The Guitar Center Drum Off is awesome, and reminds of how little talent I possess in all things music. I own a drum kit, and I play it quite a bit, but I’m not a drummer…and thanks to this kid, I’m reminded that I’ll never actually be able to call myself one. I don’t think this is the greatest solo I’ve ever witnessed from the Drum Off…wait…maybe it is. It’s mind-blowing no matter what…
We were fortunate enough to make it down to Philadelphia for the final event at the Philly Spectrum on Saturday – a three-and-a-half hour marathon Pearl Jam concert that I won’t soon forget. Witnessing a show like last night’s killed any remorse I had for missing the first three shows of their four-show stand at the legendary Broad Street venue. The Rocky music lead-in that the band came out to was the perfect introduction to a match that was about to go until the final bell, leaving both fighters – the band and the fans – completely drained.
A show on Halloween night, paired with the World Series being in town and knowing that it was the last event in the Spectrum gave us more than enough optimism for something different. With a new album worth of material to play, I knew I’d hear some songs that I had never heard live before, but Pearl Jam really threw a couple of punches that none of us expected. After the one encore, Pearl Jam acknowledged Halloween by coming out onto the stage dressed as Devo and playing Whip It. I guess the Devo shirt that Eddie was wearing earlier in the night foreshadowed the moment, but seriously, who would’ve expected such a funny sight. The cover was actually really good, but I don’t think my laughter subsided until about halfway through the song. Great moment.
Another surprise was when Eddie took the stage…which an accordion. Pretty much anyone who owns, or owned, Vitalogy knew what was coming. While Bugs isn’t exactly the song that you get excited about hearing for the quality, it’s surprise inclusion in the set helped set the night apart from the twenty-plus shows I’d attended. Of course, two surprises aren’t really that crazy at a Pearl Jam show, so to make the night even more unique, the band played Sweet Lew for the first time, Out of My Mind for only the third time, and songs like Pilate, Crown of Thorns, Rats, and Satan’s Bed; all of which are the antitheses of the Cordoroys and Even Flows heard show after show.
The band was clearly having a blast on stage and just when you thought the show was coming close to an end, they kept going…and going…and going…until the confetti shot up into the air and the balloons dropped from the rafters. Of course, even that didn’t represent the end. While I could go a lifetime without hearing Yellow Ledbetter send us home, closing the Spectrum with a song that signaled the beginning of so many events at the soon-to-be-demolished venue – The Star-Spangled Banner – seemed fitting.
All-in-all, the only show that I can confidently say rivaled this one was State College in ’03. I’ll call it a split decision.
Much to my surprise, Pearl Jam’s latest album, Backspacer, arrived in my work mailbox yesterday. After listening to it practically non-stop since I picked it up nearly 24 hours ago, I’m ready to critique it…I think.
Overall, I like the album. There are some songs that were complete misses for me, but most of the songs were good to simply awesome. I’m not going to break it down song-by-song, necessarily, because I’m not deep enough into it really be fair in that approach, but the easiest way to summarize this album is that it’s probably the most refreshing dose of Pearl Jam since Yield.
Unlike the masses, I’ve enjoyed all of Pearl Jam’s albums over the last 10 years, but this album has such a rejuvenated vibe to it. Maybe it’s a lack of political overtones that littered many of the songs from the last couple of albums, leaving room for Ed & Co. to write songs focusing on the introspective storytelling that helped build their early albums. Maybe I should write to Obama thanking him for winning the election, so we could have a freshly-focused PJ album.
Anyway, I’ve heard a lot about the first 3 songs being one the most in-your-face starts they’ve ever thrown at the listener…I’m not sure I agree with that, but it’s a very catchy, fast-paced introduction to get the listener to continue through the experience. Got Some and The Fixer will satisfy the mainstream immediately. Gonna See My Friend – which opens the album is a solid rocker, but I would place it below nearly every previous album opener they’ve put out, fast-paced or slow. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad song by any means, and it definitely gives you a good idea of what you’re in for over the next 36-and-a-half minutes, but it’s not going to blow you away.
I’m not really into Johnny Guitar, but maybe because it’s sandwiched between the easy-to-enjoy The Fixer and the first song that blew me away on the album, Just Breathe. Just Breathe has Into the Wild all over it, but I’m glad it made it’s way onto this album, or any album. It’s a simple love song…and simply beautiful.
