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Pierce the Veil (The Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park, NJ, June 12, 2023) [THE USED]

June 14, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: June 12, 2023] Pierce the Veil

After everything I’d seen, I was fairly certain that Pierce the Veil was the headlining act tonight.  They seem to have been the headliner on most of the shows of this tour.

So, when the recorded music stopped playing and the stage lights went on, I assumed we’d be getting The Used.  Then a recording of (what turned out to be) El Rey the Vicente Fernández song started playing.  I didn’t think The Used would be playing a Mexican song, but what do I know?

After a verse of so, out came Pierce the Veil and in came all of the other people who thought The Used were up next.  It was like a swarm around us.

By this time the rain was coming down in buckets, and I think everyone was super excited to jump around.

Pierce the Veil has their first new album out in seven years, so they were clearly going to focus on this album.  But when I looked up the setlists, I saw that they were only playing for an hour–ten songs in total, so it couldn’t be all new songs.

They opened with a new song, “Death of an Executioner” which got everyone rocking out immediately.  It was very cathartic.  Then they followed it with a massive crowd pleaser.

“Bulls in the Bronx” is one of the first songs I’d heard by them and I loved everything about it.  The vocals, the catchy chorus, the intensity of the loud parts and, best of all, the lovely Spanish/acoustic guitar part in the middle.  Which they did play live (although not quite as acoustically as it could have been.  But it still sounded great.

Pass the Nirvana plays really nicely with the loud/quiet sounds and the repeated intense screams of “I Can’t Hear You” is a fun part of the song.  And the crowd absolutely loved screaming that super loudly.

Vic Fuentes asked if anyone had brought their emergency contact with them during weather like this–a nice intro their song “Emergency Contact.”  It was at this point that I realized that the woman who had just moved in behind me was screaming every word very loudly.  Pretty much right in my ear. Continue Reading »

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

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

June 13, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[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.

 

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

Pixies (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, June 9, 2023)

June 13, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: June 9, 2023] Pixies

I saw Pixies in 1989 and assumed I’d never see them again.  Then they reunited and started making new music.  So I saw them in 2017 and they were great.  Then I saw them the following year when they opened for Weezer (!).

That second show was shorter but they played a couple of songs that I hadn’t heard them play before and that was awesome.  I assumed I’d never need to see them again.

And now, five years later (holy cow), they were doing a headlining tour for a new album that I hadn’t listened to.  I wasn’t going to go until I saw that the two opening acts were bands I really wanted to see.

Bully is a great young band with a massive 90’s alt rock sound and Franz Ferdinand are a great 2000’s band who has been touring a lot lately but whom I missed when they were in town last time.  So I mean, Pixies are great and that’s cool, but that’s not who I was actually there to see.

In the six years since I last saw them headline, not a lot has changed.  They play a ton of songs, they don’t talk between songs and they sound fantastic.  The one difference was that they really seemed to be having fun up there.  Not that they didn’t before, but they had a few moments of levity on stage this time. Like when they messed up a song and were all smiles about it. Continue Reading »

Posted in Bully, Franz Ferdinand, Philadelphia, PA, Pixies, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Pierce the Veil / The Used / Don Broco / Girlfriends (The Rooftop at Pier 17, New York, NY, June 13, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

June 13, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 13, 2023] Pierce the Veil / The Used / Don Broco / Death By Romy

My son has been into Pierce the Veil for a while.  When they announced a show last year we were going to go, but they weren’t the headliners, and it seemed like a lot for just 45 minutes of music.

So here they were, possibly headlining (certainly co-headlining) this Creative Control tour with The Used.

There were literally FIVE shows that we could have gotten to for this tour.

Now that we’ve seen the show, I can with certainty say that I’m glad we didn’t go to this show at the Rooftop.  Even though I do think it was cool that they had these two shows over a week apart in the same venue.  That’s a neat twist on the many days in a row at the same place deal

Tonight’s was the fourth show in this run..  And the least likely for us to attend.  A Tuesday night show on the Rooftop at Pier 17–did that for Pup, don’t want to do it again.

The second one was at the Skyline Stage at the Mann Center.  Not a great venue to drag to on a Friday night (we would’ve certainly missed at least one band).  But I already had tickets to see Pixies.  I would have given those up for this show, but was happy I didn’t have to.

The third show was at the Stone Pony and that’s what we got tickets for. Continue Reading »

Posted in Don Broco, Girlfriends, New York City, Pierce the Veil, The Rooftop at PIer 17, The Used | Leave a Comment »

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

June 12, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[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.

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

Franz Ferdinand (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, June 9, 2023) [PIXIES]

June 12, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: June 9, 2023] Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand played a Greatest Hits show in August of 2022.  I wanted to go but it was the same night as Elvis Costello’s show–and I promised myself I’d see him no matter what (shame his show was so disappointing).

