Category: Concert Review

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Concert Review

The Black Lips Live in Atlanta

Richard Harrison Miami writes….

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The Black Lips playing live

I love the sinewy muscles and the wild styles. The band dresses like it is Mardi Gras every show. The singer man, Cole, wore a black and white leather striped vest and leather jacket and shirt, a strange stack of cloths on his back. Jared Swilley wore a popped collar leather jacket that made him look like Danny Zuko, from Grease, his hair slick too. Jeff Clarke wore a black shirt that looked like GOT.

Bloodshot Bill

The Jared from The Black Lips gave me his autograph, which made me feel great. They were milling about, watching The Country Westerns and Bloodshot Bill. I also saw how twice the bands’ eyes turned towards me and they pointed at me, singing my name: “Here comes Richie with his one-way ticket” and then during “Family Tree,” as well. This medley of musical genres is a pleasant listening experience. Country, garage, and r&b. What a Stupor-inducingly hypnotizingly lovely listening experience!

I even relapsed during the show, because I realized: if I am not happy and free doing sobriety, then it is time to relapse and pick up a white chip.

I told my friend before the show, I’m going to drink tonight and I am not going to drink tonight. I will feel trepidation with or without alcohol. I did not want to chat with strangers and either find they are unable to hear or understand me, they are boring, or they are hostile. There was a girl there who was beautiful, who I thought about talking to, but I felt so nervous that I just forewent speaking to the person I wanted to talk to.

Jeff Clarke sings on “Stolen Valor”

Jeff Clarke sang like a full chorus of high school bad boys, through most of the songs.

This is a troubadour kind of band. It is better than poetry to hear them sing their poems while playing this upbeat music.

After the band left the stage, Cole jumped down into the crowd and hugged some people. There was so much love in the room last night. People came from miles around to see the band. We love the Black Lips. I had my pen and the postcard ready for autographs but I felt intrepid to say “Can I have your autograph?” thinking I would feel like a blank boring type rather than exposing Cole and Jared and everybody to the full benefits of my conversation.

I got entirely too drunk there. I drank my tequila, then my friend was just sitting on the couch like playing internet billiards. He was not talkative. As a solution, I bought him a drink. From there, I drank enough for two people. Lots of Pabsts and more Casamigos later, I smoked my vape to death and chainsmoked cigarettes. I think I started compulsively saying things that others were talking about in my vicinity. I became reactive.

The tequila conjured the memory of a latina with big boobs who wore a tight-fitting T-shirt that said amo Tequila on it, the object of my desire her delicate touch and kiss. My chances with her vanished like respect for an ex-girlfriend., as I became heavier and heavierly drunk. If it was refreshing to get on the sauce after a month of sobriety, I cooked a whole lobster pot of marinara sauce and consumed the whole thing it like it was gazpacho. I was drunk as a funk singer from Miami’s 70’s black music radio station. I might not even need to fill up the tank of my truck because I can probably spit enough gas to make it all the way down to Tierra Del Fuego.

I failed to ask for more of the band members’ autographs, after trying to I swam upstream through the traffic of an exiting man with long blonde hair and black clothing and somebody with glasses, fitting through the narrow hallway into the concert room of The Earl. So it was time for drunk munchies. The waitress who brought me and Kris some steak nachos. Kris was like very drunk and demanding, told me to buy him a hamburger to go with the enormous nachos we shared. He ate most of the nachos. Then he was talking bout let’s go to the strip club. He wanted more drinks. He ordered himself a beer. He pushed me to buy him a fucking cocktail at this ritzy dance club down the street. I was laughing my ass off, as I ran away from that horrible place where Kris thought he had a bankroll.

To my dismay, I must drive 9 hours this morning with the hangover from a horror movie, like I am being pumped full of pills and held captive by the nurse from Stephen King’s Misery.

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Concert Review

I took myself on a date to see L.A. Witch

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Richard Harrison Memphis writes…

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The Airborne Concert Event

This was what I did instead of going to suffer boredom in grad school last night.

Last night, to my surprise, as I was doomscrolling social media, I saw that the cultish rock group L.A. Witch were performing in my city.

This band is one that I was only familiar with by name, who I read about on bandsintown, when I was planning to visit Los Angeles. Something about them piqued my interest. It was clear to me then that it was a group worth paying a visit, due to the data presented on the concert calendar app. I remember now that I streamed them and liked what I was hearing. Sometimes it is not as much of a phenomenon as we like to say it is.

Sade Sanchez

Musician Banter

Sade Sanchez (guitar/vox) stated that she was suffering from jet lag. The band played a lethargic garage jangle with a harmonious surf rock tinge. The music was sonorous to my ear, the kind of band that knows how to make it sound like a finely-rehearsed and presented at its best version of their songs. The kids were going bananas. As I was walking out, they sang “Goodbye, Godspeed,” into the mic, which left me feeling aware and respected.

I Felt Alone in the Crowd, Sometimes Bored, Powerful,

I spoke to someone who told me they had lived in Nashville for thirteen years, who reminded me of the bike punks I used to hang out with there, or one of the short-haired females I knew from the punk scene. It was a funny conversation, because I left out the fact that I was from Nashville and made cracks about the city which got that person to tell me I had offended them. She said Nashville has a punk scene the same as Memphis. Later, I admitted to being from there and apologized for offender them. I enjoyed hearing about somewhere I know well from someone who had to describe it to a different type of person than I am. However, the conversation never did not take back off after that joke I told about them driving around in a pickup truck with a dead deer mounted on the hood. lol

Fun Conversations at the Concert

The coolest person I talked to at the concert was this sexy black-clad honey with bangs. She was cool and friendly. I asked her what L.A. Witch sounds like, and she told me they are drone, sound a little sludge-y. I liked talking to her, found that she was the coolest new friend I made there. She had a really good energy, seemed really excited to be there.

I also spoke to a group of three, two of whom seemed bewildered that I would hold a conversation with them. They were some cool people, though. They knew who the Black Lips were, which I brought up as I was trying to recruit someone to go to the concert with me. At this point, I believe I ought to just sell the tickets and skip that, but I also feel selfish and bored to know that I might be sitting home alone that night, when it is going to be Thanksgiving, as well.

I should have asked for her phone number, the one who stood out as most interesting, who wore a black T-shirt with red letters on it and black bottoms. Still, I felt discouraged by the energy of that table, as I was giving them all my attention, and them little back.

Opening Bands

There were four bands on the bill: Las Hijas de la Muerte, Ben Katzman’s Degreaser, Violet Silhouette, and L.A. Witch. The show started at 8:00, an hour later than advertised.

Ben Katzman’s Degreaser: Miami Rockers

Ben Katzman’s Degreaser performed our hometown’s beloved inspirational show, of high energy, speed metal, hair metal, comedy that is known and love from here to Tallahassee. They sounded tight, not a note missed.

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American rock group Ben Katzman’s Degreaser have a great sense of teamwork.

Violent Silhouette: A Discovery

Violent Silhouette brought novelty and art nouveau to the stage by breaking down the cliched 4-5 person rock group to a two piece. One on synths and one on guitar. Their performance was explosive. I was scared, the napalmed energy of the guitarist threatening to smash his guitar and crash into a a jumble of splintered wood and wild screaming split angular wires.

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Blogpost Concert Review

Seeing Rosalia at iii Points this year was great!

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In the words of Tom Hardy, in Bronson, iii Points was great, I loved it actually!

rosalia

Friday

Rushing up to see Folktale San Pedro, my heart curled up into a little ball and cried. The set was over before the festival had even begun. I stood there and watched Leon & The Infinite Sadness, the blisters on my toes preventing me from walking much. They were a straight instrumental jazz group, that was pretty tight.

I stayed there at Sector 3 stage and watched Butterfly Snapple, who all wore black heavy metal t-shirts.

Then, drawn away by a clear band name of greatness, I headed off to Nina, which was my first experience with the seminal reggaeton de Miami band. They were opening for Otto Von Schirach, the best rapper from Miami. His show was hype, hilarious, and hip shaking.

Then, I headed over to James Blake, to witness his set sans music in his headphones. Eventually, though, Blake got sound. He played his electro soul that made us all cry our eyes out. Then I saw the Marias, found it a little dull. At some point, I started having a blast, just really enjoying the people around me that I met on the school bus, outfitted with shag carpet and neon lights.

I made it over to the RC Stage to see Mindchatter, which blew my mind. I went to LCD Soundsystem with my new friends from the school bus. That was fun, but I really wanted to talk to them. The high point of the night was Las Nubes. I even got their set list, and took it home. I wonder about their song “Retrograde”.

At iii Points, people dress like they are teenagers from Venus, with pink cowboy hats wrapped in neon lights and with neon flashing red devil horns around their hair.

It’s quite a place. Not a place to miss out on.

Saturday

I went in much later, with a stomach full of Bordeaux. I sat and read a book about Self-Compassion. I ate a meal before. I brought a fresh pack of smokes. I killed so much time, on purpose. So, I did not feel stuck inside the gates. Those lovely gates that now I wish I could be inside again.

I basically went to Rosalia on Saturday. There were some other bands but I do not remember, as I ran into a friend almost right away, who I spent most of it just following around and drinking with.

Rosalia was incredible. I was transfixed by her presence there and the amazing videography that displayed on the screen. The crowd loved her and that made it an incredible place to be. Her black and white leather couture was perfectly fitting, making her look extremely sexy. After the concert was done, after I stood there throughout the duration, I left for my home to go and listen to her record and bathe in it.