Band of Horses @ Carnegie Hall, 6/11/09

My first visit to Carnegie Hall and it's for a rock show. Why am I not surprised. As we were all exiting the venue I overheard an older gentleman say "looks like the dress code has changed with the younger crowd." Classic. We were there to see Arbouretum, who embraced the acoustic theme and turned down the "doom-folk" for a very good set. I really think this band is so close to putting out an amazing record. Dave Heumann is very talented and has an amazing voice.

The Band of Horses performance felt special and they were truly appreciative of the opportunity to play in this storied venue. They mixed in a few new songs and put a new spin on some of the greats from their first two albums. I was absolutely blown away with their rendition of "Funeral."

Set List (via):
Part One
Marry Song
Why You Never Get Older
Window Blues
A Song For You (Gram Parsons Cover)
Monsters
Compliments Down
The Great Salt Lake
Weed Party (in double time)
Wicked Gil (in half time)
The Funeral
New Song (by Tyler Ramsey)
No One’s Gonna Love You
Unknown Song
-----------------
Ode To LRC (Ben Bridwell & Tyler Ramsey)
Detlef Schrempf
The General Specific

TV on the Radio @ Central Park Summerstage, 6/5/09

The steady rain last Friday was enough to scare away my lady and I was admittedly on the fence throughout the day. It only took the first few notes of "Love Dog" over a sea of umbrellas to know that I made the right decision. TV on the Radio have made great strides in their live performance since the last time I saw them. Having Antibalas on horns throughout adds a lot more depth and energy to the set and the band hit their stride early on and never let up. Then again, they can do no wrong in my book.

Set List:
Love Dog
Wrong Way
Blues From Down Here
Halfway Home
Golden Age
Wolf Like Me
Crying
Dirtywhirl
Staring at the Sun
Red Dress
Shout Me Out
Dancing Choose
DLZ
--------
Family Tree
Young Liars
A Method

Doves @ Terminal 5, 6/4/09

Really, what's not to love about Doves. Outside of Radiohead, I can't think of another British band that has been as consistently great this decade (Muse also comes to mind). Kingdom of Rust is no exception. While it doesn't quite reach the highs of "Cedar Room" or the insanely catchy songs on Last Broadcast ("There Goes the Fear," "Pounding," "Last Broadcast" etc.), I think it may be their best yet. Unfortunately, Terminal 5 ruined what should have been their triumphant return to NYC on Thursday. The drumming tempo was off for about half the show and the sound never felt quite right. Great bands persevere and despite the negatives, it was great to have Doves back on the scene. I really hope it's not another 4 years before they're back again.

Jetstream
Snowden
Winter Hill
Rise
Pounding
Almost Forgot Myself
10:03
Words
The Greatest Denier
Kingdom of Rust
Ambition
Black & White Town
The Outsiders
Caught By The River
--------------------
The Cedar Room
Here It Comes
Last Broadcast
There Goes The Fear

Green Day @ Webster Hall, 5/19/09

This show was an absolute blast. Apparently, Green Day have evolved into a six-piece live band. I had no idea. Thankfully, they didn't play the entire new album because the first set felt a bit flat at times (although I could have gone for my favorite new track "Horseshoes and Handgrenades"). "Jesus of Suburbia" was intense and I'm amazed that I can still remember words from songs that I haven't heard in 15 years. "80" was far and away my favorite song from Kerplunk. Such nostalgia...

I actually took some pics last night and will get them up here soon.

SET 1:
21st Century Breakdown
Know Your Enemy
East Jesus Nowhere
Before The Lobotomy
Last Of The American Girls
Murder City
Viva La Gloria (Little Girl)
The Static Age
21 Guns
American Eulogy (Mass Hysteria/Modern World)
See The Light

SET 2:
American Idiot
Jesus Of Suburbia
St. Jimmy
Longview
Coming Clean
At The Library
80
Basketcase
She
Surrender [Cheap Trick]/ Bastards of Young [The Replacements]
King For A Day/Shout [The Isley Brothers]
Minority

Updated with some photos:

Ben Harper & The Relentless7 @ Webster Hall, 5/5/09

To paraphrase Ben Harper last night: "I've heard a lot of requests for Sexual Healing and Burn One Down. I ain't going to play any of that shit anymore. I'm not a human jukebox." He says before busting into a flawless version of Queen's "Under Pressure." That's not exactly an easy song to pull off but they absolutely nailed it. 

