Grinderman, Cannery Ballroom, Nashville, TN - 11/19/2010

Good Lord was this a rocking show.  I'm a late comer to the Nick Cave cult, having really gotten into him probably around 2004 or so with the release of his B-sides collection (which is quite awesome, by the way).  My buddy Kevin, a long-time Cave devotee who has seen him with the Bad Seeds multiple times on multiple continents throughout the years, and I bought tickets for this the day they went on sale.

It had been a while since I last hit the Cannery, a notoriously not great place to see (and especially to hear) a show, what with it's odd shape and tendency for a lot of sound bouncing around the room, but it's Nick Cave et al - what are you going to do?

We grabbed dinner at McCabe's beforehand and missed the openers entirely.  By the time we arrived, it was pretty packed out, and without much ado, the lights went down and Nick Cave came out for what was a slamming, ultra tight rockfest.  He is one crazy awesome frontman, not quite as frenetic as Iggy Pop but extremely arresting and hard not to watch.

They came on very strong, basically playing "the hits," opening with "Mickey Mouse" and rocking through "Get It On," "Heathen Child," some other rockers off their two records and culminating in a scorching "No Pussy Blues."  The biggest issue is that after that crescendo toward the end of the main set, it went all mid-tempo and gooey for the remainder of the set.  It would've been basically impossible to keep up that level of rock, but it still kind of petered out a bit at the end.  But the highs were very high indeed ... fantastic stuff ...

The Cannery, of note, offered little good viewing space unless you were at the very front.  The sound was loud and clear where we were (straight back from the stage).  I've found that you have line up with the stage and can't be caught over at the bar side for decent sound.  It was a tolerable space for the show, though it remains my least favorite Nashville venue by a long shot.

Deerhunter, Exit/In, Nashville, TN - 11/10/2010

This show was a long time coming in the sense that I had not been able to check much out recently due to studying and - finally - taking some big professional exams.  I finished my last one this afternoon and was in full on release mode.  We got there just in time for Deakin's set (of Animal Collective), which sounded like Animal Collective minus much melody.  I have the record, so maybe it will grow on me ...

Deerhunter came out to a pretty packed house and from the get go sounded awesome.  They did their usual thing, which in my eyes includes ending each song in a noisy meltdown that then goes straight into the next song.  Their rhythm section is so locked in that it really works.  Their live sound has become so minimalist in a lot of ways that it reminds me most of a Krautrock type of vibe, which is right up my alley.

They played the hits, including "Nothing Ever Happened," which killed as usual.  Probably my biggest issue was that it ended around 1 in the morning, and I'm getting old, kids.  Great show ...

The National, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN - 10/3/2010

I've been loving these guys for a few years now, as has the rest of the music nerd nation, it seems.  One of my good friends was raving about Alligator for a long time, and I was on the fence when it was coming out.  (Interestingly, he saw them in Brooklyn with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! opening during the Alligator era, and over half the crowd left after CYHSY! were done ... foolish hipsters.)  I finally saw them live opening for Arcade Fire on the Neon Bible tour and right after Boxer was released, and the devotion (esp. to Alligator) has grown since then.

I've now seen them a number of times, most often in festival settings, and it's been amazing to me the extent to which they just bring it - emotional, cathartic, a big time high.  I'm thinking specifically of seeing them at Bonnaroo this year, Pitchfork last year and Lollapalooza a couple years ago.  Those shows were all just silly good ...

Needless to say, I was excited to see them at the Ryman.  We skipped Owen Pallet and hung out in downtown Nashville instead, something I don't do all that often.  This included beers at Robert's and then greasy goodness and more beers at Broadway Brewhouse.  We headed into the venue about 10 minutes before they started, and the crowd was good and into it, standing up and cheering, etc.  (Nashville's been on a streak of good crowds lately ... I hope this keeps up.)

My biggest beef with the show was that it felt a little phoned in to me.  The intensity that I've gotten used to with them was just not quite as apparent.  There were some great moments, but it never completely gelled for me.  On top of that, it just kills me when bands decide to leave out their strongest material ("Secret Meeting," "All the Wine," "Ada," "Start a War"), the stuff that really made them who they are.  I know they have to change it up sometimes (which bands like Wilco are sometimes terrible at doing, which also bothers me), but the changes were for the worse at this show.

