It’s a new year and while people go around making resolutions, I stay put and write more blog posts. I didn’t watch too many movies this year and I didn’t play too many new video games either. So, the only best of list this year will be the one for music. And notice how I retitled it “My favorite music from 2007.” It saves me from those who’ll inevitably say that I didn’t listen to some album they found outstanding - this is my blog and this is the best of the new music I tried out last year. However, I’m open for suggestions on new music!

(more…)

Ok so there was a third band in the line-up called the 1990s. Pretty good stuff. I had heard their album a couple of times before the show and thought it was okay but live, they sounded a lot better. But I’d like to keep this review short, so I’ll move straight on to the two main acts.

Art Brut put on a crazy show, and I mean it in the literal sense of the word crazy. Eddie Argos was insane. In the middle of Modern Art, he went crowd surfing and then came on to the floor to dance and jump with the audience. In fact, he was right next to me at one point! They played a lot of their good stuff although the focus seemed to be on the new album. I was initially not impressed with the new one, but it has since grown on me. Eddie was making comments and talking all the time. He made us clap for the drummer because he has no history of sexual problems. Also, the song Rusted Gun of Milan is about Jasper (guitarist) not getting any sex. Jasper for his part was making weird faces and generally acting nuts. At one point, Ian (guitarist) was playing his guitar with his left hand wrapped around Jasper’s head. The song ended with Jasper spitting out a drum stick! The drummer was playing the drums standing up.

The only complaints I had from Art Brut’s set were minor: the vocals were sometimes buried in the mix and the set was too short! But considering that The Hold Steady were the real main act, this was an acceptable set.

When I started listening to The Hold Steady, I realized that their shows would have a lot of drunk and stoned people. What I did not anticipate was just how drunk some of these people would be and how much they wanted to jump around and push people. I had gotten to the venue relatively early and was standing well in front. But once THS came on, I had to move to the side to avoid ending up with broken bones. I was almost regretting coming to the show.

But once I had moved aside to a quiet section of the crowd, I was able to relax and enjoy the show. I stood next to this big, bald guy who was pushing anyone who dared to mosh near him. THS sound great live and I was so glad they played my favorite, The Swish. It came right in the middle of their set too. They played four new songs for us and they sounded great. Obviously, more work is needed but it looks like the next album will kick ass too. The band ended their main set with Southtown Girls which was a surprise to me. I love the song and I didn’t think they’d play it live. The encore consisted of First Night, How a Resurrection Really Feels, and Killer Parties. Eddie Argos and Ian came on to end the show. Ian played lead guitar and Eddie sang a duet with Craig Finn.

The energy throughout the show was terrific. All bands were feeding off the crowds’ enthusiasm and it reflected in their performances. I enjoyed the show and got back home quite tired. Hence the delay in the posting of this review!

Setlists:

Art Brut

Pump Up the Volume
Bang Bang Rock and Roll
Blame it on the Trains
Bad Weekend
18000 Lira
St. Pauli
Modern Art
Rusted Gun of Milan
My Little Brother
Post Soothing Out
Emily Kane
Nag Nag Nag
Direct Hit
Good Weekend (with Formed a Band in the middle)

The Hold Steady

(Not in order)

Hot Soft Light
Stuck Between Stations
Chips Ahoy!
Stay Positive *
Ask Her for Some Adderall *
Multitude of Casualties
The Swish
Lord I’m Discouraged *
Party Pit
Massive Nights
Hornets! Hornets!
Joke About Jamaica *
You Can Make Him Like You
Your Little Hoodrat Friend
Southtown Girls

Encore:

First Night
How a Resurrection Really Feels
Killer Parties

* New Songs

I don’t really know how to start so I’ll dive right in to the concert review. After a little background!