This may be a new band for Ben Harper but he still has nearly 20 guitars at his disposal on stage. They led off the night with Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times" and BHIC tune "Better Way" before rolling through all of the songs from the Relentless7 album (with one Fight for Your Mind track for the die hards in the audience) . They took songs from a pretty good album and made them great in a live setting.  It's part of what makes Ben Harper such an amazing performer.  After technical difficulties marred "Fly One Time" he asked the audience whether it was ok to do it again.  They did and it was well worth it.  It's one of the better songs on the album and BH wanted to get it right.  

Setlist:
Good Times, Bad Times
Better Way
Number With No Name
Shimmer and Shine
Lay There & Hate Me
Why Must You Always Dress in Black
Skin Thin
Fly One Time x2
Keep It Together (So I Can Fall Apart)
The Word Suicide
Boots Like These
-----
Another Lonely Day
Faithfully Remain
Under Pressure
Up To You Now

...Trail of Dead @ Bowery Ballroom, 2/28/09

Jason Reece proudly displaying the Longhorn

Oh Trail of Dead, you had me at the double drums. How do you prevent the incessant talking that goes on during shows? You play an intensely loud, ear-ringing set. Great energy from the crowd and the band. The new songs sounded great too and with the possible of exception of "Fields of Coal" all seemed to fit in nicely with their back catalogue. I was a bit bummed to miss Midnight Masses. I think they have some potential. They joined TOD a few songs (pic below).

Set list:
Giants Causeway
Far Pavilions
Isis Unveiled
Homage
Bells of Creation
Will You Smile Again For Me
Fields of Coal
Relative Ways
Clair de Lune
Totally Natural
Another Morning Stoner
Caterwaul
----------------------
Richter Scale Madness

More crappy cell phone pics

Blitzen Trapper @ Bowery Ballroom, 2/27/09

Blitzen Trapper @ Bowery

Artists representing my 3rd and 4th favorite albums of 2008 together on one bill at Bowery. Needless to say, I was pretty excited. I'm really rooting for Plants and Animals. This was my third time seeing them live, all in opening slots, and each performance was better than the last. They played two new songs last night which with some polishing should be very solid. I think they've earned the right to a headlining gig in NYC and Bowery doesn't seem far out of reach. Blitzen Trapper was awesome last night. I hadn't seen them before so it's always a good feeling when a band exceeds your expectations in a live setting. Furr was the album that made me a believer and last night's performance only added to that. They described themselves last night as part folk, country, and rock. Fans of any of those genres should check these guys out if you haven't already.

On a side note, if there is one thing I've noticed more recently, it's that I'm becoming less tolerant of the crowds at places like Mercury and Bowery. I guess I'm getting older but the amount of talking just gets out of hand at times. I really think you need to be in the front 1/4 of both venues to avoid it. It's disappointing but it comes with territory, I guess.

I'll be back at Bowery tonight for ...Trail of Dead. I'm expecting a slightly different atmosphere.

Glasvegas @ Bowery Ballroom, 1/6/09

Hyped bands out of the UK always grab me.  I have no idea why, more often than not, they just end up disappointing me down the road.  I held out on this Glasvegas show when it went on sale because I was still on the fence about them.  Since that time, the debut album has positively grown on me.  So, when tickets went back on sale two days ago for their sold out Bowery show, I figured it was worth it to form a full opinion.  I read through BV's post and subsequent comments this morning and I'd agree with the overall sentiment.  From all of the supposed UK buzz bands I've seen the past few years at Bowery (Arctic Monkeys, The Kooks, Editors, British Sea Power, Foals come to mind), this was the lowlight.  It was pretty lackluster.  I have no issue with the length of the show (40 mins), they just didn't have the songs to fill that time period.  "Go Square Go, " "Daddy's Gone" and "Geraldine" were a lot of fun and the crowd was into it but I don't really remember the other songs.  I also didn't notice from the album but the drumming was essentially nonexistent during the show.  That, to me, was the biggest issue that needs to be addressed.  Unfortunately, not the best start to the live shows of '09 but I certainly don't regret going.  

Set list:

"Flowers and Football Tops"

"Lonesome Swan"

"It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry"

"Please Come Back Home"

"Polmont on My Mind"

"Geraldine"

"Ice Cream Van"

"Go Square Go"

"Stabbed"

"Daddy's Gone"

Neil Young & Wilco @ MSG, 12/15/08

So much for a curfew at MSG.  Neil busted right through it and played until 1230 (PJ, please take note).  He played for 2:10 before even leaving the stage.  It was clear to me last night that the man still has it.  The heavy guitar songs killed and the acoustic songs were, of course, amazing - I wish there had been more - including one of my all-time favorite songs ("Old Man").  Of course, you take the good with the bad when seeing the legends.  There were some dull moments and certainly some songs that I could have done without.  Wilco played for 45 minutes and should have played for 45 more.  It was a flawless set.

Wilco set list:

via chicago / Impossible Germany / You Are My Face / Spiders (kidsmoke) / Hummingbird / Jesus etc. / Forget the Flowers / Walken / I'm the Man Who Loves You

Neil Young set list:

Love And Only Love / Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) / Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / Powderfinger / Spirit Road / Cortez The Killer / Cinnamon Girl / Oh, Lonesome Me / Mother Earth / The Needle And The Damage Done / Light A Candle / Cough Up The Bucks / Fuel Line / Hit The Road And Go To Town / Unknown Legend / Heart Of Gold / Old Man / Get Back To The Country / Off The Road / Just Singing A Song / When Worlds Collide / Cowgirl In The Sand / Rockin’ In The Free World // Get Behind The Wheel / A Day In The Life (The Beatles)

Cloud Cult @ Bowery Ballroom, 11/11/08

Cloud Cult, Bowery Ballroom

Every time I see Cloud Cult in concert, it's another reminder as to why they are one of my favorite bands. They truly are one of the kindest, most gracious, and talented bands on the scene today. While still largely unknown, it's that much more rewarding to look around Bowery Ballroom last night and know that we all share the same secret. The songs last night focused entirely on their last 3 albums. I was a little bit disappointed that they didn't play "Living On the Outside of Your Skin" but I'll deal. Here is my attempt at the set list:

"Light At the End of the Tunnel" --> "Intro"
"Brain Gateway"
"No One Said It Would Be Easy"
"Chemicals Collide"
"Everybody Here is a Cloud"
"When Water Comes to Life"
"Million Things"
New Song? --> "That Man Jumped Out the Window"
"Pretty Voice"
"You Got Your Bones to Make a Beat"
"The Ghost Inside Your House"
"Bobby's Spacesuit"
"Must Explore" --> "Journey of the Featherless"
"Start New"
"Love You All"
"Story of the Grandson of Jesus"
"The Tornado Lessons"
----------------------
"Transistor Radio"
"Take Your Medicine"

The Hold Steady & Drive-By Truckers @ Terminal 5, 11/7/08

The Rock + Roll Means Well Tour @ Terminal 5

I've yet to read a review of a show at Terminal 5 that didn't criticize the venue in some way. For that reason, I've been avoiding it like the plague. I bought tickets for this show mainly because I was annoyed at the fact that I hadn't yet seen The Hold Steady live. After last night's show, I don't really have a negative opinion of the place. Yes, it's very crowded on the floor during a sold out show but I was standing near the back and had no issues with the sound. I actually prefer it to Roseland and probably Hammerstein too.

I started listening to DBT only after seeing that they were the co-headliner on this tour. I've been focused on The Dirty South and Brighter than Creation's Dark with a plan to check out Decoration Day next. Maybe it was the beer or the fact that I only had chocolate for dinner (probably both) but by the end of their set, I wanted to hang out with these guys and hear their stories. Great set. Consider me a fan.

