Cloaca Melodia

Schenley Plaza, Pittsburgh, PA ...   Great performances from Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Marcus King Band, and The Buckle Downs. High energy, great guitar skills, and a lot of fun. It was a great night for an outdoor concert and perhaps the largest crowd we'd ever had for a WYEP Summer Music Festival to that point. The plaza was simply packed for most of the day and there was a much larger-than-usual amount of standees at the front of the stage. And the music matched the crowd size.  Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears   Marcus King Band   Also performing were the high school bands Tupelo & Jeremy, The Fortunates, and Night Frog.  

South Park Amphitheater, South Park Township, PA .... Quite a lovely night of music. Although it had rained several times earlier in the day, the skies had cleared and conditions were perfect for some outdoor music. Nicole had visited WYEP earlier that day, and we had a fun time on the air. Her performance at South Park was terrific, and the band she is touring with is top-notch. Nicole and the band had worked up a cover of Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" after I told her that the day of her Pittsburgh visit was the 45th anniversary of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, and she gave me a shout-out from the stage when introducing the song. (After the show, she told me that the band was going to keep it in their setlist for the following night at the Mountain Jam festival. I told her she should keep it the repertoire for her entire tour, since they totally nail it, but since she has a month-long break before her next concert, I don't ev...

Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA ... I've seen U2 about a half-dozen times , and this night was the most remarkable of all of them. It's not that it was the best performance I've ever seen the band give -- I'd probably give that to either the 1985 show or their Zoo TV concert -- but it was the first and only time I've ever met a band member. It was actually 3/4 of the group. I met up with someone from U2's record label prior to the concert and he gave me a lanyard and told me to go to the Club Level of Heinz Field for a little pre-show party they were calling "The Desert Lounge."  He hinted that there was a chance of meeting one of more members of the band, but, you know, no promises. I've been through that song-and-dance before and I mentally put the odds of something like that occurring at 10%. The Lumineers were the opening act and I have seen them yet, so at 7:17p I put the question out to Facebook: Everybody was pretty unambiguous - wa...

Point State Park, Pittsburgh, PA ....   Part of the Three Rivers Arts Festival. It was reportedly Kiwanuka's first show in Pittsburgh. setlist: Cold Little Heart One More Night Falling Black Man in a White World Place I Belong I'm Getting Ready Born Again Rule the World The Final Frame Father's Child Love & Hate 

World Cafe Life, Philadelphia, PA ... As a huge Letterman fan from nearly the beginning, it was great to see Shaffer and members of his Letterman band play live. Original World's Most Dangerous Band member Sid McGinnis and CBS Orchestra member Felicia Collins were on the guitars. And then this happened. (The photo was blurry and meeting Paul FELT like a blur!)   The Dream Syndicate and Robert Cray were also great to see but were a little overshadowed for me by Shaffer.

World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA.... The Pixies were terrific, and definitely the most on-point performance of the three times I've seen them live to this point. They were pretty ferocious (I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the band being in the era of Paz Lenchantin on bass).  I really enjoyed Real Estate and Laura Marling, and The Mavericks were fun as always.  Nancy & Beth were alter egos for actors Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt, and late in their set, Nick Offerman (of Parks & Rec fame) came on stage beating a big bass drum strapped to his chest.   Pixies setlist : All the Saints La La Love You Where Is My Mind? Winterlong Gouge Away Bel Esprit Classic Masher Wave of Mutilation Tenement Song All I Think About Now Caribou  

World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA ... Blondie was great, with the youthful 72-year-old Debbie Harry wearing a dress inscribed with "Stop F***ing the Planet" in glittery letters. I was amazed to get a chance to see Bash & Pop live, one of Tommy Stinson's bands after the breakup of The Replacements and before he joined Guns 'N Roses. I didn't expect he would reactivate Bash & Pop and play live. A really enjoyable set, and I had a chance to chat afterwards with a very tired Stinson. Greg Graffin (better known as the leader of Bad Religion) did a good set, and it was cool to see Judy Hyman of The Horseflies playing violin for Graffin. I had a brief conversation with Judy to catch up.  I know I saw Ani's set but I don't have much recollection of it several years later.   Blondie's Debbie Harry   Tommy Stinson with Bash & Pop     Blondie setlist: One Way or Another Fun Call Me Rapture Fragments Long Time Heart of Glass Too Much Dreaming Bash ...

Mr. Smalls, Millvale, PA ....   Richard Butler of the Furs: Robyn Hitchcock: Psychedelic Furs setlist (according to this source ): Dumb Waiters Heartbeat The Ghost In You So Run Down Heaven No Tears Believe Alice's House Love My Way Angels Don't Cry All of the Law Mr. Jones All That Money Wants House Pretty in Pink(encore break) President Gas Heartbreak Beat