NYC Show Obsessive

 Bill: Paul Simon Venue: Forest Hills Stadium , 1 Tennis Pl ., Forest Hills, Queens, NY Date: Thursday 7/9/26 Ticket: $150 (Stubhub, Floor Section 8, Row C Seat 10, bought single last week) 7:20pm Paul Simon Active: 1956 (Queens, NY) Affiliated: Simon & Garfunkel, Tom & Jerry Latest Release: Seven Psalms (Owl, 2023) " Bad Dream " (with Edie Brickell) (Owl, 2024) Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki YouTube Spotify I finally got off my duff and got myself to one of Paul Simon's post-retirement shows, having missed the Beacon run last year, the rainy retirement show at Jones Beach and all the Simon & Garfunkel reunion shows of the early aughts.  The last time I saw Paul Simon was when he toured with Dylan all the way back to 1999.  I saw him multiple times that run doing the same set and felt I had enough for a while.  I didn't realize that "while" would be 27 years, but that's how it goes sometimes.  I didn't g...

 Bill: Skitzopolis/Lifestyle Change/Johnny Mellor's Bastardos/Oedipus Triple Rex Venue: Otto's Shrunken Head , 538 E 14 St. , New York, NY Date: Sunday 6/28/26 Door: Free 10:00pm Skitzopolis Active: 2014? (New York, NY) Instagram   YouTube 9pm Lifestyle Change Active: 2025 (New York, NY) Latest Release: The Lifestyle Change (Lifestyle Change, 2025) Bandcamp Instagram Missed: Johnny Mellor's Bastardos/Oedipus Triple Rex I had one of those days I went to run East Village errands and procrastinated going home by doing a bar crawl up Avenue A to the L train.  First up from storage was Lucky's.  Modern rock producer Jake Sinclair was setting up.  He is responsible for stuff like Panic At The Disco and Fall Out Boys.  Stuff I have spent 20 years totally ignoring.  He was wearing a Mike Viola shirt which is an old Boston rock name of somebody else I ignored in the 80's, but was curious about.  I went to ask about it given my 80's MA roots but didn't ge...

 Bill: Laurie Anderson: Republic of Love with Sexmob/amita Venue: Central Park , Rumsey Playfield , New York, NY Date: Friday 6/26/26 Door: Free (had VIP +1 hookup) 8pm Laurie Anderson: Republic of Love with Sexmob Active: Anderson:  1969 (New York via Chicago),  Sexmob: 1995 (New York, NY) Latest Release: Laurie Anderson with Sexmob- Let X=X (Nonesuch, 2026) Anderson: Bandcamp Facebook   Instagram Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wik i YouTube Spotify Sexmob: Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki YouTube Spotify Laurie Anderson brought her new multimedia project Republic of Love to Central Park for a free SummerStage concert with Knitting Factory Jazz band Sexmob backing her.  When I initially saw the bill, I thought they were simply opening.  Not only are they part of her show, but Nonesuch has just issued a live album with them together entitled Let X=X. Anderson has a patented presentation, one that precedes and embodies wha...

Bill: Topaz/Roger That!/Ashtray Angel Venue: Berlin , 25 Avenue A , New York, NY Date: Thursday 6/25/26 Door: $15 (went in early helping load in, didn't get to "list") 9pm Topaz Active: 2026 (New York, NY) Instagram 8pm Roger That! Active: 2017 (Brooklyn, NY)  Latest Release: Flashback Fever (Tee Pee, 2024) Facebook   Instagram   Discogs   YouTube   Spotify 7:15 Ashtray Angel Active: 2018 (New Haven, CT) Instagram One of those epic nights for Roger That!  We loaded up Kenny's car and his bandmate Steve drove since Kenny was still recovering from the Breeders night at Pier 17 which I couldn't make.  This meant I was in the Berlin basement by like 6 or something.  After all the soundchecks, Chloe seemingly from Connecticut did her acoustic set under the moniker Ashtray Angel.  Well played guitar with warbley vocals in that current trend, occasionally devolving into a screaming rant, but not too often.  I guess that's about right.  An...

  Bill: Towncryer/ Andy Clausen & Ryan El-Solh duo/ Anna Roberts-Gevalt Venue: Tradesman , 222 Bushwick Ave , Brooklyn, NY Date: Sunday 6/21/26 Door: Free 7:30pm Towncryer Affiliated: Mirror Queen, Roger That, Hopewell, Ghost of Past Mistakes Active: 2021 (Brooklyn, NY) Facebook I got to see something on the outdoor stage of Tradesman Bar with the return of Towncryer.  The last time I saw music in there the show was inside in the front corner of the bar.  It was nice to hang outdoors up until sunset.  Music curfew was 9 and after the music there was some sort've crowd (World Cup?) that filled the space up until the back area was kicked out so the upstairs neighbors could have their space after 11pm without outdoor bar chatter.   I was out all day at Lucky's for the memorial for the late great Chickenman (RIP) catching up with Mars Bar friends of yore that came to town, so I missed the rest of the bill but got there in time for the start of Towncryer's ...

 Bill: Love Child/New Radiant Storm King/Phantom Tollbooth/Gerard Cosloy Venue: TV Eye , 16-47 Weirfield St. , Ridgewood, Queens, NY Date: Friday 6/19/26 Door: $25 (James had an extra ticket--thanks James!) 9:30pm Love Child Active: 1987 (New York, NY) Latest Release: Witchcraft (Homestead, 1992) Bandcamp Facebook    Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki YouTube Spotify 8:30pm New Radiant Storm King Active: 1990 (Amherst, MA) Latest Release: Drinking In The Moonlight (Darla, 2008) Bandcamp Facebook    Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki YouTube Spotify 7:30pm Phantom Tollbooth Active: 1984 (New York, NY) Latest Release: Beard of Lightning (Off, 2003) Bandcamp    Discogs Setlist Allmusic Wiki YouTube Spotify 7:00pm Gerard Cosloy Active: 1964 (Austin, TX via NYC via Wayland, MA) Affiliated: Air Traffic Controllers, Envelope, GG Allin, dustDevils Latest Release: Air Traffic Controllers- Live Action(s) 2009-2010 (Parallelism, 2011) Bandcamp  ...