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Yesterday I told Ms. Smith that I was "stupidly excited" about going to see Travis last night, but at the same time I was worried that I was setting my expectations too high. I shouldn't have. They put on one of the best shows I have ever seen that the 9:30 Club. I had trouble sleeping last night because I was so energized by the show. I'm still pumped now as I write this.
Normally I absolutely abhor it when bands play "greatest hits" sets. But when it's been seven years since you've seen a band, those type of sets aren't exactly a bad thing. In fact, last night the set was perfect.
Because they played "Back In Black."
On a whim.
As the last song of the night.
It was INCREDIBLE.
Someone in the crowd shouted it out as a request just before they played "Why Does It Always Rain On Me" as what was supposed to be the last song of the night. So when they were done with that song, Andy started doing the AC/DC riff. The crowd was unsure if this was for real or not, and then Fran started doing his best Brian Johnson impression and it was on from there. I'm not sure they played it as well as AC/DC could, but they definitely had more fun doing it. We got the full rockstar poses and everything. It was awesome.
Other highlights from the show:
- The band entered from the back of the venue and wandered their way through the crowd wearing silk boxing robes while the "Theme To Rocky" played over the PA. Once they hit the stage, they were soundtracked by James Brown's "Living In America." Best.
- They played "Pipe Dreams," my favorite Travis song other than "Writing To Reach You."
- Fran asking the crowd to chant the touring keyboardist's name, Claes, while he was playing the piano solo in "Good Feeling."
- While instructing the audience to do so, telling everyone that Claes was Swedish and Swedish people are anal. But not in the porn way. But wait, yes. Maybe in the porn way too. Although Fran couldn't speak for Claes in this particular matter.
- Fran played "20" solo on the acoustic. It's been years since I've heard this song. It's a b-side from the "All I Want To Do Is Rock" single and I had totally forgotten about the song until he played it.
- Speaking of "All I Want To Do Is Rock," when it was time for his "big solo" Andy climbed the PA stack trying to get to the dressing room balcony above. He almost didn't make it. He pulled himself up from the PA onto the balcony just using his arms while his guitar was slung over his back. No mean feet. Also, when he finally got up there, he flopped over the railing like Nick Frost "leaps" over fences in Hot Fuzz. Hi-lar-ious.
- The new songs from The Boy With No Name all sounded great, especially "My Eyes" and "Eyes Wide Open."
- Playing "Flowers In The Window" like a barbershop quintet. Only with a guitar. Fran was wearing it, but Andy hit the notes on the frets and Dougie did the strumming. It was like a great, big Travis reach around! "This is so close to something else," Fran laughingly said during the song. Indeed.
- Fran instructing the crowd that he wanted each and every person the venue to pogo during the last chorus to "Why Does It Always Rain On Me." And you know what? We all did. Everyone. It was brilliant. I've never seen a D.C. crowd do anything close to that before. This was a show where you left your pretensions at the door and just had fun. More concerts need to be like this.
- Nigel Godrich was in attendance!
- Back In mother-effing Black!
Plain and simple, that was one of the best shows I have ever seen in D.C. Maybe in the Top-10 Best Concerts Ever list. My mind grapes were thoroughly and completely squeezed last night.
But wait! Here's the best part. NPR webcast the show last night so you can enjoy all of this for your very own. Go here to check it out. You can also see Joel's photos from last night, which unlike my own, are actually in focus.
After The National played their first song at the 9:30 Club last night, they did the headlinerly thing and thanked the opening bands for playing with them. And then Matt Berninger said "Happy Birthday Kevin." Who the fuck is this Kevin dude and why is he ruining my birthday? No buzz.
Seriously though, I've had a rough last week and a half or so at work (for reasons I won't get into) and on the way to the show last night I told Ms. Smith that I hoped I would feel better at the show, watching the band play. I was wrong. I was in a much better mood before the show even started after hanging out with everyone that came out to help me celebrate my birthday and eat cupcakes. Chatting and hanging with my friends was just what the doctor ordered. So thanks everyone. I needed that.
As for the show itself, it was very good but not great. Loyal readers know that I heart The National and their new record, but it seemed last night their weaknesses outdid their strengths. Through most of the set, they just seemed like five guys onstage playing instruments. Their sound was very thin and they had problems filling up the room. The pacing of the set was a bit suspect as well. Most of the more uptempo numbers were held back for the latter half of the set, which made for a low key start to the show. The new record - full of slow, brooding numbers - certainly contributed to that effect. Also, no "All The Wine." WTF?
There were some outstanding moments, none of which I can remember directly because I was slightly to fairly drunk. There were quite a few songs that had me dancing around like no one was watching. One of the songs off of the new record got a new arrangement and it sounded great, but I can't remember which one it was. "Lit Up" and "Mr. November" got the chatty Cathy's standing all around us to shut the fuck up and actually watch the show.
Other than this Kevin fellow "ruining" my night, I hereby declare my 33rd birthday a success!
NPR streamed last night's show on the web and you can go to their site to hear the show in it's entirety.
I had the most amazing weekend, mostly because I got to sleep in MY OWN BED for three consecutive nights. Bless. I also saw some killer shows.
Saturday was the DC101 Chili Cookoff, which was a nice primer for the upcoming summer festival season. Silversun Pickups, who seem to be playing D.C. once a month lately, played another great set, playing a few different songs than when they opened for Snow Patrol. If we're not careful, "Lazy Eye" could very well be the song of the summer, even though it's a year old.
The Bravery were next and I was excited to hear some of their new stuff, but sadly, most of it was fairly meh. It seems like all the new songs are a big fat chorus wrapped around some flimsy verses, like they wrote the songs backward or something. I liked the new single "Time Won't Let Me Go" better live than the recorded version, so it wasn't a total loss. They played a few "hits" from their last album too. "An Honest Mistake" still sounds great to my ears.
Buckcherry were next, and they were all flash and no substance. They look awesome but have no songs, except for "Lit Up" which brings back fond memories of the late 90's. Catherine said she had never heard of them, so here is their big hit if you're in the same camp:
[MP3] Buckcherry | Lit Up
Jet were Jet. I hate them and find them terribly derivative, but got a few good snaps of them all the same. The slideshow above is just a sampling of what I got on Saturday, so if you want to see all my photos, check out the Flickr slideshow.
I was supposed to finish up Saturday by seeing The Kooks at the 930, but upon arriving at the venue, they only left one ticket and no photo pass, so I gave the ticket to my DCist compatriot Abby and let her have at it. I went home and went to bed. I was beat.
Sunday I grabbed Ms. Smith and we headed over to Artomatic to take it all in before it closes this weekend. However, after about two hours, we gave up after only seeing the sixth floor. There's alot of art to see over there. Hopefully we'll make it back this week before the show closes. The rest of the day was spent doing laundry and watching my DVR (Paul Rudd on Veronica Mars was teh awesome!) before taking in the LCD Soundsystem show at 930 later that night.
I wouldn't call myself a huge LCD fan by any means, and to be honest, the amount of hype they're getting from NYC was turning me off on the band a bit, but holy shit, they brought the noise last night. It was one of those shows where the band plays for over an hour and you're having so much fun it feels like only 10 minutes. And the best part of it was the usually stoic D.C. audience was totally letting their hair down and absolutely turning it loose. Most everybody in the club was dancing, even old men like me. I was proud to be from D.C. last night.
The only bad part of the night was the guy standing next to me, who felt the need to provide commentary to his friends through the first few songs, dropping gems like "It's like punk AND disco," along with "It's crazy. Rock and roll YOU CAN DANCE TO," like this was a concept never before introduced to society as a whole before last night. Jeezy Creezy. But I digress...Believe the hype about LCD Soundsystem, the live show anyways. Can't wait to see them again at Virgin festival in August.
[MP3] LCD Soundsystem | Daft Punk Is Playing At My House (live)
Also, they dropped "Daft Punk" with the third song last night. I love it when bands play their hits early in the set. Best.
Last night I was lucky enough to have my first ever (somewhat informal) photo assignment for a non-DCist media outlet (actually it was probably my second if you count this), that being photographing The Good, The Bad & The Queen at the 9:30 Club. The show was sold out, but as far as I could tell, there were a lot less people there than there were at the (insanely packed) Scissor Sisters show the week before.
As for the performance, it was...pleasant. Not amazing, not boring, mostly middle of the road. The music isn't exactly upbeat and merry. That said, the band sounds much better live than on record, but with this lineup, you'd kind of expect that. The album, to me, sounds like a band playing a bunch of Gorillaz b-sides. Not much energy or hooks to be found, just Damon whinging about whatever he's on about. Live, the backing vocals take more shape, the sound fills out nicely and you honestly can't help but get into a little groove while you're watching Paul Simonon bound all across the stage. Man, he was great. He was full of gusto and looked like he was waiting to bust into "Death or Glory" or something like that at any second. You could tell he's enjoying being back on stage. Not so for Simon Tong. He mostly stood there, looking down at his guitar the whole time. I was waiting for him to wow me, but then I remembered that was always Nick McCabe's job. Damon was/is Damon. I want to like him, but I just can't. I do give him credit though. He gave me two good shots during the first song, staring right at me in-between verses. His gaze was all like "Get your fucking photo now and leave me alone," but props for doing that. I got a decent shot the first time but my second one was too blurry to use. Also, he was ducking behind his piano every once in a while to hit his bowl and he has droopy eyes in most of the photos I took of him. Just saying.
