Voldemort can't stop the rock

On their albums, Harry and the Potters make some of the worst music imaginable. They're the leaders of the Wizard Rock genre (It's real--Wikipedia even says so), and that's pretty much all they're good for--miserably catchy songs about Harry Potter--not that that's not enough.

Their sound quality makes you think they record their music on an Apple computer in their garage. Now that I've seen that they actually can play music live, I think that actually is how they record their music.

They were surprisingly good live, both musically and performance-wise. Then again, how could a free rock concert in the lobby of the downtown public library not be awesome?

When we got there 30 minutes early, it looked like we'd be just a few crazy fans watching the disturbance of silence in the library. Within just a few minutes, though, the place was full of a few fanatics, but mostly families enjoying a free Sunday afternoon activity. It was reassuring that there were so many families there so that it wasn't just a bunch of crazy people (not that I don't fit into that category).

That's exactly what the concert ended up being, too, a nice family activity for a Sunday afternoon. Between wizardry songs, they bantered with silly, all-ages-appropriate jokes like:

Where do puppies go to school? (Dogwarts)
Where do those cardboard circles from the 90s go to school? (Pogwarts)
Where do tadpoles go to school? (Pollywogwarts)


"Hagrid is fun to hug, Hagrid is full of love, Just don't get stuck in Hagrid's beard!" (Photo taken during the "full of love" hand motion.)


We're about to go so deep below Hogwarts that we're even below the dungeons! It's so deep we need a special code in the plumbing to enter! Are you ready? Do you know the code? Everyone say it out loud! "SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" "We've got to save Ginny Weasley from the Basilisk!"

I'm not sure how long this duo of brothers can keep up their annual tour across the country, stopping only to play free library shows, but as long as they do, I'll be there.

"A three-headed dog, a three-headed dog, oh my God, a three headed dog!

Josh Ritter concert: I never knew folk music could be so fun

When you see someone truly enjoy what they're doing, you'll often enjoy it too. When you see a performer having fun while they're putting on a show, you'll appreciate it all the more.

When we were walking around Lawrence before the Josh Ritter concert last Friday, an older man was sitting on the corner making a rhythm using just drumsticks and a 5-gallon bucket. The rhythm was the most basic possible, usually just a 4-4 beat on the counts, but he had propped against his drum a sign saying "Support the Arts." The first time we walked by him, I internally questioned whether this simple rhythm on a made-up instrument counted as the arts, but the joy this man was emitting won me over and made me want to support "the arts." (I never did, but I wish I would have thrown in a buck for this guy trying to make a living doing something he obviously enjoyed.)

This street performer reminded me of Josh Ritter. Sure, Josh played fancy guitars and keyboards instead of buckets, and he used much more intricate beats. But they had perhaps the most important thing in common: They really enjoyed playing music for people.

I've seen a lot of performers who obviously enjoy what they do, but never have I seen someone walk on stage beaming as much as Josh was last Friday at the Liberty Hall in Lawrence. His smile was absolutely contagious, for both his bandmates and the audience.

He was stoked to play at the Liberty Hall, which he said was a major upgrade in size from the Bottleneck Club, where he usually played when he stopped in Jayhawk-ville. Maybe that's why he was so happy. But I don't think so. I think he just has a great time everywhere he plays.

I must say I was surprised to see this level of performance from him. Josh Ritter is one of the best living songwriters, and my vote for the next generation of Bob Dylan. Dylan is notoriously terrible live, and I totally excuse him for that. When you're an amazing songwriter, we can't expect you to be a great live performer too (Conor Oberst suffers from this syndrome too. While he's put on some great shows, he's hit or miss). Josh Ritter can do both though, and I find that highly impressive.

What impresses me most about Josh though, is that he probably doesn't give a crap that I'm impressed with him. He makes music because he wants to, and that's it. And I have a feeling that as long as he keeps that philosophy, he's going to keep turning out great records and playing fantastic shows.



Plus he gets bonus points because he's from Idaho. How many people come out of Idaho and become artistic icons? Probably not too many.



This was the opener, Scott Hutchison from Frightened Rabbit. He was also excellent.

If you're not completely convinced what a great songwriter Josh Ritter is, check out what a great prose writer he is at his blog: http://www.bookofjubilations.com/. Looks like if he were neither a songwriter nor a performer, he could still be a writer.

The Decemberists: Keeping Weirdness Cool

Even with their new, fairly mainstream, alt-rock-country album out, the Decemberists are still weird. The theatricality is still there, even when playing only pieces of the rock opera from their last album, The Hazards of Love. The eccentricity is still there, despite singing mostly autobiographical songs instead of from the perspective of eastern European prostitutes. And frontman Colin Meloy still uses mostly four and five-syllable words when communicating with the audience. But throughout throughout it all, they still can put on a great rock show.

On tour for their latest album, The King Is Dead, the Decemberists stopped at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City with a mix of old and new songs. This was my third time seeing them live, and the first time outside of their hometown Portland. There's nothing like seeing them in their own stomping ground, with view of their kids playing ring-around-the-rosie on the side of the stage during the opening act, but they didn't disappoint.

Actually, instead they brought a bit of their home with them, with the album cover (silhouetted douglas fir trees) in the background. And Portland mayor Sam Adams even introduced the band--or at least someone who claimed to be him on recording. I'm confident that I was the only person in the theater who understood the significance of this controversial first-openly-gay-mayor-of-Portland who denied having an affair with a 16-year-old intern in order to get elected.

After having two excellent guest artists (Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond and Becky Stark of Lavendar Diamond) playing on the album and tour of The Hazards of Love, I wasn't sure how they would replace their parts live. I was hoping that Shara Worden would be on tour with them as she stole the show with her crooning voice on the last tour, but I was happily surprised to see that they had found another fantastic guest--Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek. Her fiddling added a great element to the new folksy songs, and she did a wonderful job singing the lead in "Won't Want for Love."

Even though I thought the Decemberists were being more normal than usual, they proved me wrong near the end of the night when Colin Meloy did his tradition of taking over the drumming so that John Moen could sing lead and clown around up front. They were singing "Chimbley Sweep," and they went into a very long bridge that included medleys to completely different songs. John Moen took it away from the "Chimbley Swee" and launched into a jazz song in honor of Kansas City jazz, then he requested that the microphone be passed to guitarist Chris Funk to have a turn.

Now let me explain that the first time I saw the Decemberists (in 2006?), Chris Funk played an astounding guitar, pedal steel, and hurdy gurdy. But he showed next to zero emotion. As one of the best current guitarists, Chris is constantly playing session work for all kinds of other bands and does a great job on the Decemberists' music, but he always seemed so stoic and honestly looked like a serial killer. On the The Hazards of Love tour, he showed more personality than I'd ever seen, but it would be hard to play those killer guitar riffs without it.

This time around, he seemed completely different than my first time seeing the band, when he grabbed the mic off its stand and started into the 80s one-hit-wonder song beginning with "Josie's on a vacation far away.." (you know it). He looked like he was having a ball, so of course the audience did too. Then, my favorite part, at the end of that song, they returned to "The Chimbley Sweep." You couldn't have chosen a more contrasting medley.

This concert was the most fun I've had on a Monday night in a long time. Supposedly Colin Meloy is about ready to publish his first novel (should be good--this guy is way too smart for his own good and graduated with a bachelor's--or maybe masters?--in creative writing), part of a trilogy, so the band may take a backseat in the next few years. Let's hope that it doesn't cause them to take too much of a break though.

Here's what they played (taken from their Facebook page):

The Infanta
Down by the Water
Calamity Song
...Rise to Me
Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect
We Both Go Down Together
Won't Want for Love (Margaret In The Taiga)
The Rake's Song
Don't Carry It All
January Hymn
The Crane Wife 1 & 2
The Crane Wife 3
16 Military Wives
The Chimbley Sweep
--
Eli, The Barrow Boy
The Mariner's Revenge Song
--
June Hymn

I didn't take any videos that night, so here's one I found online from the Hazards of Love tour of "The Rake Song." This is such a fun song when they play it live--everyone except for Colin takes up a drum, so the place is rocking:

Best Concerts of 2010

2010 was a great year for concerts! This summer I had the opportunity to see three legends within three weeks of each other, and no one disappointed (well, one of them did, but oh well). Here’s my review of all the concerts I think I went to this year (with a special shout out to my one and only blog fan Warren G!):


Bad quality video I took at the concert, but still the best...

1. Paul McCartney (July 24): Best concert ever, ever, ever. Enough said. Not only is he one of the best songwriters ever to live, but he can put on a fantastic show. From Beatles to solo to Paul McCartney and Wings, he played it all. With no opener, the show still went on for three hours without a break. Not bad for an almost 70-year-old. Yes, Paul is a complete ham, but it’s refined in a rare way. He knows how to entertain the crowd by telling stories about John and George, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, etc., but also showing that he’s retained a little down-to-earth quality. Highlights besides simply being within a few hundred feet from a Beatle: “Day in the Life,” which Paul played live for the first time just a couple years ago, and “Something,” a George Harrison song that Paul played in honor of him, beginning on ukulele and leading into a true-to-the-original guitar version.

2. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (July 13): This concert played like a greatest hits record, and I have no complaints about it. It’s truly amazing how many classic songs this guy has had in his career. While the crowd preferred the hits, he also did a brilliant job playing the bluesy tracks off of his newly released album Mojo. After playing about ten hits, he said he’d been dying to play us some songs from their new album that he was so proud of. You could hear the excitement in his voice. Forty years into it, he still gets unspeakably excited to play for his fans. Not only that, but he cares about his bandmates. And the Heartbreakers truly are a band, not just Tom Petty and his session musicians (same goes for Paul McCartney’s attitude toward his band). After decades of success and fame, that makes me respect him even more that he still cares about the guys in the background helping him out (not like the Heartbreakers don’t contribute because they do—especially guitarist Mike Campbell who’s actually written a lot of the hits—but they definitely don’t get the credit Tom gets). I’d go see Tom and his Heartbreakers again in a heartbeat.

3. Sufjan Stevens (October 17): As good as Tom was, Sufjan was so incredibly good that I almost had to give him second place instead of third. Give him a few more years practice, and he’ll compete with the legends. Granted this is also one of the weirdest shows I’ve ever been to. For the indie king famous for folksy banjo ballads about Midwestern states, none of us were expecting him to come on stage dancing, wearing a cut-off old school Nike shirt, with flashing lights flooding the theater. Sufjan’s new album is a dramatic departure from the songs that made him famous, and this show was all about that album. Teasing the old-time fans by coming on stage playing “Seven Swans,” he then played nearly every song off of The Age of Adz, including the 25-minute “Impossible Soul,” without interruption. His usual massive orchestra backed him up, but he also had two sequined backup singers that did more dancing (including ribbon dancing at one point!) than singing. Sufjan himself joined in the dance party, which is pretty awesome for a skinny white boy. Most importantly, he cared about his fans and recognized that some people were wildly confused by the almost-rap dance music, and made jokes at his own expense. To win those fans over, he played a wonderful encore of “Chicago” and “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.”

4. Guster (October 13): One of my favorite bands of all time that rarely strays away from the east coast when touring, I was so excited to hear they were coming to Kansas City. They were once my favorite concert ever (since replaced by Monsters of Folk then Paul), and they still put on a fantastic live show. The band is coming up on its 20th birthday, and it shows when they’re on stage. The original trio is the same with just one additional musician after two decades. Drummer Brian Rosenworcel still avoids using drumsticks—-instead taping up his hands and mutilating them on the instrument—-much of the time, but they’ve also grown up and adapted their style some too. They haven’t changed their ability to relate to the crowd, though, from the hand-drawn picture of a local bbq sandwich on the chalkboard-piano, to stories about their adventures in Kansas City, Guster is entertaining for anyone to see.

5. Weezer (June 5): This was the first of my Buzz Under the Stars concert-—the local alternative rock radio station puts on several concerts every summer at City Market that usually put together three or four very different bands for one fairly affordable show. I can’t really remember the other bands that played with them, but they’re the emo bands the high schoolers came out to see. While this concert series gets huge names, the downfall is that they get so many bands that nobody gets to play very long. I think Weezer played an hour and a half, but they could have gone on much longer. They played nearly all of the Blue album that’s more than 15 years old, and also some of their terrible new songs. Rivers Cuomo was as nerdy as ever and also as entertaining as ever. I hope they come back when they’ll be able to play for longer.

6. Jack’s Mannequin (February 19): I hardly listen to Jack’s Mannequin anymore, but I’ll always go see them when they come to town. Frontman Andrew McMahon is a fantastic performer that always puts on a great show. Banging and jumping on the piano, screaming into the mic, and having authentic conversations with the audience, he definitely knows how to relate to his fans.

7. Blitzen Trapper (June 22): I don’t remember too much about this concert because it was on a weeknight and didn’t start till 10 p.m. Call me old, but after supervising 20 teenagers in 100 degree direct sun all day, that was too late for me. Blitzen Trapper used to open for lots of concerts I went to in Portland-—since they’re from there—-but now that they’re more well-known they can tour the country as headliners. It was great to see one of my favorite local Portland bands, and it was awesome to hear them play so many new songs from their great new album Destroyers of the Void.

8. Smashing Pumpkins and Cake (September 25): Another Buzz concert, so it was a lot of bands in a short amount of time. I don’t know either of these bands too well, but I left a fan of one (Cake) and disliking the other (Smashing Pumpkins). Cake played a great short set, with tons of energy and passion. Their songs are so fun, and they translated that well live. Smashing Pumpkins was the Billy Corgan show, and he just acted like a pompous rock star. Cake looked like a band—-even though they’ve had a rotating lineup, they were one on stage. Smashing Pumpkins looked like an old guy who played with some hired 20-year-olds, which upon research when I got home, is exactly the case.

9. Ben Folds, Devo (July 23): Another Buzz concert, and this one combined way too many bands in too short of a time. Ben Folds is one of the best performers I’ve ever seen, but you’ve got to give him more than 60 minutes to play. He was good as always, but he played solo, and I prefer him with a band behind him, especially when he gets such a short time to begin with. Devo was awesomely hilarious—-a bunch of 50 and 60 year olds wearing strange outfits and flower-pot hats. Needless to say, they whipped it.

10. Bob Dylan (August 7): Often considered the best living songwriter (and I might say so myself), Dylan wins the prize for the worst concert I saw this year. Four or five songs in the crowd was yelling “Play some Dylan now!” He sang mostly new songs with such a slur that you couldn’t recognize them. I know his new material pretty well, but I still had no idea what songs he was singing. I looked up the set list after the show to see that he also played a few old songs, and no one could even recognize them because he distorted them so much. He did play an encore of “Like a Rolling Stone” that was pretty awesome because it looks like he doesn’t play that all that often. I had heard that Dylan was incredibly spotty in concert, so I figured that for $30, I was happy to be within 100 feet of him.

Stay tuned for my list of favorite albums of the year. And here's to more blog posts in 2011!

Spoon headlines The Night the Buzz Stole Christmas

When a band has been playing music with each other for 15 years, it usually begins to show. Even without the raw talent, the stage act is bound to progress. With a band flowing with talent like Spoon, 15 years of practice certainly adds up.

