Octopus Overlords

How did this meet up happen?

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 1:07 pm You guys know (or can tell from my forum name) how much I adore Skinny Puppy. Been listening to SP, Ogre, and various other side projects in that orbit for 25+ years now. I could go on for hours about the impact their music has had on my life, and I'd consider Ogre to be my favorite musician in the world (not named Bowie).

On Friday, I had the opportunity to spend an hour hanging out with Ogre and the rest of the band before their SLC show.

They say you should never meet your idols, as you’re bound to come away disappointed. That couldn’t be further from the truth with this guy. He’s truly a wonderful, genuine human being who was truly a pleasure to connect with. He sat and listened to all our stories about how much his music has meant to this group of dorks, and he came across as truly humbled and thankful.

I'm not generally one to fanboy over celebrities, but this was honestly a sublime experience. Oh, and their show was BRILLIANT. Seen them 5 times, and this one was easily the best.

Very cool!

Xmann wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 2:41 pm How did this meet up happen?

On this tour, Ohgr has 15 "VIP tickets" available for each show which cost a little extra ($50). Friday's show was the day after my birthday, so I decided to treat myself to the experience as a b-day present. So we got a really awesome screenprinted poster (which I got signed by everyone), got to sit in on their sound check (which was basically a private 5 song mini-concert for the 12 of us...he let us pick the songs), then do a meet and greet after.

It was extra cool because three of the other band members - Justin Bennett, Matt Setzer, and William Morrison - also play with Skinny Puppy. William has been involved in SP projects for 20+ years, and I even found out that he was one of the uncredited members of Key's Download project, as well as providing tracks for SP albums going back to "Rabies".

So while it was technically an Ohgr show, I basically got the chance to also meet everyone involved in Puppy except cEvin (great guys, all) and just shoot the shit about the history of how SP's music has evolved over the years. For example, one of the other fans had a huge SP tattoo covering his arm, the centerpiece of which was a picture of Ogre. He told this amazing 15-minute story about where that particular picture came from (a show in Romania in the mid-90's) and the story behind what was happening in his life at the time. Very cool stuff...at the end of the story, the tattoo guy was seriously kicking himself for not recording it all.

For a super-fan like myself, it was one hell of an opportunity.

wire wrote: ↑Fri Aug 17, 2018 11:17 am My wife and I went to our first real concert in over 18 years when we saw X and The Psychedelic Furs at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. We used to go to concerts all the time when we lived in Seattle but here in Monterey the bands we like usually play in San Francisco and that is just a bit to far.

did you stop at the KEXP table near the stage, by chance? i was behind that.

alright i had to miss ohGr/Lead Into Gold for stupid reasons, but here're my upcoming shows:

Sep 1
Laugh at Your Peril: 40th Anniversary Tour
Killing Joke, PIG

Sep 18 (for KEXP)
Liz Phair
Speedy Ortiz

Sep 20
DeVotchKa
Orkesta Mendoza

Sep 22
Jon Hopkins
Leon Vynehall

Sep 29 (for KEXP)
Garbage - 20 Years Paranoid Tour
Garbage, Rituals of Mine

Sep 30
Die Krupps
Chemlab

Oct 2
The Second Savage North American Tour
Gary Numan, Nightmare Air

Oct 5
Michael Gira
Norman Westberg

Oct 19 (for KEXP)
The Twilight Sad

Oct 20 (for KEXP)
Northwest World Fest 2018
Alpha Yaya Diallo, Mahonyera Mbira Ensemble, Mamadou Diabate

Oct 29
The Alarm

Oct 30 (for KEXP)
FIDLAR
Dilly Dally

Nov 4
of Montreal
Reptaliens

Nov 8
The Selecter & The English Beat feat. Ranking Roger


this is a lot of concerts for a two month span and i am not sure how many i'll have to drop...

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Tue Aug 28, 2018 3:56 am

wire wrote: ↑Fri Aug 17, 2018 11:17 am My wife and I went to our first real concert in over 18 years when we saw X and The Psychedelic Furs at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. We used to go to concerts all the time when we lived in Seattle but here in Monterey the bands we like usually play in San Francisco and that is just a bit to far.

did you stop at the KEXP table near the stage, by chance? i was behind that.

We didn't but I have been to the new KEXP station and got the tour. I try to listen to John Richards most morning and always listen to Sonic Reducer.

Cirque du Soleil: Amaluna in February.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:01 am Cirque du Soleil: Amaluna in February.

HA HA, this is gonna be you:

At least you're consistent.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:14 am At least you're consistent.

And so are you!

The Shen Yun posters have gone up around Dallas for the January performances. I will not be purchasing tickets for them a second time.

Just got booked this morning for my fourth 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise next February.

The lineup isn't doing much for me so far, but they've still got 45 more bands to announce so I'm sure something will catch my ear. As of now, Gloryhammer is the only one I'm really interested in, although Max & Igor Cavalera playing Sepultura's "Roots" album in it's entirety might be kinda cool.

Just notified that the Dead Milkmen are playing a show in NYC mid-December. Bad time of year, but it's on a Saturday night. They're on my bucket list, but I'm afraid they can't possibly live up to what my 14 year old inner self wants to see/hear.

Think I forget to mention that I'm seeing Alice in Chains tonight

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Dorothy + Greta van Fleet coming up next week in SF! Looking forward to it!

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 3:18 pm

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 1:07 pm You guys know (or can tell from my forum name) how much I adore Skinny Puppy. Been listening to SP, Ogre, and various other side projects in that orbit for 25+ years now. I could go on for hours about the impact their music has had on my life, and I'd consider Ogre to be my favorite musician in the world (not named Bowie).

On Friday, I had the opportunity to spend an hour hanging out with Ogre and the rest of the band before their SLC show.

They say you should never meet your idols, as you’re bound to come away disappointed. That couldn’t be further from the truth with this guy. He’s truly a wonderful, genuine human being who was truly a pleasure to connect with. He sat and listened to all our stories about how much his music has meant to this group of dorks, and he came across as truly humbled and thankful.

I'm not generally one to fanboy over celebrities, but this was honestly a sublime experience. Oh, and their show was BRILLIANT. Seen them 5 times, and this one was easily the best.

Very cool!

http://www.post-punk.com/nivek-ogre-ass ... ig-anyway/

According to several blogs, Nivek Ogre (aka Kevin Ogilvie) was beaten to the point of unconsciousness and suffered a broken jaw and other injuries, just mere hours before his show as ohGr in Philadelphia on September 11th.

Following the incident, the Skinny Puppy co-founder was treated at nearby hospital for a hairline fracture going across both sides of his jaw, and checked out just in time to make the gig without canceling.

Audience members that were in attendance report that Ogre did not reveal what happened until the encore, giving no indication during the set he had been assaulted and injured during “a little altercation outside”, save for the barely noticable hospital bracelet still attached to his wrist.

No one seems to know what really happened, except that Ogre’s boots were apparently ‘poking out from the side of the tour bus like the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz’.

He's here at Smalls next Tuesday. That's a bit more intimate than any show I've ever seen him play. Alas Tuesday is not for me.

Jesus, fuck Philly!

LordMortis wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 6:05 pm

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 3:18 pm

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 1:07 pm You guys know (or can tell from my forum name) how much I adore Skinny Puppy. Been listening to SP, Ogre, and various other side projects in that orbit for 25+ years now. I could go on for hours about the impact their music has had on my life, and I'd consider Ogre to be my favorite musician in the world (not named Bowie).

On Friday, I had the opportunity to spend an hour hanging out with Ogre and the rest of the band before their SLC show.

They say you should never meet your idols, as you’re bound to come away disappointed. That couldn’t be further from the truth with this guy. He’s truly a wonderful, genuine human being who was truly a pleasure to connect with. He sat and listened to all our stories about how much his music has meant to this group of dorks, and he came across as truly humbled and thankful.

I'm not generally one to fanboy over celebrities, but this was honestly a sublime experience. Oh, and their show was BRILLIANT. Seen them 5 times, and this one was easily the best.

Very cool!

http://www.post-punk.com/nivek-ogre-ass ... ig-anyway/

According to several blogs, Nivek Ogre (aka Kevin Ogilvie) was beaten to the point of unconsciousness and suffered a broken jaw and other injuries, just mere hours before his show as ohGr in Philadelphia on September 11th.

