They Might Be Giants' Nostalgic Midwest Run

 
After two years of The Big Show Tour, new wave/alt-rock legends They Might Be Giants returned in 2026 with an excellent new album and EP and an even more ambitious live show, dubbed The Bigger Show Tour, which launched near their homes in Woodstock, NY and delivered multi-night mini-residencies to devoted fans in Indianapolis, Detroit, and Chicago before a short break and similar runs in the Northeast (with more shows coming at the end of the summer and beyond). Co-founders John Linnell (vocals, keyboards, accordion, etc.) and John Flansburgh (vocals, guitar, etc.) continue to be supported by Dan Miller (guitar), Danny Weinkauf (bass), and Mary Beller (drums), all of whom have been in the group since 2004 or earlier as well as The Triceratops Horns, a three-piece trumpet, trombone, and saxophone section consisting of Mark Pender, Stan Harrison, and Dan Levine, all of whom have impressive resumes and are overflowing with talent. The horn section adds depth to about half of the songs performed at any given show and allows the band's horn-based songs to be performed in the fuller arrangements that are similar to their studio versions without having to substitute guitar and keyboard parts to cover for missing horns as they've sometimes done in the past. To say the band, now in its 44th year, continues to sound great would be an understatement. It's extraordinary to find a group with such a consistent delivery and dedication to both preserving and furthering the project after so many years.

Building on the concept of their previous outings in '24 and '25, The Bigger Show Tour features no opening act and two full sets by TMBG each night with an added bonus of spotlighting one particular album from their extensive catalog (24 LPs and counting), performing about half the songs from the selected record in addition to several hits, fan favorites, and new material from The World Is to Dig, and its sister EP Eyeball, both released earlier this year. Previously, the band only rotated between three specific featured albums (Apollo 18, John Henry, and Mink Car) but have now added Lincoln, Flood, and Factory Showroom to the list, making sure that each show is a unique experience, even when performing two or three times in the same city in as many days. The only trick is you don't know which album will get the spotlight until the show begins. (Full disclosure: I am a mega-fan of this band and couldn't pass up the opportunity to catch them as many times as possible while they were in my region of the country, so this will be a run through each of the five shows I made it to on the spring run. If a Deadhead did it, no one would bat an eye, but for this band? I'm not sure if we're "Giantheads" or not, but if we were, we'd want prosthetic foreheads to wear on them.)

Following the tour kick off in New York, TMBG journeyed to Indianapolis, Indiana for a full weekend of shows at The Vogue Theatre, one of the area's most intimate and energetic venues. After making it through some severe spring weather prior to the Friday night show, fans were delighted to experience a spotlight on Lincoln, the band's second LP from 1988, with a mix of singles and deep cuts from that album throughout the first set. After starting with a rocking "Santa's Beard," rarely performed tracks like "Stand on Your Own Head," "Piece of Dirt," and "Pencil Rain" surprised and delighted even the most jaded among the crowd and gave the 50+ year-old members of the audience serious flashbacks to a bygone era when few outside of the audience of 120 Minutes knew the band and their music. "Lie Still, Little Bottle" continues to be performed with The Stick for added percussion, and Marty Beller successfully executed the three notes required on a large bell (in place of the traditional glockenspiel) during "Shoehorn with Teeth" to thunderous applause from the crowd. The horns sounded best on a lushly arranged performance of "I'll Sink Manhattan," a Lincoln B-side, further extending the show's spotlight theme, and two of the albums three hit singles, "They'll Need a Crane" and "Ana Ng," were featured in the last third of the set. Potentially to keep both the audience and the band themselves on their toes, two new songs, "Wu-Tang" and "Hit the Ground," were mixed in before the intermission, which was preceded by another amazing, sonically backward performance of Flood's "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love," now known as "Stellub," and one of the group's biggest hits, "Particle Man." Technical difficulties prevented the playback of the recording of "Stellub" in reverse (which allows the audience a chance to hear the song in its forward arrangement, by watching a film of the live performance played backward). The second set featured more hits and fan-favorites from other albums and did a good job of sprinkling in songs from Apollo 18, Flood, and Factory Showroom, which were not being featured that night. A rocking cover of The Raspberries' "Overnight Sensation," also from the band's latest LP, fit well next to zippy runs through "Twisting" and "Letterbox" from Flood. Fans rejoiced at the inclusion of "Fingertips," the modern classic, "Brontosaurus," and the lengthy improv jam that concludes "Spy." Other new tracks like "Eyeball" and "Get Down" kept the vibe strong into the double encore which featured both "When Will You Die" and "Doctor Worm," arguably the best choice for a closing number among the band's nearly 1,000 songs.

