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