Upcoming/Recent Shows

Cross posted from the Grateful Dead thread...

Caught Dead & Co. last night, second time seeing this incarnation. Was pleasantly surprised at the energy they brought this time through. Really solid show. Bob's voice was definitely better than the last few times I've seen him, Mayer continues to impress with his soloing - lots of interplay between him and Chimenti. Highlights were Cumberland Blues which hit a great groove, and the end of Space which ended w/ a bit of Blues For Allah. Plus Cassidy, He's Gone, and Black Muddy River, which when reviewing setlists from past shows I realized were played at my first Dead show 30+ years ago (11/15/87)

Set 1: The Music Never Stopped > Easy Answers, Row Jimmy, Friend of the Devil, Cumberland Blues, Cassidy, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo

Set 2: St. Stephen --> William Tell Bridge --> The Eleven --> He's Gone --> New Speedway Boogie, Drums --> Space --> I Need a Miracle --> Death Don't Have No Mercy --> Good Lovin'

Encore: Black Muddy River

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A week late with posting this one; Boldy James delivered a hype show! Didn't expect a small venue like Doug Fir Lounge in Portland would be a spot for hip-hop, but it was perfect. 🔥

Milc (and other "friends")

Honestly, these guys sucked. Even with Milc being from PDX (not sure about the others on stage at that time), a bunch of lame, shoehorned bars involving the Portland Trail Blazers and a touch on his upbringing/who he is now didn't win me over whatsoever. Dude was wearing a backwards Oakland A's cap, one could only guess for contributing to the Bo Jackson theme.

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Boldy James

Obviously, the Griselda brother was the real prize of Tuesday night...even if the setlist ran only an hour or so.

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Boldy James's son, Bo Jackson (heh, go figure) put on a little ditty:



A clip of the excellent "Photographic Memories":


Boldy dropping heat with every second. So awesome to see him in a small, cozy venue.

Post-show

Hung around the front for a few minutes and saw Boldy emerge from backstage. Other like-minded people brought their Boldy James records to the venue and/or posters from the merch table to get signed. Bo asked the people and I in front row if we wanted our offered belongings signed (which we all quickly affirmed). He gathered all of items at once, which led to some partial confusion as to which items belonged to who after signing. I saw that Bo also wrote his name on each! After 10min or so, I got my signed The Price of Tea in China and Manger on McNichols jackets back, though I'm pretty sure that the latter was someone else's as the corner bump is no longer there lol. As he handed the jackets back to me, Boldy let me in on a cool one on one with: "I like ya hat, hope Dame can get a ring before it too late" along with giving me a fist bump. 😭
Me too, man. Me too...

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Yesterday was a drive to Revolution Hall in Portland to see soccer mommy. Never had been to the venue before. Did not expect to enjoy the show as much as I did, compared to the other names on the concert docket for the year.

I initially entered the building from a back entrance of the building, which led to a connected bar/lounge area. Got one of those wristbands typical for identifying 21+ participants at relevant venues after providing vacc credentials, and opened the wallet for an IPA at the counter. Found a spot at a bar table, after observing for a few seconds at what appeared to be an educational conference from peering into the adjacent room separated by double doors, as all of the traditional tables + bar counter was packed. First impressions being that the building's layout is bizarre.

Sat and sipped for ~3min enjoying the atmosphere, then looked across at the bar counter nearest the bathrooms. To my surprise, I saw lead vocalist Sophie Allison of soccer mommy sitting with what appeared to be her bandmates all at the end of the counter, eating what appeared to be a cheeseburger and fries accompanied with a microbrew. As I always (or try to for small to medium sized venues), I had brought my records of the relevant artist with me. As awkward as I am, I nervously ambled across the way to her as she appeared to finish her beverage and shyly asked if I could my records of hers signed. She obliged, quickly scribbled her initials on the jackets, and promptly returned the jackets + pen. I forgot to ask her for a photo together, but I got too nervous. 😖 She was so nice about it all. Still, elated to have gotten the signatures where I later learned I would not have been able to acquire them post-show. I thanked Sophie and her band, went back to the bar table where I was initially perched, hastily downed the remainder of the IPA, and impatiently waited for doors to open as they headed up a few minutes after.

I did not know that Revolution Hall was actually the auditorium for a former high school. Walking through the double doors just past the bar area, the arrays of small lockers on both sides of the connecting hallway made that clear. Paced up a couple flights of stairs and found the venue after a bit of confusion of going up one flight too many. 🤣


alexalone

These guys were the most enjoyable opener out of all the shows I have seen this year! They played a ~40min opening set that was very post-rock/shoegaze inspired. Despite the lead vocalist's fairly weak vocals, I quite liked the instrumentals of their music in the live setting, especially compared to the digital recordings I sampled prior. They closed the the set with some kind of 15min medley of tracks, lots of ebbs and flows as you'd expect from post-rock, finished with an strident minute-long drone section.

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There may or may not have been some Stereolab, Boards of Canada, and Sonic Youth as intermission music. ;)

soccer mommy

soccer mommy played all the hits, I'd say. Most of "color theory," which this tour was initially for during pre-pandemic times, and the jams from earlier records. A few solo cuts from Sophie as well, one being a cover.

At least four of their songs had these epic extended sections of heavy-bodied, slow building instrumentals whereupon the band unleashed an astonishing payoff of absolutely wailing for a few minutes in what would be the closing moments of tracks. This intensity I speak of was never found on their studio albums, so it just came as a mild shock to me each time they did this lol

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Here's a solo Slowdive cover from Sophie:




Again, wasn't expecting to have as much praise for this show compared to the previous concerts from this year. Happy to report that I exited the venue very satisfied.

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EDIT: Yeah...reading this back earlier today just sounded and reads so corny. I'll omit these long descriptions in the future. Sorry for clogging space in the thread.
 
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Rip_City said:
EDIT: Yeah...reading this back earlier today just sounded and reads so corny. I'll omit these long descriptions in the future. Sorry for clogging space in the thread.
Click to expand...
I enjoy how thorough your descriptions are of the various Portland venues and your experiences of the shows, so please send them to me if you're not going to post them here, haha.

Revolution Hall is a really different layout, but I feel like the high school vibe of it makes shows there feel more intimate and less pretentious - like if a really awesome band just showed up at your own high school for a show (but you could also get a beer in the hallway, haha).
 
Ericj32 said:
Revolution Hall is a really different layout, but I feel like the high school vibe of it makes shows there feel more intimate and less pretentious - like if a really awesome band just showed up at your own high school for a show (but you could also get a beer in the hallway, haha).
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Funny you mention this...in between songs, Sophie herself confessed that the venue was akin to performing at a talent show in grade school! 🤣 Even the lighting was reminiscent of it.
 
Rip_City said:
Yesterday was a drive to Revolution Hall in Portland to see soccer mommy. Never had been to the venue before. Did not expect to enjoy the show as much as I did, compared to the other names on the concert docket for the year.

I initially entered the building from a back entrance of the building, which led to a connected bar/lounge area. Got one of those wristbands typical for identifying 21+ participants at relevant venues after providing vacc credentials, and opened the wallet for an IPA at the counter. Found a spot at a bar table, after observing for a few seconds at what appeared to be an educational conference from peering into the adjacent room separated by double doors, as all of the traditional tables + bar counter was packed. First impressions being that the building's layout is bizarre.

Sat and sipped for ~3min enjoying the atmosphere, then looked across at the bar counter nearest the bathrooms. To my surprise, I saw lead vocalist Sophie Allison of soccer mommy sitting with what appeared to be her bandmates all at the end of the counter, eating what appeared to be a cheeseburger and fries accompanied with a microbrew. As I always (or try to for small to medium sized venues), I had brought my records of the relevant artist with me. As awkward as I am, I nervously ambled across the way to her as she appeared to finish her beverage and shyly asked if I could my records of hers signed. She obliged, quickly scribbled her initials on the jackets, and promptly returned the jackets + pen. I forgot to ask her for a photo together, but I got too nervous. 😖 She was so nice about it all. Still, elated to have gotten the signatures where I later learned I would not have been able to acquire them post-show. I thanked Sophie and her band, went back to the bar table where I was initially perched, hastily downed the remainder of the IPA, and impatiently waited for doors to open as they headed up a few minutes after.

I did not know that Revolution Hall was actually the auditorium for a former high school. Walking through the double doors just past the bar area, the arrays of small lockers on both sides of the connecting hallway made that clear. Paced up a couple flights of stairs and found the venue after a bit of confusion of going up one flight too many. 🤣


alexalone

These guys were the most enjoyable opener out of all the shows I have seen this year! They played a ~40min opening set that was very post-rock/shoegaze inspired. Despite the lead vocalist's fairly weak vocals, I quite liked the instrumentals of their music in the live setting, especially compared to the digital recordings I sampled prior. They closed the the set with some kind of 15min medley of tracks, lots of ebbs and flows as you'd expect from post-rock, finished with an strident minute-long drone section.

View attachment 116377

There may or may not have been some Stereolab, Boards of Canada, and Sonic Youth as intermission music. ;)

soccer mommy

soccer mommy played all the hits, I'd say. Most of "color theory," which this tour was initially for during pre-pandemic times, and the jams from earlier records. A few solo cuts from Sophie as well, one being a cover.

At least four of their songs had these epic extended sections of heavy-bodied, slow building instrumentals whereupon the band unleashed an astonishing payoff of absolutely wailing for a few minutes in what would be the closing moments of tracks. This intensity I speak of was never found on their studio albums, so it just came as a mild shock to me each time they did this lol

View attachment 116380View attachment 116378
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Here's a solo Slowdive cover from Sophie:




Again, wasn't expecting to have as much praise for this show compared to the previous concerts from this year. Happy to report that I exited the venue very satisfied.

View attachment 116383

EDIT: Yeah...reading this back earlier today just sounded and reads so corny. I'll omit these long descriptions in the future. Sorry for clogging space in the thread.
Click to expand...

Enjoyed Soccer Mommy Dagger cover! Thanks for posting
 
Evocative art pop from Half Waif (Nandi Rose) and her band! These shows have all been fantastic decisions so far.

Lisel & Booker Stardrum

Experimental duo with discordant combination of vocals and electronics. Acquired taste is an understatement; it would be something apropos to the Outer Sounds vinyl subscription. Looking back on the midyear top100 albums of 2021 from The Quietus, their album Mycelial Echo landed at #38...I've added this as a backlog record for the never-ending queue.

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Took the photo here on the upstairs seated area in Mississippi Studios. Hurried down to the stage floor for Half Waif's set.

Half Waif

17 song setlist (with the posh "Lavender Burning" encore). Mythopoetics converted me to a fan. Art pop is always best pop.

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Filmed "Party's Over" here...I know, I know, I should just enjoy the moment:



Post-show

Surprising how many people hung around not just to snag merch, but also to talk to Nandi or get items signed...I'd estimate about half the crowd. Brought my LPs with me to get signed, but also requested a photo together. Glad I didn't forget ❤️ She was sweet, patient, and accommodated generously to those who hung out after.
Her stage outfit had me perplexed and I forgot to inquire about it.

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Elvis Costello & The Imposters at the Magnolia in El Cajon last night. Great crowd, and great performance. Musically they covered a wide range of styles - from the hits to ballads & tin pan alley type arrangements. And Elvis' voice sounded great as well. Was very surprised to see Charlie Sexton on guitar, last time I saw him he was playing with Dylan.

