84 / 85 / 86 -- Shamrockfest [DJ Pauly D / Carbon Leaf / Dropkick Murphys] -- Saturday, March 12, 2011 -- RFK Stadium Parking Lots -- DC

It was a miracle: it did not rain at Shamrockfest. For the first time in seven years, there were no frigid toes, no frigid fingers, and no soupy river of mud and beer flowing through the stadium lots. I don’t know who deserves the credit: God? Mother Nature? Jimmy Edmonds? In any case, it was satisfying to start the festival with unexpectedly nice weather. It was also satisfying to be there with so many fun people: i.e. Hurricane, Ryan Ball, Lindsay Cochrane, and Jimmy. Somewhat less satisfying was the fact that the biggest name at the festival was…

DJ PAULY D: Carbon Leaf and Dropkick Murphys were the bigger names among actual music fans, but it seemed like there was a bigger media buzz for Pauly D. How would the Jersey Shore sensation perform? What would he be like in action? The problem was that his ‘action’ consisted of pressing play on various Top 40 hits, pausing only to shout “DJ Pauly D!” two times a song. Can you imagine Girl Talk interrupting his creative mashups every two minutes to shout “DJ Gregg Gillis!” Awkward. Some of the mix was definitely entertaining, but that was not a result of the Pauly’s skillz. He did not splice the Top 40 hits; he was not responsible for the sound and lighting that made the dance tent pulse. His main responsibility was to stroke his own ego – to bring Merriweather to the Jersey Shore…

Grade: C+

CARBON LEAF: Carbon Leaf and Dropkick Murphys both delivered competent live performances, so my review really comes down to which band I like better. “American Tale” has a cool, smoky, “Airport Song” vibe to it, and the contrast between the beat and the story in “The Boxer” is great, but overall, I find Carbon Leaf a bit boring. On an iPod, fiddles and tin whistles sound chill. In concert, without some new, exciting variable, they sound dull.

Grade: B-

DROPKICK MURPHYS: Dropkick Murphys, by contrast, almost never sound boring. They maintain your interest no matter what the genre: pop punk (“Walk Away”), hard punk (“Skinhead in the MBTA”), driving anthem (“Fields of Athenry”), funeral ballad (“The Green Fields of France”), etc. I’d also challenge anyone to find a funnier, truer drinking satire than “Kiss Me, I’m...” 

It took me a long time to recognize it, but I do owe John Bavoso an apology. Jolly, you were right: Dropkick Murphys do rock.

Grade: A-

83 -- Bon Jovi -- Sunday, February 27, 2011 -- Verizon Center -- DC

Bon Jovi delivered exactly what you’d expect him to. He included almost every song on his Greatest Hits album, played a few solid new ones, and got 20,000 people to first pump. (James, Meghan Rose, and I were among the fist pumpers.) He could not compare to Bruce Springsteen in terms of charisma, gravitas, or overall song quality, but who could? It was enough that he knew who he was and what his audience wanted. Consistency may not win you major awards or earn my highest grade, but it can certainly be satisfying. As Bon Jovi said during the show, to thunderous applause, “Things may change – Madonna may give way to Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake and even Justin Bieber. But you know who stays the same? This guy.”

Grade: B+

Endnotes:

(1) Before I link the Jovi standbys “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “It’s My Life,” and “Have a Nice Day,” I should mention “Work for the Working Man,” a newer song I heard for the first time at the concert. Listening to it at the show, I could hear how the song was relevant in today’s economy. I later found out just how relevant: former Obama Chief of Staff David Axelrod posted the lyrics in the White House!

(2) Which version of “You Give Love a Bad Name” do you think is better: the original or Blake Lewis’? Controversial as it may be, I have to go with Blake Lewis…

82 -- Jimmy Eat World -- Sunday, February 13, 2011 -- 9:30 Club -- DC

I really should be used to the pattern at this point, but I’m surprised every time. The pattern goes like this: I see a couple of lackluster shows, I assume that’s how shows will be from now on, and then, out of nowhere, I see an “A” show. The lyrics, vocals, instruments, and stage presence come together in a way that makes me, once again, believe in live music.

The unique element of this “A” concert was that, at first, it had nothing going for it. I’d already seen Jimmy Eat World live twice, and the last concert had been a tricked-out full-album show. There was nowhere to go but down.

And yet, this Jimmy Eat World Sunday show was a blast. They sold you on each word of each song. They did not rely on gimmicks; they let their music generate the excitement. You left Girl Talk and Gogol Bordello with a sugar rush; you left Jimmy Eat World with a five-course meal.

Grade: A

81 -- Girl Talk -- Tuesday, February 2, 2011 -- 9:30 Club -- DC

So many people had raved about Girl Talk before the show. Mike Vance, Mike Erickson, Andrew Schmadel, Sara Rutter, Matt Decarlo, and Katie Stanhagen had all sworn that DJ Gregg Gillis puts on an incredible live show. After finally seeing him at the 9:30 Club, I had to agree. Lights pulsed, beats thumped, hundreds of white yuppies shouted gangsta rap…it was pretty funny. As with Gogol Bordello, there was no deep emotional connection, but it was nice to be invited to a rockin’ party. Every few minutes something new would be added to the party: multicolored balloons would be dropped, multicolored confetti would be sprayed, and three enormous rubber cylinders would be launched at audience members’ faces! Whether the cylinders hit you or not, you could chuck it across the room into someone else! So yeah, Girl Talk was a good time. :)

Grade: B+

80 -- Gogol Bordello -- Friday, December 31, 2010 -- 9:30 Club -- DC

I’ll give Gogol Bordello this: they gave it their all. They did everything they could to rock in the new year: pounding their guitars, yanking their accordions, even leaping into the audience at one point! The problem was, other than the chorus-heavy “Supertheory of Supereverything” and "Wonderlust King,” you could not understand a word they were saying. Their mumbly Eastern European accents made comprehension a serious challenge. There were definitely fun moments (“Start Wearing Purple”!) and the midnight champagne helped, but it’s hard to fully enjoy a performance when you can’t hear it.

Grade: B