Indy #1 (4/24/26) set list:
What Nut (intro tape)
-----
Santa's Beard
Stand on Your Own Head
Piece of Dirt
Where Your Eyes Don't Go
Pencil Rain
Lie Still, Little Bottle
Shoehorn with Teeth
Cowtown
I'll Sink Manhattan
They'll Need a Crane
Wu-Tang
Hit the Ground
Snowball in Hell
Ana Ng
Stellub
Particle Man/Elusive Butterfly
-------------------------- (intermission)------- 
Stompy (intro tape)

-------
Synopsis for Latecomers
Birdhouse in Your Soul
The Guitar
You Probably Get That a Lot
Overnight Sensation (The Raspberries)
Twisting
Letterbox
Fingertips (pts. 1-21)
Till My Head Falls Off
Eyeball
Moonbeam Rays
Brontosaurus
Spy/Imagine (John Lennon)
Get Down
------------------- 
Let Me Tell You About My Operation
When Will You Die?
------------------- 
Doctor Worm

**************************

While fans who attended the Sunday show were treated to a spotlight on Flood, an album the band played in full nightly during a multi-year anniversary tour from 2020-2023, TMBG's second Indianapolis show on Saturday night put the spotlight on 1994's John Henry. Somewhat divisive at the time of its release, the band's fifth album was its first to feature a backing band rather than only the core duo of Linnell and Flansburgh, forever changing their sound both on stage and in the studio. Only "Snail Shell" was a moderate alternative rock hit, but the album features a number of fan favorites like "Subliminal," "Meet James Ensor," "Spy," and "The End of the Tour," all of which were performed. In addition to other great tracks from that record, the band inserted a five-song interruption halfway through the first set, including "The Famous Polka" and "S-E-X-X-Y" in addition to a repeat of two new songs. A throwback reference to more than 20-years ago occurred when a portion of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" was included during the "Spy" improv jam, a song that was performed in full to conclude "Spy" during the Mink Car era in 2001. The video-in-reverse portion of the show worked as planned this night, impressing fans old and new with the execution of performing a song backwards so well! The second set that night featured a great mix of hits and deep cuts from other albums, including "Damn Good Times," during which Dan Miller performed the closing solo from the balcony, the Tik-Tok sensation "Stuff Is Way," and the demo (rock, non-disco) version of "Man, It's So Loud in Here," which got the crowd dancing, nonetheless. While the usual double encore was shorter this night, with only one song in each, "She's an Angel," from the band's 1986 debut album, made a rare appearance to close the evening. For the uninitiated, the Indianapolis weekend was a fantastic opportunity to cram tons of different songs and eras of the band into three consecutive nights. For the hardcore fan, getting to hear five new songs each night along with a number of choice deep-cuts made the trio of shows an experience that would have been impossible more than a year or two ago.

Indy #2 (4/25/26) set list:
What Nut (intro tape)
--------
Subliminal
Snail Shell
Out of Jail
Meet James Ensor
The Famous Polka
Wu-Tang
Overnight Sensation (The Raspberries)
Synopsis for Latecomers
S-E-X-X-Y
Dirt Bike
No One Knows My Plan
Spy/Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan)
Stellub
The End of the Tour
------------------------(intermission)--------- 
Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love (video)
Stompy (intro tape)
------------
Istanbul (The Four Lads)
Authenticity Trip
Brontosaurus
Man, It's So Loud in Here (demo)
Eyeball
Hit the Ground
Damn Good Times
Stuff Is Way
Cloisonne
How Can I Sing Like a Girl?
When Will You Die?
Get Down
------------------------ 
Doctor Worm
------------------------
She's an Angel

******************************* 

A few days later, the tour rolled north and east to Detroit for two consecutive weeknight shows at The Majestic Theatre, TMBG's home base for Michigan performances for nearly a decade now. After playing three nights in Indy without spotlighting Factory Showroom, fans were hopeful for that album and Lincoln, seemingly the most emphasized additions in the pre-tour advertising, but alas it was not to be. The Tuesday night Detroit show again featured a focus on John Henry, and for the most part, the show was the same as Indy #2 from only a few nights before. Among the few changes, "Birdhouse in Your Soul" was added near the end of the first set, and while "Spy" did not feature a portion of "Mr. Tambourine Man," a brief return of "Jazz Waltz," most commonly played from 2004 to 2006 while Flansburgh thanked members of the audience (individually) for attending, was included prior to the intermission. While "Istanbul" still opened the second set, this night's version began with Dan Miller's acoustic guitar solo into ("Miller Time") rather than Dan Levine beginning the song with a trombone solo at Indy #2. Whether it was because the show was on a Tuesday night, because the guys were a bit tired from traveling, or because John Henry's songs are still somewhat obscure to the casual or non-fan, the crowd at Detroit #1 was restrained at best and sagged at times throughout the show, which the band noticed and commented on during both nights there. The second set that evening was again almost identical to Indy #2, but the fan favorite, "Number Three" was added to the first encore (while the second still consisted solely of "She's an Angel"). The band played great as usual, and while a superfan like me would never tire of seeing them perform any of their songs live, it's notable that John Henry was also spotlighted when the band played two nights in Chicago in 2024 and in one of two nights in Cleveland last November, so fans traveling for multiple shows throughout the region in recent years have encountered songs from that particular album more than any other.

Detroit #1 (4/28/26) set list:
What Nut (intro tape)
--------------
Subliminal
Snail Shell
Out of Jail
Meet James Ensor
The Famous Polka
Wu-Tang
Overnight Sensation (The Raspberries)
Synopsis for Latecomers
S-E-X-X-Y
Dirt Bike
No One Knows My Plan
Spy
Birdhouse in Your Soul
Stellub
Jazz Waltz (jam)
The End of the Tour
---------------------(intermission)-------
Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love (video)
Stompy (intro tape)
---------------
Istanbul (The Four Lads)
Authenticity Trip
Brontosaurus
Man, It's So Loud in Here (demo)
Eyeball
Hit the Ground
Damn Good Times
Stuff Is Way
Cloisonne
How Can I Sing Like a Girl?
When Will You Die?
Get Down
------------------------ 
Number Three
Doctor Worm
-----------------------
She's an Angel

************************************

The second of two nights in Detroit was a stronger show with a better crowd and reception, spotlighting Lincoln. While only a handful of songs from the band's second album were hits, the material is a cornerstone of the whole project, so even older fans and those less familiar with every nook and cranny of their catalog were engaged. Harrison, Pender, and Levine continued to shine on the songs that featured horns, and all members of the group seemed to be in generally better spirits. While the majority of Detroit #2 was similar to Indy #1, the order of the songs was shuffled a bit, "Stellub" was not performed, and John Linnell's segue quote during "Particle Man" changed from the lines about the elusive butterfly to a bit of Neil Young's "Southern Man." Linell brought Flansburgh to frustrated laugher during the dialogue routine in "Snowball in Hell," and he added his own clarinet to the mix of the three horns during "Cowtown," things that did not happen in Indianapolis. The second set this night featured a few alternate deep cuts and provided more variety when compared to Indy #1 (as opposed to the back-to-back John Henry shows that had very little difference between them). "The Darlings of Lumberland," one of the most intricate of TMBG's horn-based songs, sounded amazing and fit in with the other tracks perfectly. The always timely "Older" got the crowd singing as well as laughing along, and the brilliant "Wearing a Raincoat," the only song from The Spine to be included, reminded everyone of the sharpness and creative irony in Linnell's lyrical phrasing. "The Mesopotamians" opened the first encore and was an unexpected thrill. While only three songs from TMBG's previous album, BOOK, were included, it's worth noting their tracks always continue to appreciate with time, and the incredible skill of the horns on "Synopsis for Latecomers" and especially the brilliant "Brontosaurus" all served as strong reminders of the band's consistency. While they were there partly to plug their latest, 24th LP, there were plenty of strong tracks on their 23rd as well. Overall, Detroit #2 was a much stronger show than the night before, with a vibe and audience that redeemed some of what was missing or lost during Detroit #1.

Detroit #2 (4-29-26) set list:
Sammy (intro tape)
------------
Santa's Beard
Stand on Your Own Head
Piece of Dirt
Where Your Eyes Don't Go
Pencil Rain
Lie Still, Little Bottle
Cowtown
I'll Sink Manhattan
Shoehorn with Teeth
They'll Need a Crane
Overnight Sensation (The Raspberries)
Wu-Tang
Snowball in Hell
Ana Ng
Particle Man/Southern Man (Neil Young)
--------------------------------------------------------(intermission)----------- 
Stompy (intro tape)
---------------
Synopsis for Latecomers
Birdhouse in Your Soul
Let Me Tell You About My Operation
The Darlings of Lumberland
You Probably Get That a Lot
Fingertips (pts. 1-21)
Till My Head Falls Off
Older
Moonbeam Rays
Wearing a Raincoat
Hit the Ground
Get Down
The Guitar
-------------------------- 
The Mesopotamians
Brontosaurus
---------------------------- 
Doctor Worm

******************************************

TMBG ended their Midwest run in Chicago, a home-away-from home that has celebrated the group since they first began touring in the late '80s, as usual, at The Vic Theatre. Much like in Indianapolis, they played three consecutive nights over the course of one weekend, with the first show again spotlighting Lincoln, similar in structure to Detroit #2. The second night in Chicago shaped up to have the best vibe of the five shows I attended on this run, with a large number of young and extremely enthusiastic fans who were seeing the band for the very first time! With heavy anticipation for a Factory Showroom spotlight, the night began with "Subliminal," immediately indicating Chicago #2 would be yet another John Henry show. However, added surprises and changes in the structure of the show made for a more unique experience compared to Indy #2 and Detroit #1, which were nearly identical. The first set this night saw the return of "Unrelated Thing," a John Henry deep cut that had been part of the spotlight for that album in '24 and '25 but had yet to appear in '26. During the improv jam on "Spy," Flansburgh included an a cappella version of "Token Back to Brooklyn" the (pre-gap!) hidden track from Factory Showroom, for only the second time ever, thrilling even the most seasoned TMBG live veterans. All of the selections from John Henry were performed as one large chunk of the first set before the band broke off into a six-song run through two new tracks, three classics, and an always impressive rendition of "Stellub," which was played back to the audience in reverse to begin the second set as usual. The second set of Chicago #2 was a great way to end the run for me as it contained a sampler platter of selections from all the other albums in the featured rotation and abandoned the orders used in shows over the previous week. An especially lively "Twisting" was matched in energy by "Can't Keep Johnny Down," from Join Us, making its tour debut. The audience in Chicago seemed more familiar with the deep cuts as well, which always makes seeing them live more enjoyable. Hearing the crowd sing the high-voiced lines of the raindrop during "Cloisonne" is one of the most delightful moments one can have at a TMBG concert. Also, notably different in Chicago #2, the band only included two of their biggest five songs, saving them to end the second set and the second encore, respectively. This is especially rare for a band most don't know in the first place and who seem to bow to the pressure to play at least three of their best-known songs every night, no matter what. It's worth noting that a more energetic and seemingly more dedicated audience can absolutely affect the song selection and running order, at least at They Might Be Giants shows. Frustratingly for me, Flansburgh announced the following night would spotlight Factory Showroom to potentially entice some ticketholders to come back again for Chicago #3, but Sunday night shows are always a bigger ask for out-of-state fans who traveled to catch what they could within the context of their work week schedules, and I was unable to stick around to see it.

Chicago #2 (5/2/26) set list:
Sammy (intro tape)
------------
Subliminal
Snail Shell
Out of Jail
Unrelated Thing
Meet James Ensor
The Famous Polka
Dirt Bike
No One Knows My Plan
Spy/Token Back to Brooklyn
The End of the Tour
Stellub
Wu-Tang
Overnight Sensation (The Raspberries)
Synopsis for Latecomers
S-E-X-X-Y
Where Your Eyes Don't Go
----------------------------------------(intermission)----------------
Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love (video)
Stompy (intro tape)
----------------
The Mesopotamians
Brontosaurus
Authenticity Trip
The Guitar
Man, It's So Loud in Here (demo)
Twisting
Eyeball
Hit the Ground
Can't Keep Johnny Down
Cloisonne
Get Down
Doctor Worm
----------------------
Number Three
Till My Head Falls Off
-----------------------
Birdhouse in Your Soul

*****************************************

Returning home to New York, the band took a few weeks off to rest up for a run of shows in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Boston before going on hiatus for the summer. Fans are already excited for the next run of shows, situated in Wisconsin and Minnesota, to kick off in late September before heading south to Texas and then back north to Washington D.C. to finish the year with a mega blowout four-night stand that should provide the most set list variety of the entire year. Unique and creative in all aspects of the project, from the songwriting down to the structures of tours and even individual concerts, They Might Be Giants continue to spread love and their ironic world view in shockingly impressive ways for a band coming up on its 50th anniversary (in 2032). Those who have seen them before already know how much fun their live performances can be, but for those who have not yet had the pleasure, you owe it to yourself to be immersed in their brilliance while you still can during this one-of-a-kind group's golden years.

******************************

*Follow Jamblog by subscribing on the home page, by following our facebook page, or both!

*For even more, don't forget to also like and follow our music video and live performance page for great music from all of rock history in your timeline every day!!*  https://www.facebook.com/rocknrollhst/ 

Green Jelly Celebrate 46 Years in Battle Creek

Green Jelly (pronounced "Green Jello") sucks! No, seriously. 
Sure, there are a number of excellent bands, like Primus, Mr. Bungle, Ween, and Green Day to name a few, who comically proclaim that they suck, in spite of the obvious evidence in their material and performances that proves otherwise, but Green Jelly boasts that they suck, and they actually do! 
That isn't to say what they do isn't or at least can't be entertaining.

Currently celebrating their 46th anniversary, Green Jelly is essentially one founding member (vocalist/songwriter/ringleader, Bill Manspeaker) and a rotating cast of musicians who he's set up as franchises in various regions of North America and lately also in parts of Europe. The project has a small and varied catalog but only ever saw any real success in the early '90s due to their surprise novelty hit, "3 Little Pigs," from the album Cereal Killer, which also featured members of Tool and comedian/actor Pauly Shore as a guest on backing vocals. Shortly after releasing a follow up album and creative, low-budget home videos for each of those releases, the band became inactive for over a decade before being resurrected in its current form, with occasional collaborations and obscure tracks being released as independent singles. Manspeaker books tours himself and flies to the first city to meet up with regional band members to play the shows, so depending on where in the country (or the world) you may be seeing them, the other musicians on stage may change. While this can lead to comical posts on social media, the fact that there is no rehearsal, rarely a soundcheck, and seemingly little planning involved makes for an especially sloppy and sometimes even cringy performance.

Green Jelly is certainly a comedy band, and part of the humor of their shows is how poorly performed and under rehearsed they are, but their studio recordings, especially their two most-successful albums, are much tighter and mostly well-produced by comparison. Someone who knows the records would get to a gig and still hear many recognizable songs, but they often sound like amateurish attempts on stage compared to the studio versions. (As McBain would remind us, "That's the joke!") 

Having seen the band a number of times, it's safe to say the quality of each show can also vary, but there are engaging moments in each, even when the show gets shortened to only 15 minutes due to rain at an outdoor venue or shows that are being conducted with half the number of musicians who may have appeared the previous time they performed at the same venue. At a recent club show at The Music Factory (formerly Planet Rock) in Battle Creek, Michigan, some songs sounded pretty good while others were abandoned half-way through, with entire verses and choruses sometimes performed without vocals and seemingly little concern among the players. Again, if someone knows about all this going into the concert, that's fine because it's expected, but if they're expecting the arrangements and delivery of the recorded versions of the songs, they would most likely be disappointed. (Manspeaker often jokes during shows that "if you're not drunk or on some kind of medical marijuana, this is really gonna suck!" and even if you are...it's still so-so at times.)

