The Useless Critic 2.0

One thing I'm happy to admit is that I spend a lot of money on music. This is often a Herculean struggle for me internally - as much as I absolutely love the experience of live music, I hate crowds, and I hate the absurd wait times some artists inflict on their audiences. I went to a lottttttt of shows in 2017, cut back some in 2018, and this year looks like it'll be modest but worth it.  I'm not seeking to hit an exact # here - I've been to somewhere between 30 - 50 shows at this point, and probably hundreds of smaller, lesser known bands. I chose 13 for now because that just seems like the fair way to do things.  Is this the best use of money?! For me, YES. I rather collect experiences than things, and look forward to purging myself of some of the junk that I've accumulated the last several years (it does not bring me joy!)  I invite you to comment about any specifically memorable shows you've been to, and what makes them so grand in retrospect.  Honor...

I finally made my dreams come TF true Wednesday evening and caught Phantogram on their co-headling tour with Tycho at the Van Buren! Four years after I first really became an ardent fan, and WOW.  It was well worth the ridiculous wait. They blew me away. I can't recommend them enough. See them if you get the chance. Just do it. They are so much fun.  THESE VIDEOS ARE NOT MINE. I FOUND THEM ON YOUTUBE.  And at the end, there was a dog who came out briefly. I loved it, I loved every moment of it. It was one of those concerts - much like Andrew Bird and St. Vincent, much like No Doubt, much like the Xx, much like Metric - that i wish I could go back and live in. Of course, hearing one of my favorite songs ever ("Fall in Love") live was a life highlight. Just awesome, etc.  Also, they performed "Someday," their new song I posted a few days ago. It was inspired by the suicide of Sarah's sister, Becky. The performance of it was incredibly emo...