‘I Love These Chords’: 31 Favorite Songs and the Music of 2009

My Black Friday tradition continues. Anything on this list is worth your shopping time if you’re looking for that perfect stocking stuffer.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Brian Fallon

The heart and soul of The Gaslight Anthem continued to amaze in 2009. He led his band on a barnstorming world tour that saw them go from playing tiny clubs to festivals in front of thousands, converting new fans with every chorus. The ultimate moment of the year came this summer, when none other than Fallon’s hero, Bruce Springsteen, joined them onstage a couple times for “The ’59 Sound,” then returned the favor by letting Fallon sing with E Street on “No Surrender.”

I saw Fallon and TGA three times in three different cities this year; each show was good, and the first and third were downright special. Fallon seems to be handling all the newfound fame and notoriety with grace, humility, and a good head on his shoulders.

Case in point: In January, Fallon put three new solo songs on his personal MySpace page: “The Blues, Mary,” “Tin Pan Alley,” and “Italian Lightning.” Later in the year, though, he decided to take the page down so it wouldn’t be a distraction from the band or look like he was already trying to go out on his own.

The fact he could simply set these songs by the side and move on is rather stunning proof of his abilities. The guy has yet to make a misstep—or write a song I don’t like, as you’ll soon see.

Runners Up

Dave Matthews Band

Florence + The Machine

The Hold Steady

Karen O

Murder by Death

Pearl Jam

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band

U2

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

“Red of Tooth and Claw,” Murder by Death

For the longest time, I thought Murder by Death’s latest album, “Red of Tooth and Claw,” came out this year, when it’s actually been out since March 2008. Regardless, no album made a stronger impact on me this year than this dark, epic wonder. Led by singer/guitarist Adam Turla, MBD make cowboy songs for the modern era, tales of violence, revenge, and riding the open road. Turla’s voice is like a mixture of Johnny Cash and those dudes from Seven Mary Three and Squirrel Nut Zippers—and it takes a man who can summon that type of gravitas to sing a line like “I’ll be the axe that clears the forest” and make it work.

The not-so-secret weapon is, of course, Sarah Balliet and her eviscerating electric cello, which gives Murder by Death their Old West sound and turns the music into something special. This is cinematic work; I tend not to listen to “Red of Tooth and Claw” in pieces, but instead feel compelled to push play on opener “Comin’ Home” and just let it run its course through one big experience. It’d be easier to name the songs I don’t care for (there are only two) than the highlights, but “Fuego!,” “Ash,” and “’52 Ford” are some of the best of the bunch.

Basically, “Red of Tooth and Claw” sounded like nothing else I heard in 2009, and it was the album I consistently returned to throughout the year whenever I needed a jolt of energy. So what if it didn’t come out in 2009? These songs sound a hundred years old, anyway.

Runners Up

“Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King,” Dave Matthews Band

“It’s Blitz!,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs

"Keep It Hid," Dan Auerbach

“Lungs,” Florence + The Machine

“No Line on the Horizon,” U2

“You Grab Your Jacket” EP, Cincinnati Rail Tie

Disappointments

“Backspacer,” Pearl Jam

"Changing Horses," Ben Kweller

“Daisy,” Brand New

“Mean Everything to Nothing,” Manchester Orchestra

"Swoon," Silversun Pickups

“Tonight,” Franz Ferdinand

“Wilco (the album),” Wilco

"Working on a Dream," Bruce Springsteen

SONGS OF THE YEAR

“The Blues, Mary,” Brian Fallon

Fallon makes no effort to hide his influences, so I can only assume “The Blues, Mary” is his take on Springsteen’s “Nebraska” period (with a little Tom Waits thrown in around the edges). This stark, unforgettable track hooked me from the first strum of those jangly chords. His voice here has a depth and maturity previously unheard in any Gaslight song, yet the melody is as accessible as we’ve come to expect from his writing for the band. The atmosphere is just perfect—quietly, urgently moving, just like “Nebraska.” Throw in Fallon singing “Amazing Grace” in the background as the song winds to a close, and you have the makeup for one of my two favorite songs of the year.

“Look on the Bright Side,” Cincinnati Rail Tie

“Look on the Bright Side” is the flipside to “The Blues, Mary.” Fallon wrote this uptempo number back in 2004 as another solo project he called Cincinnati Rail Tie. It’s one of four songs on the “You Grab Your Jacket” EP he recorded in a friend’s basement, but it only came to light this year. “Look on the Bright Side” is as good a pop/rock song as you’ll hear—it kinda has the feel and sound of Pearl Jam’s “Unplugged” performance, only much lighter in tone. Fallon’s lyrics are simple but powerful, encouraging a depressed friend to take a little time to mourn and to heal, but “don’t waste all of your tears,” and move on to start enjoying life again. It’s a song of empathy, but not pity. And it’s catchy as you’ll ever find.

29 MORE …

“1930,” The Gaslight Anthem (from 2007’s “Sink or Swim”)

Sometimes songs strike you in new ways, and such was the case with this monster from Gaslight’s debut album, which I heard live at the 9:30 Club last month. The last 45 seconds of this track, starting after the bridge, is one of my favorite moments on any record, ever.

“All Is Love,” Karen O & The Kids (from 2009’s “Where the Wild Things Are” soundtrack)

“Where the Wild Things Are” is a deceptively haunting movie, and this song evokes that same emotion. It’s supposed to be upbeat and joyful, but there’s a hint of despair and desperation underneath. Karen O and her child choir here sound like a juvenile version of The Arcade Fire—and I mean that as a compliment.

“Breathe,” U2 (from 2009’s “No Line on the Horizon,” as performed 9.29.09 at FedEx Field)

The most exciting track on U2’s most exciting album in more than a decade. From the thunderous drum intro through the final soaring vocal, this is U2 firing on all cylinders, each member of the band attacking the track in their own ferocious way, especially Bono with that new staccato delivery. I love the way it careens back and forth like the band can barely keep the song under control. It contains all the hallmarks of their greatness but sounds completely fresh at the same time. Brilliant.

“Channel,” Joe Henry (from 2009’s “Blood from Stars”)

I don’t know (yet) if Joe Henry is really for me, but this churning, slow-burning epic is darkly beautiful, with its somber piano and big cymbal crashes.

“Comin’ Home,” Murder by Death (from 2008’s “Red of Tooth and Claw”)

How to pick just one song from this fabulous, menacing album? First impressions are the most important, and “Comin’ Home” makes a perfect introduction. Modern-day cowboy music at its best, with bonus points for being featured in the “Inglorious Basterds” trailer.

“Demon Eyes,” The Answer (from 2009’s “Everyday Demons”)

This Irish throwback to AC/DC heavy metal is a wonderful blast from the past. The album wears out pretty quick, but “Demon Eyes” demands playback at maximum volume.

“Full Moon,” The Black Ghosts (from 2008’s “The Black Ghosts”/2008’s “Twilight” soundtrack)

Say what you want about “Twilight” (I really liked the movie), the soundtrack is outstanding. This is the first of two entries from that disc on this list. The first time I heard it I instantly flashed back to my first listen to Jars of Clay’s “Flood.” Same vibe, same great results. Sometimes songs and movies just seem made for each other, and this is one of those times. A strong contender for Song of the Year.

“Garden,” Pearl Jam (from 2009’s “Ten—Remix”)

The new Brendan O’Brien mix of Pearl Jam’s debut album was full of new highlights, but “Garden” stood out the most. A throwaway track on the original, O’Brien removed the sludge and allowed this song to soar.

“Girl from the North Country,” Rosanne Cash (from 2009’s “The List”)

I’m still getting to know Cash’s sublime new album—comprised of songs from her father’s list of the 100 greatest songs ever written—but this Dylan cover is an early standout. Her silky-smooth voice glides effortlessly over these famous lines.

“Goodbye,” P.O.S. (from 2009’s “Never Better”)

My favorite song from P.O.S.’s literate latest—complete with soul singer.

“Hurricane Drunk,” Florence + The Machine (from 2009’s “Lungs”)

Florence Welch’s debut album is a stunning concoction of styles, from blues to rock to pop. “Hurricane Drunk” is from the latter category, and it gives Lilly Allen et. al. a run for their money. Outstanding album.

“Jungleland,” Bruce Springsteen (from 1975’s “Born to Run,” as performed live at Verizon Center 11.2.09)

Covered this in depth in my concert review earlier this month. Nothing else to add, other than, you know, I love this song.

“Just Breathe,” Eddie Vedder (from 2009’s “Backspacer,” as performed live at The Spectrum, 10.31.09)

Sure, “Pearl Jam” may be on the CD sleeve, but this is an all-Eddie track, straight out of his “Into the Wild” sessions. It’s also the best song on the album and Vedder’s most accessible, pure love song to date. The idiots who make out to “Better Man” should switch to this one, instead. Only drawback is it sounds like Ed had a cold when he recorded it. Otherwise, wonderful, strings and all.

“Lille,” Lisa Hannigan (from 2008’s “Sea Sew”)

An endearing traditional Irish folk song tucked away at the end of Hannigan’s infectious debut album. Calling her Ireland’s version of Feist is too simplistic, but you get the idea.

“Low Rising,” The Swell Season (from 2009’s “Strict Joy”)

The wonderful duo from “Once” is back with a new album of originals, and they get right at the great stuff with this album-opener, a bluesy affair that evokes Springsteen’s “My City of Ruins” with a Kings of Leon-style electric guitar solo in the middle. This song will make you want to watch the movie all over again.

“O…Saya,” AR Rahman & M.I.A. (from 2008’s “Slumdog Millionaire” soundtrack)

This is the scene that told me right away I was going to enjoy “Slumdog.” The movie is good; this song is great.

“Poor Places,” Wilco (from 2002’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”)

Jay Bennett’s untimely death earlier this year sent me diving back into Wilco’s masterpiece to remember the contributions the multi-instrumentalist and producer extraordinaire made to one of my all-time favorite bands and albums. In a testament to that CD's greatness, this foreboding track buried near the back struck me anew. Bennett’s contributions are all over it and are made even more evident in light of Wilco’s new album from this year; it’s OK, but pales in comparison to a track like this.

“Shake Me Like a Monkey,” Dave Matthews Band (from 2009’s “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King”)

The first track on DMB’s new album screams “WE’RE BACK!!!” This song has more verve than anything the band’s done in more than a decade. Adding the trumpet was a masterstroke. There are more great songs on “GrooGrux,” but this one alone reminded me why I used to call this group one of my favorite bands. An instant DMB classic.

“Stuck Between Stations,” The Hold Steady (from 2006’s “Boys and Girls in America”)

I got to know this band a lot more in 2009. I’m still not a huge fan, but I understand why so many are. This song, with its huge sound and spitfire lyrics, is Exhibit A.

“Supermassive Black Hole,” Muse (from 2006’s “Black Holes and Revelations”/2008’s “Twilight” soundtrack)

Did Muse hit the jackpot with this song, or what? The coolest track on the “Twilight” soundtrack from the coolest scene in the movie, a combination that turned this British trio into American rock stars overnight. Oh, and the new album is really good, too. Nice timing, there, boys.

“Suspicious Minds,” Elvis Presley (1969)

My attitude toward Elvis has been changing ever since I visited Graceland early last year. I used to think he was the most overrated star in the history of music, mostly because he didn’t write his own songs. But as some of my favorite albums of the decade consist entirely of cover songs, that argument now rings a bit hollow. Elvis may not have written this, his last No. 1 single in the U.S., but the power he brings to it is unbelievable. I had never listened to it much until I saw some random thread on a message board about favorite Presley songs and this one kept coming up. I approached it with fresh ears and fell in love instantly; it’s now my favorite Elvis song, too.

“The Mountain,” Heartless Bastards (from 2009’s “The Mountain”)

A female version of Neil Young. Big, wide, chunky chords grown right out of the earth. Many to choose from on this outstanding new record, but, again, first impressions are hard to beat, and this lead/title track is a great introduction to the band.

“Tin Pan Alley,” Brian Fallon (2009)

Fallon goes country in another amazing solo turn released via MySpace early this year. This guy has yet to write a song I don’t like. Most, like this one, I tend to love.

“Too Shy to Scream,” AFI (from 2009’s “Crash Love”)

This song is all about the drumbeat, which almost sounds like … hip hop? Surely not. Whatever it is, the backbeat for “Too Shy to Scream” is a new twist on the tried-and-true AFI formula, and it works to spectacular effect. It also signals a back-to-basics shift for the band, moving away from the industrial themes of the last record in favor of the tone from 2003’s “Sing the Sorrow.” Either way they go, I’m fine with it, and “Crash Love” is a fine follow up to “Decemberunderground.”

“Trusty Chords,” Hot Water Music (from 2002’s “Caution,” as performed live at the 9:30 Club by The Gaslight Anthem, 10.22.09)

Hot Water Music was one of those bands I just flat-out missed during their heyday. So, thank you, Brian Fallon & Co. for bringing them up. This was an inspired cover choice, and TGA pulled it off masterfully.

“Two Angels,” The Jayhawks (from 1989’s “Blue Earth”/2009’s “Music From the North Country: A Jayhawks Anthology”)

Speaking of bands I missed, this alt-country outfit helped me out by releasing a massive triple-disc retrospective. It’s so much music at one time, I’m still digesting it all. But I knew right from the first few seconds of the first song on the first disc, “Two Angels,” that I was in for a great experience.

“Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?”, The Gaslight Anthem (from 2008’s “Senor and the Queen” EP, as performed live at the 9:30 Club 10.22.09)

Lost in last year’s flood of “The ’59 Sound” was Gaslight’s other masterpiece, a four-song EP of perfection called “Senor and the Queen,” one of my favorite 11 minutes, 29 seconds of music this decade. The best of the bunch is this track that builds and builds upon itself, adding layers until it all explodes in the final 45 seconds. If I had to pick my top three TGA songs, this would be one of them.

“(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher,” Jackie Wilson (as performed by Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band at Verizon Center 11.2.09)

One of the best concert moments of my life.

“Zero,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs (from 2009’s “It’s Blitz!)

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs sure threw us a curveball with this one, huh? Though it’s dance-hall trappings made me do a double-take on first listen, “Zero” is pure energy, which is what we’ve come to expect from YYYs. This song, to me, sounds like the NYC trio’s take on early Madonna (think “Material Girl”). It’s their most radio-friendly track since “Maps”—and one of their best.

Dave Matthews Band, ‘Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King’

A band is basically an idea: A group of people get together with a notion for a song, or a sound, or a style, and they turn that nebulous connection into reality.

Some bands don’t express that idea quite clearly the first time out, so it takes time to refine, allowing it to evolve, expand. The band expounds upon that core, while never forsaking the original spark.

Others are crystallized right away; the idea hits your ears fully and perfectly realized. These kinds of bands typically burn bright then fade out, because there’s just nowhere for them to go. They gave us their best right away. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Longevity can be overrated.

The Dave Matthews Band, however, is a bit of both. Without question they gave us the best, fully formed version of the idea that is DMB immediately. The band’s first three albums—1993's “Remember Two Things,” 1994’s “Under the Table and Dreaming,” and 1996’s “Crash”—all of them rather fantastic—came from basically the same intense series of songwriting sessions when the group got together in Charlottesville in the early '90s. The heady, unlikely brew of acoustic guitar, saxophone, violin, and extraordinary percussion wasn’t just a spark on first blush, it was a conflagration. Whether you liked it or not, the first time you heard Dave Matthews Band there in the mid-’90s, you got the best of what it had to offer.

It was great.

And it didn’t last.

The band’s fourth album, 1998’s “Before These Crowded Streets,” was the first true batch of songwriting these drunken, pot-smoking misfits encountered in the years since they brought their idea to life. “BTCS” is pretty good, but the signs of fade are clear if you go back and listen to it now: the dark tones, the angry lyrics, the sprawling, sometimes aimless songs that stretch well into the five-minute category and beyond.

