Phoenix, The Wiltern, 9/21/06
Was really ready to get down and dance to this electropop meets indie rock band from Marseilles, France. Their album “It’s Never Been Like That” is right up there in my Top 5 from 2006 list, and they’re renowned for their high energy live performances. They were great the morning of, performing a live broadcast and streamed set in the KCRW studios with Nic Harcourt (click here for audio and/or video of the set). All I can really say is that they were pretty good, but not great. They moved through their old and new (but mostly new) material very solidly, but there were no real surprises. And even though we were right up in the front, there seemed to be some sort of energy lacking – both on stage and down in the crowd. Maybe it was that they went on at nearly 11pm on a weekday night, or maybe it was the fact that the theater was clearly undersold. Or maybe it’s just the curse of L.A.’s jaded crowds. Oh well.Massive Attack / TV on the Radio, The Hollywood Bowl, 9/24/06
First of all, TV on the Radio was amazing. Lead singer Tunde Adebimpe is possibly one of the most exciting frontmen I’ve ever seen. His passion just oozes from the stage into the crowd, infecting all. I hope to have the opportunity one day to see these guys play in a small, intimate venue. I can only imagine something like that going off. For a hint of what I’m talking about, check out this recent performance from Letterman’s show – even Dave seems shocked by their energy.Massive Attack: First of all, it could have been louder – the sound seemed drowned out and hollow at times (ie little to no bass). The lights were great, though – across the back of the stage was rigged a huge LED display that featured incredibly complex and beautiful patterns all night, which was necessary since the band played all night as dark silhouettes, never once showing their faces.
The music was solid, but I had one major complaint here: yes, MA are a downtempo group, but in a show like this, they could have layered in some beats to get people going. I kept looking back and everyone was super mellow. Maybe they were all just stoned or whatever, but there was a perceptible lack of energy in the crowd...and it was MA's fault. I kept thinking back to Bjork's show there a few years ago. Similar sound and lights and crowd, but she brought Matmos who in turn brought the fat beats and everyone went nuts. It felt at times like the music was a tease. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the show and grooves and all that until......they started scrolling anti-war/-West factoids across the LED display - eg # of dead in Iraq this year; cost of war so far. WTF! Same thing Flaming Lips did this summer at the bowl: blindside you at the very end with political bullshit. I don't want to think about Iraq while I'm at a summer concert at the Bowl! I just don't. Sorry Mr. Hollywood Reporter Smarty Pants: I got it, I just didn’t like it. Call me selfish, but that's not what I paid this group to see. To throw out one hour of lush grooves and trippy lights then slam you with casualty stats...well, it just took me out of my element. It was a cheap shot. I would never see these guys again.
Tom Petty / The Strokes, The Hollywood Bowl, 9/26/06
The Strokes kicked off the evening with an extended opening set and did a great job. The sound problems were clearly fixed from the other night, and they were punchy and ready to rock. They were everything The Shins were not when we saw them also in the opening slot at the Bowl earlier this summer. Vocalist Julian Casablancas can drone on at times and become somewhat monotonous, but the band behind him easily lifts the sound with creative drum, bass and guitar flourishes.Petty: The guy has got the most ridiculous catalog of songs to pull from and he played many of his best hits - it was their “30th Anniversary Tour”, after all. He played a number of tunes from Full Moon Fever, a couple from Wildflowers, a couple from the new album "Highway Companion", the early-years classics, of course, and even a couple of covers - eg some old Bo Diddly number.
Stevie Nicks is apparently touring with him, so she came out also and sang a bunch of back-up and even full lead vocals on one tune. She was a great addition.
Petty was clearly excited to be home in L.A. after being on the road for a while. He was relaxed and joking a bunch, throwing out early on: “Man, I’ve got more ex-gfs backstage than you’ve ever had.”
He rocked the songs bigtime and the Heartbreakers sounded great. Sometimes he sang solo, sometimes with lots of back-up. The vocals were done right, always sounding lush and just full enough. He knows how to put on a show as good as he ever did, and is def claiming his role as a lasting godfather of rock. So much for the good stuff…
The crowd was fucking horrible. I don’t think I’ve ever in my life seen so much middle-aged white trash. It was like what I would imagine a NASCAR event to be: drunk white trash everywhere. They were pushing and hollering, squatting in people’s seats and generally being horribly obnoxious. Then you had the polite, older ex-hippie crowd, who were nice and fine and all but dead as doornails. Finally, there was the younger (ie under-40) folk like us, who were also fine and nice, but equally stiff. It was like being at a show with a bunch of raging lunatics, and a bunch of zombies.
There was a major fistfight two rows in front of us. Then there was guy directly in front of us who was so drunk he was belching in his date’s ear and groping her and sticking his tongue out at her, his behavior growing steadily worse until she finally tried pushing him away and he grabbed her and she pushed back HARD and he went flying into the aisle on his ass while she ran off into the darkness.
About the only good thing about the crowd was the singing. Big, mass on-key sing-a-longs at many points. That was fun. Otherwise, stick a needle in my eye.
Setlist:
Listen to Her Heart
Mary Jane's Last Dance
Won't Back Down
Free Falling
Saving Grace
I'm a Man
Oh Well
Handle With Care (w/Jeff Lynne of The Traveling Wilburys)
Stop Dragging My Heart Around (w/Stevie Nicks)
I Need to Know (Stevie singing lead)
Good to Be King
Down South
Insider (w/Stevie)
Learning to Fly
Don't Come Around Here No More
Refugee
Running Down a Dream
Encore:
You Wreck Me
Mystic Eyes
American Girl
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