The Arcade Fire (Stubb's BBQ, Austin, TX, 23 September 2005)

This must be what hell feels like in the morning...

I'm in Austin, Texas to attend the world famous Austin City Limits Festival. But, as a precursor to that event, I bought two tickets to see the most fucking amazing band of all time: Arcade Fire. They're playing at Stubbs BBQ which is a BBQ joint and concert venue.

It was hella hot in Austin. Try 100+ degrees in the daytime, lowering to a comfortable high 70's to mid 80's in the evening. Thank goodness it was the evening, because Stubb's is an outdoor venue. And a great one at that. The stage is elevated up high and the entire floor is lined with gravel and dirt. The acoustics were just fabulous, even if it's an outdoor venue.

We missed the Black Keys, even though we did watch their performance from the telly whilst eating my BBQ sides. I got me some cheap, top shelf mixed drink and effortlessly made my way up the front. Texans are so nice! So, I had a great spot, stage left, to see Arcade Fire. I could hardly contain myself!

Here they come and they started off with a Bob Dylan cover entitled "Hard Rain." I didn't know what it was until well after the show. It was an amazing song, and it started the show off right instead of the typical "Wake Up."

Well, "Wake Up" did follow and once Owen and Sara started playing the strings, that's when I started going crazy. Subdued, but yet crazy (if that makes any sense). I was yelling from the top of my lungs the shouting portion of the song, with my drink raised high and my eyes closed to capture the feeling of the song. I danced to the "dancy" portion of the song, so much so that I may have created a mini dust cloud from the gravel. By the way, the persons around me were doing the same.

"Laika" followed, with as much intensity as their previous performances. This time, Will went up on the speakers, stage left, and towered over the crowd like King Kong swatting planes from the Empire State Building. Richard was left with banging his own helmet-shielded head with the drumsticks.

Win then said that "We're the Arcade Fire from Montreal." He also made some remarks about the people in Houston and South Texas who were fleeing from Rita.

I forgot what song was played next, but they did play their EP set. This was different from their San Francisco performance. It included "No Cars Go," "Headlights Look Like Diamonds," and "My Heart is an Apple." They also played "Queen's Bitch" by David Bowie. This was the first time I've ever heard their rendition of this song, and it was absolutely beautiful. I was singing along to the verse.

"Crown of Love" was another highlight. My God, this song just tugs on my heartstrings and makes my spine tingle. Especially the beginning, where the keys were first played by Win and then his voice just taking over from there.

I think it was at the "fast" part of "Crown of Love" that I decided to join all the "Rowdies" in the front, center. I was hopping around like mad, singing along, getting high fives from all the boys around me. One guy said, "Wait til "Rebellion (Lies)"!!" Oh, I'm ready! This guy didn't know who he was messing with.

But man did I meet my match a song or two later....

During "Tunnels," this large, gargantuan guy joined us Rowdies in the front. I swear he was Andre the Giant's long lost child because this guy was H-U-G-E!!! I looked at the "Rebellion (Lies)" guy and we both had an expression on our faces that this was truly the end of our lives. I spoke to Andre Jr. and said, "Dude, you're going to fucking kill us all!!" And he just laughed.

"Power Out" came on and here we go going all crazy! Like CRAZY!!! Jumping around, I found my way in the pseudo mosh pit (it was a friendly one) and got battered pretty bad, but felt good. Then the segway to "Rebellion (Lies)" came on. I went crazy for that too!! See, I didn't have any friends around me, so I needed to find willing suspects for my eye closing routine. So, I put my hands over the "Rebellion (Lies)" guys eyes for a few seconds and he was ready and willing. He enjoyed it and said "FUCK YEAH!!" I then did the same to Andre Jr.!! I thought he was going to kill me but he was so happy and he happily obliged! He then did the same to me, his gargantuan hands covering my entire face (and I have a pretty big head mind you). He then shuffled my hair with his large fingers and we did the whole high five thing and yelled out "FUCK YEAH!!"

FUCK YEAH!!!

At this point, Will plopped his guitar down and gently brought his entire body on the crowd! I was right underneath him and the Rowdies and I carried him around. I then asked him, "Where do you want to go Win?" He used his eyes to signal back to the stage and me and the others wisked him there. My lower back was pressed on the stage as he came back, so basically my upper torsoe was lying on the stage! It was AWESOME!!!

Thank God for the pause between encores. It was hot, I was surrounded by 40 sweaty, stinky boys and girls and I was thirsty. After asking the guy in front of me to steal Win's water, I guzzled it down and shared it amongst the Rowdies. I made a comment to "Rebellion" boy saying that Austin is a great town and that Stubb's is a fantastic venue.

So, here comes the encore. I forgot what they played, but here comes Win again! This time, his arse hit my head. I hugged him for a bit, to show my appreciation and then we wisked him back again.

It was a FANTASTIC show and definitely the highlight of my whole Austin, Texas experience. I was so enthused that when I saw my pal Jim, I ran to him and climbed on his back like he was giving me a piggy back ride! I was still euphoric, hopping all around like a deranged rabbit and shouting out, "I LOVE THE ARCADE FIRE!!!"

We then went bar hopping. Mind you, my entire shirt and undershirt was drenched. It looked like I came out of Rita for crying out loud! I stunk too, but nobody seemed to mind. I had the orange bracelet, which signifies my Stubb's attendance.

This band can do no wrong.

Beer Rating: 0 Beers

Austin City Limits Festival: Day One (Zilker Park, Austin, TX, 23 September 2005)

This is your music correspondent reporting from the hottest place on Earth: Austin, Texas. It's around 100+ degrees on Friday afternoon here in Zilker Park. The only band I wanted to see the entire day was Kasabian, so I just went to the festival's first day just for that. They came on at around 1:30pm and put on another spectacular performance.

Unlike their tour with Oasis, I actually caught their entire set this time. There was a good sized crowd at the AMD stage, despite the overwhelming heat. They played the exact same songs as before. "LSF," "Processed Beats" and "Club Foot" were among the crowd favourites. Well, they were my favourite at least.

Throughout the entire set, Sergio was commenting on how hot it was out here and how they were very appreciative of the turn out despite the circumstances. Although they sounded like they were in top form, they said that they weren't feeling very well. I think the heat has something to do with it, and the fact that they haven't smoked hash in a while.

After that excellent set, I decided to walk around the festival grounds just to get a gauge of what's up. First, I went shopping at the SoCo Art Market and found some good stuff and a cowboy hat to shield me from the elements. Then I checked out the food court where they had every single cuisine imaginable at reasonable prices. The layout of the entire festival grounds was well organized, with water stations stratigically placed and volunteers all around. There was even a Starbucks tent where I guzzled down some fraps throughout the entire weekend. Corporate sponsorships has its benefits, including getting a free fan/water spray gizmo from the SBC folks and a free picture from Cingular's tent.

I also bought my souvenirs that day at the Festival Market. I got an undated, black ACL shirt and a couple of other things at the Waterloo Records tent. I noticed that Kasabian cancelled their autograph appearance -- so their "not feeling well" statement made more sense.

I decided to go back to my car (the shuttles rule!) and just roam around Austin to know the lay of the land. Checked out the drag, ate a tempeh taco, and then went back to the hotel.

So, for Kasabian:

Beer Rating:

Bloc Party (The Warfield, 21 September 2005)

It's Bloc Party....again. Playing a different sized venue....again. And I went...again.

If you remember my article on Mesh regarding Bloc Party a few months ago, I predicted that this band will be so huge (since the hype was justified) that they'll play Fillmore and Warfield sometime soon. Well, Bloc Party indeed played the Fillmore not too long ago and now they just played the Warfield.

You know a band is getting big by virtue of them playing a different sized venue in S.F. for each visit. The hierarchy of "major" venues in S.F. goes something like, from lowest to highest: Bottom of the Hill, Cafe Du Nord, Great American, Slim's, The Fillmore, The Warfield, Bill Graham and Shoreline. Well, Bloc Party started off at Bottom of the Hill, then went to Popscene, then Slim's, Fillmore, respectively, and, now Warfield.

I bought a ticket to this show since a friend of mine loved Bloc Party so much. So I went and I had a great time. They started off with "Positive Tension" which was a weird song to start off with since they started with "Like Eating Glass" for the other shows. The crowd was rowdy when they came in, but they were a bit weirded out by the start of this song.

This "weirdness" subsided when the third or fourth song they played was "Banquet." At this point, me and my friends wanted to jump around and "Banquet" was the perfect song to do it to. I love this song, especially the Phones Disco Remix. "Banquet" energized the crowd and got me mad hopping around. Everyone was dancing non-stop. I liked it so much that I wished they'd do the Gorillaz thing and repeat this song in the encore. They didn't. =-(

Another highlight was their old songs from the EPs. "The Marshalls Forever" and "Little Thoughts" were fantastic! A lot of the crowd didn't recognize the songs, since Silent Alarm is probably the only album from Bloc Party they owned.

Bloc Party also played a bunch of new songs. I don't remember anything distinct about them from their current material -- which is a good thing. Why fix something that isn't broke?

I forgot what the last song they played was, or whether it was truly their last song. They stopped "Helicopter" mid-way to save a somewhat injured woman from the crowd. See, Bloc Party is against all things "moshing" or people getting hurt in their shows. They take it so seriously that they warned people at their Fillmore show about it and did the same thing here. Kele chastised the crowd, along with bassist Gordon, that they don't want to see people injured and that the crowd should behave themselves better.

After Kele helped the girl up the stage and took her backstage for some aid, they continued where they left off. Then they left the stage, in what seemed to be in disgust. They came back after a few minutes and informed the crowd that the girl was alright and further informed the crowd to temper their rowdy behavior.

They then played more songs, some new ones. They also played another encore, which I missed since I needed to use the WC.

Another entertaining show by Bloc Party.

Beer Rating:

The Arcade Fire (The Warfield, 18 September 2005)

I LOVE THE ARCADE FIRE!
I LOVE THE ARCADE FIRE!
I LOVE THE ARCADE FIRE!
I LOVE THE ARCADE FIRE!
I LOVE THE ARCADE FIRE!

Did I tell you that I LOVE THE ARCADE FIRE!

One would think that after seeing The Arcade Fire in every size venue possible, from as small as The Bottom of the Hill to as huge as the Hollywood Bowl, that they would lose their lustre. I mean, they've been touring non-stop all around the world in support of their debut album Funeral and their recently reissued EP for this entire year. During that time, they've stopped by S.F. a total of four times, and soon to be a 5th at the Download Festival. Well, they haven't lost a step. If not, they've improved and are better than ever.

By far, this is the most fun Arcade Fire show I've ever been to. It's because I actually got to dance and hop around like a chicken on crack. As the clock struck 10pm, the curtains opened with the band right there, ready to launch into "Wake Up." "Wake Up" was brilliantly done, as always, with Richard being able to move from one side of the stage to another, with accordion in hand, without tripping over something. I was at the far stage left, next to the speakers, just holding in my enthusiasm. I was jumping around, but nobody else was. I saw people in the middle front going crazy. I knew I had to join them.

Afterwards, I heard the opening beats to "Laika." At this point, I couldn't contain myself. Like a superhero dashing to save the damsel in distress, I ran towards the middle. I tried to be as courteous as possible, but there were some people unwilling to budge. So, I did the total asshole thing to do and just barged in. My apologies to the people, but I had to do it. I was jumping around like mad, shouting the words "LAIKA!!" I think Win stage dived at this point. I don't remember.

At this point, after "Haiti," their setlist concentrated on the EP. They played "No Cars Go," followed by "Headlights Look Like Diamonds." During "Headlights..." I did that whole "woo-woo" sound along witht the rest of the band. Then "Vampire/Forest Fire." The surpise of the night was "Cars and Telephones," a song I've never heard before live (or ever for that matter). The only reason why I know of the song is through the lyrics. Everyone was absolutely quiet for this song, with only a select handful knowing what it was. I was dumbfounded by it, and it was absolutely beautiful.

After the "oldies," as Win aptly called it, they played more songs from Funeral. "Une Année Sans Lumiere" was done, followed by a heart wrenching, emotional and very tear jerking "Crown of Love." My God! The passion in that song nearly drove me to tears. If it wasn't for my sweat soaked body at this point, I would have just cried.

Then, the rockin' portion. I think at this point, they played "Power Out" which drove the entire floor section M A D !!! And so was I. After the extended "Power Out," they then played "Rebellion (Lies)." I covered my friend Jason's eyes as is customary when I hear the song. We all yelled in unison "LIES!! LIES!!" Absolutely astounding!

Then after a short wait for the encore, and after the entire crowd was chanting "ONE MORE SONG!!" they did "Tunnels." Win had to stop the song because his mic wasn't working, but he started again. I am running out of synonyms to describe how amazing this version was compared to others I've seen before. There was just so much energy. 110% was given.

Then "Backseat" was on. The entire crowd was dead quiet, anticipating Regine's soft yet booming voice to resonate. And so she did! Instead of the usual funeral procession after the song, they launched into this LOUD and ROCK version as if this was the end of an Oasis concert. Then, as each band member picked up their unplugged instruments, one-by-one, each member approached the crowd. Win, with acoustic guitar, stage dived and was wisked away towards the back of the pack. Owen, with a xylophone, also stage dived. I gave Owen the BIGGEST bear hug. Also, Regine came close with two tambourines. I reached out for her hand and she held it intently for about 5 seconds. I wanted to kiss her hands to show my appreciation. Then here comes Owen again, with his bum hitting my head. I was waiting for Win to return, but he never did.

As I exited the venue, I noticed a HUGE crowd outside. It was Win! Playing fucking acoustic guitar right outside the Warfield, facing Market St. I don't know what he was playing, but he was just strumming the guitar. The crowd applauded loudly as he finished it, and calmly went back in.

OH MY GOD!!

It was FUCKING AMAZING!! Name one band, one fucking band, that would do this! NONE!! I can't think of one damn band that would give 110% of their energy and soul to entertain an audience and interact with them nonetheless. The Arcade Fire are pretty big for indie standards, but yet they haven't forgotten about the fans. Throughout their set, Win was so appreciative, telling the crowd "thank you" so many times, and at one point just saying, "We're so glad to be here!!" After their not so great experience at KROQ's Inland Invasion (Win said there were 3000 people on the lawn and 30 people in the front talking on their mobiles), Win was just glad to see REAL people.

So, I'm seeing them again in Austin on Friday at Stubbs, at ACL on Saturday and then at Download Festival in S.F. I can't wait!!!

I'm going to take a shower now and go to bed...

Beer Rating: 0 Beers.

-- Photos by Edwin Lee

The Bravery / Maximo Park (The Fillmore, 15 September 2005)

I'm fucking tired.

I took a 7am flight out of San Diego, meaning I had to wake up at 5am to get to the airport on time. Then I went to work right at 9am. Got out of work at around 5pm for fear of Bay Bridge traffic. After paying my bills online, I took my uncle to SFO for his flight to Manila. Finally, after a quick bite for dinner, I went to the Fillmore to see this fantastic show of two outstanding bands.

Maximo Park is a band from England that is all abuzz on the NME at the moment. Their brand of new wave like music is akin to current artists such as Franz Ferdinand and The Futureheads. We unfortunatley missed a couple of songs in their set, but the handful or so of songs that we did catch were just absolutely amazing. "Apply Some Pressure" was so tight and well done that if I wasn't so tired, I would have been dancing my arse off. Paul Smith's energy, magnificently tailored suit and perfect hair was the perfect visual for these amazing songs. Another great song was a new one, whose title I forget at the moment. "Now I'm All Over the Shop" was the last song of the set and the crowd were absolutely mad fer it. And so were we. We hated to see them leave, especially after such an energetic and tight set, but so the story goes.

Bravery were next after what seemed like an eternity of them setting up. These boys are as dressy and as energetic as ever. "Unconditional" and "Honest Mistake" received the most applause and raucous. As expected, Sam Endicott was all over the place with the mic stand moving from one end of the stage to another. In between part of their set, Sam commented on how this was a historical event since the Bravery finally made it to the Fillmore. It is actually since I've seen the Bravery at Cafe Du Nord, Slim's, Great American Music Hall and, now, The Fillmore. What's next? The Warfield? Shoreline? You have to hand it to the Bravery though, these guys put so much energy and chutzpah to their live shows and it's always an entertaining time. It's even entertaining to watch the bass player slowly undress and count how many beers he can guzzle per song.

Overall, an excellent billing of two great, up and coming bands.

Beer Rating:

Oasis / Jet / Kasabian (Coors Amphitheatre, San Diego, 14 September 2005)

Part 3 of 3

So.

This is the last show of my Oasis concert tour for California. Unlike the previous two shows in San Francisco and Los Angeles, I actually sat down and saw all three bands. This is an especially memorable show because it marks the first time me and my friend John saw Oasis. We were supposed to see them at the Universal Amphitheatre back in 1995 (God!) but they cancelled that show. And this was an event 10 years in the making. So, nostalgia all around.

We missed a couple of songs from Kasabian's set, but they were nonetheless as tight and awesome as they ever were. We caught "Club Foot" and "Processed Beats" which is good enough in my book. The crowd was still semi-sparse at the venue, but there were a handful of people in the front standing up and giving Kasabian some love, me included. John was impressed even though he heard only a few songs before. I'm definitely seeing their entire set when I go to Austin next week.

I also sat through Jet, which is not that bad if you have an open mind. I was closed minded when I saw them in S.F. and L.A. Yes, they are very generic rock but somehow, in San Diego, they were pretty damn good. Most of the songs I recognized for once. "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" and "Look What You've Done" were done really well as long as the other songs. They weren't this cheezy this time actually, minimizing the "yeahs" and the long pauses between songs to incite the crowd.

And then, of course, Oasis. Fuck this band is just hot. Liam was wearing some shortened trench coat and white shirt. Noel was wearing the same thing. Gem was looking good with a pink long sleeved shirt and suit jacket. Andy was wearing something similar, except with an Adidas shirt inside his suit jacket. Zack was also wearing something similar.

The setlist was exactly the same as previous nights. Here it is:

Turn Up The Sun
Lyla
Bring It On Down
Morning Glory
Importance of Being Idle
A Bell Will Ring
Cigarettes & Alcohol
Acquiesce
Live Forever
Mucky Fingers
Wonderwall
Champagne Supernova
Rock N Roll Star
------Encore-----
Guess God Thinks I'm Abel
Meaning of Soul
Don't Look Back in Anger
My Generation

Needless to say, like previous nights, I was singing my heart out and mimicing everything that Liam did on stage. Like previous nights, Liam was very grateful and playful with the audience, giving his tambourine to a youngster in the front after "Morning Glory" and then giving another to three bitches after "My Generation." He again dedicated "Live Forever" to the people of New Orleans and Noel said "gracias" a couple of times for the Mexican contingency.

I can go on and on and on on how Oasis were just spectacular tonight as in previous nights. But I just want to reflect on these three shows.

The thing that made these shows great were the people I was with. From Kat, Jason, Sara and Minh-Lan in S.F., Chris in L.A. and John in S.D., all these guys were willing to put up with my antics and my sing-a-longs.

Singing along to an Oasis song brings back a flood of memories. As Sara said, "I felt like a 15 year old again." Well, I felt like an 18 year old when I sang my heart out to "Live Forever" or had my arm wrapped around the shoulders of Chris during "Champagne Supernova" and "Don't Look Back in Anger." It's the memories behind these songs that makes Oasis so great. It's like each song represents a time capsule in my life and singing the songs is like opening up that capsule and looking through the things in it.

Also, the camraderie involved makes the songs great. Good people around can make any show worthwhile. This was one of them.

Of course, I don't want to take away the credit that is due to the band themselves who played each song with such intensity and professionalism that is unparalleled in the music business. Liam's no-nonsense, rock star attitude on-stage also adds to the show's greatness.

But the combination of friends, memories and Oasis is just potent. They should bottle this shit and give it to anyone depressed.

"Don't put your life in the hands, of a rock n roll band." Well, I did and I have no regrets whatsoever.

Beer Rating:

Oasis (Hollywood Bowl, 12 September 2005)

Part 2 of 3

I landed in Burbank at around 4pm and already there's something wrong in the confines that is Ill-Eh. There was some major power outage earlier in the day, thus all the traffic lights were going blinky. I had no clue what was going on, thinking that this is just another daily occurrence in the chaos that is this City.

Otherwise, everything was going well. Got my car rental: a Hyundai Accent that seemed to be falling apart once I get pass 85 mph on the freeway. The car is really dinky, but it was a lot of fun to drive because of it's small stature and tiny wheels. When I was next to an SUV, I felt like I was in one of those clown cars in the circus.

After getting semi-lost around Burbank, I finally found my hotel. My "suite" smelled like that disinfectant at a beauty salon.

After ordering some veggie Chinese food, Chris came along and bought some Newcastle for the pre-drinking festivities. We drank it all and drank more at the show.

With that in mind, the Oasis show at the Hollywood Bowl was SO MUCH BETTER than their performance at Mountain View the night before. There's something magical about the Hollywood Bowl. I've seen several shows there and each and every time, regardless of how far away I am, it's still a good gig. We intentionally missed Jet again, but caught the last 2 songs of their set before opting to get more Red Stripes.

Oasis came on like clockwork at around 9:45pm. Once again, they dimmed the lights to "Fuckin' In the Bushes" before the band launched into "Turn Up the Sun." Liam was wearing a plain white undershirt along with a pinstriped suit jacket. He again wore sunglasses. Noel looked like he was wearing something similar from the night before.

What made this night better was the sound. Hollywood Bowl's sound is just amazing and each and every bass and strum can be heard. The banging of Zack Starkey's drums was ever more prevalent tonight than the night before. Liam's vocals, as rough as they were in the beginning, became more finely tuned as the show progressed.

Also, with the sound improving means that the songs weren't so flat. The new songs from Don't Believe the Truth had some added zing to it. "Mucky Fingers" was especially good, and "Lyla" had renewed vigor.

If you thought the new songs sounded good, the classics were much better! "Live Forever," "Wonderwall," and "Champagne Supernova" were absolute tear jerkers. "Cigarettes & Alcohol" and "Morning Glory" were done so well that footballers all around were just shouting the lyrics. The best song of the evening was "Don't Look Back in Anger" where Noel's voice and the line, "please don't put your life in the hands, of a rock n roll band, and throw it all away," had more impact on me than any previous night that I can remember.

Like last night, Liam dedicated "Live Forever" to the people of New Orleans and "A Bell Will Ring" to all the deaf people. Noel made a semi-speech saying that they finally made it this far in L.A. compared to playing all the fucking clubs. He also dedicated "Don't Look Back in Anger" to all "people of Mexican decent." I guess he's trying to tap into the Morrissey fanbase?

A fantastic show that only deserves one rating:

Beer Rating: 0 Beers (although I had 5 or 6 that night).

Oasis / Jet / Kasabian (Shoreline Amphitheatre, 11 September 2005)

Part 1 of 3

I'm on holiday at the moment for my long time ritual of going to see Oasis in every single possible venue in California. Tonight is their first stop in Northern California as they do a show at the much hated Shoreline. If it wasn't for the 49ers traffic, my friends and I could have made it on time to see Kasabian. Alas, that wasn't the case.

We caught the last couple of songs from Kasabian. I think the last song was "L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)" and it was as brilliant as what it was when I saw them at Coachella. The lead singer (whose name escapes me at the moment) looks a bit more tidy with the haircut and tucked in shirt. He looked very Liam-esque actually. A skinnier, younger version at least.

Afterwards we went to get some beer and met up with a couple other friends. Meeting up at the Shoreline is almost an impossible task with all these concession stands. As I peeked at the overpriced merchandise (Oasis track jacket: $80. Oasis bag: $40) I got some MGD courtesy of M-L, who was hella late because of her flight plans in Ontario.

We spent the Jet set on the lawn since we want to be as far away as possible from these guys. Their rock is too damn traditional. It's like the Stones and Aerosmith were all in there. There should be a Jet drinking game, where everytime the lead singer says "YEAH!" it's drinkin' time. Guaranteed to kill you since he says that word every other sentence. I wasn't impressed. Even with their hit songs. Again, I wasn't impressed. These guys should come on first instead of Kasabian.

Oasis came on at around 9:30pm. They opened their set with "Fucking in the Bushes" as the entrance song. Here comes the band, with Liam wearing a collarless long sleeved shirt with gold rimmed sunglasses. He looked straight out of Be Here Now if it wasn't for the fact that he got kinda big and his skin aged tremendously. That's what drugs will do to you kids. Think moderation. Noel was as slender as ever, but he still looked kinda old.

"Turn Up the Sun" came on next. This and other new Oasis songs like "The Importance of Being Idle" and "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel" fell short since it was too dull sounding. Other new songs like "Lyla," "Mucky Fingers," and "Meaning of Soul" fared better, but not by much.

It was the past albums that made Oasis great and the crowd at this show didn't get crazy until an oldie was played. The song after "Lyla" was "Bring it on Down" which should amuse all the 30+ kids out there. I like "Bring it on Down," but it's a good live song IMHO. Obviously, "Supersonic" could have been played, or even anythhing off of Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, Heathen Chemistry or, my preference, "D'You Know What I Mean?" from Be Here Now.

I don't think they played any songs off of Heathen Chemistry, which is surprising since they seemed really proud of that album. Most of ths songs consisted of classics like "Live Forever" (which was dedicated to New Orleans) "Wonderwall" (which was dedicated to all the ladies in the audience) and "Don't Look Back In Anger." For "Don't Look Back in Anger," Noel let the crowd sing the first chorus. It was a big sing-a-long and I grabbed four of my friends and forced them to sing it with me in tandem. It was a proud moment!

There was a problem with Liam's mic during "Champagne Supernova, " probably because of feedback in the monitors. Liam was as playful as ever. Placing the trambourine flat on this head. Or biting the tambourine so that it looks like Liam has this huge grin. Liam trying to pinch Noel's bum after the encore. Liam shaking hands with the twats in the lower level seats. Or Liam giving a couple of lucky fans his tambourine. I want that tambourine damn it. I've been waiting for it for the last 7 years.

Overall, a great show with all the classics spilled right in.

New Shows Added

Sorry for the lack of updates. Here's what I dug up as "new" so far:

September:

1: Hey Willpower w/ Eats Tapes @ The Rickshaw Stop
2: The Strays @ Rickshaw Stop (Club Loaded)
10: Drunk Horse @ 12 Galaxies
10: M. Ward @ Bimbo's
12: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Amoeba S.F.
15: Maximo Park @ Amoeba S.F.
18: U.S.E. @ Cafe Du Nord
22: Bloc Party Guest DJs @ Popscene
29: Towers of London @ Popscene

October:

6: Cut Copy w/ Guest DJs Franz Ferdinand @ Popscene
12: LCD Soundsystem @ The Fillmore
25: Bauhaus @ The Warfield
26: Bauhaus @ The Warfield
29: Bridge School Benefit feat. Bright Eyes @ The Shoreline Amphitheatre
30: Bridge School Benefit feat. Bright Eyes @ The Shoreline Amphitheatre
30: Devendra Banhart @ Bimbo's

November:

9: Broken Social Scene w/ Feist @ The Grand Ballroom
13: Death Cab for Cutie w/ Stars @ The Warfield
16: Spoon w/ American Music Club @ The Warfield
16: Shout Out Louds @ Great American Music Hall

December:

5: Echo & The Bunnymen @ The Fillmore

Von Iva / Hey Willpower @ (The Independent, 20 August 2005)

I'm here baking in San Diego for a day trip for the parents. I come home and I saw 5 chicks. Literally, chicks. Like baby chickens. In a box. I'm like, "What the hell is this?" Apparently, my little cousins wanted some chicks for pets but they can only buy them in bulks of, get this, 24!! We got stuck with 5 of them. Adding insult to injury, it's hotter than hell over here (I've grown used to San Francisco summers), and I have no shorts! Thus, I have to wear my dad's short shorts with a 28" waist. I can fit in them actually. But I look like a really bad Daisy Dukes with them on.

So, what does my bitching about chicks in 28" waistline short shorts have in common with the Von Iva and Hey Willpower show at the Independent last week?

I guess, stretching it, my shorts story is similar to the outfits worn by Hey Willpower's dancers, Erin Rush and Justin Kelly. However, I can't strut as well with them on as these two. I've reviewed Hey Willpower before when they opened up for Gravy Train!!! at Cafe Du Nord, and their show a few nights ago was just as scripted and just as fun. Will Schwartz's "Justin-like" vocals accompanied
by semi-unchoreographed danced moves was fun to listen to, as well as watch. I don't know any of their songs, but its catchy nature (which was artfully and cheezily accompanied by Tomo's PowerBook sounds) is enough to make even the curmudgeon of the crowd tap their feet with a 3-4 beat.

After some liquid refreshments, the ladies from Von Iva came on. These 4 "chicks" (there's your second similarity to my story above!) are just rock at it's most raw and riot grrrl-esque. The crowd were really into it, especially the guy with the tats and baseball cap right in front. He was constantly begging anyone from the band to shake his hand . . . and he loved every minute of it. I'm not familiar with their songs, but I think they started off, or had their second song as, "Hot to Trot."

Sheer energy is the best way I can describe it. Jillian Iva, the lead singer, was just all over the stage. She had problems with her microphone cord, but she corrected that easily by just knocking the mic stand out. Oh, that's hot.

As is the weather over here...



Beer Rating:

Coldplay (Shoreline Amphitheatre, 19 August 2005)

Sorry for the lack of postings these last few days. Hopefully this weekend I'll catch up.

So, on with the show....

Coldplay. Mega. They are just one of those bands that are SO HUGE right now that it makes me proud to say that I paid $30 for their a copy of Parachutes 8 months or so before its release in the U.S. I still remember that album when I first played it for my ex-girlfriend in my hole in the wall East Village apartment, impressing her with "Yellow" and "Spies."

That was around 2000. Five years, and 3 albums, later, Coldplay is this huge behemoth of a band. So huge that they are playing the Shoreline. So huge that they sold it out completely in a matter of hours. So huge that the whole Shoreline parking lot is lined with SUVs transporting WHOLE families to their show. So huge that Chris Martin's wife is Gwyneth Paltrow. And it goes on and on...

The band opened up with "Square One" which is the customary starting song in their world tour. The stage was dim and all you can see are the silhouettes of the band. Of course, Chris was the crazy one at the back doing all sorts of weird hand gestures and dances. Like a script, he started singing to the mic adjacent to, but behind, the drums. After the spectacle, with lights and videos and everything, they launched into the first song off of Rush of Blood, "Politik." The banging keys and drums were as amazing as it was when I saw them first do this song at Bimbo's a while ago.

Chris Martin is a cheezy guy. Very cheezy. And his personality just oozed into the show. He commented to the crowd that the they felt so far away, so he encouraged everyone in the lower level to crowd the front. It was true, it did really feel like a convention rather than a concert. I was sitting in the 200 section and even though I wasn't close, the concert felt a little more intimate by him doing that.

Another cheezy moment is when the huge LCD video monitor backing the band (which I want in my house some day) told the crowd to get out their cameras and did this countdown thing so the crowd can capture the exact moment. Well, the crowd ended up taking a picture of themselves because the video that came out was them.

Coldplay is so big that I think that Chris is trying to minimize the resentment and backlash that has followed many big bands. He called the band "ugly" which the crowd snickered with. My sister didn't agree, calling Chris Martin really good looking. Also, he said that "this isn't exactly a Mariah Carey concert," which I'm not sure what he meant by that.

As to the songs, every song had its moment while others just fell flat. Most of the songs off of X&Y fell flat. Even "Speed of Sound" sounded dull. The lighting was off on other songs like "Low" and "Yellow." "Yellow" was played third, and it didn't seem right at the very beginning like that. There wasn't much fan fare to it, other than the balloons that were released towards the end of the song.

There were some excellent highlights though. "What If" was brilliantly done, with Chris' keys just pressing the right points in your psyche. "The Scientist" was excellent as always. After the song, Chris played a tape of him singing it backwards. While they were doing that, they dimmed the lights and the band grabbed random cameras from the crowd and took pictures. This lead in nicely to the acoustic set where the boys did a cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." They first did "Kingdom Come" which was a song they were supposed to do with Johnny Cash until he died. They also did an acoustic version of "Don't Panic."

But the most IMPORTANT Coldplay song ever written, "Fix You," was the highlight, and last song, of the evening. Damn that song. Nothing encapsulates my feelings at that very moment other than that 4:54 song. Shit. I hate that song. Damn Chris Martin basically read my mind and wrote a song about it. My sister feels the same way.

Despite the over 1.5 hour drive to Shoreline because of inexplicable traffic on the 101, and the somewhat long wait to get the fuck out of there, it was a great show of wholesome goodness. Not a drink of alcohol was imbibed by moi. Partly because I have to get a bracelet to do so and I can't be arsed to get one since I thought we were hella late.

I think the charm of Coldplay is that they are just really nice guys who love their fans. Despite their huge appeal and massive stature in the concert touring circuit, they still want the crowd to be immersed in their show regardless of whether they are sitting in Row 1 or Row 1000. They did that here in Shoreline. However, the concert still felt a bit off at times, with lackluster songs from X&Y and not so engaging lighting.


Beer Rating:

Gravy Train!!! (Lobot Gallery, 13 August 2005)

This was my first time at the Lobot Gallery in Oakland. Located in what seems to be the middle of nowhere, Lobot is this good sized loft/warehouse that houses some local art and the occasional show. It's located across the street from a baseball field and some trucking warehouses near the West Oakland/Emeryville border.

As 6 of us squeezed in a Subaru station wagon, our navigator relied on his vague memory via a bike route for us to get there. Surprisingly, we got there with no problems whatsoever. As all of us entered this place, it was as if I was transported to Brooklyn. It had all the elements of Brooklyn: (1) secluded area in the middle of nowhere; (2) it was dark all around; and (3) all these kids that are hipster/scenester and bike scenesters were there. The crowd was littered with a bunch of good looking and stylish kids. I was in heaven! And there was a dwarf (or was she a midget?) there that made the crowd even more diverse.

The beauty of Lobot is that there is no discernible alcohol policy so everyone, including us, brought shitloads of beer to drink. Let's just say we were able to finish all the beers we brought in, and that was a sizable number to begin with. Some kids were underage, but that didn't prevent them from downing the occasional tall boy or Pabst. There was also no discernible smoking policy, so people of all sorts were smoking their lungs away.

In the midst of all this cool atmosphere and eye candy were three bands. The Husbands, VIP and Gravy Train!!! I missed the Husbands, but caught a bit of VIP.

Lobot has no stage. They have an elevated platform that is only about 1 foot higher than the ground. Thus, this takes the whole concert going experience to a whole new level. The crowd is right in the band's face and when they go crazy, they go on stage and play. Also the sound and acoustics suck ass. But, I didn't really care.

VIP consisted of a bunch of gay wiggas rapping about God knows what. The only thing I can decipher is when they mention "VIP" somewhere in the lyrics. I didn't pay much attention, since I was busy socializing and drinking. But from what I saw as I waited in line for the bathroom, they were pretty entertaining. Talentless, but entertaining.

Enter Gravy Train!!! It's the third time I've seen this band and these guys just know how to throw a party and have some fun. Like I said above, the sound was horrible so you can barely hear and understand them. Not that you could understand Gravy Train!!! with good sound, but this made it even more impossible. I wasn't into them at first, but after all the kids were hopping around in the front, we decided to join them. Hell, if you can't beat them, join them, right?

So we did and we had an absolute blast! There was some guy with a stripped hoodie that was too ridiculous. He was over 6 ft. tall and he would hop around and run into people, and he leaned on them with all his weight. Thus, there were some unfortunate lightweights getting thrown around. Some guy warned him of this and told him to "take his advice for his best interest" and warned him that he knew jujitsu. Well, my friend came to the conclusion that the "advice" guy didn't know jujitsu because he ran away everytime stripped hoodie guy was close by. Pussy.

Anyways, so Gravy Train!!! were excellent not because their music was excellent but because they were so much fun! The whole place was dark, so I can barely see the band. Which was good because once the lights came on, the band member we affectionately call "Pinky" was wearing nothing but a jock strap and it exposed his rather large and black badunkadunk in plain view. Holy shit that was horrifying!

The highlight of the evening was the last three songs, where the entire audience just decided to invade the stage and hop around in it. I was there and I think I accidentally kicked the mic stand and a speaker whilst I was hopping around with the kids. I nearly trampled over the midget, which would have been awesome not because I may have hurt her, but because of the pure story value behind it.

Anyways, a fun night at a great space, despite the lack of sound, light and stage.

New Shows Added

September:

20: Antony & The Johnsons w/ CocoRosie @ Palace of Fine Arts

October:

1: Dungen @ The Independent
5: M.I.A. @ The Grand at Regency Center
18: The Hold Steady w/ The Constantines @ Great American Music Hall

November:

3: Metric @ Slim's
13: Death Cab for Cutie @ The Warfield

!!! (Chk Chk Chk) (Mezzanine, 4 August 2005)

Before embarking on their European tour, the seven-piece group !!! -- pronounced Chk Chk Chk in some circles, powpowpow in others -- decided to throw a free show in San Francisco as a warm-up. It wasn't announced by Mezzanine until today actually, when I received the e-mail. I got another e-mail a couple of days earlier informing me of it. It was free, so, what the hell? Why not go, right?

I came in at around midnight, figuring that they won't be on until then anyways. Well, they were already on but I'm sure I only missed a few songs. The show didn't end until 1:30am so I use that as my measuring stick.

!!! were absolutely crazy!!! And their sound was just spectacular. Nic Offer was sporting shorts and this weird parrot shirt as if he just stepped out of the beach in Honolulu. His signature curly top -- somewhat akin to Carrot Top or the lead singer of Hot Hot Heat -- was in full force tonight as well as his booming voice.

The crowd were mad for it too. Several times throughout their 90+ minute set, audience members freely jumped on stage to dance. At one point, this really skinny guy jumped on stage, took his shirt off to reveal his slender and pale physique, proceeded to do a dance off with Nic and then slowly pulled his pants down to moon the crowd. It was quite a spectacle! Another time, this dumb ass Asian girl, who was crunked out of her mind, started dancing on stage and fell on her ass at least 3 times. I was so embarrassed for her that I wanted to leave just avoid seeing it.

Wisely, I didn't. !!! is an eccentric band, employing every piece of musical instrument imaginable. They played a bunch of new songs, all of which sounded absolutely brilliant and dancey. It's hard to describe any of the new songs, let alone tell you the titles (since most have none), but all I can say is it follows the thread of !!!'s previous releases. It's as dancey as "Intensified" and as intense as "Me and Giuliani..."

With their new songs came the hits such as "Me and Giuliani..." which was the third to the last song played. This song drove the crowd bonkers, and it made me dance in place too. It was so full of energy and outstanding musicianship that every note and beat were in perfect synch. Nic was doing some original improv throughout the song, but it just blended so well with the sound that you hardly thought he was doing something different.

"Pardon My Freedom" was another song that drove the crowd ape shit. The front rows were dancing to their hearts' content, with some attempting to crowd surf above the others.

Overall, this is one of the best free shows I've seen in a while. A definite crowd pleaser.

More New Shows Added

September:

6: Brian Jonestown Massacre @ The Independent

November:

3: Metric @ Slim's

New Shows Added

August:

3: !!! (Chk Chk Chk) @ Mezzanine [FREE]
5: Mesh Magazine & Virgin69 Summer Soirée @ Cat Club
5: Club Loaded presents 8-Bit @ Rickshaw Stop
18: Gus Gus @ Mezzanine

September:

6: OK Go / The Redwalls / The Colour @ Cafe Du Nord
17: Feist @ Great American Music Hall
27: Athlete @ Slim's
30: Fiery Furnaces @ Cafe Du Nord

October:

1: Fiery Furnaces @ Cafe Du Nord
1: Sigur Ros @ The Paramount Theatre [On-Sale This Sunday]
15: Deerhoof @ Great American Music Hall
23: Okkervil River @ Cafe Du Nord
25: Pretty Girls Make Graves @ Bottom of the Hill

December:

2: The Wrens @ Slim's

Mesh Magazine & Virgin69 Summer Soirée

10PM-3AM
Mesh Magazine & Virgin69 Present
The Summer Soirée
with DJs
Jenny Fake (Fake/Sixxteen)
Jet Set James (Jailbait UK)
Marco Vega (Suicide/Guilty Pleasures)
Vin Sol
Spinning ?80s, Brit-pop, new wave, indie, & hip-hop
Plus t-shirt giveaways & more!

@ The Cat Club
1190 Folsom Street @ 8th Street
San Franscisco
$5 before 11PM/$7 after
21+ w/ID

New Shows Added

September:

6: The Redwalls @ Cafe Du Nord
9: The Hacker @ Mighty
17: Paul Weller @ The Warfield
22: Stellastarr* @ Popscene

October:

5: M.I.A. @ The Grand
8: Download Festival @ Shoreline Ampitheatre
23: The Go! Team @ The Fillmore

Kaiser Chiefs / Brendan Benson / The Cribs (The Fillmore, 25 July 2005)

For the first time in a long time, I was actually interested in seeing a show from start to finish. All three bands are huge in their own right. The Cribs are one of those big NME bands, Brendan Benson is popular amongst the indie elite and the Kaiser Chiefs are getting so big that Liam Gallagher of Oasis feels somewhat threatened by their ascent into the UK rock scene.

The Cribs came on first although they should have been on second. The trio from Yorkshire, England provided a strong and solid set full of songs from The New Fellas. I missed the opener, but it was apparently "Hey Scenester!" which is appropriate since most of the people who like The Cribs fall into that category. Although, disappointingly, there are no scenesters in the crowd here at the Fillmore tonight. More songs were played, and more drunken banter was given by Gary while his brothers, Ryan and Ross, provided more theatrics. They even did a cover song - but the title escapes me at the moment. An amazingly short set, but it packed a punch.

Speaking of punches, the next band didn't have the punch that was needed. Or, to put it another way, I would have liked to punch these guys out so they can hurry up with their set. Local boy (Berkeley) Brendan Benson started off right with a really good indie pop rawk tune but afterwards everything sounded the same. There was no "umph" in most of the songs, and this is coming from someone who has never heard of Brendan Benson and was open to the idea of possibly liking his tunes. Their sound reminds me of Ambulance Ltd. although Ambulance is much better. Even when Mr. Benson played an acoustic guitar, I still couldn't tell much of a difference from one song to the next.

Then the Kaiser Chiefs came on. They had the lighting and they have the background (the largest football towel ever created with the Kaiser Chiefs' album cover on it) to show that this band definitely has arisen from indie stars to arena rock. The high powered, high energy, heavy clapping and yelling set featured all the hits off their debut album with a few new songs (or were they b-sides?) mixed therein.

Ricky Wilson was as jumpy and energetic as ever. I swear the guy must be on speed everytime he comes on. His jumping scares me sometimes, especially since that's how he broke his ankle the last time they were in the U.S. They opened up with "Na Na Na Na Naa" amidst the glow of disco lights that nearly blinded me. "I Predict a Riot" was played about 4 songs after that, with the crowd going hog wild over it. Then the Chiefs mellowed it down for a bit with the beautiful "You Can Have It All." Ricky says that if you don't like that song, then you don't have soul. Apparently, everyone in the crowd had soul, including lucky audience member Elizabeth joining Ricky on-stage for a dance and a serenade.

My favourite track from the album is "Oh My God!" I had to restrain myself from jumping up high at some point. Even stop myself from running to the front and join the merry people hopping like bunny rabbits. A similar reaction happened during "Modern Way."

After the main set, the crowd wanted more. And they yelled out "Kaiser Chiefs!" ad nauseum and did the clap that we so often hear at shows. They came back out with a thunderous ovation from the crowd. They closed with "Caroline, Yes," which is a weird way to close out the set.

Overall, the Kaiser Chiefs were spectacular. The Cribs are very promising and I will check them out when they headline the smaller venues here. Brendan Benson is alright, but at least I can say I checked them out.

Ashbury (Cafe Du Nord, 22 July 2005)

Ashbury is a band from Los Angeles whose music is akin to Joy Division and Interpol, with a hint of The Killers (sans the pretty boys). This five-piece band is opening up for The Lovemakers, who has a week long residency at Cafe Du Nord. I arrived early, by show standards, at the venue and was surprised to see how full it was.

Ashbury consists of Jesse B. at vocals, Raul Martinez on guitar, Erik Hernandez on synths, Andy Magallon on bass and Greg Fierro banging the drums. As they were playing their first song, I immediately realize Jesse B.'s stoic stage presence. It seems like he is either just standing there looking at the ceiling or the floor after each song. This is not a band thing, since I think it adds to the dynamic of the band.

Another observation is that this band is ridiculously tight -- meaning these guys can rock. Especially Andy Magallon's bass. The bass sound was predominant throughout the night, and it would have been disappointing if I had to hear anything else. Erik's playful and cheerful demeanor on the keyboards was also evident, with several of the ladies around me commenting on his "cute shirt."

"Doubt Remains" was a definite highlight of their set. I was very impressed with the synths and bass, and it is definitely one of the better tracks on their new single. Jesse B.'s voice was so creepy during some of the songs, that if you closed your eyes, you'd swear Ian Curtis never died.

There was a good sized crowd that came in to see Ashbury and Ashbury entertained them from beginning to end with their great instrumentation and conflicting, yet appropriate, stage presences.