The Tallest Man on Earth, Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois

The evening opened up with Lady Lamb, who like the Tallest Man on Earth, is a nom day plum for a solo artist. In this case, it’s New York-based singer-songwriter Aly Spaltro. Her set didn’t begin until 9:30, which is very late for a weeknight. I hate that. Her set was enjoyable, but with just her electric guitar and quiet voice on stage, it wasn’t particularly engaging. Her style is tough to play as an opening act, as the voices of the people talking over you tend to drown out your performance.

Taking the stage at around 10:30 was the Tallest Man on Earth, the chosen moniker of Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson. It still amuses me that despite his name, he’s short, squirrely, and full of nervous energy as he hops around the stage. Though this was my third time seeing him overall, it was the first in which he was accompanied by a band. Behind him were a group of extremely talented musicians that have toured with a number of other significant acts including Mike Noyce (Bon Iver) on guitar and violin; Ben Lester (S. Carey) on keys and pedal steel; Mike Lewis (Andrew Bird, Bon Iver) on bass, clarinet, and sax; CJ Camerieri (yMusic) on French Horn and trumpet; and Zach Hanson (Bon Iver, S. Carey) keeping the beat.

Despite this, he still played several songs solo, with only his beautiful warbling Dylan-esque voice and either an acoustic or electric guitar. As opposed to his previous more stripped down sets, when it was just him and a single guitar, this new setup provided the advantage of not having to wait as he tuned his guitar during the show. During his solos, the lights would dim save for a single light illuminating him. Though I prefer his solo performances, seeing him with a full band was a nice change of pace. During the set he shared a few stories, always in perfect English.

While I don’t have the exact set list, I know that it more or less lined up with the average setlist from other performances on this tour, with his biggest and best songs woven in with some deeper cuts, including at least some songs from each of his albums.

Average Setlist:
Fields of Our Home
Slow Dance
1904
Singers
Darkness of the Dream
Love Is All
The Gardener
Timothy
Sagres
Revelation Blues
The Wild Hunt
A Lion's Heart
Little Nowhere Towns
Where Do My Bluebird Fly
Beginners
Dark Bird is Home
Like the Wheel
Encore:
The Dreamer

Billy Joel, Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois

I have wanted to see Billy Joel since I was about twelve years old. He was on tour sometime following his last album pop music album, River of Dreams (1993), and I had tickets to see him in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, he cancelled the show, and I was unable to make the rescheduled date. About twenty years later, I finally had a second opportunity.

Joel had lined up pop rock singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw as his opening act for the evening, who was already on stage when we arrived around 8pm. I have never been much of a fan, but he played at least a couple songs that I recognized, including “I Don't Want to Be” and “Not Over You.” He also covered a popular Billy Joel song “Big Shot” that wouldn’t make it into Joel’s setlist later, which I thought was a good touch. Our seats were located to the far house right, but we were in the first row off the first base line with our feet again the brick wall. We had both a clear view of the stage and a large set of speakers pointed directly at us. It was a major improvement over my experience for Bruce Springsteen’s last visit to Wrigley Field, the only other show that I had seen there. We also had our own row, which was a lovely little bonus.

Gavin DeGraw Setlist:
Soldier
In Love with a Girl
Fire
Sweeter
Chariot
Best I Ever Had
Big Shot [Billy Joel cover]
I Don't Want to Be
Heaven [Bryan Adams cover]
Not Over You

Billy Joel took the stage at just about 9pm. He had a large band with him, but it was difficult to gauge exactly how many from our distance and angle and because the large screens only ever showed him. Except for a short solo here and there, his band didn’t get to showcase their own individual talents very much. The jumbotron flashed that it was Joel’s fourth time at Wrigley Field, more than any other artist. At 66, he looks old and quite overweight, but still exuded quite a bit energy, even without leaving his piano bench. Spending decades touring around the world hadn’t robbed him of his thick Bronx accent.

Though he released a dozen albums from the early 70s to the early 90s, Joel hasn’t released a new album of pop music since 1993. This excludes Fantasies & Delusions (2001), an album of classical compositions written by Joel and performed by his friend, classical pianist Richard Joo. As such, Joel’s tours don’t aim to introduce his fans to any new music, and his setlists are essentially a greatest hits collection, cycling through all the songs that make him a household name. On five separate occasions, he gave the audience a choice between a pair of songs and played the one that evoked the loudest response. I was a bit disappointed that this kept me from hearing “No Man’s Land” that evening, a less popular song from River of Dreams that has always been a personal favorite. The audience also missed out on “New York State of Mind,” which wasn’t surprising considering the Chicago setting.

