Morrissey @Hammerstein Ballroom, Oct. 23rd

I had to go again after last night's amazing opening show. This time I was on the floor for only $25. Ask me in the morning if my knee hates me, but tonight was worth it as well. We got a more energetic crowd, and "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want," "The Boy With a Thorn in His Side" and a cover of the New York Dolls' "Human Being."

Here are the three final songs of the main set:

"Disappointed":

A gorgeous "Dear God Please Help Me" from his most recent album, Ringleader of the Tormentors:


And the classic "How Soon Is Now?":


And the now obligatory shirtless shot. Hottt...

Morrissey @Hammerstein Ballroom, Oct. 22nd

Due to my busted knee, I had to settle for a view from the Mezzanine, but it was well worth the wait for dear ol' Moz. He pulled out lots of oldies including two which really stuck with me: "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself" from Vauxhall and I and "Death of a Disco Dancer" from The Smiths' Strangeways, Here We Come.

Here's "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me":

And "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell":


All is forgiven. You're still the one for me, Fatty!

See you Sunday Tuesday!

Stars @Town Hall, Oct. 18th

Perhaps fitting that they played only steps from Broadway, tonight the mighty little Canadian band Stars entertained the crowd at Town Hall with their lyrically-detailed and melodrama-packed songs full of beat and perfect melody. The adorably nerdy Torquil Campbell and guitar-shredding Amy Millan traded off singing duties as they led us through a setlist full of favorites from their previous album, Set Yourself on Fire (a Qbertplaya all-time favorite), and their latest release, In Our Bedroom After the War. They even found time to play "Elevator Love Letter" and "Look Up" from their debut, Heart.

(The encore consisted of the following four songs: "The Night Starts Here," "My Favorite Book," "Ageless Beauty" and "Calendar Girl.")

This was my fourth time seeing Stars, the last time being in February 2006. While I do listen to them on my iPod all the time, sneaking into the front row and catching them tonight really reminded me why I find their music irresistible. As Torq perched on the edge of the stage and sang his heart out to the audience, his shirt drenched with sweat, and eventually jumping down and practically assaulting a fan (in a fun way), he displayed a bravado that suggested we were indeed witnessing some kind of a theatrical event.

I only caught a wee bit of the opener, New Buffalo, with whom I had zero familiarity. Pretty voice. New Buffalo aka Sally Seltmann seemed to be in need of a band, although she did have another female on backup vocals for a while, and Jens Lenkman out for a duet, which was kinda neat...

Mommy, this scares me!

Disney's "Finding Nemo" on ice:

I am disturbed.

Blue Man Group @Astor Place Theatre, Sept. 29th

The day started literally with a bang, as I managed to blow out my knee doing a sweep kick in kung fu class earlier that afternoon. Owie. I hope this will not keep me away from gigging too long!

Unfortunate as the patellar trauma was, I was determined not to dwell upon it for too long, as it was my birthday weekend. As part of my superduper present, Bestest Boy surprised me by taking me to see Blue Man Group, a New York institution I had never caught before. While not a gig in the traditional sense, the show featured an eclectic blend of visual and aural stimulation that was interesting, challenging, bizarre and oftentimes, hysterical. The Blue Men found innovative ways to create music, with a focus on percussion, and a backup band providing elements of rock and dance through drums, electric guitar and keyboard. It also explored themes involving technology, science, society and art, among other things. A really amusing skit involved instruction on how to be a rock star.

I had a blast seeing the stolid, blue trio, and the show (and my company) proved to be a nice analgesic to the day's earlier knee-jolting experience.

The LED display at the beginning of the show wished me well -- "HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVEN" it said...oops!

Rilo Kiley @Webster Hall, Sept. 22nd-23rd

(Sorry this post is long overdue, but my life has been crazy-busy for the past month or so. Mostly awesome, if you're keeping tabs. And I don't even have the excuse of seeing too many gigs, as these two shows were my only concerts for the month of September. Hard to believe? Qbertplaya may be heading down a new path...)

I heart Blake Sennett; I am madly in love with Jenny Lewis. So it was a no-brainer for me to scoop up tix to see Rilo Kiley two nights in a row at the dreaded Webster Hall. While I am still deciding whether I love their latest cd, seeing them live cemented why I cannot get enough of these cutie pies. They played a perfect mix of songs from all their albums. And they've always exhibited a good sense of professionalism and playfulness that make you feel like you're really part of something dear.

Rilo Kiley holds a special place in my heart. I normally don't bother seeing a band so many times, especially during a single tour, but these two shows marked my 6th and 7th times seeing them in the last few years. So friggin' CUTE!!!

Anyway, here are the long overdue videos:

1. "Portions for Foxes" (9/22):

2. "Breakin' Up" (9/22):


3. "Ripchord" (9/22):


4. "With Arms Outstretched" (9/23):


5. "Greetings in Braille" (The Elected cover) (9/23):


God, I love Rilo Kiley!!