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Archive for the ‘The Stone Pony Summer Stage’ Category

Don Broco /Girlfriends (The Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park, NJ, June 12, 2023) [PIERCE THE VEIL/THE USED] [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Don Broco, Girlfriends, Pierce the Veil, The Stone Pony, The Stone Pony Summer Stage, The Used on June 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 12, 2023] Don Broco

Tonight’s show started at 5PM.  FIVE.

PLUS, there was a massive thunder and lightning storm heading into Asbury Park at right around 9PM.

Without any updates on social media, the schedule had changed.

We walked into the grounds around 6:45.  I felt like the timing of he show (that Girlfriends would go on at 5), seemed not right mathematically.

I knew that The Used and Pierce the Veil were each getting an hour.  Don Broco couldn’t be getting more than 40 minutes and Girlfriends would get 30 minutes max.

So this seemed likely:
5-5:30 Girlfriends
6-6:45 Don Broco
7:15-8:15 The Used
8:30-9:30 Pierce the Veil

I thought maybe we’d catch some of Don Broco after our chimichangas.

But when we walked in I asked a woman in a Don Broco shirt if they had played yet and she said yes.  The whole show had been shifted because of the potential storm.  No Girlfriends.  Don Broco went on earlier (but really, how much earlier?  5:30, maybe?)

At any rate, we missed the first two bands.  I would have liked to have seen a little of Don Broco as I’ve heard their live show is full of tremendous energy.

Maybe someday.

 

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Girlfriends (The Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park, NJ, June 12, 2023) [PIERCE THE VEIL/THE USED] [DID NOT PLAY]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Don Broco, Girlfriends, Pierce the Veil, The Stone Pony, The Stone Pony Summer Stage, The Used on June 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT PLAY: June 12, 2023] Girlfriends

Tonight’s show started at 5PM.  FIVE.

PLUS, there was a massive thunder and lightning storm heading into Asbury Park at right around 9PM.

Without any updates on social media, the schedule had changed.

Girlfriends would not be playing this evening (although apparently they were there and were selling merch).

I’m glad that we stopped off at Oaxaca By the Sea for delicious chimichangas before going to the show.

So I’ll never be able to know what Girlfriends sound like live–although I still like their recorded songs.

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Turnstile / JPEGMAFIA / Snail Mail (Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park, NJ, October 6, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, JPEGMAFIA, Snail Mail, The Stone Pony Summer Stage, Turnstile on October 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 6, 2022] Turnstile / Citizen / Ceremony / Ekulu / Truth Cult

I was planning to see Turnstile back in May, although the overall bill–5 heavy bands–seemed a little too much.

This new show, just a few months later since they are always touring, had a much more interesting bill.

But, once again, this show was the same night as Cate Le Bon, who tours less frequently than Turnstile, so Cate won out.

JPEGMAFIA is a rapper and producer who I know more from his remixes than his actual music.  He draws from noise and punk and, frankly, sounds like someone I would really like and like someone I would really have liked to see live.

I have been wanting to see Snail Mail for quite a while.  Indeed, I was supposed to see her back in April, but I decided to stay home.  So I’m missing out on her once again.

This bill, though–a quiet folkie indie rocker, a noise rapper and a punk band was pretty interesting.

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Modest Mouse / The Cribs (The Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park, NJ, May 28, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Johnny Marr, Modest Mouse, The Cribs, The Stone Pony, The Stone Pony Summer Stage on May 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 28, 2022] Modest Mouse / The Cribs

I really enjoy seeing Modest Mouse live.  I’ve seen them a number of times and will happily see them again.

However, I didn’t really want to see them at the Stone Pont Summer Stage, which I have a kind of love hate relationship with.

They tour all the time and I was able to see them again later in December, so it’s okay that this show was missed.

The Cribs are an old (I had no idea) British rock band (formed in 2001).  They are made up of twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross Jarman.   Johnny Marr (who was also part of Modest Mouse for a while) played with them from 2008 to 2011.

They were a hugely popular British indie rock (emphasis on the rock) band whom I’d never heard of.  Apparently they hit some trouble just before COVID, and here’ a fun little blurb from the NME.