It makes bands that have only been playing together for two years--like Hockey--or six years--like the Bravery--look like inexperienced youngsters. But these bands--Hockey, Metric, the Bravery, and Spoon--all played together at the Night the Buzz Stole Christmas (a local radio station's Christmas show) at the Midland last night.

Hockey started off the night, showing their enthusiasm that couldn't be channeled well enough. With their first beats, I knew there was a reason why they were paired with Spoon. They had some neat rhythms, but it was very amateur, and they were shell-shocked by the size of the crowd. Neither the lead singer nor the bassist could clearly speak to the crowd between songs (and they were the only two that tried). The mic sounded fine when they sung, but they clammed up whenever they tried to say anything between songs and it just sounded like "Pzzzz." I thought I heard the bassist saying something about being from Oregon and that this was their first Kansas City show. Yay for the Oregonians, but I'll be looking for this band after they've made three or four stops in this city and have improved their art.

Metric changed gears entirely. Fronted by the only woman of the evening, their stage presence was overwhelming. Now that I have wikipedia at my fingertips, I see that they've been making music for over a decade. It shows. The singer, Emily Haines, captivated the audience, especially the males, in her super short, sparkly, no-back dress. It wasn't just her clothes, though. This lady knew how to rock the stage, and they had the music to back it up. Apparently they sing the song "Help, I'm alive. My heart keeps beating like a hammer" that comes on the radio a lot. Looks like it took them a decade to get any commercial success with their music, which is quite reminiscent to Spoon.

The Bravery's emo came next. They had stage presence as well, but they're still young and frankly a bit too emo for me. While they have a couple radio hits, my favorite song was when the lead guitarist took over vocals from the Brandon Flowers wannabe singer and played an almost alt-country song. It isn't that their hit singles are horrible or anything, but they're kind of cliche. Although the song "Just give me something to believe" isn't anything that great, it's anthemic chorus begs to be sung to.

After four hours of standing, Spoon finally came on. From the beginning, we could see that this act was going to be different from the other three. These guys are so comfortable on stage--especially frontman Britt Daniel--and utterly captivating. With only four guys and usually only one guitarist (Daniel), they make fuller sounds than most other bands.

Daniel doesn't do anything too fancy with the guitar, but his skill is obvious. I remember seeing him play a solo show (although Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney played drums) in his residence Portland last year, and I couldn't stop looking at his abnormally large hands that could play a chord across the entire guitar neck, I swear. Looking at chords to any Spoon song is enough to give you a headache.

On stage, Daniel plays intricate lead guitar riffs while singing in his unique vocal style throughout. It's not often that you see a lead singer playing the guitar parts he does.

Drummer and producer Jim Eno, who is essentially the other half of Spoon, was emotionless as always, but Daniel carried the weight of the crowd.

This was the first show in four months for the band, according to Daniel, but only once did that show. Eno launched into the beating drum intro to "The Underdog," which is probably Spoon's biggest hit, and Daniel screwed up the guitar beyond hope. Eno and keyboardist Eric Harvey kept up with their maraca beat, waiting for Daniel to salvage his off-key mess. It was beyond hope, but when he started the progression over, the song got off to a solid start. Spoon has undoubtedly played this song at every concert in the last three years, so you know they're rusty if they mess it up.

Although this show is pretty random, as the band isn't on a tour, they are getting ready to release their seventh album, Transference, in January. Although they did play three or four new songs, never once did they plug their new album in hopes of selling records. Not sure if their record label would agree with me, but I think that's admirable.

When I thought their set was maybe halfway over, they waved goodbye and left the stage. Encore and all only added up to an hour, but I guess that's the breaks of a four-band show. I know I've seen Spoon some 3 1/2 times, but I wish they would have given this legendary band that's just getting into their stride some more time.

But looking back at Spoon's repertoire, it took the band more than a decade to get any kind of commercial success. It took them a few years to achieve any musical success even by merit, as their first two albums (in my opinion) are better called Pixies wannabes than original works. Once they found their stride, some commercial success followed, and they're walking strong. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these younger bands to follow suit in a few years.

An evening with Monsters of Folk, Omaha 10-28-09

Walking up to the Holland Performing Arts Center, I felt under dressed in my jeans and peacoat. The other concertgoers were dressed similarly, not in ball gowns or anything like that. But all of us were dressed much worse than the architecture and furnishings of the grand theater.

Unlike most rock shows, including the two times I've seen Conor Oberst live and the one M. Ward concert, this wasn't the typical rundown rock club or even the ballroom-turned-rock club, Crystal Ballroom in Portland. This was the city's elegant symphony hall. Actually, probably the symphony hall for the entire state of Nebraska. Looking at the posters for upcoming concerts, there wasn't likely to be another rock band stopping here anytime in years.

But indie supergroup Monsters of Folk chose venue this as their heartland stop, and it soon became clear why. When the red velvet curtain parted, four men dressed in three-piece suits were jamming to the first single, "Say Please." So yes, they were dressed for the occasion. But notice also that they were "jamming," a rare verb to be applied to the setting of this theater.

