Keys to the game: pin the Japanese back in their end as much as you can and use your size advantage on set pieces. As always, control the midfield. Go USA!
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by Randinho| 226 Comments
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Keys to the game: pin the Japanese back in their end as much as you can and use your size advantage on set pieces. As always, control the midfield. Go USA!
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raven
USA!
SiubhanDuinne
??
HumboldtBlue
YES!
SiubhanDuinne
Well, that didn’t take long!
raven
Yesssss!!!
Tommy
CBS Sunday Morning had a report on the game and I loved they said US fans has literally invaded Vancouver. Taking over the streets in downtown, bars, and hotels. And boy you can hear and see it in the stands after that goal!!!!!!!!!
Randinho
Wasn’t the height advantage, but what a great set piece!
HumboldtBlue
YES! YES!
SiubhanDuinne
@Tommy:
I haven’t followed all the games that
YES YES YES!!!!
closely, but Canada has been a great host country.
Randinho
@Randinho: Once again a great set piece.
Tommy
Even though Japan is down two early their ball control is a thing of beauty to watch.
burnspbesq
This is why you watch shitloads of video in preparation for a big match. Somebody on the US staff saw something.
Amir Khalid
Decided in the first five minutes, this match has been.
SiubhanDuinne
@Amir Khalid: I hope you’re right. I’m way too superstitious to take anything for granted, especially this early in the game.
Randinho
@Tommy: That’s precisely why they need to be pinned back, The ball control is meaningless when you can’t bring it into attack.
@burnspbesq: @burnspbesq: I honestly don’t remember such shambolic defending by the Japanese in earlier games.
Tommy
@Amir Khalid: I ask because I don’t know but I can’t recall a top world team, male or female, breaking down on corner kicks like that and a total inability to clear the ball. Was Japan think we were going to try to use our height advantage for headers and they were really ready for the ball to me on the ground?
And yes I realize only one was a corner kick, but the other goal was pretty close to one
dr. bloor
@burnspbesq: I doubt “they’ll have trouble managing us on set pieces” was any great revelation to them.
Tommy
@Randinho: Right. I am sure the US is fine if they want to dribble or pass around the ball on their half or at midfield. We’re up 2-0, eat clock if you want.
Now 3-0. Wow!
SiubhanDuinne
YOWZA!!!!!
Bill Murray
what a goal by Lloyd for the hat trick
raven
If it was a fight they’d stop it.
SiubhanDuinne
Holy shit!
ThresherK
Hey, we just got back from the beach.
Did we miss anything?
Tommy
Wow. This is complete, and frankly embarrassing ass whooping on every level.
Randinho
Japan, Brazil feels your pain.
bmoak
Golden Ball should be a lock for Lloyd.
HumboldtBlue
I was ready to settle in an watch the U.S. bang away at the Japanese defense, but oh well, time to read a book I guess. I expected a win but not a repeat of Brazil.
MazeDancer
Would like some shots of the Vice President enjoying 4-0!
Amir Khalid
@Tommy:
Like Randinho says, careless defending gave away the goals. You’re supposed to guard against all threats, not just the likeliest.
Amir Khalid
4-0 to the USA in 15 minutes. Yep, it’s all over.
SiubhanDuinne
4-0. In baseball, this is called “a laugher.”
(Edited to correct egregious and misleading and totally inaccurate typo.)
Bill Murray
and then Lloyd should have had her 4th
raven
@Amir Khalid: SNEAK ATTACK!!!
Joel
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dsx2vdn7gpY
SiubhanDuinne
@Amir Khalid:
Yes, I believe you now.
hilts
In the words of Andres Cantor, “Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooool”
Baud
Checked in late and missed all the fun. Go USA!
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
If this were hockey, Japan would have changed goalies.
Randinho
From The Guardian:
“19 min: This is stupid now. Really, really, really stupid. Japan are wandering around like zombies. But really, really friendly zombies that will help you achieve your life goals. Also, zombies with a really good national anthem. Lloyd, meanwhile, is making a case for the greatest ever World Cup final performance ever (man or woman). ”
“What a goal! Kaihori is way out of her goal, and Lloyd roughly located in Wyoming, sees her off her line and shoots from inside her own half. Kaihori slips as she runs back and the ball sails into the set. Me oh my!”
“Hope Solo looks visibly shocked as she is asked to touch the ball. It’s an easy one too, which she takes with ease. USA haven’t conceded two goals all tournament, they’d need to have a horrible game to do so in the next 75 minutes Make that three goals they need to concede! The ball deflects up on the edge of the area and Holiday thrashes a volley past Kaihori.”
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@Baud: There’s no evidence that the fun is over.
Richard mayhew
And I am at an urgent care with my daughter so I missed all of this
Baud
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
No kidding.
Baud
@Richard mayhew:
Hope it’s not too serious.
SiubhanDuinne
:-(
Randinho
Okay, the US surrenders its second goal. Hope that’s the last one.
Bill Murray
poor play by Johnston, gives Japan a glimmer of hope
SiubhanDuinne
@Richard mayhew:
Oh, no. Hope she’s okay.
Randinho
Okay time to go back to attacking, USA.
FlyingToaster
Why do I have the feeling that this is going to start looking like a (NFL) football score?
Spike
@Tommy: Invasion photos here
oldster
what are you folks watching this on?
is it streaming free anywhere?
Randinho
@Richard mayhew: Hope all is okay.
Arclite
Any streaming sites?
Tommy
@oldster: It is on Fox network or your local Fox station.
Bill Murray
@oldster: streaming at http://www.sportstream.tv/ I think on ABC in the US — eta: right Fox not ABC
Randinho
Johnston may be getting all the attention, but Sauerbrun may be even better.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
Is it just me, or are all the bounces going the way of the Americans? Though my suspicion is that it’s a case of making the bounces go your way.
raven
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: It didn’t on their goal.
Arclite
@Tommy: Thanks, but I don’t have access to either cable or antenna TV, only internet.
MazeDancer
@Richard mayhew: Oh, no! On every level. That your daughter needed urgent care. (May all go well). And you can’t enjoy Twitter overcome with US enjoying your sport.
Tommy
@Arclite: Do you have a TV? I got rid of cable awhile back and got a $35 HDTV antenna and I am stunned how well it works so I can get network shows and some sports.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
Japan uses two subs in the first 40 minutes?
MomSense
@Richard mayhew:
Oh no!! I hope she is ok. Sending good thoughts to you and your daughter.
MomSense
@oldster:
I’m watching on the channel that must not be named. I don’t know if they stream.
zzyzx
My wife wanted to go for a walk at 3:15. I figured the game wouldn’t actually start until 4:10 or so, so I paused the DVR and went out. It was running by the time I got home (only 15 minute buffer) and I had missed the first goal. I almost missed the second. It was 4-1 by the time I got back to live. Insane.
Tommy
@MomSense: I just checked and it doesn’t appear so, but I only spent a new seconds looking.
Richard mayhew
@Baud: either a sprained or broken wrist from a monkey bar that was slightly further away than she thought
Bill Murray
Looks like the US had Rapinoe and Heath switch sides as heath was not doing a great job on defense in front of Krieger.
Baud
@Richard mayhew:
Poor baby. But she’ll be OK.
FlyingToaster
@oldster: @Arclite: FoxSports, in whatever country you’re in.
Amir Khalid
Carli Lloyd’s third goal would be a contender for goal of the tournament at a Men’s World Cup.
p.a.
@Richard mayhew: rats. Right when prime summer starts.
FlyingToaster
And the link:
http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/fifa-womens-world-cup
SiubhanDuinne
Highest-scoring Women’s WC final in history. I am, dog knows, no scholar of the game, but I can well believe it.
Baud
@Richard mayhew:
When you go to urgent care, are you like, “I’m Richard Mayhew from Balloon Juice. Let’s talk about what your going to do for me.”
raven
@Richard mayhew: Ah, well, you know the little ones heal quickly.
TaMara (BHF)
@Richard mayhew: Aaah, these are the injuries memories are made of – playing hard and having fun. Hope it is only a sprain and her friends can ooo and aaaa over it tomorrow.
TaMara (BHF)
@Baud: Do not ever leave here. Ever.
Arclite
@Bill Murray: Thanks Bill!
SiubhanDuinne
@Baud:
@TaMara (BHF):
It’s comments like these (both of them) that make me wish for a “like” button. Because yes.
Arclite
@Tommy: Hey thanks. That’s a good idea. Only watch sports a few times a year.
oldster
Hope your girl’s wrist feels better soon, RM.
Poopyman
@TaMara (BHF): And he even misspelled “you’re”.
(I may not know how to spell “ordnance”, but I’m a you/r/’re/ nazi.)
Poopyman
Is there still a game on?
Tommy
@Arclite: Oh and mine connects via coaxial cable and not a HDMI cable so you don’t need a “new” TV. And each local channel (may vary in your area I guess) has a few others. In St. Louis they show a lot of 50s and 60s movies and sitcoms. I am not really into that, but if you are it would be pretty cool.
BillinGlendaleCA
@efgoldman:
I get that even without mentioning Balloon Juice, I guess I’m just special that way.
Amir Khalid
Second half under way. If the USA restore their four-goal cushion, I think there will be no way back into the match for Japan.
raven
Hell of a fake!
Poopyman
Dead Dick Nixon demonstrates the depth of his futbol knowledge:
Elizabelle
@Richard mayhew:
Best to whipsmart daughter Mayhew. Hope she’s feeling fine soonest.
Pity you are missing the game in real time, but you will enjoy it later.
raven
@Tommy: Here’s a reception map site. We suck.
Baud
Own goal! C’mon.
Poopyman
@efgoldman: Well, it’s Sunday night. What have you got planned for Monday morning?
HumboldtBlue
4-2
Randinho
Johnston is having a rather shitty game.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@Poopyman:
Yes. Very definitely, yes.
Bill Murray
and Johnston with the own goal. Us trying to pee it down there leg
Baud
Got it back!!!
HumboldtBlue
5-2
Randinho
That’s how you answer back!
Bill Murray
whew, Heath with the goal
Amir Khalid
An own goal by the USA’s Julie Johnston. USA 4-2 Japan. Game on!
raven
jes
dr. bloor
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Hold that thought, chief.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
5-2
raven
@Amir Khalid: not so fast my friend!
SiubhanDuinne
Back in it
Randinho
Ball watching by Japan. Inexcusable in a game like this.
Baud
@TaMara (BHF):
@SiubhanDuinne:
?
Baud
@Amir Khalid:
Game off!
Baud
This is like a basketball game.
raven
@SiubhanDuinne: Technically, they are the one’s who have to try to get back in it.
JPL
@Richard mayhew: Hope she is okay.. The soccer game is not nearly as important as the comfort of a child..
btw. go usa
Amir Khalid
Seven goals in a World Cup final. Wow.
Tommy
@raven: Yeah we do. I get NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, and CW to problem. But I can’t get, not even a bad picture, either PBS station. That sucks.
The service is so good for the channels I get I almost wonder why no station or a network of stations (like Disney or Viacom) isn’t trying to launch a service. But I guess with the Internet and limited service outside of major metro areas, they think they won’t be able to make money.
But when people come over and we can watch network TV, and they know I don’t have cable, they are like how are you doing this. I point to a little black box in the corner.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
Japan uses it’s last sub. U.S. still have all three. Finding someone that will actually play defense would be nice.
SiubhanDuinne
Technical schmecknical. I commented in the excitement of the moment and wasn’t watching my language :-)
BillinGlendaleCA
@Amir Khalid:
With a score like that, you might even get folk in the US watching.
Randinho
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Word.
Amir Khalid
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
USA have taken Rapinoe off and brought on O’Hara. So that’s two subs left for them. But yeah, they still have the advantage if this goes to extra time.
SRW1
@Richard mayhew:
Shit. My daughter managed to brake her arm that way when she was four. Of course also on a weekend. Had to take her to the A&E at the university hospital. They gave her ketamine before they reset the bone and she couldn’t stop giggleing. That was the weirdest experience I ever had in a hospital. Hopefully, it’s only a sprain for your daughter.
JPL
@SRW1: I have sons and I lost track of the amount of casts.
SRW1
@JPL:
I collected seven myself. Hard to scold your spawn with that history.
Randinho
Unless I missed one, no cards yet in this game.
Amir Khalid
I think the Guardian’s live-blogger has fallen in love with Carli Lloyd.
Randinho
Nice punch clear by Solo. You definitely don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of those . .
scav
@Amir Khalid: Is everyone else reading duplicat comments over there? Is this one of the symptoms of a severe crush?
Randinho
Johnston gets one right.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@Amir Khalid: Who hasn’t?
SRW1
@Amir Khalid:
Carli Pele-Puskas. That’s nice.
Randinho
That was Japan’s first corner.
JPL
@SRW1: One time we went for an x-ray and the doctor asked when he broke another bone.. WHAT.. Same kid broke his collar bone while at a mothers day. He looked so innocent they really didn’t watch him while climbing out of the crib. They insisted that I have him checked out. He was nine months old. After the radiologist looked at it, he said is this the child running around and climbing, and I said so is it broken, and he said, well I can’t tell you but the doctor will. As an adult, he really broke the same collar bone and now has titanium holding it in place.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
Is Wambach really the right call here? I know you want to get her in, but does it help protect the lead?
Since the first 15 minutes, I think Japan has been significantly the better team. Fortunately, the first 15 minutes count.
HumboldtBlue
@Randinho: And maybe only one or two plays that even came close to card-worthy
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
I suppose that with practice you can get some control of where a header goes, but a lot of those in the scrums look like the ball is just going in a random direction.
HumboldtBlue
Aaaaaannnnddd there’s a card
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
There’s a yellow.
Amir Khalid
Abby Wambach is on for Heath. Barring a highly improbable USA defensive collapse, I don’t see Japan making up three goals in
threeten minutes.Poopyman
@efgoldman: How quickly they forget.
JPL
Gotta say, our football would be so much more exciting if they just kept the clock running.
Randinho
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I think so. Good physical presence and great height advantage.
Disagree on Japan being significantly better. Ball watching on the fifth goal was an AYSO level screw-up. A lot of sound and furu along with possession, but not a lot of chances.
Steeplejack (phone)
Do office-type people have tomorrow off, or did they get Friday? Or neither?
Randinho
Good legal time wasting on that counter by the US.
dmsilev
@Steeplejack (phone): My workplace was mostly shut down on Friday. I expect Monday to be a normal Monday.
Poopyman
@Steeplejack (phone): Friday was a Federal holiday. Gotta work tomorrow. Except for that Goldman guy.
SiubhanDuinne
@Poopyman:
And that Duinne broad.
Baud
World Champs!!!
JPL
That was nice.
Tommy
How good must that feel to know you and your team are the best to the freaking world!
SiubhanDuinne
That whole thing was a pleasure.
Randinho
Nice of Ellis to put in Christie Rampone for a cameo.
Elizabelle
How not suspenseful.
But decisive.
Rather like the Greek vote.
Good day all around.
CarolDuhart2
I bet it was 80-20 on Friday for office closings. Long weekend, and if anybody had vacation time, they took it. So even in the 20, a lot of folks weren’t there anyway. And some folks took advantage of the Friday holiday and took off on vacation, so a lot of people won’t be back for a few days anyway.
Did a little painting and finally got rid of an old bed, watched the parade on Saturday. Pretty quiet weekend, more inclined to rest and relax than do anything ambitious.
JPL
@Elizabelle: How was the concert? I heard they emptied the stadium due to storms.
Poopyman
@Elizabelle: Everything I read said the vote was going to be vewy vewy close. Did you look in on Fox to see if they were running around yelling “Unskew the polls!” ?
Randinho
@SiubhanDuinne: And me.
raven
Thanks Randinho !!!
CaseyL
Good game. I’m not a soccer fan, but it was fun to watch.
raven
Our framers could only work 15 minutes Friday because of the rain and they don’t work tomorrow.
Randinho
@raven: My pleasure. I’ll try to do open threads on the CONCACAF Gold Cup starting Tuesday: USA v Honduras.
Chigail
Yes, thanks. It’s been great watching the games with you all.
Tommy
@CaseyL: Yeah I am not a huge fan either. I might piss off a few people here (but I doubt it), but with both international soccer and hockey I prefer the women to the men.
They seem to be more team focused, ball/puck control valued, not one person taking on another, and more technical proficient.
Both sports I don’t like the US professional leagues but watch the women play either on an international level, well if that was how the pros were I’d be a much bigger fan.
Randinho
Unbelievable. The Globo-owned SporTV isn’t even showing the trophy presentation, yet they did for the Copa America last night. Sexist fucks.
Arclite
What a weird game. It was like one of those Superbowl games where one team goes up 28 to 0 in the first quarter. I feel bad for the Japanese. It must have been soul crushing to give up that many goals so quickly.
SRW1
And no Sepp Blatter at the ceremony! Praised be FSM!
Belafon
Randinho
@SRW1: Probably avoiding an arrest warrant.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@Tommy: A lot of college women’s teams (I know hockey, but it’s probably true of others) stream their games, so even in a place where there isn’t women’s hockey, you could certainly watch it.
ThresherK
@SRW1: Maybe he has Dick Cheney’s travel agent. The one with intricate knowledge of extradition treaties.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
Is it a surprise that Leroux disappeared as the tournament went on?
Tommy
@Belafon: I wondered if that was her wife she went to in the stands right after the game.
More of a freakout you think then Mia Hamm in a sports bra after a goal that you can see why more on the cover of any magazine or pubic swimming pool :)?
SiubhanDuinne
@Randinho:
Thanks so much for putting up a thread — in fact, ALL the threads. I am as ignorant as they come, and my fandom is still pretty tribal rather than informed, but your posts and the comments of knowledgeable people here have made it easier to follow. By 2019 I should be some kind of expert!
Randinho
@Belafon: Thanks, Retweeted.
MazeDancer
@Belafon:
Much video coverage on Twitter of Ms. Wambach and her wife: https://twitter.com/ellievhall/status/617860183100948481
Excellent timing with recent Supreme Court developments.
JPL
From Potus
What a win for Team USA! Great game @CarliLloyd! Your country is so proud of all of you. Come visit the White House with the World Cup soon.
Randinho
@SiubhanDuinne: Glad to be of service.
Wonder how many on the right will be singing the praises of Title IX for providing the foundation for the US team.
JPL
@Randinho: Well if it weren’t for Title IX, the men would win more World Cups… just sayin
Tommy
@SiubhanDuinne: Do you live in or near a major metro area? When I lived in DC I went to “friendlies” and DC United Games in RFK.
I’ve been to a ton of sporting events of all kinds. But outside of LSU/Death Valley “under the lights” on a Saturday night nothing was even close to those games at RFK.
Going to a few can help make you a fan :)!
SiubhanDuinne
@JPL:
Nice.
SiubhanDuinne
@Tommy:
I live in metro Atlanta.
Edit: BTW (off topic) did you get my email a few weeks ago about my coming through southern Illinois this fall? Would love to organize a small Balloon Juice meetup in your area if possible.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Tommy: Not a whole lota of lights in Death Valley.
Arclite
Weirder still: what is up with all the models in little black dresses at the award ceremony?
Randinho
Japan had 52% of the possession FWIW.
Belafon
@efgoldman:
Why we need to be able to uprate comments.
Baud
@efgoldman:
I blame Title IX for deflated balls.
Tommy
@SiubhanDuinne: Maybe check the schedule. I’d think Atlanta must have a fairly diverse, Latino population, and those were most of the fans when Mexico came for a “friendly” or DC United games. The chants, songs they sang, flags, just the sheer joy was something to behold.
@BillinGlendaleCA: Well at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, known as Death Valley, there sure are :).
Elizabelle
@JPL: Stadium not emptied, but those standing on the field (minority of attendees) eventually got rousted. If the lightning had arrived on schedule, we could have had some injuries. People out in the rain a lonnng time after they were requested to evacuate.
Typed up a longer response, but will hold it for whatever thread comes up next. (Open thread, please?)
Great show. Well worth going to.
Amir Khalid
@Arclite:
It should have been a row of shirtless dudes with six-pack abs.
Elizabelle
@Arclite: Little black dresses. Missing it.
It’s Shark Week, peeps. Discovery Channel.
Where the scariest thing is the narrator’s tone of voice.
Mmmm. “Where the elusive megasharks lurk.”
Randinho
@JPL: Well it did lead to the growth of women’s soccer in the NCAA, which is where Mia Hamm,Carli Lloyd and pretty much every women’s player honed their skills at a competitive level.
Beats the hell out of searching the Bundesliga for players with US servicemen fathers.
SiubhanDuinne
@Tommy:
Yes, big Latino population here.
Tommy
@Elizabelle: Oh I got HBO on for tonight. Sharks are a top five, if not higher, animal for me in the grand scheme of things. Cats of all kinds 1. Bears 2. Never watched Shark Week. The shows I have watched on the Discovery Channel that are about sharks seemed to disrespect sharks.
JPL
@Elizabelle: I’m glad that you had fun. I had seen a blurb on the network news that they had to empty the stadium during the Foo Fighters concert and thought of you.
We need you because you watch Fox so we don’t have to.
Redshift
@Elizabelle: Yeah, it was a great show! I arrived just after the storm, and literally everyone who played was great.
Richard mayhew
@MazeDancer: nothing too bad, a broken wrist that will need a cast for 4 weeks, if it was me, I would have a cast for three months…
JPL
@Randinho: Title IX is not a great equalizer but it’s a start. Great game!
JPL
@Richard mayhew: Yup .. younger bones heal fast.
SiubhanDuinne
@Richard mayhew:
How is she feeling? As long as she’s out of pain and has a nifty cast that her friends can Write Things On, she’ll wear it as a badge of honour.
In the meantime, since you didn’t get to watch the game, we’ll all try to avoid spoilers for you ;-)
Poopyman
@Elizabelle:
The Pleistocene?
Randinho
@JPL: Agreed.
Tommy
@Richard mayhew: I hope she heals fast and well and isn’t in pain. But kids and broken bones happen. In a strange twist of faith I have done things and taken falls. Off second story rooftops. Out of trees. Skateboards. Playing sports. Where I should have broken so many bones and just my collar bone a couple years ago, in my 40s, when I got clipped by a car on my mountain bike. Mom always said it was because I’d always drink as much milk as there was in the fridge and I was very, very lucky.
Poopyman
@Richard mayhew: Different attempt, but same result when I was 10 (Memorial Day 1964). Also four weeks in a fat plaster cast. Mostly I remember the itching. I hope casts have improved since then.
Elizabelle
@Redshift: Great that you were there! I was surprised how many people showed up for the second half of the show.
We will have to do dueling reviews! Waiting to see if we get an open thread, otherwise will put up my answer to JPL re the show.
JPL
@Elizabelle: Since ten o’clock is my bedtime, I hope it’s soon.
Jeffro
@JPL: Saw FF live last night, complete w/ Dave Grohl on his crazy-a$$ “throne”, as they brought the house down at RFK…and now this, tonight, live in Clarendon w/ 150 other USWNT/sports fanatics…what a weekend! Off to Rehoboth for a much deserved rest!!
BillinGlendaleCA
@Tommy: Hmmm, stealing the name of one of California’s natural landmarks.
Elizabelle
@JPL: For you! A Foo Fighters recap, as it were.
It was fab! And they only emptied the actual field, in front of the stage. And that, rather slowly. Had the “extreme lightning” showed, we would have had some crispy critters. Not sure, but it seemed like a 90 minute rain delay.
Lots of protected seating. My friend and I were dry, with great sightline and relatively near the beer vendor, so quite happy.
Best concert for the buck ever. Tightly scheduled. Grohl mentioned he’d like to do more of these July 4th shows. Would be a great concept for him. He just did “Sonic Highways” series on HBO, highlighting influential music cities around the US (Seattle, NYC, Chicago, Memphis, Austin, New Orleans, Nashville, etc.), and just picking some established artists or up and comers from those cities would fill out a concert schedule nicely.
Plus, July 4th at RFK would be a great tradition to resume (a la festivals by the late great and much missed local alternative station, WHFS).
Highlights for me:
** Never followed Joan Jett much, but got to say, “Cherry Bomb” is a great arena song.
** Three words: Gary Clark Jr. Out of Austin, TX. Reminds me of Jimi Hendrix. See him when you get a chance.
** Missed Heart’s first 2-3 songs (ladies restroom lines — ugh!); they opened with Crazy on You and then kind of put the audience to sleep with power ballads; better close with Barracuda but still ….
** LL Cool J followed, and brought the energy. Good antidote to Heart, and first artist to use the big screens to advantage. Played “Going Back to Cali.” LL Cool J is beloved by DC, apparently. Audience perked up. They knew his lyrics (I don’t, except for Cali.) Would go see him again.
** Buddy Guy rules. He shared the stage with some 16-year old virtuoso teenager, but Mr. Guy is the master. Played less notes, but decisive ones. I would have showed for just the Foos and Buddy Guy. Rest was pure icing.
** Foos played a long set. Got a kick out of Dave Grohl maneuvering around in his motorized and illuminated Foo throne (due to broken leg). He showed the Youtube video of him falling off the stage in Gothenburg, Sweden, about 3 times in a row. Even confined to the throne, he was very active. Might not be the best person to sit next to on a plane if he’s caffeinated.
Recognized Pat Smear (who toured on guitar with Nirvana), but before last night could not have named another Foo beyond Grohl. The drummer is Taylor Hawkins. Grohl described him as answering the ad for a drummer, being a Freddy Mercury soundalike and looks like a surfer. Yup. Lot of presence. James Gang tee shirt.
Opened with Everlong; that surprised me.
I loved the huge stage curtain with “FF” on it, rustling in the breeze. How cool to grow up in the DC burbs and not even guess that was in your future.
** Not a fan of RFK stadium restroom lines! We may have a woman president before we achieve potty parity. Memo to RFK: you will sell more beer and bevs to girls if they’re assured they won’t spend 20 minutes+ in a restroom line!
** Saw not a single Confederate flag tee shirt. Someone had thoughtfully plastered George Preston Marshall’s statue outside the entrance with a “racist” bumpersticker though.
The Foos sold a ton of their tee shirts. People sporting them all over the place. Second most observed tee: Rolling Stones regalia.
** We sat next to two fans from Philly. They are seeing the Foos Monday night, in Camden (Foos play two nonsequential shows there).
** Long rain delay, somewhere between 60-90 mins. (Did not time it.) Show ended with fireworks — a terrific display, but missed it as split for the Metro to avoid the crowds. Fireworks and a beautiful low melon-colored moon out.
** Watch out. There’s a band called “Little Boots” coming to the U Street Music Hall on July 25th.
different-church-lady
@Baud:
JPL
@Elizabelle: Definitely more fun than watching The Capitol Fourth….
Baud mentioned Barry Manilow’s bad botox treatment and that was an understatement.
Elizabelle
@JPL:
Also: this link allegedly has some fan video from last night. Haven’t checked it out, but you will see the Foo throne. Grohl’s roadies are way more talented than Spinal Tap’s.
Still don’t know the Foos’ lead guitarist’s name (bad of me), but he’s amazing.
Foos ran some footage from the Sonic Highways films before they took the stage. Was great to see Muddy Waters, and so many other forbears.
Tommy
@BillinGlendaleCA: Yeah. Nobody is sure where the nickname came from exactly. Some think it from a gas station back in the 40s called “Deaf Valley.” Built in 1924 it only held about 24,000. Expanded the original stadium to now hold 102,000. Do some Google searches, not making it up.
Elizabelle
@JPL: Ahhh. That’s sad.
Last Capitol Fourth I attended, few years back, we had Stevie Wonder playing “Master Blaster” not long before the NSO began their signature 1812 Overture.
Jeffro
@Elizabelle:
Part of that was due to the excellent, why-didn’t-someone-think-of-this-before “turntable” stage w/ backdrop, so that the upcoming band could get loaded up on the backside while the frontside band was playing. Genius!
He also talked about being down on the National Mall during the Beach Boys’ shows in the 80s and I think he might see this as a new DC tradition. All. FOR. THAT!!
Amir Khalid
@Elizabelle:
The Foo Fighters lead guitarist’s name is Dave Grohl. The other guitarist is Pat Smear, who used to be second guitar in Nirvana’s touring lineup.
MazeDancer
@Richard mayhew: So glad your daughter will heal soon- ish. Four weeks will not move her to school time to get out of homework with a broken wrist/can’t write or type theory. But probably not how she wanted to spend summer vacation. May all mend nicely.
Belafon
@Amir Khalid: With Grohl being the drummer for Nirvana.
Tommy
@Elizabelle:
Not sure you want parity. I had season tickets to the Redskins in the 90s. We pissed into troughs like you’d feed cattle from, in a circle of 12-15 people. Often the urine would run to half an inch deep.
That place needs to be burned to the ground. But the Park Service owns the land and seems to think they won’t let Dan Synder build a new stadium for the Washington football team, or lease the land, if he won’t change the name.
I’d like the land to be used like Wolf Trap is, the only National Park dedicated to performing arts, and develop a stadium for concerts. International sporting events. Stuff like that.
JPL
@MazeDancer: When my son was in second grade, he had a cast on his right arm but still could do an okay job with his left. Then…. while playing hide and seek with a friend caught his left hand in the hinge part of a door. It was a bloody mess… Long story short after stitches and a Jimmy Kimmel type of wrap up, I sent a note to school saying I didn’t think he should have gym. Needless to say the gym teacher called me and said, good call. Actually that’s not what she said but since this is a family blog, that will do.
Elizabelle
@Jeffro: Yeah. The revolving stage was brilliant.
Kerry Reid
Are women’s soccer fans turning over cop cars and setting shit on fire? Because if they’re not I question their loyalty.
Jeffro
@Amir Khalid: Um no, the lead guitarist in FF is Chris Shiflett – Smear was in there early, was kicked out, and then re-joined as a rhythm guitarist in the past few years.
That whole band is LOADS of talent on their instruments!
Elizabelle
@Amir Khalid: I was impressed how good a guitarist Grohl is. Loved his quieter playing on non-raucous songs.
Chris Shifflet is the lead guitarist, although Foos are informal there.
Jeffro
@Elizabelle: So true on Grohl’s playing – I’ve heard that he and Taylor Hawkins often take a song or two in FF concerts to switch guitars/drums and compliment each other. Guess the cast (and THRONE!) make that a little too complicated for a while this summer!
Did hear a random complaint on the Metro that while FF are great, Grohl’s singing range leaves something to be desired. I was like, “He has a range?”
Elizabelle
@Jeffro: Yeah. The music changes more than Grohl’s vocals.
I wonder if the Foos get less respect than they deserve since Dave G was with such an iconic band before (the beloved and missed Nirvana). The second act has achieved a big catalogue without a lot of people noticing.
They seem to be plenty respected in Europe.
Had you ever seen the Foos in concert before? I had not. Seemed to be crowd consensus too.
Bill Murray
@Tommy:
do you mean Brandi Chastain at the 1999 World Cup in Pasadena?
Jeffro
@Elizabelle:
I’m sure you’re right on that for many folks. They may well always be dismissed as Grohl’s (the drummer! that’s not serious music!!) side project by some. I think there are probably a couple other angles for the critics, too: 1) “are they punk or are they rock?”, with cred arguments either way 2) why are their albums so uneven?, 3) their fan reception has outweighed the musical criticism from the start, which (imho) ramps up the musical criticism, 4) their great videos and Grohl interviews/quotes have also made a decent splash from time to time, which again might keep the critics from jumping onto the bandwagon lest they seem fanboy/girl-ish.
Other than that I got nothin’…=)
I think folks would do well to just about leave the Nirvana-Grohl connection behind…sure, it gave him a leg up in the biz, but it’s so far in the past and really had little to do with what FF does/has done musically, it’s almost irrelevant.
And no, I hadn’t seen the Foos in concert before. I think they must be surprised at that crowd reaction – “what have we been doing wrong??” Um, how about just touring arenas nationwide every other year instead of playing tiny clubs and big-a$$ festivals?