(spoon at the tla)

so its been a while since i’ve given you an update on anything, primarily because im so swamped in work that this [pointing all around] seems like a wicked luxury. plus, ive kind of held off on a couple things, specifically live music reviews, because the caliber of bands i’ve seen in the last 2-3 weeks has been off the charts. most of these bands are the ones i skipped during sxsw, because i knew it would be much more rewarding [and uh, free / cheap] to see them in my hometown. here’s the run down:

» spoon [6/4 @ TLA]: well, you know. they’re the band im near-psychotically obsessed with. even though it was a hits filled set, it was wonderful. the audience was off the hook, singing songs and dancing. here’s the setlist: beast and dragon, adored / i turn my camera on / someone something / lines in the suit / monsieur valentine / fitted shirt / the delicate place / car radio / anything you want / paper tiger / small stakes / sister jack / i summon you / infinite pet / the way we get by / me and the bean / my mathematical mind // metal detektor / take a walk / jonathan fisk

» electrelane [6/4 @ khyber]: if spoon’s success lie in their polished and wiry tunes, electrelane are like walking through a sonic rosebush. it was complete chaos. the audience ate it up and spat it back at the band.

» the juan maclean [6/11 @ transit]: first thing i thought when the band took the stage, is their equipment broken? i mean, ive heard this band before but the vocoders sounded fuzzy [if that makes sense] and it just seemed off for a hot minute.

» lcd soundsystem [6/11 @ transit]: the crowning jewel in the making time reign — where do they go from here? lcd were top and the audience were dancing furiously, screaming as if tonight were the last night of the world.

» m.i.a. [6/13 @ transit]: by far, the biggest letdown of them all. i cant belive all you hip motherfuckers waited in line during sxsw for this shit. you should have had your badge revoked. maya turned all rockstar on us and didnt show up onstage until 15 minutes before the show had to end. so she performed for 20 minutes and while she turned out a great, energetic set, it certainly wasnt worth standing around for a couple of hours. i could have been home, getting my work accomplished!

» doug gillard [6/17 @ tritone]: i believe the correct phrase to describe my mood pre-show was “losing my shit” but not in the good way, like audiences above. but you know, it was just fine. in fact, all the bands were amazing. everyone knows my love for the a-sides, so enough about that. the bigger lovers, despite a couple of technical problems, put on a fantastic set as well. but doug topped them all — lots of songs from his old band gem, as well as the stuff off the new album and yes, “i am a tree” which sounded mighty in that teeny room.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 20th, 2005 at 9:06 am and is filed under live performances.