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Nine Inch Nails (Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, February 14, 2026)

February 15, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 14, 2026] Nine Inch Nails

I saw Nine Inch Nails open for Skinny Puppy 37 years ago.  And never saw them again.  My son said he was interested in seeing them so when the announced this show I was like, hell yea, lets go.

I had heard the show was great, and I peeked at the setlist to see that there was a B stage (always cool) and a main stage.  I’m bad at song names so even though I saw what was playing I didn’t realize which songs they were, so a lot of it was a wonderful surprise to me.

After Boys Noize, Trent came out and played a song on the piano on the B stage.  We could see okay (except for that goddamned wire clump) but there was fog blowing down on them basically obscuring the whole proceedings.

And I can say this for this first time possibly ever,  I could barely see what was going on half the time and it was still one of  the best arena shows I’ve ever been to.

The sound was perfect–clean and crisp.  And as I said to my son, I was never bored or waiting for what came next for the entire hour and 45 minutes.  In fact, when it was 10 o clock, I couldn’t believe an hour had gone by.  It was just a killer show from start to finish–even the songs I didn’t know sounded great.  But most importantly, they played a lot of songs I did know!

While Trent played (You Made It Feel Like) Home, a quiet song, I was surprised at how chatty and weird the audience was during this, a woman shouted Happy Valentine’s Day and people laughed and whooped–it was so disrespectful.  But he seemed unfazed.

Then he pushed a button and started the second song, Non-Entity. While he was playing the cool piano melody of Atticus Ross came up on stage followed by his bassist Stu Brooks and guitarist Robin Finck and they added a fuller sound to the mix and wow it sounded great!

Trent got up and started singing Hey Piggy.  And while he did, a guy shone a spotlight on his face the whole time–walking around shining it right in his face–how weird.  But it sounded incredible. Continue Reading »

Posted in Set in New Jersey!, Nine Inch Nails, Newark, NJ, Prudential Center, Boys Noize | Leave a Comment »

Boys Noize (Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, February 14, 2026) [NINE INCH NAILS]

February 14, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 14, 2026] Boys Noize

I saw Nine Inch Nails open for Skinny Puppy 37 years ago.  And never saw them again.  But not because I didn’t like them, it just never happened.  Recently, my son said he was interested in seeing them so when they announced the continuation of this tour and it was in Jersey, I was like, hell yea, lets go.

I grabbed us seats straight back (the floor would have been awesome but unrealistic and too expensive).  And I figured we’d have the perfect view.

Getting into Newark is always a pain in the ass.  I’d rather go to Philly.  However, in this case our show had a better setlist than Philly so, hooray.

We showed up a little later than I intended but parking was a breeze (amazingly) and  then we saw what looked like a massive line to get into the place.  And holy crap it was a massive massive massive line.  There were thousands of people in various lines all clumped together and no one seemed to know what was going on.  No one from the venue was directing anyone.  And people were MAD.  My son and I accidentally cut the line and were in the middle of one of the massive lines, so we wound up getting in a little after 8. Some people missed part of NIN’s set, I have heard.  But we arrived and could hear that Boys Noize had started.

I didn’t know much about Boys Noize (who is Alexander Ridha a German-Iraqi DJ), I listened to a song or two but was kind of meh about them.  So we didn’t care that we missed them.  We got on the merch line and when we got closer my son said he didn’t really like any of the shorts.  And I was surprised that I didn’t either.  So we left the line and found our seats,

They were great.  lower level straight back.  Except that there was a massive power cable bundle running from floor to ceiling literally right in front of us.  It split the stage in half and was unavoidable.  I was lucky there was no one next to me because otherwise it was blocking Trent the whole time.

While we were on the merch line we could hear Boys Noize, and to me it just sounded like a loud drum beat.  When we finally got to our seat (and put earplugs in (Jesus he was loud) we were right behind the DJ.  He was on a small stage (not the B stage) and was tinkering with equipment as he mixed and added songs.  But mostly it was a (very) loud drum beat.  It was kind of weird. Continue Reading »

Posted in Boys Noize, Newark, NJ, Nine Inch Nails, Prudential Center, Set in New Jersey! | Leave a Comment »

Iron & Wine: Free at Noon (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, February 13, 2026)

February 13, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 13, 2026] Iron & Wine

I have wanted to see Iron & Wine for a pretty long time.  But they’ve always been on my “casually” want to see them list.  I knew I liked them (him) whenever I heard them, and I’ve known that Sam Beam has an amazing voice, but I didn’t really know many songs by them.

So it seemed like going to a full on show might be too much?

When this Free at Noon was announced, it seemed like the perfect way to see him.  A 30 minute show in the middle of the day–not a major time commitment, and I could see if I really like him.

And I did!

It was just Sam and his guitar.  He played a few songs from his new album and then a few older songs too.  He chatted a lot, praised us for being so quiet and talked about how much he liked to play Philly.

At one point someone shouted What’s your name, which I thought was pretty odd.  Then I saw the person and saw that he had special needs.  Sam must have seen that too because he asked What’s Your Name.  And then Sam made a joke that people ask if he’s related to Jim Beam.  It was delightful how nice and friendly Sam was to everyone.  He seems like a genuinely nice guy.

One of his new songs has the line “fuck the man” which he sang (on the radio!–I actually wondered if he forgot he was on the radio).  Later on when he played All in Good Time it has the words shit in it, and he stopped himself from singing the word and then said, well, I already said fuck, so he sang shit. Continue Reading »

Posted in Free at Noon, Iron & Wine, Iron and Wine, Philadelphia, PA, World Cafe Live, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Kim’s Convenience (Berlind Theatre, McCarter Theater, Princeton, NJ, February 12, 2026)

February 12, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 12, 2026] Kim’s Convenience

My wife and I really enjoyed Kim’s Convenience when it aired.  My mother-in-law enjoyed it and then recently, my son watched it on his own.

When this performance–the play that started it all, performed by the writer–was announced at McCarter, I grabbed my wife and I tickets ASAP.  Then when my son found out about it he wanted to go as well.  He couldn’t go the night we had tickets, but I was able to exchange our tickets for another night and get an extra one for my son.  I haven’t been to the Berlind Theater for a long time and I forgot how tiny it is.  So even though our seats were near the back, they were still really close.

McCarter had a lot of fun with this production, setting up a Canadian/Korean market in the lobby with Canadian flags and sweaters and lots of posters. They sold Korean goods (from the local Woori Mart) and may have even brought it some Canadian favorites (some drinks and ketchup flavored potato chips). Continue Reading »

Posted in Berlind Theatre, Canadian Content, Funny (ha ha), Ins Choi, Kim's Convenience, Princeton, NJ | Leave a Comment »

Dan Deacon (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 6, 2026)

February 7, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 6, 2026] Dan Deacon 

I saw Dan Deacon three years ago and it was one of the most fun and uplifting shows I’d ever been to.  I knew I’d see him again and I planned to drag my wife along with me.  I knew that she wouldn’t really like the music, but I thought she’d really enjoy the experience.

After the last show I wrote

I would absolutely see him again, even if I need to wait another six years.

So it was almost 4 but it did take a while.

On the way to the show I told her that all of the things that I usually get mad at during a show don’t apply here.  People can talk, they can push, then can block my view.  It really doesn’t matter.  And, wherever we start it won’t be the same place when we’re done.

She seemed thankful for this primer and knew that this was going to be a very different show.

I had genuinely hoped that Dan would come out right after Moon Bounce was done (who starts a show at 9PM these days?).  Especially since Moon Bounce’s set was 30 minutes.  But he waited until 10.  Unlike last time, he had a live drummer, which was totally unexpected but a lot of fun.

He also took advantage of the venue’s video screen.  I thought he might project trippy images, but he explained that he had been meaning to make something but he didn’t.  So instead, he played a Phish show from Saratoga Springs.  It was so funny to see the guys from Phis playing behind him.  But he was thankful to them for putting out entire shows (2 hours) for free on line with no ads.

And then he started his music.  And it was loud.  I had intended to bring earplugs like always, but with the parking problem (and trying to find a reasonable spot) I forgot.  Dan’s music is repetitive and dancey.  He also sings and usually modulates his voice so that it’s insanely high pitched.  Which is bizarre but somehow even more fun. Continue Reading »

Posted in Dan Deacon, Moon Bounce, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Moon Bounce (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 6, 2026) [DAN DEACON]

February 6, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 6, 2026] Moon Bounce

Moon Bounce is an electronic musician.  He said he was originally from Philly then he moved to L.A. (don’t ever do it)and now he’s back in Philly.  He said he got his start because Dan Deacon turned him on to electronic music.

His set was thirty minutes and I enjoyed watching him.

He had all of his music on his laptop and he used various gear to pitch shift and modify the songs.  It was fun watching someone manipulate sounds in real time.  It was also fun seeing how well he knew his music (which duh, I know, but he would wave his hands in the air to the beats that were coming or angle his face when things slowed down).

His songs were catchy and he did sing (which I wasn’t expecting after the first few minutes of instrumentals).

It’s hard to really describe electronic music if you don’t know it that well.  There were beats and sounds.  He chose some cool sounds to go with the beats. At one point he looped an a capella sample from a rap album (which I can’t remember the name of).  The loop was one word repeated pretty quickly.  Then he slowed it down to match the beat of the next song.  “This is called a transition, it’s got to match 89 BPM, ok here we go.” Continue Reading »

Posted in Dan Deacon, Moon Bounce, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Mdou Moctar (solo) / Koof Ibi (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, February 4, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

February 4, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 4, 2026] Mdou Moctar / Koof Ibi

I have seen Mdou Moctar twice, both in 2024.

