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Afghan Whigs / Pink Mountaintops (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 16, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 16, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 16, 2022] Afghan Whigs / Pink Mountaintops

Back in May, although they had no Philadelphia show planned, Afghan Whigs were going to stop in and do a Free at Noon.

I grabbed a ticket but the show was cancelled because of a COVID case.

I love The Afghan Whigs’ album Gentlemen.  I should love more by them, but I like them just fine (never been in the cult of Dulli).  I’ve never really been interested in seeing them live.

When this show was announced, I was notified because of Pink Mountaintops.

Pink Mountaintops are a band led by Stephem McBean who is the main guy behind Black Mountain.  I saw Black Mountain a while back and they were great.  I’m not sure I would enjoy Pink Mountaintops as much.  So I was never really likely to go to this show.

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Pink Mountaintops, The Afghan Whigs, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

xponential music festival (Wiggins Park, Camden, NJ, September 16-22, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 16, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 16-22, 2022] Xponential Music Festival

We went to this festival with the family back in 2016.  It was really hot.  The kids were in the in-between age where they didn’t really like the music but were too old to just enjoy being outside.

But we saw some really good bands.

It has felt like since then, the bands haven’t been all that interesting.  Although I do like that it’s in September and not July.

These headliners were not interesting to me at all.  We had seen The War on Drugs and it was a great show, but I didn’t need to see them again.  And the rest just weren’t very interesting to me.

In fact, usually the headliners are kind of irrelevant because the fun is in the side stages.

There were certainly a few performers I would have enjoyed seeing.  But most of them we have seen fairy recently.

The only band I haven’t seen who I’d like to is Catbite and maybe Sarah Shook & The Disarmers.  But neither one was worth going to a festival for.

Posted in Camden, NJ, Marina Stage, Wiggins Park, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA, XPN Fest, Xponential Music Festival | Leave a Comment »

The Front Bottoms / The Joy Formidable / Mobley (Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg, PA, September 15, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 15, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 15, 2022] The Front Bottoms / The Joy Formidable / Mobley

Back in May I got tickets for my son and I to see The Front Bottoms at a hometown show.  But we had both gone out the night before and didn’t feel like a second night of rocking.

This show came the night after a super late night Pearl Jam show.  So we wound up blowing off this one as well.  I’m guessing that we won’t be seeing them after all.

The Joy Formidable are a Welsh band that I’ve wanted to see for a while.  I have a ticket to see them headline in October.  So maybe it’s better that I didn’t see them here–save all of my exposure to their headline show.

Mobley is from Austin, TX and is a “writer/singer/producer of songs.”

Cut It Out magazine says

From keyboards, drums, and guitar, Mobley is a true Austin performer with a kinetic energy that makes him a unique individual. When you get a chance to see his live performances (after the pandemic, of course), you won’t be disappointed. He mixes theatrical lighting, video, and amazing energy.

Posted in Mobley, Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg, PA, The Front Bottoms, The Joy Formidable | Leave a Comment »

Pearl Jam (Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden, NJ, September 14, 2022)

September 14, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 14, 2022] Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam released Gigaton, their first album in seven years back in 2020.  They announced a US tour, but it was remarkably limited in scope.   There was an NYC date, but that sold out really quickly.

It was postponed for COVID and when they announced their 2022 tour, they threw in a stop in Camden as well.  So we actually had a chance to see them (us and 25,000 other people).

Well, getting there was a nightmare!  We got to Camden with no trouble and then it took us an hour to get from the Camden exit to a parking space.

I don’t know if this is a Camden problem or if the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion is to blame (they are at least the third owners since I’ve been going there and it doesn’t get better).

We missed the opening band Pluralone entirely and were actually worried we might miss the opening of the Pearl Jam set.  We didn’t but we only had to wait about 15 minutes.  And of course, we were REALLY far back.

Pluralone is the creation of Josh Klinghoffer who also played guitar and more with Pearl Jam on this tour.  I was really surprised that they had an opening band as recently they haven’t been having one.  I’m glad there was one as we would have missed the band if there hadn’t been.  But it also meant a shorter set (I think).

Pluralone plays some interesting experimental music.  They would have probably been pretty interesting to see, although Klinghoffer did wind up playing with Pearl Jam for the entire set,

C. went with us for this one (his first and hopefully not last Pearl Jam show).  T. was going to come with us, but she bailed.  It’s probably just as well, as we had to walk about a mile to our car and she didn’t really know them all that well.

Without question, I will not be going to another show in Camden again. They simply don’t have the infrastructure for that capacity crowd.

