232 -- Muse -- Tuesday, April 2, 2019 -- Capital One Arena -- DC

I started the night disappointed because I thought I wouldn’t have time to hang out early with Tom, Kevyn, and Annie.  We end up making the most of those few shared minutes, though, tearing through Rolling Stone’s full list of the 50 Best Live Bands.  Glad to see who they chose as number one…  https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/50-greatest-live-acts-right-now-94984/

Muse is off to a strong start, the stage surrounded by a phalanx of trumpet soldiers?! 

New songs generally take a while to get into.  “Pressure” is catchy from the start.

“Psycho” has a cool light effect at the end.

The four purple ~Venus flytraps that hover in and out of “Break It To Me” may be the coolest stage visual I’ve seen at a concert!!! 

Aww, they’re playing “Uprising,” Tom’s favorite song.  I like the contrast from the previous song: just him, a mic, and the crowd.

Whoa, you can literally feel reverberating sound waves hitting your knees during “Propaganda”?!

Yay, “Plug-In Baby,” old school! 

“The Dark Side” happened.

Oooh, love the Close Encounters intro that summons “Supermassive Black Hole”!!!  Heh, “glaciers melting in the dead of night” — indeed.

I really like the way there were almost no visuals or sound tricks during “Hysteria.”  The singalong lyrics and driving rhythm really speak for themselves!!

Tom: “They really crank up the bass during the new stuff.”  True story.

In theory, the chilled-out piano version of “Dig Down” is a nice change of pace, but I just found it dull.  It’s not known enough or good enough of a song to benefit from a flip.  

Ironically, “Madness” is tame.  Heh at the guy who’s wearing Bellamy’s mini bulb glasses.  Solid U2 soar by the end.

Oooh, group selfie amid streamers.  GOOD IDEA.

“Time Is Running Out”!!! Nothing fancy, fantastic song.  Rhythm, lyrics, it’s got it.  +1 for the inflection on “since ovuLAtion.”

“Take A Bow”!!!!!  I’m so happy they finally played it.  I’ve been clamoring for years, and they did it.  Having the hyper-focused demonic lyrics and “Starlight” after made it even better.

“Algorithm” has a good rhythm.

WOW at the giant helmeted skeleton solider backdrop during the encore mashup.  Heh at the soldier touching Bellamy at one point.

“Knights of Cydonia”: harmonica intro, bouncing balls, IT GETS KEVYN TO JUMP!!!

Grade: A-

231 -- Gary Clark Jr. -- Saturday, March 30, 2019 -- The Anthem -- DC

“Bright Lights Big City” is a righteous opener!  It’s helped by the lights, the bouncing guy in front of me, and the discovery I make by the end.  I discover that I’m doing Adaptive PE warmups throughout: arm circle, neck rolls, and best of all, rock-n-rolls at a rock-n-roll show!!     

“Ain’t Messin’ Around”: nice shift to lighter vibe.  The “give it up now” chorus is catchy, as is the wicky-wicky funk section.

“What’s up, DC?”  Glad he’s not too cool to engage with the crowd, even if his words are muffled.

“I Walk Alone”: nice shift to falsetto.  Glad the song doesn’t overstay its welcome.

“When I’m Gone”: easy listenin'

“Low Down Rolling Stone”!!  Strong on the album and in person.  I dig how casual he was with the solo.  He really isn’t repeating himself.

I recognized “What About Us” from the beginning!  The smooth “there goes the neighborhood” section stands out.

Tender “Our Love” brings out yet another side.  The extended riff is earned because there isn’t one every song!  Then it transitions back to tenderness.  An organic story arc!!!!  “I’m just soaking this all up.”  Me too, man.

“Feed The Babies” is too midtempo to do much.

“Feeling Like A Million” is spacey and distinctive from the start.  The reggae works, as does the extended drive ending.

“Gotta Get Into Something”: the frenetic red wobble was so addictive!!!  Having what seemed like one total lyric (“gotta get up”) added to it.

He needs to stop mumbling when he talks to the crowd.

“I Got My Eyes On You” never gives me something meaningful to grab onto, but the end riff is sick.

“Gotta Get Into Something”!!!! “Go crazy, DC.”  That we are.  6, 9, 6, 9.  Such a happy song.

“When My Train Pulls”: the bouncer in front of me approves.  Cool twist that Gary steps out of the spotlight halfway through and whisper-plinks for two minutes straight.  The best part is him putting up his arm.  It’s a sign of some personality, so the crowd goes wild.  “Gar-EE, Gar-EE” they chant.

Surprisingly PUMPED for “This Land.”  Love the distinctive, discordant sound and angry, specific lyrics.  The jam at the end meant something!!!

“Pearl Cadillac”: The bouncer knows that this song is about his parents.  Gary mumbles credit to the keyboard player.  Love the vulnerability AND drive — perfect mirror of “This Land”!!!!  Gorgeous falsetto put it over the top.  Woo at him thanking Foo Fighters at the end.

“The Guitar Man”: Awww, “there are a lot of guitar players in here, am I right?”

Cover of Robert Peltway’s “Catfish Blues.” Like the leisurely pace at the end.

“Don't Owe You A Thang”: his vocal has surprising power.  Then there’s an unexpected hoedown.  So many friggin’ sides?!?!  Aww at him giving the opening band multiple minutes to riff.

A truly satisfying closer….“Come Together”!!!!

Grade: A-

230 -- Weezer -- Sunday, March 17, 2019 -- Royal Farms Arena -- Baltimore, MD

The barbershop quartet opener is a clever way to tease "Buddy Holly" and the coming journey through the decades. 

“My Name Is Jonas” / “The Good Life” / “Buddy Holly” is the best extended group of songs I’ve heard at any Weezer show!  “Jonas” features a playful riff at the end, and “Buddy” adds streamers to its famous pause, one of my two favorite pauses in all of music. Plus, that’s the first time I heard a full version of “The Good Life,” the song that defined London, my coming out, and this blog!!!!

Heh at “Thank God for Girls.”  Bit of a letdown. 

This is my first time hearing “Undone” in concert with the recorded sections — so much better that way!!

Lol at the Baltimore pander during “Pork and Beans.” 

Lol at their cover of TLC’s “No Scrubs,” which is apparently only the second time they’ve played it live.  So authentic...  Points for commitment though.

I’ve somehow never heard “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath before (I’m a bad person), but it’s AWESOME.

“Stand By Me” is a great follow-up, especially with Kat’s inspired gesture, linking arms with our whole upper-deck group!!!

Lol at the random van that makes its way through the crowd during the Jane’s Addiction “Up The Beach” cover.

I’m no “Beverly Hills” fan, so I appreciate the extended licks between verses.

HA: “Rock stars need to tune too — none of this prerecorded b-------.”

Glad Danny likes the line introducing “Islands in the Sun”: “time for some adult contemporary.”  It may no longer be hip, but it’s still so smooth.

I don’t care what anyone says; “Perfect Situation” is my jam.   

Lol at Kat’s dancing middle fingers and Danny’s dash to the bathroom during their cover of “Africa.” 

Why did not they not play “Only In Dreams”?!  It would have made my night and the night of so many other fans.  Oh well -- “Surf Wax” and “Say It Ain’t So” still slay.

Grade: A-

229 -- The Pixies -- Sunday, March 17, 2019 -- Royal Farms Arena -- Baltimore, MD

Whoa, the guy below us has Weezer sheet music.  I’ve heard of fans bring a scorecard to a baseball game, but sheet music at a rock concert is a new one?!

The band walk on to The Beatles’ “You Know My Name.”

“Where is My Mind?”  Wow, so early.  Heh, it’s the drunken remix. 

“Nimrod’s Son.”  Immediate, strong change of pace.  Heh, the crowd goes wild at “Son of a m’f” and “incestuous union.”

Solid sun jag during “Blown Away.”

“Here Comes Your Man” has a surfer doowop swing that seems unique for them.

