My Morning Jacket @ New Orleans Jazz Fest 4/24/10

This was it. This was the show that got us to New Orleans. 90 minutes of live MMJ. We'd been waiting since the MSG New Year's show to see these guys in concert again. It didn't matter that Simon and Garfunkel were on the other main stage. I can get down with some 'Cecilia' and all that, but no way were we going to miss any of this performance.


We made sure we all used the restroom one final time. We stocked up on beverages. Then at about 4:45 we made our way toward the stage to set up shop. We managed to lay claim to a good dry spot near the mud pool that had been created in the front and center area of the Gentilly Stage soundboard and we waited.
The anticipatory tension grew as the crowd did the same and when Jim, Tommy, Carl, and Patrick took the stage at 5:32 everyone was peaking.

The band went into a building early jam and then right into the familiar riff on their crowd favorite, "One Big Holiday". The place erupted.

With only a 90 minute time slot the band ripped through some of their most popular tunes; sticking to material from It Still Moves, Z, and Evil Urges.

It was a great time and good to see the band back on stage together. As time got to running short the Preservation Hall Jazz Band joined them on stage. Also joining in the fun was Al "Carnival Time" Johnson who didn't let Jim James be the only one rocking a cape on stage. Of course we wish they could've played longer, but it was a lot of fun and worth the trip to see them. Setlist, more pics, and a video below.

My Morning Jacket New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/24/10

SETLIST
1. One Big Holiday
2. Gideon
3. Off The Record
4. I'm Amazed
5. Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt.1
6. Golden
7. Thank You Too!
8. Mahgeetah
9. Lay Low
10. Smokin From Shootin
11. Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt.2
12. Anytime
13. Wordless Chorus
14. Evil Urges *
15. Highly Suspicious *
16. Mother In Law (Allen Toussaint) *
17. Carnival Time (Al Johnson) *
18. Move On Up (Curtis Mayfield) *

* w/ Preservation Hall Jazz Band






My Morning Jacket w/ Preservation Hall Jazz Band - Move On Up


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Central Grocery, The Praline Connection, and Kermit Ruffins @ Vaughan's Lounge 4/22/10

The HGH crew was in New Orleans this past weekend for the opening of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. It’s hard to say whether the food or the music was the #1 Star of this trip. Both were awesome. You’ll notice that most of our existence for the five days we were in town revolved entirely around those two things…and the occasional drink.

So it was on Thursday last week we arrived in New Orleans. While waiting for our room to be made up at the Hotel St. Marie we made our way to Central Grocery for a muffaletta.
The line was long but moved fast and in a short time span each of the three of us were sitting on the banks of the Mississippi river with said sandwich piled high with salami, ham, provolone, chopped olives, and oil, a bud tall boy, and a bag of Zapp’s craw-tator chips. Good livin’.

We slow played a few more beers, read our Jazz Festival editions of OffBeat Magazine, and tried to come up with a loose plan for the weekend. It being Thursday we decided our night should revolve around getting over to Vaughan’s to see Kermit Ruffins.


After dinner at The Praline Connection of catfish, crawfish etoufee, and stuffed bell peppers we arrived at Vaughan’s a little after 10pm.

The building at the corner of Dauphine and Lesseps streets is unmistakable as the spot. Crowds of people milled outside and into the street surrounding the run down building strewn with colored flags and lit up by neon signs. We paid our cover and made our way inside. It was as packed as you’d expect it to be the night before jazz fest starts, but it wasn’t impossible to get a beer and over time we were able to secure some real estate within close proximity to the stage. Riley even got a seat.

It didn’t take us long to see why Kermit does this show every week. It’s HIS night. He does what he wants. His friends come up to play with him. The ladies love him and between sets he sits and queues up tacks from his itunes to entertain the crowd. It’s a loose atmosphere with the only thing taken seriously is having a good time. Kermit’s drummer did a take on Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’ with locally influenced lyrics, trumpet player Maurice Brown came up to show his chops, and the band poked some fun at Kermit’s recent work as an actor playing himself on HBO’s Treme by playing a teaser of the theme song to that show.

Check a quick vid. It's dark, but you get the idea.


It was our first night in town and it might have been our most memorable. We put in 3 hours or so dancing with Kermit and friends. I dunno if we worked off that dinner, but we might’ve come close. It was a night in New Orleans as it should be. Good music. Good friends. Good fun.

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Deer Tick w/ Those Darlins @ Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL 4/8/10 (review, videos)

We don't play favorites here at HGH...well usually not, but our little buddy CL is constantly asking at every show, "Who's your favorite in the band?". As a concert goer you don't always have a lot to go on to answer the question. Does the stage banter strike you as genuine? Do you appreciate the yeoman-like workmanship of the supporting musicians? Are the drummers facial expressions striking you the wrong way? These are the types of questions you might use to decide...who IS your favorite in the band? Last night's Deer Tick show was no exception.

Our friend CL was all over it from the jump, "The bassist is my favorite." Well, we had a chance to chat with Chris after the show and snag a quick picture of him with his new #1 fan. There's early talk of a side project band Chris & Christine...we'll see how that works out. Honestly Chris seemed like a genuinely good dude. He wasn't the least bit thrown off when CL asked him if he was "...friends w/ his parents."

When Chris wasn't fielding questions about the familial support he may or may not receive he was holding down the bassline for the show. A little different this time on the bass guitar whereas last time through town he was on the upright bass. This wasn't the only change in the band's look as it seems like they were 1 guitarist short from last time they played in Chicago. This might have been Ian O'Neill from Titus Andronicus who played some dates with them in the fall. Anyway, he wasn't there this time. I wonder what effect that had on the show. I recall being impressed by the guy's playing.

Gravel voiced lead singer John MacCauley mentioned being really f-ed up last time in Chicago, so maybe that was the difference. Maybe it has to do with touring with your gal pal’s band, but things seemed kinda dialed down compared to what we’ve seen from each of these bands in the past. Despite a little lower energy level they were some memorable highlights from the show. The cover of Chuck Berry’s “Maybelline” was pretty cool; made even cooler with on-the-spot crowd member Josh Johnson being pulled on stage to play harmonica for the song. I always like the tune “Cake and Eggs”, good to see the Darlin/MacCauley couple duet that one.
In general though maybe it was just the fact that, as CL pointed out, the slower songs of the night were the stronger ones and this gave the show a distinctly more mellow feel as compared with the show in the fall. The band slowed it down on ‘Ashamed’. This had been a raucous crowd sing along and was now a crooner special. Are the guys growing up? Getting sober? Or soft? Maybe none of the above and it was just a little toned down from shows past. It was a good time nonetheless.

Check out a few of the videos from the night.

Those Darlins w/ John MacCauley - "The Whole Damn Thing"


Deer Tick - "Easy"


Deer Tick - "Maybelline"


Deer Tick w/ Nikki Darlin - "Cake & Eggs"


-JL


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Everyday Prophets: "Dreaming" Music Video

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Cubs 2010!

THIS IS IT! THIS IS THE YEAR!

I mean if Pete Buck is behind 'em how can they lose?

The Baseball Project - Cubs 2010



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Eddy 'Chief' Clearwater LIVE @ S.P.A.C.E. 4/3/10 (videos)

Man I wish I could play like that just straight up, not to mention upside down over my head...redic

More Vids of 'Slow and Easy' and 'Find A Job' – fitting tunes for a lot of us at HGH. enjoy!









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EDDY 'CHIEF' CLEARWATER 4/3/10 @ S.P.A.C.E. (PICTURES)

Unbelievable show, had great seats front row, got really good pics and even shook the man's hand. Eddy, you're killin' it, keep doin you.

-Riley
More photos below the fold











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Passion Pit @ Congress Theater Chicago, IL 4/2/10 (setlist, videos)

After playing a free show at Logan Square Auditorium in the fall Passion Pit returned to Chicago to play to a sold out crowd at the Congress Theater. Lead singer, Michael Angelakos, made sure to thank the crowd for "making this the biggest show we've ever played." Pretty cool.

Full setlist and a couple videos from the night BELOW.

PASSION PIT @ Congress Theater 4/2/10
SETLIST:
1. I've Got Your Number
2. Make Light
3. Better Things
4. The Reeling
5. Moth Wings
6. Swimming In The Flood
7. To Kingdome Come
8. Let Your Love Grow Tall
9. Folds In Your Hand
10. Smile Upon Me
11. Little Secrets

ENCORE:
12. Eyes As Candles
13. Dreams (Cranberries cover)
14. Sleepyhead

"Little Secrets"


"The Reeling"


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Spoon @ The Aragon Chicago, IL 4/1/10 (setlist, videos)

Fully deciphered setlist below...VIDEOS even further down the page...

Spoon @ The Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL 4/1/10
SETLIST:
Me and the Bean (acoustic)
The Mystery Zone (acoustic)
Written in Reverse
Got Nuffin'
My Mathematical Mind
Don't Make Me a Target
The Ghost of You Lingers
Who Makes Your Money
Small Stakes
Modern World (Wolf Parade Cover)
Is Love Forever?
Someone Something
The Beast and Dragon, Adored
Don't You Evah
I Summon You
You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
Nobody Gets Me But You
The Underdog
Black Like Me
ENCORE:
Everything Hits at Once
Trouble Comes Running
I Turn My Camera On
The Way We Get By
Jonathon Fisk

"Don't Make Me A Target"


"You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb"


"The Way We Get By"


The J.O.


...And the cosmos shot for Riley...



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