Category: Reviews

Having a blog means having an opinion. This category groups reviews of technology, concerts, books, food – essentially all things consumable.

Posted on

Concert Review: The 88 @ The North Star Bar, Philadelphia

Location: North Star Bar
City: Philadelphia, Pa
Date: March 4th, 2010
Opening Act: (Don’t know the name)

[Opening Acts]

The last time I stepped foot in the North Star Bar was about a decade ago and I happened to meet John Mayer before he got huge. I was excited to return to the venue to see the excellent, yet under-rated band The 88. We walked into the stage area (which holds no more than 100 people) and saw the merchandise table. My friend Mark struck up a conversation with the girl running the table and she ended up hanging with us for most of the night (she was a good sales person because I ended up buying 2 CDs and a t-shirt for my wife). She let us know The 88 was going to be the third act of five hitting the stage and she didn’t know the first two.

I don’t know the names of the acts, and for their sake I am glad. The first band was an odd collection of college students. A mostly female band with a big burly lumberjack looking guy playing bass. No guitar or piano player, but they had a girl playing a xylophone (or something close to it). The lead singer had a voice similar to Corinne Bailey Rae – it was beautiful, but the songs were terrible avant-garde, self indulgent, and messy. I think the singer could really make something of herself if she ditched the noise and found a more mellow, melodic act to work with.

The second band was called “Bla” or “Bla Bla” or something like that. The act was comprised of a large greasy looking fellow in a cloth trench coat looking thing and a girl that played tambourine. She did some spoken word poetry while he played the keyboard. He then took the lead and sang a series of increasingly terrible songs. I had the distinct feeling that I wasn’t in on a larger joke because nobody could be that bad by accident. Kudos to them for having the balls to get on stage and do it, especially before an act that was actually talented. All I can say is good luck with whatever it is you think you are doing (besides wasting people’s time).

[The 88]

After enduring the two openers, The 88 quickly came on and melted my face off. The kid running the sound board had the band SUPER LOUD (my ears are still ringing). For the first few tunes, it was very hard to pick up any of the nuances of the music since it all mushed together. The sound engineer improved things a bit when the band played a slower tune.

The 88 focused on songs from what I am guessing to be their most popular album “Over and Over”. That suited me just fine since I knew those songs the best. My friend Mark kinda knows the band (this was the third time he had seen them in the last 8 days). He let me know the new material they were trying out. Tunes like “Nobody Cares” and “Hide Another Mistake” were the high-points for me, but the new material sounded great. Even though there was maybe 20-30 people in the bar, lead singer Keith Slettedahl worked his ass off, dancing around the stage and hitting his trademark high notes.

The set was short and sweet, as the band had to make time for the two other acts. Keyboardist Adam Merrin quickly struck up a conversation with Mark and I got a chance to talk to him and Keith. Adam politely listened while I told him my boring story about how I discovered the band through the TV show “How I Met Your Mother”, interestingly enough Adam mentioned that show star Josh Radnor was really a big fan and might have had something to do with their songs being used. Adam and Keith were very nice and gracious people and as we walked outside to get our cab, we saw Keith quietly getting back on the bus to (presumably) prepare for another show (they played 27 out of 30 days in the last month).

I enjoyed the concert and really respect The 88’s stage presence and work ethic. Check them out if you get the chance.

Here is a small clip from my crappy cell phone camera:

Here is video for a better idea of their sound:

[A Side Story]

The girl running the merchandise table had a very “Philadelphia” attitude and I immediately thought “she would be perfect for my friend Sean“. I have never tried to pull this move for him before, but a girl that I knew who I have been thinking about hooking him up with recently started dating someone, so I decided to not miss another chance. I casually mention him and then pulled up a picture on my phone, she then proceeds to tell me she preferred the company of women and I felt like a total scumbag. The girl could not have handled herself with more class but I felt like I knob. Serves me right for not minding my own business.

🙂

Posted on

Concert Review: John Mayer @ The Wachovia Center, Philadelphia Pa

Headline Act: John Mayer
Location: Wachovia Center
City: Philadelphia, Pa
Date: February 21st, 2010
Opening Act: Michael Franti and Spearhead

[Pre-Concert Logistics]

Having been to concerts at the Wachovia Center before, the only issue I had was when I purchased the tickets, my only delivery option was will-call which meant we had to stand in line to get them (I bought the tickets months ago). The long line moved fast so it wasn’t a big deal. We were lucky to get good seats (third row) and getting down to the floor to our seats also was not as easy as it should have been, but again, not a big deal. One last thing: I have to throw in my gripe about people standing in the front rows so you have no option but to stand if you want to see. Now that it was said, I will move on.

[Opening Act]

I have never heard of Michael Franti and Spearhead before tonight. The band had several backup singers and a high energy vibe. They reminded me of a summer bar band: bright summery tones, an eclectic mixture of musicians who just seemed to enjoy playing. Franti ran out into the crowd several times and brought up little kids on stage to dance. Nice friendly people, good tone. In between sets, the band came to the front of the stage to sign autographs, which was pretty classy.

