The Concerts Thread

[ledfloyd]

considering seeing atlas sound in two weeks. definitely seeing of montreal at the end of march. considering seeing sharon van etten at the end of april. definitely seeing st vincent at the beginning of may. should be a good year.

[ContinentalOp]

considering seeing atlas sound in two weeks. definitely seeing of montreal at the end of march. considering seeing sharon van etten at the end of april. definitely seeing st vincent at the beginning of may. should be a good year.
I'm iffy on Atlas Sound. I like them a lot but kind of fear that their show might be a little dull. Saw Deerhunter a year or two back and they rocked it to a degree but it wasn't one of my favorite shows. They seemed to have a lot more fun when they were playing their older, more obscure songs and they played only a few of those.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

The hot ticket for Denver is "The Book of Mormon."

Good lord, $350.

Parental Christmas gift this year was for this show in New York (brother is suddenly obsessed with Broadway). It was pretty great, but yeah $350 is way too pricy for anything of this sort to me.

[Kurosawa Fan]

The Black Keys were phenomenal live. I was a moderate fan going in, and was only going because my little sister loves them and needed someone to take her, but they blew me away. I've been to over 50 shows in my life and that ranks up there amongst the best. They had so much energy, creativity, and personality in their set. Can't talk them up enough.

[Raiders]

Radiohead with Caribou opening are coming to the Verizon Center in DC on June 3rd. Haven't seen them (Radiohead) since 2001. I squealed a little.

Of course, not getting ahead of myself, they don't go on sale until Satursday at 10am. I will be sitting at my computer refreshing like crazy at that time.

[Ivan Drago]

Hoping to get tickets for either Snow Patrol or St. Vincent when I go back to Nashville this weekend. Whichever show I go to, it'll be awesome!

[Raiders]

Radiohead with Caribou opening are coming to the Verizon Center in DC on June 3rd. Haven't seen them (Radiohead) since 2001. I squealed a little.

Of course, not getting ahead of myself, they don't go on sale until Satursday at 10am. I will be sitting at my computer refreshing like crazy at that time.

Got 'em! I squealed a little louder this time.

[soitgoes...]

Buying tickets to see Radiohead in April down in San Jose. This will be by far the most I've ever spent on a concert, but it should be totally worth it. I hope.

Definitely worth it.

[ledfloyd]

Hoping to get tickets for either Snow Patrol or St. Vincent when I go back to Nashville this weekend. Whichever show I go to, it'll be awesome!
i'm seeing st. vincent first week of may. can't wait.

in june radiohead, girl talk, tune-yards, santigold, childish gambino and phish x2 are all paying within an hour or two of me. there's no way i can hit all of these. definitely going to childish gambino with a bunch of friends, and i'm leaning towards tune-yards because tickets are cheap and i missed her last time around. radiohead and phish are both around $50 for lawn seats so... maybe not. santigold seems like it would be a lot of fun. decisions, decisions.

july brings fiona apple, dirty projectors, neko case and feist all in about a week. definitely going to do whatever i need to do to see fiona and probably dirty projectors as well. i'm not terribly into feist but a few friends going has me considering it.

this is the downside of pittsburgh becoming "hip". two years ago nobody came anywhere near us on their tours.

[endingcredits]

Sigur Rós just announced a bunch of dates on their site http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/. I am hoping to get tickets to the Toronto show.

[Derek]

Sigur Rós just announced a bunch of dates on their site http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/. I am hoping to get tickets to the Toronto show.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery, wooh!!!

Just got back from Radiohead - saw them outside at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Great venue (only 4,500 capacity and a glimpse of the ocean) but of course the worst weather of the year has to hit so it was ~50 and off-and-on raining the whole time. Still had an amazing time though. They played for a little over 2 hours including 2 encores and although they only played one tune each from The Bends, OKC, Kid A and Amnesiac, at least they were "Planet Telex" (never expected to hear that...my favorite Bends track too), "Paranoid Android", "Idioteque" and "Pyramid Song", plus they played "Myxamytosis" which was awesome. Thom mentioned that since it was a smaller venue, at least for them, they could get away with playing a lot more of the new stuff, including the 3 From the Basement tracks that didn't make it onto King of Limbs and a couple unreleased tracks. I would've been more fine with that if I'd seen them before, but they played all the best tracks from their last 2 albums and I'd rather have seen them here in a more intimate setting than with 100,000 people at Coachella even if the set list at the latter will probably look more appealing. So yeah, totally worth the hassle, $, etc.

[soitgoes...]

Hollywood Forever Cemetery, wooh!!!

Just got back from Radiohead - saw them outside at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Great venue (only 4,500 capacity and a glimpse of the ocean) but of course the worst weather of the year has to hit so it was ~50 and off-and-on raining the whole time. Still had an amazing time though. They played for a little over 2 hours including 2 encores and although they only played one tune each from The Bends, OKC, Kid A and Amnesiac, at least they were "Planet Telex" (never expected to hear that...my favorite Bends track too), "Paranoid Android", "Idioteque" and "Pyramid Song", plus they played "Myxamytosis" which was awesome. Thom mentioned that since it was a smaller venue, at least for them, they could get away with playing a lot more of the new stuff, including the 3 From the Basement tracks that didn't make it onto King of Limbs and a couple unreleased tracks. I would've been more fine with that if I'd seen them before, but they played all the best tracks from their last 2 albums and I'd rather have seen them here in a more intimate setting than with 100,000 people at Coachella even if the set list at the latter will probably look more appealing. So yeah, totally worth the hassle, $, etc.I looked over the set list to your show, and it does seem they leaned heavier towards their newer stuff than the San Jose show. "Planet Telex" was probably the high point for me. Though I'm pretty jealous I didn't get "Paranoid Android," "Karma Police" was pretty awesome with the crowd joining in. Definitely worth all the money I spent to see them for the first time, but I'm kicking myself for not seeing them on one of their earlier tours after their better albums.

[Boner M]

The Wedding Present finally toured Australia and I saw 'em the other night... played all of Seamonsters, a bunch of others greats ("Kennedy", "Brassneck", "Why are You Being Unreasonable Now?", "My Favorite Dress"..), sounded fantastic, had excellent stage presence etc etc. Gonna be hard to top this for 'gig of the year'.

[Thirdmango]

apparently coachella has been on youtube this weekend and I just found out at the end of the concert. There weren't too many I would have wanted to see, but the only one that's left online right now is Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, and I kid you not they created the "ghost of 2pac" to join them in for a couple songs before he disappeared into dust.

[Ezee E]

apparently coachella has been on youtube this weekend and I just found out at the end of the concert. There weren't too many I would have wanted to see, but the only one that's left online right now is Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, and I kid you not they created the "ghost of 2pac" to join them in for a couple songs before he disappeared into dust.
I was expecting "PRESS START" to show up on the video.

[B-side]

The 2pac hologram was fucking awesome.

[EyesWideOpen]

I'm going to see Florence + the Machine tomorrow night. I'm pretty excited!

[ledfloyd]

saw st. vincent last night. if anyone sees my face let me know.

[romantisaurusrex]

I don't know if anyone here listens to David Bazan (I don't see a lot of folk artists being referenced), but I went to a house show of his recently, and it ranked with the best full sized concerts I've been to ever.

1V9ysSj0OP8

[Ivan Drago]

saw st. vincent last night. if anyone sees my face let me know.

I might be seeing her two weeks from now. I'll be sure to keep it duct taped beforehand.

[ledfloyd]

I might be seeing her two weeks from now. I'll be sure to keep it duct taped beforehand.
i talked to the drummer after the show 'annie's big thing is, before we go on stage she always says "let's fuck some asses." so come to st. vincent shows because we're the only band that rocks your face AND fucks your ass."

so you might want to watch out for that as well. and this was fun:

WputlAh-05Y

i'm the tall doofy-looking guy with curly hair and glasses about 3 people back from the stage. the one that takes a picture with his camera phone at about 0:45 because he was stupid and forgot his real camera at home.

the picture came out like this:

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1975/capkq.jpg

[Boner M]

Will likely be going to the Greg Dulli-curated ATP (http://www.atpfestival.com/events/ibymusa2012.php) in NYC this year. Excite.

[Raiders]

Radiohead was pretty awesome. The venue was packed and loud. When they started the first few notes of Paranoid Android, it was rather deafening. The King of Limbs stuff played very well live surprisingly.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Damn. Teenage Head playing a free show in Toronto this weekend. I wish I was back home for that.

[Derek]

Fuck Yeah Fest lineup just came out today and they're making it a 2-day fest this year! Anyone in the LA area who doesn't go is crazy. They pull out some pretty great bands without the insane size and cost of Coachella...plus it's right downtown instead of the middle of the f'in desert.

http://fyffest.com/fyfbigposter.jpg

Mostly excited for:

M83
Dinosaur Jr.
Wild Flag
Hot Snakes (didn't realize these guys were even back together!)
Liars ('specially since I have to miss their LA show this Friday)
Cloud Nothings
Lightning Bolt
Future Islands (who surprisingly played the best set of last year's show, in the freakin' sweaty, packed tent)
The Field
The Men
Moonface (aka Spencer Krug solo)
John Maus

[D_Davis]

Mostly excited for:

M83
Dinosaur Jr.
Wild Flag
Hot Snakes (didn't realize these guys were even back together!)
Liars ('specially since I have to miss their LA show this Friday)
Cloud Nothings
Lightning Bolt
Future Islands (who surprisingly played the best set of last year's show, in the freakin' sweaty, packed tent)
The Field
The Men
Moonface (aka Spencer Krug solo)
John Maus

Uh...Quicksand?

QUICKSAND!?!?!

gSWEAJJumUE

GNqGO00iY3A

One of the best rock bands ever.

[Derek]

Uh...Quicksand?

QUICKSAND!?!?!

gSWEAJJumUE

GNqGO00iY3A

One of the best rock bands ever.

I can't get youtube where I'm at now, but I see there's a prog rock band from the 70s and a post-hardcore band from the 90s both named Quicksand. Which one are you talking about? B/c given FYF's affinity for pimping of heavier rock bands throughout the year, I'm almost certain it will be the latter...so hoping you meant them. :)

[D_Davis]

It's the '90s band. They're doing a very small number of reunion shows in so cal this year.

They're like the perfect mix of Fugazi and Helmet.

[romantisaurusrex]

Nice, I'd be head over heals for Beirut though.

[Derek]

It's the '90s band. They're doing a very small number of reunion shows in so cal this year.

They're like the perfect mix of Fugazi and Helmet.

