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Archive for the ‘Venues’ Category

Refused (Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Bethlehem, PA, August 2, 2016) [DEFTONES]

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Deftones, Refused, Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Spotlights on August 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: August 2, 2016] Refused

2016-08-02 21.06.30I had never heard of Refused before this show.  I looked them up and saw that they are a Swedish punk band who supports pretty radical ideas.  The thing I missed though was that their most well known album, The Shape of Punk to Come, came out in 1998!

The band broke up right after that album (their 3rd).  They reunited in 2012 with much the same lineup (there had been some different band member in the original days as well).  Last year they put out a new album and here they were touring with Deftones.

From the little I’d read, it sounded like they were a hardcore band.  So I had very specific expectations.  But they were instantly dashed when I heard the very metal riffage that the guitarists produced. (more…)

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Spotlights (Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Bethlehem, PA, August 2, 2016) [DEFTONES]

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Deftones, Kim Gordon, Refused, Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Spotlights on August 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: August 2, 2016] Spotlights

2016-08-02 20.18.11I have been pretty excited to see Deftones for a while.  I knew they had an opening act called Refused, who I didn’t know, and just recently they added a third opening band called Spotlights, whom I’d also never heard of.

I looked them up online and saw them described as doomgaze or sludgegaze, which I loved.  And when I listened to one of their songs that was a pretty good description–a shoegaze vibe but with some seriously heavy low end rumble and heavy metal crunch.

Seeing them live, it was a bit of a different story.  Some of the shoegaze vibe and cool subtleties on their record got a little lost in the wall of noise at the Sands Event Center.

This is not to say that the set was bad (it wasn’t at all) but that the live show had a different feel than the record.  Primarily in that the vocals were a little buried.  (They’re kind of buried on the record too, but in a different way). (more…)

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Garbage (Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ, July 27, 2016)

Posted in Chrissie Hynde, Garbage, Jane's Addiction, Kristin Kontrol, Sayreville, NJ, Set in New Jersey!, Starland Ballroom, The Pretenders on July 28, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 27, 2016] Garbage

2016-07-27 21.26.35Back in the late 1990s, I loved Garbage.  Their debut and 2.0 were two  of my favorite albums of the era.  I had the chance to meet and greet when I was living in Boston, but when I got to the store, the line was huge and they cut it short about ten people in front of me.  But I did get to see them live.  And I saw them live later in the year when they played in New York.

They took a few years off and I didn’t love their next album.  Or the one after that.  I liked them, but I wasn’t as blown away (which I suppose is natural).  They released a new album last year and I liked it–it was a little less slick than those middle ones. And in the meantime, I’ve grown to appreciate those middle albums more–sure they are slicker, but there’s some good stuff on them.

So when I saw they were touring in the area, I thought it would be fun to see them again nearly twenty years later.

And man, was it ever.

(more…)

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Kristin Kontrol (Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ, July 27, 2016) [GARBAGE]

Posted in Dale Bozzio, Dum Dum Girls, Garbage, Kate Bush, Kristin Kontrol, Sayreville, NJ, Set in New Jersey!, Starland Ballroom on July 27, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 27, 2016] Kristin Kontrol

2016-07-27 20.08.28 I didn’t know who Kristin Kontrol was before this show.  I had to look her up and I saw that she used to sing for the Dum Dum Girls (she was Dee Dee Dum Dum).  I never really cared for them (I don’t like old time “girl group” music, so I didn’t need to hear it updated).  For some reason I assumed she would be loud and brash (which I realize is not what the Dum Dum Girls sound like anyhow).  Rather, her new outfit Kristin Kontrol embraces her love of 80s synth pop.

When she came out I didn’t realize she had been performing for a few years already (they formed in 2008), so while I knew she wasn’t a new artist, I was delighted with how much stage presence she had.  She even had “moves” down (arm gestures that went along with the songs) and she was really poised.

She told us that her first concert was Garbage way back in 1995 and it was that show that made her want to be a musician.  So she was delighted to be opening for them.

