Re: concerts

Quality or quantity?

Potpourri

Yesterday afternoon: I got my earplugs in the mail. I don't have any shows lined up between now and Lollapalooza, but I want to go to one just so I can try them out.

Last night: I forgot to update. First full day since I started writing regularly on here that went without an update. Sorry about that.

This morning: Finally started reading It Still Moves by Amanda Petrusich. Will talk about it once I'm done, but I made it through the first 50 pages and it's really good.

Tonight: I drove an extra time around the block so I could finish listening to a song. Sorry, world, I know that hurt a little bit. But see, the song was "Jungleland," so it's not like I could just...stop.

Now: There's an awful punk cover of "Leaving on a Jetplane" on this Bing commercial. Eew.

Cowboys in Flames

One of Chicago's finest record labels, Bloodshot Records, announced the lineup for their 15th Anniversary show in Chicago, and oh my goodness, does it bring it. Alejandro Escovedo! Waco Brothers! Bobby Bare! The Blacks! Like, omgomgomgomg! All for $10!

It's part of a series of low cost, or free concerts that the label is putting on throughout the summer/fall as part of their anniversary. I was eying that lineup in Madison as a possible late summer road trip but I'm definitely going to hit up the hometown event.

Going to concerts without a phone

Brandon: Oh shit, I forgot my phone in the car.
Barb: Oh. Do you think you'll need it?
Brandon: ...nah.

and guess what, I didn't!

It was cool not holding on to it to feel for vibes, it was cool not looking at it every five minutes during a less-than-exciting opening act, it made everything go by a bit faster, and I didn't even know what time the show ended (turned out, about 2 am[!!]).

I was able to answer a couple of texts when I got back to the car, and no harm was done.

There was a part where Jamie Lidell wanted to try this experiment where everyone takes out their cell phones and everyone makes them ring all at the same time. I wasn't able to participate but it didn't really work anyway.

Liberating experience.

Another Day

I love winning free stuff. Fun times to come.

I'm just a fan

Well I got Monday tickets, too.

Dangit Wilco.

Monsters of Folk

The indie-rock-Traveling Wilburys, The Monsters of Folk, announced their fall tour and will be rolling through Chicago on October 30. This in and of itself is really cool.

Beyond that, though, they are donating $1 of every ticket sold to a local charity (a different one in each tour stop). For Chicago, that local charity is the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Way to pick an outstanding charity, Monsters of Folk! (that's completely genuine, absolutely no sarcasm intended) ICIRR is a great organization. They do outstanding work pushing for comprehensive immigration reform; community organizing; and citizenship guidance through the New Americans Initiative.

[Photo by Autumn De Wilde]

If it's too loud you're too old

Ordered these today. Hopefully they're cool, and better than disposable ones. The brand comes endorsed by Vickylimbs!

Wilco will love you, baby

Scored my Wilco tickets via presale today. Gonna be on the floor for Wilco (the concert) at the UIC Pavilion. I can't speak to the sound at the Pavilion, as I've only been there for basketball games, commencement, and Barack Obama, none of which really needed to have great sound. Someone who saw Aretha Franklin at the Pavilion said that the sound isn't that bad, so we'll see. More info at the UIC Pavilion website.

In other news, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are officially on the bill and on the schedule for Lollapalooza.

Brandon, via text: "yeah yeah yeahs replacing Beastie Boys"
Juan, via text: "meh"

We missed their set two years ago when they were slotted between The Hold Steady and Spoon on a different stage and we opted not to move from our spot. I'd probably rather watch the Yeah Yeah Yeahs than go home early, but I ain't gonna lie, I really wanted to see Beastie Boys. Like, really. Like, "if I didn't get the gold rush tickets I would have gotten a single day pass just to see them"-really-wanted-to-see-them. So, any "replacement" is going to feel like a let-down, but I'll deal. It just means I can take my time coming back from Animal Collective.

