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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
I read through 11 pages of comments here hoping for someone to at least explain why Lou Reed would play large chunks of a show with his back to the audience - it's all about the feedback and you have to be facing the amp to get it right. With the exception of Neil Young I'm not sure any other musician continuosly working from the Sixties to the present has put as much time and energy into making feedback an integrated part of the song rather than an ear-splitting bit of razzle dazzle. Hendrix had his back to the audience when he humped his amp at Monterey but does anyone really think he just liked his amp that well or was it just showmanship on top of the search for feedback - the voice of god singing to us all.
Oh and I have to agree with the person who said you can't go wrong with punk/Irish Flogging Molly. A fucking grand hoolie and no mistake.
Yes, yes, yes, I have to third this. I saw them at a festival and they were fan-fucking-tastic. I'd wanted to see them, and was there with a friend who was neutral before and completely sold after.
The Pogues
Saw them at a small club--great live, with or without Shane.
Erasure
Been to multiple shows in San Francisco--always great energy and crowd there, even if the venue's largish. Saw them at a small club in San Diego, too, which was very fun.
They Might Be Giants
Again, agreeing with previous posters. I've seen them 3-4 times now in different cities. Always fun to see the awkward, nerdy crowd completely let go by the end of the night. The Johns have been at this for a while, but clearly aren't getting tired of it.
The White Stripes
I thought they were OK, but not spectacular, before seeing them live. I was really impressed by how much sound the two of them can generate, though. Jack really is one hell of a guitarist.
Orbital
Probably the best live show I've ever been to, in San Francisco at the Warfield. I didn't even know them that well before I went (granted, at least you're not handicapped by not knowing the lyrics with that genre), but it sure was a great time. Too bad they're not still together.
I think these guys are based in LA, saw them for the first time a few weeks ago. The delivery was immaculate. Great songs that I never heard before. And Saint John plays and sings like he's on fire. Small venue (The Gig or something like that) so it was very intimate and I got to meet Saint John after the show.
Yays:
Crowded House - I was a true Househead from 1987-1993. Never missed a show and never saw a bad show. I'm hoping they're able to revive that brilliance on their upcoming US tour.
Paul Kelly - variously called the Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen of Australia - literally one of the most brilliant singer-songwriters of the past 30 years. No doubt about it! And he's a consistently outstanding live performer, with or without a band.
Richard Thompson - never disappoints, in large or small venues
Radiohead - riveting every time
You Am I - blistering Aussie band
Maktub - Lead singer Reggie White has charisma to burn
Black 47 - Irish punk with a heart
Nays:
1) Seeing shows in gigantoriums. If someone is playing in a venue that holds more than 3000 people, I won't go unless it's Radiohead, who seem to be able to surpass that constraints of any venue. The larger the venue the more distractions. I'd rather watch it on TV
2) Cellphones (people turning them on and the lights shining in a dark room; people who take photos of themselves and/or the artist - for what purpose, I ask???!!!; people who text and or talk on them during the show. These people are EVIL and socially retarded!
3) Artists who say "I love you X (insert City)." Come on! You do not! As Feist (a fantastic live performer) said just this week at the Fillmore, "I don't know you so how can I love you?!"
4) Ticketba#$ard "convenience" and mailing fees. Support your small local club and buy your ticket at the venue.
OK Go and They Might Be Giants are fantastic.
Not the greeting card company, but the band based out of Oxford, Mississippi.
Try this link to download a free concert from their June 9 performance at Proud Larry's.
It's a big zipped file. The best cuts are Generic America, Bloody 98 and Stop Breaking Down.
Here's the link
http://p094.ezboard.com/fnafoomfrm2
No, I won't say "old reliables," though these artists are, for the most part, decades too old for American Idol.
1. Richard Thompson. There is no equal. Always inventive, never self-indulgent, generally accessible but never pandering, dynamic, charismatic, and odd. I have seen him well over 100 times, and I never get tired of hearing him. See him just once in your life.
2. James McMurtry. One of the best live performers out there, with the same sort of stealth attack as Thompson: It all seems ordinary at first, but soon you're in a whirlwind. Plus, he's really crotchety. Don't stand up front unless you're gonna dance, dammit.
3. Susan McKeown. This Irish-American singer has done rock, Celtic, cabaret, jazz, and even klezmer (as guest on the Klezmatics' most recent Grammy winner). She's got a big, bright banner of a voice.
4. Jeff Lang. He's an Australian singer/songwriter/guitarist with nearly boundless dynamism. Somehow he manages to maintain emotional delicacy amid what is sometimes a tumult of notes.
5. BeauSoleil. This Cajun workhorse team never falters, just keeps the good vibe going.
6. Dan Bern. One of those guys who prompts reactions of "Where has this guy been all my life?" Acerbic and erudite, lacerating and surprisingly sentimental.
7. Shawn Colvin. I've never seen her put on a bad show.
8. Herman's Hermits. Yeah, I know: I've now wrecked any credibility I built up. But if you want a goofy nostalgia trip, a few larfs, these are your boys.
9. Ashley MacIsaac. Maybe some of the fire has settled down since his wilder, younger days, but the Canadian violinist still makes folk rock and rock explode.
10. Ralph Stanley. Just to hear him sing "O Death" while he still can.
A few bits of advice: Getting up front is indeed a rush and often a good way to keep some tall person from blocking your sight lines; it also tends to separate the serious fans from the people who want background music for their Phi Kappa Doofus stories.
But you gotta respect your venue: People will be noisier at a club than at a theater, on the whole. And a good artist will likely play off the energy presented by the crowd. I've seen a few wonderful artists in venues that nearly killed their sets because of oblivious audiences.
Go in knowing what to expect. If you want a seat, don't bitch because Club Whatzis doesn't offer them. If the venue warns patrons to be quiet, keep it down.
If you find a venue you like, stick to it. It's feeding something that needs to grow.
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"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
