Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Cities’ Category

Dan Deacon (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 6, 2026)

Posted in Dan Deacon, Moon Bounce, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts on February 7, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 6, 2026] Dan Deacon 

I saw Dan Deacon three years ago and it was one of the most fun and uplifting shows I’d ever been to.  I knew I’d see him again and I planned to drag my wife along with me.  I knew that she wouldn’t really like the music, but I thought she’d really enjoy the experience.

After the last show I wrote

I would absolutely see him again, even if I need to wait another six years.

So it was almost 4 but it did take a while.

On the way to the show I told her that all of the things that I usually get mad at during a show don’t apply here.  People can talk, they can push, then can block my view.  It really doesn’t matter.  And, wherever we start it won’t be the same place when we’re done.

She seemed thankful for this primer and knew that this was going to be a very different show.

I had genuinely hoped that Dan would come out right after Moon Bounce was done (who starts a show at 9PM these days?).  Especially since Moon Bounce’s set was 30 minutes.  But he waited until 10.  Unlike last time, he had a live drummer, which was totally unexpected but a lot of fun.

He also took advantage of the venue’s video screen.  I thought he might project trippy images, but he explained that he had been meaning to make something but he didn’t.  So instead, he played a Phish show from Saratoga Springs.  It was so funny to see the guys from Phis playing behind him.  But he was thankful to them for putting out entire shows (2 hours) for free on line with no ads.

And then he started his music.  And it was loud.  I had intended to bring earplugs like always, but with the parking problem (and trying to find a reasonable spot) I forgot.  Dan’s music is repetitive and dancey.  He also sings and usually modulates his voice so that it’s insanely high pitched.  Which is bizarre but somehow even more fun. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Moon Bounce (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 6, 2026) [DAN DEACON]

Posted in Dan Deacon, Moon Bounce, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts on February 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 6, 2026] Moon Bounce

Moon Bounce is an electronic musician.  He said he was originally from Philly then he moved to L.A. (don’t ever do it)and now he’s back in Philly.  He said he got his start because Dan Deacon turned him on to electronic music.

His set was thirty minutes and I enjoyed watching him.

He had all of his music on his laptop and he used various gear to pitch shift and modify the songs.  It was fun watching someone manipulate sounds in real time.  It was also fun seeing how well he knew his music (which duh, I know, but he would wave his hands in the air to the beats that were coming or angle his face when things slowed down).

His songs were catchy and he did sing (which I wasn’t expecting after the first few minutes of instrumentals).

It’s hard to really describe electronic music if you don’t know it that well.  There were beats and sounds.  He chose some cool sounds to go with the beats. At one point he looped an a capella sample from a rap album (which I can’t remember the name of).  The loop was one word repeated pretty quickly.  Then he slowed it down to match the beat of the next song.  “This is called a transition, it’s got to match 89 BPM, ok here we go.” (more…)

Read Full Post »

Mdou Moctar (solo) / Koof Ibi (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, February 4, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Koof Ibi, Mdou Moctar, Philadelphia, PA on February 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 4, 2026] Mdou Moctar / Koof Ibi

I have seen Mdou Moctar twice, both in 2024.

His shows (first electric, second acoustic) were really enjoyable.  He’s an amazing player and really charming.  I’ve not seen him solo and I’m not sure if it was electric or acoustic.  But I didn’t feel like going out to this show.  I’m sure I’ll see him again in thefuture though.

Kooh Ibi is a trumpet player born in New Jersey who is now in Philly.  He loops and samples music to create his trumpet pieces.  I listened to a few minutes of one and it was remarkably subdued–but really interesting.

This was probably a cool chill evening of jazzy music.

 

I really like The Messthetics (including the name).  The band has at its core drummer Brendan Canty and bassist Joe Lally who were both in Fugazi.  Along with guitarist Anthony Pirog, they make cool and interesting instrumental rock.  They have been pretty high on my list of bands to see. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Umphrey’s McGee (Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown, NJ, February 4, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown, NJ, Umphrey's McGee on February 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 4, 2026] Umphrey’s McGee

I saw Umphrey’s McGee ten years ago.  I didn’t really know that much about them but I had heard that they were a lot of fun live.  This was at the Fillmore and for the first half of the night I was upstairs, far from the action and I was kind of bored.  But for the second half I got down pretty close (people went for drinks during the intermission) and I enjoyed myself a lot more.

I’ve considered seeing them again and seeing as how this show was at a relatively close place, I thought I might go.  But Mayo Pac is all seats and that didn’t sound like a lot of fun.  And since I haven’t listened to them at all in ten years it was just easier to stay home.

There’s a guy I follow on Instagram who has been to over 200 Umphrey’s McGee shows.  Incredible.

