Keane (Berkeley Community Theatre, 27 January 2007)

Last time I saw Keane, they were just this little known band from England that sounded a lot like Coldplay but a tad wimpier. They played at Bimbo's in front of a sold out crowd and Tom Chaplin's addiction was still under wraps. A lot has changed since 2004. In 2007, Keane is one of the bigger bands that are classified as Coldplay-esque (along with Snow Patrol, Travis, The Fray, etc.). They play large shows. And Tom Chaplin is now out of rehab and seems to be enjoying life.

So, it was odd to see Keane at the Berkeley Community Theatre. Lots of people were there, from all walks of life, in varying ages. There's a certain novelty seeing a 65 year old male just stand in place and sing to "Everybody's Changing."

Keane's set even looked like a stripped down version of Coldplay's. Back in the Rush of Blood... era.

Tom Chaplin was in great spirits. And it's sort of refreshing to hear that his banter and enthusiasm wasn't cocaine induced. He looked better than before and his voice was top notch. At several points throughout the show, he was very grateful to the crowd for their support and to his band mates for putting up with his antics.

Keane played pretty much every single song from both albums. While the older songs got the loudest receptions, like "Bend and Break" and "Somewhere Only We Know," the newer songs were a bit edgier. "Is It Any Wonder?" is their big single from Under the Iron Sea and it was their "funkiest" song they played. Yes, having weird reverb like organ sounds in the beginning counts as "funky" for this band.

One of the more surreal parts of the show was when they had a recording of Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy read a World War I poem prior to Keane playing, I think, "A Bad Dream." It was a very powerful song and Tom hit the right notes. Tim's piano playing is just superb as well.

Overall, Keane knows how to put on a good show. Songs are pretty solid and the musicianship is just spot on. Yeah, they are one of the bands you would consider "lame," but I like them. And I like Coldplay. And Travis.

Beer Rating: