show review: the gaslight anthem in Asbury Park, 5/26/13 (also known as take 2.)

"this song is about, well, about right here."

All day I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to go back up to Asbury Park and set things right. I felt like I left on bad terms last night, and that if I went back, things would be better. I went about my business during the day, but as I was leaving my brother and sister-in-law's house around 5:30 I just couldn't shake the feeling that I just needed to make this happen.

I texted my friend Manda and asked if she was up for an adventure. I didn't tell her right away what we were doing, just that she needed to dress warm and that we would be gone for a while. She wasn't doing much of anything, so the request to accompany me on my adventure was met with an enthusiastic yes. I changed out of the Gaslight shirt I had been wearing (because, you know, I couldn't be "that guy") and headed over to pick up Manda.

We got up to Asbury just as The Felice Brothers were finishing their set. We heard a little bit of one of their songs as we were driving through to find a parking spot, but I have never heard them and honestly didn't really care to start listening to them tonight. I just wanted to find a parking spot for my car so that I could find a parking spot for my booty.

Eventually all of that was settled, and we located a bench with a perfect view of...the ocean. But no worries...sitting backwards wasn't the worst thing we could have done. We were joined on the boardwalk by several other people who were interested in listening to the band, which was nice. What amazed me, though, was how quiet everyone was. Maybe it was just because the sound carried so well, I don't really know, but I couldn't hear anything but the band, which was amazing.

The sound was probably better on the boardwalk than it was inside the venue the night before. Brian's voice was clearer and the instruments blended together nicely. The only downfall was that we were really far away, so it looked like ants were playing on stage, but considering last night I couldn't see anything from inside, I figured it wasn't such a bad thing.

The setlist was slightly different from last night, which I figured would be the case, and I got what I was itching for, so I left much happier tonight.

High Lonesome
Handwritten
'59 Sound
The Diamond Church Street Choir
Biloxi Parish
We Came To Dance
Howl
Here Comes My Man
Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts
45
Film Noir
Blue Dahlia
Meet Me By The River's Edge
The Queen Of Lower Chelsea
Wooderson
Great Expectations
Keepsake
*************
She Loves You
Mulholland Drive
The Patient Ferris Wheel
Mae
The Backseat

I left with a smile on my face tonight. I am chalking that up to A) not being wet from the rain, and B) getting to hear Blue Jeans. Now that I have heard that song (and everyone everywhere screaming when
Brian sings, "I'm gonna buy you that house on Cookman") in Asbury Park, all is again right with the world.

One thing that was consistent over the course of the two shows was the awesome moon. We watched it rise over the ocean tonight and it was beautiful. Also, while looking at Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury all lined up, we saw a shooting star, and then another on the drive home. Even the sky was happy that Gaslight played Blue Jeans.

show review: The Gaslight Anthem and The Hold Steady, The Stone Pony, Asbury Park. 5/25/13

The Gaslight Anthem on the Asbury Park beach. This had the potential to be perfect.

What it was, however, not.

I was so excited for this show, which lately hasn't really happened. I couldn't wait to get up there and hang out with my old friend and see two of my favorite bands, together, in one of my favorite places, which also happens to be basically TGA's "hometown." (I know they aren't from there, but if you listen to their stuff you understand where I am coming from.)

I met up with a friend from my WC days, her husband, and two of her friends, and we had dinner at a place in the Berkley Hotel. It was nice, and I really rather like this whole eating a nice meal before a show thing I seem to be doing lately. It definitely beats starving through a set.

While we were inside, the rain came down like crazy, but it was tapering off as we started down to the venue. At this point, though, the sun was down and it was getting really cold. We all ended up bundling up a little more and then headed down...as we were walking, Ben came back and said, "we are missing the hold steady." We thought their set started at eight, but they were finishing their last song at 8:17 so obviously that wasn't right. I did get to see a few songs, and we heard a few while waiting in the STILL RIDICULOUS line to get inside.

By this point we were all bundled up, a little bit wet from the rain that had just passed through, and anxious for Gaslight to take the stage. I find myself wondering if all of that anxiousness was for nought. I find that shows that I drag my feet about attending are generally kick-ass, and the shows that I build up as SUPERAWESOMEHAPPYFUNTIMES in my head tend to leave me wanting more.

First, the crowd sucked. A crowd makes or breaks a show for me, and this one definitely broke it. I guess ill just never understand why anyone would pay concert ticket money, not to mention ticketmaster fees, just to stand around and talk over the band. I maybe get it with an opener, because its less likely that anyone is there to see them specifically (though I realize that people do sometimes go for the opener) but the headlining act? It would be much cheaper to invite your friends over, buy a few bottles of wine and play the records in the comfort of your own home. At least then you aren't
 wasting money or distracting anyone who actually wants to hear the band.

Not only could I not hear, but I could not see anything. When I held my camera up to snap pictures, I could see through the lcd screen, but mostly I was just looking at the backs of the heads of the Jolly Green Giant impersonators that were standing up ahead of us. So, at this point, I cant see the band or hear the band, and that was when the guy behind me decided he was going to start grabbing my butt. After elbowing him a few times, punching him once or twice, and moving away from him, I just couldn't take any of it anymore and told the people that I was with that I was going to the back of the venue.

I ended up buying a tee shirt and dancing around by myself in the back until the show was over.

I was also really disappointed that they didn't play "Blue Jeans and White Tee Shirts." It is literally a song about sleeping on the Asbury Park beach and buying a house in AP, and I havent heard it live yet because I got into Gaslight too late, I guess. I am almost betting that they will play it tonight, though, along with the other few songs that I was really hoping to hear.

The setlist wasn't bad, though.

Handwritten
Old White Lincoln
American Slang
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Casanova, Baby!
The Diamond Church Street Choir
Biloxi Parish
Angry Johnny and the Radio
45
The Patient Ferris Wheel
Blue Dahlia
Too Much Blood
Miles Davis and The Cool
Meet Me By The River's Edge
Mullholland Drive
Great Expectations
Keepsake
****************
She Loves You
The '59 Sound
Here's Looking at You, Kid
The Backseat

I guess the setlist is pretty kick-ass, I just wish I would have been able to enjoy it better.

(I just made the mistake of looking at the setlist from THS last night. I am really disappointed that I didn't get to see their set.)

I can feel it in my bones that Gaslight will play "blue jeans" tonight. I almost want to ride up there and sit on the beach to listen, but that kind of seems silly, I guess.

Show Review: Iron & Wine at Union Transfer 5/15/13

I put off writing this entry right away because I was struggling with a few things about it. First, I don't know the titles of the songs on the new album well enough to keep an accurate set list so i had to wait for one to show up online (though i realize i absolutely could have gone on and written an entry minus the setlist) but the second thing kept me from wanting to do even that. The second thing is that i am not sure how to write these anymore. I mean, i understand the logistics of a review, but i only see bands that i like so i rarely have anything negative to say and i am beginning to feel like this flood of show reviews is very uniform. I have a formula that ties it up into a nice, easy package and I am just going with it. I suppose that is fine, but i would really be interested in finding a way to change things up.

I will work on finding a different angle for the next few shows. I think for this one, though, we are going to stick with the norm.

When the announcement of this date was made, i was gung-ho about getting a ticket, but then forgot or got sidetracked or i don't even know what but i never got tickets, and then it sold out. Also, I mostly forgot about the show when carrying on my day to day business, and would only think "crap, i need to figure out tickets to that" when someone would bring it up, which wasn't very often.

Here's the thing, though. I saw Iron & Wine at Bonnaroo. There is no better venue for that band, and while i have seen Sam Beam and company since then, nothing has that 'Roo feel to it, so i think a small part of me didn't want to go, but when it comes down to it, there is a much larger part of me that would have pouted for weeks if i didn't get tickets, so after much whining on twitter and general nonsense, i sucked it up and paid an arm and a leg for a pair of tickets on stubhub.

The opening band kicked some serious ass. They are called The Secret Sisters, and the band is made up of two sisters hailing from Alabama, and they harmonized on CSN&Y levels. I actually spent the whole of their set thinking "this is what i wish Eisley sounded like." I bought their record and got to talk to the girls after the show, and the fact that they were saccharin sweet made me love them even more.

Here is a picture of the girls:



and here is a video, so you can judge for yourself: 

Laura and Lydia earned themselves a new fan last night, for sure. And if my glowing recommendation isn't enough for you, Jack White produced their album. yes, THAT Jack White.

Iron & Wine's set was...weird. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what i am used to in a concert, either. The crowd stood still and no one seemed to be singing along or anything like that. And I'm not saying that the crowd was bad, either, it was just the vibe in that room last night. it didn't seem to bother Sam, though, because he just kept talking about how awesome we were. (for the record, i was dancing for most of the show, even after getting run over by a student earlier in the day.)

like i said, i don't know the titles well enough to write a set list myself, so i am snagging wxpn's.

Setlist
The Desert Babbler
Carousel
Kingdom of the Animals
Low Light Buddy of Mine
Tree By the River
Belated Promise Ring
Grass Widows
Sixteen, Maybe Less
Free Bird tease (solo)
The Sea and the Rhythm (solo)
Woman King (solo)
Resurrection Fern (solo)
Such Great Heights (Postal Service cover, solo)
Caught in the Briars
Sundown (Back in the Briars)
Jezebel
Grace for Saints and Ramblers
Passing Afternoon
Singers and the Endless Song
Lean Into the Light
Your Fake Name is Good Enough for Me
Baby Center Stage

Encore
Upward Over the Mountain (solo)

the setlist was not bad, by any means, but it was strange. there are a lot of songs that i come to expect to hear at an Iron and Wine concert and none of them were really present Wednesday night. I was pretty darn excited to her Jezebel and Woman King, though, and you can imagine how happy hearing "such great heights" made the audience. 

