The Decemberists @ Metro

Anna is in town this weekend visiting her brother. She really likes the Decemberists so I snagged some last minute tickets to their pre-Lollapalooza show at Metro last night. Before the show, we hung out at her brother's place in River North. I guess we got our set times mixed up because by the time we made it to Metro, The Decemberists were just starting their encore. They did 2 encores so it was not a complete loss.

Stars Aligning

Next week I will be on the road for work. First stop is Hartford for work training. Not looking forward to 8 hours a day of class time about insurance, but there is an added benefit. Since I'll be on the East Coast and had plans to spend the weekend in NYC, I got my boss to approve of me working from NYC after my class is over and now, instead of having to pay for my trip to NYC, work is footing the bill.

Add on to that the following:

-Kee Won got me a free ticket to the Sneaker Pimps show featuring Big Boi, Cam'ron, Clipse, The Cool Kids, Wale and DJ Clark Kent; Kee Won's working the concert

-Kee Won's job is footing the bill for his hotel and I'm crashing there

-Arnaub and Wen are coming in from Boston for the weekend for the concert; Korey and Margo are also coming to the concert

-Anna is coming back from Mexico for 3 days and it happens to be when I'm in NYC!

-Karen is coming back from DC for Maria's bday party!

-Phil is back in town for the summer and is having his housewarming when I'm back

-School ends for Dani that week so I know she'll be down for getting drunky

The only thing that would make this trip better is if the weather holds out.

Mixing It Up

After last night’s debacle, I was in no shape to go to work today. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to go to work; I was supposed to go on a fishing trip with some reinsurers. Okay…actually, I would rather go to work than spend the day, hungover, on a boat that is rocking back and forth, and smelling fish and the polluted waters of NYC. So, with little hesitation, I decided to skip both work and the fishing trip and just stay home. I agonized at first over whether or not I should go into the office, but I was still pissed from last night that I really didn’t care.

After some much needed rest, I met up with Lillian on the West Side to go rock climbing. Lillian and I have been talking about doing this for sometime and finally got our act together. We went to a climbing wall that is rune by the NYC Parks Department. It’s not the best climbing wall I’ve ever seen, but it was cheap and had enough climbs to keep things interesting.

The last time I went climbing was back in high school. It didn’t take very long for everything to come back to me. Soon I was scrambling up the walls. It was really exhilarating; I had forgotten how much fun it was. Both Lillian and I had a great time and are hoping to make this a regular thing.

After climbing, we wandered around the Upper West Side and found a dinner to grab a quick dinner. As we were eating, a bunch of Williams people (Julia Rosen, Sabrina Wirth, Adriel Cepeda, and Steve Mosley) passed by on the street. It was really good to see Steve since I haven’t seen him since graduation. Although the encounter was brief, it reminded me how small the city can be.

After dinner, I had some time to kill so Lillian let me finally see her apartment. I would tell you about it, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy about it. I’m not allowed to tell anyone about the apartment itself or where it is located. Why? Don’t ask.

Leaving Lil’s apartment, I headed over to the East Side to meet up with Korey and Margo at the 5^th Ave Apple Store. We were going to see Diplo spin at 12 AM, part of Apple’s Summer DJ Series. I was pretty excited since I’ve never seen Diplo live before and the idea of a dance party in the Apple Store, with it being underground and having a glass ceiling/cube above it, sounded like a cool idea.

At first, the music was pretty good and the crowd was bearable, but the three of us soon found that this really wasn’t our scene. It was too much hipster-ism for my taste and way too much high school kids/hip-flask drinking/stupid stunner shade crap. We decided to get out of there and find a bar.

After wandering around aimlessly in Midtown (there are really no good bars in Midtown at 1 AM), we found a decent Irish pub and planted our asses into some bar stools. We spent the rest of the night drinking beers and watching a classic boxing match on ESPN Classic. It was actually kind of fun.

More pics (courtesy of i guess i'm floating):

Mark Ronson @ The Highline Ballroom

Last night I went to the Highline Ballroom (a place that is quickly becoming one of my favorite concert venues) to see Mark Ronson perform. The concert was also doubling as the record release party for his new album, Versions. The original plan was to go with Kerel, but last minute, Vero asked if I could get her a ticket. Unfortunately the concert had sold out, but the venue was going to release a few extra tickets at the door.

Since I get out of work really early in relation to everyone I know, I went down to the Highline early to wait in line to get Vero a ticket. Right before I headed downtown, it started to pour, like torrential downpour. Having some time to kill, I decided to go running at the Reservoir. This might not have been the brightest idea, but I love running in the rain. Once I got to the Reservoir, I started doubting my decision. There were a handful of people running still, but most had better sense to seek shelter. As I ran beside the Reservoir, lightning cracked across the sky at a very consistent rate. The winds were thrashing the water in the Reservoir and painfully pelting me with rain. Even with all that, it was still a fun time. Nothing feels better than feeling like you are fighting against Mother Nature...and winning.

Anyway, after I dried off, I went to the Highline and waited in line for an hour to get Vero a ticket. To kill some time before Kerel and Vero met up with me, I went to Pizza Bar for a drink. I had never been to Pizza Bar before and may never go back.

Although Kerel, Vero, and I arrived late to the Highline, our timing was actually perfect; the show was just about to start. I had never seen Mark Ronson DJ before or play live for that matter (this was actually his first time ever playing with his live band in the US).

Mark Ronson thoroughly impressed me. I think he sometime can be brushed off as a trust fund baby DJ, but the guy is talented and respected. I think that was supported by some of the celebrities I spotted in the crowd which included: Jay-Z, Eve, Q-Tip, Jimmy Fallon, and Danny Masterson.

Ronson performed the bulk of his Versions and brought on many of the guests that appear on the album including: Daniel Merriweather, Santo Gold, Wale, Alex Greenwald (Phantom Planet), Kenna, Tawiah, and Tiggers. Sadly Robbie Williams, Lily Allen, and Amy Winehouse were nowhere to be found, but Ronson made up for it by bringing Saigon onstage. I'm a huge fan of Saigon and would not have expected him to show up, but it turns out that Saigon and Ronson are good friends. Saigon even joked that he goes over to Ronson's mother's house on Christmas morning for tea!

Another surprising performance came from Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet. He was really energetic (and possibly drunk), stage diving and just really getting into the performance. He ended his set on stage with the crowd favorite, "California" (i.e. "The OC's" theme song).

Check out some reviews of the show:

NY Times

Variety

For more pictures of the show:

Caaaait's Flickr Page

So Many Concerts, Part Deux

Some more concerts coming up in the next few months. If anyone is interested in going to any of these, let me know. I've got extra tickets.

Wednesday, July 11- Mark Ronson and Friends, Highline Ballroom, 8 PM
Thursday, July 19- Eve, Hard Rock Cafe (MTV Taping), 7 PM
Thursday, July 19- TI, Hard Rock Cafe (MTV Taping), 9:30 PM
Friday, July 20- DJ Tiesto and Blue Man Group, Hammerstein Ballroom, 11 PM
Sunday, July 22- Lil Wayne and Friends, Beacon Theatre, 7 PM
Monday, July 23- Ghostface Killah, Highline Ballroom, 11 PM
Tuesday, July 24- The White Stripes, Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Friday, August 3- Beyonce and Robin Thicke, Continental Arena, 8 PM
Saturday, August 4- Beyonce and Robine Thicke, Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Monday, August 6- Cold War Kids and Muse, Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Tuesday, August 7- BB King, Etta James, and Al Green, Theatre at Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Monday, August 13- Justin Timberlake, Continental Airlines Arena, 8 PM (General Admission Tickets)
Wednesday, August 15- Justin Timberlake, Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Thursday, August 16- Justin Timberlake, Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Sunday, Black August Hip Hop Project, Aug. 26, Nokia Theatre
Tuesday, September 11- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Blender Theatre @ Gramercy
Wednesday, September 12- Amy Winehouse, Rumsey Playfield, 6 PM
Saturday, September 15- Girl Talk and Dan Deacon, Webster Hall, 8 PM
Wednesday, October 3- Bloc Party, WaMu Theatre @ MSG, 8 PM
Friday, October 5- The Roots w/ Big Daddy Kane and MC Lyte @ Nokia Theatre, 8 PM
Wednesday, October 10- Maroon 5 @ MSG, 8 PM

Earth Intruders

Last night I went to see Bjork perform at Radio City Music Hall. Wow...the show was incredible; arguably one of the best concerts I've been to. I think the best part of the show was the variety of people who showed up. It was a spectrum of people, attesting to Bjork's cross appeal. I'm also not sure if I've ever been to concert where fans went as crazy; I guess I was just surprised by some people's "enthusiasm" given that when I think of Bjork, I think of more ambient, chiller music. But yeah, some of the girls next to us were rockin' the fuck out!


I'd write more, but I really wouldn't do it much justice. Sean Fennessey has a decent write up about the show.

(photos courtesy of some wonderful people on Flickr)

Ben Gibbard Concert

Anybody want to go see Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service) live in concert on Tuesday? I really want to go to this concert but don't want to go alone. If you want to go, let me know ASAP!!!

Get Lifted

On Monday night, I got to see John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae perform at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden with Jessica. Absolutely amazing concert. Both performers really put on a good show and surprisingly, sounded very much like their CDs, which I find to be an irregularity these days with auto-tuning in studios. The other thing that struck me about this concert was the intimate atmosphere that was fostered. Given, the style of music lends itself to that, but it was nice to go to a concert where I wasn't completely deafened by the booming bass.

Most of the concerts I typically go to are hip hop concerts so my expectations of concerts are different. If I go to a hip hop show, I expect to have no hearing at the end of the show; I expect to be standing and jumping around the whole time; I expect that the performance will not start on time; I expect that the actually recreation of the sound qualtiy experienced on the performer's CD will be pretty hit or miss. The concert on Monday defied these expectations.

As I said, the concert had a more intimate atmosphere. I have seen John Legend perform before, but that was as a special guest for a Kanye West show. He was good, but it was a completely different vibe. On Monday, John Legend really blew me away with his performance and stage presence. He did some of the standard concert tricks like inviting a woman on stage to dance with him (note to all performers: bringing up a middle-aged mother to dance with you always makes the crowd go wild), going into the crowd to sing, and calculatingly discarding pieces of clothing throughout the performance. But beyond those typical conceits, he really moved the crowd. I give much credit to his background as a church choir singer and gospel stylings because at times, it did feel like a worship service, in terms of the vibe. But overall, the performance worked because John Legend is straight-up talented and you don't need a lot of bells and whistles to put on a good show if you've got talent.

Corinne Bailey Rae also impressed me. Her music is more low key than Legend's, but she can definitely sing. Her voice is very warm and controlled and her accent doesn't grate on you, but rather complements her well. Though her songs are slower paced, it allows you to focus more on her lyrics which are beautifully detailed. She did most of the songs from her debut album, a couple of new ones which were quite good, and then a couple of covers, including a surprising take on Led Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Loving You." She also came back for John Legend's set and they sang a duet.

To see the updated list of other concerts that I plan on seeing in the next few months, click here. As always, I'm looking for people to go with me so if you are interested, let me know. I always have extra tickets.

So Many Concerts

I've been extremely lucky lately and have had the chance to go to some great concerts. A couple weeks ago, I saw The Roots and Lupe Fiasco perform at Nokia Theatre. This past weekend I saw Bloc Party perform at the United Theatre Palace (a very cool venue, even if it is all the way up in Washington Heights). And in the next few months, there are a slew of other concerts that I might see. I have multiple tickets to all of the ones listed below, so if anyone is interested in going, let me know cause I always need someone to go with! If I don't find someone to go with, I'll just end up selling the tickets.

Friday, April 13- Guster, Beacon Theatre, 8PM sold
Wednesday, April 18- Norah Jones, Theatre at Madison Square Garden, 8 PM sold
Wednesday, April 18- Ratatat, Webster Hall, 8 PM (General Admission Tickets)
Friday, April 20- Hot Chip, Webster Hall, 7 PM
Monday, April 23- John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae, Theatre at Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Monday, May 2- Bjork, Radio City Music Hall, 8 PM
Tuesday, May 8- Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service), Townhall, 8 PM sold
Thursday, May 10- Air, Radio City Music Hall, 8 PM (General Admission Tickets)
Monday, May 14- LCD Soundsystem, Webster Hall, 8 PM (General Admission Tickets) sold (I will be in Cali!)
Tuesday, May 22- Beanie Sigel w/ Live Band, Knitting Factory, 8:30 PM show canceled
Thursday, June 7- Nelly Furtado, Theatre at Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Tuesday, June 12- Lily Allen, Roseland Ballroom, 8 PM sold
Thursday June 14- Jill Scott, Robin Thicke, and Chaka Khan, Radio City Music Hall, 8 PM sold
Friday, June 15- Mika, Nokia Theatre, 8 PM sold
Friday, June 29- Pharoahe Monch w/ Black Milk and The Cool Kids, 11:30 PM
Tuesday, July 24- The White Stripes, Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Friday, August 3- Beyonce and Robin Thicke, Continental Arena, 8 PM
Saturday, August 4- Beyonce and Robine Thicke, Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Monday, August 6- Cold War Kids and Muse, Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Tuesday, August 7- BB King, Etta James, and Al Green, Theatre at Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Monday, August 13- Justin Timberlake, Continental Airlines Arena, 8 PM (General Admission Tickets)
Wednesday, August 15- Justin Timberlake, Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Thursday, August 16- Justin Timberlake, Madison Square Garden, 8 PM
Wednesday, August 22- Kelly Clarkson, Continental Arena, 8 PM show canceled

Thank You Justin Timberlake

for paying for my plane ticket to Cali. I had tickets to his last show at Continental Arena in NJ, but instead of going, I sold them off and made a nice little profit that paid for my ticket to SoCal this week. Well worth it since now I'm sitting in the sun relaxing!

Maybe Next Time

Looks like I should have gone to the Justin Timberlake concert at The Garden the other night instead of scalping all of my tickets...

Yo, Jin was hot tonight. And I was so gone that I think I left 5 posts on his Xanga site...shit...

What a great night. Just saw Ben Folds perform and he was amazing. To top it all off, he got pulled over by the Williamstown PD right after the show for going the wrong way on a road. Shit, my head hurts from the champagne we guzzled at the show. I still have a problem set to start and finish but for some reason, I left my book bag across campus in Anna's room. Oh well, my bed calls.