Jun 30
DaraCollege Rock, New Wave
lead singer’s voice is some mix of Peter Murphy and David Bowie which sounds amazing but they’re not – they never particularly struck me in the 1990s and I figured out why once I saw them live some 20 years later – he’s just too happy – lead singer Richard Butler, looking either very old or wasted from years of drugs, wore a little scarf and danced with little glad-hands on the stage – this is not the sort of behavior I want from Peter-Murphy-voiced musicians – I’m being too hard on them though – lots of their songs are evocative of old times – I don’t know their body of work well enough to be critical (been together since the 1970s!) but they also don’t motivate me to find out more – there’s something one toned/bland about their music
May 28
DaraCollege Rock, Hard Rock, Punk
[Seattle, WA] so most of the bands tonight ended up being former members of the audience, easily identifiable since the audience started out pretty sparse – this band ended up being the guy next to me who had the shirt I was crushing on (‘No Trends’) and the guy in the ‘NoTV’ shirt – as you might expect, people who don’t believe in trends aren’t necessarily a lot of fun – the music was a distinct departure from everything else, no feedback and no distortion, just clanging slapping-your-face guitar, bass and drums – they intentionally chose notes that didn’t quite fit together and weren’t exactly rhythmic or melodic – more of a marching discordant sound – NoTV was the mid-40s bald-headed singer, and he sang spoken voice a la Henry Rollins – NoTrends was the bassist, proficient, but the theological ringleader from my perspective at least – the band was a cross between Primus and Cake but that’s making them sound better than they were – they were abrasive and unpleasant – so I was all prepared to give this band one of the worst reviews (at least for a group of good musicians) that I have in a long time, until they suddenly changed face and started playing faster and harder and were fantastic – so I conclude that they’re your average intently nihilistic hardcore band, who having aged, can’t turn to country or to writing ballads, so turn to slowed down hardcore that sounds like crap
May 07
DaraCollege Rock, Jazz, Rock and Roll, Rockabilly
[California now] surprisingly probably my favorite show – former bassist of The Stray Cats – he conveniently played some of their stuff and then did a sort of homage to Sun Records’ musicians – while same-old same-old rockabilly bands get tiresome tiresome, hearing his very apt renditions of Stray Cats’ songs reminded me how un-same of a band they were – cool darkness, style, distinctive pacing with the bass lines – they were a great band and he translated that to us all by himself (with a backing band) – and then he reminded me, something I only learned upon moving to Texas, of the pivotal-ness of Sun Records’ musicians, a good lesson for any young person
Mar 20
DaraCollege Rock, Modern Rock, Rock and Roll, World Music
[Dublin, Ireland] average-joe middle-aged guys doing very enjoyable raucous rock that was a mixture of U2 and Irish pub songs
Mar 18
DaraCollege Rock, Indie Rock, Modern Rock
[Santa Cruz, CA] I have a small crush on David Lowery, both for this band and Cracker – the music was great, didn’t realize how many songs I knew from this band, but the man disappointed me – he flinched and stopped at one point, looking as if he’d been hit by something, but it turned out he’d somehow been shocked by the microphone – once he recovered (30 sec later), he started tapping his guitar to the microphone to show us the sparks and yelling that we should never return to this place – eventually one of the venue’s employees ran up to the stage to apologize but David grabbed his beer from his hand, poured it out on the stage, and pushed the employee, telling the crowd “See, he’s drinking while on the job” – he had a right to be upset but he took it too far? – they finished their set but ended by saying there wasn’t time for Cracker to follow as scheduled
Mar 17
DaraCollege Rock, Indie Rock
[Los Angeles, CA] didn’t find this band striking but it was in part due to total exhaustion – keyboards, guitars, and drums – kind of spacey lo-fo indie rock – appreciated their genuineness
Mar 17
DaraCollege Rock
[Portland, OR] he comes very highly recommended and is always billed as “Miles Kurosky (from Beulah)” – maybe he ought to have stayed in Beulah because I didn’t get him – it was bland dad rock even though there was like 8 guys on stage – we looked Beulah up and they are associated with the Elephant 6 collective which is associated with Of Montreal which is about the best thing I have to say
Aug 31
AndrewAlternative Rock, College Rock
Despite illness canceling one show earlier in the week, the Counting Crows were in fine form during their Boston stop on the Traveling Circus and Medicine Show. Lead singer Adam Duritz started on the festivities with an extended PSA for the non-profits at the venue. Then the full company, the band plus Michael Franti and Spearhead and Augustana, came out for a rousing two-song introduction to the party. The Counting Crows took the stage on their own for the opening set that included a beautiful version of If I Could Give All My Love.
