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a dissapointment for more personal reasons then musical ones

24 Nov 2008, 19:33

Tue 7 Oct – Anberlin, Straylight Run, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, There For Tomorrow

Preface:
When you are going to a show to see the opener and not the headliner (even if I do like Anberlin) you have a completely different mindset for the concert. Even more so if you've talked to the band before hand and they are getting you on the guest list. You are definitely there to hang

So I talked my friend into coming with me (she didn't know any of the bands performing) and we showed up just in time for There For Tomorrow to start. They were decent but nothing special. We basically just were trying to manuever so that I had a good spot for Straylight Run (the band I was here to see).

Straylight's new songs (sans Michelle) had me really excited to see them live. I had no clue how they were going to adapt and create a set without an extra member of the band. And to be honest, they didn't succeed most of the time; an awkward (but well handled) moment where John's mini-keyboard fell off the base, moments when you knew that Michelle would sing here but there was just nothing, and just the overall lack of an extra instrument that completed the song. BUT the new songs were great. They were performed really well and you could tell that they were all excited to be playing those songs. And they closed out with Big Shot which is always ridiculously awesome live.

Afterwards I waited till the band was done taking their gear off the stage then wandered to find their merch booth (which was in a realllyyyyy stupid location. It's kinda arrogant that Anberlin demanded all the space in the actual merch area and banished bands upstairs - where no one would think to look). I met the new merch girl (who was way sweet but I don't remember her name any more) and told her about the poster that I made for the guys (one of the reasons they had gotten me onto the guestlist). She said they'd be around later so I headed to a new spot to watch Scary Kids Scaring Kids.

Scary Kids is always really good...just... scary intense. They definitely live up to their name. I do think that a small bar scene works a lot better for them because of that interaction with the crowd. When they are on an elevated stage it kinda just feels like we're staring at some kids acting crazy.

Back to the merch table between sets and talked to new girl a bit more. She's pretty excited about the band's new stuff to. New to the whole merchkid thing but loves it, etc.

Anberlin comes on and we find spots up on the balcony again. I just have to say that this new cd is nothing compared to Cities. Cities is gorgeous. Although, to be fair, I haven't given this new one much of a chance yet. Stephen's voice is always, ALWAYS amazing though.

After the show I headed back up to Straylight's merch and... it... was... gone. Boxed up and empty table. No clue what happened but you can imagine I was pretty disappointed since I'd brought the poster I had made for the guys. I am sure they had a reason for it but still made for a let down of a night.

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Crowdsurfing bands and a sea of young girls all about that - The Rocket Summer @…

13 Nov 2008, 19:12

Sat 20 Sep – The Rocket Summer, Phantom Planet, The Secret Handshake, The Morning Light

Bringing friends is something of a double edged sword I've learned over the years of me begging anyone to come to a show with me. Because, personally, as soon as I talk someone into going with me it becomes all about making sure they have a good experience.

Therefore I didn't make my way through the crowd to get to the front and instead we found a spot to sit up in the balcony. Luckily The Gothic is rather small and no matter what it's a good view.

We actually missed The Morning Light play since I had to flyer the doors as people walked in (always a price to pay for free tix). But did get to catch the majority of The Secret Handshake and enjoyed the familiar sound that's been made popular by Hellogoodbye and [Ok Go. Luis Dubuc, lead singer and keyboardist, knew how to work the crowd and was a great mix of casual (talking about how they were going to Casa Bonita later) and intense as he jumped around the stage.

Admittedly I got my friend to come by telling her that The Rocket Summer sings California which is the theme song of The O.C. Luckily they were not a disappointment and Alex Greenwald, lead singer, did what a great opening line up does and took the crowd up to the next level as everyone sang along and danced their hearts out.

By far the best moment was when Greenwald climbed up the speakers and up onto the balcony of the theatre and started walking the very small drink ledge. I can't even remember what song he was singng at the time because of the craziness it caused. After he finished he admitted that originally he was going to jump into the crowd from the balcony but confessed "this is higher than I thought." After talking to the crowd, who was cheering him to "Jump!" he finally did and the crowd surfed him back to the stage.

I was nervous that Bryce Avery of The Rocket Summer wasn't going to be able to beat that. But the crowd were just as happy to sing along with him on every song and prove their undying love to him. Just as eagerly, Avery wanted to devote as much to them as he could and even performed a mini-acoustic set on a podium located near the back of the crowd. Afterward he was lovingly crowdsurfed back up to the stage to give them all some more songs to dance to.

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love all around - Anthony Green, Good Ol War, person L @ Marquis Theater

13 Nov 2008, 18:47

Wed 13 Aug – Anthony Green, person L, Good Ol War

Admittedly I hadn't really listened to Anthony's solo stuff but I am a fan of Circa Survive and just find his voice hypnotizing. So I took a chance and wandered over to the Marquis to check out the show. I was surprised, upon arriving, at how large the crowd was but then had to remind myself that Anthony's fans would follow him anywhere and are pretty devout.

Even still I managed to work my way up to the front and set up post just as person L took the stage. Kenny, the lead singer, has such a frenetic crazy energy that it just totally feeds the crowd. He's an amazing singer and lyricist to boot. Of course he already had his own small following (he's also in The Starting Line) and they added an extra energy to the crowd that was great. I fell deeply in love with a song that is way too catchy for it's own good called Wooden Soldiers. And then just like that he was gone and I was left in shock of awesome.

Good Old War came on next, and while more in tune with what I would learn to be Anthony's solo music style; I just didn't feel into the music. They weren't bad and I even bought their album Only Way To Be Alone. But after person L ramped the audience up this seemed to calm everyone down.

Not a bad thing since Anthony Green's solo album Avalon is mostly acoustic melodic songs - not rock out anthems. The boys from Good Old War acted as back up band to Anthony while his voice entranced the audience into a loving collective where everyone was free to just be themselves. Anthony talked naturally with the audience who in return did the same with relish (it happened to be someone's 21st birthday in the crowd and an ongoing conversation was dispersed throughout the set).

The last song Anthony played was Dear Child (I've Been Dying To Reach You) which is definitely the most rock song on the album and the place EXPLODED with energy. I don't know how I can convey strongly enough a complete 180 in atmosphere; to go from chill swaying room with everyone being massively respectful of space and all that to a full on mosh pit where I was pushed up against the stage and had to fight to be able to stand on my own in less than 5 seconds.

I somehow managed to make it through the last song (no encore..but no one blames them/him) and escaped the venue after making a quick pit stop to pick up all the bands cds so that I could listen to them later and remember just how awesome this concert was.

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Wait... wait.. did I just enter a time machine?

15 Jul 2008, 16:26

Fri 11 Jul – Girl Talk

I'd never been to the Fox Theater before but had heard pretty good things about it. We got in pretty fast and there were beer shots waiting for us... which I'm not a fan of beer but free alcohol? yes please.

We got inside and found a spot on a 'wing' of the theater right in front of the stage where we could pretty much see everything and hopefully not be too crowded (sold out show).

For the longest time we didn't believe the show was sold out with the amount of kids making their way inside (it eventually got packed). The trend for these kids was very surreal day-glo 80's apparel though. Possibly made popular by the Cobra Starship (this is where I saw it really start to explode into mainstream) anti-scenester/ new wave scenester movement. ... And of course a crap load of venetian sunglasses.

teamAWESOME! opened the show and were um... very unusual. At first I was like "are you serious??" but then I admit it grew on me. and then became pretty awesome. my friend was not converted but she did think that the lyrics were pretty hilarious. Songs about being in love with a one-eyed pirate or how the dog that completes their soul has run away, their love for pomegranates and how cool their pet dragon is. As he continued seeing it was kinda eerily like hearing Conor Oberst...but singing about much less emo things. Ps. the band is pretty musically talented so if you can't accept goofy awesome songs you should just listen to the music. (check out their myspace - I really like oh ship lots)

When Girl Talk finally came on stage and everyone erupted and the crowd pulsed waiting for the moment that first person would jump up onto the stage. Pretty soon about 100 people were up there and the Fox Security people were in shock... hadn't they known what to expect? About 5 minutes later they asked Greg to ask people off the stage and he did but wasn't too happy about it. Honestly seeing him up on stage dancing around was possibly the best part of the show but soon enough he got security to let people back up; under much more controlled circumstances.

This is when I got to watch girls think they were strippers for the rest of the show. And some very ugly people attempting to hook up on stage. The next time I see you people? I am throwing down. Thanks for burning my retina's. The people watching was enormous when you actually look at the stage and I moved between doing that and dancing my heart out. Or yelling at bitches trying to push into my spot because they somehow thought it was more visible (it wasn't) and then leaving when they realized it wasn't. Oh and the guy that tried to hook up behind me and really only succeeded in constantly falling on the back of my heels. He challenged me to a dance-off to the space. I almost punched him but then figured it wasn't worth the trouble to get kicked out for this drunk idiot.