While most fans on the field stood throughout the show, I was a bit surprised that nearly everyone in the stands sat through the majority of the show. Having our own row and my legs dangling over the wall, I could still dance in my chair quite comfortably though. There were a few songs like “River of Dreams” and “We Didn’t Start the Fire” that I thought would excite everyone a bit more and encourage them to get to their feet.

Joel chatted a bit with the audience between songs but didn’t share too many stories. Too bad, I’m sure he would have plenty of good ones. His main set ended at 11pm. Due to the curfew, I assumed it would be the end of the show, but he ended up returning for a four song encore. Actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer joined him on stage and provided some backing vocals on “Uptown Girl.” It must be fun to be famous.

Billy Joel Setlist:
Big Shot
My Life
This Is the Time [Audience vote over "Summer, Highland Falls]
The Entertainer
All for Leyna [Audience vote over "No Man’s Land"]
The Downeaster Alexa
The Longest Time [Audience vote over "Honesty"]
Allentown
Goodnight Saigon
The Ballad of Billy the Kid
Just the Way You Are [Audience vote over "New York State of Mind"]
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
The Stranger [Audience vote over "Say Goodbye to Hollywood"]
Keeping the Faith
Sometimes a Fantasy
Don't Ask Me Why
She's Always a Woman
We Didn't Start the Fire
The River of Dreams
Take Me Out to the Ballgame [Interlude]
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Piano Man
Encore:
Uptown Girl
It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
You May Be Right
Only the Good Die Young

Maceo Parker, City Winery, Chicago, Illinois

It was my first time at City Winery, a small venue in the West Loop as focused on making wine and its bar and restaurant as much as it is hosting concerts. It has a small concert hall/dining room with enough room for several hundred seated guests.

American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, Maceo Parker is best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament Funkadelic in the 1970s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band. Since the early 1990s, he has toured under his own name. Since the 70s, he was also released over a dozen recordings as a band leader and over a hundred records as a sideman for such artists as Prince, Bryan Ferry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Dave Matthews Band.

With him on stage that evening were seven other musicians, and in typical James Brown fashion, they played him on and off the stage. In the mix were a pair of background vocalists, one of which was his son. He mostly played alto sax and sang intermittently throughout the evening. He seemed to have lots of energy for a man in his 70s, especially considering all he’s probably seen and been through spending all that time with James Brown and George Clinton. I was expecting a jazz performance, and while there was a little, his sound was more funk than anything else. His set included some James Brown and Parliament Funkadelic covers. Eventually, I joined a small group of people dancing on the side of the room. It was too funky not to dance.

During his set, he gave his band a chance to do some solo work. This included when he left the stage towards the end. As at least some members of his band kept the music going, there was no proper encore. Considering that he also had a later show, he probably just needed to keep things on schedule. However, he did come back out after the set closed to shake hands and sign autographs.

Phish, Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wisconsin

It was a cloudy and cool evening on the lawn at Alpine Valley, where I returned for my second show of the summer. We secured a spot a bit further back than the Dave Matthews show a few weeks ago, behind a set of rear speakers but with a decent view of the stage. If the show wasn’t sold out, it must have been close, as the lawn was full by show time. It would be my eleventh time seeing Phish, more than any other artist.

At the time, I wasn’t all that impressed with the setlist. It just seemed like an unusually slow and mellow show. It didn’t seem like there were too many of my favorite songs in the mix either. However, looking back at it now, they certainly did play a bunch of great songs, including “Maze,” “Possum,” and “Meatstick.” They also played “Julius,” a personal favorite song of mine, and I always enjoy a show that ends with “Character Zero.” Their opening choice of “No Men in No Man's Land” wasn’t a popular choice with me, being a new song that few people have probably heard. I also would have liked them to finish “Down with Disease,” and there seemed to be a few other frustrating teases including “Prince Caspian.” Perhaps that was just wishful thinking on my part.

It was certainly a fun crowd though, and everyone was very into the show. Also, the number of genres that they threw into their songs and jams was impressive – a bluegrass “Poor Heart;” blurred funk, psychedelic, and blues on "Maze;" folk harmonies on "Mercury;" pop rock mixed with spoken word on “Reba;” rockabilly on "Possum;” and psychedelic/experimental on “Light.” The whole things was of course punctuated by instrumental, jazzy jams.

As per usual at a Phish show, glow sticks exploded from the crowd like shrapnel from a cannon, often during the songs' climactic moments but also at random. Most of them eventually made their way down the hill into the seated sections. Someone behind us also started throwing marshmallows, which I had never seen before. I’m not sure the impetus. Perhaps if “Fluffhead” found its way into the setlist, but that didn’t happen.

By the end of their two-hour-and-forty-five minute concert (not including the 35-minute intermission), the band had played 19 songs, including seven that I had never seen live before, the highlights of which include “Halley’s Comet” and “Reba.” A fan-run website, phish.net, lists every concert and setlist that the band has played. Recently, I delved into features on the site that allows nerds like me to input which shows they have attended and track various stats related to song appearances and other metrics. From the site, I gleaned that I have now seen a 226 total songs performed by Phish including 130 unique songs. This is only 15% of all the songs that they have ever played. I have seen 72 songs once, and 58 more than once. Commonly played songs that still elude me include “Hold Your Head Up,” “Bouncing Around the Room,” “The Squirming Coil,” "I Am Hydrogen," "Split Open and Melt," "Llama," "Fee," and "Fluffhead."

Set 1:
No Men in No Man's Land
Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan
Poor Heart
Julius
Frankie Says
Maze (with Mission: Impossible Theme tease by Page)
Mercury
Reba
Possum
Set 2:
Down With Disease (unfinished)
Halley's Comet [Richard Wright cover]
Twist
Light
What's the Use?
Fuego
Backwards Down the Number Line
Slave to the Traffic Light
Encore:
Meatstick
Character Zero

Lollapalooza, Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois

I love the fact that Lollapalooza, one of the nation’s premier music festivals, happens each year in my town. So I was of course disappointed that family obligations prevented me from attending most of the festival this year. However, being the unreasonable person that I am, I arranged to fly home early enough to make the final day. Fortunately, this also happened to be the day that interested me the most. So after an early flight and a nap, I headed downtown to Grant Park.

I began my day on the very north end of the venue at the Bud Light Stage with Night Terrors of 1927, an indie pop act from Los Angeles. The band is comprised of duo Jarrod Gorbel (ex-front man for Brooklyn outfit The Honorary Title) and Blake Sennett (former Rilo Kiley guitarist). They supplemented their on stage act with keyboards, bass, and drums. It was early in the day, hot, and sunny. It seemed like the band was just as hot as the audience. One security guard was entertaining himself spraying down the audience with a large and welcomed squirt gun. Fortunately, it was also far from crowded. In fact, we were able to walk right up to the front of the stage. Their set was short but efficient. It included all their best songs and was a good way to start off the day.

Night Terrors of 1927 Setlist:
Always Be One
It Would Be an Honor
Talking in Your Sleep [The Romantics cover]
Fall Into You
Running in Place
Dust & Bones
When You Were Mine
Always Take You Back

I crossed over to see Shakey Graves at the Palladia Stage just across the way. It is the only stage with a concrete standing area. While the concrete retains heat, is uncomfortable to stand on, and impossible to sit on, it is at least bowl shaped, providing a better view than is typical at the other stages. Shakey Graves is the moniker of Austin-based Alejandro Rose-Garcia. His music is a cross between blues, country, and garage rock. Following the trajectory of his overall career, his set began with just him on stage with his electric guitar. He then added additional musicians one by one including guitar/bass and drums. He played quite a few instrumental-only songs. The show was quite mellow, such that at one point, both he and his guitarist played laying on the ground. Unfortunately, it seemed to leave the crowd a bit disconnected. It struck me as an act that would have worked much better in a small club instead of a large festival stage. Unfortunately, just like at Pitchfork, thunderstorms started rolling in to chase him off the stage about 15 minutes before his scheduled end time.

Shakey Graves Partial Setlist:
If Not For You
The Perfect Parts
House of Winston
Pansy Waltz
Hard Wired

I was a bit surprised when he made the announcement and stepped off the stage. Though it was a bit cloudy, the sky didn’t look too ominous, and I couldn’t hear any thunder in the distance. Nonetheless, the venue was evacuated. Considering how clear it looked, we waited for a while inside the gate, hoping the festival grounds might reopen before security had a chance to clear the last of us out. However, scanning every local weather source that we could find on our phones, we read that golf ball sized hail could be coming down in the area. That blurb was enough to convince me not to stick around any longer. So we left, wandering on festival’s side streets before finding shelter in the gift shop of a nearby art museum. We were not the only festival goers with this idea. While the museum staff were not pleased, they tolerated the influx of underdressed youngsters who were only interested in taking up space. Of my two festival days so far that summer, we had been evacuated both times. Both times, I also happened to be with Celeste. She pointed out that I only attended a single day of each festival; there wasn’t rain the others days that she was there without me. In the end, other than a very brief shower, it didn’t really even rain that much anyway.

After about 20 to 30 minutes in the gift shop, with the occasional apologetic glance toward the museum staff, we witnessed a horde of festival goers rush back towards the gates. Had the festival reopened? We quickly followed and ended up right outside the still closed fence. The festival had announced that gates would open back up at 3:30. When the appointed time had come and gone, I was got a bit nervous that people might stampede when the festival finally did reopen or start climbing the fences if they didn’t. That’s how people get trampled and killed at events like these. It was a massive number of people waiting to reenter, but things stayed fairly orderly with only a handful of drunk teenagers complaining about the process and their dwindling buzz. Once the gates reopened, we made it back inside very quickly. Like at Pitchfork, there was no security to recheck bags nor were we required to show wristbands.

In total, there was an hour and a half break of music. The festival readjusted the schedule as best as possible so that no artists were skipped. This included some slightly abbreviated sets and extended the evening a bit later into the night. As the information trickled out, there was a bit of confusion. Based on the knowledge we had at the time, we waited for Strand of Oaks to take the Pepsi Stage at 4pm. However, it wasn’t until sometime well after four that we were updated that he wouldn’t start till 4:45. Had I known, I would have walked back to the Bud Light Stage for Moon Taxi, which did start promptly at 4. At least I was able to get very close for Strand of Oaks, though his set never grew particularly got crowded. I wondered how many people weren’t at the show because they weren’t back in the venue yet.

Strand of Oaks ended up being my only set at the Pepsi Stage, the new corporate-sponsored name for the Grove Stage, nestled in cluster of trees in the park. Strand of Oaks is the performing name of folk rock songwriter and producer Timothy Showalter. Though I had only recently been introduced to his music, he already has a handful of albums under his belt. With his massive beard, long hair, and tattoos, he looks just as much like a cast member of Sons of Anarchy as he does a musician. His touring band includes an extra guitar, bass, and drums. Though I don’t have a setlist, I recognized a bunch of his songs by sound if not by name. His driving set was certainly the highlight of the day thus far. I thought to myself that even if the rest of the day gets rained out, at least I got to see one good show. He brought a lot of energy and promised that whatever happens with the weather, he would beat it, and nothing would keep him from his show. A nice sentiment even if untrue.

Following Strand of Oaks, I hustled over to alternative hip hop/indie pop duo Twenty One Pilots, one of my favorite young acts of recent years. A silver lining of the modified schedule was that now Strand of Oaks and Twenty One Pilots were back to back instead of overlapping. So I was able to see the majority of both, just missing a few minutes of the Twenty One Pilots while traversing the park to the other set of stages. I would spend the rest of the day back and forth between these two stages on the south end of the festival grounds.

Twenty One Pilots just released their sophomore album, Blurryface (2015) earlier in the year. Though I don’t love it to the same degree as their debut, Vessel (2013), many of the songs are growing on me. Seeing a few of them live encouraged me to keep listening to the new album, especially “Lane Boy.” As when I saw them two years ago at Bonnaroo, I was amazed that their act consists of just the two of them on stage – Tyler Joseph (lead singer, pianist and songwriter) and Josh Dun (drums). They just bring such amazing energy to the stage.

Since I last saw him, Tyler had obtained a significant neck tattoo. From a distance, he looks like he’s wearing a turtleneck. I take it as a firm commitment to never wanting to work a day job. As I had seen them do in the past, they both pulled on ski masks during one song. Tyler ran into the crowd and climbed a ladder set up for him in the crowd, singing from the top. He later admitted that he hopped to climb the speaker tower a bit further back, but Lollapalooza threatened him with a lawsuit if he followed through. It was another great set for the day. Much wiggling was done.

Twenty One Pilots Setlist
Heavydirtysoul
Stressed Out
Guns for Hands
Holding on to You
We Don't Believe What's on TV
Lane Boy
No Woman, No Cry [Bob Marley & the Wailers cover]
Ride
The Run and Go
Tear in My Heart
Car Radio
Trees

Though the sun would still be up for a couple hours, the temperature was beginning to become noticeably more pleasant. Next up was Lord Huron, who I had seen in 2013 following the release of their debut album, Lonesome Dreams (2012). Though I thoroughly enjoy them, it’s more a general enjoyment of most of their songs rather than a firm dedication to their music. I feel similarly about their follow album, Strange Trails (2015). What started as a solo project for founder Ben Schneider has now become a four piece ensemble - drums, bass, and a pair of guitars. Plus an additional touring guitarist. The trouble with a festival like Lollapalooza, where the bands are all stacked up one after another, is that even though it was a set that I really wanted to see, I eventually have to miss music at some point to grab food or go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, neither is located in close proximity to the main stages. So Lord Huron had to take the hit. I ended up catching the beginning of their mostly acoustic set, missed the middle, then came back to hear the end. I heard a handful of songs that I knew, so no complaints.

Lord Huron Setlist:
Until The Night Turns
Lonesome Dreams
Hurricane
She Lit a Fire
Meet Me in the Woods
The World Ender
Fool For Love
Ends of the Earth
Time to Run

Following across the way was Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men. Though their music would also aptly be classified as acoustic folk rock, it’s a much grander and orchestral sound than Lord Huron. It was also my second time seeing them, following the same Bonnaroo that I saw Lord Huron. The five member band brought an additional four musicians with them to the stage to help fill out their sound. Despite being Icelandic, primary vocalists Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson sing exclusively in nearly unaccented English. I’m not sure if their speaking voices are as polished, as they did not address the crowd. To my American eyes, Nanna looks a lot like her countrywoman Björk – perhaps the only other Icelandic woman whose face I would recognize – at least as far as her straight back hair, round, pale face, and penchant for flowing clothing. They were also touring following the recent release of their second album, called Beneath the Skin (2015). Their set was split between songs from their new album and hits from their first effort, My Head Is an Animal (2011), including their biggest hit, "Little Talks." Their set was another highlight of the day.

Of Monsters and Men Setlist:

Thousand Eyes
Crystals
King and Lionheart
Empire
Dirty Paws
Human
Hunger
Mountain Sound
Wolves Without Teeth
Lakehouse
Little Talks
Six Weeks

Magic hour was upon us as TV on the Radio took the stage. The core band now consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals/loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars/keyboards/loops), Kyp Malone (vocals/guitars/bass/loops), and Jaleel Bunton (drums/vocals/loops/guitars). It was my fourth time seeing them, but only my second time since the death of bassist Gerard Smith due to lung cancer in April 2011. Their tour also added a bassist and drummer. It was also my first time seeing them since their most recent album, Seeds (2014), was released. I was a bit further back than I had been before. Unfortunately, I didn’t think they sounded all that great; it just wasn’t loud enough where I was standing, and no I wasn’t using my earplugs. Also, for some reason the screen house left was lowered so you could only see the top half of it. While this must have been great for the handful of people standing right there, it was a little frustrating watching from the back. I did enjoy their setlist which included songs I love like “Golden Age” and “Wolf Like Me.” They ended up stopping about 15 minutes early, at least according to the latest schedule that I had seen. I suspect this was to get Florence + the Machine on stage a bit earlier, as another storm would soon be on the horizon.

TV on the Radio Setlist:
Young Liars
Lazerray
Golden Age
Happy Idiot
Could You
Winter
Wolf Like Me
Repetition
Staring at the Sun

Florence + the Machine were the final performance of the evening. It was my second time seeing her and the machine, but the first that she was billed as a headlining set. With TV on the Radio finishing a bit earlier than expected, she took the stage about 9pm. She wore a pantsuit, but until Hillary Clinton, wore it well. At some point in the show she changed into a white flowing shirt and pants. At the end of the show, she stripped off her shirt and ran through the center aisle in her bra. On stage, she’s an ethereal force of nature, like a Tolkienian elf. The camera never strayed from her, and it never needed to. The band truly is Florence + the Machine. In the middle of her set, she came out to sing near the back speakers, not far from where I was standing. On stage, she would run and prance about, sometimes laying down for a moment. I wasn’t sure if that was for effect or exhaustion from all her activity.

During her set, clouds started circulating behind us. Lightning lit up the sky, literally; it flashed so often that there was a near constant light source off in the distance. I’m not sure that I’d ever seen lightning like that before. I was a bit surprised that the festival organizers hadn’t called the show yet. The lightning was quite beautiful. At times, I turned from the stage to watch the lightning. Back on stage, Florence would reach out into the distance. I couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t actually her conjuring the clouds.

Though she was scheduled to play till 10:45, she was chased off the stage by 10pm. In the final minutes of the show, she announced to the audience that the “storm had won,” and they would only have time for one more song, asking everyone to give it their all with her. Considering that the final song was the “Dog Days Are Over,” it was easy for the audience to comply with her request. I wondered what other songs we would have heard if she had the opportunity. I can think of a few that were missing, but it was still a solid set. The show ended, and we all exited the venue. I ended up biking home, hitting only a bit of rain and arriving home before it started really coming down. So again, despite some issues with the weather, it ended up being a worthwhile day.

Florence + the Machine Setlist
What the Water Gave Me
Ship to Wreck
Shake It Out
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
Cosmic Love
Delilah
St. Jude
What Kind of Man
Dog Days Are Over