But all was forgiven when the band came out. Continue Reading »

Posted in Camden, NJ, Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Neil Young, Pearl Jam, Pluralone, Van Halen, Victoria Williams | Leave a Comment »

Richard Thompson / Jonah Tolchin (McLaughlin Norcross Memorial Dell, Haddon Heights, NJ, September 14, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 14, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 14, 2022] Richard Thompson / Jonah Tolchin [rescheuled from September 7, 2022]

This show had been postponed by a week.  But it turned out to be the same night as Pearl Jam.  So, sorry Richard, I didn’t show up for your free show.

~~~~

I have seen Richard Thompson more than almost any other musician.  This is largely because for several years in a row he played McCarter Theater in Princeton which felt like a short enough distance for us to go when the kids were littler.

Now that I have seen him so often, I’m trying to making him my most-seen performer (although he won’t ever beat Phish since Phish does many multi-date shows near me).

I was pretty excited to see him for this show, especially since it was free!  I had been to this location for Kathleen Edwards a few weeks earlier (what a great summer line up!).  But as the day moved on, the rain proved to be torrential.  Since Richard lives nearby, he was able to postpone his show for a week.  To a night that I wasn’t free.  Alas.

I had not heard of Jonah Tolchin.  He’s a New Jersey native–his bandcamp says he’s from Princeton.

I listened to a few of his songs on bandcamp, and I rather like them.  He’s got an interesting mix of folk with a kind of punky attitude.  His earlier stuff (when he wa sa long haired hippy) is more folkie, but his latest album (2022’s Lava Lamp) is a bit more stripped down and raw, giving it a rougher edge, maybe like Nathaniel Rateliff.

This would have been a fun double bill (even if Richard would probably only have played his biggest hits).

Posted in Haddon Heights, NJ, Jonah Tolchin, McLaughlin Norcross Memorial Dell, Philadelphia, PA, Richard Thompson, Summer Concert Series | Leave a Comment »

Broken Social Scene / Jasmyn (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 12, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 12, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 12, 2022] Broken Social Scene / Jasmyn

I can fall for hype when it comes to concerts.  I’m not going to see someone I don’t actually like or anything like that, but if there’s lots of excitement about a reunion or something, I can get swept up in it.

I really liked Broken Social Scene when they came out.  You Forget It in People was on steady rotation twenty years ago.  But I didn’t really listen to them at all in the last fifteen or so years.

This 20th anniversary tour was much hyped and I grabbed a ticket remembering how much I liked the album.  Although when I went back and listened to the album again I didn’t remember it all that well.

This show was in the middle of a busy week of shows and I felt like I could sacrifice this one to spare me having to go out every night of the week.

Reviews of the show and tour were quite good though and I wonder if I made the right call.   In an otherwise rave review, WXPN points out a few flaws at the show

An eight-member edition of their coterie faced mildly chaotic setbacks throughout their Union Transfer set, from Drew switching up songs on the fly as his voice grew more and more raw over two-plus hours, to a sound tech who kept rushing onstage to fidget with drum mics and synth inputs up to the last song of the main set. Though nothing ever reached the point of full collapse, the threat hovered; at one point there was an inexplicable loud BANG! from offstage and once it was clear nobody was injured, the show moved on.

But this makes me think I should have gone

But the moments that were great, were so great. Opening the show with People‘s opening run of songs was a thrill, from the barreling urgency of “KC Accidental” to the handclap-happy crowd participation of “Stars and Sons,” to Amy Millan of the band Stars rushing onstage in a whirlwind to sing “Almost Crimes,” play flute on “Looks Just Like The Sun” and generally contribute to the festivities for the rest of the night. It was the first show of tour where she was able to link up with the band, and she knocked it out of the park.

I love Amy Millan, and that would have been a cool surprise.

I was going to say I didn’t know who Jasmyn was, but the review says she was the singer in Weaves, a band I loved, and who were amazing live.  Her new sound is a bit more synth poppy, but I’ll bet she’s still dynamite live.

Posted in Andy Shauf, Marina Allen, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Ghost: Imperatour (Cure Insurance Arena, Trenton, NJ, September 9, 2022)

September 11, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 9, 2019] Ghost 

This was my third time seeing Ghost.  In four years!  They never fail to put on a spectacular show.

Each time I’ve taken C. with me and these last two he brought his friend with him.  This time, though, the boys sat in the seats straight back but on a slight rise (they had a great view) and I went to the floor to get as close to the action I could.  The usually toss stuff out to the audience after the show, but I was not in the right place.

There were tons of people in full cosplay, and they looked amazing.

It took a while for Ghost to come out.  They have a huge stage change up, so it’s understandable.  I happened to run into someone I knew there and his son (Hi Gary) which was crazy (although not really as he has seen Ghost like 6 times).

