Fleet Foxes, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland

Still wondering if an empty venue is a good or bad thing

After a full day of rain, the sky finally cleared on the drive to Merriweather Post Pavilion. Though the ground was a little wet, there was fortunately no mud. I made my way to the lawn to find it the emptiest that I have ever seen it. I knew that Fleet Foxes would not be that big of a draw for such a large venue and the rain must have chased away a lot of other potential attendees. So despite it being a little lonely on the lawn, it was nice that it so easy to find a spot up front. It was also fitting considering the type of music that the Fleet Foxes play, a mainly slow type of indie folk rock perfect for sitting on the grass. They were however a lot louder and livelier than I anticipated, spicing up their live show with some additional instrumentals. It all sounded very good save for a brief interlude on a saxophone-like instrument that wasn’t quite noise but nor would I classify it as music. I’ve never played a Fleet Foxes album very loud and probably still never will, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t sound good when they did crank up the volume. Their setlist was a healthy mix of old and new, not that they’ve been around long enough to really develop an extensive catalogue. While his musical and artist talent are beyond reproach, Robin Pecknold’s skills as a frontman left much to be desired. He still hasn’t fully embraced the role and seems unconformable and awkward interacting with the audience.

Setlist:
The Plains / Bitter Dancer
Mykonos
English House
Battery Kinzie
Bedouin Dress
Sim Sala Bim
Your Protector
White Winter Hymnal
Ragged Wood
Montezuma
He Doesn't Know Why
Lorelai
The Shrine/An Argument
Blue Spotted Tail
Grown Ocean
I Let You
Sun It Rises
Blue Ridge Mountains
Helplessness Blues

Elbow, 9:30 Club, Washington, DC

An evening with the most underappreciated band this side of the pond

After a wonderful show the two Septembers before, I was looking forward to again seeing the underappreciated British band Elbow. The show was very similar in form, mood, and style to the previous one. The band sounded great and this time brought out a few extra strings to join them on certain selections. I still cannot decide if Guy Garvey truly is as charming as I think he is or he’s just British. Maybe a bit of both. Nonetheless, he interacted seamlessly with the crowd, serenading one member of the audience, thanking the venue for the first time they invited him there ten years ago, and even leading a rendition of Happy Birthday to an obnoxious fan who insisted on letting him know that it was his annual special day.

The one slight difference from the previous show was the set list. While like any other band touring in support of their most recent album, Elbow leaned heavily on selections from that album, Build a Rocket Boys, nearly all of their remaining selections were from the album immediately preceding it, the Mercury Prize winning The Seldom Seen Kid. They played almost nothing from their three original albums, which I found surprising. Though I love The Seldom Seen Kid (not as crazy about their newest effort), I was disappointed that so little was included from their older album, especially considering how many amazing songs came out of those sessions. Nonetheless, beautiful show.

Setlist:
The Birds
The Bones of You
Mirrorball
Neat Little Rows
Grounds for Divorce
The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver
Great Expectations
The Night Will Always Win
Puncture Repair
The River
Lippy Kids
Weather to Fly
Open Arms
Starlings
Station Approach
One Day Like This

Fruit Bats, Black Cat, Washington, DC

The Alt. Country Shins

Though we made it in time for the opening act, it was quite forgettable in every way. I can barely remember what they even sounded like as we sat at tables in the back club. Though I wasn’t familiar with the Fruit Bats at all before the show, other than a three minute YouTube clip, the venue was crowded and its attitude matched. From the clip I heard, I thought the show would be much more pop, but it ended up being more alternative country than anything, quite a pleasant surprise. Eric Johnson, the lead singer of the Fruit Bats since its formation in 2001 recently also joined indie icons The Shins. Oddly, his voice is very similar in tone and quality to James Mercer, the actual lead singer of The Shins. Go figure. It was a solid, enjoyable set, but the one thing that I consistently hate about weekday shows at the Black Cat is that they always start so late.

Virgin FREEFest, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland

Another September, another FreeFest.

I continue to be surprised each year that Virgin Mobile and other corporate sponsors continue to bestow a free music festival on the DC region, the biggest event held at Merriweather Post Pavilion each year. After countless days of rain, it was finally a beautiful day, even if plenty of mud was left over, particularly at the second stage. Despite the traffic, we were able to navigate our way through a side street or two and into a parking lot fairly quickly, for the first time ever, actually arriving in time to see most of the first act of the day that I wanted to see. In this case, it was indie rockers Okkervil River. Even after the torrential rains of the past weeks, the sun had burned off most of the moisture from the grass at the main stage, making the lawn a pleasant place to camp out in the sun and start the day. Okkervil River was a good intro as well. Following on the main stage were Grace Potter & the Nocturnals with Grace playing a barrage of instruments. The show also marked the second time that I had seen Grace Potter in under a year.