Nice. Looove Fugazi, but not so hot on Helmet, though their drummer is incredible. I'll definitely check them out before the show and probably see at least some of their set.


Nice, I'd be head over heals for Beirut though.

Oh, Beirut should've been there too. I loved his first album and liked the last 2 enough as well. And he's sooo dreamy too, right? J/k. ;) I'll catch as much of that set as I can before heading over to M83. Fortunately they've been great in the past at not completely overlapping sets so even with conflicts, I should be able to catch plenty of half-sets.

[ledfloyd]

friends of mine hung out with donald glover before the show i passed on attending last night. kicking myself...

seeing sharon van etten and dr. dog for free on friday though, so that should be cool.

[Raiders]

Hugh Laurie and the Copper Bottom Band are coming to Rams Head in September. I'd LOVE to go, but it's friggin' 80 bucks a ticket.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

friends of mine hung out with donald glover before the show i passed on attending last night. kicking myself...


You missed out, the one time I hung out with Donald Glover we convinced him to drink a 4Loko on top of a parking garage and later split a coconut cream pie for his 27th birthday. :)

[romantisaurusrex]

And he's sooo dreamy too, right? J/k. ;)

I realize you're making fun of me, but... yes. :)

[Acapelli]

Fuck Yeah Fest lineup just came out today and they're making it a 2-day fest this year! Anyone in the LA area who doesn't go is crazy. They pull out some pretty great bands without the insane size and cost of Coachella...plus it's right downtown instead of the middle of the f'in desert.

http://fyffest.com/fyfbigposter.jpg

Mostly excited for:

M83
Dinosaur Jr.
Wild Flag
Hot Snakes (didn't realize these guys were even back together!)
Liars ('specially since I have to miss their LA show this Friday)
Cloud Nothings
Lightning Bolt
Future Islands (who surprisingly played the best set of last year's show, in the freakin' sweaty, packed tent)
The Field
The Men
Moonface (aka Spencer Krug solo)
John Maus
king khan & the shrines are a blast. health too

[number8]

Currently standing in Central Park waiting for Childish Gambino to start. Fuck off, rain.

[Spinal]

Bought my ticket for Kimbra in September.

[Ivan Drago]

Currently standing in Central Park waiting for Childish Gambino to start. Fuck off, rain.

Did it start? And if so how were they?

[endingcredits]

Has anyone seen Liars this summer? I am seeing them in Toronto on the 21st. Also, Swans tour dates have been posted http://younggodrecords.com/live-shows.

[ledfloyd]

i saw Feist on saturday. i was kind of reluctant to go, and i really only went because some friends were going. as much as i love her albums, i wasn't sure how much of an improvement the live show could be. i was wrong. that tiny little girl can rock the fuck out.

i've been listening to Metals on repeat since i got back, and i'm starting to think it might be her best album.

[Adam]

I'm going to see Florence + the Machine tomorrow night. I'm pretty excited!

How was it? Just printed out my tickets for Florence + the Machine with The Weeknd at the Shoreline Ampitheatre :pritch:

[Ezee E]

Went to Skrillex yesterday, and it was everything I could've hoped for. Over the top, grandiose, and fun the whole way through. The set was basically a spaceship that turned into a robot, shooting strobe lights and fireworks... So much fun.

It was also at Red Rocks. Couldn't imagine a better concert venue.

[Ivan Drago]

Me and a bunch of friends are going to see Die Antwoord when they come here in October. I also might see either Passion Pit or Crystal Castles beforehand. Either way, I'm stoked.

[ledfloyd]

if you get a chance to see sharon jones and the dap kings, GO.

i danced my fucking ass off. on a level of sheer musicianship it might have been the best concert i've ever seen. that band is TIGHT. it was a free show too so there were a ton of people there, random 60 year old white guys getting DOWN. just busting out crazy dance moves and having the time of their lives. the atmosphere was infectious.

[ledfloyd]

still buzzing from the show last night. i want that feeling back.

[Boner M]

List of shows I'm at (http://www.last.fm/user/icecreamdisco/events) on my North American pilgrimage over the next few months.

Hit me up if ya wanna Boner party.

[Acapelli]

afro-punk festival is on the 25th and 26th in brooklyn

http://afropunkfest.com/#the-bands

nite jewel show is tempting, but i don't know if i wanna do that on a weeknight

[Ivan Drago]

Officially going to see Die Antwoord in October. Baby's on fire, indeed.

[Spinal]

Officially going to see Die Antwoord in October. Baby's on fire, indeed.

I really want to see them someday.

[Ivan Drago]

I really want to see them someday.

I'll be posting about the experience for sure.

They're also in Harmony Korine's recent short film, Umshini Wam.

It's. . .well. . .it's interesting.

[ledfloyd]

jesus christ, using ticketmaster is literally one of my least favorite things in the world. every time i do it i feel violated. there's always a point where i mentally roll over and just want them to get it over with. to add insult to injury this time the insisted i go through this 'verified by visa' thing that required i input the name on my debit card, security code, expiration date and bank account number. i put it in three times and it was apparently wrong? so much frustration.

also, it is a $35 ticket to which they apply $8.25 in fees. that seemed bad enough, but then there's an unannounced $4.60 order processing fee? if it was anyone but fiona apple i would've said fuck it by now. i'm tempted to just pay $60 on stubhub at this point.

:frustrated:

[Derek]

Found out just yesterday that Lilys are playing within walking distance of my apartment tonight! Didn't even know they were stil around/touring.

[Spinal]

I'm seeing this lovely lady on Thursday.

5eDQdYIqhbE

[dreamdead]

I'm seeing this lovely lady on Thursday.



I'm jealous. I remember looking her up back when Gotye's track first became popular, and I've been so much more impressed with her music than his. Hope she wows you...

[EyesWideOpen]

Going to see Amanda Palmer tonight (my wife's a big fan). I really only know her music through the two big Dresden Dolls songs. Should be interesting.

[EyesWideOpen]

Blown away! Best concert I've ever been to.

[dreamdead]

How was Kimbra, Spinal? I wish she would have come closer to Oklahoma, but hopefully she was awesome...

[romantisaurusrex]

Seeing the tallest man on earth thursday in madrid.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

Seeing the tallest man on earth thursday in madrid.

Talk about the King of Spain, AMIRIGHT?

Kill me.

[Spinal]

How was Kimbra, Spinal? I wish she would have come closer to Oklahoma, but hopefully she was awesome...

Yeah, she was really great, particularly if you're into a theatrical, eccentric performance style. She came out with huge amounts of energy and a mission to please. Made me think about how distant and aloof musicians generally are. She seemed to tire a bit towards the end due to her breakneck pace, meaning that a couple of her best songs ("Settle Down", "Cameo Lover") didn't quite have the same intensity. But, I don't know that I've ever seen someone perform with such joy. I would love it if her music remained just weird enough for her to avoid getting too huge, so that I could continue seeing her in small venues.

[ledfloyd]

jesus christ, using ticketmaster is literally one of my least favorite things in the world. every time i do it i feel violated. there's always a point where i mentally roll over and just want them to get it over with. to add insult to injury this time the insisted i go through this 'verified by visa' thing that required i input the name on my debit card, security code, expiration date and bank account number. i put it in three times and it was apparently wrong? so much frustration.

also, it is a $35 ticket to which they apply $8.25 in fees. that seemed bad enough, but then there's an unannounced $4.60 order processing fee? if it was anyone but fiona apple i would've said fuck it by now. i'm tempted to just pay $60 on stubhub at this point.

:frustrated:
ironic afterword: my anxiety disorder decided to flare up this week, so i'm stuck with a ticket i can't even use.

[Ivan Drago]

Officially going to see Die Antwoord in October. Baby's on fire, indeed.

Ended up having to sell the ticket because I had to go out of town. But I saw Crystal Castles a week beforehand with a ton of friends, and that was awesome enough.

[ledfloyd]

i saw dean wareham play galaxie 500 songs tonight. it was fantastic.

[dreamdead]

Abated my inability to see Boris (once again) by buying some Lady Gaga tickets for a Tulsa date in March. Hope it's a fun show...

[dreamdead]

After the Lady Gaga joy turned to meh (that is to say, canceled tour and no refund yet), I was excited to see that Boris has extended their tour dates to include a St. Louis stop. Since I've been trying to see them for seven years, I'm thinking we're gonna do that bad boy.

[Derek]

After the Lady Gaga joy turned to meh (that is to say, canceled tour and no refund yet), I was excited to see that Boris has extended their tour dates to include a St. Louis stop. Since I've been trying to see them for seven years, I'm thinking we're gonna do that bad boy.

Nice. I'm seeing them in LA in May. They're hit-or-miss with me, but I've heard they're absolutely nuts live. Their live album with Merzbow might be the best thing I've heard by them.

[dreamdead]

Nice. I'm seeing them in LA in May. They're hit-or-miss with me, but I've heard they're absolutely nuts live. Their live album with Merzbow might be the best thing I've heard by them.

Are you doing the greatest hits set or the experimental/Flood set? The latter would be phenomenal to me, so I hope that you've got that one lined up, especially with your music tastes.

I'm hopeful that at least the non-residency dates will get the greatest hits set.

[Derek]

Are you doing the greatest hits set or the experimental/Flood set? The latter would be phenomenal to me, so I hope that you've got that one lined up, especially with your music tastes.

I'm hopeful that at least the non-residency dates will get the greatest hits set.

I went with the greatest hits show. I haven't heard any of their pre-Pink albums, so I figured that was the safest way to go. I do have Flood and Feedbacker, which I'll be getting around to at some point before the show.

[Pop Trash]

Just blew entirely too much money on Nick Cave/Bad Seeds tix. You better be worth it, Nick.

[Derek]

Just blew entirely too much money on Nick Cave/Bad Seeds tix. You better be worth it, Nick.

Saw him a few years back with Spiritualized and Cat Power and they were fantastic. It was a fairly large outdoor venue (Hollywood Bowl), but his swagger filled up the place. Hopefully you get to see them at a smaller venue.

I caught Kim Gordon's new project Body/Head, w/free-noise guitarist Bill Nace, last night. It was even more out there than I was expecting, but pretty awesome to see two renowned guitarists just go at for an hour. The venue was essentially a loft with a couple small balconies, so there were only a couple hundred people.

[Sven]

I, too, saw him a couple years ago and it was explosive.

[ledfloyd]

Debating dropping $80 on a David Byrne & St. Vincent ticket. Given that I may never again have the chance to see David Byrne performing Talking Heads songs this close to home (with one of my favorite contemporary artists) I think I have to pull the trigger.

