2014: Year in Review

My total attendance for 2014 was 36 events, a significant increase as compared to my 2013 total attendance of 23 and a new annual record overall. The 36 events included 29 concerts, 2 single day festivals, 2 multiday festivals in which I only attended one day, and 2 multiday festivals in which I attended each day. This averaged an event about every 10 days. As far as I can confirm, fifteen of those events were sold out.

I attended more events in Chicago (34) than anywhere else, all of which were within the city limits itself. I visited a total of 20 separate venues in Chicago this year, of which I only visited the Riviera Theatre (6) and Lincoln Hall (4) more than twice. I saw additional shows in Bahrain and Montreal, Québec, Canada, the first calendar year which has included two international shows. Coincidentally, the show in Montreal was at the same venue that hosted the only other international show I can recall attending.

I saw at least two shows on every day of the week. Saturday (10) was the leader, followed by Friday (6) and Sunday (6). The year was again weighted with a lot of shows in the latter part of the year, such that over seventy percent of the events took place in the second half of the year including four or five each month except for December. Every month in the first half of the year had only one or two, except for April which had four. I was away for much of May and June, partially explaining why those relatively warm months were a bit barren.

Including all the artists that I specifically wrote about, I saw a total of 87 performances by 82 artists, seeing Damien Rice, Delta Rae, The Head & the Heart, James Vincent McMorrow, and The National twice each. Of the 87, 25 were artists that I have seen before; the remaining 62 were artists that I was seeing for the first time. The includes counting solo performances by Neil Young, Glen Hansard, and St. Vincent a new acts, even though I have already seen each on stage with Crazy Horse/Buffalo Springfield, Marketa Irglova, and David Byrne, respectively. It also includes two cover bands, One More Time (A Tribute to Daft Punk) and Tripping Billies (Dave Matthews Band Tribute). Of all these performances, I saw 35 at single concerts, another 52 at various festivals.

Though I’m starting to branch out a bit, Lindsey (19) attended more concerts with me than any other person. Sarah (13) and Blair (8) also attended quite a few with me; Seth (3) as well considering we only met in October. I also attended six events on my own.

Total ticket cost was $1,705, an average and median of $47 and $37 per event, respectively.

Only one of my favorite sets was at a festival; half (including Damien Rice) were artists I saw for the first time.

1. Damien Rice (Métropolis) – The anticipation of this show combined with his nearly four hour set made this the clear winner
2. Weezer (Riot Fest) – Seeing a live performance of The Blue Album was incredible
3. The National (Chicago Theatre) – Another highly anticipated show that delivered
4. Owl John (Bottom Lounge) – A complete surprise; I’m now a dedicated fan
5. Paul Simon & Sting (United Center) – Perhaps a bit of a cheat combining the two, but the two legends could be on here independently
6. Robert Plant (Riviera Theatre) – Another legend to cross of the bucket list, backed by a talented new band
7. Alt-J (∆) [Riviera Theatre] – Seeing them a second time in a club setting brought a new view of their music and live performance
8. One More Time (A Tribute to Daft Punk) [House of Blues] – Considering the duo and their music, perhaps an indistinguishable imitation; still can’t wait to see the real thing
9. Dave Matthews Band (FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island) – Wonderful as always, why did I wait four years to see them again?
10. O.A.R. (Wrigley Field Parking Lots) – Like DMB, but even more surprising to remember how much I enjoy their lives shows.

Honorable mentions: James Vincent McMorrow (Lincoln Hall), The Get Up Kids (Riot Fest), Delta Rae (Lincoln Hall), Neil Young (Chicago Theatre).

This is now my 149th post about 142 events, going back to June 2009 with consistent entries since September of that year. I have since written about 396 performances by 298 artists. I was able to tally an additional 70 artists that I have seen prior to when I started writing this blog; there are certainly more. Since my writing began, I have seen only three artists five or more times including Phish (6), Trombone Shorty (& Orleans Avenue) [6], and Club Scout (5). Arcade Fire, The Avett Brothers, The Flaming Lips, Guster, and The Head & the Heart are all at four. I have seen a further 16 acts three times, 35 acts twice, and 236 a single time. I have visited 71 separate venues in 28 cities. Of those venues, I've only been to four more than five times including 9:30 Club (23), Merriweather Post Pavilion (9), Riviera Theatre (8), and Lincoln Hall (6).

Joanna Connor & Big James & the Chicago Playboys, Kingston Mines, Chicago, Illinois

Kingston Mines is one of Chicago's oldest, largest and most famous blues joints. Opening in 1968 in a former machine shop, the venue started as coffeehouse featuring mostly plays rather than blues. However, it soon morphed into all Chicago-style blues format. Though it has moved a few times in the interim, by 1982, Kingston Mines found it current home at the corner of North Halsted and West Wrightwood.

Today, Kingston Mines attracts visitors of all types: locals, tourists, regulars, one-off visitors, old, young, black, and white. It features two rooms, each with a stage with a backdrop reminiscent of the front porch of a shanty in the Mississippi Delta. The rooms are decorated with southern influenced artworks included murals depicting New Orleans street scenes. Seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis at long, narrow wooden tables.

The first band of the evening typically begins about 9:30pm in the main room, with alternating sets between the main and second stages all night, often till 4 or 5am. Most of the bands are part of the local Chicago blues scene. This particular Saturday night would feature Big James & the Chicago Playboys on the main stage and Joanna Connor on the second stage. Big James & the Chicago Playboys featured half a dozen blues musicians playing mostly original music including Big James on vocals and trombone and additional musicians on trumpet, guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums. Guitarist and singer Joanna Connor performed with a backing back of three additional musicians on rhythm guitar, bass, and drums. She was a very talented guitarist playing some of her own songs and some covers, including what I considered an ambitious cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On.” An single guy emceed for both stages, hocked overpriced CD’s during the shows ($20 for a local band’s CD?), and even performed a few songs with Joanna Conner.

