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Andrew W.K. (TLA, Philadelphia, PA, September 24, 2021) [POSTPONED]

September 23, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[POSTOPNED: September 24, 2021] Andrew W.K. [moved to September 23, 2022]

I saw Andrew W.K. three years ago and loved his show.  The positivity and energy were really remarkable.  And it was a ton of fun as well.

I wasn’t sure if I’d want to see him again, but when I saw he was playing TLA, I definitely considered it.  Then it turned out to be a very busy week for me, so I resignedly accepted that I would not go to his show (his new album is supposed to be very good).

Then, out of the blue, Andrew cancelled his entire 2021 tour and deleted his entire social media presence.  No one knows why.  Is it because he just got engaged (to Kat Dennings) and they appear to be expecting a baby?  Is it because Andrew W.K. is full of weird social media ideas?  Is it because…well who knows.

The point is that the show has been moved to next September, and I think I’m going to be going.  I need to see him play that pizza guitar again.

Posted in Andrew WK, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Theatre of Living Arts | Leave a Comment »

Trey Anastasio Band (The Met Philadelphia, September 21, 2021)

September 22, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 21, 2021] Trey Anastasio

I was quite surprised to see that the last time I saw the Trey Anastasio Band was five years ago.  It didn’t feel that long at all.

Even though Trey plays some Phish songs, a TAB show doesn’t feel like a Phish show.  Mostly because there’s a horn section, but also because of the general feeling that TAB conveys–more grooving, less jamming.

But really, I went last time and I went this time because I never get up close to the stage at a Phish show but I knew I could get up close here.  And I did.

The show was supposed to start at 7 and with my work commute I decided to head into Philly right after work.  This allowed me to swing into Federal Donuts and then get to The Met in plenty of time.  I managed to get one of the evening’s (cool) posters and took my place right behind the people who were up at the fence.  Incidentally the guy in front of me was hilarious about his personal space.  He didn’t want anyone standing next to him while he sat on the floor and when someone squeezed past him to get to the fence he more or less shooed the guy away.  He never raised his voice, but he was a pretty intense. Continue Reading »

Posted in Cyro Baptista, Philadelphia, PA, Phish, The Met Philadelphia, Trey Anastasio | Leave a Comment »

Pet Shop Boys / New Order: The Unity Tour (Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, September 22, 2021) [rescheduled]

September 22, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[POSTPONED: September 22, 2021] Pet Shop Boys / New Order: The Unity Tour [rescheduled from September 12, 2020 moved to September 28, 2022]

As a touring band of a certain age (and financial situation), it didn’t surprise me that this tour was postponed one more year–what do they need to put themselves at risk for?  I bought these tickets on Feb 26, 2020!

However, I was pleased that this time the show isn’t the day after the My Chemical Romance show,

indexI saw the Pet Shop Boys in Morristown a few years ago.  The show was great.  The guys sounded amazing and I had a really good time–except for the crowd around me.  They were all loud and talking and tall and pushing.  I wished I’d gotten better seats as well.  So I told myself if they toured again I would see them if conditions were good.

Well, how about if they toured with New Order?  I’ve been a fan of New Order forever but I’ve never seen them live.  I’m not even sure I ever really wanted to see them live.  But putting them together with New Order was  perfect.  I didn’t realize that peter Hook had left the band.  I did see that he was doing solo shows, but I didn’t realize he had no main band anymore.  I also didn’t realized they’d put out any new music since Get Ready.  Well, I hope they were just going to play the hits.

I didn’t really want to go to Madison Square Garden, but I’ve had good luck there lately so I picked it over any other large venue.

On June 11, I got the news that Pet Shop Boys & New Order – The Unity Tour was to be postponed until next year.  I had pretty good seats, so I’m glad I get to keep them.  I’ve waited a while to see them again, what’s one more year?

 

Posted in Coronavirus, Madison Square Garden, New Order, New York City, Pet Shop Boys, Postponed, Quarantine | Leave a Comment »

Bob Mould Band: Distortion and Blue Hearts (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 19, 2021)

September 21, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 19, 2021] Bob Mould Band

I saw Bob Mould play a solo show last year (just before the pandemic).  I had seen him 24 years earlier and thought it would be fun to see him again.  And it was.

When he announced this new tour, I didn’t feel like I needed to see him again.  However, since he was with a band, I thought it would be a different experience.  And it was.  Not radically different, but different enough to make it more fun.

Last time he played 22 songs in about 80 minutes.  And, in what I understand is true Mould fashion, a song would end and he would jump right into the next one.  He took a break every few songs to chat and then off he went.

It was much the same at Union Transfer, although this time he played 24 songs in 80 minutes.  Having the other two guys Jason Narducy on bass and Jon Wurster on drums added a much appreciated low end.

Plus there are some songs (especially Hüsker Dü songs) where the bass and or drums play something distinctive and it was nice to hear that part.

In 2020, Bob had not yet released Blue Hearts, although he did play four songs from it.  For this show he opened with four songs (two were different, like the appropriately angry “American Crisis“).  And then he was all over his lengthy discography (dating back to 1983). Continue Reading »

Posted in Bob Mould, Hüsker Dü, Kestrels, Philadelphia, PA, Sugar, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

My Chemical Romance: 2020 MCRXX (Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, September 21, 2021) [rescheduled]

September 21, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[POSTPONED: September 21, 2021] My Chemical Romance [rescheduled from September 22, 2020; moved to September 20, 2022]

indexOn April 16th, My Chemical Romance decided to postpone their tour once again.  And I’m glad they postponed and didn’t cancel because I have great seats.  But I realized that my son was a freshman when I ordered these tickets and he will be a senior when the show actually goes on!

My Chemical Romance is postponing our 2021 touring plans until 2022.  We are deeply sad, but those emotions are only a fraction of the depth of feeling we have all experienced watching the suffering and loss of the past year.  We just want to be as sure as we can be that everyone is safe.  Refunds will be offered to anyone who wants them.  We are sorry if this is disappointing, and we REALLY can’t wait to see you in 2022

I enjoyed My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade album quite a lot, although I haven’t listened to all that much beyond it.

I wasn’t really aware that they’d broken up because my son and his friends like them and listen to them on trips (sometimes).  When this tour was announced, I thought it would be so much fun to go to see this massive spectacle (which I assume it will be).

I bought a ticket for me, my son and his friend and the seats were great!  I was really excited about the show and was hoping that it wouldn’t get postponed–end of September seemed like maybe we’d be out of lockdown.

Then on June 16th, it was announced that the tour would be pushed back to next year.  I am getting rather concerned that rescheduled dates are going to be on the same night.  Turns out this sow is the day after the Pet Shop Boys show.  But since I had great seats, I’m glad we get to keep them.

One more year just builds up more anticipation.

 

Posted in My Chemical Romance, Newark, NJ, Postponed, Prudential Center | Leave a Comment »

The Avett Brothers (The Mann Center for Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 21, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 21, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 21, 2021] The Avett Brothers [rescheduled from September 24, 2020 and June 9, 2021]

I enjoyed them last time I saw them, but the crowd was terrible,  Nevertheless, it would take a lot to get me to go to The Mann Center to see them–it’s just too inconvenient for me.

