Event Calendar

28 July 2007

Arcade Fire (Greek Theatre, 2 June 2007)

I was unable to attend the previous night's Arcade Fire show because of commitments. And luckily I didn't break any commitments because the second Arcade Fire show easily surpassed the one the night before. The crowd was really into it, and the capacity crowd showed a lot of love for the Arcade Fire.

This was the third Arcade Fire show for me this year. Coming into this show, I knew that there was no way in can top any of the others. I mean, how can anyone top going to Montreal to see them, in a church no less? You can't. There's no way. And at Coachella, I was officially over seeing Arcade Fire at a festival. It was just a mess. So, when I saw them here, I kept in mind of all the past Arcade Fire shows, and told myself to just enjoy, and relax, and take in everything.

Arcade Fire did not disappoint. This was probably the most calm I've ever been at an Arcade Fire show, yet listening to them really made my senses jump. Granted, the new album isn't particularly as great as Funeral, but the new songs were played well live. "Keep the Car Running" and, although not "new," "No Cars Go," was just downright wicked. You can hear a pindrop when the band played "Windowsill" and "Ocean of Noise," but then you couldn't hear yourself think when they played "Rebellion (Lies)" transitioned with "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)."

The stage props were okay, but what makes an Arcade Fire show a memorable one are the theatrics of the band themselves. Will climbed up really high on top of one of the pillars at the show, which was scary. Richard and his Napoleon Dynamite looks banging the snare drums. Regine and her cherub like facial expressions. And Win "the basketball robber" Butler just singing his heart out on every song.

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Peter, Bjorn & John with Fujiya & Miyagi (Bimbo's, May 15, 2007)

On my mom's birthday, I celebrated by going to the much anticipated PB&J show. By this time, the song "Young Folks" has been completely raped by the radio stations, with avid radio listeners calling it the "whistling song." This was evident when PB&J played Coachella, where a packed tent became half full once they played "Young Folks." Will PB&J suffer the same fate here in S.F.?

Luckily, no. The crowd was really into their set from start to finish. PB&J's Swedish charm shined through, although sometimes it was a bit too cheezy. They played everything from their recent album. Of course, "Young Folks" was greeted with ecstatic applause. Too bad the whistling was recorded, rather than live. And unlike Coachella, the girl from the Shout Out Louds wasn't there to do the backing vocals. They did an acoustic rendition of "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," which they dubbed as a "new" song because it was different from the album version.

The crowd was also quite ecstatic for openers Fujiya & Miyagi. These Brits brought their electro/groove sound before to the Bay Area, but now they had a much more receptive audience. "Collarbone" was played really well, and everyone was dancing from the second song to the last.

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Morrissey (The Paramount, 1 May 2007)

When I tried to see Morrissey a couple of years ago, the Moz cancelled. I was disappointed, especially since I've never seen him live before. He's a living legend, and, of course, I want to see him before I die. Or he dies. So, I was excited to see him at a smaller venue than the great outdoors of Golden Gate Park, with seating.

The Moz looked good for being the old geezer that he is. I can only hope to be in that shape when I am old. His voice was top notch, and he was very animated. Talking with his die hard fans in the front, who he knows by first name. His backing band was also very tight, playing each chord and beat with so much "umph" and gusto.

The Moz played a lot of songs from his latest release, but it was the classic Smiths and earlier Moz tunes that stood out to me. Although the new songs were great, the earlier stuff carried the nostalgia I was craving. "The Queen is Dead" was surprising, but "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side" was even better. A spine tingling rendition of "Everyday is Like Sunday" and "How Soon is Now?" also made this a memorable show.

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06 July 2007

Coachella (Indio Polo Grounds, 28 April 2007)

Coachella day two. After an amazing day one, we arrived at Coachella refreshed and ready to roll. We were used to weather by now, and we know the ins and outs. The line up for Saturday proved to be a great one. Although Jarvis stole day one, and probably the entire weekend, the acts overall for day two easily surpassed day one because it was the dance party set. Everywhere I went, there was some dancing involved.

It didn't start out that way though. We first saw The Cribs who were fun but I wasn't really that into them. They were energetic, yes, but the new songs from their second album wasn't as great as their first. I just really wanted to hear "Hey Scenesters," which they played horribly.

After baking in the sun and drinking a couple of beers, we then caught Hot Chip. It was so fucking hot inside the tent that I thought I was going to faint. But Hot Chip were just awesome, despite my dizziness. A lot better than their Mezzanine show, that's for sure. I actually appreciated their act a lot more when I drank water from a guy who had hoardes of them. I was actually dancing this time. At Mezzanine, I was in the back just sipping my vodka. This time, I was dancing with a water bottle.

After more veggie corn dogs and iced tea, we then caught Travis. I haven't seen Travis in a long time, and I was so happy to see them. Their new album, The Boy With No Name, is a fantastic release. And they were top notched and I sang every word to every song they played. Especially ones from The Man Who like "Turn" and "Writing to Reach You." The new songs also came out well, like "Selfish Jean" and "The Big Chair."

While Travis played their last song, "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?," Meriza and I skipped our way from the main stage to the tent to catch what's left of Peter, Bjorn and John. We arrived just in time to catch the tail end of their set and caught the song everyone was pining for, "Young Folks." After they played that, everyone started to leave. I actually liked their set, but I was glad to catch more of Travis than PB&J.

We rested for a bit and ate more veggie corn dogs. Good thing, because it is Arcade Fire time in the main stage. I was determined to go as close to the stage as possible, risking it all. We arrived at the main stage, where there were thousands of people watching Kings of Leon in all their shirtless, redneck splendor. We inched our way closer, only to be met by several road blocks of hicks and sweaty men with dreads. After Kings of Leon left, there were tons of Red Hot Chili Peppers fans trying to score a sweet spot for their set after Arcade Fire. This really pissed me off, because I was surrounded by fratty RHCP fans, hardcore AF fans and trapped Kings of Leon fans.

Meriza and I were really close to Arcade Fire and we just acted all crazy during their 60+ minute long set. We were drenched in sweat, and constantly protected each other from the maniacs. I love Arcade Fire and all, but that's probably the last time I will go all out to see them at a Coachella like stage. It was just crazy. Crowd surfers everywhere trying to get out. Pissed off RHCP fans punching at people. Just sweat everywhere. But Arcade Fire played their hearts out and I sang every tune out loud. Once their set was over, I was covered in sweat and my skin was wrinkled because of the perspiration. I thought I was going to die, but it was well worth it.

We then went to our sanctuary, which is the Heineken beer tent. We drank some much needed liquids and then slowly crawled to see LCD Soundsystem. Meriza and I just sat way in the back of the tent and just took in the sounds. They were just great, and I had enough energy to see them, but decided to lay low.

While Meriza left to see The Good, The Bad & The Queen, I stayed to see The Rapture. They were fucking awesome and their 60 minute set encompassed every single song I wanted to hear. Granted, it would have been better if I had people to dance with, unlike all the wackos around me, but whatever. I'm looking forward to seeing them again with Daft Punk later in July.

I then caught a little bit of The Good, The Bad & The Queen. That band is tight. Damon sounded great and the rest of the band of all-star musicians played perfectly and effortlessly. The only part of the set that was pure rubbish was when that Syrian rapper came out. He was a total waste of space.

Beer Rating: 1/2

Coachella (Indio Polo Grounds, 27 April 2007)

Shit. Has it really been 2 months since I last posted? What can I say? Work and life in general has been hectic. Full of ups and downs, but now, I will try to maintain my blog here. I've cut down going to shows big time. Not only is it getting really expensive, but the actual bands I want to see live has dwindled down a bit.

One of the reasons why is Coachella. This was probably one of the best Coachella line-ups so far. Although one cannot forget Radiohead in 2004, Coachella 2007 was better because of the diversity of acts. Also, since I now consider myself a Coachella pro, knowing what to do and when also makes the Coachella experience that much better.

Unlike previous Coachellas, this one started on a Friday and became a three day long event. Meriza, Sara and I arrived at Coachella under the blazing hot sun and a whole shitload of people. We met up with Jason and his two friends, Francesca and Julianne, near the beer tent. We didn't see much of each other afterwards, but we did run into each other every now and then.

First band we saw was Tilly and the Wall. I only saw them open up for Rilo Kiley at Bimbo's a while back and really didn't think much of them. They were spectacular at the Coachella tent. Despite the heat inside, the band kept us entertained with their tap dancing and just enthusiastic stage presence. Not a bad start.

Then we caught a little bit of Tokyo Police Club. They were okay and I wasn't particularly impressed.

I think we then went to the main stage and caught Arctic Monkeys. I love Arctic Monkeys and I really, really liked their set. However, it was still daylight and people were just so-so into them. They were loud and they sang their songs quick. They started off with "Brianstorm," which was just so mean sounding live. Then they just ripped through their entire song collection. They played all the hits, especially my favourite, "Fake Tales of San Francisco."

After eating the best veggie corn dogs, we caught Jesus and Mary Chain. They looked haggard and they didn't seem to be that into their set. This was the highly anticipated reunion tour, but they just looked and acted "blah." Granted, this is my first JMC show, and for all I know they're always like this, but I thought they'd be more into it. One of the first songs they played was "Head On," which is my favourite JMC song. Apparently, ScarJo sang the backing vocals to "Just Like Honey," but I could care less.

We caught a bit of Peaches, but that's because we wanted a great spot to see God himself, Jarvis Cocker. I haven't seen Jarvis since 1999 when Pulp played Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. That's when This is Hardcore came out and I've been waiting for them to return ever since. After a long wait because of technical difficulties, Jarvis emerged from the back of the stage. Accompanying him was Steve Mackey, who is one of the original members of Pulp. I didn't think his album was that great, but after seeing him live, the album means that much more. Especially "Black Magic," with the lights flashing at the exact moment Jarvis would thrust his hips and elbows. "Fat Children" was also great. And, of course, the storytelling. We couldn't stop talking about Jarvis. I wished he played longer.

After Jarvis, we caught a bit of Interpol. They sounded fantastic but we were just too tired to make any effort to get closer. We then saw Bjork who is just beyond amazing. I fell asleep a bit during Bjork's set, but that's only because of fatigue rather than boredom. By that point, it was a little after 11pm and we were there at the Polo Grounds since 1pm. We were tired and we went back to the hotel.

Day one, overall, was just amazing and I could hardly wait for day two.

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