The Jarman brothers were left staring defeat in the face following ‘24-7 Rock Star Shit’ due to a self-described “legal morass”. After unexpectedly parting ways with their management, a morale-sapping period in the wilderness followed; they couldn’t release music or tour (the gig-hardened band still haven’t played live since September 2018). “Towards the end of last year, we honestly could not even begin to imagine coming back and were seriously questioning our future as a band,” The Cribs revealed in a message to their fans back in August. “It felt almost like a distant dream or something.”

Step forward Dave Grohl. While supporting Foo Fighters in Manchester in the summer of 2018, the deflated Cribs received a pep talk from the gregarious frontman, who offered them a route out of their quagmire. “‘Forget about all that business stuff, come out to LA and make a record at our studio’ – Dave made that offer to us,” a relieved Ryan Jarman recalled.

It was precisely the kind of escape that the Jarman brothers so desperately needed: after reuniting at their parents’ house during Christmas 2018 to thrash out some new song ideas, the trio headed to the Foos’ Studio 606 the following April to record what would become ‘Night Network’, The Cribs’ best album in 11 years.

Back to ‘Goodbye’, then. The record’s very un-Cribsian surf-pop opener, complete with ‘Pet Sounds’-influenced harmonies, permits the band to first and foremost reflect on the bullshit (“Goodbye when you chose the sons of privilege,” one withering line goes) before consigning those tumultuous times to the past.

Point made, drummer Ross Jarman  signals the resumption of normal service as his tumbling fill sparks lead single ‘Running Into You’ into life. “If I could only write her favourite song / Still be in her head when I am gone,” bassist Gary Jarman wistfully sings as his twin brother Ryan crafts a sprawling and very Cribsian riff from the barrage of fuzzy guitar he lays down throughout. There’s even an “ah-oh-oh-oh” cry thrown in at the end, almost like a tip of the hat to ‘The New Fellas’ era. Isn’t it good to have The Cribs back?

I’m going to have to give these guys a listen.

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Almost Queen (The Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park, NJ, September 10, 2021)

Posted in Almost Queen, Asbury Park, NJ, Happy Birthday, Philadelphia Freedom, The Stone Pony, The Stone Pony Summer Stage, The Unforgettable Fire on September 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 10, 2021] Almost Queen

S.’s co-workers invited her to see Almost Queen with them late in June.  She agreed, thinking it would be a fun night out.  As September approached, she realized that the friends had a slightly different plan for the evening than she did, and realized that she couldn’t ride down with them.  So she asked me to come along.

I was game, of course.  I have never intentionally paid to see a tribute band before.  But since this was a band that I would never be able to see live (Queen last played in New jersey in 1982–although the version with Adam Lambert had played here more recently), I said why not.

I was intrigued that a cover band had two opening acts, also cover bands: Philadelphia Freedom, The Elton John Tribute and The Unforgettable Fire: The U2 Tribute.

However, the combination of Friday night plans and Friday night traffic meant we got to the Stone Pony during the final two U2 songs (“One” and “Bullet the Blue Sky”–a rather odd final song I thought).  They sounded good from the street, but I have no real opinion of The Unforgettable Fire.

The place was PACKED and there was no vaccination requirement (good grief).  This is my third Summer Stage show in a few years and honestly, unless there is something really amazing playing there, I don’t think I’d go back.  The crowd is just terrible–filled with drunken Jersey dudes and dudettes.  If this was a band I really wanted to see I’d have been really annoyed by them all.  Fortunately, this was a fun tribute act and I was happy to just kick back and enjoy.  We somehow managed to find our group (amusingly, I told S. to have her friend hold up her phone and wave it.  Immediately someone did and we followed the light only to realize that it wasn’t her friends, but the person standing right next to them–weird). (more…)

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Trey Anastasio Band (Stone Pony Summer Stage) NJ, May 24, 2020) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Cancelled, Coronavirus, Newport Folk Festival, Phish, Quarantine, The Stone Pony Summer Stage, Trey Anastasio, Trey Anastasio Band on May 24, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: May 24, 2020] Trey Anastasio Band

indexI have seen Trey Anastasio once solo at Newport Folk Festival (amazing) and with  the Trey Anastasio Band (super fun).  I didn’t expect him to tour so soon because Phish is playing in Atlantic City this summer.  So it was great to see that he was going to do two shows this summer.

It’s a bummer that this show was cancelled, not to be rescheduled, but this show also wound up conflicting with my friend Armando’s wedding party so technically I wasn’t going to be able to go.  I was trying to trade for a ticket to the Saturday show, but that’s moot now.

TAB cancelled their show pretty early (Mar 24) for a show that was all the way at the end of May, but it was better not to have to wait.  So far, Phish hasn’t cancelled their shows on August 14-16, but we’ll see.

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All Them Witches (Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ, June 1, 2018) [PRIMUS]

Posted in All Them Witches, Asbury Park, NJ, Convention Hall, Mastodon, Primus, The Stone Pony Summer Stage on June 1, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 1, 2018] All Them Witches 

I didn’t know All Them Witches before this show.  And I don’t know them after this show.  Parking in Asbury Park was pretty rough and, it being after Memorial Day traffic was worse than when I had driven down there in the winter.

Because of the impending torrential thunderstorm (which never actually materialized), the show was moved from the Stone Pony Summer Stage to Conventional Hall.  It was the right decision given the forecast, but….well, whatever.

Anyhow, I missed them entirely.  I walked in as they were packing up their gear.

Sorry.

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Pixies (The Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park, NJ, September 23, 2017)

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Black Francis, David Lovering, Frank Black, Joey Santiago, Kim Deal, Paz Lenchantin, Pixies, Sunflower Bean, The Stone Pony, The Stone Pony Summer Stage on September 23, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 23, 2017] Pixies

I saw the Pixies live at Giants Stadium in 1989.  They opened for The Cure and played a rollicking set.

I was a huge fan of their original albums and I’ve enjoyed The Breeders and Frank Black’s solo stuff to varying degrees.  I was intrigued when they reunited, but I wasn’t super psyched about it.  I didn’t really love the new songs they released–they were all fine, but I figured either I was past them or they had changed enough to make their new stuff less dramatic.

But when I saw that they were playing at the Stone Pony Summer Stage (the day after Autumn officially began), I thought I might like to go.  The face value  of the tickets was $37, which wasn’t too bad, but somehow after Ticketmaster got involved, the total was $59, which was way too much.  We were near Asbury Park during the summer and I stopped by the Stone Pony to buy a ticket at the box office.  But they were closed! (Closed Tuesdays, apparently).

It turned out that day of the show tickets went up to $52 (!).  Well, I was on the fence, and then while I was trying to find out what time the opening band went on (no official word except that gates opened at 5:30), I came across a ticket for sale on Stubhub for $20.  I’d never bought anything on Stubhub before, because I’d always heard the prices were crazy expensive.  Well, including fees, these tickets were less than face value.  Which is pretty awesome.  And I was all set.

For many people, the dealbreaker (ha) for this show was that original bassist Kim Deal as no longer in the band.  I had heard new bassist Paz Lenchantin and thought she sounded enough like Kim (especially in an outdoor venue) that it wouldn’t be all that noticeable that Kim wasn’t there.  What I didn’t realize and which I respect even if it meant that we lost out, was that they didn’t play any songs that Kim sang lead on.  Paz did all of the backing vocals and sang lead on the one song she sings on the newest album and the encore, but that was it. (more…)

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Sunflower Bean (The Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park, NJ, September 23, 2017) [PIXIES]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Pixies, Sunflower Bean, The Stone Pony, The Stone Pony Summer Stage on September 23, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 23, 2017] Sunflower Bean

As with most new bands, I first heard about Sunflower Bean on All Songs Considered.  I loved the psychedelic yet punky sound of the song “2013.”  And the entirely of their full length album Human Ceremony is really good–catchy songs with a great vibe.

I was really excited to hear that they were opening for the Pixies show–although I didn’t exactly see how their music would jibe with Pixies songs.

Well, I needn’t have worried.  Sunflower Bean rocks a lot harder live than on the record.  And their set included a number of new, heavier songs that complemented the night well.

Confusingly, this show stated that the Gates opened at 5:30, but they would not say anywhere what time Sunflower Bean went on.  I was sure they wouldn’t start at 5:30.  I assumed they’d start at 6:30, and yet that was still really early for a Saturday night show to end.  Because the day was really busy (Tabby had a piano recital earlier!), I managed to get to Asbury Park at 6:40 and drove around a bit to find a free parking spot.

The timing was perfect because Sunflower Bean went on at 7 and that gave me time to buy an outrageously over priced pretzel ($6) which tasted terrible. (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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