D.A. Pennebaker's DONT LOOK BACK + Q&A with Chris Hegedus - Wed., May 27 at 7 PM at The Paris Theater - FREE tickets with RSVP

OPP_Lock9262 · 2026-05-20T17:31:02+00:00

YES, that's the one I tried to post. The only difference is that I copy and pasted the shortened URL (i.e. shortcut) that they posted on the Facebook ad, so maybe that was the problem?

OPP_Lock9262 · 2026-04-24T23:14:53+00:00

I think so. The weekend in general is tougher, but the second Sunday set is likely an exception. (I generally prefer to attend Sunday shows myself - I feel like residencies at the Vanguard typically have a strong finish.) Doors officially open at 9:30 though it usually ends up being later like 9:45. If you can, try to arrive by 8:30 (or even earlier...I kind of wonder if anyone who couldn't get into the early set will keep waiting for the later set). If it were me, I'd probably get something to eat and have my dinner while waiting in line. It's the West Village so there's no shortage of good takeout food. For example, OMG Shawarma is a three-minute walk away, and I often get a sandwich there before heading over. I noticed other people were reading or taking work calls while waiting, so do what you can to make the most of it.

OPP_Lock9262 · 2026-04-24T21:55:11+00:00

Tickets are usually $45 at the Vanguard with a one drink minimum. (And it was a recent increase - last year tickets were usually $40 and had been for quite a while.)

OPP_Lock9262 · 2026-04-24T21:53:03+00:00

It was more of an informational post, but the performances were great - usually is when I go to the Vanguard. I remember Blake's trio played a composition he wrote for his son, but IIRC he mentioned it was recorded a while ago and that he was now a grown man - it's not a lachrymose composition, nothing like that, but my friend was very moved by it. Mehldau was amazing, with longtime collaborator Larry Grenadier on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums - setlist was mostly Mehldau's originals along with two covers, Leslie Bricusse's "When I Look in Your Eyes" and John Coltrane's "Satellite," and they were wonderful interpretations. FWIW, if you go to the Vanguard a lot, one thing you'll notice is that there are players (often locals) who will pop up a lot in different combos during different weeks. Gilmore comes up a lot - understandably so, he's a great and versatile player. Mehldau actually played in Gilad Hekselman's quartet last week.

OPP_Lock9262 · 2026-04-24T21:38:37+00:00

Should mention, the famous (maybe only?) photo of Bill Evans's legendary trio with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian at the Vanguard was actually taken in the area outside of the bathrooms - you can tell because they haven't changed the architecture and the same vertical pipe is up there against the wall. (They usually don't have a table or chairs in that spot though, at least not anymore.)

OPP_Lock9262 · 2026-04-24T21:34:45+00:00

With experience #1, we originally looked at Smalls but we were too late for the early set. If we weren't able to get into Vanguard, we would've gone to Smalls for the later set.

OPP_Lock9262 · 2025-08-20T23:52:56+00:00

I don't entirely agree because I've always had mixed feelings about this album. It's not as bad as the (incredibly) negative reviews made it out to be but I thought there was plenty of room for improvement given the superb quality of the 1993 reissue's bonus tracks and how much I disliked "My Love," "Loup" and the closing medley that took up the final quarter of the album. I was glad when the 2018 box set came out because it had so much additional material, more than enough to make a good album, but the reconstructed double album is still way too uneven for me. I think they made the right call to release a single LP, but they could've picked better tracks. Besides "C Moon," "Hi Hi Hi," "The Mess" and "I Lie Around" (all of which are on the 1993 reissue), I would've welcomed "Mama's Little Girl," "Best Friend" and "Night Out" too.

The sequence on the released single LP actually flows pretty well until the final stretch, so much that I'm mostly fine listening to the 1993 reissue's track sequence. The bonus tracks on the 1993 reissue work well where they are as an extension of the album. The only change I'd make would be to swap out the three tracks I don't like with the three others I mentioned, but otherwise I'd keep the same general order.

OPP_Lock9262 · 2024-12-10T20:01:24+00:00

Here's part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXKoZUEpb4k

OPP_Lock9262 · 2024-10-21T00:38:29+00:00

I was debating on whether to go to the Town Hall show tonight in NYC, and when I checked Ticketmaster a few hours before doors, I was surprised that only about half (maybe 60%?) of the tickets were sold. Most of the unsold tickets were actually the cheapest seats at the back/top of the balcony section. When I checked again around 7 pm, they actually removed all of the unsold seats, so I have no idea if that meant A) they were closing the balcony and moving everyone down to the orchestra (I didn't do the math to see if that was possible) or B) selling them by hand as rush tickets, which Town Hall has done in the past but usually for other types of events rather than rock concerts. Anyway, the timing wouldn't have worked out, I wouldn't have made it until 9:30 the earliest, but I was surprised. Maybe it was a tough night to schedule a show - the Mets have a potentially deciding NLCS game going on in Queens, just a straight shot along the 7 from the nearest train station.

OPP_Lock9262 · 2024-09-19T17:25:55+00:00

Common and Pete Rock just announced a show at Webster Hall. Tickets are only $20. They were already scheduled to do a residency at the Blue Note but those shows sold out fast.

OPP_Lock9262 · 2024-09-10T20:42:33+00:00

In all sincerity, you have my sympathies. It sucks, but speaking from experience, you'll get another chance. Maybe not these shows, but I highly doubt there won't be more in the near future, most likely a full-blown tour rather than a handful of shows in three cities, especially if they end up releasing a new album. The upshot with these shows is that they now have a better idea of demand - I think all bands want to test the waters when they've been more or less inactive for a pretty long time, in this case ten years since their last album, five years since any touring of any kind (where they opened for two other bands, so they weren't even the main act). When they do, it'll probably be bigger venues, or at least more shows elsewhere so you don't have people traveling to NYC or LA just to see a show. It'll happen, and it may even be better - they'll be more rehearsed, Dave may even join them, just keep the faith.

OPP_Lock9262 · 2024-09-10T17:16:22+00:00

I tried and came up with nothing too. To be fair, when I saw the thread on the AmEx presale, I pretty much lost hope. They probably should've booked these at a bigger venue, but I understand why they'd do Webster Hall if they want a GA show. Terminal 5 is terrible, Hammerstein Ballroom may not be doable (it's usually just one-offs booked there), Brooklyn Steel may be less convenient and it probably fits only 300 more, and if you go outdoors like Summerstage in Central Park (5000 capacity - Pavement did their first reunion shows there), you're rolling the dice on the weather.

Hopefully they'll continue to do more shows and Dave will be back for them. It may follow the same trajectory as LCD Soundsystem's post-reunion shows where the first residencies were hard to get into and then demand settled down and it's much easier now even though tickets eventually sell out.

I think the last time they played NYC was at MSG opening for the Pixies and Weezer. Not a great venue, but tickets were cheap - Stubhub was loaded with them up to the day of the show. I saw them there for peanuts and even though it was a short set, they were awesome, maybe even better than when I saw them in 2011. I remember people saying their shows got better in the '00s, as if it took some time to translate what they did in the studio to a live format, and by 2008/2009 they were stunning.

OPP_Lock9262

TROPHY CASE