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Archive for May, 2025

The Word Alive (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, May 24, 2025) [ICE NINE KILLS Silver Screamathon Day 1]

Posted in Dark Divine, Hail the Sun, Ice Nine Kills, Melrose Avenue, Montclair, NJ, The Funeral Portrait, The Word Alive, TX2, Wellmont Theater on May 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 24, 2025] Ice Nine Kills: Silver Screamathon Day 1

I was pretty excited to see the Ice Nine Kills Silver Screamathon–two days at the same venue with each night focusing on one of their horror-themed albums.  My son and I have seen them a few times, but this felt like a way to really see their whole show and in a relatively small place.

Well, it was PACKED and we arrived a little late because we didn’t care about the opening bands.  And while my son did get into the pit, I was much further back than I anticipated.

We missed The Funeral Portrait completely.  They formed in 2014 in Georgia and have a theatrical component (and have had Spencer from INK sing on some of their tracks).  Frontman Lee Jennings compares their sound to a blend of bands such as My Chemical Romance, Ghost, and Motionless In White. I don’t hear it.  Their music is like a weird mix of alt rock and metal but in a way that doesn’t work for me.

Melrose Avenue are from Australia (!).  That alone makes me wish we’d seen them.  Although this description from New Noise Magazine doesn’t sound all that great (more…)

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Lucius (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 22, 2025)

Posted in Lucius, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, Victoria Canal on May 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 22, 2025] Lucius

I saw Lucius last year when they played the anniversary of their debut album.  I enjoyed the show and their performance so much that I knew I’d want to see them again.  And I knew my wife would really enjoy it as well.

But I had no idea she’s enjoy it as much as she did.  She said it was her favorite concert of the year [UPDATE: at year’s end she maintains that belief].

The stage was set up with two large cacti flanking the keyboard set up of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig.  I love that they dress alike (down to the wigs they are wearing).  They wore red, beautifully decorated ponchos, and it’s amazing that they face each other and more or less mimic each others movements–they’re not a tightly choreographed ship, which is good.  They are more like a loose duo who can allow the moment to overtake perfect choreography.  And they’re all the better for it,

But mostly, Lucius are instantly recognizable because of the gorgeous vocals of Wolfe and Laessig,  And it gives you goosebumps to see them perform live.

There’s a several Lucius songs that I absolutely love.  There’s also some that I’m iffy about (but the hits greatly outweigh the misses for me).  And I really like the vibe of the new album a lot.  I’m sure that has a lot to do with Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs who produced the album (his fingerprints are all over it).  The opening song Final Days doesn’t sound like The War on Drugs, but it does sound like Lucius covering a War on Drugs song.

They followed up with Gold Rush, which I was surprised to hear so early as its the big hit from the album.  They wound up playing five new songs in a row.  Trespassers Will Be Shot uploaded several songs from our show (see below).  Things had mellowed, but when Stranger Danger came on and the guitars went crazy and Jess and Holly came to the front of the stage–it was electrifying.

The band had a simple set up.  Jess and Holly in the center.  On our right side was drummer Dan Molad and on our left was multi-instrumentalist (but mostly, an amazing guitarist–the sounds he generates are amazing) Peter Lalish.

They played the quieter 24 and then moved to Wildewoman for the amazing Tempest.  Since they had just toured the album last year I didn’t think they’d play too much from it, so it was cool to hear this one.

Then for the really fun Joy Ride, they put on matching hats and sat stage right in a couple of folding chairs.  We got a kick out of them snapping their heads left and right to the beat.

They jumped back to Wildewoman again for the awesome (and even more awesome live Nothing Ordinary) and the fantastic Genevieve, which was delightfully percussion heavy (Jess and Holly playing cowbells) and full of cool lighting. (more…)

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Victoria Canal (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 22, 2025) [LUCIUS]

Posted in Lucius, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, Victoria Canal on May 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 22, 2025] Victoria Canal

I had not heard of Victoria Canal before this show.

She has a fascinating backstory.  She was born in Germany but is of Spanish American heritage and was raised mostly in Spain.  And yet when she spoke she had no trace of an accent.

Canal was born without her right forearm.  What’s fascinating is that although she does not try to hide it at all, we didn’t notice for the first couple of songs.

Victoria played acoustic guitar and keyboards.  She also had really nice boots on.  Between songs she told delightful stories that really fleshed out songs like the new (and wonderful) Pseudo Zen Buddhist: A Screenplay.  Which she introduced by saying the song was about her ex boyfriend’s next girlfriend murdering him (she works in movies, hence the screenplay part).  It was great.

There was also a really funny intro to Yes Man, a song she write when on a songwriting retreat with Chris Martin of Coldplay.