And all your bad days will end

Supposedly there are people out there who don't like the Flaming Lips' show. Well, obviously there are people out there who don't like the Flaming Lips' show, there are a lot of people out there who don't like a lot of things. Hell, not even Pitchfork liked the Flaming Lips set at Lollapalooza 2006, saying they were a big "flop," and even going so far as to say that Wayne Coyne is "indie rock's Carrot Top." Like whoa, Carrot Top?

Lollapalooza 2006 was my first Flaming Lips show, and it was really a religious experience. Then I saw them again in September 2007 at the Aragon, which conjured up all of the same good feelings all over again. Now here they are, headlining the Pitchfork Music Festival, and playing the songs that the fans voted on, which turned out to be, largely, the songs they play anyway.

Yeah there was a lot of confetti, and yeah there were lots of balloons, Wayne was riding on someone in a gorilla costume, and generally speaking there was incredible sensory overload, but that all comes with the territory when you're talking about the Flaming Lips. Then you have the music. This was the first time I saw them where they deviated a bit from the pool of songs the normally play, dusting off "Bad Days" from Clouds Taste Metallic, "Mountain Side" from In a Priest Driven Ambulance, and a Fearless Freaks number that they said Wayne said they've never played live before and will never play again, in addition to the normal tracks from which they pull. [though, in their defense, they dusted off a Zaireeka song at the Aragon] But, basically, people love the singles from Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and don't we all? [full setlist is posted at setlist.fm]

There's nothing quite like 15,000 people experiencing the Flaming Lips together, singing along at the top of their lungs to "Do You Realize???" I completely forgot about the song, and after they played "She Don't Use Jelly" I, stupidly, didn't know what would come next. "Wait, what's number one?" Then they did the countown.

1!
2!
3!
4!
:guitar strum:

...oh, that's right. Holy SHIT.

Then the confetti, and the smoke, and the singing along. At least from where I was standing, everyone seemed to be on the same page. I can't speak for the people in the back, or the people who seem to be too cool to care. There aren't too many bands I really badly want to see every time they come to town, but the Flaming Lips are one of them. Even if they play the same songs every time, and do the same performance every time, I still need to be there. It's less a concert and more of an experience. I'm out there, tearing up and singing along at the top of my lungs like some sort of weirdo dope, but then I look around and everyone else was doing the same thing.

It was an incredible 80 minutes. Damn right it's a religious experience, and I know I'll be right there the next time they roll through Chicago.

I don't know what separated this time from the last two times I saw them. I don't want to use terms like "better" because I know that I can probably find more appropriate descriptions, but this time seemed...different, but in the best way possible. "I rocked my ass off with the Flaming Lips and it was the best night of my life" is basically the truth. I saw the Flaming Lips at Pitchfork Music Festival, and it made me a better person. Insert another t-shirt superlative here. That's how it basically was.


A final note: one of the balloons had a wedding proposal written on it. People seemed to be trying to get it passed to the front so Wayne could read it, but someone kept hitting it backwards. Later it showed up again with "YES" written under the proposal. Way to go, Dan and Amy, I hope you guys are together 4ever!

I posted my picture set up there. Here's a video of the end of "She Don't Use Jelly" and "Do You Realize???" that's surfaced on YouTube.

At least it was a thrill

My attitude towards Frightened Rabbit has always been something along the lines of "oh, well, I'll just catch them the next time they come to town, cause they play here a lot," but dammit, I wish I had caught them before. Large, building, anthemic indie rock that actually plays really well at 1:30 in the afternoon.



This is the third time I've seen Blitzen Trapper in the past two years, and each time has been pretty great. This wasn't really anything like the first time I saw them at Schubas back in April 2008 [when Fleet Foxes opened], in the sense that that was in a tiny club and this was a big festival, but that doesn't mean they didn't still bring it. "Wild Mountain Nation" is still one of my favorite songs.



