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Archive for the ‘Venues’ Category

Waxahatchee (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, October 22, 2024) Philly Music Fest Night 2

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Philly Music Fest, Waxahatchee on October 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 22, 2024] Waxahatchee

My wife and I saw Waxahatchee open for Courtney Barnett six years ago.  I hadn’t remembered that I had seen her a few months earlier with her full band.

I’ve considered seeing her again since then, but I didn’t go back in 2022.  I was looking forward to seeing her a few months ago at the Fillmore, but the show turned out to be between two Pearl Jam shows and we couldn’t possibly do it all.

This show proved to be exactly the same as the two Fillmore shows just without the backdrops and stage props.

I was looking forward to this show because I thought I knew so much of her new album (and she played the whole thing).  I was surprised by how few songs I knew during this show.  In part because she didn’t really play any deep cuts (okay one or two, but none of her hits).

But I was delighted to hear “Can’t Do Much” (the only song of the night that I had seen her play before) and “Problem With It” which I forgot wasn’t actually a Waxahatchee song (it’s a song by Plains, which is Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson.

After playing a couple of songs from the previous album Saint Cloud, she told us about the new album and how she’d be playing the whole thing tonight.  This group of songs started with the wonderful “Right Back to It” and the even better “Bored.” (more…)

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Descartes A Kant (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, October 22, 2024)

Posted in Descartes a Kant, Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, Quick Chills, Star Carr on October 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 22, 2024] Descartes A Kant

In 2018 Descartes A Kant, Bob Boilen talked about Descartes A Kant at SXSW and said they were an amazing band live.  I have wanted to see them ever since, but (I assume since they are based in Guadalajara Mexico) they never came anywhere close to us.

And then, SIX YEARS later, they announced a show in Philly after releasing what might be my favorite album of 2024, After Destruction.  It’s a concept album of sorts, with songs that are not really connected but have am idea running through them.  The band has enlisted the help of a DAK machine which is designed to help you navigate life.  The album opens with Hello User, in which the DAK welcomes you to its programming.

And that is how the show opened as well.  Although, like Star Carr, they seemed to have a bunch of technical difficulties and I wondered if we didn’t get an encore because of it (I honestly don’t know).

But they had their big DAK machine on stage and their bassist Memo Ibarra turned it on, and the voice over from the record welcomed us to the show. (more…)

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@ (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, October 22, 2024) [WAXAHATCHEE] Philly Music Fest Night 2

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Philly Music Fest, Waxahatchee on October 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 22, 2024] @

Every since going to Philly Music Fest a few years ago, I’ve been keeping track about it each year to see who is in it the next year.  This year was pretty unexciting for me until they announced a late entry of Waxahatchee as a headliner.  Since we had missed both of their shows at the Fillmore, I decided to grab us a ticket.

Opening was @ a pretty much unfindable band online.

They have a bandcamp site in which they have two releases.  They are kind of interesting and experimental, with lots of sounds layered on to of straightforward lyrics.

But live, they were the least dynamic duo I’ve ever seen. (more…)

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Dehd / This is Lorelei (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, October 22, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Dehd, My Idea, Nate Amos, Philadelphia, PA, The Foundry, This is Lorelei on October 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 22, 2024] Dehd / This is Lorelei

I saw Dehd open for Sylvan Esso last year.  I rather enjoyed them and concluded

I enjoyed their whole set–short, simple, dancey rock songs.  And as I was listening to them I realized that they were exactly the kind of band that I like live but would probably never listen to on record.  The songs are too simplistic for me to really enjoy unless they band is playing them in front of me.  Or something.

Since then they’ve had one or two more songs out that I’ve really enjoyed too.  But I didn’t get tickets as I was trying not to overload my calendar with shows this month.

This is Lorelei is just one band that features Nate Amos.  He is also in Water from Your Eyes who I don’t know and He’s one half of My Idea with Lily Konisberg from Palberta who I know. (more…)

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Star Carr (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, October 22, 2024) [DESCARTES A KANT]

Posted in Descartes a Kant, Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, Quick Chills, Star Carr on October 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 22, 2024] Star Carr / Quick Chills

Star Carr is a Mesolithic archaeological site in North Yorkshire, England. It is around five miles (8 km) south of Scarborough.

I had never heard of it. Nor the Baltimore-based band of the same name.

Star Carr is psychedelic street punk.
Oren Folus-drums, Don McIntosh-guitars and vocals, Sebästian Grey-bass and vocals.

Their band site says :

“Do you like the MC5? The Stooges? Wish Motorhead sang about unions and the Baltimore uprising? Wanted to put Thin Lizzy, The Business, and Hawkwind in a blender and hear how it sounded? You’re gonna wanna listen to Star Carr!”- Tyler Vile, poet, author

And that is pretty spot on.  They were very loud in the small space, but they were really good.  Heavy, crunchy, nice riffs.  Two singers, heavy drums.

But I felt bad for them because they took a really long time to set up and then only played about 20 minutes.  I’m not sure what they played, but their new album had just come out so I assume it was mostly from that. (more…)

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Boris (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 19, 2024)

Posted in Joy Division, New Order, Peter Hook & The Light, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 19, 2024] Boris 

I saw Boris last year.  It was great, of course.  And I ended my post about that show with

I wonder if we’ll get a drone show from them next time?

And did we ever!  This was a tour of their second album, Amplifier Worship.  65 minutes of loud heavy drone music.

When I arrived., the place was pretty crowded, but that’s because everyone was online to buy merch. The venue was almost empty because there were 150 people waiting to buy the kick ass poster.  I figured I’d wat until after the show to get the kick ass poster, but after waiting for ten minutes and the line not moving at all, I gave up and went home.

They came out.  Muchio was on drums.  This was the first time I’d seen him play with Boris (and I didn’t know he was on this tour).  This explained why there was a smaller drumset facing the larger drumset.  Then Takeshi came out with his double neck guitar and Wata walked out to her station.

Muchio smashed the gong, the music began to swell, Atsuo came on stage and commanded everyone’s attention.  He’s usually behind the kit so I’ve never actually seen him out from before.  He stood at the front of the stage, arms outstretched and half of the crowd raised their arms in (amplifier) worship.  I loved how long he stood there absorbing the adoration as the other three played a wall of noise.

“Huge” opened with heavy, loud chords from Wata and Takeshi.  Atsuo stood and absorbed everything.  Eventually he and Takeshi screamed the vocals.  “Huge” is 9 minutes on record.  I don’t know how long it was live. (more…)

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Fontaines D.C. / Been Stellar (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, October20, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Been Stellar, Fontaines D.C., Philadelphia, PA, The Fillmore Philadelphia on October 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 20, 2024] Fontaines D.C. / Been Stellar

I’ve seen Fontaines D.C. twice and each time I’ve found the crowd to be unpleasant.  I decided that I didn’t need to see them again.  Especially in a place like the Fillmore–a huge venue that lends itself to bad behaviour.

They released a new album, though and my wife really likes the songs she’s heard and she wondered if we should go.  Then we saw that the show was on a special day for someone in my family.

So that’s THREE shows I would have gone to on one day.  And the day in question was not cool for us.

Oof.

I’m intrigued by Been Stellar and have heard good thigs about them.  I hadn’t heard anything by them and listened to a few clips just now and I don’t really get much of a feeling from them–fuzzy alt rock.  They’re kind of a buzz band, but I’d need to hear more.

Huh, last year I said I listened to a few songs and really liked them.  Maybe I didn’t give a good enough listen this time.

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Acid Mothers Temple / Spirit Mother (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, October 20, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Acid Mothers Temple, Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O., Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Spirit Mother on October 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 20, 2024] Acid Mothers Temple / Spirit Mother

I try to never miss an Acid Mothers Temple show.  But they placed this one on the night of a special day for someone in my family.  So there was no way I’d be going out to any shows.

It would have been interesting to see them on a small stage like Milkboy.

But AMT tends to come back every year or so, so I hope to see them next year. (more…)

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The Mountain Goats / Tift Merritt (McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, October 20, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, The Mountain Goats, Tift Merritt on October 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 20, 2024] The Mountain Goats / Tift Merritt

Back in 2021 I wrote:

I’ve enjoyed a lot of The Mountain Goats’ music and I’d like to see them live, but their timing always seems to be terrible.

This year they played McCarter Theater in Princeton–an amazing venue and super close to my house.  I was just about to grab tickets when I realized that it was the same day as a birthday in my family.  So, yes, their timing is terrible.

I thought I knew Tift Merritt, but I guess I have just heard of her.  She is a singer-songwriter in the alt country vein.  I’m sure she would have been a pleasant opening act, although it would have been cooler if it was only The Mountain Goats.

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Starcrawler (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 19, 2024) [BORIS]

Posted in Boris, Philadelphia, PA, Starcrawler, Union Transfer on October 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 19, 2024] Starcrawler

Starcrawler goes down as probably the biggest let down from a build up for me at a concert.

I had wanted to see Starcrawler for about 5 years because I had heard such great things about their live show.  Since then, their show had evolved (as it probably should) and instead of the crazy rockers I thought I was getting, instead, I got a cocksure LA band who were snotty to the crowd and way overconfident in an unpleasant way.

So, while I might normally have been really excited to see them, I was a little bummed that they were opening for Boris without hearing anything new from them.

There’s a few songs by them that I really do like.  And they didn’t play either “Hollywood Ending” or “No More Pennies.” But the did play the two songs that I liked least when I saw them last time, covers of two genuinely terrible songs, If You’re Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough and Pet Sematary (easily the worst Ramones song ever).

The one thing that made me happy was when Wata from Boris came out and played guitar on Kick Me. (more…)

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