Shamrock Fest, RFK Stadium, Washington, DC

Finally, the sun shines on Shamrock Fest!

Though I had tickets again to Shamrock Fest, I was up in the air about going, mostly because the past several years had been so rainy and miserable. I ended up dumping my VIP tickets and just showing up at the gate without a ticket in hand. Considering the price I paid for my ticket and the cost of beer on the inside, perhaps not the greatest deal, but I was happy to not have feel like I should try to get my money’s worth from a ticket that includes free beer.

None of the acts at Shamrock are ever really that memorable, but it’s just a good excuse to be outside, have a few drinks to celebrate St. Patty’s, and see some live acts. The various Irish bands are always fun, even if they always blur together in my mind, both the more traditional acts as well as the Celtic Fusion ones. Perhaps the highlight of the day was DJ Pauly D, that’s right Jersey Shore Pauly D, though more for just the novelty rather than the DJ set. The set itself was very forgettable as he just spun a few random tracks and talked over them at inopportune times. If nothing else though, it did make me appreciate just how hard it really must be to DJ well. Despite any particularly good acts, it was a nice day to be outside and worth the trip.

The Pogues & Titus Andronicus, 9:30 Club, Washington, DC

Getting reved up for St. Patty's with this great Irish fusion band and relative newcomver Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus was already on stage when we arrived at the 9:30 Club. Despite the sold out crowd, it was still pretty empty and we were able to make our way fairly close to the stage. I’m a passive fan of Titus Andronicus, liking but not loving their recent albums. While they sounded fine, it was nothing close to what I remembered from their albums. I wondered if knowing their audience and who they were opening for, they opted for a harder, more punk sound. Even for a Tuesday night, much of the crowd was well lubricated and ready to get down. At the slightest hint of a worthy song, about 15 or so guys in the front of the crowd took it upon themselves to start a mosh pit. While we were just far enough back to avoid the chaos, a few other people weren’t quite so lucky and were quite startled. One guy, who didn’t seem to understand that a mosh pit was a distinct possibility when standing close to the stage at a Pogues concert, was visibility angry when someone transferred the contents of his drink to his shirt. Though I feel for the guy, he was standing in the path of a tornado and such has to be expected. All this from a crowd that was amongst the oldest that I’ve ever seen at the 9:30 Club.

The Pogues took the stage and got straight into their typical set, beginning with “Streams of Whiskey.” Frontman Shane MacGowan sauntered on stage with a tumbler full of booze in one hand and a cigarette in the other. These items seldom left his hands throughout the night. He was dressed in sunglasses and a long leather jacket. With his portly, aging, drunken, and disheveled demeanor, he reminded me of a cross between Neo from the Matrix and Willy, a regular at a pub I used to frequent in Dublin who was enough of a staple of the establishment to warrant having his own dedicated bar stool and the clout to occasionally grab the microphone and belt out Irish tunes despite a complete lack of talent. Like Willy’s, Shane’s singing left much to be desired. Though he has always had a gruff and somewhat unique voice, it was just a mumbling shadow of what it once was, with most of his words slurred together and barely intelligible. The only words I could understand were those that I already knew by heart. However, the rest of the large ensemble was spot on in their sound, and I had a great time dancing amongst the crowd. The setlist was exactly what I wanted to hear, including their classic songs “A Pair of Brown Eyes,” “Sunny Side of the Street,” “Thousands Are Sailing,” and “Sally MacLennane” as well as great covers that they’ve made their own such as “Dirty Old Town” and “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda.” Certainly the highlight of the night for me was “Tuesday Morning,” a song I’ve loved since I first discovered it when I was about 11 years old. So while the concert left a little to be desired, I still certainly enjoyed it and felt that I got my money’s worth. The true test will be if I get tickets when the Pogues come back to help DC kick off St. Patty’s Day next year.

Galactic, 9:30 Club, Washington, DC

The New Orleans jazz funk troop joined by Cyril Neville and the Rebirth Brass Band

The night started out with the opener, another New Orleans-based band, the Rebirth Brass Band on stage. They were an eclectic mix of players with their own brand of jazz funk. With trombones, trumpets, a tuba, and traditional rock instruments, they were a crew of about 7 or 8 on stage in total. The most memorable was the Mohawk-sporting Celtic punk tubist who flashed the audience to reveal that he wasn’t wearing anything under his kilt as well as the band’s only female member notable because for most of the show she didn’t do anything on-stage except just hang out and occasionally dance and bang a tambourine. She did however supply vocals on a number or two with her own blend of hip hop and soul. The band ended their set parading through the audience, including the upper sections of the venue, a realm I’ve never seen an artist traverse at the 9:30 Club. It’s great feeling like you’ve already gotten your money’s worth after just the opening act.

I’ve only ever been a passive Galactic fan, but have enjoyed parts of their live sets at festivals. So I was looking forward to getting to see a night dedicated to their music. They made us wait a long time before taking the stage, but what we saw was worth it. Each member of the quintet was talented in their own right and as they mixed in their own brand of jazz funk with elements of jam, electronic, world, rock, and blues. Guest vocalist Cyril Neville of the Neville Brothers gave some added context to their jamming with well sung soul verses. His addition was a great choice for their live shows to focus the evening and make their music a little more cohesive. The Rebirth Brass Band was also invited back on stage for a few selections.

Millennium Music Conference & Showcase, Siamese Sundown, Maddam Ink, & Identity X, Gullifty's Underground, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania

A sampling of hard rock and metal acts from the Millennium Music Conference & Showcase

I headed home to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to catch a few acts from the Millennium Music Conference and Showcase, a smattering of regional acts that converge on Harrisburg each year. Though a number of venues had bands on Saturday night as part of the showcase, I hadn’t really heard of any of them, so it was a lot of guess work in listening to MP3 samples online to determine where our best bet for the evening would be. I let my brother do the legwork and pick the venue that most interested him, which meant music a little more geared towards heavy metal and hard rock that I typically listen. Nonetheless, I’m always open to seeing new music and experimenting with new genres, so I was looking forward to the night. Michael decided to wear his Mohawk up in full regale for the evening to give us some cred as compared to my button down shirt and hipster glasses.

Gullifty's was nearly empty when we arrived a little before 9 and didn’t ever get that much more crowded as the night wore on. We were treated to 3 acts in the evening – Siamese Sundown, Maddam Ink, and Identity X, in order of appearance. Siamese Sundown was probably the tamest of the group and the least favorite of both Michael and me. Maddam Ink was the hardest, our choice for the most talented musicians and best songwriting as well as our favorite act of the night. The third, though not as talented, was enjoyable and won the prize for the most enthusiastic and best stage presence as they were ecstatic to just be part of the event. The lead guitarist was running through the crowd and jumping through the air for much of the show. It was approaching midnight when we finally left, content that the past 3 hours of music were well worth the $5 cover charge. I also paid my $6 bar tab for the night on the way out. Apparently, Saturday nights classify as happy hour at Gullifty's. I love Harrisburg.

Chromeo, 9:30 Club, Washington, DC

Even sans Darrel Hall, the electrofunk duo still put on a great show

I returned to the 9:30 Club for my first show in 2011 to see electrofunk duo Chromeo. Everyone in the venue was excited as they all knew how much fun a sold out dance party at the 9:30 Club can be. If there was an opener, I didn’t show up in time to see them, but no matter. As expected, our large group just had a lot of fun dancing and imbibing a few beverages of a spirituous nature. The dance floor was kind of just a hot, sweaty mess, though everyone was a having a great time. Though there was a brief effort to continue the party afterwards at a local bar, it wasn’t much of an effort as there really wasn’t much chance of that any follow up could even compare.

Setlist:
Intro
Don't Turn the Lights On
I'm Not Contagious
Outta Sight
Tenderoni
Call Me Up
Opening Up
Hot Mess
Waiting 4 U
When the Night Falls
Bonafied Lovin'
You're So Gangsta
Night By Night
Momma's Boy
100%
Fancy Footwork
J'ai claqué la porte
Needy Girl
Grow Up

Club Scout, Black Cat, Washington, DC

Club Scout comes into their own for their best show yet

To kick off the 2011 concert season, I went to a Sunday evening show of my friend Benny’s band, Club Scout. I’ve seen Club Scout several times before, but it was by far the best show that I’ve ever seen them play as they opened up for chiptune band Anamanaguchi in front of a sold out crowd in the lower room of the Black Cat. Their deepening setlist remained tight, the band looked relaxed and prepared, and Benny manages excellent banter with the crowd. It’s amazing how far they’ve come in the past few years of playing together. Despite their collected attitude, I think they were still a little dumbstruck about the number of people they were playing for and the support they received. Great show and would highly recommend checking them out. Since I’m guessing that he’ll see this post eventually and I don’t have it handy, I’ll let Benny post the setlist in the comments section if he remembers it.

2010: Year in Review

So, time to look back at 2010. Another year with a ton of concerts, though I couldn’t keep the same pace as 2009. Perhaps a big part of the reason that I spent 8 months of the year commuting down to Houston, Texas during the week. Despite its size, the number of bands that came to Houston left much to be desired, as did the particular bands that came. I missed out on many bands this year because I simply wasn’t in the right town. Many of them actually came to Austin and some to Dallas, but they often skipped Houston, the fourth largest city in the country – go figure.

Despite the difficulties in finding shows, I still attended 19 concerts and festivals, including 16 individual shows and 3 festivals, averaging an event a little over every 19 days. 7 of these shows were sold out. Despite spending so many nights out of town, I still saw more shows in the DC area than anywhere else (11), with over half (6) at the 9:30 Club (3) and Merriweather Post Pavilion (3). I also saw shows in 6 other cities, including 3 shows in Houston. I saw more shows on Saturdays than any other (7), but Thursdays (5) were a close second. I didn’t see any shows on a Monday. October was the leading month (4), most likely because I went on a binge after returning to DC full time after being gone for a while. There were even several months (January, April, July, and December) when I didn’t’ get to a show at all.

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 48 bands this year, of which 37 were bands that I’d never seen before, while the remaining 11 were old favorites. This excludes opening acts that I don’t remember the billing. I also saw several bands twice, including Dave Matthews Band, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, LCD Soundsystem, Mayer Hawthorne & the County, and Rodrigo y Gabriella (only band in which neither event was a festival)

Concerts are always more fun with friends, and I was able to convince someone to come with me to every concert. Jeff Schiz and my sister Katie attended more with me than any others at 6 shows each. Ali and Lauren (4 each), Erica and Benny (3 each), and Eric, Joey, and Seth (2 each) were the only others registering more than one. However, I went to all the shows in Houston (3) by myself, an unusual occurrence for me.

The year was a lot easier on the wallet as well with only $830 in tickets.