By the end of the decade, the band’s eponymous leader had given us his best. He knew the infamous “Lillywhite Sessions” would get the job done, but he didn’t want to just keep treading on the same old thing. So, in hopes of a new idea, he sought out pop craftsman Glen Ballard and the two wrote a batch of songs in just a couple of weeks. Matthews was tricking himself into thinking he’d come up with that new thing, but it was fool’s gold. The resulting album, 2001’s “Everyday,” was different, sure, but it didn’t remain true to the original; Matthews admits as much these days, even while dutifully defending it. Buoyed by its poppy title track, “Everyday” still sold quite well. It’s the only DMB album I don’t own.

The following year DMB finally released the “Lillywhite” recordings, reworked a bit and formally christened “Busted Stuff.” It was fine. There are some good tracks there (“Grace Is Gone” and “Grey Street” among them), but how good could an album really be when the artists are essentially held up without a gun by their devoted fans and forced to release it?

By this point I’d moved on. Dave Matthews Band went from being one of my favorite bands to … some band I used to love and don’t listen to much anymore. 2005’s “Stand Up” barely registered. I bought it, listened to it a few times, forgot it, and the band. Entirely.

And then, LeRoi Moore died.

It’s a complicated thing trying to work out how to feel about an album as good as DMB’s new one, “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King,” when I know it wouldn’t be this good without the passing of the saxophonist extraordinaire. In promoting the album earlier this year, Matthews said it was the quiet Moore who was most fervent about recapturing on record what the band seemingly only could bring to the live experience at this point in its career. The band was already moving in that direction, apparently, when Moore suffered the ATV accident last year that eventually cost him his life. Losing their beloved bandmate made the surviving members of DMB redouble their efforts to make “GrooGrux” (Moore’s nickname) live up to his demands.

They did.

The album begins and ends with a plaintive sax solo—merely a snippet of an idea Moore recorded before his death. In between is the best Dave Matthews Band record in more than a decade.

It starts with “Shake Me Like a Monkey,” a ferocious rocker that recalls a wall-shaking track like “Too Much.” Rashawn Ross’ squealing trumpet is a tremendous addition to the band, and “Monkey” is without question one of the band’s best-ever cuts: exhilarating, sinewy, surprises lurking around every musical turn.

From that point on there really isn’t a bad track in the whole set. It’s such a refreshing return to form, it makes me wonder how this band lost its way so dramatically. Like their earlier albums, “GrooGrux” is filled with joy—not in the lyrics, necessarily, but the overall emotion. The songs flow so easily, on their own and one into another. There’s an openness in the sound DMB hasn’t had in forever; gone is the claustrophobic dark cloud that weighed upon “Stand Up” and “Busted Stuff.”

In its place are starry twinklers “Funny the Way It Is” and “Lying in the Hands of God”; thick grooves “Seven,” “Spaceman,” and “Squirm”; the all-out boogie of “Alligator Pie,” the type of freewheelin’ romp 2005’s “Louisiana Bayou” merely pretended to be. Besides “Monkey,” my two other favorite tracks on the CD are “Why I Am,” a wide open, high-energy gem like only DMB can produce (think “Ants Marching”). The other is “Time Bomb,” reminiscent of the band’s treatment of Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” in the way it builds and builds before exploding; the final minute rocks harder and heavier than any song in Dave Matthews Band’s catalog. My only complaint is a tiny one: I would have broken up the back-to-back mellow duo of “Baby Blue” and “You & Me,” which close the album on a bit too quiet of a note.

What makes “GrooGrux” such a triumph is how the band stopped trying to be something they aren’t and got back to what made us all love them in the first place. Gone are the pop trappings that made them sound like any other crappy light-rock band on the radio. But this isn’t a simple rehash, either: it’s the natural progression from “Crash”—it just took them a decade to figure out how to write it. Though not quite as great as those early albums, it comes darn close.

Prior to hearing “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King,” I thought my Dave Matthews Band fandom was dead and buried. This album brought it back to life.

Grade: A-

‘And With Them, I Become One’: Pearl Jam, Live on Halloween Night to Close Out the Spectrum, 10.31.09

Last weekend’s epic Pearl Jam show to close out Philly’s legendary Spectrum was a clear example of “be careful what you wish for” to diehard fans.

At 41 songs and three and a half hours, the concert was one of the longest in PJ history. It featured a roll call of deep cuts rarely played, including two songs—“Bugs” (!!!) and “Sweet Lew” (bleh)—making their live debuts. The night was intended to be massive, momentous, memorable. And, for the most part, it was. But in catering to such desires—from both the bandmates themselves and their fans—the show somewhat cracked under the weight of its expectations.

Things started off with a roar with two thematically poignant tracks to open the show. “Why Go” home, indeed? And this certainly would be the “Last Exit” for Philly’s favorite venue. “Corduroy” into “Severed Hand” remains an excellent, fiery combo, as well, and “The Fixer”—the band’s most pop-friendly tune since “Last Kiss”—is already a crowd favorite (yeah, yeah, yeah!).

After this steamy intro, though (literally—it was so hot in there, Ed asked for a fan immediately), Eddie said we would have to “pace ourselves” because we were in for “a long, long night.” All of a sudden it was like the air went out of the room, and the show never really recovered. Pearl Jam concerts as a rule have an emotional intensity that buoys the audience; much of this is due to Eddie’s talent in crafting a setlist each night that will ebb and flow perfectly. Typically, if a show goes overlong, it’s because the band is really feeling it from the crowd and wants to keep riding that wave (last year’s D.C. outing, for a great example).

Last Saturday, by intentionally going for length at the outset, the performance ended up more workmanlike than inspired. Not that they weren’t feeling it, mind you, because they were; it was clear all night how much it meant to the band to have the honor—and responsibility—of closing down such a building. But it seemed like more effort than elation some of the time.

This band, to its undying credit, is quite aware of its fanbase. The Halloween show was open to as many fan club members as wanted to come (typically there are only a small percentage of seats available per gig), so they knew the place was literally packed to the rafters with people who actually know “Sweet Lew.” To give you an idea, I’ve been in the fan club since 1998 and I had the “worst” seats to a PJ show in a decade—side stage in the last row of the lower bowl. I heard some Ten Clubbers were even up in the 400 level.

So to please a crowd of people who if they hadn’t been in the building would have been checking message boards at home to see what was played, Eddie & Co. went to the Wayback Machine to pull out as many rarities and b-sides as they could find. “Bugs” was the obvious highlight; the macabre “Vitalogy” track has never been attempted live before, and it almost didn’t work here, either, as Ed had to restart it after a failed first attempt and much fan pleading. Never thought the little song could spur such an intense reaction, but it certainly did—a PJ Moment that will be long remembered. “Pilate,” from 1998’s “Yield,” was played for the first time in more than nine years; “Out of My Mind,” an improv performed just twice way back in 1994 and released as the b-side to “Not for You,” was a huge and welcome surprise—and sounded great. Others such as “You Are,” “Rats,” “Glorified G,” “Satan’s Bed,” “I’m Open,” “Lowlight,” and “Smile” also definitely qualify for the rare air category.

But you know what? There’s a reason a lot of these songs don’t make the setlist on a nightly basis: They don’t get it done. Of all the infrequently played cuts we heard last Saturday, the only one I’m shocked isn’t in heavier rotation is “Smile”; its soaring “I miss you already” refrain was especially timely and appropriate for the Spectrum.

I was looking forward to hearing how PJ’s new album, “Backspacer,” translated to the live setting, and I certainly got the chance with eight of the record’s 11 songs played Saturday night. In general, they didn’t change my opinion: “Backspacer” to me feels like a really nice collection of b-sides, but there isn’t one track on there that stands out as a Pearl Jam classic. “Got Some” and “The Fixer” are two of the best of the bunch, but I cannot understand all the love for “Amongst the Waves” and especially “Unthought Known”; both sound like retreads—the former of “In Hiding” and the latter of “Love Boat Captain.” “Johnny Guitar” and “Speed of Sound,” meanwhile, I don’t see surviving for another tour. My favorite “Backspacer” track of the night was “Just Breathe,” with Ed accompanied onstage by a string quartet.

By contrast, several "staples" sounded as good as ever. "Alive" is always a highlight, despite Ed inexplicably flubbing the first verse. The trio of "Black" (with the welcome "We Belong Together" tag)/"Insignificance"/"Life Wasted" closed out the main set in bravura fashion. "Do the Evolution" wrung every last ounce of energy from the crowd as the show wound to a close. And "Porch" … one of the best versions I've been in attendance for, starting with the jazzy Ed guitar intro, and ending with him standing on a stack of speakers out in the crowd. Just fantastic.

The biggest stars of Halloween night, though, were the covers. To start the second encore, the band brought the freakin’ house down with a spot-on version of Devo’s “Whip It,” complete with costumes and robot moves. Infectiously fun and bravely unpretentious, it was without question one of the best Pearl Jam moments of my life. “Crown of Thorns” arrived just two songs later, introduced by Ed as going back “as far as we can go,” and it was as fantastic as ever, played for just the 14^th time in the band’s history. “Rockin’ in the Free World” was its usual sterling self, this time complete with confetti and balloons filling the air as the night drew to a close. And I will never tire of Mike McCready closing a show with a Hendrixian version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

As a total Pearl Jam geek, last Saturday night was an utter thrill. I freaked out with equal measure over all those rarities and would have kicked myself for missing out on what was a truly special event. They certainly didn’t disappoint (when do they ever?), and there were some specific moments that I'll never, ever forget (one more: Ed bouncing a basketball next to a mic onstage as part of the rhythm section for "Sweet Lew").

But it was also a good lesson that more isn’t always better and setlists on a page don’t always translate to transcendence. Halloween was my 12^th PJ show, and I don’t know if it cracks my top 5.

How awesome is that?

Pearl Jam

The Spectrum

Philadelphia

10.31.09

PRE-SET

Watch It Die (Ed w/Bad Religion)

MAIN SET

Why Go

Last Exit

Corduroy

Severed Hand

The Fixer

Small Town

You Are

Amongst the Waves

Even Flow

Pilate

Unthought Known

Daughter/Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2

Johnny Guitar

Rats

Out of My Mind

I’m Open

I Got Shit

Glorified G

Black

Insignificance

Life Wasted

FIRST ENCORE

Just Breathe

The End

Lowlight

Speed of Sound

Jeremy

Inside Job

Bugs

Spin the Black Circle

Porch

SECOND ENCORE

Whip It

Got Some

Crown of Thorns

Satan’s Bed

Sweet Lew

Do the Evolution

Better Man/Save It for Later

Smile

Alive

Rockin’ in the Free World

Yellow Ledbetter/Star-Spangled Banner

Show Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes

'This Is Our Last Chance': Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Live in D.C., 11.2.09

I could’ve gone home after “Jungleland” and been completely happy.

But the concert was only halfway over.

Bruce Springsteen and The Mighty E Street Band are in the stretch run of what is essentially a two-year globetrotting tour. While technically the Boss is promoting his latest album, January’s “Working on a Dream,” even the hardest working man in rock and roll realizes at this point that CD’s a clunker. Only two cuts appeared in the midst of a barnstorming, roof-shaking, foot-stomping, throat-searing, heart-stopping, joy-inducing set Monday night.

Instead, the “Working on a Dream” tour has morphed into an encore of the Reunion Tour from 1999-2000, when Bruce first put his legendary band back together after a decade apart. These last shows are a celebration of what this magnificent group has accomplished over the past three-plus decades, as each night Springsteen is playing one of his albums start to finish in the middle of the show.

Monday night it was “Born to Run,” and has a better pure rock and roll record ever been written? From the opening harmonica strains of “Thunder Road” to the final moan of “Jungleland,” it was impressed upon me once again that this album is just … perfection. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” in particular, stood out, as it strutted and shimmied with a force not captured on the original recording. And then they finish “Backstreets” and I’m thinking, “How could you top that side?” Oh, well, flip the record over and you start with, hello, “Born to Run”—and, as always, the crowd explodes beneath the full house lights. “Born to Run” kills live, but it’s usually held back for a set-closer or an encore; played this early takes the show to an emotional level early that then never really goes away.

“She’s the One” has always been a personal fave, so I was thrilled to hear it in person. “Meeting Across the River” was long forgotten by Springsteen for years, but hearing it now made me wonder how that could possibly happen. Bruce has a trumpeter, Curt Ramm, out with him right now, which I guess is what makes this sparse track doable. Ramm was a virtuoso all night, taking spotlight moments on “Tenth Avenue,” “Rosalita,” and “Pink Cadillac,” among others. “Meeting” was mesmerizing.

I first started listening to Bruce Springsteen around the turn of the decade—summer 2000, as best I can recall, right as the Reunion Tour was wrapping up. For the better part of nine years I’ve been kicking myself for not getting on board just a year or two earlier, so I could have caught one of those legendary shows. I was left with the DVD as consolation, and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve watched it. One of the go-to tracks on those discs for me was “Jungleland,” and I figured I’d missed my chance, so oh well. When Monday night’s show was announced awhile back, I was on the fence about going—I was set to see Pearl Jam in Philly just two nights earlier; there’s the whole crappy-economy-and-$100-ticket-thing; and it’s a busy time of year for me.

On the other hand, I know the E Street Band isn’t going to be around forever. At the end of every leg for the past two years Springsteen fans speculate: “Is this it?” When the tour wraps in Buffalo in a few weeks, this could really be it. Bruce is now 60 years old, they’ve already lost Phantom Dan Federici, and the Big Man is toughing it out night in and night out. Though I’d seen Bruce three times prior, only one of those was with the band. This might have been my last shot. Nevertheless, I was conflicted. Right before the tickets went on sale, though, it was announced they would play “Born to Run” in its entirety. That meant one thing to me:

“Jungleland.”

I bought the ticket.

Though I don’t have anything to compare it to, I thought the rendition Monday night was spectacular. Clarence crushed his solo, and Bruce threw everything into it, which to play this song the way it should—or at all—I guess you have to for it not to become melodrama. It’s such a massive cut, so stirring, building and exploding and ebbing and flowing. Then after going out and back again, giving each member of the band a chance to shine, it comes back to Bruce and that series of wails. Those visceral howls don’t just summarize the song, but the entire album; it’s like hearing everything in sequence turned those final moments into something more than they would have been otherwise.

After “Jungleland” concluded, Bruce brought the band to the front of the stage for a bow, acknowledging the men who helped save his career with one of the pinnacle albums in rock history. And then … the show must go on. It was only 9:35, after all!

“Waitin’ on a Sunny Day” was like a splash of cold water coming out of “Born to Run.” I do not understand why he chooses this particular song to break the spell, but whatever. It’s just a bridge to the next big moment of the show: the requests. This phenomenon started during the “Magic” tour; fans in the pit bring song requests on signs, and Bruce wanders around and collects about two dozen, sifting through them on stage looking for a handful that strike his fancy. I’d read about this online, of course, and thought it sounded cool, but it's a whole different level of awesome in person.

The first sign he stood in front of the mic stand Monday night was “Stand on It,” a deep cut from the “Tracks” box set; the crowd didn’t seem to know it, but the swinging rocker didn’t take long to sink in. At the end of the song—with the band still playing, mind you—Bruce calls out a key change and they move seamlessly into “Seven Nights to Rock,” a little moment that was one of my favorite in the show. Bruce always says the band is playing better than it ever has, and that sounds like so much hyperbole until you see with your own eyes how they change gears instantly and with almost no warning, literally without missing a beat. The request section closed out wonderfully with two crowd favorites: a fantastic muscular version of “Growin’ Up,” and rattling rendition of “Pink Cadillac,” bathing the crowd in the appropriate color.

The main set ended with a trio of big rockers: “Lonesome Day” and “The Rising” followed by the always-welcome “Badlands,” which if you held a gun to my head I’d probably say is my favorite Springsteen song.

