Let’s get my disappointment out of the way at the outset: they played almost no Neon Bible. Getting to hear just one track from my favorite Arcade Fire album (also my first) was frustrating – especially when a few of the songs they played instead were second-rate.
That said, everything else about the show was awesome. See why below:
--- I like that they didn't start with “Reflektor;” “Afterlife” was an unexpected anthem.
--- Ha, Win Butler primed the crowd with “DC” chants so early. Glad he did not fit the indie snob label.
--- Glad I was able to share the show with Mike Vance, Andrew Schmadel, and (in spirit) Matthue Rama, Marianne Ward, and Augusta McKenzie. They seemed to enjoy it as well.
--- “Neighborhood 3 (Power Out).” God, I've heard that so many times prepping after school. Yet it was better live.
--- “Rebellion (Lies)”!! Lol: Win threw a water bottle, and everyone dove for it. “Sleeping is giving in, no matter what they tell ya.”
--- Surprised I recognized and automatically head bobbed “Joan of Arc” from the new album.
--- “Getting Right,” an unreleased track off Reflektor. So that’s why they didn’t release it...
--- When you've listened to an album a hundred times, you recognize and like minor songs like “Month of May.” Cool washed-out, trippy ending I hadn't noticed before.
--- “The Suburbs”: the first song that was actually less good live. It has this corny, bouncy charm on the album; here it just felt limp. Cool ending though, including an audience slow clap.
--- “Ready to Start”!!! RHYTHM. Vivid imagery as well: “The businessmen they drink my blood – like the kids in art school said they would.”
--- $1 from each ticket goes to Partners In Health. Good for them.
--- “Neighborhood (Tunnels)”!! Their first song, notttt my first time hearing it. Listen to it every time I'm stressed. Even better now when I'm stress free.
--- “No Cars Go”!!
--- What’s the “Haiti”an word for lackluster…
--- “Time we join the modern world and allow people to marry.” I did not know that “We Exist” was a marriage song.
--- “Mountains II (Sprawl)”: nice change of pace.
--- HA: there are these human-size Obama, Biden, and Founding Fathers dancing on the front and back stages. What's going on?!
--- Hahaha, Win just takes a selfie -- during “Reflektor.” Get it?
--- “Normal Person”: unexpectedly great. Worth the red confetti. Plus, he just said, “Nice to be here at The Black Cat.” What a reference!!! Should have texted Matt DeCarlo in Richmond.
--- “Here Comes the Nighttime.” Mega confetti! Best line I'd never noticed: “If there's no music in heaven, what's it for?” So true.
--- “Wake Up”!!! Should have texted Mike Erickson in Richmond.
--- One thrown tambourine, two caught tambourines, and three lightly-tapped bongos: what an ending.
Grade: A-
--- "Love and Memories"!!! The best opener of any of the six July concerts. Cathy chorus, comprehensible lyrics, and total band-crowd connection. I'm jumping every other line.
--- “We're OAR, from Rockville MD.” Heh, the crowd explodes. “I have just been informed this is the 10th time we've played Merriweather. I think this time is special.” Explodes again. No wonder this is much better than when they played at 9:30 Club: homecourt advantage.
--- “About Mr. Brown” gets a Merriweather reference! As does this appropriate lyric: “what'd you say about this [beautiful] weather?” The ending also shows their music remains relevant: “stand up, hold your ground.” This song features a trumpet, trombone, AND sax: Phillip Phillips can't compete.
--- Oooh, dark blue vibe. “Right On Time.” Marc Roberge's voice is so clear.
--- The only small thing holding the concert back is me not really knowing certain songs, like this new one, “Hands up.”
--- Definitely like “52-50,” with its fierce, sax-driven “rain on / hey” part. “I know I'll be home, one day, TO STAY.” This is not just a jam; it’s a story!!!
--- “Favorite So-ng-ng-ng.” Not a true title, it’s too poppy, but it’s still enjoyable.
--- My criticism of their 9:30 Club concert was it was low energy. Based on tonight, I can’t believe that was true!
--- “Shattered.” The vocal clarity is so appreciated. Lyrics are more meaningful when you understand them! Roberge, after the audience sang an entire verse: “It's like a dream come true.” Aww!!
--- “Hey Girl.” Nooo, iPhone stop running out of battery! This one's enjoyable too -- saxxxx! Trrrrrumpet -- the guy spontaneously high fives the whole front row! “I told him my bandmate, ‘When you get to MD, you're gonna be knocked out’…..I've been in that field section many times. Crazy things happened in that field, man.”
--- Roberge’s favorite song off the new album: “We'll Pick Up Where You Left Off.” Not mine.
--- “The Architect”: meh. “Heard The World”: woo.
--- “Heaven.” The brass players sing! “I don't want heaven if they don't want me” is a memorable line.
--- “I Will Find You” has POWER. Aww at the River Road reference and the switch to “I *Found* You” at the end.
--- “Peace” after the encore. Gah, "Crazy Game of Poker" would make a great transition after this. They better do it. Please do it.
--- They did it!! Flying playing cards!!!
--- Lol, Phillip Phillips is back – for George Harrison's “When My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Great contrast to end the show.
Grade: A
Phillip Phillips was my fourth American Idol concert. I previously saw Elliott Yamin in DC, Crystal Bowersox in DC, and all the Season 12 finalists in Charlotte. On the one hand, Phillip ranked dead last in terms of personality. The only performer I have seen with less charisma was Jack Johnson. That’s not saying much, though, considering that the fly who buzzed around the frets of Johnson’s guitar had more charisma. On the other hand, Phillip’s music was probably closer to my genre that any of the other Idol finalists.
How did those two elements come together during the concert? By canceling each other out. See what I mean below:
--- “Man on the Moon.” Heh, trumpet guy's the star. PP spurs on the crowd a bit already: nice. Awesome electric jam!
--- Some monotone mumble.
--- “Fly.” Nice mood piece. Would fit well with the infamous “Fly” episode of Breaking Bad. Lol at the hard rock cello. The trumpet and jamming is making me crave an eventual Dave
Matthews show.
--- I literally have no clue what he said to the crowd. He says “I want you to be really loud for this next one” WITH NO VOCAL INFLECTION.
--- “Raging Fire” is hilariously upbeat. The crowd-prompted “ah-ah-ah”s are so pleasant and rage-free.
--- Less pleasant is the sentence he just slurred after the song.
--- “Get Up Get Down” is meh live…...Until the trumpet jam!! The trumpet’s the best part of each song! This one was especially good because the vocals came back at the end -- and were so much better with the buy-in.
--- I recognize "Lead On" -- yay for me! The song's nothing special, but it's worth noting that there's no vocal falloff from the albums. His voice was not exactly his strong suit on Idol, but anyone who makes it through the show has to be competent. Ooh, a trombone comes in. Of course it's the star of the song. Would have been bettered if the vocal returned, but it’s still cool.
--- “Alright,” he whispers. This guy needs his own late-night talk show…
--- “Gone Gone Gone” rules. Hahaha, I thought the line was "cause I'm drunk and can't stop bleeding"; turns out it's "like a drum, baby, don't stop beating." The real lyrics are much better. ;) His 15-second smile after the song seems genuine. Woo, actual personality!
--- Heh at two guys' "Phil-lip Phil-lips" sports chant.
--- Wish “Alive Again” and “Unpack Your Heart” had jams.
--- “Where We Came From” had a jam at the end and this cool spoken-word rap thing, so it's much better.
--- Ooh, dark mood beginning: promising. “Trigger”!! Abrupt ending, but by far the best of the night. Mounting tension the whole time and a strong vocal. The jam wasn’t the excitement; it added to the excitement.
--- Quote from the girl next to me: “Maybe Phillip doesn’t know he’s mumbling?” The natural followup: does his manager?
--- Apparently a cover of Peter Gabriel's “Digging in the Dirt.” Which he does not explain to the crowd. Love the extended clapping drum solo though. And how during it, some guy went "Let's Go O's."
--- “Home”!! The only way to end the show, the only good coronation song in American Idol history. Totally worthy of the whistle it got from a guy in the bathroom after the show.
Grade: B
For years, I would never have considered seeing Fall Out Boy. The negative association I had with them from my first year teaching was too much to handle. Fortunately, I got over that experience, and seven years later, I was able to enjoy a heckuva show.
--- “The Phoenix”!! Killer opener. Fire used with a purpose. So much better than Paramore.
--- “This Ain't a Scene; It’s an Arms Race.” Such a memorable chorus.
--- “Alone Together” is better still; the chorus and verses are catchy.
--- “Suga, We're Goin Down.” The crowd is unbelievable.
--- “Sometimes it doesn't just ‘get’ better. That seems to undersell a generation of kids. Sometimes you have to crack the pavement for it to get better." Deep stuff, Pete Wentz.
--- Random “99 Problems” drum solo where the drum set moved backwards. Okay…
--- “Dance, Dance.” Props to Patrick Stump losing close to nothing vocally from the albums.
--- “I Don't Care.” A lot of other people do! They also like “Light ‘Em Up.”
--- “Just One Yesterday.” Heh, Stump loves popping balloons, like bubble wrap. “Popping is the best part.” Truth.
--- “Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is The Boy.” This hulk in the audience spins like a madman: HA.
--- “Save Rock and Roll.” The band members look cool walking on multi-level black staging.
--- Awww, Wentz plays “We Are the Champions” as a shout out to his non-punk-rock dad who still taking him to so many punk shows as a kid. The dad dancing with his daughter during it!
--- “Young Volcanoes.” Another well-written, satisfying song. I will actually download each of the albums *after* the concert. When have I done that before?!
Grade: B+ / A-
Paramore could not have done anymore to make me like them. I really thought they would fit the model of my first Rise Against show. I thought their live performance and ebullient fanbase could make up for the fact that I did not really know or like most of their albums. Ultimately, they couldn’t make up for it, but I was able to enjoy numerous moments over the course of the show.
--- “Still Into You” sounds a bit like “Beat It.” Ha, the crowd's obsessed.
--- “That's What You Get (when you let your heart win).” Gotta admire how much everyone's into it.
--- Hayley Williams looks like the pop-punk girl without a dragon tattoo. Either that or a girl who moonlights as an aerobics instructor.
--- “I want you to all look all the way back there to the back of the lawn. There are PEOPLE there.” Nice.
--- “We'll save the talking for later. For now we have to rip into you some more.”
--- Love the “Monkey Wrench”-style pause during "Ignorance is Your New Best Friend."
--- “Decode” is a force of nature -- such moody build.
--- Aww, ten years ago at Merriweather, ten people saw them falling off a forest stage. Hard work pays off!
--- If I could recognize any of the songs, this would be amazing.
--- "The Only Exception." Yay, slow love song: that means distinguishable words! Sounds oddly country.
---Genuinely moving intro to “Last Hope.” Combating depression is certainly relevant to mention. The song itself is great too -- especially before the instruments kick in. Yessss. Intelligibility! “Let it happppen” -- I will actually listen to this on the way home.
--- "Brick by Boring Brick": reminds me of a fairy tale castle. Red confetti!
--- Hahahah, the crowd flips out for "Misery Business." Aka the hourglass song. “How well do you know this song, on a scale of one to coming up and singing with us?” This guy named Tim comes up and sings with a golden mic! And the crowd spontaneously started a "Tim Tim Tim" chant after he left!! By far the best part of the night.
--- Some less jumpy song I was able to breathe during.
