This might be the beginning of a recurring feature where I write about, well, recent cultural experiences I’ve had. 

Octet at Hudson Valley Shakespeare

I probably have an essay in me on my conflicted relationship with musicals. For a long time, that translated into me being Not a Musicals Guy. That wall has gradually broken down, due in part to John Doyle’s production of Company and in part due to John M. Chu’s adaptation of In the Heights. A recommendation on a Discord prompted me to drive an hour north of the city to see a production of writer/composer Dave Malloy’s Octet. It may have been the most moving artistic experience I’ve had all year.

Octet is structured as a support group meeting for internet addicts. While it isn’t entirely a capella, the instrumentation is relatively minimal: some percussion operated by the players, as well as pitch pipes. And there’s a definite sense of Malloy pushing himself to see just how far he can take this constraint, which means both elements of sacred singing and one moment in which the cast played their pitch pipes in harmony, creating a hazy drone that wouldn’t have been out of place on a mid-00s Kranky release. Absolutely stunning stuff throughout, to the point where the penultimate number “Beautiful” left me as, I believe the technical term is “a soppy mess.”

The Waterboys at The Basie Center

Somewhere in the last few years I became a Waterboys fan. This is somewhat strange because “Fisherman’s Blues,” one of their most recognizable songs, is relatively low on my list of favorite songs of theirs. But there’s something about the group’s deep dives into their own archive that have made for some fascinating collections of music lately. 

So I went to see them near my hometown, slightly wondering if Bruce Springsteen (who appeared on their recent album Life, Death and Dennis Hopper) would put in an appearance. (He didn’t.) But the full set was a lot of fun; the band was tight and the set list balanced old and new songs. That they encored with a cover of “Purple Rain” was unexpected, though given that Prince had been known to cover “The Whole of the Moon,” it felt somehow full circle.

Outlaw Music Festival at PNC Bank Arts Center

The first adult concert I attended was at the Arts Center, albeit during a time when it was still the Garden State Arts Center. (The lineup: Duran Duran with guest Sananda Maitreya.) I was back there for the first time in 30 years for the Outlaw Music Festival; I’d never seen Bob Dylan or Willie Nelson live before, and it seemed like a good place to see two pretty iconic artists.

The fact that Waxahatchee was on the bill didn’t hurt, either. (The last time I saw them before this was 285 Kent, and I’d be hard-pressed to think of two more different venues.) It was nice to hear “Right Back to It” get a cheer from the audience; Sheryl Crow, who followed them, played a pretty wide-ranging set to an appreciative crowd.

Dylan and band took the stage shrouded in darkness, and kicked things off with a taut version of “Masters of War.” His set covered a lot of ground, and the band’s version of “Love Sick” was especially bracing. I also realized that as much time has passed between the release of Time Out of Mind and today as there was between the releases of Nashville Skyline and Time Out of Mind. And Nelson’s set, despite some uneven mixing to start things out, was also a fine overview of his career backed by a skilled group of musicians. That he’s 92 years old makes it all the more impressive.

Cosmic Tones Research Trio at Public Records

This one was an impulse buy. I tend to enjoy most things Mississippi Records releases, so the fact that they were sponsoring this with the digital music company Qobuz piqued my interest. I’ve liked what I’ve heard from this trio on record, and they were able to tap into a similar strain of precise melody in a live setting. For my money, the moments that stood out the most were when the trio veered into an expansive mood, sometimes with improvisation and sometimes with sung vocals. 

Their closer, in which they asked the audience to create a tone and then played atop that, was like nothing I’ve experienced before, and was hopeful and cathartic at the same time.