Concerts

Concert Review: The Gaslight Anthem, September 10, 9:30 Club

Posted on September 11, 2014 by halley in Concerts | Leave a comment

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There are many things I love in life, all of which are exponentially better when combined in any way. Last night, three of those things came together: polished acts, great venues, and punctuality.

What happened last night? The Gaslight Anthem played at the 9:30 Club at 9:30. While I think a lot of us have a special place in our hearts for the small, ‘niche’ indie pop bands that float around the major US cities playing gigs to devoted, but small crowds, there is something to be said for the bands that have hit the sweet spot: years of practice, a significant following, and a stage presence perfected by experience. Still small enough to play in great venues like the 9:30 Club instead of impersonal stadiums, but big enough to sell the heck out of them.

The band’s charisma was apparent in the 9:30 Club long before they took the stage. The older, diverse crowd was obviously pumped and super friendly, many sporting Gaslight Anthem tees, many already practicing the lyrics to their favorite tunes. (Side note: kudos to the 9:30 Club which never fails to impress with their friendly staff and great technical expertise. Special shout-out to the 7-foot-plus bouncer wearing a T-shirt that read “Big Meanie” on it. Appropriate attire for the win.)

As 9:30 drew near, the venue filled with anticipatory applause that amounted to more clapping than some bands ever receive over the course of a show. As the group members took the stage, the Club exploded with excitement, and the band seamlessly launched into their first track with eye-dazzling light arrangements to accompany and enhance their music. The group launched into a variety of old and new songs, endearing themselves even more to the crowd with their unabashed confession that playing new material makes them nervous.

“What if you don’t like it?” they asked (in a paraphrased way). “It’s like that dream where you show up to school on the first day without pants, but instead, you’re playing a song no one likes. It’s the worst.” Obviously they blew it out of the water, playing hits that ranged from their new single, “Stay Vicious,” to their 2012 hit “45” to their 2008 track “Queen of Lower Chelsea.”

Another note, which I think again speaks to the band’s polish, is the strength of lead singer Brian Fallon’s voice. While some bands are noteworthy for the consistency of their vocals (think Foster the People with that same, high-nasaly sound or fun. with their assertive-statement-singing), Fallon really blows crowds away with the depth, variety, and force of his voice. The man swings from heart-breaking crooning to angst-ridden yelling without missing a beat, and his voice always stays in a range that is pleasant to hear. It’s super impressive in the band’s recordings, but even more so live. As my concert companion so aptly put it: he’s a bit like today’s version of Rod Stewart of the 1980s.

All in all, such a great show. Definitely talent worth seeing live.

Concert Review: Sonny and the Sunsets – September 6, DC9

Posted on September 11, 2014 by halley in Concerts | Leave a comment

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Sonny and the Sunsets are lovable in spite of themselves. Let me explain.

The group took the stage at DC9 on Saturday right at 11 (points for punctuality!) to a small but respectable crowd who was obviously well-versed in the band’s repertoire. The band began playing with little to-do, limited their banter, and played a respectable 45 minutes of hits that included some of the more popular tracks such as “Too Young.” After 45 minutes of solid music and a bit of wit, the group called it a night. They were done. It was 11:45, time for a late dinner, a kiss good night to the drowsy family, and a solid 8 hours of sleep before the duties of Sunday morning (grocery shopping, Sunday School, etc) called.

But the crowd, well, they wanted a little more. “Planet of Women!” they called. “She Plays Yo Yo With My Mind” others pleaded. Almost begrudgingly, the group retook the stage and proceeded to play… nothing anyone requested. A pleasant encore to be sure, and everyone left smiling and happy, but a head-shaker nonetheless.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend seeing this band. The audience they draw is extremely good-natured, their sound is soothing, and their attitude is, well, reasonable. It’s a band that achieves its superlative in anchoring itself in moderation and compromise. Who doesn’t need more of that?

Concert Review: Bishop Allen, September 4, Schubas

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Celeste in Concerts | Leave a comment

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Here are some fun facts about Bishop Allen I learned throughout the night at their Schubas show on Thursday (turns out everyone at the show was a Bishop Allen SME and full of trivia):

1) The group is composed of Harvard Graduates

2) Their guitarist/ukulele player founded OkCupid

3) Joe Swanburg (director of Drinking Buddies) is a fan

I was sure fact 2 was made up but it checked out, and fact 3 was evident because he was at the show.

I had no idea what to expect from the band. After their five year hiatus I felt like they’d developed a sort of mystical aura around themselves – their scarcity had made them precious – it was like they were emerging from the Disney Vault. There are two bands I’d chop off a limb (to take a page out of the Wombats’ playbook) to see, but was sure would never tour again, and Bishop Allen was one of them.

A shamefully small crowd came out Thursday to appreciate this group of musical smarties, but you could tell they felt the same way – and what they lacked for in numbers they made up for in enthusiasm. Pulling heavily from the new album, the band went through “Good Talk,” “Bread Crumbs,” “No Show,” and “Crows” as well as oldies but goodies “Middle Management,” “Butterfly Nets,” and “Click, Click, Click, Click.” The start of each song was met with appreciative whoops from the crowd – every single song was somebody’s favorite. Along with a fantastic set list, the band also had some good stage banter going on. At one point lead singer Justin Rice told the crowd:

“Whenever I’m in a city like Chicago I want to be like “This song is about Chicago!” but that’s not true. This song is about Oklahoma.”

But my personal favorite was an impromptu joke from the guitarist:

“What do you call a Frenchman in sandals?

Philippe Flop.”

After five years of building expectations, Bishop Allen met every single one with their low key charm and obvious pleasure to be exactly where they were, doing exactly what they were doing. Well worth the wait.

Concert Review: April Wine, August 27, CNE Bandshell

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Paul in Concerts | 1 Comment

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A few songs in to April Wine’s set, some dude in the crowd flipped out and tried to get into a fight with someone else. He returned a bit later before being subdued by some audience members and then swarmed by security, who likely escorted him out of the show. I’m not really sure what set him off, but it seemed to come from out of nowhere and wasn’t really what I was expecting at a show by some Canrock senior citizens, er, elder statesmen. It seemed almost more like something you’d see in the pit at a Cro-Mags show, but whatever. Interestingly, this all happened while the band played “Rock and Roll is a Vicious Game.” From the looks of that little incident, it certainly can be a vicious game. However, April Wine are all about the good times and the band, most likely unaware of any of this, followed that tune up with “Say Hello,” thus restoring the balance of good times.

April Wine have had a lot of hits over the years and they played all of the hits, but for me, the highlight of their set would have to be their cover of King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man,” which the band recorded on 1979’s Harder … Faster.  It was a highlight not just because it’s a great song but because it worked as a showcase for the band to show off their musical talents a bit. They jammed out on some solos that took the song into a direction more bluesy than proggy at times, though it still got a bit proggy.  After all, it’s a King Crimson song and April Wine’s current bassist Richard Lanthier did once play in a Yes tribute band so there’s bound to be a bit of prog.  Prog rock (or at least proto-prog) also made it’s influence known during “I Like To Rock” when the rest of the band left the stage and left drummer Roy “Nip” Nichol to his own devices for an Iron Butterfly-esque drum solo that saw him at one point abandon his sticks and begin playing his entire kit with his hands.  Impressive stuff.  They closed things off with “Roller” before returning to the stage to squeeze in a quick encore with “Oowatanite.”

Opening up the show were Orillia hard rockers Bleeker Ridge who reminded me of all those early 90s hard rock bands that grunge was supposed to have killed but who thrived regardless. Shades of Candlebox and Ugly Kid Joe. While not exactly my cup of tea, I will admit that they put on an energetic show.  Also, props to the guitarist for having “Fuck Marineland” scrawled onto the back of his shirt in big block letters.  Like rock and roll, Marineland is also a vicious game.

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