Upcoming/Recent Shows

[My Neighbor Brotoro]

I covered an event with an unannounced lineup and by the end all these people were up on the stage at the same time:

 

[avecigrec]

Solstice gift from my wife - very stoked!
Baby will be having their first overnight at the grandparents' place without us.

Kathleen Edwards is opening.

 

[Viking Dan]

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Solstice gift from my wife - very stoked!
Baby will be having their first overnight at the grandparents' place without us.

Kathleen Edwards is opening.

There's a whole Cow's worth of leather and suede in this promo.

 

[imtheocean]

View attachment 161753

Solstice gift from my wife - very stoked!
Baby will be having their first overnight at the grandparents' place without us.

Kathleen Edwards is opening.

That is a fantastic bill. I'd love to see Kathleen again. Glad she's in a good place now.

 

[imtheocean]

Drove up to LA to see the Smile at the Shrine last night. Had never been to the Shrine before, sound was great even way up the back. Well worth the 2+ hour drive. Really enjoyed seeing Sons of Kemet earlier this year, so getting to see Tom Skinner on the drums again was a treat. Super fluid drummer, and worked so well with Jonny & Thom. Lots of tension and energy in the performance.

 

[Djxfactor511]

In-laws got me a season pass of lawn tickets for the big amphitheater near us. Only a few shows announced so far, but looks like I'll be seeing a lot of live music next year!

 

[imtheocean]

Social Distortion at the Observatory North Park, San Diego 1/4

I've seen Social D. a number of times over the years, and really enjoyed last nights show. The last few times Mike seemed like he was going through the motions, but last night he was engaged with the music and audience. Played a suprisingly good cover of Wicked Game, plus some new stuff, of which Ghost Town Blues was my favorite. He said they are recording, so hoping we get some new stuff from them soon.

The only weird part was when Mike took off his hat. I swear that's the first time I've ever seen him without his hair slicked back (and he ditched the eye makeup too). Took some getting used to.

 

[Matt M]

First show of the year was one my gal really wanted to go to, so we picked up 8 tickets and bright sone friends along. Had a really great time, but man the sound continues to be hot garbage at this place. Could barely hear the muddy vocals in the back half of the room. In the thirty or so years I've been to shows at this place, I'm astounded that they can't figure out how to get the people in the doors quicker or improve the sound in the room. We sat in the bar around the corner watching the line while it took them 1.5 hours to get everyone in (apx 1500 people). All that being said it was a good time out with friends, and i could tell if the sound was better it would be a fantastic performance.

Lainey Wilson @ the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon.

 

[Max Sterling]

Oh look, another rockfest. Sonic Temple 2023 | May 25-28 | Columbus, OH

 

[Russ I]

Are you fucking kidding me?

 

[Viking Dan]

Are you fucking kidding me?

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Yeah - why the F are the Strokes headlining over RTJ?!

 

[Rip_City]

Very in late in posting the previous slew of concerts dating back to last year.
Let's Eat Grandma was fine enough. Not really one of my favorites.

Alana Rich

Pop musician based here in Portland, OR! Apparently she's also performed a few halftime intermission shows at Trail Blazers games, but I don't remember her name at all. She's also a fairly successful YouTuber with some posted covers of top40 radio songs in the past decade.

Vocally, she was fine. No musicians backing her up except for a DJ to the side (not present in the photos here). Instrumentals of her music are very by-the-numbers for pop. She brought out a few backup dancers for the last few songs.




Let's Eat Grandma

Decent show, but not enough to be considered one of my favorites from '22.

They opened with the very energetic "Happy New Year," but I could immediately tell that the vocal and instrumental mixing was not well balanced; could barely hear Rosa's (somewhat pitchy) vocals for the first few songs. It's pretty obvious that both are nervous as performers.

The energy and passion for their performances, as @Djxfactor511 had mentioned months back, was not in doubt. Jenny and Rosa locked eyes with each other several times as they danced back and forth several times during instrumental breaks and a few harmonized sections. A few cute moments of course (a few awkward hugs and cheesy smiles towards the audience), since they are childhood friends.

Closed out with the banger "Levitation," which did sound much better than a majority of the set. As for the encore, they played the crowd favorite "Donnie Darko," jamming the full 11min from the studio version. Even more distorted and noisy from the original album cut...with both Jenny and Rosa finishing out the set by laying on the ground as the harsh noise and distortion took over the room. Easily the best two songs in the set.

Decent performance; but I dunno if I'd see again.




Post-Show

Got a photo with Rosa and Jenny after the show, but didn't like the way it turned out. All of the vinyl for Two Ribbons were sold out, and the T-shirt designs were not great, so I left without merch in hand.

 

[Rip_City]

Helen was also OK. I was curious about this show seeing that Liz Harris is involved in this shoegaze collective with a pair of Portland record store owners providing percussion and bass contributions. Last concert from '22.


The Spatulas

Wow, this was my least favorite opener of the year. They honestly sounded like The Shaggs but just a hint more semblance of rhythm. Could not tolerate the lead lady's vocals and just wanted it to be over.




Helen

Pretty enjoyable, if slightly unremarkable, performance. The band started and closed their set without any transitions or announcing of any songs in the setlist. Liz's guitar amp also had a handful of feedback difficulties throughout the set that took several minutes to correct.

For three songs in setlist, with each of these three spread a few songs apart, Liz performed solo vocals + guitar, very much akin to the timbre of what you'd hear on either of the A I A albums. It made for a very beautiful cleansing after getting hit with a shoegaze blizzard for a few tracks, especially right near the front of the stage. Without question my favorite sections of the set, as you could probably guess.

Can't complain too much for a $15 ticket entry, to be fair. Liz remains one of my top50.



Post-Show

The band has a rather extensive selection of merch: six shirt designs, their lone album from 2015 on LP/CD, beanies, and polaroids. Didn't get anything though (was in no-buy mode during this period), and just said hi + thanks to Liz when I caught her near the venue doors.

 

[Rip_City]

Here's my concert tiers from 2022, stowed away in a spoiler tag to not clog the thread for those who are uninterested. Couldn't add openers (nor link to individual posts) as I ran past the character limit.