Sadly, we didn't get their cover of "Guns of Brixton" at the end of the encore, instead we got some less-than-stellar b-side sung by some random dude named Eslam. Not the best ending to the show, but other than that, not bad overall. I still think Damon's a ponce though. There, I said it.
But hey, don't take my word for it. Thanks to the magic of the internerd, you can listen to the show and decide for yourself. You can either stream it or download it from NPR. Joel was there taking photos and they packaged his photos into a cool slideshow you can watch, so check that out too. My photos of the night are here. Some of them should be up on Read Express fairly soon. I'll update the post when that happens.
**UPDATE** - Here it is. Click through and read it, Mike wrote a GREAT review.
No rest for the wicked. I have to DVR the Duke game tonight since D.C. United are taking on Mexican power Chivas at RFK.
Three concert reviews for you in 75 words or less.
Saturday
Middle Distance Runner @ Black Cat
Another great set from what is quickly becoming D.C.'s finest. MDR has a tendency to play it too cute in front of their hometown fans, it would be interesting to see how that part of the show works on the road. The played "Naturally" late in the set and it was a nice change of pace from the delicious drone-rock that preceded it. Probably the first of many shows at the Cat for them.
Click here for more photos of Middle Distance Runner at the Black Cat.
Sam Champion @ DC9
Walked into this show having no idea what these guys sounded like, but whoever described Sam Champion as Tom Petty meets Pavement is spot on. Their live show is tight, but rough around the edges (that's a good thing) and makes you wonder why the NYC bloggeratti aren't burning up bandwidth talking about them. The lead singer's slow drawl puts you at ease, letting you listen and rock out with abandon.
Click here for more photos of Sam Champion at DC9.
Sunday
Aberdeen City @ 9:30 Club
Every time I see Aberdeen City they are playing a better set in a bigger venue than the last time I saw them. Brad, the lead singer, was playing so hard he had to take a deep breath before "In Combat" to take it down a notch. By the end of the gig, Chris was playing the cymbals with his guitar, Combat Rock steez. Keep in mind they were playing to a seated audience.
Click here for more photos of Aberdeen City at the 9:30 Club.
What Grambo said. (Comment #5)
Best digicams of 2006. I want a 30D bad, real bad.
Hey, here's the one Top 40 copycat list that I can totally get behind. Nice work.
Torr has a new Moz B-side.
Sox lock up JD Drew and Julio Lugo.
Go download Noel live on XFM.
From Chromewaves, The history of Pulp and the genius that is Bandwagonesque.
Last night I took in my first concert in what seems like forever, as I dragged Mike Grass with me to the Rock N Roll Hotel to check out The Changes, whose album Today Is Tonight is one of the best things I've heard all year. I got it two weeks ago and haven't listened to anything else since. To say I was looking forward to this show is a huge understatement. Unfortunately the band's live show hasn't yet reached the heights of their recorded output. They started off strong, with two of their catchiest tunes, "When I Wake" and "Water Of The Gods" but things went downhill from there. They played "On A String," a slower, twee-leaning momentum stopper that took them forever to start because everyone had to switch instruments. Then they followed that up with another song in the same vein and never really got their momentum back. The worst part was the band's (lack of) stage presence. The drummer seemed to be the only person into the show. The other three had this nonchalant, uninterested air to them that I just couldn't get past. Their lack of charisma really sucked the energy out of the show.
Locals Middle Distance Runner have a similar sound and tunes, but they ooze energy, charisma and charm onstage and when you see them play, you can't help but be drawn in to the show and have a great time. I'm not sure how many shows The Changes have played, but they're not there yet. A little work (switch up the set, talk to the audience more, less time in between songs) would go a long way for them.
All that said, I'm still a fan. "Modern Love" and set closer "Her, You And I" were uniformly awesome. "The Machine" had some of the best drumming I've heard in quite some time. The songs are there, and hopefully the live show will catch up soon. I'm definitely going to check them out next time they come through D.C.
Here are some MP3's from The Changes that I posted a while back:
[MP3] The Changes | When I Wake
First of all let me say My Morning Jacket are a great live band. They are insanely tight, Jim James' voice is other-worldly, they're incredibly loud and absolutely pulverize their riffs when they feel like it. They've obviously worked many long hours on their live show. They're ready for amphitheaters right now. They wouldn't have to change their show at all, just get a few more lights and maybe a big backdrop. I'm not going to be able to say anything about their live performance that you haven't already read somewhere else. Oh wait, here is something you probably haven't read anywhere else. Those cool boots that Jim James wears? They're held together by clear plastic tape.
That said, they're really not for me. I like carefully crafted four minute, verse-chorus-verse pop songs. MMJ obviously don't play this game. I really enjoyed the few songs I recognized, "The Way That He Sings" - a complete surprise - was borderline incredible, but they really lost me when they would veer into improvised-instrumental jam land. And that's not really their fault, they just really reminded me of every one of the hundreds of truly shitty "jam bands" I was forced to endure while going to college in Eastern North Carolina. When I hear that type of music, I start grinding my teeth and looking for sharp objects to stick in my ears. Ms. Smith and I ended up leaving just before the end of the regular set.
The Slip were the perfect opener for this tour. They're like a lo-fi Secret Machines that wear funny hats. I enjoyed their set, especially the "Baba O'Reilly" cover at the end. If you're heading out to this show, go early and check them out.
I had a hard time really enjoying the show for other reasons. It was really effing hot in the venue and it was easily one of the most crowded shows I ever been to in the 9:30. It was shoulder to shoulder from the stage barrier to the sound board and from bar to bar. I did score a photo pass and after wading through the sea of people on my way up front, I was jump-up-and-down-happy when I found out there was a barrier in front of the stage. The lighting for The Slip was great. I got some good shots during their set. The lighting during MMJ was another story. They were almost entirely back-lit and when not running around the stage and head banging everywhere, JJ just stood at the mic and sang while his hair was falling down into his face. And when he did step away from the mic for a break, it was always in the corner of the stage where there was no light. For my purposes, the lighting for The Slip was much better. Oh well. I managed a few decent shots I think. Still, hooray for MMJ for the photo pit. I wish more bands would have them at the 9:30.
Last Saturday, because of the DAM!fest and some lucky scheduling I got to see five bands in three venues over a matter of a few hours. Lady Sovereign was playing the early show at the 9:30 Club so I started my night there. I arrived to see the last two songs of Young Love who were not that impressive. They're what Junior Senior would sound like if they spent all their time trying to write theme songs for all the teen dramas on the WB. Or is it the CW now? Let's move on.
I've heard not so good things about Lady Sov's live show, but I have to say I enjoyed myself. She definitely skews toward the TRL crowd and most of the people in attendance still watch MTV on a regular basis. On stage Sov is more silly than gangsta, but she can work the crowd. Her hits, "Random," "Love Me Or Hate Me" and "Public Warning" all came late in the set but they were on point.
I don't think Sov is going to radically change hip hop or anything like that. The "Feminem" tag she's been getting on this side of the pond is apropos if only because her fanbase is going to be mostly young and white. I can't see it appealing to serious hip-hop heads, but that's not a knock on her. She's tight on stage and really know how to work the crowd.
For more pics of Lady Sov at the 9:30 Club, head on over to Flickr. Be sure to check out Lady Sov on AOL's Interface if you haven't done so already.
After Sov was done, I headed over to DC9 and caught Pela (who were really amazing and totally rawked out) and Forget Cassettes (I already did). Since FC were boring me and the DC9 shows was running waaaaaay late (the second band of the five band bill went onstage at 11 p.m.) I drove out to Arlington to the Iota and caught Middle Distance Runner's set. They were tons of fun and continue to impress. They're playing The Black Cat in December with Forward Russia and Snowden, so if you haven't seen them yet, there's your chance.
Ever go to a show thinking you're on the list and you aren't? Ever have that happen twice in one night? I did last night.
Ms. Smith and I made our way to the Black Cat just after 9:30 and waited in line for a bit, where we were met by Martin and Nora. When I got up to the ticket counter I was all like "I'm on the list."
[list guy checks the list] "Umm, no you're not."
Me: "Sure I am, check again."
Him: "Nope. Don't see it."
Me: "Check again. I'm on there. Is there a label list?"
Him: "You're. Not. On. It."
Fuck. Alot of good interviewing the band did me. Still, it's not like I'm not going to go, so I went to the ATM and ponied up for two tickets and went upstairs and got a spot up front.
