back of the stage, picked up one of the fan-made signs he’d taken earlier in the show, and showed it to the crowd: “Obama wants Rosie.” “By executive order!” he decried. He was going to end with “Rosalita”!!
“Rosalita” has never been my favorite song, but I had heard people clamor for it at every single concert and had never heard him do it, so when I saw the sign, I flipped out. The couple next to me, who’d also decided to leave their seats, flipped out as well. And for the remaining seven minutes of the show, we all proceeded to DANCE to the song. It was probably the most arrhythmic dancing imaginable, but no one cared.
Even I did not care. I have fewer dance steps than Stephen Hawking, and yet, there I was, throwing myself around half the upper deck. If a concert can get me to do that, there’s no way it doesn’t get a plus.
I had a nice dinner with Ben Marzouk before the concert. Unfortunately that meant I missed the first five songs! He usually starts earlier than other performers, but I was shocked he did all that before 8:45. I was especially disappointed to have missed “Badlands.” I hoped he’d make up for it with “Jungleland” later, but he didn’t.
The quiet highlight of the night was “The Wrestler.” As I was writing my Death Cab and Jack Johnson reviews, I started to believe that low key songs were not meant to be heard live – that they will always pale in comparison to the version on the album. Bruce proved me wrong. The live “Wrestler” was even better than the album version, given greater poignancy by the fact he was sharing Mickey Rourke’s story with 16,000 people – who never said a word.
The exuberant highlight of the night was “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day.” Outside of a concert, it’s not a song I particularly like to listen to. Like “Workin’ on a Dream,” it’s too straightforward to capture my attention – to make me want to listen again. In concert, though, it was a joy. He turned on the lights well before “Born to Run,” believably connected it to the economy, and had this adorable little girl sing along. Similarly, he allowed Max Weinberg’s son Jay to play the drums for “Promised Land” and the remaining ten songs. What a guy…
They didn’t play “Mercy Me” OR “Armageddon.” That was disappointing. I also held out hope that they’d end with something other than “Radio.” From now on, I’ll just embrace its fixed placement. I’ll approach it as a ritual, as a comfort, not a letdown.
Other than that, it was gratifying to be back at a full Trio show, with rabid Trio fans. It had been six months since I last saw them – almost a year if you don’t count the painful, six-song Rise Against show. Man, did I miss it. You could choose to stay back and jump, move to the middle and get thrown, or press in right up front and sway five feet from the actual performers. No matter where you were, you were guaranteed a spot next to someone who knew every word. You would have no breathing room, they wouldn’t, and neither of you cared.
Liked the nod to the Ramones with “The KKK Took My Baby Away.” Loved that they played so many early, dark, obscure tracks: “My Friend Peter,” “Tuck Me In,” “Cooking Wine,” and “100 Stories.” In that context, I was even able to embrace “Calling All Skeletons” as mindless fun.
Grade: A
Unexplained Endnotes: Trekking to a Soho gym before the concert, trekking to a Delaware fleabag motel after it, swindling a cop psychologist on my drive to Williamsburg the next morning
Kings of Leon [redux] -- Fri, Apr 24, 2009 -- PatriotCenter -- Fairfax, VA Sister Hazel [redux] -- Fri, May 1, 2009 -- The SunkenGardens -- Williamsburg, VA The Decemberists -- Fri, June 5, 2009 -- The National -- Richmond, VA
DAR Constitution Hall ROCKS!James and a bunch of others may hate it, insisting that it drowns out vocals, but I don’t care.Whatever it loses in vocals, it gains tenfold in acoustics.Pianos, drums, harps, guitars – all sounds are enhanced at Constitution Hall.It made Ben Folds’ encore successful, Smashing Pumpkins’ entire set euphoric, and moved Death Cab from the Merriweather “C” to a far more respectable “B+.”Now if I could only get Arcade Fire to play there...
Another reason for my warmer response to this show was the fact that I had fully listened to Narrow Stairs.Stairs contains numerous haunting songs – “Your New Twin Size Bed,” “Long Division,” “I Will Possess Your Heart” – but “Bixby Canyon Bridge” is my clear favorite.I could go on about its echoes, its atmosphere, and its references to Kerouac, but in truth, I most love that it was featured on Friday Night Lights.Such a slave for that show…
I love following American Idol.I recognize, and at times loathe, the fact that the show can be so shallow and cruel, but overall I find it worth it: for the watercooler moments, the live performances, the immediate reactions, and the possibility every season of an authentic rags-to-riches story.