Spoiler: Tier list

Concert Rankings 2022​

#​	Tier​	Artist/Band​	Venue	Comments
1	S	Godspeed You! Black Emperor	Roseland Theater	Life-changing.
2​	S	Ichiko Aoba​	Polaris Hall	The most intimate concert experience perhaps ever; was ~6ft away from her with no obstruction. Her clearly articulated vocals and formal Japanese had me transfixed and on the verge of tears more than once. Completely forgot there was an audience in the middle of songs. Signed record + poster + photo together.
3	S	Boris	Revolution Hall	Nothing is the best opener I have ever seen. Boris was relentlessly brutal, like I had hoped. Together, they devoured. Glad I had earplugs.
4	S	Sons of Kemet	Star Theater	Shabaka Hutchings at his best.
5	A	Arooj Aftab (2nd round)	Aladdin Theater	Met with a friend for the first time this year to see this show. Third time seeing. My favorite of Arooj's performances so far.
6	A	Caribou	Roseland Theater	Went with a college friend. The 15-minute live performance of "Sun" was exhilirating.
7	A	Spellling	Star Theater	It's like they transformed The Turning Wheel into a rock epic with theatrics. Phenomenal.
8	A	Ethel Cain	Mississippi Studios	She's the real deal. Some pitchiness had no dismal effect on my fulfilling enjoyment. Signed poster + photo together.
9	A	Grouper	Polaris Hall	A dreamlike sensation while awake, really nothing like it. Liz signed three records with doodles.
10	A	Silvana Estrada	Doug Fir Lounge	First concert of the year, also cheapest ticket ($12). What a way to kick it off...she and her band were stellar. A four song encore in a small venue? Sign me up for more.
11	A	Rina Sawayama	Roseland Theater	Amazing energy from her + crowd.
12	A	The Comet is Coming	Revolution Hall	Won free ticket in local giveaway. Shabaka never disappoints.
13	A	Amber Mark	Doug Fir Lounge	The only thing I didn't like was the realization that I'll probably never see her in a small venue again. Total blast. Signed record.
14	B	Ana Roxanne	Holocene	Went with a friend. So beautiful and evocative, yet a bit short. Signed records.
15	B	Magdalena Bay	Holocene	Absolute blast. A cheesy narrative behind the performance, but it was an all ages show so who cares? Signed shirt from Matt & Mica + photo together.
16	B	Stella Donnelly	Mississippi Studios	Gosh, she was a surprise. Can't believe that the 300-cap venue had < 200 in attendance. Signed record.
17	B	Fennesz, KMRU	Holocene	Second time seeing Fennesz. Beautifully noisy. Met Patricia Wolf for the first time in person.
18	B	Otoboke Beaver	Doug Fir Lounge	Got hurt a bit, but this was wildly exciting.
19	B	Stereolab	Roseland Theater	Some of the best sound quality I've heard at a concert. Perhaps not the most exciting or memborable concert ever, but certainly enjoyable.
20	B	Arooj Aftab (1st round)	The Old Church	Second time seeing. Small church venue works well for her music. She's always worth the money. Signed record.
21	B	Julianna Barwick	Aladdin Theater	Ambient serenity. The openers complimented well, especially Sontag Shogun.
22	B	Kishi Bashi	Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall	Only time I was at what I deem a "large" venue for a concert this year. Great performance, outside of an awkward encore attempt that ended without any music being played.
23	B	Melvins	Hawthorne Theater	Loud as fuck; bad venue acoustics slightly hampered enjoyment.
24	B	CHAI	Doug Fir Lounge	Cheery, fun show. Only good vibes. Only 50min show in total. Sadly, YUUKI (ユウキ) was not present for the Portland date.
25	B	Jenny Hval	Holocene	Amusing commentary from Jenny in between songs. Great performance, but sad I won't hear many of the Classic Objects songs on future tour…she isn't one to play older material live.
26	B	Brandee Younger + Dezron Douglas	The Old Church	Won free ticket in local giveaway. Signed record from Brandee.
27	B	Erika De Casier	Holocene	Some technical difficulties hampered a fun, sensual performance. Signed record + photo together.
28	B	Circuit Des Yeux	The Old Church	Long pauses in between songs. Shockingly only three songs performed from the new record. Cover of Bauhaus's "Double Dare" was menacingly excellent. Signed records.
29	B	Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio	Star Theater	Enjoyed myself far more than I expected to.
30	B	Haru Nemuri	Hawthorne Theater	A bit inconsistent, but amazing near the end. Signed record and poster + photo together.
31	C	Hatchie	Mississippi Studios	I may have overstated my enjoyment in the concert post. Still enjoyable, if unmemorable. Signed record + photo together.
32	C	Holocene 20th Anniversary	Holocene	Free show. Went primarily to see Patricia, but also enjoyed Moss Wand. The DJs and Crystal Quartez were bland, though.
33	C	Visible Cloaks	Holocene	Cheap show and a decent night out. Unfortunate that Visible Cloaks' visual backing went out with 10min to go in the set. Liz signed a record with doodle.
34	C	King Hannah	Doug Fir Lounge	Most disappointing turnout; < 100 people total. Disrespectful crowd amidst a mostly enjoyable performance. Signed record.
35	C	Let's Eat Grandma	Doug Fir Lounge	Kind of an inconsistent, slightly awkward performance. When the band was clicking, they were enjoyable. Photo together.
36	C	Rochelle Jordan	Holocene	Was hoping for a bit more, but good enough. Volume was not mixed well. Crowd energy was kinda lame. Signed record.
37	C	yeule	Holocene	Criminally short performance. Somewhat awkward ending.
38	C	Squid	Wonder Ballroom	Second time seeing. They were much better the prior year with a friend.
39	C	Helen	Holocene	Bad opener. Some interesting segments, but not enough to win me over.
40	C	Armand Hammer	Polaris Hall	Crowd was full of annoying zoomers, reminds me why I don't seek out hip-hop much live. Performance was good, but unsure about seeing again because of preceding sentence. Merch line was horrible. Bought and signed record from Woods + ELUCID.
41	C	Marissa Nadler	Mississippi Studios	About as "meh" as it gets. I like Marissa's music, but she is a bit bland live. Not to mention awkward. Second opener Eight Bells were heat. Signed records.
42	D	CS + Kreme	Mississippi Studios	CS + Kreme sucked; only went to see Patricia as opener, who was good. Patricia signed record.
43	F	black midi	Wonder Ballroom	Almost thought about leaving after the opener; quite unpalatable. Security was ill prepared. Performance was a bunch of noise. Did not enjoy myself at all.

 

[wokeupnew]

Official Ticket Resellersᵀᴹ are bullshit. They should be cheaper than Stubhub and other scalper sites. A show where tickets were $35 is now asking $100 for a single GA ticket. It's ridiculous.

 

[Djxfactor511]

1 day post knee surgery and I was back at it again last night at The Agora in Cleveland seeing Angel Olson.

Missed the opener Erin Rae for the 2nd time in a year unfortunately.

Mixed feelings on Angel's set. Her voice is SO GOOD, and her keyboardist has the perfect harmonies to compliment her, but so many of her songs are just so mellow, and on a sleepy, wintery Thursday evening, the half full crowd was starting to doze off. Angel is a pretty planted performer, meaning she doesn't move around much, so it wasn't a super engaging watch in a standing only floor. If I had a comfy chair or a blanket to lay down in a grassy lawn venue it would have been a much more enjoyable experience. There's no denying that the band, expanded with a violin and cello, sounds great, but not sure they did themselves any favors with the venue.

 

[wokeupnew]

1 day post knee surgery and I was back at it again last night at The Agora in Cleveland seeing Angel Olson.

Missed the opener Erin Rae for the 2nd time in a year unfortunately.

Mixed feelings on Angel's set. Her voice is SO GOOD, and her keyboardist has the perfect harmonies to compliment her, but so many of her songs are just so mellow, and on a sleepy, wintery Thursday evening, the half full crowd was starting to doze off. Angel is a pretty planted performer, meaning she doesn't move around much, so it wasn't a super engaging watch in a standing only floor. If I had a comfy chair or a blanket to lay down in a grassy lawn venue it would have been a much more enjoyable experience. There's no denying that the band, expanded with a violin and cello, sounds great, but not sure they did themselves any favors with the venue.

View attachment 165946

I LOVE Angel Olsen, but I agree with what you said. I've seen her 3 times and 2 of those 3 times I've felt the same. The first time I saw her during the My Woman tour was the exception. Those songs and those that preceded it that she played are much more lively with energy. She and her band were all wearing space suit outfits which was not a sleepy vibe. The second time was a solo acoustic show which comes with the teritory. She was singing while gently strumming on her guitar. It was a beautiful show but there were definitely people in that audience that were asleep at some parts of the show. The most recent time was last year with SVE and Julien Baker. I was bummed she only played about 8 songs but they were more subdued. Her voice is soooo gentle at times that it lulls you to sleep. It's not a bad thing, her voice is one of my all-time favorites but in a big room with her "Big Time Band" you kind of expect some rockin' tunes and not a nap.

 

[My Neighbor Brotoro]

I, too, saw Angel Olsen in concert

 

[yukbon]

"The final tour"

I saw them in 2014 and I am PSYCHED for this

 

[Djxfactor511]

Sandler was bust-a-gut hilarious, but Rob Schneider can fuck off.