2 posts tagged “concerts”
So the Saturday during Thanksgiving break, I had nothing really to do. A few plans got canceled on me, and I didn't want to be at home for the last day of my vacation. Then my friend Doug (of the SWAINNET variety) told me he was going to a Railroad Earth show, and he asked if I wanted to come. Tickets were only 23 bucks, and for a show at a rather large theater, I thought why not? This impulsive decision turned out to be one of the best ones I've ever made. Ever. Seriously, it was a really good show, guys.
We got there on time (although we thought we were going to be late), smuggled some drugs in, and got balcony seats. Unfortunately, security was tight, so we went through the first act sober. The opening band was called Natural Breakdown, and they were really, really good. I was already blown away by the way that they blended a heavy rock feel with that of a jam band, and in addition to being powerful, they had good stage presence. They rocked it and rolled it for about an hour, during which time we sat up in the balcony and chilled out. That was really stupid, and we learned from our mistakes during part two. While we waited for Railroad Earth to set up, we went into an abandoned building and abused some substances, then went back up to the balcony. That lasted about fifteen minutes.
If anybody here has listened to a Railroad Earth CD, you probably don't like them very much. I know that, based on the recorded stuff I've heard, I found them pretty boring before the show. However, this is definitely not the case. While watching Railroad Earth play, even when they were warming up onstage, I could tell that the show was going to be fucking insane. They were anything but boring, and their music alone made Doug and I want to go down to the dance floor and just move. And move we did; you can't sit still and listen to/watch Railroad play. It's either impossible, or you have no appreciation for music. When listening to them, their style went from bluegrass to celtic to jam band to psychedelic to rock and roll and back again. It was exhilarating to be in the audience, and it was exhilarating to hear them play. I probably have not been to a better show in my life, and no I am not exaggerating.
Railroad played two acts, and then had an encore, which I really wanted to share with you (but will do so when I finally can access the show on this computer). For the encore, they brought out some special guests; a guy on electric guitar and a guy on accordion, and it went for 20 minutes.
The song? "Gloria", by The Doors. A 20 minute cover with a trippy breakdown in the middle that made even the soberest of concertgoers think they were on LSD. If there was any part of the show I wish I could relive (if I had to pick just one part), I would say the encore in a heartbeat. The rest of the show was amazing, too. I wish I could listen to the recording sooner so I could name some songs, but it all flowed so wonderfully that the titles didn't matter. It was all about the song.
A jam show is really different from anything else I've been to. I wouldn't say that I've been converted, but I definitely have a newfound respect for bands like Railroad Earth; bands who don't mind breaking it down once in a while. If every band put on a show like they did, I'd have hope for the next generation of music. Rock on, Todd and company. Rock on.
-blake
(Photo courtesy of me.)
So I went to see Of Montreal last weekend with MGMT and Grand Buffet. The opening acts were pretty weak; MGMT was just flat-out boring (I considered leaving, and all exits were final.), and Grand Buffet was a hilarious rap act, but they were a bit to weird for my taste. Imagine having The Mars Volta's lyrics in a rap act, and that's what they were. It was odd, to say the least. But Of Montreal put on an amazing show. They were really nervous, but Kevin Barnes (Lead Vocals/Guitar, in the bright red) said it was the biggest show they'd done so far, which made it understandable. I had to leave two songs before the encore, as my friend was taking an 11:00 train, and I was going home with her. What I saw, however, blew me away. They were energetic, hilarious, quirky, and basically everything you'd expect from them if you've heard their music. Quite grand, and they apparently have a new album coming out next year. I need to be on the lookout for that one; Hissing Fauana is probably my favorite one so far.
-blake.
