All Points West: Friday

I haven’t been to too many concerts lately. Working the night shift means I can’t go to any shows during the week, but with some time off coming, I took yesterday off and went out to All Points West, the latest attempt to start a New York area music festival. The lineup yesterday was full of bands I liked, and on the whole, it was a great experience.

I started things off with The New Pornographers. I’ve seen them four times now, and only once did they totally impress me. Not coincidentally, that was the Summerstage two years ago where they headlined. The other times I’ve seen them, they were either opening for someone else or at a free show. It’s a huge difference when the whole crowd is there to see a band. Most people didn’t seem to know their songs, and the energy level just wasn’t as high as it was when they headlined.

But, it’s always good to see them, and they played most of my favorite songs. “Bleeding Heart Show” and “A Testament to Youth in Verse” are always fantastic live. Nothing they do can top the wordless chorale moments on those two songs. However, without Neko Case, their stage presence is pretty low energy. They sprinkle in lengthy self deprecating banter between songs that drains the show of momentum. I’m no fan of the stereotypical “Hello Cleveland!” classic rock style audience pandering, but at the same time, I think the endlessly rambling “I don’t know what I’m doing” style banter has gotten old too. We paid to be there, you guys have played a bunch of shows, I think you can string together something better than saying the camera looks like that thing from Wall-E and trailing off ashamed.

Compared to the other bands I saw, the NPs seemed to be actively trying to crush any momentum their set had. They need to get the drummer out in front, he’s the only one who seems to be really enjoying himself. But, the music was still good, particularly a great cover of ELO’s “Don’t Bring Me Down” to close out the set.

I next headed over to the ‘Bullet’ stage to see CSS, who thankfully had a fifteen minute delay on their start, so I could catch all of it. I loved their first album, but have been totally underwhelmed by my few listens to their new one. But, hearing the newer songs live, they played pretty well. They’re not as distinctive as the first album’s, but they keep the energy up live. LoveFoxx was a manic presence on stage, but got outclassed by the restrained cool of her bandmates. Still, her craziness is a huge part of the band’s success, and she killed it throughout.

Next up, I caught the last few songs of Underworld. I’ve listened to some of their stuff, and generally like it. ‘Born Slippy’ is the obvious classic, and I walked over right as it was starting. Their set was a bit odd, one guy on a mixer, and the vocalist dancing around with various video effects behind him. It’s definitely the kind of set that would play better in a club setting, where you’re expecting one guy with a DJ, rather than a festival setting like this, with a full band. It was still fun to see, but a bit underwhelming.

Of course, the real attraction was Radiohead. They came out with an amazing stage setup. Surrounded by hanging lights, and backed by a video screen that featured a multitude of angles on the band, processed through color filters. The video screen visuals were so good, you could record them and make a great music video without any editing. It was one of the best light shows I’ve seen from a live band.

Most of the set was drawn from In Rainbows. I had mixed feelings about the album going into the show, and coming out of it. I definitely liked it, “Reckoner” and “All I Need” are standout tracks, but it’s definitely a lower tier Radiohead album. My ranking of their albums as a whole would be:

Ok Computer
The Bends
Hail to the Thief
Kid A
In Rainbows
Amnesiac
Pablo Honey

The issue I had with In Rainbows was that most of the songs had a similar feel, in the same way that Amensiac did, but Computer or Thief didn’t. They used similar instrumentation on most of the tracks, and there weren’t as many of the emotional shifts that songs like ‘Lucky’ or ‘Paranoid Android’ had. Ironically, it’s like In Rainbows was all painted in one color, whereas their best work used a spectrum.

However, as the show got going, they played a bunch of tracks off Rainbows, and I was wondering why I didn’t love it. “15 Step” was a great opener to the show, and “All I Need” was fantastic live. Other than an amazing “Lucky,” most of the early going stuck to songs from Rainbows. That was fine, I figured they would start with newer stuff, then segue into older songs. It’s not that I only wanted to hear the older stuff, I just wanted a mix.

As it went on, I was loving the show, the light effects were amazing, and the song selection was pretty solid. However, towards the end of the opening set, the momentum started to slip. Closing on “How to Disappear Completely” meant a loss of energy after they left. The crowd reaction was pretty small, I’m guessing people assumed there would be an encore so they didn’t feel the need to get too loud. Still, going out on a more uptempo song would have probably left things with more emotion. It’s not that the softer songs can’t work at all live, it’s just at one point they strung three or four low tempo songs together in a row, and that cut a lot of momentum. When they came back with ‘House of Cards,’ I was like, didn’t they play this one already? They hadn’t, but it’s when Rainbows fatigue set in for me.

Still, I’ve got to stress how amazing the visual presentation was, and the performance. The slower songs still sounded great, it’s just a question of scarcity. When I’ve only got a few Radiohead songs to see, it was frustrating to have a bunch of songs I don’t particularly care for. I’d have to liked to see more off Hail to the Thief, and a couple more tracks off Computer or Bends. I don’t want to be one of those people just asking for the old stuff, I’m sure it’s more exciting to play a song you wrote a year ago than to play one written twelve years ago for the thousandth time, but by the end, I was reminded why I had issues with Rainbows in the first place.

But, this was still one of the best shows I’ve been to in a long time. The stage presence was amazing, and they had the crowd rapt throughout. I’d definitely like to see them when they pass through New York again.

Junior Senior @ Highline Ballroom

Setlist (Courtesy Fluxblog)
Go Junior Go Senior / Chicks and Dicks / Dynamite / Good Girl, Bad Guy / Rhythm Bandits / Happy Rap / Itch U Can't Scratch / We R The Handclaps / Can I Get Get Get (with JD from Le Tigre) / Move Your Feet / Shake Me Baby / Shake Your Coconuts / Hip Hop A Lula // Trust Tissue / White Trash

Junior Senior’s first album was a strong, fun bunch of songs, but their second album, out today in the US, is a masterpiece, each song a three minute pop masterpiece, flowing seamlessly from one high point to the next. So, I was eager to see Junior Senior in action, nearly two years after first hearing the album, and I was not disappointed by what they brought.

But, before they went on we had the antics of the gayest band in the world, Gravy Train. That’s not a judgment, it’s just the undeniable truth. They reminded me of a less skilled Scissor Sisters, amplifying the stage antics and removing any of the emotion. Scissor Sisters are a band who use theatricality to enhance their music, while these guys are just theatricality. I have no particular desire to see them again, but it’s rare you see people actually talking about an opening act, and nearly every review of the gig I’ve read has spent at least some of the time discussing them.

Before getting into Junior Senior, a quick rant about set start times. Now that I’m working, it’s a real hassle to stand around for two hours after the stated start time, four hours after door open, waiting for the band to start. The stage crew was done setting up by 10:40, and we just there for twenty minutes, waiting. This can really kill a gig, particularly when you’ve got to get up at 7 AM for work the next day. Last week’s free show from Cansei de Ser Sexy was ruined by the fact that they went on at 1:15, by that time all the momentum that was building was gone and we were just a bunch of people standing in a sweaty room. This wasn’t so bad, and my annoyance was pretty much erased by their energetic performance, but still, I’m assuming most of these people work, is it that tough to move things along?

Anyway, once Junior Senior emerged, things took off. Most of the band came out, a guitar, a bass, two backup singers, Junior and finally Senior, who looked like a giant European version of Eminem. This was a really tall guy, particularly when standing against the tiny dude from Le Tigre. He had phenomenal stage presence. Even though Junior probably has more musical talent, it’s Senior’s stage presence that puts the band over the top as a live act.



In a radical departure from nearly every other concert ever, I was pretty annoyed by the initial bombardment of old songs, and was almost ready to yell out “New album!” by the time they finally dropped “Happy Rap.” It’s not that the show wasn’t working well, those tracks got the audience into it, and “Rhythm Bandits” in particular was a highlight, but the new album was such a jump, I was hoping to hear more from it.

When they finally did play a new track, it was my least favorite, “Happy Rap.” Now, this was a situation where least favorite is the optimum phrase, pretty much every track they played rocked the audience and was tremendously entertaining. This is infectious, ecstatic music and that comes across in the live show. I was just grinning throughout the whole show, it was so much fun. Next up was “Itch U Can’t Skratch,” which owns right from the opening synth descent. That song has a great hip hop style bounce dwelling under the poppier main part.

The highlight of the show was “We R the Handclaps,” which featured amazing guest vocals from their backup singer. Not only was she ridiculously hot, she had a voice that reached way up, hitting notes I heard on the album, but found hard to believe were sung by a human voice. She absolutely owned this song, already one of the best off the album. I only wish she could have gotten a chance to take on more of their songs, particularly “Take My Time.”



The rest of the show provided a bunch of highlights. “Move Your Feet” was fantastic as expected, the interplay between Senior and JD on “Can I Get Get Get” was a lot of fun, and the closing stage rush for “White Trash” was a great finale. If the band was this fun and strong with Junior’s voice in recovery, I can only imagine what they’re like at full strength. This show was a great followup to Daft Punk, another blast of infectious dance music. I hope they pass through here again, and give us more off the new album. That’s really the only complaint I’ve got. Where were “I Like Music” and “Dance Chance Romance”?

Daft Punk @ Keyspan Park

This show was easily my most anticipated show of all time. Just reading about the show and watching the videos on Youtube was a rush. Discovery is my favorite album of all time and really sent me in a different direction in terms of the music I listen to. I bought these tickets back in March and after a long wait, the day finally arrived yesterday.

I got to the show a bit late, since I was coming out of work, so I only caught the tail end of The Rapture’s set. They were pretty solid, and I do love their music, but tonight was not the night to see them. I’ve heard they’re playing a Halloween show, and I’ll definitely check that out if it happens, but opening for Daft Punk is something of a thankless task. I moved up the field towards the center of the stage as Kavinsky and Sebastian spun. They played some strong tracks, and set the mood well. I saw Kavinsky destroy Studio B in June, one of the funnest shows I’ve been to this year, but again, this was just prelude.

