Thighs Wide Shut

Beck
Madison Square Garden
July 19

A lot can happen in a month.  One could say, ‘I don’t really need to see Beck again for awhile‘ and then weeks later be like, um, I’m a fool, so can we re-define ‘awhile’ to mean ‘NOW’ and get on with it???  THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED!!!! 

For some reason I was over Beck.  Last saw him in 2013.  Then time slipped.  His last album was snoozy (and somehow won THE Grammy).  I didn’t want snoozy, I wanted a Midnite Vulture redux! 

Then right around July 4th, Live Nation, probably looking to shrug off sluggish ticket sales for Beck’s first ever MSG headlining show, offered ‘all in’ tickets for $25.  How could I resist?  You can barely get into anything at MSG for less than $50!  I was in!  Oh wait what, Beck released a new album last fall and I didn’t know about it or chose to ignore it?  Well, I better get on this sh!t STAT, and to my surprise – IT WAS THE ANSWER TO ALL MY PRAYERS – MIDNITE VULTURES REDUX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Beck’s Colors album is FANTASTIC, and super fun, and I want it to be my BFFive-ever!!  

And the show at MSG that he was having trouble filling?  Enough fans filled the seats, and if there was any emptiness in the Garden, Beck overfilled it with the rock and pop circumstance I’ve always known and loved.  And I still love it.  He still gots it.  And I still gots it for him!!  (why do I keep forgetting these things?)

But seriously Beck, why do you got such hate-tations on Mutations?  You haven’t played ‘Cold Brains’ live since 2006, and ‘Nobody’s Fault But My Own’ since 2005????!!!  Enuff with the Snooze Changes and Snoozing Phases – and never forget your BEST quiet work!!!  I’m not asking for Mutations 2, but juss for you to give some live love to the album that showed us your TRUE colors, but if we’re hear to ask for things, I’ll certainly take Midnite Vultures 3 – with all the pan flute you can flute at us!!!

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Setlist – Devils Haircut / The New Pollution / Mixed Bizness / Up All Night / Wow / Qué Onda Güero / Think I’m in Love > I Feel Love (Donna Summer cover) / l’m So Free / Dear Life (with Britt Daniel) / I Turn My Camera On (Spoon cover with Britt Daniel) / Girl Dreams (with Jenny Lewis) / Lost Cause / Blue Moon / Dreams / Girl /
Colors / Loser / E-Pro

Encore - Where It’s At > Can I Kick It > Good Times > See No Evil > I’m Waiting for the Man > Taking It to the Streets > Once In A Lifetime > In the Air (medley) / One Foot in the Grave / Where It’s At

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlcEx2kH0h_/?taken-by=thighmaster

U2
Madison Square Garden
June 25

Congrats U2 – you are now tied for first – for the band I have seen the most in concert!!!  But I feel like you will soon leave Beck and Moby behind in the dust for good, cause I don’t really need to see Beck again for awhile, and Moby rarely tours anymore 

U2 + me = US3!!!

Last night’s MSG show was of course a great one (and very similar to the one back in 2015), as the lads dropped 8 rounds of love from their pretty damn good Songs Of Experience album!  And finally, Achtung‘s ‘Acrobat’!  But dude, how’d we get stuck with ‘All Because of You’ instead of ‘Gloria’?  How are those even swappable night after night?  Not even in the same league, bro! 

Anywho, the real setlist is below below, but after seeing these guys 10 times, I kinda now have my own dream setlist, and it goes like this…

Thighmaster’s Dream U2 Setlist

• Zoo Station
• Even Better Than The Real Thing
• Mysterious Ways
• Lady With The Spinning Head
• Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
• Zooropa
• Numb
• Paint It Black (Rolling Stones cover)
• The Blackout
• Magnificent
• Beautiful Day
• Elevation
• Vertigo
• Volcano > American Soul
• Raised By Wolves
• Seconds
• Sunday Bloody Sunday
• New Year’s Day
• Stories For Boys
• I Will Follow
• Gloria
• Van Diemen’s Land > In God’s Country

Encore

• The Miracle of Joey Ramone
• Desire
• Get Out of Your Own Way

Second Encore

• A Sort of Homecoming
• Bad
• Pride (In The Name of Love)
• Ordinary Love
• With Or Without You
• Where The Streets Have No Name

yes, I left out ‘One’, on purpose!

you can listen to the setlist as a playlist it here (without the Experience songs or ‘Ordinary Love’)

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MSG 6/25 Setlist – Love Is All We Have Left / The Blackout / Lights of Home / I Will Follow / All Because of You / Beautiful Day / The Ocean / Iris (Hold Me Close) / Cedarwood Road / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Until the End of the World / Elevation / Vertigo / Desire / Acrobat / You’re the Best Thing About Me / Staring at the Sun / Pride (In the Name of Love) / Get Out of Your Own Way / American Soul / City of Blinding Lights

Encore – One / Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way / 13 (There Is a Light)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkeQD-jgIRx/

Harry Styles
Madison Square Garden
June 21

Never had any coordinates set for One Direction, but my heart’s compass always pointed toward Harry Styles.  Not sure why.  I’m not a modern day boy band kinda boy, and yet I gravitate towards Harry and his… hair.  And then I saw him in Dunkirk, and was like, oh, this heartthrob is no dumbykirk – and oh, man, that hair!  And then I saw he was coming to Madison Square Garden and you can sit behind the stage for the price of 3 movie admissions and was like, well, why the hell not?  It would be like seeing the Beatles (sorta not really)!  It could be like an anthropology observation with today’s youth!!  

And so I binged his solo album over the last couple of weeks, and was ready to rock, but would Harry be ready to roll?  OH HECK YEAH HE WAS!!!  And I had never heard MSG louder in all my MSG going life!  Sure, I was probably the only straight man there over 40 AND without a daughter in the audience, but the girls’ ear-shattering shrieks at his every shimmy and shake were certainly warranted (and I may have even shrieked a bit meself)

Harry, may you nevers go out of Styles!

Setlist – Only Angel / Woman / Ever Since New York / Two Ghosts / Carolina / Stockholm Syndrome / Just a Little Bit of Your Heart (Ariana Grande cover) / Medicine / Meet Me in the Hallway / Sweet Creature / If I Could Fly / Anna / What Makes You Beautiful / Sign of the Times

Encore – From the Dining Table / The Chain (Fleetwood Mac cover) / Kiwi

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkVCHRYhcv0/

Loop Game on Ice. New York: The audience at the New York Americans / Chicago Black Hawks hockey game in Madison Square Garden, February 1, 1940, were treated to something new between periods. Ten gentlemen appeared on the ice, with skates, and engaged in a basketball game. Above is a view of one of the players trying for a goal [Getty]

Eric Clapton
Madison Square Garden
September 7th

Was supposed to see Sir Eric back in 2009, as a part of the RnR HoF Anniversary Concerts, but he couldn’t make it for one reason or another, and I was left waiting.  And either I waited forever, or forgot about him, or something, or another thing, but then he announced that he was playing his ‘final’ concerts ever – a pair of shows in NY and another pair in LA, earlier this year.  Those tix went fast and left me waiting, again.  But then he was like, OK, me gonna do some more ‘final’ shows, same deal – pairs in NY & LA, and so this time I was able to make it happen, and that’s how I came to pray in front of the rock gawd that is Eric Clapton.  It was a pretty penny to pay, but I’d say worth all the pennies!

OK, so a lot of his best songs aren’t even his own, but he’s OUR hoochie coochie man!  He can shoot all the sheriffs he wants!  Even the deputies!!  Snort that Cocaine!!!  (him, not me).  And OK, he didn’t play the ONE song I REALLY wanted to hear (‘Let It Rain’), or even bothered to bother with ‘After Midnight’ (a song he’s shockingly has only played 200ish+ times), but dude, when he broke out ‘White Room’, OH MY FCUKING LORD, was I CREAMing all over myself!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYw81Lajkf5/?taken-by=thighmaster

Setlist – Somebody’s Knocking / Key to the Highway / I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man / I Shot the Sheriff / Driftin’ Blues / Lay Down Sally / Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out / Layla / Tears in Heaven / White Room / Wonderful Tonight / Cross Road Blues / Little Queen of Spades / Cocaine

Encore – Sunshine of Your Love/ Before You Accuse Me w(ith Jimmie Vaughn & Gary Clark Jr)

man, he was so wonderful that night.  if only I had a woman to dance with

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYyQZlLDIRl/?taken-by=thighmaster