The Walkmen (Bimbo's, 27 February 2005)

WE'VE BEEN HAD!!

The last night of Noise Pop 2005 turned out to be the worst show of the lot. With high hopes and expectations, I was sure that the Walkmen will put on a superb performance. Unfortunately, they did the complete opposite: they sucked.

The first time I saw the Walkmen was when they played at the Bottom of the Hill with Hot Hot Heat as support. They were all dressed up in preppy clothing and were excellent. The lead singer was in tune (for the most part) and they churned out their debut album like it was a greatest hits collection.

Now, with fame with them and their highly acclaimed sophomore album, Bows + Arrows, being one of the better releases of last year, I had nothing but high expectations for this show. I was looking forward to them playing the hits and some newer material, and enjoy their antics on stage - complete with matching Gap outfits.

Unfortunately, they didn't do anything but bore the hell out of me and aggravate my ear ache. Hamilto Leithauser sang totally off key, with his yelling and yapping resulting in nothing but pure dissonance and a bunch of saliva mist. Granted, his voice isn't exactly what one would call "pretty" or "soothing" which is what I expected since the Walkmen's song feature his gruff and rough voice. However, his voice just did not translate live like how it did at Bottom of the Hill two years earlier, and at times, his voice will trail off and one couldn't even hear him sing. You know, he should try adjusting the mic stand sometimes so that he can get some leverage rather than strain and go on his tippy-toes to sing.

Some might say, "Oh, you're just not a fan of the Walkmen because he's always like that." I say that's pure bullshit because I saw the Walkmen and I like their albums, and this was a totally off night for Hamilton. Even though I mention the Walkmen "sucked", the rest of the band didn't necessarily suck. Drummer Matt Barrick was awesome and organist Walter Martin was equally impressive. Paul Maroon and Peter Bauer were also right on, but Hamilton's vocals - coupled with Bimbo's notoriously bad acoustics - just tainted the entire show for me. Even songs that I was looking forward to like "The Rat," "Wake Up," and "We've Been Had" were barely listenable. I could listen to the music, but that was just destroyed once Hamilton's saliva mist would spray in the air.

Overall, not the worst show I have ever seen, but still one of the bottom dwellers in my 14 year history of seeing shows.

Beer Rating: 5 Beers