I found an xml file of a long-deleted Blogspot and recovered a few gems worth republishing here. This is mostly shared as it was originally written, with a few notes in brackets, and some light curation of links.
2008 was a great year for shows. I swear some weeks I spent most of my time making that lovely commute down 95 to the 9:30 Club or Black Cat. [Baltimore -> D.C.] Once again, courtesy of last.fm, I can rehash some of my favorite shows from 2008. [How cool is it that this link still works.]
1. Elbow – April 27th – Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
So, I went to see a rock show at a synagogue last night. Go ahead and read that first sentence again. One of my favorite bands, Elbow, was coming into town and I couldn’t pass it up despite having to go to DC on a rainy Sunday night. Not sure what I was expecting when I walked in, but I was kind of shocked to see that it was actually…you know…a synagogue.
I arrived in the middle of the opener’s set, and felt like I walked into a theatre in the middle of Act I. The beautiful Sixth & I Synagogue is set up with three columns of pews on the ground floor and a wrap-around balcony overlooking the stage…which is less a stage than a raised platform where I imagine the rabbi usually chills. So I had the awkward opportunity to wander around in the dark and look for a place to sit. Luckily, I saw some open seats in the front corner, that people probably left open because they were too embarrassed to walk in front of the stage in the dark to go claim them. Since good seat > embarrassment, I shrugged it off and grabbed a second row seat to enjoy the rest of the delightful Jessica Hoop, who played an acoustic set.
Speaking of acoustics…all I can say is wow. Synagogues being square shaped and all, and with the huge ceilings, I wish I had some type of sound-engineering lingo to explain it…it was just the best acoustics I’ve ever heard at a rock show. So, there was that. Which was nice.
After the break, the lights dimmed and I knew we were in for something special. The background music for “Starlings” began and two fit birds in black dresses ran out from the back carrying violins. Then the rest of the band walked out from behind us; I always get a kick out of a band walking through the crowd for a gig. As they reached the stage, I noticed that the whole group was carrying trumpets. If you’ve never heard the song “Starlings,” there’s this enormous sound throughout. Which they play live by sounding trumpets simultaneously. In the intimate venue, it was loud enough to melt my face. It felt like a combination of theatre and stand-up since we were sitting down in pews and the audience was respectfully dead-silent during the songs.
Guy Garvey was charming as he worked the crowd with jokes and stories between every song. Great to see the maturation of the front man since seeing Elbow at Arts Fest at PSU six or seven years ago. After one song, he sarcastically said, “Thank you. Now, any questions from the crowd?” One woman raised her hand and shouted, “where did you get your name?” Guy laughed before muttering, “it is quite a shit name, isn’t it?” He went on to tell the story about a progressive British screenplay in which one of the characters claims that the most pleasing word in the English language is ‘elbow.’ Or as he put it: “Elllllllll-bow. But, if you don’t know the story, it is quite a terrible name.”
After playing through mostly new material, Guy asked if we knew the song “Newborn?” The crowd buzzed in anticipation and he informed those not in the know (who are ya?) that the first lines are: “I’ll be the corpse in your bathtub/useless” and invited us to sing along to open the song. I would have to say that singing “I’ll be the corpse in your bathtub” in a synagogue ranks in one of my most favorite moments ever. The band tore through the seven minute opus and received their first standing ovation of the night.
Everyone in attendance could feel something special in the air, including the band. Guy commented several times about how nice it was to be playing in this intimate atmosphere, even calling it “…the most beautiful gig we’ve ever played. Especially compared to some we play at home in Manchester. Some of those places are…well…” Here the bassist Pete interjected with “shitholes.” Guy confirmed, “Yes. Shitholes would be appropriate.”
The second highlight of the night came with the most beautiful track off Seldom Seen Kid, One Day Like This. Guy asked us to help out with the chorus, singing “So throw those curtains wide/One day like this a year’d see me right.” After a few practice runs through, Guy laughed and said, “that was close, this time try not to sing like you’re Catholic.” Being raised Catholic, and knowing I would never want to be accused of singing like one, I took that as an opportunity to belt it out. Everyone in attendance joined in and we nearly blew the square roof off the joint.
After a final, moving version of “Scattered Black and Whites,” Guy told us it was their last song and the setup of the venue wouldn’t really allow for an encore. The audience hoped to call his bluff, giving a standing ovation for a few minutes, but alas the house lights came on and that was all for the night. I was a little disappointed, as they hadn’t played my favorites “Powder Blue” or “Any Day Now” and I didn’t really want the night to end. But how can one complain after such a special night. To top it off, I was able to snag drummer Richard Jupp’s set list on the way out. Great reminder of an incredible night. Easily in the top three shows of my life. Cheers, fellas.
2. Radiohead – May 11th – Bristow, VA
Anyone who’s seen Radiohead before knows that they don’t play around. This was my third time seeing them, and it seems every time something memorable happens to make it even the more interesting. This one was no different. Temperature fell from 75 to 45 hours before the show, and the skies opened up, unleashing a flood on rural Virginia.
Half the roads closed, ensuring many of the crowd wouldn’t make it in time for the show. Those that did were in for a treat. Violently shivering throughout the set, wading knee-deep in water to get back to my car, sitting in the parking lot for three hours to leave, getting lost in Virginia at 2am on a Sunday…worth every second. Here’s Fake Plastic Trees from that night…check out the 2:20 mark…Jonny shows his axe what the fuck is up.
3. Bon Iver – August 1st – Black Cat
I have a man crush on Justin Vernon. I don’t care who knows it. I want to shout it on the mountain tops. Made it even better to share this concert with a new friend.
[In hindsight, this is one of the most impressive shows of my life, seeing him with about 100 people.]
4. Fleet Foxes – October 3rd – Black Cat
Another wonderful show at the Black Cat. Acoustics and harmonies were perfect.
[Another in-hindsight-all-time show. Seeing Fleet Foxes touring their first album at a small venue. Nice work, 2008 me.]
5. Kanye West – August 10th – Virgin Fest – Pimlilco
Virgin Fest had a plethora of good shows – NIN, Chromeo, Stone Temple Pilots, The Go! Team, BRMC. But Kanye was the show stealer. Fresh off his infamous appearance at Bonnaroo, the humble Kanye earned himself an army of hippie enemies who still talk about what an asshole he was. But at Pimlico, he proved why they were all so excited to see him in the first place. What a contrast with the earlier appearance by Lil’ Wayne; Kanye was on point, you could sense his perfectionism. Every person on stage, every light, every note, it was that way for a reason, because he planned it that way. And he had it exactly right.
[obligatory 2023 Kanye disclaimer here]
6. Wilco – February 27th – 9:30 Club
I saw Wilco twice this year, both times they were predictably awesome. Nod goes to the 9:30 Club over the Lyric Opera House because of the smaller venue size.
7. The Swell Season – September 26th – Austin City Limits – Zilker Park
Here’s a video I shot with him trying to destroy his guitar. The quality is terrible, but you get the idea. Even better, he’s a better video someone else shot. [sadly the videos are gone]
8. The Hives – March 8th – 9:30 Club
THE HIVES MAKE EXCELLENT ROCK SONG CONCERT YES. Best stage presence I’ve ever seen…except maybe for Andrew W.K. Here’s another crappy quality video, but just watching them again makes me want to punch myself in the face. [The quality is amazingly crappy, but it does looks fun.]
[Final note – I love that I’m able to document important things to me on this blog, and know they’ll be around thanks to WordPress. I wish I had kept blogging all this time instead of falling into the social media trap. But there’s no time better than the present to plant a tree. So start blogging, your future self will thank you.]
Sound off.