“Motorway to Roswell” has a decent sound, but going nine songs without saying a word to the audience is outrageous.  All the songs meander well enough, but I wish I could find some common link, some connection.

I really like the aggressive discordance between “Winterlong” and “Dead.” 

“Mr. Grieves”!!  No clue what it means, but the back-and-forth between the dark vocals and sound is excellent.  First moment of the set for me.

“Gouge Away”!!!  The green menace that suffuses the lighting, sound, and vocals are outstanding.  Slow burn sensation.

Two screamy songs.  The Ramonesy pacing in the second half of the second one is cool.

“Classic Masher” is forgettable.  “Monkey Gone To Heaven,” thanks to its lyrics, is not. Lol: “The devil is six, six; the devil is SIX!”

“Gigantic”!!  I really like the repeated title, the riff in the middle, and the use of the female vocalist.

Nice: “In The Witching Hour,” “Wave of Mutilation,” “Isla de Encanta” have assured rhythms the whole way through.

Hahaha at Danny’s upper-deck mosh pit during “Saint Nazaire”!!!  That’s a first.

Hahaha at the playful scratch-a-thon during “Vamos” and Danny’s comment on the band’s lack of green: “It may be St. Patrick’s Day, but there’s no pandering from The Pixies.”

Grade: B

228 -- Game of Thrones: Live Concert Experience -- Tuesday, September 25, 2018 -- Capital One Arena -- DC

The gap between season seven and eight of Game of Thrones was ridiculous: 20 months.  One thing that made the wait bearable was this concert.  In it, composer Ramin Djawadi and his orchestra performed themes from the first seven seasons.  The high points for me were “Blackwater,” “The Rains of Castamere,” “The Lannister Send Their Regards,” “Hold The Door,” “Battle of the Bastards,” and “Light of the Seven” – i.e. the brilliant theme that snaked its way through Cersei’s destruction of Baelor.  I also liked the multiple times they played the music from the main credits sequence.  That opening never gets old.  The best visual was definitely the House Stark tree.  A beautiful, flowy weirwood towered over the stage, and a violinist played on top of it!  Thanks, Julie Beach, for recommending we go to the show!

  

Game: B+

Amazing Game Of Thrones Live Concert Tonight in Madrid Thanks! @GameOfThrones @Djawadi_Ramin #GameOfThronesLive #gameofthronesliveexperience #GameOfThronesLiveConcertExperience #gameofthrones pic.twitter.com/jAr18yzXVN

— Siha Shepard (@SihaShepard) May 9, 2018

227 -- Jimmy Eat World -- Tuesday, July 10, 2018 -- The National -- Richmond, VA

Chip Roberts, Kyle Clinch, and Hannah Fuerhoff are excellent hosts.  They provided the bed, libations, and enthusiasm needed for a Tuesday show.  This wasn’t just any Tuesday show however.  This was the most extreme work-week show I’ve been to – or at least tied with this one, also one of Jimmy Eat World’s.

To make it there that night, I needed to bolt directly from camp – the camp that was the most relentless 37-day experience of my life.  The plan was to leave at 5pm, marinate in 3.5 hours of I-95 traffic, and see the show.  Then I’d try to sleep before leaving for camp at 5am the next day!  Outrageous as the whole plan was, it was 100% worth it.  See the live blog below for what made it worth it...

--- This is not off to a good start. “Sure and Certain” sounds awful.  The vocal is weak, and the audio is worse.

--- “I Will Steal You Back” off Damage is vaguely better.  At least the rhythm’s an improvement.  Hopefully they’re eating all the bad vegetables first?

--- “Big Casino”!!  Glad this NJ success story from the deserts of Arizona made it to Richmond. 

--- Jim Adkins: “We have nine albums of material to get through.  Hope you tipped your babysitter.”  HA!

--- “Goodbye Sky Harbor” has a strong rhythm I never noticed because the album version has 10-plus minutes of that infernal bell.  This mostly bell-free version is so much better!!!

--- “Futures” rips from the start!

--- “Polaris.”  Nice that they’re picked lesser known tracks for big fans.

--- “Painnnnn”!!!  It’s way more internal than usual, given the space and the people around me, but it’s still good.

--- Chip to Kyle: “They’re awesome live.” :))))

--- “Pass The Baby.”  Creepy cool becomes straight-up cool.  Just as memorable as it was with Erik Kastman!!!!

--- “Just Tonight” kills too.  They are in the zone.

--- “Get Right” is solid — for a new song.  They deserve points for the abrupt ending.

--- Another new one, “It Matters.”  The title, sadly, is not accurate.

--- “Always Be” is an improvement.

--- HA at them gifting their birthday-boy keyboardist a bottle of water.  “We’re the lamest rock band ever.”

--- “Hear You Me”’s chill hits the spot.

--- “Love Never,” a brand new song, is catchy.  I can see why Kyle is into them live.

--- “Thinking, That’s All,” off Static Prevails!  The rhythm shifts and green darkness rock!!

--- “The Authority Song”: another deep cut works!!

--- “Dizzy” leaves me way too stable.  Redeemed by the end.

--- “Blister” and “Work”!!!  Outstanding pacing.  Call-and-response for the win.

--- I honestly don’t want this to end.

--- “23” drifts...yet slays by the end?!

--- “Bleed American”!!!!!  By far the most intense reaction I’ve seen a crowd give a Jimmy Eat World song.  The leaping, pounding, and vibration.

“Hell yeah, we’re going to play more.”

“A Praise Chorus” continued the utter RIOT.  The lyrics bring me back to the Kevyn Allgeier show, the Hark show, and the wedding.  “Sweetness” and “The Middle” bring it home.   

Grade: A+ [their first ever]

226 -- Foo Fighters -- Friday, July 6, 2018 -- Merriweather Post Pavilion -- Columbia, MD

I was afraid I couldn’t make it from my crazy camp job to Merriweather in time.  Turns out I made great time and was able to catch up with Kevyn Allgeier and Tom Swindell before the show!   

OMG, we are SO CLOSE.


The band tears through “All My Life,” “Learn to Fly,” and “The Pretender.”  Guess they’re not starting with Concrete and Gold — good!!

And now Dave Grohl is eating his hair.  Again and again and again. 

Yessss at “do you worship rock and roll?”

“The Sky is a Neighborhood” happened. 

Oooh, female singers on stage.  #UsToo?

“Rope” riff......wheeeee.  Mega drum raise adds to it.  Best part?  Dave just sits on the side, sipping a beer, soaking it all in!!!!

“Sunday Rain” by Taylor Hawkins is a nice change of pace.

Eagle-eyed Kevyn notices that the stage lights up top say FF: nice!!

The chill factor is unreal right now.

Dave: “Sorry it took an hour to say hello.  Hello.  Local Maryland lingooooooooooooo.”

“Ronny Jaffney, give it to the hometown.”!!!

Awwwww, Tom’s cooing “These Days.”  Total new appreciation for the song.  Friggin’ pacing.  Lyrics too.  Related to what I perceive as the decline of rock itself makes the experience so beautifully sad!!!!!  Omg “Walk” is even better, especially with the “never wanna die” lyric.

Dave: “For those unaccustomed to Foo Fighters shows, these are my nipples…When I come back to this area, I make it my personal obligation to put on a kick-a-- show.”

Awwww at the old guy flipping out at WABA, then DC-101, then HFS.  In his honor, Dave’s about to play some Alice Cooper.  “That’s some WABA s--- right there.”

HA: Dave’s daring the guitarist to get up on the front speakers they don’t normally have.

I love that there are zero set pieces or pyrotechnics.  JUST LIKE BRUCE.

Nate St. Mendel on the bass guitar.  Heh, during “Another One Bites The Dust,” Dave admits, “been in the band for 21 years, and I’ve never seen Nate on a speaker like that.”

They play “Imagine” to the lyrics of Van Halen’s “Jump.”  Whoa.  Bold.

