7 Things: Concert Steals

(October 20)

We almost missed it, because, frankly, it wasn’t advertised as well as it might have been, but about 6-ish pm yesterday, I was given the pleasant news that Michael Franti & Spearhead were playing in Downtown Raleigh. For free.

What?!?

That, obviously, is the kind of thing one drops all the work she was planning to do to attend. So, that’s how I played it.

The excellence of the performance, combined with the freeness, made it an undeniable concert steal. Which made me start thinking about other great concert steals I’ve gotten.

7 – Boomkat at the NoHo Arts Festival

The venue wasn’t ideal. The sound wasn’t perfect. But I adore Boomkat. And it was free. Plus, we saw Bobbi Glass in the parking lot on the way in. You know, Popular fans… Mr. Glass.

6 – Dana Glover at Some Bar in New York

No idea which bar, but we sat right in front of the stage, there was no table minimum, and the cover was only $10. We also got the benefit of a surprisingly good opening act. Following the surprisingly bad opening act.

Downside. The bar was behind us, and drunk people like to be loud.

5 – Bryan Adams at Nashville’s Riverfront

Outdoor venue, but free tickets. And Bryan Adams is a genius.

Here’s why –

Somehow, Bryan Adams found success with love songs that consist of a stream of lines that we would all laugh at if someone tried to use them on us in a bar. It takes skill to turn bad pickup lines into popular music.

4 – Roger Miller Tribute Grand Ole Opry House

We had free passes to sit in the back, but crashed our way to the front and, phenomenally, landed by the only person Shawna knew in the first two rows, the only thing that kept us from getting hauled the hell back out of there.

Instead, we got to watch several people we came to enjoy perform close up. And we got to meet John Goodman. Which was awesome.

3 – Kathy Mattea at the Grand Ole Opry

Sometimes you happen to be in the Grand Ole Opry House by chance when one of your favorite singers of all time is onstage. So, you slip on in through the door, all stealthy-like, and realize upon your entrance that everyone else in the room is there for some type of business convention.

Do you run then?

No. You stand against the doors, and then get the eff outta there on the last chord before the house lights come up.

2 – Michael Franti & Spearhead

I love his music. I can’t believe it was free. He played for two hours, walked through the crowd, and loved to jump. Plus, he has a new song that is so my new jam. It’s nowhere online, but it’s called “Do It for the Love”.

1 – Beth Hart at Another New York Bar

So, this awesome thing happened. We saw an advertisement for a Beth Hart show when we were living in New York, right around the release of Leave the Light On. There was a cheap cover listed, though I can’t remember how much, and we were New York-poor at the time, so cheap was good.

Then, we get there and they are all like, “That wasn’t supposed to be advertised. This is an industry event,” and just before we could pout, they added, “So, it’s free, but make sure you spend money at the bar.”

After that, we get ushered free-like into the intimate space, grab seats at a table crawling with posers, and enjoy the free tunes.

Beth Hart is staggering live, the venue was perfection, and, for a single evening, the poor lived it up.