People either love or hate The Hold Steady. I'll be the first to admit that I was in the latter group until I heard Boys & Girls in America. I'm not going to say anything new here, their performance last night was nothing short of amazing. They played b-sides to please the die hard fans, tracks from their last two albums to please people like me, and ~ 25 songs in an hour and 45 minutes to please every last person in the venue. Any fan of this band really has to see them live or you're missing half the fun. To cap off the night, Patterson Hood and some other members of DBT joined The Hold Steady during the encore for a version of Minutemen's "History Lesson Part 2," AC/DC's "Walk On" and Blue Oyster Cult's "Burnin, for You." Seriously.

I was thankful that Terminal 5 didn't keep me away from this one. It's the best double bill I've been to in a long time. Call it a celebration of historic proportions (see post below).

Beck & MGMT @ United Palace Theatre, 10/9/08

The kids like MGMT. United Palace was practically full when I stepped in a few minutes into MGMT's set. I found their debut album to be hit or miss (first half vs. second half) but I thought they were pretty damn good last night. They perform as a 5 piece band and it definitely brings out more depth in the songs than the recorded material. As for Beck, if I wasn't such a big fan of his I would probably lay into this show a bit more. The set list was good but man did he plow through the songs. It just seemed like he was going through the motions and really only acknowledged the crowd twice to say thanks for coming. I expect a bit more from eight albums and a $50 face value than a 70 minute show. That said, aside from a solid set list, the backing band was great and I really liked the bit with the headphones. Modern Guilt was a nice surprise for me this year, I think right now it's my fourth favorite Beck album (after Sea Change, Odelay, and Mutations), and those songs fit in very nicely last night. Overall, I can't really see myself buying a ticket to one his shows again and I'm ok with that as long I'm still digging his studio output.

Set list (via):
Loser
Nausea
Girl
Timebomb
Minus
Soul of a Man
Mixed Bizness
Nicotine & Gravy
Que Onda Guero
Ghettochip Malfunction/Shake Shake Tambourine/Clap Hands
Devils Haircut
Think I'm in Love
Modern Guilt
Orphans
Walls
Missing
Chemtrails
Golden Age
Lost Cause
Where It's At

Encore:
Gamma Ray
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
new song
E-Pro

My Morning Jacket @ The Greek Theatre, 09.21.08

Now that it is settling in and the initial ecstasy of it all is waning, I can say that in all honesty it was one of the best shows I've ever witnessed. Up there with Ben Harper's 3.5 hour performance at 9:30 Club a few years back. Likewise Radiohead at Tower Theatre, DFA 1979/QOTSA/NIN at the Verizon Center, The National/Arcade Fire at DAR, TMV, TVotR, Boris, Eddie at The Wiltern, the list goes on....It was epic. And I will forever wax nostalgiac about how this band literally exceeded every impossible expectation I had for them. Studio recordings ain't got shit on what it sounds like - what it feels like - to hear those vocals live in the midst of a balls out rock and roll assault.

I really don't know how to, in some way, capture what it was like to be within maximum effective range of Jim James & company a couple of nights back. Without getting lost in Sabine's reverberation equation we need to somehow make sense of it all; figuring critical distances will only lead to a maddening plunge down a dark rabbit-hole. And you probably won't hear the vocals down there. Things are good and firm up here on planet earth. Down there, you probably won't feel the goosebumps on the back of your neck emerge when that madcap lunatic with the beard (who has spent the better part of two and a half hours doing things with his vocal chords you couldn't possibly imagine) hits the pedal on "Run Thru" and deepens your plunge into eclecticmusicalecstasy with a Reznor-worthy riff thats been building for five minutes or so. The muted jab on the strings sounds like a pistol grip pump - the not-so-calm before the storm type of foreshadowing that draws your breath away and makes your jaw drop right before Mr. James and Mr. Broemel unleash some of the nastiest guitarwork you've ever witnessed (and you've seen Jack, John, Omar, Ben, Nels, Adam and the like).

But don't go down that rabbit hole either. Don't go comparing or associating. Don't get lost in the categories. Prince, Floyd, Zeppelin, Petty, Elvis, The Boss, they're all there somewhere. So where are we, right now? If time is reflected on the x-axis and we're strictly speaking of the evolution of rock and roll - y'know...where. we're. headed. - where is this band taking us? It's all meeting and merging, exploding and imploding, destroying and creating by the time you get to the chorus, if there even is one. There's too many branches, but it's all so focused and contained. And two and a half hours never went by so fast. And how is it, that the mastermind behind all of this, that guy with the beard and the towel draped across his brow, the one that just did three knee slides the length of the stage, while he was playing during the outro, how is it that he seems to be having more fun than I am? Because I'm having a pretty good fucking time, right now.