The Battle Creek show also ran shorter than other recent appearances (under an hour), and the numbers of people on stage as well as in the audience were fewer. While the small turnout also led to jokes and an overall comical reaction from the band, the situation was exacerbated by the seemingly endless parade of local and regional artists who quickly make a 7pm doors/8pm music time seem like they occurred an eternity ago, with the headliners finally taking the stage over four hours after the advertised start time. Obviously, the goal is to get patrons to buy drinks all night while they stand around, waiting and waiting for Manspeaker and co. to take the stage, but it also dampens the excitement and anticipation if a person has to wait for several hours, through as many as nine opening acts, after they've arrived.

The band has other material from throughout their 46-year history, but the song selection on stage only or nearly only includes tracks from their two most successful albums and occasionally bits of unreleased parodies and mash-ups, such as "We are the Losers" sung to the tune of Queen's "We Are the Champions," and a much more clever piece that sets the lyrics of "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain" to the music of Jane's Addiction's "Mountain Song," much in the way they bastardized The Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K." with lyrics about The Flintstones and created an original, metal arrangement for the children's classic, "The Bear Went Over the Mountain" (as "The Bear Song"). Fewer band members may make some songs unable to be played.

Most recently, colorful foam pool noodles, passed out by the band before they start and collected again  after they finish, have added a random silliness to the action and visual of the show in addition to their traditional "punk rock puppet heads" which allow some attendees a more participatory role in the performance, often including dancing and singing along to one or two songs on stage before continuing on the venue floor. Patrons are still commanded to form a circle around whomever is wearing the Cowgod puppet head to worship at his feet during "Obey the Cowgod" and to spin in the circle, hand-in-hand, to a call-and-response chant of "Ring Around the Rosie," with the original lyrics, which KoRn reminded us years ago are already pretty fucked up anyway.

Even if the negative elements don't take a person out of the show, the somewhat abrupt conclusions can feel rushed and sometimes disappointing. Giving a fan 52 minutes of music after they've waited around four-to-five hours to see you might be seen as frustrating to some, though, like some of the early punk that inspired the band in the first place, it's not necessarily out of place. It's just important to understand you can't really compare a Green Jelly show to any other rock concert because you're simply not going to get the kind of effort that goes into most touring productions. It's unfortunate because there really are lots of people who enjoy Cereal Killer and 333, and who would probably enjoy tracks from the band's other albums as well, once they'd heard them, but the care just isn't put into learning more material or providing a longer, more complete concert experience. If you consider yourself a fan and haven't seen them live, it's definitely worth going once, but Manspeaker's approach just doesn't hold up to repeat attendance.

Opening acts in Battle Creek included:
Dum Ugly Music Television (DJ/MC)
Meat Hammer
Siamese Goat God
Wavy Awakening
Bethani Rogue
Midwest Syndicate
Heartsick
Anybody Killa

Green Jelly set list (4/23/26, Battle Creek, MI):
Lights (Journey) (tease)
I Was Made for Loving You (Kiss) (tease)
----------- 
Green Jello Theme Song
Carnage Rules
Cereal Killer/Sponge Bob Square Pants Theme
Anarchy in Bedrock (Sex Pistols/Green Jelly)
Electric Harley House of Love/Enter Sandman (Metallica)
Three Little Pigs (pt. 1) / We Are the Losers (Queen/Green Jelly)
Comin' Round the Mountain Song (Jane's Addiction/Green Jelly)
Obey the Cowgod/Ring Around the Rosie (trad.)
Three Little Pigs (pt. 2)/Green Jello Theme Song (reprise)

*********************

*Follow Jamblog by subscribing on the home page, by following our facebook page, or both!

*For even more, don't forget to also like and follow our music video and live performance page for great music from all of rock history in your timeline every day!!*  https://www.facebook.com/rocknrollhst/ 

2026 Summer Festivals (and why Coachella is leading the pack)

As we settle into the annual Bonnaroo weekend (one of the big three yearly American music festivals), I can't help but reflect on and compare the lineup, the live stream, and the entire vibe of these big events, how they've evolved, and their current states compared to the history and the legend of each.

Already this year, Tennessee's Bonnaroo festival has continued to struggle with severe weather issues that have resulted in delays and difficulties for attendees on site. Last year, the rain created so much mud that, especially when coupled with lightning and tornado watches, caused the promoters to cancel the festival less than half-way through the weekend. Perhaps changes in weather patterns have made the mid-June, outdoor event in that particular region too difficult to facilitate. It's possible the festival could do better in May or September or on different grounds nearby. This year, even with a scaled down first day that consisted of only four performers, the headliner, Skrillex, had his set yanked from the livestream broadcast at the last minute due to "licensing issues," something that would have seemingly been worked out well in advance for any DJ or electronic artists who regularly feature samples in their songs. Fingers crossed for the artists, fans, and livestream viewers that the rest of the weekend picks up and goes well!

