10 More Years of Rocking Cleveland - The Beachland Turns 20
In March, the Beachland Ballroom & Tavern celebrated its 20th birthday. In March 2010, I wrote up a personal history of my time at the Beachland. Since the Beachland is still my favorite venue in Cleveland, I thought it would be a good time to do an update. Hopefully the Beachland survives the pandemic shutdown and the recent passing of one of its owners and continues to be a great place to see a show for many years to come.
2010 - 16 Shows (Ballroom 7, Tavern 9), 28 bands (11/17)
Alejandro Escovedo w/The Lighthouse & the Whaler - W 1/13 - Beachland Ballroom
The Rural Alberta Advantage w/The Buried Wires, The Octagon - Su 1/17 - Beachland Tavern
Jemina Pearl w/Spacer Ace - W 2/10 - Beachland Tavern
Daphne Willis w/Corissa Bragg - Su 2/28 - Beachland Tavern
Rubblebucket w/Vitium - W 3/10 - Beachland Tavern
Rachael Sage - M 4/19 - Beachland Tavern
Detroit Cobras w/Living Stereo - F 4/23 - Beachland Ballroom
Leslie & The Badgers w/Ferraby Lionheart - W 5/12 - Beachland Tavern
Members of Morphine (with Jeremy Lyons) w/Exploding Lies - R 5/27 - Beachland Tavern
Stars - T 6/08 - Beachland Ballroom
Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles w/The Big Sweet - R 8/12 - Beachland Tavern
Shellac - W 9/01 - Beachland Ballroom
The Breeders w/Times New Viking - R 9/02 - Beachland Ballroom
Those Darlins - T 9/21 - Beachland Tavern
OK Go - W 10/13 - Beachland Ballroom
Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band w/Thieving Irons - M 11/15 - Beachland Ballroom
2011 - 22 Shows (Ballroom 13, Tavern 9), 41 bands (22/19)
Headtronics (Featuring DJ Logic, Steve Molitz, & Freekbass) w/Broccoli Samurai - Beachland Ballroom
My Brightest Diamond w/Whisper Signal - T 2/01 - Beachland Tavern
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings w/Charles Bradley - S 2/05 - Beachland Ballroom
Rasputina w/Voltaire - T 2/22 - Beachland Ballroom
Jonathan Richman w/Steve Brown: Yo Yo Artist Extraordinaire - Su 3/06 - Beachland Ballroom
Eli "Paperboy" Reed & the True Loves - R 3/24 - Beachland Ballroom
The Books - R 3/31 - Beachland Ballroom
The Budos Band w/Charles Bradley - S 4/16 - Beachland Ballroom
The Rural Alberta Advantage w/Lord Huron & Buried Wires - Su 4/24 - Beachland Ballroom
Femi Kuti & The Positive Force - R 4/28 - Beachland Ballroom
The Right Now w/Winslow - Su 5/08 - Beachland Tavern
Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs w/Scissormen - W 5/11 - Beachland Tavern
T-Model Ford & Gravel Road w/Shouting Thomas & The Torments - S 6/04 - Beachland Tavern
Elizabeth Cook - F 6/10 - Beachland Tavern
Wye Oak w/Buried Wires - W 8/03 - Beachland Tavern
The Dynamites feat. Charles Walker - S 9/24 - Beachland Tavern
X (all original members) - T 10/04 - Beachland Ballroom
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings w/The Wrong Numbers - S 10/29 - Beachland Ballroom
Mike Doughty & His Band Fantastic w/Moon Hooch - Su 11/13 - Beachland Ballroom
Marketa Irglova - Su 11/27 - Beachland Ballroom
John Doe w/Whiskey Daredevils, Robert Ellis - T 11/29 - Beachland Tavern
JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound w/Aphrodite's Hero - R 12/01 - Beachland Tavern
2012 - 14 Shows (Ballroom 6, Tavern 8), 27 bands (12/15)
Melvin Davis & The United Sounds w/We The People - F 1/20 - Beachland Tavern
Mike Doughty (The Book of Drugs tour) - W 2/22 - Beachland Tavern
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires w/Little Barrie - R 2/23 - Beachland Ballroom
Galactic (with Corey Glover of Living Colour) w/The Soul Rebels - R 3/01 - Beachland Ballroom
Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds w/Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites - S 3/30 - Beachland Tavern
Mr. Gnome w/Ohio Sky, The Baker Family - F 4/20 - Beachland Ballroom
Lee Fields & the Expressions w/Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites - R 5/10 - Beachland Ballroom
Allo Darlin' w/The Wave Pictures - W 5/16 - Beachland Tavern
Fred Eaglesmith w/The Fabulous Ginn Sisters - Su 6/17 - Beachland Tavern
The Afghan Whigs w/Silencio - Su 9/30 - Beachland Ballroom
Rosie Flores & Marti Brom - M 11/05 - Beachland Tavern
Lydia Loveless w/Charles Hill Jr. - T 11/27 - Beachland Tavern
Kelly Hogan w/Maura Rogers & The Bellows - F 11/30 - Beachland Tavern
El Vez - Su 12/09 - Beachland Ballroom
2013 - 16 Shows (Ballroom 11, Tavern 5), 27 bands (19/8)
Retribution Gospel Choir w/Relaxer - F 2/16 - Beachland Tavern
Veronica Falls w/Cold Showers - W 3/13 - Beachland Tavern
Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band w/Jimbo Mathus, Alvin Youngblood Hart - S 3/23 - Beachland Ballroom
Silencio - S 4/27 - Beachland Ballroom
Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express w/Welshly Arms - W 5/15 - Beachland Ballroom
Rebirth Brass Band - S 6/08 - Beachland Ballroom
EMEFE w/Revolution Brass Band - T 6/25 - Beachland Tavern
Mingo Fishtrap - Su 6/30 - Beachland Tavern
Wesley Bright & The Hi-Lites w/The Vallures - F 8/30 - Beachland Ballroom
Deerhunter w/Marnie Stern - W 9/11 - Beachland Ballroom
Pere Ubu w/Gagarin, This Moment in Black History - R 9/19 - Beachland Ballroom
Stars w/Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - R 9/26 - Beachland Ballroom
Robert Randolph & the Family Band - W 10/16 - Beachland Ballroom
Mike Doughty - T 10/22 - Beachland Ballroom
Kate Nash - Su 11/03 - Beachland Ballroom
Chuck Prophet - W 11/06 - Beachland Tavern
2014 - 16 Shows (Ballroom 11, Tavern 5), 25 bands (18/7)
Galactic - T 2/11 - Beachland Ballroom
Lydia Loveless - Beachland Tavern - R 2/27
Stanley Clarke - Beachland Ballroom - S 3/01
The Julie Ruin w/Screaming Females - Beachland Ballroom - M 4/07
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires w/Wesley Bright & The Hi-Lites - Beachland Ballroom - T 4/22
Eternal Summers - Beachland Tavern - T 5/06
Silencio - Beachland Tavern - F 5/09
Neko Case w/The Dodos - Beachland Ballroom - Su 5/11
Turkuaz - Beachland Ballroom - R 5/29
Jeremy Messersmith - Beachland Tavern - W 6/04
The Old 97's w/Lydia Loveless - Beachland Ballroom - R 6/05
Bob Mould w/Cymbals Eat Guitars - Beachland Ballroom - M 9/15
Pete Yorn - Beachland Ballroom - F 10/03
Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express w/John Murry - Beachland Ballroom - S 11/08
Nick Lowe w/Los Straitjackets - Beachland Ballroom - W 12/10
Alvvays w/Sun Club & Likenesses - Beachland Tavern - S 12/13
2015 - 6 Shows (Ballroom 2, Tavern 4), 12 bands (4/8)
Galactic - Su 3/22 - Beachland Ballroom
Silencio - S 5/23 - Beachland Tavern
White Lung w/Obliterations, Miss Melvis' Duo Decibel System - Su 6/14 - Beachland Tavern
Nikki Lane w/Clear Plastic Mask - Su 11/08 - Beachland Tavern
Elvis Hitler w/Cult of the Psychic Fetus - S 11/14 - Beachland Tavern
The King Khan & BBQ Show w/Milk Lines, Archie & the Bunkers - R 11/19 - Beachland Ballroom
2016 - 11 Shows (Ballroom 9, Tavern 2), 18 bands (15/3)
Low Cut Connie - R 2/18 - Beachland Tavern
Galactic - T 3/22 - Beachland Ballroom
Bombino w/Last Good Tooth - W 4/06 - Beachland Ballroom
The Mountain Goats - R 4/07 - Beachland Ballroom
The Protomen - M 4/18 - Beachland Ballroom
Prince Tribute Show: Tim Moon w/Scarlet & Harlots - S 6/04 - Beachland Ballroom
The Blasters - Su 6/12 - Beachland Ballroom
King Khan & the Shrines w/Giorgio Murderer, Shitbox Jimmy - F 6/17 - Beachland Ballroom
Thee Oh Sees w/Ma Holos - F 11/18 - Beachland Ballroom
The King Khan & BBQ Show w/The Gartrells - Su 11/27 - Beachland Ballroom
The Mystery Lights w/Warbly Jets - W 12/07 - Beachland Tavern
2017 - 11 Shows (Ballroom 8, Tavern 3), 16 bands (11/5)
Mike Doughty - R 2/23 - Beachland Ballroom
Dinosaur Jr - Su 3/12 - Beachland Ballroom
Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express - S 3/25 - Beachland Ballroom
Allison Crutchfield & The Fizz w/Vagabon - Su 4/02 - Beachland Tavern
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard w/Orb - F 4/07 - Beachland Ballroom
The Growlers - Su 5/14 - Beachland Ballroom
Antibalas - Su 9/10 - Beachland Ballroom
Roky Erickson w/Death Valley Girls - W 9/13 - Beachland Ballroom
Matt Pond PA - R 9/28 - Beachland Tavern
The New Pornographers w/Born Ruffians - T 10/10 - Beachland Ballroom
Peelander-Z w/Half an Animal - W 11/01 - Beachland Tavern
2018 - 7 Shows (Ballroom 4, Tavern 3), 13 bands (7/6)
Ben Kaplan w/Harrow Fair - R 1/11 - Beachland Tavern
The Crystal Method w/Stout XTC - S 4/07 - Beachland Ballroom
The Mountain Goats w/Dead Rider - F 4/13 - Beachland Ballroom
Chris Barron - R 4/19 - Beachland Tavern
The Iron Maidens - Su 6/24 - Beachland Ballroom
The Beths w/Forager, Sessa - M 10/08 - Beachland Tavern
AJJ w/Kimya Dawson - W 10/10 - Beachland Ballroom
2019 - 5 Shows (Ballroom 4, Tavern 1), 9 bands (8/1)
The Beths w/Bad Bad Hats, Village Bicycle - T 3/05 - Beachland Ballroom
Xiu Xiu w/Hiram-Maxim - W 5/15 - Beachland Ballroom
Thee Affections - S 6/01 - Beachland Tavern
Durand Jones & the Indications - W 7/24 - Beachland Ballroom
Big Freedia w/Low Cut Connie - M 11/04 - Beachland Ballroom
2020 - 2 Shows (Ballroom 2, Tavern 0), 4 bands (4/0)
Black Sabbitch w/Dead Earth - W 1/08 - Beachland Ballroom
Cracker w/Camper van Beethoven - S 1/11 - Beachland Ballroom
Totals
2001 to 2010:
-- 96 Shows (61 Ballroom, 35 Tavern)
-- 154 Bands (95 Ballroom, 59 Tavern)
Note: If you compare to the ten year anniversary post, the totals don't match because that had a partial list for 2010.
2011 to 2020:
-- 110 Shows (70 Ballroom, 40 Tavern)
-- 192 Bands (120 Ballroom, 72 Tavern)
Two Decades!
-- 206 Shows (131 Ballroom, 75 Tavern)
-- 346 Bands (215 Ballroom, 131 Tavern)
Averages Shows Per Year: 10.3 shows (6.55 Ballroom, 3.75 Tavern)
Average Bands Per Year: 17.3 bands (10.75 Ballroom, 6.55 Tavern)
Most Shows in a Year, Ballroom: 2011. I'd make a cheap joke about getting divorced leading to more concert going, but the numbers are pretty equal before and after, so it's just a coincidence.
Most Shows in a Year, Tavern: 2010 and 2011 tie. Or maybe going to shows leads to divorces. Or is a way of hiding from impending divorces.
Here are the shows that stand out from the second decade of the Beachland. My first pass cut this from 110 to 34. It was hard work cutting it to 12. Note that isn't necessarily the best, or the worst, or even the most interesting, so much as the ones that have the most vivid memories. These are in more or less chronological order.
1. I fell in love with Morphine after Mark Sandman's heart failed him, but for one great night in 2010 the surviving members did the best reunion show I think I've ever seen. They billed themselves as "Members of Morphine with Jeremy Lyons" and on Thursday, May 27, they made the Tavern rock with all the old songs, and some delta blues in for good measure. It felt more like therapy for the band than an attempt to cash in. There were a lot of old fans wearing tour gear from the late 1990s at this show.
2. Later in 2010 I went to see Shellac, mostly out of curiosity as to what Steve Albini's personal band sounded like after he'd produced so many albums for other people. Wednesday, September 1 was an intense night of loud angry music at the Ballroom. I had a great time from right up front by the stage.
3. Sunday, May 8, 2011, was Mother's Day. This is probably why I was the only paying customer to see a bunch of earnest white kids from Chicago called The Right Now put on a soul show in the Tavern. To their eternal credit, they came out and gave it everything they had even though the total audience was me, some bartenders, the opening band and a few of the opening band's friends. They weren't bad and are apparently still together now.
4. I've managed to see Galactic four times, but the first time in 2012 was by far the best. They had Corey Glover (of Living Color) as their vocalist. There was a lot of slam dancing up front by the stage of the Ballroom, much of it with a woman from Columbus who said "I've never heard of Galactic, but I go anywhere Corey goes," which is a little weird but seemed to be working for her.
5. I was given free tickets to see the Afghan Whigs in the Ballroom on September 30, 2012. I don't remember their set much at all. Their opener, on the other hand, was Silencio. I walked in during their set and never made it to the bar. Instead I went straight to the merch table after hearing just two songs and bought their album. I've seen them three times since and enjoyed them every time. Their Lynch/Badalamneti inspired sounds are both homage and original. I'm not sure I've ever been so strongly affected by a band I'd never heard of before.
6. I've managed to see Chuck Prophet four times now, once solo and three times with the Mission Express. The first show on May 15, 2013 in the Ballroom was in support of the San Francisco themed Temple Beautiful album. It reached out and grabbed me and pulled me in.
7. EMEFE came through on June 25, 2013. That was early in their history and so far as I know they have never come back to Cleveland. They are out of Brooklyn and tried for an afro-beat sound not dissimlar from Antibalas and others. Their may have been more members of the band than paying customers, as proven when they left the stage and surrounded the crowd in horns. Good, good stuff.
8. Pere Ubu is the Cleveland band that won't die, having had a artistic influence far beyond their virtually non-existent commercial success. I saw them in 2013. It was weird. Men in chicken masks waved knives. Strange sounds happened. It's hard to explain if you aren't there.
9. Elvis Hitler described themselves as "The 20th Century's two biggest sensations". They did a reunion gig in Cleveland on November 14, 2015 in the Tavern. I went. My friend Tony was working the door; he said he'd never seen so much leopard print anywhere. The band was selling CD-Rs of their merch because they didn't have the right to sell their own albums, or so they claimed. It was one of the weirdest rockabilly nights I've ever been to.
10. In 2016, John Darnielle decided he didn't hate Cleveland anymore, and I finally got to see The Mountain Goats on April 7. It was worth the wait. The Tavern was packed. The tour happened to be for the Beat the Champ album, but I think that show would have been great no matter what the material was. Darnielle must have agreed; they returned in 2018 and I saw that too.
11. It's not every day that you see Megaman cosplay at a concert, but The Protomen are a Megaman themed prog rock band, so that happened. An inordinate number of people in the Ballroom on May 18, 2016 were dressed in cardboard robot costumers. My enjoyment of this show was wildly out of proportion to my expectations, which were minimal.
12. M's friend Lindsay from high school is married to Chris Barron, who was in the 90s band Spin Doctors. Did we want free tickets to see his show at the Beachland Tavern on April 19, 2018? Sure, why not? It turns out Chris's solo material is pretty damn good, and he tells stories as well as anyone this side of Fred Eaglesmith. "Who here is a hard core Spin Doctors fan? If you bought the second album you count."
So that's another decade, not to mention one of my longest posts ever. I hope I have reason to do this in ten more years.
2010 - 16 Shows (Ballroom 7, Tavern 9), 28 bands (11/17)
Alejandro Escovedo w/The Lighthouse & the Whaler - W 1/13 - Beachland Ballroom
The Rural Alberta Advantage w/The Buried Wires, The Octagon - Su 1/17 - Beachland Tavern
Jemina Pearl w/Spacer Ace - W 2/10 - Beachland Tavern
Daphne Willis w/Corissa Bragg - Su 2/28 - Beachland Tavern
Rubblebucket w/Vitium - W 3/10 - Beachland Tavern
Rachael Sage - M 4/19 - Beachland Tavern
Detroit Cobras w/Living Stereo - F 4/23 - Beachland Ballroom
Leslie & The Badgers w/Ferraby Lionheart - W 5/12 - Beachland Tavern
Members of Morphine (with Jeremy Lyons) w/Exploding Lies - R 5/27 - Beachland Tavern
Stars - T 6/08 - Beachland Ballroom
Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles w/The Big Sweet - R 8/12 - Beachland Tavern
Shellac - W 9/01 - Beachland Ballroom
The Breeders w/Times New Viking - R 9/02 - Beachland Ballroom
Those Darlins - T 9/21 - Beachland Tavern
OK Go - W 10/13 - Beachland Ballroom
Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band w/Thieving Irons - M 11/15 - Beachland Ballroom
2011 - 22 Shows (Ballroom 13, Tavern 9), 41 bands (22/19)
Headtronics (Featuring DJ Logic, Steve Molitz, & Freekbass) w/Broccoli Samurai - Beachland Ballroom
My Brightest Diamond w/Whisper Signal - T 2/01 - Beachland Tavern
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings w/Charles Bradley - S 2/05 - Beachland Ballroom
Rasputina w/Voltaire - T 2/22 - Beachland Ballroom
Jonathan Richman w/Steve Brown: Yo Yo Artist Extraordinaire - Su 3/06 - Beachland Ballroom
Eli "Paperboy" Reed & the True Loves - R 3/24 - Beachland Ballroom
The Books - R 3/31 - Beachland Ballroom
The Budos Band w/Charles Bradley - S 4/16 - Beachland Ballroom
The Rural Alberta Advantage w/Lord Huron & Buried Wires - Su 4/24 - Beachland Ballroom
Femi Kuti & The Positive Force - R 4/28 - Beachland Ballroom
The Right Now w/Winslow - Su 5/08 - Beachland Tavern
Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs w/Scissormen - W 5/11 - Beachland Tavern
T-Model Ford & Gravel Road w/Shouting Thomas & The Torments - S 6/04 - Beachland Tavern
Elizabeth Cook - F 6/10 - Beachland Tavern
Wye Oak w/Buried Wires - W 8/03 - Beachland Tavern
The Dynamites feat. Charles Walker - S 9/24 - Beachland Tavern
X (all original members) - T 10/04 - Beachland Ballroom
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings w/The Wrong Numbers - S 10/29 - Beachland Ballroom
Mike Doughty & His Band Fantastic w/Moon Hooch - Su 11/13 - Beachland Ballroom
Marketa Irglova - Su 11/27 - Beachland Ballroom
John Doe w/Whiskey Daredevils, Robert Ellis - T 11/29 - Beachland Tavern
JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound w/Aphrodite's Hero - R 12/01 - Beachland Tavern
2012 - 14 Shows (Ballroom 6, Tavern 8), 27 bands (12/15)
Melvin Davis & The United Sounds w/We The People - F 1/20 - Beachland Tavern
Mike Doughty (The Book of Drugs tour) - W 2/22 - Beachland Tavern
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires w/Little Barrie - R 2/23 - Beachland Ballroom
Galactic (with Corey Glover of Living Colour) w/The Soul Rebels - R 3/01 - Beachland Ballroom
Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds w/Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites - S 3/30 - Beachland Tavern
Mr. Gnome w/Ohio Sky, The Baker Family - F 4/20 - Beachland Ballroom
Lee Fields & the Expressions w/Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites - R 5/10 - Beachland Ballroom
Allo Darlin' w/The Wave Pictures - W 5/16 - Beachland Tavern
Fred Eaglesmith w/The Fabulous Ginn Sisters - Su 6/17 - Beachland Tavern
The Afghan Whigs w/Silencio - Su 9/30 - Beachland Ballroom
Rosie Flores & Marti Brom - M 11/05 - Beachland Tavern
Lydia Loveless w/Charles Hill Jr. - T 11/27 - Beachland Tavern
Kelly Hogan w/Maura Rogers & The Bellows - F 11/30 - Beachland Tavern
El Vez - Su 12/09 - Beachland Ballroom
2013 - 16 Shows (Ballroom 11, Tavern 5), 27 bands (19/8)
Retribution Gospel Choir w/Relaxer - F 2/16 - Beachland Tavern
Veronica Falls w/Cold Showers - W 3/13 - Beachland Tavern
Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band w/Jimbo Mathus, Alvin Youngblood Hart - S 3/23 - Beachland Ballroom
Silencio - S 4/27 - Beachland Ballroom
Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express w/Welshly Arms - W 5/15 - Beachland Ballroom
Rebirth Brass Band - S 6/08 - Beachland Ballroom
EMEFE w/Revolution Brass Band - T 6/25 - Beachland Tavern
Mingo Fishtrap - Su 6/30 - Beachland Tavern
Wesley Bright & The Hi-Lites w/The Vallures - F 8/30 - Beachland Ballroom
Deerhunter w/Marnie Stern - W 9/11 - Beachland Ballroom
Pere Ubu w/Gagarin, This Moment in Black History - R 9/19 - Beachland Ballroom
Stars w/Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - R 9/26 - Beachland Ballroom
Robert Randolph & the Family Band - W 10/16 - Beachland Ballroom
Mike Doughty - T 10/22 - Beachland Ballroom
Kate Nash - Su 11/03 - Beachland Ballroom
Chuck Prophet - W 11/06 - Beachland Tavern
2014 - 16 Shows (Ballroom 11, Tavern 5), 25 bands (18/7)
Galactic - T 2/11 - Beachland Ballroom
Lydia Loveless - Beachland Tavern - R 2/27
Stanley Clarke - Beachland Ballroom - S 3/01
The Julie Ruin w/Screaming Females - Beachland Ballroom - M 4/07
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires w/Wesley Bright & The Hi-Lites - Beachland Ballroom - T 4/22
Eternal Summers - Beachland Tavern - T 5/06
Silencio - Beachland Tavern - F 5/09
Neko Case w/The Dodos - Beachland Ballroom - Su 5/11
Turkuaz - Beachland Ballroom - R 5/29
Jeremy Messersmith - Beachland Tavern - W 6/04
The Old 97's w/Lydia Loveless - Beachland Ballroom - R 6/05
Bob Mould w/Cymbals Eat Guitars - Beachland Ballroom - M 9/15
Pete Yorn - Beachland Ballroom - F 10/03
Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express w/John Murry - Beachland Ballroom - S 11/08
Nick Lowe w/Los Straitjackets - Beachland Ballroom - W 12/10
Alvvays w/Sun Club & Likenesses - Beachland Tavern - S 12/13
2015 - 6 Shows (Ballroom 2, Tavern 4), 12 bands (4/8)
Galactic - Su 3/22 - Beachland Ballroom
Silencio - S 5/23 - Beachland Tavern
White Lung w/Obliterations, Miss Melvis' Duo Decibel System - Su 6/14 - Beachland Tavern
Nikki Lane w/Clear Plastic Mask - Su 11/08 - Beachland Tavern
Elvis Hitler w/Cult of the Psychic Fetus - S 11/14 - Beachland Tavern
The King Khan & BBQ Show w/Milk Lines, Archie & the Bunkers - R 11/19 - Beachland Ballroom
2016 - 11 Shows (Ballroom 9, Tavern 2), 18 bands (15/3)
Low Cut Connie - R 2/18 - Beachland Tavern
Galactic - T 3/22 - Beachland Ballroom
Bombino w/Last Good Tooth - W 4/06 - Beachland Ballroom
The Mountain Goats - R 4/07 - Beachland Ballroom
The Protomen - M 4/18 - Beachland Ballroom
Prince Tribute Show: Tim Moon w/Scarlet & Harlots - S 6/04 - Beachland Ballroom
The Blasters - Su 6/12 - Beachland Ballroom
King Khan & the Shrines w/Giorgio Murderer, Shitbox Jimmy - F 6/17 - Beachland Ballroom
Thee Oh Sees w/Ma Holos - F 11/18 - Beachland Ballroom
The King Khan & BBQ Show w/The Gartrells - Su 11/27 - Beachland Ballroom
The Mystery Lights w/Warbly Jets - W 12/07 - Beachland Tavern
2017 - 11 Shows (Ballroom 8, Tavern 3), 16 bands (11/5)
Mike Doughty - R 2/23 - Beachland Ballroom
Dinosaur Jr - Su 3/12 - Beachland Ballroom
Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express - S 3/25 - Beachland Ballroom
Allison Crutchfield & The Fizz w/Vagabon - Su 4/02 - Beachland Tavern
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard w/Orb - F 4/07 - Beachland Ballroom
The Growlers - Su 5/14 - Beachland Ballroom
Antibalas - Su 9/10 - Beachland Ballroom
Roky Erickson w/Death Valley Girls - W 9/13 - Beachland Ballroom
Matt Pond PA - R 9/28 - Beachland Tavern
The New Pornographers w/Born Ruffians - T 10/10 - Beachland Ballroom
Peelander-Z w/Half an Animal - W 11/01 - Beachland Tavern
2018 - 7 Shows (Ballroom 4, Tavern 3), 13 bands (7/6)
Ben Kaplan w/Harrow Fair - R 1/11 - Beachland Tavern
The Crystal Method w/Stout XTC - S 4/07 - Beachland Ballroom
The Mountain Goats w/Dead Rider - F 4/13 - Beachland Ballroom
Chris Barron - R 4/19 - Beachland Tavern
The Iron Maidens - Su 6/24 - Beachland Ballroom
The Beths w/Forager, Sessa - M 10/08 - Beachland Tavern
AJJ w/Kimya Dawson - W 10/10 - Beachland Ballroom
2019 - 5 Shows (Ballroom 4, Tavern 1), 9 bands (8/1)
The Beths w/Bad Bad Hats, Village Bicycle - T 3/05 - Beachland Ballroom
Xiu Xiu w/Hiram-Maxim - W 5/15 - Beachland Ballroom
Thee Affections - S 6/01 - Beachland Tavern
Durand Jones & the Indications - W 7/24 - Beachland Ballroom
Big Freedia w/Low Cut Connie - M 11/04 - Beachland Ballroom
2020 - 2 Shows (Ballroom 2, Tavern 0), 4 bands (4/0)
Black Sabbitch w/Dead Earth - W 1/08 - Beachland Ballroom
Cracker w/Camper van Beethoven - S 1/11 - Beachland Ballroom
Totals
2001 to 2010:
-- 96 Shows (61 Ballroom, 35 Tavern)
-- 154 Bands (95 Ballroom, 59 Tavern)
Note: If you compare to the ten year anniversary post, the totals don't match because that had a partial list for 2010.
2011 to 2020:
-- 110 Shows (70 Ballroom, 40 Tavern)
-- 192 Bands (120 Ballroom, 72 Tavern)
Two Decades!
-- 206 Shows (131 Ballroom, 75 Tavern)
-- 346 Bands (215 Ballroom, 131 Tavern)
Averages Shows Per Year: 10.3 shows (6.55 Ballroom, 3.75 Tavern)
Average Bands Per Year: 17.3 bands (10.75 Ballroom, 6.55 Tavern)
Most Shows in a Year, Ballroom: 2011. I'd make a cheap joke about getting divorced leading to more concert going, but the numbers are pretty equal before and after, so it's just a coincidence.
Most Shows in a Year, Tavern: 2010 and 2011 tie. Or maybe going to shows leads to divorces. Or is a way of hiding from impending divorces.
Here are the shows that stand out from the second decade of the Beachland. My first pass cut this from 110 to 34. It was hard work cutting it to 12. Note that isn't necessarily the best, or the worst, or even the most interesting, so much as the ones that have the most vivid memories. These are in more or less chronological order.
1. I fell in love with Morphine after Mark Sandman's heart failed him, but for one great night in 2010 the surviving members did the best reunion show I think I've ever seen. They billed themselves as "Members of Morphine with Jeremy Lyons" and on Thursday, May 27, they made the Tavern rock with all the old songs, and some delta blues in for good measure. It felt more like therapy for the band than an attempt to cash in. There were a lot of old fans wearing tour gear from the late 1990s at this show.
2. Later in 2010 I went to see Shellac, mostly out of curiosity as to what Steve Albini's personal band sounded like after he'd produced so many albums for other people. Wednesday, September 1 was an intense night of loud angry music at the Ballroom. I had a great time from right up front by the stage.
3. Sunday, May 8, 2011, was Mother's Day. This is probably why I was the only paying customer to see a bunch of earnest white kids from Chicago called The Right Now put on a soul show in the Tavern. To their eternal credit, they came out and gave it everything they had even though the total audience was me, some bartenders, the opening band and a few of the opening band's friends. They weren't bad and are apparently still together now.
4. I've managed to see Galactic four times, but the first time in 2012 was by far the best. They had Corey Glover (of Living Color) as their vocalist. There was a lot of slam dancing up front by the stage of the Ballroom, much of it with a woman from Columbus who said "I've never heard of Galactic, but I go anywhere Corey goes," which is a little weird but seemed to be working for her.
5. I was given free tickets to see the Afghan Whigs in the Ballroom on September 30, 2012. I don't remember their set much at all. Their opener, on the other hand, was Silencio. I walked in during their set and never made it to the bar. Instead I went straight to the merch table after hearing just two songs and bought their album. I've seen them three times since and enjoyed them every time. Their Lynch/Badalamneti inspired sounds are both homage and original. I'm not sure I've ever been so strongly affected by a band I'd never heard of before.
6. I've managed to see Chuck Prophet four times now, once solo and three times with the Mission Express. The first show on May 15, 2013 in the Ballroom was in support of the San Francisco themed Temple Beautiful album. It reached out and grabbed me and pulled me in.
7. EMEFE came through on June 25, 2013. That was early in their history and so far as I know they have never come back to Cleveland. They are out of Brooklyn and tried for an afro-beat sound not dissimlar from Antibalas and others. Their may have been more members of the band than paying customers, as proven when they left the stage and surrounded the crowd in horns. Good, good stuff.
8. Pere Ubu is the Cleveland band that won't die, having had a artistic influence far beyond their virtually non-existent commercial success. I saw them in 2013. It was weird. Men in chicken masks waved knives. Strange sounds happened. It's hard to explain if you aren't there.
9. Elvis Hitler described themselves as "The 20th Century's two biggest sensations". They did a reunion gig in Cleveland on November 14, 2015 in the Tavern. I went. My friend Tony was working the door; he said he'd never seen so much leopard print anywhere. The band was selling CD-Rs of their merch because they didn't have the right to sell their own albums, or so they claimed. It was one of the weirdest rockabilly nights I've ever been to.
10. In 2016, John Darnielle decided he didn't hate Cleveland anymore, and I finally got to see The Mountain Goats on April 7. It was worth the wait. The Tavern was packed. The tour happened to be for the Beat the Champ album, but I think that show would have been great no matter what the material was. Darnielle must have agreed; they returned in 2018 and I saw that too.
11. It's not every day that you see Megaman cosplay at a concert, but The Protomen are a Megaman themed prog rock band, so that happened. An inordinate number of people in the Ballroom on May 18, 2016 were dressed in cardboard robot costumers. My enjoyment of this show was wildly out of proportion to my expectations, which were minimal.
12. M's friend Lindsay from high school is married to Chris Barron, who was in the 90s band Spin Doctors. Did we want free tickets to see his show at the Beachland Tavern on April 19, 2018? Sure, why not? It turns out Chris's solo material is pretty damn good, and he tells stories as well as anyone this side of Fred Eaglesmith. "Who here is a hard core Spin Doctors fan? If you bought the second album you count."
So that's another decade, not to mention one of my longest posts ever. I hope I have reason to do this in ten more years.