The Faint, Ratatat (Mezzanine, 5 December 2006)

I was so excited to see The Faint and Ratatat last Tuesday night. So much so that I made it a goal for me to dance like crazy, with or without any friends around me. Well, mission accomplished.

Ratatat came on first and they were great. They were a lot tighter than when I first saw them in San Diego two years ago. They were accompanied by a keyboardist this time and they played a lot of songs from Classics and some from their self-titled debut. Highlights include "Wildcats," which got a giggle from some of the crowd because of the cougar sounds. Biggest reception was for "Seventeen Years." Very tight and enjoyable set. Definitely a great way to start the night.

The Faint came on shortly therafter. I found my way to the very front and was excited to be in the middle of it all. As the show progressed, I somehow found myself front and center of the crowd. Unlike their show with Bright Eyes, The Faint didn't have the great visual set-up. The visuals were the same, but there was a lack of screens and lighting. Minimal, yes, but their performance more than made up for any visual scarcity.

They started off with "Dropkick the Punks," which I found odd. Once they started that, the crowd started to push forward and I got caught. I was hopping around like mad, and even more so during the next song, "Paranoiattack."

Naturally, they played a few new songs called, "Metal Hawks," "Geeks Were Right," "Fish in a Womb" and "Seduced." All the songs were pretty good, but I'm sure once their new album comes out, I will better appreciate these songs.

Definite highlights were "Let the Poison Spill", which caused me to dance a lot and get bruised on my arms and legs. The last three songs were just intense, with "Desperate Guys," "Glass Danse," and "Worked Up So Sexual." I was about to faint at this point (pun intended).

They ended their set with "Birth" and "Agenda Suicide."

So, the end result? I was bruised in several places of my body, I was drenched in awesomeness from head to toe, deaf ears, I got a setlist and a new track jacket. Fantastic show from start to finish.

Here's the complete setlist:

Dropkick the Punks
Paranoiattack
Call Call
Metal Hawks
How Could I Forget?
I Disappear
Hospital
Geeks Were Right
Posed to Death
Let the Poison Spill
In Concert
Fish in a Womb
Desperate Guys
Glass Danse
Worked Up So Sexual
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Seduced
Birth
Agenda Suicide

Beer Rating: 0 Beer