Following the incident, the Skinny Puppy co-founder was treated at nearby hospital for a hairline fracture going across both sides of his jaw, and checked out just in time to make the gig without canceling.

Audience members that were in attendance report that Ogre did not reveal what happened until the encore, giving no indication during the set he had been assaulted and injured during “a little altercation outside”, save for the barely noticable hospital bracelet still attached to his wrist.

No one seems to know what really happened, except that Ogre’s boots were apparently ‘poking out from the side of the tour bus like the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz’.

He's here at Smalls next Tuesday. That's a bit more intimate than any show I've ever seen him play. Alas Tuesday is not for me.

Yeah, that’s been (obviously) dominating the Puppy/Ohgr social media verse the last couple days. Apparently some dude basically jumped him as he was getting something from the bus. Cops found and arrested the guy later.

I’m still shocked he played the show, even apologizing for the fact he had to miss the meet & greet that night. His passion for what he does and genuine respect for his fans is pretty amazing.

Shame you can’t go. Of the 9 times I’ve seen him (between SP and Ohgr), this one was easily the best.

The venue he's playing is literally a bank vault. Z-Corn, what you say the capacity is for Smalls? 100? I only think that high because I am sure they consider the bar part of capacity for the venue even you have to walk through an alcove to get from the bar to the show floor.

That's an awesome story... (about Skinypupy meeting Skinny Puppy, not Ogre getting beat up).

I was thrilled when I saw Barker had released a new Lead Into Gold album. Age of Reason (1992) is one of my favourite albums of that era.

As a huge lifelong introvert, I'm actually preparing to go to my first metal concert next week (Alestorm with Gloryhammer opening). As big a role as music has played in my life I haven't gone to many concerts. The few I have have been stadium shows, mostly for groups Mrs. Nym likes. I'm kind of nervous. That must sound kind of ridiculous. But what if I'm not drunk enough? What if I die in a wall of death? What if I throw the horns and take out someone's eye? What if I murder the asshole in front of me waving a flag?

Sudy wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 10:39 pm As a huge lifelong introvert, I'm actually preparing to go to my first metal concert next week (Alestorm with Gloryhammer opening). As big a role as music has played in my life I haven't gone to many concerts. The few I have have been stadium shows, mostly for groups Mrs. Nym likes. I'm kind of nervous. That must sound kind of ridiculous. But what if I'm not drunk enough? What if I die in a wall of death? What if I throw the horns and take out someone's eye? What if I murder the asshole in front of me waving a flag?

I'm super jealous, have fun! Alestorm is an absolute blast live, and I'm guessing Gloryhammer will be as well. Honestly, just go with the flow, metal shows are all about people there to have a good time.

Oh, and make sure you know the words to both of these so you can sing along.


(I'm the idiot on the right in the FA shirt who tried to help up the dude who sat down during the "rowing pit" )

LordMortis wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 7:41 pm The venue he's playing is literally a bank vault. Z-Corn, what you say the capacity is for Smalls? 100?

I had to check to be sure but I actually have never been to Small's...

Alice in Chains last night.

I've always been a big fan and for some reason I've never seen them live.

Dirt and Jar of Flies is still albums I play regularly. They played several songs off each album and to say the least, I was beyond happy with the show.

My wife and I were able to get right on the rail and we had just a tremendous time.

Song highlights were Again, Nutshell, and No excuses.

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I've tried listening to their new stuff a hundred times now, but just can't get past the idea of a Layne-less AiC.

I'm not as much a fan of the newer stuff myself.

But in the absence of Staley, the older stuff holds up.

I feel a little silly posting this here, because I'm sure most of you youngsters have never heard of this guy. But Saturday night I went out to Ravinia (outdoor fancy music park) to hear Jimmy Webb.

Here's the first paragraph of his Wikipedia article:

Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "The Worst That Could Happen", "All I Know", and "MacArthur Park". He has had successful collaborations with Glen Campbell, Michael Feinstein, Linda Ronstadt, The 5th Dimension, Art Garfunkel, and Richard Harris.

