I Just Read About That…

This is kind of a downer post to start the year, but I’m going on the idea that the year can only get better.

2021 promised to be the year that concerts came back.

And they did, in a pretty big way.  However, there were random shows that were cancelled or postponed.   I’m not going to list every show that was postponed in 2021 (that list is way too long), but here’s a few shows that were supposed to happen once concerts came back but which for one reason or another didn’t.

Sometimes it was even because I had a better show to go to (or had tickets to the other one first).  Reschedulers seemed to enjoy placing all of the rescheduled shows in the same week for me.  I wasn’t necessarily going to try to see all of these, but they caught my attention.

• Parquet Courts/P.E./Public Practice (White Eagle Hall)  [I went to Phish instead]
• The Decemberists: 20 years before the mast (Met Philadelphia).  Unlike many other bands they chose not to postpone the show until 2022
• David Gray: White Ladder 20th Anniversary (Met Philadelphia) postponed to 2022
• Ty Segall & The Freedom Band (Union Transfer) postponed to 2022
• Deftones/Gojira/ Poppy (Met Philadelphia) postponed to 2022
• Ben Folds (Parx Casino) postponed this and a few other shows because venue couldn’t or wouldn’t comply with his COVID requests
• Residents (Foundry) (didn’t go)
• Alanis Morisette/Garbage/Liz Phair (PNC Bank Center) (I was only going to go if I could get cheap seats; but it got rained out anyway!)
• Brittany Howard/My Morning Jacket (Mann) Didn’t feel like going to the Mann.
• Bachelor (cancelled, no word given)
• Andy Shauf/Faye Webster (Union Transfer) postponed until 2022
• Sinead O’Connor (postponed to 2022)
• My Chemical Romance: 2020 MCRXX (Prudential Center) postponed to 2022
• Avett Brothers (Mann Center) didn’t feel like going to the Mann Center for them.
• New Order/Pet Shop Boys (MSG) postponed to 2022.
• Andrew W.K. (TLA) postponed to 2022
• Diane Coffee (Johnny Brenda’s) I went to see Kathleen Edwards instead
• The Four Eyed Horsemen: MC Lars/Mega Ran/MC Frontalot/Schaffer The Darklord (Kung Fu Necktie) Regret not going to this one.  I was too burnt out to go.
• Waxahatchee/Katy Kirby (Union Transfer) They had to cancel their last few Philly dates because of Covid.  Rescheduled for 2022
• Dead Can Dance/Agnes Obel (Met Philly) Had to cancel and I don’t think they’re coming back.
• Frankie & the Witch Fingers/Acid Dad/Hooveriii (PhilaMOCA) went to see Torres instead.  Think it was an okay choice.
• Diet Cig/Retirement Party (PhilaMOCA) cancelled for COVID.  I just can’t ever see Diet Cig for some reason.
• King GIzzard/Leah Senior (Franklin Music Hall) postponed until 2022
• Spoon/Nicole Atkins (White Eagle Hall) Went to Front Bottoms instead
• Arlo Parks/Michelle (Foundry) super bummed that it sold out before I found out about it
• Lotus Land (Steelstacks) Some day I’ll see this Rush tribute band but not 2021.
• Tinariwen (Underground Arts) tour cancelled.
• War on Women/Alkaline Trio/Bad Religion (Met Philly).  I’d really like to see War on Women and Bad Religion, but I already had tickets to The Flaming Lips
• Caspian/Caracara/Holy Fawn (Underground Arts) I would like to see Caspian, but I had tickets to Anti-Flag
• Half Waif/Lightning Bug (Johnny Brenda’s) Definitely want to see Half Waif, but too busy.
• Tokyo Police Club (Foundry) saw Starset instead
• Vagabon/Angelica Garcia (Johnny Breanda’s) went to Ryley Walker/Dinosaur Jr instead
• The Lemonheads (Underground Arts) went to Jinjer instead
• Menzingers/Dirty Nil (Underground Arts) want to see Menzingers again and probably should have gone, but there were a lot of shows around this time that I did go to see.
• Cave In (Underground Arts) not sure if I still even liked them.
• Loudon Wainwright III (Sellersville/Red Bank) both shows seemed to far at the time
• Stars/Lloyd Cole/Kevin Devine (Poisson Rouge/World Cafe Live).  I really want to see Stars, but didn’t want to go to NYC and World Cafe Live was the same night as our party.
• METZ/Preoccupations (Foundry) same night as Stars at WCL and our party.
• Strand of Oaks (Johnny Brenda’s) I didn’t realize this was a Winter Special concert or I might have tried to get tickets
• Bully (Underground Arts) same night as Baroness.
• Joy Formidable./Cuffed Up (Underground Arts) postponed until next year
• K.T Tunstall (cancelled some of the closer venues for something else–rescheduling for 2022.
• Dr. Dog (Fillmore) show went on, but I stayed home for fear of COVID
• Phish New Years Run (MSG) postponed until 2022.

