Air Traffic Controller at The Bull Run, 6-16-16 Concert Review

Air Traffic Controller performing "This Road"

Air Traffic Controller put on a really good show at The Bull Run in Shirley, Massachusetts on June 16th. At first I was excited that it was a dinner show, because I was still kind of tired from traveling east (that's a whole other tale), but by the band's second or third song I was itching to dance. Anyway, a band called Town Meeting kicked off the night at 7:45 p.m., and I enjoyed their set. They had some nice harmonies, and I really dug the harmonica solo that led into "Missionary Street." I think "Phoenix" was probably my favorite song of their set. They did a thirty-eight-minute set, and then there was a fifteen-minute break before Air Traffic Controller took the stage. For this show, they were a five-piece band.

Air Traffic Controller kicked off the set with "People Watching," the lead-off track from the band's latest CD release, Black Box, and followed it with another tune from that album, "Get It Over With." In "The Work" they made a reference to The Empire Strikes Back in the line, "I heard someone say, 'Do or do not, there is no try.'" They would make references to a couple of other films during their set. Their song "If You Build It" is obviously about Field Of Dreams (though it also refers to For Love Of The Game), and in "Ready Or Not" they refer to Jerry Maguire in the line "To a time where I had you at hello." After "The Work," Dave commented, "This is kinda like a house party," and said something about the town of Shirley. Someone in the audience said it's cold there in the winter, and Dave asked if the town really had a different weather system than that in Boston. I could no longer sit down when the band started "The House," an insanely catching pop song from Black Box, so I went to the back to dance. Turns out I wasn't the only one.

Casey introduced "Water Falls" as a new song, but it's also one from Black Box. Actually, I think they played every single track from that album. They dedicated "Creature Of The Night" to the audience for making it out on a week night. Casey did "Island" solo, as usual.

They did some songs from their earlier releases as well. They introduced "The One" as the "first song we ever got on the radio." They followed that with "Ready Or Not." "This one goes out by request," Dave said. He then added,"We were going to play it anyway." That song is so pretty, and features some really nice vocals. There was even an acappella section near the end. And they played a couple of songs unmiked in front of the audience - "Can't Let Go" and "This Road," both of which are from The One. "Everybody takes this road to get into the city/Everybody takes this road to get out." That was one of the highlights of the set. The only cover they did was the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses." They ended the set with "Bad Axe, MI."

The encores were "You Know Me," which was a request, and "Are You With Me?" The show ended at 10:29 p.m.

Set List

1. People Watching
2. Get It Over With
3. The Work
4. The House
5. What You Do To My Soul >
6. Water Falls
7. Creature Of The Night
8. This Is Love
9. On The Wire
10. Pick Me Up
11. Warrior
12. The One
13. Ready Or Not
14. Phantom
15. Island
16. Can't Let Go
17. This Road
18. If You Build It
19. Hurry, Hurry
20. Wild Horses
21. Bad Axe, MI

Encore

1. You Know Me
2. Are You With Me?

Here are a few photos from their show:

"People Watching"

"Get It Over With"

"The Work"

"The House"

"Warrior"

"Warrior"

"Ready Or Not"

"Island"

"Wild Horses"

The Bull Run is located at 215 Great Rd. in Shirley, Massachusetts. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere. I took the Shirley Rd. exit from Route 2, and after a while I figured I must have made a mistake (around the time I hit a stop sign near a cemetery). But no, I was still going in the right direction. There is plenty of free parking behind the venue. And the food was good. I had the veggie burger.