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Archive for the ‘Venues’ Category

Sigur Rós (The Mann Center, Philadelphia, PA, June 16, 2017)

Posted in Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, Radio City Music Hall, Sigur Rós on June 16, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 16, 2017] Sigur Rós

Sarah and I saw Sigur Rós last fall. We both agreed that it was an incredible show.  So when I saw that they were coming back around and playing at the Mann Center, it was hard to pass up the chance to see them again.

It was ostensibly  the same tour, except that it was not exactly the same tour, and not exactly the same show.

It was still just the trio of jón þór birgisson (jonsi), georg holm, and orri páll dýrason and like last time, Jonsi was on vocals and (violin bowed) guitar, Georg was on bass (and more) and Orri was on drums and keyboards.  But they shifted around, with each of them playing other things during the show.

About the previous show I said

The show was perfectly orchestrated with a spectacular light show.  It was arranged into two acts with a 15 minute intermission.  I have often complained about bands who don’t change their set list from night to night but there is no way they could change this–the precision of everything, the complexity of the lights and music–this was more of a stage show than a concert.

Well, they did change things up a bit for this series of shows.  It was actually a little shorter with two fewer songs.

But the big distinction is that there were two new new songs.  In addition to the new songs they played last time, they added two more new ones.

About the previous show I also said:

As soon as the band started playing and Jonsi started singing, I was rapt–Totally caught up in the music which sounded amazing in Radio City Music Hall. It feels like they have speakers all over the room, their sound and which simply envelops the audience.  I usually like to take some pictures of exciting moments of shows but I didn’t even touch my phone during the show–I was absorbed from the first notes.

(more…)

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Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (The Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA, June 5, 2017)

Posted in Else Torp, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Philadelphia, PA, The Electric Factory, Warren Ellis on June 5, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 5, 2017] Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

My Nick Cave story is that back in September 2001 I had tickets to see Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.  Then 9/11 happened.  Cave cancelled the American tour (he rescheduled it for the following year).  But I hadn’t heard that it was cancelled (who even thought to call a venue about that sort of thing).  So I drove all the way into Manhattan and then had to turn around and go home.  I was annoyed, obviously, and angry with Cave, although that’s not really fair.

But so this concert proved to be sixteen years in the making.

And it almost didn’t go as planned again.  I arrived at the Electric Factory early–I had heard the show was starting exactly at 8PM.  I was arriving by 7:30.  Perfect. But the lot was closed.  So they pushed us to the next one.  Where apparently idiots and bozos were running it.  It took 20 minutes, and cost a staggering $30 to park.  And to top it off they were trying so hard to squeeze in as many cars as they could they made us park so close I could barely get my head out of the door.  So I had to do some rearranging, and them hurt my arm while wrangling stuff out of the car.

The security line was fine and moved quickly until the guy in front of me had a bag.  That was a huge hold up as the two lines on either side of me flew by.  I walked into the place at 7:58 and it was packed.  There was literally nowhere to move, no way to get closer to the stage.  No breathing room.  I wound up standing in what was really a walkway surrounded by people pushing and a very tall German man who spoke very loudly into my ear while talking to someone else.

And it didn’t start on time anyhow.  I was pretty annoyed by the whole thing and even wondered if I should leave.  The view was terrible, the crowd was ugly and I was already cranky.  But I decided to stick it out–besides I couldn’t squeeze back in to my car anyhow. (more…)

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Frightened Rabbit (Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, June 1, 2017)

Posted in Frightened Rabbit, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 1, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 1, 2017] Frightened Rabbit

A number of years ago I got into Frightened Rabbit and really loved his dark-but-strangely-catchy poetic folk songs.

A few years ago he released a single “Swim Til You Cant See Land” and it was something of a minor hit.  That brought them some airplay and really enjoyed that album as well.

When I saw  that they were touring I thought it would be fun to finally see them live. Although somehow I didn’t realize that they had put out two albums since that single.  Yipes. (more…)

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Torres (Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, June 1, 2017) [FRIGHTENED RABBIT]

Posted in Frightened Rabbit, Philadelphia, PA, St. Vincent, Torres, Union Transfer on June 1, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 1, 2017] Torres

I really liked Torres’ album Sprinter and Bob Boilen had said that she was  great live performer so I was pretty excited to see her live on this tour.  I wasn’t exactly expecting a lot of power because while her music has a distinct intensity it never seemed like it would be huge.  But man, Mackenzie Scott has an amazing presence, and her band was fantastic.

