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Archive for the ‘Philadelphia, PA’ Category

Arlo Parks / Baird (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, August 31, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Arlo Parks, Baird, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on August 31, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 31, 2026] Arlo Parks / Baird

Back in 2024, I blew off seeing Arlo Parks because I wasn’t feeling that well. I noted that I had failed to see her several times now and that maybe I should just give up.  But every time that Arlo releases a new song, I just love it.  So this time, I promised myself that I would go to see her.

And then we had to bring my daughter to college and there was literally no way to make it back in time.  Obviously the trip to college was so much more important and quite a lot of fun), but sometimes timing sucks.

I was able t sell my ticket, so that’s cool.  Maybe, indeed, I won’t be able to see her live after all

I think this means I’m not going to be seeing Arlo live.

I hadn’t heard of Baird but he evidently her producer and co-creator.  He has assisted with much of her music.  His own music is kind of lo-fi dancey.  I was unimpressed by the opening of Dogpile, but I like the way it built into something else while retaining the same elements throughout.

Last time, I chose not to go because Arlo played for only an hour.  This time it was 90 minutes.  I did get to see her (sort of) at all things go.  But maybe in a couple years I’ll finally geta proper show.  We’ll see.

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Citizen / Hotline TNT / Anxious / Rocket (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, August 29, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Anxious, Citizen, Hotline TNT, Philadelphia, PA, Rocket, Union Transfer on August 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 29, 2026] Citizen / Hotline TNT / Anxious / Rocket

What’s a person to do when there’s a four-band bill and you like 2 of the bands but neither is headlining?

I’m always intrigued when I’ve never heard of a band who is headlining a tour.  Particularly if there are other bands on the bill that I know and like.  So how have I never heard of Citizen?  They’ve been around since 2009 and have come through Philly several times. Their 2023 album Calling the Dogs is considered essential listening.  Their bio says

With the ability to excel in both quiet ballads and distorted rock anthems, Citizen (which recently expanded to a full quintet with the addition of former touring members drummer Ben Russin and guitarist Mason Mercer) has an incredible knack for channeling raw emotion and energy into singalong songs.

A brief listen confirms the singalong part for sure.  I like them, they’re quite fun, although they’re not especially memorable. This probably would have been a worthwhile night to check out, although we were leaving for Minnesota the following day so that was unlikely.

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 seventh time I’ve missed them since 2022.

Anxious are an emo band from Connecticut,  They play some lighter stuff, but seem to have a heavier punk edge as well.  They have old school punk singing from time to time–sometimes in background behind some much gentler singing.  But it’s mostly poppy punk stuff.   Pretty fun/

I Saw Rocket open for Ride and then saw them ona headline tour at Warehouse on Watts.  They are great.  I’m surprised they were so low on this bill.  This Rocket (there are several bands named Rocket) is from LA and holy cow, they scratched just about every musical itch I had.  Soft female vocals, shoegaze to heavy crunchy guitars.  It was all there.  I loved every second of their set.

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Swervedriver (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, August 27, 2026)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Slow Fiction, Swervedriver, Underground Arts on August 28, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: August 27, 2026] Swervedriver

I saw Swervedriver back in 2019 and I was really excited to finally see them.  I was especially excited that they played the one song I wanted to hear (the rest was great, too).

So here it was seven years later (insane) and they were playing their debut in full.  This album was in such heavy rotation when it came out.  I loved their propulsive shoegaze as well as Adam Franklin’s voice.

Swervedriver has had a lot of members over the years, but the two guitarists (Franklin and rhythm guitarist Jimmy Hartridge) have been there the whole time.  Last time I recognized the bassist (their third) and it was still him–Mick Quinn from Supergrass! (he’s been with them since 2016).  Like last time, the drummer (their fourth) was Mikey Jones–he’s been with them since 2011 and man was he good–pounding the hell out of the kit–I never realized how many fills Swervedriver songs have.

The theme from Twin Peaks began and by the time it wrapped up, the guys came out on stage.  I haven’t listened to Raise in a while, but as soon as the opening notes of Sci-Flyer came out, the whole record came flooding back.  And it sounded great.  I loved watching Franklin easily play the recognizable riffs.  Obviously they played the album in order, so Pile Up was next and it was cool watching them generate the album sounds live–the way the guitars almost seem to fade away during the verses.