The screens went dark and the Close Encounter notes started to play, I knew things were about to go down. A lot has been written about their live shows, so I’ll skip the obvious. I’d seen the Youtube videos and knew their basic tricks, but it’s still a very different thing to see it live. As the pyramid emerged, it was smaller than I imagined, I’d built this up so much in my head, there was bound to be a subtle disappointment as my imagined version gave way to reality.

I feel like it took a little bit for the crowd to get into the show. There was a lot of enthusiasm, but the section of crowd I was in seemed more interested in photographing the show than jumping around and dancing. I was a bit worried that would happen, since they had the 125 people shooting the show on mini DV. But, before the end of ‘Robot Rock,’ I shifted towards the center and found a patch of crowd that was more into the show.

A large part of what made the show so amazing was the way they built the set. ‘Robot Rock’ is a song people know, but it’s not one of their megahits, most of those were saved for later in the show, with the less known tracks working as warmup. When ‘Technologic’ dropped, things started to pick up, but it really broke out with ‘Crescendolls,’ which had most of the crowd, or at least the crew around me, shouting “Hey!” at the top of our lungs.

Hearing the clear pop of Discovery emerge out of the darker tinged electro of the early part of the set was a revelation. I think part of the reason they didn’t do this sort of live show for Discovery is that they need the darkness of Human After All to balance things out. Those effusive tracks are much more excited when contrasted with the pounding darkness of a “Steam Machine” or “Brainwasher.” I think Human After All is a generally successful album, but I’ll admit it was a bit of a letdown after the brilliance of Discovery. But, those tracks provided the base that let the Discovery tracks kill. And then the Homework tracks are also still around, serving as great bridge and backing for the more hooky tracks from the past couple of albums.

Things kicked into high gear with what was arguably the greatest song I’ve ever heard live, the mix of ‘Harder Better Faster Strong’ and ‘Around the World.’ Separately, these songs, but combined they become a monster live track that had me jumping all around with everyone in the audience. Daft Punk’s songs are all about the mixing of elements, knowing when to bring in a bass or high line for maximum impact. Here, the two songs are mixed to perfectly compliment each other, creating something that was almost too much to absorb. I’d find myself getting into ‘Around the World,’ then shift over to ‘Harder Better,’ and ultimately just let go and absorb it all.



The other highlight was the slow build mix of ‘Face to Face’ and ‘Harder Better.’ This was accompanied by the green square computer graphics, and built over a slowed down vocal to a bustling groove. Next, they dropped the bells that open ‘Aerodynamic,’ grabbing audience cheers, then surprisingly dropped ‘One More Time’ to even more cheers. At this point, everything was going nuts and it was just a completely ecstatic experience. It was a communal experience unlike any other concert I’ve been to, I was completely lost in the music and the dazzling light show. Ultimately, that kind of experience is something you get so few times in life, it was thrilling to have last night.



The other incredibly sick mix was the mashup of ‘Brainwasher’ and ‘Da Funk,’ which also prompted a singalong. Watching these two screw around with their catalogue and create an entirely new work out of the existing pieces made straight up rock shows seem totally insignificant by comparison. I still do love live music, but this was an entirely different art. Even knowing what to expect, I was blown away by what they pulled off.

A lot of people have been saying “Best show ever” about this one, and I have to agree. After the 90 minutes, I was completely satisfied. I’d have loved more, but I didn’t need it, and that’s the sign of a good show. I think everyone left there completely satisfied with what they got, and as the two of them disappeared into the steam, jackets lit up saying Daft Punk, the mystique of these two only increased. If you want to know how good this show was, I’ll just say that I’m seriously considering making the trip to Vegas for their next show. I don’t want to wait to be a part of this again.

The New Pornographers @ Battery Park

Setlist (Approximate)

All of the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth//Use It//The Laws Have Changed//All the Old Showstoppers//Jackie Dressed in Cobras//Mutiny I Promise You//Mass Romantic//The Spirit of Giving//The Bones of an Idol//My Rights Versus Yours//Sing Me Spanish Techno//Go Places//From Blown Speakers//Twin Cinema//Bleeding Heart Show

Encore: These are the Fables//Testament to Youth in Verse//Slow Descent into Alcoholism

I’ve seen The New Pornographers a couple of times before, but this show was the first time I’ve seen them with Neko Case. It’s not quite the full band, Dan Bejar was still MIA, but he’s slated to tour with them in the Fall, so perhaps I’ll get the chance then. Anyway, this show was outside at Battery Park, the same place as the Belle and Sebastian show I went to last year, and like that show, this one was shadowed by the threat of rain. It got a little iffy at times, but luckily the rain held off and the show went on without any issues.

The good thing about this show was that it was free, the band thing is that means the crowd isn’t going to be as into it as they will be at a show they paid to get to, and for this band, and every band, that makes a difference. At The Polyphonic Spree earlier this week, so much of the joy of the show is being a part of the crowd, singing the lyrics back and getting really caught up in things. When I first saw The New Pornographers, opening for Belle and Sebastian in March 2006, I was a bit underwhelmed. They played a good show, but it didn’t have that transcendent energy the best shows do. When I saw them last August, it was a whole different story, that was an amazing show, with a lot more energy.

Here, they not only had the free show issue to deal with, they also had to deal with the fact that they’re playing material from an album very few people have heard. I got a review copy of the album, and have been playing it nonstop for the past couple of weeks, so I was all set to enjoy their new stuff. But, most people aren’t familiar with it, and as a result, they weren’t as into the new songs. I think their new album is as good as anything they’ve ever done and I was really eager to hear the songs off it, but I can understand people not connecting with unfamiliar material.

That’s not to say it was a bad show, they played great, and there were some really strong moments, it’s just that on the whole, it didn’t quite match up to last August’s Summerstage show. And, this whole perception could be due to where I was in the crowd, when I got to move up towards the end, things definitely improved and I was more into it. The final run of songs was fantastic.

But, let’s backtrack. I’d read that seeing the New Pornos without Neko Case wasn’t the real experience, and I was skeptical. They sounded fine to me. However, she is a great stage presence and has a phenomenal voice. I thought of Carl Newman as their frontman, and when she’s not there, he is. But, with her there, she pretty much controls things, overpowering his vocals when she comes in to sing. On the songs that spotlighted her, like “Go Places” and “Mass Romantic,” she owned the show, and if this was my first time seeing them, I couldn’t even imagine them playing without her.



The tracks off their new album are a bit more varied, both in terms of tempo and emotion. The band was supported by a four piece instrumental section that helped to flesh out the new material. While I love their first three albums, I’ll admit that the songs are very similar. It’s a great sound, so I don’t mind, but it’s exciting to hear the band do a song like “Go Places,” which is more subdued and emotionally involved. Neko’s performance on this song was phenomenal, and the emotion behind it was great, it was a shame that people seemed to zone it out because it was new material. “The Spirit of Giving” is another highlight off the album, which sounded great live. Though I’m still unclear what the repeated line on that final segment is, at first I thought it was “Corporate America mourns,” now I’m thinking “Love the American mall.” It’s unclear, but the song itself is so well put together, I don’t care. The song, like many New Pornos tracks, moves through a series of sections before resolving itself in a layered singalong chorus. That mysterious line is repeated, then another vocal is added on top. It’s a spectacular close to the album.

The one track I was really missing from the new album is “Unguided,” an epic six and a half minute track that soars to one of the most beautiful choruses they’ve done. It’s another really emotional song, hopefully it’ll get some play when they tour for the album. Other than that, most of the songs I wanted to hear were played. They’ve got such a deep back catalogue, it’s getting to the point where you’re not going to hear a lot of great songs. I would have liked to hear “Letter From an Occupant” with Neko singing, and “Falling Through Your Clothes” is always welcome, but this assortment was well chosen.



The old material sounded good still, though the crowd wasn’t really feeling things until “Mass Romantic” hit. That’s the one song that everyone knows, and there was a lot of excitement then. The lengthy stage banter slowed the show’s momentum, tightening things up a bit might have helped sustain the energy. It was funny when the drummer forgot which song they were going to play, but other lengthy digressions were just annoying.

The highlights of the show came at the end, with a triumphant “Bleeding Heart Show” to close out the main set and “Testament to Youth in Verse” during the encore. Both of these songs are anthemic, singalong masterpieces and I hope they remain in the setlist for as long as the band’s around. By the time of the encore, some of the less devoted people filtered out and the crowd’s energy raised a bit. The spattering of rain only added to the drama, though it would have been a lot nicer if it was about ten degrees warmer out there.

Ultimately, this was a nice preview of what the band will do on their next tour. It was great to get a chance to see them play for free, but I’d rather have paid some money and got to see them in an indoor venue with more devoted fans. Once people get to know the new album, they should get a lot more crowd involvement. But, any day where you get to hear “The Bleeding Heart Show” performed live is a good one.

The Polyphonic Spree @ Warsaw

I first saw The Polyphonic Spree in concert in 2005, when they were supporting Together We’re Heavy. It was an almost overwhelming experience, a torrent of sound unlike anything I’d heard before. I saw them again at the Across the Narrows Festival later that year, but it’s been a year and a half since I last had the chance to experience the best live band playing today. I’m not sure if last night’s show at the Warsaw was my best experience with them, but it certainly seemed to be Tim DeLaughter’s. The Spree frontman kept things going for nearly two and a half hours, drawing out the encore to the point that it was as long, if not longer than the actual set. It was a high energy, incredibly fun show, a reminder of just how powerful people getting together to play music can be.

The show opened with Tim cutting a heart into a giant piece of red paper to reveal the band, who were wearing their black fragile army uniforms. They opened with “Running Away,” the exhilarating first single from the new album. The first time I saw them, the sound was mixed so loud that I essentially lost the higher frequencies midway through the show. This venue felt like my elementary school auditorium, just a really big space, and the sound was mixed much better, such that I didn’t have any more hearing issues than at your average concert. Now, this does sacrifice some of the initial impact of hearing them, but it was good in the long term. I still think “We Sound Amazed” is the optimum show opening song, it’s a shame it’s drifted off the setlist.



But, we can’t live in the past, the new album has plenty of great tracks, and nearly all of them were performed during that initial set. “Get Up and Go” was an early highlight, bringing a heavy guitar riff to the fore, in a way you don’t usually hear with the band. “The Fragile Army” was also fantastic, letting the chorus do some weirder vocalizations than usual. But, even though the new album is on par with the rest of their work, it’s tougher to get into live because I just don’t know those songs as well, and neither does the audience. With a couple of exceptions, no one is really thrilled to hear the new song, in the same that they are when Tim reaches back to the first two albums. That’s an inevitable consequence of doing a show promoting a new album, particularly one that came out a couple of weeks ago.

That said, the crowd was on board for pretty much all the new songs. I think a large part of that is due to the sheer spectacle of their show. There’s so many of them, and the songs have such consistent positive energy, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment, the ebbs and swells of the song. There’s nothing like hearing the whole band go from quiet to a sudden burst of sound. These sudden bursts were frequently accompanied by confetti blasts. I particularly liked how their roadie would just run out with the confetti gun and launch it on beat, he seemed so excited to get the chance to do that.



Most of the back catalogue stuff in the main set came from The Beginning Stages. There was a great, stripped down version of “It’s the Sun.” Normally I’m not a fan of the acoustic cut down versions of songs, but playing things down let us better hear all the instruments and their interplay. Plus, we did eventually get the full version during the encore. My major issue with the show was that Together We’re Heavy was virtually ignored. There was an amazing version of “Hold Me Now,” but that was it until the encore. There’s a lot of great songs on that album, “Two Thousand Places,” and “We Sound Amazed” most notably, and I’d love to have heard them.

The initial set closed with “The Championship,” the closing track off The Fragile Army. They tore the song up, building to the closing “Raise our Voices” part. The recording of the song fades too soon on this part, I would have loved to just let it go, so it was great to hear them extend it out live. They kept the refrain going as all the band members gradually left the stage. Tim left, and it was just the audience keeping the song going, and it went on for a good five minutes. I’d never heard anything like it before, people just singing on their own, continuing the show without the band. I think that moment was one of the best testaments to what the Spree do, because there’s so many of them, it fosters a very inclusive feeling. They seem to be having so much fun, you just get caught up in it.

The singing kept going until “Together We’re Heavy” began playing over the speakers and gradually the band filed back up to the stage, passing through the crowd. They did this at the Irving Plaza show in 2005, but it was still an amazing moment, to watch them ascend the stage and start playing again, overtaking the record. They were wearing their white robes now, and this was such a sense of joy in the place. What came after was still great, but that was probably the high point of the show for me.

The first part of the “encore” was a couple of covers, both off the Wait EP. First was Nirvana’s “Lithium.” This was a fun song to see them do, but the subsequent “Sonic Bloom” was more satisfying. I think the Nirvana cover probably worked better for people who aren’t as big fans of the Spree. I’d love to eventually complete the rumored covers album because they really transform a song once they play it.

Following this was a rousing rendition of “Light and Day.” This song is their trademark and it always kills live. The chorus is so easy to sing along too, and by the end I think everyone in the place was with them. I figured that was the end of the show, little did I know there was a good 40 minutes left. Next up was “When the Fool Becomes a King.” This track is an epic, ten minutes on the album, and at least fifteen minutes here. It’s one of my favorite songs of there, filled with the builds and explosions that only they can do. The extended runtime was due to the lengthy theatrics within the song. There was a good five minutes where the band froze and Tim messed around on stage. This went on a bit long, it did build anticipation, but when you’re so far into the show, you don’t want to kill all the momentum of the song. The three minute long piano solo also took a lot out of me, but it was still a great moment when we finally made it to the “It’s the Sun” close of the song. I’m glad that song is still in their repertoire, it’s a great set closer.

With both their big songs performed, I figured that was it. However, Tim wanted to keep going, and the audience was still very enthused, so they broke out “Soldier Girl.” This is another great singalong song. Even though I prefer the more developed songs on Heavy and Army, those Beginning Stages songs kill live.

Throughout the show a drunk guy near me was yelling out “Ride, Captain Ride” repeatedly. I thought it was just a random shout, but the band still had some energy and they started up one more song, “Ride Captain Ride.” This was a great closer. It’s a simple, but anthemic song, and as they went, the chorus and other band members moved to the front of the stage, and Tim went into the audience. It felt like the end of Saturday Night Live, when everyone just gathers on the stage and celebrates a job well done.

At this point, they brought out a cake for guitarist Mark Pirro’s birthday, and sang “Happy Birthday” to him. He wrapped things up with a lengthy odd story about his fear of the song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” This was a ramble, and that marked the end of the show. It took away some of the momentum coming off the show’s close, but with so many songs, who was I to argue.

This was an amazing show, primarily for what happened after the encore. After the initial set, I was really liking it, but the encore took things to another level. After the Spree filed through the audience, everything was higher stakes, with more crowd involvement and enthusiasm. This was a huge room, but it felt like everyone was completely into what was going on. I’ve seen them three times now and they never cease to amaze me with their communal enthusiasm and joy at being able to play music. I can’t wait to see them again.

!!! @ Studio B

I go to a lot of shows and most of them are entertaining enough, but a lot of the time, the audience seems disinterested in the goings on, standing in place and barely getting involved with what's going on. It's annoying to have more people taking pictures than getting into music. So, it was a relief to go to !!! and find a band that put on an incredible, high energy show, and an audience that was totally into it right from the start.

Setlist:
Myth Takes//All My Heroes Are Weirdos//Pardon My Freedom//Dear Can//A New Name//Yadnus//Must Be The Moon//Coke//Heart of Hearts//Intensify

The show opened with 'Myth Takes,' then kicked into high gear with 'All My Heroes Are Weirdos.' After the incendiary opening of the song, they abruptly cut for a moment, then brought things back. At this point, the audience was going nuts, the entire center of the floor was moving and dancing. I got shoved around in there, and it was a lot of fun to just jump around and get really into the show. I haven't seen this level of enthusiasm at a show since my younger days when I'd go to ska punk shows from bands like Goldfinger and Reel Big Fish. There, the show seemed to be an excuse to go and push people around. Here, there was the same level of energy, but it was less violent. People were just really into it.

After the first couple of songs, I was covered in sweat, most of it not my own, and wasn't sure if people would be able to keep going at this level for the entire show. I'm only really familiar with their new album, Myth Takes, so some of the songs in the middle bled together, until they got to the new stuff. But, the energy was so high, it didn't really matter. I love that they didn't play any slow songs or spend a long time talking, it was just consistently up tempo dance songs.

The highlight of the show was 'Weirdos' just because the crowd had so much energy, but 'Must Be the Moon' was pretty close. That's their best song, and they tore it up. There was a song, I believe it was 'Coke,' that went into a rave/trance style, and that worked great too. 'Heart of Hearts' was another great performance, featuring a crazy stage dive by their backup singer.

I'd heard that !!! were a band whose live shows far outdid their recorded work, and I found that hard to believe after listening to Myth Takes, but after seeing this concert, it's definitely true. There would be no way to capture the energy of what was happening on record, the experience was as much being a part of the crowd as it was about their playing. They were great, and Nic Offer had some fun rock star posturing, but they didn't any frills, the music alone was enough to make this a great show. It was really fun to go to a show where the crowd got completely absorbed, and at the end, I was almost relieved there wasn't an encore since there was really nowhere left to go.

Weekend Update

A New Blog Order

Well, as you might have noticed, The Invisibles blog series has concluded. I think it was successful, I learned a lot about the series, and had a lot of fun reading it through again. I was looking up some Invisibles stuff on Google and kept finding my own posts, so hopefully it will stand as a long term resource for people reading through the series. I'm going to make an index page for easy linking. Along with the end of The Invisibles, we're approaching the end of another long term project, the Babylon 5 blog series. I've got two more on Crusade and then one on Legend of the Rangers, then that's over. And, for the first time since November, I'll have no long term blog project. What this means is I can write up more films and general stuff, get back to the way things were before 2007. I know I have some people who haven't read The Invisibles or watched B5, and all I can say is keep the RSS feed, we'll be getting some more stuff of general interest coming up.

Concerts

Part of that will be a lot more concerts. I'll be back in New York starting next week, and have a bunch of shows lined up for the next couple of weeks. I can get into a bunch of shows free due to my Blog Critics writing, so I'll be able to go to even more than I normally would. Here's my upcoming agenda...

5/31 - !!! @ Studio B
6/1 - Cansei de Ser Sexy @ Irving Plaza
6/5 - The Pipettes @ Highline Ballroom
7/1 - The Polyphonic Spree @ Warsaw
7/4 - The New Pornographers @ Battery Park
7/20 - DJ Tiesto @ Hammerstein
8/9 - Daft Punk @ Coney Island

And I'm sure there'll be a bunch more in there as stuff comes up.

Series Enders

Two series that I've blogged about here in the past have come to an end, Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars, both have fallen from my esteem this season. Veronica never actually had that much of my esteem, I watched the first two seasons on DVD, where they flowed smoothly and had enough momentum to bring me to the conclusion. But, this year I lost track of things and stopped watching around midseason. I have no particular desire to see the rest, and am not sad to see the show cancelled. Honestly, you can't say they didn't give a chance. Any show that makes it to three seasons and doesn't catch on can probably go. And, this isn't a case like Arrested Development where it got awful time slot shuffling. They put it after the highest rated show on the network and it still didn't make it.

As for Gilmore Girls, I've seen through episode 16 of the season, and will likely finish it soon. But, it just doesn't feel like the same show without the Palladinos, and as such, the show I knew ended last season. I'm one of the few people who loved season six of the show, and I'd have loved to see where the Palladinos planned to take things. Oh well, at least the show had a good run. When I do finish it up, I'll write up the last couple and give some reflections on the series as a whole.

The Arcade Fire/The National @ United Palace

I started listening to the Arcade Fire back in 2005, when they were breaking big with Funeral, and I've been waiting to see them live since. They have such a superlative reputation, it'd be tough to live up to. However, for the most part they did, putting on a fantastic show that was marred by a couple of issues, only one of them actually their fault.

The major issues came from the fact that this was a pretty bad venue. The decor was nice, but it's tough to go to a show with seating after getting used to general admission. I actually had a GA ticket, and managed to get in on the bottom floor. There, I went and sat in a random seat shortly before The National started. There was barely anyone there at this point, and as they played, people filtered in, all accompanied by annoying staff people with flashlights, breaking the mood of the set. Now, with a GA setting, you don't have to worry about the new people coming in, but here, they keep distracting from the show, and I had the added trouble of being paranoid about getting thrown out of this random seat and sent back upstairs.

Anyway, I listened to a lot of Boxer and Alligator, and came to enjoy the albums, however they're not the kind of music that I usually really enjoy live. I like bombastic shows, with lots of instruments, or tightly constructed, dancable songs. The National's solid rock isn't instantly captivating live. i think the major issue here was that the crowd wasn't particularly into them, I was staring at that pipe organ, eager to get to the Arcade Fire's set, and The National weren't quite good enough to win me over here.

However, they did play a nice set, heavy on songs off Boxer. The band had an army of guitars arrayed across the stage, and occasional punctuation from some well placed violin. The highlights of the set were "Slow Show" and a scorching version of "Mr. November." They did their best, but ultimately couldn't compete with the looming specter of Arcade Fire. It must be tough to be an opening band, crowd reaction is such a crucial part of a show, and particularly in a seated venue like this, you don't even get the benefit of having your fans clustered in the front. I bet they'll do a much better job at their run of shows later this month, and I'll probably go see their free show at South Street Seaport later this summer. When I saw The New Pornographers open for Belle and Sebastian, I was a bit underwhelmed, but when they headlined, I was blown away.

Before going into the Arcade Fire set itself, I've got to talk about the way the staff ran the start of the set. A bunch of people had gathered in the aisles, and the entire first song was sent sending them back to their seats, I was a victim of this bouncing, getting thrown out of "my seat," and off to an aisle that thankfully wasn't too far back. However, throughout the entire first half hour of the set, people were still coming in. This is a major issue with seated shows, it feels a bit ridiculous that someone who can't even show up for the start of the set, two and a half hours after the listed doors time, should get to be up front. And, you wind up with a bunch of older people who aren't as into the show up front. I understand that the staff has to deal with this and keep order, but they frequently killed the mood. That's why it's bad to play a seated venue, or at least more venues should be like the Nokia Theater, which offers both seats and standing.

Setlist:
Black Mirror
No Cars Go
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
Haiti
Black Wave
Neon Bible
Windowsill
The Well and the Lighthouse
Ocean of Noise
Antichrist Television Blues
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)
Encore: Keep the Car Running
Intervention

All this distraction took me out of the first two songs, "Black Mirror" and "No Cars Go." "No Cars" is my favorite song off Neon Bible, and I was a bit disappointed by the live rendition. I think it's impossible to live up to the recorded one played at ultra high volume. All the movement distracted the crowd, so people weren't as into the show as they would be later. I think that staff messing around really took the momentum away from the start, and it wasn't until midway through that people got really involved and the show picked up.

After "No Cars," they segued into a miniset with Regine in the spotlight. I hadn't realized how strong and unique her vocals were before, I heard that high pitched stuff on the record, but didn't connect it to her. She did a lot of cool motions on stage, particularly during "Anti-Christ Television Blues," and had a great pair of gloves. Not since Goldfrapp have I heard such a transcendent high voice at a live show.



Next up was a bunch of tracks off Neon Bible, starting with a great version of "Black Wave." Many of their songs ahve these moments where the music just takes off to a transcendent place, and you can just sort of drift in this atmosphere of sound. I love when they use wordless vocals over a sea of instruments, as in 'Ocean of Noise.'

While I prefer Neon Bible on the whole, I have to admit that Funeral's tracks were superior live. They offer more space for crazy drum banging and general insanity on stage. "Power Out" tore things up, my hands were practically sore from clapping so much, and the segue into "Lies" was phenomenal, that song was definitely highlight of the set, by this point the crowd was fully into the set, and I think everyone in that theater was yelling back "Lies! Lies!" as Win sang.

The encore went on, and ended with a stellar performance of "Intervention," and I was expecting them to do one more song, surely the show couldn't end without "Wake Up." The lights came up, then went back down, and I was like, okay, it's on now. I was hoping for a Bowie cameo on the song, but I'd settle for just the song itself. However, the lights went back up, and house music came on, and it was apparent we were not going to get "Wake Up." Now, that doesn't ruin the show, but it's my favorite song of theirs, and seems the most suited to full crowd singalongs. Now, maybe they're saving it for the next couple of shows, but still, I needed the song. I suppose this means I'll have to see them again.

So, even after all the hype, I was not disappointed by the Arcade Fire. They put on a fantastic show, and by the end, had the crowd completely captivated. However, I really wish I could have seen one of the Judson Church shows earlier this year. Most of the crowd seemed to know their stuff, but there were a couple of fratboy types behind who spent the entire show chatting up some girls and commenting on the fact that they only knew the three big songs. Why did these people go to the show, and is this the future of the Arcade Fire audience? Of course, on the other side were three people mouthing the words to every song, so it's not all bad. I wish I was still in New York later this week, I'd love to go to the Radio City show and see them again. Hopefully they'll make another visit before the summer's out.

Amy Winehouse/The Pipettes @ Bowery Ballroom

After seeing The Pipettes a couple of nights ago, I headed down to Bowery Ballroom to see them and Amy Winehouse on a “Live From London” double bill. It was a sold out gig, a hard ticket to come by, and the people who made it in were clearly happy to be there, at least for Amy Winehouse. She deservedly got an ecstatic reception, this was a fantastic show.

But, before the two of them we had Jamie Woon. Yes, he was from London so I suppose he qualifies, but his music did not fit at all with the excess and attitude of the acts he was supporting. Woon seemed like this was his first gig ever, very nervous and constantly making self deprecating jokes. He was up there with just a guitar and a looping device, so it’s understandable that he’d be nervous. I didn’t think he was bad, more that his very minimal rock belonged more as the opener for a Jack Johnson show, or perhaps the entertainment at a coffee house, than as the opener for these two. The crowd was on the border of encouragement and mockery, but they generally gave him approval. I was pretty much waiting for him to end, but I did enjoy the vocal loops he did.

I had a great spot, one person back, right at center stage. There were no heads in front of me, just the band, looming above, imposing. It was a great spot, though I did feel a bit disconnected from the rest of the audience. During Amy Winehouse, I looked back and saw a bunch of people dancing, but the people around me were pretty much just taking pictures, not making with the movement. I’m always curious about why people invest so much effort taking pictures at a show, the visuals don’t change that much, so if you really need a record, just grab it quickly and then put the camera away. I find it distracting, the whole point of the show is to get lost in the music and if you can’t do that if you’re messing around with a camera. Just exist in the moment, don’t worry about having a permanent record.

The Pipettes:
Setlist: Sex//Your Kisses are Wasted on Me//Why Did You Stay?//Because It’s not Love//Hurts to See You Dance So Well//Tell Me What You Want//Guess Who Ran Off With the Milkman//One Night Stand//Judy//Dirty Mind//Pull Shapes//We Are the Pipettes

Anyway, The Pipettes roared out with the same high level of energy they had at Luna Lounge on Sunday. The major variations were a slight change in the setlist and a different outfit for Gwenno. The band is one of the most charismatic, just plain fun live acts I’ve seen. They look like they’re enjoying what they’re doing so much, the only other act that has that same joy in every moment of playing is The Polyphonic Spree. It must be something about wearing uniforms, takes you out of the everyday and makes it possible to just get lost in the music.

I think it was a mistake to open with one of their slower songs, “Sex,” rather than the high energy “Your Kisses are Wasted on Me.” Becki apologized again for switching to a slower song, but their slower songs are so layered and engulfing the set doesn’t lose the energy. If they pulled a Jamie Woon and went just one person on guitar, that would kill the momentum. But playing a song like “Tell Me What” midset doesn’t lose me at all, but I felt like the show hadn’t really started during “Sex” and it was only with “Your Kisses are Wasted on Me” that the band came alive. Unlike Luna, this show drew almost exclusively from We Are the Pipettes. Considering they had less time, that’s for the best and I enjoyed every song they played.

I was right in front of Rose and was struck by how beautiful she was. I loved the way her dancing had a fervent energy, committing to the motions with almost robotic intensity. Becki had a looser, “I’m making this up” feel to her movements and Gwenno emphasized her sexiness with all her motion. They’re a good bunch and fun to watch them play off each other during the set. If anything, the dancing this time was even more coordinated and intense. I suppose they’ve got the moves for the album songs down, but are still working on stuff for the new songs.

The ending run from “Judy” to “We are the Pipettes” was the high point of the show, one great song after the other. The crowd wasn’t as into their set as people were the other night, fitting since they’re the opening act. I prefer The Pipettes’ album to Amy Winehouse’s, but I enjoyed Amy Winehouse’s set more because of both the crowd reaction and the confidence she had as a headliner. The Pipettes did a great job, the musicianship was just as strong as at Luna Lounge, but they weren’t able to make the crowd their own the way they did two nights ago.

But, I still loved seeing them and am looking forward to seeing them again if they tour for the US release of their album. They’re a uniquely entertaining live act, and the more people get into the album, the more fun the show will be. Plus, I loved the fact that I was just as engaged with the opening act as with the headliner, it made for a much more satisfying show experience.

