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Saxon (Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, March 20, 2018) [JUDAS PRIEST]

Posted in Judas Priest, Motorhead, Newark, NJ, Prudential Center, Saxon, Set in New Jersey!, UFO on March 20, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 20, 2018] Saxon

Back in high school, I loved Saxon.  I may have loved them more for their logo than their music (that battle-axe S is still awesome). But I know I listened to their records enough that their songs were often familiar (and cool).

“Denim and Leather” was my introduction and favorite song, although hearing it now, it’s not as good as many of their other classics.

I bought their first eight albums on vinyl. And then I kind of forgot about them. Or at least assumed they had broken up or something.

But, unlike most bands that started in the 70s, Saxon appears to have never stopped.

Indeed, since that last album I bought in 1988, they have put out fourteen (!) more (not including ten live albums and countless compilations). (more…)

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Black Star Riders (Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, March 20, 2018) [JUDAS PRIEST]

Posted in Black Star Riders, Judas Priest, New Model Army, Newark, NJ, Prudential Center, Saxon, Set in New Jersey!, The Almighty, Thin Lizzy on March 20, 2018| 1 Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 20, 2018] Black Star Riders

I had not heard of Black Star riders before this show.  My friend Nick told me that they were involved with Thin Lizzy in some capacity.  I really like Thin Lizzy, so I was intrigued by that aspect.  Although I didn’t quite understand  the connection, I assumed it was the original members plus a new singer.  I have just looked at the timeline of Thin Lizzy members and trying to figure out what an original member would be is a futile gesture.

Scott Gorham who is in Black Star Riders joined Thin Lizzy in 1974 (after the band had released three albums) and has been with them ever since.  Thin Lizzy broke up in 1983 (Phil Lynott, singer, bass player and primary songwriter died in 1986–I always assumed they broke up because he died).  (more…)

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Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, March 14, 2018)

Posted in Godspeed You Black Emperor, Liberty, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on March 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 14, 2018] Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Back in 2000, I saw Godspeed You Black Emperor at Maxwell’s in Hoboken.  My friend Lar was in from Ireland and he went to the show with me, which was pretty awesome.

It is one of the most memorable shows of my early concert-going experience.  Which is possibly why I waited 18 years to see them again.

Even though my friends Liz and Eleanor (who have seen them many times) told me to join them in the balcony, to close my eyes and drift to the music, I’m a close-up guy and I wanted to be a part of the show.

The band had a semicircle of chairs on stage.  I should have realized from the get-go that as soon as someone sat in one of them he would basically be blocking everything for me, but I didn’t think it through.

So the show began with “Hope Drone,” which is, as suggested, a drone.  (more…)

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Liberty / Tashi Dorji Duo (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, March 14, 2018) [GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR]

Posted in Godspeed You Black Emperor, John Zorn, Liberty, Philadelphia, PA, Tashi Dorji, Twain, Union Transfer on March 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 14, 2018] Liberty / Tashi Dorji Duo

I had never heard of Liberty / Tashi Dorji Duo when I saw they were opening for Godspeed You Black Emperor.   I also didn’t know if Liberty was a part of the duo or even if Liberty was a second opening act.

Well, it turns out that Tashi Dorji is a guitarist who often plays by himself.  But for this show he was with “the elusive Danish saxophonist LIBERTY (Mette Rasmussen).”

So what did this mean for the show?  Well, a brief search on Dorji revealed:

Tashi Dorji was born and raised in Bhutan, on the eastern side of the Himalayas. Residing in Asheville since 2000 and soaking up a vast array of music. Along the way, Dorji developed a playing style unbound by tradition, yet with a direct line to intuitive artistry. All references break loose during his playing, as Dorji keys into his own inner world.

and that

Liberty is a saxophone player whose music is defining a unique balance of uproar and beauty. Her ability to move between the often strict confines of genres and explore the elements makes her presence highly powerful. She has encapsulated her own personal vision of acoustic music, by amplification expanding her range in dynamics and rocketing a more prosaic stem.

So. (more…)

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We Were Promised Jetpacks (Boot and Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, March 12, 2018)

Posted in Boot & Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, We Were Promised Jetpacks on March 12, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 12, 2018] We Were Promised Jetpacks

I didn’t really know all that much about We Were Promised Jetpacks’ music, but I knew I wanted to see them live.  I had enjoyed what I’d heard but I knew there were diehard fans in the audience.

But WWPJ were also working on a new album–finishing it up by the end of the month, they said.  So there would be new songs which meant most people wouldn’t know all the songs.   This was their second night at Boot & Saddle and the final night of their tour.

WWPJ are from Glasgow.  And of course, I enjoyed hearing Adam Thompson’s accent when he spoke.  They played with one of the darkest stage lighting I think I’ve ever seen.  And since they were all wearing black, it was like a black hole up there.  Which worked well with their moody, often loud sound.

I was in a slightly bad location (up front) for them because it seemed like I couldn’t hear the vocals very clearly and that Michael Palmer on guitar was a little too quiet.

Sean Smith’s bass was a wee too loud in the beginning but that got EQ’d properly.  Darren Lackie’s drums were just perfect all night.  He used those drums like a lead instrument much of the time and that was awesome. (more…)

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Active Bird Community (Boot and Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, March 12, 2018) [WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS]

Posted in Active Bird Community, Boot & Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, We Were Promised Jetpacks on March 12, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 12, 2018] Active Bird Community

I have always loved the name of the headlining band–We Were Promised Jetpacks.  I didn’t know too much about their music but what I’d heard I’d enjoyed.

I thought it might be fun to see them in a small setting, so I grabbed a ticket (before they sold out).

The opening band was Active Bird Community who I’d not heard of.  Imagine my surprise to see they formed in 2005 (!–apparently when they were ten years old or something) and put their first record out in 2012.