So when Franz Ferdinand was announced as an opening act for Pixies I grabbed a ticket right away.  I wouldn’t have gotten one if I didn’t like the headliners or anything, but hey, Pixies are great, so it was a double win.

It turns out that for this show they played an hour.  And for the greatest hits show they played for an hour and twenty minutes, so I really did get a double win.

For some reason I forgot that Franz Ferdinand were Scottish.  So that was a fun surprise.  As was Alex Kapranos’ energy and fun bouncing around the stage.  He was constantly jumping and getting himself in photographable poses.   It was a blast. Continue Reading »

Posted in Bully, Franz Ferdinand, Philadelphia, PA, Pixies, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Bully (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, June 9, 2023) [PIXIES]

June 11, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: June 9, 2023] Bully

I was excited for both opening bands at this show.  I had wanted to see Bully back in 2021 at Underground Arts.

But I had a ticket to see Baroness that night and couldn’t make it.  That show looks like it was great.  She played around twenty songs from throughout her catalog.  I don’t know if she had a band or was solo.

For this show, my first time seeing her, she had a band.  And they sounded great.  Singer/guitarist/really everything that is Bully, Alicia Bognanno, was right in front of us.  Wesley Mitchell was on drums right behind her.  Nick Byrd was on bass on my right.  And a guitar player and backing vocalist was on my left.  I never caught her name but she was an essential component to the sound.

So they played eight songs, all from the new album.  I see that at other shows she threw in a couple of older songs.  But whatever.  I like her sound and her voice and while I didn’t know that many of the songs, they sounded great and Bognanno’s intensity is wonderful. Continue Reading »

Posted in Bully, Franz Ferdinand, Philadelphia, PA, Pixies, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Black Midi (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 8, 2023)

June 10, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: June 8,  2023] Black Midi

So who the hell is Black Midi?  I’m not sure.  I wanted to see them because I’d heard their live show was great.  Although, I’m not sure where I heard that from.

I assumed NPR music, but they don’t really talk about Black Midi all that much.  So it must have been from elsewhere.

I watched a live video online and the show was insane–lots of slam dancing, lots of amazing musicianship.

The main trio is Geordie Greep – lead vocals, guitar; Cameron Picton – lead vocals, bass, guitar and Morgan Simpson – drums.  At our show there was a fourth member. and I’m not sure who he was.  He played bass the whole night and may have played piano for one song (although I couldn’t see him, but SOMEONE was playing).

Black Midi plays a kind of free jazz with a spoken lyric vocalist (Greep) who sounds like he’s an over-the-top crooner/stage actor from the 1950s.  Picton wore a button down shirt and tie and Greep was wearing business casual.

And they inspire some of the most intense mosh pits I’ve seen.

I don’t know how much (if any) of the music is improvised, but the scripted musical parts are intense and fast with incredible guitar playing that would fit right in with King Crimson.  Oh, and a very healthy splash of Primus.

The music is intense and so very specific, yet it is also quite a lot of fun.  The band apparently often plays ludicrous covers, but for this show it was all originals.  And that was fine. Continue Reading »

Posted in Black Midi, Cold Court, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Pierce the Veil / The Used / Don Broco / DeathbyRomy (Skyline Stage at The Mann, Philadelphia, PA, June 9, 2023)

June 9, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 5, 2023] Pierce the Veil / The Used / Don Broco / DeathbyRomy

My son has been into Pierce the Veil for a while.  When they announced a show last year we were going to go, but they weren’t the headliners, and it seemed like a lot for just 45 minutes of music.

So here they were, possibly headlining (certainly co-headlining) this Creative Control tour with The Used.

There were literally FIVE shows that we could have gotten to for this tour.

The was the second.  Not a great venue to drag to on a Friday night (we would’ve certainly missed at least one band).  But I already had tickets to see Pixies.  I would have given those up for this show, but was happy I didn’t have to.

This first show was a Monday night show on the Rooftop at Pier 17, thank you, but no.

The third show was at the Stone Pony and that’s what we got tickets for. Continue Reading »

Posted in DeathbyRomy, Don Broco, Girlfriends, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, Pierce the Veil, The Used | Leave a Comment »

Cold Court (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 8, 2023) [BLACK MIDI]

June 9, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: June 8,  2023] Cold Court

Cold Court is from Philadelphia.

That’s about all I can find out about them.

They have an Instagram page but there’s not much on it.  And any searches reveal pretty much that they opened for Black Midi and very little else.

According to the video below (live at the Lawn Jawn), this is the lineup of the band about two weeks before the Black Midi show:

Mini Serrano (Guitar, Vocals), Josyah Lavina-Maldonado (Guitar, Vocals), Theo Shuttleworth (Bass), Jett Mann (Drums), Charlie Westlake (Saxophone, Synth), Alex Ramirez (Viola), and Joe Kuck (Percussion). Continue Reading »

Posted in Black Midi, Cold Court, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

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