insert concert report, sonz

[gil]

things I learned at this show:
* the charlie brown haircut actually exists in the world of humans
* chubby dudes sporting said haircut, 2 Powerbooks and a 303 can get a record deal
* enon needs a drummer who lacks a tendency to fuck up
* it's cool to intentionally give yourself bedhead, even maintaining it while some dude twice your age looks on in horror
* skinny asian chicks who play bass and sing once or twice a set are HOTT
* danny elfman has built a time machine and started a new band called enon
* cex is clearly matthew lillard's fruity alter ego
* I would fuck travis morrison
* the d-plan will be sorely, SORELY missed

the nearly two-hour Plan set was composed entirely of requests, save for the two opening numbers and the "encore" (travis noted the ludicrous nature of encores in small clubs and explained that they would simply play a few more songs of their choosing and call it a night...if only more bands would realize this and do the same). every great song made an appearance, though I was bummed that "memory machine" and "spider in the snow" were overlooked.

tight, intense, charismatic...worth every penny of that $12 ticket.

[Wezzo]

Originally posted by gil
things I learned at this show:
* the charlie brown haircut actually exists in the world of humans
* chubby dudes sporting said haircut, 2 Powerbooks and a 303 can get a record deal
* enon needs a drummer who lacks a tendency to fuck up
* it's cool to intentionally give yourself bedhead, even maintaining it while some dude twice your age looks on in horror
* skinny asian chicks who play bass and sing once or twice a set are HOTT
* danny elfman has built a time machine and started a new band called enon
* cex is clearly matthew lillard's fruity alter ego
* I would fuck travis morrison
* the d-plan will be sorely, SORELY missed

the nearly two-hour Plan set was composed entirely of requests, save for the two opening numbers and the "encore" (travis noted the ludicrous nature of encores in small clubs and explained that they would simply play a few more songs of their choosing and call it a night...if only more bands would realize this and do the same). every great song made an appearance, though I was bummed that "memory machine" and "spider in the snow" were overlooked.

tight, intense, charismatic...worth every penny of that $12 ticket.

heh.. nice feedback there.

[Gothic]

Uh-huh... I question you sometimes...

[gil]

trail of dead with kinski last night...missed the other opener (called "nice nice") but heard they were an interesting instrumental 2-piece (guitar drums) that played like a cross between primus and sonic youth.

kinski rocked as usual, but their songs are far too long and go nowhere. great grooves that build to nothing.

trail was fucking great about 70% of the show...didn't realize that used three different vocalists and all changed up instruments and shit...the one guitarist who looks like a frat boy and sings on 'Homage' needs a time-out...bitch was wasted and trashed the stage long before they finished their set, so they had to sheepishly put everything back together for a little bit and continue on. guy was a fucktard and really detracted from feldman/dolenz' performance.

played most of source tags (no title track or relative ways :( ) and secret of elena's tomb, and a few tracks from Madonna and S/T (perfect teenhood among others). great, energetic show, but I doubt I'd leap at the chance to see them again.

Next up:
Spoon July 13
Les Savy Fav (AGAIN) July 25
Decemberists somewhere in between

[:bang:]

hunh. trail was fucking great the two times i saw them. but yeah, feldman dude is clearly the better singer/frontman. when they played dc this year, he was walking around before the show, and the dude is short! way shorter than me and i'm 5'7".

pernice brothers--iota, arlington, va 6.21.03
nice little alt-country band. didn't know much about them, had a good time. kind of mellow, singer seemed like a nice guy, they had a good stage presence. never had been to iota, but it seems nice. kind of reminds me of the grog shop in cleveland, only cleaner. and with windows. next up on monday: wilco & maybe sonic youth (there was a death in someone's family)

edit: sy's website says the WILL play dc. score.

[AllSussedOut]

what were you doing for those 8 and a half minutes?

oh.

[:bang:]

wilco and sonic youth: june 30, 2003; dar constitution hall--washington dc

wow what a great show. sonic youth were their usual crazy, incendary selves. played about an hour and a half, couple of oldies, most of murray st., a song they haven't actually recorded yet (peace war or something), and another that just came out on a split single. good shit, thurston went apeshit on his monitor. pissed i forgot my camera.

wilco was quite good to. seemed like they played a ton of the slower songs on yhf to begin with, which was ok. eventually they played all of the cd and a few from their other cds. tweedy brought out the flying v guitar and rocked out at the end. there were two encores, during the second, he tried to kick some guy that was talking shit and yelled, "i'm not some monkey in a zoo. i'm trying to sing a song, motherfucker." haha

dar is kind of a wack place. had to drink in the lobby, which was cool i was staying sober as i was drunk all weekend. no smoking was a great plus. our seats were about 20 feet from the stage which was cool, but they were uncomfortable. i'd go back for someone cool. great show, worth the cash. next up: most likely the aislers set a week from friday.

EDIT: actually found out that july 12 there is a $3 festival in dc with the violent femmes and guided by muthafucking voices. dc rulz

[Oliver]

Originally posted by gil
Les Savy Fav (AGAIN) July 25


damnit gil, i'd give anything to see them, and yet you've seen them more then once? fuck you. and fuck them, why won't they come to ireland?

[gil]

this i don't know. but they seem to be here like every other month.

not that I'm complaining.

[:bang:]

been here like 3 times in the past year. according to dave, they hate england too.

[MaryJane]

im going to ozzfest tomorrow.the only ones im really looking forward to are shadows fall and cradle of filth. i'll fill you in

[robb]

http://www.nohomers.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29381

There's my "mini-report" on Kenny Rogers.

[:bang:]

BUMP

elvis costello and the imposters--wolftrap ampitheatre vienna, virginia 7.7.03

chris robinson from the black crows was the opener. did an acoustic thing, just him and another guy, guitars only. nice little departure for him, always kinda had a guilty pleasure thing for the crows.

elvis was pretty f'n cool. man, can he sing. he played at least 1 song from the burt bacharach thing, and played for a pretty long time. apart from my favorite song of his (what's so funny about peace love and understanding) he really didn't play too many fast songs, which was kind of a bummer. BUT none of this mattered, as 1) wolftrap is really small 2) scored free tix 3) YOU CAN BRING IN YOUR OWN BEER AND FOOD. so great.

next up: 4 days straight of good shows, which will cause me to miss fountains of wayne tonight: fri: aislers set, sat: gbv/violent femmes, sun: new pornographers, mon: the gossip. hope to see at least 2 of those

[America: Fuck Yea!]

if anyone cares: I got White Stripes Tix for the Roseland Ballroom in NYC July 21,22... I am the color 'stoked'...

[:bang:]

roseland? ugh, that place isn't great. terrible acoustics

[America: Fuck Yea!]

really? that sux!

[dave]

tl, rx - arts cafe, london, 8th july 2003

never been to the arts cafe before, and it was quite a surprise. very small, less than 100 standing capacity. and it was a pizzeria.

they started quite late at 10:10, but played a solid hour and half off music from both tyranny and hearts. ted makes a funny face whilst singing, and he enjoys talking for 2 seconds, then playing a chord of the next song, talking, playing, etc in between songs. the keyboardist looked like she did not want to be there, and the drummer had a cool beard. we had to leave during the last song in order to get the train home.

we were actually sitting next to the band outside the cafe before the gig, and i did not notice. i also picked up a copy of hearts for a good price.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Relient K, Supertones, MxPx- Conerstone Festival July 3rd

Great concert if you are a fan of the music. Relient K put on a good show as usual, good songs, funny cover(Eminem "Lose Yourself"), and great energy. The Supertones kicked ass. They played their best songs, not the new ones, and looked like they were having fun. MxPx was pretty good, except you get these jerk-ass fans who keep yelling Mx-Sellout, and then begin laughing because they think they're original. The concert as a whole was great, you can mosh without fear of getting murdered because its a Christian festival, most of the fans are cool people, and all the bands really care about what they're doing.

[:bang:]

awesome. i can't wait until he comes here. his last show here was cancelled due to the whole voice loss thing. :(

[matt]

eels, liverpool academy, 6th july 2003

mc honky was meant to come on at 8.15 but walked on stage at about 8.30 in a cardigan, bow tie, thick rimmed glasses, and somking a pipe, amid cries of 'who the fuck' from the audience. but he was good for a dj. best bit of his set was at the end when he took off his hat - i was expecting him to be about 20 and dressed up, but it turns out he is actually 50 something and is bald.

then about thirty minutes later, the band came onstage playing 'all in a days work', and e made his way through the crowd to the stage. 'i lost my voice last night in manchester. the doctors there told me to stop the rock [crowd boos]. buit i don't care if i lose my voice forever, cause i will never stop the rock'. then he bursts into 'loser' by the beatles. and to top it all off, three encores, and one more encore after the lights came up. solid.

[:bang:]

missed the new pornographers last night, but it was a big weekend anyway:

the aislers set, july 11, the black cat, washington dc:

good show, the aislers set's songs sound even catchier live without some of the wacky prodution that amy linton seems to like. played most of the new cd. kind of hazy on the details, but i had a good time. i dragged one of my friends and she liked it too.


guided by voices, july 12, pennsylvania ave., in between 6th and 9th streets, washington dc

wow, $3 show in the middle of the city. bob pollard chainsmokes and chugs beers for about an hour and a half with the capital in the background. perfect day too, about 84 and sunny. played about 6 songs off of earthquake glue, sounded really f'n cool. had to leave before the violent femmes, though.

all and all a good weekend. next up: might go to the gossip tonight, but more likely rilo kiley/ m ward on july 30

[gil]

shins w/ all-girl summer fun band and some dude with a laptop
blackbird, portland, 08/27

holy christtits what a great show. this is one of the last shows at the famed blackbird, since they're closing their doors this friday. seems they have treated bands TOO well (all door money, full dinner and drinks), and consequently they have run themselves into the ground. great little venue that holds about 200 people, and great acoustics despite the shitty engineer on the boards that night (vocals too low, keys WAY too high).

some guy and his ibook got the room warmed up with ambient techno weirdness and a videotape of fucked up kids shows from japan. enjoyable, but it wore out its welcome too soon. I just need to find a tape of that stuff for own purposes.

agsfb: half from portland, half from albuquerque, all good. like a female chixdiggit! with shades of velocity girl thrown in. all songs were short, poppy, loud and perfect. not groundbreaking or anything, but I'll definitely be grabbing one of their discs soon.

shins were fucking outstanding. they kicked directly into "caring is creepy", and mercer adorably forgot the words during the bridge, mumbling something to cover up. "one by one all day" came next, then a ripping run of "pressed in a book" (still my fave from that album). they played nearly everything from both albums (saving "new slang" and "know your onion!" for the encore, of course), and even the tasty b-sides "when I goose step", "eating styes from elephant eyes" and "those bold city girls". show got out quite late, but by that time I'd had enough $2 PBRs that I didn't care anymore. even the insane drunk balding fat dude flailing around between myself and the stage didn't faze me in the least.

looks like they had a couple friends tape the show on canon DV cameras, and I'm not sure what they're doing with the footage, but there could be some sort of live dvd or some shit in the works. guess we'll have to wait and see. :rad:

[:bang:]

awwwwesome. stoked, will see the shins in 8 days (been waiting for that all of august). next for me: dismemberment plan's last show in the u.s. version 10.2 on monday

[America: Fuck Yea!]

as I have said, I met a girl who is making me go see GBV and Interpol, both at Irving Plaza next... don't know what to expect...

[:bang:]

gbv: 3 hour, 2 case, 60 song set. lots of big words that make little sense. so fucking great.

interpol: crazy lights and suits. nutty haircuts. hour or so set with most of the songs from their one album.

[America: Fuck Yea!]

Can someone tell me 3-4 songs from each that are essential? I know this may be difficult, but any help would be appreciated..

[:bang:]

gbv: echos myron, my kind of soldier, i am a scientist (really hard, they have soooo many)

interpol: stela, obsticle 1, pda

[gil]

other crucial gbv:

my valuable hunting knife, game of pricks, official ironmen's rally song, jar of cardinals, motor away, shit there are so many.

[America: Fuck Yea!]

"I speak in monotone, leave my fucking life alone..." this band has classic written all over it... :)

[AllSussedOut]

coming to see 9:30, asking out Hugh on all dates:

Dismemberments - 9/1
Mogwai - 9/9
Dandys - 9/12
BRMC - 9/18
My Morning Jacket - 9/19
A Mighty Wind cast - 9/21
Grandaddy w/ Super Furries -10/2
Built to Spill - 10/3
Supergrass again - 19/7

[redmage]

we dont get them fancy 'rock concerts' here in montgomree

[Old Time Bike]

Originally posted by AllSussedOut

A Mighty Wind cast - 9/21


:-O

[:bang:]

Originally posted by AllSussedOut
coming to see 9:30, asking out Hugh on all dates:

Dismemberments - 9/1
Mogwai - 9/9
Dandys - 9/12
BRMC - 9/18
My Morning Jacket - 9/19
A Mighty Wind cast - 9/21
Grandaddy w/ Super Furries -10/2
Built to Spill - 10/3
Supergrass again - 19/7 i will be for sure at the dismemberment show and built to spill (although they are going to have a show on the 4th, which is $$$). mmj is pretty sure, the girlfriend knows the drummer for lake trout. also, ted leo in mid sept at the 'cat. and HOPEFULLY the karl hendricks trio will come back to galaxy hut. also don cabellero tells me they will come too. awesome

[AllSussedOut]

DC-specific... I'm not much for him, but did you happen to see the Sunday Washington Post a few weeks back?

Style section interviewed Weird Al about his favorite/bestest 10 tracks of all time? He slotted "The Luckiest" at #10. Interesting... or not very.

[:bang:]

missed it. missed dplan. ah well

[gil]

decemberists, 9-18-03, jackpot records

free in-store gigs are tasty, and this one was no exception. colin took the makeshift stage all his lonesome, bundled in denim with a 12-string in hand. the man has an amazing voice that recreates his album material almost note for note, and he has this uncanny ability to sound like he's being modulated by an invisible engineer, like some nerdy male britney spears.

setlist:
* the bachelor and the bride
* los angeles I'm yours
* the soldiering life
* leslie anne levine
* clementine
* a new song he said he just finished that morning, somewhat plain and predictable, something about "I'm an engine driver on a long road..."
* california one youth and beauty brigade (awesome live)
* tried to play a song, but his kapo wasn't working. asked for requests, and he didn't hear me yell "legionnaire's lament" from the back so he took a request from up front and launched into...
* grace cathedral hill
* I was meant for the stage

he's a tremendous solo performer, but it would be very interesting to hear the sound filled out with the whole band.

[nathaniel]

please tell me nerd was present with recording device

[gil]

god I wish. had I a better microphone, that nerd would have been me.

[gil]

beulah w/ john vanderslice and some forgettable band
october 30, dante's

great show, great energy. vanderslice played 424 and time travel, so I was happy as hell, and I chatted with him after the show. then beulah took the stage, and they were fucking electric. no audience participation (not enough space), but they were extremely engaging. just wish the engineer hadn't been asleep at the board, because the drums and keys were drowning out the guitar and vocals. also, one of the girls I went with has a cousin in the band (pat, one of the keyboardists), and so I got to gush like a dork to he and miles. pat mentioned they will be touring again in the Spring and then they are indeed calling it quits...he likened it to finally dumping a girlfriend you've had way too long.

setlist:
landslide baby
gene
sunday under glass (boner)
emma blowgun's last stand
suntan
gravity
man like me
popular mechanics for lovers
disco the secretary's blues (super boner)
fooled with the wrong guy
resolven/good man is easy to kill
if they can land a man on the moon... (genitals burst into flame)
hovering
matter vs. space
wipe those prints and run

no encore, but it's probably for the best. miles had a wicked cold and the rest seemed pretty beat, though one of their roadies was well enough to make out with a hot friend of mine. good times.

next: the shins cd release party, tonight.

[dave]

sm & the jicks w/ quasi and archie bald something or other
october 27th, shepherds bush empire

(copied and pasted from maggied)

first band, archie bald whatever. sounded like kings of leon. boring.

i drank expensive beer by myself.

quasi were disappointing after a good start (not sure first song, but they jammed into happiness) then it went downhill. everyone got bored. they played that shit 'fuck you george bush' song.

i drank more expensive beer by myself.

jix were average/better than average for most of the set. played all of pig lib i think. a song from their debut, and a couple of new ones. then i got a huge boner for their "last" song. an awesome version of jennifer and the ess dog. "encore": 10 minute version of 1% of one. with mrs quasi playing on an extra set of drums and mr quasi on keys. and just as i had given up any hope of them playing some pavement. they played a cumtastic version of RANGE MOTHER FUCKING LIVE.

so overall, i was slightly disappointed they didnt play more pavement (but then why should they). above average set made awesome by the last 3 songs.

[AllSussedOut]

head exploded

[:bang:]

nothing recent...but upcoming is looking awesome:
tonight: lake trout in baltimore
11/10: gbv in towson, md
11/28: liars in baltimore
12/13: ted leo/rx in dc

[gil]

shins cd release party
10/31, music millennium

the evening started off with 400 free donuts (many of which were little puffed men covered in chocolate and stabbed with cinnamon sticks)...you really can't go wrong from there. then the shins took the stage, all dressed as post-op lobotomy patients (bloody gashes, gowns and all).

the show went hilariously wrong from there..."kissing the lipless" had the second guitar way too high, drowning out mercer's vocals. after adjusting that, "so says I" was missing the second guitar entirely due to a blown amp fuse (though he played along by drooling beer until it was his turn to add harmony vocals). the dead amp derailed their set, and they had to switch to material from the first album.

after about 10 minutes of fiddling and switching amps, they were back on track with "pressed in a book" (which reminded me how much they can actually ROCK when they play these subdued tracks live). then the keyboardist thought it would be funny to bring out some cheap plastic bear masks for all the guys. he tried one on, the rubber band broke. another, the same. all five ended up breaking in his hands, and in the course of trying them on, he smudged some of his makeup into his eye, which nearly blinded him as they launched into "caring is creepy". the second guitar slowly dropped out of tune during "gone for good", and mercer got a case of the giggles during "new slang". only "know your onion!", "celibate life", "young pilgrims" and "saint simon" were relatively unmarred by incident, but through it all they giggled like schoolkids and were genuinely having a good time. given the price we all paid ($0), it was far more than adequate.

[jack]

mirah, the blow, anna oxygen, pash, the weeds, brother & sister etc...Friday November 7th.

a shitload of artists, don't remember all of their names. $7 for a lot of music, some of it good (blow/mirah/weeds), some of it not (anna oxygen). I really enjoyed Mirah, she's obviously been influenced by working with Elvrum on her record, had one song that was basically a microphones song with female vocals. much enjoyable evening. only bad thing was a lot of people in the audience who made an effort to enjoy everything just because it seemed like the thing to do...anna oxygen was horrible.

I'll also be seeing manitoba, broken social scene, french kicks before the end of the year.

ps- the hot dj between bands spun all night diner/am 180 and other winners

[:bang:]

anyone ever hear of the oranges band? local baltimore outfit opening for gbv tonight, trying to decided if i really want to hustle out there to catch them

[:bang:]

BUMP

missed most of the oranges band, but whatever. gbv played for just under 3 hours (two encores). played alot of the fan favs, its really amazing, i've seen them like 6 times, and they always play like 10 songs i've never heard before. along with another 10 i'm meh on 20 great ones, and 20 out-of-the-park homeruns. and yeah, 60 songs is not an exageration.

bob banter highlights: ragging on sonic youth: "i like to rag on bands you aren't allowed to rag on. why can you rag on the beatles but not sonic youth? we're cooler than cool."
we are on a lable called mat-A-door (big applause) a very prestegious lable. we used to be on tvt (boos) apparently not so prestegious lable

[cheex]

nada surf/death cab for cutie tonight. will post report. stay tuned.

[gil]

seeing the same show on the 20th...anxiously awaiting your report, doctor.

[:bang:]

next for me is either le tigre or liars

[dave]

enon last night. very good. not sure of set list though. no photos as i managed to forget my cam despite having it in my hand about 2 minutes before i left.

full review to follow on tacomat soon :-*

[:bang:]

forgot, i did find a set list from the other night. when bob held up his copy it was two columns on legal pad:
Idiot Princess
She Goes Off At Night
Finks
Queen Of Cans And Jars
My Son My Secretary My Country
I'll Replace You With Machines
My Kind Of Soldier
Christian Animation Torch Carriers
Back To The Lake
Get Back
Red Ink Superman
Bull Spears
Things I Will Keep
Dirty Water
Best Of Jill Hives
As We Go Up, We Go Down
Little Lines
A Trophy Mule In Particular
Apology In Advance
Secret Star
Beg For A Wheelbarrow
Game Of Pricks
Mix Up The Satellites
Main Street Wizards
Love 1
Storm Vibrations
Shocker In Gloomtown
Watch Me Jumpstart
From A Voice Plantation
Skills Like This
The Brides Have Hit The Glass
Get Under It
Hey Aardvark
Murder Charge
Buzzards And Dreadful Crows
Harrison Adams
Cut-Out Witch
Of Mites And Men

ENCORE:
Useless Inventions
Mascara Snakes
Tractor Rape Chain
Echos Myron
I Am A Scientist

SECOND ENCORE:
Hot Freaks
Alone, Stinking, And Unafraid
Glad Girls
Teenage FBI

[gil]

fucking christ. can't believe I passed on their october 20th show.

[:bang:]

well, me neither ;)
get back was a cover of the beatle song

[Rich]

Minneapolis, MN
First Avenue
11/14/03

The Shins
With Special Guests: The Aisler's Set and Broadcast Oblivian

So, the evening started out with us waiting around an hour or so for things to get started. Some old Batman movie played on the projection screen as everyone started packing in.

A band I've never heard before, Broadcast Oblivian, started things off. They were pretty decent, but not so different from a lot of other bands I've heard live.

Then after their six or seven songs, another band I've never heard, The Soviettes, played. The Aisler's Set couldn't be there, as they had "van troubles". Anyway, they consisted of three rocker chicks and a dude on the drums. All of them sang pretty well, and they had quite a few catchy songs.

Then, as everyone really started filling the place up, The Shins came on. They opened up with "Pressed in a Book" and then went into some new songs, starting with "Kissing the Lipless". There weren't any technical difficulties at any point during their set (nothing like Gil described when he saw 'em) and they sounded great throughout.

The drummer, Jesse, was feeling pretty sick that night, so at least once he got up between songs to throw up. A few people thought they might of had to cut it short because of that, but they ended up going on for quite a while.

Marty made jokes about Prince (Minneapolis is his hometown, for those who don't know) which was pretty entertaining. Then he made a few jokes about finding a "sexy nurse" somewhere in the audience, but never did, unfortunately.

They came back for an encore and did four more songs, all from "Oh, Inverted World!". Among them, "New Slang" sounded really great, and they finished the show with "Know Your Onion!", which rocked almost as hard as "So Says I".

Overall, one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Mercer's vocals sounded crystal clear, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. I'll definately be seeing them again the next time they come up here.

8-)

[:bang:]

BUMP

liars, young people, some shirtless band, some band i missed
11/28/03
ottobar
baltimore, md

missed the first band, obviously

second band was shirtless with lots of distortion, and for some reason played in front of the stage instead of on it. young people's equiptment was not yet set up. kinda strange, but not interesting.

young people were ok, not very memorable.

liars play for a whopping 35 minutes. they went on around 12:20 or so. nothing from they stuck us all in a trench. lots of wild stage movements, singer reminds me of evan dando (in a good way) BUT show was too fucking short, and i would be super jacked if i paid the service charge. good luck with shows comes to an end.

[cheex]

i forgot to post a report. and that show was like 2 weeks ago. so all i can remember is that it was FUCKING AWESOME.

[Roarke]

you should remember who played at least:(

I'll assume Nada Surf/deathcab?

ah yes. I read posts now.

I am very poor and have not attended a concert since shortlist.

[:bang:]

next up for me: ted leo/rx on 12/13

[dave]

the deadly snakes are playing in london somewhere on the 4th. but i have no idea where as their website is unhelpful.

edit: a quick google search tells me it is on friday night at the metro club. i will be there mos def.

[dave]

punish the atom, the fur patrol, the deadly snakes
05/12/2003
the metro club
london

at one point earlier during the day, i was feeling a bit lazy and was actually considering on missing out because i didnt want to go by myself. then i got my shit together.

i had never been to the metro club before. but it was a really nice venue. 175 max capacity. perfect size. i arrived just in time to get a beer before the first band of the night, punish the atom (http://www.punishtheatom.com/) were about to start. a cross between fugazi and the rapture (?). i've already forgotten what they sounded like, to be honest. before the final song their lead singer proclaimed "this song will make you dance". it didnt.

a £2.80 bottle of bud and falf an hour later, the fur patrol (http://www.furpatrol.com/) eventually finished setting up and started played. fur patrol are a hot chick fronted new zealand. and were actually pretty good. and the chick was hot. and her top kept falling down.

another super expensive bottle of beer. and a quick visit to the toilet which had a fucking attendant in it.

then the deadly snakes start playing. they were a lot uglier than i imagined. but what they lacked in looks, they more than made up for in awesomeness. played until they ran out of time (only given 45 minutes) and then played two more songs. handed out tambourines to people at the front. and most people (including me) were getting really into it and dancing away. they played almost everything from ode to joy and a lot of stuff that i havent heard before. only song that they didnt play was "there goes your corpse again". i took a couple of photos and accidentally recorded a movie:

http://tacomat.com/dave/random/deadlysnakes/

the only downer was that about 1/4, maybe more, of the audience had obviously come to see the fur patrol. and so were just hanging around, talking in a side room during the snakes. a bit of a gay thing to do. but it didnt affect me.

i was so glad i went, and it didnt matter at all that i went by myself really. they were the first band that i have seen in ages where i have come back feeling really happy and wanting to listen to their album. a definate top 5 show, possible top 3. if you ever get the chance to see them, then you must.

[America: Fuck Yea!]

Tue 03/02/04 San Diego, CA TBA

Wed 03/03/04 Glendale, AZ Glendale Arena

Fri 03/05/04 Fresno, CA TBA

Sat 03/06/04 Las Vegas, NV TBA

Mon 03/08/04 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center

Tue 03/09/04 Oakland, CA TBA

Thu 03/11/04 Portland, OR TBA

Fri 03/12/04 Seattle, WA TBA

Mon 03/15/04 Denver, CO Pepsi Center

Wed 03/17/04 Omaha, NE TBA

Thu 03/18/04 Moline, IL Mark Of The Quad Cities

Fri 03/19/04 Chicago, IL TBA

Sun 03/21/04 Auburn Hills, MI Palace Of Auburn Hills

Tue 03/23/04 Atlanta, GA TBA

Wed 03/24/04 Columbia, SC TBA

Thu 03/25/04 Jacksonville, FL TBA

Sun 03/28/04 Miami, FL TBA

Mon 03/29/04 Orlando, FL TBA

Wed 03/31/04 Philadelphia, PA TBA

Thu 04/01/04 Cleveland, OH TBA

Sat 04/03/04 Toronto, ON TBA

Sun 04/04/04 Montreal, QC TBA

Tue 04/06/04 Manchester, NH TBA

Thu 04/08/04 Providence, RI TBA

Mon 04/12/04 New York, NY TBA



I wonder what the lot scene is like... :LOL:

[:bang:]

i just ruined my pants:
THUR JAN 29- LES SAVY FAV, FRED ARMISON (of SNL) $12 mainstage 8:30

TUES FEB 10, WED FEB 11 - two nights with: THE SHINS $12adv/$15day mainstage 8:30

i love you black cat

[gil]

if there is a choice at all to be made, see the shins. I've seen them twice now and they kick fucking ass live.

[Toxic Monkey]

do good bands try and avoid detroit? seriously, what the fuck. only semi-good thing coming here in the next two months is rancid and hot hot heat in the same show... with 311 and ten other bands....for 40 bucks :angry:

[:bang:]

Originally posted by jesus gilchrist
if there is a choice at all to be made, see the shins. I've seen them twice now and they kick fucking ass live. i've actually seen both before, both as openers. will go to both, hopefully. i kinda disagree, lsf is so much fun, but both rock fo shizzle.

[gil]

well, if you've seen both then lsf of course wins. my spies misinformed me.

[:bang:]

now all i have to do is drag aso :shifty:

[dave]

and tell les savy fav to get the fuck over to england. more specifically my garden.

[AllSussedOut]

Originally posted by ho ho ho jass
now all i have to do is drag aso :shifty:

pussy like me gotta put it by the wife. if she'll let me, i'll say i'll go, and come up with an excuse two nights before.

[indulged]

Star Spangles/The Unicorns/French Kicks/Hot Hot Heat @ Water St. Music Hall (Rochester, NY)
December 7, 2003

Arrived at the show around 7:30pm, and the Star Spangles were wrapping it up. I had never heard of them before, but they sounded like a generic 70's punk band that would have opened for the Sex Pistols or something.

The Unicorns were awesome, and I encourage everyone to check them out. They have a pretty unique sound that will undoubtedly please anyone who likes Radiohead, DCFC, Murder By Death, etc. They're a mixture of soft vocals, electronic/real percussion, keyboards, bass, and (sometimes) non-distorted guitar.

I enjoyed The French Kicks more than the last time I saw them. Some of their songs have grown on me ("Wrong Side", "Close To Modern", etc.), and their live show isn't bad since the band seems to enjoy playing. The lead singer is a bit flamboyant, and I guess that helped me stay awake during their set.

The audience for HHH was a bit less dancy than when I last some them. But, uh, the heat played all the songs I hoped for, and they even subbed in a couple songs they didn't play last time in Rochester (which was very cool, because not many bands do this for each city they play in). They said that they're going to be writing/recording for 5 months or so, and won't be touring again for a while, so I'm glad I saw them. They ended with "This Town" and as I recollect, they played the following (not in order): "Bandages", "Aveda", "Save Us SOS", "Naked In The City Again", "Le Le Low", "5 Times Out Of 100", "Get In Or Get Out", "No Not Now", "Oh Goddammit", "Talk To Me, Dance With Me", and a few new ones.

Merch for this show was incredibly expensive. HHH T-Shirts were $20, and vinyl was $15, screen-printed posters were $10. My friend bought the Unicorns CD for $12.

[:bang:]

that's a pretty nice line-up, andy. i would have gone if hhh had the unicorns and french kicks here.
Originally posted by AllSussedOut
pussy like me gotta put it by the wife. if she'll let me, i'll say i'll go, and come up with an excuse two nights before. bring her. my girlfriend will go to the shins, it can be like a double date. (HOT)

[gil]

it's the way of the married world, aso. no need to feel pain. I'm there too.

[AllSussedOut]

still doesnt explain why you refuse to clean out your pm inbox

[gil]

I move in mysterious ways.

