frank turner had a live concert stream today (with all the money going to his touring staff) and i decided that, "Fuck it! If at home is the best I have for concerts until I don't know when, then I'm going to turn up the volume, put my head down and jump and dance like a fool as if I'm halfway back at a big show and not close enough for moshing or any real sense of connection with the artist anyway.  And I don't get to stop dancing and jumping up and down til the punk show ends!"

And it fucking worked!

still not as good as being at an actual show, but better than I expected. I think also some of it was the decision Frank (and the Sleeping Souls) made to perform it inside a warehouse of all places and have a clear but still gritty slightly echoy club show sound to it. Because part of why a lot of filmed concerts don't sound like real shows is because they go direct feed and don't get the all around acoustic bounce sound of the space well. But things like home live streams, with just the single mic source also lack that full sound you get at a live show where it's bouncing off every surface of the space you're in.

And in case you either didn't spend the $15/ticket or just don't care about frank as much as I do, here's the setlist and you can read through the lyrics yourself to understand why I love his songs so fucking much and why his setlist songs were so fucking perfect for this moment and all the myriad ways of trying to grapple with this moment in the world. (I have been a diehard fan of his since I heard the release of Love, Ire & Song back in 2008 and in the intervening 12 years I never miss a chance to support him or make it to his shows unless I have a prior commitment -- because he NEVER puts on a bad show and I am loyal af unless you do me wrong (and Frank is punk af not the sort to ever do wrong by his ethics.) I've always been that way.  If I love your music and what you as an artist/individual stand for, you have to actively TRY to lose me as a fan.)

Get Better
1933
The Lioness
Try This At Home
If Ever I Stray
Photosynthesis
Polaroid Picture
Long Live the Queen
Little Changes
I Am Disappeared
The Next Storm
The Road
Out of Breath
Recovery
I Still Believe
Four Simple Words

Ugh but that made me so fucking happy!!!!!!!  I may have to go back and rewatch it just because I need it so much right now! God I've missed Frank as his punk self so much! His lives from at home with his wife (whose voice I'm not particularly keen on) and cat just lack the same power and scrappiness that i love so much about him!

And then on Tuesday, Crissy and Mikaela and I will be driving to Milwaukee to pick up Jameson custard from Gilles (an Irish Fest tradition) and then meeting up for socially distanced hanging out by the lake right outside the Summerfest (and Irishfest) grounds with Alana, Maddie, and Keito!!!!

And then Milwaukee Irishfest will be doing Milwaukee Irishfest from Home and I'm super excited for their schedule!!!! I'm especially excited to get to rewatch/relive those We Banjo 3 and co. sets as they were amazing to see live!!!!

And THEN on Aug 29, We Banjo 3 are hosting their own Follow the Light digital festival with some of their favorite people!!! Which I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with it!