Canal’s voice is soft and gentle with a really nice timbre.  And she can mix in some falsettos on a song like Totally Fucking Fine. (more…)

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Barenaked Ladies / Sugar Ray / Fastball (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, May 22, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Guster, Barenaked Ladies, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia, Sugar Ray, Fastball on May 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 22, 2025] Barenaked Ladies / Sugar Ray / Fastball

We haven’t seen Barenaked Ladies since 2017 (2016 was the last time on one of these Last Summer on Earth tours).

They always put on a good show, although I feel like I’ve enjoyed the last few a little bit less than the previous ones.  Mostly because they play the same big hits all the time.  I mean, you can’t be BNL and not play those songs, but it would be fun if they didn’t.

I always consider going to their Last Summer on Earth tours, but I typically dislike the other bands that are playing with them–usually 90s bands that I assumed were broken up. Which doesn’t really speak all that well of BNL (unless it speaks well of them trying to boost old bands).  Their new setlist mixes in a few different songs, so maybe if next year’s co-headliners are good, I’ll grab tickets.

This year was finally an exciting option because one of the opening bands was Guster!  What a fun way to see them–as an opening band.  But then it turned out that they were opening everywhere but the north east!  WTF?  And who was their replacement?  Sugar Ray?  Really?  They had one song and they are still around? Really?  Ugh.

Fastball is someone I do like and they would have been interesting to see.  But not for Sugar Ray.

It’s like BNL’s mission is to keep one hit wonder bands active.  Which is noble I suppose.

Next year guys, find bands that I actually want to see!

 

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Pierce the Veil (Skyline Stage at The Mann Center, May 19, 2025)

Posted in Daisy Grenade, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, Pierce the Veil, Skyline Stage at The Mann, Sleeping with Sirens on May 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 19, 2025] Pierce the Veil

My son and I have seen Pierce the Veil twice in the last two years.  The first show at the Stone Pony Summer Stage during a pending hurricane.  We got soaked and the show was cut short.

The second show was in a fairly large arena and we were pretty far away from the stage.  It was good but unsatisfying.

But this one was at the Skyline Stage at the Mann, an outdoor venue that allows you to get close.  And this time my daughter wanted to come as well.  So I grabbed us three early tickets.

We had been put in the ADA section (my hip) and the kids were allowed to be there with me or they could leave if they wanted.  The ADA section is raised and is off to the side.  So, you get clear unblocked views of the stage (yea!) but at a weird angle (boo) with slightly distorted sound (boo).

I told the kids that I would not be offended if they wanted to go on  the lawn.  I would have if I was less held up.  So they looked at the setlist and decided that they’d like to be in  the lawn for the first part of the show and then maybe come back at the side for the hits at the end.

They enjoyed being on the lawn although they said it was hard to see the stage very well (it’s a very tall stage).  And then about half way through the show, my daughter came back to hang with my while my son made his way to the pit, where he slam danced for the next 45 minutes.  He had a blast and said it was the best show he had ever been to.

I enjoyed the show quite a lot as well.  Although, WOW was it cold.  I mean, mid-May, but the temps were in the 50s with a heavy wind.  And sitting on the side, there was no place for warmth.  Of course, I would feel much more into the show if I were in the mix with other people. But having said that, the band sounded great.  They were full of energy and seemed to be having a total blast.

We both agreed that this was the best of the three shows BY FAR! (more…)

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Sleeping with Sirens (Skyline Stage at The Mann Center, May 19, 2025) [PIERCE THE VEIL]

Posted in Daisy Grenade, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, Pierce the Veil, Skyline Stage at The Mann, Sleeping with Sirens on May 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 19, 2025] Sleeping with Sirens

My kids both really like Pierce the Veil and I got into them as well.  So when they played the GA stage at the Mann Center, I got tickets for all three of us.

The Mann Center is a great venue, but if you go there at the wrong time, the traffic can really suck.  And when the show starts at 6:30, there’s really no way we were going to arrive for all of the bands.

I was looking forward to seeing Daisy Grenade, but we missed them entirely.  Social Casualty says of them:

Female alt-pop, bubble grunge duo Daisy Grenade is led by Dani Nigro and Keaton Whittakker. They aspire to make diary-entry-like songs, bringing you through the growing pains of being a woman in today’s society. With raw emotions, wrapped up with femininity as a weapon, and a theatrical touch on top, they’re turning bubble grunge into something catchy and sharp with a side of something sweet.

