Neko Case @ Knight Theater

I have 2 Neko Case albums, Blacklisted and Furnace Room Lullaby.  And while her style of music is not something I regularly listen to, her voice is exceptional, and so unique, it is easy to fall in love with.  A & I saw her open for (and outshine)  Ray LaMontaigne 5 years ago, so it was a no brainer to get tickets when she was coming back to headline.  A's brother D even came along - he was the one who turned me onto her in the first place.

We met at Mariposa for appetizers at the bar, before waling across the street to The Knight Theater.   Good food at the bar in the midst of the Charlotte after work crowd.

From the start, this show was great.  The sound was perfect and we were seated about 15 rows back (and the isle for my long legs).  To open with Deep Red Bells set the tone for the night for me.  Such a beautiful song.  At her previous show, she played nothing I knew, so to start with a favorite was impeccable.  Case, and her band, looked like they were enjoying themselves.  And that showed in the music.  Between song banter was like listening to someone tell a story in your living room, and even unfamiliar songs still sounded brilliant.  While nothing was played from Furnace Room Lullaby, 4 known songs from Blacklisted (Deep Red Bells, Lady Pilot and Outro with Bees) scattered through the set, and a mid-point cover of The Go Betweens' The Devil's Eye, was a surprise - I didn't know their influence spread so wide for so long.

One of the things I find weird about concerts I've seen in the US is peoples' need to talk during a show, or at a seated show, as was the case tonight, get up and down all night to go outside.  What the fuck are these people doing?  Use the bathroom and get your drinks before the show - and enjoy.  Simple, right?!  Tonight was a noticeable exception.  The crowd  were awed into silence between songs and no one was dumb enough to get up and leave the theater for fear of missing something amazing.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this 2 hours of music.  Song after song was beautiful.  Neko Case is another one I will wait for to come back to town and see again.  In the meantime, it's time to find more of her records.

Neko Case Setlist

The Crap Facts:

This is my 483rd concert.
The Knight Theatre is the 133rd venue I've see a show in.
This is my 97th show in Charlotte.
This is my 116th show in North Carolina.
This is my 286th concert in the US.
This is my 2nd Neko Case show.

Neko Case is the 200th time I've seen a band at least twice.

The Schizophonics & Powder Horns @ Grey Eagle

I was looking online for shows to see.  Things get a little sparse in Charlotte in the winter.  I saw the name Schizophinics at the Grey Eagle in Asheville.  Interesting name.  Then this was the review written by the venue: “heavily influenced by artists like JAMES BROWN, IGGY POP, JIMI HENDRIX, LITTLE RICHARD, and THE SONICS.” and "Like watching some insane hybrid of WAYNE KRAMER, JAMES BROWN, and the Tasmanian Devil".  How could I say no?

It was a game day decision.  Covid, migraines and laziness have seen me miss a few out of town shows of recent (Courtney Barnett, Billy Bragg, Gwar, Local H).  But while it was a cold, rainy Sunday, I felt the need to drive up to Asheville to see this band.  Great decision!

I arrived as the Powder Horns were in the middle of their set.  I like when a local band can play a good venue.  And while I thought the Powder Horns were good, they had a tight set and are obviously good musicians, there was nothing for me that stood out.

The Schizophonics however were another story.  Walking onto stage with no fanfare, to an audience who, like me, that may not even have known who they were.  This tight 3 piece was on fire from the start.  Singer/guitarist/general maniac Pat Beers may have used more energy during the first song than any hurricane could ever produce.  A small crowd milled around the venue, looking at each other as if to say "What are we witnessing here?".  And when Beers called for the crowd to come forward after the first song, a fully hypnotized crowd (myself included) just jaw-droppingly said OK and moved to the very front of the stage.  We then preceded to get a lesson in rock and roll.  Their bass player, who just travelled back in time for the 60's/70's Carnaby Street, was into it and drummer, Letty Beers, kept a frantic driving beat, while looking like she was out for Sunday walk.  Pat Beers has IT!  Some aura or exuding presence which meant it was hard to watch the rest of the band, because he is so electric.  And frantic!  He didn't stop the whole show - and remember he sings and lays guitar.  I only caught the name of 2 songs, Pendulum and Hoof It.  Both excellent.  After an hour and a bit of rawkus rock and roll, it all came to a sweaty end.  It was exhausting, in a good way, just to be in the audience - God only knows how the band felt.

Having said that it wasn't 10 minutes later that Letty was at the merch booth selling and mixing with the crowd.  I couldn't help myself, I bought 2 albums, People in The Sky and Hoof It.  This band was so good.  They have to come back to North Carolina again.  I'd travel for it for sure.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 482nd concert.
This is my 3rd show at The Grey Eagle
This is my 11th show in Asheville.
This is my 115th show in North Carolina.
This is my 285th concert in the US.
Powder Horns are the 554th band I've seen.

The Schizophonics are the 555th band I've seen.

Charlotte Hornets v LA Lakers @ Spectrum Center

 

So for Christmas this year we went with experiences instead of gifts.  The boys were happy with this when it turned out to be tickets to the Charlotte Hornets.  We hadn't been to a game for years.

From the parking lot to the venue, you'd have thought we were in Los Angeles.  Every other person was wearing Lakers gear, specifically LeBron James shirts.  And while we're hear to cheer on our Hornets, we chose this game for the opportunity to see the greatest player of this generation.

Once inside, and B had his face painted, we made the climb to our seats.  (I hate being a "dad" when it comes to sports ticket prices - but I couldn't get anything in the lower lever for under $600 a ticket.)  We're up there!  So far up that we were above the scoreboard.  As usual the height made it about 20 minutes before I could relax, but once the game started, and James made an appearance (he didn't seem to warm-up with the team - maybe we were so high up I couldn't tell he was out there).

The Lakers took the lead early and then didn't seem to bother to get out of 3rd gear, as they cruised the whole game.  The Hornets never looked like they would get close.  And LeBron?  Wow!  What a player!  20 odd years ago I was lucky enough to see Michael Jordan play for the Wizards against the Hornets.  That night he had a pretty ordinary game, but you could tell he was head and shoulders above everyone else on the court.  The same goes for LeBron.  He has a grace and vision on the court that makes it look like basketball is in his DNA, and he can't not be great.  He tore the Hornets apart with 43 points and barely looked like he's raised a sweat.

With the game well and truly done, we left a few minutes early.  To which the Hornets went on a run to make the score look respectable, but overall just an night to soak in a most amazing player.

One thing I have to comment on is the atmosphere in the crowd.  Again, Charlotte lets us down.  There is no enthusiasm for the team (and I feel the same for the NFL) and it feels like a morgue in the stadium.  And whatever the Hornets are trying to do to hype up the crowd, is not working.  Do something else!  Anything.!  While I'm glad for the opportunity to see a sporting legend, nothing will make me race back to a Hornets game.

LA Lakers 121 (LeBron James 43, Thomas Bryant 18, Austin Reeves 15, Dennis Schroeder 15) defeated Charlotte Hornets 115 (Terry Rozier 27, LaMelo Ball 24, Mason Plumlee 18).

Crowd: 19,210