Postponements and cancellations were abundant in 2020 and 2021.  Some bands were able to reschedule the same venue and some wound up going elsewhere. 

But these bands did not play near me (as far as I know).  I wasn’t necessarily going to see them all, but they at least piqued my interest.

• Kenny O’Brien & the O’Douls (Johnny Brenda’s)  This was a special St. Patrick’s Day show by Kevin Devine that I really hope he might reschedule for 2022.
• God is My Co-Pilot (Boot &Saddle) Boot & Saddle no longer exists.  I didn’t think GiMCP did either.
• Ásgeir (Underground Arts) He has stayed in Europe I believe.
• Palehound (Boot & Saddle) joined with Jay Som to form Bachelor, but even that show was cancelled.
• Pussy Riot (Union Transfer) They have mostly just been getting arrested in Russia.
• Laura Marling (an Evening with) (Underground Arts) Boy would I love to see her in this small setting.
• Guster (acoustic) (Wellmont)  Guster has rescheduled their show for a couple of weeks from now.  I’m not sure if it will still be acoustic.  I also really hop it doesn’t get cancelled.
• Tropical Fuck Storm (Johnny Brenda’s).  They stayed in Australia and made a movie instead.
• Basia Bulat (Johnny Brenda’s)
• Margaret Glaspy (Underground Arts) technically she toured as a support artist for Rustin Kelly, but it was not headlining and I would never go to see Rustin Kelly.
• Jens Lekman (Union Transfer)
• Real Estate (Union Transfer) They did actually play NJ instead recently.
• Juana Molina (Underground Arts)
• Kevin Devine (White Eagle Hall) he did play a few shows in New York City.
• Okilly Dokilly (NJ pub).  Are calling it quits.
• Crash test Dummies (City Winery, Philly)
• Pottery (Johnny Brenda’s)
• House of Love: 30th Anniversary tour (White Eagle Hall)
• Restorations (Johnny Breanda’s)
• Lemon Twigs (Underground Arts) (played some shows in NYC)
• Karina Rykman (Milkboy)
• clipping (Underground Arts)
• Mew: Anniversary tour (World Cafe)
• Tanya Tagaq (BAM)  Yea, I wasn’t going to Brooklyn for this but she didn’t reschedule either
• Hyukoh (TLA)
• Sparta (Boot & Saddle)
• Kim Gordom (Union Transfer)
• National (Steelstacks)
• Porridge Radio (Boot & Saddle)
• Bit Brigade (Johnny Brenda’s) but I’m sure they’ll be back
• Kurt Vile (White Eagle Hall) although he is playing Atlantic City soon
• Open Mike Eagle (Milkboy)
• Peter Bjorn &John (Johnny Brenda’s)
• Einsturzende Neubauten (Union Transfer)
• Squarepusher (Union Transfer)
• Monster Magnet (Underground Arts)
• Fratellis (TLA)
• Swans (Underground Arts)
• Acid Mothers (Underground Arts)
• Kool Keith (Johnny Brenda’s)
• EOB (Union Transfer) 
• The Go-Gos
• The Decemberists (this one hurt, especially since they bailed on us in Red Bank, NJ in 2018).
• And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead