Big Boi - 9:30 Club (9/8/10)

Phenomenal show! Big Boi and his crew of 2 packed over 20 songs into just over an hour, keeping the tempo high and the crowd moving. With the buzz Sir Lucious Left Foot... The Son of Chico Dusty has been getting, I was shocked that the concert didn't sell out when tickets first went on sale a few months ago - and even more so that the 9:30 Club was only about 3/4 full. It was probably better though, because Big Boi's energy had damn near everyone in the crowd (even me) bee bopping for much of the concert. Sweet ass!

The National - Electric Factory (6/4/10)

Even under less than ideal conditions, the National still impressed in concert. It wasn't an easy night though...

• Traffic - The combination of it being a Friday afternoon with both the Flyers and Phillies having home games made the traffic in Philly pretty much miserable.
• Venue - My first time at this venue, which is basically a warehouse. Those who want to enjoy a show with an adult beverage in hand are limited to the upstairs (with very few views of the stage) or the right-side of the stage downstairs (with sub-par acoustics). Not sure if that's by design or because of some silly ABC law, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to herd those willing to hand over more of their $$ into two undesirable areas of the venue.
  
• Crowd - Somehow, we ended up surrounded by a bunch of ass hats who were more interested in boozing and talking than the concert itself. Essentially, they paid a $25-35 cover to get into the Electric Factory bar with the National providing the background music. Another reason to refrain from the over-21 areas next time.

Enough of being Debbie Downer. The band was much more engaging (with each other and the crowd) than the other times I've seen them. Singer Matt Berninger puts so much of himself into some songs that he looks like he's on the verge of a full-blown seizure - I honestly don't know how he does it on a nightly basis and is still sane. The setlist was a solid 22 songs - I believe all but one ("Cherry Tree") being from Alligator, Boxer or High Violet. It looked like "Fake Empire" was supposed to close the main set, but Berninger called an audible of sorts as the rest of the band was putting down their instruments and they instead closed with "Mr. November." I'd assume that this was meant to be their encore closer, because "About Today" ended the show kinda awkwardly.

All things considered it was a good night of music (with the Flyers and Phils chalking up W's to boot). LBJ scored a pair of free tickets to the Saturday show in a radio station raffle too, which by his account was a more pleasurable experience than Friday. Oh well, you can't with them all...

I'll do what I want but irresponsibly

From last year's Austin City Limits concert/taping, but they replayed it a few weeks ago. Not only are these guys great musicians, they're bad-ass performers too. Watching this fires me up...



Saw PJ and Band of Horses at the ridiculously named Jiffy Lube Live (formerly Nissan Pavilion) last month with the LOML. Chalk up another fantastic concert by Pearl Jam.

Drive-By Truckers - Recher Theatre (4/14/10)

A good old fashioned, balls out rock and roll concert… that pretty much sums up the Drive-By Truckers live. Other than getting the thumbs-up from RatBat Bear, who saw them with the Hold Steady at the end of ’08, I didn’t really know what to expect from this show. What I and about 700 people got was 27 songs of sweet southern rock goodness.

A few things of note… first, DBT has a hell of a fan base. I was initially surprised by this, but by the end of the night it was pretty clear why. While a crowd of 700 doesn’t seem like much, the energy kicked the shit out of some of the tepid crowds I’ve been a part of that were over 2x the size. The show was sold out and tickets were abnormally scarce on Craigslist. I waited outside for about 10 minutes before someone offered up and extra ticket. I walked in as DBT were taking the stage and the place was pretty much packed (unheard of for DC-area concerts). Lots of singing, grooving and Natty Boh drinking. This was most likely the effects of the other thing I noticed…

DBT genuinely seemed to be having a good time - something that probably can’t be said about a lot of other bands… especially when they’re on tour. This was pretty evident from their interactions with each other and the crowd. Maybe the Jack Daniels they were passing around (2 bottles) had something to do with it, but I doubt it. These guys have been around awhile – they’re a well-oiled machine and they play off of each other extremely well.

I’d consider myself a casual DBT fan. I have a few of their albums which I like - but for whatever reason, their music doesn’t hold my attention or interest for an entire album. Same goes for their latest, The Big To-Do. And while I’d definitely recommend seeing them in concert, I don’t think the experience will make me want to listen to their albums more – I’ll just anxiously await their next tour and bring a few friends with me to share the experience.

Wilco - The Strathmore (3/30/10)

Wow... on many levels. The Strathmore is an absolutely phenomenal place to see a concert. Top-notch acoustics, beautiful design (both inside and out), comfortable seats and easy access (by car and mass transit). If you ever get a chance to see a show there, I highly recommend that you take advantage.

And then there was Wilco - 37 songs over almost 3 hours... you can't ask much more from a band than that. After coming out blazing, they pulled back on the throttle in the middle of their set, moving to the front of the stage, closer together and playing about a dozen songs, not full-out acoustically, but pretty darn close to it. Then back to their main instruments they went, and closed out the set with a "Jesus, etc" crowd singalong (which wasn't all that great, according to Jeff Tweedy), "Heavy Metal Drummer," "I'm the Man Who Loves You," and some other faves.

All-in-all it was a great concert, but it had bit of a different, more laid-back feel than the other two times I saw them. Maybe it was the classiness of the venue, maybe the attendance of Rahm Emanuel had something to do with it, maybe it was because it was on a Tuesday night in the 'burbs. When you get that many songs with near-perfect acoustics, it's hard to complain too much. All I know is that it's better than seeing them in a stadium or from the back of the lawn at a pavilion, which is probably where they're headed next go-around.

Spoon & Deerhunter - 9:30 Club (3/23/10)

While Spoon's latest, Transference, isn't my favorite, I couldn't pass this one up - especially at the bargain price of $25. I don't think I've ever read anything bad about Spoon in concert, but have read a fair amount of lukewarm reviews from years past which surprised me. Interestingly enough though, those from this tour are much more favorable, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Throw Deerhunter into the mix and who knows what the hell this night would bring.

Deerhunter was... well, intense. And lead singer Bradford Cox is... well, different. In between songs he would ramble on about nothing in particular and many times seemed to just string words together without much concern for whether or not they made any sense. But then he would introduce a song, the band would start playing and it was like a switch turned on (or off) in his brain and everything became right in the world. Deerhunter played a hell of a set and the place was packed for them (it actually seemed to be more so than for Spoon). Their performance took me by surprise, but in a good way - at the end I felt like they had chewed me up and spit me out. I was relieved that it was over yet still wanted more. It was a strange feeling.

By the time Spoon came on, it was after 10pm and I was almost 18 hours into my day so I was starting to drag some serious ass. But they did a hell of a job of picking me up, dusting me off and giving me a swift kick in said ass. They blasted through their setlist, hitting all parts of their catalog and even covering a song by The Damned (“Love Song” maybe?). The only really low point for me was “The Underdog.” Substituting the horns for a piano seemed karaoke-ish. It’s all good though, I just used the opportunity to hit the head.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Black Cat (2/18/10)

This was a tremendous show - and unexpected, which makes it even better. I had heard of The Soundtrack of Our Lives before, but honestly had never paid much attention to them. Led by their big, sweaty, unpredictable teddy bear-esque frontman Ebbot Lundberg, the Swedes sure do know how to bring it. And the pair of blonde firecrackers that scooted their way in front of us added to the entertainment by shaking their moneymakers and whipping their hair all about. A quality night all around.

Check out their website, scroll towards the bottom and click on "Enter the TSOOL Dimension" - whoa.

The Low Anthem - 9:30 Club (12/1/09)

I don't think I've ever been to a concert where I've seen the opening band and didn't stay for the main act. But the ticket was free and the car ride seemed better than the walk to and then ride on the metro at 10pm. I did catch the first few songs of Josh Ritter's set (the headliner) and he's no slouch.

There was a decent crowd for the opening band, the Low Anthem. I think this is the third time they've been through the DC area in the past year and a half or so (unfortunately I missed them the first two times). Pretty full sound from a trio... I'd assume the fact that they are currently touring with 15 instruments might have something to do with that. And 1 of those 15 instruments didn't include the cell phone Knox Miller held up to the mic to create a few seconds of feedback at the end of one song. The Low Anthem impressed. And they got a few sentimental points when Jocie Adams broke out the clarinet (I had a crush on a clarinet player in 4th or 5th grade... bitch broke my heart).

NPR has their set from the 2009 Newport Folk Festival.

All this and a Pearl Jam concert to boot?

So imagine being at a PJ concert and Chris Cornell is on hand to belt out his parts of "Hunger Strike." THEN later in the evening, Jerry Cantrell hops onstage to bang out the guitar solo on "Alive." Only in LA (that's what they say, isn't it?).

No, I wasn't there, but goddamn if I wish I was. Thanks to Jude for passing this on. While the videos leave much to be desired, it's more about the story - and what an f-ing story it will be for those at the Gibson Amphitheater that night!

The Flaming Lips - Festival Pier (8/29/09)

Not too much to write about this show, as the skies opened up about 30 minutes into the Lips' set. We (the Lips and the crowd) were starting to hit our groove, but shit... or rain/thunder/lightning happens. Pretty badass version of "Fight Test" and the two(?) new songs they played sounded pretty good live. I've tried to explain their entrance to a few people and I think failed miserably on each attempt. Luckily, I found the below clip on YouTube. Don't stare directly at the pulsating vazhïn...

Phish - Merriweather Post Pavilion (8/15/09)

Never thought I'd ever go to a Phish show, but definitely glad I did. The atmosphere in the parking area before the concert was similar to what I'd imagine Jimmy Buffet concerts are like - lots and lots of pre-gaming. When we arrived, there were a few guys unloading their band equipment and setting up in the middle of one of the parking lots. I guess since Phish didn't have an opener, they figured they'd be their unofficial one.

I was surprised to see so many people there without tickets, just hoping that they'd come across someone with an extra that didn't want a kidney for it. In hindsight, I guess I shouldn't have been... hell, they haven't toured since 2004.

When I got in the actual venue, I quickly realized that finding my friends in the lawn was going to be like finding a needle in a very smokey haystack. After a few songs, I decided to completely give up and just enjoy the experience that is Phish. I wouldn't call myself a fan of jam bands (or even Phish for that matter) but "phishing," as the die-hards call it, is truly one hell of an experience. And until you see them in concert, you just won't get it.

Pete Yorn - Ram's Head Live! (7/21/09)

All around quality show. Can't say I was all that surprised either. Pete Yorn's music isn't mind-blowing or experimental by any stretch of the imagination, but it's solid - and that's how I would describe the performance that he and his band put on. The whole feel of the evening was cozy - Ram's Head was, I'd say about 60-75% full so it felt more like an intimate bar setting. About halfway through the main set, the drummer came from behind his kit, sat down on a wooden box in the middle of the stage and whacked his hands on it for a few songs... the only thing that was missing was the campfire. Pete was fairly engaging with the crowd, which was cool. I think the only thing that was missing was "Undercover," which the LOML was a bit bummed about, but you can't win 'em all.

Wilco Live Webcast - Saturday

Tune in at WilcoWorld.net (or the Wilco iPhone app for you up on technology) this Saturday, June 26th at 9pm EDT for the live webcast of Wilco's show at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA. Might have to have this on in the background while I'm filling up moving boxes...

Band of Horses - Ram's Head Live! (6/12/09)

I'm not really sure what happened here. The conditions were set for a successful evening - the LOML made a rare appearance with me, we've been looking forward to see BoH for a few years and it was our maiden voyage to Ram's Head in B-more. The night even started off on a few positive notes - got rid of our extra pair of tickets without a hitch and had solid dinner/drinks at the newly established J.A. Murphy's. Once we got to Ram's Head, the night didn't go in the crapper, but it sure didn't continue to get better...


First, the venue. It doesn't seem like a bad place to see a concert, but we didn't help ourselves any by showing up to the sold-out show about 10 minutes before BoH came on stage. We chose to head to the second floor and had to bob and weave the whole night to catch glimpses of the band.

Which brings us to BoH. They kicked off their set with three or four slow songs in a row (their set list looked similar to their NY show)... if I could have laid down on the floor and taken a nap, I would have. I'm not sure what I expected from these guys, but they didn't live up to it. They sounded fine but their choice of songs and lack of movement on stage didn't really give the crowd a chance to get into it. It was almost like they didn't want us to get into it...

TV on the Radio - 9:30 Club (6/9/09)

It's been a long time coming for me seeing TVOTR in concert. I had a ticket to see them at the 9:30 in'07, but crapped out for some reason (I still have the unused ticket). When they announced their first go-around of the states in support of Dear Science, I was bummed to say the least... but they were kind enough to include DC as a stop on their 2nd leg. I was more than a little anxious to hear how all of their sounds came across in a live setting. Plus I wanted to see Kyp Malone's afro and beard in person.

Lead man Tunde Adebimpe has what seems like boundless energy. He bounces around the stage and sings every line like it could be his last. The sax player was definitely feeling the music as well. Other than those two though, there wasn't much movement by the rest of the band... but you could still tell that they were giving it their all.

