Concerts (So Many, It Seems) Including... CHVRCHES, Conor Oberst, etc.

A few weeks ago, I saw Lake Street Dive (again, after seeing them back in March or April, I believe). This time they were playing the first outdoor show of the season here in Portland, at Thompson's Point (a venue about a mile walk from my apartment). I am always impressed with the band's sets when I see them and they always seem so tight as a band. The opening band, The Ballroom Thieves, are always equally impressive when I see them, so I knew this was not to be missed. On a misty, damp, and cold evening, both bands brought enough heat to forget that my hands were cold and my feet were going numb.



  1. Godawful Things
    Play Video
  2. I Don't Care About You
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  3. Side Pony
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  4. Stop Your Crying
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  5. Clear a Space
    Play Video
  6. Mistakes
    Play Video
  7. Hell Yeah
    Play Video
  8. Saving All My Sinning
    Play Video
  9. Spectacular Failure
    Play Video
  10. Close to Me
    Play Video
  11. Lola
    (The Kinks cover)
    Play Video
  12. Walking on Broken Glass
    (Annie Lennox cover)
    Play Video
  13. Don't Make Me Hold Your Hand
    Play Video
  14. Elijah
    Play Video
  15. So Long
    Play Video
  16. Rich Girl
  17. You Go Down Smooth
    Play Video
  18. Bad Self Portraits
    Play Video
  19. Seventeen
    Play Video
  20. Call Off Your Dogs
    Play Video
  21. Encore:
  22. Bohemian Rhapsody
    (Queen cover)

The Ballroom Thieves were great as well. I cannot find a setlist, but these songs look rather familiar for what they've been playing lately. I'm also pretty excited that they will be playing for free at L.L. Bean (in Freeport, ME) this summer, a few weeks after Grace Potter does the same). 



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A couple days later, I went down to Boston for a show with my sister. She had discovered Allison Weiss via Spotify and really wanted to see her opening slot for Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties. I said, hold the phone, Aaron West is the solo side project for the lead singer of the Wonder Years, so I knew this was going to be an awesome emo-tinged night. We stuck around for his set, which my sister loved just as much as Allison Weiss. I had not heard Allison Weiss and I was equally impressed. She reminded me of early Tegan & Sara. 

Allison Weiss' partial setlist, definitely worth checking out... 




Dan Campbell (aka Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties) set was awesome. 


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And then, on a Friday night, I traveled back down to Boston (June 3rd) for an unbelievably high-energy opening night of CHVRCHES' summer tour. Western MA indie band Potty Mouth opened for them and were rather underwhelming, but CHVRCHES were incredible. I love seeing them live, because even though their sound shouldn't be much different transferred to the stage, given that it's electro-pop, their live show is awesome. They played a perfect blend of "old" songs from their first album and new songs off their incredibly great sophomore album, which I can listen to on repeat for days at a time. 



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On June 8th, I traveled down to Boston, again. This time to see an incredible, young musician who goes by the name Birdy. She's a youthful 20 year old musician who became quite well known for her minimalist, striped-down versions of indie songs like the Fleet Foxes, but mostly notably Bon Iver's "Skinny Love." She has a great sound on her own, with her original songs as well, but she really owns her versions of the indie songs and you could tell that everyone was waiting to hear "Skinny Love." I loved hearing her songs as well as live versions of "Terrible Love" and "White Winter Hymnal." 


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The next night, I went to see an artist who a decade ago was dubbed my generation's Bob Dylan. The incomparable Conor Oberst (aka Bright Eyes). He is a man with his musically hands in everything and has many projects, and its definitely his collaborations that really make his music shine. On this night, The Felice Brothers opened for him and put on a great set, but then, they came back out and were Conor Oberst's backing band through his entire set, which just blew my mind. What an incredible music collaboration. This was such an amazing night of music. 

The Felice Brothers setlist: 



Conor Oberst setlist: 










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