Category: Music

Looking back, I hardly recognize the person who loved music this much and went to so many shows. I wrote these reviews to put eyes on these artists and to try to find a community of people who shared my passion.

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Concert Review: Wilco with The Mystic Valley Band @ Wilmington, Delaware

I am going to start this review by letting you know that I had a fantastic time last night. There will be no pissed off rants about venues, crowds, sound systems, or a band’s attitude. This was the complete opposite experience to my last concert, so if you are looking for angry I suggest you move on, you won’t find it here today my friends. Simply put, The Wilco and Mystic Valley Band concert last night at the Bluerock’s stadium in Wilmington Delaware was an absolute joy to go to. I hit no traffic during rush hour, the parking was free, the stadium was clean and full of families and respectful concert goers, the sound was outstanding, and the bands were both in top form. Let’s get down to it.

[Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band]

I reviewed the MVB’s latest album last week in my Sunday Leftovers column and I mentioned that I didn’t really enjoy Oberst’s work under the Bright Eyes name and had overlooked his other work. Let me repent now: this guy is an excellent musician, song writer, and entertainer. On top of that, the bastard knows how to surround himself with good musicians. The Mystic Valley Band players are all top-notch; excellent tone, harmonies, and timing. I honestly thought that they sounded better than Wilco last night (and Wilco sounded great).

The band did a solid 50 minutes and kept to the more upbeat and fast moving tunes from Oberst’s last two albums “Conor Oberst” and “Outer South” which I respected. This was an outdoor show in a minor league baseball stadium – keep it rocking! He snuck in a few slower songs like “Cape Canaveral” and gave the revelers time to catch their breath. I have been getting on the Mystic Valley Band bandwagon pretty hardcore the last month and this performance sealed the deal. I hope Oberst doesn’t ditch the band and manages to keep this sound and concept going because it’s really good.

Behold the power of terrible phone video…

[WILCO]

When we walked into the stadium, we were give an official Wilco touring program free of charge. This book was put together very nicely and features art by the band, profiles of the road crew, and an interview of Jeff Tweedy by his two sons (which was great). I mention this because as I looked around I saw kids everywhere… and they were all well behaved, chilling, and listen to the music. Wilco has become a family friendly band (or have they always been one?) and it suites them and it suites me. I enjoyed the vibe they created and I felt like they really appreciated people coming out to listen. The whole experience makes me feel like when I have kids I can take them to shows like this and we can all have a good time.

Back to Wilco. They had a very good night. Nils Cline is my new guitar hero: we have been watching Wilco DVDs the last few weeks (which prompted us to look for tickets and finding they were playing Delaware two nights before the concert) and this guy is a fucking stud. Tweedy is a damn genius for recruiting this guy into the band a few years ago – I hope he never leaves! Wilco began with “Wilco (the song)” which is also the opening tune on the new CD. Solid opener that was upbeat and they kept the tempo going for the 95+ minutes (we heard that it was hard to get out of the venue so we opted to cut out a little early). I was very satisfied with the tunes and the variations they introduced. Personal standouts were Hummingbird, Impossible Germany (which some lady kept screaming for until she was appeased), You are my face, and my favorite Handshake Drugs (thanks to Cline’s ass-kicking guitar solos).

Tweedy engaged the crowd and looked like he was having a good time playing for the people. The Bluerocks have a celery stick for a mascot (both he and I questioned the meaning – something to do with Buffalo wings – I don’t get it), Mr. Celery was the butt of many jokes throughout the night. At one point he mentioned that seeing the celery stick made him hungry and the crowd, not missing a beat, tossed up some food which he and Nils gladly consumed.

I don’t know if eating your vegetables and rocking out with eight year olds captures the true heart of rock and roll, but it sure does sound good. If you get the chance, go see these bands, it will make the world great for a few hours.

Here is another terrible phone camera clip:

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Joey vs. Ticketmaster: Part Two

Howdy true be-loggers! This is the 2nd part of my issues with Ticketmaster. Long story short, nothing happened. But I will get my feelings off my chest. If you didn’t read part one, you can do so here.

