That JOHNNYSWIM showcase on June 2nd left me entranced & extremely focused. “That was one of the best…but I can do better,” I told myself as I reread my Showcase Review. So…I forced myself to break my comfort level & see a show every damn week with some double headers sprinkled towards the end. Yes, I was crazy. Wanted to smell like the night. Is that so wrong?
So, here’s the first entry in the long overdue June Wrap-up sessions. Every memorable moment with my stupid, misspelled opinions…#afterthebreak!
Ester Rada & Finish Ticket @ Make Music Pasadena
(06/07/14)
I made a quick trip down to Pasadena to watch a few of the acts of The Make Music Pasadena Music Festival before the Kings went double overtime versus the Rangers in game 3 of Stanley Cup Final. I make it a tradition to visit Pasadena every year during the festival. Even if I don’t stay very long. In fact…don’t think I have ever stayed the entire time due to scheduling conflicts. My goal is to make it a day eventually.
Pasadena is one of Los Angeles’ most quaint, spacious cities. Even more wonderful when the sun is shining bright into small shops & open boulevards. Burbank is possibly the only other city, I feel, to emit such a romantic glow. I have yet to experience Pasadena at night. All my recent adventures to downtown have been under the summer sunshine. Because there is nothing better than to relax in a cafe & watch musicians or advertisers in booths trying to win over a crowd of strangers.
Of the MANY shows listed for the day, I was only able to catch first two performances — Israeli talent Ester Rada & San Francisco based musicians Finish Ticket . They performed at the Main Stage (E. Colorado Blvd) right in front of Barney’s Beanery. The same place the headliners. No harm, no foul. This wasn’t about work. I was gonna just relax, be a tourist, shop the tents, and watch the performances with a cup of french onion soup.
Ester reminded me of Janelle Monáe. Funky soul with a big band. Plus, that hair bun. Very archandroid. They played longer than most bands I’ve seen at the festival. The sun soaked crowd couldn’t have loved it more. They grooved along with her & her horns. By the end of her set, the initial crowd had doubled in size.
I was knee deep in pastrami sandwich & soup by the time Finish Ticket hit the stage. Call it a personification of what a good day in Pasadena felt like. Food & good tunes. Staring out Barney’s window as the wild crowd & photographers in action. Happy I was merely a spectator.
Finish Ticket wasn’t the most ear opening brand of rock I’ve experienced live. They were just okay. Quite forgettable performance. FT could’ve been swapped out with any band & the onlookers wouldn’t care. I heard nothing that distinguished them from the more popular bands like Maroon 5. Certainly lacking a definitive “it” factor. They can play their instruments well, get the crowd going, but…if they can’t be remembered well. What’s the point? Which is strange not the same feeling when I listen to their singles, like “New York”:
On that note: I left Pasadena & headed to Staples Center for one of the craziness hockey games I’ve ever experienced.