--- Um, she’s mood rumbling on the ground... "What a mess" -- agreed... Technically it's called “Part II.”
--- During “Proof” and “Ain't it Fun,” streamers, colorful balls, and more confetti (white this time) fly down. I’d prefer an emotional connection, but it’s better than nothing.
Grade: B
Walking into the New Politics show, I was already in a good mood. Minor as it sounds, I found it so satisfying that Merriweather posted exact set times for the three bands on the phone, their website, and the ticket window. All venues should do that -- or at least one of the three. I was also happy to have gotten upgraded from a lawn seat to the front row for less than $20 the day of the concert!
The actual show was far from perfect, but in general, good vibes continued throughout…
--- The standing-room-only crowd I'm in is pumped for songs they don't even know. Awesome.
--- The guy in front of me has a baseball cap from BradPaisley.com. Question mark.
--- Please “Give Me Hope” that the whole night will not be destroyed that by the eardrum-thudding bass that swallowed that entire song. The next song, “Berlin,” talks about a heart exploding – it feels like a different part of the body...
--- The band is doing everything they can to ingratiate themselves with the crowd despite the sound. Omg, lead singer David Boyd just did a ten-second crowd hand stand while singing!!! Don’t even care that I can’t recognize any lyrics.
--- Whatever dubsteppy junk this is is fine because Boyd is doing The Worm, The Spinning Worm, and a Lyric-Linked No-Hand Handstand!!!
--- “Just Like Me”: whoa, I can recognize actual words. Helps when you have nursery-rhyme-simple lyrics.
--- “We're from Copenhagen, which you may not know much. If you go home and don't remember us much, no worries. Frankly, that sounds about right. We still want to say, though: follow what you believe in. Don’t let anyone stop your dreams.” Humble inspiration: nice.
--- “Harlem”! They added this strange Nirvana ending which did not seem to fit. As usual, though, that became irrelevant, as they were able to charm even the people in the back out of their seats.
--- If New Politics developed vocals, gravitas, and vulnerability, they'd be dangerous.
Grade: B+
As soon as I arrived in my upper deck seat, the girl next to me apologized. She was concerned I would be offended by her loud whoo’ing. I laughed and explained that there was nothing to apologize about. It meant some rare life in the cheap seats! It was also a great sign for the rest of the night…
--- Adam Lambert began “Now I'm Here” by half-exposing his sunglasses -- oh, that saucy frontman... Yay that’s he’s already invoking “New…York…City.”
--- LOVE the high-definition big-screens they put up so the limited-view nosebleed section can see. Other than the crowd, which is actually a bit limp, these seats are probably better than the mezzanine!
--- “Stone Cold Crazy.” Don't know the song but the rat-a-tat translates.
--- Ba-da-duh-duh-duh, “Another One Bites the Dust.”
--- “Fat Bottomed Girls”! Great late-song guitar solo: by far the best so far.
--- Elton John intro for “In The Lap of the Gods (Revisited).” Lol at Adam Lambert's glittery shawl half-opening to reveal a black tank top. A lot of smoke and flashing lights for an early song.
--- Lol at him cat sprawling all over the purple-couch tacouch. (*tacky couch*) Apparently “Killer Queen” is not “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The intro had me fooled.
--- HA: “When I get lonely, I drink alone and douse myself in rhinestone -- like any sensible gay would do.” This quip makes up for spitting wine into the crowd and saying the people should be thankful for it…
--- “Somebody to Love!” Spinning body, singalongs, vocal acroBATics.
--- “I Want It All.” Solid guitar solo.
--- “Love of My Life”!!!!! Adam Lambert leaves, Brian May approaches center stage, and you have eight minutes of vulnerable, band-crowd magic. May gasps, “Oh my god. Bucket list. Lord knows I'm not a singer. Who could imagine we'd be welcomed back as rock gods all these years later? Freddie would sit in the seat next to me -- maybe you could be him.” The crowd then did their best to sing the words they knew…before being joined by a recording of Freddie at the climax. The best concert moment of Summer 2014.