[Rich]

Minneapolis, Minnesota
Fine Line Music Cafe
2/9/04

South, with special guests METRIC

So, neither me nor my friend had ever heard South before. We were clearly there for Metric and we weren't disappointed, it was a great show with a ton of energy. Emily Haines came out in her signature mini-skirt and spent the entirety of the show dancing in her own weird, wild, sexy way.

They opened with "I.O.U." and went through most of their debut album, along with a few new songs. Highlights were "Combat Baby", "Calculation Theme", "Hustle Rose", and a very long version of "Dead Disco" in which Emily took a break from singing and got off stage to dance with members of the audience (I was so near, yet so far away).

The band and everyone in attendence was having a great time and the place was buzzing with excitment. Hopefully they come back sometime soon, and Emily brings those jangly legs.

Didn't stick around to see South, actually, we were far too tired. It was worth the $12, however, great band - great show.

[MaxpowerAK79]

Thursday, 2/5/05:
Stiff Little Fingers and Dropkick Murphys w/ The Unseen at Roseland Ballroom, NYC

Excellent show. SLF are still great. Dropkicks are always fun. Missed the unseen due to a late subway. Good times were had by all!

[:bang:]

how close were you? I saw sleater-kinney there, and the sound was terrible due to cavernous venue

[gil]

monday, 2-2-04
shins, all night radio, magic magicians at roseland theater, pdx

two duos opened for the shins: one loud, reverb-heavy and drenched in e6-caliber psychedelia, the other percussive, angsty and barking in the vocal department. I preferred all night radio to magic magicians by far (some of mm's stuff sounded fairly melodic, while sometimes they brought on a stoned sax player and drifted in john zorn weirdness), but both were poorly engineered, especially for the size of the venue. it wasn't until their last song that all night radio really hooked me, but you gots to respect a band that uses a mouth organ.

then the shins took the stage and of course rocked the universe. played almost everything from both albums--opening of course with "kissing the lipless"--as well as a couple of b-sides ("eating styes from elephant eyes", "when I goose step"--which is fucking GREAT live), and in spite of skipping "fighting in a sack" they nailed all the important stuff, saving "pressed in a book" and "new slang" for the encore. high energy, note-perfect execution...but after seeing them three times in the past year, I think I might pass on their next gig...unless it's a delightful acoustic set with mercer (as he's known to do from time to time).

NOTE: saw janet weiss sauntering backstage just as I was leaving, and for the first time I noticed that she has a disproportionately gigantic ass. crush ruined.

[:bang:]

too much sitting on the drum stool? shins are playing here tonight and tomorrow (i'm going tomorrow) both sold the fuck out. $12 tickets going for $75 on the net. crazy shit

[phil]

Went to the Walkmen show tonight.
Things started at around 10:30... with the band Lakeboat. They sucked. Luckily for me I only had 1 piece of ID on me and apparently I need two... I've been in this province for over a year and this is the first time I've been asked for ID. So I had to drive home to get something else. By the time I returned Lakeboat had finished.

Decembercists came on next. I'm not a real fan of the band but I loved their first song, except I don't know what said song is, something about not letting your girls or daughters out at night. Things got progressively more boring after that.

I was in a booth with some friends at the back midway through Decemberist's set when some guy asks me to look after his beer while he goes outside. I say sure. The dude really talked down to me but that's alright since I ended up switching his beer with a strange, stale half-drunken one that was nearby. He ended up taking it and drinking it. We ended up giving his beer away to some chick.

The Walkmen finally came on and played an awesome show starting with What's In it For Me, followed by The Rat and songs mostly from their new album. My friends and I stood at the front with the boys from Hot Hot Heat who happened to be in attendance. They played an encore and ended off with Wake Up. In short, the Walkmen rule.

Up next is Broken Social Scene on the 2nd and The motherfucking PIXIES on the 4th of April at the Victoria Curling Club. No one who I told this to believed me but it's true.

[MaxpowerAK79]

Hugh. Totally agree with you. The sound at the roseland was not good at all. I was listening to Dropkicks and talking on my cell phone at one point. Then, I realized, how can I do that? Shouldn't they be a bit too loud? The sound was all over the place...But for some reason SLF sounded really good...I guess it was just the right volume for their music...Also, roseland was selling hotdogs and beer..I was in heaven.

[phil]

any help with the name of that decermberists song? anyone?

[nathaniel]

maggied/nohomers rerun posts are funny

[jack]

decemberists song is "shanty for the arethusa" easily my fav. off "her majesty..."

the swelling of instrumentation during "so goodnight, boys, goodnight" is greatness.

[phil]

Thanks. Sure to be on this weeks top 5 list.

[:bang:]

saw the shins last night. they played one of the smaller venues, and it was fucking packed (second nite too). was really sweatty, but really good. played everything, awesome crowd interactions, sound was decent. people yelling lyrics along during the slower songs was scary death cabish. solid show, please come to a bigger venue next time

[AllSussedOut]

write-up in today's post

[jack]

jeebus

tv on the radio friday night. with the yeah yeah yeahs and death from above.

the first band, death from above, was horrible. i hope they had some problems getting their whole band together because they performed as a two piece (bass + drums...??) and sounded like a horrible st. anger era metallica cover band....very horrible.

i love the young liars ep, and quite like what little i've heard from desperate youth...but tvotr exceeded expectations live. the emotion was kicked up in all their songs, and they are quite different live. tunde's voice translates well live, and the interaction between himself and kyp is great. the "oohing" sounds even sweeter live and the simplicity that dominated the intros/outros of the songs in the live setting was greatness.

yeah yeah yeahs were good too, I don't love the band nearly as much as tvotr though, so I just enjoyed it for what it was. and it was a damn good performance, impressed me a bit actually..their new songs show more depth than most of ftt (the entire first half pretty much). and the songs off of fever that I do enjoy were quite great live as well.

a very good night overall, i got to speak to the guys from tvotr afterwards, twas good.

next is metric/tangiers this thursday, then liars, then ted, then the decemberists all in march.

[robb]

Next show: Bob fucking Dylan on the 17th of this month.

[phil]

...

[phil]

Went to The Stills and Broken Social Scene last night. Very mediocre. Lack of vagina seriously brings down the BSS, some new songs were pretty good (one of them is called Canada vs. America), but they played the best stuff first and after that things were dull. I left early while they were playing a rendition of 'Lover's Spit' that was totally devoid of any energy whatsoever. Plus the lead singer who apparently now thinks he's funny kept singing a stupid song in between songs: "Victoooooriaaa.... Victoooooriaaa..." people were telling him to shut up and get on with it.

This was a larger venue too, compared with last year's small microvenue show (which was loads better).

On the plus side there were freebies like a handful of guitar pics, a free sampler CD (BSS, Stills, 'Raising the Fawn', Tortoise, Four Tet) and the gig poster which looks to be a silkscreen print of all things.

[Sam]

went to the (wait for it) SAME SHOW as where I end. missed the horrible first band.

though I like tvotr's music in general much more than yyy's, I thought the yyy's did put on a better live show. tvotr was still awesome nonetheless (everything where I end mentioned) though their mr grieves cover, if it had have been played would have put it over the top.

the cake thing was pretty funny.

didn't get a chance to speak to tvotr but the drummer ran past us.

(Beep)

[jack]

went to shawn hewitt/graph nobel/tangiers/metric last night.

quite a good show.

shawn hewitt was a pleasant surprise, despite being a solo act he still held the audience's attention. played some roots rock, and then sat down at a keyboard/synth and played very surprisingly good music reminiscent of amnesiac.

graph nobel was a very confused band (confused as in every member was playing a different genre/looked like they belonged somewhere else) and they sounded horrible....could've done without them.

then the tangiers hit the stage, i had heard a few of their songs but was very pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a ted leoish/hot hot heatish combination. were not bad at all, featured a lot of ted leoish breakdowns and three part harmonies.

metric were of course what everyone was there to see, and they came through. very high energy all the way through, and great great versions of every song anyone could want to hear (highlights were handshakes, combat baby, dead disco and hustle rose). emily was in her trademark skimpy skirt and was doing high kicks the entire night =D the musicians of metric definitely deserve some mention for their performance last night, were quite great...and emily was nice on the keys. she came out alone for the encore and played a song which she dedicated to her family and explained that the song was originally a poem written by her deceased father...song began with her alone on the keys and vox, and the band later joined her for the ending which swelled up beautifully.

[nathaniel]

next week..

tue .. sage francis
wed .. xiu xiu
thu .. j.vanderslice / okkervil river
fri .. walkmen / french kicks

all a block from my house :-&

[gil]

I've seen xiu xiu. even if you hate their music, I recommend seeing them live. it's an experience.

[jack]

toronto has bands worth seeing every day of the week (or just about) as well...but I don't have the money....clearly nate is delivering other things in addition to pizza?

[matt]

wow, nate's thu and fri are great lineups.

[nathaniel]

uh. shows are like $8

[jack]

well yes...but i speak from my own experience and paying for uni tuition on my stingy pay makes going to concerts every day of the week a notgoodidea.

and i know you're not in uni or anything, but i assume rent is comparable to tuition when you break it down over the year.

actually, after finding out tonight how much i'm getting through tax return...i might be able to all the concerts i want ;-Q

pps - i can't believe i forgot to mention the fact that emily went on a bit of a rant during "dead disco"...she pretty much "called out" toronto radio and muchmusic and kept mentioning how the music they play is crap and asking us "imagine what would happen if they actually played good music??? people would be running around going "AAAH"!"...she ended the rant by saying that no one listens to that music"....i wanted her to start calling out band names but it was implied who she meant (evanescence, blink, good charlotte etc)

[nathaniel]

hm, do you have a coke habit or something? its pretty manageable. and i usually spend more than the ticket price on alcohol anyway. you might consider a new part time profession

anyway.. i pointed out the gigs because its a pretty atypical and remarkable week for shows in my little city. usually we have to travel a couple hours when bands tour. if they're going to come to iowa fucking city, i'm going to be there

supportyrscene

[My Little Needle]

4/5: Death Cab for Cutie w/ Ben Kweller
4/10 The Wrens
4/19 Less than Jake (skankin good time)
4/23 Guided by Voices
4/24 Apples in Stereo

all five blocks or so from my house

[robb]

Bob Dylan
State Theater, Detroit,MI
March 17, 2004

AMAZING show, brought Jack White out for the 2nd encore, if Bob's coming to your town, go.

set list as follows:

