Seeing Them Live

Charles welcomes Boston-area drummer and avid live music fan TJ Horn (Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys), who set a personal record by attending 75 concerts in 2025. TJ recounts formative early shows including Depeche Mode in 1994 (his first concert and lifelong favorite band), Metallica, and Lollapalooza ’94, plus later highlights like Rosalía in Boston and a DIY punk turning point seeing Face to Face. He shares a surprising Ozzfest story where Fred Durst sat beside him to watch Tool, and other intimate-show memories including Touché Amoré at a tiny VFW and seeing The Killers open at The Middle East. TJ discusses being a mostly self-taught drummer, a 2012 documentary by filmmaker Mike Pecci, Walter Sickert’s RPM Challenge albums and “steam crunk” theatrics, and his live stage readings of erotic fan fiction at burlesque and nerd-culture events.

Charles welcomes longtime friend Andy to recap their self-made “24/7 Live Music Challenge,” inspired by New York’s “Concert Joe” Sarkis, aiming to see 24 bands at 24 venues in seven days (June 8–14) around Chicago. They discuss the logistics of averaging 3.5 shows per night, the difficulty of squeezing in three or four stops, buying tickets day-of, and using ChatGPT to build efficient nightly itineraries while navigating trains, parking meters, and tornado-related power outages. The week spans jazz, folk, punk, jam bands, comedy/storytelling, bluegrass, and blues, with highlights including The Green Mill, Jazz Showcase youth jam, Buddy Guy’s Legends (including spotting Buddy Guy), Garcia’s, and Blue Chicago. They finish all 24 shows for $313 in cover charges, reflect on fatigue and value, and share favorite moments and lessons learned.

Charles welcomes YouTuber and lifelong music collector Alan Rosenberg (The Alan Rosenberg Show), who has spent over five decades assembling a collection of 5,000–6,000 albums plus ticket stubs, memorabilia, and a detailed database tracking purchases, songs, and chart data dating back to 1973. Rosenberg traces his obsession to early exposure through his older sister and recalls his first concert: The Rolling Stones at Madison Square Garden in 1975 with the “Lotus Stage” and Ron Wood’s early touring role. He highlights standout shows including the Stones’ Steel Wheels run at Shea Stadium, a 1999 No Security Tour date in Las Vegas, the Simon & Garfunkel Central Park reunion, and U2 at the Sphere, praising its unprecedented sound. He also criticizes modern concert costs and poor audio at stadiums and venues, discusses preferring smaller theaters now, and explains his YouTube approach: no scripts or edits, physical media only, and reviewing new albums only after at least five listens.

Charles welcomes Ben Daughtry and Jonathan Palmer of Love Jones to discuss the band’s return with a new six-song album, The Greatest Show on Earth (released February 2026), and their decades of blending lounge, soul, pop, and storytelling. They swap formative concert stories—both cite Van Halen at age 14—plus memories of Ted Nugent, Metallica’s Black Album tour, GWAR, Nine-Inch Nails, The Rolling Stones at a small NYC show, and more, emphasizing the power of live performance. The conversation traces Love Jones’ formation in Louisville (1990), move to LA (1992), and weekly Largo residency where Debra Winger and David Bowie sat in the audience and Tool's crew became regulars. They also cover their unexpected appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album Here's to the Losers. They describe writing new, longer compositions during COVID-era jam sessions with key collaborators and talk about their touring ambitions and their partnership with Whiskey Thief Distillery.

Boston-based author and screenwriter Mike Bernard joins host Charles to talk live music, nostalgia, and Mike’s novel Concert Dates — a fictional story following six friends whose lives intertwine through the legendary Cape Cod Coliseum, a converted hockey rink that hosted the who's who of classic rock from 1972 to 1983. Mike shares his own concert memories, from taking his grandmother to see Liberace to witnessing the J. Geils Band blow the roof off the old Boston Garden, and reveals how a Facebook group, a parking lot photographer, and an unexpected photo led to one of the book's most remarkable real-life connections. Whether you're a die-hard live music fan or just love a great story about friendship and growing up, this episode is for you.

Charles welcomes filmmaker and music collector Steve Herold to Seeing Them Live. Steve recounts his first concert, the Thompson Twins’ 1984 Into the Gap tour at New Jersey’s Garden State Arts Center, after missing a chance to see Van Halen at Madison Square Garden. He names Dramarama at the Fast Lane in Asbury Park in the early ’90s as his best concert, describing packed, punk-like club energy, and cites a disappointing Jeff the Brotherhood show at Maxwell’s in Hoboken that felt like nonstop jamming. His most surprising show was the Sex Pistols’ 1996 Roseland Ballroom reunion in NYC, including a wild night that ended with finding a $50 bill on the floor. Steve also discusses his COVID-era YouTube channel about vinyl/CD collecting and record-store visits, and his film work, including Death of an Umbrella Salesman, Waimea, and recent music videos.

Singer-songwriter, artist, and guitar builder Victor Gurbo joins the show to discuss formative concert experiences and his own work. He recalls seeing Arlo Guthrie as a child, becoming a devoted Bob Dylan fan (having seen him 20–30 times), and admiring Levon Helm’s audience connection, including a Terminal 5 performance after Helm’s cancer battle. Gurbo shares a chaotic Jack White Radio City show where lost StubHub tickets were replaced at the last minute with front-row seats, only for White to end the set early, souring Gurbo on his music. He describes building guitars from reclaimed wood, inspired by Rick Kelly’s “Carmine Street Guitars,” and how that led to making his own instrument for NPR’s Battle of the Boroughs, which his band won for Brooklyn in 2013. Gurbo also plugs his new album, “Gurbo and Company Live 2025,” recorded at Cafe Wha? and released March 11, 2026.

Brothers Matheus and Thiago Khouri of Brazilian rock band Banda AL9 join Seeing Them Live to discuss their rise from posting acoustic covers on YouTube and Facebook to building a social following of over 2 million. They share their first concert experience seeing Paul McCartney in São Paulo in 2010, how their parents’ love of classic rock shaped them, and why they began releasing originals after growing an audience. The duo recounts their 2023 breakout as the song “Charma De Amor” went viral, leading to a Steve Aoki remix and a Tomorrowland performance, and motivating them to create English versions like “She Calls Me Love” to reach global fans. They talk about working with Little Steven Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records, their upcoming album “Hey, Hey, We’re Banda AL9” (July 17), a week performing in New York. The episode closes with an acoustic performance of “She Can Do It All.”

In this episode of Seeing Them Live, Charles welcomes his daughter, Lily, to discuss her first concert: seeing Harry Styles live in Lisbon in 2023, and the stressful effort to get her first passport in time. Lily shares how she discovered Harry’s music during COVID through Fine Line and Harry’s House, while her dad recounts missing expensive United Center tickets, buying Lisbon show tickets, and navigating repeated passport denials tied to an improperly notarized form and an outdated version sent by the agency. After contacting Rep. Sean Casten, Lily’s passport shipped just in time, allowing the family to fly to Portugal just in time to catch Wet Leg’s opener and Harry’s set, including crowd moments like Bohemian Rhapsody and favorites like Matilda. They also discuss later shows, including Lollapalooza 2025 for Olivia Rodrigo with Weezer, and upcoming plans to see Harry at Madison Square Garden.

Eric Vollweiler, a longtime producer and marketing strategist in the film festival and entertainment world, joins Seeing Them Live to trace how early theater trips with his dad and concerts with his mom shaped his path—from Aerosmith/Black Crowes at SPAC to Grateful Dead/CSN in Buffalo and a standout Ziggy Marley show in Vermont. He recalls moving to NYC in 1996, promoting clubs like the China Club and Tunnel (where he broke his wrist breakdancing), and explains guest lists and commissions. Vollweiler shares how he knew Vin Diesel (Mark Sinclair) through Manhattan catering and later through festival nonprofit work, plus seeing the Beastie Boys during Sundance 2006. He discusses launching the Vollweiler Agency, film festival basics, Sundance venues, the Hip Hop Film Festival, and practical advice on research, sponsorship decks, fundraising, promotion, and volunteering/interning.