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Archive for the ‘Wellmont Theater’ Category

[ATTENDED: February 8, 2024] An Evening With Band of Horses

My wife and I saw Band of Horses three times in three years.  But we hadn’t seen them in eight years!  I couldn’t believe it had been so long because the previous show (the first headlining show we’d seen) was so good, so impactful, that we think of it as one of the best shows we’ve seen.

This show promised to be even better because it was going to be an evening with the band–no opening act!

The first set was acoustic.

Ben Bridwell came out and sang St. Augustine solo.  It was lovely.  He had lost his voice about a week ago and I wasn’t sure how good he would sound, but he sounded perfect.

He then invited out Brett Nash to play guitar with him and sing “Part One.”  The harmonies were wonderful.

Then the rest of the band came out.  Creighton Barrett played a small drum kit, Ryan Monroe sat at a grand piano and Matt Gentling played upright bass.

Here the harmonies became outstanding.

Visually the set was charming with each guy in his own little area.  Each one had a lamp and there were candle all over the stage.

Despite the set being acoustic, it wasn’t specifically quiet or mellow.  Indeed, some of the songs were jaunty and rocking but in a fun folk rock way.  (more…)

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[ATTENDED: January 7, 2023] The Musical Box

I’ve said many times that I don’t go to see cover bands.  I don’t really see the point (I realize some people like to go out and have music in the background while they drink and talk–for me, the band is the point.  I can drink and talk at home for free).  But I’ve been seeing ads for The Musical Box for a number of years and I often wondered if I needed to check out this cover band who plays early, prog Genesis.

I have enjoyed so much Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets project which plays the early Pink Floyd, but there’s an actual Floyd dude in the band (even if it is “only” the drummer).  There’s no one from Genesis in this band.  But they recreate the insanity of what Peter Gabriel and company were doing in the early 70s.  Shows that were outrageously theatrical and weird.  High tech for the time, but crazily analog now.  But they recreate it perfectly.

Even Genesis agree:

It’s 1973-PETER GABRIEL’s famous theatrics and GENESIS’ musical apex produce some of the most iconic images and sounds of the 70’s, enjoying to this day a cult following. A TIMELESS CLASSIC. THE MUSICAL BOX, who shared the stage with PHIL COLLINS and STEVE HACKETT as performing guests and acclaimed by more than a million spectators in some of the most prestigious venues in the world such as London’s ROYAL ALBERT HALL and Paris’OLYMPIA, will perform the emblematic 1973 show in painstaking details. TAKE A LITTLE TRIP BACK.

PETER GABRIEL: “TMB recreated, very accurately I must say, what Genesis was doing. I saw them in Bristol with my children so they could see what their father did back then”

PHIL COLLINS: “They’re not a tribute band, they have taken a period and are faithfully reproducing it in the same way that someone would do a theatrical production”

When I saw that an online friend of mine had seen them recently and said that this was his third or fourth time seeing them, I considered going for real.  And THEN there was an article about them in The Walrus, a glossy magazine of Canada (The Musical Box is from Canada).  I haven’t actually been reading my magazines recently (I have a huge box of them to go through) so the coincidence of me happening to look through this one and read this glowing article sealed the deal.  And lo and behold, they were playing in Montclair in a couple of months!

The only problem, (if it was a problem) is that they were touring Selling England By the Pound, an early album that I didn’t know all that well (I’m a Foxtrot guy).  But the setlist included three songs from Foxtrot (including Supper’s Ready), so I could certainly listen to Selling England (it’s quite good), and get prepped for this experience. (more…)

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[DID NOT ATTEND: October 24, 2023] Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade

This is yet another show that I bought a ticket for in Philly only to find out later that there was a show in Montclair.  Montclair is certainly easier for me to get to, although honestly I don’t live The Wellmont–I don’t know what it is, but I seem to have an iffy time when I go there.  Especially for a metal show.

I don’t think this is going to be a metal show, but I wonder who will show up.

By the same token, the last time I saw Primus, the meathead crowd was really high.  I hope they don’t come to my show since it doesn’t say Primus.

I’ll find out tomorrow.

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[DID NOT ATTEND: September 9, 2023] The Flaming Lips

I saw this tour in Philly just a few days ago.  I didn’t realize that this tour was popping by the Wellmont until I had already gotten my Philly tickets.  I thought about grabbing this date and selling my Philly one but I as afraid that that Jersey metalheads would be too rough.  Turns out the Philly metalheads were super rough.  So maybe this one would have been better.

After seeing the show, I half considered getting a ticket for this show as well, just so I would know where to stand when Dave and Scott throw their stuff into the crowd.  I could probably get a lot closer too.

Plus, now that I know they play a (slightly) different set list each night, it might have been fun to see this show agin.

But I won’t be going for a second time this week. If it had been a little further away I might have done it.

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[ATTENDED: August 19, 2023] Parliament-Funkadelic featuring George Clinton

I’ve had Parliament’s Greatest Hits since like 1990.  I have a couple Funkadelic albums.  I am in no way a huge fan, but I’ve always liked them and I’ve always thought that George Clinton was a pretty great guy.  I realize 100% that the P-Funk heyday was literally decades ago.  And of course I knew that any P-Funk concert in 2023 was going to be an imitation of what the band(s) got up to back in the day.

But since George was going to be there and his name was on the marquee, I assumed that this show would be a 21st century update to the classic P-Funk show.  And with the technology (and costumery) available, it seemed like this could be an outrageous spectacle.

And it was not.