The Wicked Messenger
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
Under The Red Sky
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
Down Along The Cove
Moonlight
High Water (For Charley Patton)
Girl Of The North Country (acoustic)
Highway 61 Revisited
Man In The Long Black Coat
Honest With Me
Every Grain Of Sand
Summer Days
(1st encore)

Cat's In The Well
Like A Rolling Stone
All Along The Watchtower
(2nd encore)

Ball And Biscuit (with Jack White on guitar & vocals)

[Toxic Monkey]

showdown at the equator, saturday looks good to me, and ted leo and the pharmacists -- 3/24/04

jesus christ this was amazing. we got there around 730 and waited a half hour before the doors opened. the doors opened and then we had to wait another hour for the opening act, showdown at the equator to set up. they eventually did and started playing. chick lead singer was very hot. the whole band was pretty damn good, and i couldn't think of a better place to line them up with than tedleo and saturday. their drummer was easily the coolest guy in the building.

after they were done, saturday looks good to me came on. fucking amazing. opened with alcohol and did some new stuff from their upcoming album (releases 9/11). really good stuff. the lead singer for this band (the female one atleast) was the hottest chick in the room. hotter than corin tucker (pic below...though not a great one). the lead singer (fred thomas) sang a song about 50 cent and eminem and the crowd digged it a lot. between the songs, the lead singer kept saying "im rick james, bitch" and the crowd said it with. the lead female singer said it once to and it was the cutest thing ever. throughout their whole show, me and my friend were on the right part of the room. some weird dude (fat, probably mid 30s) came up right behind my friend and started dancing. it was the weirdest/funniest thing ive ever seen. looked behind me and two jesus looking dudes were laughing their asses off, so i couldn't help my self. dancing dude eventually left, but not before yelling out "miiiiichigaaaaan" (saturday looks good to me are from mi). saturday looks good to me was fucking awesome.

half an hour to 45 minutes later ted leo comes on. his amp turns fucks up and he makes some joke on how hes had it for ten years. he plays all the good stuff. under the hedge sounded weird, though. played two new tracks (both were amazing btw). one was untitled and the other was me and mya. once again, someone was dancing next to me. but this time it was ok, because it was a cute girl. back to the amp thing, ted leo kept making this weird sound to annoy the crowd and was like "i could do this all day." a lot of cool shit was said, and he interacted with the crowd which was pretty cool. later, he said that he was playing his last song and even said his goodbyes.. but came back and played like 5 more songs. he would have covered the clash if it wasnt for his amp. so much energy and fun. never have i seen someone sweat as much as he did. ted leo was dripping sweat after like the second song. on the last song he asked the crowd to bumrush the stage and threw a 25 dollar morroca in the crowd but asked them to return it because the other one was stolen in texas. several kids jumped on stage and sang and did the robot. the drummer for this band also was pretty damn cool. had a cooler beard than sam beam, no joke. anyways, it was pretty fucking great. for anyone who hasnt seen ted leo or saturday looks good to me before, you should definately check them out. showdown at the equator was pretty cool too, and if you dig tedleo or saturday, give them a shot.

the show ended at 1230 and i got home around one. slept around 2. woke up around 6. i could easily say it was the best fucking night ive had in a long time. here are some pictures i took with my crappy digicam:




showdown at the equator (http://ak.smellzgood.com/images/showdown.gif)
saturday looks good to me-- with chick (http://ak.smellzgood.com/images/slgtm1.gif)
saturday looksgood to me-- fred thomas singing about 50 cent (http://ak.smellzgood.com/images/slgtm2.gif)
tedleo (http://ak.smellzgood.com/images/tedleo.gif)
ted leo playing where have all the rude boys gone (http://ak.smellzgood.com/images/tedleo1.gif)

[lee]

judging by all of your detailed descriptions of the shows you go to... id say im the only one who gets bombed and cant remember a thing the next day.

[Rich]

First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN - 3/25/04

Death Cab For Cutie w/Ben Kweller and +/-

First off, the line was huge. Me and friends were left waiting around for about twenty to thirty minutes. But, I did exchange a few brief words with Gibbard as he was going inside, so that was cool. I'd already had my ticket, thankfully, cause the show sold out shortly after we got inside (and the line was still pretty long).

Plus/Minus opened after about a half an hour of waiting. They sounded better than what I remembered from their CD. Lots of energy and both singers sounded great. Can't remember song titles, but I liked one called "Megalomaniac" quite a lot.

Ben Kweller came out next with thunderous applause. I'd only heard a couple of his singles, which were pretty decent, so I wasn't expecting to be blown away or anything. And I wasn't blown away, but he and his bandmates played some good old rock n' roll songs before he went into a solo acoustic set. This was where he played a song I liked a lot, he said it was new so I'm not sure of the title. First part was "I never thought of myself as a murdering man.." and he'd always end the verses with "but I'm on my way" or something similar. I'll be looking for it online shortly.

After a pretty long set (around 80 minutes or so) Death Cab came out and opened with "The New Year". They played a lot of songs off their newest album, but also some older favorites like "Champaigne From A Paper Cup" and "Photobooth". They closed with a really intense and loud "Transatlanticism" and then came back for an encore, playing "A Movie Script Ending" and closing with "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun".

All in all a really good show. Only thing that brought it down were the number of people inside, place was fucking PACKED.

The end.

[:bang:]

broken social scene/stars/dear was all about

sells out yesterday morning
no where to park
kinda sketchy neighborhood?
car behind is a benz
figure i'm ok
come in during last dears song
they were loud
beers
stars
my new favorite band for truuuu
singer keeps calling it 'canada invades the capitol'
phil would be stoked
try to buy a cd
sold out
beers
its packed in here
bss
more experimental songs sound better live
play all the home runs
thumbs up
singer keeps saying 'if we knew, we would have come sooner'
close with canada vs us
deciding it was one of the best shows recently
walk to car
drive home
bed

[AllSussedOut]

I don't know... the Post blasted the show... ;)

[:bang:]

they also called bss 'emo' ;-/

[:bang:]

liz phair/wheat/someone we missed
electric factory, philadelphia, pa
4/2/04

shit sound
shit backing band
shit banter
shit use of janet jackson headset
shit segregation of drinkers

on the bright side, i get a pat's cheesesteak before the show. but yeah, one of the worst ever.

[Rich]

The Unicorns, with the Ponys and Beans
Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN
4/3/04

The most hilarious show I've ever attended. Unicorns were a mix between seeing a rock concert and seeing a stand-up comedian. Music isn't their main interest, but rather adult films. And they saw Wrath of Kahn for the first time the other night, and apparently it was very scary, and the soundtrack to said film was what inspired them to make music.

Lots of energy throughout, really fun show.

The Ponys were alright. Lead singer was near impossible to understand, and their overall sound was nothing new.

Beans was the first MC I'd ever seen live. He was alright up their by himself, rapping about "booger sugar" and some other stuff I can't remember.

[CrazyMAX]

Moneen with Full Blast

Yes, some other band played before Full Blast but I had to wait for my father to get home so he could lock up so me and my girlfriend ended up missing the first few bands and what I'm guessing what was a large portion of Full Blast. But Full Blast was pure insanity on stage, they put on quite the show.

Moneen was amazing though, they really kno how to get a crowd going. I need to get my band to try and move a crowd like this, cause I'm the one running around stage screaming while they stand solemnly playing their instruments. But Moneen fully rocked, and they even did a cover of "I Believe in a Thing Called Love". Say what you will about The Darkness, but that song gets a crowd going and singing along to the chorus. They finished with a 10 minute encore.

Defintely glad I decided to go instead of paying people I owe money too back.

[AllSussedOut]

Originally posted by Hugh Jass
on the bright side, i get a pat's cheesesteak before the show.

genius

[SideshowTim]

Radiohead 4/24/04 Sydney Entertainment Center

This was the first proper non - high school band concert I have been to and fuck was it good. I arrived at the center about 8 o' clock and not to many people were there yet, It was good for them since they missed the lousy opening act of the Bumblebeez, They were really dreadful, I couldn't understand what they were saying at all and they were rolling all over the stage like idiots, I'll tell ya I'd sure hate to be the support act to Radiohead.

At about 9 o'clock everyone was at the center, It was completely full and then about 10 minutes past 9 Thom, Jonny, Ed, Phil and Colin came out and blasted out a magnificent There There, I can't exactly remember the entire set list in order but they played the following songs:

There There - Very good start to the show, At the end Ed threw the drumsticks he was using into the crowd.
2+2=5 - Not to bad, The lighting really matched the tone of the song
Kid A - Sounds excellent live, I still prefer the studio version though
Myxomatosis - This was so brilliant live, Probably one of my favourite songs of the night, Everyone got right into it at about this point
My Iron Lung - Everyone knew this and everyone was singing along to it, They played it very well
Paranoid Android - Wow. This certainly is one of the greatest songs of all time, And its so amazing live, This had the whole audience engaged and dancing around, I can't believe how good it was
Exit Music - This was really beautiful, Most of it was Thom with his acoustic guitar, Everyone was silent because of how good it was during the song until the bit 'we hope your rules and wisdom choke you' one of the best of the night
Karma Police - This was played as one of their second encore songs and god, This was probably my favourite song of the entire night, Jonny was brilliant on the piano and Thoms voice was so good in this song, I loved it when he said 'This is what you get' it sounded so good.
Climbing Up The Walls - This is one of my favourite Radiohead songs and I wasn't expecting them to play it though, Lights were flashing everywhere for this song and they did it very well
Everything In It's Right Place - Probably the weakest of the night in my opinon, It was the last of their first encore, Not that it was bad but the guys weren't into it as much as they were in other songs, And I think this song works better in the Studio.
National Anthem - Brilliant bass by Colin in this song, Thom really got the audience going with this song, Very good
How to Dissapear Completly - God I love this song, Thom's voice was perfect for the mood of this song, I really loved this.
Pyramid Song - When Thom got the piano out for this song, There was something wrong with it I think it was the muter he was yelling things at it such as 'You stupid fucking piano' and 'I still can't fucking hear you' so, He reached into the piano and ripped out the muter, And that seemed to work, This song was perfect.
You and Whose Army? - I really loved this song, And I mean really loved it, Thom really got in touch with everyone in this song, He was standing up getting everyone to cheer, And as usual the 'We ride tonight' bit was spectacular, He was looking very slyly into the camera and encouraging the audience to stand up when saying his 'C'mon' part in the song, Everyone loved this one I think.
I Might Be Wrong - Took me a while to figure out what it was at first but the I realised it was I Might Be Wrong, I think it's much better live
Backdrifts - Pretty good actually, I wasn't a huge fan of this song before the concert, But this has got me into it, Not to bad
Sit Down, Stand Up - Superb, Thom on piano again, I love this song now
Go to Sleep - I've always liked this song, And they played it very well live, Good song to get the audience going
Where I end and You Begin - Better live, It really is, I never really liked this song
Planet Telex - Really good rock song this one, Everyone was dancing to it. Excellent.
Idioteque - This is performed brilliantly live, Thom really goes crazy when doing this and he sounds magnificent, Everyone loved this song
Morning Bell - Better live than in the studio, And I loved the studio version
Fog - The only B-Side they played all night but it was still pretty good.

I was dissapointed that they didn't play Just, Creep and Fake Plastic Trees but It was still the greatest thing I have ever been to, Everyone got involved, Thom got involved in the crowd talking random bullshit to them, And everyone was rocking along to the music, I don't think I'll see a concert that will top this performance, All the band members were dressed in jeans and a shirt except for Phil who was wearing a suit for some reason. Out the front some guy was selling shirts for 20 bucks, I gave him a 5 buck note and he didn't even look so I was lucky, They are probably only worth 5 bucks anyway. I may have missed a few songs they played, I'll get back to you if I missed any.

[America: Fuck Yea!]

Originally posted by SideshowTim
Radiohead 4/24/04 Sydney Entertainment Center

This was the first proper non - high school band concert I have been to and fuck was it good. I arrived at the center about 8 o' clock and not to many people were there yet, It was good for them since they missed the lousy opening act of the Bumblebeez, They were really dreadful, I couldn't understand what they were saying at all and they were rolling all over the stage like idiots, I'll tell ya I'd sure hate to be the support act to Radiohead.

At about 9 o'clock everyone was at the center, It was completely full and then about 10 minutes past 9 Thom, Jonny, Ed, Phil and Colin came out and blasted out a magnificent There There, I can't exactly remember the entire set list in order but they played the following songs:

There There - Very good start to the show, At the end Ed threw the drumsticks he was using into the crowd.
2+2=5 - Not to bad, The lighting really matched the tone of the song
Kid A - Sounds excellent live, I still prefer the studio version though
Myxomatosis - This was so brilliant live, Probably one of my favourite songs of the night, Everyone got right into it at about this point
My Iron Lung - Everyone knew this and everyone was singing along to it, They played it very well
Paranoid Android - Wow. This certainly is one of the greatest songs of all time, And its so amazing live, This had the whole audience engaged and dancing around, I can't believe how good it was
Exit Music - This was really beautiful, Most of it was Thom with his acoustic guitar, Everyone was silent because of how good it was during the song until the bit 'we hope your rules and wisdom choke you' one of the best of the night
Karma Police - This was played as one of their second encore songs and god, This was probably my favourite song of the entire night, Jonny was brilliant on the piano and Thoms voice was so good in this song, I loved it when he said 'This is what you get' it sounded so good.
Climbing Up The Walls - This is one of my favourite Radiohead songs and I wasn't expecting them to play it though, Lights were flashing everywhere for this song and they did it very well
Everything In It's Right Place - Probably the weakest of the night in my opinon, It was the last of their first encore, Not that it was bad but the guys weren't into it as much as they were in other songs, And I think this song works better in the Studio.
National Anthem - Brilliant bass by Colin in this song, Thom really got the audience going with this song, Very good
How to Dissapear Completly - God I love this song, Thom's voice was perfect for the mood of this song, I really loved this.
Pyramid Song - When Thom got the piano out for this song, There was something wrong with it I think it was the muter he was yelling things at it such as 'You stupid fucking piano' and 'I still can't fucking hear you' so, He reached into the piano and ripped out the muter, And that seemed to work, This song was perfect.
You and Whose Army? - I really loved this song, And I mean really loved it, Thom really got in touch with everyone in this song, He was standing up getting everyone to cheer, And as usual the 'We ride tonight' bit was spectacular, He was looking very slyly into the camera and encouraging the audience to stand up when saying his 'C'mon' part in the song, Everyone loved this one I think.
I Might Be Wrong - Took me a while to figure out what it was at first but the I realised it was I Might Be Wrong, I think it's much better live
Backdrifts - Pretty good actually, I wasn't a huge fan of this song before the concert, But this has got me into it, Not to bad
Sit Down, Stand Up - Superb, Thom on piano again, I love this song now
Go to Sleep - I've always liked this song, And they played it very well live, Good song to get the audience going
Where I end and You Begin - Better live, It really is, I never really liked this song
Planet Telex - Really good rock song this one, Everyone was dancing to it. Excellent.
Idioteque - This is performed brilliantly live, Thom really goes crazy when doing this and he sounds magnificent, Everyone loved this song
Morning Bell - Better live than in the studio, And I loved the studio version
Fog - The only B-Side they played all night but it was still pretty good.

I was dissapointed that they didn't play Just, Creep and Fake Plastic Trees but It was still the greatest thing I have ever been to, Everyone got involved, Thom got involved in the crowd talking random bullshit to them, And everyone was rocking along to the music, I don't think I'll see a concert that will top this performance, All the band members were dressed in jeans and a shirt except for Phil who was wearing a suit for some reason. Out the front some guy was selling shirts for 20 bucks, I gave him a 5 buck note and he didn't even look so I was lucky, They are probably only worth 5 bucks anyway. I may have missed a few songs they played, I'll get back to you if I missed any.

My friend just IMed me from Sydney telling me how awesome this show was... Said it was incredible as always.. and you got Fog and Pyramid Song in one show, not too shabby...












ALSO: as Roarke was kind enough to point out, Iron & Wine will be in NYC and Brooklyn in June... I am pretty sure you can expect a review.

[:bang:]

i saw sleater-kinney on thursday, was awesome. ian mckaye was standing behind the sound board, pretty cool

iron and wine is playing really really close to my house too. might have to go...

[AllSussedOut]

be sure to tell me the date, the day after the show

[AllSussedOut]

Tim...

http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/clippings/photos/radiohead_syd.htm

[:bang:]

so you can back out:
Monday 06-21 IOTA, Arlington, VA
Tuesday 06-22 IOTA, Arlington, VA

[dave]

atmosphere was fucking awesome. the venue was really nice to start with. an art gallery in fucking st james park (infront of buckingham palace). and it was quite packed. with white people. i saw like 3 black people the entire night and one was atmosphere's companion (some dude called luckyiam who was also really good). last night of the tour, so lots of freebies. starting with dvds (which they bought for the tour bus then realised wouldnt work in the us) being thrown into the audience. at the end of the show, they threw about 50 cds into the crowd, and then some vinyl which almost caused a riot. also, the dj was throwing vinyl into the crowd throughout the show after he had finished mixing with it. made me laugh. half way through the show they played a remix of 'killing in the name of'. and a mosh pit formed. which also made me chuckle. anywho. fucking awesome show. definately go see him/them if you have the chance. only disappointing thing was that they didnt do 'bigger than guns'.

high 8 out of ten

[:bang:]

i saw j5 a couple of years back in pittsburgh. was all white peope in zippered hoodies

[gil]

come next week, be prepared for the mother of all concert reports.

[dave]

i will beat it on july 13th :@

[AllSussedOut]

take copious notes. bitch.

[mohammed jafar]

sam & sufjan

sufjan rocked it all on his own and was fairly shy/timid/reserved/whatever. but great. set was split about even between michigan and seven swans, as well as opening with a chilling cover of The One I Love and closing with a great new song called Chicago apparently from a forthcoming album all about illnois. he also looked incredibly young for some reason.

sam was sorta incredible. his beard is overrated and is no match for tim harrington's, HOWEVER his voice coped amazingly well with having noone to harmonize with (i thought his sister was doing that or something, but evidently not in europe). the performances of Rooster Moans and Free Until They Cut Me Down were much more forceful and energetic live, his voice can get a lot fuller and uh, boomier than the records suggest. setlist (not in order)

promising light
the rooster moans
upward over the mountain (some dude requested this, thankfully. someone also requested sea & the rhythm but sam did not oblige)
angry blade
muddy hymnal
naked as we came
love and some verses
each coming night
free until they cut me down
great cover of the postal service's such great heights
dopealicious cover of howlin wolf's smokestack lightnin
a song that I didn't know ("an older song", he said...pissed because i thought i had heard every iron & wine song, home demos and all)

definitely go see him if you can. much much more than just a recital of the records, the live show has enough character and uniqueness to be really special. also his gangly, bearded (though not quite as impressively), and chain-smoking sidekick is the king of beardfolk cool and so is a sight to behold. i was waiting for someone to shout out "which one's Iron and which one's Wine?" but noone did, not even me.

[Roarke]

beulah, stratford 4, stands

stands were pretty amazing. have to figure out what songs i really dug, then i'll link

s4 was pretty boring

beulah was perfect. 2 hour or so Setlist (not in order, but kind of close)
Hello Resolvin
A Good Man is easy to kill
Hovering
If we can land a man on the moon, surely i can win your heart
Landslide Baby
Emma Blowgun's Last Stand
Popular Mechanics for lovers
Gravity's bringing us down
Ballad of the lonely argonant
Silver Lining
Hey Brother
Gene Autry
A Man Like Me
Wipe Those Prints and Run
Me and Jesus don't talk anymore
Night is the day turned inside out

Encore:
Your Mother Loves You Son
Battle Cry of the West
Matter vs. Space
Disco The Secretaries Blues

people on stage (my side of the venue's security guard was a dick and wouldn't let me on), talks of opening for terrible bands in europe. all the fun expected plus playing every fucking song i could want makes for a very excellent show

[dave]

fuck beulah. i will never forgive them :@

anyway. les savy fav review will be here tomorrow. til then:
http://tacomat.com/dave/random/smiths.avi

[jack]

wtmf.

why is there a (seemingly) homo bj going on at a lsf show...i am confused and worried. more importantly why did you film it?

i have always wanted to go to an lsf show until now...

[Sam]

phew. when I saw this on the forum list I thought that where I end had gone to a toronto concert, and there was a possibility is was all ages...which means I missed a toronto concert of a good band that was all ages.

phew.

(Beep)

[dave]

les savy fav - world tour
islington academy, 15/5/04

so i turn up about an hour after doors hoping to miss the first band. buy a copy of inches. and then a very expensive pint of guinness. then wait about 20 minutes for the first band to come on. damn it. but actually, they were very impressive. they went by the name of 'the hold steady', and i will mos def be checking them out on slsk. perfect band to open for les savy fav. tim (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/wheres_tim.JPG) was loving them. shaking his money maker about 2 rows infront of me.

so they finish, and i am getting ready for lsf by buying another pint. queue forever even though i am at the front. buy a cheap shitty lager in an attempt to save a bit of money. but it turns out to be the same price as the guinness. god damnit. so next band comes on. and its not lsf. but some really shitty metal band led by some kurt cobain wannabe. i just stood there for their entire 20 minute set thinking "what the fuck?". awful, awful, awful. no idea of their name, and i dont want to know either.

so about 30 minutes after the metal band finish. its about 10:10pm. and the les savy fav finally come on. first thing tim does is strips down to his boxers, puts on a ghetto chinese suit (whats the official name for them?) and starts to do some fucking tai chi (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/tai_chi.AVI). first song, i think, was 'the sweat descends'. i can't really remember. i'm not very good at remembering set lists. they did play pretty much everything i wanted them to play bar je t'aime. so first song in. tim (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/tim01.JPG) starts to snog everyone at the front of the audience. then a couple of songs into the set, tim strips off again and puts on an army vest and headband (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/tim02.JPG). they then explain that this is their world tour of one show. but later admit that they are here for someone's birthday party. and the gig is just an excuse for free flights. a bit later into the set, after he has dry humped an amp, tim (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/tim03.JPG) collects up all the mic cable and goes for a wander through the crowd. ending up dancing (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/tim04.JPG) and singing on top of the bar (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/tim_on_bar.JPG). a few songs later, back on stage, he ties himself up with the microphone cable before stripping down once more and putting on a black robe (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/tim05.JPG) (inside out as someone pointed out. but it doesnt matter because it is a magical robe) complete with umbrella (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/robe_and_brella.JPG). his boxers were promptly thrown into the audience. during the 'final' song, he puts the umbrella under (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/tim06.JPG) the robe and then storms off stage.

about 30 seconds after they have all gone off stage, they come back on. shortest encore gap ever. this time tim is wearing a white robe (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/white_robe.JPG) and black rimmed glasses. they play.. hmm.. i have no idea.. lets say rome (upside down). and then they break into a cover version of 'handsome devil'. during which tim goes a wondering through the crowd again. singing up close and personal to several guys. getting down to his knees, at one point, to the dude infront of me. and singing to him. so now you know the story behind that video. tim (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/walking_past_me_again.JPG) then takes off the robe to reveal a red wrestling costume (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/wrestle.AVI). and they end with 'who rocks (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/tim07.JPG) the party (http://tacomat.com/dave/random/lsf/tim08.JPG)' (sans bunny). so obviously he puts his mic down his pants and gets everyone in the front to sing to his penis. brings some bird onto the stage, tells her to get down on her knees, puts the mic length ways in crotch (so it looks like he has a huge boner, get it) and she starts singing. brilliance. but oh, it doesnt end there. he then pulls the wrestling costume down, and goes wondering through the audience one more time. cock in hand. it was very small. funniest thing was when he walks past this complete poser, who just stands there, arms cemented to his side, not looking at him.

this show completely destroyed the dvd show. 9/10.

[nathaniel]

use a flash

[dave]

is that meant to be an insult?

[gil]

jesus man, I can't beat a concert description complete with hotlinked jpgs and movies. dave wins for all time ever.

also, the hold steady are indeed supertits. look for "almost killed me" on slsk or better yet just browse me now.

[dave]

will do just that

[caribou]

Hmmm...my dad got two tickets for The Who in Mansfield, MA, and he's chosen to take me; the concert is tonight. This will either be really interesting, or really sad. Maybe a little of both? I love them and all, but who (haha) knows if they can still muster it...

I'll be sure to toss Pete Townshend my undies so he can further his research.

[gentry]

wow. i have not seen a show since Iron & wine in April, however, many shows are coming up, including Cursive, Pedro the Lion, The Shins.

But Dave, I must hand it to you. Never have I wanted to see a band live more than after reading your description of Les Savy Fav.

[gil]

wait, gentry?

hot damn, welcome.

[My Little Needle]

dave

what, no nekkid pix?

[nathaniel]

Originally posted by dave
is that meant to be an insult?

it was meant to suggest you use a flash

[dave]

well. i did. which confused me.

[nathaniel]

oh.. then i guess it was an unintentional insult :-$

[dave]

thats ok then

[Tomacco]

Just got home. That was amazing.
Everything was just so beautifully played, and all on the original instruments and shit. I knew most of the songs, and heard all the ones I really wanted to hear aside from one. They had pretty decent showmanship too, and compensating during accidental fuckups like knocking over a beer bottle on stage and dropping his guitar.

Here's a rundown, you'll have to excuse me for not knowing a couple of the names of songs and band members.

The Bachelor and the Bride - This was one of the top songs on my checklist and it thrilled me that they opened with it. The sound was great, and it was awesomely dramatic and I was in awe at the performance.

Leslie Anne Lavine - Right up near the top of my checklist. Flawless. Nothing much to say in particular but loved it.

(new song) - I don't know the name, but from the two new songs tonight, I liked this one better. I think the lyrics had something to do with sharing love. Maybe I'm wrong.

Billy Liar - Not one of my top songs, but nice pleasantness for the show. I don't remember exactlty when, but it could have been in this song that he played the guitar behind his head.

The Soldiering Life - Great stuff. The band members raised their instruments as a solider would raise guns.

song off first 5-song EP - I'm not familiar with the first EP, but this was the last one I believe, about the stolen bike. Enjoyable.

Chimbley Sweep - Fuckin' great. What a blast. I was hoping to hear it, and this performance had me smiling and cheering like mad. Acordian player and guitarist have a bit of a dual in the jam. Hilarious. (again, sorry for not remembering their names )

(new song) - I didn't care too too much for this one. Nothing very special. Changed up instruments a bit with vocalist on the keyboard.

Los Angeles I'm Yours - Great. Every instrument and note covered.

The Tain - All five parts of this anthem played consecutively through. I havn't had the chance to listen to the studio versions yet, so this was my first time hearing it. Incredible. I was in awe. Switching up instruments, vocalists, and styles throughout, without stopping, even struggling with dropped guitars (putting it out of tune).

Encore

Clementine - Elliott Smith's actually.

Red Right Ankle - Enjoyable acoustic.

July July! - Fun fun energetic!

A Cautionary Song - Great, and the second guitarist put on a fake beard and went around the room banging a huge drum.

Then they ended with a short ditty that I did not recognize, but whatever. What a show. I was very pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it this this much. I had more fun than I did at the Radiohead show I went to in October, and they're a much more beloved band of mine. If they come to your town, you gotta see the Decemberists. Amazing.

[Tibor]

Bright Black / White Magic / Bonnie "Prince" Billy

Jambalaya included in cover charge. Billy liked the jambalaya. I did too. I knocked around during Bright Black. I nursed a coke and cigar through White Magic. Respectively decent and good, but completely forgot about both when the Palaces came on..

All with the overalls, sandals and war paint (http://img70.photobucket.com/albums/v213/bartran/billy1.jpg)! Will's beard was as impressive as his woodsy folk had me imagine.

He started out with a commanding acappellaappalachianfolktype dirge, really jerked a knot in everyone. Then into an amazing "Lift Us Up." The instrumentation was a lot fuller than on "I See A Darkness" (the only album I have). They fucking rocked (http://img70.photobucket.com/albums/v213/bartran/billy2.jpg). At times though the vocals were lost under the instruments.

Billy's presence was something to behold. I would never have expected such utilization of the pelvis, what with the music dark and literary, but he slunk, gyrated and thrusted to serious effect. And he rocked the mic right.

I'm not familiar with the whole catalog (I'll fix that now, though), but every song ruled all over me, the highlights being brutal (http://img70.photobucket.com/albums/v213/bartran/billy3.jpg) deliveries of "Death to Everyone" and "Madeleine-Mary." They played an excellent lengthy 15 or song set. An amazing show, unbelievable treat for me.

[gil]

tomacco: so they played elliott's clementine and not their own? strange.

[jack]

i was disappointed to not hear shanty for the arethusa, you covered pretty much everything else and i agree it was a good show.

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by Where I End
i was disappointed to not hear shanty for the arethusa, you covered pretty much everything else and i agree it was a good show.

The only song I wanted to hear a lot which they didn't play was Odalisque.

[Oliver]

Hothouse Flowers / Groove Armada / The Thrills / Pixies / RHCP 12th June

I didn't pay much attention to the first two bands... Hothouse Flowers seemed kind of like Zeppelin wannabes...the singer was doin a Plant impression the whole time. Groove Armada were just dance techno shit...the one note basslines gave me a headache. The Thrills weren't too bad, a bit bland but still entertaining, and they got a good crowd reaction because it was a hometown show for them.

And then the Pixies came on. And holy fuck but that was amazing.
I should probably mention that 100,000 people were there (it was held in Phoenix Park, Dublin), and that I was lucky enough to get a pass for pit 1. I was about the 4th person behind the barrier, in front of the center of the stage. Amazingly close. Anyway, seeing the Pixies was amazing. They played mostly stuff from Doolittle and Surfer Rosa, avoiding Bossanova/Trompe le Monde stuff for the most part. I was dissapointed that they didn't play Tony's Theme, but they made up for it by playing all of my other favourite songs. I can clearly remember them playing Gouge Away, Hey, Debaser, Where Is My Mind, Gigantic, Bone Machine, Ed Is Dead, Isla De Encanta, Caribou, Vamos, Velouria, Wave of Mutilation, Tame, Mr. Grieves, Crackity Jones...and thats all I can remember, but they did a few others. And it fucking rocked. They didn't talk to the crowd much, or to each other, and didn't do an encore. But still. It was the Pixies. And Vamos was definitly the highlight, Joey Santiago playing his guitar with a drumstick that Dave Lovering threw him, and when he was done, throwing it back, and Dave catching it while playing drums still and just continuing on...that was pretty damn cool.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, well, I was pretty tired when they came on, so I left and went to sit against the fence at the back of the pit, where all the camera guys were. I was still pretty close, but I wasn't interested in them so I just sat and relaxed. They were entertaining, I just wasn't really into them at all. And it was funny when Anthony Keidis got hit in the head with a tennisball thrown from the crowd.

All in all, a good day.

[AllSussedOut]

greatest chili peppers review, ever. EVER.

[bmac]

Franz Ferdinand w/ Sons and Daughters, The Webb Brothers
The Metro, Chicago, IL, 6/12.

First off, i'd like to say the metro is a fantastic little venue. i had never been before, but i wouldn't hesitate to go back again. Great sound, lighting, and the place was packed as well. There's a main floor and a balcony at this place, i chose to stand on the balcony. Anyways...

First up were the Webb Brothers, which i had never heard before and will probably never hear again. It seemed as though they were pretty much your run-of-the-mill modern rock band, although they weren't half as bad as some of the shit getting airplay today. Overall, wasn't interested, clapped politely.

Sons and Daughters were next. They're apparently also from Glasgow (i assume they're connected to Franz in some way...) as well. Had never heard them either, and I actually quite liked them and might actually have to download some of their music or something. Although the masculine chick lead singer kinda scared me. Good stuff.

And then there's Franz Ferdinand. Fantastic. I couldn't tell you the exact set list, but i know they played every song off the album as well as van tango and a few other non-album b-sides and such. Anyway, these guys have an incredible amount of energy and put on an incredible show. I'd have to say they pretty much "burnt the house down". Everyone definitely came to see them because the crowd was into it the whole time. Highlights would have to be "Take Me Out", "Dark of the Matinee", "Auf Achse", and "Come On Home" (which is such an awesome song anyways). Alex Kapranos has to be one of the coolest people on earth as well. So, all in all, a great, great time, and if you get a chance, i suggest going to see these guys. they put on one hell of a show.

[jack]

...microphones with ninja highschool and pipi "woelv" this past saturday.

it was literally inside of a church...pews were the seats and alter was the stage.

"ninja highschool" were special...rock instrumentation with beatnik style "rapping" about politics and such. not half bad, "A" for effort/intensity. from Toronto.


phil and his opener (woelv) both were very very unassuming. phil played in jogging pants and a plain blue tee, they both performed barefoot.

pipi "woelv" was very much a french-canadian bjork, which I didn't mind.

phil played mostly (seemingly) improvised songs, including a few on the church organ (=D). the middle of the set turned into fun (yet still emotional) singalongs with the crowd. he played "i cant believe you actually died" during the singalong section, twas much fun. he came out for an encore and did "i felt my size", it was quite a nice night.

i bought the glow, pt. 2 on vinyl from phil himself at the table and had him sign it...he was surprisingly funny at the table and during the singalong third of the set.

ted leo on monday and iron & wine on the 29th

[kelly]

the shins at the norva, norfolk va 6/15.

ok i've wanted to see the shins live for quite some time now, and finally did, even though it was a six hour trip there and back (we stayed down there for a few days) got lost and missed the opening bands, unfortunately. i'm not even sure of their names, but i'd never heard of them before.

the show was great anyway, they played a few new songs that i've never heard before. the very last song they played was caring is creepy, and they stretched out the end of the song for awhile, which was just incredible. meanwhile marty crandall is jumping around the stage wearing a new mexico flag like a cape. and i never realized before how much mercer looks like kevin spacey.

[Rich]

The Shins w/Calexico and Rogue Wave
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN

Was one of the first people in the venue. Sat around for an hour before Rogue Wave came out. They were one of the better opening bands I've seen. Played most of the songs from their album, which were all pretty catchy and fun. Also, cute brunette bass player in tight jeans didn't hurt, at all.

I haven't heard much Calexico, but they had a really great set. Southern rock songs with lots of trumpet and lap steel, and accordian. Most memorable song was probably an Elliott Smith cover ("Rose Parade"). Good stuff.

Shins came out after a half an hour or so. It was their last show of the tour, so all of them seemed a little looser. Marty was hilarious as usual, and James talked quite a bit more than the last time I saw them. Opened up with "Pressed in a Book" and then "When I Goose Step", which I was hoping they'd play. They played most everything from both albums, not taking a lot of time in between "rocking jams" as Marty put it.

Highlights were "Pink Bullets", "Know Your Onion!", "Caring is Creepy" and of course "New Slang", which is fucking beautiful live.

I <3 Shins.

[jack]

Iron & Wine with Patrick McKinney ("Langtry") June 29th, Horsehoe Tavern-Toronto

So yah, to start: I loved Samuelle and his 3 releases before this, but last night's show raised it to another level.

The opening act was a pleasant single guy under the moniker Langtry. He played a few british folksy songs, mixed with some southern twang...all were instrumental on ze guitar. Some songs showed impressive songwriting. Quite a safe bet that people would enjoy him considering they were there to see Iron/Wine...similar vibe, dude even had a beard (not beam level, but a beard nonetheless).

So yah, anyway...at about 11 sam takes the stage:

opens with a solo on guitar..new song, or at least one i have never heard (and noone else seemed to have)...quite nice.

played quite a few songs from our endless numbered days as expected. "cinder and smoke" was done amazingly well, and of course "naked as we came" was beautiful as ever. "each coming night" built very well to its sweet ending. "teeth in the grass" was even more enjoyable than on record.

highlights of the night came from creek drank the cradle for me, as "southern anthem" was done very well full band, and my (and most humans') favourite off the album, "upward over the mountain" was made even more perfect with the live band.

"sea and the rhythm" as well as "jesus the mexican" were also quite nice.

all in all a thoroughly enjoyable night. my intro of i&w to my girlfriend resulted in her proclaiming herself a big fan while we left.

my only complaints were some of the songs he didn't play (faded from the winter, lion's mane and such great hieghts), even though what he did play he played very well. but that's always the case when i go see an artist i adore.

sam's demeanour matched his music perfectly, as he would laugh/smile bashfully when people would applaud because they recognized the first few strums of a favourite song...seems like a nice guy, kept telling us we were "freaks" because there were a lot of people in a small venue and all seemed to love all the songs.

[bmac]

Yet another Iron & Wine show! This was last night at the Abbey Pub in Chicago.

The opening acts were Azita and Langtry, but for some reason Langtry didn't show up or just didn't play. Azita was a piano playing songstress. I'll hand it to her, she played the piano pretty well, but i felt her voice was terrible and the whole performance was pretty unenjoyable. Nobody really seemed to be into it.

Then to everyone's surprise Sam came out next. I'm sure i already knew this, but he talks the exact same way he sings. He seemed like a very soft-spoken laid-back kind of guy and seemed to enjoy himself. He joked alot with the audience in between songs. Every song he played was even more beautiful live than on his albums. Highlights had to be "Such Great Heights", "Upward Over the Mountain", "Southern Anthem", and "Cinder and Smoke". At one point some guy in the audience yelled "play endless numbered days!", although there is actually no song with that title, so Sam proceded to make fun of him for a few minutes, much to that guy's chagrin i'm sure.

All in all, it was a great show, despite Azita. The most dissapointing part of the night was that before the show it turns out Sam was about ten feet from us near the bar, mingling with some people. My brother (who went with me) thought he saw him over there, but wasn't sure. I never actually saw him though, or i certainly would have gone up and met him. Ah well.

[J.Re*]

I'd marry ted leo... well maybe... aw, who am i kidding? i'd do it.
That man has mastered the small venue. I was about a foot from the stage and have never been so entertained. he mentioned that they had finished Shake The Sheets on, i think, tuesday. then they proceded to do 6 songs from the new album. did all the hits. came into the crowd because a girl requested sin eater and he wanted her to sing it.

said he'd be back around town in november (guess for album tour). can't wait

[bmac]

Modest Mouse with The Walkmen
Eagles Ballroom (@ The Eagles Club) in Milwaukee, WI

Cool venue in an extremely old building. Features five different venues of different sizes. The Eagles Ballroom being the largest. The place was packed. I don't know what it's capacity was, but all of the 25,000 sq ft floor was full of people, as well as the balcony area (which is were i sat).

The Walkmen came out and rocked it for about 30 minutes, playing 6 or 7 songs. The Rat was the highlight. Lead singer (name escapes me) is a gigantic ball of energy. They were great.

After a 30 minute intermission Modest Mouse comes out. It was amazing how well all the instrumentation (especially from songs off Good News...) was transferred to the live show, several different extra band members were on the stage playing various instruments depending on the song, and they all sounded great. They broke right into Paper Thin Walls with their first song, which is one of my favorites. Float On was the third song they played, which, of course, was great. Other highlights were 3rd Planet, Bukowski, and Doin' the Cockroach. Another great moment occurred when they played about 30 seconds of Bury Me With It before basically saying "screw it" and breaking into an incredible version of Trailer Trash (which has always been one of my favorite songs). Isaac Brock also resorted to picking his guitar with his teeth for quite some time during one of the songs (song slips me now, could have been Doin' the Cockroach), which the crowd (and I) went wild for. Overall, an incredible show in which they pretty much played everything i wanted to hear (with the possible exceptions of Dark Center of the Universe, Gravity Rides Everything, and Lounge (Closing Time)).

Next show will most likely be GBV at the Metro in Chicago, which happens to be the second to last show on the tour, a day before New Years Eve (the last also happens to be at The Metro, on New Years Eve, sadly much more expensive). Shall rocketh.

[Sampson]

Next show will most likely be GBV at the Metro in Chicago, which happens to be the second to last show on the tour, a day before New Years Eve (the last also happens to be at The Metro, on New Years Eve, sadly much more expensive). Shall rocketh.
I'll be at one of those shows, probably the second to last one because I'm a cheap bastard. Wanted to see sonic youth and wolf eyes play at the vic theater last week but I waited too long to get tickets and it sold out.

[bmac]

sadly i found out last night that both of the metro shows are already sold out. if i had been in position to do so, i would have bought tickets on saturday when they went on sale. oh well, guess it just wasn't meant to be.

[Sampson]

wow, I really need to get off my ass about this whole purchasing tickets thing...

hopefully ted leo will swing through champaign again on his next tour, I've always managed to make it to his shows

[jack]

Sonic Youth w/ Hair Police & Sunburned Hand Of The Man - August 5th 2004 @ Kool Haus

before i go anywhere, holy fuck i cant imagine how ridiculous they would've been before becoming seniors.

both opening bands disappointed greatly...complete and utter noise with no point whatsoever. hair police came on with horrible samples and aimless thrashing of guitar strings...the only person up there who was actually doing anything that i couldn't do was the drummer. lyrics were non-existent...only growling/high pitched screaming/etc.. sounded like some horrible euro-noise-thrash-speed conc