Pat Smear doesn’t like “Blitzkrieg Bop,” lol.  Good Rock Club memories!!

Heh: Dave calls Taylor Hawkins the “love of my life, the best German I know, what would happen if Freddie Mercury and Kelly Slater had a love child."

Hella fun “Under Pressure” with The Struts guy, Taylor, and Dave swapping off on drums. 

“Wheels”: apparently it’s big in Germany.  Not here...  I appreciate the guts playing it though.

Awwww at Kevyn flipping out during “This Is A Call.”

“Breakout” kills with the lights!!!

Awww at birthday girl shotgunning with Dave.  Dave: “Now I’ve gone to college.”  Lol.

It’s good that they incorporated the female trio into “Dirty Water.”  Such a strong shift in the back half.

A brand new appreciation for “Run”!!!

I literally lost multiple songs to emotion.  Best “Best of You” I’ve heard. 

“Everlong”!!!!!  Perhaps my favorite concert-ending song ever, thanks to the kid below. A sad anticipation I've had as a future father is how little rock music seems to be on the horizon. When I saw this kid's excitement on his dad's shoulders, though, when Dave Grohl appeared to literally reach out to him, it gave me hope. Great music can last -- everlong.


Grade: A+

225 -- U2 -- Monday, June 18, 2018 -- Capital One Arena -- DC

This U2 concert is off to a good start.  I just walked up to Capital One Arena a minute before the show starts, and a front-row seat is available.  Gotta love hidden same-day tickets!!

Cool effect where a screen gradually reveals the band coming in MIDCROWD.

The dancing, shirt-waving guy in front of me is a good cheerleader.

Hehe at everyone’s phone flashlights during “Lights of Home.”

“I Will Follow”!!  Heh: “this is not a new song.”  “We’re a band from Dublin, Ireland.  If you let us in, we’ll never leave.”

The guitarist is so close to me!  Pink Shirt Crowd Man is like a fifth member of the band!!  Now I’m alive.

“Beautiful Day.”  Tear at the post-9-11 memories...  It makes me consider Life After The Current President. 

HA, Bono references the “Stanley-Cup-winning Washington Capitals.” 

Interesting: “Iris” is Bono’s mother, the inspiration behind the 2015 album Songs of Innocence. Cool (if literal) visual of Bono walking through his childhood street while performing.

Friday, May 19, 1974: “Bloody Sunday.”  “How long, how long must we sing this song?”  The visuals, again, are so literal, but affecting nonetheless.  Wow, this was the biggest loss of life in one day in Irish history, and no one has been brought to justice.

If he does not mention the children on the border at some point, I WILL NOT UNDERSTAND.

Uhhhhh...he just spit a stream of water into the crowd.  My mom, in spirit, is appalled.

Umm, there’s this graphic novel unfolding on screen, and I have no clue what it means.  I wish I understood the two most recent albums and could make a lick of sense of it.  I like, though, that they’re going for it -- no need to pander to casual fans.

Heh: “Are you ready to get elevated?”  Nice funk in Hark’s “Elevation.”  For me, it’s a rare midtempo song that works.

Heh: “Any Spanish speakers in the house?  Vamos a una fiesta.”  “Vertigo”!!

Bono: “What’s the use of innocence when experience seems so much more fun.”

Still funny: “There goes the best wearer of a white blazer since Clark Gable.”

“Are we feeling Experience tonight?  Are we feeling like a little loss of Innocence?”  Odd, stilted call-and-response.  “Maybe we’ll get a little Innocence back after election season.” <--- but="" frustratingly="" i="" ll="" o:p="" oblique="" reference="" some="" substance="" take="" the="" to="">

This Bono devil half-hologram is super awkward, but at least it brings this: “So nice to hear people using the Bible to justify anything they want.”  Take that, Sessions!

Devil figure: “It’s when you don’t believe I exist that I do my best work.”  Even when people know he exists, he’s doing an awful lot, but overall, I get it.

It’s not quite the Adele Election Night Debacle, but it’s hard to concentrate amidst thoughts of the families at the border.

Heh, there’s nothing very Pop about the 90s album Pop — their psychedelic period.  Awww, it’s when they fell in love in music again, started to raise their kids, and peace came to Ireland!!!  “Staring At The Sun,” Hark’s other song. 

Props for their inclusion of Charlottesville videos.  And then, unexpectedly, we’re in the stratosphere, consumed by images of MLK, current marches, and pledges of solidarity with people at all borders.  Amen, Bono, amen.

Grade: B+

p.s.  They did not actually play "With or Without You," but it was so great in the recent Americans series finale that it's the first song I'm embedding here.

224 -- Franz Ferdinand -- Wednesday, April 11, 2018 -- 9:30 Club -- DC

“Always Ascending” stays on the ground.

“Oooh, the lead singer’s Scottish,” says Hark.  Heh.

“Dark Side of the Matinee”!!!  I love that Hark and I listened to it and discussed it in depth in the car right before we walked into the club!

Low expectations for “The Fallen (Troubled Boy),” so it was a lot of fun. 

“Love is going to come as a photographer.”  Intriguing line!!  As a song, though, “Glimpse of Love” is barely likable.

Pretty generic crowd work (DC chants), but at least they’re acknowledging us.

“Finally,” off the new album, is not great.

“Do You Want To” picks back up.  Hehe, they shamelessly throw “9:30 Club” into the lyric! 

“Lois Lane” has a great synth section!!

“Darts of Pleasure”!!!! London club flashback.  “Super fantastic” indeed.

The way he says “sweet love iLLUMination” drives me friggin’ nuts. Hark calls me over, “I like this one.”  Squeeee!!!! 

“The academy award for good times goes to you” is an intriguing line.  Wish I could say the same thing about the song itself (“The Academy Award”).

Oh, so there’s a reason “Take Me Out” is popular — it rocks!!!  Love that they also still like it.

“Huck and Jim”: starts slow, gets better.  “Heh, coming to America, sipping 40s with Huck and Jim.”

“Ulysses”’ funk has got you highhhh.

Heh: “I don’t want to be presumptuous, DC.  Do you want to hear another song?”

“Lazy Boy”: diverting in the moment, but a waste of a slot in the encore.

I’d never liked “Michael” on the album, by the rhythm live was sickkkk!!!!  Hark prompts ME.

“Are you in the mood to feel the love tonight, DC?”  Initially, I cheekily said, “Not for ‘FeelThe Love Go.’”  That said, it won me over — solid mid-tempo number, and Hark rub helped!

I’ve never heard any performer say “DC” so often, lol.  It must be rough for them to perform in Muskogee.

“This Fire”!!!!!  They just burned DC to the *ground.*  Best li song of 2019.  What a way to end.

Grade: A+

223 -- Dispatch -- Wednesday, December 20, 2017 -- Rams Head Live -- Baltimore, MD

“Be Gone”!  Less power than usual since everything’s acoustic, but it’s still a good song, and there’s an unexpected smoke ending.

The drums give “Only The Wild Ones” good energy.  LOL, they take out the verse that references Charlie Rose!!!

Apparently it’s the last show of the tour – lucky us.

“Curse + Crush”: strong song made subpar by the random band chatter mid song.  It was supposed to be funny, but it feeds the off-task monsters around me.  (Kevin excluded off course.)

“Painted Yellow Lines”: the “uhuhuh”s pick it up at the end.

“Skin The Rabbit”: Wooo at the song and, more importantly, the guy behind me who says “wooo”!!!

Yay, Kevyn moves closer to the front on his own.

“Midnight Lorry”: decent funk and a cool space section.

“Begin Again”: dedicated to Pete Francis, their opener who’s bravely battling depression.

“Rice Water”!!  Unexpected aggression.  Nice.

“Windylike”: meh.  Salvaged by one drum gust near the end.

“Ghost Town”: didn’t know it was about heroin — interesting, especially since it’s upbeat.

“Atticus Cobain”: memorable title, forgettable tune.

Kevyn asks if I want to move down.  Yes!!

SET TWO

“Bound By Love”: love the meaningful call-and-response and the shades of Coco!  Somehow I totally missed it previously.

“The General”: visions of Tom Swindell come to mind — immediately.

“Josephine”: underrated — so smooth!!

Heh, Kevyn finds a snug railing spot — good for him.

“Flag”: Barely know it.  I should.  It’s dark, strong, and has so many shades of Coco.  Best of the night!!!

“Steeples”: They add a whole new “woo” element.  It bring me back to the dirt hills of Oaxaca in 2006!!!

“Fallin’” back to Earth.

Wow, someone’s been carrying a five-year-old on their shoulders for four shows.

Yay that they lied — “Passerby” is not their last song!  The lie helped though — now I’m all in for “Elias.”  I’m ready to recall the hills I rocketed down on my bike at William and Mary!

“Thanks for giving us a home away from home Baltimore.  You caught us off guard.  We’ve raised over $9,000 tonight.”

“Dear Congress.”  Whoa.  Chills.  !!!!  The fact that all four of them are gun owners makes the gun-control message resonate even more.

After all the acoustic, “Flying Horses” and “Elias” SLAY.  What a second set comeback!

Grade: A-

222 -- Haley Reinhart -- Thursday, November 9, 2017 -- Highline Ballroom -- NYC

Meeting James’ new boyfriend is a great start to the night.  He seems like a keeper.

“Better” throws a NYC reference in the first line — nice. 

HA at this line from Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”: “hop on the VW bus; we’re going to take you to psychedelia town.”  I’m not used to hearing such a strong voice this close!  Most of my bands aren’t driven by vocals — not ones like these.

“The Letter”: worthy of Joe Cocker and Keira McMenamin.

HA at Haley’s comment: “It’s getting hot in here.”  James Porter and Matt Fender (and presumably Nelly) concur.

Wooo at Haley taking off the sunglasses; she’s immediately more connected with the crowd.  Linking “Can’t Find My Way Home” to her traveling band parents adds more.  I like how it doesn’t overdo the vocals.

“Wonderland” exists.

“Good or Bad”!!  I’m such a slave to guitars.  The guitarist has a(n admittedly strong) solo at the end, and suddenly I love the vocals, the dancing, everything.

“Check Please”!!!  What a sly reinvention of “Shout”!  The guitarist is on the ground too — and none of it feels like a gimmick!

Aww, she’s jealous of the 60s too.  https://youtu.be/Z4Px9m4E5qM

“Time Of The Season”: Whoa, the dreadlocked pianist has a great voice.

Awww, a song she co-wrote with Casey Abrams, “Bring The Love Back.”  Not worth falling off the stage, but solid.  I take that back: the acapella bookends make it worth it.

She jokes(?) that she offered “Somewhere In Between” to Quentin Tarantino.

“Sunny Afternoon”: a Kinks cover.  Nice restraint and “can I hear” snaps at the end.

“For What It’s Worth”: It’s familiar and relevant, so it was powerful.  Love the way the guitarist literally creeps the guitar upward during the “it will creep” line.

Nice body rapper and vocal runs during “Baby It’s You.”

Awww at the tenderness of “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”  For me, a little overmodulated in parts, but I enjoyed it.

“My Cake”!!!!  Went around the circle with solos for the entire band!  The drummer, keyboardist, and BASS GUITARIST were sick.  Haley’s vocal power brought the whole thing together.  Co-written by Casey Abrams.

“These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” features a slick new black outfit.

Awww at the shoutout to James’ Postmodern Jukebox.  She’ll be on tour with them in Europe.

The fact that she does not mention American Idol once strikes me as disrespectful and immature.  It brings the show down a quarter-grade for me, but I’ll end on the following positive performance…

“Creep”!!!  So many details: power notes, head swirls, one NY reference, one F word, and several understated/unexpected growls.  Nice.

Grade: A-

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