Courtney Barnett at The Loft, Atlanta, June 9, 2015

Last night, the Rolling Stones were playing in town.  I didn't go (too crowded, arena stadium, they're too old now, etc.) and instead went to see Courtney Barnett at The Loft, a little over a mile away from the Stones' performance.  

I was worried about the traffic and envisioned classic Atlanta gridlock all around both venues. I worried that all of the available parking would get taken up early and that I wouldn't find a spot. I worried that some combination of the first two worries would result in me getting there late and missing some of the show, so I left early to try to arrive just as the doors opened at 7:00 pm.  I gave myself 20 minutes to make the 10-block trip.

I got there in 5 - there was no traffic to speak of, and parking was wide open at my usual spot in the garage beneath Center Stage.  It wasn't quite yet 7:00 pm when I arrived, but I walked to the front door of The Loft and the bouncers let me past without a word.  I passed another bouncer on the staircase as I climbed up toward the entrance, and he also let me past without a word. At the top of the stairs, I found the door by the box office closed and locked, but when I rattled the door to determine that it was indeed locked, someone inside opened it for me and let me in.  They seemed surprised when I offered my ticket for them to scan, but they scanned it anyway and let me in.  

Once inside, I realize I was the only one there.  The doors weren't yet open, but no one - not either of the bouncers that I passed or the box office personnel, assumed that the old man walking in was a fan and not some manager or employee, and they all let me past.  I wandered around the club a little, bought myself a beer, and almost missed getting a spot on the rail when the doors finally did open and a stream of young people came rushing in.  But I did get a front-row spot on the rail before they were all taken, and settled in to enjoy the show.  

First up was Australian singer/songwriter Darren Hanlon, who's engaging set was well received by the audience and your humble narrator.  As Hanlon sang I Waited For The 17, I realized he was talking about the very bus that I had taken on several occasions from St. John's to downtown Portland, Oregon, and I found myself mentally following the route he accurately describes in the song. 

The bus really does cross a bridge over Cathedral Park and the Columbia River beneath an "awful drop" only to end at "a mountainside of trees and vegetation." Every word of the song rings true.

So that was cool.  After a short break, Seattle's Chastity Belt took the stage.

This was my first time seeing Chastity Belt, although I've been a fan for a few years now (they formed in 2010, but I didn't hear them until 2012 or so).  I recognized, even if I couldn't name, most of the songs in their set, and they announced that the third or fourth song in their set was titled Seattle Party.

Never ones to take themselves too seriously, lead singer and guitarist Julia Shapiro wore an Olive Garden tank top, and encouraged the audience to buy a Chastity Belt tank top, even though "nobody ever wears tank tops anymore."

Back on March 20, I posted on these pages that I liked their sound and "refreshing lack of pretension about themselves."  Still holds.

Courtney Barnett wasn't scheduled to start until 10:00 pm, but she took the stage at least ten minutes early wearing a Chastity Belt tank top and started her set.

She's touring now as a trio, the "CB3" rather than with "the Courtney Barnetts" that we saw at The Loft last Rocktober.  The smaller format suits her well - she played all the guitar parts and her voice could be heard better without the clutter of an additional guitar.  By almost every measure, I though last night's was a far better performance than last year's.

She even had a little light show projected behind her on the stage.

Even without the additional guitar, Courtney still rocked and rocked hard.  She played all the songs that the audience wanted to hear, from Avant Gardener to Depreston and everything in between, and even included a cover of The Breeders' Cannonball.

For her encore, she initially took the stage solo and played her only unaccompanied song of the evening, followed by Pickles From The Jar with just her and her drummer, and then finally a third song with the entire trio,

In all, it was a totally enjoyable show from start to finish, without a single weak or "off" performance, and without any traffic or parking problems due to the Stones' simultaneous set just down the road.