A WA concert reviewer is born
By Sean Muir
Staff Writer
Well here I am, WA, Sean Muir, your school concert reviewer. Some of you may wonder if that means that I only review concerts that happen at the school, right? Not so, actually, I specialize in reviewing concerts outside of school.
My own hobbies include playing music, by means of drums and other forms of percussion, as well as enjoying a wide variety of music styles and genres. My main passions are Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Alternative, and Classical, with favorites like the Eagles, LIVE, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, AC/DC, Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler, Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, George Gershwin, Steve Miller Band, and U2, to name a few.
My musical abilities can be heard in the school and town bands I play in.
I have seen a boatload of concerts in my lifetime; the first one I can remember being the Indigo Girls. I personally have never seen a poor or mediocre concert, but obviously, some were way better than others. If you are looking for a reference to a variety of concerts and musicians, I’m the person to ask.
One of the most unique experiences for me was seeing Mark Knopfler; live at The Boothbay Opera House, Boothbay Harbor, ME, September 20th, 2006. As the former leader of Dire Straits, he put on an intimate performance with his back-up band. To add to the mix, there was no drummer, which allowed for more sound from the guitars, which flooded all my senses with sound.
Going further, the Police came to Boston twice back in July and November 2007, and I was able to see both shows. They are truly one of those bands worthy of stadium shows.
It wasn’t until 2008 when this whole “concert-craze” started for me. I saw bands ranging from the Levon Helm Band to Bruce Cockburn to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (that was something else!) to the Eagles to Rascal Flatts to Lindsay Buckingham, and many more!
The concert surge continued on through late 2008 to 2009. For ’09, the key shows I saw were Jimmy Eat World, LIVE (INCREDIBLE!!), The Derek Trucks Band (Can he wail on that six-string, or what?!), and Jeff Beck (now in the Rock ‘n’ Roll hall of fame). I did miss, however, Third Eye Blind and 3 Doors Down at the new House of Blues (where I saw LIVE).
My summer, this year, consisted of concerts like Los Lobos, Joe Cocker, AC/DC (OH MY WORD!!), Coldplay (most unique show ever, highly recommended), Paul McCartney (best all-around show I’ve ever seen in my life), Jonny Lang (know him personally now, nobody else can compare to him), and Steve Miller Band (perfect show!!).
People have told me that I am absolutely a concert fanatic, but that’s why I’m here. With my reviews, you all have the ability to post comments, or talk about the concert if you went there as well. There will be photos too, giving you an idea of the atmosphere. I look forward to reporting as your school concert reviewer, and stay tuned: U2 will be the first concert I review coming up soon! I haven’t ever seen a bad show, but we shall see over the course of the year.
Hey Sean! this is an awesome article, thats so cool that you’re the concert reviewer, i’m hoping to book my band at a PCA in the future, look us up on facebook!
we are called Quantum Paradox
Great article!
Coldplay was epic!! It was exceptional and mind-blowing. All the audible and visual effects produced an ecstatic scene!! The instrumental opening set the stage for the awesome show. Not to mention, they shifted around the venue a lot,playing in three different spots. At the beginning, Chris Martin was not that on, but the other three were. That was just in Violet Hill though. I loved how he turned around, after having to be helped up by one of the others. He explained that he was getting over a bad show they recently had, but this concert, we all knew and he knew, was better, spectacular. He got right back into his upbeat, entertaining self, during “Clocks.” I would definitely see them again! The show was one night only I believe; Mon, Aug. 3rd, this year. It took place at the Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA. SEE THEM!!!!
How was the Coldplay concert? I heard really good things about the concert! Where was it?
What a great addition to the newspaper! Can’t wait to read your article on the U2 show.