I have it too good. Most of the bands I want to see live play small venues and allow me to get up close to the stage. When I go to shows at places like The Fillmore or the Greek, its a struggle to even get within 50 feet. Luckily I've already had my U2 concert experience and don't need to worry about which section of the stadium my seats are in until Ted Leo starts playing MSG.
Despite the distance, the Wolf Parade / Frog Eyes show was rather good. It's a natural pairing with keyboardist Spencer Krug in both bands. In case you haven't heard Frog Eyes before, you need to know that the music is weird. It's not experimental, but they ride the razor's edge between experimental and pop music. There isn't much variety between songs, so if you like one, you'll probably like them all, and likewise, if you hate one, you'll hate them all. Sort of like Julia Roberts movies. I like Frog Eyes (and the Destroyer / Frog Eyes collaboration that produced Notorious Lightning and Other Works is truly amazing), so I had a good time watching their enthusiasm spill out onto guitar strings and piano keys.
Another issue with bigger places is that when you're in a large group and people leave your hard-earned spot in the crowd for a drink or smoke, it's nearly impossible for them to get back. So despite being at the show with Ben, Enrico, Jeni, Andrea, Sam, Bethany, and Kristen, and watching Frog Eyes with Julia and Mike, I ended up watching Wolf Parade surrounded only by the coke fiend girls on my right, the bushy-haired tall duo directly in front of me, and the girls who mistook Frog Eyes for Wolf Parade on my left.
Wolf Parade played some new stuff during the set, and it sounded fine, but nothing sounded as good as their older material. I'm confident they'll be putting out great music for a while since they're all amazing musicians and Krug has proven himself with both Frog Eyes and Sunset Rubdown. The interesting thing about the show was that these guys played almost too well. The You Are A Runner / Fancy Claps sequence in the middle of the set was so good and polished, it was almost U2-esque. Coming full circle, I believe if I would have been assigned to row 54 in section KK, I still would have been rocked. I doubt Wolf Parade will ever have that sort of following, but if they do get to Radiohead status, don't fret about the live show.
Frog Eyes - The Oscillator's Hum
Wolf Parade - You Are A Runner
Wolf Parade - Shine A Light
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment