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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
"Yeah, I'm older now but I wouldn't trade anything with a kid who is in their 20s now. Those people are REALLY getting the short end of the stick. I don't feel sorry for them though, everything they do seems to be under some corporate logo and they seem to go along with it at every turn. Oh well, good luck robots!"
As someone in their mid-20s, I can vouch for the fact that the internet has made it virtually impossible to simply enjoy even a FRACTION of all the great music that gets released every year. Now is the best time to be a music-loving youth since perhaps ever.
Anyhow, I agree with both Wilco and My Morning Jacket, incredible live in terms of both energy and technical skill. I've also really enjoyed the Walkmen (lots of passion), and seeing Akron/Family in a tiny club dancing around with about 25 other people was just transcendent.
As for shows I didn't like, Animal Collective were incredibly dull. I thought they would be very animated in concert but they just stood around tweaking samplers and all the songs sounded like a big, slowly frothing pot of stale shoegaze.
In total agreement about Richard Thompson - have seen him numerous times, and he is always engaging, changes the shows enough even on the same tour, and just flat-out great.
The thing for me is I like the shows that are just insane - A concert is theater, and if the performance isn't bigger than life, it just disappears. So the best things I have seen are
(this list quite clearly dates me)
The Cramps - Lux in a lace g-string, swallowing the microphone.
The Circle Jerks - part of that was the venue - a little rathole in atlanta where the whole theater was the pit with a balcony above that looked down on both the stage and the bodies.
Ani DiFranco - probably the most sexually tense crowd I have ever seen. Women were going crazy like in those old Beatles newsreels.
Southern Culture - throws fried chicken at the crowd, what is not to love.
The Beat Farmers - Country Dick Montana, God Rest His Soul
Just saw The Fiery Furnaces last week, and that show was great - they just played, not a lot of shenanigans, but they flat out rock and Eleanor is really intense and pretty damn cool.
I was at the Sloan/Apostle of Hustle/Duhks concert. How did you have a bad time? I agree with the other posters that recommend seeing badns you know. I'm usually much more reserved when hearing/seeing a band for the first time. I've seen Sloan and AoH twice now, and thought they were great each time.
That being said, my hands-down favorite live band is C'Mon. I've seen them seven times in two years, and haven't been disappointed yet. My hands have been sore from clapping so much, and I still tell people how the bass player threatened death on the entire audience if we didn't have a shot of Jager with her.
I go to a lot of concerts, almost all of which are awesome. I'd like to think this is because of my taste, but the fact that I get excited by the shared happy experience has a lot to do with it, too.
Excellent acts I've seen recently:
Good acts I've seen recently:
Tom Waits in Minneapolis in 1999 is and likely will remain my favorite show of all time. Great songs, great rapport with the audience, and four curtain calls.
Other favorites have been:
* Gillian Welch's outdoor twilight show at Pittsburgh's Point State Park
* Eleni Mandell at the beautiful Club Cafe
* BB King at the Byham Theater, in a big blue sequined jacket that sparkled like a disco ball when the spotlight hit him
* Cake, also outdoors at the Point, a raucous show where they incited the crowd in the free lawn area to invade and overwhelm the $5 seats near the stage
Good times, good times...
Although their audience is sorta cultish, there's nothing like a They Might Be Giants show-- hook filled, high energy, clever music. They are on my 100 mile radius list-- I'll go whenever they are that close, and I've never been disappointed.
I've seen Cracker in both full band and in stripped down mode. Great show either way.
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. A lot of people on this chain are saying Springsteen, but (a) you aren't going to see the Boss in any venue smaller than a sports arena-- not worth it; (b) he has been running on fumes for 25 years; and (c) the best of his material is now over-familiar. With Johnny you get Springsteen material that is less played out, in a smaller setting.
I enjoy the recorded music, but this band really takes on a new dimension live. I normally wouldnt see a band outside of a club for almost any reason except overwhelming nostalgia (hello Police), but Wilco can drag me out to Merriweather Post Pavillion in Maryland when they play, and I always leave completely satisfied. Alot of the stuff that comes across as subdued on their studio records takes on a much bigger quality when the band plays live. Of course, I would still rather see them at the 9:30 club, but you will get your money's worth even at a larger venue.
Tha Flaming Lips and Ben Folds?! Both outstanding.
Yes:
-Wilco (just bought my tickets for their Edmonton show)
-Sloan (if only for the massive singalongs they'll get here in Canada)
-Danny Michel
-Dinosaur Jr.
No:
-Queens of the Stone Age
-Requesting "Freebird" (unless you're really drunk)
-Touching me at all
I love this thread - I figured I could start tossing out names of national acts I've seen live that were awesome, but a lot of that has been done already. The worth of a city can be measured by the awesomeness of the live music scene there. I've lived in Charlotte, NC for about three years now, and I'm just starting to realize the music potential for this city. If you're from this area or are visiting anytime soon, check out the following acts/venues - scenes need an audience to survive, and Charlotte area bands and venues are kicking some serious ass in front of shamefully small crowds.
1. Lambhandler - Gritty rock n' roll with Southern charm. These boys are addicted to their music, tight as hell, snappy dressers, and still humble. Lead singer Tony is like Jerry Lee as a punk in a cowboy shirt. Always a great show regardless of venue or crowd size.
www.MySpace.com/Lambhandler
2. Snug Harbor - This new bar/venue is excellent. I've yet to see a show there that didn't exceed my expectations. Go see Buschovski July 28th if you'd like to see something amazing. www.SnugRock.com
3. The Evening Muse "Find Your Muse" open mic Monday. I am not normally one to suggest open mic events. My past experience has led me to believe that most folks who get up on stage for such events do so because their therapist said it might be helpful. But Monday nights at the Muse you see just how much talent is in this city, and you hear a wide variety of styles and sounds. Well worth checking out.
www.QueenCityMusic.com
4.Charlotte WHAMS - This web site was started to bring to light the amazing amount of talent in this city... The Links section has a very comprehensive list of bands and artists from this area which is fun to browse. Look for some cool events from these folks soon.
www.WHAMS.org
5. Seth Boulton & The Dream Machine - Alright, I feel like a wanker recommending my own band, but then again I wouldn't love playing with these folks so much if I didn't think what they were doing was really worthwhile. Nicolette Emanuelle, our cellist.bass player/ keyboardist also does great solo stuff.
www.MySpace.com/SethBoulton
www.MySpace.com/NicoletteEmanuelle
So there you have it - help make Charlotte thrive and make bands happy by going out to support live music!!
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
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Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