The band consisted of a drummer (who used a soft mallets on his cymbals, which I liked, as well as a mixture of electronic and analog drums), a guitarist who seemed to be playing lot of weird electronic sounds with is instrument (he was on the far side so I couldn’t really see him) and a bassist/keyboardist who was right in front of me.  Despite the guitar/bass line up, the overall sound was very synthy (even when no one was playing a synth).  (more…)

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XPN Fest: Overall thoughts: mostly highs, and not just temperature (Wiggins Park, Philadelphia PA, July 22-24, 2016)

Posted in Colvin & Earle, Darlingside, David Wax Museum, Esmé Patterson, Father John Misty, Kids Corner, Kississippi, Kurt Vile, Marina Stage, Mavis Staples, Philadelphia, PA, River Stage, The Districts, The Felice Brothers, The Record Company, The Revivalists, Tommy Stinson, Wiggins Park, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA, XPN Fest on July 25, 2016| 1 Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 22-24, 2016] XPN Fest

2016-07-24 15.34.58Even though I go to a lot of shows, I don’t really love Festivals.  I actually enjoy concerts too much to enjoy Festivals.  Which sounds dumb, but I’d rather see a band I like on their own play for a full set than for 30 minutes with a bunch of people who don’t really want to see them.

I’ve been to a few festivals over the years, and I have thought about going to other ones, but since I typically don’t want to spend a few days in the sun (and a few hundred dollars), I don’t go.

But the past two years we have seen some great headlining acts at XPN Fest.  And we thought it would be fun to go for the day, bring the kids and just have a fun day outside with music and vendors.  We bought tickets before the lineup was even announced.

WXPN members get half-priced tickets (which is cheaper than some of the regular shows I’ve been to) and kids’ tickets are $15 for the three days.  Perfect.

In the past, I have loved most of the headliners, but this year I didn’t really like any of them. The three day pass includes lawn seats to the headliners, but we wound up not using them at all. (more…)

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David Wax Museum–XPN Fest: Marina Stage (Wiggins Park, Philadelphia PA, July 24, 2016)

Posted in David Wax Museum, Marina Stage, Philadelphia, PA, The Districts, Wiggins Park, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA, XPN Fest on July 24, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 24, 2016] David Wax Museum

2016-07-24 15.58.23 David Wax Museum was supposed to play on Saturday.  Then it rained.  Really really hard.  For us, as we waited it out under a tent, the momentum was gone.  The kids were wiped out.  They kicked everyone out of the park because of thunder and lightning.  So even when the sun came back out, we decided to go home.

Well, it turned out that David Wax’s show was cancelled, but they were able to stick around until Sunday and the organizers squeezed them in and we got to see them anyhow!

I knew of David Wax Museum from a Tiny Desk and a Newport Folk performance broadcast on NPR a few years ago.  They played really fun, upbeat music (and used a donkey jaw bone as an instrument) and I was really psyched to see them.

Their set started literally just as The Districts finished up, so we had to hustle over.  And we caught them for the middle of their first song “Yes Maria,” a song I know pretty well and a wonderfully upbeat number.

2016-07-24 15.42.42And then they continued to have one of the most fun sets of the weekend.  Their songs have a Mexican flavor (co-lead singer Suz Slezak was wearing a  (very hot looking) poncho foe the set while Wax was wearing a very sharp looking pseudo-mariachi suit.

They talked to the audience a lot. They said they had driven to the show on Friday night from North Dakota (can that be right?).  Since it was the final night of their tour, they were actually kind of happy that the previous night was cancelled and rescheduled.  They only had to drive from the hotel nearby.  Suz said that it was the first show that they were really well rested for.

Their set included a bunch of sing-alongs, big clapping sections and lots of lyrics in Spanish.

Wax primarily plays the jarana, a Mexican instrument similar to a tiny guitar.  Slezak plays keyboards and fiddle as well as singing along.  And she’s the one who plays the quijada, a percussion instrument made from a donkey’s jawbone.  And yes it was great to see it in action.

Sarah told me after the show that it was her favorite set of the weekend.  I was pretty excited to get their latest album and then, to our surprise they cam over to the merch booth (instead of the meet and greet tent) and signed out disc.  I chatted with them a few minutes, and they were super nice.  Suz showed Tabby her necklace which has one of the teeth from the jawbone.  And their adorable daughter was there too.  She’s 2 and it was the first show of theirs that she got to watch (although I think mostly she was just hot).

I’m so glad that they were able to play and, as with The Districts, I’d love to see them in a smaller venue where they get a longer set.

See some colorful photos and stream their set here.

Setlist:

Yes, Maria, Yes

Dark Night of the Heart

Forgiveness

Harder Before It Gets Easier

Blood Jump

Chuchumbe

Don’t Lose Heart

Born With A Broken Heart

Colas

Guesthouse

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The Districts–XPN Fest: River Stage (Wiggins Park, Philadelphia PA, July 24, 2016)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, River Stage, The Districts, Wiggins Park, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA, XPN Fest on July 24, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 24, 2016] The Districts

2016-07-24 14.47.59 Despite the heat of Saturday, we were prepared to go back to the Fest on Sunday–with plans to pop into the Aquarium before the show.  I had wanted to see three artists on Sunday, but we only managed two.

I knew The Districts from WXPN , and I’d heard that their shows were a lot of fun.  And that was spot on.

This was the only show we watched at the River Front stage–the larger of the two.  Rather than fight the sun, we hung out on the periphery in the shade and, while we weren’t all that close, we could see the band fine and the sound was outstanding–it was actually a little better off to the side then in the front where it was  little ear-piercing.

Unlike the other bands we saw, The Districts were there to rock out and rock out they did. (more…)

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Esmé Patterson–XPN Fest: Marina Stage (Wiggins Park, Philadelphia PA, July 23, 2016)

Posted in Esmé Patterson, Marina Stage, Philadelphia, PA, Wiggins Park, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA, XPN Fest on July 23, 2016| Leave a Comment »

2016-07-23 13.16.33[ATTENDED: July 23, 2016] Esmé Patterson

I had originally intended to see five bands on Saturday of the Festival.  Because of a number of unexpected hiccups, I wound up seeing only two.  (More about the hiccups on Monday).

Of the five bands, I definitely had a couple that I wanted to see more than others.  And Esmé Patterson was one of them.  I knew her from All Songs Considered, and although I’d only heard one song, I really liked it and was excited to see her rock out.

We arrived in time for her set, put out our gear, and had a great time.

Esmé has a fun stage presence (and is really kind–she was worried about us all burning in the hot sun), she sings wonderfully and her backing band was totally solid. (more…)

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Darlingside–XPN Fest: Marina Stage (Wiggins Park, Philadelphia PA, July 23, 2016)

Posted in Darlingside, Marina Stage, Philadelphia, PA, Wiggins Park, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA, XPN Fest on July 23, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 23, 2016] Darlingside

2016-07-23 14.21.10 Although I had wanted to see five bands on this day, my main focus was Darlingside, a band who sings beautiful songs with wonderful harmonies.

Because we had the kids with us and they were feeling a little wilty from the heat, we spent some of their set walking around looking for shade.  This was less than optimal in terms of enjoying the set, but since the sound was really good, there was no denying how great they were.  Their harmonies were right on and even in a big opened air setting, they still sounded amazing.

What I didn’t expect was how funny and lighthearted they were.  (more…)

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Jane’s Addiction (The Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park, NJ, July 16, 2016)

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, David Bowie, Dinosaur Jr., Jane's Addiction, The Stone Pony, The Stone Pony Summer Stage on July 17, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 16, 2016] Jane’s Addiction

2016-07-16 21.49.18When Jane’s Addiction came out back in the late 1980s, I loved them.  Nothing’s Shocking was my favorite album for a few years and Ritual de lo Habitual was a close second.  There was something about their sense of sleazy and weirdly catchy songs that I totally gravitated towards. I probably should have gone to Lollapalloza that year, but I didn’t.

But then I moved past them.  When they released Strays back in 2003, I didn’t even give it a listen.  Same with The Great Escape Artist in 2011.  I just didn’t care all that much.  I’d also gotten a little overexposed to Dave Navarro and his exploits over the next decade.

And while I was interested in seeing them–especially since they were doing Ritual in its entirety, I was much more excited to see Dinosaur Jr.

But wow, was I impressed by their show.  The most impressive thing for me was the sound quality.  Whether that is chalked up to the venue (I doubt it–outdoor venues aren’t usually that good) or the way they mixed it (more likely), I couldn’t get over how great the band fit together–it sounded like the album (not like it was prerecorded or anything, just really full).  And most of the applause goes to Navarro. (more…)

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