12-22-07:Concert Recap – Andrew Bird, Keane, Tokyo Police Club, Interpol, Sean Hayes, Jenny Owen Youngs, Band of Horses, Cold War Kids
One of my goals with this blog was to write about the concerts that I attend. There’s just something about seeing a band live and the experience that you take away from the musicians as they make their magic.
Andrew Bird (Spring 2007 at the Riviera)
Jen came with me to this concert. Wasn’t very impressed by the opening act Apostles of Hustle. But Bird’s performance was incredible. It wasn’t as smooth as the studio cd, but still - it incredible watching him sing, whistle, play guitar, play the glockenspiel, play the violin, and play the violin like the guitar. I was blown away when I saw him play the violin like that. I thought it was a mandolin on the record.
The setup was just him and a percussionist. They used a digital mixer which looped sections of the songs to get the sound of a full scale band.
There was one moment in the concert where he or a crew member misplaced the mallet for the glockenspeil. When he realized it was nowhere to be found, he just played the part of the glockenspeil on the guitar. Nothing could stop that guy from playing the song. It was fascinating to watch music pour out from an individual like that.
Keane (Spring 2007 at the Riviera)
I have never been and will probably never again attend a concert like this. I arrived 15 minutes into Keane’s performance and was surprised when I noticed the ENTIRE audience of the Riviera on their feet, cheering for the band as they played.
The audience stayed on their feet the ENTIRE concert. The lead singer at one point just stared at the crowd for 20 seconds after one of the songs. People kept cheering and yelling and clapping. He smiled in bewilderment, looked at his bandmates, and then looked back at the crowd. He said, “For as long as I live, I will never forget this night Chicago.” Neither will I. It was like a spiritual experience – there was just this positive, awesome heartfelt energy flowing out from the crowd.
On the way home on the El, I ended up talking with another guy from the concert that told me he’s been to 2 other concerts that have been like that. One was a Guster concert and I forgot what the other was.
I was surprised at how good the band was. I had seen clips of them live before and wasn’t impressed – it sounded as if the lead singer was off key. But they were awesome at the Riviera. Everything sounded great and they put on a crazy good show.
Tokyo Police Club (10-08-07 at Schubas):
The bassist is the lead singer. He got on my nerves. So did the pianist. There are some guys that really feel music and they let it move them. For some musicians it works (like Dave Matthews - that guys got good rhythm and looks cool when he moves his feet while he plays guitar). Other musicians look like Elaine from Seinfeld. That’s what these guys looked like. The lead guitarist, however, was awesome. I had always wondered how they made the wailing guitar sound. I thought it was some type of amp or mixer, but it was just this guy moving playing the same note – moving his hand at supersonic speed on the same string. Overall it was a good concert.
Interpol (10-11-07 at Aragon Ballroom):
Not that great of a concert. But it wasn’t Interpol’s fault.
The Animals opened for them. HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE band. They were hideous.
Interpol was good. But the venue was crappy. First, I got into an argument with a guy that stood in front of me after I had staked out my space for 20 minutes. After he moved to the side (but was still invading my personal space), I still had problems seeing the band from the floor. The Aragon Ballroom must be great for someone if you’re 7 foot 7. Otherwise, it’s just a crappy venue for a show.
Sean Hayes (11-04-07 at Schubas):
Awesome as always. And now that I’m taking guitar lessons I even figured out how to play a few of his songs.
Jenny Owen Youngs (11-04-07 at Schubas):
She was good. The crowd at Schubas that night sucked. There was this woman who wouldn’t shut up, and Jenny Owen Youngs had to play referee betwen her and the people that were tired of her and vocal about it.
Band of Horses (11-11-07 at the Metro):
There was this band from Australia that opened for them. HORRIBLE. Band of Horses is indie folk rock. The other band was hard rock/heavy metal/psycho grunge. Whoever is responsible for pairing acts sometimes should be fired.
Band of Horses was awesome. The guys voice just works with the lyrics and the music. Good energy too. They might be the next Guster.
Cold War Kids (12-07-07 at the Metro):
Good show. There was a poet that was traveling with them that complemented them well. He went on first and was accomponied by the two brothers from CWK. One of them played guitar while the other played piano. It sounded pretty awesome.
Cold War Kids played a bunch of songs, including new ones. The new album will be good. Their performance was high energy and spastic. They reminded me of my students that can’t sit in one spot for longer than 10 seconds.
It’s always interesting how a person’s appearance can differ from what you imagine them to be after hearing their voice. I assumed the lead singer to be scrawny and slender. Nope. This guy looked like he could have played defensive end on his high school football team.
We unfortuneately did not stay for the entire concert. My throat felt sore going into the concert and by the time we left I knew I was coming down with something. I was sick the next two weeks.
6-09-07: Maccabees at Schubas
I dragged my fiancee and her brother to this show yesterday. They are now fans of the Maccabees.
If you don’t know who the Maccabees are, here is their single for “First Love:”
First off, I can’t believe that the Maccabees aren’t being marketed more here in the states. They have a decent following in the U.K., but nobody knows about them here. And their record label is through Polydor. The Beatles, No Doubt, U2, the Cure – I mean c’mon!! A little promotion would help this incredible band!
The Maccabees didn’t even headline last night. They were the opening band for the Noisettes. Whatever. This was a side show for them anyways – they are currently touring and opening for Bloc Party, which has a much larger following than the Noisettes.
As I was standing in line, waiting to go inside the concert room at Schubas, one of the guitarists for the Maccabees walked by me. I told him hello.
”Hey man – really looking foward to the show tonight.”
“Aww…. Right-oh. Thanks man, thanks a lot for coming out tonight. So you know who we are?”
“Yeah!! I’ve been listening to your stuff since February. Rhapsody – it’s a music subscription service here – they featured your single “Latchmere.” I couldn’t stop listening to it – and then they took it off. And then I had to wait and wait for your CD to finally come out three weeks ago. I can’t believe you guys aren’t being marketed more here in the states. The Noisettes should be opening up for you!”
He looked a bit shocked, “Aww… no, no man. We’ve got a bit of a following back home – but the Noisettes are a lot bigger than we are. I’m just glad that we’ve got people at the show who know who we are!”
”How has your tour been so far in the states?”
“Excellent. We are really loving it – we have had an awesome, awesome time so far.”
”That is good to hear.”
He stuck out his hand. “I’m Felix by the way.”
I introduced myself and then he introduced himself to my fiancee. I thanked him for talking to us and he said he hoped we enjoyed the show. That guy was awesome. Class act – genuine, friendly, and just excited to be playing music.
Most of the people at Schubas were there to see the Noisettes, but most of them also knew the Maccabee songs.
Felix and his brother Hugo, in my opinion, were the highlight of the show. Their guitar playing was absolutely incredible. Hugo mainly played rhythm and Felix would stroke out the melodies, but at times they would switch, and at other times they would be playing the same thing. I rarely saw any open chords. They both were all over the fretboard, and a majority of the riffs were played at the base of the guitar neck – thereby giving the nice, high pitched jangle you hear in the CD. Don’t get me wrong, Orlando’s got a great voice and his accent and lyrics create the flavor of the band – but the heart are the two White brothers.
I wish I could have met the others – Orlando, Hugo, Rupert, and Robert. All of them were fantastic musicians in their own right. The band has such a tight, clean, powerful sound.
Here are some other things about the show:
-Felix is a leftie. He was playing a left handed Fender Telecaster. (I think.) I think Hugo was playing a telecaster as well. Orlando played a telecaster for “Toothpaste Kisses.”
-Felix is the one responsible for the smooth riff on “Toothpaste Kisses.” I thought he was going to use a slide to make that sound, but he didn’t. He used his fingers and just set something on his telecaster to get that beautiful “slide guitar” sound.
-They played nearly ALL of their songs off their CD. They finished the set with “Lego.”
-Orlando said that they had their first experience with a Wal-Mart. They found a lot of things that they never knew that they needed. He even showed us a Spiderman watch that he bought – but it doesn’t work.
-At the end of the set Orlando jumped over the drumset and hopped on to the back of Robert, the drummer, who carried him off the stage.
What a great show. Lots of energy, lots of charisma. You can tell that these guys were having a hell of a good time. I was talking to a girl who drove from Cinncinati to see the Noisettes. She went and bought the Maccabees CD after the second song and told her sister, “We’re listening to this all the way home tomorrow.”
I left soon after the Noisettes began playing. They were, as their name describes them, very NOISY. As I left I saw Felix again. I told him they gave a fantastic performance. He thanked me again for coming out, and I begged him to come back to Chicago.
“We’ll try man!”
Here’s a clip from someone who was at the concert last night:
And here is a link to some AMAZING pictures from the show. This photographer really knew what they were doing:
