Muse and Thirty Seconds to Mars @ Jones Beach 7/22/18

 

And here's the first concert post in a little bit: this time I returned to Jones Beach to finally see Muse live for the very first time. I'm pleased to say the show was everything I hoped it would be.

Let's start was Thirty Seconds to Mars, a band I casually like but I'm not too familiar with beyond their singles. Whatever you think about Jared Leto (I happen to like him as he's in two of my favorite movies), there's no doubt he was charismatic and sincere during this show. The best part for me was when Leto performed an acoustic version of "The Kill" while standing in the audience. Here's their setlist:

1. Up in the Air
2. Conquistador
3. This Is War
4. Kings and Queens
5. Alibi
6. The Kill (Bury Me)
7. City of Angels
8. (Unknown)
   
9. Do or Die
10. The Ocean
11. Closer to the Edge

Then came the Muse portion of the show, and wow. Again, it was an extremely energetic performance that really engaged the audience. Here's the set list for their portion of the concert:

1. Dig Down
2. [Drill Sergeant] + Psycho
3. Interlude
4. Hysteria
5. Resistance
6. Plug In Baby
7. The 2nd Law: Isolated System
8. Stockholm Syndrome
9. Supermassive Black Hole
10. The Unfortunate Not That New Kind of Kick
11. Madness
12. Dead Inside
13. Munich Jam
14. Starlight
15. Time Is Running Out
16. Mercy
17. The Globalist + Drones
18. Uprising
19. Knights of Cydonia

The highlights for me: lead singer Matt Bellamy performing "Starlight" while standing with the audience, seeing "Knights of Cydonia" live, and their incredible performance of "Mercy" (complete with confetti and smoke machines - this part was one of my favorite concert experiences ever).

I'd like to share someone's YouTube video of "Mercy" to punctuate how much I enjoyed this part of the show; of course this video won't do the performance justice, but it sure makes me happy to look back and relive the experience.

Sigur Ros @ Radio City Music Hall 10/5/16

This Sigur Ros show was much different than the previous performances I've seen, and for a couple of reasons: (1) it only featured three members of the band, with none of their string and bass players, and (2) it had no opening act and featured two sets with an intermission between. It was really nice to see a show so dramatically different than their usual tours.

The band did some crowd favorites but also mixed in a generous amount of new material (take my money already). There were times, admittedly, where I really missed the strings; they were noticeable absent from Starálfur (which thus cut the song's length almost in half). But at the same time, they did some new and great things with that song which really helped separate it from the previous two times I'd seen it performed.

Set 1
Á
Ekki Múkk
Samskeyti
E-Bow
Dauðalagið
Glósóli
Smáskifa

Set 2
Óveður
Starálfur
Sæglópur
Ný Batterí
Vaka
Festival
Kveikur
Popplagið

While I did get full recordings of Samskeyti and Sæglópur on my iPhone, here's someone else's way better quality video...

Radiohead @ Madison Square Garden 7/26/16

Hey it's the first concert post in a while! I first saw Radiohead live way back in 2001 (long before this blog existed) and then I got to see them a second time in 2003. Both times were at Madison Square Garden and both were amazing shows. Radiohead has long been one of my favorite bands but unfortunately, I hadn't had a good chance to see them live again in over a decade.

Now, over 10 years later, I was able to see them once again at the Garden and it was worth the wait. They sound more energetic than ever, and with so many more unique albums now in their discography, there were various different styles throughout tonight's show. It seriously felt like seeing 5 different bands in one concert - and all 5 bands rocked.

The set list is below but highlights including hearing "Let Down" live for the first time ever, the live version of "Burn the Witch" being better than the album version, and hearing "No Surprises" live for the third time (it NEVER gets old).

1. Burn the Witch
2. Daydreaming
3. Decks Dark
4. Desert Island Disk
5. Ful Stop
6.  Lotus Flower
7. The National Anthem
8. 15 Step
9. No Surprises
10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief
11. Separator
12. Planet Telex
13. The Numbers
14. 2 + 2 = 5
15. Everything in Its Right Place
16. Myxomatosis
17. Idioteque
18. Let Down
19. Present Tense
20. Paranoid Android
21. Nude
22. Bodysnatchers
23. Bloom
24. Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Enjoy this awesome quality video from a superfan on Youtube. I'd sure love a full recording of this show if anyone's got one...

