What I Learned Going to 100s of Concerts - Part IV
Recalling my trips to see The Lumineers, The 1975, Paramore, Paul McCartney, and so many more.
Welcome back to another edition of my recounting every concert that I’ve ever been to. In case you missed it, feel free to go back to Part I (AC/DC - The Bouncing Souls), Part II (Brandi Carlile - FLETCHER), and Part III (Florence + the Machine - Lil Wayne). Given that we are talking about live music, I feel the need to give you a warning. Please wear ear protection if you are going to concerts often! Your experience won’t be diminished and your ears will thank you. I can tell you from experience, that the last thing you want is tinnitus. There are tons of great earplugs out there, but I recommend these from Eargasm.
Every Concert I’ve Seen: Lionel Richie - The Postal Service
Lionel Richie
6/14/2014 (Bonnaroo)
I’ve only seen Lionel Richie because of Jack White. Jack White was headlining the Saturday of Bonnaroo 2014. My friends and I wanted to get a good spot for Mr. White, so we decided to go to the set before. The man on stage for that set was Lionel Richie.
Though I’ve softened on some of the cheesier music of the 1980s as I’ve grown, I was very much not into it when I saw Richie take the stage. Had I seen him perform this setlist today, I probably would have enjoyed it more. But at the time, the best he could get from me was an eye-roll during “Hello”. When the fuzz starting gurgling from Jack White’s amps, I’d never been so happy.
Liz Cooper & the Stampede
12/8/2018 (Royale), 2/25/2019 (Great Scott)
Seeing Liz Cooper & the Stampede is what I imagine seeing the Jimi Hendrix Experience was like. I know that sounds ridiculous, but the trio’s energy was something to marvel at and Cooper’s guitar work renewed my faith that the six-string still has a place in contemporary music. In fact, I was so impressed seeing her and her bandmates open for indie rocker Phosphorescent (see below) that I immediately bought tickets to her smaller headlining tour a few months later.
LKFFCT
8/14/2021 (727 Joralemen)
A LKFFCT show is a glorious combination of unrelenting guitar riffs and humor, the band seamlessly going from a song about the troubles of getting older to one about literal garbage. They’re one of those bands that even if you don’t know any of their music, you’ll walk away from a show as a fan. Check out the interview I did with LKFFCT frontman Max Rauch earlier this year.
The Lonely Forest
4/20/2012 (Starland Ballroom)
The Starland Ballroom is small club in New Jersey that’s been around since 1962. I’ve only seen one show there: Portugal. The Man (see below) with support from The Lonely Forest. When I think back to that show, it’s strange knowing the trajectory that each band went on. Portugal. the Man would later score a surprise top ten hit with “Feel It Still”. The Lonely Forest, on the other hand, would toil away at the same level of repute from the day that I saw them.
That’s one of the strange things about music. One band can be launched into the stratosphere and another can remain stuck even though their musical skills are equivalent. I think there’s an alternate universe that isn’t that much different than the one that we live in now where The Lonely Forest ends up with a hit song and Portugal. the Man is still playing Starland Ballroom-sized venues.
The Lumineers
7/29/2013 (Terminal 5)
This was the second time that I trekked into New York City for a concert without adult supervision. The first was the aforementioned Gaslight Anthem show where we somehow ended up eating dinner at the Applebee’s in Times Square. This show — which didn’t involve any gastronomical mishaps — was in support of The Lumineers first album, an album that I deeply love to this day. It’s also an album that my ex-girlfriend and I bonded over. In fact, going to this show with her was one of the foundational moments in our relationship. Luckily, I’ve been able to detach my love for this album from our relationship as time has gone on.
Mac Demarco
6/11/2015 (Bonnaroo)
I’ve fallen asleep at two concerts, both of which were at Bonnaroo Music Festival. One was the aforementioned Earth, Wind & Fire concert where Chance the Rapper and Kendrick Lamar made a surprise appearance. The other was this Mac Demarco concert. Though I don’t recommend sleeping at an Earth, Wind & Fire show, I do recommend sleeping at a Mac Demarco show. And that’s not a knock on his music. The man just makes a dreamy style of rock music that is perfect to lay in the grass and nod off to.
Macseal
5/27/2022 (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
Macseal was the middle band in a three-band punky bill at Music Hall of Williamsburg. For me, they stole the show. Monica and Seamus, my two fellow concertgoers, agreed. In fact, Seamus agreed enough that he bought a hat from their merch table. To reiterate something from Part I, if you like an indie band, try to buy something from them. It goes a long way.
Maggie Rogers
5/25/2018 (Boston Calling), 11/5/2018 (Royale), 3/29/2019 (Hammerstein Ballroom)
I became obsessed with Maggie Rogers in 2017 after hearing her song “On + Off”, a song that seemed to combine the ethereal quality of folk music with contemporary pop production. When I finally got to see her at Boston Calling in 2019, she played in the middle of the afternoon to a smaller crowd. When I saw her again a few months later, she had just played SNL and was headlining two sold out nights at a club in Boston. After her debut album dropped, I saw her once more at the Hammerstein Ballroom. The crowd was probably 10 times the size of the Boston Calling crowd. Rogers had made it. I don’t know her personally, but I felt like a proud brother while watching from the back of the crowd, probably the drunkest I’ve ever been at a show.
My pride only decreased when someone shushed me for talking during one song. Given how much I’d drank, I don’t doubt that I was probably being louder than I intended. Nevertheless, I was overcome with musical snobbishness, and wanted to tell this oaf that I had been a fan longer than he had. I kept my mouth shut, though. Don’t pick fights at concerts, especially if you’ve been drinking.
The Maine
5/19/2012 (Bamboozle)
This was the first set I ever saw at a music festival. I remember being hot, dehydrated, not knowing any songs, and enjoying the feeling of the sound hitting me in a group of thousands of strangers.
Mako
3/21/2017 (The Sinclair)
Senior year of college, my eight male friends and I bonded over “Smoke Filled Room”, a nostalgic electronic tune that my friend Thomas introduced us to. Naturally, when we saw Mako playing a few towns over, we bought tickets in hopes of hearing our anthem. And he did play it. But he did a stripped-down version. Sure, it was good, but we wanted the song in its original glory. When we saw Mako at the merch table after the show, my friend Thomas playfully lodged our complaint with the man behind the song. He apologized between laughs as we took a photo together.
mallrat
11/5/2018 (Royale)
When mallrat opened for Maggie Rogers, it was clearly a low budget affair. The only two people on stage were mallrat and a person in front of a laptop. As someone who loves to witness people playing instruments live on stage, I was a bit disappointed. Regardless, one of her songs did catch my ear: “Groceries”. The chorus is a bit silly (i.e., “I just wanna get groceries / I'll pray you wanna get close to me) but something about the atmosphere of the song moved me.
Matt & Kim
11/17/2012 (Wellmont Theatre)
For whatever reason, tons of people from my high school bought tickets to this show, so I decided to tagalong despite not being very familiar with duo. I’m glad I went. The drummer-keyboard pair are not only very entertaining, but that show is one of my core memories from high school. I did learn a valuable lesson at this show, though.
Some random girl asked if she could be hoisted up on my shoulders. A people pleaser, I obliged. If you’ve never put a grown person on your shoulders, you should know that getting them up there isn’t an issue. But there’s not a great way to get them down. Once this girl wanted to get off, I couldn’t come up with a better idea than just sort of tossing her. She landed on two feet, but there were a few terrifying moments where I thought either I was going to break my neck or she was going to break her leg.
MisterWives
4/1/2015 (Paradise Rock Club), 9/17/2016 (Stokes Lawn at Boston College)
The humorously named MisterWives burst onto the scene my freshman year of college with their anthem “Reflections”. Of course, when my friend Patrick and I went to see them at the Paradise Rock Club — a cool club that strangely has two giant poles in the middle of the crowd — I wanted to hear to “Reflections”. But what I really wanted to hear was “Vagabond”, a deeper cut off of their first EP.
As I noted when talking about Alabama Shakes and the Eagles, concerts are often about expectations. If we are dead set on hearing something and the artist doesn’t perform it, it can destroy an otherwise serviceable set. Relatedly, a pretty crappy set can shine in our memories if the artist broke out the one song we wanted to hear. On this night, MisterWives sounded awesome, my crush for lead singer Mandy Lee growing as the night went on. Then about halfway through the set, they broke out “Vagabond”. My night was complete.
Mumford & Sons
6/13/2015 (Bonnaroo)
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