If you read Halley’s and my post “top ten lyrics that make a hipster’s heart flutter” then you know that I’m a big Brendan Benson fan. Man’s a lyrical genius. His show Thursday evening at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall didn’t lack for lyrical gems, from him or from his opening act, Young Hines, a hometown sweetheart who was lured away to Tennessee by Benson. Some of the highlights were:
“Some folks are up the creek without a paddle/you’re up the creek without a boat” (Hines)
“What self-respecting woman would have me and not stab me?” (Benson)
“Enough about you/let’s talk about stamps.” (Stage Crew’s shirt)
The first opening act, Howling Brothers, a bluegrass trio consisting of an upright bass, a fiddle and a guitar, might not have had the lyrical gems apparent in Hines’ and Benson’s songs, but they excelled in other ways, putting on the most delightful hoedown complete with a semi-mountain dance on a sound system I’d ever seen.
Young Hines’ set didn’t disappoint either, and dipped in and out of different genres nicely, starting out slow and sweet with Rainy Day, and ending on a more rock n’ roll note with Can’t Explode. Hines’ signature instrument was a megaphone taped to a tripod. I have to admit I was a little nervous when he busted that thing out, but it’s a testament to his talent that I was sorry when, at the end, it was tucked away at the back of the stage.
And Brendan Benson was just straight up great – I never doubted he would be. He’s an artist with such solid starting material in his lyrics and his sound that it would take some pretty major sabotage to make his show anything less than worth going to see. I haven’t kept up on his newer material, so I was pleased that he played mostly from Lapalco and Alternative to Love. What I love most about Benson’s lyrics is not only that they often make me laugh out loud, but that
they are so often universal. Listen to the lyrics for “What I’m looking for” and tell me there aren’t at least three sentences that you could’ve written about your own life.
For our readers outside the DC area: the U.S. capitol was hit by an extremely hard and unexpected storm on June 29th. Trees were uprooted, power lines were downed, and serious flooding occurred. Even on the following Monday, many were living without power and government employees were given the option to work remotely due to federal buildings being without electricity. This may sound unfeeling, but I will go ahead and admit: Friday, June 29th was one of the best in recent music-memory for me. Jukebox the Ghost was playing the 9:30 Club. I was safe, dry, rocking out, and singing along. Just happy to be there.
The DC-born band was back for its second time headlining at the 9:30 Club – and it was the biggest headliner show the group has played yet. The trio is obviously a home-town favorite, and the energy in the Club was astounding. People dancing, singing, fist-pumping, and even crying at points (OK, so real talk real time: I was crying. I LOVE this band).
Jukebox got on a half hour before its scheduled set-time and played almost a two-hour set. They covered their old favorites (Empire, Hold it In, etc) newer songs (Say When) and the newest off their forthcoming album (my favorites were Don’t Let me Fall Behind and Adulthood off the new album Safe Travels). They also regaled the crowd with their trademark cover: Whitney’s I Want to Dance with Somebody.
The show was a typical Jukebox extravaganza: full of good energy, pleasant chatter from front men Ben Thornewill and Tommy Siegel, and top quality drumming from Jesse Kristin. Every time I see them, I am re-affirmed in my belief that they are THE hardest working hipsters out there (they even joked, at the end of their two-hour performance, that they had just hit intermission and everyone should plan on taking the morning Metro home). I wouldn’t have been that surprised if they’d made good on their promise – and I know I’ll be in the crowd for the next marathon jam-session they put on when they return to their adoring hometown.
Swedish band The Royal Concept have been doing their homework. Their recently released EP The Royal Concept EP is a hodgepodge of influence from bands that have been popular in the past decade. Spread out over five tracks, there are elements of acts such as The Strokes, Foals and Phoenix among others. The lead single, “Gimme Twice,” is particularly guilty of sounding Phoenix-esque, so much so that my friends asked me if this was the new Phoenix record when I played them the album. Is that bad? I don’t know.
All I know is that the Royal Concept have created a fun, catchy track that given the right traction, will be featured on the dance floor at an indie hipster party near you sometime this summer.
Warning: this review may have been tainted by the neanderthal concert goers. I have never ever, encountered such a moronic, boozy and aggressive crowd; not even at the most metal of metal shows back in my dark high-school days. People were still courteous, helped each other out of pits, etc. This was a different kind of terrible. The day began by driving my grandmother’s pimp mobile, with the license plate “GR8GRMA” loud and proud, to the parking lot where we caught the “shuttle bus” , air quotes. Shuttle bus equated to yellow school bus of annoyance. Full of loud boisterous men that had been drinking since at least 9am, I quietly made a Billy Madison joke, and soon enough my prediction came true, as they all proceeded to yell “O’Doyle rules!” “Piss your pants!” for the majority of the ride. Show experiences, in my opinion, are 70% band, 30% crowd atmosphere. I find if a band is mediocre but the crowd is amazing and there’s a great energy, I will come out still happy. If the band is amazing, but the crowd is unbearable, it makes the show hard to love. So that is my preface, in my review of the bands, I will try to keep it taint free.
Rural Alberta Advantage
Missed photo call, however they were pretty good. Drew a small crowd as the place was starting to fill up, and of course when they covered a Gord Downie song, and the man himself joined them on stage, the crowd went wild and people ran to catch the treat.
New Pornographers with Neko Case
Neko Case has a fantastic voice, clear as day, never faltering, just absolutely perfect. The New Pornographers kicked off with Moves from the 2010 album Together, and continued through a slew of hits during their set. It was poppy, upbeat, and purely Canadian sounding, glad I got to cross them off the bucket list. The best songs of the set were Mass Romantic, Crash Years and Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk. This was also the time we ventured to the alcohol tent where we fell in love with the “mixed and ready” Canadian Club drinks. Not trying to plug a company during this post, but seriously some good shit.
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie are always great. My third time seeing them, this set made me incredibly nostalgic. I was instantly transported back to senior year of highschool, which was ten years ago! Right when Transatlanticism came out, the album was my official summer album, constantly on repeat, and remained that way for years. The first show I saw was at a place in Buffalo, NY called Nietzsche’s, a small 400 person venue, so incredibly intimate two people in the crowd actually bought the band a wine set and had every patron sign the box. Since that time, Death Cab sky rocketed to a major label, arena type venues and headlining festivals. Yet, even with the large caliber fan base, the idiotic crowd and large outdoor setting, they still made me feel like I was the only person in the crowd watching, as they went through their recent albums and then delved back into my favorites from Transatlanticism and The Photo Album. The sunny hot day became a bit cloudy during their set, but during The New Year, right at the pivotal build up and moment in the song, the sun rose again, making you feel like you were actually starting anew on a very warm January day.
The Tragically Hip
The Hip are one of those bands, pretty much everyone loves them, and their main fan base are drunk guys. When you look up definitions of Canada, and Canadian culture, The Hip will be listed. They’re an underrated overrated band, an oxymoron that actually makes sense. Downie is a superb song writer, and even more so, his stage presence is out of this world. You actually forget that there is anyone else on stage, while you watch his theatrics. It was a little hard to forget the amount of people in the crowd getting into fights, as person after person was yanked out and escorted off the premises. The Tragically Hip, whether intentional or not, riles up a crowd to a point of almost hysteria. Talking to fans, you hear things like “20th time seeing them” or “never missed a show”, their fans define loyalty. This was my first time ever seeing the Hip and as I’ve been told, it was a great live show, but their set list was sub-par, I’m guessing because they didn’t go for all of the fan favorites as per usual. Either way, I’m glad I got to see them, Gord Downie is considered a Canadian music legend where I’m originally from, he outshines most acts with his fantastical stage presence and perfected voice. If you actually haven’t seen them, which is apparently rare in these parts, I highly recommend you see them at least once. Just don’t get caught on the yellow school bus full of vomiting man-children.
