Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival. I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no. But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us. So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday. And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.
Sunday was the far more important day for music. I mean, the whoel reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey). But this was a great day of music to be sure.
Like yesterday, there were two early bands I wanted to see and then the day was hers.
I wanted to see Vundabar and Meet Me @ the Altar. We arrived with what I thought was plenty of time, but we rain into a parking snarl (and a jackass cop) that slowed things down. But, with our fast pass entry, we made it in plenty of time for Vundabar.
In fact we made it in plenty of time for Juliana Madrid who I gather went on a little late. I only knew Vundabar because of her, so she watched them with me (we got a spot in the shade but could still see the stage). I had tickets a while back for Meet Me @ the Altar, but I blew off the show feeling that made the music skewed too young for me. But they played a great set and I hope to see them again.
In between they played Tommy Lefroy on the screen and I really enjoyed their set as well. We maybe saw 20 minutes.
Then we went for food–yesterday the Veggie lo mein had sold out, so we wanted to get there early. It was in high demand again–I’m surprised there wasn’t more vegetarian options, to be honest. We missed Ella Jane.
Our plan was to arrive at the main stage early (around 3:30, get a seat in the middle, and park there all day for boygenius (since yesterday there were plenty of seats open for most of the day) [We had gotten GA+PAvillion which allowed us access to any seats (except VIP) and was vastly suprior to the lawn seats that were the cheapest level]. But when we walked by the Main stage, the seats were almost all full! (more…)
Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival. I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no. But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us. So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday. And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.
Sunday was the far more important day for music. I mean, the whole reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey). But this was a great day of music to be sure.
It was a huge surprise to me that Carly Rae Jepsen was on this bill. I hadn’t realized she was still making music since “Call Me Maybe.” I was also utterly shocked to find out that she is thirty-eight! And one of the oldest performers at the festival!
Turns out she’s not all that prolific, putting out a record every few years or so. I wonder what else she’s up to.
We arrived for Carly and sat in the back. Her show was the biggest we had seen so far with a big screen and flashing lights. Hers was definitely a big performance (I mean, she is a huge pop star).
The crowd was very responsive and everyone was up and dancing.
I don’t know any of her songs (except Call Me Maybe) and I really wanted to like her (since she was at this festival). I found that I did enjoy her songs, even though they were 100% pure pop. The songs were fun and dancey and exactly what you’d expect a pop show to be like. Although having seen a Katy Perry experience, I know what a pop performance can fully do.
We enjoyed the set but after about 8 songs my daughter was itchy to move on. So we left our seats and walked around a little but, checking out some of the other things going on. And then she started “Call Me Maybe.” We were both so surprised! We ran back down and stood in the middle of the sidewalk dancing and watching everybody else dancing to this pop masterpiece.
When it was over we hung around a bit but then we wandered up to the other stage area. The plan was to hang out a bit during Mt Joy and then come back down for Maggie Rogers, but we both wound up crashing and so we left during Mt Joy.
CARLY RAE JEPSEN
Let’s Sort the Whole Thing Out ²
Run Away With Me €
Anything to Be With You ♥
Surrender My Heart ⊗
Talking to Yourself ⊗
Shy Boy ♥
Western Wind ⊗
Kollage ♥
Psychedelic Switch ♥
Call Me Maybe ⊄
Stay Away ²
Julien Ð
Bends ⊗
I Really Like You €
Want You In My Room Ð
The Loneliest Time ⊗
Beach House ⊗
All That €
Cut to That Feeling ¹
♥ The Loveliest Time (2023)
⊗ The Loneliest Time (2022)
² Dedicated Side B (2020)
Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival. I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no. But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us. So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday. And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.
Sunday was the far more important day for music. I mean, the whole reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey). But this was a great day of music to be sure.
I had wanted to see Lizzy McAlpine for a while. She was on my list of to-see bands, although I didn’t really know all that much about her music. But when I listened to her a gain before this show I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to check her out. I was actually a little more interested in Fletcher at the time, but I have since discovered t hat I don’t like Fletcher all that much either.
Anyway, this was our relaxing time. So we crashed on the grass field and laid back listening to Lizzy. Which is the exact wrong way to enjoy Lizzy McAlpine. Her songs are quiet and intimate and demand close attention.
Casual listening is not really the way to go with her songs. So I don’t have a lot to say about her set. I have since enjoyed some of her songs, but I assumed she rocked a lot harder for some reason.
Before the show it seemed like a lot of people were there to hear her play, so I’m sure she had a good crowd.
I have no idea why the setlist was divided into acts. The songs aren’t play in any recorded order, so it’s a mystery to me.
SETLIST
ACT I:
an ego thing ∉
Over-the-Ocean Call (Andrew) ⊕
ACT II:
all my ghosts ∉
firearm ∉
doomsday ∉ ACT III
Give Me A Minute [acoustic] ⊕
called you again ∉
Movie Star
ACT IV:
erase me ∉
ceilings ∉
orange show speedway ∉
∉ Five Seconds Flat (2022) ⊕ Give Me a Minute (2020)
Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival. I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no. But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us. So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday. And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.
Sunday was the far more important day for music. I mean, the whole reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey). But this was a great day of music to be sure.
I didn’t know Dayglow and, in fact, I didn’t really see them at this event either. We were near the Chrysalis Stage and were queuing for food and bathrooms while Dayglow was on. The women’s bathroom lines were insane, so i feel like I heard most of Dayglow’s set while I sat on a bench and waited.
Dayglow is primarily indie-pop. Cathy and infectious and pretty perfect on a warm summer day. It would be hard not to smile while they were playing. (more…)
Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival. I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no. But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us. So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday. And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.
Sunday was the far more important day for music. I mean, the whole reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey). But this was a great day of music to be sure.
I had vaguely heard of Suki Waterhouse. It wasn’t until she started playing that I looked her up and realized that she was an actress as well. I had seen her in Detective Pikachu, but had no recollection of her. My daughter loved the show of Daisy Jones and the Six, which is probably why she was interested in seeing Suki play. (more…)
Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival. I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no. But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us. So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday. And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.
Sunday was the far more important day for music. I mean, the whole reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey). But this was a great day of music to be sure.
I first heard about Sudan Archives a few years ago. Her song “Confessions” is so catchy–with its excellent melody and her cool use of strings. I loved that she could make catchy alt-pop using a violin as the main instrument.
Earlier this year I had a ticket to see her, but I didn’t really feel like going. Her music changed a lot between the first and second album.
[ATTENDED: September 30, 2023] All Things Go [Day 1]
Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival. I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no. But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us. So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday. And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.
If I had managed to get tickets to see boygenius at the Mann Center, we would have blown off this day, but that didn’t happen, so we hunkered down for our first Festival day (and her first Festival).
I was excited for the Festival too, as there were a bunch of bands that I wanted to see. But this was a Festival for her, so I told her, that I wanted to arrive in time to see Sudan Archives and then the rest of the day was up to her. I wanted to see Maggie Rogers and a few other bands during the day, but I’d go where she wanted.
I’ll write a separate post for each band we saw.
The Festival was set up very nicely with the Chrysalis Stage within easy walking distance from the main stage (and from the food and merch). And there was free parking.
We arrived and, even though we had VIP entrance passes, we waited on line, not quite realizing how it worked. Well, they sent us back to get our wristbands which allowed us quick entrance (very useful on Sunday). These wrist bands also go us a swag bag full of weird goodies.
The rest was a Festival. The food was overpriced, the bathrooms were inadequate, the water lines were really long. At least it was September and not July. The first day worked out great weather-wise as it was overcast and a little cooler.
I felt a little bad because we didn’t stop for lunch on the way down (tight schedule), so I made my daughter wait in line for food so I could see Sudan Archives. I told her, that it was the last time that I’d make her do anything like this, and she was cool with it.
I enjoyed Sudan Archives in the sun, she sat in the shade and enjoyed the video screens. (more…)
[DID NOT ATTEND: July 29, 2023] ALT 104.5 Fishtown FestivALT Block Party
I received a notification that Portugal. The Man were going to be playing at The Fillmore. They are a band who are high on my “wanna see” list. So I grabbed a ticket even though I had a ticket for another show that night.
Then I learned a short time later that the Portugal. The Man show was part of this ALT 104.5 Fishtown FestivALT Block Party. It’s an all-day affair in three locations. Much of it is free, although the Portugal. show is not. Well, then it turned out that we were picking up my daughter from camp that day–so that knocked out going into town early. And then we got invited to a farewell party for a friend who was leaving the area. So there went the evening show. I tried to resell my tickets but I guess Portugal. The Man is not on the top of everyone’s “must see” list.
As for the free bands, it’s amazing how much TikTok is making new bands into favorites.
[DID NOT ATTEND: July 31-August 2, 2020] Newport Folk Festival
We went to Newport Folk Festival in 2019. We’ve had a kind of understanding that we would try to go again. So this year, when tickets were announced I jumped online and managed to score four of them!
Then it turned out that the weekend would be massive conflict.
So, after seeing just who would be there, we felt that the whole fest was kind of a big shrug. And it would be no loss to sell the tickets back. Fortunately, Newport has a great system where you just put the tickets back in the pool and who ever is next gets them. (more…)
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 17-18, 2022] Champagne Jam 2022
Every year for quite some time, The Front Bottoms have been doing a Champagne Jam at the close of the calendar year. Brooklyn Vegan talked about in 2019:
The Front Bottoms‘ annual holiday concert Champagne Jam has taken place in NYC and NJ in the past, and this year it moves to Philadelphia. It happens December 21 (the Saturday before Christmas) at The Fillmore Philly Complex.
2022 saw them return to Philly, which has three venues all more or less connected. I don’t know how the set times are structured–if there’s any way to see everyone (probably not). But then again, I dind;t want to see everyone.
I bought my son and I tickets to the Saturday December 17 show figuring it was one last opportunity to see The Front Bottoms (since we kept missing them for one reason or another). Then we wound up scheduling our own holiday jam for the same night.
