Sunday, May 18, 2014

Primus @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville, NC




Road Trip!

So the closest Primus played to Charlotte was Asheville so I took the night to drive the 2.5 hours and stay the night in town.

Kind of poorly organised.  I walked into the theater with no one checking security or scanning my ticket.  Then the seated auditorium was first come first serve on the seats.  While I was too late to stand up front with a small crowd, I did get a 5th row seat on an isle.

As advertised, Primus walked out right at 8pm to start a 2 hour show.  Broken into 2 sets, I was surprised to see that they were using the same astronaut back drop the had when I last saw them in Vegas in 2010.  However this did not take away from the music.

As usual, it was hard to take my eyes away from Les Claypool.  He just makes bass playing look so easy.  Having said that, it does take away from the other 2 who are incredible musicians in their own right.  From the Those Damn Blue Collar Tweekers opener, it was a great 1st set with Southbound Pachyderm and (especially) My Name Is Mud being the outstanding songs.  But mention must be made to the South Park Theme in the middle of Over The Falls - just to make sure the crowd were still with them.

After a quick break, we got not just an encore but a whole other set.  While all I wanted was my 2 favorites (Mr Krinkle - who in 6 shows they've never played - and Tommy The Cat), Wynona's Big Brown Beaver near the end of the set had the two-thirds full venue jumping.

I always watch the musician side of Primus in awe.  The are great at what they do and tight as a unit.  I am no musician, but you can't not be blown away that the universe has put these 3 gentlemen together to create unique rock, incomparable to any band I've ever heard.  Looking forward to the next time I see them - with some Mr Krinkle.

Primus Setlist Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville, NC, USA 2014, 2014 Spring Tour


The Crap Facts:
This is my 373rd concert.
Thomas Wolf Auditorium is the 103rd venue I've seen a concert.
Asheville is the 44th city I've seen a concert
This is my 25th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 181st concert in the USA.
This is my 6th Primus concert.
Primus is the 850th time I've seen a band.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Gaslight Anthem & Cory Branan @ The Fillmore


I was surprised to walk into the Fillmore to see the place not even half full and areas curtained off.  It was only 14 months ago Gaslight Anthem played here and filled the place.  Regardless, I walked in right at the beginning of Cory Branan's set and he was on fire.  Not your typical singer-songwriter, Branan's off beat / odd tempo acoustic performance was outstanding.  He said he was playing a new guitar and was having difficulty adjusting, yet besides restarting one song, I thought he was great.  Stand out songs were Prettiest Waitress In Memphis and A Girl Named Go.

I was stoked when Gaslight Anthem came out and started off with 59 Sound, but the song sounded tired, like they were going through the motions.  This is a shame cause this is a top 25 favorite of mine.  Given the set did pick up after that with High Lonesome being the highlight until the encore.  In the encore, back to back songs, Great Expectations and a fantastic cover of House Of The Rising Sun, were great.  This was probably the least energetic of the 5 Gaslight shows I've seen, but still a great one all the same.  I'd be happy to go and see them again if they came through Charlotte again.

Cory Branan Setlist The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC, USA 2014


The Gaslight Anthem Setlist The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC, USA 2014, Summer 2014 Tour


The Crap Facts:
This is my 372nd concert.
This is my 8th concert at The Fillmore.
This is my 23rd concert in Charlotte.
This is my 24th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 180th concert in the USA.
Cory Branan is the 438th band I've seen.
This is my 5th Gaslight Anthem concert.