The Raconteurs & Jacuzzi Boys @ Fillmore

There was no mention of an opening act anywhere so I got the Fillmore right at 8 in case I missed any of the Raconteurs.  Instead I walked into the venue to see the Jacuzzi Boys on stage.  Great rock band who captured the crowd who were jammed in for the headliners.  Reminded me a bit of Tumbleweed back home.  The crowd's reaction mirrored the band's performance.  Both we into it.

A packed Fillmore didn't wait too long for the Raconteurs and they weren't to be disappointed.  The set started with Bored and Razed, the opener from the new Help Us Stranger album.  It set the tone of ROCK to be blasted for the next hour.  Level (the 2nd song) was one of the few I knew, and it was perfect.  The set was a good mix of all 3 albums and Broken Boy Soldier near the end left the crowd near exhaustion.  I was surprised the set only lasted an hour, but then was blown away by the 5 song encore.  The night was finished with my favorite Raconteurs song, Steady As She Goes, and it topped off a great show.

It had been 16 years since I'd seen the White Stripes in Vegas, but Jack White continues to put in some great performances, and tonight was know different; A dynamic way to finish the weekend.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 457th concert.
This is my 26th concert at The Fillmore

This is my 82nd concert in Charlotte

This is my 93rd concert in North Carolina.

This is my 260th concert in the USA.
Jacuzzi Boys are the 530th band I've seen.
Raconteurs are the 531st band I've seen.
Raconteurs are the 50th time I've seen a band at The Fillmore

Flaming Lips & Claypool Lennon Delirium @ CMCU Amphitheater

Arrived early at the outdoor venue so we could see Claypool Lennon Delirium only to be greeted by and absolute downpour.  We took shelter in 820 with a beer while a pretty violent storm passed over.  Once it cleared and we were given the all clear to get in the venue the band arrived on stage soon after.  It may have been a shortened set but still a good one.  I didn't know any of the songs but they all definitely had the Les Claypool sound in them.   A good opener, and a special treat to see Sean Lennon play his dad's Tomorrow Never Knows.  Surreal!

A pretty quick change over, even though the weather threat had long gone. As always the Flaming Lips put on a visual spectacular to compliment the music. Yoshimi bought out the balls and the start of the crowd's interaction with he performance. There Should Be Unicorns saw Wayne Coyne mount his rainbow unicorn and do a lap of the crowd, being only feet from us. She Don't Use Jelly is my favorite Lips song and the middle of the set unleashed 4 minutes of musical ecstasy. Creepy eyes on the stage for the Yeah Yeah Yeah song. And the set was bought to end by the peaceful True Love Will Find You In The End. A brief stage reset before Do You Realize?? was the one and only encore song. During the song the crowd was bombarded with confetti and was a great representation of how the whole show felt.

It's hard, no, impossible, not to have fun at a Flaming Lips show, even if , like me, you are not a huge fan of the music.  The visual aspect adds so much!  Any time they come through town, I will be ready with ticket in hand.

 Wayne Coyne says There Should Be Unicorns

Fuck Yeah Charlotte

Yeah Yeah Yeah Song

The Crap Facts:

This is my 456th concert.

This is my 12th concert at CMCU Amphitheater

This is my 81st concert in Charlotte

This is my 92nd concert in North Carolina.

This is my 259th concert in the USA.
Lennon Claypool Delirium is the 529th band I've seen.
This is my 4th Flaming Lips concert