Then you enter this heavy-reverbed and grand chorus-soaked two-song set of Amongst the Waves and Unthought Known, which are nice and reminiscent of Yield-era PJ. Easy to enjoy, and impossible to hate, but I’m still trying to figure out if they’re going to leave a mark.
One pleasant surprise for me was how much I liked Supersonic after not really “getting it” when I saw it live in Chicago. Part of it was unfamiliarity, and part of it was it not seeming tight, but on the CD, I absolutely love it. It’s like a mini tribute to the Ramones, with an awesome groove breakdown in the middle. One of my favorite songs on the albums, and I can guarantee a lot of people are going to be getting pulled over for speeding while listening to this one.
Speed of Sound is the biggest miss on the record for me. The demo that Pearl Jam released seemed so much more fitting for the lyrics. For those who didn’t get the demo, this might seem okay, but my liking for this song was sucked out the minute the faster tempo drums kicked in. Too forced and entirely out of place. It sort of kicks off the downside of the album for me, as Force of Nature and The End – both lauded in the PJ community – haven’t resonated with me at that level. Good, but nothing amazing. Maybe they’ll grow on me…
In the end, while this album won’t touch my top 10 all-time, it was definitely worth the money, and the enjoyable parts definitely outweigh the few parts that I could’ve done without. It’s challenging enough that you’ll want to listen to it more than once to get acquainted with, but it’s also easy to digest. Like wine…it’s good and easy to drink, but better when you get deeper into it…unfortunately, most people don’t have that much dedication.
7/10
On my way out to Chicago, I was thinking about how my excitement levels for going to Pearl Jam shows had fallen off a bit. I wasn’t looking forward to fighting my way through the merchandise lines to snag a poster, I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with all of the obnoxious super fans (yes, there are MUCH crazier fans than Mundis and I), and I hadn’t really been listening to too much PJ in the lead-up to the trip. I was feeling like going to the shows had become more of a tradition than something truly exciting. After night two, though, I was reminded of why we travel all over the place to see these guys play.
Night one was a really good show, albeit a bit shorter than usual (about 2 hours and 15 minutes). It was Megan’s first PJ show, and Mundis won the ticket lottery – landing him in the tenth row – so it was a pretty exciting night from the beginning. We even checked out the pre-party down the road from the United Center, which was a lot less irritating than we thought it would be. The setlist included some songs that I had never heard live before (Needle and the Damage Done, The Fixer, Got Some, The Real Me, Supersonic), which is one of those things we always hope for in going to the shows. I think their new songs, The Fixer and Got Some are awesome live. They’re so full of energy and the crowd really responded well to both. I’m reserving my judgment of Supersonic until I get to hear it on the album. It just didn’t sound tight live…or maybe I just need to hear it to get used to it. Other than that, the show was a nice reminder of why I’ve spent so much time and money going to see them. The experience is worth it. Jeff also had us sing happy birthday to a friend of his who had passed away, which provided a lot of insight into his poster design for that night. We weren’t thrilled about the design until we learned more about the meaning behind it…the appreciation is much deeper now. Regardless, night one was a really nice show, and it left me excited for night two.
Night two was destined to be better than night one. Why? Well…because on my way to grab food and do some shopping we ran into Jeff Ament. I typically don’t bother famous people when I see them, and I didn’t want to bother Jeff, but I had to at least say hi. With Jeff being essentially the only person that Mundis would want to meet (Mundis was being a tourist and visiting the Field Museum instead), it would’ve been rude to not say anything. Jeff was totally cool with us interrupting his shopping excursion and kindly let me get a photo with him. We thanked him for an awesome show the night before, and moved along. I was nervous as hell, so I didn’t really know what to say, but it was nice of him to be so chill.
Then the show ended up being one of the best, if not the best show I’ve seen them play in the 22 times I’ve seen them. The first set was hands down the best I can remember. It had a very vintage PJ feel, with nothing but raw energy carrying the band. You could see that the band was having a blast on stage. While they didn’t play anything that I hadn’t heard before, there were 21 different songs from night one. Even songs that we’re typically sick of hearing were really good…almost like a fresh start. Better Man and Daughter were finally exciting to hear again. I can only hope that when PJ puts the bootlegs on sale, that it sounds as good as the show we thought we experienced. It was amazing. It was also cool to get a poster by the same artist who designed the Backspacer album art – Tom Tomorrow.
On my way out of the United Center on Monday, all I could do was think about how floored I was and how much fun the shows were. Getting posters wasn’t a problem, the crowds were awesome, the set lists were great, and the performances were amazing. It’s exactly what I needed to get me pumped for Halloween…when I’ll be traveling to Philly to see Pearl Jam rock the Spectrum!
In the 3+ years that I’ve lived in Pittsburgh, I’ve never gone to a “Skyblast” night at PNC Park. Skyblast is basically where the Pirates have crazy fireworks and some musical act play post-Pirates loss (or win…). Call me weird, but I’m just not into fireworks…and DEFINITELY not into them as much as your average Pittsburgher. Regardless, it was pretty cool.
The fireworks were 10 times better than the crappy 4th of July show, with fireworks going off on the Clemente Bridge, Highmark building, the outfield, etc. It was definitely a more impressive display than your simple barge-in-the-water thing last month.
For the musical guest, the Pirates brought in O.A.R., which was actually a nice change from the typical, washed-up-but-still-adored-in-Pittsburgh bands like Styx that are practically Gods here. Like Dimar said, “I know you think those bands suck, but there are a lot of people in Pittsburgh that think those bands are awesome”. Sorry, Styx…I forgot that Renegade will keep you paid for eternity thanks to Steeler fans inherited acceptance of it being thought of as an “awesome” song.
Anyway, I’m not an O.A.R. fan, but it was cool to at least see a band that was still somewhat relevant playing at PNC Park. I was actually impressed with them for the most part. Here’s a band that has 2 decently popular radio hits, both which are major departures from their normal sound, and they opted to save those songs for the end. Instead they played their reggae-inspired jam stuff for most of their hour-and-fifteen-minute set. Of course, they sort of HAD to jam a lot…
Why?
Well, because the lead singer lost his voice about 3 lines into the first song…maybe less. When the band first started, the sound was awful, but unlike John Legend’s sound guy, O.A.R. fixed the sound before the end of the first verse. Too bad he couldn’t restore the lead singer’s vocal cords. Picture Dicky Barrett from the Bosstones singing Crazy Game of Poker, and you’ve got what we heard. I was highly impressed with the band’s ability to jam in an attempt to carry the show without vocals. At one point, the keyboard player decided to give the words a shot, and he did a good enough job to get the crowd back into it, but it was still a tough scene to witness.
Regardless, the show was solid, and I’d rather see that 10 times over than the Zac Brown band. They’re a good group of musicians – nothing spectacular – but talented enough to hold my interest with their simple jams. The fact that they carried on says a lot about their fortitude, and the courage of Marc – the lead singer – to come back and sing anyway to finish the night was impressive. There aren’t a lot of bands that could continue on without a singer. I mean…what the hell would Pearl Jam do if Vedder lost his voice? Have Stone sing? Not a promising thought in the least. So, even with the human malfunction, I will say that O.A.R. put on a good show. All poppy, chart-climbing songs aside, they’re not bad and actually sound really good live. I sort of hope they get a chance to come back and redeem themselves soon…unlike the Pirates…who AGAIN were completely outplayed, outclassed, and shown what real baseball is in a 5-2 beat-down courtesy of the Cardinals.
Sound quality can make or break a performance…as demonstrated by the John Legend show last night at the Palace Theater in Greensburg.
When he came walking down one of the aisles singing Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, I was excited. Not giddy wannabe groupie excited, but optimistic that this show was going to be really intimate and truly highlight his voice – similar to the Vedder show we had seen recently. Unfortunately, the sound laid down to begin the show disappeared quickly as the full band joined in and Legend made his way to the stage.
Once the band started playing, the mix quality became something that I just couldn’t ignore. Here we were, trying to listen to an artist who’s voice is the focal point of his music, and we could barely hear him. While I’m sure the band was filled with phenomenal musicians, you would barely be able to tell with the way the audio was mixed. The vocals were drowned out by the bass drum level, the guitar player might as well have been playing air guitar since you couldn’t hear his solos, and the drummer’s solo was more fun to watch than listen to with the bass drowning out every nuance.
The few songs that Legend did solo with just the piano were really good, and I’m sure all of the songs on the stage monitors were awesome…just not what was delivered to the audience. I know it’s not the sound quality at the Palace, because I’ve seen Buddy Guy and Social Distortion there and those shows were really good. If I ever see John Legend again, I hope he has a new soundboard guy…otherwise, it won’t be worth the price of admission…despite his great stage presence, crowd interaction, and talent.
Making stuff like this easier to come by…
With Pearl Jam’s announcement of their concert poster pre-sale to all 10 Club fan members who’ve already purchased fan club tickets, my enjoyment of their shows has already improved before hearing a single song. The following text from Mundis pretty much sums up my feelings…
“U know this poster pre-sale kinda takes out the whole ‘figure out when to get to the venue, get in line, wait forever, get inside, get somewhat nauseous, find a stand, get crushed, get ur balls off my ass, stop breathing on my head, you’re stepping on my foot, I smell body odor, does this dude beside me take showers, do I have enough cash, you just rubbed your boobs on my elbow, here take my place, get a wristband maybe, wait in line after the show, hey that fucker has two wristbands somehow, get your poster finally’ fun feeling out of it. Ya know?”
Yes…yes, I do know, Jason.
Last night we met up with Barbato & Kromer to check out The Black Keys show at the Three Rivers Arts Festival at the point.
As I stated last August after they played AE’s NAMU festival, I’m just not that impressed…which sucks, because I really like their studio stuff. The Black Keys live, though, is just a sloppy exhibition of noise. Simplicity can be amazing at times, but every song live is basically a run-on sentence filled with distortion and simple drums under an umbrella of ringing cymbal noise. Even the songs that I absolutely love get butchered with sub-par vocal performances and disjointed, overwhelmingly careless guitar playing. They just haven’t done justice to their own music – which is awesome in the studio – the two times that I’ve seen them.
What’s annoying is that while I’m 0-for-2 in the “will The Black Keys impress me?” challenge, a search on youtube will result in some good performances, like the following – which is one of the better performances I’ve seen and one of my favorite songs of theirs:
I love the hard-hitting, in-your-face approach…just not the execution. I’m totally cool with low-fi production, too, but I still need to feel it. For now, I’ll just continue rocking out to their CDs and wait until the next free live show to give them another chance. Third time has to be a charm, right?
Two things had me excited about going to the Kings of Leon show at Duquesne’s AJ Palumbo Center last night. First, they rocked at Lollapalooza a few years ago before My Morning Jacket and Pearl Jam took the stage, so I knew that they could put on a good show. The opportunity to see them in a small venue only added to that appeal. Second, unlike some of the so-called KoL “purists”, I thought their latest album was pretty damn good, so the hopes of hearing a song like “closer” had me really pumped.
We got there shortly after the opening band, The Walkmen, took the stage. They weren’t bad, but really didn’t do much to get the crowd going. The singer’s David Grey-esque vocals were solid, but they just didn’t have the energy I’ve come to expect from opening rock bands. Their sound was good…they just need to kill the boring it’s-cool-to-look-and-act-lame-as-hell stage presence.
Kings came out rocking, and I was pleasantly surprised by the variety in their set. Their willingness to stray away from their latest offerings and break out high-energy older stuff was awesome. Only By The Night is a solid album, but it probably couldn’t carry a show on its own legs. By playing fast, raw rockers from their first two albums, the show flew by and brought the perfect energy level for the younger college crowd. The hour-and-a-half setlist that delved into past records probably left newer fans feeling shorted, but the awesome set should have convinced those only listening to “Sex on Fire” on repeat to dig deeper, as some of their best live material comes from their previous albums.
Check ‘em out…
I can’t believe I never reviewed the movie “30 Days of Night”, but I picked up the King of Leon CD “Only By The Night”, and the first track (“Closer”) is mesmerizing. I think I find it so good because it immediately reminded me of 30 Days of Night, and how tight that movie was. I have no idea if the song was written about that movie, but if it wasn’t, it would’ve been a perfect fit for it. Frickin’ moody and tight as hell. “Closer” started me off on the right foot as I went through the entire album a good 10 times. I think the first half of the album crushes the later songs, but it’s a solid listen all the way through.
Anyway, watch 30 Days of Night, then go pick up the latest KoL CD. The first song will kick your ass when you couple it with the vision of the movie. It’s a solid album and the first 4 songs are worth the purchase alone. The album averages 3.9 stars in my iTunes library…an average that may go up the more I listen to some of the lower-rated songs on there.