Beer Rating: 2 1/2 Beers
I swore off attending gigs at the Hollywood Bowl after seeing how massive of a venue it was when I saw Radiohead there (thanks Karen). Well, I find my way back to the Hollywood Bowl to see a highly anticipated bill of three of my favorite music groups. Plus, I was just damn curious to figure out how Air is going to play with an orchestra. With my $14 "binoculars mandatory" seats, I awaited to see whether this hype was well worth it.
I missed Sondre Lerche because he actually started at 6pm. I guess, at least for the Hollywood Bowl, when they mean show starts at 6pm, they really mean that it starts at that time. No Filipino time on that one! Well, I arrived fashionably late, and was able to hear the last few words to "Sleep On Needles." It sounded like a string ensemble was playing with Sondre, but I wasn't sure. After walking from the Hollywood Metro and up several flights of stairs, I was slightly disoriented (and sweaty!).
As I was buying drinks, Stereolab came on. I missed their first two songs but caught the rest of their set. This is the first time I've seen Stereolab since the unfortunate death of Mary Hansen. It is eerie to not hear her backing vocals, and is instead replaced by horns. Stereolab were in top form as usual, playing a good amount of songs that spread their entire discography. In their last three songs, they were joined by a string ensemble. Let me tell you, you haven't lived life until you've heard "Cybele's Reverie" played with a true string ensemble. It was quite an experience.
As Stereolab ended, the crew prepared for to set-up the orchestra for Air. That orchestra was absolutely massive. The Air main set was surprisingly short and you can barely hear the orchestra's contribution to most of the songs. One notable was when they played "Remember" from their first LP Moon Safari which was full orchestra. It sounded absolutely amazing! However, after that, the orchestra was barely audible and from where I was sitting, the only way I knew the orchestra was involved was through the movements of the conductor.
During the encore, Air gave us a couple of surprises. First, they were joined on-stage by Jason Falkner (Jellyfish, Beck) and Mr. Beck Hansen himself for a rendition of . . . I'm drawing a blank. It was off of 100,000 MHz Legend but it was not "The Vagabond." See, now you know why I write these things immediately after the show rather than waiting the next day (like right now!).
Anyways, was it worth the hype? Sure. If you got better seats. But with crap seats come an advantage of only paying $15 compared to $150. Overall, well worth it for the price I paid. I just wish they would have at least played "Radio #1".
27 September 2004
24 September 2004
Rilo Kiley / Tilly & The Wall (Bimbo's, 23 September 2004)
Beer Rating: 1 Beer
Out of all the shows for this week, this is the one I was the most exicted for. The combination of Tilly & The Wall and Rilo Kiley is, as Forrest Gump would say, "like peas and carrots." Both bands have that pop sound that has a little bit of twang in it. Also, both have a connection with Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes (Tilly & The Wall being comprised of former members of Oberst's pre-Bright Eyes endeavor, Park Avenue, and Jenny Lewis being one of Bright Eyes' backing vocalists during their tour with Belle & Sebastian). Well, my expectations were fulfilled.
I arrived late for Tilly & The Wall but I caught a majority of their set. The crowd provided polite applause, but at times there were those fair weather fans. I'm a new fan of theirs. I have downloaded some tracks (but I only know a few of them by title) and have never seen them live. Definite highlights were "You and I Misbehaving," "I Always Knew," and "Nights of the Living Dead."
After 20 minutes, Rilo Kiley came on. Before they started, I told my friend that "so long as they play 'It's A Hit' and 'The Execution of All Things,' I'll be a happy man." Well, sure enough, they started their set with "It's A Hit." An awesome live rendition which blew me away and had me smiling for all 4:30 minutes they played it.
The band were in good spirits, with Blake and Jenny being rather chatty with the crowd. Jenny thanked the crowd after "The Good That Won't Come Out" for their "recommendations" on the sound level. Blake admonished one crowd member for suggesting "Freebird." Blake hates that tried and tested heckling joke (I am too, and I have never heard "Freebird" before either!). Blake later apologized during the encore.
"I Never" was another highlight with Jenny belting out the "I . . . I . . .I . . .I" part of the song. Another funny part of the whole program was Blake's rendition of the Robert Palmer classic, "Simply Irresistable." It was done acoustically and much to Jenny's dismay. It was well done, but a rather odd cover. Not as weird as Neil of Divine Comedy covering QOTSA's "No One Knows" (see previous post), but weird nonetheless.
They finally played "Execution of All Things" as their second to the last song. After that I was in pure bliss.
Yes, this show was a hit.
Out of all the shows for this week, this is the one I was the most exicted for. The combination of Tilly & The Wall and Rilo Kiley is, as Forrest Gump would say, "like peas and carrots." Both bands have that pop sound that has a little bit of twang in it. Also, both have a connection with Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes (Tilly & The Wall being comprised of former members of Oberst's pre-Bright Eyes endeavor, Park Avenue, and Jenny Lewis being one of Bright Eyes' backing vocalists during their tour with Belle & Sebastian). Well, my expectations were fulfilled.
I arrived late for Tilly & The Wall but I caught a majority of their set. The crowd provided polite applause, but at times there were those fair weather fans. I'm a new fan of theirs. I have downloaded some tracks (but I only know a few of them by title) and have never seen them live. Definite highlights were "You and I Misbehaving," "I Always Knew," and "Nights of the Living Dead."
After 20 minutes, Rilo Kiley came on. Before they started, I told my friend that "so long as they play 'It's A Hit' and 'The Execution of All Things,' I'll be a happy man." Well, sure enough, they started their set with "It's A Hit." An awesome live rendition which blew me away and had me smiling for all 4:30 minutes they played it.
The band were in good spirits, with Blake and Jenny being rather chatty with the crowd. Jenny thanked the crowd after "The Good That Won't Come Out" for their "recommendations" on the sound level. Blake admonished one crowd member for suggesting "Freebird." Blake hates that tried and tested heckling joke (I am too, and I have never heard "Freebird" before either!). Blake later apologized during the encore.
"I Never" was another highlight with Jenny belting out the "I . . . I . . .I . . .I" part of the song. Another funny part of the whole program was Blake's rendition of the Robert Palmer classic, "Simply Irresistable." It was done acoustically and much to Jenny's dismay. It was well done, but a rather odd cover. Not as weird as Neil of Divine Comedy covering QOTSA's "No One Knows" (see previous post), but weird nonetheless.
They finally played "Execution of All Things" as their second to the last song. After that I was in pure bliss.
Yes, this show was a hit.
23 September 2004
The Divine Comedy (Cafe Du Nord, 22 September 2004)
Beer Rating: 1 1/2 beers
Neil Hannon is a true genius. The man can entertain, make jokes, write sarcastic (and sometimes overly cheezy) lyrics, and write some of the finest songs around. The entire Divine Comedy discography is chock full of fantastic songs and a much, much smaller Divine Comedy played a good sampling of their songs (and others) during their 2-day residency at Cafe Du Nord.
Neil was accompanied by two other musicians (whose names escape me at the moment) and opened their set with "Absent Friends," which is the opening track to their new L.P. of the same title. Neil was in top form, looking dapper in a suit and now donning a much better haircut. Throughout the show, he joked with the crowd, introducing himself as Neil "Mr. Burns" and introducing the next song as, "this is a song...thank you." Notable songs he played in his main set included "Happy Goth," "Woman of the World," "National Express," "If...," and "Love What You Do."
The highlight of the evening though was when they would play a cover. In their main set, they did an astoundingly pleasing rendition of the Queen of the Stone Age's song, "No One Knows." I personally hate that song, but Neil actually made it a pleasurable one - sounding as if it was his song in the first place. During the encore, Neil took requests from the crowd. The first request he granted was New Order's "Blue Monday" which he played in part since he forgot the lyrics. Then came "The Logical Song" by Supertramp, which was done almost in full but fantastic nonetheless. They noted that they were doing this song during soundcheck and decided to download the lyrics off the web. Another one they did was "Macarthur Park" by Richard Harris which Neil found very difficult to play that he cursed music. Finally, he ended his cover set with Supergrass' "Alright" which was also done in part.
The band ended their set with "Tonight We Fly." A perfect way to end the nearly 90 minute set. After the show, I did feel as if I were in Cloud 9. I would like to go to their second show, but Rilo Kiley awaits...
Neil Hannon is a true genius. The man can entertain, make jokes, write sarcastic (and sometimes overly cheezy) lyrics, and write some of the finest songs around. The entire Divine Comedy discography is chock full of fantastic songs and a much, much smaller Divine Comedy played a good sampling of their songs (and others) during their 2-day residency at Cafe Du Nord.
Neil was accompanied by two other musicians (whose names escape me at the moment) and opened their set with "Absent Friends," which is the opening track to their new L.P. of the same title. Neil was in top form, looking dapper in a suit and now donning a much better haircut. Throughout the show, he joked with the crowd, introducing himself as Neil "Mr. Burns" and introducing the next song as, "this is a song...thank you." Notable songs he played in his main set included "Happy Goth," "Woman of the World," "National Express," "If...," and "Love What You Do."
The highlight of the evening though was when they would play a cover. In their main set, they did an astoundingly pleasing rendition of the Queen of the Stone Age's song, "No One Knows." I personally hate that song, but Neil actually made it a pleasurable one - sounding as if it was his song in the first place. During the encore, Neil took requests from the crowd. The first request he granted was New Order's "Blue Monday" which he played in part since he forgot the lyrics. Then came "The Logical Song" by Supertramp, which was done almost in full but fantastic nonetheless. They noted that they were doing this song during soundcheck and decided to download the lyrics off the web. Another one they did was "Macarthur Park" by Richard Harris which Neil found very difficult to play that he cursed music. Finally, he ended his cover set with Supergrass' "Alright" which was also done in part.
The band ended their set with "Tonight We Fly." A perfect way to end the nearly 90 minute set. After the show, I did feel as if I were in Cloud 9. I would like to go to their second show, but Rilo Kiley awaits...
22 September 2004
Muse (The Warfield, 21 September 2004)
Beer Rating - 2 1/2 Beers
What a night! I got a free club level ticket to watch the Giants and then I get to go to a free Muse show (with 2nd row balcony tickets) at the Warfield with my friends. Perfect night, right? Well, it would have been if it wasn't for four jocks sitting behind us in the balcony. They were loud as fuck and they kept on making stupid conversation. Totally ruined the show for me, hence I would have needed more drinks to: (1) drown out their annoying voices and (2) to gather the liquid courage to go Uma on them.
Anyways, on with the show . . .
After showing up 20 minutes late, Muse opened with "Hysteria" from their most recent release. And that was how the crowd reacted: they were crazy for all that Matt Bellamy had to offer. I was dumbfounded to see that their guitars and bass are completely cordless! I wondered why more bands have not tried this new technology, especially it provides for more mobility and the sound was excellent. Anyways, the Muse floor was so clean that it makes a neat freak like me proud.
One can't help but notice though the eerie resemblance between Bellamy's voice with Thom Yorke. I closed my eyes a bit when "Sing for Absolution" was played and the high notes that Bellamy does is so Thom Yorke. I hated to admit it, but it's true. It's even confirmed by all of my die hard Radiohead friends.
The 2nd to the last song was their hit, "Time is Running Out," which I sang along to. Especially the parts of "oooh, oooh, oooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." Other notable songs played from their recent release includes "Stockholm Syndrome," "Butterflies & Hurricanes," "Blackout," and
"Apocalypse Please." Sorry folks, I only know Muse through their recent L.P.
Getting a free poster at the end made things worthwhile though.
What a night! I got a free club level ticket to watch the Giants and then I get to go to a free Muse show (with 2nd row balcony tickets) at the Warfield with my friends. Perfect night, right? Well, it would have been if it wasn't for four jocks sitting behind us in the balcony. They were loud as fuck and they kept on making stupid conversation. Totally ruined the show for me, hence I would have needed more drinks to: (1) drown out their annoying voices and (2) to gather the liquid courage to go Uma on them.
Anyways, on with the show . . .
After showing up 20 minutes late, Muse opened with "Hysteria" from their most recent release. And that was how the crowd reacted: they were crazy for all that Matt Bellamy had to offer. I was dumbfounded to see that their guitars and bass are completely cordless! I wondered why more bands have not tried this new technology, especially it provides for more mobility and the sound was excellent. Anyways, the Muse floor was so clean that it makes a neat freak like me proud.
One can't help but notice though the eerie resemblance between Bellamy's voice with Thom Yorke. I closed my eyes a bit when "Sing for Absolution" was played and the high notes that Bellamy does is so Thom Yorke. I hated to admit it, but it's true. It's even confirmed by all of my die hard Radiohead friends.
The 2nd to the last song was their hit, "Time is Running Out," which I sang along to. Especially the parts of "oooh, oooh, oooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." Other notable songs played from their recent release includes "Stockholm Syndrome," "Butterflies & Hurricanes," "Blackout," and
"Apocalypse Please." Sorry folks, I only know Muse through their recent L.P.
Getting a free poster at the end made things worthwhile though.
Music Calendar: Notable Additions
Some additions made to the calendar include:
- 9/30: The Bravery
- 10/6: Ratatat
- 10/16: Velvet Teen
- 10/10: Brian Jonestown Massacre
- 10/21: Tears For Fears
- 10/22: Blues Explosion / The Gossip
- 11/13: Donnas / Von Bondies
- 12/1 and 12/2: Neko Case
One correction was made:
- Holly Golightly is actually 10/28 rather than 10/20 (Thanks Julie!)
21 September 2004
New Music Calendar
As you can see, the site is coming along with the S.F. Music Calendar now permanently in the right column of the blog. I have no clue on how to do HTML or any of that technical crap and now I've figured the damn thing out!
Now I have to go to sleep.
Now I have to go to sleep.
19 September 2004
Morrissey / Tears for Fears (Golden Gate Park, 19 September 2004)
Well, there is no review for this show because I didn't go! Unfortunatley, the Moz fell ill. According to the Now & Zen coordinators (www.radioalice.com), Morrissey was "seen Saturday morning at 11 am by Dr. Joseph Sugarman who diagnosed him with sinusitis, acute laryngitis, and a high fever and advised that he not attempt to speak for the next 48 hours at a minimum."
It is a damn shame that did happen, since I was looking forward to seeing the Moz for the first time. In its place, I re-alphabetized my CD collection and proceeded to curse profusely at my stereo's 5 disc CD changer from malfunctioning.
It is a damn shame that did happen, since I was looking forward to seeing the Moz for the first time. In its place, I re-alphabetized my CD collection and proceeded to curse profusely at my stereo's 5 disc CD changer from malfunctioning.
M83 (Mezzanine, 17 September 2004)
Beer Rating - 1 beer needed
This is the first official show review for the website and until I learn how to make this more fancy with pictures and stuff, text has to do. We also have a rating system based on the number of beers one needs to fully enjoy the show. The lesser the number, the better the show.
For those of you who are not indie enough (I joke!), M83 are a french band headed by two main artists, Anthony Gonzalez and Nicholas Fromageau. As their fancy, dos-inspired website touts, "in 2000, at the tender age of twenty, these two boys from Anitbes, France [who play music inspried] by Tangerine Dream and Mogwai. Their first U.S. release, "Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts" have earned them high praise from several music journalists and website (Pitchforkmedia gave them a superb 9.2/10).
On to the show. After a rather lengthy wait, and three grey goose and crans and after shelling out nearly $51 to buy all my friends drinks, M83 finally came onstage. There were 4 musicians total, with Anthony and Nicholas clearly leading the way. Although I can't remember the song order, they played amazing live renditions of their debut LP. "Unrecorded" was very well done, and each bang of the drums and pluck of the guitar was in perfect sync. "America" was my personal favourite amongst the songs in their set. The sheer intensity of that song, coupled with its booming sound, made my head spin and my ears bleed in happiness.
They also played a number of songs that were not in the album. I don't know these songs, nor do I know whether these songs were new or from prior EPs. Nonetheless, each new tune was well done and pleasingly loud.
They were not kidding when they said they were influenced by Mogwai. It's funny, because I think Mogwai are so-so, but yet think that M83 are better. Is this a case of the student being better than the teacher? Who knows. Ratatat also came to mind, but M83 were more complex in sound.
An all around great show! Afterwards, the gang went to a party that was considered dead on arrival. Then we were literally running to the Hemlock Tavern to get some drinks before last call. Damn you 2am curfew!
This is the first official show review for the website and until I learn how to make this more fancy with pictures and stuff, text has to do. We also have a rating system based on the number of beers one needs to fully enjoy the show. The lesser the number, the better the show.
For those of you who are not indie enough (I joke!), M83 are a french band headed by two main artists, Anthony Gonzalez and Nicholas Fromageau. As their fancy, dos-inspired website touts, "in 2000, at the tender age of twenty, these two boys from Anitbes, France [who play music inspried] by Tangerine Dream and Mogwai. Their first U.S. release, "Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts" have earned them high praise from several music journalists and website (Pitchforkmedia gave them a superb 9.2/10).
On to the show. After a rather lengthy wait, and three grey goose and crans and after shelling out nearly $51 to buy all my friends drinks, M83 finally came onstage. There were 4 musicians total, with Anthony and Nicholas clearly leading the way. Although I can't remember the song order, they played amazing live renditions of their debut LP. "Unrecorded" was very well done, and each bang of the drums and pluck of the guitar was in perfect sync. "America" was my personal favourite amongst the songs in their set. The sheer intensity of that song, coupled with its booming sound, made my head spin and my ears bleed in happiness.
They also played a number of songs that were not in the album. I don't know these songs, nor do I know whether these songs were new or from prior EPs. Nonetheless, each new tune was well done and pleasingly loud.
They were not kidding when they said they were influenced by Mogwai. It's funny, because I think Mogwai are so-so, but yet think that M83 are better. Is this a case of the student being better than the teacher? Who knows. Ratatat also came to mind, but M83 were more complex in sound.
An all around great show! Afterwards, the gang went to a party that was considered dead on arrival. Then we were literally running to the Hemlock Tavern to get some drinks before last call. Damn you 2am curfew!
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