So Live = SO Good

Thanks to some Mute Math tickets I bought way back in July, and my friend Erik getting two last-minute passes to The Cranberries up at The Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, I was able to see two of my favorite bands live this past week.

I had three tickets for Mute Math on Thursday the 12th, but only Brian could go (thankfully, he's always down for a trip into Boston!). So I rode the T in to Lansdowne Street, and parked myself at the bar at The Cask N' Flagon to wait for him. After he got there, I had a couple of Sam Adams Octoberfest drafts (always good), and a turkey club (with hand-cut fries), and he got a pizza ("not very good") for dinner. Then it was down the street to The House of Blues for the show.

As Tall As Lions were the openers, which was a nice surprise. I had tickets to see them in San Francisco back in February when I went to visit my brother Jason, but we wound up not going, so it was cool to have a second chance. They were pretty good, if a bit gimicky at times, though every song that featured the trumpet turned out to be a cool jam that should be heard in person.

Then Mute Math came out. They were almost as amazing as they had been in September of '07, when Jay, Gavin & I went to see them for the first time. I say almost, because that first show kicked such ass, that it couldn't be matched for pure enthusiasm and power. That being said, this night's show was fantastic because they had two full albums (and an ep) of material to pull from. The songs were great (sometimes it's better when the live version isn't performed "note for note" to the studio version), their energy was consistently high, and the light show added nicely to the experience. Totally worth the drive, T ride, T ride, and drive (haha).

On Saturday the 14th, I drove up to Hampton Beach in the rain to see one of my all-time favorite bands. I thought I would have to miss them this time around (on their first tour in seven years) due to lack of disposable income, but Erik came through out of the blue with a pair of tickets he got on eBay! I was PSYCHED. The opening act was a dude with his guitar named Griffin House, He was pretty good, and funny (apparently his wife was on tour with him as an extended honeymoon), and made the settling in at our table (with several Longhammer IPAs - great scent, better flavor!) beforehand quite pleasant.

Then it was The Cranberries. I've seen them live on three other occasions (05/03/99, 08/21/99, and 05/14/02), as well as Dolores solo back in July of '07 with Jay, and they are absolutely in my Top 3 Bands of All Time to See Live. Every show has been amazing, and this one was no exception. Dolores had released her second solo album back in August, and was going to embark on a solo tour, but amazingly, she got to talking with her bandmates, and they agreed to do a Cranberries tour instead! They would play a bunch of their greatest hits, and sprinkle in some of her solo tunes. They did not disappoint.

The first few songs included "Animal Instinct" and "Linger" (two of my all-time favorites), and except for a couple of quiet moments (including her solo tune "Lunatic"), the energy never let up. Twenty-two songs flew by, with barely any time to breathe in between the music and banter. Amazing. The playlist was very "No Need to Argue" heavy, which happily took me back to my two years in Boston ('93-'95) and hearing them on the jukebox of every bar Jay & I used to hang out at with friends. There is nothing better than driving home from a kick-ass show, ears still ringing from your favorite songs being blasted at you by the people who created them, and reminiscing about the people & places you first heard them with/at. Well done, Erik, well done. Thanks, buddy, I appreciate the effort you put forth to get these tickets!