--- “39” and some other lackluster song. The Copacabana drum solo was enhanced by the connection between Roger Taylor and his son.
--- Perfect transition to “Under Pressure.” A bit jarring when Lambert The Impostor returns, but they work it out quickly. The song ends up strong.
--- Brian May: “Ladies and gentleman: I just have one question. What do you think of the new guy?” Heh.
--- Adam Lambert: “By the way, I have to stop and give props, beyond props, to the one and only Freddie Mercury.” Smart / necessary.
--- “Love Kills,” some obscure/meh song from the film Metropolis. Yeah, it kills the momentum...
--- “Who Wants to Live Forever” is MADE for Adam Lambert.
--- I first wrote: “Intriguing bass chords of death from Brian May. Some might hate it, but I appreciate the experimentation.” Seven minutes after that, I took back everything I said, “This is a rock concert, not Fantasia. Give it a rest already. In. Dull. Gent.
--- “Give Me That Love”! Exhausting and AL still kind of seems like a jerk, but I appreciate the amount of time he spent getting the crowd to learn rhythms.
--- “Radio Gaga.” The clapping part is good.
--- AL fake sneers “that's it?” to the audience's reaction. Um, the joke doesn't work if it's too close your usual pose...
--- “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”! Nice little moment with Brian May plinking the piano.
--- Oooh, vibe switch. Jordin Sparks or Melinda Doolittle should doing this song. “The Show Must Go On.” I'm a FAN.
--- “Bohemian Rhapsody”!!! Great how AL plays it straight (heh). It's a song best not messed with. HA at Brian May’s golden cape suit.
--- After the encore, the crowd finally gets up -- and remains up the rest of the time!
--- “We Will Rock You.” Lol at AL's sparkly gold suit and crown.
--- “We Are The Champions”! They…kept on fighting…till the gold confetti cannons went off. Then, it was the end.
Grade: B+ / A-
Psyched to unexpectedly see Meghan Rose O’Neill at the start of the show! Live commentary on the performance below…
--- He continually apologizes for telling stories…when the stories make every song better! We learn that he’s spent the last year writing a full piano movement, he spent his first year in DC opening for a dinosaur band, 73-year-old Burt Bacharach and his 2-year-old kid were the last people standing during an all-night-party, “One Down and 3.6 to Go” referred to having 4.6 required songs left on Ben’s recording contract, Ben does a spot-on Paul Schaeffer impression, and he dedicated “Best Imitation of Myself” to Stephen Colbert!
--- Who knew Ben Folds had a song covered by Bette Midler?! “I wrote ‘Boxer’ as a wimpy rebellion song against my publisher.” The best song so far, especially the pounding part.
--- Ben’s “Denny’s” dad informed him that the surest way to tell if someone’s working class is a loose collar and a thick wallet.
--- “You guys are so patient. I mess up more than any performer I've ever met.”
--- “Effington” and “Eddie Walker” are much better than I remember. Always knew “Jesusland” was good.
--- Tough not to like the Plinko-sponsored “Annie Waits” and the James-Porter-sponsored “Still Fighting It.” Great transition to the encore.
Grade, before the encore: A- A number of hyper-obscure tracks gave it the minus; the vocals, piano, stories, and spontaneity gave it the A. Bonus points for the hardcore crowd and being able to sit the entire time.
Grade, after the encore: A+ Every Ben Folds song I had never heard live before appeared in one sprint! “Zak and Sara,” “The Luckiest,” AND “Rocking the Suburbs” were there. Throw in “Landed,” “Kate,” “Not the Same,” and a DRUM EXPLOSION, and you had the non-Bruce musical moment of the year. It’s hard for me to do justice in describing the drum explosion. Out of nowhere, he got up and rhythmically destroyed a drum set. He did it in a way neither Imagine Dragons nor Franz Ferdinand could match. Not bad for a guy known for the piano…
Live iPhone notes below…
--- Frontwoman Brittany Howard, walking on to a hilarious Boys 2 Men track, announced, “we’ve got some surprises in store for you!” Her unscripted ‘wooo!’ during “Rise to the Sun” qualified as one of those. I was also surprised to find that “Always Alright” was from Silver Linings Playbook, not Boys and Girls.
--- The shocker of the night, however, was “Hold On.” First, I was surprised they would play their biggest hit so early. Second, I was surprised how mind-blowingly good it was. I had been furious at the start of the show (over a now-positive situation), and that song single-handedly got me over my anger.
--- The guy in the crowd during “Heartbreaker” broke mine. Who could be sad when he was so moved? Love the last few mumbled lines at the end.
--- Classy shout out to the crowd on the top level. “We're gonna get to know each other tonight.”
--- Brittany debuts this spoken-word, just-the-mic song named “Joe.” There was another new one about “loving you or your Mickey Mouse tattoo,” lol.
--- “DC, ‘Be Mine’!” After a performance like that, she certainly was!!
--- A second song single-handedly overcomes my anger. This time, I cease to notice crippling lower back problems after I come back from the bathroom and hear her launching into “Heavy Chevy,” a high-energy scat bonus track.
--- Sounds like she says, “Thank you for the hemp.” (She actually says ‘hand.’ ;))
--- Awesomely moody track, by FAR my favorite new one: “Gemini I & II.” “Psychedelic,” a man in the crowd insists, “It’s Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused.”
--- Perfect transition with “On Your Way”! Such build as well. I am so seeing them again. Maybe with Mike Erickson for the second time, Kyle Carlock / Alex Kelley for the first, or someone totally new. Regardless, they’re worth sharing.
--- Brittany’s intro to “You Ain't Alone”: “Glad you came, DC. Glad you came. Make me feel so good. You've got me sweating feverishly, got my cardiovascular system pumping. I don't know anything...except I like it.” Couldn’t agree more.
Grade: A
A disclaimer: the notes below do not say much. They offer far too little analysis and far too many exclamation points. They do, however, offer an accurate account of the night in Charlotte: my most emotional concert since my first Springsteen show seven years earlier…
--- I was shocked that he started with the night with “Iceman,” a track I had never even heard of. Guts.
--- "High Hopes” had EDGE. It had trumpets, it had Tom Morello, it fit The Wire theme song, and it got Hark whooping without any prompting!
--- “Just Like Fire Would.” Awww, middle-school-trumpet flashback.
---- Awwwwww at “Cadillac Ranch” off The River. Everyone loved the Carolina shout out!! Eight band members swung on the bottom row.
--- “Louis Louay”: the fun continued.
--- Hadn't played “Mustang Sally” in “50 YEARS!" “What key is this in?” Lol at the falsetto and the climax. “Ride, Sally, ride.”
--- “Badlands”!!!! The lyrics!!
--- “No Surrender”!!! They randomly made it acoustic three minutes in -- made it that much better.
--- Can’t remember if I Hark or I said, “I don’t know when I’m going to be able to pee.” Great sign either way!
--- “Hungry Heart”!!!! A 64-year-old man just chugged a beer, dove into a crowd, grabbed song requests mid crowd-surf, and sang the entire song in tune. What was in that beer?
--- Love the shalalalas in “Brown Eyed Girl,” the brown-haired girl who waited “on a Sunny Day,” the cool down in “Racing in the Street,” and the fact that “Out in the Street” sounds like The Little Mermaid.
--- This lady attempts to chide me for diving to the bathroom during “Jack of All Trades”: “How could you leave during this?” My death stare makes her reconsider.
--- “Death to My Hometown” was good. “Wrecking Ball” put Miley to shame. (As if that’s difficult…)
--- At the Virginia Beach show a week earlier, I said the new “Tom Joad” was polarizing. This time it was uniformly AWESOME.
--- “The Rising”: woo. “Light of Day / Galveston Bay”: who knew?! The “800, 900 miles, na na na” section is so catchy!!
--- With that, it was time for the encore. It turned out to be the greatest encore I have witnessed by any band in 151 concerts. The fact that Hark Tagunicar was there for it and had taken part in an annotated 30-song countdown the ten days leading up to it made it that much more special. I was able to type out a brief reaction to the acoustic “Darkness,” the tender “Wall,” and my first-ever “Born in the USA.” After that, though, I could not type.
Hark, the couple from Williamsburg next to us, the rest of the arena, and I had to head into another dimension. The progression from “Born to Run” to “Dancing in the Dark” to “Tenth Ave Freeze Out” to “Shout” was mind blowing. Our seats were among the furthest ground level seats from the stage, so we could see 17,000 fans in front of us lift, leap, and whoop for four minutes straight. We would think it was over, and then there was another closer, and another, and another. When the last song finally came, it was not necessary. All hearts had been opened; everyone had fulfilled Bruce’s “Dream.”
Grade: A+
It took 5.5 hours to get to VA Beach from DC. I arrived 1.5 hours INTO the concert. Lucky Bruce puts on such long shows… Notes below…
ROAD PICTURE: "Bumper to bumper, back with a vengeance. That or all of 95 South thinks it's the right lane..."
ROAD PICTURE: "The sign says 55 mph. I am not driving 55 mph -- or any mph. Thank God I have music to keep me company."
CONCERT NOTES:
--- Farm Bureau Live was a surprisingly good venue. My lawn ‘seats’ were the cheapest tickets you could get, and the furthest from the stage, yet I had a clear view of all the action. Way better than some arena seats. Plus, the lawn crowd were not stodgy Upper Deck retirees; they whooped like kids in the front row!
--- “Darlington County” singalong. The woman from the crowd is terrible, the guy has a hilariously deep voice, and it all works.
--- Jungle “yeah yeah”s at the start of “Shackled and Drawn” make it funny / that much better. "If your --- is on the grass, let us know it.” Wooo, Soozie Tyrell is the (wo)man!
--- Aww, Little Miss Charlotte from YouTube leaps on the stage during “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day.”
--- WHOA at the new version of “Tom Joad”?!?! Po. La. Rizing.
--- Speaking of…next song is…“The Rising.” ;)
--- “Land of Hope and Dreams.” Better live than on the album, but still overrated.
--- Łil' Clarence is coming into his own!
--- Ha, taking a bow at 9:43pm. Riiiiight.
--- “My godson just graduated from a college in Richmond. During the early Jersey days, we opened for Ike and Tina Turner at The Mosque in Richmond.” Actually individualizing the show for the audience: reason number 347 he rules.
--- An interlude in the middle of his newly released “The Wall” sounds just like “Jungleland.” As always, wish he would have played “Jungleland.”
--- “Born to Runnnnnnnnnn”: the best. Adding “Virginia” before 1, 2, 3, 4: even better.
--- Heh, “7 Nights to Rock, 7 Nights to Roll” was fun! Trombone! He cannot die; he has to keep doing this. Lol, he started playing the piano WITH HIS HEAD. What a showcase for theatrics. How did I not know that song?
--- “Dancing in the Dark.” Lol at the rhythmless audience on stage.
--- “10th Avenue Freeze Out”! I danced. Involuntarily. Clarence! Federici. Clarence!
--- “Virginia, are you tired? Are you tired?” Come on now.
--- “Detroit Medley”!!!!!! His first ever (deserved) f bomb. Adding “Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Fame-making” to the band descriptions was a nice touch. FULFILLING IT every moment up there was a better one. An old guy behind me shouted "20 more songs" without a trace of irony.
