September 8, 2016 – Phillies 4, Nationals 1 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/200222852/alec-asher-ryan-howard-lead-phillies-by-nats/

 

Attendance: 25,412

Game Time: 2:48

Weather: 93 degrees, clear

Wind: 5 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Paul Emmel, First Base - Larry Vanover, Second Base - David Rackley, Third Base - Chris Guccione

Seventh-inning stretch song: Build Me Up Buttercup – The Foundations

 

Section 232, Row M, Seats 5-6 (free tickets from August food drive) – upper level in far right field, just in foul territory (so couldn’t see deep right and right-center field). Almost had the entire row to ourselves, did have some Phillies fans a little farther back. Very hot until the sun dipped below the opposite stands early in the game, relatively comfortable thereafter.

 

Notes – Phillies ended 9-game losing streak to the Nats … all of their offense came in the third, with a solo homer by Peter Bourjos and a 3-run shot by Ryan Howard … Nats starter A.J. Cole needed only 78 pitches to get through 5 innings before departing for a pinch-hitter, fanning 8 … Alec Asher made his season debut for the Phils and blanked Washington for 6 innings, although they hit quite a few balls hard, deep, or both … Nats loaded the bases with one out in the eighth off Hector Neris, followed by a Murphy sac fly and a Harper strikeout (the first Nat to fan all evening) … about 65-70 minutes to drive down (typical for weeknight games) … took advantage of coupons (2 for 1 Nats Dogs, $2 Cracker Jack) … buyer beware: frozen custard from Shake Shack is delicious but insidiously messy … made quick escape from The Parking Lot Formerly Known As HH and got back to Rockville before 11:00

September 5, 2016 – Nationals 6, Braves 4 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/199685872/scherzer-turner-lead-nationals-over-braves/

 

Attendance: 26,005

Game Time: 2:59

Weather: 86 degrees, cloudy

Wind: 5 mph

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

Seventh-inning stretch song: Can’t Stop The Feeling – Justin Timberlake

 

Highlights – 3 hits (1^st inning double, 2-run homer in the 3^rd, single in the 4^th) and 3 RBI for Trea Turner … Chris Heisey followed Turner’s shot with a 3-run round-tripper later in the third inning … Scherzer wasn’t at his sharpest but held Atlanta to single runs in the second and sixth, pitching out of deeper trouble each time and talking his way into pitching the seventh

 

Other – Turner, Espinosa and Rendon were the only regulars in the lineup, as the team didn’t arrive in DC until 3am following the Sunday night game in New York … Melancon made things interesting by allowing 4 hits and 2 runs in a ninth-inning non-save situation … with a Monday game rather than a Signature Sunday, we came down early to beat the traffic and had a pregame lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings … subsequently tried the gelato (they seemed to have plenty of cups) … traffic getting out of our usual parking area was again a mess

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (The River Tour) – Nationals Park, 9/1/2016

Section 403, Row K, Seats 9-16. Upper level, down the left field line, at somewhat of an angle to the stage. We were fortunate enough to be under cover, as there was a little rain both early and late. We relied a lot on the big screens on either side of the stage, as the figures on the stage were tiny even with binoculars. Oddly, the screen showed Bruce himself almost the entire time, even when someone else was doing an extended solo.

 

Music-wise, this was definitely the best Springsteen concert I’ve been to this century. (Can’t remember all that much about the time I saw him in 1974 in Carlisle.) He wasn’t touring behind a new album, as he was when he first played Nats Park on the Wrecking Ball tour, and although this was still officially “The River Tour”, he had stopped performing that two-record set in its entirety. (In fact, only 3 of its songs made this night’s setlist.) Instead, the early part of the show was Bruce in wayback mode, featuring 5 consecutive tracks from Asbury Park and 4 of the 7 from E Street Shuffle. He also managed to get to all 5 of the non-single cuts from Born In The U.S.A., while doing only 2 of that album’s 7 Top Ten hits (“I’m On Fire” and the obligatory “Dancing In The Dark”). I was a little concerned about the sound quality during the opening “New York City Serenade”, but it was fine during the rest of the show. The crowd was generally enthusiastic, and Bruce and the band seemed to be having a great time throughout (along with Katie Ledecky).

 

Traffic wasn’t too bad on the way down, although it was a tight fit for 6 of us along with all our tailgating equipment and supplies in the brand-new Kia Sorrento. Our reservation for the parking lot on Half Street (about three blocks north of the park) proved to be a good choice, as the concert ended at 11:45 (started at 8:00) and we got back to Rockville just a few minutes after 1:00.

 

Highlights – “No Surrender”, “Spirit In The Night”, “Kitty’s Back”, “Rosalita” (the last song we listened to while tailgating), “The Promised Land”, “Hungry Heart”, “Jungleland”, “Bobby Jean” (which concluded the evening)

 

Key line from the excellent Washington Post review: [Springsteen] has been trying to make America great again for years in a way that’s antithetical to those who co-opt his progressive songs for conservative purposes.

 

Key line from the great writeup at Backstreets.com: Patti [Scialfa] elevated "Because the Night" with her unique vocal stylings.

 

Setlist

 

August 28, 2016 – Rockies 5, Nationals 3 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/198058832/nolan-arenado-stays-hot-as-rockies-beat-nats/

 

Attendance: 28,124

Game Time: 2:52

Weather: 86 degrees, sunny

Wind: 3 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Mike Muchlinski, First Base - Marty Foster, Second Base - Mark Wegner, Third Base - Mike Winters

Seventh-inning stretch song: The Twist – Chubby Checker

 

Highlights – Trea Turner led off the bottom of the first with his fifth home run … other two Nats runs also came on leadoff homers, by Ramos in the seventh and Harper in the ninth

 

Non-highlights – Lucas Giolito struggled in the first but only allowed one run … with two out and none on in the third, Giolito allowed a single to Carlos Gonzalez, followed by back-to back homers by Nolan Arenado (who finished a double short of the cycle) and David Dahl … final Rockies run came in the eighth on a Koda Glover wild pitch that nailed home-plate umpire Mike Muchlinski on the left shoulder, allowing Daniel Descalso to score from second … Bryce was having trouble with the sun in right field most of the game, most notably on Arenado’s fifth-inning triple (which was initially scored an error) … Zimmerman fanned in all three appearances against Rockies starter Chad Bettis

 

Other – was third in the section 129/130 pre-game autograph line, but A.J. Cole didn’t come out to sign until we’d been in line in the sun for about 50 minutes (12:05-12:55), after Glover had already finished signing for the luckier folks in the other line … tried the chicken and biscuit sandwich from Virginia Country Kitchen (not too bad) … worst traffic ever getting out of the parking area by the Homeland Security offices

Bonnie Raitt w/ Richard Thompson Trio – Wolf Trap, 8/27/2016

Row U, Seats 28-29 – last row of the Front Orchestra section (farthest back we’ve been in a while)

 

When the show started around 9:00, I initially figured we were in for a good-but-not-great evening – I’ve always thought the cover of “Need You Tonight” on her latest CD was somewhat misguided, and the crowd didn’t seem to warm up to “Used to Rule the World.” However, things really got rolling 5 songs in with “Shakin’ Shakin’ Shakes”, followed by Richard Thompson’s guest appearance for “Not the Only One” and “Dimming of the Day”, and didn’t let up from that point on. I had forgotten how great a singer she can be, particularly on ballads such as “Dimming” and “Angel From Montgomery”. The four-song encore was especially wonderful, starting with “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and continuing with “Nick of Time”, a version of “You Got the Love” that threatened to out-funk the Rufus original, and concluding with the sublime “Your Sweet and Shiny Eyes” (from 1975’s Home Plate).

 

Setlist

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/bonnie-raitt/2016/filene-center-at-wolf-trap-vienna-va-3fc215b.html

 

The Richard Thompson Trio delivered a regrettably short (under 40 minutes) but satisfying opening set to the enthusiastic sellout crowd, most of whom were already in their seats. The song selection emphasized the rock side of his repertoire, particularly a cover of “Take a Heart” (originally done in 1965 by British band The Sorrows) and an extended version of “Tear Stained Letter” to close the set.

 

Setlist

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/richard-thompson/2016/filene-center-at-wolf-trap-vienna-va-bfc215a.html

August 17, 2016 – Rockies 12, Nationals 10 – Coors Field

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/196128614/rockies-outslug-strasburg-nats-in-finale-win/

 

Attendance: 25,308

Game Time: 3:52

Weather: 85 degrees, sunny

Wind: 4 mph

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

Seventh-inning stretch song: Hey Baby – DJ Otzi

 

Section 236, Row 11, Seat 1 – club (2^nd) level, looking down first base line, in the shade, more limited concessions selection than main concourse and not quite enough seating in the “club”, although the air conditioned refuge would have been great in rainy, hot, or freezing weather

 

Finally, a real Coors Field kind of game!

 

Highlights – Nats kept battling back from their 7-0 first inning deficit … two-run Harper homer in the fifth traveled 461 feet and made the score 9-6 … Pedro Severino and Chris Heisey also homered (the first of Severino’s major-league career) … Jayson Werth ran his consecutive game on-base streak to 45

 

Other – Strasburg was torched for 7 in the bottom of the first on a combination of walks and scorched line drives, and gave up 2 more before being lifted with two outs in the second … splurged on the carved turkey sandwich for $12.00 (OK, with a pickle and chips), and grabbed a Dollar Dog later

August 16, 2016 – Rockies 6, Nationals 2 – Coors Field

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/196008928/rockies-lemahieu-flirts-with-cycle-in-win/

 

Attendance: 29,209

Game Time: 2:54 (delayed 2 hours and 4 minutes in the bottom of the third inning due to rain)

Weather: 84 degrees, cloudy

Wind: 7 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Mark Carlson, First Base - Clint Fagan, Second Base - Brian Gorman, Third Base - Quinn Wolcott
Seventh-inning stretch song: Hey Baby – DJ Otzi

Section 137, Row 31, Seat 1 – lower level, section behind the visitors dugout, far enough back (just under the overhang) that I only got slightly wet when the storm hit

 

Highlights – Werth set the Nats team record by reaching base in his 44^th consecutive game (franchise record is 46) … singles by Werth, Murphy, and Ramos gave the Nats a 2-0 lead in the top of the third

 

Other – Rockies came right back to tie in the bottom of the third on a Blackmon double and LeMahieu homer off Gio … after play resumed, Nats were blanked for the final 6 innings, while the Rockies notched 4 runs in 5 innings against 4 Washington relievers … apparently if I take a road trip to see the Nats, there will be a two-hour rain delay … had a large burrito bowl for $8.00, and an overly large serving of gelato for $5.75 … over 700 canines for Bark in the Park, complete with a pre-game parade (not sure how they handled the rainstorm and delay)

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.)