Upcoming/Recent Shows

[Selaws]

I had the pleasure of seeing the thunderous Yussef Dayes at Somerset House over the weekend. It was a whole afternoon gig, with Jamilah Barry, Arnelle, Children Of Zeus, and Channel One Sound System opening for him. Really fantastic performances with a load of cold beers, and some fantastic Indo-Chinese Kolkata food beforehand.

 

[Bluecloud777]

So due to my Covid infection that I'm recovered from now, I'm a bit behind in writing about the concerts I've been to, so there are a few I need to catch up from June.

I start with Rammstein who I had seen in the Düsseldorf stadium. The concert originally was scheduled for June 2020, but had to be postponed twice because of Covid and public restrictions. Their complete tour in Germany was sold out and they did two shows in the Düsseldorf stadium. It holds about 66,000 people. We had some sears in the higher ranks, second row, and actually it turned out we had a great view from there.
Before the support had started lots of Rammstein music was playing, no music by other artists. Support had been a piano duo called Jatekok, who did several instrumental covers of Rammstein songs. They performed on a little stage within the inner field of the stadium.

The Rammstein show was extremely spectacular. I had heard about bad sound the other night, but can't say this for our show, the sound was excellent to my ears, given it was a stadium. As you probably know Rammstein use lots of pyrotechnics and as the daylight got less and less till it was dark, they used more and more of them. A highlight was their song "Sonne" (Sun) where fires were not only shooting out from the front stage, but also from 4 towers installed in the inner field, additional lasers etc. The concert lasted for about 2 hours and if you have a chance to see them and like their music, I definetely recommend going. There are rumors that their current album could be their last one together.

 

[Bluecloud777]

On June 21st I was at the Black Pumas concert in Dortmund. It was at a location called FZW that holds about 1300 people. I think it was one of the first concerts Black Pumas have done aside from festivals in a while. It also was postponed 3 times, originally planned for fall 2020. So it was great to see it happen finally.
Support had been a band called The Heavy Heavy. They had been really good, mixed male and female vocals. Unfortunately while they played I got to know of the sudden Covid infection of my boyfriend (he had it like 9 days before I got it later on despite all carefulness), so it was a bit hard for me to concentrate and really enjoy the show. Still they had been very good. Here are some pics of them:









Black Pumas also had been very good live. While their set wasn't too long (I think they played like 12 to 14 songs), singer Eric Burton was very engaged and got the audience really going. Lots of dancing and also singalongs. He reminded me a bit of Prince even. He also came down from the stage and was sharing his mic with a few people standing right left from me. Guitarist Adrian Quesada also did a great job. You could see that both the band and the audience really enjoyed the show. Highlights had been songs such as "Black Moon Rising", "Oct 33" and "Colors".

 

[Djxfactor511]

Dead & Company from Tuesday night outside Pittsburgh. Pretty decent setlist although more overlaps than I wanted from the last few times that I saw them. Amazing Eyes of the World and Dark Star in the 2nd set. Beautiful night with a large full moon hovering over the venue. No Billy K on drums, but I've always enjoyed Jay Lane's interpretations with Wolf Bros. John Mayer put on a masterful display on guitar.

It was also my wife's first Dead related show. Only took over 10 years of being together! It "was better then she thought it'd be"

 

[Bluecloud777]

On June 19th I was at a concert by Foals in Cologne. It was held at a venue called E- werk, it's the same I had seen Bloc Party in earlier this year. It holds about 2000 people. Actually they had changed the venue to this from a bigger one, Palladium, just opposite the street, which holds about 4000. So it shows the concert wasn't sold out, but this venue was very crowded and there was a great atmosphere in the audience.

Support had been Indie Rock band Egyptian Blue. They had been good.





Foals had been excellent live. Their show and setlist had been very energetic and they included many songs of their new album, which did fit in perfectly with their older titles. I've enjoyed their concert quite much, it was one of my favorites this year, they're really good live. It was the first time I had seen them live in person (I had seen various livestream festival appearances though over the years). If you enjoy their music, I recommend to go, you won't be disappointed. Their set also was quite long, I think over 100 minutes.

