Remembering the Encores

You Got Me / Ingrid Michaelson Featuring Storyman Callin' Baton Rouge / Garth Brooks (but, because this song is impossible to find on the internet, I've actually been listening to some sort of Country Cardio version of it that's quite good) Rocking Chair / The Alternate Routes Asked You Twice / The Alternate Routes Anywhere With You / Jake Owen I Lived / One Republic 

Who: O.A.R. When: May 12, 2014 Where: Creative Live Studios/ San Francisco, CA With: The band, like 6' from me Of Note: You win this one San Francisco; you win this one. Also, you can buy this session! Click here, pay $10 (most of which goes to O.A.R.'s Heard the World Charity!) and play "Spot Jen in the audience!" Okay, so I've been seeing O.A.R. for a long time ; they make me feel like college and summer in Buffalo and like I want to be wrapped up in a warm blanket of Marc's voice and live there. (How is it possible that I've only written about 3 O.A.R. shows? I've seen them at least two dozen times. File under things to rectify, I guess.) Anyway, O.A.R. played three shows at the Independent one May week-end in SF. And in the week leading up to that week-end, they tossed up a Facebook post that said, "We're doing a live stream on Monday and the first ten people who comment get to come." I was one of the first ten to resp...

Who: Up and Coming Country Stars Whose Names I Don't Know Because They are BAD AT MARKETING When: May 23-27, 2014 Where: Broadway / Nashville, TN With: Barb Of Note: One night in Nashville is fun. Two nights in Nashville is a LOT of fun. Three nights in Nashville pushes you to the brink of death. Four nights in Nashville? That makes you a champion. So, because my life is awesome, I had the opportunity to piggy back on a work trip and spend Memorial Day week-end in Nashville, TN. And, since Barb is always up for anything and needed a week-end away, she flew down to meet me. Guys? Nashville is amazing because you can (almost literally) see bands 24 hours a day. Most of you who have been to this space before will understand that is essentially utopia. So, because I figure that at least one of these guys will BLOW UP to be the next country superstar, I'm going to try to document at least some of who we saw. First off, though, fair musicians of Nashville, may I...

Who: Jeremy Jordan When: May 4, 2014 Where: Feinstein's at the Nikko/ San Francisco, CA With: My hacking cough Of Note: I am ready to declare Jeremy Jordan a national treasure. Oh, sad neglected website. Since we last saw each other, I've been to ten different cities and seen six or seven shows. I didn't mean to neglect you; I promise. It's just... sometimes life gets busy (these last couple months have been more heavily weighted to the "mogul aspirant" side of my "mogul aspirant/ live music enthusiast" spectrum). No matter. Tonight, I had the esteemed privilege of seeing Jeremy Jordan at Feinstein's at the Nikko Hotel, here in SF and I want to say things about it. I "discovered" Feinstein's last month and determined it one of the coolest places in the city - the bar area is adorably damask and pink and the performance area feels markedly like a NYC cabaret. When I checked out their full schedule and saw Jeremy Jorda...

If You Don't Love Me / The Wild Feathers Up In The Air / The Revivalists Heartbreak Dream / Betty Who Dice / Finley Quaye & William Orbit 

Who: White Denim with Clear Plastic Masks When: February 5, 2014 Where: The Fillmore/ San Francisco, CA With: My head cold? Of Note: Breaking news: Cowboys might be the new lumberjacks So, Wednesday, I stayed home from work because I was dripping snot all over the place and now that we're in an open office, I didn't want to snot all over my co-workers. When my boss called to ask if she could drop something off at my house for me to transport to San Antonio the following day, I consulted my calendar and said, "Oh, crap. I have to go to the Fillmore tonight," then confirmed that she could drop off some very exciting Composition correlations (I think) for me to hand carry to Texas the next day. I figured a night where I had a raging head cold and a 6am flight to prepare for was the perfect night to take in some rock & roll. As it turns out, I was right! (Plus, props to the bartender at the Fillmore who served me a giant glass of ginger ale without making...

Who: O.A.R. When: January 29, 2014 Where: The Bird's Nest/ Phoenix, AZ With: So very many middle-aged drunk men in PING hats Of Note: Sometimes I think my life is weird. So, whenever I travel for work I check to see who is playing in the area when I'm there. In this case, a week of campus visits in Phoenix, AZ meant that I got to see O.A.R.! As it turns out, the Phoenix Open was in town the week I was (which explains the pricey hotels), which is a big deal for golf? I don't know. And the concert that I got a ticket to was part of the Phoenix Open After Party - at a venue they erect just for that purpose called The Bird's Nest. Essentially, they build an elaborate tent/stage thing and surround it with another big old bar tent (the Dierks Bentley Whiskey Bar, if I recall correctly; apparently he's from Phoenix) and like a mini-festival ground. When I got there, there was a DJ who sounded like he would have been at home at Daily Planet, huge vi...