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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221 -- Bruce Springsteen -- Friday, November 4, 2017 -- Walter Kerr Theater -- NYC

This Bruce concert was different than any prior Bruce concert.  First, it was a Broadway show, so no phones allowed.  Thus, no notes to revisit memories.  What I do remember is being disappointed in the very beginning.  He actively stopped singalongs and discouraged mid-song applause.  What kind of pretentious, lifeless event was this – against the very spirit of Springsteen?!

What it turned out to be was brilliant.  The shift to quiet made it unbelievably intimate, a performance he put on for you in his living room.  Plus, when applause that did break out at the end of each brief set, it was thunderous.  Another thrilling surprise was how almost the whole show was new material.  During the preceding months, I’d read Born To Run, the memoir the perform was based on, took a road trip to Jersey to visit the sites, and met with two separate groups of friends to discuss it – first, Ben Marzouk, Pierre Dumong, Evan Davis, and Joe Kessler in DC; then, Jim Andrukonis, Steve Mull, Ryan Mull, Cathy Faraj, Emily Trone, and Mike Trone in Crystal City.  The book, trip, and discussions were all great, but I thought they were it.  He’d read from the book, play a few songs, and be done.

What he actually did was include never-released passages, flip songs in bold ways, and bring the house down.  Most remarkable was his rendition of “Born in the USA,” a song I’ve never liked…until that night.  Seeing the concert on Netflix is not the same as being in the theater, but based on media reports, it does come close…        

Grade: A+

220 -- Foo Fighters -- Saturday, October 14, 2017 -- Richmond Coliseum -- Richmond, VA

“Run”: clearly a song about Hark, who now owns the land-speed record for buying and returning with a hot dog.  Good for him.

Dave Grohl to the crowd: “Haven’t been to Richmond in a while. Let’s do a long one then.”  HA. [Edit after the show: The length ended up being an issue.  Hark had most of his energy drained hours earlier by news that our awesome surrogate was found medically ineligible.  To his credit, he soldiered through, and everything ended up working out kid-wise. :)]          

“Learn To Fly”!!!  I’ve never heard it at a Foo Fighters show, and I get to hear it with Hark — it’s his song. (For the record, Hark sings it better than Dave — much better.)

“The Pretender”!!!  Awesome riff in the middle.

Lol at Dave stopping in the middle of “Sky is a Neighborhood” and yelling at the audience: “Can I finish the f’ing song please?”

Awww at Hark bouncing along to Chicago’s “Something From Nothing”!

Proud that I can call “Walk” from the opening chords.  The fact that Hark was a fan of it beforehand made me relisten to it and gain new appreciation.  Tied for the best of the night so far!!!

“Rope.”  As a song, meh.  The riffs are friggin’ great though, so wooo “Rope.”  Almost sounds like jazz?!  Whoa, Taylor Hawkins’ drumset approaches the ceiling! Nice transition to...

“Sunday Rain,” the Paul McCartney song.  Like the funk and the section where the guitars and drums fade, giving a few seconds of just Hawkins vocals.  He’s not a great vocalist, but that makes it feel sincere.  Even the lower-tier songs feel strong!!

Dave: “Ladies and gentleman, hi.”  “We just played ten songs and didn’t even say anything.”  Unprecedented.

“My Hero,” an acoustic-to-percussive triumph.

“These Days”: I never appreciated this song!  Such wistful lyrics and circular delivery. “One of these days your heart will cease to beat...but that’s okay”!!!

“Let It Die”!!!!  Dave:“This is for the old school fans.  We haven’t played this live in years.”  Gah, I know. Hark says, “I like this one” without prompting = YES!

“All My Life”!!!!  I groaned at first because it was two hyper-intense ones right after one another, but it WORKED.  At the end: “Time to burn this place down, m’f’ers.”  InDEED!

Some “flying machines” song: meh.

“White Limo”: meh.

Dave promises a woman with a sign two picks if she’ll take down the sign blocking the people in front of her.  He “admires her persistence” though.  I tell Hark, “Maybe we should would be interested in surrogacy.”  “Yes,” he grins.

“Breakout”: wooo, There Is Nothing Left To Lose.  Cool audience light show towards the end.

“Make It Right”: cool 70s vibe.  Wears out its welcome though.  Picture of some of blond 80s guy I should clearly know.  The tone-less loud-ness continues.  Gah.  “I’m In Love With My Car” by Queen drummer Roger Taylor inspired Taylor Hawkins to play guitar and sing.

“Skin and Bones”: much better/simpler.  Accordion for the win!

Dave gives every band member their moment and every member of the nosebleeds their moment.  “Put the lights on them.  They don’t even have lights?!”  PERSONALIZATION, folks.  Other musicians: LEARN FROM DAVE.

Dave: “I’m not going to have you have a bass solo because no one like those. [Audience boos.]. Oh, you do like them?”

Hark: “His sister went to Virginia Center?”  (HA, after Dave mentioned that his sister went to VCU.)

“Monkey Wrench”!!!! I thought it would be a letdown, but NOPE.

Comments to Hark: “He’s kind of phoning it in...I wonder if he also gave people badges at his wedding.”

Hehe at the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 finger comedy before the enore.

“Dirty Water”! Remains my favorite song on the new album.  Not an all-time classic, but strong.

Awww at the guy behind me screaming “Aurora”!!!

“This Is A Call.”  Hark is dancing up a storm — nice!

Mehhh at “La Dee Da.”  Worst song they’re ever released?

“Wheels.” Aww, crowdfunded show at the National in Richmond “one of the greatest live experiences of his life.”  There was no space between the crowd and him — how he likes it.

“Congregation”: unexpected resurgence.

“Concrete and Gold.”  “Here’s a song we’ve never played live.”  I know why — it’s TERRIBLE!  The lights add a little, but overall, UGH.

“Everlong”: like the no-frills straightforward version as finale.

Grade: A

219 -- Mutemath -- Friday, September 22, 2017 -- The Fillmore -- Silver Spring, MD

It was great to see Colony House and Mutemath with Tom Swindell and ­­Chris Hartten.  We had interesting conversations before the show, and they were enthusiastic about songs throughout.  It was cool to later find out that Kim Walker was there the same night!  

The main issue with Mutemath was me.  Objectively, I recognize that they were every bit as good (or probably better) than Colony House.  Exhaustion from the work week and a lukewarm reaction to their albums prevented me from fully embracing them. 

That said, I definitely appreciate certain moments, most of which appear in the live blog below…

--- Paul Meany starts with a slick leap onto a ledge during “War.”

--- Wow, it looks like every song will feature a full-screen video backdrop.  Nice.

--- I like the lowest-piano-key burp effect halfway through “Stroll On.”

--- Awww, Tom at the start of “Used To”: “I love this song!”

--- For me, the permanent high pitch voice starts to grate.  It's kind of endearing when he squeaks words to the crowd between songs though.

--- “Noticed”!  I like how they didn't need any backdrop.  The song spoke for itself.

--- “Vitals” features a cool drum solo and ooh-ooh effect.

--- Hahahah at Tom’s fiftieth “you're going to publish the review this weekend -- this weekend.”  It never works like that, Tom, but it’ll be a faster turnaround than usual! [UPDATE, considering this is now being posted on 8-23-19: *sike.*]

--- “Spotlight”!!!  Killer hook and Meany lassoed a giant spotlight on a ledge!

--- Tom points out that they're doing a cover of 21 Pilots' "Achilles Heel."  Hahaha at his shimmy across the stage!

--- He goes out into the crowd during “Reset.”  Lol at his near handstand on a ledge.  He walks on top of the crowd on top of a rubber light-bulb mattress?!?!?! 

--- “Typical”: a worthy finale.

My bias against falsetto, electronic music, and Friday night shows prevented me from fully enjoying it.  (5am wakeup calls catch up with me no matter how good the band.)  The visuals, choreography, and sound quality were first-rate, though.  Good choice, Tom.

Grade: B+

218 -- Colony House -- Friday, September 22, 2017 -- The Fillmore -- Silver Spring, MD

It was great to see Colony House and Mutemath with Tom Swindell and ­­Chris Hartten.  We had interesting conversations before the show, and they were enthusiastic about songs throughout.  It was cool to find out later that Kim Walker was there the same night! 

The main issue with Colony House opening was I felt like the only one at the Fillmore who knew them.  This was understandable, considering they were the opener, and their second, most recent album debuted at #76 on the Billboard chart.  This was still frustrating because I really liked both albums, and frontman Caleb Chapman did all he could to sell them.  Fortunately, little by little, he won them over and made a strong case to headline next time. 

--- “Was It Me” has a catchy rhythm and a clever way of introducing band members.  Breaking up the intro fuels excitement for the song!  

--- “You and I.”  Love how Chapman wills the crowd into it at the end.  He’s got game.

--- “Lonely”!!!  Insistent smoke for days.  The strongest song this set.

--- HA at the fake slam: “If it was a bigger bridal party, he would've made it." 

--- “Moving Forward”: solo acoustic.  Strong, varied voice into...surprise trio!!  Tom: “That was great.”  Chris: “The best one so far.”

--- “Silhouettes”!!!  Awesome fake out at the end.  Tom lol’s at my excitement at calling it right before it happened.

Give Colony House a night with more songs and committed fans, and they will slay.

Grade: A-

217 -- Ed Sheeran -- Tuesday, September 19, 2017 -- Verizon Center -- DC

This Ed Sheeran concert was not the triumph the first one had been.  I’d always prefer to get problems out of the way at the beginning, so it was disappointing that the low points of the show came at the end.  That said, there were several outstanding moments, and I got to share them with Hark, so I’m glad I went.

--- “Eraser” and “The A Team” are a decent start.

--- Before the next song, his ode is way better than decent: “You're facing front -- no one can see you.”  We should swing with each other, dance, show flair, no reason to be self-conscious / care.  Great point!!!

--- “Don't.”  I think I will. Close enough to rap that I'm lovin’ in.  After a beast of a day, rejuvenation!!!

--- “Dive.”  Does the standard You're The Best Crowd lie, but does it with such specificity, I'm convinced!  He goes through the best crowds on the tour: Dublin, then Buenos Aires, then Louisville, then Chicago.  Doesn't say D.C. is the best after, so I believe him.  Well done!!!

--- “Bloodstream.”  The fiery swirl is so cool.  The visual/sonic build and then pull back at the end was incredible.

--- “Happier.”  The “no one hurts you like I hurt you” doesn’t apply, but the rest fits our relationship.  I am happier with Hark.

--- “Tenerife Sea.”  Soft and meandering, so I see why he rarely plays it, but it works for me.  Low key contrast ftw.

--- I called “Galway Girl” from the opening note!  Fun Irish energy.

--- And now, a song Google doesn't even know.  The low point of the night by far.

--- “Photograph”!!!!  Reinvention.  Hark's voice and arm the whole way.  He sings, it builds, it sways.  Whoa.

--- “Perfect” is his favorite song apparently.  “I hope I don't say that in the future.”  Heh.  Rhythmically and after all that buildup, meh.

--- “Nancy Mulligan”!!  Much better than “Galway Girl.”

--- “Thinking Out Loud.”  I think people know this one.  

--- Lackluster “Sing.” 

--- Haaaaaa at him coming out in a Wizards jersey!!

--- Lackluster “Shape of You.”

--- “You Need Me, Man, I Don't Need You.” Too-high expectations, jumbled vocals, and cheesy on-screen lyrics made it a big disappointment.  Guitar explosion halfway through was new and cool though.

Grade: B+ 

216 -- Coldplay -- Sunday, August 6, 2017 -- Fedex Field -- Landover, MD

The road to Coldplay was a rough one.  The baby-related conversations Hark and I had as we walked through Landover led to us getting literally lost on the streets.

The moment we arrived at Fedex Field, however, everything became clear.  Chris Martin knew exactly what he was doing and how to make people happy.  I wish the songs had a little more weight (and I knew more of them), but I appreciated the show for what it was: a light, bright escape from the rest of the world.  

--- “Yellow.”  Giant yellow visuals we didn't really see as we were finding our seats.  No worries -- no chance this will be the last big visual of the night…  

--- Rainbow Para-Para-“Paradise”: First time I’ve ever been given a color-changing wristband!!  The remix halfway through was awesome.  Once or twice through the straight melody, Chris Martin ran down the ramp, drums amped up, and the guitars went into an electronic tailspin.  By the time the confetti came out, that somehow felt right too.  Confetti on the fourth song?!  You've got us -- it works.

--- “Always in the Head” and “Magic” slow things down.  It's chill, bro.

--- The speech!!!!  Outstanding specificity: detailing the tolls, lines, lots, and Stubhub battles everyone had to go through to get to show.  Shoutouts to DC, Virginia, and “Mary”land.  The last time they played at FedEx Field was 2001, the 100th of what felt like 100 bands at (the Hark-approved) HFStival.  Now they're headlining.  A second after I compare him to a lighter Dave Grohl, he mentions that Dave was at that HFStival joke trashing him!!  The fact that they invite the audience to fill in the song with appropriate blanks (Syria, their neighbor, The White House) sends it to the stratosphere.  Bravo.

---- “Clocks”: Hahahah, Hark's quoting himself: “There's Hark singing again.”  He's a whole different person.  He doesn’t just sing; he beams for five straight minutes! 

--- Wooo at the “let's all stop everything and jump” prompt for “Midnight” / “Charlie Brown.”  Tear at the lackluster vocal.

--- “Hymn For The Weekend” has a catchier hook (“jumping so high so high so high”), so the stagecraft means something.  The fire, fireworks, and his leap mean more because you can make out words.

--- “Fix You”!!!  Majestic build, strong story -- for me, best of the night. 

--- A second, even bigger Hark explosion for “Viva La Vida”!  (Hark later explained his reaction was simply a tribute to Meagan O'Neill.)

--- “Adventure of a Lifetime” features literal multi-colored balls, but a bland vocal, so no real bounce.  (Love that so many kids get to take the ball home though.)

--- “Don't Panic”: Garden State nostalgia!!

--- “Green Eyes”: excellent acoustic song I'd never heard before. Hahahahah at the shameless, misguided, endearing substitution of “Redskins” at the end.

--- Wish I knew “Something Just Like This” (featuring The Chainsmokers) better.  Catchy and uplifting even for the first time!

--- Wooo at “A Sky Full of Stars.”  Oh, more accurately, wheee. Hahaha at the 18th confetti.

--- Hahaha at more Redskin shamelessness: props involving love of America and the Redskins.  I like how he circles back to HFStival and asks us to be kind to each other as we leave.  “He sounds like That Ellen Woman.”  Agreed, Hark, agreed.

Grade: B+ / A-