The thing is, my Idol fandom never continues beyond the finale. I passionately support a contestant the whole season, but once the confetti falls, I’m done. I don’t follow the tour; I don’t buy his or her record; I move on.
David Cook changed that.He scheduled a William and Mary concert on his tour, and I had planned on spending a spring weekend in Williamsburg, so I went.I had more interest in seeing him than, say, Melinda Doolittle or Elliot Yamin – my two other Idol underdogs – because his style is closer to rock, a genre more appealing to me than Motown or R&B.I was also curious to see if he stayed true to his rock roots on his debut album and if he had as much stage presence live as he did on the show.]
The answer to the first question, the album question, was “sometimes.”“Bar-ba-sol” unquestionably rocks, incorporating grungy guitar, thumping bass, and an utter lack of Archuleta.“Kiss on the Neck” is not as ambitious, but does have some nice hard rock riffs.“Mr. Sensitive” is less soft that it title implies, driving through its chorus with remarkable force.The way he powers up at each “I” and each “one” is impressive.He uses a similar propulsion technique in “Declaration.”The weakest tracks are “Heroes,” “Life on the Moon,” “Time of My Life,” and “Avalanche.”They don’t quite drip with Idol goo (there are no “This is My Now” moments), but they are pretty processed.“Light On” is processed too, but it sure is catchy. ;)
The answer to the second question (which asked whether he could maintain the strong stage presence he had on the show), was an emphatic “yes.”The main reason he was able to command the stage was his voice.I’ve been surprised by how often I arrive at a concert and find that the vocal is nowhere near as good as on the record (White Stripes, Death Cab, Counting Crows, Foo Fighters).Sometimes, as with Foo Fighters, the band’s instrumentals and charisma make up for it, but it is a definite issue.Cook’s vocals, by contrast, seemed even stronger live.You could hear him subtly inflect all the melodies, swell up at every chorus – it was impressive.In this sense, Idol probably gave him an advantage over other rockers: a nine-week vocal boot camp before picking up an instrument on tour.
The opening performer, Ryan Star, probably got similar training on his reality show Rock Star Supernova, but he could have benefitted more from kennel training.Initially he seemed interested in all the female fans, panting out brilliant lines like this one to a female English major: “You don’t know English?What did you get on your SATs?”It soon became clear, though, that his strongest object of desire was himself.He caressed each of his arms, made love to the mic stand, stopped and posed mid-song…it was embarrassing.
Cook, fortunately, did not remotely embarrass himself.He came across as confident, not conceited.And his interactions with the crowd were often genuinely funny.Introducing the bitter “Lie,” he asked how many couples were in the audience tonight.After loud applause, he explained, “Yeah, you guys should hang by the tables [outside], ‘cause this song is not for you.”He also described how the band had a lot of trouble playing catch in the muddy SunkenGardens, insisting William and Mary would receive an invoice for “two ruined shoes.”(Thanks to the Flat Hat for reminding me of those specific anecdotes. ;))
Cook’s final winning p.r. move was arranging for a few lucky fans to meet with him after the show.Thanks to Mike Erickson and Andrew Schmadel, my UCAB connections, I was one of those lucky few!The abrasive production manager warned everyone that there was “no time to mess around” (he also told us to “behave ourselves”!), but I was able to get what I wanted.He took a picture, signed the concert sheet, and mostly importantly, chuckled at my Idol reference.I went up to him, shook his hands, and told him he was ok, but no Taylor Hicks.(Taylor Hicks was the scenery-chewing buffoon who won season five.)Without missing a beat, he replied, “Nope -- no one really is.”I then told him that he had been really good, especially the Van Halen “Hot For Teacher” cover.He graciously pointed to his band members and said, “It’s all them, man.Couldn’t do it without them.”What a guy...
Flogging Molly is a whole lot of fun. It does not matter what album you listen to: Swagger, Drunken Lullabies, Within a Mile of Home, or the most recent live one, Whiskey on a Sunday. When you listen, you’re going to get riled up. Lyrically, the song could be as uplifting as “Danny Boy” (many are, haha), but the minute those Irish guitars, fiddles, accordions, and drums start up, you will want to dance.
