Bonnie Raitt & The James Hunter Six @ Ovens Auditorium

Les Savy Fav & Ultra Lights @ The Earl

I am getting to an age where I still love seeing shows, but getting motivated to see them is getting harder and harder.  This is the case tonight.  Les Savy Fav are a bucket list band, but Atlanta is as close as they get.  And when a three and a half hour drive turns into as 6 hour drive, I really question what I am doing.  There were 2 occasions where I was just stopped on the 85 for 45 minutes at a time, and considered turning around and going home.  I'm so glad I didn't!

The Earl is a new venue for me, and is in the cool East Atlanta Village.  It looks like a street where it all happens.  Late night bars, restaurants and just people out and about.  But tonight I get to the venue just in time to line up through the narrow corridor, to the back room, for Ultra Lights to start 5 minutes later.  While waiting in line, Les Savy walked past, much to the crowds cheer.

Ultra Lights are a local band, and seemed pretty stoked to be playing tonight.  A good sized crowd in the small room (Dive bar?  maybe) were in early and saw Ultra Lights put in a good 35 minute set to warm up the crowd.

Within 25 minutes a white-wigged Tim Harrington was on stage, pulling out all the dance moves to the lead-on song, before the rest of the band joined him.  As the guitarist's pick slid up the strings and Harrington burst into "He's a bad motherfucker....16 pairs of shoes in his closet....", the wig was quickly lost, the suit jacket dispersed of, but the dancing ramped up a couple of notches - band and crowd - as LSF opened with Blackouts on Thursday.  From the start the band were on fire, and Harrington spent as much time in the crowd as on stage.  And when you could take your eyes of him in the crowd, you'd see a tight band having a great time on stage.  The music reflected that.  The sound and songs are great.  I'm not familiar with a lot of their songs, but Reprobate's Resume was rocking, as was Patty Lee.  To finish the set the notes of The Sweat Descends rang out to the joy of everyone.  You could tell people had been having a good night but this song took it up a notch.  Again Harrington was out in the crowd, and was this the song he left and sung in the front room (? - I can't quite remember).  The band left the stage, leaving behind a fired up crowd.  It wasn't long before Les Savy Fav were back for more.  The 4 song encore crescendoed when in the middle of Dirty Knails, Harrington got everyone on the floor, before busting out for a banging finish.  I'm not sure how he did it, but by the time I bought the Oui LP, Harrington was a the exit, thanking everyone for coming.

My cousin Moz gave me a digital copy of Inches in 2009, and it is an album that gets listened to all the way through quite often.  Les Savy Fav are now a bucket list band I can cross off, but I'd happily sit in 6 hours of traffic to see them again - any day.

Les Savy Fav Setlist

The Crap Facts
This is my 512th concert.
The Earl is the 140th venue I've seen a concert at.
This is my 2nd concert in Atlanta.
This is my 2nd concert in Georgia.
This is my 312th concert in the USA.
Ultra Lights are the 595th band I've seen.

Les Savy Fav is the 596th band I've seen.

Les Savy Fav are the 600th time I've seen a band in the US.

Starcrawler @ Repo Record

Early start.  Starcrawler playing a morning show at Repo at 10am on a Saturday.  And free!  I'm in.

I was introduced to Starcrawler at Punk Rock Bowling earlier this year and enjoyed their set, so I thought I'd come and see what they could do in a smaller venue.

I got there as the doors opened and about 50 or so people headed into the back of the store, where they'd cleared a space for the 5 piece to play.  Starcrawler had played at Cat's Cradle the previous night and were headed to Atlanta to play tonight.  I love the daytime gig.  I wish we could get some more bands to do this in Charlotte.  

Rocking from the first note of She Gets Around, Starcrawler played as it were a regular gig, and the early morning crowd were into it.  I Love LA was played early in the set - I remember that from May.  And somewhere midset singer, Arrow de Wilde pulled out her backbend.  I really liked No More Pennies, Roadkill and their cover of Pet Sematary.  16 songs in 45 minutes.  Yeah I'll take that at 10am before I go and get my groceries.  Starcrawler finished the set with a rocking Chicken Woman, which saw guitarist, Henri Cash, stride through the crowd, jump up on the front register and blaze away from the rest of the band.

Great show.  Better than Punk Rock Bowling, mostly because the energy transferred better in a small closed in venue.  It's not often I see Repo do instores, but I will always keep an eye out for future shows.

Starcrawler Setlist

The Crap Facts

This is my 511th concert.
Repo Record is the 139th venue I've seen a concert at.
This is my 111th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 133rd concert in North Carolina.
This is my 311th concert in the USA.
This is my 2nd Starcrawler concert.

New York, NY

New York, NY

New York, NY

 

New York, NY

We didn't really do anything of significance while my sister and her family came to Charlotte, but we did take off for a long weekend in New York.  A great stop in their month long adventure in the US , and the perfect opportunity for us to take the boys there for the first time.

We tagged along as KJL&M had booked their flights and hotels already.  We book the same.  It's an easy flight up to La Guardia, and a van took the 8 of us straight to our Fairfield Inn in the Financial District in Manhattan.  After our experience in Philly, we opted for 2 rooms with king beds as A&I and the now teenage boys are crammed into a room with 2 doubles.

We dumped bags and headed straight to the Fulton St Subway to get over to High St in Brooklyn.  We then spend the late afternoon wandering around Brooklyn Heights, taking in both Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges.  Doing all the touristy pick of the bridges and the Manhattan Skyline.  Eventually we ended up at the Time Out Market, where we seemed to go 8 different ways to get dinner, but still manage to find a table together.  Unfortunately the roof was closed for a private event.  That's where we really wanted to be.  The boys and I had eaten at a Time Out in Montreal, and that was a great experience.  This place may have been even better still.

We continued walking along the East River, just being happy to be in a new city.  Our last stop was at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, for the kids.  From there it was across the street to the ferry, which took us back to Pier 11, just a short walk back to the hotel.

LMB&L, Brooklyn, NY

BMD&L, Brooklyn, NY

DBL&M, Brooklyn, NY

Charlotte Hornets v Miami Heat @ Spectrum Center

We didn't do a ton of stuff in Charlotte when my sister and her family were here.  But one thing the boys wanted, was to see some sports.  So the boys and I took Jason and Maxy, and Uncle Drew, to the Spectrum Arena to catch the Hornets in a pre-season game.  

We got some seats at a good price on the lower level (I've never had that before) and headed into town to catch some dinner at the 7th Street Market before getting into the venue just before tipoff.  The arena wasn't 1/2 full and we probably could've moved down closer, but we were content with some good seats.  Thing were pretty even in the first quarter, then it looked like Miami might start to pull away in the second.  After half time the Hornets came out and dominated, going from 58-62 down to leading 89-81 at the end of the 3rd.  Things remained even throughout the last quarter and the Hornets held on for a 3 point victory.  

I hope the result is the sign of  a good season for the Hornets.  With Charlotte FC having a good year, it would be nice if another Carolina team could follow their lead and get people excited about sport in this town.  Because, while the arena was not half full, the atmosphere in the arena was like that of a library....again.  I'm not sure how to change that, but I'm sure a winning season wouldn't go astray.

Charlotte Hornets 111 (L. Ball 24, T. Salaun 15, M. Bridges 14, T. Mann 14) defeated Miami Heat 108 (B. Adebayo 13, K. Ware 13, J. Butler 11, P. Larsson 10)

Crowd: 10,093

Weezer, Flaming Lips & Dinosaur Jr @ Bon Secours Arena

So this is a belated birthday gift for the boys.  We all love Weezer and Dinosaur Jr and Flaming Lips as openers meant getting tickets was a no brainer.

We made the easy drive down to Greenville after the boys finished school and got there just before 6.  Got a great parking spot right near the venue and walked the same distance away to have dinner at Ink n Ivy.  A good meal and then back to the venue and in our seats as Dinosaur Jr started.

Dinosaur Jr were only allotted 1/2 hour, but blistered through 6 great songs.  I got to hear a favorite (Freak Scene), a Feel The Pain/Start Choppin double, and of course their great Cure cover, Just Like Heaven.  Though I don't think I converted the boys (yet).

Dinosaur Jr Setlist

BMD&L, Dinosaur Jr, Bon Secours Arena, Greenville, SC

It wasn't long before Flaming Lips were on stage.  It was 4 songs in before the pink robots were inflated for Yoshimi (Parts 1 & 2).  Another great show from them, though I thought the room was too big for the show they put on - or is it just so magic in a smaller venue?  Loved hearing She Don't Use Jelly, as did the boys.  They also liked the Yeah Yeah Yeah song.  A perked up when she instantly recognized the Borderline cover, as did everyone in the audience our age.  Do You Realize??? to finish the set was another highlight.  L & I made a run for it as soon as the song finished so we could go and buy tshirts for him and B.

Flaming Lips Setlist

Flaming Lips, Bon Secours Arena, Greenville, SC

They came from outer space.  Weezer appeared from under their departing rocket ship taking all the applause they could before launching into their 25 song set.  It all started for us when Hash Pipe came on, to be followed by Pork n Beans, Beverly Hills & Islands In The Sun.  This 4 song interlude revitalized the fading boys (there had been a long day at school and a 2 hour drive to get here - and we were well past their bedtime).  Video graphics were spectacular and definitely complimented what the band was doing, even with their cheesy spoken interludes.  A spate of Pinkerton songs (unfortunately not including El Scorcho or the Good Life) led into a quick break, before Weezer came back to head into The Blue Album from start to finish.  This is the 2nd time I'd seen Weezer do this.  The 1st time was  back in Vegas just before the boys were born when they did The Blue Album and Pinkerton in the same night.  From the first notes of My Name Is Jonas the energy in the room picked up and the set was great.  Obviously Buddy Holly was a favorite and everyone was singing Undone - The Sweater Song at the top of their voices.  Surf Wax America and Say It Ain't So were also highlights for me.

Weezer Setlist

Weezer, Bon Secours Arena, Greenville, SC

We bailed during the last song, Only In Dreams, to beat the crowd out, and prep for the long drive home.  Big week of rock for the boys.  First time they've seen 2 shows in a week.  As stoic as they can be (I wonder where they get that from) both said they loved tonight's show, but both of them struggle with a late night.  Violent Femmes in Asheville in a couple of weeks.

Weezer Fans, Bon Secours Arena, Greenville, SC

The Crap Facts
This is my 510th concert.
This is my 2nd concert at Bon Secours Arena.
This is my 3rd concert in Greenville.
This is my 7th concert in South Carolina.
This is my 310th concert in the USA.
This is my 11th Dinosaur Jr concert.

This is my 6th Flaming Lips concert.

This is my 6th Weezer concert.

Airborne Toxic Event @ The Underground

Time for another freebie show, and another one for the boys to see.

It's been over 11 years since Erik and I made our discovery of Airborne Toxic Event, after we saw them at the Hard Rock Pool.  Since then, their self titled debut gets plenty of play in our house.  Hence the boys know them, so even after a game of soccer in the morning and a 9pm start, they were keen to go.

We walked in just before they started and were immediately greeted to Wishing Well, which got the crowd into a good mood.  A few songs from the new album, Glory, before a ripping mid-set Gasoline.  After this the boys started to fade, with fewer recognizable songs, but a great show regardless.  The main set finished with Something Around Midnight, and afterwards the band left the stage with the crowd wanting a lot more.  I know the boys were tired, so we moved closer to the exit for when the encore finished.  But the last 3 of the 4 encore songs were a highlight for me - and the boys.  Does This Mean You're Moving On? was excellent.  The highly anticipated Missy was so good.  Such a great day.  And the way they weave in I'm On Fire and Folsom Prison Blues is exciting.  Happiness Is Overrated finished the night and left everyone on a high.  

BD&L Rockin' Out

I know the boys were super tired, and have the teenage emotional range of "Good" when asked how they enjoyed everything, but I really think they enjoyed the night.  Let's see how they go on Wednesday when we have to drive to Greenville after school to see Weezer.

Airborne Toxic Event Setlist

The Crap Facts
This is my 509th concert.
This is my 10th concert at The Underground.
This is my 110th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 132nd concert in North Carolina.
This is my 309th concert in the USA.
This is my 2nd Airborne Toxic Event concert.

Airborne Toxic Event is the 1150th time I've seen a band.

Liverpool v Manchester United at Williams Brice Stadium

Brian, Mike & I, Williams Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC

I've only been back from our summer trip for 2 days, when I get in the car again and drive down to Columbia with Mike & his mate, Brian, to go and see Liverpool again.  This time against Manchester United.  Things did not look good, as were caught in a storm on the way down.  So severe, that you could barely see 10 feet out the window.  Fortunately it passed quickly.

Getting into the parking lot was a mission.  It was so poorly organized it took nearly 45 minutes once we got off the 77.  Thankfully we left Charlotte with way too much time.  Cowden and their entire clan were tailgating in the parking lot, so we went to hang with them before following the masses into the stadium.  Thought we'd get our beers before getting to our excellent seats, (in the Liverpool section, 20 row behind the goal) only for the woman in front of in line to buy the last beer.  What?  It was still 15 minutes until kickoff.

Liverpool started strong, and within 10 minutes we were up 1-0, when Carvalho put one away from the top of the box at the other end.  Before the half Salah made one of his strong runs down the right, his perfect cross hit Curtis Jones in the 6 yard box and we were up 2-0.  The game settled a little in the 2nd half, with both teams rotating their squads and bringing on B squads.  But we got another.  When Liverpool attacked, Jota had a strong shot parried by Onana, straight into the path of Tsimikas, who put the ball in the back of the net.  3-0 us.  And before the restart the Liverpool fans were calling for 7 - reflecting the score of the Liverpool win in March 2023.  Unfortunately that didn't happen, but I'll take 3-0 over Manchester United any day.

Good atmosphere in this game, maybe slightly better than the Philly game on Wednesday.  Coming in it looked like there was going to be a lot more United fans, but inside I thought it was pretty even.  And our Liverpool end, while no Kop, was more vocal than Man U's at the other end.

Three Post Scripts:

1) 77,559 is the largest crowd to see a soccer game in South Carolina.

2) If I thought getting into the parking lot was tough, getting out was a clusterfuck on a massive scale.  And we were lucky enough to sneak out quickly, then sit in non-moving traffic for over 90 minutes.  Surely the stadium and police have had practice with football games for years.  We sat within a block of the stadium for longer than a regular trip back to Charlotte should take.

3) A couple of days later I found this picture on Liverpool FC's Facebook page.  Obviously I stand out in a crowd when singing You'll Never Walk Alone.

Liverpool 3 (F. Carvalho 10, C. Jones 36, K. Tsimikas 61) defeated Manchester United 0

Crowd: 77,559

Liverpool v Arsenal @ Lincoln Financial Field

 

Montreal, QC

7/27

Larry's

Contemporary Art Museum

Ave Mont Royal - Aux 33 tours, Bixi home

Les Enfants Terribles

7/28

Patisserie Guillaume, Fairmont Bagels

Bixi to Parc la Fontaine

La CAtrina

Last Kem Coba

7/29

Montreal, QC

7/22

Walk down St Denis to St Catherine

Lunch at Cage Sports Bar

Chinatown

7/23

Putting Edge Laval

Les 3 Brasseurs

Despicable Me 4 at Cineplex Laval

Niata to Go

Neighborhood walk

7/24

Sir Wilfred Laurier Park

Ta Pies

Rain

7/25

Botanique Gardens

Villa Tandoori

7/26

Zoo Ecomuseum

Cage lunch

Mandys Dinner

Kurios - Cabinet of Curiosities Under The Big Top

Little Italy

Jean Talon Marche

Bus to Old port

Cirque

Dinner at Vieux Port Steakhouse