Last NYC concerts for a while...

So quitting my job was not quite the event I imagined it to be. It was not satisfying, because I don't really have something bigger and better lined up yet. And I don't hate the job, or the people there, so there was no "take this job and shove it" in me. It was all business. I am moving. My job cannot move with me. Guess I resign then. It did leave me with a little fear of what's to come, and a little excitement over actually getting the ball rolling on this next phase in life. Project Boston.

Thursday night was the Phish show at Keyspan. Met M, her boyfriend, and their friend on the boardwalk at Coney Island. We had some drinks at Ruby's. Their friend played Shoot the Freak which was good for a laugh. We caught up, talked about music, and then went into the show.

There were two pairs of tickets. One pair was for the floor/field level, and one pair was for the stands. We decided that M and her boyfriend should take the stands seats, because their friend had bought the tickets, and wanted to be on the floor, so it made sense for me to go with him, and not split up the couple. I actually bumped into two people I knew at the show, both from the town where I grew up. Always fun.

The show was great. They really played well. The only downside was all that damn rain. The show started off in the clear, but then the skies opened up. It wasn't cold, so it was bearable, but we literally got soaked to the bone. The money in my wallet is still drying. To all the people who were on whatever drugs they were on, I'm sure the rain was an interesting effect. It also seemed to come and go somewhat to the music, which must have blown people's minds. I wouldn't know, because I was one of the only people there not on anything. (Well, besides the handful of drinks I pounded at Ruby's...) In any case, by some point in the second set, the rain stopped, and all was good. And no, I never got to meet up with Brother. He was in the stands, and it was just too much of a pain. Though we did text message a bit during the show. Which was nice, in a real geeky sorta way.

Here is the setlist for any one who is interested. It really was a great show.

Saturday was the K-Rock Dysfunctional Family Picnic 8 show at Jones Beach. Pegg and I headed out there relatively early. Walked around the boardwalk a bit. Sat on the beach for a bit. I dipped my feet in the water. First ocean dip of the year. Always nice. Then we went into the show. It was pretty good, with some weird spots. First, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs opened the stadium portion of the show. No one was even there yet, and no one was into them. Pegg and I enjoyed their set, but we felt badly for them. The next band was Brand New. This is a Long Island band. I've never heard of the, but the crowd fucking loved them. Guess that's why they got a higher slot than the YYYs.

Next was Cypress Hill. They had the best props, a giant inflatable Buddha with a pot-leaf on his belly among them. I loved their set, because I am an old-school Cypress Hill fan. We used to listen to that shit all the time in college. "Sawed off shotgun, hand on the pump, left hand on a 40, puffin on a blunt...." Love it. Again, though, we were among the only people there not on anything, so perhaps others liked their set more than me. Then came the Darkness. They were awesome, and funny as hell. Justin Hawkins had us cracking up with all his theatrics and wise-cracks. The crowd was not into them, though, and there was a lot of jeering and booing surprisingly.

After the Darkness, the Beastie Boys came on. This is really the reason I went to the show. I love me some Beastie Boys. And they did an awesome set. Mixed it up with tracks from their whole catalog, and they seemed to really be enjoying themselves. The people next to us were taping their set on a minidisc player, and said they would send me a copy. I gave them my card, but I haven't heard from them yet. So if you're reading this, and you were taping the show next to the guy in the Superman t-shirt singing too loudly, hook a brother up already.

Next we were expecting the Strokes. Why the Strokes got better billing than the Beastie Boys, I'll never know. But they apparently were the headliners. Out comes Robin Quivers from the Howard Stern show. She brought out Jay-Z, who did "99 Problems". Unexpected treat. Then the Strokes closed the show. They put on a good show. At the end, they just put down their instruments and left us with a feedback buzz. Then some K-Rock DJ came out to thank everyone, and the Strokes drummer, Fabrizio Moretti, interrupted him to say "I wish this guy would shut the fuck up already." Really a dick move, considering that a. the guy was just doing his job and b. he was telling the audience to give it up for the fucking Strokes in the first place. So Fabrizio Moretti - or Fab Moretti - you're an asshole. Good luck with this piece of work Drew.

Here are some pics from the show.


Cypress Hill


The Darkness


The Beastie Boys


The Strokes