They play taped music as the band sets up.  It’s usually a kind of Gregorian chant.  Soon the stage was revealed in all of its multi-tiered, stained-glass glory.  The music segued into a tape of “Imperium” before the Nameless Ghouls ran out on stage followed soon after by Papa. Continue Reading »

Posted in Bruce Springsteen, Cure Insurance Arena, Ghost, Mastodon, Set in New Jersey!, Spiritbox, Trenton, NJ | Leave a Comment »

Mastodon (Cure Insurance Arena, Trenton, NJ, September 9, 2022) [GHOST]

September 10, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 9, 2019] Mastodon

This was my third time seeing Mastodon.  I have enjoyed them each time but I didn’t think I’d be seeing them again.  So it was a treat that they opened for Ghost.

I hadn’t really listened to their new album that much, so I didn’t really know what to expect.  Plus, in an opening slot, they wouldn’t get that many songs.  And I see that each show has their sets getting shorter and shorter.

The biggest surprise was the addition of a keyboard player.  Joao Noguiera stood on the same riser as the drums and had a lot of hair and a top hat (yes, like Slash).  He added a lot of atmospherics and sounds while the other guys were tuning.  But Mastodon is such a force, I’m not sure he was needed.

So they played five songs from the new album.  And then six songs that I’d seen them play before.  Most of those they’ve played at each show.

There were great visuals behind them–a huge screen showing videos.

“Pain with an Anchor” was sung by drummer Brann Dailor, who has the most melodic delivery of the band.  He and singer Troy Sanders share a lot of lead vocal duties on the new album.  And I love Dailor’s colorful drum set.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Cure Insurance Arena, Ghost, Mastodon, Set in New Jersey!, Spiritbox, Trenton, NJ | Leave a Comment »

Destroy Boys / Jigsaw Youth / Pinkshift / Softcult (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, September 10, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 10, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 10, 2022] Destroy Boys / Jigsaw Youth / Pinkshift / Softcult

This was an amazing bill for great punk.  I only found out about it after I had tickets for Neko Case that evening.  It turns out we wound up going to Lunar Faire this night anyhow.  But I would see any of these bands when they come back.

Destroy Boys play fast. lo-fi punk, but with really clear (and excellent lyrics).  I also enjoy the titles which have very little to do with the lyrics like:

“I Threw Glass at My Friend’s Eyes and Now I’m on Probation” with lyrics like

You’re ruining my life day by dayThe butterflies you give me are literally making me nauseousThis is disgusting, like seriously dudeWhat do you think you’re doing?You’re like way older than meAnd you’re gross and I don’t wanna do that

  • Alexia Roditis – lead vocals (2015–present), guitar (2018–present)
  • Violet Mayugba – guitar, backing vocals (2015–present)
  • Narsai Malik – drums (2018–present)

Jigsaw Youth is a punk band from Staten Island with a seriously heavy low end.  I listened to a few songs and liked some.  I preferred their newer stuff to their older songs.  I’m sure they would have kicked ass.

  • Maria Alvarez – bass, vocals
  • Nastacha Beck – guitar, backing vocals
  • Alex Dmytrow  – drums

I have seen Pinkshift twice and they are dynamite, both on record and especially live.  I would see them any chance I get.  And their new music is even better.

They are down to a trio now, but they always have a bass player on stage with them.

  • Ashrita Kumar – vocals
  • Paul Vallejo – guitars
  • Myron Houngbedji – drums

Softcult is the one sonic exception to the punk evening.  Softcult is a duo from Canda.  Their number one song on Spotify, “Love Song” is a soft woozy shoegaze song–it’s wonderful.  Their other songs play more with a hard/soft dynamic and grungy attitude.  The band comprises twin siblings Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn who are also in the band Courage My Love (who are a bit more punk).  The three or four Softcult songs I heard were great.

  • Mercedes Arn-Horn – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, cello
  • Phoenix Arn-Horn – drums, vocals keyboards

Posted in Courage My Love, Destroy Boys, Jigsaw Youth, Philadelphia, PA, Pinkshift, Softcult, Theatre of Living Arts | Leave a Comment »

Neko Case / Sean Rowe (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, September 10, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 10, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 10, 2022] Neko Case / Sean Rowe

Two opportunities to see Neko Case, and I missed them both.

I had wanted to see Neko Case for a while.  But then a few years ago I got to see her with The New Pornographers, which was like double the fun.

When she announced this new solo tour, I thought it would be cool to see her again (even though she posted a kind of nasty message about people taking pictures at her shows).  I actually blew off a much more interesting show this night: Destroy Boys, Jigsaw Youth, Pinkshift and Softcult assuming I would go to see Neko.

But then there was a Lunar Faire and my daughter asked if I could take her and her friend.  So I went to the Faire instead (it was super fun).

Sean Rowe is an alternative folk singer-songwriter and musician.  An avid naturalist, Rowe often speaks of his fascination with the woods and his connection to the land.

I hadn’t heard of him but he sound like a good fit with Neko.  However, when I listened to his song online, I hated his deep, slow vocal style.

Posted in Jersey City, NJ, Neko Case, The New Pornographers, White Eagle Hall | Leave a Comment »

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