[Ezee E]

Passion Pit for $20. Heck of a deal. Certainly enjoyed them. Girls REALLY like them.

[ledfloyd]

The National AND Dirty Projectors for $30? Yes, please. June 13th will be a good day.

[Derek]

Passion Pit for $20. Heck of a deal. Certainly enjoyed them. Girls REALLY like them.

Wow, surprised they don't get more than that. Hipster/artsy girls love them! :)


The National AND Dirty Projectors for $30? Yes, please. June 13th will be a good day.

Not a big DP fan (wink!), but that's a good deal. Saw The National after High Violet and they were fantastic.

Picking up tickets for Yo La Tengo tonight. $25 and since I'm going to the record store, I avoid $12 in TicketRaper fees...plus there's no opening act and YLT is doing 2 sets.

[Pop Trash]

Just blew entirely too much money on Nick Cave/Bad Seeds tix. You better be worth it, Nick.

Oh about this: I ordered early tix from Nick Cave's website and they are being sent from the UK, but I still have yet to receive them. I emailed the ticket co. (not ticketmaster, some UK company that Radiohead uses) but still haven't heard anything from them. I'm getting worried.

[Ivan Drago]

I'm going to see Animal Collective in two weeks with a good friend coming in from out of town. I can't wait!

[amberlita]

Hmm. Tyler the Creator is coming to the Newport here. Very very tempted to go. I've only seen some of his stuff on Youtube and his mind-blowing performance on Jimmy Kimmel. Anyone else seen him live? Worth it to go?

[Acapelli]

Hmm. Tyler the Creator is coming to the Newport here. Very very tempted to go. I've only seen some of his stuff on Youtube and his mind-blowing performance on Jimmy Kimmel. Anyone else seen him live? Worth it to go?
just a warning, there will probably be a ton of teenagers moshing, if you're ok with that, i've heard they're pretty decent performers

[Ivan Drago]

I'm going to see Animal Collective in two weeks with a good friend coming in from out of town. I can't wait!

Bought my ticket today. I could win a rabbit, indeed.

[Sven]

Saw Morrissey a couple of nights ago (finally!). He was on. Voice like butter. His opener, Kristeen Young, was revelatory.

[Ivan Drago]

Saw Morrissey a couple of nights ago (finally!). He was on. Voice like butter. His opener, Kristeen Young, was revelatory.

Just out of interest, why 'finally'? Did he cancel a past show you were going to? Because that's happened to my friend when she went to go see him not once, but THREE times, all in Chicago.

[Sven]

I traveled to Oakland to see him. Canceled. Bought tickets again (here, though, thankfully). Canceled. Third time was a charm, and it was worth it.

[Ivan Drago]

I traveled to Oakland to see him. Canceled. Bought tickets again (here, though, thankfully). Canceled. Third time was a charm, and it was worth it.

Glad it was worth it! I may feel the pain of a postponed concert for the first time, because a friend of mine just tried to get a ticket for the Animal Collective show I'm going to but the venue's website said the show was postponed to July. Every screen, Google search and news article I read says the show is still on. How did you find out your show was cancelled? I'm waiting for an e-mail or something before I panic anymore.

[Derek]

I may feel the pain of a postponed concert for the first time, because a friend of mine just tried to get a ticket for the Animal Collective show I'm going to but the venue's website said the show was postponed to July. Every screen, Google search and news article I read says the show is still on. How did you find out your show was cancelled? I'm waiting for an e-mail or something before I panic anymore.

Looks like your show and few others were postponed til July (http://pitchfork.com/news/49870-animal-collective-reschedule-shows-due-to-illness/) assuming you're in Ohio.

[Sven]

How did you find out your show was cancelled?

I went to the venue in Oakland and there was a piece of paper taped to the ticket window. The email was sent literally five hours before the show.

[Ivan Drago]

Looks like your show and few others were postponed til July (http://pitchfork.com/news/49870-animal-collective-reschedule-shows-due-to-illness/) assuming you're in Ohio.

Nashville, actually. Oh well, at least my current ticket's still good. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait!

[Sven]

Wife woke me up last night with a kiss and news that she had purchased tickets to see Mike Nesmith in a couple of weeks.

Best. Wife. Ever.

[slqrick]

Grabbed early bird tix for the Great GoogaMooga (http://brooklyn.googamooga.com/) festival in Brooklyn next month. From what I hear it was kind of a mess last year, but the fiancee and I both agreed that we couldn't pass up the chance to see both The Flaming Lips and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Should be fun.

[Acapelli]

Nice. I'm seeing them in LA in May. They're hit-or-miss with me, but I've heard they're absolutely nuts live. Their live album with Merzbow might be the best thing I've heard by them.
just got back from the all time classics show. face-meltingly awesome

[dreamdead]

Driving back from Boris's St. Louis show last night. It wasn't part of the residency shows, so they effectively blended their two sets. They killed with the last 30 minutes of "Flood" and moved back and forth between straight-ahead rockers and softer, drone-laden tracks. So happy that they did "Flood". That itself is superlative for me. I've wanted to see that album played live for over 8 years.

Pallbearer opened for them on this date, and they ripped through a doomy set with spacey, ethereal solos. The new track they debuted makes me excited to see where they go with their sound on successive albums. All told, two quality acts and lead-in music from Swans, Neurosis, and Isis. About the best concert experience I could have expected not living near any of residency dates.

Hope you equally enjoy them, Derek!

[Kurosawa Fan]

Laneway Festival (http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1561383/the-national-sigur-ros-top-inaugural-laneway-festival-detroit-lineup) is coming to Detroit (or rather, Rochester Hills, which isn't Detroit at all) this year. The National, Sigur Ros, Deerhunter, and others. I'm going to try to grab tickets. I'm not nearly as learned when it comes to music as you guys. Any other groups on that list I should be checking out this summer in preparation?

[ledfloyd]

Laneway Festival (http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1561383/the-national-sigur-ros-top-inaugural-laneway-festival-detroit-lineup) is coming to Detroit (or rather, Rochester Hills, which isn't Detroit at all) this year. The National, Sigur Ros, Deerhunter, and others. I'm going to try to grab tickets. I'm not nearly as learned when it comes to music as you guys. Any other groups on that list I should be checking out this summer in preparation?
I've been loving the hell out of the new Phosphorescent album.

[Derek]

Laneway Festival (http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1561383/the-national-sigur-ros-top-inaugural-laneway-festival-detroit-lineup) is coming to Detroit (or rather, Rochester Hills, which isn't Detroit at all) this year. The National, Sigur Ros, Deerhunter, and others. I'm going to try to grab tickets. I'm not nearly as learned when it comes to music as you guys. Any other groups on that list I should be checking out this summer in preparation?

Aside from Phosphorescent, I'd recommend Warpaint and, to a lesser degree, Washed Out and Youth Lagoon.

Lots of people are loving on the Savages debut this year. I wasn't that impressed, but they're probably worth checking out. I don't really like The Dismemberment Plan much either, but those dudes were huge around the beginning of the 00s so look into them as well.

[Derek]

Speaking of festivals, FYF just announced the lineup yesterday and it's pretty solid. A little annoying that the lineup is weaker overall than last year IMO and it's $20 more, but I'm ridiculously pumped for MBV, which is worth the price of admission alone. Also haven't ever seen Deerhunter, Beach House, Foxygen and a few others that I'd gladly pay full price to see elsewhere, so it'll all work out in the end.

http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/fyf-fest-2013.jpg

Others I'm excited to see:

TV on the Radio
Flag
Deerhunter
The Breeders
Death Grips
Thee Oh Sees
Charles Bradley
Ty Segall
Dan Deacon (though his live set 2 years ago made me hate the crowd, so I may pass unless I'm drinking)
Eleanor Friedberger
Foxygen
Metz
MBV
Beach House
YLT
Washed Out
The Melvins
Les Savy Fav
Kurt Vile
!!!
Jonathan Richman
Baroness
Mac De Marco
Mikal Cronin

[Derek]

just got back from the all time classics show. face-meltingly awesome


Hope you equally enjoy them, Derek!

I'm a lot more excited now!

I didn't get a chance to mention I saw Yo La Tengo for the first time last week and they were amazing. There was no opener so they played 2 full sets - the first an hour-long set of mostly acoustic, chill YLT stuff, the second started off energetic and loud and just got noisier and more off the wall as it went along. These guys really live up to the hype and it's always a joy to see such amazing, versatile musician strut their stuff

[Kurosawa Fan]

I've been loving the hell out of the new Phosphorescent album.

Really dig everything I've heard by them thus far. Thanks for the recommendation.


Aside from Phosphorescent, I'd recommend Warpaint and, to a lesser degree, Washed Out and Youth Lagoon.

Lots of people are loving on the Savages debut this year. I wasn't that impressed, but they're probably worth checking out. I don't really like The Dismemberment Plan much either, but those dudes were huge around the beginning of the 00s so look into them as well.

Appreciate the pointers. I'll prioritize these as well.

[Raiders]

You know what's the worst? Looking up St. Vincent's tour dates, seeing she has a current tour with David Byrne, and seeing she is playing in Baltimore TOMORROW, and I am no longer at a point in my life where I can jump on that.

FUUUUUUUUUUCCCCKKKKK....

[D_Davis]

I didn't get a chance to mention I saw Yo La Tengo for the first time last week and they were amazing. There was no opener so they played 2 full sets - the first an hour-long set of mostly acoustic, chill YLT stuff, the second started off energetic and loud and just got noisier and more off the wall as it went along. These guys really live up to the hype and it's always a joy to see such amazing, versatile musician strut their stuff

They are an amazing live band. I think they're a lot like Radiohead - they're far better live than on album. Both of those bands have a very hard time of capturing on album what makes them so special.

[Ivan Drago]

Animal Collective in July, Sigur Ros in September, and Nine Inch Nails in October. I love Music City.

[D_Davis]

I'm tempted to go see NIN just to see what Adrian Belew does with them.

EDIT - never mind. He quit before it started, because it wasn't working out.

That's what I thought. I cannot imagine Belew playing with NIN.

[dreamdead]

I never realized that Belew played on The Downward Spiral, but the tracks that Wikipedia identifies him as playing on totally make sense with his style. Doubt any of the work he did with Trent appears on the final product.

Grabbed tickets to see Vienna Teng play some atmospheric piano rhythms in early December. Excited for her to be coming back to music after her MA work at UM's Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise.

[Raiders]

My wife just won two tickets for the Justin Timberlake and Jay Z concert tomorrow night at M&T Bank stadium. I don't consider myself a big fan of either, but I do predict a pretty epic show. I imagine it is the biggest concert I have been to. Most are pretty small affairs.