However ... they completely saved what was a mediocre show from my perspective with an acoustic, no amplification, hear-a-pin-drop version of "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks" to end the show.  Wow.  The last time I saw this go down was Jeff Tweedy at the end of a Wilco show playing "Acuff-Rose" unplugged at the edge of the stage.  A fantastic end, a ho-hum lead up.

Runaway
Anyone's Ghost
Mistaken for Strangers
Bloodbuzz, OH
Slow Show
Squalor Victoria
Afraid of Everyone
Available
Conversation 16
Apartment Story
Sorrow
Abel
Green Gloves
England
Fake Empire

90-Mile Water Wall
Mr. November
Terrible Love
About Today
Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks (acoustic, edge of stage, no amplification)

Pixies, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN - 9/11/2010

I picked up Doolittle by the Pixies when I was about 12 or 13 years old.  I heard them on MTV's 120 Minutes and was blown away.  That album, along with REM's entire early output, Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, and the Cure's Distentegration (and a few others, like the B-52's and Hoodoo Gurus), was the start of a lifelong obsession with music.  (What a way to start - thanks, MTV [and my older sister and the older siblings of my friends].)

I had the good fortune to see the Pixies twice when they first reunited in 2004, once at the Ryman but quite spectacularly at Coachella (where they were immediately followed by Radiohead - not too shabby).  That Coachella set is one of the better concert experiences of my life.

So here we are, putting together one of my favorite albums ever with one of my favorive live experiences ever, yet I was going into this one pretty nonchalantly.

We had dinner beforehand at Cabana with some friends and then found downtown to be just hopping - nary a parking spot to be found.  Kind of strange, but good to see.  We arrived as F*** Buttons were finishing a very loud, very boring opening set.

Without much ado (though some very rude youngsters told us that we needed to move out of "their" seats - just like that - when they were in the wrong section altogether - why be rude, people?), the Pixies came out after a short silent film that included parts of Un Chien Andalou (the inspiration for "Debaser").  They rocked about 5 B-sides and then launched into "Debaser."  They sounded awesome, the crowd was just about sold out and totally on their feet and loving every minute of it (how un-Nashville, yet again - love it), and it kind of flew by all too fast.

What can one say about Doolittle at this point?  It's fantastic from start to end, and hearing it now reminds one all over again that without this sound, there would've been no "alternative 90's" decade of music.  They played a first encore with the more famous B-sides (including the UK surf version of "Wave of Mutilation" and ending with "Into the White").

They surprisingly came out for a second encore with all the houselights up (past curfew?) and ripped through "Winterlong" (Neil Young cover), "Alison," "Dig for Fire" (had not heard them play this live yet), "Where Is My Mind?" and finally "Gigantic."  They seemed to really be soaking up the enthusiasm of the crowd, etc.  So glad I went to this ...

All Tomorrow's Parties New York Festival, Monticello, NY - 9/3-5/2010

My third straight year back at ATP NY. My last 2 trips here had been amazing, and while the line-up wasn't as thrilling for me personally as the last 2 years, it's such an intimate and unique experience and always includes good friends such that seeing some things kind of new to me would just be icing on the cake to good times anyway.

9/3/2010 - Friday

I flew into Newark, NJ Friday morning without much issue, picked up my car, made the fairly quick 2-hour trip up to the Catskills without much ado and got settled in the charmingly delapidated Kutsher's by around 1 PM or so. My friends Matt and Nicole got in a couple hours later, and we were all relieved that they had relaxed last year's outside alcohol ban. Outside (as in "good") beer was technically not allowed, but they were not checking bags or being very uptight about it, so we brought in a couple of cases, mainly Sierra Nevada Torpedo, Souther Tier Double IPA and a sampler of Magic Hat. Made the weekend, I tell you.

First up was Aussie 80's post-punks the Scientists playing their first US show ever. The pre-show tunes were the Silver Jews, a good sign. They had a good, Nick Cave-ish blues rock thing going. Got a little same-y, though, and we only caught part of this.