Chicago's Lollapalooza, the granddaddy of American touring festivals in the '90s which became a destination event 20 years ago, following Bonnaroo's early years of growth and success, chooses to focus on modern youth culture, in general, rather than particular musical styles, sounds, or genres. While this keeps the interest highest among the three festivals for those in their teens and twenties, it arguably turns its back on Lollapalooza's roots in alternative rock and hip hop not to mention fans of those styles and the mid-life Gen-Xers who made it successful and famous, many of whom now prefer Riot Fest, down the road in Douglas Park about a month later each summer. In both cases, Chicago's festivals don't allow camping, so the vibes are very different compared to those that do.

Two months ago, the festival season official began with the two-weekend-long, supersized Coachella in Indio, California. While it has been known for years as the trendy option for west coast influencers and related fans, the organizers and producers of Coachella seem to understand the importance and appeal of curating a bill that sincerely invites fans and artists of several generations, spreading artists from the '70s through today out among seven stages, all of which are included on their official live stream (unlike Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza who only offer a selection of performances each year). That invites parents to attend with their kids instead of just dropping them off. It gives people of all ages something to get excited about each day of the festival rather than having only one or two artists to look forward to during the weekend. Most importantly, it strengthens the connection between modern rock and its many variations to the greater lineage of rock history. Yes, Gen Z may have been more excited about Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Beiber, or in some cases, newer fusion artists like Teddy Swims, Dijon, or Turnstile, but their parents and older siblings were getting their fix with Devo, David Byrne, Iggy Pop, and Suicidal Tendencies. Modern rock torchbearers like Jack White, Trent Reznor (appearing this year with his new spin-off project, Nine Inch Noize), The Strokes, and Moby tied both ends together, giving fans both old and new thrilling sets of hits, deep cuts, and new material. Even the current version of Black Flag, featuring only original guitarist Greg Ginn and a trio of players in their early twenties, seeks to bridge the generational divide and draw attention to consistent similarities that could potentially unite OG punks and the modern socially-justice minded.

None of this, of course, even touches on the outrageous cost of attending any of these events, or their many, smaller-level imitators, or the logistics of camping (or not being able to camp) at each, but even those issues seem to have at least been considered by the Coachella production team, who allow all sets to be streamed for free on Youtube (where Bonnaroo has recently partnered with Hulu and this year Disney+). Certainly, watching from home is a completely different experience than actually attending, just like a sporting event, but giving fans across the country and around the world who may not be able to get to California for any number of reasons a chance to participate in and enjoy any of the performers they would have wanted to see if they had been able to attend the opportunity to do so, and at no cost, only adds to Coachella's continued dominance in this particular market.

It was not long ago that the future of these big festivals (and many smaller ones) were all in question, at first due to COVID and the resulting financial hit of not being able to stage the festivals for one or two consecutive years, so the fact that they are still up and running is already impressive, but Coachella's strategic choices in each relevant area has quietly lifted them back to the front of the pack against their biggest competitors. It's hard to imagine how long these sorts of destination events can sustain, and they'll all definitely need to continue to adjust to many factors moving forward in order to even attempt to do so, but following Coachella's lead regarding artist variety and the fan-connection experience would be a huge boost to the others.

*********************

*Follow Jamblog by subscribing on the home page, by following our facebook page, or both!

*For even more, don't forget to also like and follow our music video and live performance page for great music from all of rock history in your timeline every day!!*  https://www.facebook.com/rocknrollhst/ 

Nine Inch Nails Peel It Back in Grand Rapids

The spring leg of Nine Inch Nails' much-lauded Peel It Back tour stopped through Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI to offer a chance for fans on the state's west side a chance to see the show after it rocked Little Caesars Arena in Detroit last August. The general structure and tone of the show remained consistent throughout the U.S. performances, with DJ Boys Noize opening with an hour of live-mixed, gothy dance tracks, followed by Trent Reznor and company alternating between the main (A) stage and a smaller (B) stage in the middle of the floor to deliver quieter, piano-based arrangements and newly remixed dance versions of select tracks in addition to the standard industrial rock attack for which the project is known. The song selection varied a bit on the spring dates, however, where Reznor dug deeper into his back catalog to occasionally feature pieces that were composed with keyboardist Atticus Ross for soundtracks as well as select deep cuts from NIN's more recent releases. Immersion in the technically impressive, theatrical visuals, much like Tool's tours over the past 15 years, continued to be one of the most significant elements of the show and were both engaging and maintained the artistically unsettling vibe that was simultaneously throw back and current in different ways.

Boys Noize, spinning on his own (C) stage on the back of the arena floor, bumped extremely loud tunes without interruption under a blanket of vibrant, deep red lights that flooded the arena for exactly 60 minutes before the lighting changed and all attention diverted to the center of the floor where Reznor appeared alone at a piano to quietly begin the show among the cheers of the crowd. This time, the Reznor/Ross score track, "(You Made It Feel Like) Home," from Bones and All, (not to be confused with "Home," NIN's B-side from 2005's With Teeth), started things off, somewhat anticlimactically due to its soft tone and lack of recognizability among the audience, but the thrill of being at a live NIN performance sustained it until the more familiar sounds of a new arrangement of "Ruiner" and the "Nothing Can Stop Me Now Mix" of "Piggy" began to deliver what the people paid to hear and see. Shining light on that remix from 1995's Further Down the Spiral was a nice nod to hardcore fans from that era, but the song's original arrangement is still its best form.