Read Full Post »

Rhys Nicholson (Helium Comedy Club, Philadelphia, PA, February 2, 2026)

Posted in Hannah Trav, Helium Comedy Club, Jim Gillespie, Philadelphia, PA, Rhys Nicholson, Taskmaster, Taskmaster Australia on February 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 2, 2026] Rhys Nicholson

I have made a list of all of comedians from Taskmaster who I would like to see live.  It’s not everyone of course (some of them don’t do stand up and some I don’t think I would enjoy).  And then we started watching Taskmaster Australia and Taskmaster New Zealand, and I’ve added a dozen or so more to that list.

Rhys Nicholson was one of the funnier people on Taskmaster Australia and I was really excited when I saw that they were playing in Philly (apparently not their first time playing here).

Rhys set the tone well asking who had heard of them (much applause) and who had not (more than usual).  They assumed that the people who hadn’t heard of them were straight boyfriends/husbands.  And sadly there were no jokes for those people–they’ve had enough.

And then, geez, it was like 90 minutes of nonstop hilariousness. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Jim Gillespie / Hannah Trav (Helium Comedy Club, Philadelphia, PA, February 2, 2026) [RHYS NICHOLSON]

Posted in Hannah Trav, Helium Comedy Club, Jim Gillespie, Philadelphia, PA, Rhys Nicholson, Taskmaster, Taskmaster Australia on February 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 2, 2026] Jim Gillespie / Hannah Trav

Despite all of the comedians we have seen, we’ve never been to a comedy club.  Technically when we went to City Winery, we had to buy food, but that’s not a comedy club.  Helium, on the other hand, is.  And it was our first experience with a two-drink minimum.  Helium changes it somewhat and has a two item minimum–so food or drinks (and I guess food is actually more expensive?).  So we did indeed by (watered down) drinks–even my ginger beer was watered down.  And we got some apps.  A surprisingly expensive night out for relatively cheap tickets.

So I assumed we’d see Rhys Nicholson and be home by like ten.  But instead, there was a host and an opener.  And I guess this is standard practice.

The host does a short set, then introduces the warm up and then comes back to introduce the headliner.

Our host was Jim Gillespie who implied that he is fairly new to Philly. He was very funny.  I enjoyed his jokes quite a lot and I was intrigued to see that he looked at his phone a bunch–notes, I assume.  I assume he is somewhat new to stand up because the jokes were great but the transitions weren’t very smooth.  But that’s what fine tuning is all about.  As I said the jokes were great and I laughed a lot.

Jim is a big guy and he made some good and (to me) original jokes about being big.  The first was about going thrifting and why are there no large clothes at thrift stores–he knows that fat old people are dying all the time–where are their clothes?  I also enjoyed the jokes about how he doesn’t want to die and become a fat ghost.  Who only haunts the kitchen. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Dry Cleaning / YHWH Nailgun (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 1, 2026) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Dry Cleaning, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, YHWH Nailgun on February 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: February 1, 2026] Dry Cleaning / YHWH Nailgun [moved to May 6, 2026]

Back in 2022, a family emergency prevented me from going to this show.  I was interested in Dry Cleaning who at the time were a kind of trendy British band.  They are of the spoken deadpan vocal/wild guitar noise variety.   I thought they’d be fun to see live once.

They announced a new tour in February of 2026 and then announced it would be postponed

Dry Cleaning have rescheduled their imminent tour of North America, cutting a handful of dates and postponing the rest until May. The band cited “the increasingly hostile economic forces that govern touring” in a statement that you can read below.

We have had to take the difficult decision to move our Jan/Feb ‘26 US tour to May. This is due to a number of factors, not least of which the increasingly hostile economic forces that govern touring in the present day. Thankfully we have managed to reschedule the majority of the original shows and all tickets will remain valid, if that suits you, and refunds available if it does not. Regrettably, we have been unable to make this work for all dates due to the shortened routing. Refunds will be available from your place of purchase and we will do everything in our power to play for you as soon as we can.

The new date actually works out better for me and I’m looking forward to the show.

YHWH Nailgun (pronounced Yahweh Nailgun) is an American experimental rock band formed in 2020, known for their abrasive sound that blends elements of punk, noise, and electronic music. The quartet consists of vocalist Zack Borzone, drummer Sam Pickard, guitarist Saguiv Rosenstock, and synthesist Jack Tobias.  They are indeed noisy and abrasive.  I’m curious to see them do this live and I hope they are still the opening band in May.

Read Full Post »

Jordan Klepper: Suffering Fools (McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, January 30, 2026)

Posted in Jordan Klepper, Kat Radley, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, The Daily Show on January 31, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 30, 2026] Jordan Klepper

My wife and I used to watch the Daily Show all the time.  Once ***** got elected we stopped because it was just too painful to deal with the reality.  But we do still watch clips online.  My wife really likes Jordan Klepper.  I knew of him, but didn’t really know him that well.

When this show was announced at McCarter, and she expressed interest in going, well, it was already sold out.  So that sucked.  But then they added a second show the same night so I grabbed us tickets.