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Saw John Fogerty last night! It was kinda weird to have a seated show for this, but the crowd was definitely older than most shows I go to. He sounded good and played all the CCR hits. His two sons were in his band and both seem pretty talented. It felt very charming, like a really good family band. He dedicated a few songs to his kids and showed photos of them on the screen as he did so. He was pretty goofy as a front man, but can still play guitar incredibly well. The show moved along pretty briskly without many pauses for banter with the audience, and they did a lot of extended jams on the songs and had a lot of long solos. The graphics on the screen behind them on stage would change for each song but they all looked like they were developed about 15 years ago - also there were two big lava lamps on stage next to the drummer.

“Have You Ever Seen The Rain”:

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During one of his non-CCR songs:
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“Fortunate Son”:
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“Bad Moon Rising”:
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“Proud Mary” (there was literally just a big 3-D steamboat wheel turning on screen through the whole song haha):
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Band of Horses @ Soma San Diego 11/13

Miya Folick opened, and although I wasn't familiar with her at all was really impressed. She's got an amazing voice. I've seen Band of Horses a few times, and they've never disappointed. They kicked off with Great Salt Lake, finished up with the General Specific. Ben's vocals never disappoint, and he did a lovely solo version of St. Augustine mid-set that really showcased it.

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imtheocean said:
Band of Horses @ Soma San Diego 11/13

Miya Folick opened, and although I wasn't familiar with her at all was really impressed. She's got an amazing voice. I've seen Band of Horses a few times, and they've never disappointed. They kicked off with Great Salt Lake, finished up with the General Specific. Ben's vocals never disappoint, and he did a lovely solo version of St. Augustine mid-set that really showcased it.

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Love Great Salt Lake! Perfect opener.
 
sjaygray said:
Here's an oddball PIF for y'all. I've got two tickets to the Kevin Morby / Hamilton Leithauser show in Burlington, VT on 11/20 that I won't be using. Due to the delta spike and having a vaccine ineligible kiddo at home, we are again avoiding any sort of gatherings for the time being and not going to make it to this show as a result. I know this will only appeal to a small group of people with the ability to travel there, but I thought I'd toss it out there anyway and see if anyone was interested!

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thanks again for the tickets 🎟 @sjaygray it was a great show!

 
Squid put on a fantastic show! Got a friend to tag along for only the second time this year.

Marisa Anderson

I've heard of Marisa before, and by typing her name into the search bar on this forum, she seems to be well-regarded by some of y'all. It's great to see that she's a local artist, too!
Suffice to say, I was impressed. Her guitar playing is virtuosic and showcased ebbs and flows, soup to nuts. Very organic and lush Americana-sounding instrumentals. Regretting not trying out an album of her's prior to attending tonight. Probably the best opener in the shows I have gone to this year. The $15 ticket already felt like a bargain.
Picture below is not mine.

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Squid 🦑

As advertised. It's 2021 AotY, how could it not be good? A lot of droning sections...kind of hallucinatory.
Only bummer not including "Peel St." in the setlist 😭

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Post-show

Crowd was chanting for an encore for over five minutes...didn't happen. So, it was kind of an awkward exodus for the crowd when the stage lights didn't fully return to normal luminescence over that time. Hung around for ~3min at front stage after anyway to try and get a record signed, as usual. Some concertgoer I hadn't engaged with approached me to confirm my intentions. He then informed me that they were near their gig van on the opposite side of the venue.
My friend and I headed out to confirm this and, after rounding two corners, came across three of the band members smoking some cigs in the nearby lot. A few other concertgoers brought posters with them and were concurrently getting them inked. Came away with a photo and group signatures with the band. Really chill, funny dudes (photo credit from my friend). Apparently they are coming back again early next year! 😍

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Two recent shows at the local jazz club. Sorry for the pics but I was sitting solo (don't know anybody into jazz in Oslo sadly :(

Hedvig Mollestad was tonight, and was really great, playing with saxes and keys beyond her normal trio. Just love her blend of riffing and jazz.

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Joel Ross was a couple of weeks ago. His band was immense, and while Immanuel Wilkins' solo album didn't quite gel for me he stole the show here.

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