The whole even was a lot of fun. Lots of high quality, high energy live music at reasonable prices. We resolved that we would make visits to Kingston Mines a more regular activity in 2015.

The Head & the Heart, Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois

It was another relatively warm Chicago night at the Aragon Ballroom. The Head & the Heart’s show was sold out but I was able to pick up a ticket at the last minute from a friend who could no longer attend. As before, we killed a bit of time at the Green Mill while waiting for the long line to subside. Despite being sold out, there was plenty of room throughout the main hall, so we slid into a comfy spot less than halfway back. The band consists of six performers: Josiah Johnson (vocals, guitar, percussion), Jonathan Russell (vocals, guitar, percussion), Charity Rose Thielen (violin, vocals), Chris Zasche (bass), Kenny Hensley (piano), and Tyler Williams (drums). I had a good idea of what to expect since I have seen the Head & the Heart several times before, going back to their opening up the Other Stage on Sunday afternoon at Bonnaroo 2011. The show wasn't too surprising but certainly a fun time and a great way to spend a Saturday evening, including a setlist that covered much of their catalogue.  Other than a few lights, the theatrics where pretty stripped down.

Setlist:
Cats and Dogs
Coeur d'Alene

Homecoming Heroes
Ghosts
Honey Come Home
Josh McBride
Cruel
Another Story
Lost in My Mind
Shake
10,000 Weight in Gold
Winter Song
Let's Be Still
Sounds Like Hallelujah
Rivers and Roads
Encore:
No One to Let You Down
Springtime
Summertime
Down in the Valley

Fitz & the Tantrums, Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

On a relatively warm but rainy night for Chicago in late November, the line for the second sold out night of Fitz & the Tantrums was out the door even 30 minutes after they opened. Despite opting to wait out the line to dissipate, at least somewhat, we still able to find a spot in the back center of the lowest tier. Unlike a few other shows at the Riviera Theatre, it was still reasonably comfortable when Fitz and the Tantrums took the stage around 10pm.

The band consists of Michael Fitzpatrick (lead vocals), Noelle Scaggs (co-Lead vocals and percussion), James King (saxophone, flute, keyboard, percussion and guitar), Joseph Karnes (bass guitar), Jeremy Ruzumna (keyboards) and John Wicks (drums and percussion). I had seen the soul-influenced, indie pop band once or twice before at musical festivals, but this would be my first time in a club, comprised on only their fans. Better that atmosphere and the fact that it was their last night of their fall tour, they doubled down on the high energy they’re known to bring. Their set up included fairly standard lights and lasers with a large light up heart as the backdrop, the cover art of their most recent album, More Than Just a Dream (2013). Fans and the band would make that heart symbol with their hands.

Their set included most of the songs from Pickin' Up the Pieces (2010) and nearly all those from More Than Just a Dream. It also show included a few elements to further engage the audience. When we arrived, theatre staff were handing out bracelets that would illuminate on impact. When everyone would clap their hands above their heads, the room was illuminated. Towards the end of the show, everyone was also asked/commanded to squat down and then jump up in unison. They also rained confetti down on the audience twice, and the end of the main set and then at the end of the show.

Setlist:
Get Away
Don't Gotta Work It Out
Break the Walls
Breakin' the Chains of Love
Keepin' Our Eyes Out
Spark
MerryGoRound
Winds of Change
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) [Eurythmics cover]
Out of My League
House on Fire
Fools Gold
Last Raindrop
6am
Tell Me What Ya Here For
L.O.V.
Encore:
Tighter
MoneyGrabber
The Walker

Damien Rice, Métropolis, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

After having to stop and reschedule his Chicago show the previous month after only five songs due to illness and the realization that I wouldn't be able to attend the rescheduled show, I opted to fly to Montreal to see the final show of his tour at Métropolis. I had actually been to the venue approximately five years ago for Modest Modest. Except for the balcony, the main part of the venue is all general admission, though there are a few first-come, first-serve standing tables towards the back under the balcony. Given the distance that we had come, I preferred to get a spot as close to the stage as possible.

The doors opened around 6:30pm, and we arrived fifteen to twenty minutes later. We were almost dead center and about eight to ten people/rows from the stage. Considering that the Athenaeum

Theatre has an unutilized orchestra pit, and I was seated a bit off to the side for that show, I was probably about as close to the stage at the Métropolis as I was at the Athenaeum. Also, like at the previous show, there was no opening act. Though Damien Rice was scheduled to take the stage at 8pm, he kept us waiting till 8:35. At his request, the venue closed the bar at the beginning of his show. Since there were many quiet moments throughout the show, for which unfortunately there’s often someone still talking, my guess is he realized that sober people are at least relatively quieter.

As before, he took the stage alone with his guitar, which he sometime played with a pick and other times finger style. While it started as a fairly dark stage with only a single spotlight on him, other lights flicked to life at proscribed times throughout the show, orchestrated in time with the music. So he DOES have a lighting guy. It was even quite bright at times, though never anything more than just plain lights. There were not any colors or imagery whatsoever. He was wearing ‘traditional’ Irish workman’s clothes, as if he had just stepped out of the early 20th century, including suspenders and a collarless button-down shirt.

He started off the show fairly quietly with a few of his concert staples including “Elephant” and “Delicate.” Slipped in between those two was “Woman Like a Man,” a B-Side track. He did these first three songs and many throughout the show with a standard acoustic guitar. He was fairly stoic at the very beginning of his set. It was tough to get a read on him; what kind of night would we be in for? After a few songs, it was clear that he was a different man than he was in Chicago, with a whole lot of energy. Beginning with “My Favourite Faded Fantasy” and used sporadically throughout the set, he utilized effects pedals for some songs to create reverb, an electric guitar sound, or even add a deep bass. The most effective use of this and probably the highlight of the entire evening was a rocking version of “9 Crimes.” Beginning the song acoustically, he let it build for a while, stepping away from the main microphone, hunching over, and actually singing into his guitar mic, something I had never seen before. As the song reached its crescendo, the lights blazed, and he kicked on electric and bass effects. Following “9 Crimes,” which would have been the perfect note on which to end the show, he instead brought it down a notch with “The Greatest Bastard.”

