Buckeye Randy
Senior Member
Artist: Nick Lowe w/Los Straitjackets
Where: Beachland Ballroom (Cleveland, Ohio)
When: July 19, 2026
When I look back at all the concerts I’ve seen over all the years, there is one thing that really sticks out to me. The number of times I’ve seen somebody is not always proportionate to how much I like them. There have certainly been outside forces at play when it comes to missing shows… especially when I was younger. Oh, you know, things like finances, family or work. Then there are other instances when an artist just doesn’t pass through town as often as I would like. Sometimes it’s a combination of the two but the end result is all the same. I’m not seeing some artists as much as I would like.
Our case in point today (drumroll please), Nick Lowe. I’ve only seen Nick three times in concert which just seems criminally low compared with my fandom. The first time was with Rockpile opening for Blondie in 1979, that’s also the only time I saw Dave Edmunds and the evening is a very good memory…from what I remember! The second time was the winter of 1982 when a big venue concert by The Cars w/Nick Lowe opening was cancelled due to a blizzard stranding the trucks carrying the sound & lighting gear halfway between Detroit and Cleveland. A hurriedly scheduled club show with Nick Lowe resulted at The Agora and it was fantastic. Elliot Easton (The Cars) sat in with the band which included Paul Carrack (Ace, Squeeze). This show included my passing a cup of beer to Nick on stage and him chugging ¾ of it leaving me a nearly empty beer with a floaty. This second show also has an accompanying story called ‘Blood In The Snow’ but that’s for another day. The third time was in 2022 which was part of my ’40 Year Revenge Tour’. What is a ’40 Year Revenge Tour’? In 2022; I saw Sparks, Donnie Iris and Nick Lowe all for the first time since 1982 (40 years). Nick was being backed by Los Straitjackets at the 2022 show and it was perfect other than having a set list snatched from my hand as the show ended. My consolation prize is a stolen club promo poster which I have framed. Sooo…this brings us to my 4th time seeing Nick Lowe in concert. (I surprise myself how concise I can be, you’re very welcome)
The Beachland Ballroom and Beachland Tavern are two of my favorite concert venues that are housed in the same building. Tonight I’ll be in the larger Ballroom which is a big square room with a sunken stage and the only seating being on stools along the walls. The smaller Tavern also has bands but tonight it is a place where people can kick back and enjoy the pre-concert energy with a beverage before doors open to The Ballroom. Between the two, I’ve seen dozens shows over the last 20 years and have some fantastic memories.
For a show like this, I like arriving at least an hour before doors open. I prefer parking on site beside the venue over parking blocks away plus I like being toward the front of the line to get in which typically stretches down the sidewalk. Arriving early is not an option today due to…family pictures. Yep, all the kids and grandkids plus spouses are scheduled for pics at 5PM in a beautiful park. Sooo, after the pictures and abiding all driving laws, I arrive in the Collinwood district which is home to The Beachland not as early as I would have liked but I’m still here before doors open. To make a long story short; I park, I change into a concert t-shirt, I buy my ticket and end up 4th in line to enter when doors open which is about 15 minutes away. Are you kidding me?? The only reason this happens is because nearly all the early arrivers (easily over 50 people) are pounding beers in the adjacent Beachland Tavern and not lined up on the sidewalk to get in the Beachland Ballroom when doors open. Woohoo, snooze you lose! Also, while standing there waiting, I notice a very cool Nick Lowe promo poster and I file that info for when I leave in three or four hours.
Doors open and I want to tell you I still get a rush of adrenalin when entering a venue and doing the fast walk/slow jog to the stage. I stake my place front and center against the stage and wait… Déjà vu all over again, this is exactly where I stood four years ago. I wait about 90 minutes and now it’s showtime for what appears to be a packed house. I feel fortunate that I was able to buy a ticket before the show.
The band casually takes the stage and gives a few waves and kicks right into “So It Goes” from Nick’s debut release in 1978. It’s all clicking; the band is rocking and the crowd is singing the chorus if not in tune at least really loud. OK, great opener but your opinion of this show is totally dependent on how you feel about Nick’s latest 2024 album (Indoor Safari) recorded with Los Straitjackets. Six songs from that album are performed which is ¼ of the overall show. If we include those six with the five instrumentals by Los Straitjackets that’s basically half the show. I can see where some people might have a problem with the setlist. Personally, I love the latest album and I love Los Straitjackets!