Damien Rice @ Beacon Theatre 4/4/2015

This weekend Damien Rice returned to New York City, and even though I'd just seen him last November, I couldn't resist going again. And I'm sure glad I did: even though much of the set list was the same, the show itself was dramatically different and full of surprises.

Since he's essentially performing alone with no band, Rice can really keep you on your toes during his performances. He can completely change a song's tempo from verse-to-verse (as he did with "Volcano"), he can extend a song's ending and jam for a few extra minutes (as he did with "9 Crimes" and "I Remember"), or he can invite guests on stage to sing with him (which he did more of in the previous show; this show was mostly solo). And with these little adjustments, Damien Rice makes absolutely sure that no two shows of his are ever identical.

This show gave me a few of my personal favorites that didn't happen last year, such as "Cheers Darlin'" and "The Greatest Bastard." But the biggest surprise of all was at the end, when Glen Hansard took the stage to a thunderous applause. Hansard performed "High Hope" on his own, and then joined Rice for an a cappella cover of "Chelsea Hotel #2," a Leonard Cohen song. Here's the complete set list:

1. My Favourite Faded Fantasy
2. 9 Crimes
3. Colour Me In
4. It Takes a Lot to Know a Man
5. Delicate
6. I Don't Want To Change You
7. Cheers Darlin'
8. Elephant
9. I Remember
10. The Blower's Daughter
11. Long Long Way
12. Volcano
13. The Greatest Bastard
14. High Hope (Glen Hansard solo)
15. Chelsea Hotel #2 (Leonard Cohen cover a cappella duet with Glen Hansard)

This show flew. I wasn't keeping track of the amount of songs I'd heard, and when the house lights came on at the end, I couldn't believe it was over already. Like the previous show, however, I left the theater feeling inspired, motivated, and changed. I honestly can't choose between this show and the previous one if I had to pick a favorite. It's almost as if instead, the two performances go together, and create one single concert that's probably the best one I've ever seen.

Damien Rice @ Apollo 11/16/14

Gonna take a quick break from production updates to do another concert post - although this one leaves me at somewhat of a lack for words. I'm just going to leave it at: this was probably the best concert I've ever been to. Emotional highs and lows, ballads and rockin' jam sessions, so many guest stars, and getting a glimpse at Damien's charming (and surprisingly hilarious) personality...it was just a phenomenal experience.

1. The Professor & La Fille Danse
2. Delicate
3. 9 Crimes
4. My Favourite Faded Fantasy
5. Elephant
6. Older Chests
7. The Box
8. Colour Me In
9. Amie
10. Cannonball
11. Volcano
12. The Blower's Daughter
13. I Don't Want To Change You
14. I Remember
15. Trusty And True

Here are a couple of more pics I snagged, along with a video of "Blower's Daughter" (I didn't get the first couple of lines unfortunately - but virtually the whole song is there crystal clear). I feel like I should write so much more but honestly, this show has me speechless.

Through this show I also discovered my new musical obsession, My Bubba. Before Damien, these two ladies performed their own set and it was absolutely gorgeous. Just downloaded their albums and if you love Damien, I recommend you do the same.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Halina updates!

Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails @ Jones Beach 8/2/14

Okay look, I'm not sure why my film production blog is also the place I journal some of my concert experiences. And I'm not sure why half the shows I go to, I forget to include in here. But I saw a pretty epic show last night, I'm here, you're here, let's do this.

Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails are currently touring together celebrating the 20th (!!!) anniversary of their definitive albums, Superunknown and The Downward Spiral, respectively. I was an angst-ridden teen when these albums hit so like many people my age, they became the soundtracks of my teenage years. I personally was more of a Soundgarden fan at the time but these days I'm still rocking out to both, and I'm a fan of the new material they put out as well.

