(The always include Taylor Swift when I push “Shuffle” algorithm continues to dominate. I am still not complaining.)
I Found It in U – Dirty Projectors
Velvet Curtain – Anna Tivel
The Way It Was – The Killers
Bad Luck – Neko Case
Bad Luck – Neko Case
O Valencia! – The Decemberists
We’ve actually seen them twice this year. The first time it was raining
(Also, both times we saw them, Colin Meloy did not bring up Ed Sheeran once, but this is very funny.)
Ever Since New York – Harry Styles
Oh No, Bye Bye – Sunflower Bean
(This was the show I was at!)
Flicker – Niall Horan
As always, you can see the full list (and maybe get a shuffle that doesn’t start with Taylor – maybe…) here. And you can follow adventures (or rants against CATS: The Musical) on my Instagram.
This week’s not available on Apple Music Bonus:
Anna – Harry Styles
I was at this show, and I love this song, (maybe even more than the other more gossip worthy non-album track he played on tour that I’m sure we’ll get to) which should be unsurprising considering it includes a George Michael sample.
Relevate – Glen Hansard (Originally recorded with The Frames)
King of My Heart – Taylor Swift
I’m sure due to some algorithm that (correctly) guesses I would pretty much always like to be listening to Taylor Swift, her music comes up fairly quickly when I put this (massive) playlist on shuffle. So expect her on every list until we run out of her setlist!
Right Now – Dirty Projectors
It was slightly less dark (but very cold) when we saw them at Boston Calling:
Last Cigarette – Anna Tivel
Want You Back – HAIM
Crisis Fest – Sunflower Bean
Space Cowboy – Kacey Musgraves
Gepetto – Belly
Hell-On – Neko Case
My Church – Marren Morris
(Unfortunately the gospel choir and brass band were not on hand at the amphitheater in Holmdel, NJ but this version is too good to not post).
And this week’s not on iTunes bonus:
Mustang Sally – Rockinghaim
This video is long (you can skip 3:49 to for when the music starts) but it’s from the night we saw them at Radio City and it was sooooo cute.
Yay round 2! You can read a description of what this is in last week’s post.
Runaways – The Killers
You should know there are certain artists (these guys, Taylor, Harry, The Decemberists) who are going to show up on A LOT of these lists, I would apologize, but they’re all really fun live, so you’re welcome?
SO FUN
End Game – Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran & Future
(For better or worse – probably better? – Ed was not at our show.)
Falling Slowly – Glen Hansard
I Was a Fool – Sunflower Bean
The Question – Anna Tivel
Hotel Yorba – Jack White
Woke Up New – The Mountain Goats
If I Knew – Field Report
Woman – Harry Styles
Down By The Water – The Decemberists
And today’s not available on Apple Music bonus song is:
Present Tense – Glen Hansard covering Pearl Jam
(And this was recorded the night I saw it! (Not by me.)
I mentioned in my Emmy’s post that I’ve been absent for awhile. I’m not sure exactly why, but although I’ve been on plenty of adventures this year, but I just haven’t felt terribly motivated to write about them. Maybe that will change again in the future (I definitely think theater reviews will return at the very least), but I wanted to find a way to share some of the fun I’ve been having.
So…I’m starting a new series. Throughout this year I’ve been to a lot of concerts, and I’ve started to make a playlist of the songs I’ve enjoyed on my phone. It’s really long now, and grouped roughly chronologically by show, so I mostly just listen to it on shuffle. Every week or so I’ll put it on shuffle and post the first 10 songs that play here (live versions where I can find them, no repeats from the same artist within a week) with some photos I took.
If you’re interested in following my adventures in real time – I suggest my Instagram. And don’t worry, I fully intend to be here for Awards Season madness.
Way Back In The Way Back When – Glen Hansard
Decision Day – Field Report
For Reasons Unknown – The Killers
I know this video isn’t great (also it was at Boston Calling – the music festival – not Boston College?), but I wanted to capture the one I actually saw for this one, because they called a fan up to drum (which they usually do for this song according to the internet) but our guy was good. (And as this project goes on you will see a lot of Brandon Flowers so don’t worry.)
New Year’s Day – Taylor Swift
No, I wasn’t at this secret party. Our Taylor party looked more like this:
Once In My Life – The Decemberists
Spent Gladiator 2 – The Mountain Goats
(We did not have this dramatic of an interaction with John Darnielle as an audience, but it’s hard to find a live video of this song…)
Cruel – St. Vincent
Truth Hurts – Lizzo
The Deepest Sighs, The Frankest Shadows – Gang of Youths
From The Dining Table – Harry Styles
In addition to the massive Apple Music playlist (which if you want to follow it, is publicly available here), I have a Note in my phone titled “Songs That Would Be On Mu 2018 Live Highlights Playlist But Aren’t on Apple Music,” which is too long for a title, I know. But through the wonders of YouTube I can find a lot of these songs online to still share them with you. Here is this week’s randomly chosen bonus:
I Need My Girl – The National featuring Maggie Rogers
Hey, last night were the Tonys! I haven’t been entering as many Broadway lottos recently, so I’d only seen a couple nominees, but it’s always a fun show regardless, though I have some quibbles. (No theater fan needed that Springsteen monologue, but you know what we do want – the BEST PLAYWRIGHT’s speech!!!!)
Anyway, Josh Gorban and Sara Bareilles were super charming, and started the night with a dueling piano performance, which I was pretty into:
And the speeches started out great too. I love Andrew Garfield a lot:
Give Laurie Metcalf every award, always:
Lindsay Mendez is a National Treasure:
Carousel is one of the only things I had seen, and “Blow High, Blow Low,” is a highlight of this production so I was very glad they chose it for their performances:
(Also, Justin Peck is a genius, and I would have liked the opportunity to hear his speech as well. Thanks, CBS!)
