The Baseball Project
Teregram Ballroom
September 20, 2023
By DAN MACINTOSH
LOS ANGELES, CA – Two of the most passionate people groups on planet earth are rock music fans and sports fans. There’s a variety of loyalty in these two camps rarely found anyplace else.
So, what would happen if you combined these two obsessives?
In other words, what would happen if some of alternative rock’s most iconic musicians wrote and sang songs about America’s greatest pastime, baseball? Well, that would look and sound exactly like The Baseball Project, an all-star group that recently made a rare Los Angeles appearance. This five-piece, quite naturally, attracted a passionate gathering of sports/rock fans seeking to celebrate their dual obsessions.
From left to right, this act includes Peter Buck (R.E.M.) on jangly electric guitar, Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows) playing noisy electric guitar, singing vocals and adding keyboard, Steve Wynn (The Dream Syndicate) on electric guitar and vocals, and Mike Mills (R.E.M.) playing bass and providing his distinctive harmony vocals. Linda Pitmon (Filthy Friends) is the act’s drummer. Many serious music fans would likely even go hear these greats perform songs about curling, they’re so beloved. Tonight, though, it was all about hardball.
Making the evening even more special, many fans showed up wearing their favorite team/player jerseys. Yes, there were plenty of Dodgers shirts; but much like Dodger home games, lots of fans of away teams were in attendance, as well.
The Baseball Project’s musical style can best be described as ’60s influenced rock, much like the garage/psychedelic favorites played over the PA before the concert. The lyrics told great stories about famous baseball people. One called “The Voice of Baseball” sang the praises of Dodger announcer Vin Scully, for instance. Others described baseball truths. “Journeyman” talked about players that, unfortunately, often change teams, while “Stuff” (a rare Mills lead vocal vocal) delved into how so many pitchers doctor the ball. Perhaps best of all was “Disco Demolition,” which told the story of how they threw a kind of disco sucks party in Chicago during the ’70s, back when that musical style was hated by many rockers.
A lot of us are passionate about both baseball and rock and roll. It’s rare when we can combine these two, though, which is why The Baseball Project was a can’t-miss show for many of us. This one was a win-win evening, indeed.