We Were Promised Jetpacks and The Twilight Sad at Skully's Music Diner, Columbus, Ohio, on October 22, 2014.

VENUE: I have been to nearly every other musical venue in Columbus, Ohio in the past 20 some odd years, but somehow had never made it to Skully's. I always wondered how they pull off the bar/restaurant/music venue thing. They do it well -- tables and bar in front. Another bar in back with a medium sized stage and standing room for a few hundred folks. Nice. The stage is raised and the room wide, so it is fairly easy to get good sight lines.

MERCH: Both bands had a nice selection of t-shirts, LPs, and CDs. I bought the latest CD by WWPJ for $15. More on that later.

OPENER: The Twilight Sad are a post-punk folk-alternative-noise band (does that describe them? Yeah, sure) from Scotland. They are friends of WWPJ. Enjoyable vocal and instrumental interplay. Enjoyable.

HEADLINER: I was first introduced to We Were Promised Jetpacks when they opened for Jimmy Eat World at the Newport Music Hall in ~ 2011. I REALLY love "Quiet Little Voices" and "It's Thunder and Lightning", had not seen them since that earlier show, knew they had a new album, and knew it was time to see them again. I was very pleased -- the new material was terrific, the early stuff sounded great, they cranked through the tunes I love, and put on a really good show. Adam Thompson's vocals sounded really good -- love that Scottish accent too. Very much what I was hoping for in a WWPJ show!

     Adam Thompson (vocals and guitar) and Darren Lackie (drums) signed at the merch table after the show. I told them I really enjoyed the show and told them of first hearing them at the Jimmy Eat World show. Darren stated he loved that tour as Jimmy Eat World was one of his favorite bands growing up. They both signed their new CD for me. Nice! Adam wrote "Thank you!". 

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

 James Graham of The Twilight Sad

 James Graham of the Twilight Sad

 We Were Promised JetPacks

 I couldn't resist taking this picture. Just humored by the interesting appearance of silhouettes and hair.

 Adam Thompson of We Were Promised Jetpacks

 We Were Promised Jetpacks

 Adam Thompson of We were Promised Jetpacks

We Were Promised Jetpacks

Meat Puppets and Cass McCombs at A+R Music Bar, Columbus, Ohio on October 24, 2014.

     I was excited to hear Meat Puppets were coming to town. Somehow I have missed their other shows in town and was excited to see them. The certainly have influenced many other bands (including Nirvana), been on cool labels (SST), and have quite the body of work. Glad they came to town!

VENUE: The A+R Music Bar is one of my favorite spots to catch a concert. Good sight lines, convenient location, and I can often park a few minutes walk away for a few quarters!

OPENER: I have heard of Cass McCombs but not heard his stuff. He performed with another guitar/slide player, bassist, and drummer. Cass sang and played guitar. Enjoyable set.

HEADLINER: Meat Puppets -- I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that "let's pick a band name" conversation -- came on about 9:30. The founding brothers, Curt Kirkwood (vocals and guitar) and Cris Kirkwood (bass and vocals), still lead the band. They had a drummer and guitarist with them. Each of the musicians played really well. When you hear the band name "Meat Puppets" and hear they started as a punk band, it is easy to think you are gonna hear something like Black Flag's early songs. In fact, there is prog rock, Texas country, and some jazz elements to their sound. They are not playing a 2 minute song that is screamed such that you cannot hear the lyrics. Instead, you are likely to hear long instrumental interludes that capture the audiences' attention. Goo stuff! The band played for about 1 1/2 hours.

     I was happy to try out my new camera at this show: a Canon G16. Small but with a quick shutter and nice lens. I am happy with the photos -- considering the lighting. 

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars. Happy I went!

 Cass McCombs

 Cass McCombs

 Cris Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

 Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

 Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

 Meat Puppets

Meat Puppets from side of stage at the A+R Music Bar.

Pearl Jam at Joe Lewis Arena, Detroit, Michigan October 16, 2014

      I have listened to quite a bit of Pearl Jam music over the years, but had never seen them live. So when the 2014 tour was announced, I knew I wanted to go see them. That proved a little tricky. Ultimately, my best bet was to see them in Detroit on October 16, 2014 at Joe Lewis Arena. I love a couple things about the Detroit area: 1. Dearborn Music for CDs and LPs and 2. Buddy's Pizza (Dearborn location) for delicious pizza. I am grateful I was able to get to the store, the pizza restaurant, and the show. Nice!

VENUE: The Joe Lewis Arena in downtown Detroit has seen some amazing sporting events (the rafters are filled with Red Wing banners) and concerts. I am happy I was able to see a show here before it closes in a couple years. Eddie Vedder mentioned they were excited to play here and thought the banners added to it's excellent acoustics. I was sitting "center ice" in the 7th row in the lower bowl. Nice seats.

MERCH: Wow! These guys have more t-shirts at a show than anyone! I love Springsteen, but often the t-shirts are mediocre and I have to decide if I would ever wear it later. With the Pearl Jam merch, the issue is not spending too much as they have a lot of cool stuff -- one-of venue posters, great t-shirts, and more. I bought a nice tour shirt for $30.

     I have seen Bruce Springsteen 18 times and have 1879 (!!) Bruce Springsteen with/without the E Street Band songs on iTunes (most of those live shows). If Bruce plays something obscure in concert, I get excited -- and at least on one occasion, cry tears of joy with the guy I just met sitting next to me. When Pearl Jam opened the show with two songs I was not familiar with, I got a little nervous. But fear not, as the show unfolded, they played one great song after another. And they played great songs I wanted to hear ("Alive", "Corduroy", "Dissident") and some awesome covers ("Detroit Rock City", "Baba O'Reilly", and "Kick Out the Jams"). I was very impressed. The fans loved them, the band seemed genuinely excited to play, and the show lasted three hours. Everyone -- band and fans -- seemed spent at the end of the show. I am guessing everyone went home happy.

My rating: If I had the fortune to catch a guitar pick or get a set-list, I would rate this a 5. But I am trying to save those 5s for the "blew me away" shows. This was close. I rate it a 4 out of 5.

 Pearl Jam at the Joe

 Eddie Vedder and bandmates in Detroit

 Screen capture.

 Nice lens placement!

 Eddie Vedder

 Pearl Jam near end of show in Detroit.

Pearl Jam's Twitter pic of set list from Detroit.

Bryan Ferry at the Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania on October 4, 2014.

     Sometime in the early '80s, I heard "Love Is The Drug" by Roxy Music. Then the album 'Avalon' by Roxy Music came out and I fell in love with the album and the band. I (obviously) love live music and it always pained me that I had never seen a Roxy Music or Bryan Ferry show. I do not ever remember thinking "Oh, if I just drove to Detroit I could see them". So I was very happy when Bryan Ferry announced his tour and the Philadelphia (Upper Darby actually) show was a possibility. It was my 52nd birthday. What a great show for my birthday!
VENUE: The Tower Theater has a cool history. I am a devotee of Bruce Springsteen, and he has had some epic shows there since the early '70s. I found the venue quite cool -- love the big marque out front. The parking is a challenge. There are NO public parking lots around the area -- or if so, a half hour of driving around and internet searches did not uncover them. That does not spoil the fun but something to think of if you are traveling here. I found a metered spot about 2-3 blocks away on a side street despite it being a busy Saturday evening in Upper Darby.
     I had purchased my ticket on StubHub -- front row and just a couple seats left of center stage. Awesome!
MERCH: They were selling a number of Bryan Ferry CDs, a DVD, three t-shirts, and a reusable bag. They also had a few Dawn Landes CDs and her EP of covers. Dawn came out to meet fans and sign CDs between her opener and the headliner, but I missed it. I bought a cool 'Avalon' t shirt for $35 and a Landes CD and EP for $25.
OPENER: Dawn Landes opened the show. Lovely voice! It was just Dawn, her acoustic guitar, and another woman accompanying her on electric guitar. Dawn has a few albums out and an EP of covers (Springsteen, Roxy Music, and others). Her voice sounded great in the Tower. Her guitar work and her accompanist were quite good. Ms. Landes' material was quite good on this first listen. I was very impressed with her cover of "Moon River" -- she told a story of working in Branson, Missouri singing backup for Andy Williams. Her vocals were hauntingly beautiful. Wow.
HEADLINER: Bryan Ferry came out looking very dapper in a multicolored sport coat, black textured tuxedo pants, and a dress shirt. The band consisted of two guitarists, a bassist, drummer, keyboards, a multi-instrumentalist, and three singers. They opened with the "Re-make/Re-model", the first track on the very first Roxy Music album from 1972. From there, they did 20 more songs, covering solo and Roxy Music material.
     I was impressed throughout the night how good Bryan Ferry sounded. Although I heard a few gripes about the sound in the lobby from some fans, I thought the band sounded great and performed the material in an excellent manner. That many musicians really filled the soundstage. Many of the songs were done in a straightforward style with one of the few exceptions being "More Than This" ('Avalon'), late in the show. Despite that, it was lovely and cool.
     Highlights for me: "Slave to Love", "If There Is Something", "Oh Yeah", "Don't Stop The Dance", "Avalon", and Love Is The Drug". Many of the older Roxy material or Ferry solo material that was not familiar with in fact sounded great and the whole show flowed along.
     Sorry to anyone sitting behind me -- I may have annoyed those folks as I stood for 98% of the show. It had to be done.
     The set list used by Bryan Ferry during the show was right in front of me on the stage. As soon as the last song was played, I grabbed it. The perfect end of a great concert! Of note: probably 12 other set lists were handed out to fans. Wow!
My rating of the show: 5 out of 5 stars.

Dawn Landes

Dawn Landes

Mr. Bryan Ferry

Bryan Ferry (right) with bassist and multi-instrumentalist.

Bassist high fixed me at end of show.

Bryan Ferry and some of the band.

Some of the band.

Backup Singers

Bryan Ferry

Set List for Bryan Ferry. They added a song at the end: Emotions of You.

Joywave at the A+R Music Bar, Columbus, Ohio. September 29, 2014.

     Joywave is a band from New York that plays electronic based alternative music with an upbeat tempo. I have really enjoyed them since I heard "Tongues" earlier this year on CD102.5 in Columbus, Ohio. I think their combination of interesting vocals, excellent musicianship, and lyrics make them very appealing. I was looking to see them on this tour and glad they made it to Columbus, opening for St. Lucia at the A+R Music Bar. The show was sold out.
     From my understanding, the band has some digital downloads available on Soundcloud, an EP on iTunes, and a full CD coming out soon. The had a t-shirt, a free promo poster, a 45, a "Tongues" (with 3 other songs) 12" vinyl disc, and a vinyl 12" EP.
     The band played songs from the EP, some new yet-to-be-released songs, and closed with "Tongues". The vast majority of the songs were fun to listen to, dance-able, and very well played. The vocals, synth work, and drums sounded really good live -- better even. It reminded me of conversations I have had with my teenage sons about how good Foster the People and Passion Pit sound live -- better than the recordings. Really good stuff.
     I do not say this very often: this band is gonna play headlining shows before thousands in the next few years. They have got "it". Just keep performing the songs this well, keep writing new material as good as you have done so far, and keep up the touring. I will say "I saw them a few hundred people back in 2014". I even think the band name is cool.
     One note: I wish the band had come over to the merch table after they played and St. Lucia went on. There was over a half an hour. I stood there waiting. I wanted to get a t-shirt and have you guys sign a promo poster for me. But no one ever manned the merch table. I was standing there for so long with my New Order concert shirt on, I was presumed to be the "merch guy" and was repeatedly asked questions about things. I will catch you next time you come to town. And you, the readers of this blog, should catch them soon too. Great stuff. These guys are really worth the listen! [Note: I left before St. Lucia completed their set, so I presume someone manned the merch table after the show, but I cannot vouch for that -- there table had not been manned before the show either.]

Paul Weller at the House of Blues, Cleveland, Ohio September 7, 2014

     I have listened to Paul Weller's music over the years and looked forward to a chance to see him live. I discovered he was playing in Cleveland while reading a free local publication while in Cleveland in July. I was very happy to be able to attend. I bought a front-row center seat on StubHub.
VENUE: I have been to this venue before for one of the Gospel Brunch session on a Sunday. It is a nice venue, close to much of what is going on in downtown Cleveland with easy access to parking, other attractions, and the highway. The set up for the show was seating down front and in the balcony with standing on the sides and back.
MERCH: Had some nice items -- t-shirts, CDs. I bought a tour t-shirt.
OPENER: The band Chamber Strings opened up. I love these guys and girls! Nice cross between alternative rock and barroom blues. Apparently, they are from Akron, Ohio. Nice set! I hope to see these guys again! Note: the bassist commented on my Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds shirt and we discussed me seeing their show this summer. This shirt has attracted more attention from bands!!
HEADLINER: Paul Weller came out and he and the band flew right into their set. He also nodded at my t-shirt when he came out! Goodness! He was right in front of me on stage. Full band with a great sound -- you can tell they had played these songs together on tour and were in fine form. Solo material, "My Ever Changing Moods" (Style Council), and "Start!" and "Town Called Malice" (the Jam) made up the setlist -- and it was a very nice career retrospective. Mr. Weller was in good voice all night. Excellent energy from the band.
     Paul was dropping guitar picks, not throwing them in the crowd. The first one that dropped near me, I grabbed. Then he kept dropping more. A woman next to me got one, I got one for Ken, and one for the nice guy next to me. Wow!
     The band closed with "Town Called Malice". Excellent show! Of note, the setlist lists "Wild Blue Yonder" and "Whirlpool", but Paul and the band did not play these. At the end of the show, quite a few set lists got handed or snatched by folks. I missed one. I hung around as the crowd thinned. When a noisy woman was rudely asking for one and getting gently prodded to leave by security, I asked Paul's guitar tech "Any more set lists?" and he handed me one that had been beside Paul's keyboard!
     I attended the show with my friend and huge Weller fan, Ken Zakel. We had a wonderful time!
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars!

 Chamber Strings

 Paul Weller's guitar picks

 Paul Weller

 Paul Weller

Setlist (sorry it is blurry) and the guitar pick I kept.

Twenty One Pilots at the LC Pavilion, Columbus, Ohio on September 4, 2014

     I was introduced to Twenty One Pilots by my oldest son, Sam. I have grown to really like their music, appreciate that they are from Central Ohio, and have enjoyed meeting them in the past. I have seen them four times previously: Musica in Akron in 2013, Sweetlife Festival (Maryland) in 2013, Lollapalooza in 2013, and Forecastle Festival (Louisville, KY) in 2014. I have enjoyed all of these shows, whether it was with 300 people in Akron or thousands at the festivals.
     I attended this show at the LC Pavilion with my son Sam and his girlfriend, Ally. We were up in the lawn for the show. It was a very pleasant summer night at the outdoor setup for the LC.
     The band had a voice over called "Nigel" who interacted with the audience and with Tyler Joseph, the lead singer. Although I just saw the band earlier this summer, I had never heard this "Nigel" gimmick. I found it off-putting and distracting from the show. The band normally brings such a caffeinated energy. And the between-song periods were distracting early in the show (and right before the encore) when "Nigel" spoke up. Ugh.
     Early in the show, the band did most of the big hit (by hits I mean with their fans) from their album 'Vessel'. And these were all well done. Tyler was in good voice, the synths and keyboards all sounded good, and Josh rocked out on the drums. The band was engaging and interactive with the audience. They did their normal "dualing drums out in the pit", "Tyler stands on the hands of those in the pit", and "Josh drums out in the pit" -- all really well done and up to their normal standards. In the second half of the show, they did more songs from 'Regional At Best', their earlier material.
     Oddly, late in the show they did a series of brief covers: "All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khalid, "Summertime Sadness" by Lana del Rey, and others. I found it distracting. Sam and much of the audience enjoyed it and sang along. I do not believe I have ever heard them do any sort of cover before. And I LOVE covers -- I make long playlists in iTunes of cover songs.
     One other item: I was surprised that they did no new material. Since that initial show more than 18 months ago, they have been performing material from 'Vessel' and 'Regional At Best'. I had understood they are working on new material. Since this is a "new tour", I hoped for a couple new songs (I had really hoped for that at Forecastle 2014 too). But no new material.
     A note about merch: as usual, Twenty One Pilots have some fun merch -- hats, cool t shirts, hoodies, and other items. A nice item tonight was a cool just-for-this-show poster with their logo over a State of Ohio flag -- cool.
     Sam and Ally really liked the show. It would have been really cool if it was the first time I saw them. But those outstanding Sweetlife 2013 and Forecastle 2014 shows were so good and the band was so "on" at those shows, that I left feeling let-down. If you edited out "Nigel", the covers, and some other fluff, the performances were really good. These guys put on a really great show. This was not one of them. My rating: three out of five stars.

 Twenty One Pilots

 Twenty One Pilots

 Twenty One Pilots

 Twenty One Pilots

Twenty One Pilots