The irony was plentiful with the musicians more often seen in cowboy boots (Conor Oberst, Jim James) or a baseball cap (M. Ward). However, even more clear was the excitement of a hometown show. While Jim James calls Kentucky home, and Matt Ward hails from Portland, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, the final two members of MOF, were born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. Even beyond that, the supergroup had their origins in this Midwest town, and they recorded the majority of their recent self-titled album in the studio that sits in the backyard between Mogis and Oberst's houses.

While most of my thoughts leading up to the concert were based around the idea, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm seeing Conor Oberst play in Omaha!," I also pondered the sentiments that Oberst and Mogis must have been feeling playing in this venue in their hometown. According to the Omaha Globe Herald, the theater welcomed 1,400 guests that evening, and I would imagine that at least a couple hundred of those were friends and family of the two Omahans. And I can imagine that their parents were a good deal more proud of their sons playing in this elegant venue than in the dirty rock clubs they frequently tour.

In fact, fellow Omaha musician and a spawn of Saddle Creek Records (that Oberst launched when he was 13 and succeeded to put out all eight Bright Eyes albums as well as many by the Faint, Cursive, Maria Taylor, and Rilo Kiley) Tim Kasher of The Good Life sings about the Orpheum, the sister theater to the Holland in "Leaving Omaha" (also of note is that band's name honors the state of Nebraska, as "the good life" is the state's motto. See photo at right)

All to say that playing in this theater must have been a big deal for these guys.

Luckily, it was a big deal for the audience too. That's saying something since we paid $50 a piece to be there. Some crazy people even drove from Kansas City and stayed overnight in a (free) hotel because they had dreamed of seeing Conor Oberst in Omaha all the way from Oregon. But most weren't that crazy.

But as the Omaha World-Herald's front page (that's right, there isn't much happening in Omaha and this city is proud of their music) review of the concert the next day said in the lede of the article, "Anyone curious should know: It was well worth it."

Three hours, 35 songs, all but one from the MOF album and tracks from each of the songwriter's repertoires greeted the listeners from brilliant acoustics. As I've already said, a rock show in an opera house was a new experience for me, and the acoustics blew me away.

Jim James' booming voice was so incredible that it sounded unearthly. I've never been a huge My Morning Jacket (Southern rock band that's James' chief songwriting vehicle) fan, but hearing his voice live was quite an experience. Whether he was singing leads or providing spot-on harmonies behind Conor or M., his voice reigned supreme.

But it had to compete with the brilliance of M. Ward's guitar playing. Having always liked M.'s solo work, it wasn't until I saw him live for the first time last fall that I was converted into a true follower. He's without a doubt one of the best guitarists currently performing, and his folk/acoustic work leaves him without any peers instrumentally.

While Conor Oberst's vocal sandpaper is incomparable to James' smooth-as-silk voice, and his guitar playing stands no chance when compared to Ward's, he was far from overshadowed. His natural stage presence sometimes brought him to the role of leader, even in the democracy of MOF. He was quick to talk with the audience, dedicating songs to hometown friends like Mike Mogis' wife and Todd Fink (of the Faint. Conor said, "This is for my friend Todd Fink. I'm not sure if he's here tonight or not, but this is for him," then launched into "The Big Picture" while I sat in awe of the fact that I was seeing Conor play a hometown show, dedicating songs to other brilliant Omaha musicians.) Plus, his lyrical skills are unmatched by anyone playing current music. (That's right Dylan, your current lyrics don't even compare to Conor's.) I'm not sure if anyone else in attendance picked up on Conor's fateful change of the lyrics of "We Are Nowhere and It's Now," but I heard "She took a small silver wreath and pinned it onto me. She said this one will bring you love. Now I know that's not true, but I keep it for good luck." (Cynical, but oh so Oberstian.)

And Mike Mogis, the quiet man that earned the title of the most awkward person I've ever met in my entire life, too often fades into the back. Never stepping closer than six feet to the nearest microphone, he's easy to miss. But his flawless producing is just as genius, if not more so, than his fellow Monsters. Not to mention the fact that he can play at least two dozen instruments with incredible competency.

As the night passed, musicians passed on and off stage. All four began on stage along with their hired drummer, but slowly they fade off and on stage for each songwriter to play solo or in various combinations. And even when one songwriter was playing lead, another would take over on the other's song. For instance, all four men rocked out to Bright Eyes' "At the Very Bottom of Everything," trading lead vocals on verses instead of Conor singing it all.

Three hours continued in this way, without an intermission.

“If you have to go to the bathroom, just go to the bathroom. If you have to get a beer, do it. We don't mind,” Oberst said. “It was a choice between an intermission and no intermission, and we went with no intermission. You won't hurt our feelings. Everyone's got their needs.”

Besides Oberst's shout-outs to local friends and family, the other musicians commented on returning to Omaha as well.

“The year was 2004 when the Monsters of Folk met in this great town of Omaha. It's very meaningful to be back here,” Ward said. M. didn't give any kind of shout out to Oregon, though, which disappointed me. I have a feeling he'd be surprised to hear there was another Oregonian in attendance that night.

James also honored the city. "We've spent many hundreds of hours here under the careful guidance of Mr. Oberst and Mr. Mogis,” he said. “You did a great job raising these boys.” On that comment each and every Nebraskan in attendance screamed as if they were his or her own sons.

