2015 Concerts, Part III: When I Hit The Floor I Don't Cry Anymore

We'll wrap up this series with a short one: my last two shows of 2015, the only ones of the year that fit the mold of $20 tickets, great but not-famous band, tiny room. Those shows used to be all I ever went to, and they're usually all I hoped they would be. I'm thinking baseball comes next- and oh, I have things to say- and I'll do my 2015 Year in Music posts sometime between Christmas and New Year's. Cool? Cool.

We start with Scottish/Irish alt rock band Idlewild, at Bottom Lounge. Idlewild and I have a long history. I saw them open for Pearl Jam in 2003, and I knew immediately that this was a band I needed to know. Then they put out the album "Make Another World" in 2007, and I started thinking that maybe they were the best band in existence. Then their next scheduled appearance in Chicago was cancelled when frontman Roddy Woomble broke his collarbone, followed closely by an announcement that the band was on hiatus. So I didn't think this night would ever happen. But there I was, in 2015, ready to see one of my top three favorite bands for the second time- but the first time that I knew their music. I made a bad choice in choosing a concert companion for this one, and it made the trip there and back a toxic nightmare, but it wasn't that hard to find the good in the experience. Being a few feet away from Roddy and his band while they played something close to a dream setlist was, in no uncertain terms, the good. I got "Radium Girl", and "Idea Track", and "Captain" followed by "El Capitan", and I was fanboying as hard as I could. Even in the back of the room, it would have been a religious experience, but I was right freaking there. No, really:

And the person standing behind me was getting video, so if you've ever wanted to see the back of The Everlasting Dave's head while he rocks his face off, it's your lucky day:

But even after seeing my top two bands, crossing a handful of punk bands off my concert bucket list, and being an adult enjoying myself fully at a Dashboard Confessional show, it just wouldn't be a concert year without good ol' Roger. This marked my eight Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers show (ninth if you count The Refreshments), my first trip to Subterranean, my birthday present to my mom, and the first concert where I didn't get to call my dad the next day and tell him how awesome it was. Which is too bad, because I think my dad would have enjoyed the opening act, Birdcloud. I'm not sure I can explain what Birdcloud is, nor why I love them so much. I guess I would call them an explicit, NC-17 country duo. Like Eminem, but twangy, and with lyrics about cocaine, binge drinking, and human anatomy. More on this in my year-end music post, but for now, suffice to say Mackenzie Green of Birdcloud is the most attractive human being I have ever met in person. And then there was Roger. I don't think he knows this, but when "I Don't Need Another Thrill" and "Hello New Day" are both within the first five songs, it's mathematically impossible for it to be a bad show. Also, during the first break in the action when everyone shouted out their requests, I was the lucky winner:

Mediocre sound quality aside, that's "Buffalo", folks. One of the greatest songs ever written, by anyone. And that's the best possible place to end this post.