Kraftwerk @ Ovens Auditorium

Kraftwerk Setlist

The Crap Facts
This is my 516th concert.
This is my 5th concert at Ovens Auditorium.
This is my 114th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 137th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 316th concert in the USA.
Kraftwerk are the 600th band I've seen.

Grand Cayman Island

Charlotte FC v Atlanta United @ Bank Of America Stadium

 

The Get Up Kids @ The Underground

I saw the Get Up Kids back at Riot Fest in 2014.  Never heard of them, but checked them out.  The show was fun, so to see them in a small club, and they were going to play the same album - Something To Write Home About - was a no brainer.

Anyway, Monday night came around, my concert mate bailed, and I didn't particularly want to go.  I forced myself as I hadn't been to a show yet this year.

The Underground was 3/4 full and the band kicked off just as I got into a great spot overlooking the stage (in front of the raised bar).  I never followed up with their music after Riot Fest so I was unfamiliar with the set yet again.  It was a good show, but just didn't catch my attention this time.  You could see the crowd of 30-40 somethings reliving their youth and having a blast, but their sound. a poppier-punk, was not really my thing.  After they finished playing their album, a 8 song encore was cut short by me after Stay Golden, Ponyboy.

Listen, not my favorite show, but far from the least favorite, and I'm glad I went.  Push myself back into live music after a 2 month break, hopefully inspires me to go to more shows, and stuff that I wouldn't normally see (Gary Clark Jr & Kraftwerk are 2 shows coming up that spring to mind).  Get Up Kids had a good crowd on a Monday night in Charlotte, and played a show that the crowd wanted to see.  WHo know, maybe I'll go back for the promised 50 year anniversary.

Get Up Kids Setlist

The Crap Facts

This is my 515th concert.
This is my 11th concert at The Underground.
This is my 113th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 136th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 315th concert in the USA.
This is my 2nd Get Up Kids concert.

The Jesus Lizard & Fantomex @ Orange Peel

26 years ago was the last time I saw the Jesus Lizard and if you think a 2.5 hour drive was going to stop me seeing them again, you'd be sadly mistaken.  I made the drive up to Asheville and booked a night at the Hotel Indigo, so I didn't have to turn around and drive back the same night.  

Another reason to head up to Asheville, was to see how recovery was going after Hurricane Helene last October.  And the result is heartbreaking.  Driving up past Swannanoa and Old Fort, you can still the debris in these towns (whether still laying around, or pushed to a spot near the freeway because there is no where to put so much of it).  Asheville itself is also not great.  The Biltmore Village, just outside the Biltmore entrance, looks like a warzone.  Building with out walls, mud, and debris everywhere.  The Village is closed off to road traffic and looks like a long way from reopening.  While downtown Asheville, up on the hill, looks fine, it is a ghost town.  Gone is the hustle and bustle of tourists (though it was a Tuesday night).  Shops with limited hours and just people nowhere to be seen.  This is such a great town.  A week before Christmas, you'd hope it would be a hive of activity.  It's far from it, but hopefully it will recover quickly.

I walked down to the Orange Peel via Maguro, a Japanese restaurant, where I stooped for some good sushi and a Sapporo.  Walked into the venue just as Fantomex hit the stage.  Was great to see a local band get a good size crowd.  And they didn't disappoint.  Well suited as an opener for the Jesus Lizard, Fantomex ripped through nearly a dozen rocking punk / hardcore songs.

Fantomex Setlist

I got about halfway to the stage, in front of guitarist Duane Denison, for the Jesus Lizard. Just a perfect spot. When the first drum beat was hit for the opening, Grind, David Yow was in the audience, being passed around till he he to the mixing desk. I thought that was crazy when I saw him do that, now that he's in his 60's he's just putting his life in our hands. He's be in and out of the crowd all night. It felt like the next 4 songs were put on just for me. Puss, Mouth Breather, Boilermaker & Nub - one after the other. Just brilliant. And the crowd was amped. The band sounded so good. Tight and just killing it. A third of the set was the new album, but that left plenty of nostalgia during the evening. Gladiator and Seasick were other highlights for me, and hearing Wheelchair Epidemic during the encore was amazing.  I was surprised how many people left after the encore.  The lights never came on, and no taped music came on, but people were bailing out.  Good for me.  I walked right up and stood on the barricade for the 4 song second encore. 

It was such a great show.  It's a shame they don't come around this area more often (or anywhere for that fact).  But put me down for any more Jesus Lizard shows that come through.  It was the show of the year.

The Jesus Lizard Setlist

The Crap Facts
This is my 514th concert.
This is my 4th concert at Orange Peel.
This is my 15th concert in Asheville.
This is my 135th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 314th concert in the USA.
Fantomex are the 599th band I've seen.
This is my 5th Jesus Lizard concert.

Jesus Lizard is the 600th time I've seen an American band.

Carolina Panthers v Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Bank of America Stadium

 

Bonnie Raitt & The James Hunter Six @ Ovens Auditorium

Tonight is the opportunity for A to tick a performer off her bucket list.  I'm pretty sure I don't know a Bonnie Raitt song, but I'm always up for a show (and a midweek date night at that).   That in combination with the fact that Raitt is donating proceeds to those that suffered from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, makes tonight a no brainer.

We got to our seat half way through opening act, The James Hunter Six.  What a mistake!  We definitely should have been there from the beginning.  We walked in as he started Okie Dokie Stomp.  A rockin' bluesy number was excellent, and his voice - sterling.  Then he spoke.  He sounded like a Cockney.  How does the sound of a Mississippi bluesman come out of that small English body?  We got the last 20 minutes of his rockabilly/blues/R&B set and it was awesome.  A great cover - Percy Mayfield's Two Years of Torture was well received by the crowd, and his whole set had the crowd pumped for Bonnie Raitt.

James Hunter Six Setlist

A 20 minute set change before Bonnie Raitt and her band strode onto stage to thunderous applause.  Raitt then gave a masterclass in blues-rock, both vocally and with her guitar playing.  When early on a crowd member wished her a happy birthday, I was amazed to find 2 weeks ago she turned 75.  Her voice was perfect.  Every note hit the sweet spot.  As predicted, I didn't know any of her music, but it stop me getting into a fantastic set.  I know she paid tribute to John Hiatt and John Prine with a couple of songs.  And it sounded like she suffered during Covid.  Not only losing friends, but the loss of time and touring opportunities played on her mind.  Her version of Chris Smither's Love Me Like A Man was great (even though I don't know the original).  she did a couple of solo acoustic songs, which showed a couple of flaws in some guitar playing, but beautiful songs nonetheless.  Raitt not only supported western North Carolina tonight, she did go out of her way to mention the organizations that were being funded from tonight's show.  Overall a great show.  It always is when you don't know a performer, and they make you sit up and take notice all night.  A thought it was amazing, so always an added bonus.  Tonight I have "discovered" 2 artists, whom I'd happily see again.

Bonnie Raitt Setlist

The Crap Facts

This is my 513th concert.
This is my 4th concert at Ovens Auditorium..
This is my 112th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 134th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 313th concert in the USA.
James Hunter Six is the 597th band I've seen.
Bonnie Raitt is the 598th band I've seen.

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 in-stores, but I will always keep an eye out for future shows.

Starcrawler, Repo Record, Charlotte, NC

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

Big Day!  Big Day indeed!

We all packed into the breakfast space at the hotel before heading off for a day's adventure in Manhattan at 10am.  We all walked up to Wall Street, not far from the hotel, and then past the New York Stock Exchange to Trinity Church.  We stuck our head inside this ornate church, as well as toured the cemetery, where we saw the grave of Alexander Hamilton. two blocks, and one tourist store, south is the Charging Bull statue in Bowling Green.  We, like every tourist on the planet is seemed, lined up to take a photo.  Not sure why I hadn't been here on 2 previous visits, but it was funny watching people pose with the bull, and we got a great family photo.

We then walked the half dozen blocks up Greenwich Street to the 9/11 Memorial Pools.  Such a somber place.  This is a tragedy that still affects many people, and you can see this in the respect of all the visitors, as the air is tense, and people mostly look in silence or hushed tones.  We saw the names of those lost on that terrible day, and noticed some had white roses placed with them.  I learned that this was done daily and the white roses were for those who should have been celebrating a birthday.  I do find it both eerie and triumphant that this memorial sits in the shadow of the since built One World Trade Center.  Taller than all, this landmark sticks out everywhere in Manhattan, and serves also as a reminder of the overcoming spirit of that fateful 2001 day.

Just west of the area is the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal.  We jump on for the half hour ride down to Staten Island.  Along the way we take in the views of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty (time meant we didn't go over and spend time on the island), as well as Manhattan at the back of the boat.

The stop in Staten Island is at a near empty mall, where we stopped at Shake Shack and had lunch.  Kel & Lucy took the Staten Island Ferry back to the hotel, while the rest of us jumped back on the ferry all the way up to the 

 

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.