The biggest surprise for me came as the show began because Torres has new music out and it’s quite different from the songs I know.  It’s much more synth heavy, with a very different vibe.  The songs on Sprinter bubble under with intensity, but the new ones have a kind of sinister keyboard layer over the top.  She also sings a bit more quietly on these songs.

What was interesting was that the newer music allowed her to do some interesting things on stage that reminded me of the choreography of St. Vincent (albeit much more subtle).  She made small movements with her hips or shoulders.  She really absorbed the attention of the audience.  I loved that at times she just stood with her back to us, shadowed by lights as she waited for the songs to build.

I guess she played around nine song (there’s no setlist online).  She played a couple of new songs and then a bunch off of Sprinter.

She didn’t speak much but she did say at one point I’m pleased to be here in front of you as Torres.  For this music is not all about her.

Guitarist Cameron Kapoor stood in the back playing all kinds of great noises.  While it was hard to take my eyes off of Scott, Kapoor was great to watch–he had a bank of keyboards and effects and his squealed and squalled some noises all the way through.  Sometimes loud, sometimes just quiet textures, he really gave the songs a great sonic landscape.   Erin Manning played keyboards and sang backing vocals.  Her sound seemed much more notable on the new songs where Scot played only solos.

Drummer Dominic Cipolla play a mix of electronic and analog drums that perfectly fleshed out the rest of the songs.

As far as the setlist, there were two new songs including her new single “Skim.”  I really enjoyed the sounds she squeezed out of her guitar between verses.

Then there was the dramatic change in sound for Sprinter’s “New Skin,” and that’s when it really kicked in just how powerful she was live.  Her new songs may not employ the same techniques, but she hasn’t lost any of that intensity.  And she plays her guitar sparingly but effectively: (I love watching her fingers in the dim light here).

Her deep powerful (sometimes vulnerable) voice really came out.  By the time she got to “Sprinter,” the intensity level was through the roof.

But the song I’d been waiting to see was “Strange Hellos.”  This is the first song I’d heard by her and I loved the way it started so small and simple and turned into a huge raging song.  And live it’s even better.

She has the audacity to slow down that first section even further.  It’s amazing to hear the lengthy pauses between notes as she just stares at the audience daring us to interrupt.   And then the song proper starts and it rocks.  Her voice is strained to breaking as she sings along.  But it’s the end of the song–and the show–that was utterly memorable.

The show was great and I’ve just gotten a ticket for her show a the more intimate Boot & Saddle later his year so I can get another full dose of her intensity.

(more…)

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Kevin Devine (Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, June 1, 2017) [FRIGHTENED RABBIT]

Posted in Bad Books, Frightened Rabbit, Kevin Devine, Kevin Devine and the Goddman Band, Philadelphia, PA, Pinegrove, Union Transfer on June 1, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 1, 2017] Kevin Devine

I had heard of Kevin Devine–and his Goddamn Band–but hadn’t actually heard his music.  I knew that he recently toured with Pinegrove as support–a show I wish I’d seen!  But here he was solo.

Devine sang a dozen or so songs.  Each one was catchy and not based on simple chord sequences.  But mostly the focus was on the words.  And I really liked his delivery–powerful and always spot on.  It worked perfectly for a solo acoustic set but i could see it working just as well for a rocking band.

I can’t find a setlist on line, and I don’t know the names of many of his songs, so I don’t have much more to fill in here.

I recall him saying that one of the songs was the title rack of his new album Instigator.  I know he also played at least one song from his band Bad Books. (more…)

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Trey Anastasio (The Fillmore Philadelphia, May 25, 2016)

Posted in Crosby Stills Nash and Young, CSN&Y, Gorillaz, Led Zeppelin, Leon Russell, Mike Gordon, Philadelphia, PA, Phish, Portugal The Man, The Fillmore Philadelphia, Trey Anastasio, U2 on May 25, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 25, 2016] Trey Anastasio

I saw Phish for the first time last summer.  The show was a lot of fun and I understood why people wanted to go to every one of their shows.  I haven’t really listened to as much of Trey Anastasio’s solo music, although I do like his new album Paper Wheels.  But I thought it would be a great opportunity to see the front man in a small place–getting up close in a way I’d never be able to at a Phish show.