I thought “I Went To A Party” was a great second song to keep the rocking vibe going. One of the absolute highlights of the show for me was the quiet and reflective, “Blue On Blue”. I think it’s great that Nick is working with a band on a full time basis and featuring the material that they record together. I can’t speak for 500 people but the people around me all seemed to love the new stuff. It really is that good.
One of the best parts of being up close to an artist is seeing their reaction to the happenings of the room and the interaction with the band. The crowd was outstanding and Nick smiled every time he had to halt his between song banter due to the raucous responses. He also seemed have fun with his band and the band absolutely embraced egging the crowd on.
The show was split into four parts. The first part was eight songs with four from the latest album. Also included was the Rockpile song “Heart” and two of my favorites, “Love Is A Battlefield” (’94) and “Lately I’ve Let Things Slide”(‘01). As these songs were played, you could hear whispered vocals from the crowd, it was pretty cool.
The second part was four instrumentals by Los Straitjackets which are bass, rhythm, lead and drums. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this band wears Mexican wrestling masks. All amps are Fender tube models and a minimal drum kit. It is a clean Dick Dale type thing and it works perfect with Nick Lowe. These guys are more than just filler material, they own the place when given the spotlight.
The third part was half the show and included fan favorites; “Without Love” and “Cruel To Be Kind” from ‘79’s ‘Labor Of Lust’. Also included were “Half A Man and Half A Boy”, “Heart Of The City” and “What’s So Funny About Peace Love And Understanding” which is a Nick Lowe song made popular by Elvis Costello.
The fourth part was the encore of an unknown instrumental by Los Straitjackets and “I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock and Roll). This was followed by the band leaving the stage and returning for “When I Write The Book”.
Let me explain something here. “When I Write The Book” is one of my top five songs of all time, all time. It was not scheduled to be played but Nick was so impressed by the Cleveland crowd he let us know he was giving us a little extra. Cleveland Rocks!
How do I know it wasn’t planned? Oh yeah, I got a set list from the stage as the show winded down. I plan of framing it with some of my pics from the show, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to pick it up for $3 when the kids have the yardsale when I’m gone. The only downer was not getting that cool poster taped to the glass near the entrance when I left. I think I’ll be OK!
Well Done!
Where: Beachland Ballroom (Cleveland, Ohio)
When: July 19, 2026
When I look back at all the concerts I’ve seen over all the years, there is one thing that really sticks out to me. The number of times I’ve seen somebody is not always proportionate to how much I like them. There have certainly been outside forces at play when it comes to missing shows… especially when I was younger. Oh, you know, things like finances, family or work. Then there are other instances when an artist just doesn’t pass through town as often as I would like. Sometimes it’s a combination of the two but the end result is all the same. I’m not seeing some artists as much as I would like.
Our case in point today (drumroll please), Nick Lowe. I’ve only seen Nick three times in concert which just seems criminally low compared with my fandom. The first time was with Rockpile opening for Blondie in 1979, that’s also the only time I saw Dave Edmunds and the evening is a very good memory…from what I remember! The second time was the winter of 1982 when a big venue concert by The Cars w/Nick Lowe opening was cancelled due to a blizzard stranding the trucks carrying the sound & lighting gear halfway between Detroit and Cleveland. A hurriedly scheduled club show with Nick Lowe resulted at The Agora and it was fantastic. Elliot Easton (The Cars) sat in with the band which included Paul Carrack (Ace, Squeeze). This show included my passing a cup of beer to Nick on stage and him chugging ¾ of it leaving me a nearly empty beer with a floaty. This second show also has an accompanying story called ‘Blood In The Snow’ but that’s for another day. The third time was in 2022 which was part of my ’40 Year Revenge Tour’. What is a ’40 Year Revenge Tour’? In 2022; I saw Sparks, Donnie Iris and Nick Lowe all for the first time since 1982 (40 years). Nick was being backed by Los Straitjackets at the 2022 show and it was perfect other than having a set list snatched from my hand as the show ended. My consolation prize is a stolen club promo poster which I have framed. Sooo…this brings us to my 4th time seeing Nick Lowe in concert. (I surprise myself how concise I can be, you’re very welcome)
The Beachland Ballroom and Beachland Tavern are two of my favorite concert venues that are housed in the same building. Tonight I’ll be in the larger Ballroom which is a big square room with a sunken stage and the only seating being on stools along the walls. The smaller Tavern also has bands but tonight it is a place where people can kick back and enjoy the pre-concert energy with a beverage before doors open to The Ballroom. Between the two, I’ve seen dozens shows over the last 20 years and have some fantastic memories.
For a show like this, I like arriving at least an hour before doors open. I prefer parking on site beside the venue over parking blocks away plus I like being toward the front of the line to get in which typically stretches down the sidewalk. Arriving early is not an option today due to…family pictures. Yep, all the kids and grandkids plus spouses are scheduled for pics at 5PM in a beautiful park. Sooo, after the pictures and abiding all driving laws, I arrive in the Collinwood district which is home to The Beachland not as early as I would have liked but I’m still here before doors open. To make a long story short; I park, I change into a concert t-shirt, I buy my ticket and end up 4th in line to enter when doors open which is about 15 minutes away. Are you kidding me?? The only reason this happens is because nearly all the early arrivers (easily over 50 people) are pounding beers in the adjacent Beachland Tavern and not lined up on the sidewalk to get in the Beachland Ballroom when doors open. Woohoo, snooze you lose! Also, while standing there waiting, I notice a very cool Nick Lowe promo poster and I file that info for when I leave in three or four hours.
Doors open and I want to tell you I still get a rush of adrenalin when entering a venue and doing the fast walk/slow jog to the stage. I stake my place front and center against the stage and wait… Déjà vu all over again, this is exactly where I stood four years ago. I wait about 90 minutes and now it’s showtime for what appears to be a packed house. I feel fortunate that I was able to buy a ticket before the show.
The band casually takes the stage and gives a few waves and kicks right into “So It Goes” from Nick’s debut release in 1978. It’s all clicking; the band is rocking and the crowd is singing the chorus if not in tune at least really loud. OK, great opener but your opinion of this show is totally dependent on how you feel about Nick’s latest 2024 album (Indoor Safari) recorded with Los Straitjackets. Six songs from that album are performed which is ¼ of the overall show. If we include those six with the five instrumentals by Los Straitjackets that’s basically half the show. I can see where some people might have a problem with the setlist. Personally, I love the latest album and I love Los Straitjackets!
I thought “I Went To A Party” was a great second song to keep the rocking vibe going. One of the absolute highlights of the show for me was the quiet and reflective, “Blue On Blue”. I think it’s great that Nick is working with a band on a full time basis and featuring the material that they record together. I can’t speak for 500 people but the people around me all seemed to love the new stuff. It really is that good.
One of the best parts of being up close to an artist is seeing their reaction to the happenings of the room and the interaction with the band. The crowd was outstanding and Nick smiled every time he had to halt his between song banter due to the raucous responses. He also seemed have fun with his band and the band absolutely embraced egging the crowd on.
The show was split into four parts. The first part was eight songs with four from the latest album. Also included was the Rockpile song “Heart” and two of my favorites, “Love Is A Battlefield” (’94) and “Lately I’ve Let Things Slide”(‘01). As these songs were played, you could hear whispered vocals from the crowd, it was pretty cool.
The second part was four instrumentals by Los Straitjackets which are bass, rhythm, lead and drums. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this band wears Mexican wrestling masks. All amps are Fender tube models and a minimal drum kit. It is a clean Dick Dale type thing and it works perfect with Nick Lowe. These guys are more than just filler material, they own the place when given the spotlight.
The third part was half the show and included fan favorites; “Without Love” and “Cruel To Be Kind” from ‘79’s ‘Labor Of Lust’. Also included were “Half A Man and Half A Boy”, “Heart Of The City” and “What’s So Funny About Peace Love And Understanding” which is a Nick Lowe song made popular by Elvis Costello.
The fourth part was the encore of an unknown instrumental by Los Straitjackets and “I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock and Roll). This was followed by the band leaving the stage and returning for “When I Write The Book”.
Let me explain something here. “When I Write The Book” is one of my top five songs of all time, all time. It was not scheduled to be played but Nick was so impressed by the Cleveland crowd he let us know he was giving us a little extra. Cleveland Rocks!
How do I know it wasn’t planned? Oh yeah, I got a set list from the stage as the show winded down. I plan of framing it with some of my pics from the show, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to pick it up for $3 when the kids have the yardsale when I’m gone. The only downer was not getting that cool poster taped to the glass near the entrance when I left. I think I’ll be OK!
Well Done!
