BRMC @ Del Mar Concert Series

There’s been lot of changes in my life the past few years (even the past few months), but one nice constant has been a fair number of local BRMC shows between albums and tours – which I’ve enjoyed with a great group of loyal fans. Recently starting a new contract position and trying to figure out temporary housing in a semi-unfamiliar area has kept me from writing about this show earlier, but now that I’m settled at least for the next few weeks so I’ll do my best to recap the concert.

The past few LA area shows kind of make you think only women are there early to be in the front row, but San Diego area (or county) shows tend to have a bit more of a mix. This show was a lot rowdier than most BRMC shows, perhaps due to more guys pushing their way through the crowd. I could have done without all the pushing and crowd surfing, as it tends to distract from enjoying the music and ends up causing a reduced amount of personal space. I’m not trying to focus too much on concert etiquette, which may vary from city to city.

BRMC’s music stirs up a lot of excitement and energy, in addition to emotion and feeling. A full set for the cost of parking and entry to a horse race definitely makes this one of the most affordable and unique places to see them. I’ve seen them play at casinos, arcades, churches, warehouses, colleges, and concert venues of various sizes – basically, new venues are exciting for seasoned fans and provide for even more new experiences that I don’t get seeing other bands (not that I see many others these days).

After seeing so many shows, the changes in their sets stand out more than the usual songs and the songs that stood out most were the original version of “US Government,” “In Like The Rose,” “Weight of the World,” and a more recent addition “Half-State” – which really is an amazing blend of psychedelic and shoegaze in a rockier form. I’m not sure if they added it late because it’s a longer song or they had to adapt for a live set, but either way it’s great to hear live.

I got a few nice photos at the show, check out of my Flickr set for more examples. I was tempted to get a video of “Half-State,” but remembered my camera doesn’t have a good enough microphone to make it worth recording with. There are always plenty of videos on YouTube. This post is not a real description of the show, my friend Jen Ruano wrote an excellent review for LA Record with equally amazing photos by her photographer friend Debi Del Grande.