The Flaming Lips – February 24, 2015
First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
Last year The Flaming Lips promised to play three special shows at Minneapolis’ iconic First Avenue and performed their classic 1993 album Transmissions from the Satellite Heart for the first time ever there in September. This past week they returned to play 1995’s Clouds Taste Metallic. Not only was this the first performance of the album in its entirety, it was also:
- the concert debuts of “This Here Giraffe” and “Brainville”
- the first performances of “Guy Who Got a Headache and Accidentally Saves the World” and “Christmas at the Zoo” in nearly 20 years
- this decade’s only performance of “Bad Days”
An overview of the live history of every song on the album are here. Photos, videos and more details from the show are being compiled here. Stream or download MP3s of the show below:
The Abandoned Hospital Ship
Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus With Needles
Placebo Headwound
This Here Giraffe
Brainville
Guy Who Got a Headache and Accidentally Saves the World
When You Smile
Kim’s Watermelon Gun
They Punctured My Yolk
Lightning Strikes the Postman
Christmas at the Zoo
Evil Will Prevail
Bad Days
Encore:
What Is the Light?
The Observer
Vein of Stars
Sleater-Kinney – February 24, 2015
9:30 Club – Washington D.C.
Earlier this month Sleater-Kinney played their first set since 2006, a hometown affair at Spokane, Washington’s Knitting Factory. This past week their tour came to the East Coast with concerts at Boston’s House of Blues and a twofer at New York’s Terminal 5. In between hitting these two Northeast hubs, they played two shows at Washington DC’s 9:30 Club. The first night was recorded by NPR and is now streaming on demand for free. Their current setlists draw almost evenly from each of the albums (excluding their debut), but with their new comeback album No Cities to Love getting the most attention. On the night NPR filmed, they played four songs each from what are arguably their two defining records: Dig Me Out and The Woods.
Price Tag
Start Together
Fangless
Oh!
Surface Envy
Get Up
Ironclad
No Anthems
Youth Decay
What’s Mine Is Yours
A New Wave
No Cities to Love
One Beat
Words and Guitar
Bury Our Friends
Sympathy
Entertain
Jumpers
Encore:
Gimme Love
Little Babies
Turn It On
Modern Girl
Dig Me Out
Ariel Pink – February 26, 2015
Terminal 5 – New York, NY
Coincidentally, Ariel Pink’s tour itinerary has been mirroring Sleater-Kinney’s. Both recently played Denver, Chicago and Boston, and both played DC’s 9:30 Club and New York’s Terminal 5 this week. Ariel Pink’s recent setlist draws almost entirely from last November’s pom pom. There were just three earlier songs performed at the New York gig for instance: “Kinski Assassin,” “Menopause Man” and “Life in L.A.” Watch the full show below:
White Freckles
Jell-o
Kinski Assassin
Four Shadows
Lipstick
Not Enough Violence
One Summer Night
Goth Bomb
Black Ballerina
Menopause Man
Life in L.A.
Dayzed Inn Daydreams
Put Your Number in My Phone
Picture Me Gone
Gov’t Mule – February 24, 2015
Ogden Theatre – Denver
Gov’t Mule and guitarist John Scofield’s so-called Sco-Mule Tour hit Denver’s Ogden Theatre this past Tuesday. The first set began with just Mule, though Scofield joined them on stage midway through the first set for a cover of the Stone’s “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” a tour debut. The pair continued with blues standard “Night Time Is The Right Time,” Allman Brothers Band’s “Instrumental Illness” and Jeff Beck’s “Freeway Jam.” The second set followed in similar suit: Mule alone, then Scofield on covers. Download this show at bt.etree and stream a sample below via JamBase.
https://soundcloud.com/jambase/govt-mule-john-scofield-you-cant-always-get-what-you-want
World Boss
Mr. Man
No Need to Suffer
I’ll Be the One (with Blue Sky tease) > You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Night Time Is the Right Time
Instrumental Illness
Freeway Jam
Done Got Wise
Wandering Child
When the World Gets Small
King’s Highway
Hottentot
Tom Thumb
Spanish Moon
Encore:
Working Class Hero
Ben Gibbard – February 23, 2015
Swedish American Hall – San Francisco,CA
The 23rd annual Noise Pop Festival is running from last week through this weekend. Ben Gibbard played the annual San Francisco Bay Area take-over opening party on Monday Night. The Death Can For Cutie frontman – currently in a cast and unable to play any instruments – was backed by Sun Kil Moon’s Mark Kozelek on classical guitar and Death Cab’s Zac Rae on piano. Their acoustic set mixed Ben’s solo material with six Death Cab songs, though the highlight was Postal Service classic “Such Great Heights” – Mark’s guitar edging it closer to Iron and Wine’s famed cover than Ben’s Postal Service original. Watch below:
Photobooth
Your Heart is an Empty Room
Teardrop Windows
Williamine
Codes and Keys
Something’s Rattling (Cowpoke)
When the Sun Goes Down on Your Street
Lady Adelaide
Black Sun
No Room in Frame
It’s Never Too Late
Such Great Heights
Encore:
Passenger Seat
Lauryn Hill – February 23, 2015
Highline Ballroom – New York, NY
Lauryn Hill has also been treating her fans to acoustic sets lately, including three in New York this past week: the first on Monday at Highline Ballroom, two more on Wednesday at Blue Note. These follow shows at Rough Trade and Highline last week. This series of New York shows is getting surprising little coverage. Monday night’s setlist hasn’t even been shared online, though some footage from that night has surfaced (below). A BET review of last Friday’s show – which Hill was two hours late to – reports “Mr. Intentional,” “Just Want You Around,” “Oh Jerusalem” and “Adam Lives in Theory,” “I Gotta Find Peace of Mind” “and a stirring rendition of Sade’s ‘Love Is Stronger Than Pride” were all played. This article goes on to say: “performing over 15 songs, the second half of the show went into high gear when she delivered the classics from the Fugees: “Ready or Not,” “How Many Mics” and “Ooh La La La.”…Unlike her last stop at the Highline, Lauryn barely said one sentence to the audience until she closed with “Doo-Wop (That Thing),” which brought the crowd to its feet.”
Soundgarden – February 21, 2015
Soundwave Festival – Adelaide, Australia
“Birth Ritual” of Singles soundtrack fame was played by Soundgarden for the first time since 1992 last weekend at Australia’s Soundwave Festival. They repeated the rarity the next night in Soundwave Melbourne. As with their tour last summer with NIN, the rest of their setlists have been filled with Superunknown and Badmotorfinger.
Spoonman
Let Me Drown
Outshined
Kickstand
Attrition
Rusty Cage
Beyond the Wheel
Been Away Too Long
The Day I Tried to Live
My Wave
Fell on Black Days
Drawing Flies
Ty Cobb
Burden in My Hand
A Thousand Days Before
Birth Ritual
Slaves & Bulldozers
The Future Heart 
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