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Archive for the ‘Cities’ Category

Pom Pom Squad (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, November 19, 2021) [rescheduled, rescheduled again]

Posted in Drinking, Jersey City, NJ, Nada Surf, Pom Pom Squad, White Eagle Hall on November 22, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 21, 2021] Pom Pom Squad S.G. Goodman [rescheduled from May 28, 2020 and April 18, 2021]

Initially the opener for this show was supposed to be S.G. Goodman who had a song with a lot of airplay on the WXPN.  I liked it and then I got sick of it, but was interested in seeing her.

But when she was replaced by Pom Pom Squad I was pretty thrilled.

I had seen a Pom Pom Squad video some time ago and I loved their 90’s grunge sound and attitude.  They seemed like a bit of an odd fit for Nada Surf who is a bit more mellow, but it seemed like they were maybe going set the tone for Nada Surf a bit more.

The band was initially a solo project for Mia Berrin, but have expanded to include an unnamed bassist, Shelby Keller on drums and Alex Mercuri on lead guitar.

I had recently read Rock Stars on the Record and Mia Berrin was interviewed in it and she said her favorite album was Live Through This by Hole.   That totally makes sense given their overall sound.  However, Mia, who is in her early twenties, seems relatively drama free at the moment. (more…)

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Ice Nine Kills / Bad Omens / Currents / Fame on Fire (Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ, November 28, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND; C. did]

Posted in Bad Omens, Currents, Fame on Fire, Ice Nine Kills, Sayreville, NJ, Starland Ballroom on November 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[C. ATTENDED: November 28, 2021] Ice Nine Kills with Bad Omens, Currents, and Fame on Fire

When I saw that this show was announced, I offered to take C. to the show.  But he told me that his friend had already gotten them tickets.  I offered to drive (I really want to see Ice Nine Kills again), but what I didn’t know was that the friend’s mom had gotten them VIP tickets–something I wouldn’t have done, that’s for sure. So that was cool.

They got into the show early and to hang out with the band and got a bunch of swag too.

The problem is that after the VIP session was over, there was a pretty long wait for the first band to go on.

He said Ice Nine Kills was great (they put on an amazing show).  The new album is great and their stage set is spectacular.  And I’m happy to say that he and I are going see them in April–maybe I’ll get us VIP tickets as well. (more…)

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Dinosaur Jr. (Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, November 18, 2021)

Posted in Dinosaur Jr., J. Mascis, Lou Barlow, Philadelphia, PA, Ryley Walker, The Cure, Union Transfer, Vagabon on November 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 18, 2021] Dinosaur Jr.

Back in March when concerts were just starting to happen again, Dinosaur Jr were first out of the gate to announce a fall tour. I grabbed a ticket and it sold out almost instantly (yes, we were desperate for live music!).

I was excited more about the show than the fact that it was Dinosaur Jr.  The last time I saw them ( I can’t believe it was five years ago) the show was so good, I felt like didn’t really need to see them again.

Except for one thing.  The two shows I’d seen with them I was too close to the stage.  The guys’ amps are so loud that you can barely hear the vocals (bassist Lou Barlow even yelled at the people up front who complained–“stand father back, it’s physics!”).  So I wanted to stand further back to get the full Dino experience.

After being right up on the stage for Riley, I walked to the back and took up a spot in the middle of the room (I couldn’t voluntarily go all the way to the back).

And it was a much more enjoyable experience–except for the people around me.  There were a couple of really tall guys who just wouldn’t budge an inch. There were also a lot of loud people, including a guy who kept shouting “Just Like Heaven” (as if Dinosaur Jr is a band who takes requests). (more…)

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Off With Their Heads / Thick (Broken Goblet, Bensalem, PA, November 20, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bensalem, PA, Broken Goblet Brewing, Off With Their Heads, Thick on November 20, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 20, 2021] Off with Their Heads/Thick

I had not heard of Off with Their Heads, a Minneapolis punk band.  I was only interested in this show because of the band Thick, whom I really like and would like to see.

As it turns out I had tickets to see Dan Deacon that night and there was no way I was passing that up for any other show.

I’m happy to hear, though, that there is a small club in Bensalem (which is half way to Philly for me), because it would be great if more smaller bands played there.

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Ryley Walker (Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, November 18, 2021) [DINOSAUR JR.]

Posted in Dinosaur Jr., Philadelphia, PA, Ryley Walker, Union Transfer on November 20, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 26, 2016] Dinosaur Jr.

I’ve seen Ryley Walker twice before this (and one time when he played lead guitar for Nap Eyes).  Every time I’ve seen him, it’s been a totally different experience.

The first time, back in 2018 (when Walker had long hair and a beard), he was on stage with Bill MacKay.  They jammed a bunch of songs and Walker was really funny.

Most of the songs were instrumental, but one, “Telluride Speed” was a fairly conventional song and super catchy.

I saw him again at the end of 2019 as part of a post Phish concert in NYC.   He looked totally different, with short hair, no beard and a winter hat.

He had a four piece, with Ryan Jewell on drums.  It was mostly lengthy guitar solos and lots of improv.  Walker has some wild noisy guitar skills and I was right up there watching him.

For this show, it was again a four piece.  Ryan Jewell was on drums again (he’s the main reason I wanted to go) and Bill McKay was on co-lead guitar.  I’m not sure who was on bass. (more…)

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Starset (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, November 17, 2021)

Posted in All Good Things, Another Day Dawns, Metallica, Philadelphia, PA, Starset, The Word Alive, Theatre of Living Arts on November 19, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 17, 2021] Starset

My son got me into Starset and I enjoy going to see them live with him.  Last time at the TLA we were kind of far back but this time we got pretty close.  I actually wondered if we were too close since it’s fun to take in the whole spectacle of their show.  But it’s hard to pass up the opportunity to get close to the stage.

Starset was formed in 2013 by Dustin Bates, who is also the band’s lead singer and songwriter.  Bates has a Masters’ degree in electrical engineering.  He has done research for the US Air Force and taught at the International Space University (whatever that is).

Using that educational background as a jumping off point, Bates has created this complex backstory.  The story goes that Starset was formed as part of a public outreach initiative by The Starset Society. The Society had obtained a Message from a mysterious signal sent from space and wanted to alert the public to it.

And so every show is a “Demonstration” and there’s all kinds of codes and buzzwords that the band uses, which makes it indeed like a secret society. (more…)

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The Word Alive (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, November 17, 2021) [STARSET]

Posted in All Good Things, Another Day Dawns, Philadelphia, PA, Starset, The Word Alive, Theatre of Living Arts on November 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 17, 2021] The Word Alive

The Word Alive was up next and  I found them to be a puzzling band.

Their name sounds like they’re a Christian band.  But I don’t think they are.

Their sound was ll over the place during this show.  Which is not a bad thing, although it felt more confused than intentional.

Their third song “Misery” (a new song) was a singalong and lead singer Tyler Smith got everyone doing a hand wave back and forth.

But their earlier song “Trapped” which I guess was a bit of a hit single back in the day featured some really dirty screamed vocals from both Smith and one of the guitarists.

And in this song Smith yelled at us for not giving enough back.

It was kind of all over the place.

The band has had many lineup change over the years and apparently half the band left just before this tour.

I won’t say I didn’t like them, because I did, but it didn’t really do a lot for me.

  1. monomania ≠
  2. SEARCHING FOR GLORY ≠
  3. Misery
  4. No Way Out ≠
  5. Red Clouds ⊕
  6. BURNING YOUR WORLD DOWN ≠
  7. Trapped ♦
  8. Wonderland
  9. Why Am I Like This? ⊕

♦ Dark Matter (2016)
≠ monomania (2017)
⊕ Violent Noise (2021)

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Vagabon / Angelica Garcia (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, November 18, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Angelica Garcia, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Vagabon on November 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 18, 2021] Vagabon / Angelica Garcia

I was planning in seeing Vagabon in March 2020, but her show was cancelled of course.

I really enjoyed Vagabon’s debut album.  It had a great indie rock sound, but the fact that Lætitia Tamko is originally from Cameroon gives her music a unique quality that makes it stand out.

There is no way I would have missed this show if I hadn’t already purchased Dinosaur Jr. tickets for this night [Dino Jr. was the first new show announced as lockdown ended and I grabbed tickets immediately].  In fact, if they had been announced at the same time, I would have happily grabbed the Vagabon tickets. (more…)

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All Good Things (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, November 17, 2021) [STARSET]

Posted in All Good Things, Another Day Dawns, Philadelphia, PA, Starset, The Word Alive, Theatre of Living Arts on November 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 17, 2021] All Good Things

This would be my son’s second show in just over a week.  We drove to TLA and had plenty of time to grab cheesesteaks (something I never do when I’m by myself).  Or so I thought.

The info said the show started at 7:30.  We walked in at 7:30 only to be told we missed the first band Another Day Dawns.  Their set must have been really short.

We got into the club and got up nice and close to the stage, just in time for All Good Things to take the stage.

I hadn’t heard of them, but as soon as they took the stage they played the kind of huge metal anthems that are designed for big group sing alongs.

So I looked them up and discovered

All Good Things were happy supplying dramatic soundtracks for video games and TV shows… until a growing army of fans tracked them down.  The band have built something of an online fanbase supplying music to video games and soundtracks, from WWE Smackdown to Prison Break and Bones. Cut to next scene, and two of the band’s songs have each generated more than two million Spotify listens.

So that makes total sense.  Songs filled with big hooks and lots of woah oh ohs.

Dan Murphy (vocals, guitar), Andrew Bojanic (guitar, vocals), Liz Hooper (bass, keyboard, vocals), Miles Franco (guitar, bass, vocals) and Randy Cooke (drums) played a terrific and enjoyable set.

The one big surprise for me was when they busted out a Destiny’s Child cover.  I don’t know Destiny’s Child at all, so I don’t know if this was a popular song. I do enjoy a left field cover and this was way out in left field.  The anthemic quality fit in pretty well with the rest of their songs, which shows just how poppy metal is at its core.

After the show I found that I didn’t really like the music as much–it felt a little too perfect, too anthemic, too made for movies.  But live, it was a cathartic and fun experience to shout along to these rockers.

  1. Kingdom ⊕
  2. Machines ≠
  3. Hold On ⊕
  4. Push Me Down ⊕
  5. The Comeback ⊕
  6. Survivor (Destiny’s Child cover)
  7. For the Glory ≠

≠ Machines (2017)
⊕ A Hope in Hell (2021)

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Tokyo Police Club / Nobro (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, November 17, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Canadian Music, Nobro, Philadelphia, PA, Pkew Pkew Pkew, The Foundry, Tokyo Police Club on November 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 17, 2021] Tokyo Police Club / Nobro

This was the tenth anniversary tour of Tokyo Police Club’s Champ album.  I’ve never seen them live, but I’ve heard their shows were amazing.  Plus, they were playing The Foundry, one of my favorite small clubs.

I was pretty psyched to see them, but it turned out that this show was scheduled for the same night as a Starset show that I would be taking my son to.  Sometimes schedules just don’t align nicely.

One of the openers for this tour was the Toronto punk band with the great name of Pkew Pkew Pkew.  But on our leg was Nobro. (more…)

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