.amanda palmer & co. @ rough trade

The enchanting Amanda Palmer

When Amanda Palmer came to Le Poisson Rouge last year there was no decision to make. I hopped on the train to NY and there I was, transported into her magical world for the first time. This was when she made an album with her father. This album is very different. She teams up brilliantly with Edward Ka-Spel of Pink Dots notoriety. What you get is a beautiful work of gothic fairy tale pieces that sound as though left behind in an abandoned house. Coming out on stage to David Bowie's Blackstar (she covers the song on a RSD release album) she looked like a glamorous princess from the 1940s, taking her spot at the keyboard. Edward Ka-Spel barefoot, donning a scarf, and 60s mod-type glasses, he has a knack for song writing and story telling with the enunciation of words in the lyrics. Last but not least the brilliant Patrick Q. Wright on strings who added much humor and lightheartedness to the evening. Kicking in to the second song of "Pulp Fiction" I was transported and fell in love with the performance of the songs live, especially that one. Some humorous moments throughout the night: the mysterious "phantom" that knocked out all of the power (Amanda's being the last instrument to work), Twin Peaks theme, and Neil Gaiman's twist on an Uber ride home. It was a memorable show as I carried out a copy of the gorgeous album and played it on heavy rotation today. Here are the songs they played...

SET LIST:
THE UNLIKELY EVENT
PULP FICTION
SHAHLA'S MISSING PAGE
THE SHOCK OF CONTACT
MRS O
THE CLOCK AT THE BACK OF THE CAGE
GOLDEN DAWN
JACK OF HANDS
15 FLIES IN THE MARMALADE
BEYOND THE BEACH
MACHETE
RAINBOW'S END
----------------------
THE LOVERS
HALF JACK

Here are some more pictures from this evening. Sadly the lighting messed with how they turned out so here are a few of my decent shots...

.pj harvey @ brooklyn steel

Polly the Great <3

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present. PJ Harvey's northeastern tour coincided with my spring break, the stars couldn't have aligned more perfectly. I was kind of nervous going to Brooklyn solo but I troopered through. The venue (recently opened and my first time being there) was not that far of a walk from the subway station and incredibly easy to find. I arrived at Brooklyn Steel around 3:45. There I noticed the same fans in the front of the line that were there for her Terminal 5 show in August. I believe I overheard them claim they have been waiting since 1:00. Secretly smirking I could not believe I was sixth in line! How amazingly awesome. In New York people line up early and are very pushy / gung-ho about their spots. Philly is a lot more low key. With a little over three hours to kill, I managed to just about finish half of a book. The weather wasn't too shabby which was great!

Inside the venue they had metal detectors to walk through and buckets to place your bags in. I tried to get through quickly and managed to drop my wallet on the way in. Nice right? The venue has an industrialized feel and the barricade was kind of far from the stage. I nabbed a spot to the right of PJ's mic. This time it was in the center of the stage compared to the far right like it was in the past. Managing a decent rail spot I could not believe it. Then the waiting game began. The doors opened at 7:00 and PJ did not come out until 8:45. It felt like forever but when those lights dimmed a smile spread across my face.

The concert went by so fast! She played The Hope 6 Demolition Project in it's entirety practically with a mix of Let England Shake and a few White Chalk songs. I'll admit I cried when she played "Talk to You" because it reminds me of my Grandmother that passed away when I was 9. So Polly, you got me in tears! Towards the end of her set she played "Down by the Water" "To Bring You My Love" and "50 Foot Queenie." The most annoying thing that happened in the audience was two girls tried to push their way up to the front towards the end of her set. One of them was drunk crying pretty obnoxiously yelling out between wails and tears "I LOVE YOU PJ!" My friends all laugh when I impersonated her at my birthday brunch. Finally she got cocky and attempted to push in between this guy and myself on rail. I took one look at her and said "NO WAY!" as she backed off. 

The encore was a mystery as PJ changes it up at each show. She played "Near the Memorials" and then the big surprise "The River!" I LOVE Is This Desire and out of all the times I've seen her, hearing that song was a first. The entire night was so amazing I love her so much and her stellar band of 9. Here's the set list....

SET LIST:
CHAIN OF KEYS
THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE
COMMUNITY OF HOPE
ORANGE MONKEY
LINE IN THE SAND
LET ENGLAND SHAKE
WORDS THAT MAKETH MURDER
GLORIOUS LAND
WRITTEN ON THE FOREHEAD
TO TALK TO YOU
DOLLAR, DOLLAR
THE DEVIL
THE WHEEL
THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS
50 FT QUEENIE
DOWN BY THE WATER
TO BRING YOU MY LOVE
RIVER ANACOSTIA
------------
NEAR THE MEMORIALS
THE RIVER

When the show was over I waited by the rail hoping for a set list. One of the stage hands told us that at Polly's request they do not give out set lists so we all left. Thankfully I waited a bit before Ubering to my friend's in Brooklyn. Grateful to have a place to stay overnight! Totally ready for day #2 of Polly. 

.america's sweethearts / pwr bttm!

Mal Blum and The Blums!

August of 2016 the Dresden Dolls performed at the Coney Island Amphitheater. I waited too late to get tickets but thankfully it was streamed over my Ipad at home. (Thanks Amanda Palmer's Patreon!) The opening band was PWR BTTM from Brooklyn. When I saw these two (Ben and Liv) in their glittery make-up and ensembles I thought "Fabulous. I'm in for a treat." Annoyingly Ipad connection was wonky at best, a few songs was all I could catch. My interest was peaked though as I definitely wanted to check them out next time they toured. The two came to Philly in late November. It sold out immediately. Work interfered with going that particular week, so that was out. Super bummed. When I saw they were coming back to PhilaMoca I snapped up a ticket immediately. I was beyond excited to finally see the band live.

Arriving at the venue I was a tad late and only caught the last three songs from Naked Giants. Next up was Mal Blum and the Blums. These guys are my new favorite band. The banter was a riot, you just had to be there to witness it. Fingers crossed they return to Philly soon. They had fun with each other and it showed.

Bbs!!! <3

Soon Ben and Liv came on and I FREAKED OUT over Ben's Mom joining in on stage. So that was a treat to have her out for the opening number and then again at the end of the set. Can I just say Ben and Liv are the absolute CUTEST??!!! I could listen to Liv talk to us all night. "This is a song about boys who don't text back. Actually all of my songs are about boys who don't text back." Ben on the other hand is an amazing guitarist. I haven't seen too many people just pick at the top strings with their fingers since Mary Timony in Wild Flag! Talent. This is going to sound incredibly cheesy but I ended up crying (thankfully no one saw me! gosh!) during some of the songs. The fact that I only heard some of their songs and remembered some of the lyrics speaks volumes. My week was so crap but seeing PWR BTTM cured my blues. It was a nice release of emotions. I left the venue feeling so elated and with a sense of hope. Sense of community is so important in these times. There was a safeness to that show as well. Overall I have so much love for this band. June can't come quickly enough! For them to play Union Transfer is wonderful; getting the recognition and increasing fan base they deserve. Definitely wearing glittery make-up and vibrant things when I see them again. Here are some pictures from last night....

If I discovered PWR BTTM in high school (if they formed then obviously!) my four years would've been so much better. Oddly enough I was frequently "targeted" by this dick of a guy in high school. For no reason other than to show off. "Big Beautiful Day" is a huge middle finger to those kinds of guys. When I first heard the lyrics I was like "Yes! Screw you! You're not raining on my parade today!" Obviously my situation is different from what the songs is really about but that's the great thing about music. Everyone can connect with music in different ways.

PWR BTTM's new album "Pageant" drops May 12th (with some amazing merch; buttons, magnets, etc). If you haven't watched their video for "Big Beautiful Day" go watch it now! Ben told us last night the idea for that song came from a text his mom sent him when he was feeling down (which is incorporated into the video). Way cute and rad party! So fun!