Thursday, August 16, 2018

The Not-Its Were Ready to Rock in NYC

Last summer was full of chaos and commotion as far as scheduling and camp so we didn't get to Madison Square Park to see any of their annual summer kid's concert series. This year, the window was closing but Matt and I managed to attend the final show of the season – the Not-Its, in the middle of their East Coast run.



The band, longtime veterans of outdoor concerts, shared a laugh as their introduction fought a fire engine's wail. But they got right to business with "Vacation," encouraging their still-growing audience to move forward to sing and dance along.



They quintet – Sarah Shannon (former singer Sub Pop band Velocity Girl), Danny Adamson (rhythm guitar), Tom Baisden (lead guitar), Jennie Helman (bass player) and Michael Welke (former drummer of Harvey Danger) – brought a selection of favorites as well as a new track, "Hide and Seek," from the upcoming READY OR NOT.



The one-hour show demonstrated the oft-frustrating constraints of performing for young audiences, as many parents and caregivers were late to arrive, but even more made for the exits at around the 40-minute mark. On the positive side, that provided room for timid children to move forward and participate later in the concert.


Although temperatures zoomed into the low 90s, they were not quite that high throughout the set. The Not-Its drove to Connecticut for another show that night, and rocked out audiences in another high-temp zone. As a gateway to "hard stuff," the Not-Its make it hard to sit still (although one stunned girl did just stare for the entire show). They are still on tour for the rest of the month back home in Washington State.

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