Amy Winehouse
Setlist: Addicted//Just Friends//Cherry//Back to Black//Wake Up Alone//Tears Dry on Their Own//He Can Only Hold Her//Fuck Me Pumps//You Know I’m No Good//Me and Mr. Jones//Rehab
Encore: Love is a Losing Game//Valerie

I reviewed Amy Winehouse’s new album, Back to Black, last week, and after listening to it, I was eager to see her live. The past week, there’s been a lot of stories about Amy in the British tabloids, that she needs to go to rehab, that she’s been canceling shows, etc. But, she didn’t cancel this one, and I’m glad of that. She’s got an image as a hard partying bad girl and she played that up throughout her set.

After The Pipettes finished, it took a while to set up for Amy, and when her crew came out, I could see why. She had ten backing musicians: three guitars, one drums, one keyboard, one trumpet, two sax and two male backup singers. But, all this never took the attention away from Amy herself, who owned the stage for the hour she played. She came out dressed in a poka dot dress, hair piled up on top her head, heavy black, 60s style eye makeup cutting across her face. She looked like a Russ Meyer character, Vixen in particular. I don’t know how tall she is, but she seemed towering, standing on the stage.




Being so close to the stage, I could see the setlist in advance, something I don’t usually like. It’s better to be surprised when a great song drops, but I was happy to see that nearly the whole set was drawn for Back to Black. She opened with “Addicted,” the last track of the album, and that was a bit jarring. I like that she saved her big single, “Rehab” for the closure, but I associated “Addicted” with the fade out, and it didn’t get the energy up for me.

Things picked up shortly though, the early highlight was “Back to Black,” the highlight of the album, an apocalyptic piece of 60s girl group soul. Throughout her set, Amy moved in a very self conscious way, like there was no audience, it was just her hearing the music in her head. Her dancing reminded me of Audrey in the second episode of Twin Peaks, just swaying to this music that’s wafting out of the ether, lost in the moment. Her dancing wasn’t the coordinated routines of The Pipettes, it was whatever she felt at that time.

“Tears Dry on Their Own” was another highlight, a bit more up tempo, making good use of the horn section. “He Can Only Hold Her” worked well, segueing into an excerpt from Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” which gave the background singers their moment in the spotlight. They did some vocals, but mainly seemed to be there to do really snappy synchronized dancing.

I wasn’t a huge fan of “I’m No Good” on the album, but it worked really well live, one of the highlights of the night. “Me and Mr. Jones” worked really well too, and saw some of Amy’s most impassioned dancing. The set closed out with “Rehab,” one of her best songs, that moment when the horns come in still gives me chills every time.



She left to huge applause, which seemed to surprise even her. The crowd loved her and made that very vocal. Coming out for the encore, she seemed a bit overwhelmed. Throughout she joked with the crowd about her love of alcohol, bringing back some vintage drinking jokes, like “I have a drinking problem, I can’t seem to get it in my mouth.” I’m not sure how much of that is an act, playing up to her image, but it got pops from the crowd, so it worked. Sometimes, she would kneel down to drink and singing from that position, I was right on level with her, her mind seemingly receding into the music.

Things wrapped up with the low key, but still strong “Love is a Losing Game,” and the raucous “Valerie.” The crowd wanted more, and I would have liked a bit extra, but I’d seen the setlist and knew this was it. She put on a fantastic show, with great vocals and musicianship. The only issue I had was that they stuck a bit too faithfully to the recorded version of the songs, not letting the instrumentalists do their own thing for a bit. But, Amy is the center of things, and even if we did get guitar or horn solos, the attention would still be on her.

It’s always nice to go to a show where you like more than just the headliner. This was a lot of fun, a journey back into 60s sounds, but with contemporary attitude. These two acts are both big in Britain, and I hope they find major success here. If you get the chance to see either, don’t pass them up.

The Pipettes @ Luna Lounge

Setlist (Actually Accurate)
Intro/Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me//Baby Don't Leave//Why Did You Stay//Because It's Not Love//It Hurts to See You Dance So Well//Your Love For Me...//Guess Who//Really That Bad//Tell Me What//I Love You//True Love//One Night Stand//Judy//Dirty Mind//Pull Shapes

Encore: ABC//We Are the Pipettes

For the second night in a row, it was time for a retro-inspired rock show, and as I walked into the venue tonight, what was playing but The Raveonettes' 'Little Animal,' shortly followed by 'Do You Believe Her,' bridging me from one night to the next. But, that's pretty much where the similarities end. After the major letdown that was The Raveonettes, The Pipettes absolutely owned this venue and put on one of the best shows I've seen in a long time.

This was my first time at Luna Lounge and I was very impressed. The design actually made sense, with the stage in the back, bar in the front. So, people who just want to drink don't wind up lingering around the front, distracting you from the show. It was a very open space, with plenty of room around the stage. I got a great spot, a couple of rows back from the stage, despite arriving at 9:50, shortly before the show was supposed to start. And, in a groundbreaking bit of concert planning, the show actually started at 10, literally 10:00:05 according to my watch. It's so much more fun to go to a show and not stand around for an hour waiting for them to get things together. And, that was only the beginning of the greatness.

The Pipettes were heralded by the emergence of their backing band, pretty much the only acknowledgement that there were seven people on the stage, not three. They announced The Pipettes, who then rushed the stage and launched right into 'Your Kisses are Wasted On Me.' The first couple of tracks were hurt a bit by the sound levels, with drums overwhelming everything else. But, after some harsh words from Gwen, everything leveled out and the show moved towards greatness.

What makes The Pipettes' album so amazing is the fact that they manage to make fourteen songs that are good enough to be singles. There's not a bad track on there, all reach that great pop song place of sounding like something that's always been there, like you know it before you've even heard it. They joked about the fact that the songs are very derivative in terms of subject matter, focusing on two things, love and dancing, but there's enough tempo shifts that it stays fresh. The slower songs are quite beautiful, particularly 'Underneath a Winter Sky,' which was unfortunately the only song from the album that they didn't play.

When approaching music, I'm always more interested in sound than lyrical subject matter. I'd never seen a band that is as much about vocal interplay as this one, and it was a lot of fun to see their voices work together and seperately, creating really smooth harmonies that balanced each other and drew you into the songs. As I mentioned before, the band stayed in the background, there, but never the focus. They provided texture to underlie the vocal performances. Gwen and Rose each did a stint on keyboard, but the focus was the vocals.



My only major issue with this show was the fact that they played a lot of songs I hadn't heard, particularly early on. I still liked them, but not in the same way that I responded to the stuff I already knew. The new material sounds like it's going in a similar direction, but with some slightly different influences, doing more variety with the vocals. It's more of the same, but different, which is a good place to be on the second album.

I usually go to rock shows, which are just a bunch of people with instruments. They did something a bit different, doing a lot of choreographed dancing and miming for each song, adding to the charm of their music. The founding principle behind boy and girl groups is to give each member a distinctive personality, and play that up within the show. Here, you've got Gwen, the siren pin-up girl, Becki, the goofy hipster/librarian, and Rose, a Rory Gilmore type. Their on stage presentation reinforces these personas, but also allows them all to just dance around and have goofy fun. Their choreographed motions are very human and endearing. I feel like everyone in the audience fell in love with at least one of them, on the way out I heard a lot of debates about who your favorite Pipette was.



It was refreshing to go to a show that was meant to entertain you, where the performers were having fun, and the audience was too. This was their first US show, and I'd imagine it's still a surprise to play somewhere and get a response like this one. The crowd was really into the show, giving one of the most enthusiastic calls for an encore I've seen. Particularly on the closing run of songs, there was a lot of movement and enthusiasm.

For me, every song from the album was bordering on highlight, but the absolute best was the closing three song run of 'Judy,' 'Dirty Mind,' and particularly 'Pull Shapes.' That song's the pinnacle of their work so far and it was great live, from the ecstatic buildup, with all of them out, building up the crowd, to the great "Disco/Rock 'n Roll/Hip-Hop" call out. The last song of the encore, 'We Are the Pipettes' was pretty much an affirmation of all we'd seen. At that point, they certainly seemed like the prettiest girls I'd ever seen and I was all set to the take them to my planet.

One thing that surprised me was how strong all of them were vocally. Typically in a group like this you have one great singer and then a couple of backers. Here, they all swapped lead vocal duties, and each brought their own skills. Gwen had the strongest stage personality, but I think Rose had the strongest voice, and seemed to get more and more into things as the show progressed.

This show was really fantastic, just a whole lot of fun. They sounded great and put on a really endearing stage show. I'm really glad I caught them the first time through the States, in a small venue, as their career is on the rise. And, I did get tickets for the Amy Winehouse show on Tuesday, so I'll see them there again, but I'm actually contemplating making it a three in a row, and going to Luna again tomorrow. It was just that good.

The Raveonettes @ Southpaw

I first listened to The Raveonettes because they were going to be playing at Across the Narrows in 2005, and since I was going anyway, I figured I might as well familiarize myself with their work. I heard 'Pretty in Black' and fell in love with its 50s style and David Lynch vibe. Seeing them live, they absolutely tore up the stage, right from the driving rock of their opening song, 'You Say, You Lie.' I've wanted to see them again live ever since, so I was excited when they announced a series of shows for this week. However, things did not work out quite as well as I'd have liked.

But first, let me commend their opening band, The Pity Party. They were two people, a guy on guitar and a girl on drums, keyboard and vocals. She was giving it her all, and even broke a drum stick playing. They played really driving rock that fluctuated between punk and electrodance rhythms. I really enjoyed their set, though it was a bit exhausting and after the halfway point, there were diminishing returns.

Part of this was that I was waiting a long time for The Raveonettes to go on. There was a lot of standing around waiting for their set to start, I got there at 10 and they didn't play until 11:30. Not to sound like an old person, but can't you get started a bit earlier, particularly on daylight savings night. I didn't get home until 3:30.

Anyway, after The Pity Party, I was waiting, listening to the house music. A driving 50s guitar sound, backed by a low cello came on, and I was thinking "Is this from Mulholland Dr?" After a moment I realized that it wasn't from MD, it was the Pink Room song from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. What a great track, and it was followed by two songs from Mulholland Dr. I'd always felt The Raveonettes had a very Lynch sound, and this music selection confirmed their inspiration. That brings us to the show itself. Here's the rough setlist:

Twilight//Let's Rave On//Dirty Eyes (Sex Don't Sell)//Heartbreak Stroll//Bowels of the Beat//Chain Gang of Love//Sex Beat//My Tornado//Love in a Trashcan//100 %//Love Can Destroy//I Want Your Candy//Seductress of Bums//Dead Sound//The Love Gang//Attack of the Ghost Riders//Experiment in Black

Unlike the last time I saw them, this wasn't a full band show, it was just Sharin and Sune on guitars most of the time, sometimes one of them on a drum. A couple of songs in, Sune said something like "Don't wait for it to kick in, because this is it," and that pretty much sums up how I felt about the show, I was always waiting, it never quite clicked. Listening to 'Twilight,' I was liking it, but it felt like the build up to the real start of the show, after the part where the record kicks in, I was still waiting and then the song ended. That song in particular felt lethargic next to its album counterpart, and that's not where you want to be live.

Looking at the setlist, you can see that they stuck mostly to the first two albums, songs that were built around the two of them, rather than the more orchestrated Pretty in Black. That was probably a smart choice, I don't know that you could do justice to 'Ode to L.A' with just two people, but it also meant most of my favorite songs weren't played. I like their first two albums, but love Pretty in Black, and they played only three tracks from it, some of the weaker ones as well. It was frustrating for me since I was waiting for 'Sleepwalking' or 'Uncertain Times,' and never got it. 'Uncertain Times' is my favorite of their songs and I think they could have done a beautiful arrangement with just the two of them.

But, they seemed more interested in doing edgier, feedbacky songs, not the lilting beauty of something like 'Uncertain Times.' I think there's a reason their first two albums were very short, it's tough to take the staticky guitar after a while, this show did a number on my ears, and after a while, the tracks started to blend together. With only the two of them, there were only so many sounds they could do, and it reached the point where just a rudimentary drum beat felt so satisfying.

I'm the kind of person who always wants more when it comes to music, particularly live. The best live act I've ever seen is The Polyphonic Spree, and this is the total opposite of that. I would have loved some keyboards, another guitar or even just a guy on drums all the time. This felt like a jam session with the two of them, not something that was made to entertain an audience. I particularly missed their other guitarist, I believe his name was Manoj. He was so into the songs, just going crazy over the top, and that helped sell the show. Sune and Sharin have a rather shy stage presence, and he kept emphasizing how happy he was that people stayed for the whole show. I get the feeling he recognized that people were having some trouble with the minimalism of the performance, I admire the experimentation, but not every experiment works.

That's not to say it was all bad. They created some wonderful atmosphere, particularly on the less rocky tracks, like 'Bowels of the Beast,' and 'Sex Don't Sell' and 'Love in a Trash Can' were both pretty tight. But, I always wanted a bit more, I was considering going to the Monday show, but I don't think it's worth it. If it was full band, I'd be all over it, but the two of them just wasn't enough.

But, it was cool to see how much the two of them could do. They're both great musicians, and were able to create entire worlds through the two guitars. In the more dreamy, atmospheric moments, the two guitars worked fine, but it's best to have minimalism as a contrast, not as the entire thing.

An Evening With David Lynch and Donovan @ Lincoln Center

Lynch has been going all around on a promotional tour for INLAND EMPIRE and his book, Catching the Big Fish. Lynch is a great speaker, and obviously a master filmmaker, so I always like to see him speak. Back in September 2005, I saw him speak at Yale, a promotional event in conjunction with the Maharishi University of Management. Here, I was very impressed by his discussion of filmmaking, but less thrilled with his discussion of transcendental meditation. Back in October, I saw him again, at the New York Film Festival. Here, he stuck mainly to film, and it was much more interesting to listen to.

This event had more in common with the Maharishi tour, though it wasn't so strictly focused on promoting meditation. Rather, it was a celebration of what Lynch had done, and another venue for him to promote his general ideas on meditation, creativity and life to a large audience. Entering the theater, I was looking down at a moody stage, populated with a grand piano, bongos, guitar and a couple of podiums. Things started up and Justin Theroux came out to ask Lynch a bunch of questions that had been submitted by fans earlier in the evening.

I've read so much about Lynch that very little he has to say is surprising to me anymore. He told some classic stories, the Toby Keeler's dad becoming an artist story, the getting into meditation during Eraserhead story and a lot of general discussion of his creative process that I was familiar with. The best new material was an odd, funny story about how Lynch discovered masturbation. As he said it, in the fourth or fifth grade, some friends told him that you get a really good feeling if you rub a certain part of your body, and the more you do it, the better it gets. He was very skeptical, but decided to try it, he didn't get anything, but then the feeling starting rising, and it all hit him. The reason for telling this story was to say that the feeling you get from TM can actually top the orgasm because it never ends.

I respect Lynch's interest in TM, and I think it's critical to his success as an artist and in life in general. But, it can be tiresome to continually hear him talk about it. I suppose the whole point of the evening is to promote this stuff, not give me anecdotes about the production of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, but Lynch is much more interesting talking about film than when repeating the same beats about TM and the unified field. I suppose I wasn't the target audience for this, having already heard him do virtually the same presentation, but still, give us some more info on the experiences making the films.

It was still fun to hear him speak, but I think the two of us need to take some time off, so he can get some new stories to tell. I suppose it's the same with any artist, they create a myth that has a set of anecdotes. I have the same experience with Lynch as I do with Grant Morrison, the new interviews mostly retread stuff I've already heard, with a sprinkling of new material in there. When I actually met Grant, it was surprising to hear him talk so openly about the meaning of the end of The Invisibles, and what exactly the supercontext entailed. I was used to the Lynch style of total ambiguity with regards to the intentions of the film.

I think their difference in approach is largely due to the medium. Grant has little control over the end product of his work, he writes it, and sends it off to the artist. Lynch writes, directs and edits, refining the film until it's exactly what he wants. Grant doesn't have the same luxury, and as a result he can be more open about where the published work doesn't convey everything he intended. Plus, Lynch's work is never meant to be an espousing of personal philosophy. The Invisibles is a cosmology, it is Grant's view of the universe, so it serves a dual purpose. Lynch's doesn't, it's just an experience in the moment.

I deeply respect Lynch for not giving people the 'answers' to his films, he knows that meaning lies in the mysteries. In the book, he talks about how people know much more than they think they do, it's just a matter of talking about the work and bringing that knowledge to the fore. I would agree with that, in looking at works like Seven Soldiers or INLAND EMPIRE, the more I wrote about it, the more I understood what were initially rather opaque pieces of art.

I bought the book at the event and read about half of it on the trainride home. That tells you something about how dense this book is, but it does have a lot of good material in there. I think Lynch on Lynch is a more essential book to understanding his work process, but there's a bunch of good stuff in there. I particularly like the advice he has for people making their own films. It's not a great value at $20, but if you can get it cheaper, it's worth picking up. If you have a coffee table, this'd be a great book to put on it, with a bunch of short chapters that you can pick up and read in the downtime between other stuff. After I finish reading it, I might do a more in depth writeup, though I feel like I've already covered most of the issues raised by the book.

After Lynch, we got a performance by Donovan. I'm only really familiar with one Donovan song, 'Atlantis,' and I was disappointed that wasn't played. But, it was still a good show. Donovan has a great voice, and he told some bizarre anecdotes between songs. It was interesting hearing him analyze the songs he'd written years ago, finding meaning in them he didn't have then. I would have liked a few more people in his band, to vary the sound more, but considering it was free, I left happy.

So, this was another entertaining event from the Lynch foundation, but I'd prefer to hear Lynch speak with a focus on film, rather than this general lifestyle promotion.

Patti Smith @ CBGB's

This show was much hyped being the last show ever at CBGB's. I was going because I'd never seen Patti Smith in concert before, but the hype helped me out because we wound up getting a 3 1/2 hour long show, that tracked back through most of Patti's best stuff and a few well chosen covers.

I'm not much of a fan of the venue itself. I wasn't even born durings its heyday, and the only show I'd seen there before was a sparsely attended performance by two of my friends' bands, Phylum and Trip Mine Baby. It was cool that they were able to get booked at such a legendary space, but the space itself is not very good. There's very little space, and much of the floor is blocked off by the bar. Last night, there was a massive crowd and it took forever to get inside, for no particular reason, just that they were really slow checking names. I got on line around 8:30 and didn't get in until around 10. There were a lot of people buzzing around outside, and a lot of rock journalists on the line.

When I got in, Patti was already playing, doing a cover of 'Pale Blue Eyes.' For the next few songs, I struggled to advance to the main floor, but remained caught by the bar. It was really tough to focus on the show since everyone was talking, I'm not sure why they even went if they weren't going to listen to the music. The place was wall to wall people, and there were some contentious moments. A younger guy refused to let an older guy pass by, and when he did finally get by, the older guy said "You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me." Apparently, he was an early manager of The Ramones, or perhaps he was this dude's father. I got the sense that a lot of veterans of the club had made the return, people who had been going there since the 70s. Considering the shows they've had over the past few years, I'd imagine most of them haven't been back in a long time.

This first part of the show wasn't too good. I could barely hear her over peoples' conversations, and the songs themselves were generally more low key. 'We Three' was nice, but it's not the kind of thing that's going to grab a crowd. They played a nice 'Birdland,' then took a brief break. At this point, the people shifted and I was able to make my way up to a nice spot off to the left, not too far back.

I'm not sure if it was just that I was closer, but when they came out for the second set, it was like a whole different band. There was so much intensity in attacking the songs. 'Free Money' was an early highlight, turning into a lengthy jam with solos by Lenny Kaye. Patti was also backed by Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, doing some strong bass work, as well as a lot of head swiveling to the beat. If Enrico Colantoni's ever looking to do a biopic, I think The Flea Story would be an ideal project.



Patti herself was a bit eccentric, telling a number of rambling stories, and frequently reading the lyrics to the songs off paper. She even had a book out for some of her own songs. Normally between the songs she would seem nervous, but once they got going, she'd get into the music and tear things up. The mic stand went down multiple times and no one can match her screaming.

'Gimme Shelter,' which they claimed to have learned "in the bathroom" the night before tore things up. It's a great singalong song, and they gave it a suitably epic quality. With the covers, there seemed to be an effort to present a cross section of artists from the period of CB's glory days. There was the necessary Ramones medley, as well as stuff by Blondie, Lou Reed, The Yardbirds and The Who. 'My Generation' is a song whose meaning has changed quite a bit, now that the people of that generation have gotten old. I know some people take issue older people, like The Stones or The Who, that are still touring and making music, but I think it's great. What should they be doing, just sitting at home, waiting to die? Even if Patti Smith needs glasses to read her lyrics, she can still tear it up better than people half her age.

I've been to a lot of concerts, but this is the first band I've see that falls into the 'classic rock' genre. I love the guitar sound of the 70s, and I think today's rock bands have lost the ability to go heavy without descending into chaos. On songs like 'Free Money' or 'Rock and Roll Nigger,' they had very loud, rocking lines, but it never descended into noise. That's what I miss, from work like Patti's or Led Zeppelin, the blues influence. I loved the way they allowed songs to expand and just jam.

For the encore, they did a roughly twenty minute medley of 'Land' and 'Gloria.' 'Land' was slowed down a bit by the lengthy rambling around the war in Iraq, but 'Gloria' was fantastic, with huge crowd response on the 'G-L-O-R-I-A' call and response. That was the highlight of the show for me, though 'Free Money' came pretty close. Things wrapped up with 'Elegie,' where Patti named various musical pioneers who've died. It was a really nice wrap up, and a fitting close to the night.

At three and a half hours, this was a pretty unique show. Patti played the vast majority of songs I'd want to hear from her, and the show only gained momentum as it went on. There was certainly a risk of being morbid and nostalgic, but I think the club went out on a high note, with songs that still sound fresh and exciting today. And I like the fact that Patti said that ultimately the space doesn't matter, it's the spirit. CBGB's had its time, but it's up to future generations to claim a new space for themselves.

The Flaming Lips @ Hammerstein

Setlist (Approximate):

Race for the Prize//Free Radicals//Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots I//Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots II//Vein of Stars//The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song//My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion//The W.A.N.D//She Don't Use Jelly//Do You Realize
A Spoonful Weighs a Ton
You Have to be Joking

I've been prepping for the live show by watching their music video DVD, V.O.I.D. There are two really notable things I take away from it. One is that Wayne looks totally different once the band enters The Soft Bulletin era. Before that he's a generic grunge rocker, but post SB, he takes on an air of mystic importance, and, perhaps coincidentally, the music also takes a quantum leap. The other notable thing is that until Yoshimi, most of their videos were pretty weak. But, the video for the title track off Yoshimi and the US version of Do You Realize make it worth it. This is surprising considering the supreme visual merits of their live show, which lives up to its reputation for inspired wackiness in a really festive, celebratory atmosphere.

Unlike most bands, the Lips set up their own equipment. There's something cool about that, to see Wayne wondering around doing the checks with his fellow bandmates. I've never been to a show at Hammerstein so it was striking just how big the place is. I was still able to get a spot pretty close to the stage, so it worked out fine for me. I don't see why you would sit in the upper level seats in the back, but I'm glad someone did.

The show opened with Wayne rolling around the crowd in the inflatable bubble. It's a very cool visual element, but I wish there was a way to get a mic in there. Following that intro they ripped in to the opening riff of 'Race for the Prize,' a perfect set opener. As the song opened, streams of confetti flew up in the air and balloons appeared in the audience. It was one of the best concert moments I've ever experienced, watching all this confetti hover in the air around.

The whole philosophy of their show is different from most bands. At times the focus drifts away from the music into a spectacle designed to entertain the audience. Listening to Race for the Prize was great, but was really dazzling was what was going on visually around me. This is one of the few bands that I think actually benefits from being in a bigger venue, I don't think some of the moments they pull off could have been replicated in an Irving Plaza style venue.

The biggest visual spectacle of the night was the laser light show during 'Vein of Stars.' Everyone in the crowd was given laser pointers, which served as a diversion while waiting for the show to begin. Wayne came out and said to save the battery for the big experiment they would do mid-show. Basically, it consisted of everyone pointing their lasers at a mirror that Wayne was holding. This created a really weird red glow that hung in the air like gas around him. All through the arena was a grid of laser beams, it looked pretty cool, and fit really well with Floyd-y spacerock the band was playing.

During the show, Wayne was very concerned about integrating the audience into the goings on. He was almost like a camp leader, making everyone sing along with the songs. The first example of this was the encore sing along version of Yoshimi after the main one was done. But, the most successful was on 'The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song,' which seemingly had everyone in the audience shouting the chorus back at him. That was definitely one of the night's highlights.

Throughout the show, they used video backing for a number of songs. I really liked the sort of generic spacey stuff they used at times, and the music video excerpts worked well for Yoshimi, but at times I wished they'd stick to the abstract stuff and not use actual video. It was just distracting. However, for 'My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion,' they had an animated story about birds, with the song's lyrics superimposed over. I think it added a lot to the emotion of the song, which was already one of my favorites off At War With the Mystics. After the verses, the band drops this incredible instrumental segment, it's the best moment on the album and worked great live.



'The W.A.N.D' was also cool, Wayne had two strobe lights strapped to his chest, making some crazy visuals to back another great song off Mystics. Even 'She Don't Use Jelly' worked well, with the drums giving a march feel to the chorus. Around this time, the crowd was pointing lasers at a balloon, making a very cool visual effect. Wayne stopped the show and encouraged everyone to point their lasers there. I'm not sure if the laser effects were worth the annoyance of having lasers pointed at you all show, but they were certainly worth doing this once.



The main set closed with 'Do You Realize,' my favorite song of theirs. Again they put the confetti canons to full use, with streamers hovering in the air for the entire song. It was beautiful, the perfect set closer. Following that they did a subdued version of 'A Spoonful Weighs a Ton,' and left again. But, the lights weren't on, so I figured we'd be getting one more song. They came out and played 'You Have to Be Joking,' a song I'm not familiar with, but sounded great, and was a really nice closer to the show.

I'd heard a lot about The Flaming Lips live experience, and I think it lived up to the hype. I think they might have done with a bit less talking between songs, to get a better flow going, but the interaction with the audience was a big part of the appeal, so I guess it's fine as is. The new songs sound great live, and they've kept a good selection of stuff from year's past. There's really nothing like having that confetti suspended above you as massive balloons float above the audience and the band plays fantastic music.

Kanye West @ Nokia Theater

Going to a lot of shows, you encounter a lot of bands who seem to have a real problem with doing what the audience expects. To some extent, you've got to withhold and space out your big songs, but a lot of times you'll hear people playing their hits like it's a chore. It's understandable considering how many times they've probably played the song, but at the same time, you're making a living playing your music and ultimately what you are is an entertainer. Kanye definitely understands this, putting on a really up tempo live show that overcame the issues with live rap performance by just constantly giving you something new and interesting.

The setup was similar to the one used by Gnarls Barkley, a string section, backup singers, though in this case a DJ replaced the keyboards and drums of Gnarls. And, in the center of it all Kanye. The set looked vaguely ancient Greek, white with purple curtains and a bunch of TVs that looked like picture frames, but broadcast live footage. The string section had cool looking makeup, a stripe of red over the eyes that made them look like Pris from Blade Runner.



He came out with 'Diamonds From Sierra Leone,' which made great use of the string section and got a lot of crowd energy right from the start. He then segued into 'All Falls Down,' which kept the crowd going. He was pretty hyper at the beginning, running around the stage, speeding through the verses. But, it worked because the crowd was really into it, a lot of diamonds were in the air for the opener and the crowd seemed to know the lyrics for every song. Hearing all these songs back to back, it was amazing how good every one of Kanye's solo songs are. I was excited to hear practically every song he brought out.

From there, he went into my favorite of his songs, 'Kanye's Workout Plan,' which is notable mainly for the vocoder breakdown, which wasn't much different live than on the album. Short of actually breaking out a live vocoder, that's the kind of song that doesn't gain much live. Rap is generally considered to be inferior live to rock, and I would generally agree. Especially for smaller artists, what you get is basically the guy rapping over the record, which isn't much more exciting than just listening to the album. However, the string section and live singing, plus dynamic DJing made this more than the album. Plus, particularly with this crowd, a lot of the coolness of the show came from the crowd's enthusiastic reaction to everything that went on. Anyway, the 'Workout Plan' closed out with a snippet of 'Sweet Dreams are Made of This,' a track I always enjoy, a nice bonus.

Shortly after this, John Legend came out and did a solo song, 'Ordinary People.' It was alright, probably the kind of thing that goes over better on record than live. After the high energy performance Kanye did, the laid back piano of Legend was a bit lacking. However, they did a nice version of 'Heard 'Em Say' after, with Legend on the piano. After this, Common came out and they did a great version of 'Get 'Em High.' They did another song that was really familiar, but I don't actually know what it is. Anyway, the guest appearance was solid.

After this, Kanye did a segment where he played excerpts from songs he'd produced. This was another of those rap show only moments, where Kanye would just do the vocals on 'H to the Izzo,' and it went over huge with the crowd. Unlike a rock band doing a cover, he was able to bring out the exact recording of the original song, but it felt weird for him to get a big crowd reaction with a song Jay-Z did. However, he did produce it, so I suppose he earned it.

