All good writers have a few things in common, one of which is that they are open and honest with their readers. They create a connection by divulging, sometimes very personal, details. That is why I told you the first time I did acid.
Well, I mean, for all intents and purposes, I did acid. I saw InnerPartySystem at The Viper Room in Los Angeles. If you read my review of their album, then you know I wasn't the biggest fan of it. HOWEVER, I did say, and I quote, "Live, that's where I can really imagine this music coming to life." What I should have said was "Seeing this band live would be great for someone who hasn't ever done acid, but is curious, but is too scared to actually try it." THAT'S what I should have said.
You don't need to know the words to any of the songs to enjoy an InnerPartySystem show. I've never thought it possible to enjoy a show without knowing all of the music, but this band defied that claim. Not one member of the band lacks energy; they all move in perfect unison with a light show behind them that is on par with some of the best arena light shows I've ever seen. This band knows what it means to put on a "show," and not just a concert. Too often bands rely on the music alone and, while that is undoubtably a major element, I consider stage presence and the stage itself integral parts; when InnerPartySystem combines all of these, they probably gave a few people at the venue seizures. In fact, the light show made me WANT to have a seizure, just to enhance the experience. The lights were perfectly in-sync with the music the entire time and didn't just supplement the music, but enhanced it.
So, in the end, I guess I didn't actually try acid. What I should have said was that "I did something that's probably similar to acid, but since I haven't actually done the drug, I can't say for sure."
After fighting over an hour of traffic, I made my way into the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California to hear the last lingering notes of the Matches "hit" single "Who Let The Yankees in the Chip Shop?" Thankfully, they got my least favorite of their songs from their album released earlier this year on Epitaph Records, "A Band in Hope," before I even arrived. Time for the real show to begin.
The Matches are an odd Rock band, four young guys in excruciatingly tight jeans, with kind of funny hair, playing self-consciously artsy, slightly whiney pop with an infusion of punk and 80's hair metal (OK, one song has an 80's hair metal infusion, but it's enough to make note of it).
I worked my way upstairs, as the floor was completely packed and I, at 6 foot 3, will not push my way to the front of a crowd unless there's a serious pit going and I know I can lodge myself somewhere in the front without pissing anybody off. Instead, I took a spot on the small balcony and had a nice birds-eye-view of the goings-on downstairs.
The first song I heard the Matches perform was the aforementioned 80's metal infused tune, "This City." A triumphant and anthemic song with soaring high vocals and driving guitars. Throughout their 45 minute set (they were performing as direct support for Bayside) the Matches played a mix of energetic Rock and quirky melodic pop tunes. Their record, "A Band in Hope" is pretty much good, if a bit slow at times, from end-to-end, so as a new fan I was looking forward to hearing some of my favorite tunes and I wasn't disappointed.
Highlights of the evenings included their two songs about the morningtime, "Point Me Towards the Morning" and their radio hit, "Wake the Sun." Both upbeat and catchy... the heads were bobbing.
Any punk oriented show (though I would by no means call the Matches punk) tends to include a contingent of peopel who only know the "old stuff" - we call them the OGs. There were some Matches OG's out in force, as they played some of their older tures (with which I'm not familiar) and the crowd went slightly more nuts.
Of course, this was a Bayside show, so it's hard to guage the audience. I personally thouroughly enjoyed the Matches and hope to see them at some point, in a venue where I can actually hear the vocals (no offense to the historic Troubadour, but the sound could use some work). Bayside took the stage and I, as a totally unfamiliar listener couldn't hear a single word, so I just left rather than endure the complete lack of melody for a full hour set. No disrespect to Bayside for not giving them a shout-out here, but it's hard to review that which you can barely hear - from what I saw, the set seemed pretty decent.
This was the hottest ticket in LA on October 15th. The Kings of Leon released their newest record, "Only By The Night" to a huge critical uproar and word-of-mouth on the street just a month ago, and the album caused a huge jump in their artistic credibility as well as their commercial position as a mainstay Rock act of the new millennium.
Thankfully, after being declined press passes by the Kings of Leon's people (it happens), Jules over at EMI got me in so I could talk to We Are Scientists (interview also posted at the Rockvine before we moved.. coming back soon). And so, I arrived VERY early at the Nokia Theater and was escorted through a long and windy backstage area to meet We Are Scientists in their beautifully lit dressing room. After about 20 minutes of videotaped conversation in which I learned nothing about the band, I exited, put my camera away and I was done with the work portion of the night.
Now for the fun. A band whose name I cannot remember (I think it was the Stills?) started off the evening with well performed but perfectly forgettable songs. Not much in the way of songwriting, but very good for performance and sound.
Up next we had We Are Scientists - their near opposite. Extremely catchy and fun songs, performed with an indie rock confidence. These are not Rock Stars, they are humble, funny men who write very good and very catchy pop songs and play slightly dancy and a little bit elecronic Rock and Roll. Think of what Weezer would sound like if they started their career in the year 2010 as it was imagined in 1984.
Next to the stage were Kings of Leon. Opening with likely one of the best songs of 2008, their understated groove Rock tune, Crawl, the band performed a well put together, yet subdued set. No stage accrobatics, crazy lighting, broken guitars or rock antics of any kind. Just four guys (three of whom are brothers, the other is a first cousin) playing their own brand of Southern Rock.
I'm used to going to shows of which I am a super-fan. Nine Inch Nails remains one of my favorites to date - crazy show, crazy lighting, but I also know every single word of every song. It is much easier to have some critical distance with a band. The fact is, Kings of Leon are very good live. They perform their music well and they sound like a great band. I don't know ALL of their music, and there was almost nothing in the way of lighting or stage production. Just four guys, playing music and barely moving.
Kings of Leon, however, do get hot chicks to dance. I attended the show with two male friends who will remain nameless, and we all admired the fact that the place was crawling in beautiful women. While Kings of Leaon were on stage, they were all losing their minds for over an hour straight. I have never seen so many beautiful women dancing in one place for a Rock band.
To keep with this theme, the band performed five of my favorites, the first five tracks from "Only By The Night." Perhaps the only truly magical moment was when they performed the single "Sex on Fire," which was truly electrifying.
All-in-all, if you get a chance I recommend you go check out Kings of Leon live. They seem to be the next "it" band in Rock and cross-over (what we in the business call bands that play Rock music then the pop world decides they like them too). Give 'em a try!
Thanks to Carlyn Carter for this one. Photo stolen from Weezer's Myspace. Thanks to Jim for getting us in.
Arriving to see Weezer at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles felt initially a bit like going to a Monster Truck Rally or a hockey game. I had never been and the $22 parking made me feel like I was going to be sucked dry by the end of it (I did end up finding street parking, luckily). The KROQ truck blasting electronica and the swarms of 14-year-old girls and nerdboys made me feel a bit out of place. I wasn’t even able to play the fashionably late card, as my friend and I arrived right at 6:30.
After the hassle of crowds, we found our seats, which were halfway up the stadium to the left of the stage. After a beer, I was thrilled to see Tokyo Police club do their thing. The only curious part of it was how they were crowded on a small patch of the enormous stage – right up front, center. They were definitely into what they played, and we were into it too.
After a quick roadie struggle, Angels and Airwaves were up. The intro was dramatic with huge strobes, organ music and robot voice-overs. They filled the stage quite nicely – with an incredibly elevated drumkit and professional spacing. Musically, the band puts forth a very interesting ambient and poppy vibe, not unlike the Cure. The vocals and lyrics lost me a bit as I’m more closely aligned with the Tom Delonge from the Blink 182 days than with this darker, more interesting endeavor. I spent the rest of the set in the downstairs bar-area.
Weezer was professional as always. With a huge video screen in back and matching white jumpsuits, it is clear they have been doing this for a long time. They opened with My Name is Jonas, then played my personal favorite song (as a Pinkerton fan) of the night, Pink Triangle. They continued with Say it Ain’t So, El Scorcho, some other hits. The white jumpsuits come off to reveal red ones. Frontman, Rivers Quomo flew across the stage on his knees. Tom Delonge came up to sing the first verse of The Sweater Song, while Rivers was jumping on a trampoline. I thought Weezer were infamous for never really moving on stage. It was a very pleasant surprise to find that myth proven wrong. The Greatest Man that Ever Lived was the last thing I heard before I left to beat the crowd.
All-in-all I was thoroughly entertained by Weezer. I only wished Tokyo Police Club could have had the stage time / presence that Angels and Airwaves was given.
I went into this show with very mixed feelings. In their first highly publicized public performance since their re-formation, Snot, put on a show that was partially a tribute, partially a reunion and partially a showcase for new material and a new band. The night began at 7:30 PM and didn't let out until nearly 1AM with over five solid hours of the loudest metal and punk available on the planet. Highlights of the night included an appearance from a member of System of a Down and a cover that was more iconic yet obscure than Snot.
The Urgency - Live at the Viper Room - West Hollywood, CA 9/30/2008
It is rare that I, as the editor of a Rock site, receive a random CD in the mail that I didn't ask for and I pop it in and it trumps nearly everything else I hear that day. After receiving an advanced copy of the Urgency's upcoming Island Records debut, I popped it in my car stereo right after earing two songs by a very popular current rock band (who will remain nameless though they are another Universal Music Group act). I listened to the whole record end-to-end.
When my contact at Universal mentioned they're coming to town, I opted not to see them as the opening act at a big show at the Chain Reaction, but rather to go to the intimate and empty Viper Room.
We sent Scoob over to the Wiltern again to check out Between the Buried and Me opening for Children of Bodom. We also got an interview for you to check out a little later - for now here's the live review.