We next headed over to the second stage, set up in an adjoining field on the grounds, for Australian dance punk band Cut Copy. Again, it was the second time in less than a few months that I’d seen Cut Copy and again I wasn’t disappointed. No one else in my group was really familiar with Cut Copy when I dragged them over to the adjoining stage. But they were all pleasantly surprised, always a good feeling, despite a bit of not-so-sweet-smelling mud. Next up on the same stage was Cee Lo Green, who gained fame as half of Gnarles Barkley but then struck gold on his own with the smash hit, “Fuck You,” despite only a heavily edited version ever being played on the radio. Cee Lo was so-so, but he played the song everyone wanted to hear. I was also surprised that he also played “Crazy,” a Gnarles Barkley song, since in my experience, artists frequently avoid playing collaborative songs during solo sets.

We walked out before the end of his set in order to head over to the other stage for Brooklyn-based indie rockers TV on the Radio. Extensively familiar and a fan of their entire catalogue and their live performances, I was right in my expectation that TV on the Radio would be the highlight of my day. My day ended with blues rock duo The Black Keys. Though I had seen them at Bonnaroo, I wasn’t in the best state of mind at the time to enjoy them there (no, not drunk or anything else, just exhausted, dehydrated, and starving after wrapping up ten hours in the heat of the front row of the Which Stage). So it was a treat to get to enjoy The Black Keys sitting in the cool grass of the Merriweather lawn, dead center and only thirty or forty feet from the jumbotron screen.

Black Keys Setlist:
Thickfreakness
Girl Is On My Mind
The Breaks
Stack Shot Billy
Busted
Act Nice and Gentle
Everlasting Light
Next Girl
Chop and Change
Howlin' For You
Tighten Up
She's Long Gone
Ten Cent Pistol
I'll Be Your Man
Strange Times
I Got Mine
Your Touch

Alison Krauss & Union Station, Wolf Trap National Park, Vienna, Virginia

Bluegrass evening at Wolf Trap

Though I had just seen her at Bonnaroo in June, I knew I could not go wrong in deciding to see Alison Krauss & Union Station a second time. Besides, any excuse to go to Wolf Trap is usually pretty valid. Surprisingly, the place was packed. Though I had been a fan for a little while, ever since the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack, I didn’t realize she was getting to be so popular. However, I guess that her newest album, Paper Airplane has been doing pretty well. It’s also sometimes difficult to tell the popularity of an artist at Bonnaroo because you’re never sure who’s there to see the band, who’s just waiting around for the next band, and who just didn’t have anywhere else to be.

Our group, including Andy, his wife Lauren, and some of their other friends, was far back on the lawn. I could not really see much of the stage, but it was a least a good spot for a picnic, which is kind of the point for any show at Wolf Trap. Not knowing anything about Alison Krauss before the show, it was clear that Andy a little disappointed that all her songs were slow and mellow, often pertaining to love, heartbreak, and the like. I think he was expected a little livelier of a pop country type show. The show itself was very similar to their set at Bonnaroo, including the set list and several of their jams. The setting and our distance from the stage made the whole thing much more mellow as well. Nonetheless, it was nice to sit in the grass and relax as the melodies danced around the lawn.

Club Scout, Velvet Lounge, Washington, DC

Another fun Club Scout show in DC.

Club Scout played a solid, if short set, and their music and performances are getting better and better.

Congressional Blues Festival, National Building Museum, Washington, DC

The Best Deal on Blues in Town

The Congressional Blues Festival is an annual event sponsored in part by members of Congress. The festival seeks to promote and honor the American tradition of blues music, including the original pioneers of the genre as well as those that are continuing the tradition. It seeks to raise awareness and funding for blues music and the artists that dedicate their lives to its pursuit. The 2011 festival, the eighth thus far, kept the tradition of blues, cheap tickets, and free food and drinks (yep, including booze). So for $25, live music, food, and an open bar, it was a pretty good deal.

Starting on the stage was guitarist, bassist, and singer Sol and his band Funk Root, even though most of the place was more focused on trying to get food from the incredibly poorly planned line. Next up was guitarist Michael "Iron Man" Burks and his band. In my opinion, Burks was the best act of the night and without a doubt the most talented musician in the building, jamming on a number of great electric blues solos. Next up was progressive hip hop artist Christylez Bacon with special guests Slyce-D and Rick Franklin. A DC local, Bacon had a fun little set that incorporated hip hop, blues, African, and go-go (a type of funk that originated in DC in the 60’s and 70’s) along with spoken word and storytelling elements. The rest of the evening, including Mudcat and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, was fine as well though I didn’t find it as interesting.