This was my first concert in quite some time. I think Nine Inch Nails in San Francisco was last show I went to and that was December 4, 2018. My memory is terrible, so we’ll just assume this is correct. I’m sure you’re thinking, but Pat the pandemic isn’t over what the hell are you doing being within 20 yards of another human that might be breathing out a deadly virus?!

It’s not a terrible question…but I have both reasons and rationalizations. When I first decided to go it was scheduled to be an outdoor concert and I had two doses of the vaccine (Moderna). Those two things alone made me feel pretty good. Then I got a booster and I was feeling even better! Then weather forecast drove the show inside and that made me worry a bit and this is where the rationalizations get layered on top of my vaccination status.

It was a calculated risk. Is it a risk worth taking to see a concert in an area that’s not that well vaccinated? The call that I made was yes. Why did I make that call? I was going with great friends and I knew hanging out with them for an evening would be good for my mental state (and it was!). The closest contact would be with other vaccinated people for the majority of the trip. Inside the concert hall was also pretty humid with the combination of rain and a bunch of sweaty kids moshing their precious little punk rocker heads off.

Oddly enough I’m getting my second booster dose today. I just took a COVID-19 home test (the iHealth ones from the first free batch you could order) and it’s negative. But I think it’s worth thinking about risk. I rode with 3 other people from Chico to Redding and back. How risky was that? The weather wasn’t great and the roads were wet. We were driving home at night, on wet roads, after an energetic show that had most of us pretty tired.

There’s no easy answer here. Everything we do has risks. I knew going in I was negative, so I wasn’t introducing risk to others at the concert. If I did catch COVID I would then be a risk to anybody I encountered after the concert. I’m not advocating a YOLO approach, but I’m trying to not tackle things in a binary fashion of “safe” vs “not safe” and rather weigh the risks with probabilities. Do I know the exact numbers to do this calculation or the math that it takes to do it right? No. So, honestly I’m kind of winging it…but I am using as many mitigations against risk while still doing things.

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The actual show was awesome. Pennywise opened, which when you think about it, they’re a legit punk headliner so we really go a two-for-one with this show. It would have been fantastic if it could have been outside as originally planned, but I’m just glad the show went on.

And yes, I wore earplugs.

Music has always been an important part of my life. I’ve had a few failed attempts to learn to play musical instruments. I was a borderline obsessive CD collector and having a college roommate that worked at Tower Records definitely contributed to that. I was a DJ at my college radio station. I’ve replaced obsessive CD collecting with a restrained vinyl purchasing strategy.

But this is the follow-up to my music recommendations from 2005. Yes, only 17 years later. I’ve grouped the bands by how I generally classify them. It probably won’t work for you, so just translate in your head. Since bands generally hate being labeled, I’m sure they would disagree with every single categorization I’ve made. That’s okay, I doubt they’ll see this.

The “Top Billing” Section

The Killers - By far my favorite band since 2005. Hot Fuss, Sam’s Town, and Day and Age are albums I can always put on and feel happy. Let’s not worry about all the albums that came after that, except the single Run For Cover, which is easily a top 5 Killers track…maybe even better that Mr. Brightside.

K. Flay - Life as a Dog is just fantastic music. The early stuff is here and there, with some absolute gems like Messin with My Head. The latest double EP Inside Voices/Outside Voices is very much aligned with my favorite sounds.

The “Pop” Section

The Naked and Famous - Passive Me, Aggressive You and the tracks Punching in a Dream and Girls Like you. I can put these on repeat.

Future Islands - I usually try to describe them as Joe Cocker covering New Order. I celebrate their entire catalog. Vireo’s Eye, from the album In Evening Air, is a particularly popular track for me.

Limousines - Internet Killed the Video Star, from the album Get Sharp, is a fantastic song and has an amazing video.

The “Hip-hop/Rap” Section

Delton 3030 - Deltron 3030

Kanye West - I never really got into Kanye, but My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was on heavy repeat for a long time.

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day is phenomenal.

Logic - I’m not a super fan, but I could listen to Overnight on repeat for a disturbingly long time. Do not miss the Rick & Morty appearance on Bobby Tarantino II.

Run the Jewels - Again, very late to the game here, but I love RTJ4 and please please please don’t miss their collaboration with DJ Shadow on Nobody Speak and do not under any circumstance miss the video.

The “Indie” Section

LCD Soundsystem - Not all that shocking.

Sleigh Bells - While I enjoy most of every album, Kid Kruschev. Locust Laced from Texis is something that I have a hard time getting out of my head.

The Strokes - Not all that shocking, but also not that impressive after their first two albums, but The New Abnormal is definitely good.

Portugal. The Man - I was -probably- late to the game on this, but Evil Friends is a great album.

The Kills - Last Days of Magic from Midnight Boom. On repeat. Go.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - A band that evolves fairly dramatically from album to album and still makes it seem natural. I’ll toss out It’s Blitz to start with.

The National - Perhaps a bit too moody on too many tracks, but when they get going they are sneakily rocking. Abel, Mr. November, and Sea of Love plus a ton more.

Interpol - Really they should have been on my 2005 list as Turn on the Bright Lights came out in 2002, but they weren’t and so they are now. There, I fixed it.

The “Brit Rock” Section

The Hives - One of the hardest working bands in rock ‘n’ roll. The Black and White Album and Lex Hives are top notch.

Franz Ferdinand - Three strong albums and then things get a little…I don’t even know. Franz Ferdinand, You Could Have Had It So Much Better, and Tonight.

Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum and For Crying Out Loud are my favorite albums, but don’t miss the track Club Foot.

The Fratellis - I don’t want to say Costello Music was a one and done, but it’s the only album I like.

The Vaccines - A band that’s evolved a ton from What Did You Expect from the Vaccines? to Back in Love City.

The “Chill” Section

DJ Shadow - Again, late to the game here, but Endtroducing….. and The Private Press are classics and then you can enjoy a great live performance that takes the best of both in In Tune and On Time.

Morcheeba - There’s 20 years between Big Calm and Blaze Away. I don’t think I’m ready to acknowledge that.

Massive Attack - Mezzanine. There are others, like Heligoland, but Mezzanine is my favorite.

Thievery Corporation - Again, they’ve been around for quite some time, but it’s great Sunday chill music. Pick any album, but you’ll probably get recommended The Richest Man In Babylon.

This is already too long and so I’m cutting it off here. I’m sure I have a lot more to write about music in the future. Maybe even the near future!