new order again!

venue: bill graham civic auditorium (sold out!)
band: new order & la roux (opening)
when: 11 july 2014 (friday)
doors open at 7p

for some reason, i keep thinking that i've only seen new order 3 times before this show but it was actually 4. i kept forgetting about the area one festival where they headlined. in any case, this is new order #5. this year, i went with 3 first-timers and that was very exciting for all. i snagged pre-sale tickets this year so we had lower balcony seats (section 213). the capacity of this venue is 7000 which is more than double the size of the fox theater in oakland (venue of the last show). it was a crazy sea of people below. and we received a surprise second encore which they never ever do. when i first saw them, they didn't even do an encore. we waited but nothing. ages ago, i'd read that they didn't play encores because it's not technically part of the show. but in recent years, they've become more and more generous with their time. despite not having played any songs off of technique, it was another amazing show. especially with tommy's joynt for snacks afterwards! yum!

here is the setlist from the show:
1. elegia
2. crystal
3. regret
4. singularity (new song!)
5. ceremony
6. age of consent
7. your silent face
8. california grass
9. bizarre love triangle
10. 5 8 6
11. plastic (another new song!)
12. true faith
13. the perfect kiss
14. blue monday
15. temptation
encore: atmosphere & love will tear us apart (both joy division)
surprise encore #2: san francisco (be sure to wear flowers in your hair)

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ another fine time.

technopop

venue: fox theater (sold out!)
band: kraftwerk
when: 24 march 2014 (monday)

last week, i went to my very first 3D concert at the fox theater. i wasn't sure what to expect when i was handed this red envelop with 3D glasses. it was innovative and surprisingly amazing. i couldn't take my eyes away from the show. even though their music reminds me of music from 80s video games, it was very advanced at the time as it is still super cool. the german quartet stood at consoles on stage, in matching outfits. but what you see beyond that in 3D, was really fantastic. all of which was choreographed with the music perfectly.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

found it! me with the pet shop boys in 1999

i didn't think i would find it so quickly but here it is... this was taken on october 29, 1999 in san diego at a radio station. i cropped out the others but obviously couldn't crop out the woman in the middle.
from left: chris lowe, my coworker jerry, neil tennant, and me.

pet shop boys

venue: fox theater (sold out!)
band: pet shop boys with jacques lu cont
when: 6 october 2013 (saturday)
doors open at 7p

this was the second time i've seen the pet shop boys and they are better than i remembered them. i saw them back in 1999 so it has been quite some time. back then, they had a light show but nothing compared to the light show, costumes, and performances at this show. back then, i also met neil tennant and chris lowe thanks to a san diego radio station. i have a picture somewhere that i will have to find, scan, and upload.

we had upgraded tickets which gave us access to the telegraph room an hour before the show. it also gave us access to some comp fried goodness, comp coat check, separate restrooms, and a special vip area to watch the show from. it was on the first floor near the sound techs. it was awesome and so very convenient.

while they have a new album out, they still played most of their classics. despite having to stand in 4-inch heels the entire time, i had a grand time singing and dancing to music of my youth.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

diamond rings & omd (again)

venue: regency ballroom (sold out!)
band: omd with diamond rings
who: cousin lam & nina
when: 12 april 2013 (friday)
doors open at 8p

when i saw diamond rings open for stars at the fillmore, i was blown away. his energy was contagious, along with his music. it was an 80's throw back. i was thrown back. i was very excited to see that diamond rings opened up for omd. i'd never been to the regency ballroom and was unsure about what general admission tickets would look like since nowadays i prefer sitting to standing at concerts. luckily, others preferred standing. we were able to get seats next to the stage.

during the intermission, nina and i found our way to the merch table where diamond rings was doing a meet and greet. i was also interested in adding another record to my collection. it's also an excuse to talk to him. and he is so so pretty in person. i don't think the picture above does him justice.

you can tell that most of the audience was there to see omd as nina and i were basically the only ones dancing to diamond rings. i didn't care, i couldn't help myself. i saw omd for the first time in october of 2011. i had waited about 20 years to see them. not sure why i didn't see them sooner, it's not like they haven't had any albums out since sugar tax. in fact, they've had two albums after sugar tax before the tour of the show in 2011.

