Tag: The Paradise

Got ‘Em

I was really hoping for this… 90’s alternative rock nerd boy just scored two tickets to see Belly in October. Now I just need Throwing Muses to announce North American shows and my 2025 musical life will be complete. I want to see both halves of Throwing Muses this year.

I did not see Belly when they were together in the 90’s and I did not see them when they got back together a few years ago and I did not see them when they played in my freakin’ back yard (Lowell, MA) last year. This will correct this gross oversite on my musical obsession bingo card. I saw Tanya Donelly shortly after Belly split, and once more years later with Jen, and once with Throwing Muses back in 1989, but I’ve never seen Belly.

I’m trying to remember all of the Muses related shows I’ve seen…

  • Opening for REM at Great Woods in ’89
  • At the Hatch Shell in Boston (a free show) in… ’95? I think. It was before Limbo came out
  • At an in-store mini set at Newbury Comics in Harvard Square on the day Limbo came out in ’96
  • At the Middle East on the day that Limbo came out in ’96 (yes, I saw them twice on the same day)
  • Tanya at The Paradise… either just before or just after her first solo LP came out
  • Kristin Hersh at The Paradise playing solo acoustic around the time Strange Angels came out… I think.
  • Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave at The Middle East on August 11, 2006
  • Kristin Hersh at Hy N Dry Studio on May 27, 2007 with Jen
  • Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly (separately and briefly together) on October 6, 2007 at The Brattle Theater in Cambridge, MA

Damn… that list is a whole lot shorter than I thought it would be. I’m pretty sure that’s it though. Hopefully this year we’ll be adding two more shows to it. Hopefully… if Throwing Muses would just announce a nice Boston show to go along with their already announced European shows.

Happy concert tickets day, everyone.

Random Pics from Last Night

I took a few pictures with my iPhone last night. I figure I’ll share a few of the decent-ish ones. It has been almost exactly four years since I’ve experienced live music. I knew I missed it, but I wasn’t aware of how much I missed it. I am not going to be able to wait four years before I get more. I did wear a mask through the whole show though. Some things have definitely changed over the last four years.

Anyway, random pics:

Live Music!

The last concert I attended prior to the pandemic was Letters to Cleo’s (sort of?) annual November reunion at The Paradise in Boston.

Tonight? We’re going to see Letters to Cleo again. Live music! I almost forget what it feels like. The only downside of The Paradise is there is no parking so you have to go early and hunt for one. Outside of that, tonight should be epic. Epic, like you’ve read about.

November 23, 2019. My last concert before the pandemic.

I Want the Weekend

My step son has all of next week off from school. He’s coming home tomorrow. He’ll spend a few days here, then a few days at his dad’s new house, then Thanksgiving take two at our house a week from Saturday, then he’ll go back to school. My step daughter will be home at some point though, but she’s no longer a college student and has to work next week. We don’t know her schedule yet but she’ll be here for Thanksgiving take two as well.

With the return of at least one kid being imminent, I am really looking forward to this weekend. As an added bonus, this coming Saturday will also see me and my friends Larry and Mike (the bass player) reliving our roaring 20’s by going to see Letters to Cleo and the Gigolo Aunts at The Paradise in Boston. We’re going to pretend it’s 1996 or so and go check out some Boston music… even though most of the members of both bands don’t live in Boston anymore. So what, it’s going to be nostalgic rock and roll like you’ve read about.

Today has been quiet, apart from the plumber visit this morning. I’ve had a couple of meetings and have one more coming up in a few minutes. I’ve mostly focused on paperwork. It’s been a good day so far. It’s 60 degrees outside, which is nice. Warmer days are rare at this point in the calendar. Granted I haven’t gone outside since 8:00am today and at that time the temperature was in the low 30’s. Timing is everything, folks.

Right then. Time to go and prep for the next meeting. I just wanted to write down how excited I am for this weekend. So many good things on the schedule. I’m ready for them all right now.

Letters to Cleo

Last night was the first time in eight years that I had the chance to see the mighty Letters to Cleo. I wish I could tell you how many times I’ve seen them now, but I lost count somewhere along the line. I saw them on the Common at a Hemp Fest right around the time their second record came out. I saw them at Merrimack College. I saw them at Avalon at least once. I think I might have seen them at the Hatch Shell once. Did I ever see them at TT the Bears or the Middle East? I don’t think so. It’s The Paradise that throws my memory off though. There were so many that I lost track. At least five before last night, but maybe as many as eight? I can’t remember. Suffice to say, I’ve seen Letters to Cleo a whole shit load of times, and each time has been fantastic. They are just a great live band. I’m hoping that this reunion thing will become a regular happening. A little new music, a few shows in some big cities, and a stop or two at The Paradise… where they belong.




The full photo album is here, but they all suck. Just warning you.

Billion Dollar Bracket

I have never watched more than a few seconds of a division one basketball game.  I did watch a couple of division two games back when I was a student at UMass Lowell.  My radio show did a weekly segment with the men’s basketball coach and DJ Dina and I went to maybe two games to show support.  I remember one game in particular because I left at halftime to drive in to Boston to see Mission of Burma’s reunion show at the Paradise.  Brunch with Burma.  What a show that was.  Unreal.

Anyway.  I just signed up for the Billion Dollar Bracket challenge over on yahoo sports.  I only picked a few upsets, and generally I did it just to suck up to New England schools.  In the end I have Duke beating Virginia 82-79.

Of course I know absolutely nothing about college basketball (see the first paragraph of this post).  Nothing.  Nada.  Nuttin, honey.  Zip, zilch, zero.

But, to paraphrase Geddy Lee on the Bob and Doug Take Off album, a billion bucks is a billion bucks*.

Logging in to yahoo sports also reminded me that I have a free fantasy hockey team out there.  I forgot all about that.  I decided to check in.  Turns out I’m in the first round of the playoffs and I’m the number three cede.  Now that is pretty funny.  I stacked the team with Bruins.  Krejci, Iginla, Bergeron, Rask.  Yeah, I can pick ’em.

Speaking of the Bruins, they beat Minnesota last night.  The win streak is at nine.  Tonight they play New Jersey.  A ten game win streak would sound nice, eh?  Even nicer if they beat the team responsible for removing AHL hockey from the city of Lowell, MA.  Yeah, Devils.  I haven’t forgotten about that.  You jerks.

Go Bruins.

 

*Geddy Lee’s actual line was more like, 10 bucks is 10 bucks.  There’s a subtle difference, you see.