Looking back on it you realize how American it all is. But not that nationalistic spew they're shoving down your throat when we club other malnourished, tiny nations to death on the Olympics. No. Not that faux-patriotism that you slap magnetic on the back of your SUV. This is that truly American promise of anything's possible, the America that I like to believe in. Potential. A million ways to the same place. Creating an interpretation of life through every influence that has ever crossed a synapse in your brain. A melting pot. And everyone gets to choose which way to go. Like walking into a country music bar and pumping some Boris on the jukebox and everybody being cool with it. (Give us a few decades and a few more bands like this and we'll get there.) But, they'd been thinking about all of this long before the rest of us, sponging it all up - motown, metal, disco, reggae, country, folk, intro, outro, solo, bridge, keys, brass, and most importantly guitars (their own little musical melting pot). What they found and what they bring to an audience is a wholly different and unique approach to that good ol' American end-state of rocking the fuck out. No limits. No boundaries. No genre of music is safe.

There was this girl five rows in front of us with blonde stringy hair, she was shaking and rocking so hard I thought her head was going to spin off. I've only seen cathode-ray black and white permutations of things as drastic and spastic as this: it was '64 and they were the Beatles. But who am I kidding. We were all under the same spell, the place was going shithouse-rat crazy and well, it ain't evil, baby if ya,...

It's been more than a day now, I need to hatch a plan. I need to somehow figure out how this bad man from California is going to get to Madison Square Garden on New Year's Eve. Talk about potential.

Setlist:
1. "Evil Urges"
2. "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt.1"
3. "Off The Record"
4. "Anytime"
5. "I'm Amazed"
6. "The Way That He Sings"
7. "Two Halves"
8. "Thank You Too!"
9. "Sec Walkin"
10. "I Will Sing You Songs"
11. "What A Wonderful Man"
12. "Mahgeetah"
13. "Lay Low"
14. "Phone Went West"
15. "Gideon"
16. "Dondante"
17. "Librarian"
18. "Smokin From Shootin"
19. "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt.2"
----------
20. "Golden"
21. "Wordless Chorus"
22. "Highly Suspicious"
23. "Run Thru"
24. "One Big Holiday"

Eddie Vedder @ NJPAC, 8/7/08

[my phone pics]

I had to remind myself on several occasions to blink. I didn't want to miss anything and I didn't want the night to end. After striking out twice for the NY shows, Newark and the 10c came through for me. 7th row orchestra. I read somewhere that these shows feel like a conversation in Eddie's living room and it's true, from the Q&A to the stories behind some of the songs. There are too many things to recap but one of the more memorable moments was listening to Eddie explain the origin of "Yellow Ledbetter" and then, curiously, he actually cut himself off after he seemed to get a little choked up. He also debuted a new song that he claimed to have written at 5 a.m. that morning, after a long night of boozing. During "Hard Sun," I turned around to see Tim Robbins with a big Andy Dufresne smile on his face rocking out with the rest of us . Last night, he was the second coolest guy in the building...

Set 1:
"Walking the Cow" (Daniel Johnson)
"Trouble" (Cat Stevens)
"Don't Be Shy" (Cat Stevens)
"Around the Bend"
"I Am Mine"
"Dead Man Walking"
"Sometimes"
"I'm Open"
"Man of the Hour"
"Unthought Known" (new)
"Driftin'"
"Masters of War" (Bob Dylan)
"Setting Forth"
"No Ceiling"
"Guaranteed"
"Far Behind"
"Rise"
"Small Town"
"Goodbye (You're True)"
"Soon Forget"
"Forever Young" (Bob Dylan)
"Porch"

Encore 1:
"Society" (w/ Liam Finn)
"Throw Your Arms Around Me" (w/ Liam Finn) (Hunters and Collectors)
(Q/A)
"Growin' Up"
"Lukin"
"Let My Love Open the Door"
"Arc"

Encore 2:
"Hard Sun" (w/ Liam Finn)

Image of last night's setlist (although it changed during the show)

[skyeriverwinter]

The National @ Central Park Summerstage, 8/4/08

[Random phone pic taken during Yeasayer]

I was there at 6:30 on the dot to catch Plants and Animals. Given their recorded output, I really expected more than 3 people on stage. I'm addicted to Parc Avenue right now and their live performance was further confirmation that this band has a solid future ahead of them. Yeasayer looked very comfortable in a large capacity setting although I still want to catch them in a smaller venue to get the true vibe from their set. I love how the songs from their album take on an entirely new life on stage. They also played two new songs, the first of which sounded incredible. The second one, unfortunately, didn't quite work. As for The National, the horns are always a nice addition to their live shows but I missed the violin presence from Padma (Doveman filled in admirably on keys) . "Virginia" was a nice surprise and I'm hoping they start pulling out a few more b-sides. For as many times as I've seen The National (I think I've lost count), I don't think they'll ever top this year's show at BAM but I've yet to be leave a show disappointed and last night was no exception. One additional note, the amazing artwork behind the stage (in the photo above) was done specifically for The National, for this show.

Setlist:
Brainy
Secret Meeting
Baby We'll Be Fine
Slow Show
Squalor Victoria
You've Done It Again, Virginia
Abel
The Geese Of Beverly Road
Ada
All The Wine
Daughters Of The SoHo Riots
Apartment Story
Green Gloves
Mistaken For Strangers
Fake Empire
---------------
Start A War
Karen
Mr. November
About Today

Bloc Party @ Mayan Theatre, 7.29.08

[More @ Flickr]

Great show. But, probably the last time I grab a ticket for just this band. We've said it before numerous times on this blog: why doesn't this band explore their catalogue more? "Version 2.0", "Staying Fat", "The Once and Future King", "Two More Years" all come to mind. They are an extremely talented band that puts on a very solid-worth the price of admission show, but there is nothing above or beyond the main set, break, encore, and out. Give me a cover. Give me a B-side. Give me something. Anything. I left fulfilled but thinking about the likes of The National, Arcade Fire, and TV On The Radio. Bands who - every time I have caught them - come out with guns blazing and never let up.

"Flux" is flat live (disappointingly so), but "Mercury" (which I didn't like on first listen) had a great energy to it (but I'm pretty sure I was the only person in the audience singing/dancing to it - ahhh, L.A.). "Positive Tension" perhaps, the greatest song this band has ever crafted was nowhere to be found.

UPDATE: Apparently their San Fran show was ill. Three encores.

Setlist:

"Hunting for Witches"
"Like Eating Glass"
"Waiting for the 7.18"
"Price of Gasoline"
"Song for Clay (Disappear Here)"
"So Here We Are"
"The Prayer"
"Uniform"
"Mercury"
"This Modern Love"
"Banquet"

"Sunday"
Intro > "Flux"
"She's Hearing Voices"
"Helicopter"

Fleet Foxes @ Bowery Ballroom, 7/9/08

photo taken by Elizabeth Weinberg

Occasionally, there are moments in this internet age where a band can actually live up to the hype and praise garnered upon them. It's rare but it happens. From the moment Fleet Foxes collectively started singing last night, I was left speechless. Apparently lead singer Robin Pecknold is pretty sick but I can't remember the last time I was ever this blown away by someone's voice (maybe the first time I heard MJK). I love the Sun Giant EP, "Mykonos" along with Portishead's "The Rip" are the two best songs I've heard this year, but I've been on the fence about their self-titled debut. But after hearing the new(er) songs live last night, they take on a completely different meaning. Consider them added to the handful of bands that I'll be following very closely moving forward.

Sun Giant ->
Sun It Rises ->
Drops In The River
English House
White Winter Hymnal
Ragged Wood
Your Protector
Crayon Angels [Judee Sill Cover] (Robin solo)
Oliver James (Robin solo)
He Doesn't Know Why
Mykonos
Blue Ridge Mountains
(encore)
Tiger Mountain Peasant Song (Robin solo)

As an aside, I got a kick out of Robin's comment today on BV (he is also a frequent poster on Ateastweb, the Radiohead site that I frequent quite a bit):

Hey hey, came on here to see if the midnight show tmrw was announced. I'm really sorry for sounding sick tonight, it's been a long long haul the last few weeks and I feel really really super bad about not singing 100%. I even went to an emergency doctor today just to get some stuff that might help for this night's show and I waited around in a Duane Reade for an hour to get the prescription but I guess I took the pill too late. I will never smoke another cigarette as long as I live as well

I'm really sorry if you were let down :(

Also my hat looks stupid, I have a dumb haircut, and I need to lose some weight

Luff
Robin

Too funny.

Rosebuds, British Sea Power @ Bowery Ballroom, 5/10/08

This was my first time seeing Rosebuds or BSP, the latter of which I consider to be one of the finer rock bands in the UK at the moment. Rosebuds impressed. I listened to their second album quite a bit when it came out and I think that I need to look into their latest. BSP played loud and tight, sticking mostly to the studio version of their songs (until the end). "No Lucifer" and "Carrion" were the stand-outs. I admit though, I was a little bit disappointed by the lack of theatrics that I had read so much about. No foliage on stage or military regalia. This time they claimed to be old tennis stars, or something to that effect. Overall, it was good rock n roll but I'd give the live edge to last month's Constantines show at Mercury (which, unfortunately, I failed to write-up).

Setlist:
"Lights Out For Darker Skies"
"Atom"
"Remember Me"
"Down on the Ground"
"Leaving Here"
"A Trip Out"
"Canvey Island"
"Waving Flags"
"The Great Skua"
"Oh Larsen B"
"No Lucifer
"True Adventures"
"The Spirit of St. Louis"
"Carrion"
"Rock in A"

For those interested, nyctaper recorded the show in typical fine fashion.

Eddie Vedder @ The Wiltern, 4.13.08

JQ's back from Iraq, healthy and out of his fucking mind. These are all good things. He was out in LA for a few days and while we were driving home from the madness of the most attended baseball game in history at the Coliseum (Sox-Dodgers) we passed by the Wiltern and Eddie's name was in black beaming down Wilshire. I told him about the Ten Club feeding frenzy, the same thing at Ticketmaster and then let him know that as a student I'm not in a spot to start dropping StubHub prices for a gig. Even if it is a rare solo gig from the frontman of my favorite band. Fast forward past some empty bottles of wine, crushed cases of beer and obscene storytelling that went each night into the next morning and JQ was off to LAX and back into the abyss of out-processing the Army. The next day a package arrives in the mail addressed to my fiancee and underneath are the three magic words: "Get Hot Time". Inside? Two tickets to Eddie's second night at the Wiltern. These are my friends. What more can I say? I call JQ and get this response: "You didn't think I was gonna get you a fucking toaster for your wedding, did you?"

***

He was still in his lab coat then. His guests retired off stage. The lights dimmed and Eddie leaned down into a suitcase and began howling into one of the mics. He set a loop, then grabbed another mic and began belting an accompanying vocal track. I was frozen there, in the back row of the Wiltern completely fucking mesmerized. I haven't heard "Arc" in several years. He took his time, and it might be the memory of the whole thing fucking with me...but I think we witnessed him twisting his vocal chords for a good four or five minutes. The voice of a generation. The voice of my youth. The memories of a dozen shows from Camden, NJ to Mountain View, CA.

And I would have been good right there.

But, I had the feeling, as he walked to the front of the stage, the curtains closing behind him, and shook hands with members of the crowd ("Arc" still careening about the room on a loop) that something was going on behind him.

When they opened the curtain up Jack Irons was sitting on the drums, Eddie introduced him and noted the next one would be a "big sing-a-long". They kicked off "Last Kiss", with the crowd chanting every word and then I thought...if it ends here, I am very, very good with all of it. Guests have made the rounds on the tour, Jerry Hannan helped out in Berkeley on the first night, while Mike McCready and Sean Penn jammed out on "All Along the Watchtower" on night two at Berkeley. So, we score some Jack Irons on drums and to be honest, I'm fucking overwhelmed.

