Alabama Shakes Play Zeppelin on a Boat on Valentine's Day

With all the news of the poop-filled drama aboard the Carnival Triumph, it's hard to imagine anyone wanting to go on a cruise right now.  That is, unless you were one of the 125 fans lucky enough to win the chance to buy two tickets to see Alabama Shakes kick off the 13th annual Rocks Off Concert Cruise Season on the Destiny.  Fortunately for me, two of my friends won the lottery, so I didn't have to spend another Valentine's Day alone, weeping at home.

I had no idea there was going to be an opener, so it was a complete surprise when Brooklyn's Daddy Long Legs took the stage.  A three-piece blues outfit, they looked like they'd just stepped out of a photograph of a mid-'60s British rock band.  They got the crowd pumped up over the course of their rowdy ten-song set, spearheaded by some fantastic mouth harp-playing from the lanky singer only identified as Daddy Long Legs.  While his Shure Green Bullet may be the best mic for amplified harmonica, when it comes to vocals, it has about the fidelity of a school bus driver's loudspeaker, making it very difficult to discern the lyrics.  I almost bought the LP, but I'm waiting to hear samples before I commit to buying a record that I'll never know the words to.

A half-hour later, Alabama Shakes entered to the theme from Gilligan's Island over the PA.  "Thank you for coming to our boat party," greeted Brittany Howard, strapping on her guitar to start things off with "Hang Loose."  Having blown up even more since last I saw the band at Virgin Festival, the whole crowd sang along to "Hold On."  "Welcome to the Love Boat," said Brittany, handing out vulgar valentines like the two pictured here.

Due to the lack of a proper stage and minimal overhead lighting, the vibe on the boat was like a living room... if your living room was always floating down the Hudson River and full of people you don't know.  And with really great sound.  This was the second Rocks Off cruise I've been on, and I'm kind of amazed by the care the crew takes in making it sound better than many venues I've been to on land.  The intimacy of it was insane.  I'd always been able to see Brittany practically dislocate her jaw the way she opens her mouth when she sings, but now ten feet away, I could look down her throat!  In the past, I had expressed my frustration with Zac Cockrell's stage presence, but last night, he was my favorite one to watch.  Sporting overalls, a bushy beard, and a ballcap, he came out chewing a toothpick, looking more like a farmer than a guy in a Grammy-nominated rock band.  I think he was probably stoned or had really bad indigestion, as he played, the expressions on his face contorting along the gamut from pained teeth-clenching to cross-eyed ecstasy.  Keep making me eat my words from last June, Alabama Shakes.

The boat really started rocking during "Always Alright," and the band were determined to rock even harder, fogging up the windows.  "Who woulda thought we'd get some boat windows steamy here tonight?" laughed Howard.  Following that was "Rise to the Sun," which featured a new spaghetti Western-style intro that was likely a tease of a song I couldn't place, so any insight is appreciated (Comment below.).  "I'm sorry I have to sing this to you on Valentine's Day," apologized Brittany ahead of "Heartbreaker."  She introduced the next song as a story about a friend she grew up with, who had told her they were getting too old to be friends.  "And I thought that was some bullshit," she proclaimed, easing into "Boys & Girls."  It was a little ridiculous how many people began talking during the slow number.  Don't you know where you are?  You're on a fucking boat with the fucking Alabama Shakes!  Some fans had enough of the chatter, and resorted to shushing and one yell of "Shut up!"  While I obviously always side with the quiet ones, yelling "Shut up!" in the middle of a song is even more disruptive.

Brittany put down her six-string and won everyone back with what I've come to see as their signature live song, "Be Mine."  All the more poignant on Valentine's Day, Brittany erupted in the last chorus, grabbing a few guys in the front row to dance with.  "Y'all warmed up?  I wanna rock and roll with this boat," she said.  Encouraging the crowd to sing along to the opening guitar lick to "Mama," she urged, "Come on now. You won tickets to here. Don't be shy."  I thought the performance was awesome, but Brittany wasn't feeling it from the room.  "Y'all didn't seem to like that one.  I'm not offended," she admitted, and offered up "Makin' Me Itch."  Some people started talking again (I feel bad for respectful fans that didn't win tickets.) during the slow build of "You Ain't Alone," but this time Brittany took action, inserting a "Listen to me now!" into the lyrics.  "I saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time tonight," shared Brittany before plunging into "Heavy Chevy," which sounded even better at a less frantic pace.  "This has been the best Valentine's Day of my life," she revealed, and I'm sure the feeling was mutual among some of the passengers.  "Heat Lightning," with its built-in thank yous, closed the show, Brittany getting right up in the faces of the front rowers, throwing the mic on the deck at the song's conclusion.