The coordination of changing between the A and B stages throughout the show was very carefully timed out, with flashlight-wielding crew helping usher Reznor and other band members from one to the other, even as music began to set up the next song. This may recall The Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon tour, also famously featuring a B stage for a short portion of the set, but NIN's execution perfected the movement and transition to make it all happen much faster, which added the ability to move back and forth between the stages multiple times without disrupting the flow and pacing of the concert. 

Drummer Josh Freese got things started on the main stage with a short solo that included bits of the intro beat from "Getting Smaller" before breaking into "Wish" with the full band once everyone was in position. The volume, anger, and intensity of that signature tune from 1992's Broken EP still hits as hard now as it ever did, and the crowd was completely locked in for the rest of the night. Keeping the tempo and energy high, "March of the Pigs (with the extended outro section from the remix, "All the Pigs, All Lined Up") followed before everyone was able to take a breath during a sultry, sexy take on The Downward Spiral's "Reptile." That particular album continued to be the centerpiece of the night, with other tracks, like "Find My Way," "Copy of A," the minor hit "Less Than," and the always intense "Gave Up" becoming ornamental complements to songs from that release.

Continuing on the B stage in the center of the floor, the electronic and dance-based portion of the show included deep cuts like "Vessel" and "Parasite," a song from Reznor and Ross' other project, How to Destroy Angels, and the mega-hit "Closer," along with NIN's latest single, "As Alive As You Need Me to Be," all in the form of new remixes by Boys Noize, who performed with Reznor and Ross during the 4-song mini-set. Pieces of stage rigging doubled as light fixtures and illuminated the room with dense, vibrant, and varying colors as portions of the stage itself choreographically raised and lowered throughout. While there was no mention of it, the audience danced away while also getting a preview of Nine Inch Noize, the remix collaboration that stunned the crowd at Coachella several weeks later and included Reznor's wife, and lead vocalist of How to Destroy Angels, Mariqueen Maandig, though she was not present on the NIN tour.

The final portion of the show concluded on the main stage where veteran guitarist Robin Finck and newcomer Stu Brooks on bass fell in perfectly with Reznor, Ross, and Freese to deliver a powerful set of classics that included "Mr. Self Destruct," "The Perfect Drug," "The Hand That Feeds," and "Head Like a Hole," clearly the climax of the concert. Freese shined especially on the complex drum solo during "The Perfect Drug," rarely performed prior to the '25-'26 tour. David Bowie's "I'm Afraid of Americans" continued to be featured in this portion of the night throughout the tour with Reznor often remarking respectfully about his friendship with and fandom of the late rock icon. After a short encore break, the band concluded with "Hurt," closing things down with a familiar emotional coda that put a cap on an impressive performance to both first timers and return customers alike, leaving them all wanting more.

Nine Inch Nails set list (2-22-26):
(You Made It Feel Like) Home (Reznor/Ross)
Ruiner
Piggy (nothing can stop me now mix)
------------ 
Drum solo/Getting Smaller (jam)
Wish
March of the Pigs/All the Pigs, All Lined Up
Reptile
Find My Way
Copy of A
Gave Up
-------------
Vessel (Nine Inch Noize remix) (w/Boys Noize)
Closer (Nine Inch Noize remix) (w/Boys Noize)
Parasite (How to Destroy Angels) (Nine Inch Noize remix) (w/Boys Noize)
As Alive As You Need Me to Be (w/Boys Noize)
------------
Mr. Self Destruct
Less Than
The Perfect Drug
I'm Afraid of Americans (David Bowie)
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole
-------------- 
Hurt
-------------------------

(The Flamingos-"I Only Have Eyes for You" (outro tape))

*********************

*Follow Jamblog by subscribing on the home page, by following our facebook page, or both!

*For even more, don't forget to also like and follow our music video and live performance page for great music from all of rock history in your timeline every day!!*  https://www.facebook.com/rocknrollhst/ 

The Offspring and Bad Religion Rock Grand Rapids!

On a cold, late-winter night in Grand Rapids, Michigan, The Offspring brought the latest edition of their Supercharged! tour to Van Andel Arena for a night of hits, surprise covers, and general merry mayhem. Now 32 years after their breakthrough album Smash, these So-Cal skate punks have maintained a loyal fanbase as they've continued to explore different sounds and styles alongside their traditional alternative rock meets novelty music approach and have been on a tour that's sort of amounted to a victory lap for over two years. That's not to say songs from their latest album, like "Looking Out for #1" and "Make It All Right" haven't received some love on rock radio, but audiences undoubtably see them live to enjoy their mid-'90s and early '00s hits, which wisely form the structure of their show. With each leg of the tour featuring progressively better opening acts (Hoobastank and Simple Plan? How about Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory instead?), the inclusion of O.G. L.A. punks Bad Religion made attending an even stronger draw.