I've loved the music of Jimmy Webb for years, but only performed by him. I was never a fan of Glen Campbell, who admittedly had the greatest success with Jimmy Webb's songs. But I think Webb's album, 10 Easy Pieces, is a wonderful.

The concert was a double bill, with Webb and Johnny Rivers. I really wasn't interested at all in Johnny Rivers, just Webb. And he did get to play for about 45 minutes, but I could have taken another 45 minutes of it. It was just Jimmy and a piano, and a huge catalog of hit songs that, unfortunately, he no longer can sing to their fullest. But it was wonderful sitting there listening to him spin tales about the songs and how they came about, and then playing and singing. Annoying was the group sitting behind us that just wouldn't stop chattering.

I had tickets years ago to see him at the Old Town School of Folk music, but the night he was there we got hit by a blizzard, and I bailed because I wasn't going to brave the parking. I am going to keep my eyes open for him to tour again (fingers crossed) and hopefully get to see him in a smaller venue.

I freaking hate.....no I loathe......Ravinia.
Bunch of idiots all stampeding to get in, get a "good" spot, unload wagons full of shit, yapping all through the concert, having to start breaking down and reloading their wagons full of shit an hour before the concert ends, then stampeding to get out of the venue, only to wait in an ungodly line of cars in the one and only exit.

Loathe.

stimpy wrote:I freaking hate.....no I loathe......Ravinia.
Bunch of idiots all stampeding to get in, get a "good" spot, unload wagons full of shit, yapping all through the concert, having to start breaking down and reloading their wagons full of shit an hour before the concert ends, then stampeding to get out of the venue, only to wait in an ungodly line of cars in the one and only exit.

Loathe.

I get it. But I usually have a great time there. It took me going 2-3 times before I got the vibe. And I always go for the main lot. If I can’t get there early, I don’t go.

Saw Paul Simon play for almost 2 and a half hours on his retirement tour on Friday night. Pretty incredible stuff. Amazing that a guy who is a month shy of 77 had the energy to play for that long. 26 songs total!

stimpy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 17, 2018 12:44 pm I freaking hate.....no I loathe......Ravinia.
Bunch of idiots all stampeding to get in, get a "good" spot, unload wagons full of shit, yapping all through the concert, having to start breaking down and reloading their wagons full of shit an hour before the concert ends, then stampeding to get out of the venue, only to wait in an ungodly line of cars in the one and only exit.

Loathe.

Sounds like you're doing it wrong. Ravinia isn't about the music, it's more about a picnic with a good soundtrack. If that's not what you want then choose another venue.

Last time my wife and I were there was a few years ago we stayed at a Bed & Breakfast within a few 100 feet of the gate. Perfect way to experience the place. Nothing beats being able to just walk there and no need to rush to get out because you've got nowhere you need to be.

Archinerd wrote: ↑Mon Sep 17, 2018 1:58 pm

stimpy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 17, 2018 12:44 pm I freaking hate.....no I loathe......Ravinia.
Bunch of idiots all stampeding to get in, get a "good" spot, unload wagons full of shit, yapping all through the concert, having to start breaking down and reloading their wagons full of shit an hour before the concert ends, then stampeding to get out of the venue, only to wait in an ungodly line of cars in the one and only exit.

Loathe.

Sounds like you're doing it wrong. Ravinia isn't about the music, it's more about a picnic with a good soundtrack. If that's not what you want then choose another venue.

Last time my wife and I were there was a few years ago we stayed at a Bed & Breakfast within a few 100 feet of the gate. Perfect way to experience the place. Nothing beats being able to just walk there and no need to rush to get out because you've got nowhere you need to be.

Then go to a park and take a radio.......AND GET OFF OF MY DAMN LAWN!!!!
And I dare say.....if you haven't had to fight to get in and out of the place, then you cant have an opinion because you truly haven't experienced the horrors of that place.

Kinda sounds like Meijer Gardens.

Members snap up all the tix before they go on sale to peons and then it's just a social occasion for them. They give no shits about the performance and just sit on lawn chairs and drink wine and talk to their neighbors up the street they never see even though they live hundreds of feet apart, "Unless it's here, isn't that craaazy!"

Almost every year a performer gets pissed off at the crowd and either rants or leaves the stage.

I have never been to a show there 'cause I couldn't deal with somebody fuckin' up a Decemberists show or even a Beach Boys show to say NOTHING about fucking up a Spearhead show for me. My wife went to see Al Green and everybody just ignored him all night. The Reverend Al Green! He grew up here!

Just got back from Alestorm with Gloryhammer and Protokult. My ears, feet, knees, neck, and right pinky hurt, so I think I did it right. It was awesome. Protokult was the local act who didn't impress me too much when skimmed on Spotify, but in person they were great. Gloryhammer had tons of energy. Alestorm was Alestorm (i.e., awesome).

Christopher Bowes called us fucking savages because we killed the duck in less than one song.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 11:53 pm I'm super jealous, have fun! Alestorm is an absolute blast live, and I'm guessing Gloryhammer will be as well. Honestly, just go with the flow, metal shows are all about people there to have a good time.

Thanks for the encouragement! It helped put me at ease.

Awesome! Glad you had fun, although I think you'd have to try really hard not to at an Alestorm show.

I saw Pallbearer/Tribulation last night. Tribulation opened and were absolutely incredible. Their brand of gothic/death metal lends itself very well to a live setting. Their lead guitarist was in full-on "glampire" mode, and reminded me a lot of Bauhaus-era Peter Murphy in his clothes, look, and onstage mannerisms. They were a blast to watch, had a ton of energy, and I really want to see them again. This isn't my video, but you can get a good idea of them here (side note: holy shitballs, this song is all sorts of awesome).



Pallbearer was disappointingly average. I get that some extra fuzz and distortion are staples in doom metal, but when they're turned up so high that it's tough to hear what's actually being played, it just becomes distracting. This was the third time I've seen them, and definitely the worst. We left before the encore, which is something I typically never do.

Just spent a bunch on VIP tickets to see The Decemberist's Colin Meloy play at an old church in Portland next January. Tickets sold out pretty much instantly so I'm glad to got them this morning.

The VIP tix include a pre-show meet and greet and it's a benefit show for a worthy cause - and how often will I get to see him play at a fairly small converted church? I saw The Naked and Famous do an "unplugged" show there earlier this year and it was great.

Also it's an all-seated venue.

Had a definite "I'm getting too old for this shit" moment last night. Realized that standing in GA through 3 1/2 hours of wildly mediocre opening bands (Omnium Gatherum, Moonspell, and Dark Tranquility) and having the band I really wanted to see (Amorphis) not start until 11:45 just doesn't really work for me any more. By the time Amorphis got started, I was tired (had to be up for work at 5:30 yesterday morning), hungry, and bored. Amorphis were excellent, but I just can't do shows like that any more.

Side note: would it kill some of these people to mix in a shower or a little deodorant? Holy hell...unwashed masses, indeed.

After this crazy fall concert slate (Obscura/Beyond Creation last Wednesday night, Pallbearer/Tribulation last weekend, Amorphis last night, and Zeal & Ardor is next Tuesday), I think I'm going slow down quite a bit. Buddy and I agreed that at this point, there's really only a handful of bands that we see over the next year. Gonna skip lots of the "I'll go because I kinda want to see them" bands that we've been seeing.

Skinypupy wrote:Had a definite "I'm getting too old for this shit" moment last night. Realized that standing in GA through 3 1/2 hours of wildly mediocre opening bands (Omnium Gatherum, Moonspell, and Dark Tranquility) and having the band I really wanted to see (Amorphis) not start until 11:45 just doesn't really work for me any more. By the time Amorphis got started, I was tired (had to be up for work at 5:30 yesterday morning), hungry, and bored. Amorphis were excellent, but I just can't do shows like that any more.

Side note: would it kill some of these people to mix in a shower or a little deodorant? Holy hell...unwashed masses, indeed.

After this crazy fall concert slate (Obscura/Beyond Creation last Wednesday night, Pallbearer/Tribulation last weekend, Amorphis last night, and Zeal & Ardor is next Tuesday), I think I'm going slow down quite a bit. Buddy and I agreed that at this point, there's really only a handful of bands that we see over the next year. Gonna skip lots of the "I'll go because I kinda want to see them" bands that we've been seeing.

wow, you and me are thinking pretty much alike.