This sequence ended with Kanye playing 'Drop it Like It's Hot,' and a guest appearance by Pharrell. I love Pharrell's producing work and his two albums with N.E.R.D, but the tracks I've heard from his solo album have been generally uninspiring and he lacked Kanye's live presence. They did a long version of 'Can I Have It Like That,' which was mostly interesting for the crowd's enthusiastic reaction to Pharrell. Eventually they did 'Number One,' which is another track that doesn't live up to either artist's previous work. In terms of Pharrell's future, I'd like to see another N.E.R.D album, both "In Search Of" and "Fly or Die" are fantastic.

After Pharrell left, Kanye did more solo tracks, a string of massive hits. 'Jesus Walks' was great, the best use of the string section all night. Then he did 'Spaceship,' which I was happy to hear, it's one of his best tracks. 'Golddigger' was in there as well, punctuated by the most memorable quote of the night from Kanye: "White people, this is your one opportunity to use the word nigga." 'Through the Wire' was cool too, around this point Kanye said he was happy just to get the chance to share this music with people, normally you'd think that's just a line, but he really seemed to enjoy himself, and the songs still felt fresh despite the fact that he's performed them countless times.

Things closed out with 'Touch the Sky,' and then an abrupt conclusion, no encore. I actually like that there was no encore, it's always annoying to wait for the band to come back, just do all your stuff then get going. I'd have loved to hear 'Roses' or 'Drive Slow,' but all of the solo Kanye stuff was great. Hearing his songs against some of the other artists' tracks, it was really apparent just how good Kanye's stuff is. Every song ignited the crowd and was a lot of fun to hear.

So, this was a great show. It had just as much energy as any rock show and it was great to get to hear such a high profile artist in a small venue. There was just so much crowd energy going back at him, I totally got caught up in the show. Very cool. That said, I'd still be curious to see how Kanye went over on the dates he opened for U2 back in the fall. I'm not sure how those two audiences would have mixed.



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In the Mix: January 2006 (1/11/2006)

Peeping Tom and Gnarls Barkley @ Summerstage

Mike Patton's long been one of my favorite musicians, but I've never seen him live. So, when I saw he was opening for Gnarls Barkley, the concert became a must. Mike's work on Lovage is one of the best vocal performances of all time and his various rock bands have all done stuff ranging from good to great. Peeping Tom is a less severe project than his work on Fantomas or Bungle, incorporating a lot of hip hop influences into his usual repetoire.

When I first heard the album, I liked it, but felt it was a bit of Patton on autopilot. I think some of his Fantomas work is unneccesarily noisy and abstract, but I respect his attempts to push the envelope. His best work other than Lovage is Mr. Bungle's California, an album that cycles through nearly every genre, ranging from Beach Boys style harmonic rock to Sinatra style lounge singing to heavy screaming. Because Patton cycles through so many genres, I can take the heaviness of his work more than I can with a lot of bands. If you're going to do heavy vocals, you need contrast, otherwise it's just noise. Look at 'Five Seconds' off the Peeping Tom album, the screaming "One one thousand" part works because of the way it breaks into the smoothness of the verses.

So, I was excited to see Patton live. I think he was great, but at this show he ran into a number of issues. On a basic level, it's difficult to be the opening band, you're an obstacle in the way of the audience seeing what they really wanted to see. I was looking forward to both bands this time, but most of the time I just want the opening band to wrap things up. Patton seemed to be frustrated with the lack of audience response, I'd imagine he's used to it at this point, having opened for Gnarls for a while, but it's still got to be frustrating to be giving a performance and not getting much back from the audience. There were a few people into it, but generally speaking, this didn't seem to be the audience for Patton's stuff.

The other issue was the sound mix. When they first came out, there was way too much bass, you could barely hear the vocals. However, once this got resolved, they put on a great show. Patton was really charismatic and it was amazing to hear him go from really heavy stuff to smooth singing in moments. The personal highlight for me was when they played Lovage's "Anger Management," augmented wonderfully by a violin. The other highlights were "Five Seconds," "We're Not Alone," and the closing song "Sucker," which saw some really great interplay between Patton and his backup singer.

I thought they were great and I feel like if I had seen them yesterday, as headliners at the Warsaw, it would have been a truly great concert experience. As it was, I enjoyed the show, but didn't get that rush of being part of a crowd that's really into a show. So, if they come around again doing a headlining tour, I'll definitely see them again.

I'm a bit confused as to why Patton would choose to do these opening shows. Next month, they're opening for The Who, an audience that will probably be even less receptive than the crowd here. I suppose the goal is to get the music out to a larger audience, but very rarely do I see an opening act that's good enough to compel me to check out their music. Unless a band has an instantly notable sound, like a Polyphonic Spree, you're not going to be sold on them just through the live show, particularly if the crowd isn't into it. I'd rather see Patton headline a place like Irving than do a show like this. The one cool thing that could come out of it would be a Patton/Danger Mouse collaboration. Maybe it's because he replaced him on Gorillaz, but I've always sensed an implicit rivalry between Automator and Danger Mouse, and Patton's definitely on the Automator side. But, he does enough projects that he could fit both in if need be.

Anyway, even though I think Peeping Tom's a better album, Gnarls Barkley was a better live experience. They came out in school uniforms as "The School of Rock," starting with a cover of "Another Brick in the Wall II." Live, Gnarls as a whole, and Cee-Lo in particular, has so much enthusiasm that you can't help but get caught up in it. The crowd was really into them and gave him huge reactions to all his jokes and banter, of which there was quite a bit.

With a 12 piece band, the album's songs were turned a bit more rock and the slow ones in particular had some really nice, heavy jams. "St. Elsewhere" was a highlight, as was "Just a Thought." I kept thinking that "Storm Coming" was the second part of another song, so I was waiting for it for a while, and it didn't disappoint when it finally turned up.

Cee-Lo did a lot of talking to audience and his stories were pretty entertaining. This is a guy who's been on the fringe for a long time, and you could tell that he was still sort of in awe of performing for such big crowds. This was the conclusion of their first tour and he closed things by saying that they just received their Platinum plaques. I think it's great that an album by two really talented people wound up becoming so successful.

I liked the way they darkened the lights at the end of every song, it added a lot to the drama of the performance. Ultimately, this is a show, and even though their presentation is somewhat gimmicky, it's fun and if it helps engage the crowd, then they should keep doing it.

This was a great performance, they preserved the feel of the album, but expanded it into a more expansive, more jammy sound that worked really well. They took a pretty good album and made a great live show.

Phoenix @ Bowery Ballroom

Setlist:
Napoleon Says//Long Distance Call//Consolation Prizes//Run Run Run//Rally//Courtesy Laughs//Lost and Found//Everything Is Everything//I'm An Actor//If I Ever Feel Better//Funky Squaredance//Sometimes in the Fall

Encore: Too Young//Second to None

First thing that needs to be said about this show is the ridiculousness of the whole Camel tour ticket system. I had an "Invite" ticket, but when I got there, they claimed that they were full and weren't taking any more invite tickets. If the point of giving out the free invite tickets is to build a good image for Camel, that clearly backfired when a bunch of people were locked out of the show. I ended up buying a scalped ticket off someone because I had gone all the way down there and wanted to see Phoenix. But, it's still ridiculous that they gave out so many more tickets than they could let people in for. Why couldn't they just do regular ticketing, that would make so much more sense.

That said, once you're inside, other than a couple of Camel ads, this show was basically the same as the show I saw in May. Before I get into Phoenix, I'll just mention that The French Kicks were pretty good, but not good enough to make me not want their set to end so we could get to Phoenix. I was right up in the front and it was interesting that right after their set ended, the lead singer came out to yell at two people who were twirling around and shouting after him during the set. That's got to be tough. But, it was good because they left and I was able to move right up to front and center, about a person back from Thomas Mars. I don't think there was a better spot in the whole place.

Since seeing them back in May, the new album has grown on me since then, but with a few exceptions, the old material still outshines the new stuff, especially live. Of the new songs, the highlights were "Long Distance Call," which features some of the classic Phoneix synth sounds and "Lost and Found," which is really smooth and emotional. The opening set closer, "Sometimes in the Fall" was another really well done song, with some nice expansion on the recorded version.

However, for me at least, the joy of a Phoenix live show is seeing the epic versions of their best songs. Basically every song they play off the first two albums is amazing. "Everything is Everything" was a highlight, Thomas Mars hopped into the crowd at one point and they also did a section where the lights were off which was very cool. "I'm an Actor" is fantastic live, it's their heaviest song, becoming almost Zeppelin like with the punishing of that riff. "If You Ever Feel Better" was the other major highlight, probably a seven minute version of the song which flowed seamlessly into "Funky Squaredance." The way they play these songs, stretching them out and transforming them into lengthy jams is phenomenal. I think some of the new album songs would benefit from being altered in this way, I'm hoping when they tour for their next album, they push the third album songs the way they do the older material now.

Because I was right by the stage, I saw the whole setlist before they went on, and I did get a bit impatient waiting for the newer stuff. I hate to be that guy who wants them to play the old songs, but in this case, the old material is just stronger, especially live. Moving forward, if they keep "Long Distance Call" and "Lost and Found," the It's Never Been Like That material will stand with the rest, it's only when they have to go deeper into the weaker tracks that it suffers. But, it's mainly a suffering by comparison, the older songs are just so good that nearly anything would pale in comparison.

The other cool thing about yesterday's show was seeing Sofia Coppola in the audience. The Coppola/Mars child has such a genetic advantage over the rest of the populace, to have two ridiculously talented and good looking parents, plus all those Coppola family connections, it's kind of unfair. But, it was cool to see Sofia there, supporting the band.

I think Phoenix is one of the best live bands in the world. I wish they'd mix up the setlist a bit, but if I was still around, I'd definitely be at the September show, they're just that good. Hearing their live rendition of "Everything is Everything" or "If I Ever Feel Better" is one of the best concert experiences you'll ever have.