August 15, 2016 – Nationals 5, Rockies 4 – Coors Field

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/195792814/nats-bryce-harper-hits-go-ahead-rbi-in-win/

 

Attendance: 27,818

Game Time: 3:26

Weather: 82 degrees, cloudy

Wind: 7 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Quinn Wolcott, First Base - Mark Carlson, Second Base - Clint Fagan, Third Base - Brian Gorman

 

U338, Row 25, Seat 1 – halfway between third and home, very top row of the stadium (I requested something under cover since I realized I forgot to pack an umbrella)

 

Highlights – Nats rallied from a 3-0 first-inning deficit for the win … Werth (who tied Nats record by reaching base in 43 consecutive games) got things started with a two-run shot in the third … Bryce reached base all 5 times and knocked in the winning run with a seventh-inning double … Trea Turner stole another two bases … Treinen relieved Solis with two on and one out in the bottom of the seventh and induced an inning-ending DP on his first and only pitch … Melancon needed only 4 pitches to retire the Rockies in order in the ninth for the save

 

Other – Scherzer was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the fifth, after needing 97 pitches to get through 4 innings … concession prices very reasonable by DC standards ($7.75 draft beer, $5.75 grilled chicken sandwiches) … unbelievably pleasant weather after escaping the Washington heat wave

August 14, 2016 – Nationals 9, Braves 1 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/195507330/rendon-roark-lead-nats-to-win-over-braves/

 

Attendance: 29,107

Game Time: 2:46

Weather: 96 degrees, partly cloudy

Wind: 9 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Pat Hoberg, First Base - Mike Everitt, Second Base - Jordan Baker, Third Base - Tim Timmons

Seventh-inning stretch song: The Twist – Chubby Checker

 

Highlights – Tanner Roark had his second straight strong Sunday start, this time giving up only one run in his typical 7 innings … Bryce Harper, out over a week with a stiff neck, asked politely to get back in the lineup and was in the middle of the Nats’ 3-run first with a double … after Roark drew a walk to start the bottom of the 5^th, Nats broke things open on a sac fly by Ramos and a 3-run homer by Rendon

 

Other – perhaps the hottest game I’ve been to, as the official temperature hit 100 for the day … roasted in the sun until the second or third inning, at which point we got our shade and it wasn’t so bad … enjoyed the cooling center for a couple of innings (large conference room with plenty of large TV screens, ice, and water)

Lyle Lovett & His Large Band w/ Emmylou Harris -- Wolf Trap, 8/12/2016

Row H, Seats 46-48

 

Lyle Lovett & His Large Band somehow managed to be hotter than the sweltering weather Friday evening; despite the short (for them) two-hour set length, it may have been the strongest performance I’ve seen from them yet. They leaned into the gospel side of Lyle’s repertoire more heavily than in some past shows, as this summer he’s featuring local gospel choirs as part of his shows. Tonight it was members of the Morgan State University Choir, who shone at both the beginning of the show (“I’m a Soldier in the Army of the Lord”, “Church”, “I Will Rise Up”) and the end (“I’m Going to Wait”, “Praise the Lord”, and the sublime encore “Pass Me Not O Savior”). The other main theme was paying tribute to Texas singer/songwriter Guy Clark, who died in May. Lovett performed a heartfelt version of Clark’s “Step Inside This House” and brought opening act Emmylou Harris back on stage to duet on “Anyhow I Love You”; she had provided harmony vocals on Clark’s recording. Emmylou stayed for “Walk Through the Bottomland”, reprising her vocals from Lyle’s second album.

 

Naturally, Lyle also included some of his other favorites, such as “If I Had a Boat”, “Penguins”, and “I Know You Know”.

 

Lovett’s shows certainly aren’t just about the music. He called out his musicians a few at a time, generally with an anecdote or two about each one. He also included a number of personal stories featuring his dry sense of humor. If there was a general theme, it was Lovett thanking various folks who had helped him out along the way. He comes across as a genuinely nice guy, and given the length of time many of his bandmates have been working with him (one as far back as 1979), I have to assume it’s an accurate portrait.

 

Emmylou Harris, along with three bandmates, got the evening off to a nice start with a one-hour opening set. Highlights included “Red Dirt Girl”, her cover of Paul Simon’s “The Boxer”, and the final two songs, “After the Gold Rush” and “Boulder to Birmingham”. Clearly her presence significantly boosted sales; the house was full, which was definitely not the case the last couple times Lovett played without an opener. (The $55 ticket price was also remarkably reasonable, given that two well-known performers were featured.)

August 7, 2016 – Nationals 1, Giants 0 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/194170816/tanner-roark-wilson-ramos-lead-nats-in-win/

 

Attendance: 32,790

Game Time: 2:43

Weather: 87 degrees, sunny

Wind: 5 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Rob Drake, First Base - Sam Holbrook, Second Base - Gerry Davis, Third Base - Carlos Torres

Seventh-inning stretch song: I Can’t Help Myself – The Four Tops

 

Highlights – Tanner Roark pitched out of big jams several times to hold the Giants scoreless thru seven innings … Shawn Kelley threw a 1-2-3 eighth, and Mark Melancon repeated the feat in the ninth for his first Nats save … Ben Revere made a spectacular catch to end the top of the seventh, saving two runs … after the stretch, Wilson Ramos went deep for the only run of the game (and only Washington’s second hit) … great enough game to inspire a Tom Boswell column in this morning’s Post

 

Other – Traffic down not too bad (left at 10:45) … traffic coming back somewhat slower getting out of the parking lot (the one formerly known as Lot HH), and backed up on the GW Parkway getting on to the Beltway

2016 XPoNential Music Festival, July 22-24, Wiggins Park (Camden NJ)

This was almost certainly the hottest XPNFest I have ever attended (in terms of temperature, not music). Philly was right in the middle of the heat wave gripping the East Coast, with temps in the mid to upper 90s and high humidity. Consequently I abandoned my usual location near the River Stage sound board area on Saturday and Sunday in favor of more shady territory near the Marina Stage. Although I was close to the stage, off to the left side, I couldn’t see above the standees who wandered up for most of the sets, but the increased comfort level was well worth it. I’d have to say that the festival wasn’t as strong musically as in most past years – I still choose to pass on the BB&T lawn “experience” – but there were still some definite highlights. (As usual, WXPN did a nice job of summarizing all of the sets across the three-day festival.) Due to the Democratic National Convention starting Monday, I had to get a room at the Staybridge Suites in Mt. Laurel (not too far from my usual location), but since Sunday night wasn’t available I had to drive back in weekend traffic after leaving the festival Sunday (an experience I hope not to repeat). Traffic to and from the festival itself wasn’t bad, although the parking garage directly across from Wiggins Park was no longer available (at least not at the usual discount). There was plenty of space in several other lots for $10, although they were three blocks or so north of the festival, closer to the Ben Franklin Bridge.

 

TRANSCENDENT

 

The Record Company (Saturday afternoon, Marina Stage) – My decision to camp out by the Marina Stage Saturday was actually driven less by the heat and more by the desire to have a prime vantage point for the Record Company, which was the band I most wanted to see during this year’s festival. The blues-rock power trio certainly didn’t disappoint, putting together a set that was one of the best I’ve seen in my 12+ years of XPNFest attendance. The obvious high points were “Rita Mae Young” and “Off The Ground”, but there really wasn’t a weak spot in the entire performance. From what I could see, everyone was standing on the entire hill in front of the stage, with more fans crowding around the back. They made it a point to give plenty of credit to WXPN, and in particular to program director Bruce Warren, to whom they sent an unsolicited demo tape in 2012.

 

VERY GOOD

 

Shawn Colvin & Steve Earle (Friday evening, River Stage) – Since these were two of the biggest names at Wiggins Park this year, I was surprised that I was able to get a prime standing-room spot  in front of the stage less than 15 minutes before their set began; I assume this is because the gates to BB&T had already opened and Tommy Stinson had started over there 20 minutes earlier. The two did reward the fans who hung around, with some well-chosen covers (“Wake Up Little Susie” to start, “Ruby Tuesday” and “Tobacco Road” later), as well as “You’re Right, I’m Wrong” (the single from their recent album together), and some tracks from each’s solo work. I was somewhat amused that most of the between-songs patter came from Earle, since Shawn has always been extremely chatty when I’ve seen her before.

 

Mavis Staples (Sunday afternoon, River Stage) – Mavis Staples was added to the lineup only a few weeks before the festival, bolstering an otherwise unremarkable Sunday afternoon. Appropriately enough, the standing area in front of the stage was packed, and she didn’t fail to deliver, with a huge voice that showed few if any signs of her 77 years. The high points were a wonderful cover of Talking Heads’ “Slippery People” near the beginning of her set, and the closing audience singalong for the Staple Singers’ classic “I’ll Take You There”.

 

Preservation Hall Jazz Band (Saturday afternoon, River Stage) – OK, so they only got to get through one complete song before the lightning and deluge hit. (They did squeeze in another set later at BB&T, which I didn’t attend.) Although there wasn’t much of a chance of rain in the forecast, I thought I was well-prepared, with both an umbrella and a poncho in my bag. Unfortunately, the bag and my beach towel were by the Marina Stage, nowhere near where I was standing. I honestly don’t think I have ever been wetter with clothes on in my entire life. I squeezed into the nearby parking garage with hundreds of other people, waited until it stopped raining, and then headed three blocks north to my car – halfway back, it started to rain again. At least the hotel had a laundry room and a hair dryer.

 

ALSO WORTH MENTIONING

 

Opening River Stage acts Friday and Saturday (Billy Hector and Ben Arnold, respectively), David Wax Museum (Marina Stage Sunday, after their Saturday set was canceled by the storm)

 

AND THEN THERE WAS FATHER JOHN MISTY

 

Probably the most-talked-about “set” in XPNFest history. WXPN thoughtfully provided both a summary and a second post with some additional social media reaction.

Trump’s most enduring – and unbefitting – trait

Commentary from Washington Post columnist Allan Sloan on the (now official) Republican Presidential nominee

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/donald-trumps-most-enduring--and-unbefitting--trait/2016/07/15/f5684848-488b-11e6-acbc-4d4870a079da_story.html

July 16, 2016 – Harrisburg Senators 4, Altoona Curve 2 (12 innings) – PNG Field

http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20160716&content_id=190049704&fext=.jsp&vkey=recap&sid=t452 (story)

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2016_07_16_haraax_altaax_1&t=g_box&sid=l113 (box)

 

Umpires: HP: Derek Gonzales. 1B: Mike Wiseman. 3B: Richard Riley.

Weather: 86 degrees, clear.

Wind: 9 mph, Varies.

Time: 3:54.

Attendance: 6,096.

 

Section 212, Row 11, Seats 7-9 (first row in second level, great view down third base line)

 

Highlights – Senators took an early lead on a third-inning homer by light-hitting infielder Stephen Perez … each team notched a single tally in the fourth … Altoona finally tied it with a run in the bottom of the seventh … Senators won it in the 12^th with RBI hits by Wilmer Difo and Andrew Stevenson … Curve outfielder Barrett Barnes was a HR short of hitting for the cycle

 

Other – No DH, since two National League teams were playing … Harrisburg starter Phillips Valdez walked 6 and didn’t make it through the fourth inning … a couple of light showers in the late innings … post-game fireworks went off as planned despite the long game

July 11, 2016 – Frederick Keys 11, Winston-Salem Dash 7 – Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium

http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20160711&content_id=189314496&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_t493&sid=t493 (story)

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2016_07_11_wswafa_frdafa_1&t=g_box&sid=t493 (box)

 

Umpires: HP: Chris Scott. 1B: Chris Marco.

Weather: 82 degrees, partly cloudy.

Wind: 1 mph, Varies.

First pitch: 2:03 PM.

Time: 2:56.

Attendance: 3,228.

 

Section 203, Row J, Seat 1 – third row in front of the concourse (in the shade), not too far down the first base line

 

Highlights – in the three Keys games I’ve seen this year (all victories), they’ve scored 8, 12, and 11 runs … this was a game Earl Weaver would have loved, as most of the Frederick runs came via a third-inning grand slam by Cameron Kneeland and a three-run shot in the sixth by D.J. Stewart … relievers Jeff Beliveau and Ryan Meisinger blanked the visitors over the last 4 innings, fanning 7 … weather was wonderful, as was the traffic both ways

 

Other – Winston-Salem had a 7-5 lead after 4, as Frederick starter Franderlin Romero was battered for 10 hits and 6 runs in 3⅔ innings … didn’t seem as if there were close to 3,000 actual bodies in the stands

Shuffle #90 (July 9, 2016)

Not Where It’s At – Del Amitri

Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry

Enter Sandman – Metallica

You Can’t Win – James Hunter

Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin

The Work Song – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

Love Is A Tangle – The Radiators

Saturday Night At The Movies – The Drifters

Rainy Days And Mondays – The Carpenters

Sad Sad Girl And Boy – The Impressions

Shuffle #89 (July 8, 2016)

No Future In Your Eyes – Ace

Rockit – Herbie Hancock

Lovely Day – Bill Withers

Dedicated To The One I Love – The Shirelles

It’s Different For Girls – Joe Jackson

Can’t Hold Us – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Carmelita – Warren Zevon

Gypsy Queen (Part One) – Gypsy

Like The Weather – 10,000 Maniacs