$75 tic includes all you can drink beer. Guess where the focus of the event lies.
Ah, Shamrock Fest, the only concert of the year where I couldn’t actually care less about any of the bands and am more interested in the fact that the VIP section provides free beer all day. Unfortunately, mid-March isn’t really the best time of year to have an outdoor festival in DC, as it’s still often cold and rainy. And for the 2nd year in a row, it rained for Shamrock Fest. However, Joey, Seth, Lauren, and I had already bought our tickets and by God, we were going to use them and get our beer. The weather report was unfavorable, though not disastrous, with only light rain anticipated much of the day. I tried to talk her into the contrary, Lauren she was more concerned with putting together a cute outfit, rather than one that would keep her dry. She even convinced me to forgo my rain pants because they were “dorky.”
We arrived at the venue and began the day, running into a few friends here and there. Joey and Seth eventually made it. Seth’s father also came, which was a pleasure, because it was my first time meeting him. Not long our arrival, it began to rain pretty hard, chasing everyone into the tents. However, trips to the bathroom still required us to venture back into the rain. The day quickly deteriorated with Lauren the first to grow to wet and cold to want to continue. It wasn’t long before she wanted us to cut our losses on the day and head to the warmth of a bar somewhere in the city. The rest of us agreed and we made our way to Gordon Biersch Brewery downtown, a repeat of the previous year with Joey and Seth. Notice in this whole memoir, I didn’t yet actually mention music. Well, there really wasn’t anything that I saw that was worth mentioning, since we only stayed long enough to see a few unimpressive cover bands. Maybe the weather will be nice for Shamrock Fest next year.
Setlist:
Who Cares
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Houston Rodeo: Brad Paisley, Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Come for the world's largest livestock exhibition and a PRCA event; stay for the critically and popularly acclaimed country star
Every March for three weeks, Houston, Texas hosts the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at Reliant Stadium, the largest such event in the world. Each day culminates with a performance from an A-list music star. Though not exclusively country music, the majority certainly is. Thursday night’s performance was country music singer-songwriter and guitarist Brad Paisley.
I started the evening doing all the good the “Texas” things that a rodeo has to offer: eating barbeque ribs and tamales, drinking beer, examining livestock, and perusing cowboy boots and belt buckles. Actually, growing up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, it was pretty similar to the Pennsylvania Farm Show in downtown each January. Since I don’t know anyone who lives in Houston, I was at the rodeo by myself. I figured I would just try to talk to as many people as I could. I was somewhat mistaken that people came from far and wide to attend the rodeo, so my initial goal to meet someone from each of the 50 states proved impossible rather quick. I learned that the rodeo is really just a Texas thing, mostly attended by locals and people from around the state. My new goal became just to find someone that had further to go home than me, and I couldn’t even complete that task. Nonetheless, I met plenty of nice people.
I soon made it into the stadium for the rodeo to see steer wrestling, bull riding, and wagon racing. Quite a spectacle! I don’t know who in their right mind would want to ride a bull, but there are apparently guys who do this professionally. Eventually the lights dimmed and Brad Paisley started his set. I’ve listened to and enjoyed several of his albums, so I recognized many songs, including "We Danced," "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)," "I'm Still a Guy,” and “American Saturday Night” but was only able to sing along to a few courses.
Unfortunately, Reliant Stadium is huge and the layout is optimized for a rodeo, not a concert. For example, there only a handful of people allowed on the floor, standing in the dirt. Therefore, the set up made Paisley feel somewhat distant from his audience. Nonetheless, he was able to get the crowd excited and everyone had a good time. Being able to do this in such a venue is an incredible skill that takes years to hone; Brad Paisley is definitely a rock star. Additionally, the acoustics in the building were terrible, with different pitches either echoing or being muffled. However, all and all, it was a fun show and interesting event. Furthermore, it was a great deal for only $40 for the entire evening. Though a rodeo and Brad Paisley concert couldn’t be further from my typical concert fare at the 9:30 Club, spending all this time in Houston will hopefully broaden my horizons on what defines a good show.
Setlist:
N/A
Every March for three weeks, Houston, Texas hosts the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at Reliant Stadium, the largest such event in the world. Each day culminates with a performance from an A-list music star. Though not exclusively country music, the majority certainly is. Thursday night’s performance was country music singer-songwriter and guitarist Brad Paisley.
I started the evening doing all the good the “Texas” things that a rodeo has to offer: eating barbeque ribs and tamales, drinking beer, examining livestock, and perusing cowboy boots and belt buckles. Actually, growing up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, it was pretty similar to the Pennsylvania Farm Show in downtown each January. Since I don’t know anyone who lives in Houston, I was at the rodeo by myself. I figured I would just try to talk to as many people as I could. I was somewhat mistaken that people came from far and wide to attend the rodeo, so my initial goal to meet someone from each of the 50 states proved impossible rather quick. I learned that the rodeo is really just a Texas thing, mostly attended by locals and people from around the state. My new goal became just to find someone that had further to go home than me, and I couldn’t even complete that task. Nonetheless, I met plenty of nice people.
I soon made it into the stadium for the rodeo to see steer wrestling, bull riding, and wagon racing. Quite a spectacle! I don’t know who in their right mind would want to ride a bull, but there are apparently guys who do this professionally. Eventually the lights dimmed and Brad Paisley started his set. I’ve listened to and enjoyed several of his albums, so I recognized many songs, including "We Danced," "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)," "I'm Still a Guy,” and “American Saturday Night” but was only able to sing along to a few courses.
Unfortunately, Reliant Stadium is huge and the layout is optimized for a rodeo, not a concert. For example, there only a handful of people allowed on the floor, standing in the dirt. Therefore, the set up made Paisley feel somewhat distant from his audience. Nonetheless, he was able to get the crowd excited and everyone had a good time. Being able to do this in such a venue is an incredible skill that takes years to hone; Brad Paisley is definitely a rock star. Additionally, the acoustics in the building were terrible, with different pitches either echoing or being muffled. However, all and all, it was a fun show and interesting event. Furthermore, it was a great deal for only $40 for the entire evening. Though a rodeo and Brad Paisley concert couldn’t be further from my typical concert fare at the 9:30 Club, spending all this time in Houston will hopefully broaden my horizons on what defines a good show.
Setlist:
N/A
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Rodrigo y Gabriela, 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
Metal-influenced Mexican guitar duo that specialize in playing fast, rhythmic acoustic guitars
My second blog entry of the year comes on the heels of my first, after a Sunday evening performance by Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriella. With their recent release of a new album last year, the husband and wife virtuosos kicked off their North American tour with a two night run at 9:30 Club, and I was lucky enough to score Lauren and me a pair of tickets for their first night. It was not the first time that I had seen the fast playing finger pickers, but it was the first time it was at a show of theirs instead of as part of a festival. I was happy to be able to see them play a full set.
The set list was strong, except for not including a few of their brilliant interpretations of Metallica covers, specifically “Orion” and “One.” They moved through nearly every song from their new album, 11:11, as well as old favorites like “Foc,” “Take 5,” and an almost unrecognizable version of "Stairway to Heaven." However, as much as I enjoyed them and their music, I had several gripes about the show. With only the two of them and their guitars on the stage, there isn’t much to see other than their hands moving. We were close enough that it wasn’t too much of a problem for me, but Lauren, who’s about 9 inches shorter than me, was unable to see anything except for the backs of heads and a few lights on stage. It was only halfway through the show that they finally started utilized the many video cameras they had set up to show close ups of the two performers on the large screen set up behind the stage. Even when it was up and running, they utilized this video was more seldom than I would have liked, and they completed avoided using the most impressive and interesting camera angle, a downward shot of each of their hands, which their guitars seemed to be set up for and I had enjoyed in previous shows.
However, the pair’s musical ability was right on point. Musically and technically speaking, they are two of the most impressive and interesting guitar players that I have ever seen. For a first night back, a few kinks for in the performance aspects of their show should be expected. Each of them made their set look completely effortless as they jammed and dueled, with Rodrigo on lead guitar and Gabriela on rhythm guitar. The additional guitar percussion that Gabriela invented to compliment their sound was particularly exciting. And as is always supremely important, the duo seemed to genuinely enjoy playing together and appreciated the audience’s support. Though Rodrigo annoyed the crowd early on in the evening by (genuinely?) asking the crowd, “By the way, who won the hockey?,” the pair was able to win us back quickly with stories of their recent travels and their appreciation for the actual flamenco artists people confuse them to be, voiced through Gabriela’s endearing Irish brogue influenced Spanglish, giggling her way through each curse laden anecdote as if she had just recently learned the f-word. While they might seem like an unlikely pair for the stage at the 9:30 Club, the throngs of cheering fans proved otherwise. I’m looking forward to a return visit from them in August.
Setlist:
Not Available
My second blog entry of the year comes on the heels of my first, after a Sunday evening performance by Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriella. With their recent release of a new album last year, the husband and wife virtuosos kicked off their North American tour with a two night run at 9:30 Club, and I was lucky enough to score Lauren and me a pair of tickets for their first night. It was not the first time that I had seen the fast playing finger pickers, but it was the first time it was at a show of theirs instead of as part of a festival. I was happy to be able to see them play a full set.
The set list was strong, except for not including a few of their brilliant interpretations of Metallica covers, specifically “Orion” and “One.” They moved through nearly every song from their new album, 11:11, as well as old favorites like “Foc,” “Take 5,” and an almost unrecognizable version of "Stairway to Heaven." However, as much as I enjoyed them and their music, I had several gripes about the show. With only the two of them and their guitars on the stage, there isn’t much to see other than their hands moving. We were close enough that it wasn’t too much of a problem for me, but Lauren, who’s about 9 inches shorter than me, was unable to see anything except for the backs of heads and a few lights on stage. It was only halfway through the show that they finally started utilized the many video cameras they had set up to show close ups of the two performers on the large screen set up behind the stage. Even when it was up and running, they utilized this video was more seldom than I would have liked, and they completed avoided using the most impressive and interesting camera angle, a downward shot of each of their hands, which their guitars seemed to be set up for and I had enjoyed in previous shows.
However, the pair’s musical ability was right on point. Musically and technically speaking, they are two of the most impressive and interesting guitar players that I have ever seen. For a first night back, a few kinks for in the performance aspects of their show should be expected. Each of them made their set look completely effortless as they jammed and dueled, with Rodrigo on lead guitar and Gabriela on rhythm guitar. The additional guitar percussion that Gabriela invented to compliment their sound was particularly exciting. And as is always supremely important, the duo seemed to genuinely enjoy playing together and appreciated the audience’s support. Though Rodrigo annoyed the crowd early on in the evening by (genuinely?) asking the crowd, “By the way, who won the hockey?,” the pair was able to win us back quickly with stories of their recent travels and their appreciation for the actual flamenco artists people confuse them to be, voiced through Gabriela’s endearing Irish brogue influenced Spanglish, giggling her way through each curse laden anecdote as if she had just recently learned the f-word. While they might seem like an unlikely pair for the stage at the 9:30 Club, the throngs of cheering fans proved otherwise. I’m looking forward to a return visit from them in August.
Setlist:
Not Available
Saturday, February 27, 2010
State Radio, 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
Former Dispatch multi-instrumentalist Chad Urmston focuses on guitar and vocals as frontman of punk-influenced trio
The long absence of an entry on this blog wasn’t that I quit writing, it was just that there’s been a recent lull in the number of concerts that I’ve attended. This is partially due to a lack of high quality bands in the winter months in the DC area and partially because of a busy schedule on my end. After nearly an unprecedented three month hiatus from shows, I finally got some tickets to see the second of State Radio’s two night run at the 9:30 Club. Truthfully, before Schiz invited me to the show, I had never even heard of State Radio. However, he sold me on the sole fact that it was the new project of former Dispatch member Chad Urmston.
Though I wasn’t particularly excited to see the band, for my money, there aren’t too many better ways to spend a Saturday night than at the 9:30 Club, especially after so long. Led by Urmston, State Radio’s sound is distinctly reminiscent of Dispatch, but more eclectic, with influences from punk, roots-reggae, ska, and hard rock. They also write much more left leaning, politically charged lyrics (e.g. “Fall of the American Empire”), as if in a nod to Rage Against the Machine, though with a more blunted edge that prevents them from truly picking up their mantle. Though State Radio probably won’t instill much social change, they nonetheless got the crowd moving for an evening in DC. The highlight of the evening for me was when they played the Dispatch song “Time Served,” a song that I never expected to hear live again. I’m inspired enough to download their album and give them a more thorough listen.
Setlist:
Ill Advised
Black Cab Motorcade
Calling All Crows
Gang of Thieves
Good Graces
Riddle in Londontown
Omar Bay
Right Me Up
Guantanamo
Let It Go
Time Served
Fall of the American Empire
Indian Moon (Long View Farm Sessions)
Knights of Bostonia
Rushian
Democracy in Kind
Olli Olli encore
The Waitress
The long absence of an entry on this blog wasn’t that I quit writing, it was just that there’s been a recent lull in the number of concerts that I’ve attended. This is partially due to a lack of high quality bands in the winter months in the DC area and partially because of a busy schedule on my end. After nearly an unprecedented three month hiatus from shows, I finally got some tickets to see the second of State Radio’s two night run at the 9:30 Club. Truthfully, before Schiz invited me to the show, I had never even heard of State Radio. However, he sold me on the sole fact that it was the new project of former Dispatch member Chad Urmston.
Though I wasn’t particularly excited to see the band, for my money, there aren’t too many better ways to spend a Saturday night than at the 9:30 Club, especially after so long. Led by Urmston, State Radio’s sound is distinctly reminiscent of Dispatch, but more eclectic, with influences from punk, roots-reggae, ska, and hard rock. They also write much more left leaning, politically charged lyrics (e.g. “Fall of the American Empire”), as if in a nod to Rage Against the Machine, though with a more blunted edge that prevents them from truly picking up their mantle. Though State Radio probably won’t instill much social change, they nonetheless got the crowd moving for an evening in DC. The highlight of the evening for me was when they played the Dispatch song “Time Served,” a song that I never expected to hear live again. I’m inspired enough to download their album and give them a more thorough listen.
Setlist:
Ill Advised
Black Cab Motorcade
Calling All Crows
Gang of Thieves
Good Graces
Riddle in Londontown
Omar Bay
Right Me Up
Guantanamo
Let It Go
Time Served
Fall of the American Empire
Indian Moon (Long View Farm Sessions)
Knights of Bostonia
Rushian
Democracy in Kind
Olli Olli encore
The Waitress
Thursday, December 31, 2009
2009: Year in Review
Looking back at 2009, I went to a hell of a lot of concerts. Though I only started tracking it this year, I can still confidently say that I attended more concerts this year than I had in any previous year. I’m also really glad that I started writing this blog this year, a perfect meshing of my two loves, live music and verbose memoirs. Though I’ll probably be the only one interested in them, I’ve compiled a statistical review of my concert experiences for the year.
I attended 34 concerts and festivals this year, including 28 individual shows and 6 festivals, averaging a concert event a little over every 10 days. 18 of these concerts were sold out. Clearly, my venue of choice was the 9:30 Club in DC, where I saw 10 shows this year. A distance second was Merriweather Post Pavilion with 3. A majority of shows were in the DC metro area; though I did attended shows in 3 other states (all festivals) and my first in another country (Canada counts, right?). Though I saw shows on every day of the week and nearly every month of the year (except for February for some reason), not surprisingly, the month of August and Saturday evenings stood out as having way above the average. Nine of my events occurred within 26 days at the end of July through mid August, including 4 Saturdays in a row.
Including all the bands that I specifically remember seeing at festivals for at least a few songs (more than just walking by), I saw a total of 72 bands this year, of which 43 were bands that I’d never seen before, while the remaining 29 were old favorites. This excludes opening acts that didn’t receive billing. Festivals were a great place for me to see new music, as I saw 29 new bands for the first time at festivals, versus individual concerts, where I was split (14 apiece) between old and new. I saw Phish more times than any other band in 2009, including 2 individual concerts and 2 shows at festivals. I saw 10 other bands twice, half including bands I had seen before this year (Guster, Modest Mouse, moe., Umphrey's McGee, Yonder Mountain String Band) and half bands I had never seen before 2009 (Decemberists, Flaming Lips, Girl Talk, MGMT, Passion Pit).
Concerts are always more fun with friends, and I was able to convince someone to come with me to every concert. Jeff Schiz was clearly my concert buddy of choice, as he and I attended 17 events together (including 4 festivals). Lauren (7), Benji (7), Kaitlin (5), and Joey (5) fell into the next tier, even though I didn’t attend a concert with Lauren before mid July of this year and didn’t attend one after the end of August and the end of July with Benji and Kaitlin, respectively.
What a year! And it only cost me $1,468 in tickets!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Phish, John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, Virginia
It was the first snow of the year as I climbed into the car with Schiz, Rick, and Jason in the early afternoon to drive down to Charlottesville, Virginia to see my fourth Phish show of the year (as tallied by the system that Schiz and me agreed upon during the car ride down), and their final of the 2009 Fall Tour. It was a nostalgic drive down to Charlottesville for me, as I recounted the landmarks on the route that I drove many times to UVA to see Lauren.
The show was at John Paul Jones Arena, where the Cavaliers play their home basketball games, in front of a sold out crowd of over 15,000 phans. To my surprise, there seemed to be a plethora of tickets available outside the venue, with one phan in line next to me at the gate remarking that she just bought a floor ticket for just $20. This is in stark contrast to the last show I went to at Merriweather in August where you couldn’t beg, borrow, or steal a ticket outside the venue. I have no idea why there was such a discrepancy. The four of us had 2 pairs of tickets, though we were all in the same general vicinity in the upper section. The ID check line for beer was way too long for me, considering I was driving us home, so while the others waited in line to buy beer, I headed to my seat for the start of the show. I made it to my seat as Phish took the stage.
Phish started the first set off with a bang, beginning with “AC/DC Bag”, then transitioning to “Chalk Dust Torture”, and “Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan” before tackling one of my person favorites, “The Divided Sky.” In the middle of the song’s extended jam, the entire band stopped playing for a full minute and a half while the crowd happily made up for the silence with deafening applause. Afterwards, I left my seat to go meet Schiz and Rick in their section. During this time, a naked phan jumped onstage, requiring four security guards get him under control and off the stage. Trey commended him for having the guts to attempt such a feat.
It was no problem to find a little extra room where Schiz and Rick were sitting. Unlike most other shows, I’d estimate that few phans were actually in their assigned seats. For the most part, it was a free for all. The GA section on the floor was flooded with people, many of who were probably not supposed to be there as was the bottom end of each section and the aisles. It seems like security knew that trying to stop phans from doing whatever they wanted was an exercise in futility, so they didn’t bother. What can I say, hippies don’t like rules. Jason, who I’ve started many concerts with, was nowhere to be found as is his MO, and he was one of many trying to work his way through the crowds and security. I still have yet to spend more than a few minutes with Jason while a band is playing.
The latter half of the first set was a little less memorable for me, though it did include a couple great songs including “Cavern” and an amazing version of David Bowie featuring an extended jam. The second set started well and picked up midway through with renditions of “Suzy Greenberg” and “Golgi Apparatus” despite some annoying feedback noise that seemed to happen one too many times on the watches of the professional and experienced roadies that I would expect Phish to be traveling with. The tail end of the set also included a version of “Run Like an Antelope” where the chorus of was changed to “You’ve got to run like a naked guy out of control.” Too bad the naked guy was most likely sitting in a jail cell somewhere and couldn’t hear Trey paying him tribute. Also included in the setlist was “Loving Cup,” a Rolling Stones song that while nothing new for Phish to be covering, has new context for phans as it was played as part of Phish’s most recent Halloween musical costume when they covered the entirety of the Stone’s Exile on Main Street at Festival 8. Finally while approaching the 3 hour mark of the show, they launched into “Tweezer Reprise” to close the show. Since they began the set with “Tweezer,” I knew they would end with the reprise version. It’s one of the few predictable elements of a Phish setlist.
The crowd poured out of John Paul Jones Arena and I got to catch another glimpse of the entertaining phans, one who was casually (and drunkenly) smoking a cigarette in the crowded hallway without any concern for who it might be offending. I found another drunken phan on the walk to the car highly entertaining as well. He was tapping against the glass of the drive-in window at Taco Bell asking the teller for some food. She refused his request on the grounds that he would have to be in a car to use the drive-in window. His response: “so you WANT me to get a DUI?” You can’t argue with that logic.
Set List:
AC/DC Bag
Chalk Dust Torture
Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan
The Divided Sky
Ya Mar
Sneakin' Sally Thru the Alley
Old Home Place
Cavern
Funky Bitch
David Bowie
The Wedge
Bold as Love
Tweezer
Light
Piper
Free
Sweet Virginia
Harry Hood
Suzy Greenberg
Golgi Apparatus
Run Like an Antelope
Loving Cup
Tweezer Reprise
The show was at John Paul Jones Arena, where the Cavaliers play their home basketball games, in front of a sold out crowd of over 15,000 phans. To my surprise, there seemed to be a plethora of tickets available outside the venue, with one phan in line next to me at the gate remarking that she just bought a floor ticket for just $20. This is in stark contrast to the last show I went to at Merriweather in August where you couldn’t beg, borrow, or steal a ticket outside the venue. I have no idea why there was such a discrepancy. The four of us had 2 pairs of tickets, though we were all in the same general vicinity in the upper section. The ID check line for beer was way too long for me, considering I was driving us home, so while the others waited in line to buy beer, I headed to my seat for the start of the show. I made it to my seat as Phish took the stage.
Phish started the first set off with a bang, beginning with “AC/DC Bag”, then transitioning to “Chalk Dust Torture”, and “Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan” before tackling one of my person favorites, “The Divided Sky.” In the middle of the song’s extended jam, the entire band stopped playing for a full minute and a half while the crowd happily made up for the silence with deafening applause. Afterwards, I left my seat to go meet Schiz and Rick in their section. During this time, a naked phan jumped onstage, requiring four security guards get him under control and off the stage. Trey commended him for having the guts to attempt such a feat.
It was no problem to find a little extra room where Schiz and Rick were sitting. Unlike most other shows, I’d estimate that few phans were actually in their assigned seats. For the most part, it was a free for all. The GA section on the floor was flooded with people, many of who were probably not supposed to be there as was the bottom end of each section and the aisles. It seems like security knew that trying to stop phans from doing whatever they wanted was an exercise in futility, so they didn’t bother. What can I say, hippies don’t like rules. Jason, who I’ve started many concerts with, was nowhere to be found as is his MO, and he was one of many trying to work his way through the crowds and security. I still have yet to spend more than a few minutes with Jason while a band is playing.
The latter half of the first set was a little less memorable for me, though it did include a couple great songs including “Cavern” and an amazing version of David Bowie featuring an extended jam. The second set started well and picked up midway through with renditions of “Suzy Greenberg” and “Golgi Apparatus” despite some annoying feedback noise that seemed to happen one too many times on the watches of the professional and experienced roadies that I would expect Phish to be traveling with. The tail end of the set also included a version of “Run Like an Antelope” where the chorus of was changed to “You’ve got to run like a naked guy out of control.” Too bad the naked guy was most likely sitting in a jail cell somewhere and couldn’t hear Trey paying him tribute. Also included in the setlist was “Loving Cup,” a Rolling Stones song that while nothing new for Phish to be covering, has new context for phans as it was played as part of Phish’s most recent Halloween musical costume when they covered the entirety of the Stone’s Exile on Main Street at Festival 8. Finally while approaching the 3 hour mark of the show, they launched into “Tweezer Reprise” to close the show. Since they began the set with “Tweezer,” I knew they would end with the reprise version. It’s one of the few predictable elements of a Phish setlist.
The crowd poured out of John Paul Jones Arena and I got to catch another glimpse of the entertaining phans, one who was casually (and drunkenly) smoking a cigarette in the crowded hallway without any concern for who it might be offending. I found another drunken phan on the walk to the car highly entertaining as well. He was tapping against the glass of the drive-in window at Taco Bell asking the teller for some food. She refused his request on the grounds that he would have to be in a car to use the drive-in window. His response: “so you WANT me to get a DUI?” You can’t argue with that logic.
Set List:
AC/DC Bag
Chalk Dust Torture
Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan
The Divided Sky
Ya Mar
Sneakin' Sally Thru the Alley
Old Home Place
Cavern
Funky Bitch
David Bowie
The Wedge
Bold as Love
Tweezer
Light
Piper
Free
Sweet Virginia
Harry Hood
Suzy Greenberg
Golgi Apparatus
Run Like an Antelope
Loving Cup
Tweezer Reprise
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Club Scout, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington, DC
I headed into DC Thursday night to catch a show by local band Club Scout, fronted by my college friend Benny Eiserike. A fairly recent addition to the DC music scene, Club Scout has played dozen or so shows at Rock and Roll Hotel, Red and the Black, DC9, and other venues around town. With influences in punk and power pop, Thursday night was another clear example of Club Scout increasing their comfort on stage and building their repertoire of songs. Either because or in spite of the fact that most of the audience knew someone in the band, the band was excited and upbeat throughout the performance. The volume was turned way up for Benny to flex his pipes in the small club with accompaniment from powerful guitar riffs and forceful drum beats. Though a short set, it was comprised of all original songs and served as a fun introduction for a night of music at Rock and Roll Hotel. After the show, I was able to finagle a signed copy of the setlist.
Setlist:
Creepsicle
Pretty & Lazy
Holden Caulfield
Watch the Kids…
A Lot Like Me
I Saw You with Devon
Like a Rabbit
Ms. Jones
Goes Again
Setlist:
Creepsicle
Pretty & Lazy
Holden Caulfield
Watch the Kids…
A Lot Like Me
I Saw You with Devon
Like a Rabbit
Ms. Jones
Goes Again
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