I found myself doing the same thing last Tuesday that I did for the first few months I listened to Return to Cookie Mountain - trying to piece all of their "noises" together instead of taking it all in as one sound. And with all of the different "noises" TVOTR makes, taking them in individually quickly becomes overwhelming (and exhausting). I had to remind myself on a few occasions that night to step back and just enjoy the experience. And once I was able to do that, it just made me want to see them over and over and over again, until I got it just right.

The National - 9:30 Club (5/25/09)

It seems like the National has been touring for over three years without many breaks. While I’m loving it because it’s given me the opportunity to see them three times, it has to take its toll on the band. They were initially scheduled at the 9:30 for two shows over as many nights, but after both shows sold out in no time, they added a late show to the first night. I had a ticket to see them on the second night… would they have anything left in the tank by the time they got to their third show in two days?

Silly me for questioning these guys. Accompanied by a three-piece horns section and keyboardist, they ripped through all parts of their catalog for over an hour and a half. Lead singer, Matt Berninger was even more engaging with the crowd than I remembered. They even broke out a few new songs - "Vanderlylle," "Blood Buzz" and kicked the night off with "Runaway" (see below - thanks to I am Fuel). It's hard to describe the intensity and sincerity they bring to their shows... it's just something you have to experience.

Ghostland Observatory - 9:30 Club (12/13/08)

Two words - sensory overload. That's what happens when you have a rocking dance beat, high-pitched lead singer, laser-light show, flying glow-sticks, and smoke machine all making sweet love under one roof. Can just two people make that kind of ruckus? For 1 hour and 30 minutes, Ghostland Observatory answered that question with an emphatic 'YES!"

There were two points during the concert that I had to walk away because I thought my head might explode. Trying to pay attention to everything that was going on proved to be too much for me. Focus on the music OR the lasers OR what looked like a rave on the lower level.... not all three at the same time. Great concert with an insane amount of energy, but my head is still spinning.

Kings of Leon - Constitution Hall (11/10/08)

I was back and forth for awhile on this concert, but ultimately decided to go because I figured this might be the last opportunity to see these guys in a venue this small. I didn't want to be kicking myself in a few years when they were playing the likes of Verizon Center or Nissan Pavilion. I've tasted that medicine with Coldplay, Foo Fighters and a few others and boy is it bitter. Plus I scored a floor ticket so I figured what the hell.

I know that Kings of Leon is huge across the pond and can't quite figure out why they haven't caught on in the states. The way they played at Constitution Hall, it's just a matter of time. They play to the crowd, but not too much. Guitar solos, but not too much. Smoke and lights, but not too much. The only thing big about the concert was their sound and it was awesome to experience in a smaller venue. My advice is to see them now, before you find yourself up in the nosebleeds and they look like ants crawling around.

Of Montreal - National (11/1/08)

Yeah it's been 3 weeks since I saw Of Montreal in Richmond, but damn was it a great show... one of the most all-around entertaining ones I've ever attended. I've seen bands do less with more and more with less, but these guys did more with more. They were all about making it both an audio and visual experience. While I didn't completely understand all of the theatrics, that shit was fun to watch. And closing the night with a balls-out cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" brought the f-ing house down. The next morning, I made a few unsuccessful attempts to describe the evening to the LOML+1 and after noticing her eyes rolling in the back of her head, deferred to the pictures at P-fork (unfortunately, the horse didn't make an appearance).

On a side note, The National is a great venue. The ground level is an open floor with two "mini" levels and the top was stadium seating (everything was general admission). Great acoustics, plenty of options and room to wander around.

The Kooks - 9:30 Club (9/8/08)

Was I expecting the amazingness that was MMJ at Constitution Hall the week prior? No, and I was fine with that. Honestly I think my brain would have exploded if I had another experience like that less than a week later. As RatBat Bear put it "great Brit pop fun!" That's what I was in the mood for and that's exactly what the Kooks delivered.

With that being said it still took me a few songs to get my wits about me. I walked in just a few minutes before they took the stage and when they did it was obvious that the crowd was female heavy. Thankfully the cheering wasn't quite at the ear-popping, overwhelming shrieking level but it was definitely an octave or 2 higher than the standard crowd noise. And of course I found a decent spot upstairs until an overly exited 6'5" dancing man stood right in front of me. Luckily he came there for the concert and the beer, so it wasn't long before he was off to refill his beverage.

While I only had a few days take in Inside In Inside Out, it was enough to be decently familiar with the songs when they came up in the setlist. They played a solid main set that lasted just over an hour. Lead man Luke Pritchard kicked off the encore with two solo, acoustic songs which was a nice touch. All in all it was an entertaining show - good sound and they played to the crowd rather well.