Concert Central

annoying as all hell, super chipper and kid-loving, husband played harmonica to accompany her guitar and oversweet faltering voice

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salsa dancing music, lots of horns, really enjoyed it, fun sensuality, fellow Mendez teacher’s daughter was singer

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5+ MCs and 2 DJs, “salute the nigga” when Raekwon came on stage, I could definitely decipher a positive difference in the backbeats and rap with them because I was wearying of undecipherable lyrics and hypocritical positivity (actually some of the groups were political) but Wu-Tang is certainly not and there was no need to [...]

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gangsta rap, first song was about math, I was sold and bought a CD from them and like a flaming white girl told them I was a math teacher — Unfortunately the playlist is not in The Chronicle but I saw at least 4 groups—there was a San Antonio Latino rap group, there was a [...]

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10.05.2003 R.E.M. Tweeter Center, Mansfield, MA
I will note for the record that this weekend was originally planned for three R.E.M. concerts and I backed out to attend Mixfest. I lost a few dollars on the deal because I sold the tickets for face minus the service fees, but it was the right decision. As it [...]

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We squirreled away to out seats during the opening act, Sparklehorse. We ended up hearing three songs and as far as I could tell, it was three songs too many.

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10.04.2003 R.E.M. Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Opener: Sparklehorse
Madison Square Garden is an awesome location to see a concert. Despite being primarily a sports venue, the acoustics were stellar. And they serve champagne to boot. R.E.M. started promptly after a quick set change and opened with “Finest Worksong.”
It was a tight set, not [...]

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Duran Duran sucked. The noise was too loud, Simon Le Bon can still carry a tune but his sound is all nasal. His old-man Rod Stewart tan and gesticulations on stage looked like death on legs. Some of his bandmates made out in the aging rocker category much better. The new song, “What Happens Tomorrow” [...]

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Barenaked Ladies. You know all the words, if you’ve seen ‘em before, you know all the stunts, but people eat this shit up and I am no different. The improvs (sampling Duran Duran’s “Wild Boys” and later, Sugar Ray’s “I Just Want to Fly”) loved it. The hits, loved it. The jumping up and down [...]

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Train. Hmm, well, surprisingly, I knew their stuff. Not surprisingly, the set was not enjoyable. They put on a good show, so I give them props for that, but I simply hate their singles “Meet Virginia” and “Drops of Jupiter”. When they opened with the only passable song “Calling All Angels” I knew I was [...]

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