29 posts tagged “concerts”
"Bow down before the one you serve
You're going to get what you deserve."
Head Like A Hole - Nine Inch Nails
I admit it; for all of my griping about my last Nine Inch Nails show, the announcement of the NIN/JA tour and Trent's ominous "after this, Nine Inch Nails is going away indefinitely" blog had me glued to my computer on presale day, determined not to miss what might be my last chance at seeing a band that shaped my musical landscape from my teens forward. As much as I like to think that Trent's choice of words indicates that he will continue to make music, albeit released from the box of expectations associated with the NIN brand, I fear Trent has grown tired of the bullshit of the industry and fickle fans unwilling to embrace anything new. This astonishes me, as I'm of the opinion that The Slip was one of Trent's strongest albums to date; it delivered hard rocking tracks with biting lyrics, danceable tracks for nights at the rock club, and haunting melancholy pieces. Its one weakness perhaps is Corona Radiata, which isn't terrible, but is not up to par with other instrumental works he's done.
With this tour, a co-headliner with the reunited original line-up of Jane's Addiction, Trent has been treating fans to more varied sets night to night, a ban on the omnipresent Closer (a shame, since there are other songs far more in need of retirement, like Hurt), and breaking out songs that have been scarcely/never seen live. With minimal instrumental tracks, a plain stage show without visual effects typical for NIN tour set-ups and NIN NOT headlining, it was a very different animal from recent tours. That said, I'd have to declare this the best of the three shows I've seen.
This show, with a few set insertions/switches (Somewhat Damaged in lieu of March of the Pigs; The Wretched in lieu of I Do Not Want This; Dead Souls in lieu of Burn, which I love but have heard), was custom-designed from my dreams. Sure, I could have easily embraced other songs not played, but all of them have been done for me before, so I very easily will live. There were no instrumentals, no long periods of Ghost tracks, no weak songs. The set was incredibly hard and up-tempo. Best of all, I was graced with my favourite track of all, The Fragile. My set staples (Terrible Lie; Head Like A Hole; Gave Up) all made it that night, and the brain-dead clapping spider monkeys that ruined Hurt at my last show did not attend, it seems. Trent threw down microphone stands and his keyboard, tripped and fell in his angsty vigor, and generally belted his heart and soul out, with an extremely poignant whispered "Goodbye" as he left the stage. I truly feel the lack of restriction and repetition that comes with more elaborately staged tours did wonders for the performance in Toronto. If Trent is to return, with a new project or with NIN, I hope he leans towards a loosely structured stage show in the future.
The entire show was pretty much a highlight, but I'll point out a few tracks here that really stood out for me:
1,000,000: This track is stellar, classic Broken-esque NIN. How anyone can slag The Slip with this brilliant song being on the disc, I do not know. Coming off Terrible Lie into this track made for vicious headbanging delight.
Heresy: I'd never heard this one live, and it was incredibly good, a great crowd sing-along for the chorus in my area of the theatre.
I'm Afraid Of Americans: Despite my assuming that the earlier appearance of Metal would be our only cover of the night, in hindsight, this song's appearance shouldn't have surprised me at the one Canadian date of the tour. Trent really poured himself into this Bowie track, pretty much blowing the minds of the entire audience.
The Fragile: This song has an inredible significance to my own life, and did not disappoint me. The vocal delivery was appropriately soft at the start, growing in strength towards the peak at the end. Why oh why did I not see the tour for this album? It made for an incredible transition from I Do Not Want This, the contrast sharp between it and "Don't you tell me how I feel..."
Mr. Self-Destruct: This song was too hot for words. I'd never heard this either, and it's a favourite from The Downward Spiral for me. I think this was the track where I completely screwed the muscles in my shoulders and neck rocking out. It was worth it.
Head Like A Hole: Way back in grade ten, on the bus for a school trip next to my oblivious History class crush, said crush offered to share his headphones with me after I said I had never heard Nine Inch Nails. His mix tape of personal favourites began with this song, and from moment one, I was hooked. This needed to be in my goodbye show as a full circle moment. I actually found myself rather emotional, knowing the set was closing as my fandom had begun.
Hurt: I'm kind of tired of this song overall, but in the context of a goodbye tour, with such a fragility to Trent's vocals (and no off beat clapping), this moved me.
Well done, Mr. Reznor. Well done, indeed. Please don't go away for good. Enjoy your break, renew and revive your creativity, and I'm sure I speak for every fan who's attended this tour when I say I hope we see you again soon.
For the record, opener Street Sweeper Social Club was incredible, and I highly recommend you hit ninja2009.com and download the sampler for this tour, which includes all three bands on the bill. Due to work constraints I had to bail halfway through Jane's Addiction;s set but I have to say Perry Farrell is an incredible showman and their performance was tight. Check them out too!
SETLIST
Now I'm Nothing
Terrible Lie
1,000,000
Heresy
March of the Pigs
Metal (Gary Numan)
The Becoming
I'm Afraid of Americans (Bowie)
Burn
Gave Up
I Do Not Want This
The Fragile
The Way Out Is Through
Wish
Survivalism
Mr. Self-Destruct
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like A Hole
Hurt
What music blog is complete without a yearly wrap-up on the releases of the year that stood out, for positive or negative reasons?
Admittedly, I have not been as in touch with the releases of the year and must preface this entry with stating that there are going to be glaring omissions from this list. Life has kept me from music this year, be it keeping me from concerts I wished to see, keeping me from the time to listen to albums I want to hear, or making it difficult to listen to certain artists without feeling uncomfortable. However, I do have several albums upon which to rave or rant, so here's what you get.
This was a year where my stalwart music artists took the backseat for others, where single songs possessed my devoted attention, while albums were generally shunned. It was a year of nostalgia, as I turned to older favourites for comfort in trying times. But beyond that, I found this year's music lacklustre and not to my liking, perhaps due to the concentration of artists in genres I'm not fond of. For several months, I was “off music”, something that has never happened before to me. It was disorienting, to say the least.
The concerts I saw this year were fewer than I would have liked, but none of them disappointed. All of them delivered beyond my hopes and expectations. It was a year of seeing new artists and old favourites. If I were to rank a top five of shows I saw this year, it would go a little something like this:
5. Rilo Kiley at The Phoenix: Solid set, great energy, tight openers including Thao Nugyen
4. Paramore with Jack's Mannequin at The Kool Haus: Amazing energy, three solid openers, and Jack's Mannequin renewed my love for Andrew McMahon
3. Melissa Etheridge at Massey Hall: Three hours of non-stop, high energy music with powerful and moving banter between songs. A first time for me with Melissa and hopefully not the last.
2. Matthew Good at Massey Hall: This man never disappoints me with his intense delivery on every song, his caustic wit and his genius songwriting. So grateful this became a live album.
1. Amanda Palmer at The Mod Club: It had every element going for it – incredible setlist, stellar performance, fabulous openers, and incredible theatrics and stage presence. Easily one of the best performances I've seen Amanda give (and I have 8 other points of reference).
And now, without further ado, here we go with my personal 'awards' for 2008:
Album That Sends Me Into Fits Of 80's Nostalgia: Saturdays=Youth by M83. This album is utterly fantastic, with tracks like Couleurs, Highway of Endless Dreams and Skin of the Night leading the charge into a soundscape that evoked Erasure meets Conjure One meets Arcade Fire's intelligent layering and music craft. I easily find myself lost within the tracks of this album in a way that lands on par with Explosions In The Sky and Max Richter.
The Album That Lived Up To The Hype: Donkey by CSS. I'm not much of a trend follower, and even the critical darling pieces often leave me cold (see: You Say Party, We Say Die!; most of Radiohead's post-OK Computer output; Coldplay's discography). CSS however live up to the excitement, and Donkey is just so much fun to dance around to, one can't resist it. There's not a single bad track, although some are stronger than others. I'm fond of Believe Achieve, Jager Yoga and Let's Reggae All Night, myself.
Reviving The Now Crowded Male Singer-Songwriter Folkie Genre: Charmed and Strange by Yoav. I first had a taste of Yoav's music as he opened for Tori Amos' American Doll Posse tour in 2007. At first, I took one look at a lone guy and a guitar and immediately wondered how Tori kept finding Howie Day part nauseum. Yoav, however, is far more clever as a lyricist, and his musical palette is more acoustic Red Paintings than Jason Mraz. Adore, Adore, There Is Nobody, and the soulful One By One set Yoav miles ahead of a crowded field.
Bringing The LOLZ To Musicals: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Joss Whedon remains my master after he cleverly proves that you can give a product away for free and then sell it... and make a profit! Neil Patrick Harris singing about freeze rays? An Evil League of Evil run by Bad Horse? Each song is so silly and fun, I can't help myself. Once More With Feeling was one of Joss' finest Buffy hours. Perhaps he should write an actual musical, complete with ridiculous stage sets? I can dream!
The Slightly Guilty Musical Theatre Junkie's Pleasure: I Stand by Idina Menzel. Are some of the lyrics cliched? Sure. Are some of them dripping with the saccharine Celine Dion is famous for? Hell yes. Does Idina kick ass and take names vocally, making the album enjoyable all the same? You bet your (tattooed) ass. Check out Brave, I Stand, I Feel Everything.
Solid But Sorta Overrated: Third by Portishead. This is where gasps of indignant objection begin. I am not, let me stress not implying Third isn't a solid album of quality music, good news for a band that took such an extended hiatus. But on repeated listenings over time, I can't say the album stands out enough as a whole to make me want to listen to it over and over. Some tracks are absolutely stunning (We Carry On; Silence; Nylon Smile), while the others are solid but not worth the prostrating critics gave it. I coin this Radiohead syndrome.
Letdown of the Year: Acid Tongue by Jenny Lewis. When Rilo Kiley's Under The Blacklight came out, my personal theory for the album not being to par with their previous outings was that Jenny and Blake were both 'holding back' for their solo projects. Unfortunately, that may have not been the case with Jenny. It's not a bad album, per se; tracks like Jack Killed Mom and Pretty Bird resonate with me. It's just not memorable; each song blends into the next, lacking the wordplay jabs and sonic shifts throughout Rabbit Fur Coat.
Best Album That's Not Really An Album: No, Virginia by The Dresden Dolls. Consisting of outtakes and old live favourites finally recorded for official release, No,Virginia feels rather all over the place at times. But when viewed as a b-sides/rarities collection, this is acceptable, and the quality of the material is enough to enjoy it. Dear Jenny, Mouse and the Model, The Gardener, Lonesome Organist Rapes Page Turner... All the typical fun and punk cabaret you'd expect from the Dresden Dolls.
Best Return To & Reinvention of Roots: The Slip by Nine Inch Nails. Is Trent in angsty form? Oh yes. Do I detect a strong flavour of the 80's tinged Depeche Mode-ness of Pretty Hate Machine? Yes, yes I do. Does this album deliver both rocking and despairing tracks with a lyrical flavour that feel more self-aware and self-mocking than self-loathing? Damn right it does. I love this album rather passionately, and offer you 1,000,000, Discipline, Demon Seed and Letting You as the places to start your love affair.
Favourite Local Album: Meeting The Future At Full Speed by Karen Kosowski. I've already covered this album in extensive detail in this blog, but it deserves its mention here. Karen remains one of my favourites among the Toronto-area indie artists I've come to know and love, and this album only builds on her previous stellar album, Out Here At Sea. Earnest and hopeful, its electro-pop vibe will leave you humming your way through the day, even at its darkest.
And now, *drum roll* the big awards...
Best Album of the Year (live): Live At Massey Hall by Matthew Good. After such an extensive catalogue, it was long overdue that the raw emotional intensity of Matthew Good be captured for prosperity on CD, and this disc is special in that, other than edits to correct lost audio the night of, it is an uncorrected live album. Having been at the show it was recorded at, it takes me back to one of the best concerts I saw this year. The set strongly slants towards Hospital Music material, which to me is one of his very best albums. In light of the loss of my grandfather to cancer, 99% Of Us Is Failure hits particularly hard and is one of the highlights of the 2 disc set. Many songs are much richer live (She's In It For The Money is painful to listen to because of the raw pain in Matt's delivery; A Single Explosion closes on a haunting powerful note), which makes this album a must have for fans and a fantastic introduction to his genius.
Best Album Of The Year (studio): Who Killed Amanda Palmer by Amanda Palmer. I've been with Amanda since a friend encouraged me to download Girl Anachronism in 2002, and I am with her for the long haul. I dearly love her work within the dynamic of The Dresden Dolls, love the playful cabaret feel of the drums and piano coupled with incisive and something darkly amusing lyrics. This album bring those elements of lyrical finesse and dark humour, but it also brings a more personal, deeper look into the human condition with songs like Strength Through Music and Have To Drive. Coupled with Ben Folds' guiding advice (the usage of a very raw demo vocal for Leeds United was a brilliant move that only adds to the song) and the gorgeous strings created for the album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer is the album Amanda was born to write, and the one album that you must try, no matter what preconceptions you may have of The Dresden Dolls or Amanda herself. Get started with Astronaut, Leeds United, Guitar Hero, Another Year and Have To Drive.
And now, a few older discs worth mentioning...
Rediscovery of the Year: Act I: Goodbye Friends of the Heavenly Bodies by Neverending White Lights. An album from 2005, it's always been one I have endorsed to fellow music lovers. The ethereal moody feel of Daniel Victor's compositions, complimented by haunting and heartbreaking lyrics performed by a who's who of the Canadian alt rock scene, this album crept up on me and demanded centre stage in 2008. The lyrics weave a set of stories about loss and love that interconnect subtly, adding a delicious cohesion. Sample The Grace, I Hope Your Heart Runs Empty or From What I Once Was.
Better Late To The Party Than Never: Kala by M.I.A. I'm not generally a girl who goes for hip hop, rap or R&B; it's just not my scene. The odd song will catch my ear, but nothing that has me buying a CD, not since Salt N Pepa's Very Necessary. But with Kala, M.I.A. has created something so utterly fun and sassy, one can't help but be drawn in. Paper Planes caught me, hook, line and gunshot sample, and that has led to an affair with $20, Come Around and XR2. Where was I in '92? Wishing for music this ridiculously enjoyable!
Better Late To The Party Than Never, Part Two: The Awakening by Melissa Etheridge. Passed a copy of this by a friend prior to my live experience with Melissa, it's fast become an album dear to my heart and almost a metaphor for my entire year. While some may find the spiritual elements a little off-putting (there is some God mentions, but most of it is general spiritual belief), it's an incredible testament to the journey Melissa went through emotionally as she battled breast cancer. There are scathing political references as well, fitting in light of this election year, and songs of regret and heartbreak. But the end feeling is one of being able to rise above everything, if we believe that all can be possible, and that there is something larger than us. A solid, well-written album that doesn't have a single dud to it.
Last Saturday, a friend treated me to the Paramore show at Kool Haus (a venue that is anything but Kool as far as I'm concerned), along with the perk of attending a pre-show meet and greet with the band at the Hard Rock Cafe. With the exception of the venue security staff and their piss-poor attitude towards anyone who was not an underage skanky-dressed girl, the entire day was an incredible experience. It's been a long time since I've attended a show and enjoyed all of the openers and the band with enthusiasm and gusto. Thus, settle in for a bit of a long haul, as I espouse on the virtues of Paper Route, Phantom Planet, Jack's Mannequin and of course Paramore.
Let's kick things off with the meet and greet shindig: Paramore offers fan club members access to tickets that are not only cheaper than Ticketbastard, but also come with the perk of either entering early (and thus securing the best spot on the mosh pit rails) or a meeting with the band. Paramore actively follows along with their Livejournal community as well, which makes me happy, being as I'm a long-term LJ addict. Having selected the band meeting, Jared and I assemble just after 2pm and await being beckoned upstairs, where an enormous tray of food (including the ZOMGbest brownies ever made) and the band awaits.
Kudos to the young foursome of Paramore for being so gracious and humble with their fans. Autographs, photos and then a mingle session comprised our gathering, and at no time does one get the sense that the band feels 'better' than the fans. It feels like a big house party with a group of teens chowing down on munchies. Hayley Williams, the singer-songwriter driving the group, was only 16 when their debut disc All We Know Is Falling dropped, and none of that fame has gone to her head. She's the bouncy youth eagerly snatching a brownie from a plate and genuinely touched to hear one of her songs is beloved or comforting in sorrow. She has zero egomania, and neither do the boys who rock out at her side (Jeremy Davis, Josh Farro and Zac Farro). It's refreshing to see and fairly rare, to be honest. Photos and signatures collected, brownies devoured, we launched into the trek to the venue to secure spots in line and swelter in the heat until the doors opened.
The show featured a four-band line-up, with each opener delivering a half-hour set before Hayley et al. arrived to rock the place down. The calibre of openers was astonishingly good and well-suited to the bands style, unlike some openers I've seen (Deerhunter, Trent... WTF?). First up were Nashville's Paper Route, a band that blended ethereal electronic sounds in the vein of M83 with standard indie rock, dashed with a helping perhaps of Pulp (minus the super-cool stage persona of Jarvis Cocker; that was the singer of Phantom Planet's M.O., but I digress). From the first song, the audience devoured their offering eagerly. I was impressed enough that I made a mental note to grab their EP later from iTunes. In the first of several on-stage collaborations for the night, members of Phantom Planet and Paramore played back-up to the set-closing jam. The ethereal feel is best captured in this quote from Chad Howat about the band's beginnings: "There was just this lingering sense of exhaustion in the summer of 2004. I was tired of false starts. Tired of dreaming. Tired of being jaded. Tired of being tired. So it seems fitting that this story begins underneath my bed. You may picture me crawling below my mattress, but in reality my bed is about 6 feet above the ground-enough space for a small iBook and some cheap monitors. When I couldn't sleep, I'd descend my steps and make music all night. Some bands have LSD, others have cocaine, and our drug of choice seemed to be insomnia."
Second up to bat was Phantom Planet, a band based out of California. Musically, their moody alt-rock didn't stand out as much in terms of quality when placed alongside Paper Route, but frontman Alex Greenwald carries the show with marked charisma and showmanship, with a Brit-Rocker flavour a la Jarvis Cocker or Liam Gallagher. In any case, it made for an enjoyable set, particularly tracks from their disc Raise The Dead, which Greenwald describes as coming to him thus: "I studied a lot of the twentieth century cults and their music - from Charles Manson, David Koresh, and Jim Jones to Ti and Do of Heaven’s Gate, Shoko Asahara of Aum Shinrikyo, and Father Yod of Ya Ho Wa 13. What I realized was that if you listen to the songs apart from the circumstances that surrounded their eventually horrific outcomes, their music takes on a completely different, and actually hopeful, joyful meaning...In writing the lyrics for this album, I tried to force the listener to interpret them as saccharine on one listen and sinister the next."
Third up to bat was the delicious and energetic Jack's Mannequin, fronted by Something Corporate's Andrew McMahon, who near-skipped onto the stage in a frenentic burst and began rocking the hell out of his Baldwin piano, bringing the audience to a perfect fever pitch to greet Paramore. In fact, I know some of us would have been content to enjoy a headliner set from the group. I know I would have. Being a fan of Something Corporate, I had a feeling I would love Jack's Mannequin and I was most certainly right. I strongly urge you to check them out. The piano and moving lyrics take their work beyond the alt-rock standard to a much better place (see tracks like Dark Blue), and hey, any cancer survivor who whoops this much ass live deserves to be on my special pedestal next to Melissa Etheridge.
At last the main event slid onto the stage, youthful enthusiasm in full force as Paramore proceeded to rock the faces off a predominantly teenage crowd, making this reviewer feel rather old and out of place. However, that was soon forgotten as high-energy, rocking set descended upon the crowd, loaded with tracks from sophomore disc Riot and peppered with a few selections from the (in my opinion) slightly superior debut disc All We Know Is Falling. Hayley and company deliver a rousing set, with plenty of moshing and encouraged crowd sing-alongs, lapped up eagerly by fans young and old. If there is one complaint to be said about the set, it would be that the selections from their first album were, with one exception, lesser tracks not worthy of a select spotlight. Gems such as Brighter, Conspiracy, and All We Know were sat aside for Pressure and Here We Go Again. At least Emergency made the cut. I would also take Franklin over My Heart any day. Regardless, the entire set was a solid effort, with Hayley in good voice and the boys giving it their all, making for a fun night that ended with a high note. Yes, Hayley kinda sounds like Avril Lavigne. YES, their fanbase leans young due to the pop-tinged rock delivered. But Paramore is a thoroughly enjoyable act worth checking out.
Paper Route have an EP available for sale on iTunes. Check out their music on MySpace.
Phantom Planet have a couple of discs available; check out their official site.
Jack's Mannequin has their official site here; check it out!
Paramore's official home online awaits you here, complete with cute band bios.
SETLIST: PARAMORE @ KOOL HAUS, TORONTO 8/23/08
Born For This
That's What You Get
Here We Go Again
Fences
Crushcrushcrush (featured snippet of Low by Flo Rida)
Let The Flames Begin
When It Rains
My Heart
Decoy
Pressure
For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic
We Are Broken
Emergency
Hallelujah (With Leonard Cohen opening)
Misery Business
"I can paint my face, and stand very still
It's not very practical, but it still pays the bills..."
The Perfect Fit - The Dresden Dolls
I wasn't certain how last night's very intimate solo show with the singer/songwriting force behind The Dresden Dolls would go last night at the Rivoli. My one prior experience with Amanda solo was the event known as Fuck The Back Row, which was meant to be primarily a showcase of Amanda's favourite songs from films, and it featured Brian Viglione, her drumming partner-in-crime anyway. But Brian is off gallavanting and drumming his sweet heart out elsewhere, leaving Amanda entirely solo on the tiny stage, without a compatriot should the crowd prove unkind (an event that would hearken the End of Days, really, since Amanda's words and piano-smashing are what make most of the wannabe-goth-punk girls squeal with delight, anyway). I have not been reading setlists from previous dates on this mini-tour, nor have I been keeping up with Amanda's blogging. In the end, I came away pleasantly surprised, somewhat confused at setlist choices, but overall tremendously satisfied with Ms. Palmer's outing.
The first pleasant surprise of the night was the opening duo Vermillion Lies, two Toronto-area girls who made their way, as many do, to California to seek their fortunes. Billed as a cabaret duo, the best way I can describe their antics is to provide the following recipe:
1 Part Amanda Palmer wordplay
1 Part Quirky Canadian Humour a la Kids In The Hall
2 Parts Ditty Bops charm
Combine all ingredients in a blender, give 'em a whir, and pour out onto a stage before a group of audience members who eagerly embrace shrieking, "What's In the Box?" (alas, not Gwyneth Paltrow's head).
I am absolutely in love with these girls. Their songs ranged from humour-filled love songs to descriptions of Planet Porn, to a celebration of Global Warming ("It's hot!" or "It's not cool!", depending on where you stood in the venue). Their charm and wit make for excellent audience engagement, and their lyrics will elicit healthy laughter and joy. Add in their talent for percussion from the everyday object (BBQ grills, marionettes tapping their feet...) and you have yourself a versatile and fun night. You will also be invited to join the circus by becoming a zombie and anyone with zombie humour is full of win in my books.
The mood was light and festive when Amanda Palmer took the stage, approaching a standing mic and lip synching her way through Ben Folds' song Cologne, while holding up bristleboard messages, one word at a time that said hello, thanked us for coming, told us Ben was singing the song and that he'd helped on her solo disc Who Killed Amanda Palmer (reviewed previously here by myself) and also, in a candid admission that was very genuine given her body language and shy warming up for the beginning of the set, "It's hard being up here alone." I can imagine so, given the years spent touring with Brian as a unit. Dressed in a bra and a bee-adorned corset that made me wonder if her time recently with author Neil Gaiman had led to an inadvertent connection with Tori Amos (long-time friend of Neil), Amanda settled into the keyboard before her and launched into long-time solo track and now album cut Ampersand.
The entire night was an intimate sort of sharing, with banter between Amanda and the audience, an "Ask Amanda" portion of the show where questions were taken from the audience, and unfortunately, some people who felt the need to sing louder than Amanda to staples like Mrs. O and Half-Jack. I'm just grateful said Bright Eyes-obsessed girl did not know the words to the solo songs that comprised a bulk of the set. The questions ranged from the interesting ("Did you ever sell your Volvo?") to the dishy ("Did David Lee Roth ever see the Shores of California video?") to the silly ("Will you have my babies?", to which Amanda declared, "No! No babies for me right now. I'm too busy playing a piano!", and another boy asking, "Should I be a top or a bottom?", to which Amanda first said, "How the hell should I know?", then suggested an audience vote, then finally settled and said, "I'd have to say you're a switch. If you have to ask..."). Stories recounted included the tale behind haunting song Strength Through Music and how her friend Kate asked her to bring a gun from Chicago to NY via Toronto, to Neil Gaiman phoning Amanda during the day and asking her to say hi to his fans at the Toronto show and to tell them he loves them, "because he is that fucking awesome."
In terms of setlist choices, I have to say I was a bit puzzled. Fan favourite Astronaut from the solo album had to be begged for in the encore, Oasis was a lucky moment brought on by a "you pick something" whim borne of "cheating" by "playing so many covers", and rocking track Leeds United was nowhere to be found. Coin-Operated Boy fell flat solo, namely because anyone who's seen more than two shows is tired of the track live and its only saving grace is the interaction between Amanda and Brian on stage. The plethora of covers was confusing, and seemed to be a case of Amanda not knowing whether it was "right" to play Dolls' material solo (even though she wrote it!) and not wanting to just play the entire new solo disc live and call it a night. Don't get me wrong; the covers were all solid and throroughly enjoyable, but I come to see Amanda to see Amanda's lyrical magic at work. If I were to peg a few songs from The Dresden Dolls' catalogue as strong choices for solo play, I'd suggest The Perfect Fit, Slide, Truce, First Orgasm, Delilah, Me & The Minibar, Boston, Glass Slipper.... See Amanda? Plenty of better choices than that radio-loved song about that boy of plastic and elastic! For a cover, try Emilie Autumn's Gothic Lolita!
One of the things I appreciate about Amanda is her willingness to collaborate live with her openers, and the guest vocals with Vermillion Lies on encore Radiohead cover Creep (whilst standing in the audience) were wonderful. Amanda strumming that tiny Uke cracked me up. Another thing I have to express is that, this being my first time hearing Amanda perform after surgery to address her vocal cords, I was astonished at how clean and powerful her voice sounded. She almost sounded better than prior to the surgery. Kudos to her surgeon!
More information can be found about Amanda at her solo MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/whokilledamandapalmer
Vermillion Lies is also on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/vermillionlies
SETLIST: AMANDA PALMER @ THE RIVOLI, TORONTO 8/9/08
*Entrance - lip synching to Cologne by Ben Folds*
Ampersand
Icarus (Jason Webley cover)
Blake Says
Mrs. O
I Google You
Runs In the Family
Coin-Operated Boy
Strength Through Music
Guitar Hero
Look Mummy, No Hands (Dillie Keane cover)
Oasis
Apres Moi (Regina Spektor cover)
Half-Jack
Encore:
Creep (Radiohead cover with Amanda on Uke! Guest vox by Vermillion Lies as she walked through the crowd singing)
Astronaut
"I wake up
On the floor
Start it up again
Like it matters anymore
I don't know
If it does
Is this really all
That there ever was?
Put the gun
In my mouth
Close your eyes
Blow my fucking brains out
Pretty patterns
On the floor
That's enough for you
But i still need more..."
1,000,000 - Nine Inch Nails
Oh Trent. You and your angst are so pretty to so many. Your new album is a surprising throw-back to the days of Pretty Hate Machine and it pleases me with its strange danceability. And yet, something has gone wrong with our love affair, Trent. I walked away from your show Tuesday night feeling unsatisfied, like a lover brought nearly to climax after hours of foreplay, only for the man to shoot off, roll over and sleep, leaving me fumbling for a vibrator.
This isn't to say that Trent has lost his live touch in terms of performance; despite being under the weather, the man whispered, growled and screamed his way through a long set of songs with gusto, complete with an incredible visual display of lights and projected images true to the NIN tradition. What was lacking in this show was proper setlist placement, resulting in a show that packed on the ferocity towards the end of the main set, only to chill to near-lounge mellowness for the entire encore, including the audience-ruined classic Hurt (can you people NOT clap in rhythm, if you feel the need to clap? It's Hurt, not Heresy. Oi.). I've delayed this review for several days, mainly because I walked out with such a nasty taste in my mouth from the lacklustre finale that I began to wonder whether I was "getting over" Nine Inch Nails, music in general, or perhaps just suffering from a basic concept in Psychology known as the Recency Effect (i.e., we remember well what we heard/saw most recently). After several days (and an enthusiastic listening of Somewhat Damaged last night), I've concluded that the encore, being the last thing I heard, overshadowed the rest of the show, thus doing the precise opposite of what an encore is meant to do: send you onto the streets happy and wishing for more, full of energy (and usually the band's latest kicking single).
I have to say that opening band Deerhunter failed completely. Very few people in the pit were impressed, and that went double for the stands. I was completely unimpressed with their failure to effectively use multiple lead guitars, their contrived sound that felt like a bastard child of Nirvana on Ritalin... Ugh. No words. Completely cliched and awful. Did Trent pick them? How could he go from openers like A Perfect Circle and The Dresden Dolls to that? But enough of them; on to the main event...
I should have sense a strange disturbance in the force when Discipline, the lead single from Trent's latest offering The Slip emerged early in the set in a rapid-fire assault of tracks from that disc, including the delicious track 1,000,000 which feels in a way as a "fuck off" to fans wanting more 'emo' Trent since his addiction recovery ("That's enough for you..."). Trent and company rocked the show nicely at first, and then the pattern of the night became more apparent: he was going to conduct mini-concerts for each release lacking a proper tour thus far in Canada. An extended instrumental sequence featuring multiple tracks from Ghosts went on just a little too long, to the point where I nearly dozed off despite the beautiful staging and my general like of the double-disc set (perhaps it was second-hand pot from the people in front of me blazing up?).
Then began a primarily 'old' set of classics, heavily laden with material prior to The Fragile, which leads me to my next complaint, and one that holds from their last outings here for With Teeth: what the hell is up with the complete ignoring of The Fragile, which is one of my favourite NIN discs? Seriously, between two shows, I've heard three songs, one instrumental, and none of them major singles. Where are Starfuckers Inc, We're In This Together, The Fragile, The Day The World Went Away or Somewhat Damaged? Late in the set, while talking to the crowd, Trent noted this was the beginning of the tour and that the band had spent "four months locked ina dark room, trying to figure out what the fans wanted to hear". Appearently Trent couldn't seet the cardboard casing of The Fragile in his little mortuary of practice space. I know the album sold well; where are the tunes, goddamn it?
Sliding in towards and through the encore, we were primarily showered with tracks from Year Zero, which was not toured in Canada, and again felt like an overkill mini-set. What's worse, after Hurt, Trent went out on mellow track In This Twilight instead of something with oomph like Capital G or, hey, for a mellow-ish outro, how about the single My Violent Heart? Of four encore tracks, 3 were down notes. That's NOT how to wrap a show. If you swapped the last four tracks of the main set with the encore, I would have had a much more favourable impression of the show. I left half-asleep and annoyed instead of pumped and enthused.
Please don't get me wrong; I love mellow tracks as well. But you really need to keep a set mixed, and usually Trent is solid for it. The albums weren't mixed, the set went through distinct up and down periods, and it just felt disjointed in a very bad way. Perhaps with feeling ill, Trent kept the ending easy, avoiding vocal acrobatics? It's the only excuse I can think of. Then again, the main set closed HARD. And why were the albums not blended together? Why separate the albums in the set?
Overall, the show, especially the main set, was a solid outing. But having come from my last show, where I had no idea what track would be next, where the encore rocked, this paled dramatically in comparison. Amazing what setlist order can do... I've never experienced disliking a show almost strictly on set order before.
SETLIST: NINE INCH NAILS @ ACC, TORONTO 8/5/08
999,999
1,000,000
Letting You
Discipline
March of the Pigs
Head Down
The Frail
The Wretched
Closer
Gave Up
The Warning [play it]
Vessel
Ghosts 5
Ghosts 6
Ghosts 19
Ghosts Piggy
The Greater Good
Pinion
Wish
Terrible Lie
Survivalism
The Big Come Down
Ghosts 31
Only [play it]
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like A Hole
ENCORE:
Echoplex
God Given
The Good Soldier
Hurt
In This Twilight
“All is love
All is choice
Everyone and every voice
All of life that you see
All are possibilities
As above so below
To wed the sense into the soul
This is truth I believe
I believe I believe
Truth is of the people, by the people, for the people..."
What Happens Tomorrow - Melissa Etheridge
Several months ago, a friend announced that he was treating me to a Melissa Etheridge show, insisting I had to see her perform live. I accepted out of nostalgia, mainly; growing up, I can recall days of driving around in my father's truck with him blaring Melissa's first two albums at high volume, espousing her talents. I was in agreeance with him, but somehow never really bothered to buy any of her future albums, nor did I keep track of her beyond the radio singles (all of which I enjoyed) and the story of her battle with cancer. Her vocal talents conjure up the bluesy rock of Springsteen and the soul of Janis Joplin, two artists that were part of the broad musical background of my youth.
In recent weeks, cancer has crept into my life undesired, laying seige to a dear family member, and under the dark clouds of that knowledge, listening to a sampling of Melissa's music, namely her 2007 album The Awakening, has been a tremendous comfort that resonates to the core. By the time the day of the show actually arrived, I would say I almost needed to attend.
I was greeted with a pleasant surprise at the pre-show dinner my friend had arranged: an autographed ticket, courtesy of a fluke signing in the afternoon at the venue. A very nice souvenir of what became one of the most awe-inspiring nights of music I've witnessed. The women I spoke with prior to start time who, upon hearing I was a "Melissa virgin", insisted I would be blown away to the point that I would be "lucky to make it out alive", weren't lying.
As the lights dimmed and the band began filling the stage, Melissa's guitarist Phillip rocked the place he grew up with O Canada on electric guitar, which brought the crowd to an even louder roar. Melissa rushed on stage as he wrapped up, playfully kicked him in the ass, and launched into her song All-American Girl with gusto.
Two things are striking and key about Melissa's live performance: her incredible stage presence and warmth, and her endurance in the performance department. Clocking her set in at 2 hours and 55 minutes (minus encore applause break) and her voice holding strong until the bitter end, Melissa Etheridge is the Energizer Bunny of live performances, outdoing even Tori Amos (an artist whose fans can vouch for her staying power live). She smiles, laughs, runs around stage and belts out powerful notes, revelling in the enthusiasm of her enraptured audience. My voice was hoarse from hooting and hollering in appreciation; how she was able to wail away during the choruses of show closer Like The Way I Do, I do not know.
The tour's set presentation is structured around a biographical theme, with Melissa recalling the story of her childhood, her pursuit of her music dreams, her loves lost and won and her battle with cancer using songs both past and present to expand upon and conjure images of her points. The stage chatter made me nostalgic for early days of Tori Amos' live shows, where she'd tell several stories a night, as if chatting with old friends. Melissa laid herself bare, self-deprecating healthily with humour at her bad choices and even recalling her cancer diagnosis with a light touch that spoke of an acceptance of life and the bad it may dish out and the good to be taken from it. Before launching into her track I Run For Life, Melissa spoke of her cancer and her feeling that it was a blessing in a sense, because it forced her to slow down and think about her life, its direction, and what meant the most to her. She encouraged the audience to slow down, to take time, to find what makes them happy and go do it, instead of waiting for stress and the ways we harm ourselves to force us to slow down and think of what we truly wanted. It was incredibly heartening, and at that moment in the show, I decided that I would try, in spite of my current worry and pain, to find joy in life in honour of the family that will soon depart.
Regrets? A few songs I would have liked to hear weren't played, but I did get my request (Similar Features) and An Unexpected Rain, my favourites off The Awakening, so I cannot complain much. It would have been nice to hear Breathe, Piece of My Heart, Map of the Stars as well, but the show was a fantastic set for a virgin whose knowledge slanted towards the very old and the very new. All in all, an incredible night, and easily in the top twenty live shows I've seen.
A few specific highlights:
Don't You Need/Similar Features/Don't You Need: A clever blending of two songs, and not the only combination of the night, and Melissa effectively booted the 80's out of Similar Features and gave it a 90's rock feel instead. Absolutely lovely.
An Unexpected Rain: Brought tears to my eyes near the end, especially when Melissa's face looked so incredibly pained to sing the final verse. Phillip is a fantastic guitarist as well, and he punctuates this song with aching chords.
I Run For Life: One of the loudest moments of the concert, it felt like an enormous outpouring of love for all cancer survivors and those who've lost someone, Melissa included. The applause was incredible at the end.
Bring Me Some Water: Incredibly powerful and rocking live! Wow! I've always loved this song but hot damn!
Kingdom of Heaven: Tears to the eyes again... Such an incredibly moving and truth-filled song, it makes you wonder how long it will take for some people to wake up to the reality of how religion is twisted to suit political agendas.
What Happens Tomorrow: Melissa altered the lyrics about a woman becoming President to a verse about 'a black man' instead. Go Obama! But beyond that, it's a wonderful song and a fitting closer for the main set.
Like The Way I Do: The intense vocals and jamming on this one, the final song of the night, were made all the more impressive by the context of it being on the tail end of a very long set. A kick-ass way to leave the venue bopping out the door.
SETLIST: MELISSA ETHERIDGE @ MASSEY HALL, TORONTO, 7/28/08
O Canada
All American Girl
Into the Dark
California
Don't You Need/Similar Features/Don't You Need
Unexpected Rain
Bring Me Some Water
I Want To Come Over
My Lover (spotlight by Melissa on Philip!!)
Let Me Go
Please Baby Please/I'm The Only One
If I Wanted To
Down to One (band eventually leaves the stage until Melissa alone at end of song)
I Want To Be in Love (Melissa starts solo and finishes with the band)
Mercy
I Run for Life
2001/I Need to Wake Up
Message to Myself/Come to My Window
All We Can Really Do
Kingdom of Heaven
Open Your Mind
The Universe Listened/Imagine That/What Happens tomorrow?
Encore
Like The Way I Do
"Your look was so haunting, an unexpected pain
I am so sorry for the unexpected rain
The sadness that you kissed
The fresh scars on your wrist
I can't make it go away...
Goodnight ladies, goodnight; I'm going to leave you now..."
An Unexpected Rain - Melissa Etheridge
When I was little, around 9 or so, I used to drive around with my dad in his tow truck, listening to music and killing time between calls on the radio. We'd buy scratch and win lottery tickets and listen to music loudly.
I was blessed to grow up in a household where music was omnipresent. There was no silence. My parents combined listened to so many different genres of music that I grew up liking almost everything. But despite that variety in the home in which I grew to be a music addict, there were two moments in my life that surprised even me:
1) When I realized that the 'silly song' my parents used to sing to me like a nursery rhyme as a child was the chorus of Babooshka by Kate Bush. My dad told me to shut up when I called him on being a fan.
2) Thinking back on how my dad could switch from listening to Black Sabbath to Melissa Etheridge in the same day and then espouse her talents in long speeches.
One of his favourite songs was Similar Features. It's one of mine as well. Funnily, despite this upbringing of mine, I only began listening to Kate Bush in 2005 and only just now have bothered to explore Melissa's music. I have been missing out. In a moment where life has me reflecting on my path and my choices, on life and death, I've stumbled into Melissa's realm on the heels of the release of her 2007 album The Awakening, an album I am going to recommend without hesitation and with urgency.
The album's concept is a journey across Melissa's life as she struggled with cancer, a sort of reflection and a spiritual awakening that came with that reflection in the face of possible death. There are several songs about religion and love, as well as a general spiritual understanding of ourselves as beings. If that sounds campy, it doesn't come off that way in the context of the album and its lyrics. It's a very cohesive album, one that flows and feels best digested as a whole.
Two of the songs struck me from moment one: Kingdom of Heaven and An Unexpected Rain. The latter is resonating in ways that stretch beyond the actual story of the song for me, striking me in this reminder of how my grandfather, faced with terminal cancer, is at peace with that but struggling with being the harbinger of bad news, the cause of sorrow and tears. His pain lies not in the imminent end of his life, but in the pained faces of those who love him, and his worry for how they will cope. Hence the lyrics above, quoted; they capture that terrible feeling of guilt for being the reason for someone's anguish.
Sample away: An Unexpected Rain - Melissa Etheridge
http://www.last.fm/music/Melissa+Etheridge/+videos/+1-xck4kPR84rM
Quick setlist post... A more detailed post and musings on the music industry to follow soon...
Setlist: Karen Kosowski @ The Central 6/28/08
Tragic *piano arrangement*
Meeting The Future At Full Speed
*untitled new song - 'sunny day'*
Life Is Short Enough
Important
Land On Your Feet
Can't Fail Anymore
Crazy Little Game *piano arrangement*
New York Minute (Don Henley cover)
More Than A Sign
Stars In Our Eyes
Highlights of this, a solo show (which I haven't seen in some time), included:
Important - This one always hits rather close to home, being a child of a broken home, but for personal reasons and the fact that solo versions have always cut closer to the bone for me, it was a weepy moment.
Crazy Little Game: Taken from the standard acoustic guitar arrangement to piano, this one took on a jazzy, sultry feel. While the original is strong and dear to most of us fans, I am really loving this fresh take, similar to my adoration of the move of Tragic from guitar to piano.
New York Minute: I had some rather horrible news come down the family wire the night before this show and asked if Karen would be able to throw this into the set. The original is dear to me and Karen knocks it out of the park each time. Karen, being amazing, obliged. Cue more tears.
More Than A Sign: I've missed this one solo. I really have. As much as the band and strings combo of the album cut have grown on me, this is the way I first heard this song, and it's still my preferred way.
The last show for a good while... I support the hiatus, understand it, but will definitely miss this woman live.
"When we were young and hit like hammers
I'd write the nails in our hands
But when 99% of us is failure, there's no going back...
Walk outside, get in the car
Stare at the wheel and then fall apart..."
99% Of Us Is Failure - Matthew Good
I could watch Matthew Good perform on a nightly basis, and never tire of the experience. Band, no band, long set, short set... Hell, I'd be quite fine listening to the man speak for an hour on politics and life. There are few artists with whose work I connect as strong as I do with Matt's words and, as with those other artists, it comes down to the entire package of art+lyrical genius+haunting melodies+intelligence+genuine interaction with fans.
My first taste of Matthew Good's work came with the album Underdogs playing in the background of a tutoring session I was conducting with an 8th grade student named Lianne, whose musical tastes were solid and led to a bonding beyond tutor and pupil. I sort of adopted her for a while as a kid sister, taking her to concerts, including a festival called Edgefest in 1999. While there primarily to see Finger Eleven and Moist, we did take in part of Matthew Good band's set. I wasn't paying much attention, but I nodded along and thought them decent.
Fast forward to 2000, when my father (whose musical tastes range from the blues of Buddy Guy and Taj Mahal to Pink Floyd and Nirvana) forced a copy of Matthew Good Band's Beautiful Midnight into my hands and demanded I take a listen to it. My dad's taste in music is solid enough that we like much of the same stuff; hell, we have the same favourite Pink Floyd song (Comfortably Numb). I take said CD home and spin it.
I don't stop spinning it for a week.
While I'd always loved the song Apparitions (a huge single for the band), Beautiful Midnight is what sold me on Matthew Good's talents and sent me digging through the back catalogues, feasting upon clever metaphors and lyrics that spoke to the darker corners of my mind. Unknown to me at the time, Matthew Good and I share the same mood disorder (Bipolar Disorder), and perhaps that is why in my darkest hours certain songs have hit so incredibly close to home, it feels as if someone had stolen my diary and internal monologues and sold them to the man. When Matthew went solo with the album Avalanche, it felt to me as if he'd hit a comfort zone and stride, and I eagerly followed along for the ride. Due to various life woes getting in the way, it took until 2004 for me to finally see the man live, at which point I quickly realized that I not only enjoyed and cherished the man's music, but I also respected him as a human being. I took to following his online blog, which spans the political and the personal in a way that few artists do in public spaces. Lately, I've begun posting comments as well, interacting with someone whose honesty gives me hope and whose insights into our current world and political state keep my eyes open and my mind informed and critically thinking.
I looked forward to this, my third show, with great enthusiasm; I'd missed the solo acoustic tour in 2007 due to being in Detroit seeing the female complement to Matthew , Tori Amos (another artist whose intellect and opinions are as important to me as the music; another artist whose honesty about her personal life inspires and awes me), and Hospital Music, Matthew's latest release, was my favourite new album of 2007, hands down. 99% Of Us Is Failure has managed to overtake songs of his I've been spinning for years to become the most played Matthew Good track in iTunes by a large margin. And at this show, nestled on the balcony of Massey Hall, Matthew Good did not fail to deliver a strong set with witty banter in healthy doses.
Some of the highlights:
Champions Of Nothing: The set opener, and one of many songs that resonate strongly with me, it left me in tears. There's such a poignancy to the lyrics ("the globe, it starts shaking/was it me not worth knowing?") that always strikes me at my core.
A Single Explosion: This song is short but powerful, and live, Matthew, for lack of a more eloquent phrase, 'went for it' at the end, belting out the final lines and just ripping my heart out.
Hello Time Bomb: This one was a treat if only for Matthew's pre-song banter, commenting on how being a musician means that your mistakes are captured for prosperity on thousands of copies, such as the line, "My devil's on sugar smacks/Down at the Radio Shack" (which I happen to think is one of the more fun lines, especially considering that Radio Shack was bought out and no longer exists).
I'm A Window: Strong vocal delivery coupled with strong band backing makes for a rocking good time.
99% Of Us Is Failure: Everything I could have hoped for and then some. Not every artist has the distinction of being better in a live format, but Matthew is certainly one. I truly hope for a live album soon from the man. I digress. This song plays out even more melancholy live, and reignited the tears from Champions of Nothing. Highly cathartic and therapeutic to listen to live.
Apparitions: I'd never heard this one with a band backing, so it was a treat to finally hear it 'rocked out'.
Giant: One of my favourites from Beautiful Midnight, this was a stellar, strong performance that makes the album cut seem tame or on valium.
Strange Days: Done on acoustic guitar, this is another favourite of mine and one I'd yet to hear live, so I was very glad I helped scream like a madwoman to encourage a second encore.
Matthew Good's one artist I simply cannot encourage enough people to check out; for starters, I'd suggest Hospital Music, Avalanche and In A Coma (greatest hits compilation). Check out his official site including blog below.
SETLIST - Matthew Good @ Massey Hall, Toronto 5/29/08
Champions of Nothing
A Single Explosion
Odette
Weapon
The Devil's In Your Details
Hello Time Bomb
Born Losers
Load Me Up
Put Out Your Lights
Blue Skies Over Bad Lands
Black Helicopter
I'm A Window
99% Of Us Is Failure
Apparitions
Encore 1:
Giant
Avalanche
She's In It For The Money
Everything Is Automatic
Encore 2:
Strange Days (solo acoustic)
True Love Will Find You In The End (solo acoustic)
"
But it's a sin when success complains,
and your writers block-it don't mean shit.
Just throw it against the wall and see what sticks.
Gotta write a hit
I think this is it.
It's a hit..."
It's A Hit - Rilo Kiley
Deja vu: same venue, same band, same tour, and even the exact same vantage point (directly in front of the keyboards upon which Jenny Lewis was destined to play)... Such was my second Rilo Kiley experience. The crowd brought the same mix of hipster-chic college girls who were too busy dancing drunkenly to notice their faux intellectualism was fooling no one, genuine indie-loving intellectual artsy types, high school girly-girls dreaming of being as cool as Ms. Jenny Lewis, and the quietly fangirling folk (present!).
It also brought with it a new player: the 'assholes because we believe we're anonymous and can get away with it' guys, who broke the feel-good vibe of the show a few songs into the set by shouting out, "What do you do when your new album sucks?" Oi. Any Toronto local will tell you that out and out rude concert behaviour is less common here than in other places; hell, many artists will tell you Toronto is one of their favourite places to play for reasons of decent audience. While Jenny's jaw dropped in shock, Blake's quiet seething gave way to responding, "At least we have an album!" Jenny piped up, adding, "Let's hear your album!", to which there was much applause.
Alas, the bastards had half a point: their latest endeavour Under The Blacklight does fall flat when placed alongside The Execution of All Things or More Adventurous, but it certainly doesn't out and out suck. However, the slant of the setlist towards the new material is my one complaint for the show, although the set was more varied this time around as compared to leg one of the UTB touring. That said, the new material plays better live than the album versions, if only for the charisma and stage presence of the band.
But before reviewing the show, a few words about opener Thao Nguyen are necessary. My first encounter with Thao's music was the song Tallymarks, part of a mix I downloaded to accompany, of all things, a piece of fanfiction (the best fanfic out there, IMHO - if you're remotely interested in Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes or massive mocking of Tom Cruise and Scientology, help yourself to The Liberation of Katie Holmes HERE) as its soundtrack. The song's haunting quiet melody and Thao's rich voice, coupled with her simple but poignant lyrical imagery ("Love is not why we leave/It is real live dreams and make believe people/You can't build cathedrals out of finger steeples/And we drop drop tears like tallymarks/And it builds like snow, 'til it keeps us apart...") have made it a desert island track. Needless to say, part of the selling point of seeing this tour despite the similar set was Thao. Thao, accompanied by her band The Get Down Stay Down did a fantastic job opening up the show, with a bluesy-rock set that conjured shades of Janis Joplin at points, much to my delight. Not being as familiar with her work, I cannot recite the entire setlist, but two of the songs played that night (Beat (Health Life and Fire); Geography) can be streamed on Thao's profile page on my new hangout, TheSixtyOne.com.
And now, Rilo Kiley... What can I say that I didn't rave about in my previous review? Their live show is tight, and Jenny Lewis runs the show, which makes me feel a little sad for Blake Sennett, who is truly overshadowed despite his own talents by the JennyLust of the fans. I actually enjoyed the previous leg's inclusion of solo songs by each of the founders, if only because it gave Blake reason and chance to step to centre stage and shine. This tour, Blake has Dreamworld and Ripchord, which becomes strangely ironic as he quietly sings, "Nobody loves you". The show had an incredibly strange feel to it, almost as if it were a goodbye, which I have to admit I could see as feasible. My one major theory concerning UTB's failure to live up to Rilo Kiley standards is that it truly feels as if Blake and Jenny were holding their best material back for their respective solo projects. I'd like to pretend the sun isn't setting on Rilo Kiley's time, but it may at least be that the band is destined to be placed in hibernation for a prolonged period. In that light, I'm grateful I managed to catch this performance.
A few highlights:
Capturing Moods: Kicking it old school! It was nice to see the band reach far back into the archives and deliver a song that isn't hyped to death from their older works.
Does He Love You?: Strong on the last Toronto outing, and strong this night as well. Jenny's voice is so heartbreaking on this song, you want to reach to the speaker upon which she'd perched to sing and give her a big hug and a tissue.
A Better Son-Daughter: This is my favourite RK song, without question, and was one of the few songs I was disappointed not to hear on the last leg. It alone was worth the price of admission, and delivered with enthusiasm and gusto.
Picture of Success: Another beloved favourite that didn't make the set last time around, this song became near anthem in its meaning last winter as I plotted to find a way (and eventually made it) to California for my birthday, for reasons of personal soul-searching and adventure. Listening to the song unfold on stage, Jenny's melancholy voice enveloping the room, I again had my best shoes on and I was quite ready to go.
SETLIST: Rilo Kiley @ The Phoenix, Toronto 5/28/08
Close Call
The Moneymaker
Dreamworld
Capturing Moods
Breakin' Up
Does He Love You?
Ripchord
The Absence of God
With Arms Outstretched
Hail To Whatever You Found In The Sunlight That Surrounds You
It's A Hit
A Better Son-Daughter
Silver Lining
I Never
Encore:
Picture of Success
Portions For Foxes > Spectacular Views
