Chromeo, The Fillmore, Silver Spring, Maryland

Costumes? We don’t need no stinking costumes.

…that was my opinion at least. I figured part of the great thing about going to a concert on the Saturday night before Halloween was not having to worry about a Halloween costume. Chromeo’s Dave 1 (David Macklovitch) and P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) seemed to agree with me, with the former in his signature suit and shades and the latter in his urban sheik apparel. However, everyone else seemed to still embrace the concept. Unlike their last show at 9:30, the show was not sold out weeks in advance, though it was still plenty crowded. With the large crowd and the still new venue, our group experimented with the best spots to stand during the show. For a dance party like this, I still prefer as close to front and center as possible. A lot of the setlist was very familiar, though they mixed it up on at least half a dozen songs compared to the last time that they were in town. Just like last time, lots of dancing, lots of fun.

Setlist:
Intro
Fancy Footwork
I'm Not Contagious
Outta Sight
She'z n Control
Tenderoni
Call Me Up
Opening Up
Hot Mess
Waiting 4 U
Money for Nothing
Bonafied Lovin'
When The Night Falls
You're So Gangsta
Momma's Boy
Needy Girl
Night By Night
You Make It Rough
Don't Turn The Lights On
My Girl Is Calling Me (A Liar)

Free Lobster Buffet, Wonderland Ballroom, Washington, DC

"Not dance?! What were we thinking?"

My friend Ben was making another whirlwind tour of the US when home from the Middle East for a week. When passing through DC, his old band, Free Lobster Buffet, happened to be playing a show, so he gathered a posse and led us to the upstairs of Wonderland Ballroom. I've possibly seen FLB more than I've seen any other band, but it wasn't until I was at the show, as few songs into the familar tunes that I realized how much I've missed them. Though the line up is one short, their brand of ska didn't lose any of the umph as they blasted the earbrums of everyone in the small venue. Just like always, it was a fun show with lots of dancing.

Trey Anastasio, The Fillmore, Silver Spring, Maryland

Phish Lite

First, a few notes about the brand new venue, The Fillmore, Silver Spring, which opened in mid-September in downtown Silver Spring. With a capacity of 2,000, it is quite larger than 9:30 Club’s 1,200 person capacity. The set up however is very similar, with a balcony overlooking the stage, and the bulk of the crowd on the main floor. Supposedly the Fillmore also has a VIP section in addition to general admission. The acoustics and the feel are very similar, even considering The Fillmore’s larger size. Getting into the venue and showing ID isn’t as easy as at 9:30 Club, as it seems that they still have a few kinks to work out. However, getting out is much easier due to the shape of the foyer. It remains to be seen over the next months and years how the new venue, which I assume is in direct competition with 9:30 Club, will impact the acts that come to the area and ticket prices.

In typical fashion, Trey didn’t have an opener, he and his band just hit the stage around 8:15pm. And as notoriously cheap as hippies are, every single one in the venue that night knew that they would get their money’s worth from Trey. With at least eight or so friends on stage, including a sizable horn section, Trey played a great mix of classic Phish tunes (“Gotta Jibboo” and “First Tube), other original songs (“Simple Twist Up Dave” & “Night Speaks to a Woman”), well known covers (“Black Dog” & “Devil Went Down to Georgia”) and less well known covers (“Burn That Bridge” & “Alive Again”). Perhaps the most interesting choice was a cover of the trip rock band Gorillaz’ “Clint Eastwood.” The first set focused on much more of the blues rock nature of Trey’s musical influence, with tighter, shorter songs. I thought that it would have been the perfect show for fans of live music that have yet to muster the patience for Phish. The second set was much more instrumental and improvisational, reminiscent of a meandering Phish jam. The show, with a total running time of well over three hours, was a great opportunity to see a virtuoso like Trey on such a small stage. He looked just as at home on the small stage of the Fillmore as he does at a sold out show at Merriweather Post Pavilion or Madison Square Garden.

Setlist:
Set 1
In the Wee Wee Hours
Gotta Jibboo
Alive Again
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Money, Love and Change
Burn That Bridge
Burlap Sack and Pumps
Push On 'Til the Day
Alaska
Tuesday
Black Dog
Set 2:
Sand
Valentine
Drifting
Simple Twist Up Dave
Liquid Time
Pigtail
Mr. Completely
Ether Sunday
Magilla
Night Speaks to a Woman
First Tube
Encore:
Clint Eastwood
Heavy Things
Sultans of Swing

Ben Harper, 9:30 Club, Washington, DC

No kisses stolen; nothing burnt down

We arrived in just enough time to get a decent spot for the sold out show. Though we missed the opener, we still had some time to wait as Ben didn’t take the stage until around 9:30pm. A full band joined him on-stage as well. Perhaps the Relentless7; perhaps not. If so, they weren’t billed as such. I really have no idea who the Innocent Criminals are vs. the Relentless7 vs. whoever else was on stage that evening. Nonetheless, they were all very talented and made a solid backing band. I’m not a huge Ben Harper fan, so I wasn’t able to distinguish much between old and new songs and hits and lesser known selections. “Diamonds on the Inside” was the only song that I recognized during the first set.

The first set ended about 10:45pm. After the set break, he came out alone for what I thought would be an encore. Not surprising. However, he ended up playing several songs by himself. At the time, I was expecting an encore, so was surprised that the band hadn’t joined him yet. When the band did join him again, I began to realize that we were well into an entirely second set. The highlight of which for me was when Ben sang acapella and without a microphone. Once the crowd finally hushed itself, the crowd at the 930 Club was as quite as I had ever heard it as Ben Harper belted out a gospel tune. Despite his thin frame, the man certainly has a set of pipes. So it ended up being a 12 song set with a 14 song encore…then a second two song encore. The show ended at about 12:20am, a little late for a school night in my opinion, especially when the show didn’t start until 9:30. Though we certainly got our money’s worth.

Setlist:
Set 1:
Better Way
Up To You Now
Fly One Time
Burn To Shine
Diamonds On The Inside
Masterpiece
Suzie Blue
Amen Omen
Lay There & Hate Me
Where Could I Go
Set 2:
Mutt
I'm On Fire
Pleasure And Pain
Not Fire Not Ice
Never Leave Lonely Alone
I Shall Not Walk Alone
Waiting On An Angel
Helpless
Vein In Vain
Spilling Faith
No Quarter
Better Than I Deserve
Encore:
I've Handled Myself Wrong
H

Jason Mraz, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland

All the genres, all the style

Between his combined obsessions with being early and Jason Mraz, Joey made sure that we had a great spot in the GA pit for the show, dead center and perhaps only a dozen or so bodies back. We waited and waited until Colbie Caillet, the opening act, finally took the stage. Though I was not very familiar with her work, she played a good set and threw in a few hits that I recognized.

Jason Mraz had abandoned his trademark fedora for a bandana and between it and a head of long shaggy hair, looked much more like a hippie than I remember. Nonetheless, the music sounded the same. The show was still recognizable as compared his previous show, even though he was supported by a new backing band. What has always impressed me about Jason Mraz, particularly in his live performances, was his ability to pull from so many genres of music. His show started with almost a Tony Bennett traditional pop feel, but meandered its way through folk, jazz, swing, rock, blues, and even a few bars of opera. He had great interaction with the crowd and made sure that everyone was enjoying themselves. Of course, he cycled through all of his hits, “The Remedy,” “You and I Both,”and “I’m Yours.” And of course, Miss Caillat was invited back onstage during the encore to duet “Lucky.”

Fleet Foxes, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland

Still wondering if an empty venue is a good or bad thing

After a full day of rain, the sky finally cleared on the drive to Merriweather Post Pavilion. Though the ground was a little wet, there was fortunately no mud. I made my way to the lawn to find it the emptiest that I have ever seen it. I knew that Fleet Foxes would not be that big of a draw for such a large venue and the rain must have chased away a lot of other potential attendees. So despite it being a little lonely on the lawn, it was nice that it so easy to find a spot up front. It was also fitting considering the type of music that the Fleet Foxes play, a mainly slow type of indie folk rock perfect for sitting on the grass. They were however a lot louder and livelier than I anticipated, spicing up their live show with some additional instrumentals. It all sounded very good save for a brief interlude on a saxophone-like instrument that wasn’t quite noise but nor would I classify it as music. I’ve never played a Fleet Foxes album very loud and probably still never will, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t sound good when they did crank up the volume. Their setlist was a healthy mix of old and new, not that they’ve been around long enough to really develop an extensive catalogue. While his musical and artist talent are beyond reproach, Robin Pecknold’s skills as a frontman left much to be desired. He still hasn’t fully embraced the role and seems unconformable and awkward interacting with the audience.

Setlist:
The Plains / Bitter Dancer
Mykonos
English House
Battery Kinzie
Bedouin Dress
Sim Sala Bim
Your Protector
White Winter Hymnal
Ragged Wood
Montezuma
He Doesn't Know Why
Lorelai
The Shrine/An Argument
Blue Spotted Tail
Grown Ocean
I Let You
Sun It Rises
Blue Ridge Mountains
Helplessness Blues

Elbow, 9:30 Club, Washington, DC

An evening with the most underappreciated band this side of the pond

After a wonderful show the two Septembers before, I was looking forward to again seeing the underappreciated British band Elbow. The show was very similar in form, mood, and style to the previous one. The band sounded great and this time brought out a few extra strings to join them on certain selections. I still cannot decide if Guy Garvey truly is as charming as I think he is or he’s just British. Maybe a bit of both. Nonetheless, he interacted seamlessly with the crowd, serenading one member of the audience, thanking the venue for the first time they invited him there ten years ago, and even leading a rendition of Happy Birthday to an obnoxious fan who insisted on letting him know that it was his annual special day.

The one slight difference from the previous show was the set list. While like any other band touring in support of their most recent album, Elbow leaned heavily on selections from that album, Build a Rocket Boys, nearly all of their remaining selections were from the album immediately preceding it, the Mercury Prize winning The Seldom Seen Kid. They played almost nothing from their three original albums, which I found surprising. Though I love The Seldom Seen Kid (not as crazy about their newest effort), I was disappointed that so little was included from their older album, especially considering how many amazing songs came out of those sessions. Nonetheless, beautiful show.

Setlist:
The Birds
The Bones of You
Mirrorball
Neat Little Rows
Grounds for Divorce
The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver
Great Expectations
The Night Will Always Win
Puncture Repair
The River
Lippy Kids
Weather to Fly
Open Arms
Starlings
Station Approach
One Day Like This