This really is a fantastic weekend for live music in Seattle. There are about 6 shows I want(ed) to go to this weekend apart from the Capitol Hill Block Party.

Two of my very favorite live acts I've seen recently are coming through town this weekend: DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist are bringing their "Hard Sell" to the Showbox SoDo and this is the final run for this particular set. When they performed it in February this is what I wrote on their set:

For two hours, DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist entertained a sold out crowd at the Showbox. The room was too packed to for anyone to really dance, but that was of no worry. Sometimes it’s better to gawk in amazement and wonder “did he really just play what I think he played?” anyway. It was a night that could inspire someone to try their hand at turntablism and crush the dreams of greatness for hundreds more. They made it look easy and impossible at the same time.

Here's the video introduction explaining the rules Shadow and Chemist are playing by:

Last week I was talking with another TIG writer over lunch about the shows we've seen that we reviewers can't help but be turned into wide-eyed fans. For me, that act was for Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, who I was fortunate to catch at Neumo's last December. Here's (again) what I wrote at that time:

From the moment the 51-year old Jones took the stage, about 15 minutes after the Dap-Kings did (James Brown did the same thing when I saw him), she had complete control over everyone at Neumo’s. While she was a commanding presence, she’s also a populist. At least a half-dozen times during the set (which lasted for 100 glorious minutes) she brought people from the crowd to dance or sing along with her.

…

Loss and rejection are themes that run through Jones’ music and career path but on this given Saturday night Neumo’s was packed with people who worship her. She did not disappoint. For whatever reason, the people who attended this show witnessed something remarkable. Something surreal. Maybe even something beyond them. I don’t believe in a higher being but I now understand the feeling of someone who has been touched by one.

This remarkable band will be at the Woodland Park Zoo tomorrow (Sunday night) and I highly recommend it to anyone. Here's the video to "100 Days, 100 Nights":