What a week!
For the past nine days I’ve felt like a new person. Well, I’ve felt like the old me, which has been lost for so long it feels new.
Last weekend I spent some time reconnecting with old friends. I hung out with Rory and Garth in Garth’s back yard as they planned out their new patio, visited my sister’s for some much needed family time, then went to the beach with Rory, Adam and Perla. After heading back to Toronto for a couple of days I was off to New York with my old roommate/current coworker Ethan. Sony had flown us out for their Holiday Preview Event to get a first look at some of the new games and hardware coming out later this year/early next year. I had to stay an extra night due to my British Citizenship and the Canadian Consulate not being open on Wednesday afternoons, but with some help from Alicia I was able to get a spot in an amazing hostel and spent that extra night meeting people from all over the world and making new friends. My flight home was delayed multiple times, but eventually I got home and went back to the office yesterday in time to shoot an interview with Taking Back Sunday.
One of my most read posts on this site was the one I made when I found out the original Taking Back Sunday line-up was reforming, and to a part of that interview was really special for me. John Nolan is one of my heroes when it comes to song writing and to see how incredible humble he is, as if he either doesn’t know or won’t accept how good he is, was great. The interview went really well, and I’m so happy to share it with Brian. Interviewing bands is almost always enjoyable, but when it’s a true and genuine fan talking to an honestly happy band it makes it so much better. Later on that night (last night) was the show, and I met up with a bunch of Stroud kids to spend the night with. Almost the exact same group was at the TBS show about 8 years ago, so it was a cool throw back to old times. Adam and I made our way right up to the front, almost against the barricade. (more…)
Filed under: Blogs, Concerts | Tags: jay-z eminem new york ny yankee stadium monday september 14 2010 kanye west beyonce drake diddy puffy lebron james
Full post to come re: attending both the Detroit and New York dates of Eminem and Jay-Z’s Home And Home tour, but for now, a few picture highlights from Jay-Z’s set at Yankee Stadium last night.
Kanye and Jay-Z
Beyonce and Jay-Z
Beyonce and Jay-Z again
Chris Martin playing piano during Jay-Z’s set
Drake and Jay-z doing Light Up
Diddy and Lebron James walking through the crowd
-gh
Filed under: Concerts, Music | Tags: brand new glassjaw thrice manchester orchestra kevin devine saturday november nov 28 2009 nassau coliseum new york set list setlist lists setlists concert live show video videos
Saturday November 28th 2009. Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, New York. Brand New, GlassJaw, Thrice, Manchester Orchestra and Kevin Devine.
Much more to come regarding the show tonight, including a bunch of photos and videos* from each of the bands, but for now, here are the set lists.
And might I add, such a solid show, incredible night. I’m glad I could be a part of it. You support a band for years and it’s great to see them pull off a show like this in their home city. Anyway, set lists:
Kevin Devine
- Just Stay
- Carnival
- Another Bag of Bones*
- Cotton Crush*
- Brother’s Blood
Manchester Orchestra
- Wolves at Night
- I Can Barely Breathe*
- I’ve Got Friends
- Shake It Out
- Where Have You Been? (featuring Kevin Devine and a portion of his song ‘You’ll Only End Up Joining Them’)
Thrice
- Of Dust And Nations*
- The Earth Will Shake
- All The World Is Mad (more…)
Filed under: Concerts, Music | Tags: brand new glassjaw glass jaw toronto kool haus 11 21 22 09 2009 november setlist set list lists
Brand New performed two back-to-back sold out shows at the Kool Haus this weekend and I was there to witness both nights. Firstly, Glassjaw killed both nights, setting up in a rehearsal set-up, in the round, with bassist Manuel Carrero having his back to the crowd the whole night. It somehow worked, they jammed out their songs in a different way then on record and proved they were worthy of a reunion. And of course, as always, Brand New destroyed the crowd with decent set lists both night. The only real notable difference between the BN set lists would be the lack of Your Favourite Weapon the first night, made up for with the triple-YFW enslaught the second night.
Set lists for both Glassjaw and Brand New (both nights) are after the jump. More of a ‘review’ to come.