So lets see what Ticketmaster’s latest response was:

[My Thoughts]

Ticketmaster is a company that has a reputation of fucking over their customers. Even on this small scale, they have proved this reputation is valid. I didn’t ask for money, I asked for them to look at their customer experience and leverage their relationship with the vendors they support to improve quality. They washed their hands.

They make mention that as a company the satisfaction of their customers is of their utmost concern, yet they did nothing to help me achieve satisfaction in this matter. They brushed it off because they can and they will get away with it.

I am not going to stop going to concerts which means I am going to have to use these assholes, paying their outrageous service fees and there is not a damn thing I can do about it (looks like they are going to merge with Live Nation, so there is no alternative).

One more failure for the little guy.

I am going to write a letter to the Trocadero box office manager; I am sure I will get the blow off too. I will share that failure with you because, it’s amusing.

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Joey vs. Ticketmaster: Part One

A few weeks ago, I attended a concert at the Trocadero in Philadelphia (reviewed here). I decided that since I had such a shitty experience, I would write Ticketmaster, just to see what would happen. Here is the summary so far:

[My First Letter]

June 02, 2009

Ticketmaster
attn. Customer Care
1000 Corporate Landing
Charleston, WV 25311

To: Ticketmaster Customer Care

On Saturday, May 30th I attended the Avett Brothers Concert at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, Pa. I purchased tickets via Ticketmaster. Regretfully, I would like to inform you that the quality of the venue seriously detracted from our enjoyment of the show forcing us to leave early.

My issues are as follows:
* The show was oversold: 90% of the capacity was standing room only, but the bar section contains seating in a balcony. Behind this balcony there is an area to sell alcohol and behind that, a full bar. Both of the aforementioned sections offer no view of the stage at all. It is my belief that tickets were sold with that space counted as stage capacity.
* Since there was no space in the upper section, as the main act – The Avett Brothers – starting playing, hordes of people came down from the upper area blocking views and forcing us to move to the side.
* The acoustics in the building focus the sound down the middle center, making the sound in the area we were forced into muddled and dampened.

We could not see, would couldn’t hear the band well, and it was incredibly cramped. We left.

I have been going to concerts for years and while I have been to some I did not enjoy for lighter variations of what I mentioned before, it has never been as bad as it was Saturday evening at the Trocadero, and I never felt the need to write a letter before. Is there anything you can do to correct this? I would appreciate a response via mail or by phone at the number listed above. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Joey Lombardi

[Ticketmaster’s Response]

[My Second Letter]

NOTE: At this point I said to myself “fuck it – I have nothing to lose, I might as well have some fun”. You may be wondering why I removed the customer care associate’s name – it’s because I am sure this is a low level person and I don’t want this to come back on them, working for ticketmaster must suck enough already.

Ticketmaster
attn. [Name Omitted] | Customer Care
1000 Corporate Landing
Charleston, WV 25311

To: [Name Omitted] & Ticketmaster Customer Care

I want to thank you for your response to my letter regarding my bad experience with the Trocadero Theatre and the Avett Brothers Concert held there on May 30th 2009. I understand that Ticketmaster acts as a middle man selling tickets for the venue, but I would have hoped the corporation would hold the venue/themselves to some level of quality standards. Scenarios like the one I experienced on May 30th greatly discourage me from wanting to spend my entertainment dollars on concerts.

As a consumer, I feel there should be a channel/accountable party when the event is sub-standard. I honestly never complain, never write letters regarding bad experiences at concerts (and there have been many). The Trocadero took it too far and to have my initial complaint arbitrarily dismissed because they successfully completed a ticket sales transaction and managed to get the band on the stage doesn’t preclude them or you as a service provider from trying to make amends & improvements.

I would like contact information to the Trocadero office. I could not find an address to send a letter to get them involved in this issue. This isn’t about money, its about acknowledgment that these events can be improved and as the ticket service provider your company has the ability to influence the venues instead of throwing customers to the wolves and taking every available penny on the table.

I want to go to concerts. I want to enjoy them. You should want me to go to concerts and pay your ridiculous transaction fees (I know – cheap shot, but I had to do it). Let’s help each other out.

Sincerely,
Joey Lombardi

I honestly don’t know how far I am going to take this; I don’t expect a refund – it would be nice, I don’t need it. Writing letters the old fashioned way and taking shots at a business that I loathe is far more entertaining. I hope they come back to me with the Troc’s business address, I do plan on sending some letters there (if any of my readers know a contact, send it my way blog at joeylombardi.com).

I will post the rest as it comes.

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Concert Etiquette

As a follow-up to my review of the Avett Brothers concert, I started to compile a list of reasonable expectations while attending a concert. Here is a list of commonly accepted rules of etiquette for a rock concert:

1. Put Down Your Cell Phones: Taking pictures or making a friend listen to a favorite song sounds like a cool idea, but you look like an asshole and nobody wants to see your phone wallpaper.
2. Don’t Invade People’s Space: If someone does, don’t let them ruin the show for you… unless it is a whole group of invading assholes and then ask nicely for them to tone it down.
3. People paid to hear the band, not you: Its okay to sing with the band when they are asking, but remember most people don’t want to hear your version of what is being played on stage.
4. Don’t make out: Nobody wants to see you express your love. Please stop it. Immediately.
5. Shut. The. Fuck. Up.: Stop talking. Nobody cares what you have to say.

Common items from the references that I don’t agree or care about:

6. T-Shirts: Most of the writers seem to be hung up on wearing the band’s t-shirt. I don’t do it, but I don’t think it is a big deal either.
7. Tall People: Once again, I don’t have an issue with a tall person at shows as long as they don’t move around too much. People will move around them.

Some of this comes down to personal research on venues and the band’s audience. The wife and I decided to stop going to summer outdoor concerts because the teenager factor was just too high. We starting going to smaller shows but the economy being what it is, 21 and older shows are becoming a thing of the past (a band isn’t going to miss out on potential ticket sales). Most older people have the same idea and try to find refuge in the restricted bar areas, but alas, they are too small to fit everyone.

If you read this, just remember that people over-paid to see a show, and they don’t want to be distracted by ANYTHING. Our job as concert-goers is to blend into the background and not stand out. It’s all about the music. Try to have a good time and don’t bother anyone, and if you are being annoyed, don’t choke-slam anyone either.

References:
Concert Etiquette from Rock Music 101
Rolling Stone
Spinner.com’s Guide
One Man’s Experience
Choke Slamming Teens

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Concert Review: The Avett Brothers @ The Trocadero

Artist: The Avett Brothers featuring Paleface
Date: Saturday, May 30th, 2009
Venue: The Trocadero – 1003 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pa
Previous Review: Avett Brothers @ Bottle & Cork – 7.10.2008

In my last entertainment reviews, I feel that I have come off overly negative and harsh. In that light, I wanted to begin this review by saying the Avett Brothers sounded great last night. They proved to me once again that they are outstanding and one of the best live acts in the business at the moment. The entire band is full of energy and command outstanding stage presence. I will support this band for a long time and always recommend that people check them out. With that said, I had a miserable experience last night.

The Venue

It has been a long time since I have attended a concert at the Trocadero and I recall getting into a minor incident with a member of semi-boy band (I can’t remember their names but it was a twin fronted acted and it wasn’t Nelson) the last time I was there. Before we even entered the building, I was turned off: there was a long line to get in. The line moved fast, but we waited a bit to go since the doors opened at 8 PM and the show didn’t start until 9 PM. The Trocadero staff insisted on patting everyone down and this “slowed the line down” but when we got to the front the dudes barely checked our pockets. Once we got into the first door, the girls checking the tickets were sporting huge attitude which was just more fuel to the starting fire. We then noticed a huge line to get upstairs (where there was bars and a seating section). We opted to go up there in order to drink and get a better view. The few seats were already taken and the bar area was a sea of people – after spending $5.00 for a plastic cup of lager I lost half of it from people bumping into me (and now I had beer on me). Here is a huge problem for the Troc – you can’t see the stage from any of the bars. There is a balcony area behind the seating where the bars are but you can’t see the stage because there is a canopy over the seats. I also feel that they planned capacity for the show with that area included so when the show started it was WAY too crowded.

