Music and art events In Philly you won’t want to miss – (article)
February 27, 2012
Springsteen exhibit at the Constitution center in Philadelphia.
Music and art events In Philly you won’t want to miss – Philadelphia events | Examiner.com.
Kings of Leon in Philadelphia
April 26, 2009
5 minute commute to the stadium but stupid fuck here forgot her cash and God forbid the stadium parking lots upgrade to that crazy modern technology called Credit Card Machines.
My seats are not so bad; I’m on J Rod side kinda in the middle on the end. I am a walking audio-visual geek armed with my phone, my flip video camera and my digital camera. I am also wearing glasses that are not strong enough but look cool. I’m also wearing what I affectionately call my Sally Jessie Raphael’s that I bought at the dollar store. Basically they are equal to the planetarium telescope as far as magnification is concerned. I love them, but I look like a 5-year-old Jared Followill, sans white dinner coat. And do I have both pair on my head at the same time? Why yes I do, thank you very much.
Stream of Consciousness
Watchmen on, Nathan was right they are awesome.
This is my kind of music.
There are 20 musicians on the stage. Looks like half of them keep wandering on and off the stage. Interesting concept.
The lead singer is tall as hell; HE’s probably 6’2. They kinda look like frat boys.
No tight jeans.
Here comes some random dude again. The triangle player, wonder if he gets any chic’s with that as his instrument; and what about the groupie who sleeps with him at the end of the night? What is that conversation with your friends like?
Oh my God, I totally hooked up with a dude in the band!
Oh yeah? The drummer?
Umm, no the triangle player.
Wha?
OK update on the wondering musicians. Turns out they are the horn section, and the triangle player is also in the horn section. Phew!
Major drunk girl sitting behind me! This could definitely be worse then the tool kit from the MSG concert. F-bomb in a high pitch squeal with a Philly accent is like nails on a chalkboard. NOTE TO SELF: Stop saying fuck in public so much and be conscious of saying YES and not YEEH. This chick makes me want to be a better woman.
Horns are amazing! Watchmen are rocking. Seriously, I love it when a band makes me say hmm, must hear more. The lead singer has a great voice and the music sounds awesome.
Gah!!! It’s the Walkmen!!!! I never get it right. It’s the Yogi Berra in me. Sorry guys u rock though, even if your not super heroes.
I wonder if they “rent out” the horn section for the gig, this band cannot be this big.
Really mixed crowd, young/old/gross/ not so gross/drunk/sober…
Dear God:
Please no tall Dudes in front of me this time? Thank you! Love you! Bye. Click. Dial tone (I am determined to make that joke work).
Walkman just held that note for a good 1 ½ minutes?!
What lungpower…wonder how long he can swim under water.
Very nice girl just sat down next to me…no doubt we will be BFFs by the end of the night. Happens every time. No one can resist my charm.
Horn section whistles too. Is that extra in the rental contract? Yes! The horn section is a rental from NYC and this is their last night with the Walkmen.
Walkmen have finished.
And the roadies take over. Man, they work fast. What is all the equipment I mean so much is involved with setting up. I wonder how it makes the band feel knowing how many people depend on them for their own careers. I don’t really know how it works but really it as a reflection on their success as musicians. If you look at it on a business level it is amazing! All the way down to those assholes in the parking lot that don’t take credit cards. Does this affect their decisions as a band? That’s a lot to carry on your shoulders.
It looks like all the Flyers fans came straight from the game over to the concert. They are all wearing their bright orange t-shirt. Thank God I chose not to wear the orange hunting vest. Caleb’s poor guitar would be so confused and have a hard time finding me.
Even some of the roadies wear skinny jeans!
I swear I keep thinking I gotta pee then when I go it’s not even enough for a drug test. IGNORE THE URGE CHRISTINA! I wonder what happens if one of the guys has to go? Is it like the puke thing and they go in a bucket? These are the types of questions I would ask if I were to interview them for Rolling Stone magazine. Oy, so sick of the canned question/answer shit I keep reading over and over. Pee breaks, the people need to know!
It is 9:01. Heads up peeps, the zoom on my flip sucks.
Jared has a new guitar, black. That’s all I can tell u about it. It’s black and its cool. It looks just like the white one but its black. Hey man, I know my guitar shit what can I say.
What is up with Philly chicks? Cover the fuck up! Am I old? There is way too much cleavage in this joint and not good cleavage. It just looks slutty…and fake…and cold…I mean come on, the girls who are like 2pds and have huge fakers look like they’re gonna tip over at any second. Not even an ass as a counter-weight. Bring back the 70s real boobs no bras. Speaking of that whatever happened to Nathan’s pink drum kit? It was so cool and it always reminded me to do my monthly breast exams.
Are my jokes too obscure? Does anyone get them? Fuck it. I’m all ROFLOL over my bad self.
Lights down…getting so excited!!!!
Ugh, obstructed Jumbotron again…WTF?
Hot Dude Alert: 3 rows down…oh no, he’s wearing PINK underwear. To me that say’s “I have a secret!” Drums yes, undies no.
There are major amounts of duct tape used by the roadies. If they run out I have plenty in my trunk.
Oh, drunk girl you are like Katherine Hepburn in A Philadelphia Story, a class act.
A fight just broke out in the GA section! I just saw some girl flailing her arms around. Girl fight? Oh God. Here comes security. The crowd is pointing out the instigator to the guards. You’ve been thrown under the bus dude! He is now being escorted out. Did that girl fight him? That’s hysterical.
One of the stadiums has or had a jail and a court, but I can’t remember which one.
And cue the church music!
Here they come!!!
Crawl
Matt is wearing a vest. Apparently vests are very popular with the ladies and they will all be happy to hear he is wearing one.
Oh this just sounds awesome!!!!
Taper Jean Girl
Trying to take video, I have a clear view. The girl in front of me is like 4’9”. Caleb height.
My Party
Can we trade that in for McFearless? No?
Molly’s Chambers
Red Morning Light
Oh sweet! Didn’t expect that. This crowd seems to know the older stuff, where as the MSG crowd not so much. Everyone is buying all their older albums now I guess. I became a fan at BOTT and did the same thing. I think Aha Shake is my fav. But Fans and bucket LOVE those songs.
California Waiting
Harsh light in my eyes, I am now blind.
FANS!
Yay!!! Crowd Loves this!
Finally the smell of Pot where the hell has that been? I was starting to wonder? Oh wait, don’t think it’s the crowd…nope…its Nathan.
MILK
Another one I love.
(I will punch drunk girl and then be escorted out, but it will be worth it).
4 KICKS
Ah yes, I ordered up this one special for my gals. You know who u are ; )
Hmm Caleb just gave himself a little chest rub, OK. Well it looked like that from here.
Caleb says a few words. Says he’s impressed by the crowd and hopes they sing along. Which means…
…Sex on Fire
Zzzzzz…My new bff Natalie and I are in agreement this is not our favorite. So we chat.
Philly folk are enjoying it, fun to watch.
Bucket
Geek boys in the row in front of me are rubbing each other’s bald spots. True fact.
Notion
I requested some ass wiggles and he ain’t delivering. But the jeans are nice and tight. So damn tight I would say the man is a boxer-brief dude maybe? Hmmm. He’s got some big ass feet too, at least in those boots.
ON CALL
This is the very first song of theirs I heard on the radio. Perk my head up moment. Sold!
Another fight?! This time it’s right next to me. The guard is screaming at the guy. I missed the whole thing. He’s not getting kicked out though, just a verbal ass-whoop.
Cold Desert
Matt sure knows how to make that song sound purdy. Damn he is good. The best thing those brothers ever did was kidnap him from Oklahoma.
Caleb thanks the Walkmen.
Use Somebody
Ugh guy in front of me keeps bending down to talk to his incredibly short girlfriend and obstructing my view. I knew there would be a catch. He’s like 6’2”ft. Caleb’s wishful thinking height.
Does Jared realize the audience is behind him? He spends the whole time facing the amps. Is there a mirror attached to them or something?
Slow Night So Long
Matt is gonna need some Tylenol tonight. Major head banging.
Oh no! drunk girl just fell and tried to bring my pants with her!!! How come I get accosted at all the KOL shows I go to? Well 2, but whatever.
Natalie and I chat before the encore. She is a super fan much like me and it turns out she reads my blog! She went to MSG too. We both agree this concert definitely has a better crowd.
Some royally stoned girl next to her tries to speak to me, but I have no idea what she’s saying. I just nod and smile.
CLOSER
KNOCKED UP
Caleb is trying to say something to the crowd but everyone is freaking out. He stops and laughs then continues. Humble words much like MSG.
MANHATTAN
DEVIL SONG
Does this song have a name yet?
BLACK THUMBNAIL
Oh I love this song!!! My last shot at seeing an ass wiggle. Matt plays the shit out of this song. I think I’m having a religious experience. Seriously, he can play. His abilities are best described in my very first article about KOL, titled Kings of Leon; you can find it on my blog. I’m in heaven. No lie it’s like we just made out!
No ass wiggle WTF…oh Caleb…how could you. My horny heart is broken.
And that’s it they wave good-bye! I’m sad…its over.
Its like Christmas morning, you anticipate the day for so long. Each song is like a gift that you eagerly want to open or hear in this case. You are so excited but before you know it all the gifts are open; all the songs are played and that special day is over. I will watch the video over and over but it’s never the same as being in the moment. Hopefully, they will return and I will still believe and never lose that feeling of excitement and anticipation. I’m off to call my friends much like I did when I was little, and tell them all about the wonderful gift the boys brought to my hometown.
Thank you, Thank you…you are blessed and loved!
For a city that’s known for its artery clogging cheese steaks, snowball attacks on Santa and one too many movies on aging boxers, we can proudly add excellent indie musicians to that list. Don’t get me wrong, I die for our cheese steaks and our tough guy persona but it’s nice to see we have some bohemian in us as well.
Philly’s own Rachael Yamagata, Andrew Lipke, and Matt Duke put on an excellent show for a great cause. WXPN’s Musicians On Call is a non-profit organization that brings live music to the bedsides of patients through weekly programs at area hospitals. XPN is a member-supported radio from the University of Pennsylvania. The concert was held at the stations own World Café Live facilities located on Penn’s campus.
Due to a photo pass mishap, I am sad to say I missed Matt Duke’s performance. I can only go by the overheard word, but the buzz around the lobby (as I waited for the powers that be figure out who messed up) seemed to be excellent for the up and coming local artist.
Luckily, the mayhem settled and I was able to catch all of Andrew Lipke’s performance. This young fella’s latest album, Motherpearl and Dynamite, has been getting more and more play on my IPod and his performance last night has me setting it on repeat. A mix of Jeff Buckley falsetto moments mixed with a generous portion of hard rock makes an excellent recipe for a great live performance. What more could a girl ask for.
Andrew’s band mates include; Joe DiVita on Bass/Vocals, Krista Nielsen on Cello/Keyboard/Vocals, Dave Perrin on Drums/Keyboard, and Joe Vasile on Guitar. Krista’s cello performance on Get It Over With, turned this simple melody with catchy lyrics into a unique experience for the audience. She works that thing like a… Stradivarius?
Hearing Mind Games live definitely was the catapult for my new obsession. Although, the World Café live is an excellent venue, this song begs to be played in a stadium setting. I want to hear more songs like that from this man. Sadly, 30 minutes is way too short for an Andrew Lipke experience but I can say without a doubt Andrew and his band did not disappoint.
After a short video about Musicians On Call, Rachael Yamagata took the stage looking adorable with her variation on a Princess Leia hairdo. It’s hard to believe this petite beauty has a voice that delivers the type of sound that could rattle the rafters but I definitely felt the rumble.
My first thoughts were are there any instruments she can’t play? She effortlessly glided from piano, to electric guitar and acoustic guitar. At one point I could have sworn I saw her heading for the drum kit, but I was mistaken.
Rachael played a healthy portion of songs from her latest album Elephants…Teeth Sinking Into Heart, and her previous album Happenstance. The first song out of the gate was Elephant, a lyrically beautiful song and a perfect start to a progressively superb set. I was happy to hear some of my choice favorites including Faster and Worn Me Down.
Her performance was interspersed with stories of her new found love for the Eagles (a requirement to live in this city), her emotional reaction to our newly appointed President and her regrets for wearing pants that were too tight. The crowd was clearly there for her and graciously laughed at her tales and swayed to her music.
Although, the evening did not look promising to start, it was well worth the effort. Each musician gave a stellar performance and all for a worthy cause. I look forward to seeing what these hometown rockers bring to the table in the future. No doubt something that will make their Philly family proud.