The problem, sadly, for Flogging Molly was that everything surrounding the music that day sucked. The morning was a monsoon, and scared off two of the people I was supposed to go with. When I arrived at RFK that afternoon, I found that the grounds were a wreck – a soupy river of beer, soda, fries, and mud trickled to your feet as you made your way through the tunnel. I would have been able to stand that – and more – if it hadn’t been for my hands.
As many of you know, I have a condition called Raynaud’s, which causes me to lose all circulation in my hands if it’s remotely damp or cold. So you can imagine that a chilly, drizzly, four-hour festival at the end of winter would cause a great deal of pain. I tried taking my gloves on and off, rubbing them against the warm parts of my body, visiting the refreshing beverage truck (an increase in overall body heat sometimes helps)…but nothing worked. It was miserable. I had not been in such pain since Adam Eckstein and I waited for the train to Munich in January ’06.
The relief I was finally given an hour and a half after arriving came from an unlikely source: a ribs vendor. The guy must have seen me cringing and shivering because he pointed and said, “Come around back.” I didn’t know what he meant at first, but then I could see that there were two flaming racks of ribs at his booth: one in the front to keep warm for customers and another in the back where the ribs were actually cooked. There, he implied, was where I could heat my hands.
He grew a little concerned when I started stifling shrieks a minute later, but when I explained that it’s worst when the circulation starts to come back, he understood. Soon after, the pain climaxed, and then little by little, it started to subside. White fingers changed to white-purple, white-purple fingers changed to purple-red, and then, miraculously, at long last, purple-red fingers changed to full red! I had new life.
In a movie version of this story, I suppose the vendor would have offered me a free rib when I was done. In real life, though, he didn’t -- and didn’t need to. He saw that I was in pain, and went out of his way to stop it. In my book, that’s still an awesome Samaritan.
If events continued to follow a sappy cinematic playbook, I would have left the vendor, fully rejuvenated, and enjoyed a first-rate Flogging Molly show. Sadly, though, there was still an hour before the show was set to begin. There was still plenty of time to refreeze. I hovered between purple-red and white-purple when Flogging Molly first came on stage, but then the rains came. It went back to full-on white. The band did their damndest to keep the crowd into it – taking multiple song requests, repeatedly thanking the crowd for staying, and repeatedly cursing the miserable weather. And the crowd was into it, even with the numerous storm-caused sound failures. I just could not get that into it as I froze.
Oh well. At least I know to see them at an indoor venue next time they come to DC…
For various, uninteresting reasons, all four of these concerts were cancelled. Tear.
Ben Kweller -- Th, Feb 26 -- 9:30 Club -- DC Tokyo Police Club -- Th, Feb 26 -- The Black Cat -- DC Girl Talk -- Fri, Feb 27 -- William & Mary -- Williamsburg, VA Modest Mouse -- Friday, March 13 -- 9:30 Club -- DC
An entire album straight through! What an intriguing idea! For those of you who read my Ben Folds review and think I’m mocking Folds or Jimmy Eat World, let me assure you: I am not. I think it’s a compelling model that I hope more musicians adopt. Folds’ problem was he gave fans no advance notice and chose an album they could not have heard in the first place – it had not been released! Jimmy Eat World, by contrast, announced well ahead of time that this would be a nostalgia show – they would be performing all of Clarity, a lesser known album from before they hit it big.
The coolest thing about the full album concept was that I could experience three different concerts in one day. First, in school, as I prepared my lessons, I could re-familiarize myself with all the songs, in their designated order. Second, on the car ride to DC, I could listen to a headphone dress rehearsal, an uninterrupted dry run for the live show. And then, finally, at the club, I could hear the music come to life.
Clarity is not the best Jimmy Eat World album (there’s a reason Bleed American is the most popular), but it is the most suited to a full performance. Its first four songs build slowly and are relatively quiet. This makes for a gradual transition. You are out of the headphones, no longer listening to the songs in your car, but you also are not at a raucous public concert. If you close your eyes, as I did midway through the second song, it feels like they are performing for just you. You’ve somehow arranged your own private show.