His shows (first electric, second acoustic) were really enjoyable.  He’s an amazing player and really charming.  I’ve not seen him solo and I’m not sure if it was electric or acoustic.  But I didn’t feel like going out to this show.  I’m sure I’ll see him again in thefuture though.

Kooh Ibi is a trumpet player born in New Jersey who is now in Philly.  He loops and samples music to create his trumpet pieces.  I listened to a few minutes of one and it was remarkably subdued–but really interesting.

This was probably a cool chill evening of jazzy music.

 

I really like The Messthetics (including the name).  The band has at its core drummer Brendan Canty and bassist Joe Lally who were both in Fugazi.  Along with guitarist Anthony Pirog, they make cool and interesting instrumental rock.  They have been pretty high on my list of bands to see. Continue Reading »

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Koof Ibi, Mdou Moctar, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Umphrey’s McGee (Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown, NJ, February 4, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

February 4, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 4, 2026] Umphrey’s McGee

I saw Umphrey’s McGee ten years ago.  I didn’t really know that much about them but I had heard that they were a lot of fun live.  This was at the Fillmore and for the first half of the night I was upstairs, far from the action and I was kind of bored.  But for the second half I got down pretty close (people went for drinks during the intermission) and I enjoyed myself a lot more.

I’ve considered seeing them again and seeing as how this show was at a relatively close place, I thought I might go.  But Mayo Pac is all seats and that didn’t sound like a lot of fun.  And since I haven’t listened to them at all in ten years it was just easier to stay home.

There’s a guy I follow on Instagram who has been to over 200 Umphrey’s McGee shows.  Incredible.

Posted in Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown, NJ, Umphrey's McGee | Leave a Comment »

Rhys Nicholson (Helium Comedy Club, Philadelphia, PA, February 2, 2026)

February 3, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 2, 2026] Rhys Nicholson

I have made a list of all of comedians from Taskmaster who I would like to see live.  It’s not everyone of course (some of them don’t do stand up and some I don’t think I would enjoy).  And then we started watching Taskmaster Australia and Taskmaster New Zealand, and I’ve added a dozen or so more to that list.

Rhys Nicholson was one of the funnier people on Taskmaster Australia and I was really excited when I saw that they were playing in Philly (apparently not their first time playing here).

Rhys set the tone well asking who had heard of them (much applause) and who had not (more than usual).  They assumed that the people who hadn’t heard of them were straight boyfriends/husbands.  And sadly there were no jokes for those people–they’ve had enough.

And then, geez, it was like 90 minutes of nonstop hilariousness. Continue Reading »

Posted in Hannah Trav, Helium Comedy Club, Jim Gillespie, Philadelphia, PA, Rhys Nicholson, Taskmaster, Taskmaster Australia | Leave a Comment »

Jim Gillespie / Hannah Trav (Helium Comedy Club, Philadelphia, PA, February 2, 2026) [RHYS NICHOLSON]

February 2, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 2, 2026] Jim Gillespie / Hannah Trav

Despite all of the comedians we have seen, we’ve never been to a comedy club.  Technically when we went to City Winery, we had to buy food, but that’s not a comedy club.  Helium, on the other hand, is.  And it was our first experience with a two-drink minimum.  Helium changes it somewhat and has a two item minimum–so food or drinks (and I guess food is actually more expensive?).  So we did indeed by (watered down) drinks–even my ginger beer was watered down.  And we got some apps.  A surprisingly expensive night out for relatively cheap tickets.

So I assumed we’d see Rhys Nicholson and be home by like ten.  But instead, there was a host and an opener.  And I guess this is standard practice.

The host does a short set, then introduces the warm up and then comes back to introduce the headliner.

Our host was Jim Gillespie who implied that he is fairly new to Philly. He was very funny.  I enjoyed his jokes quite a lot and I was intrigued to see that he looked at his phone a bunch–notes, I assume.  I assume he is somewhat new to stand up because the jokes were great but the transitions weren’t very smooth.  But that’s what fine tuning is all about.  As I said the jokes were great and I laughed a lot.

Jim is a big guy and he made some good and (to me) original jokes about being big.  The first was about going thrifting and why are there no large clothes at thrift stores–he knows that fat old people are dying all the time–where are their clothes?  I also enjoyed the jokes about how he doesn’t want to die and become a fat ghost.  Who only haunts the kitchen. Continue Reading »

Posted in Hannah Trav, Helium Comedy Club, Jim Gillespie, Philadelphia, PA, Rhys Nicholson, Taskmaster, Taskmaster Australia | Leave a Comment »

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