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Archive for the ‘Princeton, NJ’ Category

Atsuko Okatsuka (McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, April 9, 2026)

Posted in Atsuko Okatsuka, Maddy Kelly, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ on April 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 9, 2026] Atsuko Okatsuka

I had not heard of Atsuko Okatsuka when this show was announced (with the striking image to the right).

I have been going to a lot of comedians this year and reading the blurb and the fact that it was so close I thought it might be worth checking her out.  After buying the tickets, I watched some of her special on TV and wasn’t that excited by the opening moments.  But since I didn’t know if this was the routine she was going to do, I didn’t watch anymore.

So I wasn’t that excited going in.  And it turned out that my wife had a commitment that she couldn’t get out of.  So I almost stayed home.  But again, it was close, so I went.

And I’m so glad I did, because she was hilarious.

She started with a routine about her playing a video game in which you own restaurants.  I didn’t think this could be an extended riff, but it was and each level of the joke made it funnier.  From the fact that she is very very busy (she has so many restaurants) to the part where she is making so much money (in the game) but losing so much money (in real life) as she upgrades.  To how her husband found out about her spending on the games (snitch accountant) to a hilarious joke about her caveman cafe and the dinosaur that runs it with her.   Any paleontologists in the audience?

She spun this off into a series of jokes about how having a phone and doomscrolling is very healthy because otherwise you are left alone with your own thoughts!

I really enjoyed her take on depression commercials–do you really want to be like the people in the “after” scenes?  I really enjoyed the sequence (and the big payoff at the end) about the white man who is excellent at kendo.  She explained that this man has trained for years and is really impressive.  At first she thought it was racist, but realized that he is so sincere and devoted that it is honoring rather than appropriating.  Although she acknowledged that if he hurt himself and someone asked her to finish the routine, THAT would be racist.

The only person who is more Japanese than this man is her father, who is the quintessential Japanese man.  She went to visit him and that’s when she learned she had a brother (from her father’s first marriage).  She was unsure if she wanted to meet him, but when she did and he said, do you want to pretend po be cats while waiting online, that she knew she’d found a kindred spirit.

She crammed so much good material into an hour.  It was a great set.  At the end she did a brief Q&A which turned into a fan fest of people who went to the show wearing a wig that looked like her hair.  I had no idea this was a thing.  Apparently it is.  And she loves it.

I’m sorry my wife couldn’t make it, but I’m really glad I went.

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Nish Kumar: Angry Humour From a Really Nice Guy (McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, April 2, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in McCarter Theatre, Nish Kumar, Princeton, NJ on April 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 2, 2026] Nish Kumar

I missed a lot of shows when we went to Minnesota.  No one should have that many shows lined up, but this one hurt doubly.

Tonight I had a ticket for Dirty Three, a band I desperately wanted to see.  But when Nish Kumar (whom my wife and I had seen last year) announced a stop in Princeton!   Well, I wanted to check it out.  It conflicted with Dirty Three, but then my son said he really wanted to see him.  So I got us tickets for that show.  But we couldn’t make either.  Gah.

Nish is hilarious and I would definitely see him any time he came back to the area.  I hope Princeton treated him well and he wants to come baclk

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Lucius: A History Worth Repeating: Songs and Stories (McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, March 27, 2026)

Posted in Bon Iver, Joni Mitchell, Lucius, McCarter Theatre, Pink Floyd, Princeton, NJ, Roger Waters, Wilco on March 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 27, 2026] Lucius

My wife and I saw Lucius 10 months ago and we really enjoyed the set (she didn’t really know them and became an instant fan after the show).  When they announced a show in Princeton, I grabbed a ticket immediately.  Even if it was going to be the same show,  I wanted to experience it again.

Bu it turned out that this was an entirely different show–a retrospective of songs and stories.  Just like Taylor Swift, or more in my orbit, just like Guster.  When Guster did their We Have Eras Too tour, they created a narrative, telling stories between the songs and acting out little skits.  Lucius did basically the same thing (with no skits and a bit more melancholy).

The stage was spare but interesting.  There were three sections–a couch, a piano and a microphone and behind the instruments was a series of (I assume) the various costumes that the woman wore over the years on mannequins.

The lights went dark and Holly and Jess began talking.  I assumed it was a recording because there were no lights but I was pretty sure I saw them walk to the piano.  The narration was done as diary entries (we wondered if they were the actual dairies or a cotemporary edited version (not that it matters)).  They told us about how they met (Berklee) and how they got the band name (Jess’ dog was called Lucius–which leaves out why the dog was name Lucius, of course).

They told about how a friend suggested they sing at the same time (their signature sound) and how they wrote an early EP called Songs from Bromley House.  They sang a song called Shenandoah (Not the traditional one) and played piano.  It was spare and lovely.

Then they introduced the two guys who would be playing with them that night.  Guitarist Peter Lalish and bassist Solomon Dorsey (that’s right, no drums).  They sat at a couch and played the Bon Iver song “Skinny Love” and talked about the apartment they were living in in NYC.  (more…)

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Yasmin Williams with The Dream Quartet (Berlind Theater, Princeton, NJ, March 12, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Berlind Theatre, Princeton, NJ, The Dream Quartet, Yasmin Williams on March 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 12, 2026] Yasmin Williams

I saw Yasmin Williams open for Michael Kiwanuka.  But she started early and I missed all but her last song.  It was wild fingerpicked guitar (she lays the guitar on her lap and has a kalimba at the end of it as well.  So much fun to watch.

I was psyched that she announced a show at McCarter and I snatched up two tickets.  But my son came home from college that night and we decided to stay in and celebrate his homecoming instead.

When I saw her she was solo.  For this show, she played with The Dream Quartet who I had never heard of.  Their bio says

The New York City based Dream String Quartet quartet is made up of founding members Malachi Brown, Dwayne Beach, Elizabeth Hendy, and Maggy Simon. The quartet was built on desire to invent, curiosity to experiment, and passion to collaborate. True to our name, we are dreamers at heart, dedicated to sharing our music and art with the world. The quartet takes pride in incorporating singing and movement into its performances and creations, bringing a dynamic and multidimensional energy to the stage. The four members thrive on improvisation.

I was looking forward to seeing her solo although I’m sure the Dream Quartet would have only added lovely components to her songs.

 

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DakhaBrakha (Berlind Theater, Princeton, NJ, March 7, 2026)

Posted in Berlind Theatre, DakhaBrakha, Princeton, NJ, Ukraine on March 7, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 7, 2026] DakhaBrakha

Four years ago I saw DakhaBrakha and was blown away.  It was a very emotional time as Russia had just invaded Ukraine–support and anger were very high.  The music was beautiful and powerful and the messages of hope and resistance were very strong.  Their home base is in Kyiv and they have first hand experience with the tragedy.

It is simply unbelievable that four years later, the war is still going on.  And now with our new regime and Putin’s puppet in place, Ukraine is in even worse straights (although the EU does seem to be helping).

After seeing them, I wanted my wife to experience them as well.  I’m sad it took four years to see them again, but I’m glad they can still tour the U.S.  I asked the rest of my family if they wanted to experience this as well (and bravo to them all for saying yes with the very vague descriptions I gave).  My daughter couldn’t go because if a last minute commitment, but my wife and my son really enjoyed it.

The band is a quartet: Marko Halanevych.  He plays more than this but for tonight he did: vocals, goblet drum, harmonica, accordion guitar and certainly other things.

Then there was Olena Tsybulska, vocals and drums.  She had a small kit but a huge sound.  Next to her was Iryna Kovalenko who played everything.  She sang and played mostly keyboards, but also drums, djembe, flute, buhay, piano, ukulele, zgaleyka, and a tiny accordion.  And last but not least, Nina Garenetska sang and played cello.  The cello was the one major constant through the songs–she made bass lines, rhythms and even cool effects through pedals.

Each woman’s voice was amazing–powerful and resonant.  And when the women sang together, wow.  It was mesmerizing.  Marko sings lead on many songs.  He has a falsetto and also a deeper vocal style.  He played accordion for many of the songs.

They sing almost entirely in Ukrainian.  Marko speaks English between songs (and the women chimed in from time to time).  And there were two songs in English, the light-hearted “I’ve Boarded the Wrong Plane” [“Ye Siv Ne v Toy Litak”] and the kind of silly Baby. (more…)

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Kim’s Convenience (Berlind Theatre, McCarter Theater, Princeton, NJ, February 12, 2026)

Posted in Berlind Theatre, Canadian Content, Funny (ha ha), Ins Choi, Kim's Convenience, Princeton, NJ on February 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 12, 2026] Kim’s Convenience

My wife and I really enjoyed Kim’s Convenience when it aired.  My mother-in-law enjoyed it and then recently, my son watched it on his own.

When this performance–the play that started it all, performed by the writer–was announced at McCarter, I grabbed my wife and I tickets ASAP.  Then when my son found out about it he wanted to go as well.  He couldn’t go the night we had tickets, but I was able to exchange our tickets for another night and get an extra one for my son.  I haven’t been to the Berlind Theater for a long time and I forgot how tiny it is.  So even though our seats were near the back, they were still really close.

McCarter had a lot of fun with this production, setting up a Canadian/Korean market in the lobby with Canadian flags and sweaters and lots of posters. They sold Korean goods (from the local Woori Mart) and may have even brought it some Canadian favorites (some drinks and ketchup flavored potato chips). (more…)

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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…)

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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…)

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I’m With Her / Ye Vagabonds (McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, November 7, 2025)

Posted in Aoife O'Donovan, I'm With Her, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, Ye Vagabonds on November 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 7, 2025] I’m With Her

We saw I’m with Her in 2019 at McCarter.  Billy Strings opened for them and look where he is now!

I’m with Her is something of a folk and bluegrass supergroup made up of Aoife O’Donovan, Sarah Jarosz and Sara Watkins.  But on to the music.  The women sing in absolutely gorgeous harmony.  Individually, their voices are wonderful, but as they add one and then a second harmony…swoon.  They also switch instruments constantly–fiddle, mandolin, ukulele, guitar, banjo.

But I wasn’t really feeling this show.  And I’m glad I didn’t get tickets because Rocket announced a show tonight and I enjoyed that show immensely.

Ye Vagabonds are a folk duo from Ireland. They are the Carlow-based brothers Diarmuid and Brían Mac Gloinn. They have been described as “being at the fore of a new wave of Irish folk.”  The song I heard had full instrumentation and their voices are lovely together.  They had a vibe of early Darlingside, which I liked quite a lot.

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An evening with Dawes (McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, April 13, 2025)

Posted in Parenthood, Dawes, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ on April 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 13, 2025] An evening with Dawes

My wife and I first encountered Dawes in 2013 when they (inexplicably) appeared on Parenthood, a show we watched pretty regularly.  I thought they were a fictional band, but indeed they are not and had two albums out at the time.  I can’t recall at all what their plot line had to do with anything, but Dawes became something of a punchline for us.  The AV Club (who loves Dawes and the episode) jokes that the main character says the word Dawes so much it’s like he wants to be in the band.

And yet, over the years, we heard more and more songs of their that we liked.  It seemed like every new album brought at least one or two songs that we thought were really catchy.  I hadn’t really considered seeing them live until they announced that they were playing at McCarter.  I mean, a show that close to my house?  Sign me up!

So I got us tickets and wondered who the opener would be.  Well, it turned out there was no opener.  So we were given two full sets (20 songs… evidently the typical how on this tour got 17 songs, so I guess it wasn’t a huge difference (except that we got to go home earlier).

This show also happened a few months after the band announced that everyone except the two brothers: Taylor (vocals, guitar) and Griffin Goldsmith (drums) was out of the band.  I had actually wondered if they were going to play just the two of them.  But they didn’t–it was a full band, and they sounded great.

I think we were both a little surprised at what the band looked like, since I clearly never looked at them (since Parenthood).  This tour was for their new album Oh Brother, which I didn’t really know, although I did know and like the song Still Strangers Sometimes–a perfect catchy song from them.  But they started with The Game, a deep cut that I didn’t know but which I thought was quite good.

But I was really psyched when they played Living in the Future, and even though When the Tequila Runs Out is kinda goofy, it was really fun live.  Speaking of fun, this crowd was really really rowdy.  More so than the band, I’d say,  I had no idea that Dawes had such a devoted fan base (one guy was overheard saying he’d seen them a dozen or so times).

And the crowd went nuts for songs that I didn’t know.  I knew a few songs from Good Luck with Whatever, but I didn’t know Me Especially or Didn’t Fix Me.  Nor did I know Right on Time from the album All Your Favorite Bands (which I think we owned).

But that was just a few songs I didn’t know before they played Most People, a ubiquitous song that sounded great live.  They ended the with the mellow A Little Bit of Everything and then finished up the set with  Someone Else’s Café/Doomscroller Tries to Relax from Misadventures of a Doomscroller.  I felt like I knew the song, but it seems like an unlikely radio song–but that guitar riff was really cool.

After a little break, Tyler came out by himself and played a pretty, acoustic Moon in the Water. (more…)

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