Son of Mustang Ford is the song I really wanted to hear last time and they played it next.  I was super psyched to hear it again.  Frankly, they could have played it for five more minutes and I would have been happy.

Things slowed down for Deep Seat, and I appreciated the quiet guitar and prominent bass–I should have watched Quinn more but I was so focused on the guitars. (more…)

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Slow Fiction (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, August 27, 2026) [SWERVEDRIVER]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Slow Fiction, Swervedriver, Underground Arts on August 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: August 27, 2026] Slow Fiction

Slow Fiction opened for Vundabar a few months ago but I missed the show.  When I read about them, I was really excited that they were opening for Swervedriver (especially since they mentioned that Swervedriver was an influence).

When I arrived there was a lot of room near the stage but people were standing in that spread out way that prevents one from getting next to the stage.  Which is fine, unless the people you choose to stand behind are very mobile and phone abusers.  I thouht I had a really good spot, but once the band came out, I realized that I couldn’t see as well as I wanted (which is crazy when you are second from the stage).  But whatever.

The band came out and I was in front of Ryan Duffin on bass and one of the guitar players (Joseph Skimmons or Paul Knepple).  The other guitarist was on the far side of the stage.  Singer Julia Vassallo was up front and Akiva Henig was in drums in the back.

I love Underground Arts, but sometimes when a band is mixed a certain way, it’s really easy to miss something.  So for this show I was right in front of one of the guitars which was really loud (it did get turned down later) so I hardly ever heard the other guitar.  And the vocals were kind of muted for the first half.  It was fine when the guitars were quieter, but that didn’t happen all that often.

They opened with Dollhouse–a bouncy bassline, great washes of guitars and Vassallo’s delicate (too delicate in the early mix vocals).  It was like being in the 90s!  When it was over, someone shouted “shoegaze is back, baby!”

It was much easier to hear Vassallo when the guitars were playing a quieter section, but I never really got a good vibe on the lyrics.

I loved the drums (a simple snare pattern that reminded me of old school alt rock) on What the Night Told Me.

By the end of the set, the balances were better and I could hear everything pretty equally (except for that far guitar).  Interestingly, when they played the penultimate song, Heavy Metal, a much quieter song of picked guitar notes, the far guitarist sat down.  I’m not sure what he was doing, he seemed to have muted his guitar strings and may have been playing something.   Or he was just sitting there, chilling out.

I really enjoyed their set a lot and would definitely like to see them again, with headlining, or opening (again) at Union Transfer.

 

  1. Dollhouse ∏
  2. Junior Year ∏
  3. Satellite ∏
  4. What the Night Told Me ∏
  5. bottle episode ∏
  6. ninetynine ∏
  7. Suitcase Ψ
  8. Brother §
  9. Heavy Metal ∏
  10. Turning Down Flowers ∏

Ψ new (2026)
∏ Dollhouse (2026)
§ single (2024)

 

 

 

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Pinkshift / Kulfi Girls / Hit Like a Girl (Ukie Club, Philadelphia, PA, August 27, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Hit Like a Girl, KulfiGirls, Philadelphia, PA, Pinkshift, The Ukie Club on August 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 27, 2026] Pinkshift / Kulfi Girls / Hit Like a Girl

I’m pretty sure I didn’t hear about this show until it was too late to go.  Because this is a killer lineup.  I’m a little off Pinkshift because I’ve seen them a bunch (the last show wasn’t quite as fun as the earlier ones for whatever reason).

If I had known it was a 5 year tour for their Saccharine EP, I definitely would have tried to go.  But I had had tickets for Swervedriver that night and I was really excited to see them since it was the 30th anniversary of the Rise album.  You can’t go to every show.

The real reason I wanted to go to this show is to see Kulfi Girls.  I recently ried to see them and wound up leaving before they went on because I felt crappy.  This is the fourth time I haven’t been able to see them for one reason or another.  I know that they;r e ayoung enough band that I’ll get to see them again, but come on!

