1 Topic by naolslager (edited by naolslager 2014-04-10 09:53:30)

  • From: Virginia, USA
  • Registered: 2009-06-12
  • Posts: 873

Topic: A Concert: Hurray for the Riff Raff

I went to see my favorite band tonight: Hurray for the Riff Raff. Fantastic! I haven't been to a concert in a long time. I don't like crowds and I don't like paying a fortune for crappy but very LOUD sound.

Tonight cost me $20 with the maligned Ticketmaster TAX. The concert venue was an old Synagogue now sporting the venue moniker: 6th & I, which just also happens to be the intersection outside its front door. This is in DC.

General admission. I figured there would be an unruly mob there and I would be the oldest and with the most gray hair. None of this was true. I walked in, noticed that while the pews were filling up, the two rows of folding chairs in the front were mostly empty. My M.O. Is always act like you know what you are doing and you belong exactly where you are. So I walked up to the front row and sat down facing the microphone closest to the edge of the stage, er, whatever it's called.

The opening band was okay, never heard of them. They were earnest, but loud, and I couldn't understand any of the lyrics. They were a three-piece, bass, guitarist-singer, and drummer. The drummer was excellent. They played for 45 minutes.

Hurray for the Riff Raff started at 9pm. I was sitting less than ten feet from the band's leader, Alynda Lee Segarra. She is a fantastic singer-songwriter and, judging by tonight's performance, a humble and good person. Her performance was inspiring; she oozes music and a joy for the craft. Her thank yous were heartfelt and she just seemed to be goodness.

HFTRR is a band that sound pretty much the same live or recorded. I like this fact. They are real.

This was a perfect night and one I will not forget. I am so glad I ventured out solo and used my discretionary time wisely.
Dj

  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: A Concert: Hurray for the Riff Raff

Sounds like a great evening, NAO.

I really appreciate your comment about a band being "real". I've personally always favored live albums for this reason. If an ensemble can't do anything live that's near to what they do in studio, then something's afoot.

By far the best live show I've ever seen (there haven't been a whole lot) has been Jethro Tull. They were live at Massey Hall in Toronto in the Spring of 1975, at the tail end of their "Warchild" tour. Their stage show and musicianship were of the highest quality, and when Ian Anderson marched out with the bagpipes during "The Third Hurrah", the whole place went nuts.