--- Ending on a meek “Thunder Road” was not smart, but points for lack of predictability.
--- On the way out, this guy who was walking with a crutch quietly said something patriotic, and I couldn't agree more. This wasn't knee-jerk, bumper-sticker patriotism; this was a deep, earned one. Springsteen was able to present our successes and failures with such caution and conviction, you had to believe him. So, right on, crutch guy; there’s your American Dream.
Grade: (Unexpected) A+
Live iPhone notes below…
--- “Anagram” is meh as an opener. No hook, no build. It's all flickers, no true spark. That said, the last few seconds are cool.
--- Immediate improvement with “It's About Time.” Drive, flair, YES.
--- Yay, “Apartment”: smooooth as ever.
--- The Hark Tagunicar finger-palm tango made “Strings” way better than it had any right to be.
--- First-rate falsetto on “waterfall” during “Guns Out.”
--- “Teachers” saved by the trance at the end. Even bigger save at the end of “Paralysis.”
--- “Firelight”!!! Matthue Rama has “Islands” as his sleeper favorite; I have “Firelight.”
--- “I Got” sounds like Vampire Weekend. Glad windshield survivors Matt DeCarlo and Emily Steakley agree. Isn’t long before the entire group will “rise in song” because next up is...
“Cough Syrup!!” Intimate, athletic, so good.
--- “Mind Over Matter.” Other than the NYC reference, not a huge fan of the title track. Did dig the bold new album of the same name, however. Glad Kyle Carlock eventually did as well.
--- My only big regret: where was the explosive “God Made Man”?! They made up for it with a win at the end: “My Body”!! Stands out from anything else in the show.
Grade: B+
Live iPhone Notes below…
--- The scent starts at the ID check! It's like walking into a giant truffle-free bakery.
--- “Comfort Zone.” The vocals are nearly identical to the album – nice. The sax is the star.
--- “Attention Span”’s jangly intro is an instant sell. “If you love reggae music, put your hands in the air.” I like the echoey interlude and reverb on "at-ten-tention span."
--- “We appreciate you all coming to the rescheduled show.” We appreciate you noticing.
--- “Good Vibes.” Meh. It underscores my single, serious reservation about reggae: it's pleasant. For something to be great, there's gotta be stakes. One of the one hand, it's chill -- nothing blows. On the other hand, nothing's blown my mind.
--- Really like the slow-down in the middle of “Wake Up Call.” THE SAX! Most varied -- the best so far.
--- “Lazy Afternoon.” Alright, a new approach: I'm gonna embrace the chill. I'm gonna take all the stress of this nonstop week, and let the music melt it away.
--- “Bump.” I like the tight, contained first few minutes and the extended, electronic middle.
--- Quiet, black intro to “Feeling Alright” is a definite improvement on the album version. The crowd's into everything: good for them.
--- “Bright Side of Life”! High energy, good beat, lots of crowd arm pumping.
--- Heh, a bunch of people in the crowd have actual circle caps and dreds.
--- Meh at this water-logged Little Mermaid intro.
--- Heh, apparently Trevor Mingo was right: “Safe and Sound” is popular.
--- “Lady in White.” Whoa, dark red lights, downbeat lyrics: love the contrast. Great hold on the last note: “try to walk awaaaaay”! By far the best of the night. Glad to find out the next day how much visiting Kyle Carlock also enjoyed it.
--- Another new one apparently. "De-Stress." The best part is...shocker...the sax.
--- "So High." Heh, there go the plumes. I'm far from Mr. Dubstep, so this is not my favorite version, but the plinky keyboard and trancy lyrics still make it stand out as their best song. I'm not endorsing the content any more than I'm endorsing Heisenberg's meth – simply commenting on the music.
--- Yay, straight happy music again. They earned it -- variety works! Heh, "Out Of Control" is so calming. Sax victory lap!!
Grade: B+
