coreygoestoconcerts

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R.I.P. Fitzgerald’s Houston

Demolition has begun on Fitzgerald’s, the legendary music venue in Houston, which marks the end of yet another era. Fitz’s weathered many storms over the years; controversial remarks by owner Sarah Fitzgerald just recently, changes in ownership over the years, the pay-to-play years. But through it all it remained one of Houston’s iconic music establishments. Any of us who grew up there since it opened in 1977 (!) definitely have some great memories of nights spent there. Below are some times I’ve covered shows at Fitz’s here on this blog:

10/24/2009: Red November

3/21/2011: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group (The Mars Volta secret show)

11/3/2012: Converge

12/21/2012: Pallbearer, Power Trip, and more

8/4/2014: Antemasque

8/23/2015: Screaming Females

And here is a video of my all-time favorite performance I saw at Fitz’s:

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The Best Albums of 2018

Obviously as an avid concert goer, I listen to a great deal of music in my free time too. Here’s a rough list of my favorite albums this year.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Vein - Errorzone

Holy hell, what an album. I feel like Vein has tapped into everything I loved growing up and created a really mind-bending, genre-shaping post hardcore album that is going to lead the charge of this brand of music for a while. They just really took my world by storm with this album. Growing up binging on post hardcore, I hadn’t really heard anything this exciting in a long time. Vein took the best elements of bands like Converge and old school Norma Jean and Poison the Well and brought it into the future. I also love their whole aesthetic. The fucked up futuristic surgical imagery and the vaguely post-apocalyptic, cyberpunk lyrics with just enough twisting metaphors to keep you guessing at their true meaning (see: my undying love of At the Drive-In). This thing was just perfect, and it skyrocketed Vein to being one of my favorite bands. Doesn’t hurt that they’re absolutely incredible live too.

OTHER REALLY GREAT ALBUMS

Post Malone - Beerbongs & Bentleys

I loved Post Malone’s debut album so much, but I really had my doubts that he could overcome the perils of fame and fortune to create something equally as great on his second outing. At first, I admit, I was disappointed because Beerbongs & Bentleys does reflect Post’s new lifestyle. He’s not struggling anymore. He is still heartbroken though. After several listens, this one really grew on me. The sound is different than his first album. It’s warmer and less isolated feeling. That being said, almost every track here is a winner and Post really shines as an artist. He successfully dodged the sophomore slump. I hope he keeps it up in the future. I think he’s got a bright one.

Fall Out Boy - MANIA

Like with Post’s album, I had a lot of fears about this one. I’ve been a longtime, diehard Fall Out Boy fan, but after they released what I believe is their best album, American Beauty / American Psycho, and put out some weak lead singles to this one, I felt like their well had run dry. I was openly critical after hearing “Young and Menace.” Yet, that song works much better in the context of the album, and they ended up hitting another home run with MANIA. It isn’t as consistent as American Beauty / American Psycho, and it rarely hits the same highs, but it’s a nice, late career effort from a surprisingly solid band. I do think they should dial it back a bit on the production, maybe go with a more organic sound like their older material or their newest single “Lake Effect Kid,” but MANIA mostly ended up being a great album to me.

Vamachara - Despondent

I wasn’t a huge fan of Vamachara’s earlier EPs, but their debut album was just a relentlessly heavy, crushing metal/hardcore album. These guys came to play with Despondent. This ended up being one of my favorite heavy albums of the year and got a ton of plays. I also got my face busted in their pit when I saw them live, so there’s that. Great stuff here. Some of my favorite gym music too.

Cult Leader - A Patient Man

Another heavy album here, but what surprised me was that the quiet moments really make this album. When Cult Leader is crazy fast and heavy, they are great, but when they show their softer side, that’s where they really shine. It makes the heavier moments stand out so much more, and their lilting melodies just carry me off in a trance sometimes. These guys have been awesome for a long time, but I really think this might be their best effort yet.

Screaming Females - All At Once

After a run of albums I didn’t really love, I never expected Screaming Females to put out their best album ever in 2018, but it really is the peak of their career as of yet. They just managed to take everything that has ever made them great and pack it into one exceedingly awesome record. I jammed the hell out of this one, and I think it really is their most consistent and rewarding one to date. It also features their most solid songwriting and catchiest choruses.

Harm’s Way - Posthuman

Like with Screaming Females, I’m surprised to say that I think Posthuman is probably the best Harm’s Way album yet. Though they alienated a lot of earlier fans with their shift away from pure hardcore and into metal and industrial, I think it’s just a perfect sound for them. I loved this album and I feel like it’s far more unique and enjoyable than their older stuff. Though their older material is great, this one puts them in a category of their own and separates them from the pack. They definitely became one of my favorite bands with this record.

Kanye West - Ye

God, say what you want about Kanye and his insanity, but he is a musical genius. I was mixed going into this one because of his public persona and because of his singles (I did end up loving “Lift Yourself” in all its stupidity though). But it ended up being yet another hit for a rapper who I think has never made a less than stellar record. My only complaint with Ye is that it’s so short, but that seems to be the direction most rappers are going in nowadays, so, whatever.

SOME OTHER COOL ALBUMS

Portrayal of Guilt - Let Pain Be Your Guide

Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy

6ix9ine - DUMMY BOY

Candy - Good to Feel

Jesus Piece - Only Self

Year of the Knife - First State Aggression

Converge - Beautiful Ruin

Sanction - The Infringement of God’s Plan

Sentenced to Burn - The Seven Layers of Skin

Hop Along - Bark Your Head Off, Dog

Various Artists - Black Panther The Album

Slaves - Beautiful Death

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On This Day (11/28): Shai Hulud, After the Burial, Born of Osiris, Deadeye

Shai Hulud / After the Burial / Born of Osiris / Burning the Masses (11/28/2008; Java Jazz Coffeehouse, Houston, TX)

I don’t have really strong memories of this one anymore, but I remember the circumstances surrounding it. This was the last show I went to with my friends after a bad car accident we were in that put a strain on our relationship. Long story short, my friend was driving, it was my car, it was totaled, and I was pissed. I still went to this show with them, but afterwards I took a long break from hanging out with them. It wouldn’t be until the next time After the Burial played in Houston that I made an appearance and reunited with them and all was forgiven. After the Burial’s sets have always been amazing though. This was also when Born of Osiris was still good, so they were on fire. Never been a big Shai Hulud guy, but I remember them being decent too. It’s so weird in hindsight that those bands were opening for Shai Hulud at this point, but that’s the way it goes.

Deadeye (11/28/2014; The Parish, Austin, TX)

This show was just fucking awful. I got dragged to this by some friends. For those that don’t know, Deadeye is a Grateful Dead tribute band. I fucking hate the Grateful Dead, but my friends convinced me to give it a shot. It was absolutely abysmal. I mean, number one, it’s a fucking tribute band. Number two, it’s already music I don’t like. So it’s a watered down version of something I hate to begin with. This was an hour and a half of torture. Never, ever again will I give the fucking Grateful Dead a chance, or any bands related to them.

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Last Night (11/27): Turnstile, Angel Du$t, Vein

11/27/2018; Paper Tiger, San Antonio, TX

First off, this is the first time I’ve been to Paper Tiger, which is just the old location that used to be White Rabbit. I am so glad that I can see shows here again. It was one of my favorite places before, and it’s largely the same now as it ever was.

This is the awesome door to their men’s room, which, of course, I love as a diehard wrestling fan. This place is just so cool.

The show. I had to haul ass through ridiculous traffic to get to San Antonio in time to catch Vein, who were largely the reason I was going. Vein is one of my favorite bands right now and their incredible, frenetic energy live is a huge reason why. Also, their debut full-length, Errorzone, is my album of the year.

This was my second time seeing Vein and they did not disappoint. I arrived ten minutes before their set, just in the nick of time, and got to see them tear through honestly an even better set than last time. Their set last time was longer, but this one had so much more energy because the San Antonio crowd was lit for them, while the Austin crowd didn’t seem to know who they were in July. No doubt the acclaim Errorzone has gotten has built their name in the months since, but San Antonio has a way better hardcore scene, and people were going nuts. It looked like their legendary This Is Hardcore sets in there at times. Vein is just impeccable live and is quickly becoming my favorite band to see. I’ll be catching them three more times in January so watch this space for more gushing about them.

Angel Du$t isn’t a band I’m crazy about. I like the song “Toxic Boombox” and that’s about it. Somehow, they still managed to disappoint me. Their style, to me, is just lame, and they completely failed to reel me into their set. I was bored to tears for the whole set except when they played “Toxic Boombox” and I found their whole aesthetic kind of embarrassing. It sucks because I like Trapped Under Ice a lot, but this is kind of shitty. Let’s get TUI going again, guys.

Turnstile is always fun. I have railed on them in the past, but they grew on me over time. I still find them kinda dumb, but their joyous energy is infectious. The crowd was even crazier for them than they were for Vein, which makes sense since Turnstile is a bigger band, but it was great to see how much love was in the air. This show was just wild and I pretty much enjoyed the whole thing. I do think “Moon” is a weak closing song though, especially when they had just played the classic “Keep It Moving.”

Almost everyone left after Turnstile, myself included. Sorry everyone. I just don’t like Every Time I Die. Never have, never will. I wanted to get a head start on my drive back to Austin, so I bailed. Oh well. Maybe I’ll see them someday and see what all the damn fuss is about, but I still hate their recorded music, so I don’t have high hopes.

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On This Day (11/20): Roger Waters

11/20/2010; Toyota Center, Houston, TX

This show was simply immaculate and unforgettable. What Waters did with his production of The Wall was less of a concert and more of a literal rock opera performance. The staging and effects were incredible, and made it a truly transcendent night. I grew up listening to Pink Floyd and to me The Wall was the album that resonated the most. Hearing it in concert with all the imagery I remember from the film was one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen. I’ll forever be thankful that Waters put this whole thing on again for a new generation. It’s a timeless album and it still hits just as hard even now. I cannot express how much I loved this show. Waters is still the man, even in ripe, old age.

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On This Day (11/16): Metallica, Say Anything

Metallica / Godsmack (11/16/2004; Toyota Center, Houston, TX)

The first proper concert I ever attended. This really set the stage for everything for me. I was 13 years old and I had desperately wanted to go see Van Halen, but my parents wouldn’t pay for it. They told me to pick something else instead. I had a choice of some good shows, but I picked Metallica, and nothing has ever been the same since. Metallica is such a great live show. I mean, even now, every time I’ve seen them has been amazing, no matter how old I or they get, no matter what other stuff I listen to. It’s goddamn Metallica. They’ll always be one of my favorite bands and it all started here. Doubt if I knew anything other than their radio hits at this point, but I learned real quick afterwards. Even aside from this being my first show, one cool point of pride is that I got to see them play “I Disappear,” a pretty rare song in their setlists. And I guess “Dirty Window,” since this was the last tour they really played anything from St. Anger. With good reason.

Godsmack opened. Not gonna lie, they were badass, to the 13 year old me. I still love nu metal to this day cause I grew up on it, and I just thought Sully Erna playing the bongos and singing during “Voodoo” was the coolest thing. I was an idiot. But they rocked. Good live band, regardless of opinion on their music.

Say Anything / Eisley (11/16/2009; Warehouse Live, Houston, TX)

I love me some early Say Anything and this show was at a time when they had mostly only released good music up to that point. Nowadays, they have more shit albums than I can count and I wasn’t too sad to hear Max Bemis is retiring the project this year. I mean, it ran out of steam a long time ago. His solo projects are better. But when Say Anything was great, they were incredible, and this show was a dark horse favorite for me. It doesn’t stand out in my mind all that much, but I always remember it fondly when I do think about it. Any time I’ve seen them, they were fantastic, and they mostly stick to the songs they know everybody wants to hear. Shame I never caught them on a Is a Real Boy tour because I’d love to hear just that album--it shaped a lot of my teenage years--but I’m glad for each time I’ve seen them, especially this time.

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On This Day (11/13): Down

11/13/2007; The Meridian, Houston, TX

This is yet another complicated show for me to talk about because of circumstances that have occurred since. So let’s flash back to 2007. I was a young metalhead and, of course, like any other good teenage metalhead in Texas, I loved Pantera. I worshiped Phil Anselmo and his subsequent projects as well, including Superjoint Ritual and Down. I just thought Phil was so fucking badass and cool.

Of course, nowadays we know he’s a lunatic and a racist, and most of us an inkling about that back then too, but we kind of just overlooked it. I don’t know. The mystique of Pantera overwhelmed everything else, and it was a different time. Back then if there was plausible deniability that one of our heroes was an idiot or an asshole, we let them have a pass. We’re much less forgiving these days, and that is probably a good thing. I’m proud of the progress I see among my peers. I’m proud of the fact that younger kids are waking up to this nonsense and refusing to worship people like Phil.

But man, I loved Down back then. It was the closest I was going to get to seeing Pantera, and it was just such a wild time. A totally different feel than most shows I had been to at that point. You had that craziness of Texas fans, just losing it for Phil and Rex, women ripping their bras off and crowdsurfing, everyone just drunk and going apeshit. It was incredible. I’ve rarely seen a show like that again, to be honest. There was just a different vibe to it. It was so much fun. It was so dirty. It was like the stories of Guns n’ Roses shows in the late ‘80s packed into a tiny club. This just doesn’t happen anymore.

Regardless of anything Phil has done since, Pantera and Down put out some amazing music and this was a great night for the awkward, teenage nerd that I was back then. It was a taste of a world I hardly knew I was missing out on. I’ll never forget it, even if I can’t stand who Phil is now.

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On This Day (11/12): The Chariot, Birds in Row, Glass Cloud

11/12/2013; Red 7, Austin, TX

This was the Chariot’s last show ever in Austin on their farewell tour. It wasn’t a huge emotional moment for me like it was for many because I really didn’t grow up listening to them much. I knew it was the guy from Norma Jean and that they were crazy live, but I didn’t listen to them regularly at the time. I wish I had gotten into them sooner, but I am so glad that I made the decision on the spur of the moment to go to this show.

First off, Glass Cloud was a band featuring Josh Travis from Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza and now Emmure. I love him and I love most of his work, but Glass Cloud was lacking for some reason. Just not up to par with his other projects. I was fairly bored by their whole set.

Birds in Row was impressive. Their stature has expanded immensely since this show. I’m glad I saw them this early on. They still don’t stand out to me too much in the grand scheme of screamo bands. They’re cool, but Orchid was doing this in 1998. I dunno. People love them though, so I’m glad I was an early adopter. They’re only getting bigger and bigger now.

The Chariot was absolutely incredible. Mind blown at their live show. I had heard stories, but it was just a chaotic thing of beauty. They were every bit as wild as I had been promised. I can’t tell you a damn thing they played, even now that I am more of a fan of their music, but they were just so insane and so heavy that I really can’t express how cool it was to see them on their last outing. It’s a shame I’ll never experience this again and that I never got to experience it before, but this was one of the best impulsive decisions I could have made. They put on a hell of a show. RIP the Chariot.

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On This Day (11/3): Converge

11/03/2012; Fitzgerald's, Houston, TX

This was a classic Converge show from their All We Love We Leave Behind tour. But what I remember so much more than Converge’s actual performance is how much of a family reunion this was. I had just moved to Austin at the beginning of the year, and this trip back to Houston was made incredible by the sheer amount of people I knew at this show. Almost everyone I grew up with was here. It was one of the last times we all got together like that. Even now, I only see or speak to maybe two people from Houston on a regular basis. So that will always stand out in my mind about this show. As for the show itself, I remember Converge being fantastic, but I can’t place much of the setlist. It took me ages to even remember they played “My Unsaid Everything” at this show, a very rare occasion. I don’t know. I guess I was so overwhelmed with everything else that the show became secondary in my mind.

You can read my review for the Houston Press here.

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On This Day (11/1): Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

11/01/2014; Republic Park, Austin, TX

Back in 2014, Formula 1 in Austin was a new concept and they were pushing it on the city HARD. As part of the sell, they held some free concerts downtown, including this one. I decided to go just for the hell of it. Joan Jett is an all time legend, but more for her style than her music. I’d be hard pressed to name even four songs she has written or performed. That being said, she was very influential, and it was nice to cross off the old bucket list. I had a fun time. I was terribly sick, but I forced myself to have a good time anyway. It ended up being worth it. Jett puts on a pretty immaculate performance, and she played the few songs I do know such as “Cherry Bomb” and “I Love Rock n’ Roll” which were huge singalongs. It was a fun night.

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On This Day (10/31): Brand New, Leonard Cohen, Chelsea Hotel

Brand New / Thrice / The Builders and the Butchers (10/31/2009; Verizon Wireless Theater, Houston, TX)

As I wrote earlier this month, it’s weird to discuss Brand New now. But putting all that aside, this was a really incredible show. I remember Thrice came out dressed as Star Wars characters, though I’ve never been a fan of them. Brand New were dressed as old school prisoners with the black and white stripes and came out to an intro video of a jailbreak, with sirens and such. They were absolutely fantastic on this night, just tearing through every song you could want to hear from them. Daisy had just come out, but the setlist was culled from their entire career. It was my first time seeing Brand New and it was unforgettable.

Chelsea Hotel (10/31/2010; Mango's Cafe, Houston, TX)

Weird show. I guess this was an old school punk band that had been around for a long time. A friend of a friend knew them and asked me to go. It was a fun time from what I remember, at least until we left and found that her car had been broken into and her purse stolen. Shit happens.

Leonard Cohen (10/31/2012; Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX)

This was absolutely one of the most magical nights of my life. Leonard Cohen was and forever will be one of my greatest idols as a writer and a poet. I’ve told this story a million times, but the weekend before, I ran into Cohen at the Austin Book Festival. I happened to be walking down the street, and there he was. He wasn’t hard to recognize in his suit and hat, just like he always wore on stage. I spoke to him for a moment, kissing his ass about his books (I’m sure he didn’t hear that much, being known so much more for his music). He was thankful and he moved on with his day, only for my friend to point out to me that we had been standing in the middle of the street when I stopped him and we both could have been killed. My bad.

I had been planning to skip this show because it was so expensive, but I took that as a sign, so I bought a ticket off a woman from Craigslist. What transpired was absolutely one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen. Cohen was just such an outstanding performer and singer. His band was fantastic. I later found out that the reason Cohen had been bumming around Austin at the book festival the week before the show was because most of his band taught music at the University of Texas. Go figure. Crazy coincidences in this world.

I really can’t express how much this show meant to me. It was overwhelmingly powerful and beautiful, and I’ve very rarely seen anything like it. Cohen passed away a few years ago, of course, and this was my sole opportunity to see him. I’ll forever be grateful to have met him and to have seen him perform. It is one of the highlights of my life, and a constant inspiration to me as a writer even now.

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On This Day (10/29): Volumes, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

Volumes / Counterparts / In Dying Arms / Carry Your Ghost / The Circadian Effect / A Tragedy Lost / Chapters / Artifact (10/29/2011; Cains Ashes, Houston, TX)

I have discussed how awful the Cains Ashes venue was here before, so I’ll skip my complaining about that. This was another show where we got stuck there all day. I think we had to see some local openers cause my friend knew them or something. Anyway, it sucked and I was dead tired by the time Counterparts and Volumes played. This was when Volumes was actually good, so the set was heavy, none of that singing and rapping crap they did later. A bit too much crowd killing in the pit, but it was fun and “Wormholes” went off.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (10/29/2017; Waterloo Records, Austin, TX)

Ted Leo is one of my favorite people and musicians in the world, and it was so much fun to get to see him here again, playing in another record store. It had been years since the last time. We hadn’t aged a bit! He was fantastic, and it was awesome getting to talk to him again. I wish I had seen their show at the Mohawk the night before, but this almost made up for it. The set mostly consisted of material from his most recent record, The Hanged Man, and that was just fine with me because it was an album of the year candidate and I’ve heard all his old stuff live before anyway. Anyway, much love for Ted. Couldn’t have been a nicer guy and played a great show.

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On This Day (10/27): Touche Amore, La Dispute

10/27/2010; Walter's on Washington, Houston, TX

This is maybe one of my all time favorite shows. It was my first time seeing Touche Amore and La Dispute, well before they had truly established themselves, and it was in a tiny venue. They played on the floor. They had only recently released their magnificent split EP, so on this night Touche Amore opened with a raucous punk outing and then swapped out very quickly, playing their two songs from the split and seamlessly transitioning into La Dispute playing their half. I’ve never really seen anything like that. La Dispute’s set was not quite as great. They have come a long way as songwriters and performers. Nevertheless, they were fantastic, and I’m fairly sure this will be the only time I can say I saw them play the epic length “The Last Lost Continent,” seeing as how they’ve shifted away from their more progressive elements over time. I’ve now seen both bands put on some incredible performances, but this will always be special for being the first time I saw them and for being just before each made it big.

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On This Day (10/26): Beneath the Massacre, Chris Stapleton

Beneath the Massacre / Emmure / Architects / Suicide Silence / After the Burial (10/26/2008; Java Jazz Coffeehouse, Houston, TX)

I will never forget this show because it was the first time myself and all my friends really attended one all together. It was incredible! They don’t make bills like this anymore. And back then I think this whole goddamn lineup only cost like 10 bucks. Nowadays it’s 30 just to see After the Burial or Emmure by themselves and Mitch is dead so Suicide Silence is irrelevant.

This was my first time seeing most of these bands. I was still getting into the uh... “heavier” side of things at the time. I, of course, loved metal, but the deathcore stuff was still new to me. I was particularly blown away by After the Burial and Emmure, who obviously remain two of my favorites to this day. And, like I said, Mitch is dead, so any time I got to see Suicide Silence will always hold a very special place in my heart.

Chris Stapleton / Marty Stuart (10/26/2017; Austin360 Amphitheatre, Austin, TX) 

I am not a country guy particularly, but I spend a great deal of time at a country and western themed bar, where I was inundated regularly with Chris Stapleton and his earlier group the Steeldrivers. The man is a masterful songwriter. His debut record, Traveler, might now be one of my all time favorites. Every song on it is incredible, including the covers. His follow-up, From a Room: Volume One, was almost equally as great. What sets Stapleton apart is his willingness to indulge his rock and blues influences heavily, and to turn a pop melody at will. He is really something special, and he’s just as impeccable in concert.

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On This Day (10/25): Post Malone, Smokepurrp

10/25/2017; Stubb’s, Austin, TX

It was so great to get to see Post Malone in such a small venue before his career had completely blown up. Like, contrast this show with his performance next year, which was at the race track stadium. He honestly was too big to play Stubb’s even then. The lines were blocks and blocks down the street. I had to wield my press status to even get in on time.

This show was shortly after I quit drinking regularly, but I still got stoned for Stoney. I hardly ever smoke, much less at shows, but it was nice to get a little high for this one. I mean, it’s Post Malone. You’ve almost got to.

Unfortunately, that also meant I went straight home afterwards, instead of to my usual after show hangout Side Bar, which is where Post went. Missed opportunities. I could have been drinking with Post just a few short months before.

Post was excellent, by the way. He came out to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s theme, which just tickled me as a wrestling fan, and then proceeded to play a fucking fantastic set of all his biggest hits at the time. He, of course, did not play deep cut “Cold” which is my favorite song, but whatever. Great show.

You can read my full review for Glide Magazine here.

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On This Day (10/24): Red November, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Norma Jean

Houston Music Fest: Red November / Red Box Harbor (10/24/2009; Fitzgerald's, Houston, TX)

Christ, what a shitty show this was. At this time in my life, I had wrecked my car and was back to being driven around by friends. My friend Jonathan had a friend who was playing in one of the bands at this godforsaken thing so we ended up there. It was absolutely fucking horrible. I’ll never stop laughing about Red November though. Their fucking name sounds like a Blue October cover band, and wouldn’t you know who won the pony, their fucking music does too. Fucking garbage.

Texas Revolution Fest: The Dillinger Escape Plan / Norma Jean (10/24/2015; Empire Garage, Austin, TX)

Incredible night. God this show was so amazing. I barely escaped work early enough to make it to the venue in time for Norma Jean, but I made it and I got in for free thanks to a hookup I had in security. Norma Jean absolutely kicked ass. Just fucking incredible. They played all of O God the Aftermath and I think this may be the best time I ever saw them. It was magical. I remember at one point this chick got into a pit beef with a guy. At first guys started defending her, but she ended up beating the shit out of her attacker and it was hilarious. The guys who jumped in to help ended up just carrying the idiot out.

As for Dillinger, this was a pretty standard show from them. They were always amazing. The thing that stands out to me about this one is that they played “Highway Robbery” and “Baby’s First Coffin.” “Baby’s First Coffin,” in particular, is one of my favorite Dillinger songs and they never played it, so you know I lost my mind when they busted it out. Dillinger had a bad habit of playing the same set all the time, so it was always an awesome treat when they would play deep cuts.

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On This Day (10/23): Dinosaur Jr, Snoop Dogg, mewithoutYou

Dinosaur Jr. / Built to Spill / Lou Barlow + the Missingmen (10/23/2009; Warehouse Live, Houston, TX)

Lou Barlow here pulling double duty, opening the show and then playing with Dinosaur Jr. Built to Spill played too. They were alright but I’ve never understood the fascination. They’re an incredibly mediocre indie rock band to me. Nothing special. Dinosaur Jr, on the other hand, is one of the catchiest and purest rock and roll bands to ever do it, and they rocked it hard just like they always do in their headlining spot. Dino has to be the fucking loudest band I’ve ever seen. Those Marshall stacks they’ve got on stage? They’re not for show. They’re real. And it’s like being swept away in a wind tunnel by fucking sound. You can sometimes not even tell what they’re playing when it gets too loud, but if it’s too loud, you’re too old. Good shit.

Snoop Dogg / Dave Hill (10/23/2015; ACL Live at the Moody Theater, Austin, TX)

You could read my full review of this one, but the blog I wrote it for no longer exists. This was a weird period of my writing career. I was doing incredibly random shows for a very weird blog run by one guy who took pictures and paid his writers very handsomely but expected only positive reviews. Anyway, it was weird. Bad times in my life really, but I needed money so I went to a lot of strange shows like this one. I’m not a huge Snoop Dogg fan, but obviously his hits are massive. This was a fun, party-like atmosphere. He does a good job bringing that still. Just cover your ears when he gets to anything he’s done lately like that “Young, Wild, and Free” garbage.

mewithoutYou / Pianos Become the Teeth / Strawberry Girls (10/23/2017; The Mohawk, Austin, TX)

Easily the best mewithoutYou show I’ve ever seen. [A->B] Life is my favorite album by the band, and this was an anniversary tour for it, so they killed it. I never imagined I’d get to hear them play some of these songs. You can read my full review on Glide Magazine here. Pianos Become the Teeth opened and, as always, they were incredibly disappointing. I’ll never forgive them for how much they’ve changed their sound and abandoned what once made them one of my favorite bands.