The chants for one more song began almost immediately.  Brittany looked to guitarist Heath Fogg (I wonder if he's related to Kirk Fogg from Legends of the Hidden Temple?) with a face that said, "We have to," and the band made their way back to their positions. "I wanna hear it for Daddy Long Legs!"  Cheer.  "I wanna hear it for Valentine's Day!"  Cheer.  "I wanna hear it for New York!"  Cheer.  "I'm on a boat!"  Guffaw.

And then it happened.  They covered Led Zeppelin's epic "How Many More Times," with Brittany modifying the lyrics to fit her gender.  More than nine minutes later, the show was actually over, the band making their way to the ship's head.  Bruce Springsteen's "Adam Raised a Cain" was listed on the setlist before "Heat Lightning," but I'll take Zeppelin over the Boss any day.  Especially Valentine's Day.

ALABAMA SHAKES - 02.14.13 - ROCKS OFF BOAT CRUISE (1 hour, 11 minutes)

SET -
Hang Loose / Hold On / I Found You / Always Alright / Rise to the Sun / Heartbreaker / Boys & Girls / Be Mine / Mama / Makin' Me Itch / You Ain't Alone / Heavy Chevy / Heat Lightning

ENCORE -
How Many More Times

Top 20 Live Songs of 2012

20. "Banana Boat (Day-O)" - Good Old War, 04.25, Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
"Do you wanna hear Tim do his best Harry Belafonte?" Keith asked the crowd. Tim sang the opening to "Day-O" perfectly, but no one expected the band to join in and play the whole song. Nice birthday present.

19. "Como Ves" - Ozomatli & the New York Pops, 06.12, Rumsey Playfield, New York, NY
Classic Ozo taken to new heights with the orchestra.

18. "Ashamed" - Deer Tick, 12.19, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY

Started off slow and built into a frenzy of horn solos and crowd chants.

17. "Spirit Bird" - Xavier Rudd, 12.03, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Offering the last part to the audience to sing, the fans succeeded with remarkable restraint and pitch control.

16. "Golden Train" - Penguin Prison, 06.24, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Hopping off the stage to perform while walking through the crowd during the first song surprised the shit out of me.

15. "Stars" - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, 06.14, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
You could see the pain on her face that she felt when she wrote this beautiful ballad.

14. "One Foot Before the Other" - Frank Turner, 09.30, Webster Hall, New York, NY

Frank Turner goes prog.  Lights and bass were amazing.

13. "Excuse Me Mr." - Ben Harper, 10.10, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
Hard to pick a favorite from the night, but the off-mic singing on this sounded incredible in the hallowed hall.

12. "Digest" - Ben Taylor, 05.17, City Winery, New York, NY
John Forté asked if he could sing it with Ben, and modified the lyrics to "Nothing's been the same since I've been gone," to reference his time in prison.

11. "Rat Race" - Antibalas, 08.18, Williamsburg Park, Brooklyn, NY
Likely the best Marley cover I've seen.

10. "Be Mine" - Alabama Shakes, 10.06, Merriweather Post Pavilion (Virgin Mobile Freefest), Columbia, MD

Brittany Howard just aced it on this one.

9. "We Are Young" - Fun, 06.22, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Crowd sang along triumphantly to the single of the year. Great acoustics.

8. "(718)" - 2 Skinnee J's, 08.24, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
In (718). Haven't jumped in the air at a concert in God knows how long.

7. "What Makes a Good Man?" - The Heavy, 08.30, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Backup singers sent this one to near heavenly proportions.

6. "Root Down" - Animal Liberation Orchestra, 05.09, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Just days after Adam Yauch's passing, ALO busted out this funky gem, which included "Maria" in its center.

5. "No One's Gonna Love You" - Band of Horses, 09.18, House of Vans, Brooklyn, NY
One of my favorite songs ever in such an intimate venue.  Literally got chills.

4. "Walk Like a Giant" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse, 09.29, Central Park Great Lawn (Global Festival), New York, NY
Crashing footsteps of a giant at the end were so fucking ballsy.

3. "Shake Up the Place" - 10 Ft. Ganja Plant, 04.20, The Middle East, Cambridge, MA
Sublime harmonies.  The smile on Kevin Kinsella's face has been burned into my mind forever.

2. "Try" - Everyone Orchestra, 10.27, Sullivan Hall, New York, NY
Grand Ole Opry-style chorus combined with Zach Gill's hilarious musings on his attic.  Should always be performed this way.

1. "Down with Disease" - Phish, 12.30, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Sweetest jam of the whole NYE run.  Spaced through different movements until it came to a driving funk conclusion.  I'll be listening to this for years.

Top 15 Concerts of 2012

These were the top 15 concerts I attended in 2012.  Feel free to make your own list in the comments.

15. Diamond Rugs - 06.24, Rumsey Playfield, New York, NY
"Totally Lonely" was exponentially better live than recorded, with all the members joining producer Justin Collins on the final refrain. For the set-closing "Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant," the group thinned its ranks to a duo of McCauley and Los Lobos' Steve Berlin. The fact that it was merely days after the summer solstice only amplified the beautiful sadness of the song." (Read full review)

14. Deer Tick - 12.19, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY

"With a loud "Kick it!" they crunched into "Fight for Your Right." Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit now had the oft-traded Mustang, but his most memorable contribution to the song was throwing pitcher after pitcher of beer onto the crowd. This insane final display was the ultimate example of why we go to Deer Tick shows: Because anything can happen because it's a goddam party." (Read full review)

13. Alabama Shakes - 10.06, Merriweather Post Pavilion (Virgin Mobile Freefest), Columbia, MD

"While bassist Zac Cockrell still only moved slightly more than a well-timed bobblehead, Brittany Howard was absolutely magnetic.  She was wearing a blue dress with red dots and sporting a straightened hairdo, but you couldn't take your eyes off her face.  If you were a deaf person, you could've learned all the vowel sounds just by the way her mouth moved, soulful howls bursting out of the gaping hole." (Read full review)

12. Mayer Hawthorne - 04.16, Webster Hall, New York, NY
"This isn't a concert; it's a show," Hawthorne announced at the onset.  Backed by his band, the County, MH dazzled fans with a set of soulful originals from both of his albums, and even a few Hall & Oates covers.  For final song "Henny & Gingerale," Hawthorne played bartender and made drinks for those in the front row as he sang.

11. Matt Embree - 09.11, The Acheron, Brooklyn, NY

"The banter became downright ridiculous, Embree claiming he knew half the people in the room, even their "drunken-ass aliases, like when you get so drunk you're another person." While he may have seemed like another person between songs, his drunkenness had no effect on his musicianship. His guitar solo in "Taking Chase as the Serpent Slithers" was absolutely ferocious, and he proved his vocal prowess on a soulful cover of Hendrix's "Castles Made of Sand." (Read full review)

10. 10 Ft. Ganja Plant - 04.20, The Middle East, Cambridge, MA

This was the third ever live performance for the secretive reggae band.  The sweaty night of dub in the basement of the club was a night to remember... though due to obvious reasons, somewhat forgotten. 

9. Phish - 12.30, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

"Disarmed by the first set, we were all ready for Phish to drop the real jams on us.  Kicking things off with "Down with Disease," the boys made it through the main part, and then unearthed a subterranean monster toward its end.  Knowing glances around the room as we lapped up the amazingly funked-out puzzle where all the pieces fit properly." (Read full review)

8. Ben Harper - 10.10, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
"That was only the start of what would be the 54-minute encore, where Harper reached back into his catalog to revive old favorites like "Not Fire Not Ice," "Power of the Gospel," and "Welcome to the Cruel World."  The show could have bookended with the instrumental "Exhale," but surprisingly, Ben brought his chair downstage, even in front of the suspended stage mic, to play "Suzie Blue" on ukulele." (Read full review)

7. Kishi Bashi - 05.16, Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY

It's hard to upstage the Barr Brothers, but with a violin, a microphone, and some looping pedals, he did it.  Everyone stared silently in awe as he magically constructed his songs piece by piece.  Best of the three times I saw him.

6. The Heavy - 08.30, Irving Plaza, New York, NY

A live staple for years, "The Big Bad Wolf" followed it like Little Red Riding Hood, but this wasn't the sneaky trickster from the children's tale.  This was a fucking monster.  With the crowd howling and screaming, "What you say!" it was incredible to realize that I was in a room full of adults singing along, "I'm gonna huff and puff, and blow your house down!" (Read full review)

5. Ben Taylor - 05.17, City Winery, New York, NYBen and band unveiled several new songs from his upcoming album Listening in the sonically sweet space.  Audience member John Forté sat in for a few tunes, including the fan-suggested encore "Digest."

4. Animal Liberation Orchestra - 07.23, Rocks Off Boat Cruise, New York, NY
"You guys are yelling out some really old ones," noted Dan.  "Should we do 'Sexo y Drogas?'"  And they did.  For the first time in over a year.  It was like watching 2004-era ALO all over again.  Before launching into the singalong "Walls of Jericho," I heard Lebo tuning a little ghost of "They Love Each Other."  My ears didn't deceive me, the Garcia ditty exhuming itself from the remains of "Walls." (Read full review)

3. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - 06.14, Irving Plaza, New York, NY

"At 9:37, the band took the stage to the tribal drums of the title track off their newest  album, The Lion the Beast the Beat. Having released the LP on Tuesday, the set was heaped with fresh tunes, and Grace wasn't ashamed of it. "If you don't know it, just fucking pretend you do." (Read full review)

 

2. Band of Horses - 09.18, House of Vans, Brooklyn, NY

"What was evident was that these boys love playing music. Ben sang with such gusto, you could witness the veins bulging in his tattooed neck. Every member had a wide grin for the show's duration; even the typically stoic Ramsey sneaking out a smirk from somewhere in the center of his beard." (Read full review)

 

1. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - 09.29, Central Park Great Lawn (Global Festival), New York, NY

"Neil Young and Crazy Horse played a blistering mix of new songs from the upcoming Psychedelic Pill, and classics like the 15-minute opener "Love & Only Love." Young, Poncho, and Billy Talbot huddled together in the center of the stage, churning out waves of distortion into the crisp night air." (Read full review)

Virgin Mobile Freefest 2012 Setlists, Photos, and Review

My friend got tickets to Virgin Mobile FreeFest, so we headed down to Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland to check it out.  We entered through Symphony Woods, walking by Sharpie-on-cardboard signs denoting the box office and other lines.  Considering it was a free concert, they couldn't be wasting money on fancy signage I guess.

After picking up a complimentary blanket at the LG Chroma Cube, we made our way to the Pavilion Stage to see Justin Jones.  A bartender at D.C.'s 9:30 Club, Jones became the first artist signed to 9:30 Records when he released The Little Fox EP in 2010.  This year, he dropped Fading Light, his fourth full-length of blues-influenced Americana.  Styles onstage ranged from the bluesy stomper "I Can Feel It" to the atmospheric guitars of "As It Turns Out," its intro "Ghosts" initially sounding like when you turn on a Nintendo Wii.  I spotted next performer Allen Stone in a seat nodding his head to the beat.

Though I was interested in seeing Stone, I had to see if Penguin Prison were going to play instruments or if it was just going to be a Chris Glover DJ set.  Situated on a hill in the woods, the Dance Forest Stage was located directly beneath a canopy of oak trees, with acorns and branches dropping onto spectators as the wind picked up.  We found a relatively level piece of ground and were delighted to find Chris backed by his band.  He played a similar set to when I saw him at Brooklyn Bowl, and he was killing it vocally, especially his exuberant scream in "Don't Fuck with My Money."  It was great to finally see him perform outside again, like I did when I discovered him in '05.

My brother was working at the show, so we stopped by to say hi, and then ventured over to the West Stage to catch what we could of Portugal. The Man.  The transition in vibe from the pavilion to the open parking field was substantial.  Hula hoops, people on blankets, and a Ferris wheel made it feel like a festival, not just a concert.  We made it in time to hear an extended jam out of one P.TM song and their closer, "All Your Light (Times Like These)."

The mass of people dissipated, and we snagged an insanely close (second row) spot for the Dismemberment Plan.  I'd seen Travis Morrison open for They Might Be Giants back in 2004 (At the merch table, he personally taught me the trick of unhinging the front of a jewel case to remove the sticker on the spine.), but I'd never seen the Plan in their heyday or since reuniting.  "I wore my special Misfits shirt just for all y'all.  We're gonna do 'Mother' in a little bit," Travis joked.  Maybe they did (We had to leave early to see Ben Folds Five.), but while we were there, we got a mix of old favorites and new tunes.  They are, in fact, going to release a new album, and I got to hear two of the songs, including one that is sure to be a featured member in the D-Plan canon, "Waiting."  "Can everyone salute me?" Travis asked as they started the grooving tune.  His interaction with the crowd extended to having us all greet the people on the Ferris wheel with "Hi Ferris wheel!"  And then he started picking out specific cars: "Yeah, you in the kind of lime green one.  Keep waving."  As I was departing during "You Are Invited," Morrison messed up the second verse, announcing, "I'm gonna start the verse over again."  When he flubbed it a second time: "No!  What is happening to me?"  I trust they eventually made it through the song, but briefly flirted with the idea that I may have been the band's good luck charm.

As we were walking back to the pavilion, I saw someone wearing a t-shirt that read, "Sex, Drugs, and Dubstep."  I decided it was the worst thing I'd ever seen, shuddering when I realized the implication that dubstep has replaced rock 'n' roll.  A video played on the screen of Virgin Mobile Live's Abbey Braden announcing a Skrillex lookalike contest.  "If you look the most like Skrillex, we have a prize for you."  "I hope it's plastic surgery," I jested.  (If you can't yet tell, I didn't see Skrillex, so stop reading now if you thought I was gonna review him.)

 

We took our seats for Ben Folds Five just as Ben took his seat… and slammed it into the keys of a Baldwin grand piano.  I'd seen Ben solo way back in the Jenny Eats Something days, and was amazed by his energy.  I suppose Darren Jessee and Robert Sledge subdue him a little because the stool-hurling was the most raucous he got.  While the mixture of fuzz bass, jazzy drums, and staccato piano was still captivating after all the years apart, it didn't sound too good due to some technical issues and the bleed of Nervo's set from the Dance Forest.  However, that didn't stop the crowd from singing along on "Underground," "Song for the Dumped," and their biggest hit, "Brick."  "It's good to be back in this part of the country.  We used to play the 9:30 Club a lot," Ben told the crowd, many of whom had probably seen BFF there sometime in the '90s.  Other songs included Folds' "Landed," latest single "Do It Anyway," and the closer, "Army."

After being impressed by Santigold at StePhest Colbchella, I wanted to see her again, but needing nourishment and wanting to keep our fourth row seats, I stayed in the pavilion.  On the roof, Virgin owner, Sir Richard Branson poured champagne on concertgoers to thank us for coming and flaunt how rich he is.  In his defense, proceeds raised from previous Virgin Fests have built a homeless youth shelter in D.C. called RE*Generation House, and this year's donations will open its doors.  My friend went to get our dinner while I saved the seats.

A girl seated next to me chose me as her Alabama Shakes comrade.  I told her about how when I saw them at Summerstage in June, I was impressed by the musicianship, but not their stage presence.  They'd have to win me over, and guess what, they did.  While bassist Zac Cockrell still only moved slightly more than a well-timed bobblehead, Brittany Howard was absolutely magnetic.  She was wearing a blue dress with red dots and sporting a straightened hairdo, but you couldn't take your eyes off her face.  If you were a deaf person, you could've learned all the vowel sounds just by the way her mouth moved, soulful howls bursting out of the gaping hole.  She also backed away from her mic stand to move around more when not singing, which was an improvement.  As "Be Mine" started, the girl beside me grabbed me by the hand and shouted, "This is our favorite song!"  I'd only just met her, but judging by this performance, she was right.  Brittany went guitarless, walking around the stage with purpose and shouting the lyrics with passion.  The crowd roared its approval at its close.  Unfortunately, and this was the only problem I had with the festival, my friend was trapped outside of the pavilion for every song but the final "You Ain't Alone" because security wasn't letting anyone in.  This would've been justifiable if it was at capacity, but there were still some seats available, and they kept the whole left canopied section empty for the entire festival.

We sliced our way through the thickening crowds to head back over to Nas at the West Stage.  We made it time to hear some of his hits like "If I Ruled the World" and "Hate Me Now," the crowd performing Lauryn Hill's parts on the former.  Nas was only backed by a DJ, a live performance technique that I've never found very visually arresting, so I spent much of the set watching my hand wave up and down in the crowd shots on the screen.  "It's because of you that I made music all these years.  You and one little person," Nas confessed before the recently released "Daughters."  He closed it out with "One Mic" followed by a singalong of the Wailers' "One Love."

We returned to the amphitheatre to find it packed for ZZ Top, the entire crowd on their feet for the first time.  We were standing in the aisle for a minute before security told us we had to move, and miraculously, I found two seats on the end of a row.  The bearded rockers chugged their way through a set of newer songs and the classics.  After a one-handed guitar solo by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill raised the question, "How's that guy playing guitar with one hand?"  Billy flipped the guitar around to reveal the word "BEER" on the back of its body.  Although I have no clue what that's supposed to mean, it sums up the Top perfectly: authentic hard blues rock with a campy white-trash exterior.  They conveniently modified "My Head's in Mississippi" to "My Head's in Maryland," and introduced new number "Chartreuse" as "so new I've gotta have Elwood bring me the words," with their longtime guitar tech taping the lyrics onto the stage.  After the crowd-pleasing "Sharp Dressed Man," they busted out their Persian cat-looking, furry guitars for "Legs."  An uninterrupted threesome of "Tube Snake Boogie," La Grange," and "Tush" ended the show with cheers for an encore.

We squirmed through the forest to see what was left of M83.  The opening notes of "Midnight City" were met with shrieks of delight, only topped by the explosive saxophone solo at the song's end.  The light show for M83 was the best I saw at the festival, and keyboardist Morgan Kibby's boob was the only one I saw at the festival, sneaking out from the inside of her flowing, white dress.

Having no desire to stick around for Skrillex, we joined the march of fans heading back to the pavilion for Jack White.  Finding the seats to be blocked to anyone but VIP ticket holders (and the invisible people in that left section), we stationed ourselves on the hill.  Accompanied by a band of women dressed in white, Jack took center stage dressed in black.  Blue lighting cast a spooky glow on the scene, transforming the women into specters as White enchanted them with his guitar.  Starting with songs from Blunderbuss, "Sixteen Saltines" and "Missing Pieces," Jack paid tribute to ZZ Top by injecting a bit of "Jesus Just Left Chicago" into the mix.  A duet with Ruby Amafu on "Love Interruption" was followed by the rollicking "Hotel Yorba."  The set continued with songs spanning White's career with the White Stripes, the Raconteurs, the Dead Weather, and solo, concluding with "Ball & Biscuit."  The encore started with the rocking "Steady, As She Goes" right into "Freedom at 21" before taking a gentler turn with "We're Going to Be Friends," "Blunderbuss," and Jack taking a seat at the piano for "I Guess I Should Go to Sleep."  The evening came to its end with "Seven Nation Army," the Maryland crowd chanting the guitar riff "Ohhh-O-O-O-O-Ohhh-O" as much for the Baltimore Orioles making the playoffs as the man onstage.  "God bless you so much.  Thank you.  You've been wonderful," White obliged.  After last week's Radio City walkout, I felt special to have gotten the full show, for free, with so many fantastic openers.

JUSTIN JONES – 10.06.12 – MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION, VIRGIN MOBILE FREEFEST (41 minutes)

SET –

Fading Light / Little Fox / Grandma She Can’t Hardly Get Around* > I Can Feel It / Racine / Miracles / Ghosts > As It Turns Out / My Father’s Gun

PENGUIN PRISON – 10.06.12 – MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION, VIRGIN MOBILE FREEFEST (42 minutes)

SET –

Golden Train / The Worse It Gets / Something I’m Not / A Funny Thing / Fair Warning / Hollywood / Don’t Fuck with My Money / Blue Jeans / Multi-Millionaire

THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN – 10.06.12 – MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION, VIRGIN MOBILE FREEFEST

SET (incomplete) –

Time Bomb / The City / A Life of Possibilities / 3AM (The Window)* / Gyroscope / Girl O’Clock / Waiting* / The Ice of Boston / Following Through / You Are Invited

BEN FOLDS FIVE – 10.06.12 – MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION, VIRGIN MOBILE FREEFEST (52 minutes)

SET –

Michael Praytor, Five Years Later / Jackson Cannery / Hold That Thought / Erase Me / Underground / Landed / Magic / Kate / Brick / Do It Anyway / Song for the Dumped / Army

ALABAMA SHAKES – 10.06.12 – MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION, VIRGIN MOBILE FREEFEST (50 minutes)

SET –

Hang Loose / Hold On / Always Alright / I Found You / Rise to the Sun / I Ain’t the Same / Boys & Girls / Be Mine > On Your Way / Mama / Makin’ Me Itch / Heavy Chevy / You Ain’t Alone

JACK WHITE – 10.06.12 – MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION, VIRGIN MOBILE FREEFEST (1 hour, 24 minutes)

SET –

Sixteen Saltines > Missing Pieces > Jesus Just Left Chicago > Love Interruption / Hotel Yorba / Top Yourself > Weep Themselves to Sleep > Cannon > Dead Leaves & the Dirty Ground > Cannon > I’m Slowly Turning Into You / I Cut Like a Buffalo / Fell in Love with a Girl > Ball & Biscuit

ENCORE –

Steady, As She Goes > Freedom at 21 / We’re Going to Be Friends / Blunderbuss / I Guess I Should Go to Sleep > Take Me with You When You Go / Seven Nation Army

Alabama Shakes Don't Live Up to Hype & March of the Penguin Prison

I did a double-header last Sunday: Alabama Shakes at Rumsey Playfield, followed by Penguin Prison at Brooklyn Bowl. I'm probably going to upset a number of you when I say Alabama Shakes are really good, but not great, live. If you want to just believe all the hype and quit reading now, I understand. You're a hipster. But if you're a real music fan, I encourage you to read on.

Doors for the 3pm show were at 1:45, and I was actually freaking out during my commute, believing that I wasn't going to get in because I was going to arrive around 2:15. Thankfully, there was no line, and I made my way to a choice spot in the center. The standing room tightened with each minute and by the time Houston-based Robert Ellis walked onstage, the venue was about 500 humans short of capacity. Those who made it early were exposed to his take on outlaw country, from barnstormers like "No Fun" to introspective ballads like "Photographs," the title track off his latest release (which I would've bought if the vinyl wasn't fucking $25. Come on.). Having played to eight people, one of which was his wife, the previous night in West Virginia, Ellis and his band lapped up the energy from the mass of people, and injected it back into the highlight of the set, a cover of the bluegrass tune, "Ruby, Are You Mad?"

After a short break, the nine to eleven members of Diamond Rugs, who I was almost more excited to see than Alabama Shakes, piled onto the stage. After about a minute of incoherent chatter, they oozed into "Hightail," the first song off their eponymous album. John McCauley of Deer Tick fame grabbed the mic for second song, "Gimme a Beer," with joyous trombone and baritone sax parts punctuating the chorus. Hardy Morris of Dead Confederate took the reigns for "Big God" and traded the microphone back to McCauley for what is sure to become one of my favorite songs this year, "Call Girl Blues." It was at this point I realized they were playing their album in order, and they kept this formula for their set. It worked well, though, because no one member sang lead vocals for more than two songs in a row. "Totally Lonely" was exponentially better live than recorded, with all the members joining producer Justin Collins on the final refrain. For the set-closing "Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant," which I had seen Deer Tick perform before, the group thinned its ranks to a duo of McCauley and Los Lobos' Steve Berlin. The fact that it was merely days after the summer solstice only amplified the beautiful sadness of the song.

The most glorified band of the year, Alabama Shakes, were up next, packing Summerstage to its limits. Thankfully they chose to forgo the rigidity of their album, quietly welcoming the crowd with "Goin' to the Party," which I had predicted would be the only placement for the song in a live setting (It kind of kills the momentum of the album, but it probably wouldn't work as an album lead-off track either.). Exploding into "Hang Loose" and "Hold On," the Shakes had the crowd eating it up, but I wasn't totally sold.

Here's the deal. Frontwoman Brittany Howard is a sight to behold. Her powerful voice, accentuated by the pronounced shapes of her mouth while she's howling out her lyrics, makes her the prime candidate to lead a band. Unfortunately, the rest of the members don't live up to her. Don't get me wrong; the Shakes are all great musicians and they do sound better live than on record. But they made me realize how important stage presence is. Save for a few smiles from guitarist Heath Fogg, you couldn't

tell if the band members were actually enjoying it, or even if they knew they were playing to a crowd. Perhaps this concentration is what keeps them on top of things musically, but I like a little showmanship with my rock 'n' roll. When Brittany set aside her seafoam green Gibson and took the mic from its stand for "Be Mine," things improved. Stuck behind her stand for the previous numbers, she barely moved, aside from her aforementioned mouth and her curls billowing in the summer breeze. When she traversed the stage, you could follow her with her eyes, distracting you from the statues making the bluesy funk behind her. I hope that with more and more stage time, the young band will develop a little more sizzle in the future, or at least acknowledge that they are playing to 5000 adoring fans.

I hightailed it home so I could eat dinner and a half a brownie before heading over to Brooklyn Bowl for the next show. It started an hour later than advertised, so I made it in time to see two shitty support acts. Before Penguin Prison's set, I situated myself about three people back in the center. Chris Glover and band geared up and took us on a trip on the "Golden Train," with Glover climbing off the stage and into the crowd, pacing through us as he sang. It's not uncommon for artists to bring the show onto the floor, but I don't think I've ever seen it happen during the first song. I think it represents Chris Glover's newfound confidence by using the Penguin Prison moniker. He has always seemed a little socially awkward introducing songs, though it usually came off as funny, almost Hedbergian. Now that he has reincarnated himself as a new disco/remix artist with a ridiculous name, he seems more comfortable in that he's playing a game, not baring his soul. Hell, even when he performed as Chris Glover, he made sure to put it in quotation marks ("Chris Glover"). "Golden Train" segued nicely into "The Worse It Gets," as did "Animal Animal" into "A Funny Thing." He finished the set with "Blue Jeans," a remix/cover of a Lana Del Rey song, which you can download here. As I could give two shits about Lana Del Rey, it was a little disappointing. For the encore, he broke out "Multi-Millionaire," this time entering the crowd with his guitar. My main criticism would be the meager 47-minute set duration. Chris Glover has several unreleased songs from the period of his career directly preceding Penguin Prison that I find to be his best work. A well-placed "Hold My Soul" or "Tear Stains" would not be too much of a departure from his new sound, and would undoubtedly prove his versatility. I can't really complain. I had a great time dancing and singing along, and isn't that what it's all about?

ROBERT ELLIS – 06.24.12 – RUMSEY PLAYFIELD

SET –

Westbound Train / Comin’ Home / What’s in It for Me? / Two Cans of Paint / Flames of Hell* / Pride / No Fun / Photographs / Jam > Ruby, Are You Mad?

DIAMOND RUGS – 06.24.12 – RUMSEY PLAYFIELD (58 minutes)

SET –

Hightail / Gimme a Beer / Big God / Call Girl Blues / Out on My Own / Country Mile / Totally Lonely / I Took Note / Blue Mountains / Motherland / Tell Me Why / 100 Sheets / Hungover & Horny / Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant

ALABAMA SHAKES – 06.24.12 – RUMSEY PLAYFIELD (1 hour, 4 minutes)

SET –

Goin’ to the Party / Hang Loose / Hold On / I Found You / Rise to the Sun / Always Alright > Boys & Girls / Be Mine / I Ain’t the Same / Mama / Hurricane Strut / Makin’ Me Itch / Heavy Chevy / You Ain’t Alone

ENCORE –

Worryin’ Blues / On Your Way / Heat Lightning

PENGUIN PRISON – 06.24.12 – BROOKLYN BOWL (47 minutes)

SET –

Golden Train > The Worse It Gets / Something I’m Not / Animal Animal > A Funny Thing / Fair Warning / Don’t Fuck with My Money / Hollywood / Blue Jeans

ENCORE –

Multi-Millionaire