I'd never seen either band in concert before, so the opportunity to knock off two bucket-list shows in one night was irresistible to me. So last night I saw them under the stars at the Jones Beach theater (good seats too brag brag). And reader, you and I both know I don't do in-depth reviews here. So I'll just say it was one of the greatest shows I'd personally ever seen: Soundgarden sounded tight and knocked it out of the ballpark, and NIN's set was like an industrial rock party that should never end. 

As usual, set list is below. Personal favorites for me from Soundgarden were Blow up the Outside World and The Day I Tried to Live. And from NIN that would be Copy of A, Terrible Lie (which is a song meant to be heard live), and then of course Hurt, which was worth the price of admission alone.

Soundgarden:
Searching With My Good Eye Closed
Spoonman
Been Way Too Long
The Day I Tried to Live
Gun
Black Hole Sun
Outshined
Jesus Christ Pose
Blow Up the Outside World
Fell on Black Days
Superunknown
A Thousand Days Before
Rusty Cage
Beyond the Wheel

Nine Inch Nails:
Copy of A
Sanctified
Came Back Haunted
1,000,000
March of the Pigs
Piggy
Terrible Lie
Closer
Gave Up
Me, I’m Not
Find My Way
The Great Destroyer
Eraser
Wish
Only
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole
Hurt

If anyone should stumble upon this blog with an audio download link to this show, yes please.

Sigur Ros @ Madison Square Garden 3/25/13

Sigur Ros are what happens when music has an orgasm. That said, the show at MSG (my second time seeing them live) was extraordinary and no words I type would do it justice.

1. Yfirborð
2. Ný Batterí
3. Vaka
4. Hrafntinna
5. Sæglópur
6. Fljótavík
7. E-Bow
8. Varúð
9. Hoppípolla
10. Með Blóðnasir
11. Olsen Olsen
12. Kveikur
13. Festival
14. Brennisteinn
    Encore:
15. Glósóli
16. Popplagið

Here's a video that I did not take. Epic full band reveal at 6:13. Fun fact: Every time Jónsi plays a guitar with a cello bow, God decides to let humans live another week.

Global Festival 2012 @ Central Park Great Lawn 9/29/12

 

 

A lot of bands here so this is gonna be a long setlist:

The Black Keys

1. Howlin' for You
2. Next Girl
3. Run Right Back
4. Same Old Thing
5. Dead and Gone
6. Little Black Submarines
7. Money Maker
8. Strange Times
9. Nova Baby
10. She's Long Gone
11. Tighten Up
12. Gold on the Ceiling
13. Lonely Boy
14. I Got Mine

 K'naan

1. In The Beginning
2. The Seed
3. Wavin' Flag

Band of Horses

1. Knock Knock
2. The Great Salt Lake
3. No One's Gonna Love You
4. The Funeral

Foo Fighters

1. Times Like These
2. All My Life
3. My Hero
4. Learn to Fly
5. Arlandria
6. These Days
7. Walk
8. Best of You
9. Everlong

John Legend

Imagine

Neil Young

1. Love and Only Love
2. Powderfinger
3. Born in Ontario
4. Walk Like a Giant
5. The Needle and the Damage Done
6. Twisted Road
7. Fuckin' Up
8. Rockin' in the Free World

Amazing show. Sorry for lack of details!

Florence & The Machine @ Jones Beach 9/15/12

This was a really fun show. Not much else to say so on to the setlist:

1. Only If for a Night
2. What the Water Gave Me
3. Drumming Song
4. Cosmic Love
5. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
6. Spectrum
7. Heartlines
8. Leave My Body
9. Lover to Lover
10. Shake It Out
11. No Light, No Light
    Encore:
12. Breath of Life
13. Dog Days Are Over

Grouplove @ The Studio at Webster Hall 7/23/12

Last week on a complete whim I entered a contest being held by Alt Nation on Sirius XM for a private performance by Grouplove, my favorite band to emerge in the last couple of years. To my complete surprise, I actually won! So now, for the first time since 2009, I'm doing a concert summary post.

I was in Brooklyn earlier in the day for a TV shoot, so I wound up getting to Webster Hall way early. As a result, I was first in line to get in (I think I read there were only about 200 in the audience). I stood right in front of the center stage, which is how I managed to take such amazing photos and videos on my iPhone.

