Hipsters and Guest Lists and Pabst, OH MY!
My pal Gina Burkholder is someone who I always bust on for liking “Gina music” which to me is often sad-bastard type stuff or quintessential indie hipster stuff ala Bright Eyes or The Weakerthans. However, we have some tastes that line up, notably the love for good piano rock. My obsessions with Ben Folds and Billy Joel are shared by the former Ms. Cuce (her maiden name) and I made a point to share Shapiro with her, only to find that she already knew and dug them.
I wanted to go see them come through Philly, but weeknight shows and a small child don’t go hand in hand. Instead, I called Gina and… POW… here is her masterpiece of a concert review. Enjoy!
I was fortunate enough for TPM to hook me up with passes to the Shapiro show a few weeks back. Before the show I met up with my sister and a friend for dinner at the Continental. After filling up on cheese steak egg rolls, lobster macaroni and cheese and a few glasses of wine we said goodbye to our friend and we made our way to the Silk City.
Upon my approach to the bouncer at Silk City I learned that our names had not made it onto “the list” as I had thought they would. A call to TPM and a name drop of some of the Shapiro band members we were in soon after Shapiro’s sound check. Once we were in, we chatted with a friend that just so happened to be at the show as well. The lounge, at Silk City is intimate, dimly lit and well stocked with PBR – what we learned is the drink of choice for the hip fans of Shapiro and the band members. The band took the stage and fans gathered close. My sister and I took seats at the bar and enjoyed the show from there.
This was my first live Shapiro show, I am most familiar with their studio produced work. These guys rock hard live. Several of the guys have longer hair than me and as they pounded away on their instruments they whipped their heads back and forth in sync with each other, their hair flying back and forth to the beat. Lead singer, Jeremy Teter’s voice was vibrant as he sang and played piano. My love for Shapiro comes from my long love for great piano players – Ben Folds, Elton John, Billy Joel, etc – Shapiro hits the rock edge while keeping the clarity of Teter’s voice and piano playing sharp both live and on their recorded stuff.
Good show, but a short set. Good times, and a late night. Thanks TPM!
either way, we can drive all night... 