It seems like Ari’el Statchel has an interesting life and I would like to read a long form profile of him, if any papers/writers out there are taking requests:
Then this moment happened with the Parkland theater kids and I just sobbed for a long time:
I’m not a filmmaker, but if I were, and she would agree to it (I don’t think she would), I would make a movie about Glenda Jackson’s life. This woman won 2 Oscars (without ever attending the ceremony to accept either) then quit acting to be a member of the British Parliament, then came back and won a Tony. (And get her director’s name wrong):
I actually very much enjoyed Frozen’s performance, because it felt like an old school musical and the score is good and I think I would like it:
Tony Kushner is the best. That’s just a fact:
I kind of can’t believe that this is Tony Shaloub’s first Tony:
Fashion wise it was a pretty standard night, but there were a few looks I loved!
Carey Mulligan in Giambattista Valli (Photo Credit: Getty)
Laurie Metcalf in Christian Siriano (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Lindsay Mendez in Randi Rahm (Photo Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Uzo Aduba in Christina Ottaviano (Photo Credit: Dimitrio Kambouris/Getty Images North America)
Melissa Benoist in Dior (Photo Credit: Getty, WENN)
Christine Baranski in Alexandre Vauthier (Photo Credit: Getty)
I have a really fun weekend planned (I’m going to see Lizzo and HAIM at Radio City Music Hall tomorrow!) but that combined with our mini-summer temperatures and gray clouds is making it very hard for me to focus on bibliographies right now. Here are some upbeat songs I’m listening to keep my eyes open at the very least.
Truth Hurts – Lizzo
Crisis Fest – Sunflower Bean
I saw them play Bowery Ballroom last week and they were really fun, and I still really suck at taking show photos
Homemade Dynamite – Lorde
Alfie’s Song (Not So Typical Love Song) – Bleachers
Finesse (Remix) – Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B
Anna – Harry Styles
(For some reason he left this song off his album, even though it’s super fun and includes a George Michael sample, which you should all know by now makes it automatically my new favorite song.)
California – Grimes
Little of Your Love – HAIM
Let Me Down Easy – Gang of Youths
I was going to apologize for the quality of this video, but it also really captures how fun this song is live. (Here’s a link to the album version of the song.) Also – I really suck at concert shots:
Long Live –Taylor Swift
You thought you were getting a Friday playlist with no Taylor? Have we not met?
I don’t know if Julia thought she was starting a series for my blog when she started texting me random song recs, but apparently she was. What can I say, she has good taste in music, and I’ve mostly been listening to Reputation on repeat lately. Oh and this:
Anyway here are her newest picks:
Pretend You’re Missing Me – Betty Who
Lake Tahoe – Jaws of Love
New Rules – Dua Lipa
Sit Next to Me – Foster the People
Borrowed Lives – Pierce Fulton feat. NVDES
Also, this video of two Broadway greats singing T. Swift exists, so Merry Christmas:
Hello every one! I know I’ve been a negligent blogger this year. But Critic’s Choice nominations come out tomorrow so awards season posts will ramp up very soon!
In the meantime, here is a mini-playlist frequent-adventure-costar Julia sent me in a text last week:
One Foot – Walk the Moon
Surround Me – LÉON
So I Met Someone – VHS Collection
Love You Like That – Dagny
Desire Lines – Deerhunter
(This one we both discovered through watching Busy Phillips’s Instagram story, which I cannot recommend highly enough. As I said to Jules a few weeks ago, she’s the best virtual friend to have.)
Also bonus – Julia and I may try to learn the HAIM girl walking based choreography at some point, all are welcome to audition for the role of third fake sister.
Thanks for the free blog content Jules! Here’s a picture of us when it was warm out and we were in the same city:
Although a gray cloud has descended over Astoria this afternoon, I have a lot of fun plans this weekend, and thought I would post a soundtrack to start your weekend off on fun foot. (Full disclosure, a lot of these songs come from the TBTL Song of the Summer contest.)
Praying – Kesha
OK, so this may not be the most “fun” foot to start on, but this video of fans reacting to her high note is…
Sinking – Super Defense
In & Out – Beth Ditto
Want You Back– HAIM
Bambi– Jidenna
Sweet Creature– Harry Styles
Also, just to follow up from last post, yes he can act. And you should see Dunkirk. (I’m sure I’ll be blogging more about this around awards season…)
I was including this as a tribute to Walter Becker (who recently passed away), but the fact that the second video to pop up on a YouTube search is an American Hustle clip reel is pretty great.
I’ve got a fun long weekend planned for myself, including 2 NYC theater adventures, and quick solo trip to Washington DC. So, expect a full post on Tuesday (or Wednesday depending on how tired/buried in emails I am…)
But for now, here’s some music I’ll be listening to on the Megabus:
Most Girls – Hailee Steinfeld
Note to dudes, “You’re not like other girls,” isn’t a great compliment. I like most other girls. If you’re trying to say I’m special to you, just say that.
Gonna Get Along Without You Now – She & Him
I Would Die 4 U – Prince & the Revolution
Although I’m obviously sad about the reason, I am excited that Prince’s catalog is finally available online/streaming.
You & I – Ingrid Michaelson
Kiwi – Harry Styles
Because I am really enjoying all the boys’ post One Direction moment right now. (Except Zayn, because I’ve never liked him…) And I really can’t wait to see how Harry is in Dunkirk.
I could write a whole post about how excited I am that Kesha is back, and I cannot wait for this full album, but for today I’ll just say that this song is my summer anthem. (Though it’s not safe for work FYI…)