So we weren’t going to go to the Friday night show anyhow, but here’s the full lineup:
Friday, December 16, 2022 in the Lobby
DJ Spicy Brown
Friday, December 16 2022 at The Foundry
Flycatcher are from New Brunswick, NJ According to The Deli
Flycatcher are a four-piece rock combo hailing from New Brunswick, New Jersey, three of whom have immaculately sculpted facial hair (well ok one of them has a bushy beard but still it’s neatly trimmed and shaped). On the musical side of things Flycatcher carry on in the fine tradition of immaculately sculpted extremely catchy power-pop-that-rocks made in the Tristate Area with oft-witty lyrics and a distinctly que será, será attitude as established by such legendary acts as Fountains of Wayne, The Feelies, The Smithereens, and the ripe-for-revival Cucumbers.
They sound like they are worth checking out–the one song I’ve listened to is pretty slackery.
Sweet Pill is an emo band from New Jersey. The band consists of vocalist Zayna Youssef, guitarist Jayce Williams, guitarist Sean McCall, bassist Ryan Cullen, and drummer Chris Kearney. The video I watched for High Hopes was super catchy (and set in a bowling alley).
Another Michael is a band who have opened for a bunch of shows I haven’t gone to. They play a kind of mellow indie rock with lead Michael’s vocals veering into R&B styles. Not quite my thing. But that’s only one dud in a bill I didn’t even think about going to.
Slothrust are from Boston. In a review from The Revue (in Canada) from 2021, they talk about an evolving band:
In the 8 years we’ve been covering Slothrust, we’ve seen the band change a lot musically. They’ve shifted from the early days of jazz-infused grunge, which eventually grew into much bigger and less easy to classify sounds. Each record feels like a rebirth, from Everyone Else having a fine polish on that distinctive Slothrust sound but expanding on it at the same time. The Pact felt like an even more diverse records, with the band diving more into electronic sounds and even diving into poppier sounds. It set up any future releases nicely to dive even more into the trio’s widening approach. Their latest record, Parallel Timeline, heralds yet another rebirth of the band. “Cranium” kicks off the record and immediately sets the tone. This is a slower Slothrust, as the chugging basslines and heavy drums are nowhere to be found. All the things that make Leah Wellbaum stand out as an artist, however, are on full display. Her voice, her surreal lyrics, and, at about halfway through the song, her guitar work. “Once More For The Ocean” hits a bit harder, kicking of with a ripping guitar solo, but it stays a bit in that pop realm with a bunch of sections that just beg to be sung along with.
Sounds like a really good night and some bands I should be on the look out for.
Friday, December 16, 2022 at Fillmore Philadelphia
Lunar Vacation I saw Lunar Vacation open for The Beths and they were great. I’d happily see them again.
Emperor X is from Louisville, Kentucky (and presumably not the Emperor X from Berlin). He plays a kind of low-fi pop that I see is described as a “bummer jam” which is absolutely not my thing.
Joyce Manor is a punk band from California who I always think are someone else. Their latest album 40 oz to Fresno was described by The New York Times (!!!) as “relentlessly tuneful 17-minute collection of all-killer, no-filler power-pop.” I rather like their clean punk sound.
The Front Bottoms are the stars of the night and the main attraction. They were, no doubt fantastic, and I love that they give a lot of other New Jersey bands a platform.
Saturday, December 17, 2022 at Brooklyn Bowl
Shannen Moser I’ve seen Shannen Moser twice. Her intense folk songs are quite good
Shane Henderson was the singer of Valencia and now does mostly production.
Tom May has “lived the dream” of being a full time, working, self-supporting folk musician. Tom is also the founder and host of the nationally-syndicated live radio program, River City Folk.
Kevin Devine is someone I love and I was really looking forward to seeing his set–and hoping that it didn’t conflict with any of the other headliners.
Saturday, December 17, 2022 at The Foundry
Riverby are from Philly. They are a fun indie rock band with a loose sound (and a cover of “Walk Through the Fire” from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Hotline TNT is the shoegaze/indie rock project of singer-songwriter Will Anderson (a.k.a. Flip Sandy). The project began after Anderson moved from Vancouver to Minneapolis. Now based in New York, Anderson still handles the songwriting himself and has played live shows with several different lineups.
Kid Sister is a rapper who has appeared with Sault.
Saturday, December 17, 2022 at Fillmore Philadelphia
Prince Daddy & The Hyena is an American rock band from Albany, New York, formed in 2014 described as indie rock with punk and “slacker” influences
Soul Glo is a band I really want to see. They are an extreme punk band and will probably scare the heck out of me. It would have been safest to see them amid all of these other bands
Titus Andronicus is a band I should probably love, but I just can’t get into them.
The Front Bottoms headlining a second night.
This seems like a really fun festival.
Jordan Norris nicely posted a video of The Front Bottoms from both shows
Friday night:
Saturday night
Also
Also, The Flycatcher review had these two videos (because of a song called sodas in the freezer)
Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival. I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no. But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us. So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday. And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.
I Just Read About That... 