******
I have left this sitting as a draft for about a week and a half now, and I just don't think I am going to get around to finishing it, especially since I have no idea where I was going with it, so I am going to go ahead and post it as is.

here are some pictures, though.

show review: five iron frenzy at the chameleon club in lancaster, pa

i just saw my favorite band play a show.

this wouldnt be that big a deal, except that my favorite band called it quits 10 years ago or so.

college me is so freaking happy right now.

the setlist:
Blue Comb '78
Handbook for the Sellout
Pre Ex-girlfriend
Hope Still Flies
At Least Im Not Like All Those Other Old Guys
One Girl Army
*New Song*
Phantom Mullet
American Kryptonite
When I Go Out
Milestone
You Cant Handle This
Power of Love (Huey Lewis cover)
Where the 0 Meets the 15
You Probably Shouldnt Move here
*so far* (another new song)
O Canada
Farsighted
Every New Day

House of Heroes opened the show. i dont know them, and didnt pay attention, but im pretty confident in saying that Brand New could have been the opener and i would have been anxious for FIF to take the stage. I had been waiting for this for 10 years. I wasnt interested in waiting any longer.

here are some pictures:

this is a very disjointed entry. i know. im tired and sore and too old for this nonsense, but i loved every minute of the show tonight.

show review: Andrew McMahon at the TLA 4/10/13

It took me years to take an interest in Something Corporate. In fact, Jack's Mannequin's first album had already dropped before I heard my first SoCo song on purpose, and the second J's M album was out before i bothered getting my hands on a SoCo album.

But I loved Jack's Mannequin from the first listen. I played the crap out of "Everything in Transit" that first summer that it was out. it became routine to get into the car, roll down the windows and blast songs like "Holiday from Real" and "la la lie" on my way to and fro. 

Of course, the seasons changed, and it got colder, and i shelved that album, forgetting it existed. 

A few summers ago, SoCo got back together and i landed some tickets for the show. I decided that i should probably know some of the songs going in, so i started listening to "Played in Space" quite often and fell in love. I knew right away that this was solid stuff, and even though some of the songs were quite a few years old, they were new to me. 

During this time, my best friend fell for Andrew's writing, as well. I knew from seeing J's M that Andrew was a lot of fun to watch perform, and i remember pointing that out before the show. I think its why she fell in love with Andrew, but i dont fault her for it. 

Anyway, back in February I went out with said best friend right around my birthday and she told me that another friend of ours had bought us tickets to go see Andrew McMahon in April at the TLA. If I am being totally honest, at first I was a little bit pissed off that they would get me these tickets because in that moment i wasn't a huge andrew fan, (really, i wasnt a huge anything fan...i take birthdays hard) and i kind of felt like it was a bit rude to just assume that i had nothing to do that night. Really, though, i can be an awful bitch and that was just one of those moments. i did get over it quickly.

The night of the show came around and i was pretty excited. I left work early and met up with Nicole so that we could head over to the TLA. neither of us had eaten dinner so we stopped at one of the many establishments on South Street, Hagan Daas. Ice cream for dinner is totally acceptable, right?

We walked into the show, and immediately hit up the merch table. I bought the softest tee shirt ever, and was holding it up while walking, and damn near walked right into one of the teachers from my school. I couldnt even tell you about either of the opening bands because i was so busy talking to the girls i was standing with and saying hi to fellow Shoners that were there. (I am telling you, not since FIF have i come across a band that bonded me so instantly with fellow fans. This shone thing has been incredible.)

Obviously, though, we shut up when Andrew took the stage. (an aside: I never, ever understood paying not only the ticket price but the insane ticketmaster fees just to go and talk though the headliner. If you wanted to have a chat with your buddies, stay home, put the CD on and cork a bottle of wine. save the rest of us your nonsense...same goes for those who go to a show and make out the whole time. I just dont get it.)

The set was awesome. it was a healthy mix of SoCo, Jack's, and a few of Andrews solo songs. The atmosphere in the room was good, the entertainment was definitely not lacking, and i say this a million times, but there is something totally special about singing along loudly with an entire room of people some lyric that everyone relates to. In this instance, it was the sold-out room yelling "fuck yeah!"

The set list:
Mix Tape
I Woke Up In A Car
Resolution
Me And The Moon
Watch The Sky
Learn to Dance
Swim
Amy, I
Punk Rock Princess
Ruthless
Holiday From Real
Straw Dog
Synesthesia
Bruised
Hey Hey Hey
Dark Blue
*********
No Man Is An Island
Konstantine
La La Lie

We were tipped off that Andrew was going to come out and greet people after the show, so we waited around in the rain for like an hour waiting for him. I am a dummy, though, because I never know what to say to anyone in a situation like that, and he kept looking at me like he was waiting for me to say something, and i just kind of stood there like an idiot. haha. oh well, at least I got this: