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!

Concert: Barenaked Ladies, Blues Traveler, and More

 August 19, 2012 Darlings Waterfront, Bangor, Maine

11 years ago today Katie and I went to  our first concert together.  She had purchased general admission lawn tickets with a former coworker, Chris, and someone else was going with them.  She said it would be great if I could go, the lawn tickets were sold out, but I figured I could buy any ticket and stand with them on the lawn area.  However I found two lawn tickets on Craigslist cheap and bought those, I wound up selling the second ticket to another friend of Chris.

I had been to a few concerts before this day, I enjoyed them but it wasn't something I sought out to go to.  I don't have regrets but I missed out on a lot of great acts that came to Maine over the years.  I also didn't have anyone to go to shows with, that certainly has changed with Kate!  

The real reason I wanted to go was petty jealousy.  At that time Kate and I weren't really together, we were just friends, but her going to this concert with another guy, essentially, made me confront how I really felt about her.  We rode up together and when I met Chris I quickly realized that I had nothing to worry about on the jealousy side.  

We had a great time and enjoyed all four acts. I can't find Cracker's set list but I remember they played sledgehammer.  Only regret was that I didn't buy the live recording that Blues Traveler was selling.  The only other show we have been too since then where that was an option was Jewel.  I think more bands should do that. 

I did not return to this venue until September 2022 for Stevie Nicks and the venue has completely changed from what it was to what it is. 

Barenaked Ladies

Four Seconds

The Old Apartment

It's All Been Done

Boomerang

Falling for the First Time

Shopping

Too Little Too Late

For You

Blame It on Me (Acoustic)

Brian Wilson

Pinch Me

Big Bang Theory Theme

One Week

If I Had $1000000 (with John Popper)

Barenaked Rap

Encore:

Alcohol

Blue Traveler

What I Got

Things Are Looking Up

You Don't Have to Love Me

Run-Around

Carolina Blues

Cara Let the Moon

But Anyway

Hook

Big Head Todd & The Monsters

Circle

Bittersweet

Rocksteady

Broken Hearted Savior

Sexy and I Know It (with Ed Robertson)

Free Riot (with John Popper)

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

Cracker

Sledgehammer

Until Next Time!

Concert: Guns N' Roses at Fenway Park 2021

August 3, 2021 Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts 

My Cousin-in-Law Jason and I made the journey south to Fenway Park to attend out first Guns N' Roses concert.  They played not far from my house back in 1993 when I was 13 and my mom would not let me go.   A couple months later and essentially did not reunite until 2016.  Yes a version of GnR toured but with Slash and Duff it wasn't GnR.  This show was the first opportunity that I had to attend a show.

It was originally schedule for July 21, 2020 but the pandemic delayed the show until August 3, 2021.  We had seats on the side, but it was amazing, no one can tell me otherwise.  

Before the delay Smashing Pumpkins was supposed to open for them, but post pandemic we got Mammoth WVH.  They were ok, I couldn't really hear them that well and I'd never heard their music before.

We got down there, and eventually found parking, what was cool is they had official merchandise stands all around Fenway park.  You didn't have to go to the show to buy merchandise, which is pretty smart actually.  We bought t-shirts the traditions Appetite for Destruction logo tour shirts and swapped out leaving the others in the van.  

Let's be honest, Axl doesn't sound like Axl from when I was a kid, but it's still Axl Rose, and Slash is AMAZING!!  Duff is tremendous too.  We got the new song Absurd, which was just ok.  I was very surprised that we got the cover of Velvet Revolvers "Slither" it's a great song.  I was very surprised to to hear Rocket Queen, I'm a big fan of that track.  

Guns N' Roses

It's So Easy

Mr. Brownstone

Chinese Democracy

Welcome to the Jungle

Slither - Velvet Revolver cover

Double Talkin' Jive

Estranged

Live and Let Die

You're Crazy

Better

Rocket Queen

You Could Be Mine

I Wanna Be Your Dog

Absurd

Civil War

Dead Horse

Slash Guitar Solo

Sweet Child O Mine

November Rain

Knockin' On Heavens Door

Night Train

Encore: Paradise City

Mammoth WVH

Don't Back Down

Mammoth

Mr. Ed

Talk & Walk

Think It Over

You're To Blame

Stone

Distance

Epiphany

All in all it was a fantastic day finally seeing one of my all time favorite bands live.

Until Next Time!

Concert: Dierks Bentley

May 3, 2012 The Civic Center, Augusta, Maine

My ex-inlaws both retired from City of Augusta and one of the perks they each received was two sets of vouchers for two free tickets to any show at the Augusta Civic Center.  This issue is the Civic Center doesn't bring in many acts they would want to use the vouchers on.  

When this show was announced June asked me if I wanted a pair of tickets, I thought why not I like Dierks Bentley.  I was newly single though and it was a bit of a struggle to find someone to go with.  I had been commiserating with someone I had gone to school with and invited her, we had a fun time! 

I can't find the set lists or recall much about the two opening acts other then I enjoyed them.

I've been to the Augusta Civic Center for a lot of events, but this is my only concert. 

Dierks Bentley

Country & Cold Cans

Feel That Fire

Am I the Only One

Trying to Stop Your Leaving

Lot of Leavin' Left to Do

5-1-5-0

Every Mile a Memory

Settle for a Slowdown

The Woods

Up on the Ridge

Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)

Come a Little Closer

How Am I Doin'

Sideways

Home

Tip It on Back

Encore:

The Weight

What Was I Thinkin'

Eli Young Band

Will Hoge

Until Next Time!