A few people have asked me how my trip to Boston went, and that is a difficult questions to answer succinctly and in a satisfying manner in a way that doesn’t take up much time.
So here I am…
I think I got a concussion.
This is of course a retrospective and speculative diagnosis.
Retrospeculative?
Let me back up a bit.
I had the opportunity once again to travel to Boston to see The Mighty Mighty Bosstones during their 21st Hometown Throwdown. I knew this trip would be a little different from previous years, primarily for reasons I don’t want to go into here, but money was an issue, so I wouldn’t be able to do as much as I had initially hoped while visiting Boston.
Things such as seeing Blue Man Group for instance.
It was fine, really, the main reason I was in Boston anyway was for the series of three concerts. Just about anything else would be a bonus.
I flew out the night of the 27th on the red-eye, arriving the morning of the 28th, the day of the first concert. One of the things I did plan on doing, since I had not yet done so on any of my previous trips to Boston, was to visit the J.F.K. Presidential Library.
The proximity of the J.F.K.Presidential Library to two other locations of interest made for an easy choice to make this a stop for the day. These were the Massachusetts Archives & Commonwealth Museum as well as the Edward Kennedy Institute For The United States Senate. All three literally within a stone’s throw of each other, and Friday was the only day of my visit each would be open.
At least that was the plan.
Upon arrival I was disappointed to find out the J.F.K. Presidential Library was closed due to the partial federal government shutdown taking place, and there was no chance of it opening any day soon. This left the other two locations for me to visit, and while it wasn’t the full experience I was hoping for, I did thoroughly enjoy them.
First I hit up the Commonwealth Museum, which features a great overview of the state’s history from its founding to the Revolutionary War and beyond with some fantastic historical artifacts there that are not to be missed (including the 1629 Royal Charter allowing a colony to be founded).
Then it was on to the Edward Kennedy Institute For The United States Senate, and while it wasn’t free, it certainly was worth the price of admission. If you have any interest in our government and how it works, plan about 2-3 hours there. Between the exhibits and activities you will have plenty to see and do. Not to mention the full scale replica of the United States Senate as well as reproduction of Ted Kennedy’s office.
On to the hotel, a short rest, then to dinner at one of the places I usually go (Boston Beer Works – partly for proximity but also their varieties of beer is good and food decent) when I come to Boston for this event, then on to Night 1 of the Hometown Throwdown.
+The theme for the stage this year was Beatles, specifically Yellow Submarine art style. This pleased me greatly, and I have a very favorite Mighty Mighty Bosstones shirt now. It features the name of the band in a “pop art” style with the members walking across, very reminiscent of Yellow Submarine.
I almost did pick up the “Yellow Submarine” shirt.
The stage was decorated with a lot of bright colors and the band wore some clothes to match. Really, it was a nice homage to the more whimsical side of The Beatles.
That first night was good, the band seemed to be enjoying themselves, which is always good. Releasing the new album earlier this year gave them a bit of new material to play with. And of course the new songs fit right in with the older ones.
One of the nice things was also seeing some people that I had met at previous Hometown Throwdowns, sort of like a family reunion. Everybody is there for the same annual reason, this isn’t a normal concert, but a celebration.
I wasn’t familiar with any of the opening bands this time around, some were better than others, but all serviceable.
The second day in Boston was much better, weather-wise, and after a bit of writing I went out to do some shopping. I haven’t had the time to go try on some new jeans to replace those I have that were in desperate need of being put to … well, I threw away my old jeans.
Night two saw the band in a different set of clothes, a bit more evocative of earlier in the Beatles career. The buttons and medals were a nice touch.
I think I like Lawrence Katz’s variation the best.
As usual, there were special guests showing up on stage, most notable were those from the bands Less Than Jake and Dropkick Murphys.
This was the night that it happened.
Somebody was crowdsurfing and flailing their legs along the way. I got a boot very forcefully to the back of my head. I didn’t fall down, but certainly didn’t feel right.
Day 3 in Boston is when I started feeling sick, so I mostly stayed in the hotel room.
That night the crowd was much calmer, partly because the show started much earlier, and there were a lot more kids in the audience.
The band came out in clothes that were more of a complete outfit from the first night.
And yes, it was another fantastic night of music.
My only complaint about this year’s Hometown Throwdown was that my favorite song of theirs did not get played. “Someday I Suppose” is a staple, a standard, one of the very few songs you expect to hear when The Mighty Mighty Bosstones play live. I did manage to get pictures of each of the nights’ set list.
Night 1 
Night 2 
Night 3
Very early the next morning I was on a plane home and by then I was fully sick, probably some sort of flu bug. And yes, my head still hurt.
It wasn’t until a week later that the illness has moved deeper into my chest that I thought I recieved a concussion. Every time I coughed hard, which was often, the base of my skull would hurt in a way that it hadn’t before.
It’s been over two weeks now, and I’m pretty much fully recovered, both from whatever flu-like illness I had as well as my boot to the head.
While disappointed (and frankly a little shocked) “Someday I Suppose” didn’t get played each of the three nights, I would still say the 21st Hometown Throwdown was worth going to. I may not be able to attend again, so I am eternally grateful for the ones I have been able to have the privilege of attending.