June 28 2006: Kristen Gass – The Basement, Northampton MA

Adam called me up and suggested I take a break from studying in order to attend a free early evening folk show at my favorite bar, which wasn’t a hard sell.

This was my third time seeing Ms. Gass play, but I was a bit disappointed this time around because she seemed to be way more Ani-like this time than she had before (especially in the first half of her set). And though I can certainly dig a few of Ani’s songs, I’m just as certainly not much a fan or anything. But luckily for me Kristen finished out her set with some of those regular old plain singer-songwritery songs that I enjoy so, and I was able to go home a happy young man.

June 24 2006: The Amity Front, The Primate Fiasco – Bishop’s Lounge, Northampton MA

The boss, notorious asshole to begin with, has been outdoing even himself as of late, so I figured that even though I had shit to do in the morning, I needed a little beer in my belly and rock and roll in my soul.

The Amity Front are a great band to see play in a bar after a few drinks. Dancing and good times all around. But the Primate Fiasco! Who the hell are those guys!? In between Amity Front sets these four guys walk up and stand in front of the drinking masses and start playing their New Orleans 4-piece jazz crazy shit and it was just fucking nuts! One guy was playing banjo like it was a guitar, there was a trumpet and a clarinet intertwining just like they’re supposed to do, and all above the greatest tuba bass lines you’ve ever heard. Everyone was dancing, no one was expecting it, it was just great. One of those clear moments where everything just makes sense.

June 17 2006: Slayer, Lamb of God, Children of Bodon, Mastodon, Thine Eyes Bleed – Paul E. Tsongas Arena, Lowell MA

I work with a bunch of retards. And I don’t mean my coworkers are idiots, I just mean that my job involves helping some mentally handicapped individuals in their lives’ efforts. And sometimes that translates into taking them to see Slayer.

I wasn’t much of a metal fan before this show, and I remain not much of one after seeing five metal bands play in quick succession in an arena built for collegiate-level hockey. What can I say. But I got paid to go and that is something I can deal with pretty easily.

And the best part was that the big Saturday Night Metal Show was over before 11pm. I mean, I’ve been to fucking KEYBOARD POP shows that let out later than that. Gotta make sure the kids aren’t nodding off in the pews in the morning I guess.

June 4 2006: Radiohead, Willy Mason – Bank of America Pavilion, Boston MA

Some things just don’t change: the kids love to queue up for Radiohead. They’re gonna PROVE that they love Radiohead quite possibly more than anyone else in the known universe. And how? By showing up hours before the doors are scheduled to open and then sitting the fuck DOWN, reserved seating be damned.

I hadn’t seen Radiohead since Coachella two years ago, and I wasn’t super excited about it and didn’t even have a ticket, just kind of figuring I’d show up and see if there were any to be had at a reasonable price and if there weren’t, well, no big deal, I’d just go home. But then the day before the show I put in “Amnesiac” and remembered how fucking awesome Radiohead are.

They opened with “There There” which I am willing to go down on record as saying is one of the top songs to open a show with, ever. And just the aesthetic pleasantness of the singer/guitarist in between two guys who are much taller than he and who are both being the hell out of a drum…..and it’s a pretty good song too. “The National Anthem” was the other highlight for me.

Overall the show had a pretty good mix of songs, 15 old ones (16 if you count “Nude”), 9 new ones (8 if you don’t count “Nude”). But the old ones were all songs I’d heard before, which was a bit of a disappointment. And speaking of “Nude,” it’s pretty weird, not at all like it used to be played. Good song selection overall though, with not a loser in the bunch (such as “We Suck Young Blood” or “A Punchup at a Wedding.” Christ I hated it when they would play those two back to back on the “Hail to the Theif” tour IN THE FUCKING ENCORE, A SPOT THAT SHOULD BE STRICKLY RESERVED FOR SONGS THAT KICK FUCKING ASS, NOT BLATANTLY AWFUL ONES). And a few of the new songs were great, “Videotape” and “4 Minute Warning” especially. Good show all around.