The other, less egomaniacal reason the opening songs worked so well is they formed a crescendo. Everything built up to “Crush.” Low-key sounds kept rumbling around for fifteen minutes, there was a final triangle twinkle at the end of “A Sunday,” and then it EXPLODED. The first ten seconds of “Crush” were exhilarating: “Faaate is not keep falling…fallllllllling, yeah…” More importantly, these seconds were earned. Everyone’s eyes were opened and everyone started to fist pump not because “Crush” had been a single, but because they could feel that “Crush” had arrived.
The only major disappointment of the show was that they played “Goodbye Sky Harbor.” I know, it would have been rather awkward to play a straight album show and then leave out the last track, but it still would have been wise to do so. With the exception of Eminem’s vile “Kim,” “Goodbye Sky Harbor” is my official least favorite song. It takes one of my favorite genres – the Epic Mood Track – and DESTROYS it by playing a bell for thirteen straight minutes! Like, all you hear is this bleeping bell – and the phrase “dododada” -- for thirteen straight minutes! It’s awful.
They include some swirling electronica for the last two minutes, but that’s no real consolation. It still assaults all other Epic Mood Tracks that went before it. Wilco’s “Spiders” and Death Cab’s “Transatlanticism” are not for everyone. They do require a lot of patience; you certainly could describe them as indulgent. At least, though, they try to do something. At least they include different sounds. At least they’re not “GOODBYE SKY HARBOR”!
Fortunately, even “Goodbye Sky Harbor” could not suck the life out of the show. They finished with two non-Clarity tracks: “Pain” (which is far more pleasurable than “Harbor”) and “Sweetness” (a song which never fails to make me smile). If they decide to include these in a Bleed American show a few years from now, I’ll be the first on line…
I don’t really know what to make of Kings of Leon – or their NYC concert. I like that they’re edgy (more than I can say for The Killers) and accessible (more than I can say for TV on the Radio). I also like there is no awkward, undeveloped quality in their early albums – Youth and Young Manhood / Aha Shaka Heartbreak have just as many engaging songs as Because of the Times / Only by the Night.
The problem is ‘like’ is the word I continually find myself using when describing them. They’re likable, approachable…yet rarely embraceable. My favorite use for them is background music: they’re on whenever I’m reading, typing, or doing laundry. Amusing as the laundry image may be (what young band does not aspire to be the audio someone half hears over an industrial strength drier?!), it is probably a bit unfair. I have gone out of my way to listen to some of their songs (“Crawl,” “The Bucket,” “Use Somebody”) and there were two moments that genuinely moved me during their NYC show.
The first was listening to “Sex on Fire.” It had not been my favorite song beforehand, but seeing the reaction, seeing all of Madison Square Garden literally and figuratively glow at the “fiiiiiiire” part, was impressive. Now I pump up the volume every time I hear it on DC 101.
The second moment truly was exceptional. It was the first time I can think of that a performer actually said something about a specific audience in a specific city…and meant it. Frontman Caleb Followill explained that, for them, “This is it, man. Coming up all our lives, playing bars and small halls, and now, Madison Square Garden. This is it, man.” Sincerity – gets me every time.
Wilco, The White Stripes, Dispatch, Muse, The Shins, Guster, Jimmy Eat World, Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Ok Go, Foo Fighters, The New Rockers, Bruce Springsteen, Lifehouse, Nada Surf, Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, REM, Alkaline Trio, Alkaline Trio, Bruce Sprinsteen, Bruce Springsteen, Wilco, The Offspring, Jack Johnson, Foo Fighters, Counting Crows, Ben Folds, Weezer, Cake, Alkaline Trio, Rise Against, Coldplay, The Who, Smashing Pumpkins, AC/DC, Oasis, The Killers, Kings of Leon, Jimmy Eat World, Ben Kweller, Tokyo Police Club, Girl Talk, Modest Mouse, Flogging Molly, David Cook, Death Cab for Cutie, Kings of Leon, Sister Hazel, The Decemberists, Alkaline Trio, Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen, Tv on the Radio, Wilco, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Blink 182, Weezer, Taking Back Sunday, Rise Against, Green Day, Jet, The Bravery, Blink 182, Weezer, Ben Folds, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen, The Get Up Kids, Bob Dylan, The Pixies, Weezer, Rock and Cole, Rise Against, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Alkaline Trio, Spoon, Ben Folds, Nada Surf, Vampire Weekend, The Protomen, Phoenix, Weezer, Arcade Fire, Spoon, The Presidents of the United States of America, Live, Naughty by Nature, Everclear, Third Eye Blind, Billy Idol, Rock and Cole, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Gogol Bordello, Girl Talk, Jimmy Eat World, Bon Jovi, DJ Pauly D, Carbon Leaf, Dropkick Murphys, Girl Talk, The Strokes, Lupe Fiasco, Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Jack's Mannequin, Guster, Wilco, Smashing Pumpkins, Givers, Ra Ra Riot, Wu Lyf, Foo Fighters, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Rock and Cole, O.A.R., The Black Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Nada Surf, Guster, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, Wilco, Motley Crue, Kiss, Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket, Bruce Springsteen, Alabama Shakes, Nas, ZZ Top, Jack White, Nas, Skrillex, Dispatch, Passion Pit, Of Monsters and Men, Rock and Cole, Fun., Mumford and Sons, Elliott Yamin, Crystal Bowersox, Rockapella ft. Carmen Sandiego, Alkaline Trio, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Grizzly Bear, The XX, Bruno Mars, Beyonce, Guster, Ben Folds Five, BN Ladies, American Idol Season 12 Tour, Jimmy Eat World, Imagine Dragons, The Flaming Lips, Franz Ferdinand, Alkaline Trio, Alkaline Trio, Elton John, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kanye West, Rock and Cole, Rebelution, Young The Giant, Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen, Alabama Shakes, Ben Folds, Queen ft. Adam Lambert, New Politics, Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Phillip Phillips, OAR, Arcade Fire, Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters, Zac Brown Band, Black Keys, Carrie Underwood, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Eminem, Taking Back Sunday, Ben Folds, Dave Matthews Band, Mumford and Sons, Kelly Clarkson, Foo Fighters, Rise Against, OAR, Christina Perri, Ed Sheeran, Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar, Givers, Straight No Chaser, Melinda Doolittle, Muse, Bruce Springsteen, Wilco, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Guns 'n Roses, Paul Simon, Panic! At the Disco, Weezer, Tony Bennett, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Weird Al Yankovich, Bruce Springsteen, Adele, Jimmy Eat World, Green Day, Explosions in the Sky, Wilco, Rise Against, Dispatch, Jimmy Eat World, Incubus, Sister Hazel, Regina Spektor, Ben Folds, Roger Waters, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Colony House, Mutemath, Foo Fighters, Bruce Springsteen, Haley Reinhart, Dispatch, Franz Ferdinand,U2, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, Game of Thrones: Live Concert Experience, The Pixies, Weezer, Gary Clark Jr., Muse, Snow Patrol. Ben Platt, The Rolling Stones, Ra Ra Riot, Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind, and The Mountain Goats, Sonic Castaways, Jeremy Eliot, Norah Jones, Mavis Staples, Katy Perry, Wilco, Nada Surf, Jazz Trotters, Foo Fighters, Guster, Rise Against, Sleater-Kinney, Wilco, The Eagles, Noah Kahan, Laughing Colors, Up All Night, Guster, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Dave Tieff, Rage Against The Machine, Franz Ferdinand, Dispatch, O.A.R., The Killers, Broken Social Scene, 'Bruce Springsteen' at Paul Verbesey's 'Surprise' Party, Arcade Fire, Noah Kahan, The Struts, Spoon, Jimmy Eat World, Straight No Chaser, Van Morrison [Newmyer Flyer], Bruce Springsteen [Newmyer Flyer], Colony House, Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen, Lauryn Hill. [Recaps soon to come for Dispatch, Jason Isbell, OAR, Goo Goo Dolls, Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service, and Taylor Swift.]
Upcoming Shows
Hozier (Friday, May 17, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD). Alanis Morissette (Saturday, June 29, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD). Joan Jett (Saturday, June 29, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD). Foo Fighters (Tuesday, July 23, Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA). Fitz and The Tantrums (Saturday, July 27, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD). OAR (Saturday, July 27, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD).
Somehow, though, as I entered William and Mary, I did not feel musically secure. Why had Creed not given me more cred?! 
