I promise that not every post is going to be about music. I will absolutely talk about other things on this blog in the future.
But not yet. Because this one is a direct followup to the last one.
After the previous post with the list of musical artists that Past Steven (2021 Edition) wanted to see, my good and dear friend Jenny pointed out that the entire list was roughly 80% female artists and 20% bands, with no solo male artists. I replied back with a very long list of male artists that I’ve seen in the last few years.
A very large portion of that list was made up of established artists, many from the 1980s. I’ve gone out of my way to see the likes of:
Gary Numan – Most folks know him from Cars, but he’s been making new music for decades and it’s awesome. Samples: Intruder, My Name Is Ruin
Alice Cooper – His live shows are over the top and amazing, just like his music.
Tom Jones – This Welsh crooner has been doing his thing for decades, but did you know he did a collaboration with The Cardigans of Burning Down The House?
Andy Bell – Yes, he’s half of Erasure, but he also has some pretty great solo stuff.
The list goes on and on for the legacy artists from past decades, but I have to admit that Jenny made a good point- the style of music I gravitate toward in newer artists is usually done by female vocalists. There are definitely exceptions, though, so here’s a list of five newer artists I’ve seen and enjoyed since I moved up to the DMV.
Jake Wesley Rogers – Rogers recently opened for Cyndi Lauper on part of her North American tour, but I saw him headline his own show at Union Stage, which holds about 250 people. He’s got a very dramatic style in the same mode as icons like Elton John and Lady Gaga.
Spencer Sutherland – Sutherland opened for Big Time Rush a few years ago, but I also saw him headline his own show at Union Stage. That place books some really great musicians.
Declan McKenna – McKenna is a British singer who first gained recognition for winning the Glastonbury Festival’s “emerging talent” competition with a protest song about the Fifa World Cup, and he makes bops that often have social commentary.
JP Saxe – Saxe is our first Canadian on this list, and his most well known song is a duet with Julia Michaels, but he’s got a few of his own albums out in the world.
Dermot Kennedy – Kennedy is Irish, and he started busking as a teenager, and was even asked to open for Glen Hansard at one point.
And that’s a wrap on five newer artists who have played shows here over the last few years. Because I am indecisive, here are two bonus artists to check out:
Marc Broussard – Broussard sings Bayou soul, which is a sort of funky Southern rock/blues type of music.
Daði Freyr – Finally, say hello to the most well known Icelandic singer who is not named Björk or Laufey. I first became aware of him when I was first learning about Eurovision while living in Germany.
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?
In April of 2004, I complained in a LiveJournal post that the $76.50 ticket price for a Prince concert was just too expensive. I was an idiot and a first-class buffoon. If I could time-travel, I would absolutely go on a tour of my stupid decisions, and I would repeatedly slap these younger stupid Stevens.
I did see Prince once, with Jade Walker and another friend. The year was 1997, and Prince was going by “The Artist” at the time. The show took place at the Miami Arena, a venue which has since been demolished and turned into a parking lot. The price for that ticket was a smidge over fifty bucks, and I would happily pay a much, much higher fee to see His Royal Purple Badness one more time.
I never had the chance to see David Bowie live. I didn’t really know how much I loved Queen until Freddie Mercury was already gone. I never saw Michael Jackson or George Michael. I missed Oingo Boingo’s touring days, although I did finally manage to see Danny Elfman in London.
Music is life. I say that so, so often on this blog, but it’s more than just a pithy slogan for me. Concerts are so much a part of my identity that I push through travel anxiety and a dislike of crowds to go to them over and over.
I went to 28 ticketed shows in 2019. In 2020, I went to seven.
Thanks to the pandemic, almost all the shows I wanted to see for the other nine months of last year were either canceled or postponed. It will be months before we can really do concerts again- there’s a sprinkling of new shows available at a few venues, but at greatly reduced capacity, and in a very different form than what I’m used to.
Now that vaccines are starting to be distributed, I’m more impatient than ever to get back to regular concert-going, and I have a not-really-very-short-list of artists that I would go far, far out of my way to see.
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.
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.
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.
I’m aware that most of the names above are in one particular genre of music, but I promise there’s other stuff on my radar. Don’t get me wrong- this is by no means a complete and unabridged list of who I want to see live- I’ve already got tickets to see eleven different shows later this year, and I’m watching carefully for announcements about others.
Music is life. And I miss living.
What concert do you most wish you’d seen when you had the chance?
On the 24th of December, at 1:12 PM in the afternoon, I have ascended to Whamhalla. It’s my own fault, I suppose- I was listening to a Pandora holiday station, but I thought I was going to be safe because they were playing the likes of Tony Bennett and Gene Autry.
Good luck, my fellow Wham Warriors who are still in the game- just eleven hours remain on the East Coast!
I love cover songs. If any artist has an interesting or entertaining version of someone else’s music, then I’m generally down for it. My personal music collection contains something like 1500 cover songs from different artists.
I especially love when a cover is so good that it becomes the more well-known version, and the fact that it was sung previously by another artist becomes a matter of trivia. A great example of this is “Istanbul (Not Constantinople).” I became acquainted with this song originally as the version from They Might Be Giants, on their 1990 album Flood. The original is a 1953 track by The Four Lads.
Sometimes, if I’m not in the mood for something specific, I’ll just fire up a good old fashioned shuffle play. My continuing adventures in shuffle-play recently served up the Worst Cover I’ve Ever Heard™. I do not use this label lightly. I’ll forgive a lot, with the possible exception of covers of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah- none of them get it right. Sometimes a cover misses greatness and it’s just sort of okay- this was not that. This cover is actively, horribly terrible.
I’m not making this up. And those of you who’ve known me for a while know that because I’m fond of covers. I love the hell out of all kinds of covers, even the covers that make purists run away, climb trees, and gibber.
The band was called Apocalypse Theatre, and they produced two albums between 1998 and 2002. They still have an active FaceBook presence, although I haven’t been able to find any new music by them after 2002. I remember thinking at the time that most of their music was fine, a sort of industrial-with-a-side-of-noise aesthetic. They reminded me a bit of Android Lust, only not as danceable.
I remember it very clearly- I was sitting out on the back patio happily talking with friends when they played The Cover. I didn’t even notice it at first- It was so, so bad that they were a good two minutes or so into the song before I even realized what it was. When I noticed it, I stopped, flabbergasted. Then I ran into the interior of the club to hear the rest.
It was so amazingly bad that I bought the unlabelled cassette they were selling for $8, hoping like hell that the song would be on it. By the way, this show occurred well after the compact disc was commonplace, but they were still selling tapes.
The tape did have the Worst Cover I’ve Ever Heard™. Years later, I took the time and effort involved to move it from cassette to mp3. Now I’m sharing it with you. Apocalypse Theatre’s finest work. The Worst Cover Song Ever.
I deliberately encoded this without the song title, because I want to see how long it takes each of you to figure out what the song is. ::evil grin::
Try to figure out what song this is.
If you figure it out right away, please, please, please don’t answer in the comments. I don’t want to deprive anyone of their chance to puzzle through this for the first time. If you’ve listened, and you still haven’t figured it out, I put the answer over here. Oh, and the rest of their stuff is over on Spotify, and it’s worth a listen.
Provided this one track hasn’t shaken you to your core, that is.
Whimsy. Tacos. The DMV. 