For their two sets, the Counting Crows covered a lot of ground, including a healthy dose of August and Everything After, Omaha, Mr. Jones, and Anna Begins. They brought out a rarity, the Nanci Griffith track Going Back To Georgia (which Duritz sang on and co-wrote), and from the new album When I Dream Of Michelangelo.
This was a fine, fine performance, and the format of the night, each band playing a shorter set intermixed with collaborations, actually worked. There was a seemless transition between sets. Some of the best songs were collaborative efforts, like Why Should You Come When I Call and a cover of Bob Dylan’s Just Like a Woman. The night ended as it began, with the full company on stage, pounding through a rousing version of Paul Simon’s Cecilia and the Crows’ own classic Rain King.
Aug 31
AndrewCollege Rock, Emo
Augustana contrasted pretty sharply with the other bands by being an understated cross between Coldplay and Bob Dylan. Their two sets during the night where fine performances despite being low key pop affairs, giving the crowd a break from the frenetic energy of Michael Franti and Adam Duritz. Their music was mellow-bordering-on-emo, and their stage presence was completely swallowed up by the other bands. It was hard to see how they could carry a show on their own.
Playing the track Boston would have been pandering except it was the highlight of their set.
Aug 05
AndrewAlternative Rock, College Rock
Jason Mraz spent the first few minutes on stage introducing his band, a unique way to get the party started. But it was a rippin’ party, complete with a short set from the back of the venue that gave the crowd back there some lovin’. Mraz is an awesome stage performer, with a beautiful range and a way of transitioning between ballads and long extended jams that feels natural and keeps the audience engaged from start (an introduction by Bushwalla) to finish (a lengthy goodbye to the audience just Mraz on stage by himsefl). There were no hiccups in the almost two hour set, highlighted by a soaring version of Only Human, a singalong of I’m Yours (complete with Bob Marley’s Everything’s Gonna Be Alright).
Marz stripped down to the bare essentials for a short set from the back of the venue, shown on the video screens in black and white for the benefit of the people in the front of the house. Included a spine-tingling version of At Last that segued into Sleep All Day. The band jammed while Mraz made his way back to the mainstage for an encore of Clockwatching (including a hint of the Charlie’s Angels theme song) and The Dynamo Of Volition.
Jason Mraz setlist
Fun, Fun, Fun
The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)
Make It Mine
Who Needs Shelter
If It Kills Me
Live High
Only Human
Unfold
Beautiful Mess
I’m Yours/Everything’s Gonna Be Alright
Butterfly
Back of the Venue
Lucky
Never Too Late
At Last/Sleep All Day
Copchase
Encore
Clockwatching
The Dynamo Of Volition
Jul 21
DaraAlt-Country, College Rock, Hard Rock, Punk
sported the polish and confidence of a band who has performed for years and years – almost want to write them off as silly party boys but they managed to pull off sunglasses at night, coordinated movements, and holding the guitar up for the audience to worship because they are sincere in their worship of rock and because they can back it up with some really good music – very nearly 3 separate bands within one: they had very tight garage punk songs that were distinguished by short punctuated segments a la The Hellacopters, they had songs that were spot-on expressions of the nichey genre ‘punk n’ roll,’ and they have their country a la Cracker – lots of wah wah pedal too – they’re fun for the whole music family
Mar 21
DaraCollege Rock, Modern Rock
we hated it and left after a couple of songs but keep in mind that 4 days of 12 hours of music will make you a tad intolerant of average-joe rock – UrbanBiker described it as music for the 20- to 30-year-old female… heartfelt… emotional
Sep 26
AndrewCollege Rock
Ben Folds spent the first “60 minutes or so” on his new material Way to Normal. It was a confusing romp, typical Ben Folds melodrama…er, melodies, some playfulness and a few outstanding tunes. But it all got lost in the mix because the new album isn’t out until Tuesday and so the songs were largely unfamiliar. Then there was the continuous switch between the “real” songs and the “fake” songs.
He explained it something like this. After the album details had been locked in, the band went back into a studio and spent three days recording “fake” songs to leak out to the internet. So Folds and co. brought the real and the fake to the show. So we got two versions each of Brainwascht, Frown Song, Free Coffee, Dr. Yang and set closer Bitch Went Nuts. It is wrong that a few of the fake songs (in particular Brainwascht) came off better than the real ones? The best of the fakes was what he called Free Coffee Town (the original’s just Free Coffee.) Better than the original? Okay, maybe that’s harsh. But at least equal.
He opened with Way to Normal, which isn’t even on the new album. The fourth song of the set, the single You Don’t Know Me, was the best of the night. Runner-up was the tune Effington. Kylie from Connecticut was a mercifully short detour into balladry.
Folds’ band are totally game for his high drama style of performance, from the bassist singing respectable harmonies in place of Regina Spektor (on You Don’t Know Me) to the frequent forays to the front of the stage for the guy who plays the glockenspiel. The background images were projected onto a curtain, an innovative way to give the backdrop a bit of texture. After a while though, the images started to blur together. And frankly, for anyone in the mezzanine or balcony, the lighting the entire night was obnoxious (and unfortunately, seemed purposeful.)
The encore of sorts was a short set of Ben Folds hits including Rockin’ the Suburbs and Army.
Ben Folds setlist
Way to Normal
Brainwascht (real)
Effington
You Don’t Know Me
Free Coffee (real)
Brainwascht (fake)
Errant Dog
Cologne
Free Coffee (fake)
Frown Song (real)
Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)
Dr. Yang (fake)
Dr. Yang (real)
Kylie from Connecticut
Bitch Went Nuts (real)
Bitch Went Nuts (fake)
Encore
Zak & Sara
Rockin’ the Suburbs
Underground
Landed
Army
Frown Song (fake)
Sep 16
DaraCollege Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Prologue:
A long-time closet favorite of mine – her melodies are soothing – her lyrics are smart, interesting and relatable – she’s stunning – realized tonight that her incongruently deep speaking voice may be what makes her songs within my range
Austin City Limits tapings:
Only my second because they make the tickets practically impossible to get (not for sale so have to have connections), this of course creates the requisite mystique, plus they generally only book high-quality musicians and have a tremendous sound system, the crowd (seated and genteel) is basically middle-aged musicheads and suburban people who otherwise don’t go to see music
Impressions:
Quite awkward with gangly and ungraceful height and shoulders hunching up to her ears – her face matches her deep voice with sharp features, a defined brow and oft-blinking eyes – despite all of this she is an attractive person – pretty rigid on the stage outside of her mildly ribald between-song commentaries and a seemingly intentional stage presence (smiles, rock star poses, etc.) for the last song – seemed to be using ‘fuck’ to convince the audience that she is not mainstream
Started with single “Freeway” from her new album – the song that her fans supposedly hate, “The Great Beyond,” was clearly a departure (almost proggy classic rock) – but then I realized that she’s genuinely got a prog rock bent what with the moog and organ accompanying on every song – had a token world-music song – did a very nice job with “Save Me” and “One is the Loneliest Number” from Magnolia – hit every song from my favorite album (Bachelor No. 2) except for “Hanging Around” – the three encore songs were all from this album: “How Am I Different,” “Nothing is Good Enough,” “Calling It Quits”
Moog player was clean-cute-cute with Converses – organ player was old rocker with long frayed hair in a Mean Eyed Cat t-shirt (a Johnny-Cash themed bar in Austin) and velvet jacket – buddy on bass was 80s geek with bold tie and striped shirt under business jacket – drummer was a healthy round bald guy with heavy glasses – not sure that she has a regular band outside of the geek
Her singing voice is very natural and effortless – it can be melodious and perfect but then there’s a constraint or stiltedness to it (somehow a part of that effortlessness) – something about this and her general minor-chord aura reminds me of Townes Van Zandt – realized that part of the stiltedness is her voice sliding into nasal restraint for the higher notes – I figured all of this out when she did my favorite song “Red Vines” without her band, slowed down and acoustic
Doesn’t try to sound like the boys but definitely not a girly girl singer – she’s a good pop song writer: melodies with some driving loops but some of her songs sound too much like her (repetitive or too clearly Aimee Mann) but some are lovely and take you in – high quality pop that endures
Her between-song banter largely involved mocking the pee-ers – admitted she was very nervous – told a story about a song that she wrote for Shrek 3 that was in part inspired by Snow White and the dwarves that she quite liked despite it not being quite her style (try-try-try again theme) – but after they asked her to speed it up and then asked her to make it sound like Fall Out Boy and then didn’t accept it anyway she totally reworked it and changed the meaning to a twisted fairytale theme
Epilogue:
So I was operating under the impression that she was a fellow child of the 90s in her Doc Martens, jeans and funky little t-shirt and vest – not to mention she sang a song about being 31 and realizing that your life isn’t what you expected it would be and that you really ought to have your shit more together – but upon some googling when I got home I figured out that she’s 47 (!!!), was in a punk band called Young Snakes when she dropped out of Berklee music school and then a new wave band Til Tuesday in the 80s…
Sep 13
DaraBluegrass, Britpop, Classic Rock, College Rock, Jam Band, Southern Rock
not as dirty (“music for the unwashed and well-read” as they say) as I remembered them – darling curly haired middle-aged member still smoked on stage but nobody else did – think the vision I have of them all living together in a trailer in a incessant jam session is just that (a vision), easy to pick out the member who sang on the cover of Gin and Juice with his highish irreverent voice, had them classified in my head as hard bluegrass but totally inaccurate, covered a huge range of styles on a generally “rootsy” (as they said) foundation, started off with strong twinges of Cajun but depending on who sang veered toward British invasion, Southern rock, etc. etc., they’re a more countrified Grateful Dead, you should know that guitars, mandolins, bass, accordions, keyboards, drums, fiddles, banjos, lap steels are employed
Apr 30
DaraBritpop, College Rock
unassuming look but quite good, Rockboy pointed out that you don’t often see a female on lead guitar (usually it’s bass) and she was darling and pouty too, the rest were baseball capped average joes but they enthusiastically played noise-pop, bit of a shoegazer sound
Apr 22
DaraBluegrass, College Rock, Country
young whippersnappers with too little cred (in music or life) to be as cocky as they were in their silly sunglasses and tidy little mohawks, had a huge college-hippie crowd, they do mostly covers (I believe) of bluegrass/country, grudgingly acknowledged that they sounded the tiniest bit like O’Death but don’t take that too seriously
Mar 28
AndrewCollege Rock
Although they were out promoting a new album, the new songs were few and far between. Maybe for the couple hundred fans crammed into the Somerville Theatre, that’s just as well. They played the old tracks with a pretty hard rock emphasis going all the way back to She’s An Angel and Ana Ng, and the crowd ate it up. But even the new stuff was well received, with the track Contrecoup got the same level of cheer as Alphabet of Nations (which, in this humble reviewer’s opinion, was a major highlight.) They got the crowd going with favs like Doctor Worm, Particle Man and a rousing participation-required run through of Clap Your Hands. Both The Guitar and Hey Mr. DJ sounded more cohesive live than their studio versions (you’re a real song, Pinocchio!)
Since on average, a They Might Be Giants song runs a two-minutes, a two-hour show makes a meaty setlist. John and John have been playing together for 25+ years but the witty banter seemed more like a forced time out for old men (they look every bit the late-forties they are) than adlib. At thirty-plus songs / two plus hours, the show started to sag a bit at the 1 hour mark but they quickly revived the energy with New York City, a great version of Take Out the Trash and the main set closer The Mesopotamians (both from their new album The Else.) They closed out with Birdhouse in Your Soul and Fingertips.
At the beginning of the show, the crew threw out yellow foam hands labeled with the band’s name. Since I was in the front row, I ended up with three (they’re foam, it’s not like they throw very far) and gave them to the two teenage boys sitting in my row with their fathers. Midway through the show, they shot confetti out from a canon and again as the show closed. It was a lot, and some of it ended up on my bedroom floor.
I’ve been a fan of TMBG for twenty years and it’s a shame it took me twenty years to see them live. Then again, it’s amazing that they are still playing live. I don’t say this to mock their age, but John and John both use very affected vocals (often, instead of straight singing, they use almost kid voices, or voices you might use to talk to kids.) I’m impressed that in all these years, they can still do that and be pitch perfect on every song and harmonize with one another. Okay, I get it, they’ve had a lot of practice. Though they haven’t mentioned releasing this leg of the tour as live mp3s, it’s too bad. From what I heard, it would be worth the $10.
Mar 15
DaraCollege Rock, Dub, Hard Rock, Reggae
Sublime-lite, similar sensibility to O.A.R. – actually stopped to give a motivational speech that he apologized for, rock that verged into pop-punk with reggae/dub undertones
Mar 02
DaraCollege Rock, Indie Rock, Singer/Songwriter
a sociologist by day and a songstress by night — her CD release party, she and her piano were accompanied by B. Sterling Archer (a whiz on many instruments) and Brett Staggs, still strikes me as solid and genuine, she is a more mainstream Fiona Apple, I was so proud
Feb 29
DaraCollege Rock
just really terrible, bad 90s alternative rock lite, all unusually short as well
Feb 18
AndrewAlternative Rock, College Rock
Mute Math “from New Orleans!” put on a decent 20 minute opening set ahead of Alanis and Matchbox Twenty that was high on theatrics. Taking their musical cue from The Police (and even some vocal stylings reminiscent of Sting) each song was stretched and distorted, taking away their arena-rock cred but keeping the set dynamic. They upped their ante on antics on the closing tune Break the Same that included three band mates playing percussion at the same time and earlier lead singer Paul Meany doing gymnastics on his keyboard (including a flip right over the top). The best song in the set was the new single Typical.