What wasn't expected as shivering cold fans shuffled into the arena was the shock that the show was so undersold the entire second level of the venue was closed down, and fans with tickets in those sections were upgraded to first level seats. This isn't the first such Van Andel show I've attended where such a thing has occurred (NIN '08, anyone?), and there's a good chance the cold, winter, Wednesday night worked against the bands in this case, but it's incredibly tough to be both excited to see a great show and also know it must be disheartening for the bands themselves to play to a half-empty room. Maybe GLC Live at 20 Monroe (or whatever the hell they're calling it now) would have been a better sized venue.

The legendary Bad Religion started things off right, ripping through 19 songs in an hour (that's breaking the speed limit in some areas) that mixed hits and older deep cuts with tracks from the band's last few albums and engaged much of the GA pit area and pockets of people in the seats. Now celebrating the 46th year of the project, they've played to crowds big, small, and in-between so many times the size or engagement of the crowd didn't seem to affect them, though frontman Greg Graffin (that's Dr. Graffin to you and me) invited all to engage as much as they wished. "Do What You Want," "No Control," and "We're Only Gonna Die" (are they covering Sublime??) brought the old school flavor, and "21st Century," "Sorrow," and "American Jesus" provided the crowd with a few singalongs, but the experienced musicianship of Bad Religion is fine-tuned and consistent in ways scores of younger bands who have been influenced by them simply can't match.

A set change that began to feel more and more like a house or beach party the longer it went and even featured The Offspring track "Intermission" among the music mix between bands, gave way to the headlining performance, and The Offspring themselves were warmly welcomed to the stage in spite of the small crowd size. Consisting now of only two original members, Noodles on guitar and Dexter Holland (that's Dr. Holland to you and me) on vocals, guitar, and a bit of piano, along with touring back-up musicians, laid the heavy sarcasm on thick and immediately. "This is the biggest, craziest crowd we've ever seen!" and "Just imagine; if they're this fired up already, think of how insane they're going to be later in the show!" like a punk rock Smothers Brothers routine. While the size and varying volume of the crowd didn't seem to affect the performance at all, they came back to similar comments and observations regularly throughout the night to the point where it eventually got somewhat painful, like when Wayne Coyne continually begs the crowd for noise and energy between nearly every song at a Flaming Lips concert.

Opening and closing with their breakthrough singles ("Come Out and Play" and "Self Esteem") was a wise bookend to a set that otherwise meandered between less-successful singles and fan-favorite deep cuts during the first third before breaking into a series of jams and cover songs, primarily paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Ramones, which were helpful in engaging the crowd while showing respect to a few of the band's influences. Moving the focus back to The Offspring's other biggest hits during the final third of the main set was also sensible, with spotlights on "Gotta Get Away," "Pretty Fly," and "The Kids Aren't Alright" each of which had younger, 21st century fans singing along with '90s anthems released before they were born. The most notable change to the current show compared to previous legs was the inclusion of the 2021 piano-based arrangement of 1996's "Gone Away," the only truly serious performance of the night, where fans sang along with a solo Holland, playing a small, center-stage piano surrounded by billowing smoke, while remembering lost loved ones. Immediately after, Holland was rejoined by the rest of the band for an unexpected run through about the first half of The Beatles' "Hey Jude," which seemed arguably out of place until it became clear it was a segue from the piano portion of the show back into hits and fan favorites when it was followed by "Why Don't You Get a Job?" a late '90s hit that was also a thinly veiled parody of The Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da."

Overall, the show was similar to The Offspring's outdoor concert a few years ago in Mt. Pleasant, but the Grand Rapids show had a slightly better set list in spite of the room having less energy due to the smaller crowd size. The professional production and comfortable execution of the performances still made for a great show, but based on the constant call-backs to the small and less enthusiastic crowd, it's seemingly not a gig the band is likely to fondly remember.

The Offspring set list:
Come Out and Play
Want You Bad
Looking Out for #1
Staring at the Sun
Hammerhead
Make It All Right
Bad Habit
Electric Funeral (Black Sabbath) (tease)
Paranoid (Black Sabbath) (jam)
Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne)
In the Hall of the Mountain King (Edvard Grieg)
I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones)
Gotta Get Away
(Drum Solo) (jam)
Gone Away '21
Hey Jude (The Beatles)
Why Don't You Get a Job?
Pretty Fly
The Kids Aren't Alright
------------------ 
You're Gonna Go Far, Kid
Self Esteem
--------------------------

Bad Religion set list:
Recipe for Hate
Them and Us
Los Angeles Is Burning
Do What You Want
21st Century
The Streets of America
Fuck You
Come Join Us
End of History
True North
The Defense
We're Only Gonna Die
Candidate
No Control
Struck a Nerve
You
Infected
Sorrow
American Jesus
---------------------------------

*********************

*Follow Jamblog by subscribing on the home page, by following our facebook page, or both!

*For even more, don't forget to also like and follow our music video and live performance page for great music from all of rock history in your timeline every day!!*  https://www.facebook.com/rocknrollhst/