Hit Like a Girl is from Philly. They are a project created by Nicolle Maroulis and meshing sonic influence like midwest emo, hardcore, synth pop, and alternative.  Their new album’s first song sounds like country and the second song is screamed synth punk.  Crazy.  I’ll bet they were fun.

 

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Faetooth / Latter / Bosses (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, August 23, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bosses, Faetooth, Latter, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts on August 23, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 23, 2026] Faetooth / Latter / Bosses

I didn’t know Faetooth at all, but I saw that they were opening for Die Spitz in October and headlining this show in August.  I didn’t really think about going to this because I figured I’d see them with Die Spitz.  Then my friend Max said that a bunch of them were going to see the show, so I investigated more.  I couldn’t go, but it got me more excited to check out Faetooth, whom they said were really good.  The band describes themselves as a fairy-dOoM trio from los angeles.  The group is composed of Ari May as guitarist and vocalist, Jenna Garcia as bassist and vocalist, and Rah Kanan on drums and have been around since 2019.

Latter was the middle band and Max said they enjoyed them even more than Faetooth.  I’m listening to their (shirt) album now and it’s really cool.  Slow but intense.  Heavy and intense.  LATTER is a Chicago-based experimental noise rock project formed by Jon Alvarado and Meredith Haines, known for dynamic live performances.  Haine’s vocals are screamed in a way that I really like–clear but raw.

Bosses are also from Chicago.  Originally conceived as a solo project by singer and guitarist Harlee Young, Bosses is now a five-piece featuring erstwhile members of Old Coke and Dead Sun.  Their bio says the group takes influence from grunge, shoegaze and early 2000s alt rock. Layering melodic, ambient leads over distorted rhythms, bosses creates a sound that is heavy, atmospheric, and highly emotional.

Sounds like a great night.

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Rhys Darby (Helium Comedy Club, Philadelphia, PA, August 22, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Helium Comedy Club, Philadelphia, PA, Rhys Darby on August 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 22, 2026] Rhys Darby

I love Rhys Darby in every role he has been in.  Although I had no ide he actually did stand up.

When I saw that he was doing two shows at Helium (an early and a late), I grabbed us tickets for the early show, thinking it would be fun to see a show and maybe grab a Philly bite afterwards.  We told my daughter that we were going out and she made plans with her friends. And then, day of, the whole day got away from us.  It’s one thing to plan to go out to a show around dinnertime, but it’s another thing to do it midday.  And we were involved in doing stuff and we both decided that it was too much work to go out.  Particularly to Helium (if it had been the Met or something we probably would have gone).  So we stayed home.

And, while I’m still al little bummed we didn’t see Rhys in person, I’d say we made the right decision.

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Rush (Xfinity Mobile Arena, NY, August 21 & 23, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Rush, XFinity Mobile Arena on August 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 21 & 23, 2026] Rush

Rush concerts part 2.  It’s crazy that I could have seen them six times.

So, having missed the MSG shows, and really knowing I wasn’t going to go to any of them, I kept my eyes on the Philly shows.  Those did not sell out entirely and I did keep watching those special seats to see of the prices ever went down.  And they just never did.

By this time we were back from vacation and were not quite on crunch time for bringing our daughter to school.  But initially I had a ticket to a show the night before this (and didn’t go because of the weather) and we had a ticket to a comedian the following night (but didn’t go because we’re lame).  Nut in all honesty, a Friday night going to Xfnity Mobile Arena sounds like a nightmare.  You’d have to leave at like 4.  Insanity.

So really that only left the 23rd.   But by the time that show came around I had accepted that I wasn’t going to go so I didn’t even look.

And despite the massive accolades from strangers and relatives (Montreal), I’m really not that bummed I missed out.  It sounds like it would have been fun, but I really don’t feel like I missed out.

