I had the wonderful opportunity to see Andrew Bird, for free, approximately 2 weeks ago (9/3/08) in Millennium Park and it was everything I had hoped for and more. I had heard many things from some of my friends that I had turned onto Bird about his live shows and how great they were but I still wasn't sure what I should anticipate. The venue itself was worth its weight in gold as I had wanted to see a show at Millennium Park's Pritzker venue ever since it had opened. Due to the fact that I'm a big loser now, I missed the Decemberists show last year and I wasn't about to miss another show that would be amazing. Take Grant Park and then add in the best acoustics of any outdoor venue that you have ever attended, multiply that by about 12, and that is the Pritzker venue at Millennium Park. It blew my mind away, not to mention the fact that I was able to procure two seats at stage center in the seating section since I got there early enough.

Now onto the show. Andrew Bird is definitely an interesting character and that comes across in his stage banter, his music and his lyrics. His lyrics are not mind blowing by any means but they are definitely much more intricate and involving than most of the crap that is being made today so that gives me a definite edge on the competition. You add into the fact that he can play guitar, violin and glockenspiel (sp?) with relative ease and that makes me bow down to the talent.

I have to admit that since I'm a fan of Bird's catalog of music, it is difficult to be unbiased in my enjoyment of the show. However, he played a full 100 minute set without taking any breaks AND included another 15 minute encore bringing the show to a full 2 hours. Not to mention this was FREE...it was one of the better 2 hours of my summer.

He played a wide variety of his catalog, not to mention a few songs from local Chicago artists that have influenced him.

Even though I was unable to enjoy this show with Kyle (he was out on the lawn), I enjoyed it immensely. Perhaps Kyle can give his take on it as well...

http://www.myspace.com/andrewbird

It is a good thing I'm not a headline writer because I would probably be fired after day one...or maybe not hired in the first place. Eh, I write for the joy of it anyhow.

So I experience my first real summer show this past Friday at the uber ritzy Ravinia Festival. Even though I never feel like I fit in there (my first encounter consisted of my sister, brother in law and I going and eating our PB&J's and drinking coke while everyone else around us drank $100 bottles of wine) I have always respected what the festival represents. Plus the acoustics in the pavillion are second to none, which is rare for an outdoor venue. I was able to experience one of the best shows of 2007 there last year (Nickel Creek and Fiona Apple) and this year was no different with Leslie Feist's performance.

Feist has received all sorts of critical success following her second release THE REMINDER in 2007 and it was well-deserved. I had also heard a lot from other people and radio station DJ's that she put on a great concert. They were right.

I have to say that the opening act of Juana Molina was slightly underwhelming. I am not sure if was just lack of stage presence or the fact that not a single soul seemed to want to pay any attention to her. That will probably be the case a lot of the time at Ravinia as it seems that a lot of people are there more for the atmosphere vs. the actual artist in residence.

Feist did not disappoint though. She came out in a white cowboy hat and a coat with tassels galore (that almost paints the picture that tassels are a great fashion statement but I have to admit that it is probably harder to pull off than most would think). Her stage presence was quite charasmatic and I was gripped by her from song one. Her band consisted of multiple instrumentalists that obviously were talented. Each played multiple instruments throughout the show (from bells to trumpet to piano and guitar). Additionally, she had a crew of two women with an overhead projector that created interesting shadows and designs behind the stage during the concert. It kind of reminded me of what is sometimes done at prog-rock/ambient type of shows with digital images/videos that blend with the development and ebb and flow of the music. Some might have considered the shadow idea slightly pretentious. But I think it was done too innocently to be called that.

Feist played pretty much every tune off of THE REMINDER (minus my personal favorite of PAST IN PRESENT but you can't have it all) and through some of her first album favorites from LET IT DIE. It was a very long set of tunes (almost exactly 2 hours) that went by very quickly, which is a sign of a tightly done set.

Leslie Feist is definitely an entertainer and a great songwriter and both were displayed exuberantly on Friday night.

So last night I had the distinct pleasure to see Athlete headline a show at Schubas's Tavern with my lovely wife. They have been touring as the opening band for Switchfoot for a US tour and this was one of their few headline shows on the tour. I was very lucky to see this as my friend that saw them on Friday night in Peoria told me that they performed in between the 1st and 2nd period of a hockey game. That is NO WAY to see a band of such quality as Athlete (at least that is my opinion and I might be a bit biased but come on...Peoria Rivermen hockey or a quality band from the UK, take your pick....there is a reason why the NHL never recovered from the player strike).

Unfortunately Steve, the drummer of Athlete, was not on this tour (Joel, the lead singer stated it was due to money but I believe it was personal reasons) so we witnessed a stripped down show consisting of Joel on guitar, Carey on bass and guitar and Tim on keyboards and laptop (which also filled in for the absent Steve).

Athlete has a wonderful stage presence that encompasses all things warm and bubbly about the British. Joel's banter between songs is both witty and boyishly smarmy (if that is possible). As the frontman of any band would confirm, it is essential to have a quality person taking point when it comes to playing small and large venues alike.

The group played an hour long set consisting of a number of songs off their most recent album BEYOND THE NEIGHBORHOODS and their 2nd album, TOURIST (and of course "You've Got the Style" off of their first album, which is a live staple). Many of these songs (Twenty Four Hours and Wires come to mind) were very stripped down. These songs were already very intimate and you added in the fact that this is a small venue and there was no drummer and that exponentially made them that much more distinctive. I loved the set list as it took great highlights from both albums to give those people in the audience a wide plethora of what the band has to offer. From some soaring ballads that you raise your cell phone up for everyone to listen to some harder electric guitar riffs that are catchy yet not overpowering.

Athlete is probably not a band that is ever going to fill stadiums in the USA a la Coldplay or Oasis but they deserve to do just that. Give them a listen. I promise you that you won't be disappointed.

http://www.athlete.mu

As you probably have realized by now, I’m not anywhere near as cool as Kyle when it comes to musical excursions and his ability to be in touch with the “musical pulse” of the moment. I really wanted to post about my best concerts of 2007 as well but then I realized that I only attended 11 total concerts last year (hence why this wasn't posted until now...embarassment factor). This might be a sign of 1) my frugal nature as a married individual that can not spend all of my money on crazy things like live music or 2) I’m a homebody.

If you were a betting person, you should bet the house on #2. Nevertheless, I did experience some outstanding concerts last year which I will rank accordingly:

The Coldest Night of My Entire Life AwardThis was the 2/3 concert for Camera Obscura that Kyle and I attended at the Logan Square Auditorium. Why we took public transportation to this show will forever be a mystery to me as I couldn’t feel any of my appendages by the time we finally got to the show. Despite this fact, this show was unreal in regards to set-list and the atmosphere in the venue. It was obvious that only the truly die-hards (or extremely idiotic) were out this night and the typical “only came out to drink and talk the entire show while trying to piss off everyone else” crowd were in the minority for once. I give props to this show for that fact alone.

The Best Ravinia Performance Award
I have seen numerous shows at Ravinia over the years, symphonic and popular alike. My wife and I were treated to the best show I have ever witnessed when we grabbed tickets for the 8/10 Fiona Apple and Nickel Creek show. I have been a huge Fiona’s for a LONG time and I honestly just recently got into Nickel Creek. Despite the fact that the concert confirmed all of friends statements about how crazy Fiona Apple is (I prefer to call her an “eclectic artist”), the show was TIGHT. Nickel Creek were the band for Fiona Apple’s set and they added a whole new feel to her piano centered songs with guitar, violin, upright bass and mandolin. This was a delightful surprise and I would recommend for ANYONE to see Nickel Creek. They incorporate pretty much every genre of music into their live shows with ease and seamlessly make it their own. I am sad to know that they are going on an “indefinite hiatus” for the future.

The Show That Can Piss Off Even the Casual Music Fan Award
This award goes to the 9/7 Bloc Party show for the Hideout’s Block Party. For a better idea of what I am talking about I would like for you to see my good friend, Kevin Sperry’s blog entry about said show. He sums it up better than I could. http://architectureandfootball.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

The Passing of the Torch Award
I have to say that going to shows with Kyle usually leave me with at least a few lasting memories of it. The 5/13 Regina Spektor show did not disappoint in this regard either. The wife and I met up with Kyle at the show and proceeded to get into an ideal position very close to the stage and Regina’s piano. I also am happy to say that I believe that Regina has decided to take a large portion of the lesbian crowd over to her camp from Tori Amos’ and The Indigo Girls. Good for her. Everyone needs a devoted fan base.

The UK Band that Deserves a Bigger Following AwardMy final show of merit was the 11/10 Athlete show at the Empty Bottle. I LOVE the Empty Bottle primarily because of intimate nature of the bar and how the sound fills you up and you kind of resonate for a few hours after the show. Athlete are quite a large band in the UK (my friend from Scotland that saw them with me said that he could NEVER see them in a venue that small in the UK) but they haven’t really taken off over in the states yet. The band writes catchy pop tunes with clever lyrics and the bouncy rhythms that bands like Snow Patrol and Oasis are known for creating. If you get a chance to hear them live, do like the Sugarhill Gang and JUMP ON IT!

Aural Cleansing and the concert review

So those two readers out there that do read my blog entries were probably wondering to themselves, “ I wonder where Kramer’s review of that Pela show he promised us?” Well wonder no longer you crazy twosome of loyal readers, here is my take on Pela’s 2/29 show at Schubas. I was impressed that Pela did sell out the venue, which presented promise in my book.

Even though I was forced to go to this show on my own, with my wife bailing out on me at the last second, Kyle was wonderful enough to come and use my extra ticket for most of Pela’s set. He did miss the amazing opening act of Liam Finn though. Liam Finn is the son of revered songwriter and singer Neil Finn of CROWDED HOUSE fame. He hails from New Zealand and he performs with a woman (of which, I didn’t catch her name) who compliments his vocals nicely. I was really excited about seeing him because he recently had been receiving a lot of buzz and the night before, on 2/28, he had performed on Letterman. I was not disappointed. His set-list and lyric writing were a bit eccentric but his music performance was a wonder to witness. He managed to play multiple instruments on just about every song, looping some melodies on his guitar using various pedals and then busting out a crazy drum beat and solos on the drum kit. All the while, his compatriot would be adding in some other percussion and vocals on top of what was already happening. For two people, it was remarkable to witness and it was also lovely to my ears.

As much as I was excited about Finn, the real reason I was at Schubas was to see if Pela could be as good live as they were on their recording. In contrast to Finn’s set of eccentric indie rock, Pela’s set consisted of straight rock songs, presented charismatically. The lead singer was sweating crazily by the end of the first song and the entire band was enjoying themselves quickly and consistently throughout the night. They played a lot of material off of their future 2008 release but still played all of their big “hits” off of their 2007 debut. The crowd was definitely there to see Pela and were singing, clapping and swaying to all of the songs along with the band. I have to say that the band lived up to my lofty expectations and I think that their new material will possibly exceed them. They seem to be taking a step forward in their music aptitude tests and I have high hopes that disc #2 will be solid.

I tried to make this post before the New Year, but I accidentally closed the window without saving and lost the whole thing - oops. I am just getting around to retyping it all. Enjoy!

1. The Spinto Band/We Are Scientists (Opening for Art Brut) - The Metro - October 12

When I was in Europe last fall I found out about both the Spinto Band and We Are Scientists. They are both American bands, but other than the time and location of me hearing about them, there is no rationale behind the connection the two bands that I had in my mind. However, with this show, that connection became a reality. The Spinto Band and We Are Scientists both put on very energetic and amusing shows. We Are Scientists even invited the Spinto Band out during one of their songs to dance and perform along and then the Spinto Band leap frogged off stage. I didn't even stay for Art Brut, that how much these two bands rocked my face off.

I can't even say that this was the best Spinto Band or We Are Scientists show I have seen this year - those honors belong to the first time I saw each band - January 13th at Schubas for the Spinto Band and January 16th at Subterannean for We Are Scientists. However, the fact that these two bands played together raises this show to number 1.

I should note that this spot also honors the other Spinto Band shows that I saw this year in which I discovered or gained a further love a good number of bands including The Arctic Monkeys @ Metro (3/18) , The Guillemots @ Schubas (3/19) and the Lovely Feathers @ Schubas (6/16).

2. Lollapalooza + Nada Surf/The Frames - Grant Park/The Metro - August 4-6

Of the musical festivals I attended this year, Lollapalooza was far and away my favorite. It featured a good number of my favorite bands (The Frames, Nada Surf, Stars, Andrew Bird) as well as many bands that I have been meaning to see for quite a while (The Shins, The Flaming Lips, etc.)

The one thing I said when the line up was announced was that as long as the Frames and Nada Surf weren't playing at the same time, I would be a happy concert-goer. Not only were they not playing at the same time, they were booked for an after-lolla concert together at the Metro. It doesn't get much better than that.

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3. Tilly and the Wall - The Abbey Pub - October 11

Tilly played a lot of great shows this year, but none as good as their final Chicago show of the year at the Abbey Pub. The show wasn't sold out like previous shows, and so there was plenty of room for people to dance. And they danced all through the show. You could tell the band was feeling it too - they kept commenting on how amazing the vibe of the show was. During Nights of the Living Dead the ENTIRE ROOM jumped up and down. It was a beautiful thing.

4. Margot and the Nuclear So & Sos (Opening for South) - The Double Door - April 15

Margot is another band that I saw numerouns times in 2006. Once again, the first show was the best. I had already been digging on the album, and the concert amplified that. The stage was crowded with tons of band members - the energy was high and intense. There's not much more to say beyond that - these guys always put on a quality show.

5. The Swell Season - The Hideout/Schubas - October 23 & 24

Glen's side project, the Swell Season is fantastic, and any live Glen show raises to the top of the ranks. This was the first show I had seen at the Hideout, and it was the best introduction to the venue I could imagine. I had the chance to talk to Glen before the show and requested that he play Daniel Johnston's "Some Things Last A Long Time" which he happily obliged. The next day's show at Schubas was even stronger - of course Schubas is my favorite venue. The Swell Season was back in December opening two nights for Damien Rice (I saw the Dec 18 show) and once again they didn't fail to dissapoint.

6. The Decemberists - The Riviera - November 11

The Crane Wife material sounded lovely and baring the absence of the Mariner's Revenge in exchange for a kind of weird "in the audience" role play skit, this was the best set list of the year.

7. Ryan Auffenberg/Keith Varon - Uncommon Ground - May 11

There aren't too many concerts where you also make good friends. That is what happened at this show. My roomie was invited to go to this show and I tagged along. The guys bought us dinner and afterwards we had a chance to chat. We were so enamoured with each other that we decided to meet up for brunch the next day and even made them mix CDs. We had just moved into our new apartment and were excited to try and do a loft concert and invited them to be our firsts later in the year! Oh, and their music is really good too!

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8. Alexi Murdoch - Schubas - July 9

When thinking of the 2006's best concert, Alexi's show instantly pops into mind. This is the kind of concert that reminds me why Schubas is my favorite venue. The crowd was so quite that you could hear a pin drop during songs, and they cheered and bantered with him just the right amount at the right times. They clapped at the right times and sang along at the right times and stopepd at the right times. It was a beautlful almost spiritual experience, and as one concert-goer pointed out, Nick Drake's spirit really did seem present that day.

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9. The Format/Anathallo - The Metro - April 4

The Format is always wonderful, and this show was no different. But the really highlight of the evening was Anathallo - a band I hadn't even heard of before. This exuberant and fun little group was a huge shock and stuck out like a sore thumb in the lineup. A wonderful sore thumb. Their music was so youthful and boisterous that they reminded me of a young, hipster cousin to the Arcade Fire. These guys are a must see!

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10. Tie - Aqualung and Nada Surf - The Metro - March 4 & 5

Both of these concerts were fantastic, but what really raised them to the level of top 10 were the fact that we were front row with my good friend Courtney who came up from Kentucky to hang out and see some great music (and Steven too!). The next week I got to see Belle & Sebastian, The New Pornographers, Jamie Cullum, Brandi Carlisle, The Arctic Monkeys and the Spinto Band with my Kentucky roomie Sarah. it was a great week for friends and music!

Worth Mentioning:

Most Intimate Concert - Mat Kearney @ Aware Records owner Gregg Lattermann's house.

Weirdest Concert - Fiona Apple @ Northerly Island, July 13
It was still a great show, but Fiona went off the deep end a bit, screaming off mic, scratching at herself, hiding behind the piano rocking back and forth, starting to cry about how lovely our path along the lake was, and finally breaking down about the number of bugs she was killing on the piano keys. I give her a lot of credit for muddling through and completing the show in that state - it couldn't have been easy.

Most exciting song - One of my favorite moments of the year was on December 18th, when Damien Rice played "Tongue" a song featured on Bell X1's Music In Mouth. Damien is credited as a co-writer of the song, but I never expected that he would play it. It is the next best thing to getting to see BX1 live. He also played "Dogs" at this show, which he said was the first show on this tour he had played it.

Number of concerts seen in 2006 - 75+
Best month - October (18 concerts)

My dad saw little bits of an inconceivable number of performances at Lollapalooza. For those of you who think it is impossible that he heard and saw so many...me too! But he did! Here is what he thought:

Lollapalooza 2006
Artist Grading System
1-10 ++++ or (10^ which means out of sight)
My grading is probably biased as I only heard 15 minutes or so of some bands.

Artist
Score

No particular order in each scoring category.

1. NaDa Surf
10 ^
2. The Dresdon Dolls
10 ^
3. The Frames
10 ^

4. Sleater Kenny
10++++

5. Sound Team
10+++
6. Editors
10+++
7. Sonic Youth
10+++
8. The Flaming Lips
10+++
9. Andrew Bird
10+++
10. Broken Social Scene
10+++

11. Eels
10++
12. Matt Costa
10++
13. Built to Spill
10++
14. Nickel Creek
10++
15. She Wants Revenge
10++

16. Extra Metro Josh from Smokin Popes 10+
18. Panic at the Disco
10+

19. Death Cab for Cutie
10
20. Queens of the Stone Age 10
21. Extra Metro Elvis Perkins 10

22. Go Team
9++

23. Subways
9+
24. My Morning Jacket
9+
25. Ween
9+
26. Shins
9+
27. Sybris
9+

28. Aqualung
9
29. Stars
9
30. Iron & Wine
9
31. Catfish Haven
9

32. Feist
8+
33. Wolf Mother
8+

34. Anathello
8
35. Cold War Kids
8
36. Calexico
8

37. Particle
7
38. Lady Sovereign
7

39. Common
6

40. Sa-Ra
(-5)

Lollapalooza wrapped up with a bang on Day 3. I started the day off with the fabulous Austin, TX indie pop group "What Made Milwaukee Famous." They were one of those bands, like Sound Team, that I hadn't heard much of previously but what I heard I liked. They didn't disappoint.

Next I headed over to get a spot up front for the Frames. From across the field I heard "The Redwalls" sounding great. They were one of the only two bands returning from last year's Lolla, so that is a great accomplishment.

The Frames were next, and they put on one hell of a show, as if there were any doubt. At first I was a little less then underwhelmed because I was comparing it to their show at the Metro. But soon they owned the stage. I never had seen the Frames play outdoors, and it was truly an experience. You could tell how excited they were at the HUGE crowd, and I was really moved by Glen occassionally looking up at the skin with a huge grin on his face as if he were sending the songs up to Mic and whoever else and it was really extremely touching.

The set included a lot of great songs, but most excitngly revelate, which the crowd was yelling for and which I believe was left out of the Metro set. After playing that they learned they had time enough for another and to people's cheering then finished with Fitzcaraldo. Another highlight of the set was bringing Beatle Bob out to dance during God Bless Mom (I believe I may have heard the words God Bless Bob in there somewhere). I would say this ranks as my favorite performance of the festival (combined with the Metro performance). Check out pictures from the show here.

Afterwards I was on quite a high and headed over to see Nickel Creek who were excellent and pointed out that the combination of them preceeded by the Frames and followed by andrew bird might be the only trifecta of fiddling in Lollapalooza history. Their set was spectacular, and they even managed to fit in two covers - the first being Radiohead (although I can't remember what song any more... something off of The Bends I think) followed by a great bluegrass cover of Britney's Spears "Toxic." I love them. I'm sad to say that I just heard today they will be disbanding at the end of 2007 (so CATCH THEM ON TOUR WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE!).

Andrew Bird is up next and he was one of the top four people I was most excited about seeing. He had far and away the best set at Intonation the year before, but at Lollapalooza I just wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. I think it had a lot to do with my distance from the stage and the people around me. Andrew is one of those guys you really should be up close and personal for. Although, I have to say, the new material sound freakin' incredible and I can't wait. A new Frames CD and a new Andrew Bird CD? Oh fourth quarter, you rascal...I love ya.

A new disc is on the way as well for The Shins. I would say they took the award for band I was most excited to see at Lolla that I had never seen before. Once again, I was a bit underwhelmed. They sounded good, but from my vantage they just didn't have the energy needed to match the crowd. I would love to see them in a small venue as opposed to a large outdoor festival. It was a good set to just chill to.

Afterwards I sped over to see the end of Of Montreal. They were wearing some goofy outfits and just having a great time and it was a blast (even though I didn't hear any songs I knew at the end.) They drew a pretty big crowd that was spilling toward the food lines and passersby stopped to enjoy the music (or just to say "these guys suck" if they didn't like themI kind of wish I had gone to see their Schubas set... they really are a lot of fun.

Afterwards I went and met up with Shayna, Scott and Halley and listened to a couple of Chicago bands... a bit of the end of Poi Dog and the first half or more of Wilco. I sat through most of the set and just relaxed. I had never seen Wilco before and I really enjoyed their stuff... specifically the prettier songs and the ones they didn't throw weird noises into. Lollapalooza was wearily winding down after a long, exhilirating yet tirnig weekend...

However it went out with a bang when Broken Social Scene (another band that is going on hiatus so the members can work on solo projects) took the stage. I was shocked at the number of people clammering for them (since when did BSS get so big and draw such a huge crowd). I figured the crowd was just on its way to the Chili Peppers, but no...drunk frat boys were singing along. When did this happen? Anyway, the band sounded great and the crowd was thrilled when occassional members of the band, Emily Haines (Metric), Amy Milan (Stars) and Leslie Feist (Feist) deuted on Anthems For a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl. It was impressive that they were able to get all three in the same place at the same time and truly a memorable performance. The end of their performance was one of the most noteworthy moments of the whole festival... the crowd cheered and cheered for an encore and wouldn't stop until the introduction of the Red Hot Chili Peppers alerted them that BSS wouldn't be allowed to play another song. As sad as it is, I was amazing that BSS got the loudest, longest most organized cry for an encore at the festival...they deserved it. It also left me and many others wanting for more... so, until next year, thanks for the great memories Lollapalooza!

When Lollapalooza was announced my first comment was "As long as The Frames and Nada Surf aren't scheduled against one another it will be the greatest festival ever." So you can imagine my excitement when I found out the bands would be playing together at The Metro on Saturday night. They even had a beautiful poster made by the talented Steve Sleeve for the event. It doesn't get much more exciting then that.

Or does it?

The highlight of the event was that my Frames friends flew/drove in from all over to see the shows. You know if Shannon and Courtney and Lizzie are their with their entire entourage it is going to blow your mind. And it did. Add in friends Steven, Joe (and his woman) and my dad, and you have a historic event. And it was.

The evening started off with Josh Caterer from the Smoking Popes... I had not been able to see them at Lollapalooza and I was very impressed with his solo performance here. It seemed like maybe the crowd wasn't totally in to him, but I loved it.

The next act was Elvis Perkins. Between sets the crazies had started filing in and the confronted us for sitting down while Elvis Perkins was sound checking. They yelled at us to get up and respect the band. Ummm... they haven't started playing yet. Elvis Perkins and his band were really really wonderful. I wish I had been able to see them at Lolla too. I think my dad may have fallen asleep standing up at some part during this set. Either that or he just had his eyes closed for a long period of time listening. During the set the crazy girls were yelling for the Frames and Nada Surf and all kinds of nonsense. It was pissing a Frames fan in the front row off something fierce who eventually just left his front row spot during the Frames set. I felt bad.

Then... the Frames. Oh the Frames. The first time I saw the Frames (my group of Frames girls were there too) they were opening for Damien. And to be honest, it wasn't love. I enjoyed it alright...I liked it more than the CD I had from them (Setlist). I loved Star Star. And I loved getting to chat with Glen after the show. But I wasn't in love with them. The next show was at the Metro awhile later. I had guest list (and opera box) tickets to see Marc Broussard that night at House of Blues and left after a few of his songs, literally RAN to the train, and then RAN from that to the Metro and got there just before the Frames gig (and there was an empty spot at the front left that I managed to snag... amazing.) And the show blew me away. It was definitely one of my top live shows ever. The mood was great, the songs were all expertly performed. It was revolutionary. I loved the Frames. The next show of theirs I saw was at the Park West and once again, I loved their songs a little bit more than the last time.

This show was no exception... I really feel like the band gets better every time I see them. The had more energy then a whole day's worth of Lolla bands combined and even the annoyances in the audience couldn't stiffle their genius. At one point a photographer squeezed in front of me to snap pictures, and then he decided to stay in front of me... the whole time. And he brought his girlfriend. And they were Frames fans. So, that was a bit rude I would say. But at least they were fans, and it didn't bother me too much really. What did bother me were the snatchy girls who had yelled at us. They sang LOUDLY and yelled stuff at the band through the set. Apparently they were Irish. Eventually they were so annoying that Glen started bantering with them... saying maybe they shouldn't have gotten so drunk before following the band and telling the crowd that they do not represent Ireland. It was almost worth them being annoying just to see Glen's reaction. Regardless, the set was great, if not too short (do they not play Sideways Down anymore?!?) and they played some great older stuff (The Stars Are Underground, Dance the Devil Back Into His Hole). I can't wait for their new CD. And for the Swell Season show at Schubas coming up. After the show I saw a stage hand crumpling up a Frames set list and yelled out "noooo... what are you doing? You're crushing my soul." He came over and gave me the setlist.

Nada Surf was fantastic as well. Their set was in mostly chronological order, and as I'm not extremely familiar with their older stuff, it was a bit of a slow start (but obviously a huge event for the harder core Nada Surf fans). Once they got into the stuff that I knew things picked up, and I was elated that they played Do It Again and Imaginary Friends, two songs shockingly missing from their Lolla set. During the show some guy came up and said "you don't look shy, can you get my demo CD to Matt?" So I was basically nervous about trying to get him the demo for Nada's whole set. Once the band did their last song before encore Matt was walking off stage and was in earshot so I yelled out his name and he looked at me. I held the CD toward him and yelled "happy birthday" since it was his birthday and he came over and took the CD and thanked me (at which time I pointed to the guy behind me). Side note - I asked him to email me a copy of the demos too, and he never did, or he would be getting a super awesome mention in my blog. That's gratitude for you huh?

So, in conclusion, what an amazing night. Following up two days of Lolla I was exhausted...but I was also kind of wired (Shark Attack 3 fans in the house?) Thank you to the Metro and bands and friends and everyone for making the night so memorable.

I started day two of Lollapalooza off with Matt Costa. (It was also started nicely with a txt message from the Mindfield game saying I could show my txt message to the Sweet Leaf Tea people and get a free Sweet Tea... I got Mint and Honey flavor. I also forwarded the message to my friends who went and got some tea too. Good marketing tool too...I've bought their brand from the store since then.) Anyhow...it was great to see Matt playing Lolla...so proud of him. He's one of those few people who I feel like I have been there from the beginning with. Cold December and Astair were both amazing, as were all of the songs really.

I left Matt a couple of songs early to get a close spot for Nada Surf, who I was uber pumped about. Sadly, I guess Elvis Perkins joined Matt on stage for the last song... in hindsight I would have liked to have seen that. Oh well. Nada Surf put on a killer show. I was actually kind of surprised by their setlist. The played a lot of their slower stuff (Paper Boats, Blonde on Blonde, Inside of Love, Always Love) and not as much of the upbeat stuff that I figured would be great for an outdoor festival (Do It Again, Imaginary Friends). They played Popular pretty early on in the set but didn't play Your Legs Grow (which was on an OC soundtrack). Regardless, it was a great set...and it was Matt's birthday and Ira got the crowd to all sing for him. Awww. All in all a kick ass show that lived up to my expectations.

Feist was next and I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting much. When I saw her at The Park West I was just so so about her - I liked her opener and fellow Broken Social Scene member (exmember?) Jason Collett more. I figured that the outdoor venue wouldn't suit her. In fact I really enjoyed her a lot, probably more, here. I just stood back and really had a great time with her set. Secret Heart was great (one of my fave songs that she sings... a cover of a Ron Sexsmith tune that I loved from him as well) and Mushaboom was decent, but it was a lot of her unknown songs that I really dug. Dunno why, just hit me and I was feeling it . Great job Feist.

Built To Spill on the other hand I didn't feel. I wasn't very familar with their stuff to begin with (although what I have heard from CD I have enjoyed) and it didn't do much for me. I'm sure fans probably loved it but I just wasn't feeling it. Plus I was a little disappointed in their attittude... they were playing the Bud Light stage and were kind of badmouthing Bud Light and Adidas...saying that they didn't really care about the music and the music would still be around without them. But actually, it takes tons of money to organize such a massive musical event as Lolla, get the equipment for it, promote it so that it is successful, pay the bands (I'm sure that Built To Spill wasn't playing for free) who in turn get exposure to a diverse crowd who might not have heard their music previously. That's why sponsorship is necessary and I think it is cool that companies do that. Now, I'm not saying that sometimes that can't go overboard, but I never felt at Lolla that the music wasn't the most important thing (I got pissed off at last year's intonation when the crowds booed the MC thanking XBox for being a sponsor, too). Now, I can understand if the band had a problem with a company for a specific reason, but it just seemed like they were complaining just to complain. No thank you. If you want to try and have an outdoor festival without corporate sponsors give it a try (I know that Dispatch's last concert was a free show, and very successful...but that was only one band and they still had Nantucket Nectars sponsoring them!) but if it is a big enough deal to you that you are going to complain about it during your show then just don't play (or if you are a crowd member who is upset about sponsorship don't go) because you just seem like a big hypocrite. Ok, end rant.

Calexico, like Feist, I have seen before, and when I have seen them I've been just so so. Like with Feist I have seen them with Jason Collett and enjoyed him more, and like with Feist their Lolla show impressed me more than I guessed it would. The music was upbeat and energetic...it added some great flavor and fun and a departure to the music of the day. I was hoping that I would get a guest appearance from Iron and Wine since they did "In the Reins" together recently but no luck. I did get a surprise cameo from Swedish singer Nicolai Dunger who sang along on a song dedicated to the memory of Arthur Lee.

After Calexico I made my way across the grounds (picking up a bite) and saw a couple of decent songs from Gnarls Barkley before heading back for a couple of decent songs from Sonic Youth.

The Dresden Dolls were next and put on quite a bit of theatrics in their face paint. I didn't realize they were a two person act on drums and keyboard. My first thought was "they are the evil twins of Mates of State." The show was pretty good (one of my dad's faves). Amanda had a quick wardrobe change at one point (made on stage!) The highlight was a perfect performance of Coin-Operated Boy. I left a bit eary so I could get a good spot for the Flaming Lips.

Talk about theatrics...the Flaming Lips has got it. I have heard that the first Lips show you go to is the best, because it is all new to you. There was the lead singer rolling around the crowd in a big ball, and tons of HUGE baloons thrown out (looking behind me was an awesome experience...baloons as far as the eye could see silhoutted against the Chicago skyline. The stage was filled with dancing santas and aliens. A machine was used to shoot streamers into the air. It really goes on and on, but it was pretty amazing. While some bands I was skeptical about their ability to thrive in an outdoor setting, the Lips were truly in their element. They kept attempting to get us to sing along so loudly that we stopped traffic on Lake Shore Drive...loudly enough to get Israel to stop bombing Lebanon, to bring about peace in the middle east. They wanted us to sing so that if singing could bring about positive change in the world just through than that was the song to do it. It was pretty great and transformed their new single, which I had previously been annoyed with, into something special. (Its inclusion in Little Miss Sunshine commercials has helped make me love it too!) They told some great stories about Lolla tours past and how great they were and talked about the times before Starbucks and energy drinks, where they drank homemade strong coffee and homemade energy drinks. This prompted some stupid girl behind me to start bitching about Starbucks and about how Clear Channel was producing Lolla and how awful it was. I didn't see anything that lead me to believe that Clear Channel was involved with Lolla at all. But that didn't stop her from drunkenly going on and on about it. The only thing that stopped her for a bit was when they mentioned playing "She Don't Use Jelly" on 90210 at which time I heard her squeal "at the Peach Pit!!!!!" Uggh. Regardless, it was a great set and a great performance, and once again provided the perfect "setting sun" song with "Do You Realize." Or I guess I should say the perfect illusion cause by the Earth spinning around song. Regardless, it was a great music moment. And all thanks to clear channel apparently.

On my way over to see the New Pornographers I got to hear a little bit of the Theivery Corporation, including "Lebanese Blonde" from the Garden State soundtrack, which I was very glad to hear. I arrived at the New Pornographers just in time to hear "The Bleeding Heart Show" which is my favorite track from them. Like with Feist and Calexico, the New Pornographers were a group that I have seen before and never gone wild over, and like those other bands this is probably my favorite performance from them. Maybe I was just in the mood, but they sounded really great.

That would have been the end of a great day of music...but the night was young and there was a Metro show that I was more excited about then the whole Lolla festival on the horizon.

My father and I arrived for day one of Lolla 2006 at about 11:30. In a rush to not miss Sound Team I got separated from him. I didn't see him for the rest of the day. Sorry pop! (BTW, on the way to the Sound Team I passed the stage where the runner up to Last Band Standing was playing. The band was Chicago's the Cankles and they actually sounded pretty good despite their awful name and the fact that they beat my friend's band, Dearborn.)

Sound Team started the day off amazingly. I wasn't too familiar with their music other than clips I've heard, but they sounded wonderful, had very catchy music and pleased the audience. St. Louis' Beatle Bob started his Lolla day with this band too! I can't think of a better start to the day... this got me excited to hear some new music and made me want to race home and buy their CD!

As I was heading to my next band I heard the Subways start and they sounded REALLY good. But alas, I was off to get a prime spot for Anathallo. I got a wonderful spot right up front. While waiting for the band to start I could hear the band Blue October playing loudly from a nearby stage. They sounded good (if not a bit Phil Collinsish.) Sadly it didn't stop once Anathallo started. Their music blared over Anathallo's pretty consistently, especially in the more mellow parts. Despite this, Anathallo put on one hell of a show. They were the most humble band of the day, repeatedly mentioning how big of an honor it was to be playing the festival and thanking listeners. They didn't even complain about the other music drowning out theirs...they just said "wow, those guys rock...sometimes I wish we rocked that hard." That is class. Anathallo brought the same exuberence they had at their recent club show to the (HOT) festival stage and gave the most enthusiasm and energy I saw throughout the day, jumping from instrument to instrument, clapping and banging the drums, playing pots like instruments and theatrically interpreting the songs. They told the story of the fable that inspired one of their songs... a man has a dog that can sniff out gold and dig it up so the guy's neighbor asks to borrow the dog, but in his yard the dog only digs up gross stuff (slugs and bugs, etc.) so the neighbor gets pissed off, shoots the dog, burns the body and buries the ashes. But then the ashes come back in the form of a tornado and kills the neighbor. Um, hell yeah. The highlight of the show (one of the highlights of the whole day) was during one song the band members started blowing up balloons during the moments they weren't singing. In the crowd I noticed a lot of people were blowing up balloons too. Then, at a certain point, everyone let go of their balloons together and they flew through the air before falling back empty to the ground. It was beautiful and something I had never seen at a concert before. Bravo. If the Sound Team had been the perfect start to the day, Anathallo drove home how monumental of a day of music it was going to be.

Next we moved on to Aqualung. I was blown away by the number of people camped out for the Aqualung show... holy crap. We managed to sneak up the side and get a pretty good view. The new songs sounded wonderful, the old songs were perfect (Another Little Hole in My Heart was that sad bastard fix I had been craving!) and the crowd banter, as always, was adorable. I'm so proud of these guys...they've come along way since the first time I saw them at Martyrs.

After Aqualung left we moved to the front of the stage to wait for Stars, the next band to take that stage. In the interim we could still hear the eels from the next stage over and see them on the video monitor. They sounded pretty good, but I didn't hear much that reminded me of my favorite eels song (and really one of the only songs I really know well by them), Railroad Man. It sounded like they were playing a good selection for an outdoor show. I wish I could have seen them more, but I wanted to be front and center(ish) for Stars.

There is not much I can say about Stars other than I love them. Love love love. They are one of those bands that I just don't want to quit playing until they've exhausted their entire catalogue. The violin was beautiful and my favorite song (One More Night) was sultry hot. This was one of my favorite performances of the day, probably because I was so close to the stage and because I am so familiar with their music. But also because their music just about begs you to have fun.

Next up was Ryan Adams. I had never seen Ryan before and was really looking forward to it. I was excpecting he would play a lot more upbeat rock numbers for the show since it was an outdoor festival, but he went more along the country/western route. It still sounded really good (and the version of Dear Chicago he played was out of this world) but the set seemed better suited for the Ryman then an outdoor setting. Also, he was talking to a helicopter in the sky which was odd. I would love to see him sometime again, but I think up close in an indoor venue would be a better bet.

I left during his set and went to catch some of Mates of State. They were FANTASTIC. I would say they were better than when I saw them at the Metro. They controlled the crowd and I think were the only band I saw who got the crowd dancing and jumping in the heat. Fantastic.

After they finished I went to catch the last half of the Iron & Wine set. I was worried about Iron & Wine at a festival because they can be more mellow (at least my favorite tracks by them) but they were playing some more catchy stuff (and stuff I was less familiar with). We were hoping Ben Gibbard would come out and sing with Sam on Such Great Heights, but they didn't play that song in the part of the set I saw, so maybe that was before we got there. They ended there set though with the Trapeze Swinger, which was perfect timing with the sun dipping down low behing the stage as dusk approached. It was a pretty magical moment.

After that I went to get some food and listened to My Morning Jacket while doing it because they had THE LOUDEST SPEAKERS EVER. They started with a song I didn't know was their's but LOVED, "Off the Record." The next song was very familiar too, but it was off across the field to see some of the Raconteurs.

They had already played Steady As She Goes, but I did get to see them play Hands, which I enjoy and a rockin' cover "Crazy" so now I guess I don't have to see Gnarles Barkley at all! I thought the set was pretty ok, although Brendan Benson looks more tore up each time I see him. Where's the pretty(ish) guy from the cover of The Alternative to Love?

Next I made the ardous journey back to the stage where Sleater-Kinney was playing their last Chicago show (and I think next to last show of all time). I dug it! My boss has been playing them in the office a lot so I was familiar with the music and it definitely was a neat experience getting to see one of their last shows ever. I'm glad to say I saw them.

As much as I would have liked to have seen Ween (at the suggestion of a couple of friends), who were playing back across the park, the Sleater-Kinney stage was right next to the stage Death Cab for Cutie were headlining on...and I know I love them so I just decided to stick around. After a bit we decided that we needed to find a better spot to stand so I was enlisted to lead the way. I wove through the crowd to a pretty close distance (you could discern the people on the stage). I was pretty much a bad ass... it went something like this:

The music was great and they made a joke about covering "Crazy," which apparently Mates of State had ALSO done during their set. They dedicated a song to Stars, who they had toured with previously and Sleater-Kinnety who they said they were fans of and were sad that they were disbanding. I also noticed at one point that there was a fireworks show going on behind us (from the direction of the Ween stage) and it was beautiful to watch those along with the Death Cab music. During the Sound of Settling, the last non-encore song of their set, I noticed the crowd had thinned a bit around the edges so I decided to see if I could get closer (I could tell they needed me so much closer). So I started up and made it about twice as close to the stage as I already was. Then, after the band left the stage a huge mass of people started to leave the front and I rode the wave of departing people up to right in front of the stage for the two encore songs: "Follow You Into the Dark" (which was my best song of the year for 2005) and Transatlanticism (during which Stars emerged to sing and dance along. It was my favorite set I've seen from Death Cab (third time seeing them) and I couldn't think of a better way to end a day of AMAZING music.

Top 5 Songs of the Day:

1. Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie
2. One More Night - Stars
3. Dokkoise House (with face covered) - Anathallo
4. The Trapeze Swinger - Iron & Wine
5. Another Little Hole In My Heart - Aqualung

Alexi Murdoch's live set at Schubas last Sunday reminds me why Schubas is my favorite venue ever. The venue is perfect for single performers with acoustic guitars. One of the most amazing performances I've ever seen there was Ray LaMontagne by himself right around the time Trouble came out. I hoped that Alexi Murdoch's set would have a similar vibe, and it did.

The first thing my roommate and I noticed upon arrival was the fact that tables were set up... an indication that tickets sales were subpar. This was kind of shocking considering the success of "Orange Sky." However Murdoch kept saying how impressed he was by the big crowd...the biggest of his US trip so far. Awww.... He kept wondering aloud where all the people came from. Someone from the crowd shouted "You're pretty good" in response. Muroch followed that up with "Gee, Thanks Man." Then I think he felt like that sounded to sarcastic or something and started talking about he never says stuff like "gee, thanks man" and he was trying it out.

He played a lot of great new songs from Time Without Consequence such as "All of My Days." At one point he asked for a guitar pic to play a song. Then he forgot what he was going to play in the first place. He scoffed at having a setlist though, saying that "preparation is the road to routine."

As good as the new songs were, highlights were from the 4 seasons EP. "Song For You," my personal favorite, was beautiful. I have never been as enamored by "Orange Sky" as everyone else, but hearing it live I finally understood how epic and wonderful the song is. Afterwards someone in the audience yelled out "Nick Drake loves you." When Alexi Murdoch responded "Where is he?" the person from the crowd yelled back "inside you."

During another conversation Murdoch let the f-bomb slip and then, concerned, asked if there were any young kids in the audience. A voice called out yes. Murdoch asked, "really." And the audience said "no." Murdoch joked around a bit and then said "but seriously, are there any young kids" and a voice responded "yes" but it was hard to figure out if the person was being serious or not. Eventually, Murdoch just said "Fuck It."

The final song before the encore was an unreleased song called "Something Beautiful" which Murdoch said people called his "Christian song." He then pondered on why people get weired out when they hear the word God in a song. He said he wasn't judging, but that he himself wasn't really Christian or a God person and sometimes he'll be singing the song and get weirded out singing about God and that he is just curious why it takes people back sometime. The song was encouraged as a sing along and at first it kind of struck me as a Christian youth groupesque sing along, but by the end it was spiritual in a different way...in the way where the spirituality didn't come so much from an outside source but instead from the celebration and joining that was present in the music and singing. It was pretty amazing and the crowd sang and clapped along perfectly. Hopefully, like Ray, Alexi's popularity will only grow.

Blue Mind

Let the whoring of my blog begin.

So a couple of weeks ago roomie was invited to see a concert at Uncommon Ground and asked if I'd like to go along. Uncommon Ground is my favorite restaraunt in Chicago, so it didn't take much convincing.

Upon getting to the restaraunt we were quickly approached by one of the artists who introduced himself as Keith. Keith was adorable, kind of with an American Idol Elliott vibe, but way better looking. Not only did he tell us our meal was covered, but he also let me touch his shirt. Twice.

Keith played a great acoustic set, which was not the norm for him... apparently he puts on more of a rockin' show, but I thought he pulled off the mellow acoustic thing really well. Roomie says he reminds her a bit of having a Ryan Cabrera vibe, which I can absolutely see, although I like Keith more. And while Keith hasn't had as much exposure on MTV as Cabrera has, he did have a song on Laguna Beach, which is really impressive. I think my favorite song from his as yet unreleased CD (which he was kind enough to give us copies of) is "In My Head."

The next act was Ryan Auffenberg (also adorable). Ryan's music is usually mellow acoustic stuff, so Uncommon Ground was the perfect setting for him.

My favorite song was the first track on his (as of yet unreleased) CD which he also was nice enough to give us copies of. The song, "Under All The Bright Lights" reminds me a bit of Irish singer/songwriter David Hopkins, but maybe the connection is just because Hopkins album is titled "Here Comes the Bright Light." Or maybe Ryan is a fan...he does have the BEST MUSIC TASTE EVER (Loves the Frames AND Nada Surf.) Check out his myspace site.

So, seriously though, their music was very good, and that's not just the Mac and Cheese talking. And they are the nicest, coolest, funniest guys ever. Roomie and I loved them so much we went home and stayed up half of the night making them mix CDs for their journey back to California, posted below.

And just so everyone knows, I didn't sell myself and my opinion for a bowl of mac and cheese and some CDs...even though it was 8 year aged Irish Cheddar with tomato chutney. I really do like these guys. The next day we took Keith and Ryan, as well as their friend and bandmate Dave to Orange, on us (see, would a whore do that?) Keith had what he called salisbury french toast (ie. Chai Tea Latte French Toast) which he said was the best thing he had ever eaten (it is my favorite dish too.) I, instead, had the cereal themed pancake flight:

Dave said it was the Fab Four of pancakes. He was right... they tasted half dead (but looked great).

Anyway, you all must check out their music and see them. I can't wait for them to swing back through Chicago and do a couple more shows ;-)

Continue reading "(clap clap)"

The Elected/The Magic Numbers - 04/01/06 - The Double Door
Overall: 4 out of 5

   

Michelle and Keri, as well as their friend Thales, and I arrived at the Double Door a bit before the show started. It was not crowded at all so we headed to the bar for some drinks for the ladies and had some interesting discussion about people and stuff and things. I don't know, I was drifting... face petting was involved somewhere in there I think. Mostly we were all just very excited for the show.

This was my second show seeing the Eleceted open a sold out show as well as my second sold out Magic Numbers headlining show, so I was excited to see how they would compare to my first experiences.

Continue reading "This Way to Happy"

  Posted by Kyle at 08:34 PM | Permalink

  Catagories: Concert Reviews

Bluntly Speaking
March 28, 2006 James Blunt – 3/25/06 – The Riviera
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
   
This Saturday the lovely Sarah offered me a ticket to see James Blunt at the Riviera. We got a couple of passes to pretty sweet “pod” boxes right up front and therefore had a pretty great spot despite getting there a song or two into the second opener, The Boy Least Likely To (who, incidentally, I thought was fantastic, especially their song “Be Gentle With Me.”)

Let me give you a little background on James Blunt and me before we get started. I was sent a copy of the British version of James Blunt’s debut album, Back to Bedlam, back in the early months of 2005. I’ll admit, on the first couple of listens I was thrown by his very unique falsetto voice, but after a couple of listens it began to grow on me. I especially liked the songs “High” and “You’re Beautiful” which I wore out by listening to so much. One line in particular from “You’re Beautiful” struck me every time I listened: “She caught my eye as I walked on by…she could see from my face that I was fucking high.” I have somewhat of a weak spot for the use of “fuck” in a song, especially when an artist very rarely uses it in songs.

Continue reading "Bluntly Speaking"

  Posted by Kyle at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

  Catagories: Concert Reviews