[Ezee E]

I've heard great reactions to that show. Bet it'll be a good time.

[EyesWideOpen]

Icona Pop US tour announced and no AZ. :sad:

[Henry Gale]

I was lucky enough to go to The Replacements reunion show as the big Riot Fest closer here, and oh man, so good. Both every bit as awesome and beyond whatever expectations I had.

It felt weird to see something like that a dozen or so feet in front of you and then go home to see the whole internet detailing and equally elated by it even if they weren't there themselves. The show felt so oddly intimate despite the size of the venue and anticipation surrounding it.

Dinosaur Jr. and The Stooges were pretty fantastic too, but it just shows no matter how good they were, nothing was bound to command and conquer like Westberg & Stinson's set. And that's with Paul's spurts of forgotten lyrics and decades of age audibly having tallied up in his vocals. Freese was impeccable and perfectly fit every song, their new guitarist is amazing, and safe to say the original two know how to handle themselves.

I saw a pretty clean audio recording of the whole thing on Soundcloud, and as much as it's something I wouldn't seek out if I hadn't gone to a particular show, I'm so glad it's there to exist forever for me to revisit and for everyone else to hear.

Definitely a pretty damn great and one-of-a-kind way to spend a Sunday night.

[bac0n]

Wow, that's awesome. That show is all the buzz over here in Minneapolis.

[Derek]

Actually got into Pixies' secret show in LA this past Friday. They announced it at noon that day and capped it 100 people. My friend and I were second row center, literally 10 feet from Frank Black. Pretty fucking rad.

Did a little write-up (http://www.tinymixtapes.com/live-blog/pixies) of it too.

[Lucky]

Was at a music festival all weekend. It poured rain all day yesterday which sounds awful, but once you just give in to the elements it kind of enhances the whole experience. Like a shared energy throughout the crowd that we're fucking soaked and don't care.

Lineup I saw: Cake, Phoenix, Jane's Addiction, Journey, The Neighbourhood, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Weezer, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. A blast, but I'm exhausted.

[Spinal]

Actually got into Pixies' secret show in LA this past Friday. They announced it at noon that day and capped it 100 people. My friend and I were second row center, literally 10 feet from Frank Black. Pretty fucking rad.

Did a little write-up (http://www.tinymixtapes.com/live-blog/pixies) of it too.

Whoa, Kim Shattuck is Deal's replacement? I missed that news. She's fantastic.

[slqrick]

The Yeezus tour is as great as advertised.

[Ezee E]

The Yeezus tour is as great as advertised.

Aren't most shows getting cancelled?

[slqrick]

Nah, I think it was a few early shows because of equipment. And it makes sense because the whole tour is pretty cohesive on a nightly basis it sounds like, so its basically Yeezus: The Musical. It's pretty great because there isn't another pop artist out there right now putting in this much effort to entertain. It's true that if you're not a fan you won't like the indulgences of things like 5 minute autotune rants or Kanye being stalked by a yeti, but MSG was sold out and he really seemed like he was at the top of his game.

[Henry Gale]

Also saw the Yeezus show in the first of its two-night tour finale in Toronto, and yes, it was insane and the perfect amalgamation of his first decade's discography through the lens of the twisted recent album's iconography and previously murky thematic ambition.

It was the amazing to have the feeling of being right back in high school when so many of the earlier album's material would show up in the setlist, not to mention the ways he reinvigorated and re-appropriated them to the bigger story of sorts through the concert's ever-expanding and goofily brillant visual companion and framing device of the current album (all ten songs of which eventually done in its entirety). Only Kanye can do that show and not only make you forget he didn't do things like All Falls Down, Gold Digger, Touch The Sky, Love Lockdown, a lot of Dark Twisted Fantasy, any of Watch the Throne or spotlight any prominent features, but leave you not caring at all.

So basically, it was pretty much the best imaginable way to ever want to escape our powerless Toronto houses and bask, cheer and sing along to a massive show that essentially amounts to a celebration of quite possibly the best and most beguiling modern mainstream career artist doing what he does best: being ridiculously self-indulgent and backing it up with real, indisputable entertainment.

[EyesWideOpen]

My wife got me Chvrches tickets for april. Pretty excited.

[dreamdead]

Oh, hell yes. Pitchfork Festival (http://pitchfork.com/news/53971-kendrick-lamar-beck-neutral-milk-hotel-headline-pitchfork-music-festival-2014/)announces part of its roster with Slowdive, Grimes, Sun Kil Moon, Diiv, Kendrick Lamar and others. Welp. Time for the weekend pass...

[D_Davis]

Nice!

I'm going to my first indie concert in many, many years in a couple of weeks: Magic Man is playing in Seattle! They're opening for someone, and they'll probably only play for 30 minutes, and it costs $25, but I don't care - it's fucking Magic Man. Best young band in the biz. Can't wait.

[right_for_the_moment]

Awesome! I downloaded Real Life Color when you first posted about them in 2010 and have been following the band since. Saw them last night in LA, apparently it was their time headlining a show and this week marked their first visit to California. They were super exited and surprised by all the people in attendance and they brought a ton of energy. Needless to say, it a pretty damn great show.

[Acapelli]

going to austin psych fest this year

http://www.austinpsychfest.com/2014-festival/apf-2014-lineup/

[Derek]

Saw The Stargazer Lilies last night. Great set, though they only played for 30 minutes (6 songs). Still worth every penny of the $12 and I didn't even realize they were playing LA until yesterday afternoon, so it was a nice surprise. "How We Lost" was so good.

[Winston*]

Saw Neko Case on Wednesday. Seeing Yo La Tengo tonight. Fun week.

[dreamdead]

Saw St. Vincent with Noveller opening last night. The Byrne-influenced spasms, mini-dances, and everything theatrical make seeing St. Vincent so fun. The new material had so much more power and force in this context (making me wish that Clark had recorded the songs with this group and production), and the freak-out climaxes in Surgeon and Lips are Red are so good. It's always good to leave a show with ears ringing.

Noveller was interesting to watch the layers of guitar get looped and doubled with counterpoints. Not sure every audience would vibe with it, but the Tulsa audience was appreciative.

[EyesWideOpen]

Saw Chvrches this week here in Tempe. Great concert one of the best I've ever been to.

[dreamdead]

Saw Chvrches this week here in Tempe. Great concert one of the best I've ever been to.

Nice! Especially since we just grabbed tickets to see them in early June.

Haim is stopping by Tulsa tomorrow. I'm hoping they deliver live.

[bac0n]

Saw Chvrches last night at 1st Ave in Minneapolis. Great show, as expected, the lead singer is just adorable on every level, but the only thing that bothered me was the amount of douchebag bros in the crowd holding their fucking smart phones above their heads so they could get some stuff to post on youtube, which of course was blocking the views of myself and about a dozen others around me. I had to go up to two of them and tell them to stop, which they did without a fuss, to their credit, but still....

Man, kids these days. Looking forward to seeing Jungle in a few weeks, cuz that's assigned seating at tables.

[slqrick]

Saw Chvrches last night at 1st Ave in Minneapolis. Great show, as expected, the lead singer is just adorable on every level, but the only thing that bothered me was the amount of douchebag bros in the crowd holding their fucking smart phones above their heads so they could get some stuff to post on youtube, which of course was blocking the views of myself and about a dozen others around me. I had to go up to two of them and tell them to stop, which they did without a fuss, to their credit, but still....

Man, kids these days. Looking forward to seeing Jungle in a few weeks, cuz that's assigned seating at tables.

Yeah, really wanted to see them here in NYC and avoided the concert for the same reason. Also, I didn't have the time and really wanted to go, but that's the reason I tell myself.

[dreamdead]

Continuing this complaint, we went and saw Chvrches in Tulsa on Sunday night and had the most obnoxious drunkards beside us who wanted to take pics of how wasted they looked, hold exaggerated poses, knock into us while dancing, and shout to each other over all of the intersong banter. Incredibly noxious experience, though the band itself was quite good. Martin has killer energy and the band knows how to draw on that...

Also ran into the openers Summer Cannibals in a Panera Bread outside of St. Louis the next day as we embarked for Chicagoland. That was kinda cool.

[number8]

The phone thing is pretty much standard at this point. It's at every single concert I go to now. The only times I could avoid it is when it's a punk show and a mosh pit starts. Then those assholes stay at the back.

I went to see Foxy Shazam last week. It bothered me that everyone I told about this just stared at me blankly not knowing who they are.

[Acapelli]

I went to see Foxy Shazam last week. It bothered me that everyone I told about this just stared at me blankly not knowing who they are.
you made up that name didn't you

[number8]

They're basically hipster Queen. Super fun show.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgBKS4JCsec

[Wryan]

They're basically hipster Queen. Super fun show.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgBKS4JCsec

*research*

Rep after rep for introducing me to this crazy mess. Awesome. Frontman and trumpet dude are hot. Songs are hot. Everything's hot.

[number8]

During their concert, crazy beard keyboard guy would walk around the stage shirtless holding his keyboard on his shoulder like a boombox and play that way. Hot trumpet guy would toss his trumpet high in the air and catches it right before blowing into a solo. It was awesome.

[number8]

I also went to see Chvrches.

[bac0n]

Anybody here in to Jungle? I saw them on Friday.

1) They came.
2) They kicked ass.
3) They said thanks.
4) They left.

It was so fucking awesome.

[bac0n]

Oh, and the opening act was Beat Connection. Seattle act, very evocative of Magic Man. D_Davis, you probably know these guys, but if you don't, you should check them out. And if you know any of them personally, tell them that that one incredibly wasted guy from minneapolis says hi.

[dreamdead]

Off to Pitchfork in Chicago again for the full weekend. Today I'm excited for Hundred Waters, Sharon Van Etten, Sun Kil Moon, and Beck. I'll likely roam around otherwise between these bands and people-watch.

[dreamdead]

Day 1 at Pitchfork done. Missed the first half of Hundred Waters opening due to an ungodly ineffective entrance set-up that took up about 35 minutes. What I got to see and hear was wonderfully evocative, layered, and imaginative. Can't wait to revisit their material in the coming weeks... Sharon Van Etten, Giorgio, and Beck were all excellent, with Giorgio's various old-man hand moves endearing, and the constant 4/4 beat solid if a bit uniform. Slightly concerned how much the crowd was mocking his moves, though the people I was near seemed sincere. Sharon, meanwhile, is charming and I suspect her new album will keep growing on me.

Sun Kil Moon was so frustrating. The composition with a full band was absolutely astounding, but Mark asked for more echo and delay on his vocals before they started, which had the effect of muting and masking his precise lyrics, turning the whole set into an unintelligible strumming. Would love to see him at a small venue since I've not seen any clips of him otherwise asking for echo there.

[number8]

Haha, I won tickets to 311 and couldn't go.

[ledfloyd]

Did you catch St. Vincent dreamdead? I watched her on the webcast. She killed it.

[dreamdead]

Did you catch St. Vincent dreamdead? I watched her on the webcast. She killed it.

Yeah, she was awesome. We saw her in Tulsa back in March, so things weren't too different musically, but the precision she has with this iteration of her band is phenomenal. Her shredding remains the highlight, and once again her extensions with the Strange Mercy material was just so cool. She also broke "character" more which was fun.

Otherwise, the Tuneyards were the surprise of the day. Really just an enjoyable performance. I'll have to check their material out later. Cloud Nothings were good and delivered, though their extended finale felt less natural... Somehow this climate wasn't especially ingratiatingly for The Field. It was fine, but the wandering crowds worked against my interest, though I love his debut. We don't know too much of Neutral Milk Hotel, but they were good. Wonderfully mixed. But Sarah already had a headache and today's the killer early line-up (Speedy Ortiz, Deafheaven) so we left to get more sleep to be back at the fest by 12ish.

[ledfloyd]

Yeah. Tune-yards are great. I would highly recommend whokill. I'm still working on processing the new one.

[Spinal]

Haha, I won tickets to 311 and couldn't go.

That's like winning twice.

[dreamdead]

Pitchfork day 3:

Speedy Ortiz was fine. I wish they had a bit more intrigue in their choruses since I love their influences, but I'll throw on Pavement and be reminded of memorable melodies, which Speedy doesn't yet really have.

Mutual Benefit was really pleasant. Languid, but pleasantly so. Picked up their album and look forward to exploring its sonic space.

Deafheaven was mad fun. I was in the first row and experienced their music the way I wanted to--in a throng of people all committed to the musical style. I look forward to hearing where they go from here--they played a new song that sounded like it advanced the aesthetics of Sunbather more, so I'm hoping they continue to progress.

Jon Hopkins was really good--the best of the electronica bands I heard over the weekend. A few spots where hiphop on other stages threatened to drown him out, but otherwise good.

Real Estate was enjoyable to a fault. Everything but "Talking Backwards" kept a single pace, which dulled our interest a little. I feel this way with their newest, too, which frustrates me since they're good at what they do.

Slowdive = bliss. So happy for the band's rejuvenation. Their heavier take on "Crazy for You" was phenomenal, and "Souvlaki Space Station" equally great. A wonderful band mix--when Neil wanted to go heavy, they were louder and more piercing than anything Deafheaven had on the table.

Grimes's set was getting drowned out by the sheer number of people. I'm interested in her new album when it gets released, and found the theatricality of the dancers enjoyable, but missed most of the music to be closer to Kendrick's stage. She is frenetic and committed, though.

Kendrick Lamar took to the stage 20 minutes late, but ran through a solid set. His command of the stage was dynamic and I loved the throwback to 2Pac--left a little early to get on trains without the madhouse exit that we experienced last year, but I'm really excited to see where he takes his next album thematically.

[DSNT]

Pitchfork day 3:

Slowdive = bliss. So happy for the band's rejuvenation. Their heavier take on "Crazy for You" was phenomenal, and "Souvlaki Space Station" equally great. A wonderful band mix--when Neil wanted to go heavy, they were louder and more piercing than anything Deafheaven had on the table.



So much envy! How did Rachel sound?

I saw Mojave 3 in Asheville a number of years ago and there was practically nobody in the audience. Maybe a dozen people at most. I requested 'When the Sun Hits' and he said the band didn't know the song.

Afterward Neil was in the club bar and I got to have a beer with him. He was super cool, friendly and all that. He didn't seem fazed by the poor crowd showing. Of course I asked about Rachel and he said she was too ill to perform (hearing problems), and he liked doing his softer Americana stuff. And he put on a great show with Mojave, who I think were underrated and under-appreciated, but cannot compare with Slowdive.

So bummed that I cannot catch one of the reunited shows.

[EyesWideOpen]

Saw Lorde in Vegas on Tuesday and she is one hell of a performer. Great show.

[bac0n]

Anybody here in to Jungle? I saw them on Friday.

1) They came.
2) They kicked ass.
3) They said thanks.
4) They left.

It was so fucking awesome.

These guys are back in town tonight playing the Minneapolis 1st Ave Main Room in support of their debut album. Stoked to go see them again.

[bac0n]

So, as expected, Jungle was even better than last time. They had a hell of a lot of energy, and were clearly exhilarated to be performing. It was infectious. One particularly cool thing that happened was when, about 3/4 the way through their set, they mentioned that it was one year ago to the day since they first performed together on stage, so in a sense, the show was their 1st birthday celebration.

All in all, a great time. Highly recommended that you catch them when they come to your neck of the woods.

[D_Davis]

Great night last night. Played an amazing show at the opening of the Northwest Loopfest (playing again in Portland tomorrow), and I saw the best musical performance I have ever seen.

Hideki Nakanishi, aka Mandoman, a mandolin looper from Japan. Hands down, the single most awe-inspiring, mind melting thing I've ever heard someone do with a musical instrument. Completely out of this world sound design.

[Russ]

Daniel, that sounds amazing. Link(s)?

[DSNT]

Superchunk.

https://steepclimbs3.files.wordpress.c om/2014/08/img_5862.jpg

[D_Davis]

Daniel, that sounds amazing. Link(s)?

Man, unfortunately Mandoman has a terrible website with little-to-no information, with only a few really crappy MP3s, along with two poorly recorded Youtube videos. He has no albums, and no professional recordings. I don't know what the deal is. I tried to speak with him a bit last light, but he knows as much English as I do Japanese - about 5 words. He's a total enigma to me, and these connected times, that's pretty amazing. If you want to hear him, you've got to see him live. He does all of the big Looping shows around the world, and will be in Santa Cruz next week for the biggest looping fest in the world, Y2K.

Here's a video, but it doesn't do justice to anything.

This recording was made about 5 years ago, and his sound is completely different now.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjrsJfpuj7g

He also makes all of his own instruments, including this new thing he had that had pieces of bamboo attached to some kind of electronic pick-up. He's play the bamboo rods with a bow, and hit the pick-up with sticks to create percussive elements. His pedal board is also now about 4 times as big as it is in that video, and he's constantly tweaking stuff with his toes. I think he has his mandolin sent to about 4-5 different modules of effects, and he's constantly building stuff while other stuff is going on. You'll be listening to one thing, watching him, and then like 5 minutes later some new part comes out of nowhere completely takes the listener by surprise. I feel like I could study his new performances for years before being able to truly understand what he does.

[bac0n]

Saw First Aid Kit last night. Great show. If there are any two people more sweet and charming on stage than the Söderberg sisters then, I dunno. World Peace may be possible.

Not to be missed if they make it to your town, if nothing else than to see their cover of 7 Nation Army.

[DSNT]

We got tickets to the Ride reunion in NYC today. Sold out now. Now we have to wait 6 months, although that's nothing after waiting 20 years.

[D_Davis]

We got tickets to the Ride reunion in NYC today. Sold out now. Now we have to wait 6 months, although that's nothing after waiting 20 years.

Ride is probably the 3rd loudest band I ever saw (right behind Dinosaur Jr. and MBV). I can't even remember if it was good, but it was really loud.

[DSNT]

Ride is probably the 3rd loudest band I ever saw (right behind Dinosaur Jr. and MBV). I can't even remember if it was good, but it was really loud.

I've listened to some live bootlegs and their album, Live Light. It sounds loud, but they made a few mistakes and didn't play too tightly. Hopefully Bell's time in Oasis has helped ..

The loudest show I saw was Mission of Burma.

[D_Davis]

I always forget that he was in Oasis. Was he on any albums, or just live?

[DSNT]

The last two, and he wrote a song on the final Oasis album, which I remember not liking. And he played in that Beady Eye monstrosity too.

Mark Gardener put out a really good solo album a number of years ago, but hasn't done much else.

[ledfloyd]

I saw a group of about 25 local musicians perform Terry Riley's In C at a bar last night.

I don't want to say it was a religious experience, but it was something like. I remember the first 5-10 minutes as being interesting, but trying. I checked the time at some point and thought, wow, this is going to take some effort. Yet when it ended, it felt as if no time had passed at all. They played it for nearly an hour, from about the 20-40 minute mark I was as relaxed as I can ever remember being, lost in the music with a random phrase from a tuba or marimba occasionally grabbing my attention and taking me somewhere. It was transcendent, and one of the best experiences I've had listening to live music.

[Grouchy]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bakF7Tm4X3g/VJnBXwkFXgI/AAAAAAAAZVo/eqM4mh4Izx0/s1600/Monsters%2Bof%2BRock%2BArgenti na%2B2015.png

It was beyond glorious. I still can't believe what Rob Halford was doing on that stage for our benefit.

I still can't believe any of it, to be honest.

[bac0n]

Hey Matchcut - need your help. I'm attending Riot Fest this year in Chicago. Here's the lineup. There are plenty of bands here that I am not familiar with. Do any of you have any recommendations of cannot miss acts, or acts that should be avoided?

http://riotfest.org/riotfest/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/admat_chicago_final_vert-V.jpg

[Scar]

Stay out of the pit when Motörhead plays.

[bac0n]

Stay out of the pit when Motörhead plays.

Oh yeah. I'm way past my slam dancing days.

[EyesWideOpen]

There are a lot of bands on that list I listened to like 15+ years ago and I can't believe are still going (ex: The Ataris, Alkaline Trio, Millencolin, Thrice, Taking Back Sunday). De La Soul looks like the only must see in my opinion.

[Scar]

Oh yeah. I'm way past my slam dancing days.

I was in the pit for them when I was 21 or so. After ten-fifteen minutes, the skinheads started swinging. That was enough for me.

[Ezee E]

I swore Yellow Claw was at that fest. If you want to give trap music a shot, they put on a good live show.

[D_Davis]

Lee Scratch Perry should priority number one.

[bac0n]

So, Riot Fest was this past weekend - it was pretty amazing. Here are the bands I saw, and what I thought of their sets.

