Gaslight Anthem @ Fillmore

I honestly have no idea why The Gaslight Anthem haven't been together for a long time, and I'd kind of given up hope seeing them again.  So to have a tour announced, and Charlotte included, was a plus.  This is the first time I've seen the Gaslight Anthem in 9 years, and I'm pretty excited.  The Gaslight Anthem were the first band I saw when we moved back to Charlotte, they are now the headliner for my 10th show in this city.

I called up work to find out what time they came on, as I'm too old to bother with the openers today, and I walked in and got my spot near the front (to the left) as the band came on stage.

From the start the band looked and sounded good.  45 kicked off the night, and an upbeat tempo got the crowd started on the right foot.  Next was High Lonesome, of my favorite record, The 59 Sound, and I was to get a good amount of it tonight.  Miles Davis and The Cool was a great mid set song.  Then leading into Great Expectations and American Slang had the crowd on a high.  Singer Brian Fallon also had the crowd laughing the night with his take on the best Batman (Michael Keaton) and his good-natured slandering of Robert Pattinson.  Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts was another great song, but I was really impressed by their cover of Pink Floyd's Time (with opener Emily Wolfe).  The '59 Sound sits in my Fave 40 playlist, so to hear it lie again after 9 years, was awesome.  I was a little surpised to then hear The Backseat (I thing 59 would have been the ultimate ender).

As The Back Seat finished I raced up the back to get a vinyl copy of The 59 Sound and was super surprised that as I paid the lights come up.  No Encore.  Still I was just glad that I got to see The Gaslight Anthem again.  Hopefully it won't be another 9 years.

Gaslight Anthem setlist

The Crap Facts:

This is my 486th concert.
This is my 28th concert at Fillmore.
This is my 100th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 119th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 289th concert in the US.
This is my 6th Gaslight Anthem concert.

The Flaming Lips @ Fillmore

So this is the first time I am making the most of my new part job working the box office here at the Fillmore.  A free show, and the Flaming Lips.  Can't go wrong.  I take Mike, Sanders and Ben with me.  And Cam and her neighbors are there, as is Nicole.  Big show for her.  The Flaming Lips are apparently a favorite of Matt's, she has camped herself on the front barricade and surrounded herself with some good friends.

The Fillmore is packed, and made more crowded by the Flaming Lips inflatables in the crowd.  They are playing Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and 2 large inflatible pink robots make it nearly impossible to see the stage.  (and we are on the right side, near the front of the stage).  I don't know much of this album but the show is as great as a Flaming Lips show always is.  For me, obviously knowing only these 2 songs, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and Do You Realize?? are the standouts.

When they left the stage and the inflatibles were taken away, I assumed they'd come back on and do an encore.  But it was a whole other set.  Starting with my favorite song of theirs, She Don't Use Jelly.  A completely different cover of Madonna's Borderline was another highlight for this 8 song set.

Again they left the stage only to come back for a final 3 songs.  One of which, Feeling Yourself Disingergrate, Wayne performed in his bubble, but he stayed on stage and didn't venture out into the crowd, like he did last time I saw them here in 2017. Actually he seemed cautious with a lot of props.  Maybe they had problems last time here, on throughout this tour, and were holding back a bit.  Anywho, another great show from them and I sit and wait until the next time I get to see them.

Flaming Lips Setlist

The Crap Facts:

This is my 485th concert.
This is my 27th show at Fillmore.
This is my 99th show in Charlotte.
This is my 118th show in North Carolina.
This is my 288th concert in the US.
This is my 5th Flaming Lips Show.

Charlotte FC v NYCFC @ Bank of America Stadium

The Boys, A & I were lucky enough to be gifted our neighbor's tickets as they travelled out of town.  Hoping for a big win for Charlotte versus NYCFC.  We have great seats in the last row of the club section, pretty much mid field.  A disappointingly small crowd for a Saturday night (not half the bottom section was full - though as always the supporters section behind the goal was packed to the rafters and providing all the atmosphere).  But you have to expect this with the high price of tickets.

Charlotte FC got off to a good start, with Enzo Copetti finishing off a great move down the right with a simple tap in inside the 6 yard box.  The crowd thought Charlotte had a second, only for it to be ruled offside.  At the ground the crowd did not see the linesman's flag go up, so we were unaware as to why the keeper was taking a free kick afterwards.  No replay was show, nor was there any explanation from VAR, nor announcement at the ground (for Christ sake, they announce when the ball goes out for a corner!).  A weak tackle allowed NYCFC to equalize in the 37th minute, but Copetti got us back in front with a header off a Swiderski corner.  That took us into halftime with a 2-1 lead.

I was thinking the worst when NCYC converted a penalty in the 57th minute after a bad hack in the box.  Were we going to see Charlotte blow two leads?  Apparently not.  An own goal from a header from a Swiderski free kick restored Charlottes 1 goal lead in the 74th minute.  A tricky chance for New York was saved by Kahlina only moments later, and Charlotte survived the last 10 minutes to hold on to a 3-2 win.

I know it says attendance was in the 30,000 mark, but the upper deck wasn't open and the lower bowl was half full at most.  I wonder if that number was closer to 20,000.  The atmosphere tonight came totally from the supporters' section behind the goal.  This is a great group, who don't stop the whole game.  I hope in future games this enthusiasm infects the rest of the crowd.  More wins like this should do the trick.

Charlotte FC 3 (E. Copetti 8, 39, R. Ledezma OG 74) defeated NYCFC 2 (G. Pereira 37, S. Rodriguez Penalty 57)

Crowd:  30,454

Nassau, Bahamas

For my 50th this year, I decided I wanted to go away for a long weekend to somewhere I'd not been before.  Couple of restrictions - it had to be within 1 three-hour flight.  We whittled it down to 2 choices.  Montreal or Nassau.  Eventually the choice was made after a cold January day.  We needed some sun and warmth, so Nassau it is.

We gave the boys 2 days off school and took a direct flight to the Bahamas on Thursday morning.  From the moment we got off the plane, I knew we made the right choice.  A small delay in passport control (everyone needs to fill in a form - not just one for the whole family) we had a car service waiting to take us to the Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar.  While the room wasn't ready, we changed into to swimwear and went for a wander around our home for the next 3 nights.  This place is nice.  And just what I'm looking for.

What then happened was we proceeded to switch between beach, pool and dinner for 3 days.  It was perfect!  Our first two nights meals were at The Sugar Factory and then The Pizza Lab.  

The only variation was on Saturday when we headed to the resorts Baha Bay  This water park was so much fun, even if we only rode the lazy river in between dragging the boys out of the wave pool.  Then after a hard day at the pool we officially celebrated my birthday at Marcus at Baha Mar.  We sat outside at this beautiful seafood and chophouse and had the most delicious meal, with my favorite people on the planet.  A great birthday meal, and a great way to finish the weekend. 

Here's to 50! (yikes).

View from our room

The Adult Pool

D, B, L & M at the beach

L, D, M & B out for dinner

D&M at Baha Bay

D, B, L & M on our way to Marcus @ Baha Mar

Abbey Road Live! at Visulite

This!  This is an awesome idea.  Abbey Road Live played here at the Visulite last night, and today are doing a 2pm family friendly show.  Why don't more bands do this.  I and 2 other dads took their sons to this concert, with a bunch of other families.  While our boys (11) were considerably older than most in the crowd, they are Beatles fans and now have a taste for going to concerts.

The band openly admit they are not a "Beatle's Act", but a band who plays Beatles songs.  Whatever works.  This cold, dreary afternoon turned into a fun afternoon.  It was an hour an half of 19 Beatles hits - and Rocky Racoon (not sure why I've never heard this song before, but the rest of the Charlotte parenting community has).

From the moment I Wanna Hold Your Hand kicked off the day, the crowd was singing and dancing.  All the wat through to Twist and Shout.  I thought this band was fun, and they certainly know their audience.  I wonder what last night's adult show was like.  It's hard to pick out favorites because it's The Beatles - all the songs are great.  Hey Jude was the one song encore as families poured out of the Visulite and down to Elizabeth Creamery, even if it was cold.

I hope that is financially viable for band and venue and in the future we could see a few more afternoon all ages shows, especially with the boys coming to an age where maybe they could do this on their own in the not too distant future.

Abbey Road Live Setlist

The Crap Facts:
This is my 484th concert.
This is my 13th show at Visulite.
This is my 98th show in Charlotte.
This is my 117th show in North Carolina.
This is my 287th concert in the US.
Abbey Road Live! are the 556th band I've seen.

Davidson v Fordham @ John Belk Arena

On a rainy Saturday afternoon we all drove up to Davidson at the request of our neighbors to see Davidson play Fordham in the basketball.  I had been too a few games with Aaron previously (when games were late and midweek and his kids couldn't go), but it had been 5 years since the last time I'd been.  Thanks Covid!  So it was now a completely different team taking the field.

The game didn't have a lot of excitement to it.  Things stayed tight in the first half, until 5 minutes to go, when turnovers and missed rebounds saw Davidson go into the break 7 points down, 33-26.  That margin stayed the same through most of the second half, when Davidson tried to stage a comeback with 8 1/2 minutes left.  While they got within 2 points of Fordham, they could never get in front and ultimately Fordham held onto their lead for 25 minutes to run out 2 point winners 73-71.  Crowd left disappointed, especially my neighbor, but the kids had a good time, and I'm sure the mm's were happy to be sitting away from us during the game.

Fordham Rams 73 (K. Moore 22, D. Quinsenberry 21, A. Charlton 9) defeated Davidson Wildcats 71 (F. Loyer 26, D. Watson 10, S. Mennenga 9)

Crowd: 4,091

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

Local H @ Radio Room

It's not that I didn't want to see Local H, but the thought of the two hour drive each way was so off-putting that I almost didn't go.  But in the last 2 years, I was going to see them while we were on holiday near Myrtle Beach, but Covid made me wary of being indoors, I had tickets to the 2 shows they were going to do at the Evening Muse that were cancelled, and then I injured myself at the kids' soccer practice the night they rescheduled.  I had to go.

The drive down was pretty easy, once I got past Gastonia, even with all the work happening on I85.  I arrived at the easily found Radio Room just before 8 pm.  Great venue!  Medium sized room, walled off down the middle, with the bar on one side and the stage on the other.

Scott Lucas walked through the crowd, onto the stage, alone to start the night with All The Kids Are Right, solo and acoustic.  Took a request, The One With Kid, which he prefaced would be shit, but I thought was great.  After his 4th solo, Eddie Vedder, the rest of the band joined him for 3 more acoustic songs, including Buffalo Tom's Smothered In Hugs.  After that the band plugged in and started rocking.  The next 4 songs built up to a frenzy finishing with All Right (Oh Yeah) and Fritz's Corner.  And just when the crowd were on edge, ready to explode, they left the stage.

A short while later, dressed as Local H mechanics, the band walked through the now large crowd and came back to play Here Comes The Zoo from start to finish.  I'm not familiar with this album, but Hands On The Bible was a great starter.  5th Ave. Crazy definitely got the crowd moving.  Rock n Roll Professionals (my aha! moment on the outfits) is a great song, as is the follow up Keep Your Girlfriend Away From Me.  Bryn-Mawr Stomp is a rocker, but the closer, What Would You Have Me Do?, settled the crowd back down.  Without leaving the stage Local H then played a killer 5-song "encore".  California Songs started it off.  And it was a pearler of a version.  The band kept holding back the parts where the song breaks out.  It was fun to watch the crowd get ready to go, and the impending confusion.  But when it finally happened the crowd were into it.  Straight into Bound For The Floor, with a much-loved-by-the-crowd snippet of Chicago's 25 or 6 and 4 in the middle.  Two great covers - The Georgia Satellites' Keep Your Hands To Yourself and Misfits' Static Age - preceded the closer.  My favorite Local H song, High Fivin' MF, was played with all the power and energy that I remember from the first time I heard that song at the Equinox Festival in 1997.  And throw in a snippet of Fleetwood Mac's Tusk - MWAH!  Perfection!

Having seen some bands from my youth lately, I've noticed they have slowed down their sound.  Sometimes their songs don't have the same energy anymore.  Local H are the opposite.  They may be playing faster and with more energy than ever.   It was an awesome show and I'm glad I forced myself to drive down to Greenville for the show.  Till next time....

Local H Setlist

The guy who filmed this was standing 2 people in front of me.  I normally don't like people filming shows, but he was against the wall, very unassuming, and most importantly, not blocking anyone.  Video and audio on this is great.

Here Comes The Zoo Set

Encore

The Crap Facts:

This is my 481st concert.
The Radio Room is the 132nd venue I've seen a concert in.
This is my 2nd show in Greenville.
This is my 5th show in South Carolina.
This is my 284th concert in the US.
This is my 6th Local H show.

The Menzingers, Touche Amore & Screaming Females @ The Underground

So it's another show where I am into the opening acts and have no idea about the headliner.

I had the fortune of seeing the Screaming Females on Last Call with Carson Daly many years ago.  They seemed awesome and not long after we moved to Charlotte I was lucky enough to see them at the Milestone, where they absolutely killed it.  The last time they were in Charlotte I already had tickets to Bloc Party, so to hear they were going to play with Touche Amore I was stoked.  The band came on stage to little fanfare, and proceeded to plough through 7 songs in a half hour set.  Melissa Paternoster is a powerhouse!  How that commanding voice comes out of that small frame defies logic, all while tearing up the guitar.  I remember thinking the band still sound great, but now more polished than the punier 2013 show.  As I age I find I am not learning song names anymore, but I need to for this band, because their set was great.  I need to listen to my Live at The Hideout record, as well as the All At Once record I bought at the show.

Screaming Females Setlist

It's been just on a year since I discovered Touche Amore, and was glad I saw them blow Thrice off the stage in the same venue this time last year.  Opening for another band was not a problem bringing the people in to see this great band.  From the get go, Touche Amore were rocking.  And the crowd responded in kind.  Although a short set, they played a lot of songs familiar to me, with Rapture (early in the set) a crowd pleaser.  I need them to come back and headline their own show, as Flowers and You closing the set after after 40 minutes just left you wanting more.

Touche Amore Setlist

The Menzingers are a band I've not come across, and here they are playing a whole album, On The Impossible Past, to celebrate a 10th anniversary.  A good size crowd arrived early to see Screaming Females and Touche Amore, but now they were all packed in close to the front.  The Menzingers are a fun punk / pop band whose fans are dedicated.  Drew and I seemed to be the only people in the venue that didn't know this band.  There was a lot of synchronized pogoing happening early in the set, which (I don't know why) I find off putting in a band Rise Against does it with cross stage skipping....I know I know, I'm just a cranky old man.  The songs seemed good, but there was no stand out for me, and Drew and I left before it was all over. Having said that - as always - Menzinger fans looked like they were having a blast.  It just didn't float my boat.  All in all a good night though, and considering I don't have tickets for any other shows, I'd be happy if this was my last concert of the year.....though I can always see more.

The Menzingers Setlist

The Crap Facts:
This is my 480th concert.
This is my 8th show at The Underground
This is my 96th show in Charlotte
This is my 114th show in North Carolina.
This is my 283rd concert in the US.
This is my 2nd Screaming Females show.

This is my 2nd Touche Amore show

The Menzingers are the 553rd band I've seen

Melvins @ The Visulite

After the fiasco of missing Billy Bragg last week, because I had Covid, it's good to be back at a concert again.  

I arrived at The Visulite just in time to get earplugs in, as Buzz walked off stage after doing a sound check.  I had a great spot in the small front area, right in front of Buzz.  And it's a good size crowd (considering it's Charlotte on a Tuesday).  It was only 10 minutes later the Melvins were back on stage, to a pretty good sized crowd.  As much as I love to see the Melvins, I still know so few songs, except for anything off the Houdini album.  The Flipper cover Sacrifice was a great start and it wasn't long before the much loved Lizzy was played.  Man that's such a good song.  And it plays even better live.  The Melvins dynamics remind me a lot of Dinosaur Jr on stage.  Buzz is all business (like J. Mascis), while Steven is having his own private party - especially covering (?) Red Kross' Charlie - (like Lou Barlow), and in between Dale drives and balances the 2 (like Murph).  It's a great dynamic, though it makes it hard to keep your eyes on just one performer.  My other highlight came close tot he end of the set with a Hooch and Honey Bucket double.  I'd pay money just to see Honey Bucket on it's own - an absolute all time favorite song - and tonight did not disappoint.  If Covid hadn't made me so tired all the time I'd go to Greenville tomorrow night just to hear that song.  Just over the hour mark, Melvins finish with With Teeth and a pretty good sized Charlotte crowd had been suitably rocked.

This is the 3rd time I've seen the Melvins in Charlotte, as well as a Buzz solo show.  They are one of few bands that always include Charlotte on their tours (as well as doing a show at the Cat's Cradle) and I am forever grateful.  Most bands tend to play Chapel Hill or Asheville and skip Charlotte, but I'm sure it won't be long till the Melvins come back through town, and I look forward to being there.

Melvins setlist

The Crap Facts:

This is my 479th concert.
This is my 12th show at The Visulite
This is my 95th show in Charlotte
This is my 113th show in North Carolina.
This is my 282nd concert in the US.
This is my 10th Melvins show.

Jim Jefferies @ Ovens Auditorium

As always it's hard to describe what happens at a comedy show because most of the time your still laughing from the last joke to fully understand what is currently going on.

Jeffries was awesome, as expected.  We've never invited anyone to a Jim Jeffries show before because, even though they would be friends of ours, you don't know how people would react to some of the jokes.  But once you realize he is antagonistic to everyone, it's easy to enjoy the show.   I took Mike with me as A was out of town for work and he loved it.  He's now had the double dose of Aussie culture with Celeste Barber, and now Jim Jeffries.  As an expat I loved the bits about Coon cheese and Golden Gaytimes - and picking on the dude in the front row from some Sydney private school (you tell the Aussies in the crowd - we all booed him).  A shout out has to go to both of Jeffries openers but particularly the Aussie bloke (whose name slips my mind), who did a great little set about Queen Elizabeth, a day after her death.  It was respectful, but funny, but could only possibly be the first time he had done it given the time frame.

A great night, can't wait for the next tour.

Jack White & Cautious Clay @ CMCU Amphitheater

An actual nice summer evening in Charlotte and A & I get to the venue early enough to catch Cautious Clay open the evening.  A mix of soul, R&B, jazz and smooth rock, this guy is talented.  In the space of a 45 minute sand he sang with the voice of an angel, played guitar, saxophone and clarinet.  We even got a bit of beat-box-flute.  Definitely not the kind of opener I'd match with what was about to happen, but a good start nonetheless.

A DJ who spoke louder than the music playing filled the space as road crews broke down and set up, and I knew the set was going to be great when he played Melvins' Honeybucket to bring Jack White and band onto the stage.  The band started with a warm up jam and when White arrived on stage, engines were already at 60 and within seconds exploded to 100.  Taking Me Back had the crowd going from the beginning.  Black Math, 3 songs in, was a barn burner, as would be all the White Stripes songs he played.  A mid-set Hotel Yorba and Fell In Love With A Girl was a highlight for the night for me.  It took us back to 2003 seeing the White Stripes in Vegas not long after we moved there.  White played tight with the band.  Sometimes it looked like they were just playing for each other and not a 3,000 strong sold out crowd.  Yet the energy the four-piece put out was pulsating.  There was no rest for band or crowd alike until after We Are Going To Be Friends and I'm Slowly Turning Into You finished the set.  It was a quick break before the band were back on and the Raconteur's Steady As She Goes got the crowd going again.  What's The Trick from his latest album preceded the last song.  Everyone knew it was coming but I wasn't expecting the high energy reaction to Seven Nation Army that Charlotte gave.  Was a great finish to a great night.

I've now seen The White Stripes, The Raconteurs & Jack White, and would happily go back tomorrow to see any of them again.

Jack White Setlist

The Crap Facts:
This is my 478th concert.
This is my 13th show at CMCU Amphitheater
This is my 94th show in Charlotte
This is my 112th show in North Carolina.
This is my 281st concert in the US.
Cautious Clay are the 551st band I've seen
Jack White is the 552nd band I’ve seen.

Jack White is the 200th time I've seen a band in North Carolina.

Litchfield Beach

The end of another summer and it was back down to our favorite beach spot for a week of sun and sea.  We did nothing exceptional but basically went from condo, to beach (where again we used the cabana provided by Sand & Sea), to pool with variations only out to dinner (Hot Fish Club in Murrell's Inlet - ok but we always forget how overpriced Murrel's Inlet is, J. Peters - a first time bar & grill - a good meal, Chive Blossom - every year, always the best and BisQit - another new casual place and we are big fans) and our favorite donut (Parlor) and ice cream places (Paradice).  

So little did we do, that I only took 1 photo of the week.

MDB&L @ Paradice Ice Cream, Pawleys Island, SC