Well...I survived my concert binge.
To paraphrase the great Patterson Hood: "I've lived to tell about it & hopefully do a whole lot more crazy stupid shit."
As if to prove that I do indeed have some sort of masochistic bent - I added another show into the mix: we stayed in Manhattan an extra night to catch the 2nd National show.
It actually wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought...after the first couple nights it just felt like a festival...one of my own creation.
I'd rate the gigs as:
#1 The National - Thursday night 6/16 @ The Mercury Lounge. One of the most passionate performances I have ever seen in my new favorite venue. They played nearly every hard song they have. You'd never believe how generally mellow their cds are if you had seen this show.
#2 Jon Dee Graham - Thursday 6/10 @ Club Cafe Pittsburgh. Only 8 people in the crowd. The band played like there was 400. Jon D is a SERIOUSLY underappreciated talent. It was like a personal VH1 Storytellers. He talked directly with us after every song - asked for requests and played everyone. Played for 2.5 hours. Definitely one of my shows of the year & one of the most unique concert experiences I've ever had.
#3 Bloc Party - Wednesday 6/15 @ Webster Hall NY.
Haven't seen a crowd that into a band since The Hives @ the Black Cat. They ended their encore - turned the house lights/music on - then a sound man came out & said: "If you are interested, they want to come back out." The remaining crowd got to hear 2 new songs - one as good as anything they played all night.
#4 The National - Friday 6/17 @ Mercury Lounge.
Mostly the same set - mostly the same crowd - but still so very good. The singers parents were there causing it to be just a little more restrained than Thursday.
#5 Drive-by Truckers - Saturday 6/11 Free @ Point State Park in Pittsburgh. Probably somewhere in my mid teens seeing them & maybe the most fun I've ever seen them have. A good crowd waiting through thunderstorms. I miss the sloppy bar band they used to be but there's no overlooking the potent rock n roll machine they've become...so tight with so much talent.
#6 Pixies 6/9 @ Chev Amp in Pittsburgh. A short & sweet set. Shamefully to a 1/2 full house. Not as good as Coachella, but in this case - the standard for #6 is still very high.
I ended up skipping Marah. Something about some overdue reviews I had.
And I had to endure some pretty horrific opening acts during this little stretch. None worse than the Linkin Park Jr band that opened for Bloc Party.
You know it's bad when:
*You see the same opener twice in one week opening for different bands - the surprisingly decent Engineers,
*The bartenders start buying you drinks @ the Mercury because you spent so much money there the night before, and
*Even after all this you find yourself wishing you had another show to go to tonight!