As for the music itself, as I said – summery pop music with island influence. They weren’t the greatest band I ever saw in my life, but they were very good. I appreciated that the booking agents didn’t hire some Mayer singer-songwriter wannabe to bore the crowd. I would like to see this band outside and near water – I can see the summer concert series at the Pier in their future.

[John Mayer]

John Mayer came on at 9:30 PM. He kicked the show off with a song from the newest album – “Heartbreak Warfare” All of the tunes from “Warfare” sounded better live (with the exception of the “Crossroads” cover which should just be buried). By the third or fourth song, Mayer started to banter with the crowd and read a sign near us that said “I can play Belief”. The sign was held up by a boy no older than 11 (his name was Austin). Mayer brought him right up and to the delight of the crowd, Austin totally nailed it. After a few minutes, he allowed the kid to leave but gave him a cherry red Fender guitar to take home. I always thought John was a decent guy and that was a very cool thing for him to do.

The night continued with Mayer showcasing his extraordinary guitar skills and light banter with the crowd. Every song and every jam was excellent. At one point he teased playing “Stop this Train” but the crowd pushed for “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” (which was great) – I was bummed that he didn’t play the other song because it is one of my favorites, but the crowd must be appeased.

I can’t say enough good things about the show. Mayer is a professional and gives the audience a fantastic show. We left at 11:20 PM and he was still going. I don’t know what time he finished but I was pleased and satisfied with the two hours I watched. Take my advice: Stop reading the tabloids and just listen to the guy’s music, go out and buy his live DVD to see what kind of musician he really is. You won’t be disappointed (unless you want to be).

UPDATE: I also want to make note of one of Mayer’s other guitar players Robbie McIntosh. McIntosh played with a slew of bands including the Pretenders and Paul McCartney. He is an excellent guitar player that (of course) gets overshadowed by Mayer. If you happen to catch future shows, watch this guy play, he is fraking fantastic. Mayer also scores massive points for bringing Steve Jordan from the Trio project on the road as his primary drummer. That guy is AWESOME!

Posted on

Concert Review: The Cranberries @ The Electric Factory

Date: November 17th, 2009
Location: Philadelphia, Pa
Venue: The Electric Factory
Opening Act: Griffin House

[Opening Act: Griffin House]

I wish I could say something about Griffin House, but the man didn’t make much of an impression. He didn’t sound terrible and the music was pleasant enough. He just didn’t stand out: House sounds like every guy who ever picked up an acoustic guitar and made nice sounds. I will give him marks for attempting to engage the audience and making note that he was a fan of the cranberries when he was a teenager. It was a nice touch. He left the stage in a timely matter, not overstaying his welcome, and that’s it.

[Venue Information]

After Griffin House left the stage I remarked to my wife that the sound was very cloudy. It was hard to hear although the volume was fine. It just sounded washed out (music and talking). While that was a big issue, overall we had a good time at the Electric Factory. I have been there in the past and it had been hotter than hell, but it was very comfortable last night.

We ended up in the upper section by the bars, waiting for friends. I scouted the area and picked out a spot that gave us a clear view of the stage. We were close to the security guard: I mention this because the guy was EXCELLENT. Our clear view depended on people not standing in a restricted area; at another show, the guards would just let them creep over, but this guy was on the ball – ensuring our awesome view. On top of that, at one point in the night he gave my wife a stool to sit on (completely unprompted). He didn’t yell at people – he was polite but stern and he made my night way more enjoyable. On our way out I hooked him up with a tip because he restored my faith in standing room shows (positive reinforcement!). This guy was a total asset to the Electric Factory.

[The Cranberries]

The Cranberries came out very quickly (no 45 minute wait between sets). They began the show with a tune I recalled, but have no idea what the name was. When Dolores O’Riordan pointed the mic at the audience to sing, I realized that I really don’t know many Cranberries songs besides “Linger”, “Ode to My Family”, and “Zombie”.

Luckily for me, the band wasn’t stingy with their known songs. They mixed up the set well between slower and more rocking tunes. O’Riordan jumped and shimmed across the stage like a girl half her age (she is almost 40). Her voice sounded great (I noticed she was using an echo effect for many of the songs, which sounded cool), and she made an effort to connect with the Philadelphia crowd; I think she has family in the city but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. Good amount of chatter, but not too much.

The band sounded great, they obviously knew their way around the songs. Dolores played a few tunes from her solo album and the band provided back up. The new material sounded good, but not mind blowing. I decided once they played “Zombie” I was going to leave and beat the crowd out. Before we left, we heard an excellent version of “Salvation” – I had completely forgotten that song. Soon enough “Zombie” was played and we said good night to our friends and left.

[Conclusion]

I had an excellent time at the show: The band sounded great, the employees at the venue exceeded their job function to enhance my concert going experience, and I got home a decent time… which is good because I had to cancel my day off today. I will leave you as I left the venue last night: