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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Ted's gotta be the most passionate performer I've ever seen. He blazes through a whole bunch (good long set) of songs at top speed, but they remain extremely melodic. Also, the audience loves him, so their's a big cloud of joy hanging over the proceedings. And Ted is really intelligent and friendly, so he'll argue with audience members (i.e. me) over the definition of syndicalism. He's also willing to hand out for 2 hours after the show to meet every fan and discuss the state of punk rock.
Gogol Bordello - Half the band are really good session musicians. Then the lead singer, the two dancing girls, and occasionally the violinst act like lunatics, playing improvised percussion instruments like buckets, and climbing the security guards. Songs lend themselves to the whole crazy-gypsy party atmosphere
Man Man - True performance art. The band stands in circle with synthesizers, guitars, horns, kazoos and drums at the ready. They never stop playing for the whole set and have these crazed tribal chants for transitions. They also built their own kazoos to make these amazing shrieks. Also, Honus Honus, the frontman likes to throw feathers and holy water at the audience. He also pulls props out of a bag and waves them around.
The Hold Steady - It's like going to a party with a bunch of friendly drunks where you listen to one guy talk about all his exploits at other parties. Amazing msuicianship and copious amounts of hard liquor make these guys a joy to watch.
Menomena - I just really like their songs, and they have really powerful sound which improves them immensley. It's also cool to watch each guy play 3 or 4 instruments and fiddle with computer programs.
Worst:
Death Cab for Cutie/ Franz Ferdinand: Awful, ill-conceived tour. The sound sucked, the venue was enormous, and the crowd was mostly ther to see Death Cab, so they were stone-still throughout Franz's pretty good (except for sound) dance rock set. Then everyone was taking myspace pictures and weepiong through the pedestrian death cab set. I hate the youth of America (I'm 18, so this isn't really bigotry)
Bruce Sprinsteen (Solo) - Everyone is boring without a band. And again, huge venues make rock boring. So this was really boring. Plus, he played sooo much shit from the loathsome devils and dust record. When I saw the seeger sessions tour, bruce kicked ass.
Do: Dance
Don't: Sing (unless everyone else is or instructed to by the band)
Do: Drink
Don't: Pass out before the show starts (saw this happen at a Radiohead show)
Do: Light a fat one when Willy starts the first notes of Whiskey River (that seems to be what everyone else does)
Don't: Bring your glowstick accessories to a rock show.
Do: Dress comfortably
Don't: Go shirtless
Do: Sit if you want to
Don't: Tell other people to sit because you're lazy.
Do: Cheer the band
Don't: Ask for Freebird or yell "Wooooo!" for no reason.
Do: Listen to the music
Don't: Use your cell phone so your buddy can listen; he should have come to the concert himself.
Do: Take a picture
Don't: Use your camera phone.
And finally, the biggest DON'T of all: Don't effing crowd surf. Crowd surfing is the biggest concert no-no of all time: it's dangerous, it has nothing to do with the show, it distracts other people from seeing the show, it's a way for women to get groped, and it was a much cooler idea in that trust fall exercise you did in middle school. Stop it.
Elvis Costello. A hard-working, passionate performer who doesn't seem to get tired as the show progresses. Does a lot of encores.
Wow I totally disagree about the New York Dolls live. I wasn't old enough to appreciate them back in their heyday, but they've made an amazing comeback. I've seen them 5 times over the last 2 years and going back this summer to see them in Brooklyn for the Siren Festival!
They were always a B+ band in my personal roster, but I sprang for tickets to their Vegas show and was very impressed. All three guys seemed totally on their game and energized. Much has been made of their re-working of some of their classics, but I thought the changes were welcome, and we're not talking Dylan-like overhauls here. Short of offering up a half dozen great new songs I can't really see how they could have been better.
I'm told by a friend who was at both Vegas and LA that Vegas was better so maybe there has been some variablity in their performances, but compared to most legacy acts I've seen this was way above the norm.
Best live acts I've seen recently:
1. Man Man. Absolute chaos-- they hardly even paused between songs.
2. Antibalas. So many musicians. So much awesome.
3. Devendra Banhart. Made jokes about the indie-prep college kids; everybody still loved him.
4. Lily Allen. Sounds as good as the album, talks as straight as the interviews.
5. O' Death. This band literally started a riot.
6. Architecture in Helsinki. Another band with lots of musicians that was still able to keep a great stage presence.
Wouldn't go again if you paid me:
1. White Stripes. Seriously. They played for maybe 25 minutes.
2. Joanna Newsom. Her set was so long, so quiet, and so soothing that I actually fell asleep. Something might be a bit awry there.
...waiting for someone to mention Ted Leo, and finally someone did. He is one of the best, for sure. Only problem is that as he's grown in popularity, he's been playing larger & larger venus in the San Francisco area. I still treasure the time I saw him at tiny Bottom of the Hill.
One of THE most amazing live bands in America today is Spottiswoode & His Enemies, who usually only play on the east coast -- they came to San Francisco once, and I caught them in North Carolina last year. It's a large band so it's difficult for them to travel. Beauty & drama & one of the most charismatic frontmen you'll ever see. They'll be playing in NY, MA and NC this summer.
I am not a huge folk music aficionado, but every time she tours, I go see Cheryl Wheeler. Her songs range from heartfelt & touching to laugh-out-loud hilarious, and the stories she tells between the songs are just as entertaining as her music. This is a lady who's been playing live for decades (she's in her 50s), and just keeps getting better and better.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
219 Democrats and one Republican join in favor of the legislation, which passed by a narrow margin
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Salon headlines in your mailbox