But no one moves. Eddie remains seated, Irons exits stage right. Eddie starts talking about how lucky he feels to know some of the people he knows and he's not sure if these people are "smart because they are talented, or talented because they are smart". And all of the sneaking suspicions I had leading up to the show start to unravel. He has to be talking about Ben. He hasn't played "No More" yet, and Ben helps him out with the same track on the Body of War soundtrack, courtesy of PJ's Lolla performance last year. And. And. And. "I'd like to welcome to the stage Mr. Ben Harper".

Out of my fucking mind.

I'm in the last row at the Wiltern going completely fucking apeshit as my lady is jumping up and down in the same frenetic fashion. Ben dealt some crushing blows last year at Bonnaroo: SuperJam with John Paul Jones & ?uestlove, bringing out Ziggy for "Get Up, Stand Up" and then tearing through "Dazed and Confused" with Jones again during his own set. And here he is. Sauntering out with a lab coat of his own. Taking a seat and giving Eddie an unbelievable vocal accompaniment during "No More". I can barely take it.

And if you thought they were done there. You're wrong. A backdrop is revealed with a beautiful sunset and the entire gang comes back for "Hard Sun" as Eddie fired up a recording of the studio version and added violent riffs on his guitar while bouncing around the stage in an epic little sing-a-long that included two pipes on both sides of the stage gushing dry ice.

Eddie thanks the crowd and still the set isn't going anywhere. It's just getting adjusted by more people in lab coats. Two seats. A drumset. Eddie is bouncing around in his famous half-buzzed-possibly-cocked-bebop, towards the corner, then back to the mic. "I'd like to re-introduce Mr. Ben Harper and Mr. Jack Irons. One more." Hell yes.

Ben walks out with the Weissenborn and I am all kinds of ballistic because whatever is coming he's got the fucking Weissenborn...Eddie rips into the opening bars of "All Along the Watchtower" acoustic and as I'm tearing up, Ben hovers in gently with the lead and I swear...I swear...I'm lost...they repeat "two riders were approaching..." a number of times just to get enough opportunity to let Ben crush us...and then all together "the wind began to howl..."

Main Set
"Walking the Cow" (Daniel Johnson)
"Around the Bend"
"I Am Mine"
"Dead Man"
"Thumbing My Way"
"Man of the Hour"
"Setting Forth"
"Guaranteed"
"No Ceiling"
"Far Behind"
"Rise Up"
"Millworker" (James Taylor)
"Goodbye"
"Soon Forget"
"Drifting"
"You´ve Got to Hide Your Love Away" (Beatles)
"Picture in a Frame" (Tom Waits)
"Trouble" (Cat Stevens)
"Happy Birthday" for his Grandmother Margaret
"Porch"

Encore 1
"Society" (Jerry Hannan; w. Liam Finn)
"Throw Your Arms Around Me" (Marc Seymour; w. Liam Finn)
"Lukin"
"Arc"

Encore 2
"Last Kiss" (Wayne Cochran; w. Jack Irons)
"No More" (w. Ben Harper)
"Hard Sun" (Gordon Peterson; w. Ben Harper, Jack Irons, Eliza-Jane Barnes & Liam Finn)
"All Along The Watchtower" (Bob Dylan; w. Ben Harper & Jack Irons)

The National @ Howard Gilman Opera House, 2/23/08

At this point there's very little else either of us can really say about The National. This is the fifth time I've seen them in the last year and they continue to impress and amaze me. This performance at the Howard Gilman Opera House (BAM!) was easily the best that I've witnessed. The sound and acoustics were amazing (as you would expect in an opera house) and I love that the band took this opportunity to include strings, horns, and winds.

Setlist:
"Start a War"
"Brainy"
"Baby, We'll Be Fine"
"Slow Show"
"Secret Meeting"
"Mistaken for Strangers"
"Squalor Victoria"
"Abel"
"Wasp Nest"
"Racing like a Pro"
"Ada" (w/ Sufjan Stevens)
"Apartment Story"
"(New Song)"
"Green Gloves"
"Fake Empire"

Encore 1:
"City Middle"
"Mr. November"
"Daughters of the Soho Riots"

Encore 2:
"Gospel"
"About Today"