The Set List Showdown

April 15, 2011 By Josh Leave a Comment

Of course I love going to concerts. What isn’t there to love about going to see an artist you adore and respect perform in the flesh? Singing along to every single word and being surrounded by like-minded people who share your epic enthusiasm…it can be an other worldly experience. And while I do love myself a huge stadium-sized spectacular, I tend to find that the more intimate the venue, the more I get out of the concert.

And back on July 15, 2006 when I was still a rambunctious college student, I got the chance to see my favorite singer, P!nk, perform at the legendary Philadelphia Electric Factory. Now, as anyone that spends any significant amount of time around me can tell you, I could very well be labeled P!nk’s #1 crazy loco fan, so obviously I had an absolute ball during the show.

But I got to really show my true fan-dom colors right after she finished her encore. I watched as she put her mic onto the stand. She waved to the screaming audience (I was the loudest, I’m sure of it). She then bent over and proceeded to peel a piece of paper off the stage.

THE. SET. LIST. You could see the audience freeze. Our mouths all gaping, we watched as she balled the piece of paper up and launched it into the air over our heads. Our hands ejected from our sockets and shot above us. And by some miracle of the world, I was one of two hands to grab it.

The other belonged to someone I will fondly refer to as MY ARCH ENEMY. And as my eyes fell and met those of MY ARCH ENEMY, a battle of strength and wits was underway. Fire burned in both of our pupils and our hands clenched hard enough to nearly rip the very precious prize we were fighting over. But no one will get between me and any P!nk memorabilia, so with a twist of my wrist and a quick jerk, MY ARCH ENEMY relinquished her cursed grasp and I clasped onto my winnings with the strength of an eagle’s talons…Please share my glorious moment with me and observe the fruits of my labor…

"My Precious"

I know I’m not the only person out there who has been in this position! Have you ever scored some awesome live concert bounty? Do you have it hung up on your wall all music nerdy like I do?!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: concerts, live show, p!nk, Philadelphia Electric Factory, set lists

David Wax Museum In The House

January 25, 2011 By Nick Loss-Eaton 1 Comment

A couple of videos that I took from David Wax Museum’s mid-January Greenwich Village house concert. It was an a wonderful night. They possess such amazing energy and harmonies.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: concerts, david wax museum, folk music, greenwich village, NYC

A New Year’s Party From Gov’t Mule W/ a Whole New Set List

January 3, 2011 By Nick Loss-Eaton Leave a Comment

I had the pleasure of attending the extended Gov’t Mule show on Friday night at the Beacon. They played 24 songs over the course of 3 sets, first hitting the stage at 9:30pm and not calling it quits until 2:30am. It was their 9th time playing the Beacon on New Years Eve and the theme was “Get Behind The Mule: The Ultimate Gov’t Mule Concert.” Fans picked the songs, both Mule originals and covers and it resulted in an incredible show. Check out the full set list. Highlights for me were their own “Thorazine Shuffle” and “Mule”; The Beatles’ “Yer Blues”; “Shakedown Street” and “Sugaree,” a pair of Grateful Dead songs; and “Afro Blue,” made famous by John Coltrane, with guests Bill Evans and Oz Noy. And Warren Haynes presided over the countdown to midnight, which saw balloons released from the ceiling of the Beacon. Here’s the stage, minutes after the countdown, littered with balloons, as shot from the balcony:

On Thursday, Brad Whitford of Aerosmith and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos showed up to jam. Incredibly, they played 21 songs on Thursday and the set list did not repeat over the course of the two nights.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: balloons, beacon theater, concerts, gov't mule, new years eve, warren haynes

Himmelman offers surprises at City Winery

November 15, 2010 By Nick Loss-Eaton 1 Comment

There was literally no telling what Peter Himmelman would do next at his City Winery show last night, a rare NYC appearance for the LA singer-songwriter. Though I knew that he had a reputation for concert spontaneity (including improvising songs and taking the entire audience for a walk during shows in the past), it was one of the most distinctive shows I’ve ever seen. He was interested in deconstructing the concert experience and exposing its conventions; at one point, he instructed us not to clap at the end of one song but instead to gossip amongst ourselves to see how we perceived the music differently. He invited a random audience member, whom he’d never met, to play drums on a stool during one song. He talked about the ways in which smart phones have made us less present at concerts and other events. He joked that one could buy his CD after the show for ten thousand dollars. He improvised a song for an audience member’s birthday.

His commentary made us aware of the absurdity of the conventions of concerts and, subsequently, made the audience an integral part of the performance.

Himmelman delivered the goods musically as well; his songs took on another resonance in concert. I really enjoyed hearing some of my favorites from new album ‘The Mystery & The Hum’ including “Motel Room in Davenport,” “Georgia Clay,” and “Don’t Give a Damn.” Some of my favorite parts took place when he would perform autobiographical, spoken word pieces, sometimes accompanying himself on guitar and sometimes accompanied by a guest piano player. I thought these made for some of the most poignant and funny moments during a night full of them.

Here’s some fan footage from last night:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHrPdIgjWOE]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: city winery, concerts, Peter Himmelman