The band had great stage presence (touring for years, obviously).  And they wrote incredibly catchy rocking songs.  They seemed to be having a lot of fun and I enjoyed their set a lot.  I was in front of lead guitarist Andrew Wolfson who was really fun to watch, playing with his gear and making really interesting sounds. (more…)

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The Flaming Lips (Xcite Center, Bensalem, PA, March 11, 2018)

Posted in Bensalem, PA, David Bowie, Parx Casino, Rainbows, The Flaming Lips, Unicorns, Xcite Center on March 11, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 11, 2018] The Flaming Lips

After Sarah and I saw The Flaming Lips in Philly, I really didn’t think I ‘d see them again.  I never said never, but I said, unlikely.  Then they announced a short tour which included a spot at the newly opened Xcite Center at the Parx Casino.  This was a close show in a small, seated venue.  And when I heard that they had added a few new surprises, I decided it was worth going once more.

There was some confusion in the listing.  Originally, Chappo was supposed to open for them.  They had opened for them in Bethlehem and I really enjoyed their set.  I would have been happy to see them again. Then Chappo said they were not opening (they opened on the three earlier shows).  But there was no word on who would be opening.  To make things weirder, the Parx site said the show was at 7 and the Lips said the show was at 8.

Well, I arrived at like 5 to 7, fought my way through the smokers at the casino (really??) and made it to the Xcite Center at one minute to 7.  The lady at Will Call said they’d be going on in 15 minutes and there was no opener.

Holy cow. (more…)

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The Comedy of Errors (FM Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, Madison, NJ March 10, 2018)

Posted in FM Kirby Center, Funny (ha ha), Madison, NJ, Play (Drama), The Comedy of Errors, William Shakespeare on March 10, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 10, 2018] The Comedy of Errors

Our friends Jonathan and Carrie take their kids to the Shakespeare Theatre regularly and they invited us along for The Comedy of Errors.

I’m not the only one who enjoys performed Shakespeare about 100 times more than reading Shakespeare, and I felt like this show really brought the play (which I didn’t know) to life.  It also made me laugh at how this play is basically the foundation of every mistaken identity slapstick story every written.

The play ran for a little over an hour–perfect for kids (it was listed as appropriate for grades 3 and up).  It’s usually around 90 minutes, so they cut out some stuff, I guess, which was fine.

The story itself is very funny with “two sets of identical twins, mistaken identities, colorful characters and a madcap chase sequence.”

What really impressed me about the production was that rather than having two people in the twins’ roles, they had the same actor (and actress, in this case) play both roles.  Antipholus the main character was very funny.  But Dromio, the servant, was an awesome comic character who stole the show.  I’m sorry I can’t find the woman who played him.  When it came time to have them both on stage, there was lots of very clever misdirection to allow the “double’s” face never to be seen. (more…)

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An Evening with Nada Surf (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, March 9, 2018)

Posted in Guided By Voices, Joy Division, Nada Surf, Philadelphia, PA, World Cafe Live on March 9, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 9, 2018] Nada Surf

Nada Surf has been on my bands-to-see-live list for some time.   Matthew Caws the lead singer and primary songwriter had played a solo gig nearby recently, but I wanted to see the whole band.  So I was really excited to see that they were going to play An Evening, which always means “no opener.”  I love a good opening band, but if I can see twice as much of a headliner, well, that’s even better!

And this was going to be a celebration of their album Let Go.  This was the fifteenth anniversary of this, their third album, and it was going to be played in its entirety.  Which is  great since pretty much the whole album is terrific.

Nada Surf has a fascinating history.  They were huge with their sorta-novelty hit “Popular.”  When they put out their second album, The Proximity Effect, the label thought there were no hits, so the band was dropped.  The guys went to France (Matthew Caws and bassist Daniel Lorca initially met at The Lycée Français de New York (The French High School of New York) a private, independent bilingual French school and also spent time in Belgium and France as kids).  The album was released and well received.  They eventually self-released it back home.

Then they released Let Go in Europe and the U.S. (with different track listings).  Caws thanked Barsuk for releasing the album basically sight-unseen back in 2002.

And the entire first set was the album front to back. (more…)

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Jessica Lea Mayfield (Boot and Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, March 8, 2018)

Posted in Boot & Saddle, Daddy Issues, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Mal Blum, Mal Blum and the Blums, Philadelphia, PA, Transgender on March 8, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 8, 2018] Jessica Lea Mayfield

I first saw Jessica Lea Mayfield (who I’d assumed was a country singer) on a Tiny Desk Concert back in 2016 (it aired in 2014 when she had just released Make My Head Sing…).  She had pink hair, electric guitars and a lot of glitter.  And her sound was decidedly grungy.  At the time I remember thinking that the contrasts she brought–her delicate voice, her simple but poignant songs, her look, and her promise that her shows get really loud–were really compelling.  So when last November she scheduled a date at Boot & Saddle, I was bummed that I couldn’t go.  But then she cancelled the date and it was rescheduled to March.  And so she became my second show in a pretty long string of shows this month.

I really like her latest album Sorry Is Gone.  And once again her look is very different–she quite glammed up on the album cover.  So I didn’t know what to expect when she came out.  And that was all the more thrilling.  When she finally did come out, green hair, blue nail polish, yellow heels and a flower dress, it was just a perfect microcosm of everything I think about Jessica Lea Mayfield.

The surprise came when Audrey from Mal Blum and the Blums came back onstage.  This time she was playing bass for JLM.  If you’re doing double duty on a night, it’s probably fun to switch instruments.  On drums was Emily Maxwell who plays with Daddy Issues.

When Jessica came up on stage, she was unabashedly polite and rather sweet.  She has a quiet voice (in song and speaking) and thanked us all for coming. (more…)

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