What Show Did You Just See?

[parkervb]

Jack White tonight at the Charlottesville Pavilion!  Going solo with 2+ hour drive but it's Jackie White.  Can't wait.

this show was really good but only ran 90 minutes.  His stretched out Steady As She Goes killed.  I'd love to have a recording of that but didnt see any tapers.  He played with his male band and they seemed to have a fun time.  Really liked that they asked that people refrain from taking cell phone pics or vids.  Most obliged and it was nice to not see a dozen plus glowing squares in your line of sight.   

I'm glad we got happy Jack, since RCMH only got a 20 minute set over the weekend.

[exist10z]

Wilco & Joanna Newsome at The Hollywood Bowl last night.  First show at The Hollywood Bowl, great venue overall, I kinda thought the sound/mix was a little off at the start of Wilco's set, but I kinda suck at telling whether that's actually the case.  Wilco great as usual, nice setlist, great Impossible Germany.  Joanna Newsome was a nice opener as well, really mellow, playing the harp with the sun going down.

Menomena last week at The El Rey. Love them and first time seeing them.

[weeniebeenie]

@e_wind

really looking forward to Portugal. The. Man. this weekend at FreeFest.  Glad to hear they killed.

JTE is a cool m'fer.  I've only seem him once and it was just him and his acoustic.  He said his drummer was stuck in an airport and his fiddle player was getting arrested so it was just him.  Too funny, but his solo performance was reminiscent of what you read about old blues performers where they stomped the stage or knocked their guitar for the "rhythm" parts.  Plus there was only like 200 people max there.

JTE is awesome, I see him play every chance I get. I love that he can really get an audience hooked with just himself and his guitar. Last time he played Sydney he closed with Song For You by Gram Parsons. You could hear a pin drop.

[Dillsnufus]

Melvins Lite @ Paradise Rock Lounge    Was worth it for the freak puke vinyl alone lol

[sidhe00]

Well, I was blessed to see the opening of Ben Harper's new acoustic solo tour here in Ann Arbor, MI on 9/26.  The small and intimate Michigan Theatre was sold out, and the energy there was hair raising like a mountain top lightning strike!  I have been to hundreds of shows, and this year has yielded some of the top outings for me.  Ben Harper did not disappoint!!!!   I have seen him with the Blind Boys, Innocent Criminals, Relentless 7, and by far this was the most intimate and moving shows of his I have witnessed.  Ben was gracious and warm, full of vibrant stories of childhood, and candid in his narrative song prefaces.  He paid homage to Detroit (Motown) with songs like moving renditions of I Heard It Through The Grapevine and Trouble Man.  The man's voice was on a roller coaster track of beauty.  He played instrumentals; he played the piano and xylophone; he played the ukelele and a slew of his other string instruments strewn throughout the stage; and he played for over 2 and a half hours!!  He took requests, and came through.  The crowd was pin drop quiet , and erupted when the moment called .  He couldn't believe the energy, and I couldn't either.  It felt as if the plaster on the walls were crumbling from the earth shattering renditions of Another Lonely Day and Waiting On An Angel.  However, "Please Bleed" moved me so much I lost my will to remain strong.   I have been moved by songs before, but this was so much more; a lament, a soul turning from a whisper to a hurricane.  It was a pure.  Thank you Ben for being a gentleman, and an artist who shares and cares at such a deep level. 

If you have a chance to catch this tour, I recommend you do so!

http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/review-ben-harper-tour-acoustic-michigan-theater/#.UGyIp654zwo

[Ruckus]

Frank Turner was great at Ram's Head last Friday.  Opening act Larry and his Flask were a trip as well.  Rockin' show!

[sidhe00]

Haven't seen these shows yet, but I am certainly looking forward to them!  November will yield at least 3 shows for certain:  Justin Townes Earle w/ Tift Merritt on the 2nd in Detroit; Delta Spirit at St. Andrew's Hall on the 17th in Detroit; Delta Spirit (again) at the HOB in Chicago on 19th!  I am geeked.  Just wish I could be seeing the NYE Beantown show with MMJ.  I had kick ass seats rarin' to go and flubbed the checkout!  I am sure there will be more.  Going to possibly see Band Of Horses @ Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor on Dec 3rd, and look forward to many more to come!!!!   

[Mr. White]

I took my wife to see Ben Sollee last night (Oct. 5, 2012) at Headliners Music Hall in Louisville. The show was great! He was promoting his new album, Half-Made Man. I had picked it up on vinyl the day before at Matt Anthony's Record Shop. It rocks a bit more than his previous albums. Also, Carl Broemel played pedal steel, acoustic, and electric guitar on it. After the show, I asked Ben how many tracks on the album Carl played on, and he said, "All of them. We basically recorded every track live." That alone should be enough to make every MMJ fan want to go out and get it now!

Ben will be playing a second show at Headliners tonight (Oct. 6th). He asked last night's audience to spread the word. So, again...BEN SOLLEE WILL BE PLAYING ANOTHER SHOW TONIGHT AT HEADLINERS MUSIC HALL IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY! DOORS OPEN AT 8:00. (Last night, he didn't hit the stage until around 10:25 p.m.)

[Jon T.]

I had a feeling that Carl was on there, but I was too lazy to look it up. Good to know.

[weeniebeenie]

After the show, I asked Ben how many tracks on the album Carl played on, and he said, "All of them. We basically recorded every track live." That alone should be enough to make every MMJ fan want to go out and get it now!

Well I may just have to buy it. I'm a big Carl fan.

[MrWhippy]

Jack White, and it was incredible.  In many ways my favorite time ever seeing him, and I've seen all three of his bands several times.  If you get the chance to see him, do it.

Ruckus, I would have loved to see that Frank Turner show, but was out of town.  Glad you caught it.

[Fully]

Whippy, I'm going to see JW on Wednesday. You're getting me pumped up. After not having a Jacket show yesterday and a couple of other disappointments, I've been needing this show. Glad it was so enjoyable.

[Mr. White]

I had a real good time at last night's Alabama Shakes concert at the Brown Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky. The only thing wrong with the show was what rmpotsy mentioned in what I think was the Alabama Shakes thread...it was too short. I wish they would have done some cover songs or jammed a little longer during some of their more rockin' tunes. However, overall the show was very tight and exciting. I'm glad to have caught them on their first big tour.

[Fully]

It would help if they had another album or two of original material, but I don't think anyone would mind covers.

[e_wind]

I was there and thought it was great, too, White. I thought that the show was a really good amount of time. They dont have a lot of material and are a newer band, so 1.5 hours was fine with me. The only way I would've liked it better is if they jammed out a bit more. Brittany fuckin killed it up there, but she needs to tell the rest of those guys not to be so scared. they were like statues on stage.

[Fully]

I saw Jack  White last night. The man band played with him. It was a wall of sound - loved it. The Carl Perkins Civic Center was awesomely mid 70's. I felt like I was at a show in high school - not that I was in high school in the mid seventies. The crowd in Jackson was pretty cool too. They don't get shows like this there ever. They were completely thrilled to have someone of White's caliber performing in their town. And I enjoyed staying at the most run down Econolodge on I40.

[robb]

Haven't seen these shows yet, but I am certainly looking forward to them!  November will yield at least 3 shows for certain:  Justin Townes Earle w/ Tift Merritt on the 2nd in Detroit; Delta Spirit at St. Andrew's Hall on the 17th in Detroit; Delta Spirit (again) at the HOB in Chicago on 19th!  I am geeked.  Just wish I could be seeing the NYE Beantown show with MMJ.  I had kick ass seats rarin' to go and flubbed the checkout!  I am sure there will be more.  Going to possibly see Band Of Horses @ Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor on Dec 3rd, and look forward to many more to come!!!!   

Can't wait for that JTE show either.  Had no idea delta spirit was playing in the area, but I don't think I'll be able to make that one happen.

[ms. yvon]

it's been a busy month for me so i'll start at the end:
last three shows:  Nick Lowe @ the Troubadour - LOVE him.  elegance, wit, grace, badassery.
Helio Sequence @ the Troubadour, then at Crescent Ballroom.  they seemed surprised and moved by the crowd response to their shows.  i wanted to shout, "this is what happens when you only tour every four years!"

to add: LONG LIVE THE FORUM! 

[jcoyote]

We drove down to Augusta last night and saw Chris Robinson Brotherhood in a 500 capacity venue that only had about 150 in it.  We were down on the front, about 2 feet from the stage.  It was an incredible show.  Tickets were $16 in advance!!  I guess he's made enough money that he just wants to go out and do his own thing and not make any money off ticket sales.  They were supposed to come onstage at 8, but it was around 8:20.  Played until about 9:45 and took a break.  We went ahead and left, as we had to pick/wake our boys up as it was at 11:15 by the time we got home.  Didn't want to be coming through @ 12:30 on a school night.  Always hard to explain to the teachers the next day when we get the phone call they were sleeping in class.  Excellent show, though.  Really dig Big Moon Ritual.  Haven't settled into The Magic Door yet.  Surprise on that release, it is cut @ 45rpm.  First vinyl is white, second is black. 

Going to see Floating Action next Friday.  Three or four bands, and it is $8.  Absolutely cannot wait. 

[Jeff Murray]

Saw Henry Rollins Capitalism show last night in Harrisburg.  Simply put the man is a great speaker, quite the marathon speaker too!  His show was 2 hours 45 minutes of non-stop talking, not even a water break.  I also liked the fact that he was able to get his point across without cussing, the only time that happened was when he was telling what someone else said.  For as intense as Rollins is in his music, he is hilarious as a speaker. 

He wasn't overly political, was more about getting people to get out and vote, didn't care who for.  Granted he did talk about some issues that unfortunately have been politicized, like education and women's health, but he didn't preach.  He spoke of his favorite historical figure, Abraham Lincoln a lot and how that has helped shape his point of view, as well as how the punk rock way of life makes him want to help others when he can and make sure he responds to every letter he receives.  He also delved into some of his previous stops on the tour and his interactions with fans after the shows.  It is amazing how he recalls so many experiences, but some are more memorable than others, especially the one's he spoke of last night.  He touched on his experiences traveling the world, some while with Black Flag and other times along the way.  He said he has done over a 100 shows over the last 31 years in some form or another, you can tell he takes his audiences very seriously.   

So if you have a couple hours to spare I'd recommend checking out one of the few remaining shows on this tour.