the show was fantastic. even more fantastic was going with my cousins. we all got up out of our seats and danced like it was 1989. the night was a great 80's throw back.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

new order, back after 7 long years

venue: fox theater (sold out!)
band: new order
who: lisa
when: 5 october 2012 (friday)
doors open at 7p

this is the fourth time i have seen new order. the first time was in 1993, then i saw them at the area: one festival in 2001. the last time was in 2005 for the tour of their most recent album, waiting for the siren's call. come to think of it, every show was with lisa except for the last one.
see the close-up shots of bernard sumner? i had to show off the awesome zoom i have on my point & shoot canon camera. hahah.

since i've seen them, new order started playing joy division songs at their last show but didn't before that. this is nice for those of us who never got the chance to see joy division which is most of us since ian curtis killed himself right before their american tour back in 1980. here is the setlist from the show:
1. elegia
2. crystal
3. ceremony
4. close range
5. age of consent
6. isolation (joy division)
7. here to stay
8. your silent face
9. bizarre love triangle
10. 5 8 6
11. true faith
12. the perfect kiss
13. blue monday
14. temptation
encore: atmosphere & love will tear us apart (both joy division)

we were a bit disappointed that they didn't play anything from their technique album but it was still a 5-heart show for me. we left as "love will tear us apart" was ending so we could avoid the mad rush leaving the theater. and we listened to technique "all the way" home to make up for what we didn't get to hear at the concert.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ it was a fine time.

orchestral manoeuvres in the dark

that's right, as in the band who wrote if you leave.

venue: the warfield
band: omd with washington
who: my brother and sister (our dentist, her brother, my friend thao and her friend)
when: 3 october 2011 (monday)
doors open at 7p

this was the first concert that three of us siblings went to together. i thought we'd gone to see the cure together in 1992 but no one seems to remember that far back. omd has a new album out called history of modern. usually, when bands go on tour, their playlist consists mostly of new music in order to promote the new album. not quite the case at this show. in fact, they played most of their classics. more than they did at their show at the fox theatre earlier in the year, apparently.

the opening band was washington as in megan washington, an artist from australia. her vocals are upbeat, a little bit sexy and very lovely. we all thought her set was quite good for an opening. i want to get her album.

omd was one of the few bands i hadn't seen live, that i really wanted to see. they toured during my senior year in high school but i was only 17 and couldn't get into the 18+ venues they were playing. that cd, sugar tax, is a good one. that was really the last album i listened to. andy mccluskey has a voice to swoon to. i remember listening to them when i was in middle school and just falling in lust with him. believe it or not, he's still got it. even at 52. he still gets down like it's 1990 but like i said before, he's still got it. i was quite impressed.

also impressive is the song, electricity. mccluskey said he wrote it in 1976, when he was 17! it's still a really great song. they played most of our favorites, all of the classics that we could remember. towards the end, everyone in the audience (even us on the balcony floor) got up and danced like it was 1999. for the most part, everyone there was around our age. however, there were people much older (white hair and/or no hair) getting down to omd. it was so much fun. i would definitely see them again.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

nearly caught up! i'm in october now...

who is a blabbermouth?

venue: swedish american hall (upstairs from café du nord)
artist: trashcan sinatras
who: ro
when: 23 october 2010 (saturday)
show starts at 8:00p

i thought that if we left at 5p to make a 6:30p dinner reservation, we would be okay. boy, was i wrong. heading to the castro area on a saturday night, parking is always an issue. we didn't make our dinner until closer to 7p. after circling blocks and blocks, i gave up and decided on the $10 parking lot. we ate at l'ardoise and E V E R Y T H I N G was delicious. even the coffee was superb. i would highly recommend this place. except for the part where our waiter asked if everyone here was at least 21 while looking straight at me. will it ever end? i hope so... i'll soon be 40.

we arrived at the swedish american hall sometime after 8p which was early enough to get prime balcony seats. despite the giants game going on, they carried on and played. during their set, frank gave us updates on the game. he said that once the game was over, they would play a proper show. this show was acoustic with requests taken online. ro asked me if i'd ever been to an acoustic trashcans show. i thought about it and couldn't remember. then i did... they played an acoustic show when they played at popscene back in 2004 when they made their comeback.

since the show, i have been listening to a mix i put together. here is my list and the albums they come from:

1. the best man's fall - cake
2. you made me feel - cake
3. earlies (because i ♥ john douglas) - i've seen everything
4. the safecracker (who is a blabbermouth?) - a happy pocket
5. only tongue can tell - zebra of the family (originally from cake)
6. freetime - brel (newest acoustic cd! but originally from weightlifting)
7. how can i apply...? - brel (a happy pocket)
8. i'll get them in - brel (a happy pocket)
9. i hung my harp upon the willows - brel (in the music)
10. i'm immortal - brel (i've seen everything)
11. got carried away - brel (weightlifting)
12. oranges and apples - brel (in the music)
13. i've seen everything - brel (i've seen everything)
14. weightlifting (acoustic) - weightlifting
15. send for henny - live @ slim's may 2005 (i've seen everything)
16. obscurity knocks - live @ slim's may 2005 (cake)
17. bloodrush - live @ slim's may 2005 (i've seen everything)
18. easy read - live @ slim's may 2005 (i've seen everything)
19. the therapist - live @ slim's may 2005 (a happy pocket)

unfortunately, the trashcans no longer end their shows with the therapist, but despite that, i had to end my cd with it.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ time is up

in the music, take 2

venue: slim's
artist: trashcan sinatras & mike viola
who: ro
when: 1 june 2010 (tuesday)

the last time i saw the trashcan sinatras, i think it is safe to say that i didn't really get a chance to hear them play. it's hard to pay attention when a psycho little man is bothering you. it's especially creepy when despite fleeing the scene, he followed us to the bar. at first, i felt cheated and ripped off. then i felt violated and forgot all about being cheated out of the show. i just wanted to get out of there.

this 8th trashcans show made up for the last one. this was a nice break from all the sold out shows i'd been going to. mike viola opened for them. he was folky but poppy. he talked about how he writes a lot of music for films. and how he moved from new york to los angeles. then he started playing that thing you do from the film with the same title. i got really excited and told ro that i heard the "guy" that wrote this song was the one from the band, ivy. ro said that they were from new york. later, mike viola confirmed having been in ivy. this got us really excited about him. he was so down to earth. we both really enjoyed him and his music.

despite how i feel about the lead singer (i think frank ready is a total diva) i still love the trashcans. they still put on really great music. and even though, i think the old stuff is better than the new stuff. its nice to see/hear them change with the times. just like many of the bands i've been seeing lately, i can honestly say that out of the five albums the trashcans have put out, i like every song. they are tremendously talented. the fact that they are still putting out music is fantastic and amazing. i hope they do so for another 10-20 years. i admit that there was some disappointment on my end. one, they didn't play earlies (sang by john douglas). two, they didn't end the show with the therapist so i will in this post. oh, their new bass player (frank divanna joined in 2009) is kinda hot so he makes up for the disappointments.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ tick tock, running over
good-bye now i'll see you later on
tick tock, working all night
time's up, shut up
time is up

in the music x3

venue: ARTiculate @ evergreen valley college
artist: thao nguyen + the get down stay down
who: ro & his library friends
when: 25 september 2009 (friday)

ro told me about thao nguyen before. but only recently, i listened to her last cd, we brave been stings and all and still can't stop listening. the songs are upbeat, fun, and sassy. i am always movin' and shakin' when i am listening to her. in my car. walking around. sitting on the shuttle. in my office. it didn't matter, i couldn't help myself. she is just so cool. so i was extremely excited to see her play live, in san jose. its funny, i have a dear college friend with the same name too.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ i think i am girl-crushing on her.

venue: great american music hall
artist: the pains of being pure at heart, the depreciation guild, and cymbals eat guitar
who: john
when: 18 september 2009 (friday)
doors open at 8:00p

i hadn't planned on going to this show but my good friend mien (in chicago) called me up for a favor, could i show her friend john, around on his first trip to sf? so i said sure, of course!

i wasn't sure what he wanted to do so i gave him options on what i wanted to do. :) he said he was up for anything. we got tickets first, then headed over to tommy's joynt for some grub. it's world famous but the mac & cheese wasn't quite up to par. nothing compares to lisa's mac & cheese. we headed back over around 11p thinking we avoided the openings. but caught the depreciation guild who weren't half bad. and the pains of being pure at heart were quite good.

not only were the bands pretty good but so was the company. john was so nice and fun that he & i stayed out pretty late that night. we ended up at sparky's for pancakes and americanos. m-m-m, good. actually, i spent much of the weekend with him.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

venue: café du nord
artist: trashcan sinatras & brookville
who: cousin nina
when: 31 july 2009 (friday)
doors open at 8:00p

even though this was my 7th trashcans show, this is the first time i am rating them! strange, isn't it? though, due to a very traumatic misadventure (ie little man mccreepy), i can't bear to give them 5 ♥s. the last time i saw them was back in 2005. it's hard to believe it was over 4 years ago. and i'd seen them 6 times within a period of 2 years.

luckily, my dear cousin nina was there to save me and salvage what was left of the night.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ merci, nina!

superb

venue: the fillmore
band: the beautiful south
who: betty
when: 11 november 2006 (friday)
doors open at 9p

once again, i missed the first part of the beautiful south show. this time, it wasn't a delayed flight. more like, a delayed friend. that's right, it was betty. assuming that there was an opening band, we arrived sometime past 10p. at least this time, it was only an hour later. i'm told we missed 20-30 minutes which isn't so bad except that the tickets cost $40 and there was no opening band and they only played for about an hour or so more.

otherwise, the show was awesome. paul heaton is brilliant. and so cute doing his little dances on stage. and utterly flawless in his singing. without any obvious effort as well. wish he would do some housemartin songs...

the new female vocalist sounded just like the one prior. they are both folky-sounding which give the beautiful south a more folky sound, unfortunately, that is. but i know i can't really blame the ladies for that. betty and i missed song for whoever which they played early on. bummer, that's one of my favorites by them. ugh, not sure what else we missed.

also, they did two encores! they left the stage and came back twice!! who cares about their fans that much? i've never seen that happen.

betty, if you are reading this, you know i love you... but you've really got to start doing something about this tardiness, i'm not sure how much more i can handle it.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (despite missing the first half hour)

trashcans

venue: slim's
band: trashcan sinatras
who: kiki & spike
when: 11 may 2005 (wednesday)
doors open at 7:30p

it was my 6th tcs show, second time at slim's. last night, they recorded the show on a cd that you could pre-purchase and pick up after the show. at first, we didn't really care much about it. but half way through the show and being our obnoxious girlie selves, we decided to get the cd so we can hear ourselves laughing in the background in one of the quiet slow songs.

i finally met up with eddy (aka marie) and her husband john from sacramento. see october 2004 post. betty and i met this couple at our first tcs show at the troubadour in march 2004. betty and eddy bumped into each other and was profusely apologizing to each other. then, i think it was john that said, only at a trashcan sinatras show would people be arguing about apologizing back and forth to each other. that brought on a flutter of emails back and forth on whether they or we would be at the next trashcan show. they are a very lovely couple.

then there was creepy brian. he's at every show creeping around me. he always ends up next to me or in the vicinity of my location, just staring over at me. at the first slim's show, we were downstairs and he was to the left just creeping around me, not saying hello or anything but staring at me as if he were speaking to me in esp. last night was no different. for some reason, he ended up upstairs in the opposite corner to us. he'd lost some weight and betty didn't recognize him but i knew his creepiness. then she heard his rapsy creepy voice and confirmed it was him. again, he didn't say hello but just stared. guys should know that this is NOT okay.

alex made friends with the recording guys and after a brief discussion on hippies, he took it upon himself to give us 2 extra copies of the cd, free! sometimes, it is just so cool to be us... ;)

overall, the show was good. they played freetime so we didn't have to shout it out to request it. after having met frank from the cafe du nord show, i couldn't look at him sing. so i watched john douglas the entire time.

waiting for the siren's call

venue: henry j kaiser
band: new order
who: ted, kiki, spike, linney, lou, rich, jen & anthony
when: 29 april 2005 (friday)
doors open at 7p

ted & i left to pick betty up at 4:30p. she was supposed to come over at 4p but unsurprisingly, she didn't show up. instead, she called at 4p to tell me that her car didn't start. so we ended up picking her up. sometimes, i feel like she does this on purpose? hmmm...

so, we're on 880 heading to oakland and we're actually almost there and i get this phone call. it's alex, and she says... am i driving right behind you or what? then i looked in my rear-view mirror and it's alex in her saturn. so we just caravan'd it the rest of the way.

the chemical brother's were the opening gig. they mixed it up for about an hour and a half. after the first half hour, i was chemical brother'd out! i started to fall asleep towards the end. but when new order started, i had to stand up. we all stood up at the front of the balcony and danced away. bernard sounded fantastic live. new order played for about an hour and a half and played one encore. blue monday. they added kylie minogue's vocals at the end from her 'can't get you out of my head' rendition to blue monday. it was fabulous!

trashcan sinatras

on tuesday at slim's, then on thursday at popscene, and finally on friday at the troubadour. think i'm a fan? john and marie from sacramento will beg to differ. they went to tuesday's show, friday's show, not to mention the show in sac and the in-store show on friday and are following the band down to san diego. i'm feeling a bit incompetent as a loyal fan. i blame my fever.