Foo Fighters, Social D., and the Joy Formidable @ the TD BankNorth Garden 11/16/2011

My ears are still ringing from last night’s show @ the Garden.

Unbeknownst to seemingly everyone in the arena but our seat neighbors, the Joy Formidable took the stage @ 6:30. They must have had until 7:30 and just opted to play a full hour to whomever was there. Ticket said 7pm, so I only caught half of their set, but no real loss – the band played the same set of songs weeks ago @ the Lansdowne Pub. A WFNX Disorientation show I’ve raved about since. Plus, nothing beats a club show, if you can fit your band in it…


Social D. – Fast and dirty punk rock. I’ve heard their radio hits but I got the full onslaught last night. These guys must be a killer club act. Too polished for the Middle East, but a sound that’s not quite arena friendly. Shinning melodies backed by coarse punk rock – wasn’t Dave Grohl in a band that shook the world with that recipe? Great set – even if their overall sound was somewhat indiscernible.

Foo Fighters – Filled with surprises. I had no idea the Foo’s were so big (arena was packed and fans were rambunctious), that I knew so much of their music (I had no voice this morning), and that I could kept me on the edge of my metaphorical seat for 2.5 hours (that’s a lot of music with little improvisational jamming)!

Dave Grohl was born to perform, we know that, but what I really underestimated was the quality of material that makes-up his body of work. On the way to the seat I was sarcastically wondering, “How many people are here to see Nirvana?” Instead, I was served a piece of humble pie by Dave in the opening chords of Monkey Wrench, jolted by every top-of-the-lungs scream, and entranced by every compact turn the band took. It was a high energy set that allowed for little down time. I would see the Foo’s again, only the best material of their 15+ year catalogue fills their set, but I wouldn’t follow them across the country

Tangent alert!!! – To be honest, Nirvana will always be my favorite band, and in part, I have Dave Grohl to thank for that. So, it’s now great to say I’ve seen a member of Nirvana in the flesh (technically 2 - if you include Pat Smear). I’ve always thought Grohl’s thunderous attack on the drums charged Nirvana, and Kurt’s intricate genius, through the musical landscape of the early 90s. Listening to Grohl and the FF’s last night, I contemplated how Dave, in Nirvana, approached the drums as a songwriter, creating parts for the greater collective, even as an individual contributor. He has always been a songwriter it would seem – even without credit on the liner notes.

This line of thought, and the energy of the show, shot me back to my bedroom, as an adolescent, listening to Nevermind on repeat, feeling naïve, in an inquisitive way, peeling away layers of meaning from a rock trio that sounded infinitely bigger than just 3 dudes. You know, that curious feeling music is supposed to make us feel. Even when we think we’ve come so far.

Wilco and Nick Lowe, Wang Theatre 9/20/2011

Last night, I had the privilege of seeing Wilco and Nick Lowe at the Wang Theatre.


Hearing Nick Lowe play unaccompanied, just a man and his guitar, uncovered a treasure chest of musical gold for me. I probably sound like an idiot to many of you for not knowing Nick Lowe’s body of work prior to last night, but trust me – this is not the first nor the last time I will sound like an idiot.

Nick Lowe, similar to Kris Kristofferson, wrote songs that found themselves into the fabric of the American popular culture, but the paradox is the songs written are better known than he is (they are)… but I bet you knew all of that.

What’s more, Nick Lowe even produced Elvis Costello’s first 5 albums! And I recently discovered Elvis Costello’s first few albums which I still can’t get enough of; particularly "My Aim is True." I always knew Elvis could write a good tune, but never knew he could write a good album.

Last week, I even took some time to learn “Allison” on the guitar (thinking it might pay dividends at a later date), what a treat it was to hear Nick pay tribute to his friend by performing the song. Timing is everything.

Oh yeah, and then Wilco played…

Before I get into the awesomeness of the show – what’s with all the guitar changes? Plug in and play. I can see why Jeff Tweedy changes from acoustic to electric, but even the bass player changed every song. Really? Do you think we can tell the difference?

Anyways…

Last year I walked out on Wilco at the Orpheum; they played a reported 39 songs and I just couldn’t handle it all. At the time, I had never heard more than a few licks of their music and only attended in attempt to challenge my mind to open up to something new. I didn’t really get the hype that night, but everybody around me did. On top of it all, everyone looked, talked, and smelled like the kind of folks I enjoy sharing music with. I wondered what I was missing.

Last night I found it. Jeff Tweedy finds these simple and sweet melodies to sit on top of the most twisted alt-country/folk/rock you’ll find anywhere today. Sometimes the melodies drive me crazy with their nursery rhyme-esque simplicity, but they never leave my head. There is no touring outfit like Wilco and they seem to be having a late career peak. At any given point you could tune into anyone on stage and be completely blow away by their sparse yet important contributions. Great synergy, no BS.

Two songs really stood out (to me): The opener “Art of Almost”, which really set the tone for the night and is a great opening track on Wilco's latest effort The Whole Love. And a mid-set jaunt into “At Least That’s What you Said”. The latter of the two really blew my mind wide open. Usually, ballads of epic nature have some sort of 70s/80s arena rock cheese lying in the weeds (See: November Rain), but this jaunt just blew my mind as guitar notes thrashed and flew into the ether. You can’t fake soul.

Phish, Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, VT 09/14/2011

Today’s belated review will be rather succinct compared to my normal jaunt of words. Because sometimes you just can’t explain everything.

"Please don't dominate the rap Jack
If you've got nothing new to say" – R. Hunter

The trip up to Essex Junction, Vermont (roughly 3 miles south of Burlington) from Boston was worth every ounce of energy. The foliage of VT is starting change colors and the Green Mountains provided hours of idyllic views accented by reds, oranges, and yellows along scenic Route 89 North.

The venue, typically a fairground or expo center, was filled to the brim with fans, low-key security, and a waning gibbous for our viewing pleasure.

Everything Phish played was so crisp and tight-sounding you would think you were playing an LP in the comfort of your living room. As any Phish or Deadhead knows – this can be a good and/or bad thing. In inprov, the listener rides the wave of exploration where mistakes potentially make the magic peaks even taller. It's all about how you get there, not when or where you arrive.

So, while the show may have been short on exploration, my expectations were not revved up to unobtainable and insurmountable levels. They can't be at this point with Phish as they wane into the golden age of their wonderful career. The performance provided musicianship at a consistently high-level – well worth the price of admission, and what’s better, the benefit of flood recovery efforts. I coulnd't possibly ask for more.

Now, let’s get down to the nitty gritty…

The 1st set: The set-up man and closer, if you will, of “Wolfman’s Brother” and “Julius” were "it". Julius was a best ever (for me). The flow continued into the 2nd set in the form of a rocking “Carini” that transformed into a major key jam and morphed into a “Down with Disease” and a well-placed “Slave to the Traffic Light”. I get such a kick out of Trey infectious jumping during the “DWD” jam that I can’t help but smile every time I hear the songs signature solo lick. It’s not quite as funny, to me, as Big Red’s arbitrary gestures and politician-esque waves to the crowd at the end of each set, but easily close second on the goofball scale. “Slave” led into a “Rock and Roll” that was dark in psychedelic exploration, but the set flow didn't last long. A song-based set followed, but make no mistake about it, it was one hell of a well-played show by the Phish from Vermont.



Wednesday, 09/14/2011
Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, VT
Soundcheck: Jam, Midnight Confessions, Ginseng Sullivan, Silent Night (on Theremin), Too Much Fried Dough At The Fair, Peaches en Regalia, Cannonball tease, Jam [Unconfirmed and Incomplete]
Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture, The Moma Dance > NICU, Funky Bitch, Sample in a Jar, Cavern, Bathtub Gin, Alaska > Possum, Wolfman's Brother > Julius
Set 2: Carini[1] > Down with Disease[1] > Slave to the Traffic Light > Rock and Roll > Twist > Backwards Down the Number Line, Theme From the Bottom > Suzy Greenberg > Character Zero
Encore: Loving Cup