Review: I got really into The Paper Kites last year. I had heard their hits, “Bloom” and “Paint” but really dove into their discography. Twelvefour has my favorite song, “Electric Indigo,” Roses has my second favorite, “Climb Up Your Tears” and a beautiful song, Walk Above the City” featuring Maró. At The Roadhouse has the Fleetwood Mac inspired “Black & Thunder.” And their latest album,
“It You Go There, I Hope You Find It has some favorites like “Change of the Wind,” “Deep (In the Plans We Made),” and “When the Lavender Blooms.”
I almost caught them on tour last fall, opening for The Teskwy Brothers, but didn’t wind up making it out. While I wish I did, I am glad I got to see them on their own headlining tour in such an intimate venue like Royale in Boston.
I also was really sold on this show for the opener, Donovan Woods. I had favorited his track “Portland, Me,” a year or so back on Spotify and then he recently showed up again. His song, “I Talk About You,” from his latest release is a stunning, beautiful, and depressing song with a heavy Celtic funereal inspiration.
The show was one of the best ones I have been to in a while. Donovan Woods is just as funny as he is talented in the singer-songwriter department. He told some fun stories and was self deprecating. He had the crowd cracking up when he told them, sarcastically, how back in the day it was an honor to try on the radio and the equivalent of that today is being added to a Spotify playlist.
The Paper Kites started off their set with eveyone around one microphone, singing in unison. Usually, band saves this for later on in their set, but the Australian folk band was opening the show with the vibe of the next hour and a half. Not to say that the band doesn’t have some great rock songs up their sleeves. They played my favorite song, “Electric Indigo” and the Fleetwood Mac inspired “Black & Thunder.”
It took me longer to get into this band then it should’ve. They are right up my alley. Like right up it.
I had heard the name, especially at two weddings over the past few years. Two years ago, I watched two good friends get married on the top of the mountain in Colorado and the bride walked down the aisle to one of their songs and their first dance was to another.
I then not only attended, but was the wedding officiant last year at another wedding where a song by Caamp was played as their first dance song.
I enter to win concert tickets all the time, thanks Do617 for these ones, and when I won tickets for Caamp at MGM in Boston I knew that I had to go.
I went into super prep mode, looking up their recent set lists and getting familiar with their songs.
I knew the fun covers they were doing on this tour, but needed to learn their own music.
The folk band sold out MGM Music Hall in Boston on both Saturday and Sunday. And Sunday was quite a night of energy and talent.
The band is fronted by one man, but every single person in the band sings, providing backup vocals and harmonies. Not only that, some members also trade off instruments or trade instruments with one another. There is a lot of talent to this band.
Band Members: Jaret Reddick – lead vocals, guitars, Chris Burney – guitars, backing vocals, Gary Wiseman – drums, percussion, occasional studio backing vocals, Rob Felicetti – bass, backing vocals.
Review: I have been to a lot of concerts and checked a lot of bands off of my list, but Bowling for Soup is one of the bands that has been on my list forever and I had never seen them. That all changed on Saturday when I not only got to see them live, but I got to see them on an anniversary tour. I love anniversary tours.
I qhave been a fan of them for over 20 years and they have been a band for 30. I will never forget hearing “Girl All the Bad Guys Like” in 8th grade and really digging their sound. I have always read about how fun they were to see live, and even with a band member down, they put on a great show full of the hits, a full album, jokes, a wheel to select a random a song, conversations about how old we have all gotten, and more.
This summer, Hootie & the Blowfish has reunited and is touring with Edwin McCain and collective soul on a tour called. When I saw the lineup, I thought it would be a fun throwback show to go to, but didn’t have a ton of interest. Then, Barenaked, ladies who happens to be one of my favorite bands, announced that they would be joining the tour for this one stop at Fenway Park. It would also be there only Boston stop on their own summer tour. I bought tickets almost immediately after this was announced.
I had seen Barenaked Ladies at Red Rocks and the summer before at Leader Bank in Boston. This would be the third time that I would be seeing them and would be the third person I would bring to see them who would tell me that they are now a big fan. it is kind of like the hotdogs at target. Which actually kind of relates to this, as this concert was at Fenway. Some Target locations have a Pizza Hut inside of them with the best hotdogs you will ever have. I know everybody likes Costco hotdogs because they are cheap and the foot-long and they aren’t wrong but the ones from Target are the best ones you will ever have. They taste just like a ballpark Frank. Anytime I am with somebody at Target, I mentioned to them how good the hotdogs are and they tell me that I am disgusting. I told them that I will buy them on and if I am wrong, I will buy something in the store. I have never had to buy anything in the store for anyone. Now I want a hot dog. Even though it is only 10:00 AM.
Anyway. Fenway puts on a lot of concerts throughout the summer. Two of the ones that I wanted to go to this year or Noah Con, and then Green Day with the Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and the Linda Linda. But both shows were just too expensive. But the Hootie show was reasonably priced. I wasn’t on the lawn, but got good seats at $75 each.
My friend and I unfortunately missed Edwin McCain and Collective Soul as the concert started pretty early. It surprisingly didn’t take me long to get into Boston after work, though even though this was the same day as the Celtics parade. I was driving against the traffic the whole time.
When we got to the show, it started to rain. Barenaked ladies were just about to take the stage or delayed for about 30 minutes. my friend and I decided to go grab some food while we waited. Everyone in line watch the rain, as well as the broadcasted Red Sox away game they were showing in the stadium. We waited in line for about 10 minutes just to find out, it was only for alcohol.we then got into one of the two lines. I was presently supplies surprised at how affordable the food was there. I think it came out to around $36 for a Red Sox hat, memorabilia cup filled with french fries, hotdog, a pretzel, and two waters.
While at our seats and waiting in line for food, I struck up a conversation with a few strangers. As I do. I asked who they were here to see and was excited to hear how many people were also there for BNL. That’s what the true Barenaked Ladies heads call them.
The Canadian rockers kicked off their set with “The Old Apartment” For so long now, I thought that was a perfect break up song. But I learned earlier in the day that it is not a breakup song. As usual, Barenaked Ladies did an improvised rap song. When they did this at Red Rocks a few years back, they had bought an expensive drone to fly around and film. Immediately, they broke the drone and made up a whole rap song about it. The band played all of the hits including “Lovin’ Life,” the single off of their latest album, “In Flight.” The Barenaked Ladies were there to get the crowd pumped and they did just that. The last song, or songs, they played was a massive of medley of Vampire / Flowers / As It Was / Take On Me / Climb Ev’ry Mountain / So Long, Farewell / Rock of Ages.
Hootie came on at 9:25 PM and played until 11:00 PM. I wish he played for so much longer. After seeing them, I am a total Hootie head now. They played a bunch of covers including “For What It’s Worth,” “Wagon Wheel” and “Losing My Religion.” They played the hits. They played on Darius Rucker song.
At one point, I looked out at the crowd of people singing along to Hootie and I totally understood the hype around country concerts and festivals. Not saying that this is in my future, but damn, was this a fun time.
Review: Blue October put on a hell of a show. The singer, Justin, is so engaged with his audience. He also gives it his all on stage and the whole band is really there to play music and have a good time. And that is what makes me appreciate some bands and artists versus others. The band has fun together, you can tell they are a family, and they even added a few extra songs to the Boston set list.
Ryan Delahoussaye is an incredible multi instrumentalist, playing keyboards, violin, mandolin, guitar, and providing backing vocals. I spent the concert leaning over to my girlfriend saying, “And now he’s playing (insert instrument here)!
The crowd was super engaged and you could tell how many people have connected with Justin’s songwriting and the deepness to his lyrics about love, loss, and addition and recovery. Just look at how much he interacts with his fans: https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/s/ieO1iVVeT8
They played my favorites: “Into the Ocean,” “Don’t Say It Wasn’t Love,” “Moving On (So Long),” and “I Hope You’re Happy.” And, after seeing Turk played live, I have two more favorites: “All That We Are” and “Fear.”
