Dappled Cities finished their Wall of Zounds tour with a sell-out show at the Metro in front of a hometown crowd. The enthusiastic reception they received from the crowd was matched in turn by the band’s obvious joy and appreciation, all of them grinning and happy.
Not that the night went smoothly – they were plagued with technical difficulties at the start, with Dave Rennick shuffling on and off stage trying to fix things while Tim Derricourt led the rest of the band in a meandering jam session and apologised to the restless crowd. And though Derricourt, bouncing all over the stage in excitement, is of the opinion that new album Zounds, only released in the week prior to this gig, is the band’s best to date, there’s a palpable sense of ‘I like your old songs better than your new songs’ from the audience through the rest of the night.
Still, Dappled bravely play half their set from an album that hardly anyone has had time to get to know. The new songs are more sombre in tone, but sound great anyway. The biggest response of the night though is saved for Holy Chord from previous album Granddance. Derricourt says the song is about universal love, and encourages each person to hug the one next to them.
About an hour in, the band leave the stage surprisingly early. But the crowd is mollified by two amusing segments on the backing screen from Alphabreaks, the band’s side project of children’s edutainment (Y for Yodel, and H for Harmonica). Then to top it all off, the band return to the stage in homemade suits adorned with lit up fairy lights to continue playing, including new single The Price which goes down well with the crowd. They get an even better response of cheers and catcalls when, upon leaving the stage, Rennick has to do an impromptu strip out of his suit as his lights have gotten tangled up.
With the crowd still chanting and cheering away, the band return to stage one final time. Rennicourt tells the audience that they hate encores and don’t normally do them, but they make an exception for their adoring audience to play one final song, “a farewell song” that closes Zounds. Here’s hope they it’s not another long goodbye, and that they’ll be back touring the country soon.
Colour Coding
Peach
Vision Bell
The Night is Young At Heart
Wooden Ships
Fire Fire Fire
Miniature Alas
Beach
Answer is Zero
Holy Chord
Cream
(Alphabreaks)
The Price
Apart
Stepshadows
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Lollapalooza 2009 - Grant Park, Chicago
day 1 - 7 Aug
We thought we were making good time until we hit Grant Park and found the ridiculous line stretching blocks from the main entrance and then around the corner. We joined it at the base of the short side and started panicking a little when we were still so far from the front after gates supposedly opened at 11. We heard Manchester Orchestra soundchecking I Got Friends as we passed the north corner; they were pretty much the one band I really really did not want to miss and they were on at 12:15. But in a stroke of luck, we were so far back in the line that we were shunted into the north entrance ie. the one at the top of the block we were on. Phew!
As we slipped into a spot in front of the Budweiser Stage waiting for Manchester Orchestra it started to rain. We didn't have any rain ponchos or our umbrellas (turns out you can bring them into Lolla - something definitely worth knowing beforehand!) but we thought hey, whatever, we can buy 'em inside the grounds if we need 'em. So we were a tad cold and damp as we watched Manchester Orchestra rock out, but damn, were they worth it. It was a short set and mostly of Mean Everything to Nothing songs, but so powerful and moody, everything I love about them. I only wished they'd played longer, and maybe thrown in more than one song from their older material. I missed their Australian tour while I was travelling! I hope they come back soon.
Shake It Out
Pride
In My Teeth
Now That You’re Home
My Friend Marcus
I’ve Got Friends
Everything to Nothing
The River
Andy Hull, of Manchester Orchestra
We managed to catch three songs of The Gaslight Anthem set, but it was getting hard to enjoy any of the music when all I could think about was how I had the rest of the day to stand under this rain. So we left the festival grounds, blindly walking into various shops trying to find cheap ponchos. We finally walked into a 7/11, dripping, and the manager by the door just said in a knowing tone, "Ponchos?" They must've made a killing that day.
Once esconsed in our ginormous yellow sheets (I felt like a drowned duckling, and at one point I swear some guy walked past and quacked at me) we booked it back to make it to see Kevin Devine, missing only the first song. He was playing one of the smaller side stages, and what the crowd lacked in numbers they made up for it in enthusiasm. He played a great set, a mix of old and new, ending with the amazing Brother's Blood. It might have been the near-perfect combination of music and setting - he and his Goddamn Band and their slow-build intensity, surrounded by light rain, grey skies, and trees. This was probably the highlight of the day for me, and that's high praise considering how many of my favourite acts were to come.
Yr Husband
Carnival
Another Bag of Bones
No Time Flat
I Could Be With Anyone
Burning City Smoking
Just Stay
Cotton Crush
Brother’s Blood
Back at the main stages, we caught the tail end of Bon Iver - well, I heard Creature Fear, at least - and then huddled under some shade and waited out Ben Folds. I had been looking foward to seeing him solo, having somehow missed him the 400 or so times he toured our country in the past few years, but I was really put off by the bitter, women-hating charmlessness of the first few songs, particularly the supposedly jokey Bitch Went Nutz, one of the fake songs he "leaked" prior to his latest album. But I did enjoy hearing some of the older stuff late in the set, and I was singing along by the end.
Bitch Went Nutz
Effington
Landed
Bitches Aint Shit
Dr Yang
Hiroshima
Rockin’ The Suburbs
Kate
Narcolepsy
You Don’t Know Me
Army
There was a blessed respite from the rain during Fleet Foxes which was great because we could venture closer to the stage to see them. My brief notes, written on site, read: "beautiful harmonies, very beard-y". I think this sums them up pretty well. They really sound amazing, from the acapella start with all those voices melding together on Sun Giant, to the last notes of my favourite, Blue Ridge Mountains.
Sun Giant
Sun It Rises
Drops In the River
English House
White Winter Hymnal
Ragged Wood
Your Protector
Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
He Doesn't Know Why
Mykonos
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Decemberists started barely moments after Fleet Foxes finished, with a solid crowd camped around the stage way before, so we contented ourselves with a good view of a big screen, and clear sound. I know Colin Meloy had promised us the entirety of the Hazards of Love but then they really did it! Which I thought was a really ballsy set for a festival, but I totally appreciated it. It really is made to be heard in that form, and it a sight to behold live with Becky Sharp in a long white gown with dramatic sleeves, and Shara Worden looking fierce in a silver spangled, asymmetric black dress. Utterly crazy, in the very best of ways.
We were so so cold by that point, but I hung on to catch Andrew Bird. He got a huge reception from his hometown, and he played a lovely set, singingly beautifully and letting loose on his violin, backed by a complement of odd looking instruments. He played Not a Robot But A Ghost, which I love, and he intro'd it as something they hadn't been playing live much. :D
Fiery Crash
Masterswarm
Opposite Day
Fitz and the Dizzyspells
Oh No
Effigy
Not A Robot But A Ghost
Anonanimal
Imitosis
Scythian Empires
Tables and Chairs
Fake Palindromes
day 2 - 8 Aug
We made a concious effort to get to Lolla early, having learned our lessons about massive lines. We waited and wilted in the heat for the gates to open (weather whiplash - freezing wet one day, ridiculously hot and humid the next...) then dashed to see Yuto Miyazawa on the Kidzapalooza stage. He played a guitar which was the same size as he was! He might only be nine years old, but he's a really adorable and consumate guitar shredder, and watching the few kids haunting the front of stage in awe was almost as fun as watching him play.
Yuto Miyazawa
We wandered around, listened briefly to Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, who weren't bad, then caught the Delta Spirit set. I thought they were really fun, and musically really talented. The frontman had this great old school charm, and they played a great set of catchy rock n' roll.
Delta Spirit
By this time the heat was getting to us, so we had a quick rest back at the hotel, found some lunch and some awesome public art (Chicago just has a Picasso and a Miro lying around, no biggie), before we headed back to see Coheed and Cambria. They played fast and furious, and threw in a great cover of Under the Milky Way.
No World for Tomorrow
Gravediggers and Gunslingers
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Ten Speed of God's Blood and Burial
A Favor House Atlantic
The Writing Writer
Blood Red Summer
Under the Milky Way (The Church cover)
Everything Evil
Welcome Home
And then we hit the lowlight of Lolla. A quarter of the way into the Glasvegas set I just wasn't getting it - the songs, which sound simple in an almost endearing way on record, were bland and incredibly amateur live. Then lead singer James Allan revealed himself to be a giant dick, apropos of his obsession with them considering how many references he made to his own during a five minute rant; he then started harassing their female drummer about just needing a big dick. So we left. None of that was worth sitting through just to hear Daddy's Gone live.
The good thing was that we left early enough to make it to the other side of the park and catch the last third of Santigold. She finished with Creator, after first hauling about fifteen excited fans on stage to show off their (negligible) dance moves alongside her. It was like a big squishy happy dance party over here, and it was so much fun, and the perfect thing to wash out the bad taste that was Glasvegas.
We caught three songs of the TV on the Radio set, including Golden Age, a favourite. But I'd seen them live before and we wanted to see a bit of Rise Against too, so we did the cross-park trek again. It was worth it - they played a fast, loud and tight set that had our tired selves moving along. They fitted in a last minute addition to the set, Dancing for Rain, and as that's one of my favourites I was really happy! Plus afterwards they very sweetly apologised to the sign-language lady for screwing her up, since she obviously wasn't prepared for a set change. Then they finished with Ready to Fall, which got the crowd going.
[saw the Fleet Foxes sideshow at The Metro that night, but after 3 nights and 2 solid days, I hit a wall at this point. I sat it out, which meant I didn't have to suffer through the interminable Dungen set while tightly packed with a gazillion people in an incredibly stuffy theatre with no A/C on a very hot night, but it also meant that I saw very little of Fleet Foxes. They sounded, once again, utterly delightful. But by this point it was all I could do stay cognisant and awake to hear the music.]
day 3 - 9 Aug
Luckily we were expecting a late start to this last day, so after a recuperating sleep and a lazy hour-and-a-half long breakfast (where we pored over the local street press and goggled at the large number of bands we'd love to see who would be playing in Chicago over the coming three months) we finally made our way back to Grant Park. We caught a bit of Friendly Fires, who were decent if not particularly exciting or original, as we waited to see Portugal. The Man. I really enjoyed Portugal. The Man - they were a great jam band, their music was layered and really interesting, and lead singer really knew how to use his voice as an instrument. I've been listening to them a bit since we got back.
Church Mouth
Lay Me Back Down
And I
The Sun
New Orleans
Bellies are Full
My Mind
Chicago
1989
AKA M80 The Wolf
Portugal. The Man
It was getting so so hot under the sun, we escaped under a handy bank of trees where we had a mostly unimpeded view of the big screens for both main northern stages, and caught all the afternoon acts from there. Kaiser Chiefs were a lot of fun and great to sing along to with their bouncy pop-rock.
Never Miss A Beat
Everything is Average Nowadays
Everyday I love You Less and Less
Ruby
Can’t Say What I Mean
Love’s Not a Competition
Like It Too Much
Modern Way
You Want History
I Predict a Riot
The Angry Mob
Take My Temperature
Oh My God
During The Raveonettes I chilled out with their soothing but not distinctive music in the background and write up some of my Chicago adventures.
Neko Case was just beautiful to listen to, her wonderful voice strong and clear even from a distance. She had a Middle Cyclone-heavy set, and particular highlights for me were slower songs like The Pharoahs where the music soars. She had lovely stage presence too, and a nice rapport with her band, as they wound down their tour, but also with the audience. It was perfect for a summer's afternoon, drowsy and heavy with sunshine and breeze.
Heading down to the southern end of the festival, we caught most of the Cold War Kids set, which I thoroughly enjoyed. They were great live, solid and catchy, and a new song (Santa Ana Winds) gave an indication that the new material will be just as good. We took a dinner break on a bluff overlooking the swarms of people around the stage where Snoop Dogg was peforming. Even from afar it looked like fun.
Then we found a contestable spot, slightly raised above the crowd, where we could watch Silversun Pickups. They were really good, gravelly and punchy, with a good selection of songs from Swoon that blended in seamlessly with their older material.
Growing Old Is Getting Old
Well Thought Out Twinkles
No More Secrets This Year
The Royal We
Little Lovers So Polite
It's Nice to Know You Work Alone
Substitution
Kissing Families
Panic Switch
Lazy Eye
And on the last night, we finally caught one of the headliners. The Killers started off bombastically, as expected, with Brandon Flowers flouncing along the front of the stage in flowers and big gestures. For every great song though, there was a dull one, and numerous rambling, earnest anecdotes to be heard. But by Mr Brightside they had tempted me down off my comfortable, very-far-away vantage point onto the field to dance, and I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed myself for those last few songs.
Human
This is Your Life
Somebody Told Me
For Reasons Unknown
Bones
Joy Ride
Bling
Shadowplay (Joy Division cover)
Smile Like You Mean It
Spaceman
A Dustland Fairytale
Read My Mind
Mr Brightside
All These Things That I’ve Done
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
When You Were Young
We thought we were making good time until we hit Grant Park and found the ridiculous line stretching blocks from the main entrance and then around the corner. We joined it at the base of the short side and started panicking a little when we were still so far from the front after gates supposedly opened at 11. We heard Manchester Orchestra soundchecking I Got Friends as we passed the north corner; they were pretty much the one band I really really did not want to miss and they were on at 12:15. But in a stroke of luck, we were so far back in the line that we were shunted into the north entrance ie. the one at the top of the block we were on. Phew!
As we slipped into a spot in front of the Budweiser Stage waiting for Manchester Orchestra it started to rain. We didn't have any rain ponchos or our umbrellas (turns out you can bring them into Lolla - something definitely worth knowing beforehand!) but we thought hey, whatever, we can buy 'em inside the grounds if we need 'em. So we were a tad cold and damp as we watched Manchester Orchestra rock out, but damn, were they worth it. It was a short set and mostly of Mean Everything to Nothing songs, but so powerful and moody, everything I love about them. I only wished they'd played longer, and maybe thrown in more than one song from their older material. I missed their Australian tour while I was travelling! I hope they come back soon.
Shake It Out
Pride
In My Teeth
Now That You’re Home
My Friend Marcus
I’ve Got Friends
Everything to Nothing
The River
Andy Hull, of Manchester Orchestra
We managed to catch three songs of The Gaslight Anthem set, but it was getting hard to enjoy any of the music when all I could think about was how I had the rest of the day to stand under this rain. So we left the festival grounds, blindly walking into various shops trying to find cheap ponchos. We finally walked into a 7/11, dripping, and the manager by the door just said in a knowing tone, "Ponchos?" They must've made a killing that day.
Once esconsed in our ginormous yellow sheets (I felt like a drowned duckling, and at one point I swear some guy walked past and quacked at me) we booked it back to make it to see Kevin Devine, missing only the first song. He was playing one of the smaller side stages, and what the crowd lacked in numbers they made up for it in enthusiasm. He played a great set, a mix of old and new, ending with the amazing Brother's Blood. It might have been the near-perfect combination of music and setting - he and his Goddamn Band and their slow-build intensity, surrounded by light rain, grey skies, and trees. This was probably the highlight of the day for me, and that's high praise considering how many of my favourite acts were to come.
Yr Husband
Carnival
Another Bag of Bones
No Time Flat
I Could Be With Anyone
Burning City Smoking
Just Stay
Cotton Crush
Brother’s Blood
Back at the main stages, we caught the tail end of Bon Iver - well, I heard Creature Fear, at least - and then huddled under some shade and waited out Ben Folds. I had been looking foward to seeing him solo, having somehow missed him the 400 or so times he toured our country in the past few years, but I was really put off by the bitter, women-hating charmlessness of the first few songs, particularly the supposedly jokey Bitch Went Nutz, one of the fake songs he "leaked" prior to his latest album. But I did enjoy hearing some of the older stuff late in the set, and I was singing along by the end.
Bitch Went Nutz
Effington
Landed
Bitches Aint Shit
Dr Yang
Hiroshima
Rockin’ The Suburbs
Kate
Narcolepsy
You Don’t Know Me
Army
There was a blessed respite from the rain during Fleet Foxes which was great because we could venture closer to the stage to see them. My brief notes, written on site, read: "beautiful harmonies, very beard-y". I think this sums them up pretty well. They really sound amazing, from the acapella start with all those voices melding together on Sun Giant, to the last notes of my favourite, Blue Ridge Mountains.
Sun Giant
Sun It Rises
Drops In the River
English House
White Winter Hymnal
Ragged Wood
Your Protector
Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
He Doesn't Know Why
Mykonos
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Decemberists started barely moments after Fleet Foxes finished, with a solid crowd camped around the stage way before, so we contented ourselves with a good view of a big screen, and clear sound. I know Colin Meloy had promised us the entirety of the Hazards of Love but then they really did it! Which I thought was a really ballsy set for a festival, but I totally appreciated it. It really is made to be heard in that form, and it a sight to behold live with Becky Sharp in a long white gown with dramatic sleeves, and Shara Worden looking fierce in a silver spangled, asymmetric black dress. Utterly crazy, in the very best of ways.
We were so so cold by that point, but I hung on to catch Andrew Bird. He got a huge reception from his hometown, and he played a lovely set, singingly beautifully and letting loose on his violin, backed by a complement of odd looking instruments. He played Not a Robot But A Ghost, which I love, and he intro'd it as something they hadn't been playing live much. :D
Fiery Crash
Masterswarm
Opposite Day
Fitz and the Dizzyspells
Oh No
Effigy
Not A Robot But A Ghost
Anonanimal
Imitosis
Scythian Empires
Tables and Chairs
Fake Palindromes
day 2 - 8 Aug
We made a concious effort to get to Lolla early, having learned our lessons about massive lines. We waited and wilted in the heat for the gates to open (weather whiplash - freezing wet one day, ridiculously hot and humid the next...) then dashed to see Yuto Miyazawa on the Kidzapalooza stage. He played a guitar which was the same size as he was! He might only be nine years old, but he's a really adorable and consumate guitar shredder, and watching the few kids haunting the front of stage in awe was almost as fun as watching him play.
Yuto Miyazawa
We wandered around, listened briefly to Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, who weren't bad, then caught the Delta Spirit set. I thought they were really fun, and musically really talented. The frontman had this great old school charm, and they played a great set of catchy rock n' roll.
Delta Spirit
By this time the heat was getting to us, so we had a quick rest back at the hotel, found some lunch and some awesome public art (Chicago just has a Picasso and a Miro lying around, no biggie), before we headed back to see Coheed and Cambria. They played fast and furious, and threw in a great cover of Under the Milky Way.
No World for Tomorrow
Gravediggers and Gunslingers
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Ten Speed of God's Blood and Burial
A Favor House Atlantic
The Writing Writer
Blood Red Summer
Under the Milky Way (The Church cover)
Everything Evil
Welcome Home
And then we hit the lowlight of Lolla. A quarter of the way into the Glasvegas set I just wasn't getting it - the songs, which sound simple in an almost endearing way on record, were bland and incredibly amateur live. Then lead singer James Allan revealed himself to be a giant dick, apropos of his obsession with them considering how many references he made to his own during a five minute rant; he then started harassing their female drummer about just needing a big dick. So we left. None of that was worth sitting through just to hear Daddy's Gone live.
The good thing was that we left early enough to make it to the other side of the park and catch the last third of Santigold. She finished with Creator, after first hauling about fifteen excited fans on stage to show off their (negligible) dance moves alongside her. It was like a big squishy happy dance party over here, and it was so much fun, and the perfect thing to wash out the bad taste that was Glasvegas.
We caught three songs of the TV on the Radio set, including Golden Age, a favourite. But I'd seen them live before and we wanted to see a bit of Rise Against too, so we did the cross-park trek again. It was worth it - they played a fast, loud and tight set that had our tired selves moving along. They fitted in a last minute addition to the set, Dancing for Rain, and as that's one of my favourites I was really happy! Plus afterwards they very sweetly apologised to the sign-language lady for screwing her up, since she obviously wasn't prepared for a set change. Then they finished with Ready to Fall, which got the crowd going.
[saw the Fleet Foxes sideshow at The Metro that night, but after 3 nights and 2 solid days, I hit a wall at this point. I sat it out, which meant I didn't have to suffer through the interminable Dungen set while tightly packed with a gazillion people in an incredibly stuffy theatre with no A/C on a very hot night, but it also meant that I saw very little of Fleet Foxes. They sounded, once again, utterly delightful. But by this point it was all I could do stay cognisant and awake to hear the music.]
day 3 - 9 Aug
Luckily we were expecting a late start to this last day, so after a recuperating sleep and a lazy hour-and-a-half long breakfast (where we pored over the local street press and goggled at the large number of bands we'd love to see who would be playing in Chicago over the coming three months) we finally made our way back to Grant Park. We caught a bit of Friendly Fires, who were decent if not particularly exciting or original, as we waited to see Portugal. The Man. I really enjoyed Portugal. The Man - they were a great jam band, their music was layered and really interesting, and lead singer really knew how to use his voice as an instrument. I've been listening to them a bit since we got back.
Church Mouth
Lay Me Back Down
And I
The Sun
New Orleans
Bellies are Full
My Mind
Chicago
1989
AKA M80 The Wolf
Portugal. The Man
It was getting so so hot under the sun, we escaped under a handy bank of trees where we had a mostly unimpeded view of the big screens for both main northern stages, and caught all the afternoon acts from there. Kaiser Chiefs were a lot of fun and great to sing along to with their bouncy pop-rock.
Never Miss A Beat
Everything is Average Nowadays
Everyday I love You Less and Less
Ruby
Can’t Say What I Mean
Love’s Not a Competition
Like It Too Much
Modern Way
You Want History
I Predict a Riot
The Angry Mob
Take My Temperature
Oh My God
During The Raveonettes I chilled out with their soothing but not distinctive music in the background and write up some of my Chicago adventures.
Neko Case was just beautiful to listen to, her wonderful voice strong and clear even from a distance. She had a Middle Cyclone-heavy set, and particular highlights for me were slower songs like The Pharoahs where the music soars. She had lovely stage presence too, and a nice rapport with her band, as they wound down their tour, but also with the audience. It was perfect for a summer's afternoon, drowsy and heavy with sunshine and breeze.
Heading down to the southern end of the festival, we caught most of the Cold War Kids set, which I thoroughly enjoyed. They were great live, solid and catchy, and a new song (Santa Ana Winds) gave an indication that the new material will be just as good. We took a dinner break on a bluff overlooking the swarms of people around the stage where Snoop Dogg was peforming. Even from afar it looked like fun.
Then we found a contestable spot, slightly raised above the crowd, where we could watch Silversun Pickups. They were really good, gravelly and punchy, with a good selection of songs from Swoon that blended in seamlessly with their older material.
Growing Old Is Getting Old
Well Thought Out Twinkles
No More Secrets This Year
The Royal We
Little Lovers So Polite
It's Nice to Know You Work Alone
Substitution
Kissing Families
Panic Switch
Lazy Eye
And on the last night, we finally caught one of the headliners. The Killers started off bombastically, as expected, with Brandon Flowers flouncing along the front of the stage in flowers and big gestures. For every great song though, there was a dull one, and numerous rambling, earnest anecdotes to be heard. But by Mr Brightside they had tempted me down off my comfortable, very-far-away vantage point onto the field to dance, and I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed myself for those last few songs.
Human
This is Your Life
Somebody Told Me
For Reasons Unknown
Bones
Joy Ride
Bling
Shadowplay (Joy Division cover)
Smile Like You Mean It
Spaceman
A Dustland Fairytale
Read My Mind
Mr Brightside
All These Things That I’ve Done
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
When You Were Young
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Band of Horses - 7 Aug 2009 - House of Blues, Chicago
Lesson of the day: never ever again rely on Google Maps alone to find an unfamiliar venue. DDDDDDDDDDDDDD:
I was quite grumpy by the time we ended up at the HOB, an hour after we first set out, despite the fact it's only really two blocks from our hotel. Add to the fact the venue layout sucked, the floor was already packed full of obnoxious and tall people, and Cass McCombs played a boring support set and I was not a happy chappy at all by the time Band of Horses took the stage.
They really are very accomplished musicians, and they played a great mix of songs from both albums, as well as a few new songs from their upcoming album (which I know is called Night Rainbow because Ben Bridwell plugged it at every possible opportunity!). They were decidedly more country-sounding than usual, including a Gram Parsons cover amongst the midst, and looking less beard-y but more dressed in flannel than before. I enjoyed it, but I felt like I'd seen a better show the year before at home; I couldn't tell if that was actually the case though, or just my residual resentment at the everything else seeping through. I finally got to hear Monsters live though, even if I did get mocked by the (IRRITATING AND DRUNK) girl next to me when she caught me singing along.
The Great Salt Lake
Is There A Ghost?
Lamb on the Lam
Weed Party
Marry song
(new song)
Cigarettes, Wedding Bands
Window Blues
A Song for You (Gram Parsons cover)
(new song)
Funeral
Wicked Gil
(new song)
No One’s Gonna Love You
General Specific
Our Swords
The First Song
Monsters
I was quite grumpy by the time we ended up at the HOB, an hour after we first set out, despite the fact it's only really two blocks from our hotel. Add to the fact the venue layout sucked, the floor was already packed full of obnoxious and tall people, and Cass McCombs played a boring support set and I was not a happy chappy at all by the time Band of Horses took the stage.
They really are very accomplished musicians, and they played a great mix of songs from both albums, as well as a few new songs from their upcoming album (which I know is called Night Rainbow because Ben Bridwell plugged it at every possible opportunity!). They were decidedly more country-sounding than usual, including a Gram Parsons cover amongst the midst, and looking less beard-y but more dressed in flannel than before. I enjoyed it, but I felt like I'd seen a better show the year before at home; I couldn't tell if that was actually the case though, or just my residual resentment at the everything else seeping through. I finally got to hear Monsters live though, even if I did get mocked by the (IRRITATING AND DRUNK) girl next to me when she caught me singing along.
The Great Salt Lake
Is There A Ghost?
Lamb on the Lam
Weed Party
Marry song
(new song)
Cigarettes, Wedding Bands
Window Blues
A Song for You (Gram Parsons cover)
(new song)
Funeral
Wicked Gil
(new song)
No One’s Gonna Love You
General Specific
Our Swords
The First Song
Monsters
Friday, August 7, 2009
The Decemberists - 6 Aug 2009 - The Metro, Chicago
Heartless Bastards were already on stage when we squeezed onto the packed floor at the Metro. I hadn't heard their music before, but their blues-tinged rock was enjoyable, and lead singer Erika Wennerstrom's voice is amazing.
Colin Meloy talked about the process of selecting the night's set list as an introduction. The 'All Request' online vote notched up 20 000 votes but as Meloy noted, there were only about 1000 of us present. So, he drily concluded, they might be playing for the 19 000 others. And then he warned us that poll results were pretty much as expected, so if we were one of the fifteen who voted for an obscure song then we were probably going to be disappointed. I prepared myself. Then they launched into the Tain, all 18 minutes of it. ?!
After that unusualy start though, the set list did run along 'best of' lines, albeit with an emphasis on The Crane Wife songs. Though the band on stage included Becky Sharp (of Lavendar Diamonds) and Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond), their Hazards of Love lineup, material from their latest album was restricted to only The Rake's Song, though Meloy reassured the audience that the next day's set at Lollapalooza would be the Hazards of Love in its entirety. He also, at this point, took time to make fun of people who choose to shorten Lollapalooza to Lolla, which included their stage manager (and me).
There was such a great atmosphere during the concert. The band sounded great, polished but enthursed, and Becky and Shara's voices worked beautifully with Colin Meloy's, providing a lively, lovely countepart to his distinctive voice. There was a nice emphasis on interaction between fans and the band too, from Meloy's constant banter with the audience between songs - Meloy quipped that a lull while instruments were being tuned was by request too - to the hilarious contest between upper and lower floors iniated by Meloy during an extended 16x32. He asked each level to sing the 'la-di-dah' refrain, while shaking our fists in mock rage, to see who was the loudest. Sure, we must have looked ridiculous, but it was so much fun! From the grins all around me, in the balcony above, and those onstage, I'd say that everyone was having a good time. I felt like that for the whole show; I could've heard them play for hours more.
The Tain
July, July!
The Rake’s Song
Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect
We Both Go Down Together
Yankee Bayonet
The Crane Wife 3
The Calamity Song (new)
16x32
O Valencia
Crazy on You (Heart cover)
Red Right Ankle
Sons and Daughters
The Mariner’s Revenge Song
Colin Meloy talked about the process of selecting the night's set list as an introduction. The 'All Request' online vote notched up 20 000 votes but as Meloy noted, there were only about 1000 of us present. So, he drily concluded, they might be playing for the 19 000 others. And then he warned us that poll results were pretty much as expected, so if we were one of the fifteen who voted for an obscure song then we were probably going to be disappointed. I prepared myself. Then they launched into the Tain, all 18 minutes of it. ?!
After that unusualy start though, the set list did run along 'best of' lines, albeit with an emphasis on The Crane Wife songs. Though the band on stage included Becky Sharp (of Lavendar Diamonds) and Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond), their Hazards of Love lineup, material from their latest album was restricted to only The Rake's Song, though Meloy reassured the audience that the next day's set at Lollapalooza would be the Hazards of Love in its entirety. He also, at this point, took time to make fun of people who choose to shorten Lollapalooza to Lolla, which included their stage manager (and me).
There was such a great atmosphere during the concert. The band sounded great, polished but enthursed, and Becky and Shara's voices worked beautifully with Colin Meloy's, providing a lively, lovely countepart to his distinctive voice. There was a nice emphasis on interaction between fans and the band too, from Meloy's constant banter with the audience between songs - Meloy quipped that a lull while instruments were being tuned was by request too - to the hilarious contest between upper and lower floors iniated by Meloy during an extended 16x32. He asked each level to sing the 'la-di-dah' refrain, while shaking our fists in mock rage, to see who was the loudest. Sure, we must have looked ridiculous, but it was so much fun! From the grins all around me, in the balcony above, and those onstage, I'd say that everyone was having a good time. I felt like that for the whole show; I could've heard them play for hours more.
The Tain
July, July!
The Rake’s Song
Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect
We Both Go Down Together
Yankee Bayonet
The Crane Wife 3
The Calamity Song (new)
16x32
O Valencia
Crazy on You (Heart cover)
Red Right Ankle
Sons and Daughters
The Mariner’s Revenge Song
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Blink-182 / Fall Out Boy / Panic! At The Disco - 4 Aug 2009 - Marcus Amphitheatre
Panic! At the Disco actually split in two a month ago, leaving behind lead singer Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith to carry on the name and their touring responsibilities. But to their credit, it would've been hard to spot that this incarnation of the band, with two temporary touring members, has only been playing together for a week or two.
The arrangements are a little more muscular than before, sacrificing some of the hippie folk-rock lightness of the second album, but otherwise the songs sound pretty much the same. The set was made up of mostly first album songs too, a return to the more emo-electro sound. They were only on for about half an hour, but they made the most of it with good sound and energy. Sadly the crowd wasn't much into them, apart from pockets of fervent fans dotted around.
Time to Dance
But It’s Better if You Do
The Only Difference…
That Green Gentleman
Lying is the Most Fun…
Camisado
New Perspective
Nine in the Afternoon
I Write Sins Not Tragedies
The crowd was really into Fall Out Boy, and they kept the audience happy with another set of hit after hit. It was my fourth time seeing them, and I would happily see them do it again, they keep improving their sound and their stage presence. Patrick now totally struts all over the stage, owning it.
Near the end of the set, Pete Wentz asked the crowd,“Do you want The Take Over or something old and fun?"
I cheered for The Take Over, but got Don't Stop Believing instead which is only, oh, one of my favourite 80s power ballads, yeah! Patrick said afterwards, "That was old and fun - like Mark Hoppus!" and Pete added, "That's for saying "All The Small Things”was written about me!"
Sugar We’re Going Down
Thriller
Sixteen Candles…
Grand Theft Autumn
Headfirst Slide…
Arms Race
I Don’t Care
America’s Suitehearts
Don’t Stop Believing
Dance Dance
Saturday
Getting to hear the re-formed Blink-182 play live was a little about reliving 16 all over again. The set didn't disappoint, packed full as it was of hits and nostalgia. The light show background was way cool, busy but not too distracting. There were plenty of highlights apart from the music itself: Tom Delonge taking off one of his guitars midway through the show and just handing it away to some kid in the pit (and yeah, the pit went into a frenzy trying to get to it), the fan who got pulled up on stage so all three band members could sign his arm, Mark Hoppus’ genial stage presence, Travis Barker's amazing drumming and his flying drum kit.
However, it's hard to imagine Blink-182 continuing on as if there had never been a break between the three of them. Mark and Tom’s fraught relationship was on show too, and it's hard to gauge how much of it is performance and how much of it is real animosity. Things got pretty uncomfortable towards the end of the night. Tom became more and more belligerent on stage, swearing at the audience and his band, “mock” hate directed in both directions. Mark admonished him at one point, saying something about this happening when you've been drinking all night. In the end he apologised, and Mark sand a little made-up tune "Sorry about my friend Tom!", but the two of them had some truly awkward moments on stage.
Dumpweed
Feeling This
Rock Show
What’s My Age Again
Go
Violence
I Miss You
Stay Together For the Kids
Down
Always
Stockholm Syndrome
First Date
Man Overboard
Don’t Leave Me
Not Now
The Country Song
Adam’s Song
All The Small Things
Reckless Abandon
Josie
Anthem (pt2)
(drum solo – Travis)
Carousel
Dammit
(drum solo – Mark)
The arrangements are a little more muscular than before, sacrificing some of the hippie folk-rock lightness of the second album, but otherwise the songs sound pretty much the same. The set was made up of mostly first album songs too, a return to the more emo-electro sound. They were only on for about half an hour, but they made the most of it with good sound and energy. Sadly the crowd wasn't much into them, apart from pockets of fervent fans dotted around.
Time to Dance
But It’s Better if You Do
The Only Difference…
That Green Gentleman
Lying is the Most Fun…
Camisado
New Perspective
Nine in the Afternoon
I Write Sins Not Tragedies
The crowd was really into Fall Out Boy, and they kept the audience happy with another set of hit after hit. It was my fourth time seeing them, and I would happily see them do it again, they keep improving their sound and their stage presence. Patrick now totally struts all over the stage, owning it.
Near the end of the set, Pete Wentz asked the crowd,“Do you want The Take Over or something old and fun?"
I cheered for The Take Over, but got Don't Stop Believing instead which is only, oh, one of my favourite 80s power ballads, yeah! Patrick said afterwards, "That was old and fun - like Mark Hoppus!" and Pete added, "That's for saying "All The Small Things”was written about me!"
Sugar We’re Going Down
Thriller
Sixteen Candles…
Grand Theft Autumn
Headfirst Slide…
Arms Race
I Don’t Care
America’s Suitehearts
Don’t Stop Believing
Dance Dance
Saturday
Getting to hear the re-formed Blink-182 play live was a little about reliving 16 all over again. The set didn't disappoint, packed full as it was of hits and nostalgia. The light show background was way cool, busy but not too distracting. There were plenty of highlights apart from the music itself: Tom Delonge taking off one of his guitars midway through the show and just handing it away to some kid in the pit (and yeah, the pit went into a frenzy trying to get to it), the fan who got pulled up on stage so all three band members could sign his arm, Mark Hoppus’ genial stage presence, Travis Barker's amazing drumming and his flying drum kit.
However, it's hard to imagine Blink-182 continuing on as if there had never been a break between the three of them. Mark and Tom’s fraught relationship was on show too, and it's hard to gauge how much of it is performance and how much of it is real animosity. Things got pretty uncomfortable towards the end of the night. Tom became more and more belligerent on stage, swearing at the audience and his band, “mock” hate directed in both directions. Mark admonished him at one point, saying something about this happening when you've been drinking all night. In the end he apologised, and Mark sand a little made-up tune "Sorry about my friend Tom!", but the two of them had some truly awkward moments on stage.
Dumpweed
Feeling This
Rock Show
What’s My Age Again
Go
Violence
I Miss You
Stay Together For the Kids
Down
Always
Stockholm Syndrome
First Date
Man Overboard
Don’t Leave Me
Not Now
The Country Song
Adam’s Song
All The Small Things
Reckless Abandon
Josie
Anthem (pt2)
(drum solo – Travis)
Carousel
Dammit
(drum solo – Mark)
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