Category: rock Page 8 of 20

Wonder Boy and I went to the Decemberists last night in Columbus for a fairly last-minute show after buying tickets from a friend who couldn’t go. It should have been awesome. And it would’ve been awesome if people around us would’ve SHUT THE HECK UP. Why do you pay good money to go to a show and chit chat with friends? It baffles.

It left me asking if the Decemberists had to take some ownership. As an artist, isn’t part of your job to capture the crowd? But could this particular crowd have been captured? Likely not since they were terrible. I’m happy I get a second chance to see the Decemberists shine in August.

I see, on average, two concerts a month. I love going to shows. I get pretty good indie cred for the shows I see, in general. Exceptions probably include the 80s cock rock bands I see over the summer, like Def Leppard. There is always one band for which I am surprised by the amount of flack I get for seeing them.

Guster is great live. There are the perfect summer band, and if it’s not summer yet they help you imagine it is. When I tell my hipster friends that I’m headed to a Guster show, they smile as if it’s a good thing but I see their jaws clench up. I don’t get it.

One of the things I most love about Guster shows is that their crowds are awesome. There are always tons of college kids there but the crows also include people in their mid-30s. What makes a band keep some segment of their fan-base from the beginning of them playing but then perpetually stay popular with the the same age group? Ben Folds has the same thing going on. Part of the appeal, I think, is the stoner music. But past that? I have no explanations.

Speaking of stoner music… Last weekend we saw Guster play and it was wonderful. The crowd was better than I ever give Bogart’s credit for and Wonder Boy and I were having a great time. Midway through the show we both headed down to the (disgusting) bathrooms. On our way back we were both hit by it at the same time. The giant wall of pot smoke. Throughout the show it must have been gradually building and we never noticed it. But wow. I haven’t experienced that since a Phish show at the coliseum several years back.

Opening for Guster was Jukebox and the Ghost. Wonder Boy and I saw them play at Midpoint a few years back and Wonder Boy fell in love. I wasn’t completely sold. I heard too much Queen and hints of high school musicals in their music. But this time I thought they were fabulous. Near the end of their set they did a cover of I Love You Always Forever by Donna Lewis*. In addition to being a scarily good rendition, it was hysterical. If you haven’t seen Jukebox and the Ghost, I recommend it.

I also recommend Guster. If you’re too caught up in your hipster status, put on some dark sunglasses so your friends don’t spot you going to the dark side, loosen up and enjoy yourself. As far as I’m concerned, last weekend was the marker for the beginning of summer. And I expect Guster to be around during several hot evening and nights when I’m sitting on my porch drinking a cold beer and listening to good music.

*Have you seen this video before? What the heck?!? Why does she have shoes on her hands?!?

Last night I attended a Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band concert and it was fabulous. It was fun to be at a show where I knew so many people in the audience. And I pretty much adore Josh Ritter, as previously described, so it would have been hard for me to think the concert was bad.

But I can try to be objective. Sometimes a concert is not wholly about the artist. So many other factors come in to play: the sound, audience, place. That last one is the most vague but can be the most important. For instance, Songbird was at the show with us and commented that she thought she preferred the Josh Ritter performance at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. I’m sure it was. When you’re someplace special / exciting / unique, it makes the whole thing more memorable.

The concert I was at where I hugged Josh Ritter twice was pretty awesome because I hugged Josh Ritter twice. It was also in a huge field with way too few people but it felt like the band was playing just for you.

Last night was in an awesome venue. It’s super intimate with great acoustics and a fun place for shows. Objectively speaking, if something was off about the show it was the crowd. I don’t know if it was because it was a Wednesday night, or because people were as irritated as Wonder Boy was with the girl who kept yelling to Josh really loudly. Whatever it was, the crowd wasn’t on. It wasn’t electric. I didn’t feel the energy that comes off being surrounded by a large mass of people all dancing and singing along to the same song.

It was still good though. Really good. And it was the first show where I saw a singer accomplish a very cool version of call and response. Normally there is a part of the show where the audience is singing part of a song, unless you’re The Killers and missing a huge opportunity. Last night Josh Ritter had people singing one thing while he sang another. It was beautiful.

Know what else was beautiful? Me and Josh Ritter were twins. Not really but pretty close. Here is the shirt I wore (new purchase from Target):