Lights That Flash in the Evening: Rogers Waters Plays The Wall @ Verizon Center, Washington, DC (10-10-2010)

My review of Roger Waters performing The Wall live is up over at The City Paper today. Photogs were allowed to shoot up to "Another Brick in the Wall" so I did manage to get the plane and the scary teacher props. Waters also brought on a bunch of kids (a local children's choir?) to sing the aforementioned. The photo pit was right in front of the stage so it was tough to get more of the full-stage shots like I wanted, but I did manage a few.

Additional photos can be seen here.

The video below is of the opening song, "In the Flesh," from Madison Square Garden a few days back.

Lights That Flash in the Evening: The Hold Steady @ 930 Club, Washington, DC (10-4-2010)

My lastest Washington City Paper review went live this morning, this time of Monday's Hold Steady show at the 930 Club. Read all about it here, and see additional photos here.

Dave Grohl performs 'Band on the Run' for President Obama and Paul McCartney

I was sending the funnier PSAs about coffee consumption starring Dave Grohl to a friend recently when I came across the following video. In one million years, I do not think I'd have put this combination together but whoever put it together is genius: Dave Grohl. In a suit. Playing "Band on the Run." At the White House. For Paul McCartney and President Obama. Oh, and Stevie Wonder is also in the audience.

Life's such a funny and interesting thing sometimes, isn't it?

Apparently, it's part of The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which took place here in DC back in July. The entire broadcast of the show can be seen here.

Lights That Flash in the Evening: The Vaselines/Teenage Fanclub @ 930 Club, Washington, DC (10-2-2010)

My photo/text review of Saturday's Vaselines/Teenage Fanclub show at the 930 Club is up over at the Washington City Paper if you like to check it out.

They played Jimmy Fallon last Thursday too, doing the ever-lovely "Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam," probably the least sexual song of their entire catalogue.

UPDATE: Myspace Music to Stream Matador at 21 Festival This Weekend

We posted a few days ago about how Myspace Music is streaming the super cool Matador at 21 Festival taking place in Vegas this weekend. Previously, certain bands like Superchunk and Sonic Youth were not going to be part of the stream, but now it looks like the sets of all bands will be streamed.

It also appears that the schedule has moved around some, and some bands that were in (Guitar Wolf, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and Yo La Tengo) are no longer playing. Weird...

What's also cool is that the stream for Friday and Saturday will then repeat the next morning. We're waiting to hear back on the time things will start and will let you know.

Link for the stream is here.

Matador at 21 Festival Schedule
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1st
Chavez: 8:30pm - 9:10pm
Fucked Up: 9:35pm - 10:15pm
Sonic Youth: 10:40 pm - 11:30 pm

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2nd
Pavement: 12:00am - 1:00am
Girls: 4:40pm - 5:20pm
Come: 5:45pm - 6:25pm
Perfume Genius: 7:55pm - 8:15pm
Cat Power: 8:15pm - 8:55pm
Superchunk: 9:20pm - 10:00pm
Spoon: 10:25pm - 11:15pm
Belle & Sebastian: 11:45pm - 1:00am

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3rd
Shearwater: 6:30pm - 7:10pm
Ted Leo + The Pharmacists: 7:35pm - 8:15pm
New Pornographers: 8:40pm - 9:25pm
Liz Phair 9:50pm - 10:10pm
Guided By Voices: 11:30pm - 1:00am

Lights That Flash in the Evening: Billy Bragg, Fitz & the Tantrums, Virgin FreeFest 2010

I recently started shooting/reviewing part-time for the Washington City Paper, which, if you don't know it, is the local free weekly scene paper here in DC. So as to not repeat myself, here are a couple of shows I shot/reviewed for them recently for your reading/viewing pleasure....

Billy Bragg and Darren Hanlon @ 930 Club, (9-19-2010) here
Fitz and the Tantrums @ Rock and Roll Hotel(9-20-2010) here
Virgin FreeFest 2010 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (9-25-2010):
Day (Jimmy Eat World, Trombone Shorty, Yeasayer, Joan Jett) here
Night (Chromeo, Ludacris, Pavement, MIA) here

A Rainy Night in Central Park with Pavement

(Pavement @ Virgin FreeFest 2010, additional set photos here)

We reported about seeing Pavement in New York's Central Park during a thunder/lightning storm last week (read it here). My phone was all wonky for a few hour after as I tried to tweet the setlist during the downpour, so I'm shocked someone was able to get any video, but somehow, someone did. Sadly, there is only a minute's worth of "Stereo," a song which, for me, was the highlight (and the last one before they stopped the show due to the lightning). Of it, we said:

The song that had the entire audience pogoing in unison during the chorus and generally losing its collective mind? "Stereo" from Brighten the Corners. It was a white hot version too. Lead singer Stephen Malkmus literally ripped into it; I saw him look up, see the lightning streak across the sky and literally, with his entire body, rip that opening piece with a definite ferocity which kept up the whole song. Almost as if to say, "If this is the last song, it's gonna be badass."

A snippet of "Stereo." (You also get a feeling for how hard it was raining. They stopped the show right after this.)


The first song of the night, before the rain started, "In the Mouth A Desert":


"Trigger Cut/Unfair":


"Starlings on the Slipstream"/"Our Singer":


"Zurich is Strained" (includes one of their usual blown starts):


"Father to a Sister of a Thought":