And good for me.  Plus, there’s always that DVD.

~~~~~~

In high school and some of college, Rush was my favorite band.  No questions asked. My best college friend and I bonded over the band.  I didn’t go to enough shows during college–why didn’t I drive to Binghamton with him?

Since college I have listened to them a lot less, although i did really enjoy all of the albums they put out.  And I was super psyched to see their final tour before Neil died.

Geddy and Alex said they would never be Rush again and it sounded like they were both content to play music with other people and do their hobbies.  And then this was announced.  I wasn’t upset (it’s not like The Who or Slayer who have farewell tours all the time).  And I Was really excited that they had replaced Neil with Anika Nilles–if only because it upset so many people that there was a “girl drummer.”

When the shows were first announced I didn’t intend to go.  I didn’t feel it was necessary even if it had been over a decade since that last show.

And then I saw the prices.  Jaysus.  I have local friends who are much bigger Rush fans than me and they were jumping in paying $500/$600 a ticket, which is crazy–but was nowhere near the high end of prices.  As the dates grew closer and I heard great things about the shows, I kept my eyes on tickets.  Despite the immediate crush of sales, I don’t think all of the nights sold out.  And I’d also heard that dynamic pricing tends to get cheaper the day of the show.  Of course, that would still mean driving all the way into New York for a pain in the ass trip to MSG.

Ultimately, I decided not even investigate tickets.

And let’s see.  The 28th, I had a ticket to see Metric.
The 30th, I could have gone, but we were going on vacation two days later and that felt like a huge time commitment–this was the only day I seriously considered though.
And Aug 1 & 3 were were on vacation.

Back in the day, a Rush show was exactly the same night after night.  Possibly even note for note.  But this tour, they have been mixing up setlists like crazy and, while I’m not mad that I missed all the shows, I would have been really bummed if I went to one of the nights and the setlist was better on a different night.  I mean, let’s be honest, any Rush setlist is a good one, but …  The 30th featured all of 2112, which was pretty cool.

Plus, I’ll BET they release a show or two on DVD.

 

 

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Kiwi Jr. [FREE AT NOON] (World Stage, Philadelphia PA, August 21, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Free at Noon, Kiwi Jr., Philadelphia, PA, World Cafe Live on August 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 21, 2026] Kiwi Jr. [FREE AT NOON]

I was supposed to see Kiwi Jr. open for Nap Eyes back in 2022, but the show was cancelled.  Back then I thought:

Kiwi Jr. is a fun Canadian band, recently described as “clever, easy-going jangle pop” that I’d really like to see live.

For some reason I thought I thought they were a more punk pop, but they’re really not.  And I think when I listened to them this time I was a little disappointed they weren’t more punky.  But really they’re cool–synthy and more than a little fun.

I grabbed a ticket for this Free at Noon because I knew I couldn’t make their show that night at Johnny Brenda’s.  But sometimes just thinking about a Free at Noon is exhausting.  I woke up tired and just didn’t have the wherewithal to go to work and then do the show.  Which is a bummer because the show sounded great (as you can hear below).  (more…)

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Kiwi Jr. / 2nd Grade / Log Flume (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, August 21, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in 2nd Grade, Johnny Brenda's, Kiwi Jr., Log Flume, Philadelphia, PA on August 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 21, 2026] Kiwi Jr. / 2nd Grade / Log Flume

Three years ago I could have seen almost this exact same show at the exact same place.  Kiwi Jr and 2nd Grade both played Johnny Brenda’s.  Kate David opened then and Log Flume opened tonight.  I went to see Sunset Rubtown instead (which I enjoyed).   Kiwi Jr. has been getting more attention this time around and even played a Free at Noon earlier today.  I wish I’d gone, but i didn’t feel up to the midday trek to Philly.

I knew I wouldn’t be going to this show mostly because I was sort of saving the night in case I scored a ticket to see Rush.  Which I didn’t.  And really, I was pretty happy to stay home.  Our daughter was leaving for college soon and I wanted to have a few extra nights with her.

But I do hope this lineup comes back again. Sorry Kiwi Jr.

2nd Grade are an indie band from Philly.  They are a gentle boppy indie pop band.  Super catchy and poppy with delightful harmonies and a childlike quality (as befits their name).  Most of the songs are around two minutes.

This is still true with their newish 2024 album–the longest song is 2:39.  But the songs are not hardcore blasts.  They are actually pretty complicates with multiple parts. They just do what they intend to do and then end. (more…)

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