shadow_concerts

Best show I've paid nothing to see in a while (I was there with ABTech). Sadly underpromoted, so only about 35 people got to enjoy VHS or Beta.

I was there for the whole thing, including sound checks. VHS or Beta played a tight set, likely somewhat abbreviated due to earlier difficulties. For what the space was and potential to be thrown by the small crowd and the delayed start, they seemed unfazed.

The music was danceable and the small crowd made the best of the venue, an auditorium-style classroom.

Arcade Fire with LCD SoundSystem, Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, Columbus, OH

[Oct. 5th, 2007|11:29 pm]

Got here late for the opener, in time to hear their last number.

Arcade Fire put on another good show, the next to last before the tour went on hiatus before Europe.
For being so long into their tour, they were still filled with energy, and it was a different show from the last time I saw them, although the set list was basically the same.

This time, no drum tossing, but there was some stage drumming. Despite the threat of it, no instruments were harmed during the set.

These guys definitely look and sound like they're having fun, enjoying playing, and the show was never strained or painful to listen to.

For a show which was not theoretically sold out, the fenced outdoor area at the LC was pretty well stuffed.

Pete Yorn with Minibar and Ben Jelen, Carnegie Library Music Hall, Homestead, PA

[Aug. 14th, 2007|11:12 pm]

First time for this venue, first time in a while I've been to a show where I wasn't "old", and I ran into someone I knew from CMU as I left... no problem parking, the first row seat I got was nice. Really the only complaint was the sound guy. Louder is not better, especially after everyone's moved forward.

Got there for the end of Minibar's set. They were rocking, but they definitely had a little big of a country twang to their stuff. A good time, I wish I actually had seen their full set. But...

Anyway, on to Ben Jelen. Playing, among other things, the electric violin, and fronting a band who he identified only by first names, he seemed a little... aloof? Good stuff, though, but he was rather scattered over the musical map. Thematically some interesting stuff, including the title track from the Ex-Sensitive album (which I identified with in some ways, also).

Then Pete Yorn came out, soon followed by Minibar again, who played with him for most of his set. We got a mix of songs from the current album and older stuff, some, like the earlier Minibar set, a little country tinged, none of it very heavy, about what you'd expect from an indie sort of singer-songwriter. Strange Condition was a crowd favorite, and he also does a good cover of "Young Folks" (Pete Yorn, Peter Bjorn... and Jon; Get it? He said people at Bonnaroo couldn't keep him straight from PB&J. Clearly has a sense of humor)

The crowd, very much in their auditorium-style seats for about the first two-thirds of the show, finally got up, and then came to the front... just in time for the guy on the sound board to turn everything up. Um.

Anyway, excellent show. Too bad it seemed like the show was underpromoted, but, hopefully we'll keep getting more good stuff like this.

The Police with Fictionplane, Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA

[Jul. 21st, 2007|11:58 pm]

I completely missed the opener thanks to a blowout at speed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and horrible traffic getting to a parking lot in Hershey. Thankfully my friend Jeff was following me, saw the tire go and pulled over behind me to help me change the tire, and the space-saver took me to Hershey, where after parking, a trudge across a lot, and a rubber tired tram ride I was outside the stadium listening to the end of Fictionplane's set (wish I'd heard it all; I rather enjoy what I've heard of them so far).

I went up to the far end of the stadium from the stage, sat down, and after the intermission was treated to a set of songs I know well... My section stood for the whole show, and while Sting's voice isn't what it once was, it was still an excellent show. As I expected the show ended with "Next to You", which was what told me there'd be a second encore (any good Police show does end with it).

After a trudge back to the car including a long wait to cross the thronged bridge over to the Giant Center, I played Fluxx on the trunk of my car for a while as traffic cleared, then found a 24 hour diner over 90 minutes after first reaching the car, and headed home slowly the next day.

Interpol with Calla, the Byham Theater, Pittsburgh PA

[Jul. 24th, 2007|11:40 pm]

I was shocked, *shocked* to hear of this show, just after I'd gotten my BFD 2007 ticket because I expected Interpol to come nowhere near Pittsburgh. The Byham was a strange choice of venue, but 2007 seems to be the year of different venues for me.

A quick subway ride over from Station Square and a couple blocks walk through the subway extension construction brought me to Pittsburgh hipster central, and I went inside to find my balcony seat for Interpol.

The opening act, Calla, played a solid set but I wasn't really into them.

Interpol came out for their set and within their first several songs already were playing their hits from the previous album; In many ways the Interpol sound is familiar because it's much the same over every song, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they have only one or two songs. The crowd was really into it, especially for a venue with no real "floor space" for a crowd, and it was a lot of noise for the venue. Definitely a good show, and the full set (unlike the abbreviated 35 minute set at BFD) gave them a chance to go deeper into their repertoire. They commented at the end that they were glad to finally play Pittsburgh, and we were glad to have them. Hopefully we'll get more indie shows like this here so I don't have to travel so much.

The White Stripes with Dan Sartain, Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA

[Jul. 28th, 2007|11:00 pm]

Parking here seemed really easy, especially after the Police show the week before, and while the seats were fairly "nosebleed" the Patriot Center just isn't that large, so being at the far end wasn't horrible.

The opener, Dan Sartain, had a rockabilly sound. Not really my thing but a decent set nonetheless.

After an intermission the White Stripes came out. They, especially Jack, seemed a little wild at the beginning, but he calmed down after about 3 songs and played a good, but not great, and mostly uneventful set from there on out. The things we *didn't* hear were perhaps more notable than what we did. Several times he seemed to be considering starting into something, but after a few chords, gave up.

What stood out about this show was definitely the lighting design. The use of stage-level spotlights shining upwards past Jack and Meg were used to great effect, though a few times I think Jack wasn't standing on his mark as the lights were going off.

They left the stage early, and then we got a rather long encore, which was nice, though not much less rambling than the earlier set. There were clearly some technical issues they were trying to resolve between sets.

Traffic was annoying but not horrible, and I was back on the road quickly thereafter.

Social Distortion with The Hangmen and Heart Attacks, Palace Theater, Greensburg PA

[Aug. 1st, 2007|11:00 pm]

After a tasty meal at the brewpub a couple blocks down, I wandered up to the Palace, and found my way up to the balcony, which at that point was mostly empty, for the Heart Attacks, the opening artist. They played a decent set, though not really my thing.

The Hangmen came out next; Their set was a little more polished.

The crowd, outside smoking, eating, drinking in the courtyard, finally streamed in to fill the house for Social Distortion, and the band did not disappoint. They played a tight set, complete with encore, though "Story of my Life" was a notable absense from what we heard.

After one more drink at the brewpub as the crowd dispersed, I headed home.