Live Shows: Laura Jane Grace & the Mississippi Medicals, Thelma & The Sleaze, and Dikembe, Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theater, Somerville, MA 3/10/24
Photo by Bella Peterson March 11, 2020 was the night everything changed. Tom Hanks announced he tested positive for COVID. The NBA and NHL cancelled their seasons. Travel to Europe was banned. All of that happened while I was at an Against Me! show in Holyoke, which led me to abandon my spot near the front of the stage to the very back corner of the venue to get as far away from everyone as possible. It was obviously a bad experience, and I've wanted a do-over ever since. Sunday night, I finally got my chance when Laura Jane Grace played the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville. Playing as the newly christened Laura Jane Grace & the Mississippi Medicals, this is going to be a hard show to write about as it's going to be impossible to not overly gush about it to an embarrassing amount. Joined by drummer Mikey Erg and bassist Matt Patton, the trio took the stage with some of the most tremendous energy I've ever seen. Based on some of Grace's solo releases, I wasn't sure...