Girl talk played a lot of the new material off of Feed the Animals. Which is an awesome album btw - but of course I was hoping for some of my favorites (mostly the one where he has like.. 2 seconds of NMH in it) In the end it was just a kickass dance party; and what more could you want on a Friday night.

The Westword has some goo pictures ( i didn't bring my camera since I thought it was going to be a lot crazier - which it would have been if i hadn't gotten my awesome spot)

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um.. sir.. please don't spit in my drink, thanks.

7 Jul 2008, 18:13

Fri 6 Jun – Russian Circles, Daughters, Young Widows

Things I remember about the show (My memories of shows get blurrier as time passes - the 'i drank since then' syndrome):

Young Widows was decent but I don't remember anything about their set - take from that what you will.

Me and my cousin went and stood up in front when Daughters came on - Where within 2 minutes I thought my drink might get spit into when the lead singer was randomly spitting everywhere (mostly onto his body parts).

Fearing for my drink's safety I moved it closer to me - where it then got knocked over. sad times.

The lead singer has masochistic tendencies that made me think that Adam Lazzara is a poser compared to this guy.

Seriously the lead singer turned me off to the music (which wasn't bad, from what I remember but I'm now repulsed every time I think of the band).

Russian Circles was amazing.

I left the show with at least 4 new bruises.

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R.E.M. - proving why they are still worth listening to.

16 Jun 2008, 23:22

Tue 3 Jun – R.E.M., Modest Mouse, The National

There are 2 ways you can go to a Red Rocks show. First (and probably preferred by most) you can get there pretty early and tailgate till doors. OR you can leave pretty late (most likely missing the opening band) and miss all the traffic that is caused when something like 800 people are driving on a 1 lane road. The second option was better for me this time since it was a Tuesday night and real life obligations (a little thing called my job) kept me from coming earlier.

We started walking up the huge stairs that slope up the side and noticed that our seats were ridiculously far away (and I'd even bought them within half an hour of when they went on sale) and the GA section was closer. So we found a nice person that let us share some space and had pretty decent views (seriously this is one of the reasons I dislike Red Rocks so much; unless you're in the first 15 aisles you need binoculars).

By the time we'd gotten settled in we had missed The National play. I do know their music so I was kind of bummed but I wasn't going to beat myself up about it. (And no one mentioned how they were so I'm going to assume that I didn't miss anything amazing either).

Modest Mouse on the other hand were talked about a lot the next day. Mostly for such a disappointing set. And while I understand some bands get tired of playing the favorites of a crowd, it is definitely not the best strategy for a band that is not headlining. I really didn't understand it. Not only did they not play their popular songs but they didn't really play many 'fan favorites' either. There was a good amount of the newest record We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. But really just not enough of what everyone wanted.

Then of course there was the mass exodus of kids that had come for Modest Mouse and didn't care to see R.E.M. (which is just a sad commentary on my generation). Honestly even if I didn't know much about R.E.M. I would have stayed if only for getting my money's worth and saying that I saw the infamous band.

Too bad for the people that left because the show was pretty amazing. The only downside (especially if you're a casual fan) was the lull in between popular songs. But their on stage charisma and banter kept me entertained between the songs I didn't know. The only thing that surprised me was the absence of It's the End of the World as We Know It but that song is ridiculously hard to sing and our air is known for winding singers on the normal songs.

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musical progression of a concert at it's finest.

1 Apr 2008, 05:15

Tue 25 Mar – Aloha, Anathallo

After many people BAILING on me (bitter, what, me?) I decided to take the light rail to the show (an experience in itself..) and ended up getting there about half an hour before doors opened.

Which ended up working out because I immediately saw some concert buddies and Bret outside talking so I walked over and joined them. We ended up talking for 2 hours (and the opening act still hadn't gone on) about random things until we all decided to head inside.

Locals - The Still City opened and it took my friend reminding me that I've seen them before to recognize them. I don't think they were as good as I seemed to think last time but they definitely weren't bad either.

I had mentioned to Bret that I thought it might be chaos with the 7 of them on the small stage at the Hi-Dive but he said that they've played here before (in 2003?) and that he remembered that they had fun. Somehow Anathallo miraculously fit on stage and proceeded enamor the crowd with 6 or 7 songs; 1 old one they've never released, about 4 from Floating World and then 2 new ones (among those is my favorite John J. Audobon). Toooo short I say. But apparently (as learned later from Erica) their systems were being difficult.

Having only briefly heard Aloha but knowing that everyone in Anathallo loves their music, I had pretty high expectations. I was not disappointed. The band's musical ability blew me away and I became entranced deeper with each song.

After the show I hung around a bit longer (never really wanting to go home) and ended up helping Anathallo load the van for a little bit (while Bret got to pick on me some more) and then gave into real life and headed out since I have work early in the morning.

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Very little in common but a lot of rock.

1 Apr 2008, 04:32

Wed 19 Mar – Say Anything, Biffy Clyro, Manchester Orchestra, Weatherbox

Say Anything is fast approaching one of those bands that I keep seeing even though I am no longer an avid fan. They just always seem to pick touring bands that I really love and this tour it was Manchester Orchestra.

As time passes my memories are no longer as vivid and therefore my recounts become more ADHD so if you don't mind that then here we go:

I'd heard that Manchester was doing a contest with iLike on Facebook so even though I had free tickets to the show I went ahead and threw in my name. Somehow I won. I wonder if anyone else even tried. It was pretty cool though because this way I could invite some more friends that are broke college students.

We got to the show via the Light Rail and made it in time to catch most of Weatherbox set. I'd forgotten that I'd bought their cd (a hazard of going to so many concerts) but I was reminded why I had during their set. They were a good logical choice to open for Say Anything and now I've gone and forgotten who my friend said they were a mix of. alas the old age is finally getting to me.

Biffy Clyro came out and despite knowing the name for a while I had never seen them perform live. I was BLOWN AWAY. amazing. So of course when we try to buy a cd we find out they are massively sold out. que triste. They were so amazingly old school and new school it was great.

Of course next was the band that I was there to really see, the incredible Manchester Orchestra. And it's sad to see the Jesse Lacey fangirls spilling over into Andy and screaming his name like he's some sort of golden god on stage while he sets up. Kids, he's just a cool guy that writes awesome music. Chill. The band started and the show was utterly amazing and all to brief. They played their "hits" and two new songs that I'd have to listen to again but definitely feel they are of the same caliber of Virgin.

As Say Anything came on I questioned how much I really wanted to bother staying up front with the mass of 15 year olds. I chose to head back and grab myself a drink and enjoy them from there. They are definitely playing a lot more of their new songs now and only played the crowd pleasers as pick-me-ups if kids started to get bored. Most didn't get bored though and most were singing along to every song despite it's age.

Surveying the crowd I compared them to the first time I'd ever seen Say Anything. Back then the crowd was intense; there was no single person but more of an ameoba that swayed to the will of Max Bemis. This crowd... was more of the beach blonds jumping up onto the stereos and dancing as if they are go-go's at a nightclub.

After the show we headed over to the Manchester table where I've already forgotten the Merch guys name and completely monopolized Jeremiah's time. I can honestly say that every guy in Manchester is pretty awesome and Jeremiah is so sweet and genuine (he promised he'd remember my name the next time we saw each other - and if he actually does I will be in awe).

He let us know that the new cd will probably come out late summer or early fall and that they'll be touring again about the same time. I could also possibly divulge some talks of possible lineups buttt if it falls through then you would stone me after I have already killed myself because of how upset I'd be if it didn't work out.

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1 part bluegrass rock, 1 part acoustic, and 1 part dance makes....

20 Mar 2008, 23:14

Tue 18 Mar – Say Hi, Say Hi to Your Mom, Kevin Devine, Action Packed Thrill Ride

I'm really just not sure if I like the Hi-Dive as a venue. The space itself is very odd, there is no backstage for the bands and they have to load/unload from the front of the stage via this very steep mini stairs.

Anyways, we got to the venue and they did the usual "kids in the cage" bit and so since i was with minors we shuffled off to that section. But weirdly the merch wasn't on that side tonight and it was pretty stupid to have merch only on the 21+ side...

Action Packed Thrill Ride opens first and I personally had no clue what to expect. I'd probably say that its a bluegrass band trying to be alternative rock... and sometimes it works... most of the time it doesn't.

Of course the whole reason we were there was to see the amazing Kevin Devine and he did not disappoint. His show was filled with his classic favorites and mini Q&A sessions between songs but what made this show even more memorable (relatively all Kevin shows are pretty memorable) was the addition of some new songs that were amazing.

