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Arcade Fire (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 5, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5, 2025] Arcade Fire

Back in the day I was a big fan of Arcade Fire.  I though their first few albums were great.  Then I kind of gave up on them.  A student who worked for me was obsessed with them and was a little much, but he did make me rethink why I was blowing them off.

Nevertheless, I hadn’t listened to them in quite some time.

I knew the last times they toured they played large venues.  But this was meant to be a small sort of pre-tour tour.  They announced the shows about two weeks before the dates.  There were only a few shows and Philly was one of them.  I thought, why not?  It’s a chance to see them in a small place.

But wow, crazy expensive seats.  And I had a show the day before and the day after, so I said no thanks.

Turns out they played  the entire new album and then a good selection of hits as well.

I had wanted to see them back in the day, alas.  I don’t think I’ll be checking them out in the future either.

 

Posted in Arcade Fire, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Varietourpia with Paul F. Tompkins (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, May 4, 2025)

May 5, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 4, 2025] Varietourpia with Paul F. Tompkins

Paul F. Tompkins is one of my favorite comedians and I would happily see him do anything.  Although this is the first time I’ve been able to see one of his Varietopia shows.

As the name suggests, this is a Variety show like they had in the old days: comedy, music, interaction, magic.  All in one show.  He’s been doing this since 2002 (!) and it sounds like when he does the show in L.A. anyone who is funny or entertaining shows up.

For our show, we had Medusa the Gangsta Goddess and Artoun Nazareth.  Not household names by any means.

Medusa the Gangsta Goddess is an underground hip-hop legend whom I’ve never heard of.  She was fun and is referred to as the godmother of west coast hip hop.

Artoun Nazareth is a magician who I thought was really good and very funny.  I was gobsmacked by a trick in which writing appeared to move across a page and turn into something else.

Nazareth is also an actor, so it makes sense that he was such a good performer.  He did fun crowd work and was good enough that I immediately followed him on Instagram. Continue Reading »

Posted in Artoun Nazareth, Medusa the Gangsta Goddess, Paul F. Tompkins, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts, Varietourpia | Leave a Comment »

The Damned (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 3, 2025)

May 4, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 3, 2025] The Damned

I saw the Damned at Coney Island High with my friend Garry on Feb 6, 1998.  I don’t really remember all that much about it.  I wasn’t a huge fan at the time, but I do think it’s cool I got to see them.

I hadn’t really considered seeing them again, but when they toured in 2023 I came around to wanting to see them.  I missed that tour (which was for a then new album), and in retrospect I’m glad I did.  That tour was predominantly that new album (and of course a while bunch of older songs too), but this tour was more of a complete retrospective (including some of the new songs too).

And, it featured three of the four original members: singer Dave Vanian, guitarist Captain Sensible and drummer Rat Scabies.  [There’s no point in trying to talk about when who was or wasn’t in the band as it was a revolving door for a while].  But Paul Gray on bass has been with them since 1980 and Monty Oxymoron has played keyboards with them since 1996 so he’s not exactly a newbie.

So I don’t know a ton of songs by The Damned.  I have a few of their albums but the people around me knew everything they played.

Nevertheless, they played a fantastic selection of songs and it was so much fun to see Captain Sensible in his striped sweater and the ageless Dave Vanian looking great in his coat and puffy shirt.  And, most impressively–his voice sounded great. Continue Reading »

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The BellRays, The Damned, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Bob Mould / J. Robbins (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 4, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 4, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 4, 2025] Bob Mould / J. Robbins

I saw this incarnation of the Bob Mould trio back in 2021 and they were great. I didn’t know if I needed to see them again, but when this show was announced, I thought I’d like to go again.  But it was the same night as the comedy special we were going to see with Paul F. Tompkins, which I could not pass up.

J. Robbins is listed as J.Robbins (Jawbox).  So I guess after Jawbox, he went solo.  I knew about Jawbox a little.  I have their self titled album.  I remember liking it, but don’t remember it much.

J Robbins’ solo music is with a band but he also plays solo.  I’m not sure what he playing this night.

Posted in Bob Mould, Hüsker Dü, J. Robbins, Jawbox, Philadelphia, PA, Sugar, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Sasami / Jia Pet (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, May 4, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 4, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 12, 2025] Sasami / Jia Pet

A couple of years ago Sasami did a tour for her metal-adjacent album and it was wild.  I am so bummed I missed it.  I was pretty psyched to see her open for Destroy Boys.  But her sound has changed since that album and she is now in a far more poppy style of music.

I enjoyed her show–she’s still amazing performer, and I liked the music, but not as much as I liked the previous album.

This show coincided with my tickets for The Damned anyway, so she didn’t stand a chance,

Jia Pet plays poppy dance music.  It’s satisfying.  But I can’t find anything out about her. Here’s a review of her show in Dallas

First up was Jia Pet, an as of yet little-known solo musician whose drum and bass influence drives her tongue-in-cheek, ultra-sweet indie pop sound. The preface she gave to her first song, explaining that it was about “the rice in a rice cooker having a party,” established a whimsical mood for her set. To emphasize her bubbly personality, she brought out a bubble gun during her performance and gave new meaning to the term “pop music.”

The full review and photos makes it look like she still puts on a really fun show.  Maybe next time.

Posted in Jia Pet, Philadelphia, PA, Sasami, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Frank Turner / Katacombs (Crossroads, Garwood, NJ, May 3, 2025[early & late show]) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 3, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 3, 3025] Frank Turner / Katacombs

Frank Turner loves playing Crossroads. Any time he’s playing in the area he sems to make a point of hitting this venue.  Where it’s super late (he went on at 11PM last time) or playing two shows in a day.

The problem is that he often announces the show and it sells out before I even find out about it.  That’s what happened tonight.

Which is fine because we were off to see a performance at my son’s school today anyhow.  But still, I need a little more notice to see this guy again.

Katacombs is the name Katerina Kiranos landed on after years of building sculptural furniture of bone and wood. Born in Miami to a Spanish mother and Greek father, she spent the majority of her early life bouncing between multiple cultures and wanting to adapt.

I’ve listened to a couple of songs and really like her vibe.  Acoustic but with Spanish elements (sometimes singing in Spanish, sometimes in English).  I need to keep an eye on her to see if she plays around here again.  Although, like with Frank, Id like to see her with a band rather than solo.

And then on the day of the show, they had to move the venue!  Here’s what Frank wrote

I am stoked to be back in the USA again, and was very much looking forward to two shows at Crossroads, NJ, tomorrow. I love the venue and the folks there are dear friends.

HOWEVER. Due to circumstances beyond my and their control, the venue has had to close for the weekend. There’s nothing we can do about this, and my heart goes out to my Crossroads friends.

BUT FEAR NOT. I’m here, I have my guitar, the show must go on! So it is that, after some incredible work from my team and theirs, we’ve managed to throw a last minute replacement show together. There will now be ONE show, at Black Box @ Williams Centre in Rutherford NJ, tomorrow night. Doors at 7pm, support from Katacombs, all ages welcome.

All tickets from Crossroads will be refunded. The show tomorrow night will have a cover charge of $25 to cover the venue’s costs. You can get them at the link in my stories or at the door; it’s a 600 capacity room so everyone who was coming to Garwood should be able to get in. Please do spread the word about this as much as you can.

Thanks all for bearing with us on this one. It’s not the ideal situation, but there WILL be a show, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing you all there.

Posted in Crossroads, Frank Turner, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, Garwood, NJ, Katacombs, Philadelphia, PA, Rutherford NJ, Williams Center | Leave a Comment »

Nice Work If You Can Get It (Bart Luedeke Center Theater: Rider University, May 3, 2025)

May 3, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 3, 2025] Nice Work If You Can Get It

This was our second musical performance at Rider University.  Their theater program is fantastic and this entire performance was great.

The singers have great voices.  The actors have excellent timing.  And the spotlight on a tap performance was really fantastic.

Many of these performers have gone onto Broadway in varying roles.  And it really shows.

We have said of both of these shows that I’m sure there would be a difference between seeing this show on Broadway as opposed to a college.  Bigger budget, bigger stars, for instance.  But it would be hard to improve on the quality of the performances.

Comedy, Farce – A new take on the 1920s musical farce, Nice Work If You Can Get It features the iconic music of George and Ira Gershwin. Billie Bendix, a tough-as-nails bootlegger, and wealthy playboy Jimmy Winter, meet on the weekend of his impending wedding. Jimmy has a habit of marrying chorus girls, but needs to settle down with a respectable woman before his mother will hand over the family business. He has gotten engaged to Eileen Evergreen, the self-proclaimed finest interpreter of modern dance, hoping that this will be a better choice than his usual chorus dancer. Needing somewhere to stash 400 bottles of gin, Billie swipes Jimmy’s wallet and hides her stash in his empty Long Island beach house. However, when the wedding party arrives at the beach house, the bootleggers must juggle the guests and their business.

I wanted to include the cast here in case we wind up seeing anyone on Broadway some day Continue Reading »

Posted in Bart Luedeke Center Theater, Nice Work If You Can Get It | Leave a Comment »

Gigi Perez [FREE AT NOON] (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia Pa, May 2, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 2, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 2, 2025] Gigi Perez [FREE AT NOON]

My daughter and I saw Gigi Perez when she opened for Girl in Red.  She was great and I was interested in seeing her again.

She announced a show at the TLA, but I had a ticket for DEVO who I was not going to pass up.  Then they said she’d be doing a Free at Noon, so I grabbed a ticket for it.  But the day of, my wife stayed home from work, so I stayed home too.  We listened online and I found that she was solo and I didn’t like her as much solo.  So I was glad I didn’t go.

Since then, I have seen her open for Hozier and play a set at All Things Go, so I have certainly gotten mu fill of Gigi.  And since I like her band stuff better, I don’t mind having missed  the Free at Noon.

Posted in Free at Noon, Gigi Perez, Philadelphia, PA, tUnE-yArDs, World Cafe Live | Leave a Comment »

Niis / Pollyanna (Foto Club, Philadelphia, PA, May 2, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 2, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 2, 2025] Niis / Pollyanna 

I was supposed to see Pollyanna open for Pinkshift a couple of years ago.  The date that I was going was rescheduled and a different band opened.  But I have been fairly obsessed with Pollyanna ever since.

They pay noisy, aggressive (yet catchy) punk and are politically motivated.

I’ve been following them online and didn’t even consider that they were not the headliners of this show.  Especially since I hadn’t heard of Niis.

But since reading about them, I’ve checked out Niis and really liked them.  They remind me a lot of the earlier unpolished Hole.  But with a real old school hardcore vibe thrown in.

NIIS—pronounced “Nice”— synthesizes the sounds of punk, hardcore, lo-fi garage, and early grunge…  Mimi, the band’s fierce ringleader, uses her guttural screams to orally dissert capitalism and sociopolitical constructs.

This sounds like it would have been a great show.  But I had been out the night before and was going out the following night, so I had to give it a pass  Bummer.  I hope to see both bands in the future.

Posted in Foto Club, Niis, Philadelphia, PA, Pollyanna | Leave a Comment »

Devo (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, May 1, 2025)

May 1, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 1, 2025] DEVO

As with most people my age, Devo has been (intentionally or not) part of my life for most of my life.  Even if I didn’t know their earlist stuff, Whip It was unavoidable in the days of MTV.

I never considered seeing them.  In fact I hadn’t really thought about them at all since college.  But a few years ago we saw a Mark Mothersbaugh exhibit in a Denver Museum and I went on a really deep dive of his stuff (and obviously I know he makes all kinds of great soundtracks).

Devo has played live over the last decade, but this was their first time playing Philly since 2008.  And I had heard that the shows on this tour were great.  So I was excited to see them.

And what a show!  They’ve always been a very visual band and this continued in their live show.  And the crowd responded in kind.  There were many people dressed in yellow jump suits.  There were countless energy domes, including one that a guy custom fit the inside with duct tape and other gadgets so it fit him perfectly (he of course had on a yellow jump suit too).

It opened with a funny video showing a where are they now look at the guy who tried to make them stars in the 1970s.  (Very funny, but also quite pointed).

They opened with one of their “new” songs (from 2010) which I vaguely knew.   And the backdrop was a full scale visual assault of colors and videos.

The band were dressed in black suit jacket and pants (with Devo printed on the lapel).  Mark Mothersbaugh looks a lot like Steve Martin now which is somehow even more fun. Continue Reading »

Posted in Devo, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

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