Noah and the Whale: Concert Review

Band: Noah And The Whale and Nikki Lane
Date: November 22, 2011
Location: House Of Blues Anaheim, CA

Preconceived Thoughts of the Band: I got introduced to Noah and the Whale from a mix CD I got a year ago. I enjoyed their music. The singer sounds like a mix of Mumford and Son and Frightened Rabbit. Their music is acoustic based driven by finger picking guitar and soothing violin playing. My favorite tracks would have to be the fast paced song Rocks And Daggers to the powerful anthem song First Day Of Spring

Pop Punks Not Dead: Concert Review

Band: Set Your Goals, The Wonder Years, Man Overboard, This Time Next Year
Date: November 16, 2011
Location: The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA

Preconceived Thoughts of the Band: 
I have been waiting for the Pop Punks Not Dead tour for months now!! This is because I've been dying over The Wonder Years. When I first heard them a couple months back, I was like WTF how have I gone without them?! They are my exact kind of musical interest. Besides The Wonder Years, I have only really really slightly listened to Man Overboard and Set Your Goals. Just to note, New Found Glory was headlining this tour, but I didn't stay to see them unfortunately :( Even though pop punk isn't dead...I have to pass all my classes ;)





What Actually Happened (BITCH SPOILER ALERT!!!) 

I actually ended up going to this show alone, which is a first for me. Before I got in to the venue, I may have had a little to drink to loosen me up a bit..Anyhow. When I got there This Time Next Year had just started to play. There was already a good circle pit going and a bunch of people in the crowd. I had never listened to them before, but apparently they are a relatively local band to the bay area, so they had a good amount of fans for the first band. They were pretty good, I enjoyed their set and their music. Next was Man Overboard. I ended up moving closer to the stage, probably about 3 rows in. I have only recently started listening to Man Overboard, and I really didn't recognize any of their songs. I really liked them though! They are definitely my type of music, so it was fun. As another note, there were a ton...ton...of attractive guys at this show. I usually dont swoon this hard, but Pop Punks Not Dead tour definitely attracted some hot guys. I was literally surrounded by them during the Man Overboard set..no complaints there. After Man Overboard finished I was eavesdropping on some of the guys around me and they were saying how Man Overboard on their albums usually didn't sound as hard as they did live. Take that as you will, I feel I would like them either way.

THE WONDER YEARS. Wow, just really, what can I say? I had been dying for this part of the show for months. When the lights dimmed, I swear there was so much energy in the room. It was exactly how I had imagined. People moving, screaming the lyrics, just really good energy. The show was so much fun. The Wonder Years seriously killed it. They put on just an amazing set. Their stage energy is spot on and the fans and the crowd just ate it up. I had so much fun. It was worth the drive and worth going by myself as well. I just seriously felt like this was the place I wanted to be. It was so much fun, I love it when other people are feeling and connecting to the music as much as I do. It was an absolutely amazing show.

After The Wonder Years, Set Your Goals played. I had moved way over to the side by the wall of the room and was watching from there. I really dont listen to Set Your Goals, but I recognized one song. Just by watching the crowd, it looked really fun. There were a lot of people in there really in to it. Once again, like other shows, it made me wish I knew their music so I could be in the crowd having fun. Set Your Goals was originally from the Bay Area, and they definitely had a lot of fans. Their stage presence was really really strong. They looked like they were having a blast on stage and it definitely pumped up the crowd.

Verdict - Absolutely amazing sets, awesome crowd. Pop Punks Not Dead Tour brought it hard this year.

Bitch Rate: 0/5...No complaints here. 

Hey Monday, Cartel, and The Ready Set: Nostalgia Concert Review

Band: Hey Monday, Cartel, and The Ready Set
Date: November 17, 2010
Location: Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA

Preconceived Thoughts of the Band: 
At the time of this show, The Ready Set was still on the edge for me. I had seen them live once or twice before this show, and I wasn't really feeling them yet. It wasn't until this show that I finally enjoyed their set (even though I still laugh at Jordan's dance moves). Cartel, being an older band in comparison to the others, I hadn't really listened to that much. I knew about 4-5 songs out of their set. As for Hey Monday, I will also still warming up to their sound/liking Cassidee Pope.





What Actually Happened (BITCH SPOILER ALERT!!!) 

Dead Kennedys: Nostalgia Concert Review

Band: Dead Kennedys Opener: Ol' Dirty Bastards
Date: February 5, 2011
Location: The Catalyst

Preconcieved Thoughts of the Band: These are the original hardcore/punk band of the 80s. They are LEGENDARY! They influence other punk rock bands well into the 90s. I did some research on them in one my classes. They are known for their political lyrics and fast driven songs. Now I wanted to see them in action. The only down side was the new singer. Jello left the band, and was replaced by "Skip". People actually turned down this concert because of the singer, and I completely understand, but I just couldn't help it. I wanted to see them no matter what.

Ra Ra Riot: Concert Review

Band: Ra Ra Riot Openers: Yellow Ostrich and Delicate Steve

Date: November 11, 2011

Location: The Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA

Yeah! I finally saw a concert last night! on 11/11/11. Such a lucky day! =D

Preconceived Thoughts of the Band: I got introduced to Ra Ra Riot by a friend of mine back freshman year in college (same band that introduced me to Fleet Foxes and countless others.) I totally fell in love with their album. It had warm, full string sound in all their songs which is definitely a plus for me. Can You Tell? and Too Too Too Fast are the big winners in the album. Their sophomore album "The Orchard" didn't do too much for me. It was a lot slower than their first and it wasn't as catchy as their first. The only song that I can get off from that album is  Too Dramatic for inside jokes only. 

La Dispute, Moving Mountains and O Brother: Concert Review

Band:  La Dispute, O Brother, Moving Mountains 
Date: November 6, 2011 
Location: Ace of Spades, Sacramento, CA 

Preconceived Thoughts of the Band: 
O Brother and Moving mountains I had never heard previously to this show. As for La Dispute, I definitely consider myself a new fan of the band. I just recently got into them a few months ago, but I really like them. However, they are definitely an acquired taste. As a note, Thrice was the headlining band for this tour, but we didn't stay to see them. 




What Actually Happened (BITCH SPOILER ALERT) - 
The doors opened at 6 for the show, we showed up around 615. It was actually really packed for this show, which I had pretty much expected. We ended up just standing along the railing by the bar area looking right out to the stage. It was a pretty good place to watch. Moving Mountains played first. I had never heard them before, but by the end of their set, I was really into them. The singer had a seriously kick ass voice. I loved it. Their music was amazing too, definitely talented musicians, I was feeling them as a whole. After them was O Brother. Even after a couple beers, I wasn't really interested. Really, I was just feeling a little bit bored. I couldn't even tell how many songs they had played, it seemed like they all just ran together. However, even though I got a little bored, they were still actually pretty good. The singer had a good voice and the music was good. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood to hear that music then. La Dispute came on pretty quickly after O Brother finished. Like I mentioned, La Dispute is definitely an acquired taste. We were still standing in the bar area, but once they were a song in, I was really wishing I was in the pit. All the guys were into it and moving around. That was were I wanted to be!!! I was jealous that I didn't make my way down there. La Dispute put on a really good show. Jordan (singer), has so much energy on stage, running around with a tambourine. He got down in the crowd and was singing along with all the guys in the pit (made me want to be down there even more -_-). Since the music is so different, the guys behind us were hating on La Dispute their entire set. It got really annoying cause they literally talked the entire time and bitched about them. Anyways, they were really good and enjoyed seeing them live. It was definitely worth the $20 to see them and the two other bands. 




Verdict - Good times listening to some new music and seeing La Dispute. Only thing sucked was the bitching Thrice fans hating on La Dispute! D:


Bitch Rate - 1 /5 

All Time Low, Yellowcard, and Hey Monday: Concert Nostalgia

Band:  All Time Low, Yellowcard, and Hey Monday--The Dirty Work Tour
Date: April 16, 2011 and May 3, 2011 
Location: The Warfield, San Francisco, CA and Best Buy Theater, New York, New York. 

Preconceived Thoughts of the Band: 
All Time low has been one of my favorites for the past 6 years or so. I really loved their first album as well as their second one, however their third and fourth one definitely took me awhile to warm up to. As for Yellowcard, I have never been that big of a fan, I really just know their singles, but I do like them. Hey Monday has a female lead singer, and since that isn't my fave, it took me awhile to warm up to them. I've seen them live a few times before this, so I finally do like them well enough and know their songs. 


What Actually Happened (BITCH SPOILER ALERT) - 
I will be reviewing both the SF show as well as the NY show since I went to both, I will specify when I am talking about each show as I write. For the SF show, we got there a little bit later, but early enough not to miss Hey Monday. It was my first time going to The Warfield. It is a pretty venue, but the pit was packed!! There was barely any room for all the people that had tickets for it. It was pretty uncomfortable. Hey Monday was the first band that we saw and they were pretty good. She was really interacting with the crowd and play alot of songs, even a mix of a few of their songs in one. I was pretty happy with their set overall. Yellowcard came on next. They actually had alot of fans there just for them. I had never really listened to them besides the singles that they have put out, but I really loved them. They put on a really good show. No complaints there. Then was All Time Low. I really cant say that I have ever been disappointed with an All Time Low show. They always have alot of energy, are constantly interacting with crowd and play a good spectrum from their first album to their newest album. 

SF Show:

The NY show was at the Best Buy Theater, which is hands down the nicest venue I have ever been to. It was gorgeous inside! I was amazed. Our attendance of the show was really last minute. We knew that they were going to be playing while we were in NY, but we were on a pretty tight budget. We ended up getting our tickets on stubhub the night before for a really decent price. Anyways, if you read my review of The Bamboozle Festival, you know my feelings on the NJ crowds. Well, NY crowds weren't much better. We made it again right when Hey Monday was about to start. Even while we were waiting for them to play, I was getting pissed off at everyone around us. I just dont know what it was. Then, once they started playing, the crowd was just really rude and annoying. I honestly feel that even Cassadee (singer of Hey Monday) was annoyed. Her set felt alot more rushed than at the SF show, and it seemed shorter too. It could have been for a totally different reason, but she even didn't interact with the crowd half as much as she did before. Probably the thing that pissed me off the most was that the crowd was so rough and annoying that we could barely be in the pit. They did something I literally had never seen at any other show I have been to before. 3 or 4 guys would get on their hands and knees on the ground, then someone would run and jump on them to crowd surf. This was the stupidest thing ever to me. I usually dont have a huge problem with crowd surfers, but this was so dangerous and ridiculously. My friend got hit really hard in the head with someones foot when they were doing that. It was so bad that we basically just moved off to the side. Usually I'm down to get pushed around and jump, but it was way too much. Maybe I'm just getting too old though...
Anyways, once again, Yellowcard really had a great set and show. They played all the same songs as in SF, but I enjoyed it all the same. 


All Time Low was really good once again. They interacted just as much with the crowd, and played the same set, but they just put on a good show. One thing that I did appreciate about this crowd was that during Alex's usual solo of "Remembering Sunday" more than half of the pit sat down and just listened. I thought that was really cute. 

NY Show:

Verdict - SF show rocked, besides a way too crowded pit, and the NYshow...well...the bands were great but I still hated the crowd.


Bitch Rate - 2.5 /5 

Hey Monday:
I Don’t Wanna Dance
Homecomming
Fall Into Me
Acoustic Medley (Included Arizona and Hangover)
How You Love Me Now
Wish You Were Here

Yellowcard:
Lights And Sounds
Way Away
Believe
Fighting
Light Up The Sky
Hang You Up
For You and Your Denial
Only One
Ocean Ave

All Time Low:
Time Bomb
Stella
The Beach
Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t)
Coffeeshop Soundtrack
Let It Roll
Remembering Sunday
Six Feet Under The Stars
The Party Song
Papermoon
Break Your Little Heart
Sick Little Games
Poppin’ Champagne
Lost In Stereo
Therapy
Weightless
Dear Maria, Count Me In

Mayday Parade, We Are the In Crowd, You Me At Six, There For Tomorrow: Concert Review

Band:  Mayday Parade, We Are the In Crowd, You Me At Six, There For Tomorrow
Date: November 2, 2011
Location: The Regency Theater, San Francisco, CA 

Preconceived Thoughts of the Band: Starting with the headlining band, I have been a fan of Mayday Parade for years now and have seen them live multiple times, including at The Bamboozle Festival in New Jersey. As for all the other opening bands, I had never seen them live before. However, I had listened to We Are The In Crowd and You Me At Six before, and I remember not really liking them. Then again, at least specifically for We Are The In Crowd, I usually am not a big fan of chick singers. 


What Actually Happened (BITCH SPOILER ALERT) - 
We got to the venue about 45 minutes after the doors opened. We missed the first opening band, The 

Paramore, New Found Glory, Tegan and Sara: Nostalgia Concert Review

Band: Paramore Openers: New Found Glory, Tegan and Sara
Date: September 23, 2010
Location: HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA

Preconvcied Thoughts of the Band: Paramore was too "hard" for me to get into. The guitars were too "loud" and "distorted". Well, what I'm trying to say is that they didn't have that punk rock sound that was I was used to and listening to. The hardcore scene was becoming prominent when I was in middle school and I didn't want to go all "emo". Also I wasn't all into their image as well. Skinny jeans, tight shirts, and raging red hair. Nope. Not for me.


I was excited to find out that New Found Glory was opening for Paramore. I've been a fan of theirs since middle school. They were also as pop punk as blink 182, but they were had more of an edgy hardcore sound. My history teacher got me into that band. Understatement, My Friends Over You, and Sonny were instant sellers for me.


I heard about Tegan and Sara my freshman year in college, but I didn't listen to them religiously. I knew that "Sainthood" was released months before the tour, so I listened to it beforehand and I enjoyed it. A true Tegan and Sara fan told me that their new album didn't do justice for their old stuff, but I was willing to listen what they had to offer.


Relic was suppose to go, but she couldn't make it. So she gave me a discount...SWEET!!

Vampire Weekend: Nostalgia Concert Review

Band: Vampire Weekend Opener: Pocahaunted
Date: Novemeber 9, 2010
Location: The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, CA

Preconceived Thoughts of The Band: When I first heard about Vampire Weekend's, A-Punk, I thought they were insanely catchy, but honestly, that single didn't do justice. They are insanely unorthodox in their music. They combined African drums beats, indie rock, and western classical music. It completely blew my mind. They were also on repeat all throughout my freshman year. When my friend surprised me with a ticket to the show. I went ballistic. M79 and Mansard Roof are amazing.


Pocahaunted on the other hand....well I never heard them. I'm never in the know of the openers.

Concert Review: Manchester Orchestra

Band: Manchester Orchestra 
Date: October 28, 2011
Location: The Regency Theater, San Francisco, CA 


Preconceived Thoughts of the Band: I had only recently started listening to Manchester Orchestra, but a lot of people that I have similar music taste with really love this band. From all their songs that I had heard previous to the show I really enjoyed listening to. So I knew that I would most likely love their live show. 


What Actually Happened (BITCH SPOILER ALERT) - 
There were three opening bands, Little Hurricane, The Dear Hunter and White Denim. I had actually 

Nostalgia Concert Review: Passion Pit

Band: Passion Pit Openers: Mayer Hawthorne and the County and The Middle East
Date: April 14, 2010
Location: UC Davis Campus


Sorry once again for not going to any current concerts. I am broke. as always

Preconceived Thoughts of the Band: Passion Pit was all over my playlist the end of my freshman year of college. Their EP Chunk of Change was constantly on repeat especially the song Cuddle Fuddle. After Manners came out, the exploded with Sleepy Head and The Reeling as their singles. Their music is just so catchy. Heavy synths and drums with high vocals; Almost sounds like a dance version of Sigur Ros. Weeks before their concert, I was hearing some live stuff on youtube, and oh man. I couldn't get a feel for the singer's voice. It sounded to forced and annoying. I was freaking out, but I didn't want to base off my idea of them off a youtube clip.


I got introduced to The Middle East by a friend of mine. Blood is so beautifully crafted with almost every acoustic instrument available. That song is structured perfectly, quiet and then climatic.


I never heard of Mayer and I wished I never did....

Nostalgia Concert Review: Jason Mraz

Band: Jason Mraz

Date: Friday, October 8, 2010

Location: Santa Barbara Bowl

Side note: Yes, like Wolf James, this is also an old concert review. There weren't any shows of interest this week, so enjoy a great concert from last year.

Preconceived thoughts of the band: Jason Mraz is one of my favorite artists/human beings in general. He has an awesome stage persona as well as an amazing presence in society. He is really inspirational for me and has a great message to send to the world. I love going to his shows, watching his videos and reading his blog. His music is so beautiful and he is such a talented musician.

What actually happened (Bitch Spoiler Alert!!):

Nostalgia Concert Review: blink-182 Reunion Concert

Band: blink-182 with Chester French, Taking Back Sunday, and Weezer
Date: September 13, 2009
Location: Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA

Sidenote: Sorry! this is not going to be a current concert review. There wasn't any concert worth going to this week. I could have gone and seen this acoustic/spoken word artist but I'm always too skeptical on the artists the school brings. 

Concert Review: The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit

Band: The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit
Date: October 8, 2011
Location: Sausage Fest, Farmers Market, Santa Cruz, CA


Preconceived Thoughts of the Band: A friend of mine manages the band for a class. All she said was they are middle aged men that sound like Mumford and Sons. hmmm..


What Actually Happened (BITCH SPOILER ALERT) - 
So a group of us (20 girls) all do a field trip to the farmer's market to see my friend's band perform. We get there pretty late because we didn't want to hear the opening bands. So we get there, and we tried to get in. This lady dress in some weird era of German clothes, tells us that the market is at full capacity and she couldn't get let anyone in. We were all pissed off!! More people were leaving then coming in. So we awkwardly stand in front of the gate, figuring out what we should do. My friend never called them and asked them to save us a couple of spots. A couple of minutes in they got on stage and start performing. 


They are nothing like Mumford and Sons. There were just another country band. I just can't stand country. Good thing we didn't listen to them.


Verdict - I don't like country music, therefore I don't like them.


Bitch Rate - 4/5

Concert Review: The New Gary Burton Quartet

Band: New Gary Burton Quartet

Date: October 7,2011

Location: Yoshi's, Oakland, CA

Preconceived Thoughts of the Band: I for one, am not an active jazz listener. I do have some Charlie Parker and some Wes Montgomery in my iTunes, but I HAVE to be in the mood for it, which is rarely. Jazz is way too complicated for me.The poly-rhythmic and complex chords never really synced in with me. I love it when I hear melody and harmony. I've always been that way since I can remember. I barely know this Gary Burton guy, but when I mentioned him to a couple of friends they were surprised (and jealous) that I would get to here him. From what I got in his biography, he's kind of a big deal. He has a great album background, has a GRAMMY for one his albums. He's a professor at Berklee College of Music. It's pretty amazing.

I'm sorry that this is a jazz concert review, but I thought it was helpful for me. As a musician, I need to explore different genres. I'm trying to become an open-minded musician....

Blink-182, My Chemical Romance and Matt and Kim: Concert Review and Photos

Band: Blink 182, My Chemical Romance Opener: Matt and Kim
Date: October 2, 2011
Location: Sleep Train Amphitheater, Wheatland, CA

Preface:

Noely and I attended the same show, but we definitely both have different views of the show, being different levels of a "fan" so to speak. Enjoy :)

Preconceived Thoughts of the Band -

For Matt and Kim:

I had previously never heard any of their music before the show. I have some friends who absolutely love Matt and Kim, and those friends and I have pretty similar music taste. Going into their set, I expected to enjoy them, just based on my similar music taste with other fans.

My Chemical Romance:

I have been an on again off again fan of MCR for about 8 years. Back in middle school, my younger brother was obsessed with this band so I have been exposed to their music for quite some time. However, over the years their sound has definitely changed, and for me, it wasn't necessarily for the better. I loved their first two albums, but their last two I never really got in to. I had seen MCR live about 5 years ago, so going in to this show, I wasn't sure what to expect, since they are an aging band with a new sound.

Blink-182:

Much like the Brand New show, I was unsure how this show was going to play out. Since Blink is definitely an aging band, I have heard that seeing them now is not as good as seeing them, say, 6 or 7 years ago. While this can go for any band, I had heard bad things about this fact in regards to Blink. However, since I had never seen them live before, I had to go to experience them at least once, and I kept in mind the fact that they may not sound as good as they once did.

What Actually Happened (BITCH SPOILER ALERT) -