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…
Monday, July 28, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
152 -- Alabama Shakes -- Saturday, April 26, 2014 -- 9:30 Club -- DC
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
--- 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
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
151 -- Bruce Springsteen -- Saturday, April 18, 2014 -- Time Warner Cable Arena -- Charlotte, NC
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+
--- 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+
Monday, July 7, 2014
150 -- Bruce Springsteen -- Saturday, April 12, 2014 -- Farm Bureau Live -- Virginia Beach, VA
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+
ROAD PICTURE: "Bumper to bumper, back with a vengeance. That or all of 95 South thinks it's the right lane..."
--- 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+
149 -- Young the Giant -- Sunday, February 23, 2014 -- The Fillmore -- Silver Spring, MD
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+
--- “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+
148 – Rebelution -- Thursday, February 13, 2014 -- The Fillmore -- Silver Spring, MD
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!!
--- 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+
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