Setlist: Neko Case at Sandcastle

I noticed we've gotten several hits this last week from people searching for the setlist from this show, which isn't on here, so those people must be disappointed to see that. Well, I was at the show, and I kept a (loose) setlist, so here it is.

A quick review: Neko was great, but she's been better. The band sounded awesome with the exception of some static early and some minor feedback issues later. That said, Ms. Case did not seem to be all that into the show. A can of Off! was nearby, though it didn't seem to be doing much good, and there was plenty of banter about bugs and the smell of rivermud. Apparenty the numerous bats swooping across the stage weren't enough to take care of the former.

It was both muddy and muggy down by the river that night and, though I do like this venue, it is without question at its best when it's dry. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the show. And as Hugh mentioned earlier this week, Jason Lytle was great as the opener.

Setlist:
1. Middle Cyclone
2. Magpie to the Morning
3. I’m an Animal
4. Prison Girls
5. The Tigers Have Spoken (Maybe?)
6. (I think I missed one here)
7. Pauline
8. Polar Nettles
9. Don’t Forget Me
10. That Teenage Feeling
11. This Tornado Loves You

Encore:
12. Vengeance is Sleeping
13. Tightly
14. Train From Kansas City (Yes?)

Gregg and Friends

It gets worse.

As I was cruising through Homestead this weekend, breeze through the sunroof and the breezy vocals of Jason Lytle swirling around the car, I was confident I'd made the right decision about the goings-on of my July 31 (though not altogether over the bitterness of having to make a decision at all (shaking fist at Opus One)).

Then came this news: Girl Talk will be joined by Wiz Khalifa, Donora, Grand Buffet and more.

Well, damn you all. Me and Neko and her fiery locks will be chillin' by the riverside at Sandcastle, likely sipping tropical concoctions, kicked back on the comfort of the lawn while the rest of you will be confined like beasts in a cage by the chainlink and pavement that A.S.S. calls a live music venue.

Sure, it's got a view of the skyline now that they turned the stage around. But I'm still bitter.

Download:
Wiz Khalifa - "Shame"

A brief airing of grievances In re: Opus One/Girl Talk vs. Joker/Neko Case

Gregg Gillis (aka Girl Talk) on a hill high above ASS

Girl Talk's first local show in months has been announced for July 31 at the Amphitheatre at Station Square, i.e., the same night Neko Case and Jason Lytle will be at the Sandcastle Riverplex.

Their music may be different, but their fanbases likely overlap. For my part, I hereby poo-poo Opus One as second-in-line and, therefore, responsible for this blunderous conflict. If I hear he hands out free Taco Bell again, I'm gonna be pissed.

Download:

Girl Talk - "Pure Magic"

Update on the Riverplex at Sandcastle

I said before that based on last year's Irish Festival, I thought the Amphitheatre behind Sandcastle was a pretty cool place to catch a concert, so I was glad to read this weekend that Joker Productions will be bringing a series of shows there this summer, including All Time Low on July 17, Neko Case on July 31, and John Legend with India Arie on August 3.

I can't think of many better ways to spend a late-July Friday in Pittsburgh than floating through the afternoon on the lazy river (cold beverage in hand) before strolling a few feet away to spend the evening on a grassy hillside listening to the sounds of Neko Case (cold beverage in hand).

For the full article in the P-G, click here.

Download:
Neko live at the 9:30 Club, April 9 2009
(via All Songs Considered)

New local venues on the horizon

The local papers (Trib here / P-G here) are reporting that PNC Entertainment Group (apparently unrelated to the bank) has filed an application with the City Planning Commission to resurrect the amphitheatre at Station Square, which has been closed since the summer of ‘06.

As the articles mention, the Chevrolet Amphitheatre left Station Square to develop a new venue at Sandcastle on the Monongahela. I’m a bit confused, though, as to why the P-G article reports that the venue at Sandcastle never opened; I attended the Pittsburgh Irish Festival there last fall. In fact, I watched a few of the Festival’s headliners perform on what seemed to be a completed amphitheatre stage, and it was a pretty cool place to catch a show: a grassy hill sloping toward the river, a meandering sidewalk leading to a concession and picnic area among some trees—a huge improvement, in my opinion, over the chainlink-enclosed pavement parking lot behind Station Square.

Let's hope that if this plan goes through, the developers put a little more effort into it than just throwing up some fences and a temporary tent and raising a stage frame beside the railroad tracks. I always considered the old Station Square amphitheatre the city’s worst venue, as its sole boon was ease of access.

Happier news comes from across the Ohio: not only does it appear that the North Shore riverfront amphitheatre should be open by summer 2010, but it’s also being reported that Toby Keith is interested in adding a link to his chain of I Love This Bar bars alongside the amphitheatre. Yeehaw. Both the North Shore and Station Square amphitheatres are projected to hold about 5,500 people. The northernmore of the two sounds like the nicer design, and if the financial mêlée between man and money, mud and machine known as the “bore to the shore” ever sees the light of Heinz Field, access to both would be comparable.

Despite any reservations about returning to the asphalt desert behind Station Square, I’m hopeful that competition from both shores will help to bring more mid-sized acts to the Burgh and keep ticket prices (reasonably) low. My curiosity remains piqued, though, as to the future of that stage by the waterslides. It’s on the Mon, mon.