I Just Read About That…

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 24 & 25, 2026] Kurt Vile and the Violators / Twisted Teens / They are Gutting a Body of Water // Pavement / Ratboys

When this show was announced, I really wanted to go. I mean, Ratboys, Kurt Vile and Pavement!  Holy cow.  But I have really bad memories of Dell Music Center (parking is a nightmare) and I just felt like I didn’t really want to BE there.  I thought my wife might like to go because she loves Kurt.  But we had seen him a few months ago at the Stone Pony.  And I have seen Ratboys a few times (and blew them off a few times already in recent weeks.  So, although I would have liked to see Pavement….well.  Alas, it’s not going to happen.

How did Pavement get mixed in with this normally Philly heavy lineup?  See below.  Also, I’ve enjoyed some Pavement over the years, but I find the aggressive love that people have for them a alittle offputtingm so it is comforting to read (from an article quoted below) “I would like to note that they lack the pretentious, cynical, self-seriousness of some of those who followed them in the ensuing decade-plus.”

I have been interested in They are Gutting a Body of Water for a while. Their name sounds like they should be harsher than they are.  But I haven’t ever really gotten a real sense of thei live show, so I wasn’t willing to start at the Dell Center

Of the five bands, Twisted Teens was the only one I’d never heard of.  They’ve from New Orleans and recently signed to SUB POP and here’s a few words of description: “Fans of Raw Power-era Stooges, Eastern mysticism, or the punk-to-country pipeline should tuck in” (Atwood Magazine). “Here to put some steel wool type hair on your chest. Gritty, toothy lofi punk with some stoink on it” (Sims Harden).  I’m gathering it’s a country-punk vibe.

And here’s a few words from MusicJawn about these shows–which make me realize I really should try to see Pavement and should definitely see TAGABOW:

RATBOYS are a phenomenal example of the studio-to-live translation. I’m still amazed at vocalists as talented as Steiner, who are able to retain key, pitch, and cadence across the years and countless performances, and to do it all while shredding with a flying-V guitar.

The between-songs banter from Steiner was earnest and sincere, but the most memorable highlight was ending their set with the promise of a LeBron James appearance before clarifying that he texted her he’d missed his flight. While very clearly tongue-in-cheek, it was doubly hilarious to see the crowd’s immediate, knee-jerk excitement at the mere mention of his name. LeBron would serve to be a crowd theme throughout both nights, [very, very] understandably so.

In short, Ratboys are absolutely it. They have the chops, the talent, the songwriting, and the magnetic energy that make for a great live show. For anyone who’s a fan, I can’t recommend their performance enough. And if you aren’t, what are you waiting for?

SETLIST
Alien with a Sleep Mask On
Victorian Slumhouse
Anywhere
Penny in the Lake
Know You Then
Morning Zoo
I Go Out at Night
Light Night Mountains All That
Black Earth, WI

PAVEMENT: Ok, context: Stephen Malkmus’ daughter, Sunday, was in attendance rocking a kelly green Saquon Barkley jersey. As we learned, courtesy of Connor Barwin’s brief introductory anecdote, she is a soon-to-be Drexel attendee who has gone all-in on her love of Philadelphia (or, at the very least, the Eagles). And it’s because of her love for this city and its football team that we landed Pavement as the night one headliner…

The set was a diverse mix of their five LP discography, leaning heaviest on debut album Slanted & Enchanted, along with some relative obscurities and a Pink Floyd cover thrown in for good measure. The most surprising aspect for me was how “jammy” they can get. They’re able to just riff off of each other and extend tracks or add subtle intricacies not present on the studio recordings in ways that make a band that already kind of always sounds “live” in the studio sound truly “alive” on stage. And I have to add that the absolute madman energy of Nastanovich is amplified tenfold in a live setting. His cries, screams, backing vocal harmonies, and general stage antics were on a whole other level from anyone else all weekend. During “We Dance,” he invited an audience member on stage, where his function was not to play any instruments, but simply to waltz around the stage with his impromptu dance partner. These kinds of quirks are unique to bands like Pavement who toe the line between “we’re at our job” and a wink-and-a-nod surreal fascination that this is their job.

The band delivered on all fronts with a lengthy set, playful banter, and an ability to somehow sound completely unchanged over three decades later. This was a performance that I can genuinely say was a privilege to witness. They’re a legendary act still capable of humbly reminding everyone exactly why they’re legends.

SETLIST
Silence Kid
Grounded
Stereo
Zurich Is Stained
Frontwards
Trigger Cut
Embassy Row
In the Mouth a Desert
Two States
We Dance
Debris Slide
Date w/ IKEA
Perfume-V
Harness Your Hopes
Lucifer Sam (Pink Floyd cover)
Cut Your Hair
Type Slowly (Extended version)
Kennel District
Range Life

Encore:
Spit on a Stranger
The Hexx
Summer Babe
Here

 

TWISTED TEENS.  [I had hoped that this recap would talk about them more but the guy from MusicJawn missed some of their set]

I’ve also heard their praises from trusted sources (thanks, Tim), who liken them to Parquet Courts and offer a genuine seal of approval. So, my apologies to Twisted Teens, but I will catch you all next time.

TAGABOW have an already stellar reputation as local shoegaze-ish heroes within our scene that has now extended well beyond the city limits and into the world of critical acclaim, best-of lists, and artists to pay attention to. Their live sets sometimes offer a unique setup in which they occupy the center of the venue (when feasible) and face one another as opposed to standing on stage and playing at the audience as is typical of 99.9% of performing artists.

KURT VILE What can you really say about Kurt Vile as a Philadelphian that hasn’t been repeated ad-nauseum? He’s arguably the most noteworthy and legendary contemporary Philly-based musician. His reputation over the last two decades has only grown in terms of critical acclaim, popularity, collaborations, performance chops, and, most importantly, his absolute love for the City of Philadelphia as being critical to both his personal and musical identities.

SETLIST
Red Room Dub
Zoom 97
Hey Like a Child
Rock o’ Stone
99 BPM
Blackberry Song
Girl Called Alex
Chance to Bleed
Like Exploding Stones
Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)
Pretty Pimpin
Wakin’ on a Pretty Day

Encore:
Bassackwards
You Don’t Know Cuz It’s My Life
99th song
Every Time I Look at You

I had a really hard time finding comprehensive information about the Make the World Better Benefit shows.  Someone said that this year’s was the 10th, but I think it is the 9th.   Her’s what I have found based on some moderate searching:

2026 9th Twisted Teens / They are Gutting a Body of Water // Kurt Vile and the Violators / Pavement / Ratboys (The Dell Music Center, Philadelphia PA, July 24 & 25, 2026)

2025 8th Lucy Dacus / Julien Baker & Torres / Jay Som / Hop Along // Magdalena Bay / Remi Wolf / Annie Di Russo (FDR Park, July 25 & 27, 2025)

 

 

 

 

 

2024 7th Alex G / Alvvays  (The Dell Music Center, August 26, 2023)

 

 

 

 

 

 

2022 6th Japanese Breakfast / Yo La Tengo / Cate Le Bon (The Dell Music Center, July 23, 2022)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019 5th Future Islands / Hop Along / Strand of Oaks / Karl Blau (Dell Music Center September 5, 2019)

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 4th The War on Drugs / Land of Talk (The Dell Music Center, September 21, 2017)

2016 3rd Hop Along / Waxahatchee / Amos Lee (Union Transfer, June 20, 2016)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2015 2nd Mac DeMarco (solo) / The Suffers / Marian Hill (Union Transfer, June 20, 2015)

 

2014 1st Kurt Vile / The Tontons / The Districts (Union Transfer, June 20, 2014)