The ticket said the show would start at 7:30, I wanted to get there early to get in front.  I arrived later than I wanted to, but the show didn’t go on until 8, so I was a little annoyed.  And yet it also meant that I got to get up pretty close (right behind the front section which appeared to be the dance section of the floor).

I was really surprised at how little pot there was at the show.  I smelled a little, but for the most part it was more drinking than smoking (and there was much drunkenness at the end). (more…)

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Laura Marling (The Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, May 19, 2017 )

Posted in Laura Marling, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts, Townes Van Zandt on May 19, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 19, 2017] Laura Marling

I first heard about Laura Marling from All Songs Considered—they raved about her album Once I Was an Eagle.  Sarah bought it for me for Christmas, and I couldn’t get enough of it.   Since then, Laura has released two more albums, the awesome Short Movie and the newer, more introspective but equally gorgeous Semper Femina.

Normally I like to see bands that have a great stage show, but for Laura, I just wanted to hear her voice live.  I didn’t think she’d do much in terms of stage work, and she didn’t, but her voice (and her guitar) sounded fantastic.

I had checked her setlists ahead of time to see what albums she was playing most of her songs from.  It turned out she was playing almost all of Semper Femina, and then a few other songs from her other albums.  I’m glad I knew this going in or I would have been bummed not to hear some of my favorite older songs of hers.  because even though she did play songs from the other albums, she didn’t play the more obvious tracks.

But that also meant that I listened a lot to her new album and got to really appreciate it. (more…)

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Valley Queen (The Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, May 19, 2017 ) [LAURA MARLING]

Posted in Laura Marling, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts, Valley Queen on May 19, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 19, 2017] Valley Queen

I recently watched Valley Queen on a Tiny Desk Concert.  Initially, I  enjoyed it but wasn’t blown away.  Although I was blown away by singer Natalie Carol’s voice.  And as I listened to their set a few more times I got really hooked by them.  So I was pretty excited that they were opening for Laura Marling.

I arrived during their first song (TLA is in the center of the city and I wound up parking about 12 blocks away–cutting it way too close).

I walked in on the right side, enjoyed the first song and then had to get water (it was a stupid hot day) and then I wended my way to the front left, where I had a great view of the band.

Valley Queen have released an EP (Destroyer) and they played about half of the songs off of it.  They played a few other songs too, but I can’t find a setlist to confirm what they were. (more…)

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GuGu Drums from Shanghai (Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown, NJ, May 12, 2017)

Posted in GuGu Drums from Shanghai, Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown, NJ on May 12, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 12, 2017] GuGu Drums from Shanghai

This was supposed to be our last family theater even of the season (and probably our final Chinese Acrobat-type thing for quite some time, as we have seen a bunch lately).  But then something came up and only Clark and I could attend.  So it turned into a fun night for just the two of us to eat sushi at Inspiration Roll and witness the spectacle of many drums.

It’s not easy for us to get to MayoPAC for a 7:30 show, especially if we want to get sushi first.  We wound up missing some of the introductory piece, but that’s okay.

I wasn’t even entirely sure what to expect from this show–it just sounded cool.  And so it was.  Here’s a blurb that kind of summarizes the event: (more…)

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The Family Crest (Boot and Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, May 10, 2016)

Posted in Boot & Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, The Family Crest on May 10, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 10, 2016] The Family Crest

The Family Crest are a seven-piece band with horns, strings, guitar, keys and great vocals–mostly courtesy of Liam McCormick–but the backing vocalists are pretty awesome too.

I first saw them on a Tiny Desk Concert and they blew me away–watching McCormick wail “Beneath the Brine” gave me (and still gives me) chills.  I followed them on social media and they sent out Christmas postcards to everyone on their mailing list, which I thought was really cool.

So when I heard they were coming to Philly (and at Boot and Saddle no less), I knew I had to go.

I’ve said a lot about the intimacy of Boot & Saddle from previous shows, but this one was especially fun because when I went up to the merch table to check out their goods, keyboardist Laura Bergmann was the one selling the merch.  I also discovered that they had out an older EP that I didn’t know about, so that was cool.

The band came on stage and while everyone was warming up, McCormick came through the audience to the stage–no back room, so they just walk through the crowd. (more…)

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