The Thermals are another one of those bands about whom I've said "oh, well, I'll just catch them the next time they come to town," except this one's been going on for two and a half years. I loved The Body, The Blood, The Machine, and I also love the new album, Now We Can See [another belated addition to the midyear faves list; I got it the week it came out but it took a while to listen to it]. It was a great set, lots of energy, and some choice covers including "Basket Case" by Green Day. [in the video you can see the Flaming Lips' set in the background, omg]





Closed out this part of the day with Vivian Girls. They brought it, too. but at that point I think we were way more excited about the impending Lips set than anything. It was a great set, and they sounded really good, but our minds were...somewhere else.

MCA where have ya been?

Ok so, I'm still sort of riding on a high from the Flaming Lips [holy shit], pics and words will come later, as will pics and words on the rest of Pitchfork Sunday. That high was continued this morning from the announcement that Wilco will be playing the UIC Pavilion on October 18.

But then that took a hit when word came across that MCA from the Beastie Boys has a cancerous tumor, and that their summer tour, including Lollapalooza, is canceled. Here's the announcement:



Get well soon, MCA. I'll send you good vibes and catch ya next time. http://beastieboys.com/

Can I ask you about today?

Fucked Up was...fucked up.




The Pains of Being Pure at Heart! They played a new song, which sounded like a song that the Pains of Being Pure at Heart would perform.

Also saw Beirut for a little bit. No picture here.




and the fucking National. They played Mr. November before the encore, and it got me internally thinking something like "THEY PLAYED MR. NOVEMBER ALREADY, HOW COULD YOU PEOPLE WANT AN ENCORE?" But they played an encore anyway and closed with About Today, which was just as fucking good, I tell you what. I think they were going to play one more, but Matt went and talked to the stage people who told them to wrap it up, as it was already 10:00. Also the microphone was turned WAY up, like whoa.

Great, great set, can't wait for the new album.

One more day of Pitchfork Fest for the year. Wayne, time to put on a show.

They played Sugarcube!

Yay!



Oh and Built to Spill played, too.

p[reliminary]4k fest

I'm watching these acts at Pitchfork fest (subject to change)

FRIDAY, JULY 17
8:40 (A) Built to Spill
7:20 (C) The Jesus Lizard
6:10 (A) Yo La Tengo

SATURDAY, JULY 18
8:40 (A) The National
7:25 (C) Beirut
6:15 (A) Doom
5:30 (B) Wavves or 5:15 (C) Yeasayer
4:30 (B) Ponytail
3:20 (C) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
2:30 (A) Fucked Up
1:45 (B) The Dutchess & The Duke
1:00 (A) Cymbals Eat Guitars

SUNDAY, JULY 19
8:40 (A) The Flaming Lips
[someone]
6:30 (B) Vivian Girls
[someone]
4:15 (A) The Thermals
3:20 (C) Pharoahe Monch
2:30 (A) Blitzen Trapper
1:45 (C) Frightened Rabbit

Burns bein' broke [soon]

Springsteen's coming to town.
Phoenix is coming to town.
Wilco is coming to town.
Son Volt, Dinosaur Jr., Moby, too.
Pitchfork this weekend.
Lollapalooza in three weeks.

So, not broke yet, but it certainly looks like I will be.

I want my MTV

MTV lists their top albums of the year, and there's overlap with four that were on my list (five, really, since Dinosaur Jr. would make it now). I should stop caring about stuff like what MTV thinks or what Pitchfork thinks, or whatever. Yeah, exactly. Like, y'know, whatever.

Reminders

Very Truly Yours



Juno and Jupiter

Let the record show:

- Free shows are pretty rad.
- There was a Thax Douglas sighting, but he didn't read, and I don't think he was really into Very Truly Yours
- Juno and Jupiter is worth checking out. They use a xylophone, and a violin. Just knowing that you know they're a winner.
- Very Truly Yours is still really cool. Picked up a copy of their new EP, Reminders. Looking forward to listening.
- By 12:00 there were, maybe, 30 people at the Double Door, and maybe 15 of us were watching the band. It's gonna be one of those nights about which you'll tell your friends when one of the bands ends up selling millions of records. "I SAW THEM FOR FREE AT THE DOUBLE DOOR AND LIKE, NOBODY WAS THERE AND ONLY 10 OF US WERE PAYING ATTENTION!!!1" Now whether either of these bands end up being that band is up for debate, but it would be pretty cool. Sorry for the caps.

Juno and Jupiter
Very Truly Yours

So Quiet, They're Loud

Criminally omitted from the mid-year best of list...



HaHaTonkaMusic.com
TheirSpace
Bloodshot Records page

Tomorrow, tomorrow

Very Truly Yours playing a free show at Double Door

Dao Strom playing at Schubas.

Decisions, decisions.

Tonight is Harry Potter. No decisions there.

Sleep on the floor, dream about me

After seeing this Broken Social Scene video posted on Stereogum, it made me go and dig up when this arrangement performed the song at Lollapalooza in 2006.

I was not as attentive at this concert as I should have been. I was quite late, having stayed for all of Wilco, and I wasn't quite into Stars or Metric at the time (though I did dig Feist, still pre-iPod bump [ASSERTING HIPSTER CREDENTIALS ALERT]), but still, hearing this song live was an incredible experience. After Broken Social Scene finished their criminally short 45 minute set, the Red Hot Chili Peppers made the evening...much worse.

It's just that if me today was me then, I think I would have appreciated it a bit [read: a lot] more. I still don't think I would have really enjoyed the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Broken Social Scene: "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl" at Lollapalooza 2006

I swear, I swear that I will do my part

Fiery Furnaces at Millennium Park, July 11, 2009.

All of my concert pictures look the same, so I'm only posting two. I deemed only five to be good enough for Facebook uploading, and I deem only two of those suitable for blogger.






Very good show. It makes me wish I had gone to see them at the Hideout last Thursday. Haven't heard the new album yet, but I'm very much looking forward to it.

The Fiery Furnaces
TheirSpace

Albums to which I listened today

...now with a grammatically correct title! (This instance of grammatical correctness does not assume future instances of grammatical correctness)

Setting: Around Chicago.

Belle & Sebastian: [about half of] The Boy With the Arab Strap
Belle & Sebastian: [about half of] The Life Pursuit
Blitzen Trapper: Wild Mountain Nation
Camera Obscura: My Maudlin Career
Wilco: Summerteeth
The National: Boxer
Justin Townes Earl: Midnight at the Movies

Have some pictures from Fiery Furnaces. Those aren't being uploaded right now. Maybe later.

I think I'm going to start taking pictures at concerts again

Just like, one or two per show. Starting today.

I'm also not a photographer or anything, so one or two is all you need because all my pictures look the same. Also, because I'm not a photographer, I'm pretty sure these pictures will suck.

Go Fiery Furnaces!

I want to like the new Son Volt album

I really, really, really, really do.

Reasons why I want to like the new Son Volt album:

- It's Son Volt, and I like Son Volt.
- Politically charged lyrics
- Pitchfork doesn't like it
- It's on Rounder
- Jay Farrar's songwriting between March 16-20, 1992 and Trace was so great, I really don't want him to have peaked back then.

It's just so hard to like when I keep falling asleep or zoning out between the first and last tracks. Sorry, I can't help it. I hope it's a grower, but the magic 8 ball doesn't foresee that in its future.

Rounder Records page
TheirSpace
sonvolt.net

Top Albums mid-2009

Sup pitchfork.

In no order:


Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavillion










The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: self-titled









Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix











Neko Case: Middle Cyclone









Metric: Fantasies








Wilco: Wilco (the Album)

Meet me at the Chicago 2016 stage!...no, that's the Budweiser stage, I'm on the other end

Hey look, Chicago 2016 is sponsoring sponsoring the headlining stage at Lollapalooza! It's the place to see all of the world's finest musical acts like Depeche Mode, and Tool, and Vampire Weekend!

...and when they come to your ward remember to tell them thanks for helping Lollapalooza (everyone's favorite music festival) happen this year, and that you really don't mind seeing your fellow citizens displaced in the name of the spirit of the Olympic games!

The world doesn't need another music blog

...but here it is anyway.