Next was Mudhoney, and we sadly missed their opening "Touch Me, I'm Sick," but got to hear them rip through Superfuzz Big Muff and singles like "Sweet Little Thing Ain't Sweet No More." They sounded great, much better than when I last saw them in the mid-90's. Mark Arm's growl is just mighty. Great set.

No matter how much I'd listened to/read about/dreamed of seeing the Stooges, nothing could have prepared me for actually (finally) seeing them. My goodness ... Iggy was truly like a Tazmanian devil unleashed, just going bananas, stagediving over and over (as did a good many fans), and basically just unleashing his madness. They played Raw Power and then some choice cuts after that and sounded mighty:

Raw Power (in its entirety)
1970
noise
I've Got a Right
I Wanna Be your Dog
Open up and Bleed

ENCORE:
Fun House
No Fun

After a respite, we caught a few minutes of Sleep, some very heavy, very loud sludge/stoner metal. I could catch that they're good at what they do and are a pretty mighty, huge-sounding band, but it was really not my bag whatsoever.  Sleep time indeed ...

9/4/2010 - Saturday

Ahhh ... a gorgeous, cool Saturday morning with a mild hangover and a day of rock awaiting me.  I could tell that I'm certainly getting older/snobbier, as the delapidated accomodations, quaint as they may be and charming in their very disrepair, were getting to me a little.  But it was a fine day for the rock.  And it's around this time at any festival that the hanging out with your friends becomes just as important as the actual rocking out.

We started the day seeing the Sian Alice Group (theatrical, a bit much) and then the minimalist English, Krautrock-inspired Beak>, who were good but a bit boring.  I was super-excited to see Tortoise up next, but as usual, they fell a little flat for me.  Just very trancey and what not.  I saw them in the 1990's, and they kind of rocked a bit more, but those days are done, I guess.

I took a break at this point for a wood-fired pizza that was quite yummy and saw Bob Boilen from All Songs Considered on NPR there in line.  I didn't have the stones to say HEY to him, though.  Weird that I'd totally almost bearhug Nick Cave (see last year's report) but couldn't muster a mumbled Hullo to Bob Boilen.  More beer?

This was the big night to rock, though, so we started with Hallogallo, the reinvention of the Krautrock stalwarts Neu!.  I was excited for this but, in typical fashion for me this weekend, found it boring.

Then came a 1990's favorite for me, Bardo Pond.  Playing on the second stage does no one any favors at this festival, as the main stage sounds amazing while this stage straight up doesn't, but they were loud and pretty huge and were playing the first song off Amanita when we walked in.  They also played "Tommy Gun Angel" off Lapsed during their set.  I liked it a lot, but I knew that already.

Back on the main stage, we checked out Shellac (did their Shellac thing, which is fine but a bit predictable and repetitive) and then the Breeders (who sounded unpracticed and out of sorts - a mess).  I actually took a nap during Explosions in the Sky, whom my friends totally dug.  But I had to be ready for Sonic Youth.

I've seen Sonic Youth multiple times over the years, with my first time being in 1995 when they headlined Lollapalooza (which was a tour back then - I saw them in Raleigh, NC, on a stop that included Pavement, Superchunk, the Jesus Lizard, Beck, Cypress Hill and Hole).  I've seen them be both great and kind of awful, but I'm a big, old school fan of them.  I had last seen them probably almost a decade ago, so this was a big selling point for me.  And they were the best I've seen them ever.  Just the 4 of them, very focused, rocking out, playing nothing newer than Daydream Nation (which they played nearly half of).  It was transcendent (and sounded awesome):

Candle (when they opened with those first notes, I nearly lost it)
The Sprawl
'Cross the Breeze
Catholic Block
Stereo Sanctity (!!!!!)
Eric's Trip
Death Valley 69 (!!!!!)
Shadow of a Doubt
Hey Joni
The Wonder
Shaking Hell

ENCORE:
White Kross

I stayed up after it just high on rock and roll.  A great feeling.

9/5/2010 - Sunday

This was my fourth festival of the year, and I was feeling it.  A little burned out, a little tired, a little sure that nothing was going to beat Sonic Youth or the Stooges at this point.  We headed into town for pizza to start the day and then got back for the rock.

First up were a Nashville-connected band, the Greenhornes.  They sounded good and very true to their retro sound.  It wasn't all the spectacular, though, and got a bit same-y after a while.  I checked out maybe 15 minutes of F***ed Up, whom I just don't get and can't get into at all.  And I like a lot of punk and metal but just don't enjoy the straight up hardcore stuff.

On the second stage, we saw Vivian Girls (whom I like but who were pretty lame live, all things considered) and then Wooden Shjips (super loud and rocking, very good psychedelia).  We regrouped and mellowed out to Hope Sandoval on the main stage (very languid, a bit slow for me) and then caught the whole set from Dungen, who were quite good, especially when they rocked out a bit more.  I ended my night seeing T Model Ford, who was charming but predictably underwhelming.

Due to a 5 AM wake-up time on Monday in order to get back to Newark and catch my flight home, I opted out of seeing a few bands that I would have normally checked out ... most notably I missed Boris/Sunn(((O))) performing what must've been a crazy loud blast of feedback, both Raekwon and the GZA from Wu fame, and the Black Angels.  But the old man needed sleep ...

I'll spare everyone the details of flying out of Newark (slightly painful but no major hitches) and say that I had a blast, even if the music was my least favorite of the 3 years.  Not sure what the future holds for me returning to so many festivals, though I know that every spring I end up getting excited all over again, so never say never ...

Worth checking out are reviews (with great photos) from:

The A.V. Club

Brooklynvegan

Pitchfork

The Black Keys, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN - 8/12/2010

When I think of seeing the Black Keys, I think, "Solid."  Straight up solid, can't complain, no frills, hit the jugular rock.  I've been seeing them since 2005, and they really have been getting better and better at what they do.

After drinks at 12 South Taproom, we headed over to the show (back in the balcony at the Ryman).  Missed the openers the Morning Benders, whom I actually wanted to see, but such is life.

Show was sold out, pretty packed, and folks were actually standing and getting excited and enjoying themselves for change.  Not very Nashville at all, I'm happy to report for a change.

As per usual, they opened with "Thickfreakness" and ran through about 6 hits as a two-piece (very similar to when I saw them at Bonnaroo in June) including "Stack Shot Billy" and "Girl Is On My Mind."  Then they brought out the keyboardist and bassist for the new tunes.  They still sounded good, and the accompaniment is pretty minimalist, but here's my theory:  having those 2 guys play with them forces them to tighten up so much that it takes away the looseness that makes them so powerful and, dare I say it, special.  That sense of being on the edge of careening off the tracks is sorely missed.

They finished up the main set as a two-piece again and then encored with one song as a four-piece and a final tune as two-piece.  Sorry, no setlist.  Really enjoyed this one, loved the crowd being into it (why can't all Nashville shows be this way?), and as usual was not disappointed by the Keys.

Arcade Fire, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN - 8/9/2010

On the heels of playing 2 straight (almost or possibly completely sold out?) shows at Madison Square Garden (capacity: 18,200), the Arcade Fire pulled into Nashville to play the legendary Ryman (capacity: 2,362). I was kind of excited, to say the least. I'd also been digging on the latest release, The Suburbs, in a big way.

Our posse met up for pre-show drinks at 12 South Taproom and then headed over to the venue. I unloaded my extra ticket (at face value, thank you very much) and headed in. We had main floor, off-to-the-side seats, which I was nervous about as you don't really want to be way under the balcony at this venue, but they were turned out pretty great (see photo to the left).

The show was pretty epic, and this is a band who don't have many duds in their catalog. (I still love Neon Bible, no matter what the consensus is.) The new tunes, esp. the "big" ones like "Sprawl II" and "We Used To Wait," were sweeping, and the classics from Funeral were as epic as ever. This was probably my last chance to see them at a small-ish venue, and I'm glad I made it ...

(???'s = not quite sure but pretty sure)

Ready to Start
Laika
No Cars Go
Haiti
Half Light II - No Celebration (???)
The Suburbs
Deep Blue (???)
Intervention
Crown of Love
Tunnels
Suburban War (???)
We Used to Wait
Power Out
Rebellion (Lies)

Keep the Car Running
Sprawl II
Wake Up