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I finally went to a live show at The Capitol Theater in Arlington, co-promoted by ONCE and The 4th Wall, over the weekend.
It was in one of the smaller theaters and, while the live rear screen projections by Digital Awareness were cool, there's absolutely no stage lighting. I have no idea what any of the musicians in The Umbrellas and Mallcops look like.
Both the acoustics and the PA were pretty bad, too. The sound is usually great in theaters, but not necessarily in theaters designed only for movies and not live events.
I suspect that the sound might be better in their main theater, with an actual stage and a space designed for live entertainment, and not the shoebox next door where The 4th Wall does its shows.
If you're on the fence about going to a show there, don't go. I'd only go back for a show if I really wanted to see the artist, despite the close proximity of the venue to me.
I want to rant about shows being booked at Royale, but honestly there's two other venues on Tremont St that are worse.
I went to a show at the Royale tonight and the venue was fine, although it could have used more seating in back for people who want to rest for a while.
My only complaint is that when I asked for a cup of ice water, the bartender pointed to a sign offering bottled water for $7 each. I passed and waited for a bottle of one of those funky seasonal Mountain Dew flavors at 7/11 after the show.
Give me an old ballroom or theater over one of those poured concrete monstrosities that LiveNation and AEG like to open.
At least House of Blues and Paradise have those big orange containers and some cups for water. Royale though, they suck. They've always charged an arm and a leg.
The dumbest I seen might actually be the Wilbur, where I ordered a Coke and got Polar cola poured from a 2 liter into a red solo cup... for $6.
Interestingly, a band called Azymuth quietly replaced L'Rain as the main opener for Crumb at Roadrunner later in the year. I was initially disappointed but after reading this and listening to a bit of them, I'm very excited to see them. Feel like we lucked out as they initially were skipping Boston on this tour.
Interestingly, a band called Azymuth quietly replaced L'Rain as the main opener for Crumb at Roadrunner later in the year. I was initially disappointed but after reading this and listening to a bit of them, I'm very excited to see them. Feel like we lucked out as they initially were skipping Boston on this tour.
Here's the NICE, a fest schedule. For some reason, they switched the color coding from day to day on the schedule, and just stacked everything into a single grid, so it's not the friendliest festival schedule graphic design you've ever seen, but glad it's finally here.
Here's the NICE, a fest schedule. For some reason, they switched the color coding from day to day on the schedule, and just stacked everything into a single grid, so it's not the friendliest festival schedule graphic design you've ever seen, but glad it's finally here.
Easing into the proceedings, since I don't want to constantly take time off from work to leave my home office early for shows or days off to sleep in after a late night, so I caught only Sweet Petunia on Night One, whom I've been wanting to see. Nice vibe as usual (pun intended) at the Crystal. The NICE merch is top notch, there's a cooler with free cans of Topo Chico flavored sparkling water, free alcohol samples, and you can ride a giant pickle for free. Really.
Last Edit: Jul 25, 2024 22:25:28 GMT -5 by tw12 - Back to Top
It's got to be in a new location. I can't imagine that Taco Bell is leaving anytime soon.
It's the sort of club that's good to have in that part of town, since you've got most of the non-Live Nation and non-AEG small venues on the other side of the river.
I went to NICE, a fest. It reminded me of this chain of buffet restaurants I dined at when I lived in Ohio many years ago called Old Country Buffet. The food wasn't great, but it was cheap and there was a lot of it, although there were a couple of items there worth the visit.
That's what NICE, a fest is. This year, anyway, it was filled with a lot of the same local artists you'd see at a Porchfest or second on the bill at Deep Cuts. I caught 16 acts over the course of the four days, and wound up leaving earlier than I had planned on Sunday after three hours, because I just couldn't take anymore meh music.
Thurs - Sweet Petunia was great, a folk/punk/Americana acoustic duo.
Fri - Saw part of Chris Walton's set. It was decent enough. Rock guitar in R&B is always a nice blend. ////// Jobie was OK, more rocking than I thought.
Sat - Viruette was...wait for it...OK. Melodic rock band. ////// I could only make it through half or slightly more of Happy Just To See You. Rootsy, melodic rock with a fiddle player. Songs weren't anything special ////// Pile is one of those bands held in high regard locally and elsewhere, but I walked out after three songs. Did nothing for me. ////// A Day Without Love was bad punky melodic rock. I caught the last song of their set. That was enough. ////// Barefoot Young. I liked the songs and sound of the band a lot, but they're nothing special as live performers. Think 80's pop meets R&B a la Culture Club, Saint Motel, etc. Glad I caught their set, though. ////// Bay Faction. Some punk pop emo thing, caught the last song of their set, which was all of one minute long. But I heard the whole song, and that's what matters. ////// Palehound was GREAT. Well-written songs played loudly and energetically for 50 minutes or so. ////// The Dead Friends Club were OK, but more unique than most OK bands. Jazzy pop/R&B songs played by a bass/vocals, drums, and electric harp trio. ////// Aubrey Haddard was interesting, doing an electronic pop singer/songwriter thing. The problem with her set and most every performance I saw at the indoor venues was that the volume was way too high. At most shows I attend, I always wind up wishing that the PA was just a little bit louder. Not so at NICE, where almost every artist was too loud for the room. I was enjoying her set, but left with one or two songs left, because it was just too damn loud ////// My original plan had been to leave after Aubrey Haddard, but Grass Is Green cancelled at the last minute and the replacement turned out to be the undisputed kings of Connecticut Shoegaze...Ovlov. They, too, were GREAT. I had been wanting to see them live and there I was, seeing them live. They were super loud, too, but it fits their music particularly well. The surprise aspect to the set made it particularly fun. I only found out that I'd be seeing them a couple of hours before I actually was seeing them.
Sun - Oh, that buffet moment when you realize that you've eaten too much but try to choke down one more plate of food. I started with Alex Walton's set, whom I had seen open for Ezra Furman at two Rockwell shows in the last 10 months or so. They've got a shambolic and raw loud guitar singer/songwriter thing happening, with some synthy recorded backing tracks on a couple of other songs. I enjoyed their previous sets more than this one, probably because the newness of the music and onstage banter had worn off on me by now. Plus, being right back at the Crystal for the third time in four days was starting to feel more like a chore then an adventure. ////// Cheem was up next. I literally ran out of there at the end of their second song. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is looking for a band that's a cross between Limp Bizkit and Extreme. ////// Went over to the Rockwell for The Collect Pond who were very predictably just OK. Non-descript indie rock just like all of the other non-descript indie rock in the world. By the end of their set, I felt like I couldn't deal with any more live music this weekend and hopped on a bus and went home.
So, I wound up paying $70 to see Ovlov, Palehound, and Sweet Petunia which seemed like a fair price for three very entertaining sets.
At this point, though, I'm over the whole "See as many artists as I can to make up for the worst of the pandemic" mindset. Live music is the best thing out there when you like the artist and the performance, but I don't think anyone is repeating the '20-'21 mantra of "Please, I'd kill for a polka band right about now" any longer.
Last Edit: Jul 30, 2024 8:45:11 GMT -5 by tw12 - Back to Top
While Great Scott is getting the headlines, it's worth noting that the new owners of TOAD/Christopher's in Porter Square have been sprucing up the exteriors of both businesses. Exactly what the live music bookings will look like at the former TOAD is anybody's guess, but they're definitely on the way back.
FINALLY made it to Roadrunner tonight. Loved the venue; sound was fine (although I was close to one of the hanging speaker stacks up front, so I have no idea what the sound was like farther back or upstairs), the staff was super polite and helpful, and plenty of restrooms.
My only complaint wasn't with Bowery or the venue, but with the MBTA. I learned the hard way that the 86 bus does not run frequently at night. I got to the stop right after Rosali's opening set (no interest in staying for Iron and Wine), checked the app, and discovered that there was a 56 minute wait for the next bus on a Sunday night and that it was the last bus of the night. I would up walking back to Harvard Square, which took a half-hour (so I still came out ahead). Just checked the 86 schedule and saw that while the buses run past midnight every other night of the week, they're fairly infrequent, with 40-50 minute waits fairly standard. Not a big deal when the weather's decent, but I have no desire to walk that route again if the weather isn't as good or wait that long at a bus stop. I definitely need to download Uber or Lyft before my next Roadrunner show.
Rosali certainly won over the Iron & Wine fans. There were more people lined up to buy her merch and speak with her (she staffs her own merch table after her set) than there were in the audience for her last show in town at the Rockwell four months ago. I would have bought a shirt just to chat with her had the line been shorter, but leaving when I did turned out to be the right move, given the half-hour walk ahead of me. (The merch line actually snaked up the adjacent stairs. I'm sure that some of the people were waiting for I&W merch, but the artist selling their own merch is a great way to sell more stuff.)
If that venue was on Red, Green, Blue, or Orange and there were a couple of fast-food places or pizza-by-the-slice shops within a couple of blocks, it would be perfect.
Last Edit: Aug 12, 2024 1:01:33 GMT -5 by tw12 - Back to Top
The forecast is now looking very bad for tonight, with heavy rain during the 7 pm and 9 pm hours, so I just listed my King Gizzard ticket on AXS.com for $35. If anyone's looking for an extra ticket at a discounted price, grab it while it's available.
The forecast is now looking very bad for tonight, with heavy rain during the 7 pm and 9 pm hours, so I just listed my King Gizzard ticket on AXS.com for $35. If anyone's looking for an extra ticket at a discounted price, grab it while it's available.
The ticket was purchased, thankfully.
Now, it appears that the really bad weather is going to be confined to the 7 pm hour, with 0.62 inches of rain during that hour, which is a *lot* of rain for one hour. Even after the rain stops, the grounds are likely to be a sloppy mess.
I'm also thinking that they may postpone the show and start later, after the worst of the weather, which means that it might run very late. Not great, if you're reliant upon the T, especially with part of the Red Line replaced by shuttle buses this week.
The forecast is now looking very bad for tonight, with heavy rain during the 7 pm and 9 pm hours, so I just listed my King Gizzard ticket on AXS.com for $35. If anyone's looking for an extra ticket at a discounted price, grab it while it's available.
The ticket was purchased, thankfully.
Now, it appears that the really bad weather is going to be confined to the 7 pm hour, with 0.62 inches of rain during that hour, which is a *lot* of rain for one hour. Even after the rain stops, the grounds are likely to be a sloppy mess.
I'm also thinking that they may postpone the show and start later, after the worst of the weather, which means that it might run very late. Not great, if you're reliant upon the T, especially with part of the Red Line replaced by shuttle buses this week.
thanks for the heads up, i’m gonna sell too. they cancelled LCD Soundsystem/Jamie xx over some drizzle
The forecast is now looking very bad for tonight, with heavy rain during the 7 pm and 9 pm hours, so I just listed my King Gizzard ticket on AXS.com for $35. If anyone's looking for an extra ticket at a discounted price, grab it while it's available.
The ticket was purchased, thankfully.
Now, it appears that the really bad weather is going to be confined to the 7 pm hour, with 0.62 inches of rain during that hour, which is a *lot* of rain for one hour. Even after the rain stops, the grounds are likely to be a sloppy mess.
I'm also thinking that they may postpone the show and start later, after the worst of the weather, which means that it might run very late. Not great, if you're reliant upon the T, especially with part of the Red Line replaced by shuttle buses this week.
It figures. The forecast has changed again, and now it's down to 0.15 per hour from 7-10. But it would have been a two-hour one-way trip for me with the Red Line diversion, and the forecast was still bad at the latest possible time that I could have left and still gotten there on time. Oh, well.
The heaviest of rain is still past Worcester. Show might be fine.
However, I play trivia on Mondays and East Boston is a giant pain in the ass to get to from here. So, I'm going to Cincinnati with a bunch of Inforoo people.
so i wore a fred again shirt for his forest hills nyc show out in salem tonight and two different ppl came up to me and asked if it was referring to the forest hills orange like stop lmaoo
This is cool. Get To The Gig just created a new Spotify playlist featuring artists they're bringing to town. Given the large number of shows they're doing these days, it's a great way to avoid Damn-I-just-heard-this-amazing-new-band-and-discovered-that-they-played-here-two-weeks-ago, which is something that's happened to most of us.
a good way to get me to bail on a playlist early is to put an absolutely putrid cover of Where Is My Mind? in the first couple of songs
Wow, that's awful. But that's the point of the playlist -- here's who we're bringing to town, check them out, see who you like. Isn't it worth going through the playlist once (hitting skip ahead on the bad stuff) to possibly discover some artist or band you'll absolutely love and discover them in time to see them at Crystal Ballroom, Rockwell, or wherever in a couple of weeks?