So yea, that was a bummer to miss them. But we did arrive in plenty of time to see Sleeping with Sirens.  (more…)

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Sessanta V.2: Primus, Puscifer, A Perfect Circle (PNC Bank Center, Holmdel, NJ, May 17, 2025)

Posted in A Perfect Circle, Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Center, Primus, Puscifer on May 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 17, 2025] Sessanta V.2: Primus, Puscifer, A Perfect Circle

II really liked Tool when they first came out.  Sober is one of my favorite songs of the 1990s.  I enjoyed the second Tool album and then was excited by A Perfect Circle, but I felt that the two bands were too similar. And I kind of lost interest in Maynard Keenan.  So I never knew anything about Puscifer.  When I heard the name I assumed they were like a hardcore/death metal band.  Which they are not.

My friend Doug is a huge fan, though, and he encouraged me to go to this show. I was mostly interested in Primus, but the more he talked about this show, the more I wanted to see the Maynard spectacle.  And it did not disappoint.

Before the show started, there was a video of Maynard in a hospital room.  He looked old and frail and was telling really dumb jokes trying to make a nurse laugh.

This tour package was designed to celebrate Maynard James Keenan’s 60-ish birthday celebration and it was designed to be a lot of fun.  The ad talked about all three bands being on stage and then being together as: Puscimus, Perfmus Circifer, and A Pripusper Circfermus.

The stage was designed in an industrial and very cool way.  Three drum sets sat on the top tier of the stage.  Stairs on either side led down to the stage level where guitars and vocals were.  It was very cool the way the bands could come and go from their gear at will.

Evidently, Maynard does not like recording devices at his shows.  Maynard opened the show with his earnest request that all phones and devices be put away in an effort to detach from distractions and fully immerse oneself into the musical experience. They also had videos showing that anyone who brought out a phone during the show would be ground into meat.  There was no evidence of people being ground up at our show.

The lights dimmed and the drummer for A Perfect Circle came out to his kit.  Then the rest of the band filled out below and they played three songs.  I only know the first album, and they played one from each of the other three.  But I really got into it. The bands sounded great and Maynard has a wonderful stage presence.  (more…)

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MJ Lenderman and the Wind / This is Lorelei (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, May 17, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Franklin Music Hall, MJ Lenderman and the Wind, Philadelphia, PA, This is Lorelei, Water from Your Eyes on May 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 17, 2025] MJ Lenderman and the Wind / This is Lorelei

I feel like people have been talking about MJ Lenderman for a while (although there are a lot of guys who go by 2 initials and their last name so I may be thinking of someone else).  But I see that he’s been putting out music since 2019.

I also saw know that he’s been playing with Wednesday and did a song with Waxahatchee.

His voice is a distinctive twang/whine that I sort of don’t like but kind of do.  It’s that whole alt-country thing that I mostly don’t like but maybe do.

Lenderman has a couple of songs that I like but I was really surprised that he was playing Franklin Music Hall–such a big venue.  Even if I liked him a little more I wouldn’t want to see him there.

This is Lorelei is Nate Amos who also sings in Water from Your Eyes who I’ve heard of but don’t know.  His records seem like simple bedroom pop, but I gather that when he plays live he has a band with him.

Either way this show was not on my must see list.

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Model/Actriz / AFK (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 17, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in AFK, Johnny Brenda's, Model/Actriz, Philadelphia, PA on May 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 17, 2025] Model/Actriz / AFK

I My son and I saw Model/Actriz open for Dazey and the Scouts bac in 2022.  They were bizarre and intense and put on a wonderful performance.  I would really like to see them again–especially now that it has been a few years.

But I had tickets to see Puscifer, Primus and A Perfect Circle the same night and you can’t be in two places at the same time.

AFK is an Industrial Glitch-hop trio from the Hudson Valley/NYC. Mind-melting beats and razor sharp flows. Hip hop from the future.

I like glitch hop in small doses. I didn’t love what I heard on their bandcamp, but I imagine it presents well live.

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Japanese Breakfast / Ginger Root (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, May 16, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ginger Root, Japanese Breakfast, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia on May 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 16, 2025] Japanese Breakfast / Ginger Root

When this show was announced, it sold out pretty quickly.  We were bummed because we saw Japanese Breakfast on Halloween a couple of years ago when she said she’d be going to Korea for a year or so.

But soon after, they announced another show on the night before (I always think it’s funny to have the second show come before the first show, but realistically I suppose it doesn’t matter to the band unless they were planning on going all out for that final show.

So when they announced night 2 I grabbed tickets right away and we enjoyed yesterday’s show from the pit.  The shows were almost the same although I’m a little bummed that they did a final encore of Everybody Wants to Love You which they didn’t do for us.  But I’ve seen the song a few times so it’s no big deal.

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