bon iver @ rock and roll hotel

i saw bon iver at the rock and roll hotel tonight… simply stunning. third time i’ve been at a concert in dc being presented by npr’s all songs considered (the other two being okkervil river and the national).

listen to the show here.

vampire weekend @ rock and roll hotel

believe the hype.

song of the night – walcott

girl talk / white williams @ house of blues

made an evening commute through traffic with a full car load to atlantic city, new jersey. first time in the ac for me, second time seeing greg in the past few months. had an amazing time at the show and got to talk to greg for a bit after the set.

loved the city, loved the set… but after two nights of concerts i’m a bit spent.

m.i.a. @ 9:30 club

scored tickets to the long sold out mia show at the 9:30 club at the last minute and all i can say is wow. between her stage presence and the absolutely rabid crowd support, the show was an amazing experience.

song of the night: 10 Dollar

sigur ros acoustic set / “heima” premier @ Gould Hall

i’ll keep this shorter than my previous entry, i promise.

so after a day of manhattan sightseeing and epic performances from arcade soundsystem, i treated myself to a nice little nightcap: a brief acoustic set from sigur ros and the midnight showing of their to-be-released documentary “heima”. the acoustic set, while brief, was impressive all the same. sandwiched between “agaetis byrjun”, a favorite i had never heard live before, and untitled 4, the icelandic quartet premiered “heima”, a lovely ballad which shares its name with the documentary.

the documentary was wildly moving, crafting a story of homecoming and self identification in the stunning visuals of iceland and the ever-dramatic music sigur ros performs.

sigur ros – heima

via the music slut

lcd soundsystem / arcade fire @ randall’s island

in one word – amazing. i feel like the stories that conspired to create this glorious event past saturday evening in new york city come about very rarely. prefaced by the likes of wild light, blonde redhead, and les savy fav (acts that are all qualified to headline their own shows), two of the most important bands in this world of indie music we all live in came together in the most important city in the world to put on a simply captivating back to back performance, one i will never forget.

lcd soundsystem arrived on stage as darkness overtook the field, the skyline of manhattan just then illuminating. for me, mr. murphy and his cohorts stole the night – simply shattering all expectations i had for the group and quashing all qualms i had that they could not reproduce the glory of the studio in concert, never mind at such a large venue. the drums and bass simply ruled lcd’s set, accompanying the brilliant synths that provided the perfect backdrop for james murphy’s brilliant delivery. they hit all the highlights, ranging from the techno pulse of “get innocuous” to the sorrowful climax of “someone great”, although curiously omitting “daft punk” from the set. murphy ended his set the only way it could have ended, with the out of pace but entirely appropriate “new york i love you”, capping off a rigorous north american tour and a triumphant year which will see his sophomore release find its way to many of this year’s best of lists.

the arcade fire came on stage in front of a still swelling mass of people, upwards of 25,000 and exuded absolute professionalism, apparently mastering their craft in the two years that have passed since i saw the montreal outfit supporting their debut release. while taking time to get into gear, the wildly playful and epic performance of “no cars go” absolutely set the crowd a light. i was perhaps most impressed by the constant evolution of the stage settings, back drops, and video projections that supplemented the band’s performance. while i felt it wasn’t the performance of the night, this set has undoubtedly changed my previously unimpressed sentiments of neon bible. i have perhaps been too harsh on this band, particularly in those who have heralded them as “this generation’s radiohead”. while they certainly do not breathe the rarified atmosphere of thom yorke and co., they may be the only band of this new generation to be ahle to create a similar blend of intimate intensity and genuine grandeur. all in all, an unbelievable night of music.

songs of the night: lcd – “all my friends” and arcade fire – “no cars go”

heading out

leaving dc for the weekend (which seems to be the norm for the off days) to new york city. here’s what i’m looking at:

friday: drive up, meet up, enjoy the city

saturday: arcade fire/lcd soundsystem/les savy fav at randall’s island during the day and then heading to manhattan for a midnight acoustic set by sigur ros and the premier of their highly anticipated (at least by me) documentary “Heima”.

sunday: drive home and come down from the most amazing music day i’ll ever have had

the twilight sad @ rock and roll hotel

i’m on my way to see my second show in as many nights. i have a feeling these glasgow shoegazers are going to put on one hell of a show.

[update] showed up a little late, missed my three favorite songs, but still a good night. the venue didn’t provide the best acoustics for the expansive sound brought by the twilight sad… enjoyable all the same. had a nice conversation with bassist Craig Orzel after the show about soccer allegiences and how being a rock star trumps the 9-5 life anyday.

okkervil river @ rock and roll hotel

tonight i’m going to see okkervil river. don’t have tickets but i’m two for two in scalping tickets at the door (my other successes being wolf parade and girl talk).

[update] got a ticket and had an amazing time. opener damien juardo was magnificent, providing some laughs amongst the music he described as “depressing as hell”. sheff and the boys put on a simply stellar perfomance through and through. the crowd was top notch too.

this concert was recorded on npr, the audio will be up soon.

song of the night: John Allyn Smith Sails

girl talk / dan deacon / white williams @ black cat

there’s not much else to say here… most fun i’ve ever had at a concert.

simply incredible. oh yeah, dancing on stage the entire night and hanging with Greg Gillis isn’t too bad either.

i’m still in shock at how amazing last night was. this is why i love music.