Kishi Bashi, Metro, Chicago, Illinois

Despite injuring my back the previous weekend, I was excited enough to see Kishi Bashi to follow through with seeing his performance at Metro. However, considering the pain of just standing upright, I decided to just show up right before the beginning of his set, as I had no interest in spending any more time there on my feet than I had to. I also took an extra pain pill upon arrival with the hope that I wouldn't be too uncomfortable during the show. Unfortunately, my back bothered me the entire show, but it was tolerable, and I made it through the entire show, including the encore. If the show wasn't sold out, it was certainly close to it, but even showing up at the last minute, I was able to comfortably squeeze in right in front of the soundboard, such that I could rest against it for some of the show.

Kishi Bashi is the pseudonym of Japanese-American singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Kaoru Ishibashi. After some success as a touring member of several bands, he released his debut solo album, 151a in 2012. He had also just released his sophomore album, which I hadn't yet heard. As such, I was hearing many of the songs for the first time that evening, most of which I enjoyed. His catalog isn't all that deep, so his setlist included the majority of his songs. He was accompanied by a full band, including a guitarist, keyboardist, drummer, and a very talented banjoist.

The best word to use to describe his music is joyful. It’s light and fun with soaring melodies. This was punctuated with confetti explosions towards the end of the show, while he crowd surfed with a go-pro atop a long stick to film himself. The show in total was only about eighty minutes of music, which considering my back, was fine with me.

Setlist:
Debut - Impromptu
Philosophize in It! Chemicalize with It!
Carry on Phenomenon
Bright Whites
Wonder Woman, Wonder Me
Hahaha Pt. 1
Hahaha Pt. 2

Impromptu No. 1
Beat the Bright Out of Me
Atticus, in the Desert
Evalyn, Summer Has Arrived
Bittersweet Genesis for Him AND Her
I Am the Antichrist to You
Manchester
Encore:
The Ballad of Mr. Steak
Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
It All Began With a Burst

Hussain Hussain, Gulf Gate Hotel, Bahrain

On a weekend away from Dammam with Katie, Mike, and Oliver (who I got to meet for the first time) to Bahrain, I obviously wasn't ready to go to bed at 9pm like the others, so I went back downstairs to check out the bars in our hotel, of which there were three. After unsuccessful experiences at the first two, which were both kind of like PG-rated strip clubs that were intent on price gouging me, I assume because I’m white, the last place worked out a bit better.

It was a small lounge with a stage. It was very smoky from cigarettes and shisha with a single musician performing. I was told the performer was a Saudi by the name of Hussain Hussain. He was singing, playing a sitar like instrument, and had a keyboard that he was using for various loops. I was the only white person in attendance among a mostly Arab crowd. It was mostly men, though a handful of women were also in attendance, accompanied by their husbands. Even though abayas are not required in Bahrain, all of the women that happened to be there were wearing them, though one had her hair uncovered, which didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Several of the women even had their faces covered. One woman with her face covered was sitting next to her husband, in a thobe and sipping a beer –quite the double standard. Men in the audience would sometimes get up and dance, alone or in pairs, either at their seat or in a little open area in front of the stage. The music was pretty typical Arab traditional pop music, enjoyable enough to hold my attention. I stayed for perhaps 50 minutes or so. I might have stayed longer, but it was annoyingly and unnecessarily loud. Unfortunately, that noise also carried up two floors to our hotel room as well. Even only briefly, I was glad to be able to see some semblance of live music in the Middle East though.