Night 1: Saturday November 21st 2009
Glassjaw
- (You Think You’re) John Fucking Lennon
- Tip Your Bartender
- Mu Empire
- Star Above My Bed
- Jesus Glue
- Ape Dos Mil
- Pink Roses
- The Gillette Cavalcade of Sports
- Two Tabs of Mescaline
- Siberian Kiss
- Babe
Brand New
- Welcome to Bangkok
- Sink
- Degausser
- You Won’t Know
- Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades
- The Quiet Things that No One Ever Knows
- Limousine
- Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t (more…)
I recently went to see Moneen open for Taking Back Sunday at the Kool Haus, six years after seeing Moneen open for Taking Back Sunday at the Kool Haus. I was asked to review the show for a friend who couldn’t make it. I had a great time, Moneen was great as always and TBS really impressed me.
Read my full review here: Press+1
-gh
Filed under: Concerts, Music | Tags: toronto live concert review show anathallo drake hotel february 28 millencolin opera house march 7 2009
Yes, I know, Anathallo and Millencolin aren’t two bands you would generally hear muttered in the same breath, but they are the two bands I saw live this past week and both shows were absolutely amazing for two totally different reasons.
Saturday February 28th 2009: Anathallo at the Drake Hotel, Toronto
Anathallo puts on one of the most brilliant live shows I’ve ever seen. This was my third time seeing them play, the first at a small venue like the Drake Hotel. This seven-piece art/prog/indie rock machine is a sight to see, whether you’re fimiliar with their music or not. Before I go any further I must say ‘Thank You’ to them for bringing percussion ensembles into current music.
The show was great, even without ‘Holiday At The Sea’ in the setlist. (note to the band: next time you’re in Toronto, play ‘Holiday At The Sea’, please and thank you.) They managed to squeeze in a great selection of songs into the short time they had, including some personal favorites ‘The River’, ‘Hanasakajijii Four: A Great Wind, More Ash’ and ‘Kasa No Hone’. They proved once again that the perfection showcased on their albums is replicable for a live show. If you ever get the chance to see them play, don’t pass it up. You’ll regret it later.
The show was enjoyable for more than just the music, the stage banter included an ongoing ‘strike’ system, started off when Matt had his guitar tuned incorrectly for the first song in the set, ‘Italo’, and had to stop a minute or so into the song. Later on he made a joke insulting Canadians (I forgot what exactly it was, if you remember please comment below) and further into the show forgot to transpose the piano for one of their other songs. The best part about it though was that the crowd was into it, nobody was upset at the mistakes, everyone was just there for a good time and that’s what everyone recieved.
To sum up the show: brilliant display of artistic musicianship, positive crowd appreciating said display, and massive percussion breakdowns which make me happier than a kid on Christmas morning.
Can’t wait for next time.
Saturday March 7th 2009: Millencolin at the Opera House, Toronto
Oh, Swedish skate punk. I don’t even know what to say about this show. I can’t recall the last time I listened to Millencolin, but I do remember the era when I was really into them. It was late elementary school/early high school, I would go to as many shows as I could possibly go to and loved acting like a fool, singing along, pumping fists, moshing, etc. There’s something about a small punk rock show that brings people together in a way I’ve never seen anywhere else. Everyone’s there for a good time, everyone has some steam to blow off, and everyone shares this mutual respect and instant brotherly bond. This show re-proved all of that to me.
The best way to explain the show is through a timeline of my day.
11:45am: I discover that the show is happening thanks to a friend’s Facebook status (Hi Shannon!). I spend the next few hours searching for someone to come with.
5:20pm: While checking Facebook statuses I notice a casual friend’s status says ‘In Toronto! Looking for something to do tonight!’ to which I respond with ‘Millencolin @ Opera House’
6:30pm: I head to the venue, planning to meet up with said casual friend who I’ve only ever hung out with backstage at shows.
7:00pm: I find him and join him in line, meeting his friend and some other people they met in line.
7:30pm: Doors open, we go in planning to buy tickets at the door.
7:35pm: Tickets are sold out. The girl we met in line got the last one.
This is where the concept of instant friendship comes into play. (more…)
I’m laying in a hotel bed in Calgary, half awake, recounting last night’s adventure. I flew in with my sister and we went to see Oasis, then braved the pouring rain to make it back to the hotel. I was never a huge Oasis fan, but my sister was and needed to see them live at some point in her life, so here I am in Calgary to help make that happen for her.
The whole thing gave me the urge to make a physical list of bands to see at some point in my life, what I like to call my ‘Live List’. I’ll keep updating as I think harder of who I have yet to see live, but enjoy tremendously on record.
My Live List, alphabetical and incomplete.
- American Football (a man can dream…)
- The Appleseed Cast Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto: April 21st 2009
- Blur
- Chiodos
- Death Cab For Cutie
- Foo Fighters
- Glassjaw (reunion rumors)Reunion was legit, saw them 3 times in a week including the big home town show, November 28th 2009 in Long Island
- Lydia
- mewithoutYou
- Name Taken (again, reunion rumors)
- Neutral Milk Hotel/Jeff Mangum
- Rx BanditsMod Club, Toronto: April 2nd 2010
- Say AnythingThe Phoenix, Toronto: October 28th, 2009
- The Snake The Cross The Crown
- The Tragically Hip Wiarton Airfield, Wiarton: June 27th 2009
- Weatherbox
- Weezer
Well, ish. Saw the last song of the set, doesn’t really count at all.
This is a strange list, because some of these bands aren’t playing live anymore and some of them may not be my favorite bands, but I guess music, specifically live music, has always been such an important part of my life that I hope to bring this list to a zero and keep my list of bands seen live rising. To be able to say I’ve seen the Get Up Kids, Radiohead, Midtown, Muse, the Movielife, Kanye West, Silverchair, etc, is a great thing. I’m aware that I’ve been lucky in life in that I’ve been able to see some incredible shows and see some great bands before they stopped playing music, and that I have a job where it’s common to take a short break in the afternoon to head upstairs and watch some amazing bands soundcheck, it’s a completely different experience than seeing a live show that I enjoy very much.
Fingers crossed that this list starts diminishing…
Feel free to leave a comment; who’s on your live list?
-gh
Ps. So good.
Filed under: Blogs, Concerts, Music | Tags: radiohead montreal set list crowd fireworks august 2008
CLICK ‘MORE’ BELOW FOR THE ENTIRE SHOW IN HIGH QUALITY MP3s.
Radiohead in Montreal (original image by Zhu)
Yesterday was the day I’ve been excited for since I got my ticket last week; Radiohead in Montreal. I have quite a bit to write so I’ll try to keep it short with hopes people may actually read it, so I’ll try and keep it to the point.
Got on a bus in Toronto and about 5 hours later ended up in Ottawa with Michael. We got to his place shortly after midnight and I set up my bed on the couch. I wasn’t very tired, and at around 2am Shawna sent me a text saying we need to hang out while I’m in town, so what better time than the present? Who knew that as soon as we started walking it would start pouring? But I did see a downtown Ottawa fight which I’ve heard about in the past…
Anyway, woke up the next morning, bussed to Montreal, and headed to Schwartz’s for lunch. The line was way too long so we went somewhere else, but there was a sign saying there would be a 2nd Schwartz’s next door for take-out only which makes me excited for the future.
We met up with some other people and spent most of the afternoon waiting for the 6th person who had some of our tickets. It was quite a lot of waiting, but we got to the show, got through the packed metro, got through the massive line up and found a good spot to watch the show, sitting on the hill. And Grizzly Bear were a great opening act, I would think it would be hard to find a good opening band for Radiohead but they did it!
The rain wasn’t very pleasant but it wasn’t too bad, it really only affected the exit of the show with everyone walking through the mud.
Eventually, Radiohead took the stage. The last time I saw them was in 2006 and it was probably the best live show I’ve ever seen, so expectations were high, and expectations were met and exceeded. Firstly, the set-list:
- 15 Step
- There There
- Morning Bell
- All I Need
- My Iron Lung
- Nude
- Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
- The Gloaming
- The National Anthem
- Fake Plastic Trees
- (more…)
Jimmy Eat World playing ‘Crush’ Live in Toronto ( 07/04/08 )
( Video at bottom of post )
A few weeks ago I found out Jimmy Eat World was coming to Toronto. I’ve never seen them live properly, only opening sets at festivals from far away, and very strongly considered going. Clarity is easily one of the greatest albums of it’s era and Bleed American dominated my life for a while. Moneen was opening, so obviously there’s another reason to go, but I just wasn’t sure. I wasn’t completely sold on the new Jimmy record (though Let It Happen is one of my favorite Jimmy songs of all time) and I figured they would be playing mostly Chase This Light songs, but as I was walking home from work I decided to turn right instead of left and head to the venue.
I’m so glad I went.
Firstly, Moneen, solid. It’s great to keep seeing them play to bigger and bigger crowds. I may miss the hall shows but they kill it every time. And yes Kenny, it did sound huge. Steve, good job. As I said last night, I didn’t think anyone would ever be able to take Peter’s place but you’re doing a good job. It was interesting running into Peter and Slorach, it was like an ex-Moneen reunion of sorts. And Nimmo was doing merch so good times all around.
Anyway, about the show. Jimmy Eat World was perfect. I gained a lot of respect for them last night, I would have to say they know their fans better than any band out there. Before I discuss, here’s a look at the setlist:
Big Casino
Sweetness
Crush
Work
Always Be
Dizzy
Blister
Here it Goes
Praise Chorus
Disintergration
(more…)
Filed under: Blogs, Concerts, Music | Tags: gary hampton blog brand new detroit oprah girl 10/19/07
On Wednesday night I got a message from Viv asking what I was doing Friday night. Turns out her friends ditched her and now she had extra tickets to go see Brand New in Detroit, so I went along. I was debating whether to go see the Toronto show or not since the venue is terrible, so the prospect of seeing the show at the legendary Fillmore was more than inticing.
We left Toronto shortly before 4pm and headed out on the supposed 4hour trip, getting there just before 9pm. Crossing the border was no problem, I found my passport just minutes before we left. We found parking and went inside. Wow. The Fillmore is one of the nicest venues I’ve ever seen. First stop was the washroom (after the 5 hour car ride) and they had screens set up to watch the show from the basement. We missed mewithoutYou (sadly) but caught Thrice before Brand New went on.
The show was great, as usual with Brand New. Last time I saw them was in Buffalo which was, and still is, my favorite Brand New show I’ve ever seen, I don’t think they’ll ever top it. But last night’s show was still great, with only a few complaints. One which I will address below in my:
Open Letter to the ‘Oprah’ Girl at the Brand New show in Detroit (10/19/07)
Dear ‘Oprah’ Girl,
I’m glad you enjoy Brand New. They’re a great band and one of my favorites to see live. But standing behind you at the show made my night less fun then it should have been and I blame it entirely on you.
First off, be aware of the people around you. You almost hit me in the face multiple times, as well as the people on the steps beside you. I’d like to be able to enjoy the show without worrying about your elbows knocking my teeth out.
But mainly, please learn to keep your mouth shut when people are talking. Namely the people on stage who everyone came to see.
When 2200 people are completely silent while someone on stage is telling a story about a young girl being decapitated in a car accident and her mother crying while holding her decieced daughter’s head in her arms, it is less than appropriate for you to shout out ‘I SAW THIS ON OPRAH!’ It is also less than appropriate for you to continue yelling ‘OPRAH! THIS WAS ON OPRAH!’. Even after an approximate 20 people around you turned and told you to (and I quote) ‘shut up’, you still continued to yell things such as ‘if you all would just watch tv you’d know what he was going to say.’ Well, I work in television. I watch tv on a daily basis. And I did not know what the song was about, and frankly I was more interested in how the story affected him and why he wrote the song than where you had heard the story.
Please be more respectful. As the guy standing beside you put it so well, there are 2200 people in the building who paid to hear what these people on stage have to say and 0 people who care what you have to say. He is the one with the microphone, so maybe you should (“”) shut up.
Thank you. I hope to never stand behind you at a show ever agian.
Sincerely,
Gary Hampton
After the show we attempted to cross the border back into Canada, and after being yelled at for not having a residency card and having our car searched, we were on our way. I tried to sleep, but it didn’t work very well. But we stayed awake, sang along to the stereo and made it back home at 4am.
All in all, a good night. Next time I just hope people have the decency to listen to the people on stage and refrain from ruining a very touching story.
-gh