DAY ONE
Lee "Scratch" Perry
We were there a little after the 5 o'clock start of Perry's set (we were late flying in, and needed to get some wonderbeer) to the mellow sounds of some dub that made me really want to have a joint, which I didn't need to, really, as most everyone around me was toking up anyway. Perry himself showed up about 20 minutes later, wearing a garish outfit / crazy hat combo that just about no-one else could pull off. The man's 78 years old and still doing shows. He can be forgiven. Anyway, it was fun, his flow is still flawless, and the crowd was way into it. Great show despite the fact that we got less than half an hour of Perry before he was basically kicked off the stage so that the next act could set up.

Flogging Molly
This is a band I've heard many times on the radio, and have enjoyed what I have heard, but the first I've seen them live. At any rate, they had energy in spades, and had the gigantic crowd worked into a frenzy the entire time, singing along with, crowd surfing, moshing, celebrating. I need to buy these guys' CDs so I can sing along with the next time they are in town. And I will definitely see them the next time they are in town.

Faith No More
Fantastic set. They're all tight as ever as a band, and Mike Patton hasn't aged a day since 1991. He still has that same incredible vocal range and a stage presence that can shift from comical to scary on a dime. My only gripe with them was that, since they spent so much time decorating the stage (all white with spring flower bouquets everywhere. it looked like they were performing on top of a wedding cake) they started 10 minutes into their alloted time, which means they had to skip some of my old faves, such as From out of Nowhere and In Between. On a positive note, they had the best cover of the evening, doing The Commodores' "I'm Easy".


No Doubt
This is a band I wouldn't cross the street to see if I had to see them by themselves, but hey, it's Riot Fest - if they sucked, I could just check out any of the other 2-3 shows going on nearby. Well, lucky for us, they got their two songs that I moderately enjoy (Hella Good, and their serviceable cover of "It's My Life") out of the way with the first two songs of the set, and they had the energy and stage presence that made them famous, but it all seemed so... Hollywood. Manicured. Insincere. Still, Gwen Stefani was as easy on the eyes as ever, and has a helluva mid-rift for anyone, much less someone in their mid to late 40s. Regardless, about half-way into their set, we had all had enough, so we moseyed on over to...


Motorhead
Ah, poor Lemmy. The man's been falling apart for the last 30 years, and it was really showing tonight. His vocals were always lagging the music a little bit, and you could tell the rest of the band was having to slow down a little to accomodate him. He barely got Ace of Spades out of his mouth when his set came to a merciful end.

And that's it for Day One. Time to go to Parson's Chicken & Fish for some food & cocktails, and then to Underbar for a night cap.

DAY TWO
There wasn't really anything in the morning that we felt the need to scramble to get to the grounds for, so we arrived at around 1pm, just in time to catch some of...

FIDLAR
Some catchy funky-punk. I rather liked these guys, gonna need to check them out. There were a lot of good hooks in the songs that they were playing, and I'm a real sucker for a good hook.

Swervedriver
These guys were regulars on 120 Minutes, which I would stay up late on Sunday to watch back in the early 90s when I was a college student, and I was anxious to check these guys out, cuz I was in the mood for some shoegaze. Unfortunately, and maybe this is perhaps part of their live schtick, but they pretty much lurched through their set, going from one song to the next without so much as acknowledging the crowd one bit. About 15 minutes in, it got old, so we left and decided to check out...

Gwar
Hey, I thought there was some lady fronting the band now? Oh, quick internet search that Vulvatron (who as it happens made her debut at last year's Riot Fest) was canned, apparently do to alcohol problems. There's some death cow with these nasty demon-udders singing now. Anyway, I'm not into the doused with slime thing, so I stayed well away. The few songs I stuck around for were amusing. Ya know, this is the perfect place, for me at least, to see Gwar: at 200 yards back, I'm close enough to see and hear what is going on, but far enough away to avoid getting slimed from the band, or second-hand slimed from the fans. Funny thing about this show, was I was standing about 10 feet behind some guy who had his toddler sitting on his shoulders, wearing noise canceling head phones. Wonder what was going through that little kid's mind.

Hum
After getting some food and replacing the used beer with new beer, we headed over to a spot between the Riot Stage where Hum was about to start their set, and the Rock Stage, where The Dead Milkmen were gonna start in 45 minutes. Hum pretty much phoned it in, sleepwalking through their set. I judge my live shows on how much enjoyment I get out of it rather than just staying home and listening to them on my CD. For Hum, there was no benefit. At least at home, I woulda gotten a comfortable chair to sit in. Meh.

The Dead Milkmen
http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr264/bac1n/Mobile%20Uploads/18AD6B0E-BA1E-44AD-BA5B-BC9CB94F6F33_zpsh9tqrfl7.jpg (http://s490.photobucket.com/user/bac1n/media/Mobile%20Uploads/18AD6B0E-BA1E-44AD-BA5B-BC9CB94F6F33_zpsh9tqrfl7.jpg.h tml)
Once Rodney Anonymous and crew came out and did their sound check, then launched into their set, I was instantly 16 years old again. Guys haven't lost a beat in the 25 some odd years since I saw them when they were touring for Beezlebubba, and seemed not to have aged much either (both physically and mentally). Such energy and sophomoric enthusiasm coming out of these guys. Rodney had the entire crowd laughing their asses off when he went on a 10 minute screed against hipsters during the into to Bitchin' Camaro, and when the song kicked in proper... imagine my delight at being right in the middle of thousands and thousands of people, all with shit eating grins on their faces as they belted out "bitchin' camero, bitchin' camero, I ran over my neighbors!" Guys killed it, best show of the day, and high up on the list of best show of the entire weekend.

Pennywise
I didn't so much check them out, as I was forced to deal with them as I was walking to the back area to take a piss and see if there were any interesting bands playing. Pretty much heavy guitars, hipsters and f-bombs were all I was getting out of it. Meh.

Desaparecidos
The only problem I have with Connor Oberst's side projects, is that they all tend to have Connor Oberst in them. He's a decent enough entertainer, and he was throwing a lot of his weight into his songs, but it's just that voice of his that drives me up the wall, like he's trying to impersonate Mr Ed or something. At the end of the day, I guess if you're a Connor Oberst fan, you would have gotten your money's worth. It's just that I am not.

Echo & The Bunnymen
Ian McCollough still has the pipes, that's for damn sure, and he showed by coming out of the gate at a full clip with Lips Like Sugar as the first song, then, well, a whole lotta meh. I think the biggest fan of the band was Ian, who introduced a lot of the songs with "this is the most beautiful song ever" and "this song is a lot better than the shite that was out at the time". Not very endearing. A technically proficient band, if not an overly entertaining live act.

Bootsy Collins' Rubber Band
http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr264/bac1n/Mobile%20Uploads/AF12FB01-BE37-4BF4-B7AB-8B488612D98A_zpshdvf88pv.jpg (http://s490.photobucket.com/user/bac1n/media/Mobile%20Uploads/AF12FB01-BE37-4BF4-B7AB-8B488612D98A_zpshdvf88pv.jpg.h tml)
Despite what the reviewer for The Chicago Tribune said, who from the tone of his review would lead you to believe Bootsy killed his mother, I had a hell of a lot of fun watching Bootsy break out the P-Funk and slapped us with it. The man is something to behold, larger than life to be sure, and he had some pretty fat-ass bass likes on those star shaped guitars of his. Would definitely see him again.

Merle Haggard
http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr264/bac1n/Mobile%20Uploads/9A78731B-3A87-441E-909D-FA4E490E4409_zpsieztxgej.jpg (http://s490.photobucket.com/user/bac1n/media/Mobile%20Uploads/9A78731B-3A87-441E-909D-FA4E490E4409_zpsieztxgej.jpg.h tml)
Towards the end of Bootsy's set, I shimmied over to the Riot Stage so I could be up close and personal. I think the Merle and his band were just as entertained by the audience as the audience was entertained by them. Before the show even started, the drummer was out center stage, sticking out his mobile to take a picture of a crowd. Obviously, huge punk rock fests aren't their usual gig. With the camera out, he held out his finger to try to get us to flick off the camera. Hundreds of birds shot up. The entire band were beside themselves. After that, the bassist came out and did the same thing. Birds again. Then the fiddler. We may have just made their day. Later on, Hag came out, the place went wild. I must say I was happy to see a country legend like Hag get such a warm reception. Second song in, Merle caught sight of a guy body surfing, and got a good chuckle out of it, turning to his band to get confirmation that his eyes weren't bugging out on him. All that without missing a beat. The highlight of the set was when he started Okie from Muskogee with "We don't smoke marajuana in Muskogee" which he immediately stopped the song when he didn't hear enough people singing along, and started over again. This time, he got the crowd going. Great show. Old Hag's still got it.

It should be noted that the next band after Merle on the Riot Stage was System of a Down, and I know the types of fans System of a Down attracts to their live shows. These are the sorts of assholes who will push you to the ground and stomp on you to get a spot closer to the stage. So we got the hell out of there and fast, already having to fight our way through the flash flood of douchebags. We did, however, survive to see...

Billy Idol
I was never a huge Billy Idol fan, but it was still fun to see him belt out the old classics, and equally impressive to see a man with as much energy as he has, at 59 years old. Yeah, Billy Idol turns 60 in November. Unfortunately, I think Billy's sound guy had put away a few, as there were at least four times where at least the vocals went completely dead for a few seconds, and one time, where everything went out except the stage monitors. I wonder if Idol ever found out. Anyway, by the time Idol took the stage, we had already been standing pretty much non-stop for about 7 hours, and since we're all in our 40s, our lower backs were starting to complain, so we skinned out during Mony-Mony, which was probably toward the end of his set anyway.

As we left, we could hear Iggy Pop singing The Passenger, but who cares, time to head back to Parson's Chicken & Fish for more food, more cocktails, and then to Underbar again for another night cap.

DAY THREE
Again, nothing really playing in the morning that was more appealing than a nice breakfast with some friends and a walk to a geek shop and not spend a fortune on Godzilla shit because my house has too much clutter already, so we showed up at Douglas Park between 1:30 and 2:00. I wanted to see Alvvays, but Doomtree was playing at the same time, which my wife wanted to see, and recalling the number of times I have dragged Traci along with me to shows she wasn't really hot about (she still has yet to forgive me for Ipecac), I decided that turnabout was fair play, and we decided to check out...

Doomtree
Minneapolis, as you probably know, has a pretty thriving hip hop scene, what with Atmosphere, Brother Ali, POS, Prof, but at the moment, the big boys on the scene are Doomtree. Hell, they even have a local beer named after them (it's not very good). Anyway, I've only heard a few of their songs, and now I'm feeling like a shit head for not checking them out more, before they become too big to play the sorts of smaller venues I like to see bands perform at. It was nice to see guys working the samplers like instruments, creating their beats on the fly, rather than turning knobs on a mixer while the DAT machine does all the work. Lots of energy, and the crowd was into it, which put a big smile on my face.

As a side, our friends who we went to the show with went to see Alvvays, and said that they were rather good.

Hum
Right after Doomtree's electrifying set, Hum basically sleep walked through theirs. Again, no crowd interaction but for a quick thanks before their last song, and then they just left. By then, I wasn't even paying attention anymore, and was watching Maseo set up for the De La Soul show on the next stage over... speaking of which...

De La Soul
Absolutely fucking killed it. Pretty much half old school rap, half pep rally, half improv comedy. My face was hurting half way through the set, I was smiling so hard. I remember really enjoying their show back in 2002 when I saw them last, but this was even better. The entire crowd was jumping up, waving their hands the whole time, and I was right in the middle of it. It was a sea. Postnuous was the captain of the left half of the crowd, and Trugoy was captain of the other half, and naturally they were playing us against each other to really work us all into a frenzy, and all this with just two turn tables and a some crappy folding table they probably got second hand from a VFW. Such a great, fun performance, and further cements them as the greatest hip-hop act of all time.

Less Than Jake
We were so high on De La Soul that we probably woulda liked 4 Non Blondes at that point, but we were wondering through the carnival right in the middle of the grounds, and on the other side was Less Than Jake. Never really got into the pop-ska scene of the late 90s, and LTJ is not the sort of music I gravitate too. Still, they had a nice positive energy about them, and they were feeding off the crowd (who was feeding off of them). A huge pit, lots of body surfing, they even pulled a guy or two on stage to dance with them for the last few numbers. I imagine, if I was an LTJ fan, I would have walked away from that show smiling.

Kongos
After LTJ, we got some food, got rid of our used beer and replaced it with new beer, and staked out our spot in front of the Rebel Stage for the next act. Next door, on the Rise Stage, was this outfit, the sort of band that's hard to put into a box. The best I could describe them would be catchy grunge/Appalachian. Bonus points for having an accordion and knowing how to use it.

Andrew WK
http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr264/bac1n/Mobile%20Uploads/115DD0B6-ED7A-41EB-98A3-432EB75F7196_zpsroxkbthd.jpg (http://s490.photobucket.com/user/bac1n/media/Mobile%20Uploads/115DD0B6-ED7A-41EB-98A3-432EB75F7196_zpsroxkbthd.jpg.h tml)
I'm not a metal kinda guy, never have been, but if there's one thing I like to do, it's to PARTY, so, naturally, rocking with The King of Partying was where I needed to be at that moment, that place. So, the clock struck 5:05, and His Royal Partiness stomped on out and PARTY!!! PARTY!!! HEY THROW ME A SHIRT!!! Aw shit some other guy got it, but whatever PARTY!! PARTY!!! SWEAT!!! HEY THROW ME THAT SHIRT!! Aw shit some other guy got it, oh well PARTY!! PARTY!! HOLY SHIT PEOPLE ARE RUNNING AROUND IN CIRCLES IT'S A PARTY VORTEX IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AUDIENCE!!! YEEEAAAAAAHHH!!! PARTY PARTY PARTYPARTYPARTYPARTYPARTY oh shit, he's done? I need a cigarette.

Rodrigo y Gabriella
Just two people, each with an acoustic guitar, yet they managed to pump out more sound than 2/3 of the other four-to-six piece acts there, and the crowd was eating it up like chocolate covered crack. It's nice to see the crowd get into music that's so far unlike the other music being played, and for a pair of Spanish Guitarists, they sure carried themselves about like rock stars.

L7
These ladies were doing their schtick while I was standing in line for a grilled cheese sammich. I can't say much about their stage presence, but their singing and instrumentation hasn't lost a step, because they sort of have a style that sounds better the more aged and raggedy it gets. It doesn't age gracefully, which is cool, because it's not supposed to.

Snoop Dogg
Must say that, although I've never been a huge fan of his stuff, who could resist an opportunity to see Snoop Dogg perform Doggstyle, one of the most important records on hip-hop, in its entirety? To be one of thousands of people chanting along with Gin & Juice? Yes, please. Well, here's how his set went.

7:45 - Okay, he's scheduled to start now, sweet!

7:55 - He's 10 minutes late, is he going to be able to fit his entire album in?

8:00 - Okay, where the fuck is he. He's now 15 minutes late, and has 45 minutes to play a 53 minute album.

8:10 - Fuck this, lets go to Parson's.

Apparently, Snoop wouldn't bother to show up for another 5-10 minutes, and had the gawl to bitch at the person who told him his time was up a half hour later. Fuck you, Snoop. Have a little respect for your audience and actually try to show up on time next time.

[D_Davis]

Damn, B.

Looks like you saw some great acts.

Glad to hear that De La is still great.

[bac0n]

Yeah, it was a blast. The only thing I would have done differently was to catch an earlier flight in. I missed both Fishbone and Living Colour, which kinda bummed me out, and also to not bother with standing in the taxi line, which was basically waiting in line for no taxis to show up. Walking a few blocks away to where the crowd was a bit thinner and requesting a Lyft was a way better way to get out of Douglas Park (which isn't in a particularly savory part of town).

[bac0n]

If any of you have the fortune of the Kraftwerk 3D tour coming anywhere near you, you really owe it to yourself to go see it. 2.5 hours of pure computerlove.

[Grouchy]

Motorhead
Ah, poor Lemmy. The man's been falling apart for the last 30 years, and it was really showing tonight. His vocals were always lagging the music a little bit, and you could tell the rest of the band was having to slow down a little to accomodate him. He barely got Ace of Spades out of his mouth when his set came to a merciful end.[/SPOILER]
This is unfortunately true, he's very much under the weather. I noticed it back in May when I saw them live and he's cancelled a couple of shows since. I don't think he's the type of guy who'd want to retire quietly, so I'm guessing we're in for sad news very soon.

Scar, I've been to Mötorhead's pit twice (both times in Argentina) and never saw any explicit violence like the one you describe. That sucks.

[Scar]

Scar, I've been to Mötorhead's pit twice (both times in Argentina) and never saw any explicit violence like the one you describe. That sucks.

It was at least fifteen years ago. 'Merica.

It was a big music festival. The Offspring were real big at the time, and at least half of the crowd cleared out when they were done, with Motörhead to close out the show. It's like the skinheads just showed up for Motörhead. T'was interesting. I'm glad my 21 year self knew not to push his luck any farther than he already had.

[Ivan Drago]

Seeing Pretty Lights live is incredible and amazing and should be experienced by everyone.

[Ezee E]

Seeing Pretty Lights live is incredible and amazing and should be experienced by everyone.

Pretty much what everybody in Colorado has ever said. I have yet to partake.

[Scar]

Row fourteen, dead center for Alice Cooper. Starts in 10 minutes.

[D_Davis]

I was in the pit for them when I was 21 or so. After ten-fifteen minutes, the skinheads started swinging. That was enough for me.

Skinheads - ruining concerts since 1979.

[Ezee E]

Went to my first (and second) Bassnectar Concert this weekend, and it was a beautiful experience. The quality of the sound, the production, and the friendliness of the crowd made it all the better. I understand why so many travel across states to see him now.

[Ivan Drago]

Seeing Die Antwoord in October, followed by Pet Shop Boys and The 1975 in November.

My body is ready.

[Dukefrukem]

He's a ninja.

[Ezee E]

The 1975 is doing a US run? Awesome.

[Russ]

Seeing Die Antwoord in October

Did you see the short film they did with Harmony Korine? I'm a fan. (ummm...NSFW)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMVNjMF1Suo

[Ivan Drago]

Did you see the short film they did with Harmony Korine? I'm a fan. (ummm...NSFW)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMVNjMF1Suo

Yes, I have. It's awesome. Seeing them live was even MORE so.

I just got back from the Pet Shop Boys, too......and THEY. WERE. AMAZING.

[D_Davis]

I saw Sturgill Simpson and Devin Townsend in 2016. Two of the best shows I've seen in a very long time.

[Scar]

Never thought I'd say that Queen w/ Adam Lambert would be one of the most entertaining shows that I've ever been to. Gotta a double feature this weekend: Billy Joel tonight, and Guns N Roses Sunday.

Iron Maiden was decent, they played mostly new stuff of their album, but did play a few classics.

[Ivan Drago]

Goblin just announced a concert here in November and tickets go on sale Friday. Has anybody else seen them live? I'm aware of their work on musical scores (their score for Dawn of the Dead is still amazing to this day), but was unaware that they were a band that regularly toured. I'm really curious how they pull off their live shows because I'm thinking about going.

[D_Davis]

Now that was a show.

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11350610_1143143929044784_5209 833387185821825_n.jpg?oh=8b56c df97238ab329ab8acc632fb50f3&oe=5AC37B62

[Ezee E]

Bassnectar. Absolutely killing it for concerts.

All said and done, he might be my favorite performer on stage.

[Ezee E]

Just saw my first Roots show, and good lord, I'll have to see more.

[Scar]

Well, that Garth Brooks show was ten shades of awesome.


Yet another thing I thought I’d never say.

[TGM]

Celebrated my birthday this past week by attending my first Babymetal concerts in Orlando and Atlanta. Here's my reviews for those shows. :) http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2019/09/babymetal-legend-c-in-orlando-and.html

[Scar]

Flogging Molly was most excellent.

[bac0n]

Currently at Riot Fest. About an hour ago I saw The Hu. Mongolian Throat Metal.

It’s exactly as badass as it sounds.

Holy fuck.

MIND = BLOWN


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Scar]

I’m curious at what bac0n’s average BAC is for the entirety of Riot Fest.

[bac0n]

It will be heavily skewed upwards by yesterday, to be sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bac0n]

Bands at Riot Fest that I was the most excited about.

1. Patti Smith
How could she NOT be number one? A legendary, iconic figure in rock & roll who at 72 years old, has only gotten better with age. The slow build of Gloria, from the almost meditative, elegiac opening to the total desperate sprint of the finale were probably the best 10 minutes spent at the entire fest.

2. Masked Intruder
These guys were hysterical. Claiming to have formed in the joint, these four kids from Madison Wisconsin who inexplicably have thick Brooklyn accents have one of the best shticks I've seen come down the pipe in a while - they all wear brightly colored ski masks, their instruments and mics colored to match, and sing stampede-fast high energy songs about petty crime, with their parole officer on stage with them scowling the whole while.

3. The Hu
Wanna know how to get 25000 Riot Festers to STFU? Start a Mongolian chant to thunderous drums and then lay into some of the most badass metal this side of the Gobi Desert. By the end of the set they had the entire place chancing their name, and the next day I saw a LOT of people wearing Hu T-shirts. I've already gushed about these guys, but it bears repeating. Seriously, you have to check them out (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4xZUr0BEfE).


4. Nick Lowe w/ Los Straitjackets
LSJ are my favorite live band, and I've seen them a fair lot more than any other band. I lost count, but it's for sure north of 20 times by now. Yet, in all this time, I've never seen them perform outside, so this is a first. They've been touring with Nick Lowe for awhile now, and I must say, their work adds a nice honky tonk swing to such Nick Lowe classics as Cruel to be Kind.

5. Descendents
My favorite hardcore band still touring, they played the night before in Minneapolis, so I had the pleasure of seeing them two nights in a row, and they were kind enough to start their set with Suburban Home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aArkf4fnPko), my fave song of theirs, so I was able to hold my own fairly well in the pit (thank you, strength training - also thank you to the fact that most Descendents fans are in their 40s like me).

6. Beaches
I have a feeling that in a few years, these ladies are going to be headlining events like Riot Fest. Just some dirty chunky badass no frills rock that doesn't give a shit as to whether you like it or not.

7. The Struts
I'm fairly certain that lead singer Luke Spiller was created in a lab using the combined DNA of Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Mick Jagger and Ric Flair. They then jacked him into the matrix and then uploaded ALL of the rock moves. All of them. Every damn one. Damn that guy can work a crowd. Helluva singer too.

8. Manchester Orchestra
These guys were not what I expected, to be honest. Their song The Gold (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaeWss85_vg) was playing a lot on the local radio station quite a bit two or so years ago, and I liked it, probably cuz it had a sort of The National vibe to it. I wasn't expecting them to be as guitar heavy as they wound up being, and I'm a total sucker for wall-of-sound guitar work, which these guys put out in spades.

9. Guided By Voices
How do you follow up The Village People? With the village idiots! That's the joke with which Bob Pollard opened up the set, his ever present Miller Lite in one hand, mic in the other. Then he launched into Glad Girls, and it was on like donkey kong. I'm kinda late to the show with these guys, but I'm glad I discovered them while they're still touring and putting out albums (about 2-3 a year, in fact - 2018's Space Gun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=logjpKitcLo) is freaking awesome).

10. The Selecter
The legends of Second Wave Ska performed their seminal album, Too Much Pressure ,in its entirety, and it was, of course, awesome.

Honorable Mention
A butter sculpture of John Stamos. (https://riotfest.org/2019/09/butter-stamos-returns/)

Another Honorable Mention
10 dollar beers (assured my sobriety at the show)

[dreamdead]

Nice. I've seen a lot of Bikini Kill shirts crop up in Atlanta this year, and so I wish I'd been able to see their set somewhere. Guided by Voices was one of the more energetic shows I've seen in the last year.

Starting tomorrow, Sarah and I are going to see 4 shows in 5 days.
Tomorrow: Sarah Chang, a classical violinist, doing a violin and piano duo at UGA
Friday: Charli XCX
Saturday: Pup with Illuminati Hotties
Sunday: book club
Monday: Weyes Blood

It promises to be exciting in retrospect and tiring in the moment.

[Scar]

I’m anxious to hear how good Book Club is.




;-)

[dreamdead]

I’m anxious to hear how good Book Club is.



You jest, but I would totally support a band with such a name. Naw, it's more that the local book club we go to is doing our monthly meet, but then last month we'd offered to do post-club drinks and life discussion since we're all already friendly on a book level. Not sure it'll work, but our initial thought that the Sunday would be free of late night wonkery dropped off once we realized that this is happening that day.

You and bacon, I believe, convinced us to add the Pup show after we realized how hectic this week was going to be...

[bac0n]

I saw Pup a few months ago - loved them.

[Idioteque Stalker]

The new Charli XCX album is amazing. Enjoy the show.

[TGM]

Before today, the furthest I ever traveled specifically to see a show was in 2007 from Florida to Detroit to attend Wrestlemania 23. Needless to say, traveling from Florida to LA to see BABYMETAL live at The Forum far surpasses that.

[TGM]

Before today, the furthest I ever traveled specifically to see a show was in 2007 from Florida to Detroit to attend Wrestlemania 23. Needless to say, traveling from Florida to LA to see BABYMETAL live at The Forum far surpasses that.

Just posted my account of this experience, if anyone's interested: http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2019/10/babymetal-at-forum-live-review.html

[bac0n]

I'm sure everybody here had their own way of keeping their hope alive as they struggled through the isolation of Covid and how it shut down (and continues to shut down) everything. For me, one of the main things to sustain me during that rough time was the thought that some day I would once again see live music, and oh, how lovely that will be.

Well, as it turned out, that someday finally happened last weekend, when the wifey & I attended Hinterland music festival, located about 20 minutes south of Des Moines. And, my god, it felt SO GODDAMN GOOD to be hearing live music again, and better yet, outdoor live music. Here are some highs and lows.

https://i.ibb.co/HrH2n2N/hinterland.jpg (https://ibb.co/Jzsd5dx)

Friday:

Old Crow Medicine Show - man, if you could bottle the energy this band brought to stage, you could power Jeff Bezos' space penis all the way to Mars and still have enough gas left in the tank to get back. They also had the best cover of the festival with their rockabilly take on The Beastie Boys' You Gotta Fight For Your Right to Party.

Saturday:

Paul Cauthen - when a fella comes out singing in a deep booming baritone about being stuck in the clink for selling "the devil's lettuce", you know you are in for a good time. If Johnny Cash and "Macho Man" Randy Savage had a kid, it would be a lot like Paul Cauthen.

Sunday:

Charley Crockett (pictured above) - were you ever at a music festival or listening to the radio when a song or artist you never heard before comes on, and suddenly everything else is pushed out of your mind and you can't do anything else but pay attention, jaw agape? Well that's what happened when Charley swaggered on stage, and from the first strum of his gee-tar, dressed in his rodeo best, he had us all in the palm of his hand. Just a rootin' tootin' shit shootin' honkeytonkin' good time. Every Hinterland I go to, I come out with a new obsession. First one was Tyler Childers, second was Colter Wall. This one was Charley Crockett.

Kruanghbin - this Texas trio gets the award for coolest act of the night. Was a lot more psychadelic than I was expecting from a band I usually have on to chill the mood out a little. The main thing I was marveling at (apart from the bassist - yikes) was just how much sound they could squeeze out of just a guitar, a bass, and a 7-piece drumset.

Other Great Performances

Yola
Probably the artist I was most excited about, and she brought the goods. And the pipes. My god can she belt out a tune.

Tyler Childers
I was introduced to Tyler at the first Hinterland I went to, back in 2018. He was an opening act then, and now, a few short years later, here he is headlining. Most striking about his performance, is how cleaned up he looks now that he's sober. Gone is the flannel, the scraggly beard and the haggard eyes, replaced with a clean shaved face, short hair, and a neatly pressed bright blue shirt, the kind you would wear to church. The music, however, is good as it ever was, which is what counts.

Leon Bridges
He was awesome, of course, but then, no surprises here. He's Leon Motherfucking Bridges.

Orville Peck
He wears a mask with frills, so of course I'm in. Definitely brought a stage presence surpassed perhaps only by Leon Motherfucking Bridges, and his cover of Born This Way was pretty sweet. I have a feeling I woulda enjoyed it a lot more if I would have known his songs better; it feels as if all of his songs are meant to be sung along with.

The Avett Brothers
These guys are darlings of the local alternative station, and I for awhile was pretty lukewarm to them, to be honest, but admittedly, that's how I felt about Dawes before I saw them live at the last Hinterland, so I figured, the same might hold true for The Avetts. I was right. Their cover of Harry Belafonte's Jump in the Line was awesome.

Lows

Kids at the Show
Yeah, a lot of people brought young, and (presumably) unvaccinated kids to the event. One person had an infant, weeks old, for fucks sake. I wanted to smack them. I don't care if it was outside, I don't care that most of the people (again, presumably) were vaccinated. It is impossible to think that there wasn't covid there. There were 16000 people crammed into a five acre area, tops, and hardly a mask to be seen. Fucking irresponsible, if you ask me.

long lines for everything
I'm hoping that Hinterland comes up with some way to get more food and beer token vendors in there. It took me 45 minutes waiting in line on Sunday to get a sandwhich, causing me to miss the entire set of one of the musicians.

shitheads
Of course there are gonna be a lot of people making bad decisions, but, WOW, Darwin Award candidates were in force . It was super hot (90+ degrees) most days, humid to boot (95% on Sunday), and Saturday & Sunday saw the doors open at 11:00, so that by the time the headliners came on stage, we're talking more than 10 hours being outside in that. And from the looks of it, there were plenty of people drinking alcohol that entire time instead of water, which is what they should have been drinking.

On Saturday, I saw one drunk tumble almost all the way down a hill, landing on a few concert goers as he went. On Sunday, tho, they really came out in force. Right in the middle of Leon Motherfucking Bridges' set, a lady, couldn't have been older than 22 or 23, just dropped to the concrete like a sack of potatoes, not 10 feet from me. I was flipping to eagle scout mode when fortunately, some medical professionals arrived and got her out and onto a gurney.

Maybe 10 minutes later and, great, some drunk kid is trying to hoist his equally drunk girlfriend onto his shoulders, that's gonna end well. Fortunately about half way into lifting her up, rational thought kicked in, and he let her down again.

But, fortunately, the lows were insignificant compared to the highs. All in all, it was a great experience. Can't wait until next year.

[bac0n]

Riot Fest, the best value in music festivals, dropped their lineup this morning, and it has me helluva excited.

https://riotfest.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Riot_2022_Art_Layout_FIRST-WAVE_TALL-1-scaled.jpg

Bob Vylan & The Descendents on the same day? Yes, please.

[Idioteque Stalker]

If I were to go, the can't-miss shows would be:

Friday: Jeff Rosenstock, Algiers
Saturday: Bauhaus, Mannequin Pussy
Sunday: YYYs, Ice Cube, NIN

That right there would be a solid weekend. Tylenol required.

[Ezee E]

I need to see NIN while I still have time.

[bac0n]

I need to see NIN while I still have time.

This'll be my 6th or 7th Riot Fest, and almost without fail we have either bailed early on the headliner or skipped entirely, so as not to be competing with thousands of other concertgoers for a Lyft when we all pour out of Douglas Park at once. I will make a rare exception for NIN.

[[ETM]]

Rage Against The Machine (and Run The Jewels) are playing in Zagreb, Croatia, in September. I so wish I could plan that far ahead.