Crocodile Rock Café, Allentown, PA
Openers: Inward Eye, Paper Tongues, Ajar
Despite my best efforts to miss at least one low-quality-Croc-Rock opener, I ended up seeing all three. I missed most of Inward Eye. I have no distinct memories of Ajar. Paper Tongues stood out enough because of their packed stage and singer who kept jumping around in his Revolutionary-War-era garb. They had some catchy songs and were fans of shameless self-promotion.
Not surprisingly, Our Lady Peace were good if you knew their songs. They played a song that I didn't know, and I couldn't make out the words for anything.
Now, to explain the "not surprisingly" comment. Since I like to place blame on such situations, I place all of the blame on Croc Rock. I have seen so many bands there and then at another venue and the shows just sound awful at Croc Rock. Unfortunately, this is the only venue of it's size in the Lehigh Valley. I really like nothing about this place except that it is within the Lehigh Valley. Everything else about it is awful...overpriced, crowded, dirty, unsafe, inept sound technicians, etc. I really could go on with that list for some time.
Anyway, Our Lady Peace put up a fight against Croc Rock by delivering a show packed with old singles (name an OLP single and it was more than likely played) and new material off of Burn, Burn (2009; roughly half of the album). I think that the only single that they missed was "One Man Army" (Happiness Is Not a Fish You Can Catch, 1999). Highlights include "Clumsy" (Clumsy, 1997) and the set-ending "All You Did Was Save My Life" (Burn, Burn). After the final song, they went straight into their encore after the set ended, claiming there to be no need to depart and then return. However, they graced the crowd with a second encore before which they did leave the stage. Aside from just their own songs, one of the encores included a short MGMT tangent.
Because of the poor sound quality, this show didn't stand out too much without knowing the songs. If anything, the concert cemented how awful of a venue Crocodile Rock Café is; there really was no ill reflection upon Our Lady Peace because they had all of the elements of a good show there...except the venue.
07 October 2009
Gin Blossoms - 23 July 2009
Penn's Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA
Openers: The Five Percent
I saw about the same amount of The Five Percent when they were one of the million openers for Eve 6 a few months prior: enough. They are typical of a local band: nothing too impressive, but not as terrible as most tend to be. This time I figured I'd at least mention them.
This review has taken forever to be written because it is so hard for me to admit that the Gin Blossoms were awful. It is hard to say who is to blame for this because there seemed to be some internal band bickering and disagreements with the sound technicians. That being said, not only did the band seem displeased to be playing, but they just sounded awful. The levels were too high all across the frequency spectrum, which created a muddled mess. I'm told not to blame Pike's Peak for this because their sound is usually good (I can't say for certain). I'm also told that the band have been tight and solid on previous tours.
After playing most of their compilation album, Outside Looking In: The Best of Gin Blossoms (1999), I think they played a few songs off of Major Lodge Victory (2006), but everything was such a confusion of sound (I can't bring myself to use 'cacophony' because this set doesn't deserve such exquisite, precise words) that I couldn't tell which songs were which unless I knew the entire song.
Even though it was nice to finally hear "Hey Jealousy" (New Miserable Experience, 1992) and a few others live, no matter how poorly they were done, I left extremely glad that they had not destroyed "Not Only Numb" (Congratulations...I'm Sorry, 1996). In the end, I can't decide if I'd give them another chance live.
Openers: The Five Percent
I saw about the same amount of The Five Percent when they were one of the million openers for Eve 6 a few months prior: enough. They are typical of a local band: nothing too impressive, but not as terrible as most tend to be. This time I figured I'd at least mention them.
This review has taken forever to be written because it is so hard for me to admit that the Gin Blossoms were awful. It is hard to say who is to blame for this because there seemed to be some internal band bickering and disagreements with the sound technicians. That being said, not only did the band seem displeased to be playing, but they just sounded awful. The levels were too high all across the frequency spectrum, which created a muddled mess. I'm told not to blame Pike's Peak for this because their sound is usually good (I can't say for certain). I'm also told that the band have been tight and solid on previous tours.
After playing most of their compilation album, Outside Looking In: The Best of Gin Blossoms (1999), I think they played a few songs off of Major Lodge Victory (2006), but everything was such a confusion of sound (I can't bring myself to use 'cacophony' because this set doesn't deserve such exquisite, precise words) that I couldn't tell which songs were which unless I knew the entire song.
Even though it was nice to finally hear "Hey Jealousy" (New Miserable Experience, 1992) and a few others live, no matter how poorly they were done, I left extremely glad that they had not destroyed "Not Only Numb" (Congratulations...I'm Sorry, 1996). In the end, I can't decide if I'd give them another chance live.
31 July 2009
The Wallflowers - 2 July 2009
Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA
Opener: Augustana
I will admit that I went to this show for Augustana, just as I had gone to a OneRepublic show in November (my comments) for them. I was pleased to see that the audience received them extremely well (they sold out of all of their CDs, which was probably do what they did to their sound. I'll come to that shortly.).
I've acclaimed Augustana's musical talents before; I will do it again. Almost every song that they played was infused with Wallflowers-esque beats and chords. They changed their songs to honor The Wallflowers, and it was incredible. I believe that is why they sold all of their albums that night. Naturally, "Boston" (All the Stars and Boulevards, 2005) was played in the style of Augustana. It was also rushed through, which was fine since they undoubtedly have to play that one every night.
"Sweet and Low" (Can't Love, Can't Hurt, 2008) was an acoustic treat, again. Thankfully this crowd settled down and was quiet while the band played without amplification. In their short set, they managed to play some incredible pieces from Can't Love, Can't Hurt, including "Meet You There" and "Fire", which stole the show for me.
To end, they covered Muddy Waters' "I Just Want to Make Love to You", which was a pleasure to experience. As usual, Augustana didn't play long enough, but every minute was amazing.
The Wallflowers had significantly less energy, and the show was obviously all about Jakob Dylan. I can't say that I know a lot about The Wallflowers. I have a significant portion of their catalog, but nothing really stands out to me as much as the singles, "Sleepwalker" (Breach, 2000) the most. I was pleased to hear an array of softer songs spanning their career, which was reportedly done because the soft songs sounded so fantastic in the Keswick Theatre. Aside from "Sleepwalker", the token singles of The Wallflowers were performed: "One Headlight" and "Three Marlenas" (Bringing Down the Horse, 1996). After "One Headlight" about a sixth of the audience vacated. Another large chunk left before the encore.
I'm afraid that I can't say too many specifics about The Wallflowers because I'm not as educated in their music, but it was not a bad show at all. They were not as lively as Augustana, but they were extremely talented (and it showed!).
Opener: Augustana
I will admit that I went to this show for Augustana, just as I had gone to a OneRepublic show in November (my comments) for them. I was pleased to see that the audience received them extremely well (they sold out of all of their CDs, which was probably do what they did to their sound. I'll come to that shortly.).
I've acclaimed Augustana's musical talents before; I will do it again. Almost every song that they played was infused with Wallflowers-esque beats and chords. They changed their songs to honor The Wallflowers, and it was incredible. I believe that is why they sold all of their albums that night. Naturally, "Boston" (All the Stars and Boulevards, 2005) was played in the style of Augustana. It was also rushed through, which was fine since they undoubtedly have to play that one every night.
"Sweet and Low" (Can't Love, Can't Hurt, 2008) was an acoustic treat, again. Thankfully this crowd settled down and was quiet while the band played without amplification. In their short set, they managed to play some incredible pieces from Can't Love, Can't Hurt, including "Meet You There" and "Fire", which stole the show for me.
To end, they covered Muddy Waters' "I Just Want to Make Love to You", which was a pleasure to experience. As usual, Augustana didn't play long enough, but every minute was amazing.
The Wallflowers had significantly less energy, and the show was obviously all about Jakob Dylan. I can't say that I know a lot about The Wallflowers. I have a significant portion of their catalog, but nothing really stands out to me as much as the singles, "Sleepwalker" (Breach, 2000) the most. I was pleased to hear an array of softer songs spanning their career, which was reportedly done because the soft songs sounded so fantastic in the Keswick Theatre. Aside from "Sleepwalker", the token singles of The Wallflowers were performed: "One Headlight" and "Three Marlenas" (Bringing Down the Horse, 1996). After "One Headlight" about a sixth of the audience vacated. Another large chunk left before the encore.
I'm afraid that I can't say too many specifics about The Wallflowers because I'm not as educated in their music, but it was not a bad show at all. They were not as lively as Augustana, but they were extremely talented (and it showed!).
21 July 2009
The Fray - 24 June 2009
Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
Opener: Jack's Mannequin
When the frontman of Jack's Mannequin was in Something Corporate, I attended a show they played with Story of the Year (2004). I'll admit I know no songs by Jack's Mannequin and only one or two by Something Corporate. Both bands bored me. The frontman plays piano, but the lines he plays are nothing special. He is more about the theatrics of jumping around on the piano than on exploiting the beauty of the instrument. They are a disappointment for all of their hype. The lyrics are trite and very tired. I suppose the shallow lyrics about love are what appeal to the shockingly young audience. A surprisingly large portion of the attendees left with their mothers after Jack's Mannequin parted from the stage.
The Fray took the stage and started things off with part of "Happiness" (The Fray, 2009). This seemed more appropriate to end with, which is probably partially due to the fact that it is the last song on the album. It turned out that The Fray went off the stage at the end of the encore with this, too, which seemed more appropriate.
The band sounded great in the large venue. I saw Weezer there last year, and that was probably the most disappointing show of 2008. The main difference was that the venue was closed with no lawn section for Weezer. The sound is significantly better with the back of the venue open.
During the show, there was mention of how hard it is for The Fray to play their songs night after night because of how much emotion is behind them. Disappointingly, only the background story to "How to Save a Life" (How to Save a Life, 2005) was given.
The placement of "Little House" (How to Save a Life) followed by "We Build Then We Break" (The Fray) after a few slower songs was a genius move to get patrons out of their seats and into the music. Unfortunately, hardly anyone enjoyed the songs, presumably because neither was a single. I wish I weren't serious, but I was standing in a crowd of people plastered to their seats and annoyed that I had the gall to stand. I was disappointed in the crowd's lack of energy and enthusiasm.
The encore started out with an astounding rendition of "Heaven Forbid" (How to Save a Life) with only voice and an acoustic guitar. That was followed by a Kanye West cover that the audience seemed to know better than The Fray's actual songs, which was disappointing. To end, the encore faded out with the end of "Happiness", picking up where the introduction ended.
Not surprisingly, The Fray did an incredible job with a show in such a large venue. When they catered to the crowd and played singles, the crowd was grateful. Unfortunately, the crowd didn't appreciate the non-single tracks as much, which were performed far better than the singles. The Fray have some huge singles, but the rest of their work should not be underrated and overlooked. For having only two full-length albums, they filled their time on stage well by being everything a fan could want.
Opener: Jack's Mannequin
When the frontman of Jack's Mannequin was in Something Corporate, I attended a show they played with Story of the Year (2004). I'll admit I know no songs by Jack's Mannequin and only one or two by Something Corporate. Both bands bored me. The frontman plays piano, but the lines he plays are nothing special. He is more about the theatrics of jumping around on the piano than on exploiting the beauty of the instrument. They are a disappointment for all of their hype. The lyrics are trite and very tired. I suppose the shallow lyrics about love are what appeal to the shockingly young audience. A surprisingly large portion of the attendees left with their mothers after Jack's Mannequin parted from the stage.
The Fray took the stage and started things off with part of "Happiness" (The Fray, 2009). This seemed more appropriate to end with, which is probably partially due to the fact that it is the last song on the album. It turned out that The Fray went off the stage at the end of the encore with this, too, which seemed more appropriate.
The band sounded great in the large venue. I saw Weezer there last year, and that was probably the most disappointing show of 2008. The main difference was that the venue was closed with no lawn section for Weezer. The sound is significantly better with the back of the venue open.
During the show, there was mention of how hard it is for The Fray to play their songs night after night because of how much emotion is behind them. Disappointingly, only the background story to "How to Save a Life" (How to Save a Life, 2005) was given.
The placement of "Little House" (How to Save a Life) followed by "We Build Then We Break" (The Fray) after a few slower songs was a genius move to get patrons out of their seats and into the music. Unfortunately, hardly anyone enjoyed the songs, presumably because neither was a single. I wish I weren't serious, but I was standing in a crowd of people plastered to their seats and annoyed that I had the gall to stand. I was disappointed in the crowd's lack of energy and enthusiasm.
The encore started out with an astounding rendition of "Heaven Forbid" (How to Save a Life) with only voice and an acoustic guitar. That was followed by a Kanye West cover that the audience seemed to know better than The Fray's actual songs, which was disappointing. To end, the encore faded out with the end of "Happiness", picking up where the introduction ended.
Not surprisingly, The Fray did an incredible job with a show in such a large venue. When they catered to the crowd and played singles, the crowd was grateful. Unfortunately, the crowd didn't appreciate the non-single tracks as much, which were performed far better than the singles. The Fray have some huge singles, but the rest of their work should not be underrated and overlooked. For having only two full-length albums, they filled their time on stage well by being everything a fan could want.
25 June 2009
Better Than Ezra - 17 June 2009
Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
Paper Empire Tour
Opener: Tyrone Wells
Tyrone Wells was a surprise. I thought I had no idea who he was, but I knew a few of his songs. "More" (Remain, 2009) is all over popular media (perhaps not all over, but I knew the song as soon as he hit the chorus). He opened with "In Between the Lines" (Remain), which took me automatically. His lyrics are creative, sincere, and worthwhile.
The dynamic between Wells and his band added to the show. He made a point to clear the air on the band being a band, not just a backing band. However, the band did stepped aside when Wells decided to demonstrate his yodeling skills. This alone made my attendance worthwhile.
Better Than Ezra took the stage with a replacement drummer and an extra guitarist. I had seen the band at the Trocadero when I was in high school on what was their Closer tour with American Hi-Fi and Adam Richman. I would place that actual tour in late 2003 or early 2004. This was a little different; the most prominent difference was the fact that the singer's voice was not a higher pitch than on the records this time. It actually bothered me enough the first time that I was disappointed with the show.
I opted to give them another chance as "Desperately Wanting" (Friction, Baby, 1996) is one of my favorite songs. I was pleasantly surprised that they played most of their singles: "Good", "In the Blood" (both from Deluxe, 1995) "Desperately Wanting", "King of New Orleans" (Friction, Baby), "At the Stars" (How Does Your Garden Grow?, 1998), "Extra Ordinary" (Closer, 2001), "A Lifetime", "Juicy" (both from Before the Robots, 2005), and "Absolutely Still" (Paper Empire, 2009).
The biggest disappointment was that only a few songs didn't fit into the subsets of singles, Paper Empire, or covers, most notably "Southern Thing" (Before the Robots) and "Sincerely, Me" (Closer). Better Than Ezra have a horde of amazing songs that don't make it into the "singles" subset. This also means that no songs off of Artifakt (2001) were played.
I'm not too big of a fan of the songs on Paper Empire after the first few tracks. Hearing the later tracks live made them more tolerable; this is probably because of aesthetics---the ridiculous lighting schemes---used. During "Nightclubbing", they used strobe lighting, and during "Black Light", they used black lights (No. Way.). It was wonderfully clichéd.
I will be the first to admit that the performance was fantastic, and I am just being overly critical. There really was no reason to complain, but there are some things that could have been improved (playing non-single songs!).
Paper Empire Tour
Opener: Tyrone Wells
Tyrone Wells was a surprise. I thought I had no idea who he was, but I knew a few of his songs. "More" (Remain, 2009) is all over popular media (perhaps not all over, but I knew the song as soon as he hit the chorus). He opened with "In Between the Lines" (Remain), which took me automatically. His lyrics are creative, sincere, and worthwhile.
The dynamic between Wells and his band added to the show. He made a point to clear the air on the band being a band, not just a backing band. However, the band did stepped aside when Wells decided to demonstrate his yodeling skills. This alone made my attendance worthwhile.
Better Than Ezra took the stage with a replacement drummer and an extra guitarist. I had seen the band at the Trocadero when I was in high school on what was their Closer tour with American Hi-Fi and Adam Richman. I would place that actual tour in late 2003 or early 2004. This was a little different; the most prominent difference was the fact that the singer's voice was not a higher pitch than on the records this time. It actually bothered me enough the first time that I was disappointed with the show.
I opted to give them another chance as "Desperately Wanting" (Friction, Baby, 1996) is one of my favorite songs. I was pleasantly surprised that they played most of their singles: "Good", "In the Blood" (both from Deluxe, 1995) "Desperately Wanting", "King of New Orleans" (Friction, Baby), "At the Stars" (How Does Your Garden Grow?, 1998), "Extra Ordinary" (Closer, 2001), "A Lifetime", "Juicy" (both from Before the Robots, 2005), and "Absolutely Still" (Paper Empire, 2009).
The biggest disappointment was that only a few songs didn't fit into the subsets of singles, Paper Empire, or covers, most notably "Southern Thing" (Before the Robots) and "Sincerely, Me" (Closer). Better Than Ezra have a horde of amazing songs that don't make it into the "singles" subset. This also means that no songs off of Artifakt (2001) were played.
I'm not too big of a fan of the songs on Paper Empire after the first few tracks. Hearing the later tracks live made them more tolerable; this is probably because of aesthetics---the ridiculous lighting schemes---used. During "Nightclubbing", they used strobe lighting, and during "Black Light", they used black lights (No. Way.). It was wonderfully clichéd.
I will be the first to admit that the performance was fantastic, and I am just being overly critical. There really was no reason to complain, but there are some things that could have been improved (playing non-single songs!).
15 June 2009
The Decemberists - 6 June 2009
Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
A Short Fazed Hovel Tour
Opener: Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3
Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 were not worthy of opening for The Decemberists. The opening band is usually disappointing. I've only been surprised once: last November's show at the Electric Factory (my first review for this website!). Anyway, Robyn Hitchcock and his band of aging musicians were just disappointing. There was endless babbling of nonsense interspersed throughout the songs that sounded like they were trying to recall Davy Jones.
Let's just say they played for too long, and I'm bitter that later shows on the tour included Andrew Bird as an opener. I saw him a few months ago (before the start of this blog), and he was worthy of the title "musician".
For their part, The Decemberists played straight through The Hazards of Love (2009), which was the focus of this tour. The band was joined by two additional female singers to play the parts of the female roles in the epic story.
The first played a young bride. She seemed to need a few bars to get into the parts. She always seemed to have a crescendo that shouldn't have been necessary. However, her timidity was an odd combination with her interpretive dancing that joined the show when she wasn't singing or playing an instrument. When she was in the background with the other female (who played the forest queen), she was far weaker and unable to match the pitches appropriately. There were slight trembles in the harmonies.
The forest queen, played by the singer of My Brightest Diamond, was phenomenal. For her part in "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid", she gave me goosebumps. During "The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing", I again received chills. She has a lot of power behind her voice, it was impressive (as were her silver leggings).
The best song of this set was "The Rake's Song". Naturally, Colin Meloy could not be shown up by another singer. He made this song unforgettable, although I didn't get chills.
The whole rendition of the album was seemingly flawless and completely absorbing.
After taking a short break, The Decemberists returned for a large handful of songs. I was a bit disappointed that a bunch of the songs that they played were the same ones that they played when they toured Philadelphia last November. These songs include "July, July!" (Castaways and Cutouts, 2002), "Chimbly Sweep" (Her Majesty, 2003), "O Valencia!", "Sons and Daughters" (both from The Crane Wife, 2006), and"Dracula's Daughter". Both "Chimbly Sweep" and "Dracula's Daughter" had the same exact introductions that they did a few months prior. I can't imagine that I was the only one at this show to note this.
An unexpected surprise here was "Shiny" (5 Songs, 2003), which was probably one of the last songs I expected to be played. "The Crane Wife 3" (The Crane Wife) was also quite enchanting. The real show-stealer here was a cover of "Crazy on You". The female singers came back out and the forest queen dominated. Both women sang, again the other hesitated in her abilities. When both were singing at their best, this was just an exceptional way to end the show (before the encore).
This show was everything one expected, only better (as usual). As the fifth Decemberists concert that I have experienced, I am continually amazed by how fantastic they are. However, they are not so good as to allow me to forget that they canceled their Long of It/Short of It tour (fall 2007), for which I had tickets to the Short of It portion. Maybe one day they'll decide to retry that endeavor. I can only hope.
A Short Fazed Hovel Tour
Opener: Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3
Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 were not worthy of opening for The Decemberists. The opening band is usually disappointing. I've only been surprised once: last November's show at the Electric Factory (my first review for this website!). Anyway, Robyn Hitchcock and his band of aging musicians were just disappointing. There was endless babbling of nonsense interspersed throughout the songs that sounded like they were trying to recall Davy Jones.
Let's just say they played for too long, and I'm bitter that later shows on the tour included Andrew Bird as an opener. I saw him a few months ago (before the start of this blog), and he was worthy of the title "musician".
For their part, The Decemberists played straight through The Hazards of Love (2009), which was the focus of this tour. The band was joined by two additional female singers to play the parts of the female roles in the epic story.
The first played a young bride. She seemed to need a few bars to get into the parts. She always seemed to have a crescendo that shouldn't have been necessary. However, her timidity was an odd combination with her interpretive dancing that joined the show when she wasn't singing or playing an instrument. When she was in the background with the other female (who played the forest queen), she was far weaker and unable to match the pitches appropriately. There were slight trembles in the harmonies.
The forest queen, played by the singer of My Brightest Diamond, was phenomenal. For her part in "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid", she gave me goosebumps. During "The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing", I again received chills. She has a lot of power behind her voice, it was impressive (as were her silver leggings).
The best song of this set was "The Rake's Song". Naturally, Colin Meloy could not be shown up by another singer. He made this song unforgettable, although I didn't get chills.
The whole rendition of the album was seemingly flawless and completely absorbing.
After taking a short break, The Decemberists returned for a large handful of songs. I was a bit disappointed that a bunch of the songs that they played were the same ones that they played when they toured Philadelphia last November. These songs include "July, July!" (Castaways and Cutouts, 2002), "Chimbly Sweep" (Her Majesty, 2003), "O Valencia!", "Sons and Daughters" (both from The Crane Wife, 2006), and"Dracula's Daughter". Both "Chimbly Sweep" and "Dracula's Daughter" had the same exact introductions that they did a few months prior. I can't imagine that I was the only one at this show to note this.
An unexpected surprise here was "Shiny" (5 Songs, 2003), which was probably one of the last songs I expected to be played. "The Crane Wife 3" (The Crane Wife) was also quite enchanting. The real show-stealer here was a cover of "Crazy on You". The female singers came back out and the forest queen dominated. Both women sang, again the other hesitated in her abilities. When both were singing at their best, this was just an exceptional way to end the show (before the encore).
This show was everything one expected, only better (as usual). As the fifth Decemberists concert that I have experienced, I am continually amazed by how fantastic they are. However, they are not so good as to allow me to forget that they canceled their Long of It/Short of It tour (fall 2007), for which I had tickets to the Short of It portion. Maybe one day they'll decide to retry that endeavor. I can only hope.
25 May 2009
The Shins - 17 May 2009
Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ
Opener: Delta Spirit
I'm going to start this out by commenting how beautiful Wellmont Theatre is. It is extremely well kept and wonderfully old. I was also pleased that there was a section in the balcony to sit (unassigned) with general admission on the floor. The only problem is that the music was way too loud for the building. This may have been just because I was in the balcony and the speakers were pointed straight at the section, but it was a little overwhelming.
Delta Spirit opened the show with 45 minutes of talent. The players (most of them) rotated instruments frequently, and all seemed equally skilled. At one point three of the members were playing on various drums.
The singer seemed to be unable to decide on a style. He sounded like a mix between Butch Walker and Kurt Cobain; the former when he sang and the latter when he yelled. He was much better at the singing aspect. They played a solid set that ended with some monumental pounding on a huge drum that alone shook the theater (no amplification necessary).
The Shins only made us wait for about a half hour before opening with "Know Your Onion!" (Oh, Inverted World, 2001). The set was full of everyone's favorite Shins' song, including this one. Every song (of theirs) that they started was met with wild enthusiasm.
I put "of theirs" in parentheses because they threw in two covers, one of which they played twice. The second time, they mashed it up and pulled two fans on stage to play guitar. The fans had no idea what they were doing, but the experience probably made their day, if not month. I really enjoy watching bands play songs that they haven't written. There is some great excitement that it gives them.
A particularly powerful version of "Sea Legs" (Wincing the Night Away, 2007) was performed. It was intense and shockingly different (in the best of ways!) from the album version. The effects were all distorted and displayed creativity. "Fighting in a Sack" (Chutes Too Narrow, 2003) was also a winner in this set. This is one of those songs that just makes me want to do a silly little dance along with it. It was played with precision, although I can't recall hearing the harmonica part. This may have been the prizewinner, but so much was so good it's hard to choose.
The great songs played essentially encompassed the entire setlist. I was pleased to hear "New Slang" (Oh, Inverted World), but I think its placement in the encore was a bad move. It was reported to me that this happened at the Philadelphia show (Electric Factory) the night before, too. I think it and "Turning a Square" (Chutes Too Narrow) should have switched places. In the latter, the line "Have I left my home/just to whine on this microphone?" was met with a snicker by the singer. I find it appropriate to perform songs that have such commentary in them, but it seemed out of place as the fourth song in the set.
Personal favorites, aside from those already mentioned as amazing included "Those to Come" (Chutes Too Narrow), "Girl Inform Me", "Caring Is Creepy" (both from Oh, Inverted World), and "Australia" (Wincing the Night Away).
This was a spectacular show for energy and performance. The Shins songwriting skills are certainly something to pay attention to both recorded and live. I tend to have a high regard for most of the shows that I see, but I am actually very picky about which ones I do go to see. The positive review was not unexpected.
Opener: Delta Spirit
I'm going to start this out by commenting how beautiful Wellmont Theatre is. It is extremely well kept and wonderfully old. I was also pleased that there was a section in the balcony to sit (unassigned) with general admission on the floor. The only problem is that the music was way too loud for the building. This may have been just because I was in the balcony and the speakers were pointed straight at the section, but it was a little overwhelming.
Delta Spirit opened the show with 45 minutes of talent. The players (most of them) rotated instruments frequently, and all seemed equally skilled. At one point three of the members were playing on various drums.
The singer seemed to be unable to decide on a style. He sounded like a mix between Butch Walker and Kurt Cobain; the former when he sang and the latter when he yelled. He was much better at the singing aspect. They played a solid set that ended with some monumental pounding on a huge drum that alone shook the theater (no amplification necessary).
The Shins only made us wait for about a half hour before opening with "Know Your Onion!" (Oh, Inverted World, 2001). The set was full of everyone's favorite Shins' song, including this one. Every song (of theirs) that they started was met with wild enthusiasm.
I put "of theirs" in parentheses because they threw in two covers, one of which they played twice. The second time, they mashed it up and pulled two fans on stage to play guitar. The fans had no idea what they were doing, but the experience probably made their day, if not month. I really enjoy watching bands play songs that they haven't written. There is some great excitement that it gives them.
A particularly powerful version of "Sea Legs" (Wincing the Night Away, 2007) was performed. It was intense and shockingly different (in the best of ways!) from the album version. The effects were all distorted and displayed creativity. "Fighting in a Sack" (Chutes Too Narrow, 2003) was also a winner in this set. This is one of those songs that just makes me want to do a silly little dance along with it. It was played with precision, although I can't recall hearing the harmonica part. This may have been the prizewinner, but so much was so good it's hard to choose.
The great songs played essentially encompassed the entire setlist. I was pleased to hear "New Slang" (Oh, Inverted World), but I think its placement in the encore was a bad move. It was reported to me that this happened at the Philadelphia show (Electric Factory) the night before, too. I think it and "Turning a Square" (Chutes Too Narrow) should have switched places. In the latter, the line "Have I left my home/just to whine on this microphone?" was met with a snicker by the singer. I find it appropriate to perform songs that have such commentary in them, but it seemed out of place as the fourth song in the set.
Personal favorites, aside from those already mentioned as amazing included "Those to Come" (Chutes Too Narrow), "Girl Inform Me", "Caring Is Creepy" (both from Oh, Inverted World), and "Australia" (Wincing the Night Away).
This was a spectacular show for energy and performance. The Shins songwriting skills are certainly something to pay attention to both recorded and live. I tend to have a high regard for most of the shows that I see, but I am actually very picky about which ones I do go to see. The positive review was not unexpected.
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