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Archive for the ‘Venues’ Category

Junun (Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, July 11, 2018) [RADIOHEAD]

Posted in Jonny Greenwood, Junun, Madison Square Garden, New York City, Radiohead, Shye Ben Tzur, The Rajasthan Express on July 11, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 11, 2018] Junun

I was so excited to get tickets to see Radiohead that I didn’t even consider that there would be an opening band.

I was so excited to get General Admission floor spaces that I didn’t really think about anything else.  I took off from work that day, drove to the City and did not heed the advice of crazy fans who were going to camping out all day.  Rather, I arrived sometime around 5PM.  The line wasn’t that bad, I was able to get a snack and a drink and I had my book with me, so I didn’t mind waiting the 90 minutes until the doors opened.

And when I got in and saw that there weren’t even that many people on the floor, I bought a poster and a water and then I stood in a cluster and waited (with my book).

Eventually the lights dimmed and Junun came on stage.

Even after seeing their performance I didn’t quite understand what was going on with this melding of minds.  So what I’ve learned is that Junun is actually the name of an album.  But the performers and composers go by the unwieldy moniker Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, and the Rajasthan Express.  So I get why they were called Junun.

I found the creation of the album to be rather interesting: (more…)

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David Wax Museum (Fowler Blast Furnace Room-SteelStacks, Bethlehem, PA, June 10, 2018)

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Darlingside, David Wax Museum, Food Truck Border Brawl, Fowler Blast Furnace Room, Steelstacks on July 10, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 10, 2018] David Wax Museum

Our whole family saw David Wax Museum play at XPNFest a few years ago.  They were great (and were very friendly afterwards).  We knew we wanted to see them again, so when we saw that they were playing this tiny venue at SteelStacks (and that admission was FREE), we couldn’t pass it up.  The fact that it also coincided with the Food Truck Border Brawl (in which food trucks from NJ and PA battle for most popular dish) did not hurt!

The weather sure did though.  It was rainy and a but chilly.  Not ideal food truck weather.  So, rather than making a day of it, we drove down for dinner.  We enjoyed our food truck food and then headed inside for the show.  I think it was supposed to be outside, but they wisely moved this show inside to be incredibly intimate.

It was also fun to have the kids with us for this show (even if Clark chose not to sit with us and we wound up keeping them up and out pretty late–but hey it was almost summer). (more…)

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Foo Fighters (BB&T Pavillion, Camden, NJ, July 7, 2018)

Posted in BB&T Pavillion, Foo Fighters, John Lennon, Queen, Ramones, The Strokes, The Struts, Van Halen on July 7, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 7, 2018] Foo Fighters

I can recall living in Boston when the debut Foo Fighters album came out.  I had heard that it was pretty good and I bought it.  And I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Who would have guessed that the album that Grohl created to excise some demons, a small project in which he played every instrument would turn into a group that would become one of the largest bands on the planet.  This show was sold out at 25,000 people.  Which is a lot of humanity.

Despite this impressive success, Grohl himself seems to be remarkably down to earth and seems to never lose his sense of humor.  No one will ever forget the show that he broke his leg falling off a stage, went to the hospital, and came back to finish the show.  I wanted to see them when they came back to the U.S. on that tour–seeing Dave in his throne would have been super fun.  But it was not to be.

However, when they announced they were coming back again, I jumped at the chance to get tickets and scored some pretty decent seats.

I hadn’t really been to an arena show in a long time.  I can’t remember the last time a band that I’ve seen used the arena size to its capacity.  I’ve seen many a great light show, but except for Kiss, I suppose, there’s been very little in the way of excess.  And I never expected it from the Foo Fighters.

But by God if that’s not what this show was all about. (more…)

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The Struts (BB&T Pavillion, Camden, NJ, July 7, 2018) [FOO FIGHTERS]

Posted in BB&T Pavillion, Foo Fighters, Queen, The Strokes, The Struts on July 7, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[NOT ATTENDED: July 7, 2018] The Struts

The Struts are another buzz band from England.  Aside from having a band name that is way too close to The Strokes, I don’t actually know all that much about them.

Usually I listen to a warm up band at least a little before going to see them.  But for whatever reason, I never listened to The Struts.

And that’s all for the best, I suppose.  The parking situation outside of BB&T was crazy, bordering on nightmarish.

Sarah and I briskly walked to the stadium, glanced at merch, didn’t even stop to use the bathroom (crazy long lines) and as we got to our seat the lights dimmed for The Foo Fighters.

All I can say is that vocalist Luke Spiller did a decent Freddie Mercury when he came out to sing Under Pressure with the Foo Fighters.

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King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 18, 2018)

Posted in Australia, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 18, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 18, 2018] King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

‘I’ve been a fan of Melbourne’s King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard since I heard Nonagon Infinity which came out in 2016.  SET

Since that record, the band have released five full length albums (five in 2017!).

And that kind of dedication to making music has seen their fanbase grow and grow.

From the 140 capacity Kung Fu Necktie in 2014 to the 650 capacity Underground Arts in 2016 to the 1,200 capacity Trocadero in 2016 (I found out about this show literally two weeks after it had happened or I would have been there!)  And now finally to selling out Union Transfer (a higher profile show to be sure).

When the band came around in 2016, most of their set came from the then new Flying Microtonal Banana, but here they were one year and four albums later.  What would they play?

They played twenty songs dividing them between Murder of The Universe, Polgondwanaland (their fifth album of 2017, coming out on New Year’s Eve) and Banana, as well as a few from Gumboot Soup (yet another 2017 release) and Nonagon Infinity.  They went back to an earlier album for “Cellophane,” but this show was all about the newest stuff. (more…)

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Amyl and the Sniffers (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 18, 2018) [KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD]

Posted in AC/DC, Amyl and the Sniffers, Australia, Beat, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 18, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 18, 2018] Amyl and the Sniffers

I had never heard of Melbourne’s Amyl and the Sniffers before this show.

From their name, it’s pretty obvious what the band is all about.  They’re a four-piece, bass, guitar, drums and Amyl up front.  They play short, fast, loud rockers.  On their bandcamp site they have released ten songs totalling about twenty minutes.

And they were pretty fun.

This song shows their garage rock sensibility.

Amyl is an enjoyable frontwoman.  I think we were taken more with her thick Melbourne accent than any words she may have been saying. (more…)

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Kurt Vile and the Violators (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, June 16, 2018)

Posted in Courtney Barnett, Jen Cloher, Jersey City, NJ, Kurt Vile, Kurt Vile and the Violators, White Eagle Hall on June 16, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 16, 2018] Kurt Vile & The Violators

I have seen Kurt Vile three times.  Once with Courtney Barnett on their Lotta Sea Lice tour.  Then when Jen Cloher played Philly and Courtney Barnett was on lead guitar, Kurt was in the audience.  I was surprised they didn’t pull him up to play.  Then when Courtney came back through Philly to tour her new album, Kurt came out for an encore.

But I wanted to see him play his own songs.  So I was happy when he announced a summer tour with The violators.

I arrived at White Eagle Hall fairly early (the last time Sarah and I went there, the line was really long), so I wound up rather close to the stage, which meant I was able to watch Kurt do his thing (and the sound was still good, too). (more…)

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Connections (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, June 16, 2018) [KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS]

Posted in Connections, Jersey City, NJ, Kurt Vile, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Purling Hiss, White Eagle Hall on June 16, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 16, 2018] Connections

A friend of mine on Instagram posted a picture of Purling Hiss who had opened for Kurt Vile in Asbury Park.  I was considering going there to see him, but instead I decided to see him at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City.

The person who saw the Asbury show said that Connections was a stellar band to have as an opening act.  So I was pretty excited to see them.

But aside from the bassist wearing a Rush shirt, and the lead singer wearing a great shirt with an airbrushed Jigglypuff and the caption #RESIST, Connections didn’t do much for me.  (more…)

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M. Ward / The Decemberists (Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank NJ, June 12, 2018) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Cancelled, Count Basie Theatre, M. Ward, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Red Bank, NJ, The Decemberists on June 12, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: June 12, 2018] M. Ward/The Decemberists

S. and I love The Decemberists.  They are probably one of our favorite bands.  Despite this, we haven’t seen them live all that much.  In part because they went on a huge long hiatus after releasing one of my favorite albums (why didn’t I see them on that tour?).

We have seen them twice (only!) and each show was great in its own way.

But when they announced a new tour with a date in Philly AND New Jersey, I was sure to get tickets for both shows.

They were scheduled to play at the Mann Center on June 7.  The Mann is an amazing venue but it is a super duper pain in the butt to get to.  So, we decided that since we had tickets to the show in Red Bank, we would blow off the Mann show.  Astonishingly I couldn’t sell the tickets, so I just ate the price.  Dang.

Turns out Colin’s voice was giving him trouble and that show wasn’t his best.  Although they did wind up playing a great set list.

Nevertheless we were very excited for our show and hoped his voice would be perfect five days later.

Then today at 3:30 this afternoon we received this email.

The Decemberists event scheduled for Tuesday, June 12 at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ has been cancelled due to Colin Meloy’s ongoing voice issues.

We effectively missed two shows of one of our favorite bands in a week. (more…)

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The Decemberists [two failed attempts June 7 & June 12, 2018]

Posted in Count Basie Theatre, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, Red Bank, NJ, The Decemberists on June 12, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[NOT ATTENDED: June 7, 2018] The Decemberists at The Mann Center

Boy were we excited that The Decemberists were coming back around to tour their new album.  Even though we have seen them a few times now, we can always make room for them.

I love the acoustics of The Mann enter–it’s a beautiful location.  But it is such a pain in the butt for us to get to.  If it’s the only place a band is playing I’ll get tickets, but otherwise, I’d just as soon not travel that far.

Well, they were playing The Mann Center and I bought tickets.  And then a few days later they announced another show at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ.  Well, that is 100 times easier to get to, so I said we’d give up on The Mann show for the Count Basie.

Easy peasy.

Except that I could not sell these Decemberists tickets.  The Mann Center has a strict no resale policy, so you can’t do that Ticketmaster resell business.  Then I tried CashorTrade and even StubHub and there were no takers.  I even went lowball by the end.  The one bad thing about print tickets is you can’t wait til the last minute.

We could have still gone to the show but we had another commitment that night by then and it was still a hassle to get there.  Plus we had the Basie show, so we accepted the loss bitterly.

I noticed an IM on Facebook a couple of days after the show that someone was interested, but obviously that was too late.

[NOT ATTENDED: June 12, 2018] The Decemberists at The Count Basie Theatre

The night of the Count Basie show, we received a notice that Colin Meloy’s voice was shot and the show would be cancelled.  This show and one other (not The Mann Center) shows were cancelled.  And there was no immediate plans to reschedule.  So at least this money was fully refunded.

The band seemed to promise that they’d come back.  But now they have made touring plans further afield.  They are touring the West (and then teasing us here in NJ by coming back in a few weeks to play a show in Brooklyn.  And they are coming East again in October to play Massachusetts.

Then in November they’re off to Europe.

I see a few blank days on the itinerary between the last show in October and the first show in November.  I sure hope they reschedule somewhere near here for us!

 

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