Cat Power @ The Underground

While complete contrast to the frivolity of last night's Aquabats show, Cat Power's dark, mysterious show tonight was no less entertaining.  I think she has the voice of an angel (listen to her NPR Tiny Desk Concert and tell me differently).  And tonight I got to hear that live, in a small venue.

A darkly back-lit stage meant that even in the 3rd row I could barely tell you what Cat Power looks like, but her divine voice was incredible.  After starting with He Turns Down, Power broke into a quick medley including Nick Cave's Into My Arms. I loved the Dirty Three cover of Great Waves.  I'm not familiar with the original, but this version was mesmerizing.  Hate was a song I did know, and while different from her recorded version, it was still a great rendition.  I also loved The Greatest.  Her set closed with Bob Dylan's He Was A Friend Of Mine and Boys Next Door's Shivers - a great song originally made better by Power.  Powers ethereal voice was backed by a band who were even further in the shadows and sometimes unnoticeable but a fantastic addition to what this disappointingly smallish crowd had come to see.  While the darkness of her stage wouldn't fit in an arena, I bet her voice would sound fantastic on the larger stage.  I hope she gets that chance.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 459th concert.
This is my 5th concert at The Underground.

This is my 84th concert in Charlotte

This is my 95th concert in North Carolina.

This is my 262nd concert in the USA.
Cat Power are the 535th band I've seen.

Aquabats & Koo Koo Kanga Roo @ The Underground

The Aquabats are in Charlotte.  It seems unlikely, but there you go.

I got to the Underground at the start of Koo Koo Kanga Roo and instantly regretted not bringing my boys.  The guys are only 8 and have yet to see a gig and I seriously considered this one as at one time they were huge Yo Gabba Gabba fans.  But the dad in me said no, because it was a school night and well past their bedtime.  As I looked around the room, many parents felt differently.  Damn!  Koo Koo Kanga Roo's music is for the kids.  The pop tempo and topics (i.e., fart jokes) are definitely suited to a younger (at heart) audience.  The kids loved the final song that had them dancing under a parachute in the crowd.

To much fanfare and the audience's great pleasure, The Aquabats came on stage and proceeded to tear the Underground apart.  From the first notes of The Shark Fighter, complete with blowup sharks into the crowd, the Aquabats were on fire.  While video played behind the band, Bat Commander commandeered the show.  Whether singing or between song banter, he was on fire.  Pizza Day saw him pluck a lucky youngster out of the crowd, only to throw him out on an inflatable slice to crowd surf the entire song. The Aquabats Super Show Theme Song had young and old in their element and the frenzy just seemed to fuel the band more.  Near to the end of the set a cover of The Cars Just What I Needed was aptly played as a dedication to Ric Ocasek's passing only yesterday.  Burger Rain was a great finisher to the main set, but didn't come close to the encore.  Super Rad got everyone hyped again, the the Aquabats invited all the kids on stage to finish the night with Pool Party.  A fitting end to a fun night.

I would never pass on a chance to see the Aquabats again.  It's been a while since I left a concert smiling so often remembering parts of the night.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 458th concert.
This is my 4th concert at The Underground.

This is my 83rd concert in Charlotte

This is my 94th concert in North Carolina.

This is my 261st concert in the USA.
Koo Koo Kanga Roo are the 533rd band I've seen.
Aquabats are the 534th band I've seen.
Aquabats are the 500th time I've seen a band from the USA.

Patton Oswalt @ Knight Theater

OK so it's another tragic comedy review.  

A and I had another night out to see Patton Oswalt in uptown Charlotte.  But not before having dinner at the much anticipated Bernardins. I've always wanted to go here and while there was nothing bad, I think I'd built it up beyond what it was.

The show tonight was to be filmed for a Netflix special, so that was an added bonus to see the preparation involved in a TV special and not just a comedy show.  We were on the balcony, watching single people get moved to great seats down the front.

Patton was great.  As usual the laughs were non stop and there is no chance I could repeat those jokes and do them any justice.  Suffice to say it is another show where we look at each other and ask why we don't see more comedy shows.

A great night out seeing a performer at his best.  Can't wait until we get to relive it on Netflix.