I imagine that had I seen MOF in Portland two weeks earlier or in Minneapolis just a day after their stop in Omaha, they would have been just as good. I'm now naming this the best concert I've ever seen for raw musical talent, performance, the excitement of the hometown show, and let's not forget that tireless stamina. But there's something about seeing Conor Oberst in Omaha that is incomparable to anything else.

**Photos suck because I was only able to snap about five from my waist, without flash, because the operahouse hawks were patrolling**

***I had an excellent adventure in Omaha, which was of course capped off by this concert. I hope to post photos and stories from my pilgrimage in an upcoming post.***

Wilco (The Concert)

This concert was about three years in the making for me. Wilco tours constantly, but for some reason I kept missing them when they came to Oregon. I even have a promotional poster from a show they played in Bend that has been teasing me from my wall for the last year. I snagged the cheap-paper poster from a light post in Southeast Portland even though I didn't make it to that show.

Finally, after I knew I was moving to Kansas City, I saw that they were touring the Midwest. Granted, at an outdoor show in October in the Midwest is crazy, but it was still Wilco. After all this time I finally got to see what the hype was about their live show.

It's not just hype. I've seen a lot of concerts, but musically their performance at Grinders on Oct. 6 is up there on my list. They aren't flashy. They find no need for fancy backdrops or nonsensical banter, but they know how to play a brilliant rock show. It helps that they are six incredible musicians with a decade and a half of experience playing together (for most of the band).

They began the set with "Wilco (The Song)." I guess that if a band writes a song about themselves, they're fated to opening every subsequent live set with that song. No complaints because it's a good song, despite the ironic cheesiness.

While I'd heard that the band has quite the sense of humor and truly cares about its audience, they didn't speak a word between songs for the first eight or nine songs. They didn't need to. The music spoke for itself.

Wilco played democratically from the newest album (Wilco (The Album)) and dug back in the vaults more than a decade, including playing songs from Mermaid Avenue, Wilco and Billy Bragg's interpretation of Woody Guthrie's unrecorded lyrics.

On songs old and new, lead guitarist Nels Cline made any other guitarist's solos look like a joke. Called "one of the best guitarists in any genre" by David Carr of the New York Times (article here), Cline proved that he deserved this title. But it wasn't just the flashy guitar riffs. Each musician proved himself at the top of his instrument, including the two keyboardists/weird sound makers.

Amidst the stellar instrumentation, one thing stood above it all. Lead singer and songwriter Jeff Tweedy remained in control of the show. But Tweedy has far from the most booming voice in rock music. His gentle voice instead allowed room for more emotion than I could explain. Tweedy is in absolute control of his voice, whether in a soft, almost whisper, or a raucous scream. I've never seen anything quite like it.

Despite the lack of conversation in the beginning, Wilco eventually had plenty to say between nearly every song. Tweedy even addressed those screaming requests. Showing the band's passion for politics, Tweedy advised the audience to take a democratic poll while the band was backstage at the encore. While the poll didn't take place as expected, a request was decided upon, and Tweedy even joked about the UN coming in to observe our democratic practices.

Through the freezing weather (really, it snowed only a few miles away four days after the show. I know Wilco's from Chicago and this probably isn't cold to them, but that's ridiculous. October is too late for an outdoor show in the Midwest.) and the good humor of band and audience alike, nothing stood through as much as the music. Excellent instrumentalists yet with a vocalist in great control of his voice, Wilco is one of the best bands currently making music. And it's good to see that their live show exhibits just that: the music.

Two videos I took that still don't give justice:

Wilco - "I am Trying to Break Your Heart"


Wilco - "I'll Fight"

Coldplay at the Clark County Amphtheater July 10

Coldplay is the biggest band in the world right now. Believe me, I wish that I could say that Wilco is the biggest band in the world, or the Shins, or the Decemberists, or even Radiohead or U2 or R.E.M., but that's not an accurate statement. Right now, and probably for my generation, Coldplay has the top tier. Note that this absolutely does not mean that they are the best, but they are the "biggest."

And really, they aren't very good. Musically, their work isn't very diverse. Granted, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends is quite good, but as a whole, they aren't even that great of musicians. Although I must say that Chris Martin was doing some pretty cool improvisations on the piano, which made me wonder why he sticks to the boring block chords in studio albums. But they certainly know how to put on a show and give their loyal fans (which I'll admit isn't me) what they deserve.

So this review is incredibly late. The show was over a month ago (July 10). But I keep thinking about it despite the fact that I've been to two or three shows since then (and no, this certainly wasn't better than Jon Foreman's performance--see below--but honestly, it may have beat out the Decemberists).

Coldplay is a huge band, but I'm not sure it's completely gone to their head. Indeed, a rush of blood has gone to their head, but I'm not sure of more than that.

They played for about an hour, then they started running up the crowd toward us. The thousands of people in the crowd were going nuts. They stop about 3/4 way through the seated audience, and a piano pops up from a trapdoor. They played three or four songs from here.

After another spirited performance on the grand stage, they again darted into the crowd. Up where we were in the lawn area it was hard to see where the band had gone. Then, out of nowhere, they appeared in the lawn area. They were literally exactly where we were standing but on the left side instead of the right. I was cursing our luck of choosing to sit on the right side instead of the left when I realized that my sister and several of our other blanketmates were out of sight. Just as an image flashed through my imagination of my sister appearing on the giant screen with Chris Martin, they started performing from up there. The first song was a folk song that wouldn't have been out of place on an 18th century fishing boat that was actually sung by the drummer. It was quite interesting.

