215 -- Roger Waters -- Friday, August 4, 2017 -- Verizon Center -- DC

Roger Waters walked out under the biggest, brightest screen I've seen at a show.  This screen was one of many reasons he was successful.  Unlike Explosions In The Sky, his epic mood tracks kept your attention.

--- Thank God for CS's welcoming, knowledgeable dad.  Verizon Center cold shoulder...meet...WARMTH. :)

--- Awww at CS’s happiness when “Breathe” arrives.  More jubilant recognition: “It's Time; it's Time; it's Time.”  Overlaying a visual of live drumming with twisting clocks is so cool!!

--- “30,000 like minded people” have power.

--- Stunning “Great Gig in the Sky” vocal -- I had no clue it was two women!! 

--- “Welcome to the Machine” off Wish You Were Here.  Hahahaha at the cultists -- flashbacks to Trailer Satan...

--- CS’s dad asks if Hark is coming.  “Time to go get a drink.  You want anything?”  Awwwww.  Politely declined, but he's the best.

--- “Picture That”: a short, subtle instrumental with no political message...

--- “Wish You Were Here” includes the second best visual of the night: two hands getting closer and closer before deteriorating.

--- CS wooo’s again with “Another Brick in the Wall.”  CS’s dad: “They look awfully happy for Guantanamo prisoners.”  Love the use of kid volunteers and opening their jumpsuits to reveal Resist shirts!!

--- Awesome, memory-sustaining intermission: REDEMPTION INTERMISSION!!!  Got to speak to AR's mom for the first time ever! We agreed that it was good that he finally got a Rock-related shirt.  AR listened intently to my album report and jumped in to point out that “Apples and Oranges” is a Pink Floyd song.  He also taught me something I'd somehow never known: Setlist.Fm updates setlists during shows!!  JS!!!  He answered my questions with genuine animation, saying he really wanted to hear “Dogs” and “Pigs.” We both wanted to hear “Brain Damage” and “The Trial”!

--- Ginormous building with smokestacks rises through the center of the Verizon Center. 

--- Killer smoky guitar solo during “Dogs.” CS's dad was spot-on in telling me to wait for it.  Love his mid-song analysis: who does that?! :)

Omg, at the Testicular Trump pics?!  The irony of the presentation is the crass, one-note approach feels like something the subject of the song would do.  “Money” continues the onslaught.

--- Nice sax solo sneaks in during “Us And Them.”

--- Lesson I wish Waters learned: The best way to deal with a boor is to rise above him, not become him.

--- “Brain Damage”/“Eclipse”!!!! Such a satisfying change in tone.  JS got his song.  Love the slow, circular crawl of the moon and the steady rise of each band in the psychedelic pyramid.  Best visual I've seen at a concert.

--- “So this is what it's like to be in Washington DC.”  HA.  JS gets up.  Heh, CS does the Resist arm cross.

--- Um, the lead guitarist looks like Constantine Maroulis.

--- Another welcome change of pace after the political onslaught: the light, lilting "Vera."  Whoa at the high note the woman hits at the end. 

--- Hahahah at CS's dad: “Just wait.  The next one is where everyone's gonna lose it.”  It's ironic given the next song’s title and vibe: “Comfortably Numb.”  Cool callback to the deteriorating hands of “Wish You Were Here.”  The hands gradually reanimate and clasp together!!!  Perfect ending.

Grade: A-

214 -- Regina Spektor -- Wednesday, July 26, 2017 -- Wolf Trap -- Vienna, VA

Regina Spektor started the show by messing up four times, followed by four apologies!  I had never seen that before, but it was endearing, as was the rest of the performance. 

--- Hahaha at "Grand Hotel."  I happened to see the 1932 Best Picture Oscar Winner of the same name last night!  Can't really recommend the movie, but I liked the song.

--- Heh, she should've done “Screwup” as the first song.

--- “The Light”!!  Elegant on the album, elegant live.

--- The next song is “Better” than usual because the audience claps.

--- “Apres Moi”: the sound system made most of the song blare uncomfortably, but the soft, breathy ending worked.

--- The dark, fiery animal imagery in “You've Got Time” was a good change of pace.

--- “The Trapper and the Furrier”: wish there had been fewer “more more more”s.

--- HA at Hark's excitement when Regina’s drummer’s name was the same as Hark’s coworker, Mathias.

--- “Obsolete” is pure -- my second favorite of the night.

--- “Don't Leave Me”: I don't love Paris in the rain.  The speakers make the jangly bounces grate.

--- Finally, a song that fully works!  “Us” has such a sure arc!! Love the inflections on “den of thieves” and “contagious.”

--- “Samson”: serviceable.  Sweet last note.

--- Ben Folds comes on stage!! Aww, guy next to me starts singing “Dear Theodesia.” 

--- “You Don't Know Me”: The back and forth between Ben and Regina is delightful.  Nice finish.

Grade: B

213 -- Ben Folds -- Wednesday, July 26, 2017 -- Wolf Trap -- Vienna, VA

It was hard to fully enjoy this Ben Folds show considering Hark and I had to arrive half an hour in, Ben had to play half a set, and that day, our president attempted to ban a group of people who helped capture Osama Bin Laden. 

To Ben's credit, though, he played well, and there was no filler in the setlist.

--- Strong songs as we entered: “Zac and Sara,” “Not the Same,” and, fittingly, “Army.”

--- First time I've see an opener have an encore -- nice!

--- A few seconds into “The Luckiest,” Hark realized which song it was, grabbed me, and said, “This was so worth it!”  Awww at Hark also playing the melody on me during the song.

--- Unexpected return to “One Angry Dwarf” from James Porter's mixed CD.  Nice ending.

Grade: B

212 -- Sister Hazel -- Friday, July 21, 2017 -- 9:30 Club -- DC

Sister Hazel was a nostalgia show I couldn’t resist.  They’re not my genre of music, but they were my first concert, so I wanted to bring back memories.  How did they sound 13 years later, after that first Sunken Gardens show?  Better actually.  They knew exactly who they were, what they wanted to do, and they got it done.

--- Prompting the crowd from the start: “Lemme see your cocktails...DC!”

--- “Mandolin Moon.”  It somehow was not on the list I listened to, but it features nice backing vocals by the end.

--- “Wait, you want more than one song?...If you can't clap your hands, stomp your foot.” HA, nice!

--- “Shame.”  Ooh, nice electric solo midway through!  Whoa, the guitarist is from Fairfax?! 

--- “Your Winter” into.......“Hey Jude”?!!!! The former is well paced and satisfying as ever -- one of the three songs I loved more than a decade ago at William and Mary.  The singer sounds so different from the record (way more bass), but soulful just the same.  Sliding into the Beatles number toward the end was wild.  Don't know how they relate thematically, but it sure worked!

--- Aww, Andrew Copeland’s kids are at the show. It's unique/cool to have so many band members do lead vocals on songs.  His vocals on “Something to Believe In” are strong! Evidently the song's about the military.

--- “Everything's gotta have something to believe in.  Can I get an amen?”  Heh, not the same crowd as last month's Rise Against show.

--- “No Kiss Without Whiskey” is catchy. Gah, apparently a lot of these songs are from a 2016 album I really should've listened to.  Ooh, keyboard solo.  Even without knowing it, it's fun.

--- “We were on a compilation with Goo Goo Dolls, Elton John, and Fleetwood Mac. My best friend Robert DeNiro said I should never name drop.”  HA! 

--- The cover of Fleetwood Mac's “Gold Dust Woman” is so different.  No need to “blame” Ryan Newell, the Fairfax guitarist -- this is awesome.  This is way more my sound.  Woooo.  He messed up the lyrics at one point, which made it better. I gotta start listening to Fleetwood Mac!!

--- I'm surrounded by people who insist on talking through Copeland's earnest intro to “This Kind of Love.”  They should be flogged.  It continues through the song.  Oh well -- they don't deserve the CLARITY of his vocal.

Sister Hazel’s mission statement: “to have you leave here a little more happy than you were when you came in.”  The song “Happy” sounds weak, but I appreciate the intro. 

--- “Run Highway Run.”  If others find this comforting, cool, but it's like so many of the songs on their records: bob, bob, bobs along.  Inoffensive, indistinguishable, bland.

--- Awwwww, they prompt everyone to high five the people around them.  I hesitate, not feeling fully connected, and six people come for me.  Good for them!

--- Intro about their Gainesville beginnings leads to “Family Tradition, “Friends in Low Places,” “Country Road,” and “Sweet Caroline.”  Shameless crowd pleasers / you can’t help but smile.

--- Awww at the guitarist coming over and smiling at the guy taking his pic during “All For You.”  Plus, the guy in front of me, who hasn't said a thing, starts singing and SPINNING the whole way through!

--- “Swan Dive” has a nice funk to it.

--- Nooo, they're about to head for the encore.  I don't think I'm going to get “Champagne High” and “Your Mistake.”  Please both!!

--- “Champagne High”!!!!!  Starts as a solo acoustic, a new person enters the stage each new verse.  I have ever seen that before.  A whole new song!

--- Aww at “Change Your Mind”’s chorus/message.  Nice job, guys.

Grade: B+ / A-

211 -- Incubus -- Tuesday, July 18, 2017 -- Xfinity Center -- Mansfield, MA

Jimmy Eat World is the reason K (Erik Kastman) and I went to the Xfinity Center that night, but Incubus kept us gripped afterward.  The performers, fans, and production values were intense, so it all worked. 

--- “Stellar”: “How do you do ittttttt?"  The crowd is enhancing every song!

--- “Nimble”: Lol at how wild frontman Brandon Boyd’s hair becomes.

--- “Anna Molly”!!!  The potential turning point in the concert.  Panic falsetto combined with Foo drive and a sickkk crowd makes it *click.*

--- Heh, “Why would we go anywhere else?  We could just stay here.”  Well played.

--- “Love Hurts”: nice smoky vibe.

---- “Megalomaniac”!!!!  I wanted it to go on for five more minutes.  It’s also funny hearing the word “Jesus” come from a guy who looks like Jesus blended with Malcolm from Survivor.  Plus, wooo at the keyboardist's mega hair flip.  Oh, and after Bush left office (the original subject), the lyrics ceased to have any political relevance...

--- “Here in My Room”: And everyone takes a breather.

--- “Wish You Were Here”: solid singalong that let me panorama the audience.  Oooh, a preview of next month’s Pink Floyd show!!

--- “State of the Art”: decent new song.  The fact that a third of the pit knows all the words is impressive.  K says, “It has a nice little swing to it.”

--- “Pardon Me”: Hehe at the record-swiping section.  Awww at K and most others singing word for word throughout.

--- Heh at “you guys sing well -- very, very well.”

--- “Drive”: I like how paint-by-numbers the rendition is.  I.E.  Get it out of the way before returning to true fan songs.  Cool guitar section near the end.

--- Modem sound leads into “Love in a Time of Surveillance.”  The “Pass The Baby (Here)” vibe returns.

--- “Pantomime”: middling.  [I take that back.  It builds well.]

--- Cool dark bloop effect during “Sick Sad Little World.”  Cool wash out section and abstract visuals.  Then a huge drum section.  Ironically, the first song in forever that I haven't smelled pot.  Keeps building!!!  Triptastic.  In the TOP THREE.

--- Lol at some guy to Brandon Boyd: “We love your abs.”

--- “Dig”: okay.  “Loneliest”: better.  Smokier.  Nice bass inflection on the last “tonight.”

--- “When I Became A Man”: oooh, SPACEY.  Transitions awesomely into “Throw Out The Map”!!  Such a simple, meaningful chorus.

--- “Nice to know you, goodbyeeeeee.”  The guy next to me's lyrics, motions, and mania added so much to the song!

--- Oooh, sitar section in “Aqueous Transmission.”  George Harrison what what.  The guy next to me FLIPS OUT.  Me, to K: “So that's what I look and sound like at a concert.”  K: “Yeah, you do.  Good job.”

Grade: A

210 -- Jimmy Eat World -- Tuesday, July 18, 2017 -- Xfinity Center -- Mansfield, MA

I was furious when I found after buying tickets that J.E.W. would be the opener, not the headliner.  This meant fewer songs, fewer fans, and fewer chances to make a connection.  This was especially frustrating because K (Erik Kastman) and I had spent many days coordinating a Boston visit to see them.

Luckily, I had no reason to be angry.  Jimmy Eat World’s performance was better than any opening band I’ve seen.  They seemed to take the built-in disadvantage as a challenge.  They threw more energy into this performance than any previous show.  It felt like a mission: You may not have come here to see us, and you may not get to hear everything you want to hear, but we WILL leave our mark.  

--- “Bleed American”!!!!  The fierce red backdrop and immediate contrast with the lackluster “Sure and Certain” gave it a power it's never had before.

--- “Big Casino”: yay at “New Jersey success story”!  Bruuuuuce.  The song reminded me of the times Bruce came up during the drive and during the pub dinner.  (Other satisfying pre-show moments included fitting in every Jimmy/Incubus prep track in time, and K nearly convincing me that Dookie was better than American Idiot.)

--- This guy to the right of me has his arm in a sling…yet he’s pumping with the other arm!  K: “I've got two arms, so I've got no excuse!"

--- “I Will Steal You Back”: meh, like the rest of Damages.

--- “Lucky Denver Mint”: better.

--- Cool new guitar solo intro to Hark's “Futures.”  Maybe because I've never been so close before, but I like that Jim Adkins looks like a maniac.  He’s not phoning it in for a second!  The fact that he keeps amping the crowd for Incubus is great too.

--- Hahaha at me calling the absurdly creepy departure “Pass The Baby (Here)” right before they play it!!  K can verify.  I had not known about the rhythm shift halfway through!!

--- “Pain”!!!!

--- “Work”: “Get out of this place while we still have time.”  No -- never leave!!!

--- “Hear You Me”: K cracking up at the Hark “ANGELs lead you in” section.

--- “Always Be”: not the strongest song for a short set, but points for originality.  Apparently it fits Molly Ringwald.

--- Gah at a new one, but “Get Right” does have some creepy baby-passing charisma.

--- “A Praise Chorus” into surprise “Sweetness”!!!!  Best opener ever.  Solves the “Middle” problem!!  Joy.  So glad for K.

Grade: A

209 -- Dispatch -- Friday, July 7, 2017 -- Merriweather Post Pavilion -- Columbia, MD

I have wanted to share Dispatch with people since the first time I heard “Elias” at a Oaxacan bus stop.  This time I got to share it with more people than ever before: with Hark, Anna Hickman, Alex Shiroma, Tom Swindell, Steve Busch, and (in electronic spirit), Ben Marzouk, Kevyn Allgeier, and Lisa Allgeier. Would the band be able to satisfy such a big group of fans? YES.  They said they were “gonna take it to the people,” and they definitely did.  
--- Chad Urmston casually walks on in a skirt that he never references during the show.  Was it a sign of solidarity with trans people after Texas tried to enact a new bathroom law?  If so, right on, Chad. 

--- “Be Gone”: smoky start!  Hark yelps, “Yes -- the catchy one!”  Awesome whoosh section three quarters through.  Best new song opener I've heard at a concert.

--- “Circles Around the Sun."  Lights cool -- song still mediocre.  So long, mediocrity -- harmonica brings it up!

--- “Passerby.”  Yay for Steve Busch.  “What a little child” is a catchy chorus I'd somehow missed.  Jam!!  I am excited for a song I barely liked in the past.

--- “Windylike” and “Fallin’”: meh.

--- Anna Hickman transforms “Bang Bang”!!  She’s on point with her hand motion, head bobs, and RAP LYRICS.  The tambourine’s cool too.  Anna's self-described “15-year-old coming out” is worth the price of admission.

--- The atmosphere in “Curse + Crush” is first-rate.  Love the Band of Horses “Funeral” vibe -- especially in enunciation on “shiiine”!

--- “Open Up”: Hahaha at Alex's literal “relax man off your back” on Anna's back.  For at least the fourth time tonight, they've taken a song I barely knew from the albums and made it so much better.

--- “Cover This”: too soft for me, but cool hand-held maracas and ukulele.  I also like how the drummer becomes singer.

--- “Rice Water”: “This song is about parents from Central and South America who put their kids on trains north in search of a better life.”  Another unexpected love.  I want to look online and read more!

“Flying Horses”!!!!!  Glorious.  The crowd got louder at each chorus, Anna and I auditioned for Dancing With The Stars, Hark ran Hark In Charge, and Alex cracked up the entire time.  So. Much. Bouncing.  Our CALVES.



--- Kiss at the end of “Bound By Love.”

--- “The General”!!!  I do not owe Tom Swindell an eaten bongo.  (Before the show, Tom had not been sure they would play “The General.”  I was sure they would – I said I would eat a bongo if they didn’t.  The only thing I ended up eating was [quality] Columbia pizza at Tom’s place afterward.)

--- “Bats in the Belfry”: jam city!!!

--- “Skin The Rabbit”: yet another strong song from the new album.  Props.

--- “Here We Go”!! This show has been a perfect mix of their new and old albums.  Interesting addition of the opener Marco Benevento on piano.  Aww, he's so excited to play.

--- Awww at our gut clasp during “Out Loud.”  There are ten made-up riffs in the middle, but the vocal in the last one is strong.

--- 20 year bandmate Pete Francis is off tour due to depression, and they offer a uplifting message.  Good for them.

--- “Only The Wild Ones.”  Gah for it sounding like Givers' “Up Up Up,” but wooo for it as a song.  Different band members playing the trumpet and clarinet?!  For Hark, they need to bring out a clarinet!

--- “Elias”!!!!  No need to mess with a classic.  Body summary of the rest of the show.

Grade: A