It wasn't until prior to “The Professor & La Fille Danse,” which features a few French lyrics, that he finally spoke to the audience. Though he mostly spoke English, he also chatted a bit in French, much to the excitement of the audience, except for me of course. I felt a bit left out whenever he spoke in French, though only a bit because he never said more than a few snippets. He also carried a glass of saké with him on stage and sipped from it liberally, explaining that he needed to catch up with the excited audience. Before starting the “The Professor & La Fille Danse,” he provided an allegorical explanation of the song’s meaning, “About the complex things that men have deal with. We are burdened with the difficulty…so imagine, that someone gives you a suitcase for your 13th birthday. In that suitcase is a million dollars. You’re told to keep it safe and use it wisely. You put it underneath your bed. The next day you’re thirteen years old and one day and you get another suitcase with a million dollars. You’re told put it somewhere safe and be careful what you do with it. You put it under your bed again. This continues every day. Eventually, there’s no room underneath your bed. So you put it in your wardrobe, but that gets full. Soon your whole bedroom gets full of these suitcases with a million dollars and you’re only 13 years and 27 days old. And you keep on getting told, be careful what you do with it and don’t do bad things with it. And at 13 years of age you’re trying to find what to do with all these millions of dollars. Well, as a 13 year old boy, you get a million sperms delivered into your testicles every day. And you’re told, be careful what you do with those. And don’t use them badly.”

In his banter, he didn't shy away from poking a bit of fun at the audience. When a fan yelled out his support in a moment of relative quiet, he imitated a clapping trained seal. Throughout the evening, he also took audience requests. One of the first songs requested was “Cheers Darlin'.” He responded “I can’t do ‘Cheers Darlin',’ because I’ll be terribly drunk and won’t be able to do anymore songs. So if you want one more song, I could do ‘Cheers Darlin',’ but if you want a few more songs, then I will not. Wine and saké doesn't probably go together anyway.” At the time, I didn't understand the exchange. It would become a bit clearer later in the evening.

I was a bit surprised that fans requested songs from his most recent album, My Favourite Faded Fantasy (2014), almost as much as his previous two. The first accepted request for the evening was “The Box,” from the aforementioned album. Again he explained the meaning of the song. It is about how for better or worse we compartmentalize all that is good and bad in life. “You eventually have to face down the people in your life that are bad for you. This one particular friend criticized everything I did, all the good ideas I had. He was always the first person to put doubts in my mind. So I decided to sit down with him and sort it out. So we sat down, and I walked up to him, and I looked in the mirror, and I said ‘You’ and I sang him this song.”

Following “The Box,” he stepped away from the mic for an unplugged version of “The Blower’s Daughter.” The audience was mostly quiet. He then ended the main set with “Volcano,” for which he invited us to participate. He directed us to snap our fingers in the beginning of the song, which would build to hand claps, then finally to foot stomps for the crescendo. He also broke the audience into three segments. Each was instructed to sing part of the chorus. It was fun, though I've seen artists “conduct” an audience better. Our middle section was having quite a bit of trouble delivering a well-timed “Ah, ah, ahhhhh.”

Following his brief encore break, I was expecting to hear another two or three songs. When he asked for requests, I was one of several people yelling for “Rootless Tree,” which he threw into the set. Though I enjoyed it immensely, he delivered a stripped down version, which I thought would have benefited from being dressed up a bit with some electric and bass effects. I thought that would be the end, and not a bad ending at all, but then he stated, “Maybe I will drink some wine.”

A table and pair of chairs were brought on stage. He asked for a volunteer to join him, one that liked wine and wasn't driving home. He specifically picked up a girl who had previously informed him that it was okay to mix saké and wine, a cute brunette named Angelique. She looked like she was barely old enough to be served a drink. He then proceeded with the narration of a mini-play that was the basis for “Cheers Darlin':” On a night out in the city, a young Irish man accidentally bumps into and knocks over a pretty girl. He insists he buy her a glass of wine to apologize. They get to talking and realize that they live in the same village outside the city. One glass of wine turns to two turns to three. Meanwhile on stage, Damien Rice is pouring each of these glasses of wine for himself and Angelique. The two of them slam down a full bottle in a matter of minutes, after which he requests another from a stagehand. After downing her third or fourth glass, Angelique was having a bit of trouble getting anymore down, instead requesting to sip some of his aforementioned saké. Back in the story, even though our young Irish protagonist doesn't have money for a taxi, he opts to miss the last bus home, hoping that since the beautiful young girl he’s with isn't running to catch the last bus, neither should he. After pointing out that they have missed that last bus home, she replies that her boyfriend is picking her up. Embarrassed and drunk, “Cheers Darlin'” is a note written by the young man to the girl, scornfully wishing her the best with her boyfriend. Having put down his guitar in favor of a glass of wine, Damien sang along to prerecorded music, which included drums, piano, and violin as well as guitar. It was the only instance all evening in which the sound wasn't directly created by him or his guitar. The alcohol he just drank couldn't have worked its way into his bloodstream quite yet, so the slurred words and swaying demeanor during the song were part of the performance.

Given the amount of wine he had just consumed, I thought it would be the end of the show as he had previously threatened, but he was just getting warmed up. If anything the alcohol got him more revved up. After an unplugged version of “Cannonball,” he asked his tour manager at the soundboard what time he was required to stop, clarifying “At what time do I get fined?” I couldn't hear the response. The show continued even though he said it was a bad idea to play after “Cheers Darlin'.”

By this point, he was quite drunk, not Shane McGowan, slurring, stumbling, and smoking a cigarette drunk, but drunk. He was still happy and energetic, just getting a bit more verbose with his stories. For example, “Trusty and True” required a significant amount of humorous explanation, as follows: “Often the most painful things are linked with romance because romance is filled with….bullshit. We grow up with the story of romance, and I was the same. I wrote songs about it and people loved that shit. You know? [In a strained voice, faking being on the verge of tears], ‘Yeah, fuck you!’ I don’t really think that way anymore. I can still sing the songs, but it’s not how I think anymore. But anyway, sex and pain sells, so hey, I can keep writing painful songs….I’m joking, I told you it a really bad idea for me to keep going after ‘Cheers Darlin',’ but hey, last night of the tour and all. So this song is a bonfire, and anyone that has any pain, things their frustrated at, jealousy….jealousy is hilarious. I think people probably do the most stupid, passionate, and crazy things ever because of jealousy. I know I have. This song is a bonfire to throw all those things into and let it go. Angelique, have you vomited yet? You’re fine? [Giggles] I’m fine too [lifts glass]. Tomorrow morning on the plane, I’m not so sure.”

He then started a few bars of “Trusty and True” before again stopping to request for a group of 25 to 30 reasonably talented singers from the audience to join him on stage, offering them the rest of the wine. He quickly taught them the chorus for “Trusty and True” and began again. However, halfway through the song, he stopped again: “Oh by the way, I want you to imagine: If you’re a woman, if you feel like you've been hurt by a man, the truth is you've never been hurt by a man, you've only hurt yourself.” The audience booed, so he clarified, “We all only hurt ourselves. The same applies to men. So if you've been in that situation, imagine these next verses are all the men in the world standing on a hill, singing to all the women in the world. And all the men in the world are going ‘we’re sorry we did our best.’”

Wrapping up the song, he took the time to greet each person on stage with him before they exited. Again I thought it was the end of the show. So did the theatre manager because the house lights came up. We moved from our spot up close toward the back of the venue only discover he still had more in him. I didn't mind though. I could still hear very well but had a different vantage point and a lot more space.

Next, he agreed to sing “It Takes a Lot to Know a Man,” even though he had never done it live and had yet to figure out how to fit all the pieces together in a single performance. Though he admitted that if he was sober, he wouldn't have attempted to it, I believe that sober Damien Rice would have botched just as many of the lyrics as this one.

The show continued with “Back to Her Man,” more or less a song about opening up for Leonard Cohen and witnessing the veteran performer’s effect on women, and a fantastic version of “Me, My Yoke, and I,” more of less about Catholic sexual repression. He played the latter after it was requested by a guy standing near me at the back of the room. When he agreed to play it, he noted that he hadn't done so in about seven years. Naturally, the fan was quite pleased with himself; I would be too. After saying several times that the next song would be the last song of the night only to add in another, he finally ended the evening with “I Remember.” He tried translating it into French, though quite poorly. He finished his performance about five minute after midnight, meaning he played for a total of three and a half hours. Basically, his encore was a full second set, longer in fact by almost 50 minutes. He pointed out that while it might not be his longest show, it was certainly his most elongated. I had been standing for about five hours.

In summary, he did quite a mix of songs including eight of ten songs on O (2002), four songs from 9 (2006), seven out of eight from My Favourite Faded Fantasy, and four B-sides/rarities. He missed a couple that I would have liked to have heard including “Accidental Babies,” “Coconut Skins,” and especially “Eskimo.” No complaints though as it was easily my favorite set of the year.

Setlist:
Elephant
Woman Like a Man
Delicate
My Favourite Faded Fantasy
Older Chests
I Don't Want to Change You
9 Crimes
The Greatest Bastard
The Professor & La Fille Danse
The Box
The Blower's Daughter [unplugged]
Volcano
Encore:
Colour Me In
Amie
Sex Change [Juniper song] [snippet]
Rootless Tree
Cheers Darlin'
Cannonball [unplugged]
Trusty and True
It Takes a Lot to Know a Man
Baby Sister
Back to Her Man
Me, My Yoke and I
I Remember

James Vincent McMorrow, House of Blues, Chicago, Illinois

In six months’ time, Irish singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow had upgraded from Lincoln Hall to the House of Blues, a significantly larger venue. We arrived early, hoping to be reasonably close to the stage, even though we expected we wouldn’t be able to repeat the propinquity of last time. Our goal was to be close without being squished. One of the drawbacks to the House of Blues is that the back areas of the theater are somewhat disconnected from the stage, making it hard to see and hear. However, since the show was nowhere near sold out, it was easy for everyone in attendance to get close enough to see and hear well.

The opening act was a somewhat depressing hip hop duo – a DJ and an MC. At first, I found them a bit of a strange pairing for James Vincent McMorrow, but as their set went on, I came to find them quite analogous. They are to hip hop what James Vincent McMorrow is to folk. Both have their roots in their respective genres but have taken their sound in a new direction. James Vincent McMorrow himself joined the openers on stage for their last song, his song “Cavalier” with hip hop beats and rap overlaid with McMorrow’s normal vocals.

James Vincent McMorrow used the same set up as his last show, a circular disk backdrop ornamented with pyramids plus additional illuminated pyramids spread across the stage. More importantly, his voice was just as ethereal and beautiful as before. Three other musicians joined him on stage, including guitar/keys, keys/synthesizer, and drums with James Vincent McMorrow on guitar/keys.

The setlist utilized the previous show’s list as a base but threw in a few additional songs including “Higher Love,” a Steve Winwood cover. He also included “When I Leave,” a brand new songs that will likely appear on his next album, currently under development. I really liked the song, but thought it was ripe for some loops. I’m not sure if that’s something that interests him though. He also did an unplugged version of “And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop” at the beginning of the encore, unplugging his guitar and stepping away from the microphone. The audience did a better job than average job of keeping quiet throughout the performance. However, I still heard a few whispers. Why are there always a few people that are just incapable of staying quiet for a few minutes?

Setlist:
The Lakes
Hear the Noise That Moves So Soft and Low
Glacier
Red Dust
Down the Burning Ropes
You Know
Higher Love [Steve Winwood cover]
Follow You Down to the Red Oak Tree
Breaking Hearts
This Old Dark Machine
Post Tropical
Look Out
From the Woods!!
All Points
We Don't Eat
Gold
Cavalier
Encore:
And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop [unplugged]
When I Leave
If I Had a Boat

Sun Kil Moon, Park West, Chicago, Illinois

On a bit of a whim, I decided to see Sun Kil Moon, a moniker for singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek. I had been a fan of his since I discovering his album of Modest Mouse covers several years ago and had enjoy his own music as well. However, it was his most recent album, Benji (2014), that finally came to be a high rotation selection on my stereo. I enjoy his voice and the personal stories he tells through his lyrics.

I had been to Park West once before for Matisyahu. Previously, most of the theatre was laid out as first-come, first-serve tables with a GA section up front. I assumed there would be a similar set up for this show, so I planned to slip up into that front GA section as the show started. I was happy to stand. I was disappointed to find that there were now seats in this section, all of which were full. Though it took some searching, I was able to find an open seat just one section back. I would have enjoyed being a bit closer for a quiet show like Sun Kil Moon but not bad for showing up at the last minute. I was also a bit annoyed to find that even as the show was starting, there were a dozen or more seats marked “reserved.” There was no opener, so I slid into my seat just a few minutes before Sun Kil Moon took the stage.

It was once again a case in which I wasn't sure who to expect on stage. However, this time I really thought that it would just be him with his guitar, but when I entered the theatre I noticed a much larger set up. He took the stage with three other musicians – drums, electric guitar, and keyboards. Mark Kozelek played the acoustic guitar, though put it down for a half dozen songs, just using his voice. He also invited another artist on stage to sing a few songs. They did one of each of their songs, plus a few others. Like the Damien Rice show, the stage was very dark, such that I could barely see his face the entire show. It created a very pleasant ambiance, even though my pictures didn't turn out very well.

He was funny and personable on-stage with a wry, dark sense of humor. Those on stage with him were all old friends and musical collaborators. Throughout the set, he gave all of them a hard time, dispensing joking insults like, “What kind of tempo is that? What am I paying you for?” The aforementioned insult also speaks to the experimental, casual nature of the show. He was figuring out the tempo and the songs as he went throughout the show. On one occasion, he restarted a song not once but twice. For another song, he required a copy of the lyrics in front of him. Not wanting to turn up the house lights, he instead opted to borrow the phone of a woman in the front row to use for a light source.

He has an extensive catalogue and in addition to his Sun Kil Moon songs, he played songs from the various groups/duos with which he has made music over the years. I wasn't familiar with many of these songs, but most of his songs are stories, so it was easy to become engaged. It was also quite glad to be able to find a setlist after the show and pleased that his set did include at least a couple songs from Benji. . While he didn't specifically say he was taking requests, he honored the few people that did yell out song titles, once noting, “I forgot about that one, yeah, we should do that.”

I was told by the venue that he would play from 7:30 to 9. However, though he came out more or less on time, his set lasted until almost 10 including an encore break of only a minute or so.

Setlist:
I Know It's Pathetic but That Was the Greatest Night of My Life
Gustavo [Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle song]
Black Kite
Caroline [Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle song]
Dogs
Micheline
He Always Felt Like Dancing [Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle song]
I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love
Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes
I Got You Babe [with Advance Base]
Natural Light [Casiotone for the Painfully Alone cover] [with Advance Base]
Jim Wise [with Advance Base]
I Watched the Film the Song Remains the Same
Hey You Bastards I'm Still Here [Mark Kozelek & Desertshore cover]
War on Drugs: Suck My Cock
Encore:
Ceiling Gazing [Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle cover]
Carissa
Elaine

Alt-J (∆), Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

It was already very crowded at the Riviera even an hour and a half before Alt-J (or is it ∆, I still don’t know how I should write their name) was scheduled to take the stage. We picked a spot on the second tier as close to the railing as we could find, so that we could see and hear pretty well. The evening started with opening act Lovelife. They were quite good, one of the better openers that I have seen recently. Their performance included a respectable visual show and a lot of energy.

Alt-J took the stage about 8:45pm. Four musicians were on stage: Joe Newman (guitar, lead vocals), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards, vocals) and Thom Green (drums). Gwil Sainsbury (guitar, bass) was the former fourth band member when I saw them last summer. However, he amicably departed earlier this year. For their current tour, he was replaced by Cameron Knight (guitar, bass, sampler).

I had first discovered Alt-J following their release of their Mercury Prize winning debut album, An Awesome Wave (2012), and was instantly hooked. Though I have seen them previously, it was a Thursday evening set at Bonnaroo. While I was relatively close, it was extremely crowded, and I was exhausted. I was looking forward to seeing them a second time in a club setting. It was also an opportunity to hear a new set of songs from their sophomore album, This Is All Yours (2014), released earlier this fall.

They ended up playing a good mix of songs from both albums. The setlist below was technically pulled from their show the previous evening, but as near as I can tell it was the same setlist. I liked that Bloodflood, from their first album, was directly followed with Bloodflood Pt. 2 from the second. While I like the overall set of songs they played, I thought they put too many of them a bit too early in the set. Towards the end of the show, they didn’t have any of what I would consider their best songs to end their main set or include in the encore. It was also a bit on the short side, including only about 65 minutes of music in total. They could have included a few more without the overall quality of the show suffering. I did appreciate that their encore break only lasted a minute or two, and I was home a bit after 10pm.

The performance also included some pretty solid visual elements, including lights and an LCD apparatus.  For most of the show, the lighting seems to emphasize the overall ambiance instead of the members of the band themselves. Much of the time, you could barely even make out their faces.

Setlist:
Hunger of the Pine
Fitzpleasure
Something Good
Left Hand Free
Dissolve Me
Matilda
Bloodflood
Bloodflood Pt. 2
❦ (Ripe & Ruin)
Tessellate
Every Other Freckle
Taro
Warm Foothills
The Gospel of John Hurt
Encore:
Lovely Day [Bill Withers cover]
Nara
Leaving Nara
Breezeblocks

tUnE-yArDs, Vic Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

We arrived towards the beginning of the opening act and slid down to the back right corner of the front section. I counted only 8 people between myself and the stage. I was told that the tUnE-yArDs performance that evening wasn’t quite sold out but very close to it. When we arrived it was crowded but comfortable. However, by the time tUnE-yArDs took the stage, our section was packed –  too crowded for comfort. Though cramped, we stayed in our spot; trying to find a more comfortable one further back we mean we would be very far back.

tUnE-yArDs, a music project of the singer, song-writer, and multi-instrumentalist Merrill Garbus, was another instance of a live performance for which I didn’t know what to expect. While the official band consists of just her and her musical partner, Nate Brenner, the music uses lots of loops and layered sounds. Even though the tUnE-yArDs are a vehicle for her music, her albums involve various session musicians.

To begin the show, Merrill took the stage with her two female back up vocalists, Abigail Nessen-Bengson  and Jo Lampert, to kick off the set with the a capella song, “Rocking Chair.” Afterwards, another pair of musicians joined her including Nate Brenner on bass, percussion, and synthesizer and Dani Markham on percussion and vocals. Merrill had some minor percussion in front of her – a tom-tom, snare, and cymbal – a synthesizer, and lots of pedals for loops. She wasn’t wearing shoes so she could better manipulate the pedals. The two back-up singers (now also dancers) moved a few feet back for the remainder of the show. The stage set up was fairly minimal; there weren’t any lighting effects. Merrill and the back-up singers did do a few choreographed dance moves.

The setlist included only songs from here two most recent of her three albums, w h o k i l l (2011) and Nikki Nack (2014). Merrill is incredibly talented, with a beautiful Afro-Caribbean style voice, even though she’s white. It was also impressive to watch how much she was doing on stage in unison – creating and layering loops, playing instruments, and singing lead vocals.

Setlist:
Rocking Chair
Sink-O
Real Thing
Wait for a Minute
Gangsta
Es-So
Powa
Time of Dark
Stop That Man
Killa
Water Fountain
Bizness
Encore:
Doorstep
Hey Life

BΔSTILLE, Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois

The Aragon Ballroom is a historic venue on the north side of the city, completed in 1926.It was designed in an elaborate Moorish architectural style, with the interior resembling a Spanish village, particularly the balconies. The interior ceiling is even painted to resemble the view of a starry sky from the village courtyard, complete with twinkling lights. The main stage consist of a singular large general admission room with just a few balcony seating areas up top. With a significantly elevated stage, the views from anywhere in the room are quite good. Even though the show was sold out, there was plenty of room. With a capacity of 4,500, it is perhaps the nicest venue of its size I have visited.

Bastille are an English rock band formed in London several years ago and consisting of Dan Smith (lead vocals, keyboards, percussion), Kyle Simmons (keyboards, percussion, bass, backing vocals, synthesizers), Will Farquarson (bass, keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), and Chris Wood (percussion, backing vocals). The band derives its name from Bastille Day – an event celebrated on Smith's birthday, July 14th. So just to be clear – English band, named for a French holiday, playing music in an America venue decorated to look as if it was designed by African conquerors of Spain.

Lead singer Dan Smith did all the speaking for the band but was a bit difficult to understand much of the time. Often, I felt like I was only getting every third word. As they only have one album, Bad Blood (2013), released to date, most if not all the songs were pulled from it. This included bookending the show with two of their biggest hits, “Things We Lose in the Fire” and “Pompeii.” There were a few covers as well, or at least one, “No Angels,” a mixture of the TLC song “No Scrubs” and The xx song, “Angels.” It sounded a bit awkward to me; it just didn’t really work. There were a few other songs that didn’t seem to work so well; these are the difficulties of being a new band playing large venues. People expect a 75 minute show, so you include a few songs that would be cut out if you had more to pull from. The seemingly mostly female crowd was excited but fairly tame. The stage show was well done. It included a large triangle shape on stage with the band. A few fans made corresponding triangle shapes with their fingers. I was a bit confused; I thought that was Alt-J’s signature. I guess Bastille do also use a triangle in their stylized signature.

Setlist:
Things We Lost in the Fire
Weight of Living, Pt. II
Laura Palmer
Laughter Lines
Bad Blood
Blame
Overjoyed
Poet
These Streets
Skulls
The Silence
Oblivion
No Angels
Icarus
The Draw
Flaws
Get Home
Of the Night
Pompeii

Owl John, Bottom Lounge, Chicago, Illinois

Owl John is the assumed moniker of Scott Hutchison, founding member, lead singer, and primary songwriter of the Scottish indie rock band Frightened Rabbit. While Hutchison is the only official member of Owl John, his debut eponymous album under that name includes full instrumentation with participation of several session musicians. So just like with Damien Rice, I didn’t know quite who to expect would be on stage. As with Damien Rice, it was just Hutchison on stage with a guitar. His Chicago show was only one of three shows he would be doing in the US as Owl John while on his way from a European tour to Los Angeles, a city he hates but now calls home after falling for a girl and following her there.

The Bottom Lounge is quite small with standing room for probably only a couple hundred people. A single open space makes every spot in the room a good one. The show, advertised as starting at 8pm, didn’t actually start till 9pm, which was a bit annoying. That meant that after the opening act, Hutchison didn’t take the stage until 10pm. Fortunately, the bar outside the stage provided a large, nice area to kill time.

Upon taking the stage with his guitar, Hutchison quickly proved himself to be a superb entertainer. He was absolutely hilarious with a smartass quip or funny story about everything. Sometimes it was tales of home or touring that he no doubt told a thousand times. Other times, he would just riff on things that audience members yelled out.  In all seriousness, the level of laughter from the audience would be appropriate for a comedy club, not the indie folk set of an artist often known for writing depressing lyrics. Of course, everything was at least 50% funnier and more charming because of his Scottish brogue. Also, I at first forgot that his name was Scott. So when recounting stories in which people were speaking to him, I thought he was implying that they were referring to him by his nationality, as if someone would say to me, “Hey American.” After the concert, Lindsey and I tried to remember as many of his stories and as much of his banter as we could, as follows:

• Can we get the reverb turned up?...I sound like God up here.” [It was then turned up way too high for his next song, but then dialed back a bit]
• “I once played a show with my fly down. Luckily some folks in the front slipped me a note. Now, mind you, it was a note like concrete poetry. They took what should have been one line and turned it into a poem. So they slip this paper on the stage and I'm like, ‘O, a number, that never happens.’ Or if it does, it's 'Scot, call me – Dave' and I'm like ‘Thanks, Dave, but I'll only be calling if I need some plumbing work done.’ So I start reading this note. The first line is just 'Scot' and I'm like, ‘well, that's me, okay, keep reading.’ 'Your fly,' and then I'm like, ‘well, thanks! no one's ever said that to me before.’ But then I notice there's no apostrophe, so I keep reading ‘... is down.’ Well, fuck. So now before the show, I was just in the toilet and before I came out, I double, triple checked everything... [someone yelled, ‘Prove it’]…‘Prove it?! How am I supposed to do that?’… [more inappropriate yelling]…‘People, it’s a Wednesday.’”
• "Yeah, a lot of my songs are depressing. My fans probably worry I’m a complete mess all the time. This one time, we were about to start making a record, and I had just been through a break up. Someone told the manager at the label we were with, and he was so excited, all: ‘Yes, the record is going to be fantastic.’ It was, but we ended up leaving that label, so it didn't work out for him.”“So I moved to LA because I fell in love… [Everyone in audience exclaims ‘awww.’]… Don't worry, I'm still in love. That's all great, but LA is shit. You live there for three days and hate yourself. You all are very lucky you live here. Chicago’s a great city…[Girl in the audience yells out, ‘there are red light cameras here too’]….You have what? Oh, you mean they snap you when you run the lights? Well, is that really so terrible? Is it really infringing on your rights? You can't just hop in your car and run red lights for fun....That lady's never coming to another Frightened Rabbit show.
• “[Mentions something about guys who wear backwards hats] I was playing this one show in Montreal and there were these two guys with backwards hats in the front row screaming the whole show for ‘The Twist.’ I mean, they were going crazy for it. Quite honestly, it was a pleasure to not play it for them. A few of my friends that were in the audience that night and standing by these guys told me after the show that they overheard the guys in backwards hats saying they love the song so much because it was what they were listening to when they crashed their boat. Crashed their boat? Really? Anyone else here crash their boat to a Frightened Rabbit song?
• [Someone shouts after hearing the first chord of a song, recognizing it was the start of a song they wanted to hear] “Oh, is that what you wanted to hear? One chord? A nice F/G? Because I can just do that for the next hour. F/G, F/G... You know when I was a kid, maybe five years old, they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. I picked Eric Clapton. You know his Unplugged show, at the start of every song there's this big applause…every song. And I thought 'man, wouldn't that be great? That's what I want.' Now it happens for me and I realize that it’s really fuckin annoying.”

While the stories and banter made the evening particularly memorable, I loved the music as well. He played only a three Owl John songs, opting for a setlist heavy on Frightened Rabbit including a song from Sing the Greys (2007), six from The Midnight Organ Fight (2008), a pair from The Winter of Mixed Drinks (2010), and four from Pedestrian Verse (2013). After playing “The Modern Leper,” his first Frightened Rabbit song of the evening, he explained “Ah, you didn’t think I was going to play all new stuff. You think I’m fuckin stupid?” He also claimed, “So I don’t have a setlist, I play whatever you yell out basically. However, after lots of yelling for songs, he admitted, “Ok, one of you yelled the one I wanted to play; the whole thing is kind of a fallacy.” However, not every request was accepted. When someone yelled out “Freebird!,” he quipped, “Did that really just happen?” Someone else responded, "We were all thinking it. “He replied “No, we all were not. I believe you are alone in that, and after this, will be alone for a very long time.” Someone else kept yelling out for the song, “'Keep Yourself Warm.” He explained, “No, I'm not going to play that song now. I play that song and everyone leaves to go cut their wrists. I know you're not all familiar with putting together a setlist, but it's all about pace.” “Keep Yourself Warm” didn’t make it into the setlist that evening. Perhaps his single best comment of the night was when he asked, “How about a request from the people over there who won’t shut the fuck up? Maybe if I play the one song you really want to hear, you'll shut up and then leave and go to some douche bar.”

I had always casually enjoyed Frightened Rabbit, but had listened to them more in depth in anticipation of the show. Hearing it live, even striped down versions, made me appreciate it even more. It also made me want to see a full Frightened Rabbit show immediately. When I got home, I even turned on some more of their music, which is very uncharacteristic of me.

Setlist:

Hate Music

The Modern Leper [Frightened Rabbit song]

State Hospital [Frightened Rabbit song]

Los Angeles, Be Kind

The Oil Slick [Frightened Rabbit song]

Backyard Skulls [Frightened Rabbit song]

The Woodpile [Frightened Rabbit song]

Nothing Like You [Frightened Rabbit song]

Red Hand

Old Old Fashioned [Frightened Rabbit song]

My Backwards Walk [Frightened Rabbit song]

Square 9 [Frightened Rabbit song]

The Twist [Frightened Rabbit song]

The Loneliness and the Scream [Frightened Rabbit song]

Encore:

Floating in the Froth [Frightened Rabbit song]

Poke [Frightened Rabbit song]

Damien Rice, Athenaeum Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice had been quiet for the last eight years. He had not released new material since 2006, and even that was only at the urging of his record label. And while he would do a one off performance in Ireland or the UK, he had not completed a full tour since his last album. So it came as quite a surprise that without much warning, he announced the upcoming release of a new album and accompanying tour which would include a handful of dates in North America.

His venue of choice, the Athenaeum Theatre, is quite small, seating less than a thousand people. While that means that even seats in the back are probably still good, tickets sold out immediately. I, however, was resolved to go, realizing that it could be many more years before he returned to a town in which I lived, if he returned at all. So I went on Craigslist and bought a ticket for four times face value, I believe the highest mark-up that I’ve ever paid for a ticket. It did however provide me with an amazing seat, in the second row of one of the middle sections on the main floor. All the tickets in that section were only available through the fan club presale, so everyone near me was a huge fan – either a member of the fan club or willing to pay a high premium for a ticket. Many drove quite a ways. The guy I bought my ticket from, who was sitting reasonably close to me at the show, drove from Bloomington, Indiana. My seat had a great view of the stage and perfect speaker placement. It was primed to be a wonderful experience.

There was no opener, so Damien took the stage about 7:45. He had a fair amount of equipment on stage with him including a piano. I wasn't sure whether to expect just him on stage or whether there would be any type of band with him. He came on stage and sat down on a stool with his guitar. There was just a single dim light on him, so the stage was very dark. While not showy it was an interesting choice for a performance and fitting for him. I now also better understood why he was playing such a small venue.

He opened with "I Don't Want to Change You" from his new album. After completing it, he told us that he had an ear infection, so it was strange to play music without being able to hear himself. To me, he still sounded great. His voice was still beautiful. Fortunately, his illness didn’t seem to be impacting his vocal chords. However, he was definitely having a bit of trouble on the guitar. However, it sounded fine once he got into the groove of a song. Besides, he’s known for his lyrics and voice, not his technical proficiency on a guitar. He played a couple more songs but frequently commented that he was having trouble. His concerns were met with lots of encouraging shouts from the audience, but perhaps he couldn't hear them. After playing “Volcano,” the song on which he normally closes, he stood up, apologized to everyone but stated that he couldn't continue. Then he left the stage, after playing only five complete songs.

I, along with every other person in the venue, was shocked. For a moment, I just sat there in disbelief. This can’t be happening. Maybe he would come back out? Unfortunately, the only person to return was a theater manager, telling us to go home and that Damien Rice and theatre would figure out how to move forward, be it rescheduling or refunds. It was very disappointing. A girl sitting near me, who had driven from Eastern Indiana, was in tears. I tried to convince her, as well as myself, that five songs were better than nothing. A little group of us gathered ourselves together and headed to Barrelhouse Flats, where we convinced the bar to play some Damien Rice. We had some drinks and made the best of it. The following morning, it was posted on his website that the show would be rescheduled. I suspect it will be in mid- November, as he’ll be returning to North America for a show in New York and Montreal. I just hope that I can make it.

Setlist:
I Don't Want To Change You
Accidental Babies
Then Go [Incomplete]
Delicate
The Greatest Bastard
Volcano
[Show ended early due to illness]

Robert Plant, Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

A Thursday night at the Riviera Theatre was another opportunity for me to cross a music legend off my bucket list. This time, it would be former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant. We arrived at the venue before the opening act took the stage, securing a spot towards the back of the lowest section. By the time Robert Plant started, this section was extremely crowded. It’s a bit of an annoying aspect of the Riviera. Unlike some other venues, the views and sound from the back of the theatre are vastly inferior to those closest to the stage. Therefore, everyone does whatever they can to get as close as possible. Among the crowd, we noticed many older people in attendance, uncommon for a general admission club show. I was a bit surprised that Robert Plant was playing the Riviera at all. He could have easily played a larger, seated venue like the Chicago Theater. We also noticed that there were many parent/child couples around us.

Robert Plant plays accompanied by his afro-psychedelic-blues band, the Sensational Shape Shifters, which he put together about two years ago. Plant and his new band are fresh off the release of their first collective album, lullaby and...The Ceaseless Roar (2014). The band includes five musicians in addition to Plant, consisting of members of another of his former bands, the Strange Sensation. The band played various stringed and percussion instruments, including a ritti player, the one string African fiddle I recently noticed on stage with Vieux Farka Touré at the Chicago World Music Festival last month. Plant himself didn't play an instrument but gave his band plenty of space to jam and show of their own talents. The band’s sound has a distinctly African influence but also incorporates the blend of rock, folk, and blues that Plant has been cultivating over the previous decade.

The evening’s setlist included about half Led Zeppelin songs and half Plant’s solo songs, plus a few covers. Naturally, the audience was most excited when he played Zeppelin. While getting to hear live versions of classic Zeppelin songs was the highlight, I also enjoyed selections from the new album, especially his closing on “Little Maggie,” a drastic rearrangement of a Stanley Brothers bluegrass song.

Setlist:
No Quarter [Led Zeppelin song]
Poor Howard
Ramble On [Led Zeppelin song]
Turn It Up
Arbaden (Maggie's Babby)
Rainbow
Going to California [Led Zeppelin song]
A Stolen Kiss
What Is and What Should Never Be [Led Zeppelin song]
How Many More Years [Howlin’ Wolf cover]
Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You [Joan Baez cover]
Fixin' to Die [Bukka White cover]
I Just Want to Make Love to You / Whole Lotta Love / Who Do You Love
Encore:
Nobody's Fault but Mine [Blind Willie Johnson cover]
Little Maggie