I got to attend some sick (get it – ha!) concerts this summer. 

Let me set the scene. Beginning in July, I taught two weeks of Pre-calculus and then went on to teach two weeks of middle school camps. The school’s air conditioning shut down in the camp’s final week. On Friday, August 4th, the temperature in the middle school library, where I entertained twenty middle schoolers, hit 81 degrees. Following this smelly and exhausting day, I attended every girl-who-was-once-called-manic-pixie’s dream concert: The Beths at Mr. Smalls. 

At Mr. Smalls, my husband and I purchased our matching concert tees, and we found our spot toward the back of the venue just in time for Disq to start their opening set. Starting strong, this indie band from Madison, Wisconsin, got everyone bopping to “The Hardest Part,” which gave me 90s vibes – sort of a looser, more electronic Everclear. They gave an engaging performance – high-energy dancing and heavy guitar riffs. I enjoyed the live version of Cujo Kiddies, highlighting why I love Mr. Smalls as a music venue. Sound is so warm in the wooden walls, and this song was a full-body experience – the bassist’s voice was ethereal, surrounded by raw instrumentation, which gave us a great segway to The Beths. 

After rolling a 12-foot fish head on stage, The Beths, led by Elizabeth Stokes, opened with a single from their newest album, Expert In A Dying Field. Throughout the show, the band had a fantastic stage presence – their banter between songs felt authentic, and the song descriptions were beautiful. 

Two weeks later, my husband and I headed to Spirit Hall in Lawrenceville to see AJJ. AJJ is a classic folk punk band, recently going around The TikTok sounds for their “I’m so sorry that you have to have a body.” Their new album, Disposable Everything, features on many of my recent playlists, and I fully expect AJJ to be one of my Most-Listened-to-Artists on my Spotify Wrapped 2023, just like in 2022 and 2021. Needless to say, I was pumped for this concert. 

What I did not expect was three openers before getting to the actual show. Starting off with some folksy acoustics, we had Foot Ox. They played a solid set, with the highlight being Colorado’s Dead. A punky, loud, aggressive Sad Park followed them. Sad Park gave me strong 90s punk vibes, which is right up my alley, and I particularly enjoyed I Should. The final opener was the Open Mike Eagle, a Chicago rapper who brought fun vibes. He was fantastic with crowd interactions, told entertaining stories, and performed from his latest album. I particularly enjoyed his freestyle Ode to MF DOOM.

Finally, AJJ opened up with a high energy I was not personally feeling at 10:30 at night, but I quickly rose to the occasion when they hit some of my new and old favorites, Death Machine and Kokopelli Face Tattoo. The best part of the concert was their covers: Oo-De-Lally by Roger Miller (aka, the Robin Hood song), Candy Jail by Silver Jews, and their cover of Iggy Pops, I Wanna Be Your Dog. Usually, covers aren’t my thing, but each one of the covered songs is near to my heart outside of the AJJ connection, so I enjoyed them. Finishing with Big Bird was a classic choice, and I was eternally grateful to see one of my favorite bands live in a small venue like Spirit Hall.