My beloved Nethers played a new song early in the set but their show was kinda up and down from there. They stuck to their straight up folk tunes, as opposed to the catchy, hooky goodness of "Mir Ill" and "Hung Herself In A Birdcage." That said, my love for their epic track "Migratory Birds" knows no bounds. I lovelovelove it. I think I've heard them play it at least eight times this year. It gave me goosebumps the first time and it did again last night. So, so good.
You can stream Nethers' album In Fields We Will Lie right here.
Nethers didn't finish up until about ten till 11, so Ms. Smith and I decided to rush over to the 9:30 Club to see the first few songs of The Rapture before coming back to the Cat to finish up the night with The National. So we hightailed it up U Street and ended up running into Mike Grass, Heather and Sommer at different points along our trip. Small town, D.C.
So we get to the 9:30, I go up to the window, give them my ID and tell them "I'm on the list." And I know I am because I can see my name. Whew. Then the list guy asks me, "Do you have a ticket?"
Me: "No."
Him: "Because you've got a photo pass here but no tickets."
Me: "Seriously?"
Him: "Yeah, there's a zero in the tickets column."
For fuck's sake. He was nice enough to show me the list so there wasn't much I could do. I might have thought about buying a ticket if I hadn't already bought two concert tickets I didn't plan on spending money for. But I did, so my portfolio will go without Rapture photos for the time being.
At that point we headed back to the Cat. I was even more pissed off at this point because we gave up our spot up front and I was sure we would miss "Secret Meeting," which The National generally open with (at least they did the one time I saw them previously). Fortunately that wasn't the case. They were midway through their first tune when we got back there and then they played a positively lovely version of "Secret Meeting." The night got considerably better from there.
Let me be the 3,476th blogger to go on record as saying The National are really fucking good. Transcendent at times. Last night I was struck by how U2-y their sound is. I mean Unforgettable Fire U2 (i.e.good U2), not "One, Two, Three, Fourteen" U2. I couldn't get over how beautiful "All The Wine" was. It's really understated on Alligator but live, it packs a wallop.
I'm really glad the band made the effort to come to D.C. and give us another show. It was (almost) worth the wait. And late in the set, Matt said "Oh yeah. Someone reminded me to make sure we say we definitely don't hate D.C. We spend every weekend here." So yeah, that was pretty awesome.
Some goodies I found online today:
[mp3] The National | All The Wine (live)
[mp3] The National | Cherry Tree (live)
I got home late so I didn't get many photos up on Flickr today, so watch for those sometime in the near future.
If you asked me to name the bands on the top of my "Still Haven't Seen In Concert But Am Absolutely Dying To" list, depending on the day, it would probably look like this:
1) Massive Attack
2) Mylo (obvs)
3) The La's (are they back together or not?)
4) Underworld (I saw them at Field Day but that didn't really count)
5) Kings of Leon
Well, last night I finally (FINALLY!) got to see Massive Attack. I got screwed on tickets last time they toured eight long years ago (long story) and just couldn't justify going out to Coachella to see them last summer. So being patient paid off as they played the first of two shows at the 9:30 Club last night.
I'll be honest, my expectations were sky high going into this show. The group was touring with Horace Andy, Lis Fraser and Deborah Miller but, unbekownst to me until the band took the stage last night, without Daddy G who is home on paternity leave. Not having G on stage was a huge loss for the band (speaking as someone that has never seen him live) but I feel like he would have added alot to the vibe and his absence also limited the set list a bit. However, the other singers and 3D himself made up for it. Horace Andy and Deborah Miller in particular, really shined last night. Andy's voice was magnificent, better than any of his recorded output. And Miller brought down the house with her vocals on "Safe From Harm" and "Unfinished Sympathy."
Fraser, above, didn't fare as well. She sounded horrible on "Teardrop," which was a real letdown, but made up for it during the set closer of "Group Four." The band itself, two drummers, a bassist and a few guitarists, was super tight and really breathed new life into the Mezzanine material. I've always considered myself a Blue Lines kinda guy but I may have to rethink that now. All in all, a great, but not mind-blowing, show.
Dammit Moz, quit fucking with me!
I've been waiting for the official announcement before saying anything, but it looks like WOXY is back. But what does this mean for Barb?
Speaking of returns, Jay Will is (almost) back.
Are you ready for the Doug Christie reality show? I sure as fuck am.
Last, and certainly not least, lets all wish Ms. Smith a very happy birthday!
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