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OK, folks. We have a show conflict.On November 10, there'll be two quality shows rolling into the area and it won't be geographically possible to hit both shows. Something has to give.
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings will be playing at Higher Ground while Yo La Tengo will be playing in North Adams at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts.
Here's how I see the Pros & Cons stacking up:
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Pros:
- I love her 2005 album Naturally.
- I've never seen her live before.
- It's rare that a good soul show comes to Burlington.
- People tend to rave about her live shows.
- Higher Ground is only 35 minutes away.
- Tickets are $14.
- I have no idea how popular she is in Vermont. So, the show could be empty which would be depressing. However, I felt the same way about OCMS and was 100% wrong.
- She has a new album coming out on Oct 2 which I haven't heard yet. That means the setlist will be dominated by tunes from that album. If the album isn't as good as Naturally, that would be a disappointment.
Pros:
- The tour is being billed as "The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo Tour" and will be a "rare opportunity to see this ever-surprising band in a setting more intimate and interactive than any tour in their 23-year career. A little bit "Storytellers", a little bit "Unplugged", with a soupcon of their famously varied Hanukkah shows, it will feature the band playing an almost-acoustic set of songs from their entire catalog, with stories about their life as a band, and an encouraged back-and-forth with the audience". That sounds like a fun night for a YLT junkie like myself.
- Mass MOCA would be a cool place to see a show.
- I've seen YLT about 16 or 17 times including a few of their "famously varied shows" at Maxwells.
- North Adams would be a 2 hour and 15 minute drive.
- Tickets are $25.
The winner is...Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. Unless her new album completely sucks, which I doubt it will, I'm gonna hit that show.
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | All Over Again | Buy
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | Natural Born Lover | Buy
Here's some old Soul Train clips set to Sharon Jones' "Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In":
7 comments:
Sharon Jones, man.
You've got your YLT records, but there ain't no substitute for some hotfoot live soul.
I think I remember you once calling The Dap-Kings, the best band in the country. Yeh, I think Sharon Jones is the right call.
Brian, this is Paul from Danville. First, there's no such thing as seeing Yo La Tengo too many times. I'm offended by the idea. Second, YLT is playing at the Bennington Center for the Arts on October 18, so you can get your YLT fix and not see that Nov 10 show. Cheers.
ah that's awesome. i wanna go... I saw YLT @ higherground a few years back i think on the summer sun tour, was excellent - aisler set opened for them and after the show i chatted up the lead singer and she gave me all their albums for free :)
Paul, thanks for the tip-in. After you left that comment, I checked YLT's site and saw the show you mentioned on their tour schedule. However, then it was gone by this evening. So, I'm not sure what is going on. I think I'll email them and find out.
But wait a minute: Mr. Walking in Memphis himself, Marc Cohn, is also playing Higher Ground the same night as Ms. Jones & Co.
The indecision deepens.
That's a joke, son. Sign me up for some dip-dappin'.
But maybe there will be a show-closing duet of "Walking in Memphis Soul Stew"?
there are three new songs up on their myspace page you can familiarize yourself with for now..
www.myspace.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings
the best thing about them is really their live show, so if you HAVEN'T seen them yet, there's really no argument.
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