I've been thinking about going to Amorphis tonight myself. my hesitation was sitting through all those bands, even though i thought Moonspell and Dark Tranquility would perhaps be decent.

my bucket list of artists to see is very short at this point. after seeing Alice in Chains a couple weeks ago on a work night and taking 2 or 3 days to recover, I knew I had to reconsider how many shows to attend regularly.

Xmann wrote: ↑Sat Sep 29, 2018 12:21 pm

Skinypupy wrote:Had a definite "I'm getting too old for this shit" moment last night. Realized that standing in GA through 3 1/2 hours of wildly mediocre opening bands (Omnium Gatherum, Moonspell, and Dark Tranquility) and having the band I really wanted to see (Amorphis) not start until 11:45 just doesn't really work for me any more. By the time Amorphis got started, I was tired (had to be up for work at 5:30 yesterday morning), hungry, and bored. Amorphis were excellent, but I just can't do shows like that any more.

Side note: would it kill some of these people to mix in a shower or a little deodorant? Holy hell...unwashed masses, indeed.

After this crazy fall concert slate (Obscura/Beyond Creation last Wednesday night, Pallbearer/Tribulation last weekend, Amorphis last night, and Zeal & Ardor is next Tuesday), I think I'm going slow down quite a bit. Buddy and I agreed that at this point, there's really only a handful of bands that we see over the next year. Gonna skip lots of the "I'll go because I kinda want to see them" bands that we've been seeing.

wow, you and me are thinking pretty much alike.

I've been thinking about going to Amorphis tonight myself. my hesitation was sitting through all those bands, even though i thought Moonspell and Dark Tranquility would perhaps be decent.

my bucket list of artists to see is very short at this point. after seeing Alice in Chains a couple weeks ago on a work night and taking 2 or 3 days to recover, I knew I had to reconsider how many shows to attend regularly.

Moonspell was pretty bad. Dark Tranquility was ok, but I’m not familiar with any of their stuff, and it felt like they played about 4 songs too long. Amorphis was brilliant though. Watching Tomi is amazing, he’s one of my favorite metal vocalists.

I’d recommend going at least a couple hours after whenever the show starts. That would have made the night infinitely more tolerable, imo. Omnium Gatherum and Moonspell are entirely missable.

The Amorphis merch is awesome, btw. I picked up a “Karelian Ithmus” shirt that I’d never seen before. There’s also a funny “Make Amorphis Great Again” shirt. Lol

Updated list. six shows in RocKtober? i can do it:

Sep 29 - Garbage, Rituals of Mine (KEXP tabling)
Oct 2 - Gary Numan, Nightmare Air
Oct 5 - Michael Gira, Norman Westberg
Oct 19 - The Twilight Sad (KEXP tabling)
Oct 20 - Northwest World Fest 2018 (Alpha Yaya Diallo, Mahonyera Mbira Ensemble, Mamadou Diabate) (KEXP tabling)
Oct 29 - The Alarm (skipping PiL this evening for this)
Oct 30 - Fidlar, Dilly Dally (KEXP tabling - i still have no idea who these bands are)
Nov 4 - of Montreal, Reptaliens
Nov 8 - The Selecter & The English Beat feat. Ranking Roger
Dec 5 - Bomba Estéreo

pr0ner wrote:Saw Paul Simon play for almost 2 and a half hours on his retirement tour on Friday night. Pretty incredible stuff. Amazing that a guy who is a month shy of 77 had the energy to play for that long. 26 songs total!

I saw him at a smallish venue in Stockholm maybe 15 years ago....absolutely brilliant. Just happened to see him on Austin City Limits the other night as well (for the current farewell tour). Obviously his aged voice is degraded, but man, the backup band almost made up for it. Amazing. I would absolutely pay to see just them play.

Catching up for me:

Brandi Carlile (again!): canceled, money returned. Bummed since venue was about 10 min drive from my house. Not a fan of driving to Charleston or Charlotte for a concert and having to drive home after.

Avett Brothers: second or third time seeing them, always a good show, but prices for tickets are about double the first time I saw them. Price increased around the the time Rick Rubin started producing them. Hmmmm...

Upcoming: Shovels and Rope