I think perhaps the most intriguing part of the whole concert for me was the community experience. There aren't many times in our current world of hundreds of TV channels when thousands of people are experiencing the same exact thing at the same exact time. I've been to a couple big shows before, but nothing was like this giant sold-out amphitheater experience.

Coldplay kept the energy up the whole time and kept yelling specifically for the people way up in the lawn, which is unique. Their humility was obvious, and that is extremely impressive for the biggest band in the world.


*For a taste of the live experience and the biggest band in the world's humility, check out the live album they're giving away on their website right now*




Kristen also guest stars in this video.

Switchfoot at the Crystal Ballroom; Jon Foreman at the Max stop, July 31, 2009

There are so many strange factors to this tour:

1. Switchfoot is releasing a new album in three months. It's standard for bands to tour the new album, so expect a tour in late fall. They'll tour again about six months after the album came out to reengage interest, and then if they have a long pause in their production schedule until the next album comes out, there may be another random tour in there, too. But it's unusual for a band to tour just three months before an album. Random timing.
2. It's a purposeful tour in that it's called "Crazy Making," and it's supposedly a co-headlining tour with Blue October.
3. Blue October has had one major hit, with one (maybe two) others making radio appearances. They're not very talented. Switchfoot has had 10 successful singles (conservative guess stabbing in the dark), and they were the opener that only played for an hour. What a joke. I'd guess that 80 percent of the crowd was there for Switchfoot judging by the noise, signs, and pre-show chant. None of the sort for Blue October.
4. One of Blue October's shirts had a defacing picture of Jesus on the cross. They're not a spiritual band at all that I can see. I'm not one to take offense to that, but that's just a little strange when paired with Switchfoot and some of the Christian-bubble folk they attracted. (I need to pause here to say that Switchfoot does not conform to the Christian bubble at all, but that doesn't mean none of their crowd does. Instead, I'd say they bring up questions that anyone who's trying to live a life on earth deals with.)

Despite all the factors, obviously this tour is real and actually happening. Blue October with Switchfoot, but really it was just Switchfoot playing a highly energetic hour-long set, a large portion of the crowd leaving, then Blue October still thinking very highly of themselves (somehow).

Before I get any further, I need to say that if you read nothing else, skip below to read about why Jon Foreman is now #1 on my list of nicest and most real musicians (well, Carbon Leaf is up there too). But continuing...

Let's just ignore Blue October. That's what they deserve anyway.

Like I said, it's an interesting time for Switchfoot to be touring. I'd heard that their new album (Hello Hurricane) is totally done, so I was expecting that maybe they would focus on brand new songs. They did play two or three new tunes, but the majority of the songs were actually from their album The Beautiful Letdown, which I would go so far as to call a classic, at least in my own library. However, it's now approaching three albums ago. They played only one (maybe two, depending on my memory) song from their latest album.

Now I suppose this isn't that unusual as many times when a band goes on a tour at a random time like this, they often dig deep into their songbooks and even throw some interesting covers in (see Shins posting below). The timing of this tour just surprised me.

Summing up those last few paragraphs of rambling, they featured a great setlist of classic Foot songs.

I have never seen Switchfoot live before but have wanted to for at least seven years. They've come to Eugene when I've been in Portland, and Portland when I've been in Roseburg. Meanwhile, I'd heard that they are at their best live and put on pretty breathtaking shows. I'd now echo that statement.

Keep in mind that it was about 90 degrees in Portland yesterday (Switchfoot is from San Diego, and they couldn't stop talking about how hot it was). The Crystal Ballroom does not have air conditioning. True statement. It had to be at least 110 degrees in there and bodies sponging up against each other.

Frontman Jon Foreman said twice, "If we pass out, you guys keep going." But pass out he did not; instead, he put on an intensely energetic show.

Switchfoot takes generous influence from U2 in many ways, but never was it clearer than seeing them live. Jon could have been a younger Bono at times in his stage presence and booming voice. ("Hey, Bono, glad you asked. Life is still worth living.")

This band puts on a great show, but even more so, they promote good causes and get people thinking about important questions like what is love? how are we spending our time on earth? what are our possessions?

I know they're mainstream and can be annoying (yes). Just give 'em a chance.

Now, on to what I really want to talk about. I paid $35 (it was rough) to see one of my favorite bands play for an hour. Not too bad, but I figured I might as well stick around for the other band. I did and lasted three songs, was disgusted both by the band and the emo crowd, so I decided to head out. I walked by Switchfoot's tour bus on the way to my car and saw a couple of the guys. Let me pause to say that Jon Foreman pretty much is Switchfoot. He writes all the songs and is quite talented (though his brother Tim is the bassist, he doesn't do much composing to my knowledge.) So a couple of the guys were around, and I got them to sign my ticket stub. But I could tell that Jon hadn't come out yet because fans were obviously waiting for something.

I was by the bus for maybe five minutes when Jon comes out clutching an acoustic guitar. Some people suggested we walk to Pioneer Square for brilliant acoustics, so we started that way, Jon strumming "Hey Jude" to an impromptu sing along as we went (see video below). Jon, not being a Portlander used to walking the downtown, suggested we stop by a Max stop instead of going the extra four blocks there. The Max wouldn't let us on because there were some 50 of us, and we couldn't all get on while the doors were open. So there we were at the Galleria/SW 10th stop in a little nook by a store apparently called the Real Mother Goose, where he played a private acoustic concert to the dedicated fans. As you can see in the video below, it appears that he truly is the real Mother Goose.

He asked someone to get out a piece of paper and pen and to pass it around the group. "That will be the set list," he said.

He played for about an hour, focusing on his solo stuff, but also playing others like "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine" and, to my surprise, "Only Hope," which was marked Switchfoot's entrance to success some ten years ago with the Walk to Remember soundtrack.

He also spoke very candidly with fans in a conversation, but most importantly, he wanted to emphasize that concerts like these are what makes him do what he does. He said something along the lines of, "There are no tickets, no money, no merchandise." Only music, a musician, and listeners. A brilliant combination.


An example of the intimacy of the performance. This is one of the best-known songs, which explains why you hear the crowd more than Jon. The focusing on random people was supposed to be a panning of the crowd to show that there were only some 40 people there. And the whirring about halfway through was the Max going by, which it did about once every two minutes of course...haha


The exodus from Crystal Ballroom to the acoustic site, playing a sing-along version of "Hey Jude" along the way. This is my attempt to show what a crazy sensation it was to be following a rock star with an acoustic guitar, singing along to one of the best songs of all time, with a crowd of some 40 people in downtown Portland at night.

The Shins, Crystal Ballroom, May 6, 2009

Sometimes if a band goes two years without touring or two and a half without releasing an album, their fans will lose interest in them. But that band is not the Shins.

While on a short tour of the two U.S. coasts, the Shins are in the middle of a two-night stop in their hometown--Portland. The band made some comments about being rusty and forgetting how to perform live, but it was obvious that their fans had not forgotten them or the notes that blasted from the speakers one bit.

However, as much as the fans remembered their favorite band clearly in their minds, the Shins have changed considerably since they last performed in public in the summer of 2007. The Shins, once a four-person group from Albequerque, New Mexico, added Eric Johnson of the Fruit Bats to their ranks before making their last album. Little did the fans know that the rest of the band was transforming as well. Keyboardist Marty Crandall, who played with the Shins since thir Albequerque beginnings, got bad press for alleged domestic assault of his then-girlfriend in January 2008, and is now mysteriously absent from the lineup. The band has been quiet about this whole blemish. Frontman James Mercer says the alleged crime has nothing to do with Crandall's exit, and it actually sounds more that Mercer was looking for some new talent. Nonetheless, he's gone. Drummer Jesse Sandoval is now also missing, replaced by Joe Plummer, (No joke. This is supposedly his real name, though, and this guy seems a lot cooler than the tax-dodging, famous-for-a-day Joe.) who has played with Modest Mouse in the past.

This was a surprise for me but not as big of a surprise as Mercer's change of demeanor. When I saw the Shins in February of 2007, I barely remember Mercer speaking a word. He might have said "Thank you" once between songs, but Crandall did most of the chatting between songs. I've read interviews with Mercer where he said that he used to barf before concerts because he was so incredibly nervous and shy. He seemed so much happier and more comfortable this time, making the concert more fun to watch. There's no better concert than a good band having a good time.

As a part of a two-night stint (sold out each night at $35 a head. Add that revenue up...), the Shins will be back on stage tonight. But I'm wondering what they're going to play. Yes, they have three flawless albums (I would not call many bands' discographies flawless, and they did some covers (Beach Boys and Neil Young woot woot), but they played nearly all their hits. Maybe I'm underestimating the number of hits the band has, but going off of the blockbuster singles, last night they played "New Slang" (thank goodness. Most beautiful song I know.), "Australia," "Sleeping Lessons," "Phantom Limb," "Caring is Creepy," and on... After some thought, the only single I can find that they skipped over was "Kissing the Lipless." But maybe I'm not giving this band enough credit.

One more point in this scattered review: I have never seen a more excited audience before. Even in a packed stadium to see Counting Crows and Maroon 5, the fans weren't near as excited to see their favorite sell-outs than they were for this small indie band that does very little to promote itself. The pre-show energy was tangible, and the audience was enthralled when the band began. When they disappeared for the illusion of an encore, they didn't do a measily clap then give up. I counted at least 10 consecutive slow claps before I lost count, among other chants as well.

The Shins played a few new songs, all of which were upbeat and promising, but the band has made no clear promises of a release. Early 2010 is being thrown around, but with half of the band rookies, ambiguity is amok.

The Shins have done very little to make themselves as big as they are (besides snatching the luckiest draw of the indie music world when they got into the "Garden State" soundtrack to launch their career), but there's no going back now. They just might be the biggest indie rock band today (yes, that's counting you Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie, and Vampire Weekend), but 50 years from now will prove the same. The Shins' music isn't going away any time soon. Here's for hoping they treat their hometown with some more love in the near future.