Summer Concerts

Deb and I have made it a tradition to pack our summers with as many cool concerts that we can afford. This year Deb really topped herself by getting tickets for two of my very favorite artists: Neko Case and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The two concerts were very different in tone, but similar in AWESOME.

First up was Neko Case (sadly she did not bring her greyhound to the stage!):

Often described as "alt country", Neko is known for her deep alto voice, interesting and complex lyrics and wonderfully crafted songs. She was scheduled to play in Philly the same night as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, so Deb got tickets for Neko's show in Baltimore-- a mere two hour car ride from Philly. I'd actually never been, so we decided to leave a little early and have dinner with our favorite Baltimore resident (and my childhood best friend's little sister), Christine. This made her sister Caitlin very upset, so naturally we took pictures. Side note: it may not be the wisest thing ever to upset Caitlin.

Getting ready for the concert, Deb came up with a novel way to avoid those horrid high beer prices in concert venues:
It's the right color, but it was awfully foamy "iced tea"!

The concert itself was really great. The crowd was mellow, the band was awesome, and the set had a giant owl with scary glowing eyes! Very creepy, very fitting with Neko's weird country-rock vibe. We scored some standing spots on the balcony overlooking the stage and had to hold our ground against some pushy people, but we made friends with our fellow standers and had a great time listening the music, laughing and singing along.

The next day was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert!
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are often described as post punk, dance-able rock music. Lead singer Karen O is a fierce bitch with an incredible voice and some amazing fashion choices.

This concert was in Philly, at the Electric Factory, one of my favorite venues in the city. It was the best concert I've ever been to, hands down. The set was amazing, the lighting was incredible and Karen O and the boys took the stage and partied down for a head-banging, stunningly loud and wonderfully raucous good time.

I managed to snap one very blurry shot of the stage:

The big ball in the center at one point turned around and was painted to look like a giant eyeball. Creepy!

Deb and I had the best time at the concert, and left with our ears ringing!

And thus concludes our summer concerts for '09. We're trying to be responsible and not spend too much money this summer, but I'm glad we splurged for these two concerts. They were amazing! If either Neko Case or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs come by your town, I highly recommend you checking them out.