I got a double high-five from Hannah Hooper as the band took the stage, and the band went right into their set. It was INCREDIBLE. The energy was high and you could tell they were really having a lot of fun. Hannah - who's flippin' gorgeous in person - had this infectious energy that really got the audience going. Every one in the band at some point had a moment in the spotlight, whether it be by taking lead vocals, or playing glow-in-the-dark drumsticks.

The pleasant surprise of the night was the rock cover of Whitney Houston's "Wanna Dance With Somebody." Of course they played their debut album, and they also did a little new material for us. As the band left the stage I got another high five from Hannah, and also a handshake from Christian Zucconi.

Usually right about here is where I type up the setlist . . . but as he left the stage, Christian tossed his copy to me. So, here's the setlist:

Finally, the grand finale of this post: a youtube vid from SiriusXM featuring their recording of "Tongue Tied" and the cover of "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." I also recorded this with my iPhone but I figured I'd post this video with the good sound quality as opposed to my super-loud over-modulated video.

Everclear @ The Crazy Donkey - 10/15/09

The Crazy Donkey is a Long Island venue that I probably don't check out enough given their history of booking some pretty awesome acts (i.e. Shiny Toy Guns, They Might Be Giants, etc). This month I did go for what would be my second time seeing Everclear in concert (the first being them playing at my college). I do enjoy me some Everclear, but the specific reason I went was to see an old buddy of mine, Jordan Plosky, who is now Everclear's drummer.

The band went through a major lineup change, which Art Alexakis wrote about on their official site. Jordan tells me that he basically went in to audition and got picked. The show was solid; they sounded as good today as they did when I saw them 10 years ago. Afterward I chatted with Art and Jordan for a little and got a CD signed. Below is a snippet of "Father of Mine" I recorded; this has always been one of my favorite alt rock songs from the 90s. Look for Jordan drumming in the back!

everclear - father of mine

Paul McCartney @ CitiField 7/18/09

Last Friday I got back from Europe, and the next day I was off to CitiField to see Paul McCartney with my friend Shane. I saw McCartney at the Garden a few years back, and the bad news is that the CitiField show is almost the exact same set list. Plus, since this was supposedly a "historic" show, there were rumors of special guests joining Paul on stage; but that didn't happen. on Saturday. However, since it's Paul McCartney - ya know, a former friggin BEATLE - I'll give him a free pass. He sounded great, and it was a beautiful night for an outdoor show. Set list? You got it:

1. Drive My Car
2. Jet
3. Only Mama Knows
4. Flaming Pie
5. Got To Get You Into My Life
6. Let Me Roll It / Foxy Lady
7. Highway
8. The Long And Winding Road
9. My Love
10. Blackbird
11. Here Today
12. Dance Tonight
13. Calico Skies
14. Mrs Vanderbilt
15. Eleanor Rigby
16. Sing The Changes
17. Band On The Run
18. Back In The USSR
19. I’m Down
20. Something
21. I’ve Got A Feeling
22. Paperback Writer
23. A Day In The Life/Give Peace A Chance
24. Let It Be
25. Live And Let Die
26. Hey Jude
---
27. Day Tripper
28. Lady Madonna
29. I Saw Her Standing There
---
30. Yesterday
31. Helter Skelter
32. Get Back
33. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band / The End

He did Calico Skies this time, which is one of my favorite McCartney songs ever (I'm pretty sure he didn't do that one last time I saw him). But instead of a slow acoustic, he gave it a little "umph" with a full band including an accordion. The video's a little boring but the audio came out good:

Some cool news around the corner...I've been working with my new pal Jenny, who has been designing a brand new purgatorycomics.com (I've seen what she's got so far, and it's awesome). The DVDs are ready to go out and soon, ordering online will be a piece of cake.

Also, I found some inspiration in Europe (especially for some new characters I want to write). It was an amazing trip in general; I'll have to go into that another time. I'm still jet lagged apparently, and I think I have a cold. So, bedtime for me!

The Decemberists @ Radio City Music Hall 6/10/09

Awhile back I gushed about how in love with the new Decemberists album I am. Well the only thing that beat their latest release "The Hazards of Love" is hearing the entire thing live, in order, with no breaks. The Decemberists show came in two parts: part one was the new album all the way through. The audience sat for this part and the music was simply amazing.

After a brief intermission, the band returned and did a mix of greatest hits. For this portion of the show, there was much more interaction with the audience, who stood and danced. Here's the setlist for the second half:

1. Crane Wife 3
2. July! July!
3. Billy Liar
4. Sleepless
5. The Bachelor and the Bride
6. Daughter of Dracula
7. O Valencia!
8. The Chimbley Sweep
9. Crazy on You (Heart cover)
10. Begin the Begin (REM cover)
11. Sons and Daughters

Here's the WORST part...I missed the Heart cover because I had to leave by that point. I can't find video of the Radio City night on youtube, but there are plenty of videos from other nights. As you'll see below, it was a great cover and also a lot of fun for them to perform:

I felt very lucky to see one of my favorite albums of all time done live, because I'm sure that won't happen again. And this being the first time I've ever seen the Decemberists live, I can honestly say they sounded perfect.

And I'll say one more thing about one of my new favorite bands...if folk/acoustic/rock is your thing, for the love of God pick up the Hazards of Love!

The Killers @ Madison Square Garden 1/25/09

I went to the Killers concert at the Garden Sunday night and it was insanely good. Brandon Flowers has such a great voice and they're just so much fun to see live. Here's the setlist:

1. Spaceman
2. Losing Touch
3. Somebody Told Me
4. Smile Like You Mean It
5. This Is Your Life
6. Joy Ride
7. I Can't Stay
8. Shadowplay
9. Bling (Confessions of a King)
10. Bones
11. Neon Tiger
12. Human
13. Sam's Town
14. Read My Mind
15. Mr. Brightside
16. All These Things That I've Done

17. On Top
18. For Reasons Unknown
19. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
20. When You Were Young

My personal favorite Killers song, and one of my favorite songs ever right now is Read My Mind. During the last verse of this song the other night, I felt butterflies in my stomach. It was amazing. Thank God for youtube:

Weezer @ Madison Square Garden 9/24/08

I went to see Weezer at the garden with my brothers last night. We got floor tickets and this show is absolutely in my top five favorite concerts now. It blew away the first time I saw Weezer live about six years ago too. Check out this perfect setlist:

1. My Name Is Jonas
2. Pink Triangle
3. Perfect Situation
4. Say It Ain't So
5. Susanne
6. Keep Fishin?
7. King
8. Undone (with Tom DeLonge)
9. Pork & Beans
10. Dreamin'
11. Dope Nose
12. Troublemaker
13. Automatic
14. Hash Pipe
15. El Scorcho
16. What's the Story, Morning Glory? (Oasis cover)
17. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived

Encore:
18. Island in the Sun
19. Beverly Hills

Encore:
20. Sliver (Nirvana cover)
21. Buddy Holly

So basically they did EVERY hit. They did an Oasis and Nirvana cover. And they actually did Susanne, my favorite B-side of theirs! What an excellent show...I didn't have a voice for the first half of today. Opening acts were Angels & Airwaves and Tokyo Police Club. There are a ton of youtube videos from the show but of course quality is not great. Here's Perfect Situation:

You'll notice that Scott's on lead here, except for Rivers who does the chorus. Weezer's big thing right now seems to be swapping around vocals and instruments. I don't really have a major beef with that...it worked for this show at least.

Bon Jovi @ Central Park NY 7/12/08

New York, New York - Central Park - 7/12/08

Livin' on a Prayer
You Give Love a Bad Name
Lost Highway
Born to Be My baby
Runaway
Sleep When I'm Dead w/ Twist & Shout
Blaze of Glory
Whole Lot of Leavin'
In These Arms
We Got it Goin' On
It's My Life
I'll Be There For You (Richie on vocals)
Have a Nice Day
Keep the Faith
Who Says
Bad Medicine w/ Shout

ENCORE:
Always
Dead or Alive
I Love this Town

Awesome show, perfect weather. Thanks to Shane for winning the tix.