Well, it was a spectacle.  There were some forty people on stage over the course of the night.  Not even all of them were musicians.  There were people ringing in the stage (one woman had her purse with her) who I’m guessing were VIPs or who won a contest or something.  When the band first came out there were four horn players, two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, a keyboardist, a disembodied voice (eventually I located him), four backing vocalists and George himself.

These musicians came and went throughout the show, sometimes being replaced by others.  And who even knew what was going on in the back where people were unseeable. (more…)

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[ATTENDED: August 19, 2023] Fishbone

I first heard of Fishbone from John Cusack wearing a Fishbone shirt in Say Anything (1989).

And it wasn’t just a random T-shirt

[Cusack didn’t like the boom-box scene].  In a last-ditch effort to convince his star to try the scene the way it was written, Crowe told Cusack that the song blaring from the stereo would be by the band Fishbone. At the time, the actor was a big fan of the ska group, and their music’s inclusion helped persuade him to give it a try. The shot worked, but the scene was still a long way from reaching its legendary form.

(While sources all agree that a Fishbone song was played from the boombox on-set, which song was used seems up for debate. AFI claims it was “Question of Life, Mental Floss says it was “Turn the Other Way” and Uproxx believes it to have been ”Bonin’ in the Boneyard.” For the sake of argument, we’ll trust Crowe, who said that “Party at Ground Zero” was the song used.)

Anyhow, I liked the logo and decided to check out the band (or at least that’s how I remember it).  I loved their first EP with it’s funky dancey, naughty songs.  And Truth and Soul followed to great success.  Then it was their terrific The Reality of My Surroundings which sold me for good on Fishbone.  They even had a pretty big hit with the very heavy “Swim” from the following album.  So I’d been following Fishbone for about five years and hen kind of lost touch with them.

But those albums received a ton of play in those years and I never forgot how much I loved them.

So when I saw that they were still together (or reunited or whatever) I was surprised and delighted.  There’s been a ton of lineup shuffling over the years, but as of this concert, four of the six original members are now back (or still) in the band. (more…)

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[ATTENDED: August 19, 2023] Blu Eye Extinction

I had been looking forward to this show quite a lot.  I’ve loved Fishbone for years and I assumed that PFunk would be a lot of fun.

At the last minute I found out that there was going to be a third band, Blu Eye Extinction opening as well.  I was pretty tired going in so this wasn’t welcome news.

I walked in as they were playing and I rather liked their sound–a rock/funk/rap experience.  Off t the side of the stage was a woman playing keys and singing backing vocals.  But he singing style was… different.  Kind of operatic and not exactly related to the melody.  It was a puzzle for sure.  So I looked them up and found this

Blu Eye Extinction is a NYC-based funk fusion band.  The brainchild of Isotopia Records’ Constance Hauman who brings an unlikely combination of opera, jazz and funk to her keyboards and vocals, is only possible with the funk foundation and masterful grooves of the electric bass of James Jones. His unique style also encompasses his vocals, supporting Henry Ott’s rock guitars…  If that isn’t enough, you add front man and emcee TJ Robinson on trombone, percussion and rap vocals, supported by JS Williams‘s rich trumpet w/ R&B vocals, and last but so not the least, Joshua Keitt’s metal-rock funk drums, it is no wonder that audience’s minds have been blown on the 50 UK and US shows since their debut at New Orleans Jazzfest April 29, 2022.

(more…)

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[DID NOT ATTEND: February 18, 2023] Flogging Molly / Anti-Flag / Skinny Lister

I actually saw Flogging Molly twenty-three years ago when they opened for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.  They had just released their debut album and I remember enjoying their mix of Punk and traditional Irish music.  I never would have guessed they’d still be around all this time later.

I also just found out that the lead singer of the band is Dave King the singer from the 80s heavy metal band Fastway, who I liked a bunch back in the day.

I wasn’t all that interested in seeing Flogging Molly–I haven’t listened to them since–although I’m sure they put on a super fun show.  But I was interested in seeing Anti-Flag (again).

Anti-Flag is a punk band who I should have known about but only learned of through my son.  Their live show was awesome and I definitely want to see them again. (more…)

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[DID NOT ATTEND: January 31, 2023] Anthrax / Black Label Society / Exodus

Anthrax is the only band of the classic heavy metal landscape that I’ve never seen (who I want to see, anyhow).  I thought seeing them in Montclair would be an easy decision.  They’re back to almost their original lineup (okay, not original, but “classic” lineup).  And I thought a Tuesday night show less than an hour away would be perfect.

They had played this tour in Philly back in August and I just wasn’t feeling it.  I don’t really care about Black Label Society, and it just felt like a lot of work.  But a close show seemed like a much better idea.

S. said she’d like to go too, so I got us both a ticket.  About a month ago I found out that it had sold out.  And I realized that I didn’t really want to go to a sold out metal show at the Wellmont.  I assumed it would be well attended, but a sold out show gave me visions of the worst metalheads all smashing around each other and it suddenly felt really unappealing. (more…)

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[DID NOT ATTEND: October 20, 2022] The Flaming Lips

I have seen The Flaming Lips six times and they never disappoint.  In fact, the last time, I said to myself that I wanted to bring my kids next time so they could enjoy the spectacle of inflatables, and confetti and balloons and lights and everything.

But this show happened to be right on my daughter’s birthday.  For some, that might be an awesome birthday present.  But she doesn’t really know them and didn’t want that to be how she spent her birthday (fair enough).

So we didn’t go to this one.  But I’m sure Wayne and the guys will be back again.

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