Obviously, I would prefer to go to the 7PM show and be home by 9, but it was kind of novel to be able to leave the house at 8:30 for a show.  It was also novel, but not in a good way that it was 9 degrees out when we left.  But Jordan was hilarious and it was a solid 85 minutes of humor.

There was a screen behind him projecting a painting of a random spot in California.  It was beautiful but something looked off.  Later on he revealed that the mountains in the background were the Swiss Alps.  But people at the time didn’t know much about the West Coast and the flocked to see the painting.

But so yes, he told us a little about himself–that he has been on The Daily Show for years and as part of his remit, he has been to over 4,000 T**** rallies.  Jesus wept.

And over the years he has gotten to know some of the regulars.  Because of course there are regulars.  He used a very funny metaphor about them as well.  He talked about once on The Daily Show having to interview a famous pug.  He didn’t say how the interview was actually going to … proceed … because it was derailed when the pug got an erection.  And he talked about how it looked like red lipstick.  And the he posted a picture of all of the MAGAs wearing their red hats.

Not subtle, kind of stupid (as he admitted) but very funny.

And then he revealed that yes, this comedy show was “a fucking powerpoint.”

He talked about several men who he has talked with over the years.  There is Brick Suit Guy (he owns 5 bespoke suits that look like a brick wall).  He has been to hundreds of rallies and has been on stage several times.

There was a guy who looked like Santa Claus but with his teeth sharpened into fangs. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Kat Radley (McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, January 30, 2026) [JORDAN KLEPPER]

Posted in Jordan Klepper, Kat Radley, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, The Daily Show on January 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 30, 2026] Kat Radley

My wife and I used to watch the Daily Show all the time.  Once ***** got elected we stopped because it was just too painful to deal with the reality.  But we do still watch clips online.  My wife really likes Jordan Klepper.  I knew of him, but didn’t really know him that well.

When this show was announced at McCarter, and she expressed interest in going, well, it was already sold out.  So that sucked.  But then they added a second show the same night so I grabbed us tickets.

Obviously, I would prefer to go to the 7PM show and be home by 9, but it was kind of novel to be able to leave the house at 8:30 for a show.  It was also novel, but not in a good way that it was 9 degrees out when we left.

I tried to imagine what it was like being a comedian doing the same show twice in one day, but I guess that’s fairly common and if your show is sold and well written, it’s no different than being a teacher or someone else who repeats themselves all day.

Because the first show was at 7, they sent us a reminder not to arrive before 8:30 to avoid cross traffic.  I assumed that meant the show was an hour or so and there would be no opener.

But imagine my surprise when the voice over (Jordan) said no video taping and you can take pictures, but don’t be a dick about it.  Here’s your warm up act, Kat Radley. (more…)

Read Full Post »

THE TRIP: Canaries, The Tubs, Hotline TNT, Wishy, Horse Jumper of Love (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, January 30, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Canaries, Horse Jumper of Love, Hotline TNT, House of Independents, The Tubs, Wishy on January 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 30, 2026] THE TRIP: Canaries, The Tubs, Hotline TNT, Wishy, Horse Jumper of Love

This I was pretty interested in this show because I knew two bands and I really want to see Hotline TNT.  But then this show was the same night as Jordan Klepper, who my wife was dying to see live.  He was great and I didn’t mind missing this long night of music.

I’m not sure what the order of the bands was.

I have never seen Horse Jumper of Love.  When they played previous shows I wrote: They play downbeat, rather depressing mope rock.  With occasional flares of noise attached.  I’d hope they’d be more lively in concert.  But I doubt it somehow.  They keep appearing on my radar though, so maybe I would like them.

I saw Wishy open for Momma.  I really enjoyed their set a lot–the two singers with great harmonies and, as I wrote about Sick Sweet, it’s a shoegazey masterpiece that I feel in love with the first time I heard it.  I would happily have seen them again.

Hotline TNT plays what I can only describe as classic shoegaze, which is definitely having a moment again.  Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, they don’t really mess with the classic shoegaze vibe all that much–not adding elements at all.  Their music warms my heart and I’d love to see them live.  This is the sixth time I’ve missed them since 2022.

Canaries are a noisy shoegazeish band from Richmond Virginia.  They’re not dipping into the heavier side of the genre, instead they are making a lot of crashing noises–a fun rowdy kind of shoegaze that I like.

The Tubs are a Welsh indie rock band from Cardiff, formed in 2018. The band was founded by Owen Williams and original guitarist George Nicholls. Along with Max Warren they were previously members of Joanna Gruesome. The current lineup is completed by Dan Lucas and Taylor Stewart.  I am surprised that one of the bands on this line up is Welsh (and maybe it’s not them), but their jangle pop is not too far off from the rest of the show.

This would have been a fun show to go to and a good chance to check out a bunch of bands.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »