Sunday, July 20, 2014
Queen + Adam Lambert
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD, US
This show was entirely for Eric's benefit. I did not enjoy it much at all. The point of Queen, in my opinion, is Freddie Mercury's voice. Adam Lambert is not an adequate substitute, though to be fair, he can hit all the notes. But he's so unintentionally goofy, it's painful to watch. He doesn't even begin to pull of the leather-clad look he's going for. And some of what he says between songs was so uncool, it made me cringe. There was no opener for this show and Queen did play a long time. The original members - the drummer and guitarist - did a very good job and thoroughly impressed Eric. We couldn't see all that well because everyone was standing and we were pretty far in the back of the lawn. I spent a lot of time sitting and reading, which, of course, elicited the drunk 50-something lady near us to give me her thoughts about reading at a show. Yet another reason I dislike drunks.
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| Queen at Merriweather 07-20-2014 |
Friday, July 25, 2014
Neutral Milk Hotel with opener Circulatory System
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD, US
This show was really pleasant. You couldn't have asked for better weather that night, and the music quality was perfect. You could hear every word clearly, and the type of music was really relaxing. I enjoyed laying down, staring at the sky, cuddling with Eric for a good chunk of the show. Circulatory System started off with something odd but transitioned to better music with every song they played. By the middle of their set, Eric and I both really liked them. The only negative was when we looked at them on the screen. They looked like extreme slobs. Not ironic slobs, but actual slobs. It was disconcerting to see where the music was coming from, so we stopped looking. Neutral Milk Hotel was serious about no photographs. They didn't even allow projection onto the big screens, so I really never saw what they looked like. They sounded just like the recordings. It was as close to a nostalgia concert as I'm willing to get. Eric was amazed by the hipster contingent at the show, but really, how could there not be?
Monday, August 18, 2014
KONGOS
U Street Music Hall, Washington, DC, US
KONGOS has been opening for a bigger band for this tour, but something went wrong and they ended up doing this pop-up show with only a few days notice at U Street Music Hall. I was thrilled to get tickets - I thought it would instantly sell out, but somehow didn't. Trish went with me. There was no opener, which was fantastic because it was a Monday night and I had no interest in staying up really late.
It's hard to explain the show. Rockin', gritty, with tons of disparate influences. I had a really tough time seeing the stage because of a bunch of tall men in front of me, so mostly I just listened. Sometimes I heard blues, sometimes rap, sometimes hard rock, sometimes Irish, sometimes jammy, sometimes 70's inspired sounds - it was really all over the place. The songs they are famous for are not the main part of their sound, and honestly, I can't figure out what "their sound" is. The rough, yelling quality of Come With Me Now didn't really translate to the live show. On another note, I thought the guest rapper was a great addition to their show. Good musicianship overall, and great energy, even without a ton of audience interaction. I can imagine this band growing into something very big if they can come up with a few more hits.
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| KONGOS at U Street 08-19-2014 |
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| KONGOS at U Street 08-19-2014 |
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