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Archive for October, 2025

Born Ruffians / Queen of Jeans (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, October 4, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Born Ruffians, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Queen of Jeans on October 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 4, 2025] Born Ruffians / Queen of Jeans

I have wanted to see Born Ruffians for a few years.  They are a Canadian band that is hard to pin down exactly, except that they make hyperactive poppy punk that is catchy but not super catchy.  They’re probably not even going to sell a million records, but they should have a pretty devoted fan base.  The band is a trio–singer/guitarist Luke Lalonde, bassist Mitch DeRosier, and drummer Steve Hamelin.  They put out a trio of albums in 2020/2021 all thematically similar.

Back in 2022, I had a ticket to their show but a weirder thing happened this time.  My wife got free tickets to see Neko Case.  So we went to that show instead.  It was okay, but I think Ruffians would have been better.

Queen of Jeans is a Philly band who I’ve seen on a lot of marquees.  I feel like for a while, back before the pandemic, they were opening for a lot of shows that I didn’t go to.   I see now that they haven’t done much since 2019, but they came back with a new album last year.  They are poppy and delightful.  For some reason I thought they were more punky.  I’d be happy to see them live.

I’m definitely bummed I didn’t go to this one.

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An Evening with The Mountain Goats (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, October 3, 2025 & White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, October 4, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Jersey City, NJ, The Mountain Goats, White Eagle Hall on October 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 3 & 4, 2025] An Evening with The Mountain Goats

I have been trying to see The Mountain Goats for years.   Something always comes up–usually other shows.  But I was lucky enough to catch them this summer touring with Guster.  And earlier today I got to see them do a Free at Noon.  These were great and I would have loved to cap it off with a full evening of them, but I had tickets to see Deltron 3030 tonight and Born Ruffians tomorrow.

Maybe one day I’ll get to see them do an evening of their songs.

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Lord Sko (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 3, 2025) [DELTRON 3030]

Posted in Dan the Automator, Del the Funky Homosapien, Deltron 3030, Kid Koala, Lealani, Lord Sko, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 3, 2025] Lord Sko

When this show was announced–Deltron 3030 playing their debut front to back– I grabbed two tickets immediately.  I grabbed one for my son because even though he didn’t know the album, I assumed he’d enjoy the show.

In addition to enjoying his company, I enjoy picking him up on the way to Philly because it usually means we can get there super early.  Which we did–although traffic was a little heavier than I expected.  But we had time to get food at La Chinesca.  And, lo and behold Kid Koala was sitting there two tables away.  I was going to say hi, but with the cane I am not subtle or fast.  So I assumed he would walk past us and I’d say hi then; but he went out a different way.  Waah wahh.

I had looked at the previous show and they were done by around 10:20, which was great because we were going to grab churros (yum!) for the ride home.  However, the previous show did not have the extra opening act, Lord Sko.

I was expecting Kid Koala to come out to his turntables.  But instead, a person came out with a laptop and got us hyped up for Lord Sko.

His logo reminded me of Newport cigarette ads. And moments later he came out.  He had on a big winter hat with ear flaps.  You could barely see his face but you could see his long hair.  And you could hear him quite clearly.  I always think it’s weird when an opening act whom I assume few have heard of, tries to get the crowd hyped up by yelling at us to put our hands up.  I mean, have man, the bar is low, but you have to earn the love.

Anyway, he began rapping and his flow was really good.  Hiphopdx said of him

A true student of the culture, his sound is nostalgic yet fresh, fearless yet effortless. From standout tracks to a fire 2025 project, he’s building momentum fast. Hip Hop heads — don’t sleep on this one

There was some technical difficulties with the laptop, but Sko handled it very well.  He even did a freestyle while the laptop rebooted.

I cam away from his set with respect for the guy (who is like 20) and I’d happily see him again.

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The Mountain Goats: Free at Noon (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, October 3, 2025)

Posted in Free at Noon, Philadelphia, PA, The Mountain Goats, World Cafe Live, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA on October 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 3, 2025] The Mountain Goats

I have wanted to see The Mountain Goats for years–pretty much ever since my friend Andrew introduced me to them (with burnt CD copies of albums).  I finally got to see them this summer while playing with Guster and that was great.  I had no idea that the band had so much fun up there and I really enjoyed their set (as I figured I would).

So when they announced this Free at Noon, I jumped at the ticket.  Sure I had just seen them two months ago, but they were great and I wanted more!

I walked in and the usher suggested I sit in the ADA section.  I didn’t want to, as I like being closer, but the crowd was big and rather tall, so I grabbed a seat and happened to be right next to the very Andrew who introduced me to them.  It makes sense that he would be there (he said the same about me) and it was a fun surprise.

The band came out and started with one of my favorite Mountain Goats songs, The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton.  I cannot believe that the song is 25 years old!

I actually wondered how many different songs I’d hear compared to the summer’s set.  Well, it was mostly the same, but of the nine songs they played, there were three that they didn’t play this summer.

But, it was also really fun to know the other songs.  I had really enjoyed Bones Don’t Rust last time and I really really liked Broken to Begin With–a terrific song from the new album.

I really like seeing John Darnielle pogo during the instrumentals and bounce from one musician to the next smiling at the music they are playing–sometimes seeming maybe surprised by a move or another.

He explained that the new album is about a sinking ship (which he is on). Rocks in My Pockets is about it as is Great Pirates.  (more…)

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Tropical Fuck Storm / Eraser (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 2, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Eraser, Philadelphia, PA, Tropical Fuck Storm, Underground Arts on October 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 2, 2025] Tropical Fuck Storm / Eraser

I love Tropical Fuck Storm and I want to see them every time they come to the area.  I was pretty psyched when they announced this show at Underground Arts.

And then I realized it was the same day as the Stardew Valley concert that I had bought tickets for like 8 months ago.  My wife loves the game and the music and there’s no way I wasn’t going to go to it.  So, I had to blow off TFS.  Which is a bummer.  But Stardew was wonderful, so it’s all good.

Eraser is a noisy Philly band.  I don’t know if you’d call it No Wave or just good old fashioned noise rock, but that’s what it was.  They play simple melodies and then go nuts making wild sounds and playing bizarre chords.  The keyboard is pitched to what was almost a toy keyboard sound–tinny and noisy, playing usually one or two note melodies like early new wave bands.

They make a good opener for TFS, but they’re pretty out there.

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Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons (Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA, October 2, 2025)

Posted in Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Marian Anderson Hall, Philadelphia, PA, Stardew Valley, Verizon Hall on October 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 2, 2025] Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons

My wife is a big fan of Stardew Valley.  Last November, when this show was announced, I grabbed tickets pretty quickly and basically assumed the day would never come.

Back in 2017 my son and I went to this very venue (then called Verizon Hall) to see The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses.  We were really close to the stage which I don’t think was all that exciting for him.  or for me, really. So this time, my wife and I sat in  the balcony–straight back.

It was a great location as they played videos on the screen and we could see both the videos and the orchestra perfectly.  So what was this?

Curated by ConcernedApe, Symphony of Seasons features a 35-piece orchestra performing the most memorable music from the game, and a screen above the stage playing gameplay footage plus original content created exclusively for this tour.

Concert-goers can look forward to hearing the game’s most cherished songs as they watch their farm grow throughout the seasons and explore some of the valley’s most memorable locations, from Pelican Town to the Skull Cavern, Ginger Island to Calico Desert, the Submarine to the Wizard’s Tower and much more.

I have never played the game and have only caught glimpses and audio snippets around the house so while I knew the game I didn’t know any of the music.

The whole show was wonderful.  There was an opening video by ConcernedApe who told us that he made all of the music on his computer and how cool it was that there were actual people playing it now.

The video clips were largely from the game, but there were several videos of beautifully drawn scenes–the likes of which are not on the game.  My wife said it was amazing to see 3-D looking version of the  8 bit game.  It was also funny to hear people gasp when these scenes were projected or to laugh at the funny scenes in the game.  [There were four people behind us who felt compelled to talk and make each other laugh through the show, but whatever].  There was some cosplay and interesting merch. (more…)

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TWRP (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 1, 2025)

Posted in LAPD, Los Angeles Power Disco, Philadelphia, PA, TWRP, Underground Arts on October 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2025] TWRP


My son and I saw TWRP open for Magic Sword back in 2023 and we loved them.  We saw them again when they headlined.  And they’re the reason I went to Ninja Sex Party (they opened the show and were NSP’s backing band).

And here they were playing Underground Arts!  They were originally supposed to play World Cafe Live but because of a shakeup at the venue, TWRP and several other bands abandoned WCL for other venues.  I love Underground Arts but I think WCL would have suited my purposes better (much better sight lines).

I arrived later than I intended and the place was packed.  So instead of being on the barrier, I was back a ways behind a whole bunch of tall people.  After the first two songs I moved back and off to the side.  Not the best view but better than what I had and I could see most of the band just fine.

The previous times that I’ve seen them, they were on pretty big stages, so it was interesting to see them crammed into the small UA stage.  But they did fine with it and I was pleased that Phobos the guitarist was always near the front of the stage so he wasn’t hidden by the big pole.

All of the fun aspects of TWRP were in place.  Dr Sung on his hoverboard, Dr Sung bragging about his awesomeness and the rest of the band keeping him in check.

This tour’s theme was a weekend camping trip.  There were leaves and things around the stage and the whole conceit that they were camping was on full display.

They opened with a new song (and a new chant: party party party party).  I haven’t listened to much of the new album.  They played 4 songs from it but they did not get rid of crowd faves like Bright Blue Sky (so much fun to sing along to) and of course Atomic Karate (even in this small area he was able to do his high kicks (baby) and use the nunchaku.

The segues into each song are always fun, like when he talks about all of the potential in the room as a warm up to Human Potential. (more…)

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Chance the Rapper / Adamn Killa / DJ Oreo (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, October 1, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Adamn Killa, Chance the Rapper, DJ Oreo, Philadelphia, PA, The Fillmore Philadelphia on October 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 1, 2025] Chance the Rapper / Adamn Killa / DJ Oreo

I don’t like a lot of young rappers, but I do like Chance the Rapper.  He’s more musical than a lot of rappers who tend to do mumble rap.  I didn’t really plan to go to this concert, but it’s nice to know he’s back, doing his thing.

I hadn’t heard of either opening act.

A review from Shifter Magazine says this about them

Chance’s best friend and DJ, DJ Oreo who performed an energetic opening set to get the crowd ready for the show, however, what really got the crowd turnt up was surprise guest and viral Tik Tok sensation Adamn Killa and his crew of miscreants. Another Chicago native who has found massive online fame for his crazy antics, viral dances, and pitchy rap songs that really know how to get people going. The crowd erupted as he took over the venue and made it his own personal playground.

 

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LAPD [Los Angeles Power Disco] (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 1, 2025) [TWRP]

Posted in LAPD, Los Angeles Power Disco, Philadelphia, PA, TWRP, Underground Arts on October 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2025] LAPD 

I was super excited for this show.  I wanted to get there early and get right up front for TWRP.  But I guess everyone else did too.  So I didn’t get a close spot at all.  I was annoyed by the people in front of me since they cut in at the least second and blocked about six shorter people.

The only consolation is that they were playing Weird Al as house music–which is a little weird since TWRP are funny, but aren’t comedy music.  But whatever, we all enjoyed it.

I’d never heard of Los Angeles Power Disco before this show.  The name was pretty funny (especially abbreviated LAPD).

The band came out on the tint stage and the trio crowded right up front.  There was a guitarist and a keyboard/bass/guitar player, and there was singer/guitarist Sarah Rayne.

Rayne had been in the band Cobra Man which played what they called Los Angeles Power Disco.  Then Cobra Man broke up very acrimoniously and Sarah took the name LAPD.

There was no drummer and honestly I don’t even know if the two guys on stage are part of LAPD or are touring musicians (LAPD has five songs out on Bandcamp, all released in 2025).

Sarah was dressed in a sequined unitard and was super interactive with the crowd.  I didn’t love the spot where I was (or the three tall people who jumped in front of us at the last second), so I couldn’t fully see what she was doing, but I know at one point she climbed on the barrier (holding hands with someone up front) and proceeded to high five and have people sing along to “Your. Time. To. Burn.” (more…)

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