Cloaca Melodia

Benedum Center, Pittsburgh, PA..... With a Morrissey concert, one always wonders whether it will take place at all--given Morrissey's well-documented history of shows cancelled at the last minute. So it was concerning when several recent of his concerts had to be scrapped due to credible death threats on the former Smiths frontman. But, it turned out not to be a concern and the show went on as scheduled. Morrissey was in fine voice but I had some issues with the setlist. Towards the end of the main set, I thought it's got to be bangers all the way down, but I was disappointed. Some deeper cuts, but more problematically, midtempo songs that didn't get the energy up except for the hardest-core of Moz-heads. There were a lot of people heading to the exits early, and my daughter (first time seeing him live) said to me at one point, "The music for each song sounds good but once he starts singing, they all sound the same." The last time I saw Morrissey , while a showcas...

Schenley Plaza, Pittsburgh, PA.... The 25th annual WYEP Summer Music Festival.     sorry, I haven't yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA....   Green Day's The Saviors Tour, in which they played all of Dookie and the American Idiot albums in sequence. (Probably not the best choice, as it severely constrained the setlist order and was not ideal for a stadium concert.) Rancid was probably my pick for the best all-around performance of the day, although the Linda Lindas were a lot of fun. Green Day had some great song performances but their set was a little bloated and lacking the loopy spontaneity I remember from seeing them in 1998 . Smashing Pumpkins was OK, but just like when I saw them in 2000 , I was left with a "good, but" vibe. I liked some of it. But when Corgan inexplicably brought out professional wrestlers from his wrestling promotion company-- well, big sigh. One of the most remarkable moments of the concert didn't involve a live performance. Immediately prior to Green Day taking the stage, they play Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" over the sound system and...

Allegheny RiverTrail Park, Pittsburgh, PA ...   A fun night out in a beautiful location with enjoyable music!    

Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA....       A very pleasant night. About a quarter of the dudes in attendance had the exact same look: bushy beards, glasses, trucker hat. Modest Mouse setlist : Heart Cooks Brain What People Are Made Of Spitting Venom Out of Gas The Stars Are Projectors Third Side of the Moon Fuck Your Acid Trip Wooden Soldiers King Rat [unknown, possibly new song] Satin in a Coffin The World at Large Float On Teeth Like God's Shoeshine Satellite Skin Fire It Up [verrry long encore break] Cowboy Dan A Forest Ocean Breathes Salty Black Cadillacs Night on the Sun Cat Power setlist: Say/Great Expectations (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction Good Woman Unhate Manhattan White Mustang Cross Bones Style/Nude as the News Metal Heart The Greatest The Moon Wanderer Sea of Love It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels Mr. Tambourine Man

City Winery, Pittsburgh, PA.... EXTC is basically an XTC cover band, made somewhat legit due to the presence of former XTC drummer Terry Chambers. The show was a lot of fun, especially hearing any XTC songs performed live with a whiff of authenticity.  

Byham Theater, Pittsburgh, PA....   This was WYEP's 50th anniversary concert. Shawn and KT performed together for the entire show in an intimate and enjoyable journey through both artists' careers. Lots of witty storytelling between songs.     Setlist: Psycho Killer Dear Shadow Trouble Other Side of the World Polaroids (Still A) Weirdo Crazy The Boys of Summer Cry Like an Angel Black Horse and the Cherry Tree Sunny Came Home Turned a Light On Suicide Alley Through the Dark If I Were Brave Suddenly I See [encore break] Words May You Never  

Pittsburgh Winery, Pittsburgh, PA .... A good night out with some friends to hear some great music. The band hit some of their great songs like "I Feel So Good" and some choice covers like Cake's "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" and "Birdhouse in Your Soul" from They Might Be Giants.    

Schenley Plaza, Pittsburgh, PA....     sorry, I haven't yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA.... This show was originally scheduled for 6/28/2022, then postponed to June 2022, then postponed to this date. It was the longest duration between scheduled date and actual date in my experience, with 1,021 days from ticket purchase to show date. Ringo stills brings the energy. He's 82 as of this show and running around onstage (even doing jumping jacks at one point!). Tons of fun, and Edgar Winter was a revelation. I had never seen him live before, and his contributions were terrific. It was interesting to see Hamish Stuart backing Ringo after seeing him in Paul McCartney's band in 1989 (see here and here ).    Setlist: Matchbox It Don't Come Easy What Goes On Free Ride (led by Edgar Winter) Rosanna (led by Steve Lukather) Pick Up the Pieces (led by Hamish Stuart) Down Under (led by Colin Hay) Boys I'm the Greatest Yellow Submarine Cut the Cake (led by Hamish Stuart) Frankenstein (led by Edgar Winter) Octopus's Garden Back Off ...

PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA ....   The show took place after the Pirates lost to the Phillies 4-2. Following the game, a pit area was set up on the field and then a truck pulled a flatbed out onto the field with the band already on it (!). I think it was the first time I had seen the band since they expanded beyond a four-piece. Enjoyable, as always. Setlist: Hell on Wheels I'm a Fool Sugarcane Gypsy Lounge Shimmy Low Born Too Late Some Call It Destiny Snowman Penny on the Floor Take Care of You Highwire Cigarette ? Let It Go On Saturday Trampoline Better Off Without You 

Schenley Plaza, Pittsburgh, PA.... The 23rd annual WYEP Summer Music Festival.    Seratones   sorry, I haven't yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

9th & Penn Stage, Pittsburgh, PA Part of the Three Rivers Arts Festival. The show was broadcast live on WYEP.     setlist: set 1 And So It Goes Ragin' Eyes Without Love Lately I've Let Things Slide Schting-Schtang Jet Pac Boomerang I Live on a Battlefield Somebody Cares For Me Tokyo Bay [Los Straitjackets section] set 2 Raincoat in the River Love Starvation Trombone Half a Boy and Half a Man Blue on Blue Here Comes That Feeling Cruel to Be Kind Heart of the City (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding I Knew the Bride encore break When I Write the Book 

PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA.... Took my daughter to see Billie. She put on a good show and it was quite the spectacle. I had a good time.        Billie Eilish Setlist: Bury a Friend I Didn't Change My Number NDA Therefore I Am My Strange Addiction Idontwannabeyouanymore Lovely You Should See Me in a Crown Billie Bossa Nova Goldwing Halley's Comet Oxytocin Ilomilo Your Power Male Fantasy Not My Responsibility OverHeated Bellyache Ocean Eyes Bored Getting Older Lost Cause When the Party's Over All the Good Girls Go to Hell Everything I Wanted Bad Guy Happier Than Ever Goodbye 

WYEP Community Broadcast Center, Pittsburgh, PA..... This was a really nice night. We had a surprise birthday party for Pittsburgh music legend Billy Price. I was enlisted to invite Billy to come to the station to record an interview, but he had no idea his partner had planned a surprise party and invited his band and a bunch of his friends. Of course, they ended up on stage and did a great set of music. We recorded the whole thing and aired it on WYEP later. Fun for all!   

PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA ....   While I had never seen ELO before and was interested in catching them live, I really went to see Dhani Harrison. As it turned out, Dhani and his band were OK but ELO was extremely enjoyable.   Dhani Harrison   ELO setlist : Standin' in the Rain Evil Woman All Over the World Showdown Do Ya When I Was a Boy Livin' Thing Handle With Care (with Dhani Harrison) Rockaria! Last Train to London Eldorado Overture Can't Get It Out of My Head 10538 Overture Shine a Little Love Wild West Hero Sweet Talkin' Woman Telephone Line Don't Bring Me Down Turn to Stone Mr. Blue Sky encore break Roll Over Beethoven 

Schenley Plaza, Pittsburgh, PA.....   The 23rd annual WYEP Summer Music Festival.     sorry, I haven't yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, PA....   My 3rd time seeing the All-Starr Band, this time featuring Graham Gouldman (of 10cc), Gregg Rolie (of Santana), Steve Lukather (of Toto), and Colin Hay (of Men at Work).     Setlist:   Matchbox It Don't Come Easy What Goes On Dreadlock Holiday (led by Graham Gouldman) Evil Ways (led by Gregg Rolie) Rosanna (led by Steve Lukather) Down Under (led by Colin Hay) Boys Don't Pass Me By Yellow Submarine I'm Not in Love (led by Graham Gouldman) Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen (led by Gregg Rolie) You're Sixteen Anthem Overkill (led by Colin Hay) Africa (led by Steve Lukather) Oye Como Va (led by Gregg Rolie) I Wanna Be Your Man The Things We Do for Love (led by Graham Gouldman) Who Can It Be Now? (led by Colin Hay) Hold the Line (led by Steve Lukather) Photograph Act Naturally With a Little Help From My Friends 

Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA.....     sorry, I haven't yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!    

Schenley Plaza, Pittsburgh, PA... The 21st annual WYEP Summer Music Festival. Everyone on the bill was terrific, and Low Cut Connie perhaps had the most memorable set of the day. But a great day all around.       Also performing were the high school bands Kaelber, Colorblind Coding, and Luke B. Wood.