 

[Djxfactor511]

On June 19th I was at a concert by Foals in Cologne. It was held at a venue called E- werk, it's the same I had seen Bloc Party in earlier this year. It holds about 2000 people. Actually they had changed the venue to this from a bigger one, Palladium, just opposite the street, which holds about 4000. So it shows the concert wasn't sold out, but this venue was very crowded and there was a great atmosphere in the audience.

Support had been Indie Rock band Egyptian Blue. They had been good.

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Foals had been excellent live. Their show and setlist had been very energetic and they included many songs of their new album, which did fit in perfectly with their older titles. I've enjoyed their concert quite much, it was one of my favorites this year, they're really good live. It was the first time I had seen them live in person (I had seen various livestream festival appearances though over the years). If you enjoy their music, I recommend to go, you won't be disappointed. Their set also was quite long, I think over 100 minutes.

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I'll never forget scoring free tickets to see Foals and probably 40-50 people showed up. Lead singer jumped off the stage and ran to the bar in the back of the venue, took a HUGE swig of Jack Daniel's, and ran and jumped back on stage. Much respect. Like you said, great, energetic show.

 

[yukbon]

@Bluecloud777 Those pictures are amazing!

 

[Bluecloud777]

A concert I was at end of June was Slayyyter. It was in a small club called Luxor, that holds about 400 people. It's a nice club and I used to see many artists there around 2007 to 2013. One gig I just remember was MGMT who had Florence + the machine as support, at a time she was relatively unknown still, and I still remember standing right in front of her while she was banging her drum and it was so clear she would have a great career. But I'm digressing, so Slayyyter wasn't sold out completely. The audience was predominantly LGBTQ, similiar to Charli XCX end of May. Slayyyter is a female who does some good hyperpop/ synthpop.
The support had been July Jones who was also singing some great pop songs and got the audience really enthusiastic. I think she's having a good chance of having a great career herself, I liked her songs a lot. She also revealed that she has a queer background.










I wasn't standing in the front and lights were a bit problematic and rather kept low, so the photos are a bit unsharp, but give you some basic idea. Slayyyter did put on a good show, she also played for rather a long while, I think more than 20 songs, which was amazing given the relatively small ticket price. Highlights for me had been "Troubled paradise", "Serial Killer" "Venom" and "Daddy AF". The audience did really enjoy her set, danced around wildly and she finished by playing Gloria Gaynor's "I will survive". Great evening.

 

[Bluecloud777]

And the last concert I had gone to, literally the day before I tested positive for Covid, was Alec Benjamin. It was at a venue in Cologne called Live Music Hall that has a capacity of about 1600 people.
Support had been Winona Oak, who just released an album in June. Her performance was pretty good and she got some great songs on her album. During one song the audience did hold up their phones with flash lights which moved her a lot and she was very impressed. Great support.








Alec Benjamin had a great performance of his songs, very good voice and the audience was mostly singing along. Highlights had been "Devil doesn't bargain", "One wrong turn", "Mind is a prison" and "Let me down slowly" which he played as the final song, acoustically.

However, the problem at the show was that there was a broken AC in that hall apparently, and about 15 (!) girls fainted and passed out. When it happened to the first one, Alec Benjamin invited her to the stage, which was nice. But then it kept on happening. I was standing left side of the first row and could see everyone being dragged out. One girl looked completely lifeless, head hung down backwards while she was carried out. It looked so scary, Alec also was utterly shocked and speechless. He said it's untrodden territory for him. He asked the staff 3 times to get a closed door near the stage opened so fresh air was possible to get in. He really fought for this, very caring, they first were so reluctant. He several times asked security and staff to bring people water and had stopped the show and songs several times. He even shared his personal water bottle with fans, reaching it into the audience. But girls kept on passing out. He already played his last 6 songs acoustically, so there would be less movement (however his songs aren't wild at all, it all was down to the extremely bad air in that hall). He wanted to play some more songs but his manager/ promoter told him no as the situation was too dangerous and they rightly didn't want anyone to be hurt at the concert. So the concert had been cut short by 5 songs or so. I've never witnessed such a bad air in a hall. At some moments even I felt dizzy. So given the missing air circulation it could've been as well from that concert that I caught Covid, but I think the 20 hours between concert and first symptoms are too short and I probably got it from my boyfriend, who had it before.
Anyway, the concert was really good, and Alec had played around 16 songs, so it wasn't too short. I just felt sorry for the many young people in the audience whose experience was ruined somewhat by bad management of the venue owners. Also everyone was forced to throw away water bottles before entering, so they could sell more, which shouldn't have been the case as they had known about the broken AC before.




​

 

[imtheocean]

Low Volts / Bob Log III at the Soda Bar, San Diego.

An evening of dirty electric blues played by a couple of one-man bands was an excellent way to spend an evening. San Diego based Low Volts started off with a relatively traditional set, added in a cover of "Personal Jesus" on his homemade coffee can guitar.

The headliner was Tuscon, Arizona's Bob Log III, who I've never seen. With his flight helmet / telephone receiver combo, and jumpsuit, Bob sure knows how to command an audience. He mixed some amazing slide guitar skills and drum/pedal work with just enough gimmicks to keep the party rolling till ~1am. Definitely recommend seeing him if he comes to town.

Low Volts:




Bob Log III

 

[Viking Dan]

Low Volts / Bob Log III at the Soda Bar, San Diego.

An evening of dirty electric blues played by a couple of one-man bands was an excellent way to spend an evening. San Diego based Low Volts started off with a relatively traditional set, added in a cover of "Personal Jesus" on his homemade coffee can guitar.

The headliner was Tuscon, Arizona's Bob Log III, who I've never seen. With his flight helmet / telephone receiver combo, and jumpsuit, Bob sure knows how to command an audience. He mixed some amazing slide guitar skills and drum/pedal work with just enough gimmicks to keep the party rolling till ~1am. Definitely recommend seeing him if he comes to town.

Low Volts:

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Bob Log III

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The Bob Log III photo is avatar-worthy.

 

[Fleetwood-Matt]

Elton John at Citizens Bank Park (7/15)

Second time seeing Elton and the last time was 12 years ago! He has always been a favorite artist of mine and knowing that this is his farewell tour I had to go! Because I’m a big fan of his greatest hits there was a lot I wanted to hear from him and thankfully he did it all! And the deeper cuts he did were solid picks, even if I didn’t know the song I ended up enjoying it. Highlight of the night was an emotionally charged performance of “I’m Still Standing” that I will never forget.

My only gripes with the night had to do with the fact that it was at a stadium and I was on the aisle seat and had to deal with people walking up and down all night and fucking beer vendors screaming during songs!!

 

[Djxfactor511]

Elton John at Citizens Bank Park (7/15)

Second time seeing Elton and the last time was 12 years ago! He has always been a favorite artist of mine and knowing that this is his farewell tour I had to go! Because I’m a big fan of his greatest hits there was a lot I wanted to hear from him and thankfully he did it all! And the deeper cuts he did were solid picks, even if I didn’t know the song I ended up enjoying it. Highlight of the night was an emotionally charged performance of “I’m Still Standing” that I will never forget.

My only gripes with the night had to do with the fact that it was at a stadium and I was on the aisle seat and had to deal with people walking up and down all night and fucking beer vendors screaming during songs!!



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Oh HELL no. I would have told the vendors to STFU!

Those visuals looks amazing

 

[Endtro]

I saw Drive-By Truckers last night and it was another great show. Heavy on older stuff which I loved.

Lydia Loveless opened with a solo set. I’ve never had the chance to see her and she was great.

 

[Corycm]

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I saw Drive-By Truckers last night and it was another great show. Heavy on older stuff which I loved.

Lydia Loveless opened with a solo set. I’ve never had the chance to see her and she was great.

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They’re coming up for me on Friday! Super excited for that one too!

Saw Mountain Goats doing a duo show (John & Matt) this past Friday. Fun and interesting set. Can honestly say I’ve never seen the same MG show twice - with his huge catalog there’s a lot to pull from, and aside from John being his usual charming-ass self (him living near here for several years never hurts for stories and general witticisms) a big mixed bag of stuff made for a fun show. This Setlist.fm is pretty accurate I think:

The Mountain Goats Setlist at Wooly's, Des Moines

Get the The Mountain Goats Setlist of the concert at Wooly's, Des Moines, IA, USA on July 16, 2022 from the Summer Duo Tour 2022 Tour and other The Mountain Goats Setlists for free on setlist.fm!

www.setlist.fm

 

[folsom_lives]

For anyone who has seen Haley Heynderickx, how long of a set does she actually do? I know she only has one full length album and an EP, but what other material is there. I ask because I bought tickets for late September.

 

[Corycm]

For anyone who has seen Haley Heynderickx, how long of a set does she actually do? I know she only has one full length album and an EP, but what other material is there. I ask because I bought tickets for late September.

She just announced a show here and was wondering the same.

 

[waruv]

No personal experience but her last couple setlists on setlist.fm clocked in at 14-16 songs, and that seems about right for a headlining set for an artist with her catalog.

 

[Rip_City]

Two days late with posting. Melvins were fantastic, definitely the loudest show I've been to ever given the small size of the Hawthorne Theatre (also first time setting foot in). Sold out show!

Harsh Mellow

Opening group that begun their ~30min set 15min early. Their music aligns with the tropes of hard rock radio hits from the 80s. Not my bag, but it seems the crowd dug it with most of the crowd older than I, understandably. Audience has at roughly 15% capacity as their set ended.




Helms Alee

These guys really surprised me. Sludgy post-metal with all of the members belting it on vocals when the intensity of the musicianship was apropos. I have added them to my "to listen" backlog, very good set that ended just under an hour in duration. The drummer's performance was really fantastic and had my attention virtually the whole way through. Almost completely crowded venue by the time these guys' set finished.




Melvins

They ripped. Everything felt like it was cranked to eleven and I'm glad that I remembered my earplugs, my first time using them at a concert...fairly confident I would've had hearing damage if I hadn't done so. The acoustics in Hawthorne Theatre might be the worst I've experienced from the smaller venues. Louder than the GY!BE concert from March, I can attest. Setlist was supposed to run for 90min but was just under 80. No encore which surprised me given the depth of their catalogue. Buzzo, Dave, and Steven are not to shy whatsoever to flaunting about their stage presence, 10/10 on that front Dave even left his kit to batter around Buzzo's guitar with his drumsticks and manufacture vociferous levels of noise/feedback...pretty intense.
They played mostly more recent material, but I was able to discern a couple of their oldies like "Honey Bucket" and "Revolve." For the last ~20 min of the set, they played a few tracks from the excellent Lysol which was a pleasant surprise.




Post-show

Lot of people were waiting around for merch, mostly those $60 tour posters (WTF) and even some waiting near the stage hoping that the group would sign the aforementioned posters or something else...was fairly confident that this wouldn't happen, as I didn't bring record jackets from home. I left after waiting about 20 minutes for the congested exit passageways to clear.

 

[EvanBenner]

Helms Alee

These guys really surprised me. Sludgy post-metal with all of the members belting it on vocals when the intensity of the musicianship was apropos. I have added them to my "to listen" backlog, very good set that ended just under an hour in duration. The drummer's performance was really fantastic and had my attention virtually the whole way through. Almost completely crowded venue by the time these guys' set finished.

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It kind of amazes me that Helms Alee still flies so under the radar. They're top-notch performers. I'm a bit behind on their catalogue, but have their two latest albums headed my way when my Russian Circles preorder ships from Sargent House.