Maybe some other tour.

~~~~~~~~

I saw The Avett Brothers a couple of years ago in Bethlehem. I’d always heard that they were fun live and yes they were.  But oh man, was I in a bad place.  I was far back and behind a wall of people who just didn’t seem to want to let me look between their giant heads. Continue Reading »

Posted in Coronavirus, Deftones, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Nick Cave, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Quarantine, The Avett Brothers | Leave a Comment »

Kestrels (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 19, 2021) [BOB MOULD]

September 20, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 19, 2021] Kestrels

I had not heard of Kestrels.  They are a trio from Halifax with several releases out.

According to the new release

Since 2008, Kestrels has been the primary project of singer/guitarist Chad Peck, who spends his time offstage as a high school English teacher.  [Do his students know that their English teacher rocks?]

They played an excellent mix of loud and soft, with ripping solos, an excellent bass sound and cracking drums,

When they first started playing I actually couldn’t hear Peck’s voice at all.  I was right up against the fence in front of the stage and assumed I was too close to hear the voices (that’s not a nice audio trick to play on people in the front).  I backed up a few steps and could hear him better (they may have turned up the vocals, too).

Peck’s guitar playing was really fun–big distorted chords and then pulling back for some quiet guitar picking.

One of the more amusing moments was when the bassist (whose name I didn’t catch) asked if they could change the lights (they had been on that terrible red for a couple of songs).  He said “I’m a ginger, anything but red.” Continue Reading »

Posted in Bob Mould, Halifax Nova Scotia, Hüsker Dü, J. Mascis, Kestrels, Philadelphia, PA, Sugar, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Soccer Mommy (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 18, 2021) [rescheduled from March 30, 2020]

September 19, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 18, 2021] Soccer Mommy [moved from March 30, 2020]

I was supposed to see Soccer Mommy open for Phoebe Bridgers a few years back.  I felt sick on the way down to the show so I wound up coming home instead.

S. bought me her CD for some holiday in 2020 and I thought it would be fun to see her live.  I was supposed to see her back in March of 2020, but the show was pushed back until September 2021.   And in that time, something big must have happened to her because this show sold out! And the crowd was really intense about her.

As soon as Sophia Regina Allison (who is Soccer Mommy) came on stage, the crowd went bananas.  It was kind of funny because Sophie is so low key.

She had a pretty full band with her. I stood in front of her lead guitarist who really made some outstanding noises –a component that made her songs even more interesting to me).  Her new bassist (this was his first tour with them) had an amazing sound–buzzy and noisy but groovy at the same time.  Guitarist-keyboardist Rodrigo Avendano on the far side added some great textures and drummer Rollum Haas whom I could not see because I giant cymbal was in the way, played some amazing fills and really added a lot of intensity to these songs.

What I’m saying is that the album is good, but live, the songs were amazing.

Soccer Mommy only has two albums out.  Most of the songs came from the new(ish) album Color Theory.  I have to say that I was really surprised she played “Circle the Drain” second because I thought it was her big hit and would come at the end.  She must have a lot of hits that I don’t know about.

I had a hard time getting clips of Julian Powell because of the way he was hiding behind the carboard TVs, but I loved the way that he and Sophie harmonized the guitar licks on “Crawling in My Skin.” Continue Reading »

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Phoebe Bridgers, Slowdive, Soccer Mommy, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Squirrel Flower (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 18, 2021) [SOCCER MOMMY]

September 18, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 18, 2021] Squirrel Flower

I had heard of Squirrel Flower from All Songs Considered and I was interested in seeing her live.  So I was pleased when she was announced as the opening act for Soccer Mommy.

Squirrel Flower is the stage name of Ella Williams who has been releasing music under this name for about six years.

The show started a little late, so when Ella and her band came out, we all cheered, until we realized they wee just setting up the gear and setlists.  A few minutes later Ella came out by herself and sang “I’ll Go Now.”  It was a remarkably slow song.  She payed stretched out chords and sang slowly over them.   A few minutes in, she bent down and did something at her feet and a looping melody began–I couldn’t tell if she played it live, but it did have a not that was a slightly off.  The song ended and everyone cheered.

She apologized for the “fake out” earlier and then started “Desert Wildflowers” in that same slow style. Continue Reading »

Posted in Caroline Polachek, Philadelphia, PA, Pictoria Vark, Soccer Mommy, Squirrel Flower, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Sinéad O’Connor (City Winery Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 18, 2021) [rescheduled]

September 18, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[POSTPONED: September 18, 2021] Sinéad O’Connor [rescheduled from April 5, 2020 moved to May 13, 2022]

indexI had heard a while back that Sinéad was postponing this whole tour for non-COVID reasons (or maybe they are, they were just listed as health reasons).  But there was no official word from the venue until April 14th.

City Winery must reschedule the Sinead O’Connor show originally scheduled for 4/4/2020 & 9/18/2021  The new date is 5/13/2022 (Next Year).

Which is fine.  I can wait.

I have seen Sinéad O’Connor four times. although the last time was in 1998.

I assumed I’d never see her again for a whole host of reasons.

I was pretty stunned to see that she announced a U.S. tour.  She was playing at City Winery in Philadelphia.  I have never been there.  Then I saw how much the tickets were!

I loved her voice back in the 90s, but since then she has gone all over the place (literally).  I wasn’t sure she even sounded any good anymore, so I balked at the price and opted not to get tickets.

I have since heard that her show was really good.  I’m not sure how upset I am about missing this, but maybe if she reschedules it will be at a larger (cheaper) venue.

sine

 

Posted in City Winery Philadelphia, Coronavirus, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Quarantine, Sinéad O'Connor | Leave a Comment »

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