The Opening Act

Paleface started a few minutes after 9 PM. We were still in one of the bars blocked in and wondering what we should do. More people continued into the bar where we were standing and I wanted to get out of there because it was getting really hot. We eventually got down and caught a few songs by Paleface (I think there might be two Paceface acts: One is British and the other one is this duo). From what I saw, Paleface is best describes as a neo-dixie White Stripes. You have a male singer who plays guitar and a female drummer singing backups. Like Meg White, the drummer sang sort of out of tune in an endearing but rattling way. Reviewing Paleface the day after, I am inclined to be less harsh: I was already pissed off and the crowd downstairs was really annoying. They had energy and good stage presence but their songs sounded like a one long continuous hymn. I only heard a few, so I will give them a pass and say I didn’t see enough to form an accurate opinion.

The Main Event

There was a 20 minute break between Paleface and The Avetts. During Paleface’s set we found a place to stand on the ground level towards the left side of the stage in the back. We were all leaning against the wall and had a decent view of the stage. As the Avetts started to play, more people crowded the side area and it become more cramped and our views blocked. The Avett Brothers came out and sounded strong. Scott Avett broke a banjo string during the first song keeping with the tradition. During the second song, two girls were moving past me like they were going to go to the front. I positioned myself so they can pass but they stayed right in front of me. There were NO space. Even in standing room concert standards, this was very close. The more moronic of the pair proceeded to jump up and down getting her filthy hippie hair all up in my face. My wife shifted so I could get out from behind her (shouldn’t a girl care that she is basically grinding on a complete stranger at a fucking dixie concert?). I moved, annoyed, but claiming no harm no foul because I could see and this spot was a little better (I have a general rule not to get close to the stage at standing room only shows because annoying little brats keep pushing their way closer as the show goes on making it hotter and more crowded, so I am happy to stay in the back and listen – but this show I kept getting pushed up).

In my new spot, the little idiot starts to clap at the end of the song, but of course she has to do it jumping up and down and throwing elbows. I let this slide, but as the third song started, she start doing this through the entire song. So now this bitch is hitting me with her elbows in a frantic and constant spasm and is managing to get her dirty hair all over me. I turn around and ask her to stop doing that and she says “I am sorry…” – I start to cool down – “… that you are at a concert and don’t like the crowds (or something like that)”. I begin to verbally tear her a new asshole. She looks shocked like she didn’t know that she was an asshole, her friend pulls her back and I turn around and listen to the show. The side area that we were at was one of the few access points to the stage, so staff and crew (and Paleface too) were going back and forth; the crowd also started pushing forward to get closer to the stage. My friend eventually retreated to the back entrance and we followed shortly. During this time, the Avetts played “Paranoia in B-Flat Major”, “Murdered in the City”, “Will You Return”, and few newer ones – the band threw in new twists and harmonies to the songs which sounded great, but were getting washed out by an asshole who though people paid to hear him sing. When “The Ballad of Love and Hate” finished, Nate said he was ready to go and so was Allison. I danced out the door.

Conclusion

As I said, The Avett Brothers were fantastic, but the crowd and venue killed the show for me. Perhaps the sloppy bitch with dirty hair was right, maybe I don’t like crowds; I will have to think about that one. While I reflect, I will tell you that I won’t ever see a show at the Troc again and I am seriously rethinking my stance of shows without seats. I am looking forward to hearing the new Avett’s album coming out this summer and hopefully seeing them at a show with set seating, until then, I will stay home and enjoy them much more.

Read the blog as it was intended to be read: HERE