Concert: The Heavy Heavy September 28, 2024

For the second time this year and and the 3rd time in 14 months Katie and I saw The Heavy Heavy live in concert. You can read about the other two times here:

The Heavy Heavy: July 27, 2023 Albany, New York

Boston Calling Day 3: May 26, 2024

For the first time we are seeing them in Maine, and the show was at the Portland House of Music.  This is the smallest venue that we have seen them at, however it was packed shoulder to shoulder with people.  

We got there when doors opened at 7pm, and just hung around until Fonteyn went on at 8:15pm.  At one point Kate commented that she sounded like Olivia Newton John and from that point on that was all I heard.  Near the end of her set she did a cover of Todd Rundgren's "I Saw The Light" stating he was an inspiration, and it was clear that he was.  We both really enjoyed them. 

It didn't take long for them to remove Fonteyn's equipment to get ready for The Heavy Heavy.  The hit the stage at 9:30pm and by then the crowd had really packed in.  After a few songs we moved towards the back because the quarters were a bit too tight for my liking.  The venue is small enough that you have a great view from anywhere and they just sound so awesome.

I love this new album, every song on it with "Feel" and "Wild Emotions" being my favorite 2 songs on the album.  They announced the new album a few months ago, I immediately pre-ordered a signed vinyl from their website and bought it digitally from Amazon music.  That day or the next day they announced the tour and I was pumped to see a Portland, Maine show and immediately bought tickets on the presale.

In the months leading to the show they released a few songs I loved each one.  The week before the albums September 6 release they did listen parties on Bandcamp and YouTube and I listened to both excited to hear all the songs and asked questions in the live chat.

Sometimes you go to a concert and you get disappointed that the band doesn't play your favorite song.  This was not the case.  "Feel" was every bit amazing live as I thought it would be.  I just love the guitar riff and told Will and Georgie that at the merch table.  Will told me they recorded that in one take, which is wild!  He may have meant just the guitar part, but I took it as the song.

Frank, who plays guitar, was breaking down the stage so I went and chatted with him.  Also saying how much I love that song and the guitar riff.  He thanked me and said they have only played it live a couple times and he's still getting the timing down on it and wasn't vey happy with it tonight.  I told him I know nothing about playing guitars, but I thought it sounded amazing and I loved it. 

I had brought my Life and Life Only first printing album to get signed, which they graciously did.  I also bought the tour poster and bought one of the cool felt pennants they had made up.

What I love about this band, aside from the amazing music, is every interaction I've had in person or online has been positive.  They seem to really appreciate their fans and even more so the music they are sharing with us.  

On my office wall at work I have a cool display going on.  I have all three albums signed as well as their Spring and Fall 2024 tour posters.  I REALLY love the Fall 2024 poster.  I do have the poster from the July 2023 show we went to in Albany, NY but it is not signed.

The first two albums are the 6 and 11 track versions of Life and Life Only, the subtle difference is the color of the words "Life and Life Only".  The 6 track was released in June 2022 and the 11 track expanded edition in May 2023.  I bought the expanded edition from them in Albany and had it signed there. 

 

Set List

Parakeets

Lemonade

Man of the Hills

Miracle Sun

Feel

Go Down River

Cherry

All My Dreams - Extended Instrumental

Dirt

Unknown Song

Lovestruck

Wild Emotion - with Fonteyn

Happiness

Because You're Mine - Extended Instrumental

Miles and Miles - Extended Intro

Encore:

Real Love Baby - Father John Misty cover

One of a Kind

Fonteyn

Set List - incomplete

These Days

Darlin (How Do I Let You Know?)

I Saw The Light - Todd Rundgren cover

I cannot wait to see them again.  Hopefully next time it will be at an all ages show so we can bring our son, currently 9, who would love to see them.  

While doing research for this blog I found on DISCOGS this cover art 

With the notes: Original 2020 release of the EP. This version was released independently before the band got signed to ATO Records and has different cover artwork.

Now I need to find this version because I can be a completionist and want all the versions.  So if anyone has a line on this, please let me know. 

Until Next Time!

Concert: Kathleen Edwards

Katie has been a fan of Kathleen Edwards for many years however has never been to one of her concerts.  I became a fan of her music because of Kate.  By her own admission Kathleen quit music for a long time opening a coffee shop in hometown of Ottawa, Ontario.  When she did perform it was typically in Canada, and I monitored her shows to see if we could make it happen.

Earlier this year she announced a tour with a stop at the Waldo Theatre in Waldoboro, Maine.  I had never heard of the venue before, but I quickly messaged them and they set aside two front row tickets for us.  A few people we spoke to before and after the show had never heard of the venue before either.  The original date of the show was June 23, 2024 but a delay in paperwork with customs lead to tour being postponed and the show finally happened on July 26th.

It actually worked out well because Limitless has scheduled a show on June 23rd that I didn't have to miss now, and we just got back from a week in Ocean City on June 22nd. 

We stopped at Moody's diner before the show for dinner and some treats to go.  We parked on the street just up from the venue, I'm pretty sure it was sold out.  The Waldo Theatre opened in 1936 as a movie theatre and they even still have their original 35mm projectors they used until it stopped being a movie theatre in 1957.

  

With a capacity near 400 they still screen movies, live theater, live music and other stage performances.  Our front row seats were fun because to expand the front row they add old comfy chairs instead of the standard theater seating.

I wore my Tom Petty 40th Anniversary Tour shirt, it generated many compliments and no less that a half dozen staff members told me about the Tom Petty cover band that was booked for the venue. 

 

The opening act was Matt Sucich who performed solo with his guitar.  He played a 30 minute set that was decent. I'm not familiar with his music, but we enjoyed it.  He performed with Kathleen and her band as well so he had a long night.

 

Kathleen has an amazing voice, plan and simple, just a wonderful singer /songwriter.  She played a few songs in a row before talking to the audience a bit.  She talked about stopping music for a while, opening her coffee shop, and getting back into it feeling like she's starting over.  A couple times during the show she messed up her own song and started over, it was funny and she laughed it off.    

She talked about going to Nashville after this tour to record her new album and played a couple of her new songs that she intends to record for it.  I really love these going to these concerts in such intimate settings. Kate had tagged Kathleen on Instagram at the beginning of  the show stating she had waited 13 years for this, and Kathleen mentioned it at the end of then someone else in the audience had to steal her thunder yelling out they have been waiting 19 years.

After the show she did a meet and greet, it took her about 20 minutes to come out, however only a few people stuck around.  I bought Kate a t-shirt.  We got our pictures taken with her, Kate wanted to be alone so I didn't ruin it, a nice woman offered to take a photo of all us, but I told her what Kate said and we all had a good laugh which actually made their pictures come out better.  She mentioned she would be coming back to Maine in the Spring on her tour supporting her new album. 

Setlists

Kathleen Edwards

Asking For Flowers

One More Song the Radio Won't Like

Glenfern

Goodnight, California

Hockey Skates

Empty Threat

Change the Sheets

Algorithm

Flying the Coup (I think, not 100% on this on)

Who Rescued Who

Six O'Clock News

Hard on Everyone

Mercury

In State

Encore

Back To Me

Crawling Back to You - Tom Petty cover

I don't have Matt Sucich's

Until Next Time!

Concert: Foo Fighters

On July 21st, our busy 2024 concert tour rolled into Fenway Park for the Foo Fighters!  The best part is, I won these tickets.  Back in January I completed a listener survey for 98.9 WCLZ and was shocked on January 22, 2024 when I received an email that I had won a pair of tickets for this long sold out show!

Kate didn't care about going so I took Addison.  I chose Addison over Canaan because Canaan and I had the Hockey trip in March and we have two nights of Metallica coming up in August.  

Paul, Amanda, and Sammy also had tickets and rode down with us.  Traffic was wicked thick from Freeport south to Fenway and it took 4.5 hours to go the normal 2.5 hour trip.  We got to our parking spot when Amyl and the Sniffers were taking the stage and only caught the last two songs of their set.

The Hives were outstanding!  I knew more of their songs than I thought and they really knew how to put on a show and engage with the crowd. 

The Foo Fighters went on promptly at 730pm and put on a near 3 hours set!  I can't say I would make it a point to go to another Foo Fighters concert, I'm happy to have gone, but I don't NEED to go again. 

Set Lists

Foo Fighters - Everything or Nothing At All Tour

All My Life

No Son of Mine - with Metallica's "Enter Sandman" and Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" snippets

Rescued

The Pretender

Walk

Times Like These

Generator

La Dee Da

Breakout

Band Introductions with snippets: Eruption / Thunderstruck / Sabotage / Keyboard Solo / Blitzkrieg Bop / March of the Pigs

My Hero

The Sky Is a Neighborhood

Learn to Fly

Arlandria

These Days

Skin and Bones - acoustic; Dave on guitar; Rami on accordion

Under You

Nothing at All

Shame Shame

This Is a Call

Monkey Wrench

Aurora

Best of You

Encore:

The Teacher

Everlong

The Hives

Bogus Operandi

Main Offender

Rigor Mortis Radio

Walk Idiot Walk

Good Samaritan

Stick Up

Try It Again

Hate to Say I Told You So

Trapdoor Solution

Bigger Hole to Fill

Countdown to Shutdown

Come On!

Tick Tick Boom

Amyl and The Sniffers

Balaclava Lover Boogie

Guided by Angels

Security

U Should Not Be Doing That

Got You

Hertz

Some Mutts (Can't Be Muzzled)

Until Next Time!

Concert: Boston Calling Festival, Day 3

 Kate and I went to the Boston Calling Music Festival on the Harvard Campus during Memorial Day Weekend.  We went on Sunday only and I bought tickets after it was announced that The Killers were the headliners on Sunday and that The Heavy Heavy were also performing on Sunday, two of our favorite bands!

I ended up getting us VIP tickets and it was well worth the cost.  VIP gave us access to exclusive viewing areas closer to the all of the stages, airconditioned bathrooms with running water, VIP bar area, and in the VIP free water and soft drinks.  The water was cans of liquid death, not what I expected but whatever it was free.  Talking to others Sunday was the most attended day, the GA section was packed, and we never would have gotten as close as we did nor would we have been able to move around the grounds like we wanted too.  

The set up has 4 stages, with Green being the primary followed by Red, Blue, and Orange.  Red and Green were next to each other and would not have bands playing at the same time, Orange was for locals and Blue was on the other side of the grounds and had bands performing at the same time as Red & Green so you had to choose.  The only band we wanted to see on the blue stage The Revivalists were moved to the Red stage, so we only watched acts on the Red and Green.  What was cool is from either the Green or Red Stage VIP you could see the other stage, and the music was coming out of the speakers in both areas so you could hear everything as well.  

We got parked and walked the half mile to the entrance, we got in the VIP entrance line about 1245, 15 minutes before doors opened.  We got in and checked the grounds and headed to the Green Stage VIP area in preparation for The Heavy Heavy.

Stefan Thev was the first act of the day at 1:40pm on the Red Stage, they were just ok.

The Heavy Heavy were on the Green State at 2:20pm and only had 35 minutes but there absolutely killed it playing songs we loved and we got a new song as well!  Their set was not long enough for me.

We headed to the food area next to get lunch and then to locate the VIP tent for our free beverages.  We ended up sitting on a hay bale in the shade for a while to cool down, it was wicked hot! 

 

We headed over to the Red stage VIP area to and caught the majority of Chappell Roan who was on the Green Stage from 4:05 - 5:05 she was fantastic which surprised Kate & I as we were not familiar.  The crowd loved her as well and were very into everything!  We did listen to a few of her songs the next day, and she is better live in our opinion.

Next we watched the majority of the Revivalists on the Red Stage who performed from 5:15 to 6:15.  We made our way back to the Green Stage VIP for the remainder of the event

Megan Thee Stallion was on the Green Stage from 6:25 to 7:25, she went a little over.  She is not my style of music but the audience LOVED her.  She has not band, she sang to a supporting track with back up dancers, twerked and slapped her ass a lot and cursed up a storm.  She put on a hell of a show and has amazing cardio.

Hozier was on the Red Stage from 7:35 to 9:05 and I'm glad I got see him live, but his stage show was kind of boring, and his 10 plus minute Ted Talk was unnecessary.  I wouldn't go see them again.

The headliners of the day and of the weekend were The Killers on the Green Stage, we were about 40 feet from the stage, had no one crammed around us and and had an amazing time.  Georgie from The Heavy Heavy was with a few members of The Revivalist just a few feet away from us enjoying The Killers as well.

The Killers hit the stage at 9:15 and finished up near 11pm.  They were awesome, they are tremendous live have so much energy and we have the best time at their shows.  This is our 4th time seeing the Killers.  Just a few feet away from use during the Killer's performance was Georgie from The Heavy Heavy and a couple members from the Revivalists. 

The walk out after the show was VERY rough on our feet and legs from standing all day.  The roadways were shut down so it looked like a protest march with everyone walking down the street to get to where they parked or the public transportation. 

We got to the van, I had prepaid for parking at a garage in February and paid $8, they were charging $35 that day, which is great for Boston.  We got home after 2am.  I would go back to Boston Calling again but only if the line up all day was amazing, and I would definitely get VIP again. 

Set Lists

The Killers

All These Things That I've Done

Spaceman

Jenny Was a Friend of Mine

Caution

Smile Like You Mean It

Shot at the Night

Run for Cover

Somebody Told Me

On Top

(Interrupted by Brandon due to someone in the audience needing assistance)

For Reasons Unknown

A Dustland Fairytale

(with "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by Charles Hart cover outro)

Runaways

Read My Mind

Dying Breed

When You Were Young

Encore:

Human (Electro)

Mr. Brightside

Hozier - Unreal Unearth Tour

Eat Your Young

Jackie and Wilson

To Be Alone

Dinner & Diatribes

Francesca

Like Real People Do

From Eden

Cherry Wine

Work Song

De Selby (Part 2)

Would That I

Too Sweet

Nina Cried Power

(with Melissa McMillan) (LONG history lesson about revolution etc beforehand)

Almost (Sweet Music)

Movement

Take Me to Church

Megan Thee Stallion - Hot Girl Summer Tour

HISS

Ungrateful

Thot Shit

Freak Nasty

Megan’s Piano

Gift & a Curse

Say I Yi Yi

(Ying Yang Twins cover) (Ying Yang Twins song)

Hot Girl

Kitty Kat

Cobra

Plan B

Cognac Queen

Big Ole Freak

BOA

Sex Talk

What's New

NDA

Don't Stop

Body

Savage

The Revivalists

Good Old Days

Don't Look Back

Criminal

It Was a Sin

Down in the Dirt

All My Friends

How We Move

Keep Going

Time to Pretend - (MGMT cover)

Wish I Knew You

Kid

Chappell Roan - The Midwest Princess Tour

Femininomenon

Naked in Manhattan

Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl

Love Me Anyway

Picture You

HOT TO GO!

After Midnight

Casual

Red Wine Supernova

Good Luck, Babe!

My Kink Is Karma

Pink Pony Club

The Heavy Heavy

Jamming Intro

Man of the Hills

Go Down River

All My Dreams

Real Love Baby - (Father John Misty cover)

One of a Kind

Miles and Miles

Stefan Thev

I can't find a set list

Until Next Time!

Concert: Mitski

For Addison's Christmas experience she asked to go to a play or a concert.  Then her favorite singer Mitski announced a tour and this was what she wanted to do.  Tickets went on sale in October Ticketmaster froze and crashed, they ended up adding 3 additional dates for 4 total shows at the venue.  I managed to get us tickets to the show on February 18th.

  Morning of the show I looked at available tickets and saw two in the front row center for quite cheap actually and after talking it over with Kate I bought then because Addison has been killing it in school and I would be pumped to sit front row for my favorite artist.  I didn't tell her though.

We headed out early to go to the IKEA because Addison wanted a bookcase to replace a broken one and a few other items.  They didn't have it on the display floor or where it was supposed to be in the warehouse section.  So I asked the guy at the service desk and he went out back and got it!  

We stopped at the mall on the way north to Boston and I got some cool Vans at the Vans store.  

We got parked and headed to the venue, it wasn't that cold but we didn't wait long outside before getting in.  The line to the merchandise table was huge, but it moved well enough.  Addison got a t-shirt and a tour poster.

  

Addison knew where the original seats were supposed to be, when we headed to our seats, I showed the usher our tickets and she said, "oh you've got some good ones" and then started walking us down to the front.  Addison says, "Are you going to the wrong place?"  She then pointed to our seats and Addison said, "Aren't we up there?" pointing to the first terrace.  She could not have been more excited when I told her about the upgrade I picked up that morning.

My only complaint is the stage is very high so in the front row you can't see all the members of the band on the stage.  We could see Mitski the whole time, she does performance dancing during the show while she is signing.

  

Addison loved it, she got emotional several time during the show and was just lost in the music and performance.  I feel so lucky to be there with her to have this experience.  

MGM Music Hall at Fenway Park

Sunday February 18, 2024

The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We Tour

Set List

Everyone

Buffalo Replaced

Working for the Knife

The Frost

The Deal

Valentine, Texas

I Bet on Losing Dogs

Thursday Girl

Geyser

I Love Me After You

First Love / Late Spring

Star

Heaven

I Don’t Like My Mind

Happy

My Love Mine All Mine

Last Words of a Shooting Star

Pink in the Night

I’m Your Man

I Don't Smoke

Bug Like an Angel

Love Me More

Fireworks

Encore:

Nobody

Washing Machine Heart

Tamino

The Longing

Indigo Night

Bedford

Babylon

My Dearest Friend and Enemy

Habibi

Until Next Time!

Concert: Guns N' Roses at Fenway Park 2023

 

August 21, 2023 Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts

Once again Jason and I made the journey to home of the Red Sox to see my first favorite band!  We couldn't get into out pre-paid parking until 3:30 so we didn't leave until noon 30ish and didn't rush to get down.  We stopped at Jersey Mike's in Saugus on Route 1 for lunch, it always settles well for me, and it's delicious! 

We got to the lot just after 3:30 and got parked, I hate paying $55 for parking, but it's so hard to park around Fenway it's really the best option, or risk not being able to find a spot or parking a distance away.  I changed out of my vans and into my boots, they are better for walking and long term standing.  I'm sure glad I brought a change of footwear.  

We had a short walk to Fenway park from are parking lot.  I had decided I was not going to buy a shirt, I bought one two years ago, I have enough shirts I don't need anymore...I bought a shirt.  The two times I have been to Guns N' Roses were both at Fenway and they have multiple official souvenir booths outside and inside the park.  You don't even need to have a ticket to buy merchandise.  They had this awesome white shirt and I couldn't help myself.  Jason bought a green Boston Celtics themed shirt that was event and venue specific. We decided to bring them back to Vanatu and not carry them around, good choice.

Last time we sat on the side of the stage in the stands at Fenway, it was awesome, however this time we were on the turf facing the stage and it sounded so much better!  

Doors opened at 4pm and the Pretenders hit the stage at 530pm.  They were great, they played a bunch of songs that I knew and some that I didn't.  They finished up at 630pm.  I wouldn't purposely go see them again, unless my wife wanted to go or they were opening for another band I wanted to see.

 

I read online that Gn'R was going to hit the stage at 715pm, they came out at 742pm.  It was an awesome set, in total they played a 26 song set, close to 3 hours.  During Bad Obsession it started to rain, and they it really started coming down during Slither, but it was Welcome to the Jungle when the skies opened up!  

It was so surreal being on the turf at Fenway Park in the pouring rain with several thousand people all rocking out to Welcome to the Jungle!  I pretty sure they cranked up the volume for it too.  We got several songs this time that we didn't get at the last show.  We also got to hear their second live performance of their new song Perhaps.  Last time we got the debut of "Absurd" and we didn't think it was that great, however this time around it sounded awesome, the words are still ridiculous but the guitars were strong as hell.

  

I was shocked that they played "Reckless Life", it was released on G N' R Lies however it's a cover of a Hollywood Rose song. Hollywood Rose was Axl Rose's first band that also featured Slash and former Gn'R bandmates Izzy Stradlin & Steven Adler. 

After the show we headed out to the van, we both got soaked and I mean soaked from the rain.  I swapped out my footwear for dry socks and shoes and thankfully we had the new shirts to put on as well, sadly we had to ride home in wet shorts. 

 

We stopped at Sonic Drive -In in Peabody, Mass on the ride home, we don't have one in Maine.  The burgers were spot on and we got tots, so that is a winning combo.  Got back to my house a little after 2am, it was a long but worthwhile day!

Guns N' Roses

It's So Easy

Bad Obsession

Chinese Democracy

Slither

Welcome to the Jungle

Hard Skool

Reckless Life

Pretty Tied Up

Double Talkin' Jive

Perhaps

Absurd

Rocket Queen

You Could Be Mine

Estranged

Live and Let Die

T.V. Eye (The Stooges cover) (Duff on lead vocals)

This I Love

Anything Goes

Civil War

Slash Guitar Solo

Sweet Child o' Mine

November Rain

Patience

Knockin' on Heaven's Door

Nightrain

Paradise City

Songs we got last time 

Mr. Brownstone

You're Crazy

Better

I Wanna be Your Dog

Dead Horse

Songs we got this time

Bad Obsession

Hard Skool

Reckless Life

Pretty Tied Up

Perhaps

T.V. Eye (The Stooges cover) (Duff on lead vocals)

This I Love

Anything Goes

Patience

Pretenders

My City Was Gone

Talk of the Town

Kid

Biker

Boots of Chinese Plastic

Hymn to Her

Don't Get Me Wrong

Back on the Chain Gang

Thumbelina

I'll Stand by You

Brass in Pocket

Junkie Walk

Middle of the Road

Mystery Achievement

Until Next Time!

Concert: The Chicks

August 13, 2023  Maine Savings Amphitheater, Bangor, Maine

Formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, they dropped the Dixie part in 2020, Kate really wanted to see them again.  She and her mother had gone and seen them 20 years ago in Massachusetts and she had an awesome time.  Kate's cousin Jesse went with as well, and her sister-in-law, they bought the seats right behind us.  

It was raining quite hard when we got off the exit and they delayed opening doors for an hour and delayed the opening act by half and hour.  It stopped raining before we headed down to go into the venue and it didn't rain again.  It was a beautiful night. 

The opening act, Wild Rivers, I had not heard of before, but they were decent.  They are based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I do think I heard the song they closed their set out with as it sounded familiar.

I had a great time at the show, but they played a lot from their most recent album and I'm more familiar with their catalogue of songs from their late 90's albums. I don't need to go see them again. 

The Chicks

Sin Wagon

Gaslighter

Texas Man

Julianna Calm Down

The Long Way Around

My Best Friend's Weddings

Sleep at Night

Ready to Run

Travelin' Soldier

Wide Open Spaces

Tights on My Boat

Daddy Lessons / Long Time Gone

Cowboy Take Me Away

Landslide

Rainbowland

Don't Let Me Die in Florida

March March

For Her

Everybody Loves You

White Trash Wedding

Not Ready to Make Nice

Goodbye Earl

Wild Rivers

Wandering Child

Bedrock

Speak Too Soon

If It Makes You Happy

Heart Attack

Stubborn Heart

Thinking 'Bout Love

Until Next Time!