Mute Math Setlist
Chaos
Typical
Control
Break the Same
Feb 14
DaraArt Rock, College Rock
the costumes were fantastic – every band member had a rigged costume that allowed them to play instruments with the real rams and fake limbs to maintain arms-raised one-leg-crooked-in-preparation – this gave them a perpetually hyped appearance which was the only relief, an insufficient relief, from their inane tacky boring music, less talented and less creative version of They Might Be Giants, kept returning to the Karate Kid theme in the lyrics of their song, the kind of band that would amuse you if it was a good friend playing for a group of friends, low-level talent insofar as vocals and instrumentals, the sctichk was all they had
Nov 02
DaraAlt-Country, College Rock, Punk, Rock and Roll
one of my favorite shows ever, I loved this band and love them still, eerie to see the man with the voice I’ve heard for so many years, incredible variety in their music from slow country dearths to jumpy punk to plain old rock to quirky indie, but always dark, one of the cleanest most professional sounding bands I’ve ever seen, I want so badly to sit with him on a porch on the California beach, he’s a wise man, oh and he was wearing a white hoody with rainbow-colored lines across it because he’s cool like that and doesn’t care
Sep 29
AndrewAlternative Rock, College Rock, Pop, Singer/Songwriter, Soft Rock
With swift set changes between bands, and minimal sponsor plugs, MixFest 2007 was an almost uninterrupted four and half hours of music. Twice between sets, the DJs of Mix 98.5 offered seat upgrades to a lucky fan who sent a text message care of sponsor Dunkin’ Donuts, but when they called out the name of the winner of the upgrade, it was hard to tell if that person was even in the arena. It seemed like a useless gesture anyway because nobody stopped a stampede of freeloaders who rushed the stage from Colbie Caillat to Matchbox Twenty. So if whoever won the seat upgrade took advantage of it, they had to compete for a view of the stage with a couple dozen other people who took their own initiative to upgrade their seat to the front row.
The music between sets were music videos by Beyoncé (“to the left, to the left,”) Plain White T’s, and Fergie, plus Who Knew by Pink and for whatever reason, snippets of Barenaked Ladies classic The Old Apartment but never the whole song.
Matchbox Twenty nonchalantly took the stage and launched into Long Day. Theirs was a laid-back reunion, the first of a handful of tour dates in promotion of their greatest hits set Exile on Mainstream
.
Their set was a rousing singalong from start to finish and the crowd was very into it. Thomas, himself, was a bundle of good vibrations. He danced to the beat of the music, engaging the crowd with winks and expressions of delight perfectly captured on the video screens (and likely hundreds of camera phones.) He’s an ultra-expressive performer, it pays to be close enough to watch his face as well as his grooves. But the thing that struck most about Matchbox Twenty’s leading man is how normal he seems, the guy next door type. He came across instantly approachable and likable. He chatted a lot during the set, as much to his bandmates as to the crowd, and whizzed through familiar songs like 3am and If You’re Gone.
New tracks held up well against the old material, but amazingly, they seemed to have a more relaxed bent than some of the older songs. The lyrics to How Far We’ve Come seem like the typical Matchbox Twenty downer ballad, but the energy and the pulse of the song just don’t fit their old image the way Unwell and Bent perfectly encapsulated it. And they wedged the downright playful song I’ll Believe You When in between Bright Lights and the set closer Push. The energy picked up further into the set, especially Real World, Back to Good. A middle-aged woman in the crowd took center stage at the bottom of the stairs at section 114, using her fist as a microphone, gyrating and waving and imploring for attention from Rob Thomas, and when that didn’t work, turning her attention to the audience behind her. She was so hysterical, she kept waving for whomever she was with to join her “on stage,” and that person shrunk done further in his seat the longer she stayed at her mark.
Thomas introduced an extended jam version of Bright Lights with a few lines of Please Come to Boston (a song Joan Baez made famous). The song also featured Kyle Cook and Paul Doucette (who moved off of the drums and is now playing guitar) taking turns on lead vocals.
Daughtry was an energetic warm-up act for Matchbox Twenty. Chris Daughtry was a force on stage, sexy and personable all at once, riveting to take in. There is no way to understate how much of a turn-on his performance was, all the way up the last song. He engaged the audience to sing with him, it worked better on the new single Over You than earlier in the set. But if nothing else, it proved that Chris Daughtry, the almost-American Idol, was no fluke. His stage presence and soulful hard rock was custom-tailored for mainstream.
Daughtry mixed some radio-friendly tunes It’s Not Over and Home over the course of the set, and added in a fine cover of Alice in Chains Nutshell. What About Now proved even their balladry was impressive. During Nutshell, and the set closing There and Back Again, Daughtry left the stage to send the attention to the rest of the band. Overall, from the lighting to the simple red curtains in the backset, everything about this forty-five minute performance worked.
The only downside was a painfully extended version of There and Back Again that seared your ears. But it came at the end of the set, and keep this in perspective: who needs to hear when you can’t take your eyes of Daughtry?
Local news anchor Maria Stephanos put in an appearance with Mix 98.5 DJ Gregg Daniels. Her voice was painful high-pitched, nails on the chalkboard, it was hard to imagine that she’s a nightly news anchor on Fox. Daniels, somehow, was even more annoying. He put on a Red Sox jersey seemingly for the whole purpose of getting the hometown crowd to cheer. (The Sox were losing at the time to the Minnesota Twins, though they eventually won the game.)
Mat Kearney’s unremarkable twenty-minute set featured Undeniable, his breakout single, and Breathe In, Breathe Out which he introduced as “a song for doctors to make out to” because it was picked up by Grey’s Anatomy. But it didn’t matter because nothing in his set stood out. Kearney and his band seemed fixed in place. Granted, it was a tight space, a small stage to begin with and two bands’ worth of instruments still packed away behind them. But there was something decidedly perfunctory about the whole affair. Rather than embracing a chance to play for a crowd who was less familiar with him, he seemed to be just putting in the time until the next act.
Kearney called out Boston a number of times within the songs, modifying a short interlude during Undeniable to rap about MixFest, the Red Sox and Boston. The crowd cheered, but he might as well have yelled “Yankees sucked” because it wasn’t the music they were reacting to. A few points for stage presence, but charming, he was not.
Before Mat Kearney’s set, the DJ’s Daniels and Fast Freddy, asked the crowd for someone who wanted to introduce Kearney. They pointed out a woman on the floor about half-way back of the arena, calling to her, “Come up here, Jiggles!” The lady, a heavy-set woman in her late thirties, raced up like a little school girl, seemingly oblivious to the insult. Then, she came out on stage to make the announcement, and Daniels implored her to dance again, saying it was seeing the dance was the reason he picked her out of the crowd. Nancy “Jiggles” from Taunton, MA was a bundle of energy, made a great introduction, even stumbling over Mat Kearney’s name. A minute later, as Kearney launched into her set, we saw Jiggles walk by our row on her way to the concession stand. Apparently, not a fan.
Even a relatively small venue like Agganis Arena was too big for the voice of Colbie Caillat. She was absolutely swallowed up by the acoustics, and her vocals weren’t that strong to begin with. She arrived on stage preceded by a 5 piece band, in a minuscule black dress that was one inch (on top and on bottom) from being a whore. Plus, it was a poor fit and more than once, she stepped out of the spotlight to adjust her dress. She lacked any stage presence at all, and on the video screen, no amount of make-up could hide her bad skin, her face riddled with acne.
There was nothing great about her material, mostly Vegas lounge act, washed out high notes and lifeless songs. Her bassist handled the material better in falsetto than her vocals. When she introduced the tune The Little Things my friend leaned over to me and said, “Like her dress.” She started to introduce the new single, Realize, but was interrupted by a heckler in the front row, probably calling out to her that he could see straight up her dress. Her response was a bubbly “Thank you!”
The last song of her set, the “hit” Bubbly, was the only time when she put on a show, channeling a little bit of Jewel. The rest was just filler.
With little fanfare, Gregg Daniels and Lady D of Mix 98.5 in Boston, MA, introduced Blue October as the opening act of MixFest 2007. My friend described the two DJs as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and What Not to Wear on the stage all at once. Fortunately, they were only there for the sponsor’s plug which included, strangely enough, Land O’Lakes cheese.
Blue October sounded great. The material from the last album Foiled forces Justin Furstenfeld to sing, which he can do, but hasn’t done enough of in earlier concert outings. They opened MixFest to a tiny percentage of the 7000+ capacity crowd, but gave a tight and energized performance for those smart enough to arrive on time. Calling You was absolutely gorgeous. Furstenfeld’s stylized vocals only faltered at the end. He took to saying the lyrics to Hate Me instead of singing them. But the song is heart-wrenching and it capped a brief, but thoroughly satisfying, ride.
I hope it was the band’s choice to go early rather than a function of being the least well known of the bunch. Though I concede it was probably the latter explanation for how they pulled the 7pm start time, it was a bit of a disappointment to only hear 5 songs. And since Blue October were vastly better than the two acts that followed, it really made the decision questionable.
Nevertheless, it was a great mix of music.
Sep 29
AndrewCollege Rock, Pop
Just minutes before Matchbox Twenty took the stage as headliners of MixFest 2007, the song Jungle Boogie blared out from the speakers appropo of nothing. The song spun itself out and the band nonchalantly took the stage and launched into Long Day. It was a laid-back reunion, the first of a handful of tour dates in promotion of their greatest hits set Exile on Mainstream
.
If the band has been away for a while, you can probably put a lot of the blame on Rob Thomas. The band was on hiatus while Thomas decided to take his act solo, collaborating with other artists and releasing Something to Be
in 2005. He effortlessly established himself as a premier pop song writer and solo artist.
The question is whether Matchbox Twenty can sustain any momentum after an almost 5 year hiatus, especially given that Thomas has already says he has plans to write and record a second solo album. Or has Matchbox Twenty went relegated to a nostalgia band of the nineties?
If the crowd was any evidence, which was far more forty- and fifty-year olds than teenagers, you might be tempted to question their mainstream relevancy. But all that was pushed aside for the hour long set of hits plus a couple of new tunes. It was a rousing singalong from start to finish and the crowd was very into it. The crowd came alive for Daughtry, but they exalted in Thomas and co.
Thomas was a bundle of good vibrations. He danced to the beat of the music, engaging the crowd with winks and expressions of delight perfectly captured on the video screens (and likely hundreds of camera phones.) He’s an ultra-expressive performer, it pays to be close enough to watch his face as well as his grooves. But the thing that struck most about Matchbox Twenty’s leading man is how normal he seems, the guy next door type. He came across instantly approachable and likable. He chatted a lot during the set, as much to his bandmates as to the crowd, and whizzed through familiar songs like 3am and If You’re Gone. He asked the crowd to give it up for the other performers on the bill, neglecting any mention of Colbie Caillat, but it was an understandable omission. Even Rob Thomas thought she was forgettable.
New tracks held up well against the old material, but amazingly, they seemed to have a more relaxed bent than some of the older songs. The lyrics to How Far We’ve Come seem like the typical Matchbox Twenty downer ballad, but the energy and the pulse of the song just don’t fit their old image the way Unwell and Bent perfectly encapsulated it. And they wedged the downright playful song I’ll Believe You When in between Bright Lights and the set closer Push. The energy picked up further into the set, especially Real World, Back to Good. A middle-aged woman in the crowd took center stage at the bottom of the stairs at section 114, using her fist as a microphone, gyrating and waving and imploring for attention from Rob Thomas, and when that didn’t work, turning her attention to the audience behind her. She was so hysterical, she kept waving for whomever she was with to join her “on stage,” and that person shrunk done further in his seat the longer the woman stayed at her mark.
Thomas introduced an extended jam version of Bright Lights with a few lines of Please Come to Boston (a song Joan Baez made famous). The song also featured Kyle Cook and Paul Doucette (who moved off of the drums and is now playing guitar) taking turns on lead vocals.
The question of whether Matchbox Twenty can remain relevant lies with Rob Thomas. Though their songwriting may now be more of a collaborative affair, his energy leaves a distinct signature on their studio work and their live show. But even if they eventually do get labeled a nostalgia act, tonight was a testament that it’s still a pretty damn good one.
Matchbox Twenty Setlist
Long Day
Disease
How Far We’ve Come
3am
Unwell
If You’re Gone
Bent
These Hard Times
Real World
Back to Good
Bright Lights
I’ll Believe You When
Push
Sep 29
AndrewCollege Rock
An unremarkable twenty-minute set featured Undeniable, his breakout single, and Breathe In, Breathe Out which he introduced as “a song for doctors to make out to” because it was picked up by Grey’s Anatomy. But it didn’t matter because nothing in Mat Kearney’s set stood out. Kearney and his band seemed fixed in place. Granted, it was a tight space, a small stage to begin with and two bands’ worth of instruments still packed away behind them. But there was something decidedly perfunctory about the whole affair. Rather than embracing a chance to play for a crowd who was less familiar with him, he seemed to be just putting in the time until the next act.
Kearney called out Boston a number of times within the songs, modifying a short interlude during Undeniable to rap about MixFest, the Red Sox and Boston. The crowd cheered, but he might as well have yelled “Yankees sucked” because it wasn’t the music they were reacting to. A few points for stage presence, but charming, he was not.
Sep 29
AndrewCollege Rock, Indie Rock
Blue October sounded great. The material from the last album Foiled forces Justin Furstenfeld to sing, which he can do, but hasn’t done enough of in earlier concert outings. They opened MixFest to a tiny percentage of the 7000+ capacity crowd, but gave a tight and energized performance for those smart enough to arrive on time. Calling You was absolutely gorgeous. Furstenfeld’s stylized vocals only faltered at the end. He took to saying the lyrics to Hate Me instead of singing them. But the song is heart-wrenching and it capped a brief, but thoroughly satisfying, ride.
Blue October setlist
Intro/She’s My Ride Home
Calling You
X Amount of Words
Into the Ocean
Hate Me
Sep 01
DaraCollege Rock
impossible number of skinny young men packed on one stage with an amalgam of instruments, they describe themselves as ‘experimental/folk rock/melodramatic popular song’ whatever the latter means, I remember they were cute and not annoying
Aug 24
AndrewAlternative Rock, College Rock, Indie Rock, Rock and Roll, Singer/Songwriter
Presale tickets went on sale to day for Mixfest 2007 at Agganis Arena (Boston University) hosted by Mix 98.5. Matchbox Twenty will headline the show (read a review of Matchbox Twenty). Other acts slated to appear include Daughtry, Mat Kearney, Blue October (read a review) and Colbie Caillat.
The show will take place on September 29, 2007 at Agganis Arena, approximately 7,200 seat capacity for concerts, which makes this one of the most intimate MixFests ever (read a review of MixFest 98.5 10th Anniversary.)
My esteem for both Rob Thomas has grown considerably in the last few years almost entirely due to his solo release Something to Be. Matchbox Twenty songs were ubiquitous on the radio ten years ago, and even though my feelings for their older stuff is hit or miss, I’m excited to see them again and give the band another chance.
Likewise, I didn’t have great things to say about Blue October the first time I saw them, but their performance was solid enough that I gave their studio albums a chance. Their last album Foiled
was wholly accessible and Hate Me is one of the most amazing songs I’ve heard in years. I had tickets to their last Boston show, but they cancelled after Justin Furstenfeld broke his leg and needed surgery.
Daughtry is supposed to be a good live act, and while I’m not gushing for them, I watched American Idol and Daughtry got whacked off that show (my favorite theory is that American Idol knew he would have a successful music career and didn’t need the boost of a win the way Taylor Hicks did. And see how much good it did for Hicks.)
Mat Kearney is currently making radio waves, but Undeniable is just annoying. Still, I sat through a set from Michelle Branch, I am pretty much steeled for anything.
Colbie Caillat sounds like a porn name.
Got your own opinions? Post comments here, or register with concert-central.com and post your own reviews.
Apr 14
DaraCollege Rock, Indie Rock, Modern Rock, Prog Rock, Punk
Pixies style with a clipped voice. Lead vocal brimming over with boyish humor. Then melodic punk. Very very young – Rockboy says that besides the guitarist they look like former band geeks which may be why they were so excellent. Rockboy heard hints of Husker Du mid to early 80s. Drone rock suddenly. Still trying to find their sound. Then The Killers and then Weezer. Lot of variability. We both notice that the drummer (possibly a 12 year old girl though more likely my 30-year-OLD-feeling) is ‘kicking ass.’ Then unpretentious proggy rock song a la Trail of Dead. Officially, I suppose that they must narrow their sound down but they’d satisfy my ADD-music-listening forever if they kept doing all of what they do as well as they’re doing it.
Mar 16
DaraCollege Rock, Grunge, Indie Rock
90s rockers from Boston — in town for SXSW. Might as well have been the godfathers of Counting Crows, i.e., they were horrid. Rockboy insists that they used to be grungier but I doubt. Their official SXSW showcase was at the Parish at 9pm on Friday — good day and location but embarrassing time.
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