He introduced one with a story about how Amnesty International wanted to use one of his songs. He suggested this new one and apparently it was too intense for even them. I wish I could have grabbed video for this song but it was too sudden and honestly left me frozen in place by how amazing it was. Not only did we get new songs but someone asked him about Miracle of 86 and he happily played a song from back then. If that wasn't enough then he went and played Nada Surf's Inside of Love (which i did manage to get on video).

I'm sure some people were disappointed since he didn't have time to play ALL of the fan favorites (because there are a lot of them). But overall it was unique and beautiful.

Not one to just bail a show (even if we didn't come for the headliner), we hung out to check out Say Hi. Surprisingly there was only 2 guys; one on drums and the other playing a guitar and working the mixer. I honestly liked the music but I agree with my cohort that it is underwhelming when you hear the band and can tell that there is 5 instruments but on stage there's just a mixer. It's a bit of a let down. Still, the band had a lot of energy and the songs were fun to dance to.

Afterwards we headed over towards the merch booth to see if we wanted anything from Kevin's table and of course to talk to the man himself. No Kevin.... we wait... 5 minutes... no Kevin. There's a point where it just feels awkward when you've decided you don't really want to buy anything and you're waiting at an empty table just to say hi to someone that barely (maybe) remembers you from the last time. So.... we gave up and left with our hearts slightly deflated but still amazingly filled with wonderful memories of an extraordinary show.

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what every concert SHOULD be

10 Mar 2008, 22:59

Sun 9 Mar – Portugal. The Man, The Axe That Chopped The Cherry Tree, Wild Orchid Children, Red Orange Yellow

A week before hand I sent out the text asking if anyone wanted to come with me to the show. No takers. The only person that I know that likes this genre (how do you classify a genre anyway...) bails because he has homework. An hour before hand still no takers and I've classified my friend as a loser and have sworn my revenge on him for making me go alone. But for Portugal. The Man? Yes. I will go alone.

I get there around 8 (doors were at 7:30) and spot the set list times has Red Orange Yellow starting now. Looking at the stage.... that cleary is not going to happen. I scope the scene and feel under dressed around a good amount of girly girls. The majority of the place was filled with guys anyway, and once the music started I wouldn't care either way.

Eventually the local band Red Orange Yellow takes the stage and I'm interested in hearing them since I (mistakenly) think that I will be seeing them again at the Aloha/Anathallo concert coming up (I'll get to why that's mistaken later). I finish my drink (why yes I always have a drink...) and head up to the front of the stage. 2 crazy digital things a guitar and drums. amazing sound - very experimental. Despite the static (can't really move around much with those instruments now can you) you could still clearly see how into the moment and music they were; that feeling is always contagious (at least to me).

A quick interlude and I find myself trying to decide if I want another drink or want to claim my current spot (which is pretty good) for The Axe That Chopped The Cherry Tree. I've seen them before and I know how fanatic the crowd gets but I risk it to grab another drink while I wait for them to start. Luckily me finishing my drink coincided to them taking the stage. So I headed back out onto the floor and got my spot back.

The last (and first) time I saw this band it was an "Acoustic" show. And at the time it was kinda hard to understand what was stripped down about it. But seeing this show was like a light bulb going off in my head. The band was wearing all white and had neon glow war paint under blacklights. Their amp declaring "Art is Robbery. I'm a thief!" The band was intense and frenetic. They actually got so into the music that the bassist broke a string and they had to stop for 5 minutes to go on a search to see if another band would let them borrow one for their last song (in the end it was Portugal. The Man to the rescue).

When Wild Orchid Children took the stage. I thought for a second that they were local because the band members looked so familiar. Well joke is on me because they are members from Gatsby's American Dream, Forgive Durden and The Divorce. I was a bit clueless and probably never would have guessed that they were in any of the above bands due to the very experimental nature of the music (okay that's a lie, the bongo is a bit reminiscent of some Forgive Durden stuff).

This time there was no moving me from the front line as I waited out take down and set up for Portugal. The Man. The came out and I was prepared this time for crazy light show ahead. So I cheated with my pictures and got as many good ones in as I could before the lights dropped and the show started.

With experimental/indie music I am HORRIBLE with naming songs. I know them but I just don't care enough to differentiate one song from the next. There are moments when all of a sudden I will be like "Oh! It's this song!" That's the kind of weird fan I am. Just fair warning. Portugal was amazing as always. Everyone looked like they were so into it and having an amazing time that it was contagious (except for the one moment I looked over and saw members of the front line not moving at all.. shameful! I swear that's how Denver gets a bad rap). We even got a new song (sadly not before my batteries died) and it was really amazing.

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