I was looking back at one of the last posts I did in 2021, in which I talked about going to concerts and how the pandemic lock-down had shuttered so many that I had wanted to see. At the time of the post, January of 2021, Covid vaccines were only just starting to be distributed and concert venues had only just barely started to spin back up. In the post, I said,

I went to 28 ticketed shows in 2019. In 2020, I went to seven.

When I wrote the post, I was still five months away from the first new concerts after Covid, but I really went for it.

And when I say I really went for it, I mean I kind of… over-corrected from the lack of music in a massive way.

28 shows in 2019. Seven in 2020. In 2021, as things began to reopen and wake up, and concert venues checked vaccination status before you could go inside, I managed 43 shows.

After that, I really went off the rails. 177 shows in 2022. 179 in 2023. 158 in 2024. This year I’ve been trying to slow it down and be a little more selective, so I’m on track to only see about 125 shows this year.

:cough:

I realize now that in the four and a half year gap between regular posts and now, I probably could have talked a little bit about the music. I’m not a concert reviewer, and I have no desire to be one. There’s still a lot to say, though.

In the 2021 post, I talked about a not-really-very-short-list of artists that I had not managed to see, but really really wanted to. Now seems like as good a time as any to do a quick status check on that musical to-do list.

From the “I had a chance to see them, but circumstances kept me away from the show and I’m still mad about it” file:

• Betty Who – She played downtown Orlando and I was otherwise engaged.
• Ciel Gloss – She did a show in New York when I was there in December of 2019 and I couldn’t make it work.
• Imagine Dragons – I actually had tickets to this show, and was unable to go at the last minute.
• Mindy Gledhill – She played a Northern Virginia venue really close to here. I wasn’t here yet. Timing is everything.
• Kesha – This is another tour that was canceled by the pandemic.
• Janelle Monae – Another Orlando show that I am KICKING myself for not catching.

I’ve now seen ALL of them. Twice each for Kesha and Janelle Monae. I would still love to see Mindy Gledhill again.

From the “I deeply respect their artistry and I really really really wanna see them live despite all the hype!” file:

• Taylor Swift – Does Taylor Swift really need commentary from me?
• Mavis Staples – This woman is a badass and she’s toured vaguely near me a few times and I really should have just made the drive.
• P!nk – Pink is one of those shows that I really just should have ponied up the money to see when she played Orlando.
• Lorde – I wonder if she’ll ever tour outside of New Zealand again. Damn, I hope so.
• Carly Rae Jepsen – I actually saw her once, and the show was so good that I would absolutely see her again. If your opinion of her is based solely on “Call Me Maybe,” you should check out some of the other stuff on her five albums.

I’ve seen every single one of these now, and twice for Lorde. Three times for Carly Rae, because she’s a party.

For Taylor Swift, I took the train up to Philadelphia because that was the closest the Eras tour came to DC. Totally and completely worth it. The entire Amtrak train was full of Swifties, and it emptied out hilariously when we reached 30th Street Station.

From the “I learned about this artist after their last tour concluded and then a pandemic happened and now I want to see them live so badly it probably looks like I have to pee” file:

• Meg Myers – I was introduced to this artist by another friend, right after her tour in support of “Take Me To The Disco” ended. If I had a time machine…
• Grendel – This band has been around for 20+ years already, but I was unaware of them until just recently, and I love what I’m hearing.
• Marit Larsen – I’m not sure if Marit Larsen ever tours in North America- she’s from Norway and has mostly stuck around Europe and the Nordic countries. Maybe once it’s safe to fly long distances again.
• Kelsea Ballerini – She’s a much newer artist with one song that got plastered all over the radio, but I’ve listened to more of her stuff and she’d be a blast to see live.
• Ladyhawke – She’s another New Zealander, and I have no idea if she tours the US.
• Jackie Venson – I first saw Jackie Venson on Austin City Limits, and she kicks ass.

This list is the first one from the original post that still contains artists I haven’t seen live – the three of them who are based outside of the US: Marit Larsen, Grendel, and Ladyhawke.

From the others-

• Jackie Venson was one of my 2021 shows, and the first artist I ever saw at Songbyrd Music Cafe in DC. Jackie came back to DC last month, but it was the same night as Gary Numan and that’s a hard choice.
• I saw Meg Myers in DC, and her vocals are amazing but it was just her and a synth. I think she would have been better with a backing band.
• Kelsea Ballerini was also a 2021 show and that show was, hilariously, the first of three times I accidentally saw the Jonas Brothers. Yes, I said accidentally. I have never deliberately set out to see the Jonas Brothers, but they keep bringing incredible opening artists who I really want to see, and, well, that’s how you wind up at a Jonas Brothers show without really intending to.

I think I really ought to make a new list of artists that I want to see but haven’t yet. In some cases, it’s really easy- No Doubt is doing a few shows at the Vegas Sphere in the new year, for example, and I’m gonna try to make it out there to see them because I never did in the 90s.

I had more to say about all of this, but I just spent thirty minutes trying to re-learn how to use WordPress block formatting after my four and a half year gap, and I’ve lost my original point in a haze of irritation at how non-intuitive the WordPress editor is. :flail:

I guess I’ll leave you with this, a band that I only just learned about yesterday, but I’ve already bought a ticket to their Spring tour because they’re kitschy and fun and amazing and I love them already. Here’s some Steam Powered Giraffe.

What’s the next concert you’re looking forward to seeing?