cavo's corner

Ticket Stub Tuesday…Round Thirty-Six:

     Typically, I don’t wait three months from the time I see a concert to write a Ticket Stub Tuesday entry. My life has been very busy lately, what with changing jobs, buying a home and moving into it. My blog had been placed on the back burner, and for that I am sorry! As the great John Lennon once said, “life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” So, without further adieu…

    I was first introduced to the musical stylings of Australian-born Sia in 2008 when I was still working at Starbucks. Her fourth studio album, Some People Have Real Problems, had just been released and was on sale at all Starbucks locations. This meant that every morning, when I would show up at 5 AM to open the store, songs like “Lentil” and “You Have Been Loved,” were blasting; Sia’s melancholic whaling ushering in another day of misery making lattes and serving the sycophant clients of the community. Needless to say, I did not associate Sia’s music with positive experiences.

     Then, one day during my lunch break, I took a “song of the day” card which featured the music video for “Day Too Soon.” I went home, downloaded the video, and fell in love with the song. The rest is history. 

     In the pre-Lady GaGa music world, Sia seemed to be far too strange to make it in the U.S. I mean, she was drawing on her face in magic markers, for goodness sake! But with the dawning of the meat dress and mother mons✝er, magic markers and pipe cleaners seem pretty tame. No?

   When I read on Sia’s blog that she would be touring North America, I did not hesitate to buy tickets. I presented them to @TGH3RD as part of a Friday Surprise and we made a night out of it! We had an early dinner at a little pizzeria in the East Village before going to happy hour at a Second Avenue bar. From there, we finally headed to the venue, the venerable Webster Hall, where I’ve previously seen the likes of the lovely and talented Sara Bareilles. 

    Although we didn’t wait in line, we managed to get pretty decent spots among the crowd. Before we knew it, Sia was taking stage, in what appeared to be a black, Flamenco dress, and blowing us away with her powerhouse vocals. From the moment she started singing, the energy in the room was palpable. Although a bit bizarre, she is one hell of a performer. 

     The setlist was dominated by tunes from her most recent album, We Are Born, but contained a nice sampling from her entire catalog of songs.

Setlist:

1. The Fight
2. Buttons
3. Oh Father
4. Hostage
5. Be Good to Me
6. I Go to Sleep
7. Cloud
8. Little Black Sandals
9. You Have Been Loved
10. I’m In Here
11. You’ve Changed
12. Soon We’ll Be Found
13. Never Gonna Leave Me
14. Death by Chocolate

Encore

   15. Clap Your Hands

   16. Breathe Me

     For the nearly two hours Sia was on stage, never once did her voice waiver. She is such a talented, refined and above all, original performer. I can’t wait until she tours again.

[[Marquee outside Webster Hall.]]

[[The set was fashoned of yarn and pom-poms.]]

[[Sia killin’ it!]]

Ticket Stub Tuesday…Round Thirty-Five:

Kylie Minogue has never really been able to crack the American market. I blame the radio. It’s certainly not due to lack of effort — that’s for sure! The radio just won’t play her songs. And it’s really a shame, because they’re all so good! She is known as the Australian Madonna. In her homeland, she is a legend. Early on, American critics declared that she was far too strange to make it big stateside. But, long before there was Lady Gaga, there was Kylie Minogue: the original avant-garde performer with a penchant for putting on shows with over-the-top costumes, larger-than-life sets and absolutely hypnotic beets.  

Minogue’s “Aphrodite Live,” is only the second time that the venerable artist has toured North America. The first time was the “For Me, For You” tour in 2009. And just like last time, when she came to New York, she set up shop at Hammerstein Ballroom at the Manhattan Center. Although she had to scale back the set elements due to the size of the venue, the setting was far more intimate than an arena and I think she played to the crowd so well. In support of her latest release, Aphrodite, I was pleasantly surprised that the setlist contained such great songs spanning her entire career. 

  Setlist:

1. “The Carnival of the Animals” (Instrumental Introduction)
2. “Aphrodite”
3. “The One”
4. “Wow”
5. “Illusion”
6. “I Believe in You”
7. “Cupid Boy”
8. “Spinning Around”
9. “Get Outta My Way”
10. “What Do I Have to Do?”
11. “Everything Is Beautiful”
12. “Slow”
13. “Confide In Me”
14. “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”
15. “In My Arms”
16. “Looking For an Angel”
17. “There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)” (Eurythmics Cover)
18. “Love at First Sight” (contains elements of “Can’t Beat The Feeling”)
19. “If You Don’t Love Me” (Prefab Sprout Cover)
20. “Better the Devil You Know”
21. “The Loco-Motion”
22. “Better Than Today”
23. “Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)”

Encore

24. “On a Night Like This”
25. “All the Lovers”

As soon as Kylie announced her intentions to tour North America again, @SimTilver, @TGH3RD and I made sure to get our hands on some tickets! It was an absolutely fantastic way to kick off Summer 2011. Like a true diva, Kylie belted every song, no lypsyncing necessary. She was accompanied by a troop of amazing dancers, angelic back-up singers and a band that could rock out like no other.

I am really happy that the Kylie camp is beginning to influtrate the American marketplace. I can only hope that this isn’t the last time that I have the opportunity to see Kylie in the states!

[[I wanted to buy this sign for the living room. @TGH3RD wouldn’t let me.]]

[[  @TGH3RD, Me & @SimTilver killin’ it.]]

[[Kylie with her dancers and back-up singers.]]

[[Breaking it down!]]

[[Kylie during “All the Lovers.”]]

Ticket Stub Tuesday…Round Thirty-Four:

If my love for @LadyGaga was ever in question, after seeing her Monster Ball at Madison Square Garden last night, I can confidently say that I absolutely love that crazy bitch.

I had bought four tickets in October with the intention of giving a pair to my brother, @AleksandrJohn, for his Christmas gift. He gave his extra ticket to @Pasty and I brought @TGH3RD, obviously. The four of us were so excited for the concert to begin with, but when we heard that the show we were going to was set to be recorded for an HBO special, our excitement became out of control. 

We drove into the city and found a clutch spot in the West Village by this restaurant called Café Español. @TGH3RD’s family has been going there for years, and we thought that it would be a fun place to have dinner before the show. If you’re ever in the area of Carmine Street, I highly suggest stopping in for a bite to eat. They make a mean paella and a killer Sangria. (You know how much I love Sangria…)

Nice and buzzed, full from our dinner, we ventured out into the bitter cold and jumped on the 1 train uptown to the Garden. When we arrived, we were surprised that there weren’t more people dressed up. There were some but nothing too crazy. Just a few girls mummified in caution tape and a couple of queens in pleather.

Speaking of queens in pleather, the Scissor Sisters opened the show. To be honest, I’ve never actually sat down to listen to one of their albums, although many of my friends from college used to. They have a very unique sound, which happened to work nicely with the story that the Monster Ball tells. 

The setlist left no surprises, and included material from both The Fame and The Fame Monster as well as the upcoming and highly anticipated Born This Way:

1. “Dance in the Dark”
2. “Glitter and Grease”
3. “Just Dance”
4. Beautiful, Dirty, Rich”
5. “The Fame”
6. “LoveGame”
7. “Boys, Boys, Boys”
8. “Money Honey”
9. “Telephone”
10. “Speechless”
11. “You and I”
12. “So Happy I Could Die”
13. “Monster”
14. “Teeth”
15. “Alejandro”
16. “Poker Face”
17. “Paparazzi”

ENCORE

1. “Bad Romance”
2. “Born This Way” (a capella)
3. “Born This Way”

During “Speechless” and “You and I,” girl broke it DOWN. She has an absolutely amazing voice, and anyone who dares to argue otherwise should see her live. She is the real deal (and made sure to tell us that she never lip syncs). Playing in her home town, she got sentimental at times. Speaking of her flaming piano, which the FDNY could not accommodate last evening, quickly turned into a conversation about September 11th.

Although rumors were swirling around on Twitter that Beyoncé would be making a cameo for the HBO special and perform alongside GaGa during “Telephone,” she regrettably did not. Although, she apparently attended last night’s show along with the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Billie Joe Armstrong, Madonna and Michelle Pfeiffer.

The crux of the story comes towards the end of the show when GaGa finally arrives at the Monster Ball only to come face to face with the Fame Monster as she performs “Paparazzi.” She encourages her little monsters to take pictures of the monster to ensure it’s demise.

For the encore, she performed her monster hit, “Bad Romance,” which, thanks to @Pasty, you can watch a clip here. She told the audience to stick around after the song for a special surprise. Once finished, she headed off stage for yet another costume change and returned donning her outfit from her Grammy performance. Alongside her backup singers, she performed an a capella version of “Born This Way,” before going into the full version of the song. 

Say what you want about Lady GaGa, but she is one of the best performers that I have ever seen. She has a phenomenal voice and can certainly work a crowd. Throughout the show, she preached affirmations to the audience; a message of peace, love and understanding.

Late last night, after the show was over, GaGa tweeted the following: “Just pulled out of MSG, tears streaming down my face. Turned radio on + Born This Way was roaring. Believe, + catch your subway to destiny.” I am so happy for her that her dreams have come true. She is spreading faith with each performance.

Subway kid rejoice in truth.

[[Lady GaGa killin’ it during “So Happy I Could Die.” Photo:@Pasty]]

Ticket Stub Tuesday…Round Thirty-Three:

Another entry without a key component: no ticket stub! The marquee will have to suffice. But, I’ll fill in the other info: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2010; DOORS OPEN @ 6; GA; $30. Unlike the last entry that didn’t have a ticket stub, I didn’t lose this one in the venue — rather, we never had tickets to begin with!

When @SimTilver and I discovered that the beautiful Sara Bareilles would be in town, he got tickets to the show right away for himself, me and @TGH3RD. Unbeknownst to him until the day of the show, Ticketmaster never sent the tickets to his house! In a slight panic, he called the box office and they informed him that we could pick the tickets up at the will-call window before the show. But when we got there, our names were just on a list — no tickets, no ticket stubs. Oh, well…

Not having tickets actually worked out in our favor. The doors to the venue opened at 6 and Sara wasn’t scheduled to go on until about 9, which in concert lingo means 9:20. Having gone straight from work to Webster Hall, we were all a little hungry. We decided to go across the street to the Village Pour House to get a quick bite (and a few drinks) before the show.

After we finished up, we headed back across the street and straight to the bar to get some concert cocktails. Then it was time to “find our friends.” Let me explain. When attending a concert that is GA (General Admission, i.e., no assigned seats) one must be assertive with finding a spot. Don’t expect to actually see whoever is on  stage unless you can weasel your way into the thick of the crowd. This is a talent that @SimTilver and I have perfected over the years.

“I think I see them up over there.” “Oh, yeah… I can see his hat.” “I can’t believe how much the crowd shifted.” “We should just hire someone from CraigsList to bring us drinks during the show.” These are the absurd statements that come out of our mouths while navigating the crowd. Of course we run into some people that are not to pleased with us, but for the most part, we tend to make friends along the way. The three of us are very charismatic, after all.  

This night was very different. Nearing the front of the crowd, we hit a wall of people. There was no place left to go, so we simply stayed put and sipped our drinks. All of the sudden, I get PUSHED from behind. Not like normal crowd-movement-push. Full on, forceful, I-hate-your-guts push.

So, I do what anyone else would do — I turn around. Looking back up at me is a four foot tall, middle-age woman. “Um, I was there…” she said, her piercing voice cutting through the din of the crowd. “I’m sorry. We were looking for our friends and we got stuck here.” I replied with a smile, laying on the charm. “Well, now I can’t see and you’re being an asshole.” Cunt! Are you serious?! “Well, this show is general admission — that means there are no reserved spots. My $30 goes just as far as yours.” I turned around while she bitched to her husband. Whatever, sweetheart, you have to be in it to win it.

Thinking that the nastiness was behind us, the three of us huddled close as we enjoyed our cocktails. Boy were we wrong. This short, Asian treasure:

decides that she doesn’t want to stand next to her husband, she wants to stand in front of him, so she comes in between @TGH3RD and me. Um, okay. Whatever.

Finally, Sara comes on and was brilliant as usual. She puts on such a phenomenal show that any bullshit that you may have to put up with is worth it. Although this was my sixth time seeing Sara in concert, this was the first show of hers that I saw since the release of Kaleidoscope Heart.

Her set had some very exciting surprises, including a “New York exclusive,” a cover of Cee Lo Green’s “Fuck You,” which was just so fun, given the people surrounding us. I was really pleased with the ratio of new and old songs. All too often, when an artist is promoting a new album, they choose to leave out older songs. I prefer a mix. Sara delivered.

As the concert was winding down, and the crowd having shifted, I was now standing in front of S.A.T. (Short Asian Tresure). To be nice, I asked her if she would like to switch places with me. “Do you want to switch with me so you can see?” To which she responded: “Yeah. That would have been an hour and a half ago.” Fuck you. Seriously. You’re about fifteen years too old for this crowd. No good deed goes unpunished. 

In any event, stuck-up bitches aside, we had a great boys-night out. Sara Bareilles is one of my all time favorite artists. She is truly talented. I can’t wait to see her again!

[[Sara playing the ukulele while Holly Conlan sings.]]

[[Sara tickling those ivories.]]

Read about past Sara Bareilles Concerts here:

Sara w/ Mika @ Nokia Theatre - 6.15.07

Sara w/ Jon McLaughlin @ Bowery Ballroom - 9.19.07

Sara w/ Maroon 5 @ MSG - 10.10.07

Sara Bareilles @ The Fillmore - 4.23.08

Sara Bareilles @ Joe’s Pub - 2.18.09

Ticket Stub Tuesday…Round Thirty-Two:

Sorry about the lack of Ticket Stub Tuesday entries! It’s hard to believe that the last concert I saw was Kylie Minogue in October of 2009. Usually, the summer is prime time for concerts, unfortunately, there wasn’t all that much to choose from this summer, until…

One night, @TGH3RD and I were lamenting about having gone so far into the summer without seeing a concert at Jones Beach. I took a look at the calendar and saw that we hadn’t missed Maroon 5, one of our favorite bands, so I ordered us some tickets.

Jones Beach is one of my favorite concert venues. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house. Owl City opened the show to a crowd that consisted of rambunctious preteens, (one of which we saw get arrested in the parking lot) and tweens accompanied by their parents. 

Maroon 5 opened with their new single, “Misery,” which I thought was an odd choice. Although it was released last June as the lead single from their upcoming album, I’m not entirely sure that the song has gotten much airplay. When Adam Levine started singing, my initial reaction was “wow, this guy must have had a rough night.” Clearly, he did not do his vocal exercises before taking stage, because it sounded as if there was a weed-wacker stuck in his throat.

That said, I feel like it took the band a couple of songs to get into the groove of the concert. The set list was a nice blend of songs from Songs About Jane, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long., and even included three new songs from Hands All Over. It wasn’t until the third or fourth song that they started to sound good.

• 1. Misery
  2. If I Never See Your Face Again
  3. Harder to Breathe
  4. Give A Little More
  5. The Sun
  6. Won’t Go Home Without You
  7. If I Ain’t Got You (Alicia Keys cover)
     
  8. Secret/What’s Love Got To Do With It (Tina Turner cover)
  9. She Will Be Loved
  10. Wake Up Call
  11. Shiver
  12. Stutter
  13. This Love
  Encore:
  14. Makes Me Wonder
  15. Sunday Morning

I had an epiphany at this concert. I realized that I have turned into that old man that yells at kids who stand up and block his view, or the tool that complains about a girl’s piercing scream. That, or I really can’t tolerate people if I’m sober. I’m going to go with the later on that one.

[[@TGH3RD and Me in the Coca-Cola tent.]]

Ticket Stub Tuesday… Round Thirty-One:

Drop your socks and grab your mini-boombox! It’s hard to believe that this was the first time the one and only Kylie Minogue toured the U-S of A. Naturally, as soon as I heard that this Aussie would be touring stateside, I bought tickets. Although having been on the world stage since the 1980s, Minogue was under the radar in the US until her 2001 breakthrough, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” dominated airwaves. Since then, her die-hard fans could only dream that she would come here to tour. 

Having to wait until the bitter-end of the tour schedule, Kylie played the last of her tour dates right here in New York City at Hammerstein Ballroom. Attending the “For Me, For You” tour with me was fellow Kylie fanatic, @SimTilver. Right from the start, there was a fantastic energy in the venue. Minogue’s voice was truly wonderful live, which is rarely the case for most pop singers who opt not to lip sync.

Since this was the last night of the tour, Minogue performed a few extra songs for the audience. Additionally, this concert was recorded and released in December 2009 — Kylie: Live in New York.

Read more about and see pictures from this concert here!

Ticket Stub Tuesday… Round Thirty:

This was the fifth time that I’ve seen Blink 182 in concert. The band will always be sentimental for me because theirs was the first concert that I ever went to. After the group went on indefinite hiatus in 2005, it was uncertain whether or not they would ever tour again. At the 51st annual Grammy Awards, the trio announced that they would be reforming and embarking on a summer tour. They also announced plans to release their sixth studio album, but to date, no new material has been released by the band.

Going in, I knew it would be one of those no-frills-standard-set-know-the-lyrics-to-every-song kind of show — and I was fine with that. After seeing No Doubt earlier in the summer and having a similar experience, I knew that I would enjoy the show. I went with @Cassiee. The two of us have been Blink 182 fans from the “Flyswatter” era and had seen Blink 182 at Roseland Ballroom back in the day. We had a great time then and this concert was no exception. 

Panic! at the Disco and Fall Out Boy opened the show. I’m really not a fan of ether band. Each has a couple of good songs, but I never really got into their music. Blink’s set was loaded with shenanigans, as is standard procedure for a Blink show. You would think that these guys would have mellowed out with age and parenthood. Not so much. They’re still all about the toilet humor and four letter words. Their energy was really very good — they still know how to get the crowd going.

The most amazing part came when drummer, Travis Barker, performed his solo on a suspended, rotating platform. It was truly incredible that he was able to play upside down. The show was definitely a fun summer diversion. I hope that they actually do release a new album and go on tour in support of it.

[[Read more HERE.]]

[[Panic! at the Disco]]

[[Fallout Boy]]

[[Blink 182]]

Ticket Stub Tuesday… Round Twenty-Nine:

I love being spontaneous. On the Wednesday prior to this concert, I was on the phone with @SimTilver and casually mentioned the up coming Jason Mraz show. The next thing I know, he’s on StubHub ordering these kick-ass tickets. Fifth row from the stage, center orchestra isn’t bad for leftovers. Am I right? 

Check out more concert pics HERE! 

[[Me and SimTilver.]]

[[Mr.A-Z killin’ it!]]

[[Taken with my iPhone… we were that close!]]

Ticket Stub Tuesday…Round Twenty-Eight:

The summer of 2009 was phenomenal as far as concerts were concerned. I was able to see my top three bands: No Doubt, Green Day, and Blink 182. I also saw the amazingly talented Jason Mraz. Too bad, I haven’t really been to any since then! (That’s so unlike me). Green Day is one of the few bands that straddles that punk/rock/pop threshold that are actually great live. I’ve seen the likes of Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, Good Charlotte, etc… and none of them have the stage presence that Green Day exudes. They are true performers through and through. 

The last time I saw them in concert was in 2004 when they co-headlined the “Pop Disaster Tour” with Blink 182. Since then, they had released the Grammy Award winning album, American Idiot and the highly successful follow-up, 21st Century Breakdown, which was what this tour was supporting. I was very excited to see how they have matured as performers as their new material is pretty heavy, focusing on issues such as living in post-9/11 America.

As excepted, they were fantastic and did not disappoint. Playing material new and old, they took to the stage for just under two of the fastest hours of my life. When you become accustomed to playing an album on repeat, you’re not used to how quick each song actually is.

My good friend, (and former co-worker), Mandy  accompanied me to the show. We had seen several concerts together, another one of which was also at Madison Square Garden. We always have a wonderful time together, and this was no different.

[[Mandy and Me.]]