Here is something a little different than my usual blog posts. I saw a reddit thread where someone asked reddit what concerts exceeded their expectations and which concerts didn’t. I’m going to have two categories. One for those who exceeded my expectations, and one for those who didn’t meet them. I’m going to loosely order them from bigger to smaller acts.

Also as a disclaimer, I love and appreciate all the bands and artists listed below (except Young Thug). These are just my lame opinions. So without further ado here is my picks:

Exceeded My Expectations #

Tame Impala #

Tame Impala was the ultimate headliner as far as I’m concerned when I went to Firefly festival in September of 2021. Now, was I sober for Tame Impala while at a festival in the woods? That fact may have swayed my opinion here for sure, but alas Kevin grabbed my mind’s eye whether I liked it or not. Before I forget, I must say that their light show was 100% the best I’ve ever seen, and I would argue the best in the world. There was this giant floating circle ring that played above the band the entire time, and it fired lasers above the crowd that I assumed were blasting into outer space. I couldn’t believe that they were playing all the music live as I was totally convinced that they were lip syncing the music. That’s how spot on it sounded. I completely lost myself in their music, playing air guitar for “Let it Happen” and loving how I bonded with the strangers around me as we all sang the lyrics and danced together. Tame Impala is a must see before you die. I hope I get to see them again in a festival setting like that.

Glass Animals #

So these blokes actually played before Tame Impala at the same festival. Their music still means a lot to me and at the time I was very into them. How to Be a Human Being is still one of my favorite albums of all time. I think their style of making pop songs with their use of percussion is some of the best in the business. So yeah, I was very excited to see them live. I remember being squished way in front just to the right of the stage. It was a long night at that festival and it seemed like they would never come out, but then they did, in what felt like an explosion. Wavey Davey ripped through all of the songs like it was nothing and I can just feel how excited they all were to be there. He has quite the voice. I felt the whole crowd light up with anticipation for each song. And the cherry on top was that they brought out Denzel Curry to sing Tokyo Drifting with them. What more could I have wanted at that time in my life?

Cage the Elephant #

Let me just say, Cage the Elephant are a group of absolute rockstars. They were also a headliner at Firefly festival and with the combination of their raw energy, Matt Shultz’s stage presence, and a crowd that knew their songs, they earned their spot as one of the bands that exceeded my expectations. They know exactly how to put on a rock show, and they executed on that more than perfectly, with a guitar smashing at the end of the show to boot.

Unwound #

My bandmate Mike always had a deep love for this band that took me a while to understand. If I can go back in time I would make sure Unwound was known about and praised to the level Nirvana, Soundgarden, and other Washington bands were at that time. At the time I saw them I liked a few of their songs, after all we covered “Envelope”, but when I saw them in Philly a little while ago I got way more than I ever expected. These guys did not let their age show at all, and knew exactly how to channel the seasoned veterans inside of themselves when they played live. Unwound has a lot of energy packed into their music, and the fact that 30 years later they’re still able to convey that is a blessing. Sara Lund and Justin Trosper fucking rock. RIP Vern.

Squid #

This band caught my attention back in 2021 with their album Bright Green Field and I’ve been obsessed ever since. Always eagerly awaiting any crumb of new music they drop. I love their music, their visuals, their message, their energy, and so much more. However when it was finally time to see them at Union Transfer, I was a little worried. Squid is a 5 piece band with a lot of sounds going on, so I was concerned that they wouldn’t be able to capture that sound live. I had high expectations of them, and their music certainly gets complicated. Thankfully my worries were squashed, and my mind melted at that show as I lost myself in the pit screaming every lyric to every song. They played all my favorites and brought me into their world so far that I forgot who I was that evening. They did for me what I hoped they would do and then some.

Julie #

If you follow this blog you know I don’t shut up about this band. I already knew what to expect when I saw them at Brooklyn Bowl, but seeing them at Ukie Club the first time was a sight of pure destruction. Their presence and their energy matched the music perfectly. Even though I was somewhat sick and stood off to the side for this show, beholding the powerhouse that is Julie warmed my heart.

Annie DiRusso #

I saw Annie DiRusso open for Declan Mckenna in D.C. I didn’t have much expectations, except that she was opening for my beloved British lad. So she must have something to say. What I got was some truly authentic and personal songwriting with melodies to match. I really really felt her emotions, and thank god the venue had good sound because I was able to hear everything she said. She also did this cool technique with the microphone where she screamed and shook her head back and forth to create this sort of vibrato effect. Just a super freaking solid act.

Godcaster #

I saw Godcaster at Johnny Brenda’s and heard good things about them. I’m not sure if I checked out their music before or after, but they absolutely were a pleasant surprise to see live. The people I went with (some Wallace, Tonight homies) were excited to see Grocer, who was the opening act. Grocer, who is worth checking out as well. When Godcaster started, I saw a show I did not expect at all. All of the sudden their shirtless lead singer was menacingly strutting towards me into the crowd with an acoustic guitar. It reminded me of being scared by ghouls and goblins on the haunted hayrides I went on as a kid. Only this was genuinely a little scarier, as I had no idea what he would do. Their music was unique to me at the time, and I highly recommend listening to their self-titled album. Godcaster. The drawn out buildups into crescendos, their large and talented ensemble, and the piercing vocal chops on all the singers, ultimately showed me that Godcaster is in their own lane. I love the Diamond’s Shining Face music video.

Palomino Blond #

I got to see this Florida band at MiniMart in West Philly. I might admit that all the expectations I had of them was that they got on this bill because they had some roots with Her New Knife. But wow, and holy crap! What I love about this venue is that there is a second level that allows you to view the bands from above. I decided to go up there for this show and it was such a treat. They were all exceptionally talented, but their drummer blew me away to another world as their chops captivated me on a spiritual level.

Buice #

Buice, pronounced “Bised”, are the experimental noise homies from Atlanta. We were fortunate enough to play with them on their most recent tour at Stupid Baby’s. I listened to their record One Day You’ll See The Sun a few times before we played with them and the way they brought this record to life was music to my ears. Literally. I remember I didn’t want their set to end. If you check them out, make sure to check out their guitarist’s Jack’s other band Strumbrush while you’re at it.

Gumby’s Junk #

Yeah I haven’t seen too many acts like this before. This three piece played with the one and only Mormon Toaster Head last October at the 700, and boy am I glad I got to see them. They were a pre-rehearsed masterpiece. I couldn’t tell what time signature they were in the whole time as I’m positive it changed bar to bar. I loved their synthy sounding tone choices as well. If you have ADHD, you’ll love this band. If they ever come to the east coast again they are a must see. I hope they keep at it. Also bonus points for having Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes on their merch.

Didn’t Meet My Expectations #

The Strokes #

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Strokes. Like, a lot. They are in fact one of my favorite bands of all time. What I was let down the most by their set was the fact that they only played two songs off of their new album, which is one of my favorite albums of all time, The New Abnormal. And no, one of those songs was not my most favorite at the time, “Ode to the Mets”. Of course they aren’t going to play exactly what I’d like to, but only two?! Really !? On top of that they played at a baseball stadium. They played at a baseball stadium and didn’t play “Ode to the Mets”? Shake my head fr. I was unfortunately unfamiliar with the other songs they chose to play at the time. Julian Casablancas also seemed so beat, likely because he was. Where I cut them some slack is the fact that they weren’t the headlining act. This wasn’t their tour. No, that went to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Who absolutely killed it, like I knew they would. Thundercat also played and I learned very quickly that I was sleeping on him as he was popping off. One last thing I’ll add is that I was in the nose bleeds for this show, so maybe a better spot would have made all of it better.

Dominic Fike #

I saw Dominic Fike at the Firefly festival in Dover, DE. And yes at the time I was very into him as a junior in college. I saw him perform that song “Photo ID” together with Remi Wolf and that was very much awesome. I will forever cherish that as one of my favorite concert moments of all time, however his own set was a bit underwhelming and lackluster. I don’t know what drugs or drinks he was on, but he seemed out of it. The popularity of his songs let the crowd do a lot of the heavy lifting and although I think he has a lot of talent, this was a rough one for playing one of the biggest stages at a festival.

Kid Cudi #

I decided to see Kid Cudi at Wells Fargo Center. I actually liked some of his newer stuff at the time. Seeing him was important to me because listening to Man on the Moon in 8th grade opened up my world of music and experiencing it. It made me musically sentient, and made me begin to seek out music I liked and not just listen to whatever the radio fed me. He made me feel and enjoy music like no one else did. I would listen to “Day N Nite” and “Pursuit of Happiness” religiously as well as some other oldies of his. I’m certainly older than I was in 8th grade, so seeing him live in 2022 told me that I shouldn’t have expected what middle school me thought I’d get.

Young Thug #

Although I didn’t necessarily have expectations for Young Thug, I did not expect him to unimpress me to the level he did. I figured he might be a “if you know you know” kind of artist. Specifically with knowing what he’s saying. I know he’s pioneered to a degree the vocally centered vocal styles in modern rap music, but he did the same hand movements and didn’t leave the center of the stage the whole time. He stayed at the mic, and did not match the energy I thought Jaden Smith had before him, and J. Cole did after him. This was one of the first concerts I’ve ever seen at Penn State. It was in 2018. I didn’t like him then, and I still don’t like him now.

Jean Dawson #

This can most likely be summarized by the fact that I haven’t been into Jean Dawson’s new stuff as much as I am into his old. His album Pixel Bath helped me at a time in my life that was mentally rough. And if I were to make music at that time, I thoroughly believe it would’ve sounded like him. I got some comp tickets for his recent show at the TLA for his tour of his new album and to be direct and honest, I think I’ve just outgrown his music. His new stuff has not clicked for me. Despite perhaps having the usual themes of his, the energy feels like it was taken down a notch. He’s not in the same artistic era I know him from. He’s at a different point in his journey. He’s on a different path now. People change, as they should. I just hope he’s doing what he wants. I’d still make music with him in a heartbeat.

Spirit of the Beehive #

I saw them packed onto a little stage at Johnny Brenda’s not too long ago. Sometimes popular bands have one off shows at smaller local venues so that they can work out any kinks for when they play larger shows. I believe this might have been that. They were very professional, and I was impressed with all their individual setups and instrument swappings. I might be wrong, but I am pretty sure there were 6 of them on the stage. Which is cutting it close at Johnny Brenda’s, especially if you have as many instruments as they did. Overall I’m down to blame my expectations not being met on the venue as I think they were not able to mix and handle the wide array of sounds which is Spirit of the Beehive. Ultimately it was still a good show. I loved hearing “THE DOOR IS CLOSING” live. Seeing them at what may have been the height of my obsession with them may also mean that I set the bar a little too high. I liked their new album YOU’LL HAVE TO LOSE SOMETHING, so go give it a listen if you haven’t already and so that they don’t hate me.