The encore builds in room to remember Springsteen’s folk turn earlier this decade, with full-band versions of “Hard Time” (written in 1855, Bruce said) and “American Land,” the rollicking twanger that closed the Seeger Sessions shows in 2006. Though seemingly an odd fit with the rest of the E Street-heavy show, they both went over quite well, “American Land,” especially.

Speaking of going over, uh, well (understatement), “No Surrender” and “Dancing in the Dark” were both incredible, and pointedly demonstrate how hard-rocking the songs on “Born in the U.S.A.” really are when you strip away the awful synthesizers.

And I guess feeling he hadn’t quite wrung every ounce of emotion out of the crowd Monday night, Springsteen closed the show with two of the most joyous concert experiences of my life: “Rosalita” and “Higher and Higher.” “Rosie,” of course, needs no introduction; this, along with “Jungleland,” was another of the songs I’d always wanted to experience in person but thought I never would. It did not disappoint.

Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher” is a new addition to the set, brought back a couple weeks ago to close out Springsteen’s last Philadelphia Spectrum run. Prior to that, he hadn’t played it in more than 30 years, and after Monday I wonder what the heck took him so long. He’s played a bunch of covers on this tour, but I can’t imagine any being better than this. A true rock-and-roll revival, it left the crowd—me included—singing and smiling as we filed out of the arena.

Other notes:

• “Outlaw Pete” opened the show with an absolute thud. I hesitate to criticize since it was dedicated to Bruce’s cousin and tourmate who died last week, but, I’m sorry, this song sucks. The crowd greeted it with a collective “huh?” Not only that, but it’s so long, it steals stage time from TWO other potential choices. “Working on a Dream” isn’t much better, either. Like “Sunny Day,” my feeling is: If you have to encourage the crowd to sing along, Bruce, YOU shouldn’t be singing the song in the first place. See …

• “Hungry Heart” got the crowd going with the traditional first-verse singalong. Bruce continued a new tradition he started at Giants Stadium a few weeks ago where he walks the pit rail out toward the center of the arena floor, invoking his inner Bono. I was standing right under the main scoreboard, so he ended up about 15-20 feet from me, which was cool. He then crowd surfed back to the stage, and right before he got there he yelled “Big Man!” into the mic, signaling the sax solo. It was undeniably awesome.

• The band is doing this weird thing where they don’t actually leave the stage for an encore. After “Badlands” and “American Land,” they took their bows like they were going to exit, then just went back and picked up their instruments again and went at it.

• Springsteen was as active as ever. He worked the entire stage all night, making a giant sports arena feel like a little club. The guy works it like a man half his age. Amazing.

So, that’s it. If this tour really is IT for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, they'll leave the long and winding road in full command of their estimable powers.

And it feels right as you lock up the house

Turn out the lights and step out into the night …

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Verizon Center

Washington, D.C.

11.2.09

MAIN SET

Outlaw Pete

Prove It All Night

Hungry Heart

Working on a Dream

***

Thunder Road

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

Night

Backstreets

Born to Run

She’s the One

Meeting Across the River

Jungleland

***

Waitin’ on a Sunny Day

Stand on It

Seven Nights to Rock

Growin’ Up

Pink Cadillac

Lonesome Day

The Rising

Badlands

ENCORE

Hard Times

No Surrender

American Land

Dancing in the Dark

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

(You’re Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher

Boss Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

‘It Felt Good To Be Alive’: The Gaslight Anthem, Live at 9:30, 10.22.09

Heading into Thursday night’s sold-out Gaslight Anthem show at D.C.’s 9:30 Club, I wondered if the band’s amazing summer changed them at all.

This time last year they were openers for a punk tour and playing little places like Virginia Beach's Jewish Mother. But by this summer their latest album, “The ’59 Sound,” was blowing up and all of a sudden they were playing European festivals in front of thousands and Bruce Springsteen was joining them onstage.

Success of that sort—at that speed—could crush a band. How many times have we seen it happen? Thankfully, The Gaslight Anthem seem to have taken it in stride … and just gotten better. Thursday’s show was the best of the three I’ve seen this year (you can read about the others here and here).

The band displayed a new level of crispness that can only come from playing these songs a couple hundred times over the past year. And yet none of it felt forced or put on; they attacked their barnstorming set with the same ferocity as when there used to be only a couple hundred people in the audience. They had a few more lights roaming around the room, and a big banner draped along the back of the stage, but otherwise this was everything about the band I've come to know and love.

I think the 9:30 Club had a lot to do with the extra kick in Thursday's show. Frontman Brian Fallon acknowledged the history of the place and all the legendary musicians who’ve played there over the years; you could tell it meant something for him to be in a position in his life to sell the room out. And there’s a reason why bands love to play there: It’s a great venue for a concert (once you get inside, anyway). There’s not a bad view in the house (we were up in the balcony for the first time and will now ALWAYS be there from now on; awesome vantage point—especially of Benny Horowitz’s maniacal drumming), and the soundsystem is outstanding. The mix was absolutely perfect and crystal clear.

Gaslight’s been touring on “’59 Sound” for more than a year now, and the set stays basically the same—loaded with tracks from the new album, and then sprinkling in the rest of their catalog as time and space allows and the mood strikes. Thursday was no different, as we got all but one track from the new album, missing just “Meet Me By the River’s Edge” (more’s the pity). The biggest change for these fall shows is moving “High Lonesome” into the opening slot; the song’s avalanche of a drum roll is a fantastic way to kickstart a concert. I love “Great Expecations” as an opener, too, but such a great song deserves its own “moment” in the show, which now it has pushed back toward the end of the main set.

“The ’59 Sound” is a major highlight of any show. If there’s anyone still on the fence by the time this monster makes its arrival in the sixth slot, all doubts are erased. This song gets everyone in the room excited.

Every time, though, there’s a different section of the set that jumps out at me for some reason. Thursday night it was the hammering three-pack of “The Patient Ferris Wheel” (a song I always forget I like so much live until I hear it again), “Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?” (one of my Gaslight faves, which featured a slight, if charming, lyrical flub by Fallon), and “Drive.” Fallon introduced the latter as “the first song we ever wrote together”; it doesn’t get played every night, but it should—this song killed Thursday.

Fallon was certainly in good spirits (when is he not?), channeling the band’s perfect mix of upbeat intensity; somehow these guys have fun and stay focused at the same time. Prior to “Ferris Wheel” he told a rambling story about wandering around D.C. and buying Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” just because he couldn’t bear to see it lying discarded in a bargain bin; or how he had a tattoo artist come over to the club before the show to add some ink to his leg—not thinking that may not be the best idea a couple hours before playing a concert. His voice was without question in the best shape I’ve heard this year—he didn’t even need the customary two or three songs to get the frog out of his throat this time, and he consistently hit all the necessary high notes all night.

“Angry Johnny and the Radio” was back in the main set—The Clash's “Straight to Hell” bridge snippet included—but I much prefer it as a show closer. Pairing the rabble-rouser with “Expectations” was pretty awesome, though.

Thursday’s show was 10 minutes and a couple songs longer than Gaslight’s typical set, and one of the additions followed “Expectations” as Fallon audibled with “The Navesink Banks” from 2007’s “Sink or Swim.” He paired it with “Here’s Lookin’ at You, Kid” for “the slow section of the show.” “Backseats” closed out the main set with its usual thunder and lightning—may it never change!

Releasing a record as great as “The ’59 Sound” means Gaslight unfortunately plays less songs off their other great record, “Sink or Swim.” The fabulous “1930” opened the encore with an explosion; it’s amazing the band’s catalog is already so deep this masterpiece isn’t an every-night staple.

The Gaslight Anthem’s cover choices are superb. I continue to carry a torch for a personal viewing of Pearl Jam’s “State of Love and Trust,” but every cover I’ve heard them play—either in person or via bootleg—is outstanding. Thursday night they busted out a true-to-original version of Hot Water Music’s “Trusty Chords,” a fitting tribute to one of the band’s obvious predecessors and influences.

And then the show was over—all too quickly—with “Say I Won’t (Recognize),” this time featuring a snippet of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun.” Fallon promised they’d be back next year, with—most exciting to this fan—a new record in tow.

This show was incredible. It’s left me buzzing for two days now. Hope it never stops.

The Gaslight Anthem

9:30 Club

Washington, D.C.

10.22.09

MAIN SET

High Lonesome

Casanova, Baby!

Old White Lincoln

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

We Came to Dance

The ’59 Sound

Film Noir

Miles Davis & the Cool

The Patient Ferris Wheel

Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?

Drive

Angry Johnny and the Radio/Straight to Hell (snippet)

Great Expectations

The Navesink Banks

Here’s Lookin’ at You, Kid

Backseats

ENCORE

1930

Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts

Trusty Chords (Hot Water Music cover)

Say I Won’t (Recognize)/House of the Rising Sun (snippet)

Show Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

OPENERS: Murder by Death

The Gaslight Anthem have a tendency to bring some odd choices out with them on the road, such as last spring’s Heartless Bastards and this tour’s Murder by Death. These are not punk-show bands by any stretch of the imagination, but it shows how Gaslight are open to anything—as long as it’s good.

Murder by Death’s latest release, “Red of Tooth and Claw” is probably my favorite album of the year (even though it was released in 2008), and the band didn’t disappoint with their 40-minute set at the 9:30 Club. Frontman Adam Turla’s between-song banter was a bit annoying, but his musical performance was excellent—especially a solo cover of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).” And how often do you see a cellist at a rock show? Their modern-day cowboy songs translated exceptionally well to the live setting.

Be A Part of This 'Community'

NBC continues to take a lot of heat in the media for its ratings, but they deserve prime-time kudos for making Thursday nights Must-See TV again.

It takes guts on the network's part to offer the current two-hour comedy lineup on Thursdays featuring four high-concept shows that don't go for the cheap laugh and instead try and offer a higher level of comedy quality.

"The Office" anchors the whole thing, of course, and last week's wedding episode was about as well done as a "big" installment gets. I'm no fan of "30 Rock," but I understand why those who are love it so much. Also holding over from last year is "Parks and Recreation"; yes, it basically sucks, but at least it tries to be something more than a dumb sitcom.

New to the block is "Community," which is my favorite new show of the season (OK, so the only other new show I'm watching is "FlashForward," but still …). "Community" is the kind of show that may not make you belly laugh too many times in the moment, but you'll be chuckling to yourself and talking about it to your friends long after the credits roll. It's clever and smart and just all-around likable. "The Soup's" Joel McHale is a great leading man, but every cast member is perfectly chosen—especially a refreshingly mellow Chevy Chase—and the characters get funnier and deeper with every passing week. Each episode has been better than the last, but unfortunately the ratings-challenged show probably won't last long, so catch it while you can (8 p.m.).

These aren't laugh-track shows throwing out stupid one-liners all night long. They're a cut above, and NBC deserves credit where credit is due.