Porcupine Tree were last here in May and I was fortunate enough to catch them back then. Fear of a Blank Planet had just been released and the band all of it. Non-stop. Now, five months down the line, the band have released a new EP titled Nil Recurring and are back on tour. The setlist for this tour has been changed somewhat to accommodate the new material and also sees the return of some old fan favorites. The setlist for my show is featured at the end of post, annotated to indicate album!

So for a change, the show kicked off with What Happens Now? from the new EP. The mood was set and PT were on their way. Boy, did they rock the house! Steven Wilson was in a good mood throughout the concert and the crowd was fantastic. Hearing Dark Matter live was exhilarating! Anesthetize followed a new song, Cheating the Polygraph and some brief chatter from SW. He said, “Some of these new songs are hard to play you know! But this next one’s easy. It’s only 17 minutes long!” That cracked me up.

Towards the end of the main set, SW said, “We’re now going to play the last two songs” to which the crowd responded with a resounding “NOOOOOO.” With a grin on his face, SW shot back, “What do mean NO? We’re going to play the last two songs off the new record, not the last two for the night!” That was a signal for them to indeed play the last two tracks off FoaBP, Way Out of Here and Sleep Together. Both kicked some major ass and Sleep Together was great as a set closer. But I kept waiting and waiting and Blackest Eyes never came.

When the guys came back for an encore, SW said they would have to learn new songs when they return the next time. And then they kicked off the encore with Blackest Eyes. HELL YEAH!!! PT followed up my favorite with Even Less and Halo! What an encore! Sure, they didn’t play Trains, but I got to hear that last time around. This time, I got three tracks off the new EP, The Sound of Muzak, Even Less, Dark Matter, and A Smart Kid!!!

To sum it up, another great show by one of my favorite bands. The sound was probably better at the show in May but this one wasn’t too far behind in terms of quality and sheer energy. I hope they return soon with new songs and maybe play a larger venue! SW said, “We come here every six months but you guys still show up.” We will continue to show up to hear you guys play live!

Oh yeah, the opening band was Head>>Fake Sound System, a side project by Doug Wimbish and Will Calhoun of Living Color. Nothing special but Doug Wimbish was doing some real crazy shit with his bass. It was just the two of them, one on bass, one on drums, with a laptop providing some extra tunes to help them out. They didn’t play for long and PT came on right around 9pm. They finished a few minutes before 11. Tight performance.

SETLIST:

What Happens Now? Nil Recurring EP
Fear of a Blank Planet Fear of a Blank Planet
The Sound of Muzak In Absentia
Lazarus Deadwing
Cheating the Polygraph Nil Recurring EP
Anesthetize Fear of a Blank Planet
Open Car Deadwing
Dark Matter Signify
Nil Recurring Nil Recurring EP
A Smart Kid Stupid Dream
Way Out of Here Fear of a Blank Planet
Sleep Together Fear of a Blank Planet

Encore:

Blackest Eyes In Absentia
Even Less Stupid Dream
Halo Deadwing

Let me start by saying that Porcupine Tree are a great live band. Their songs are great on the albums but live, there is an energy to them and they burst into life. Plus, Steven Wilson being the technical genius that he is, their sound in a live concert is very close to the album versions. And the icing on the cake was the venue: this was my first time at the Nokia Theatre at Times Square and it is a terrific venue. The construction looks futuristic and the lighting and decorations are well-done. They have seats in the back and standing room up front and can hold 2100 people at once. Plus you can ogle at Nokia’s line of cell phones to kill time! Anyway, let’s get to the actual concert!
(more…)

Linkin Park were the first rock band that I really got into. I would listen to their stuff all the time and along with Green Day, they were my favorite band for a while. Since then, I’ve gone through phases of liking several bands as favorites namely System of a Down, Metallica, Pearl Jam, and finally Tool. I think Tool are going to be my favorite band of all time as long as they don’t release something atrocious. Heck, I think they’ll still be my favorites. Of course, I also love Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Rush, The Decemberists, and Led Zeppelin among others. But then again, this is a review for the new Linkin Park album. So let’s get to it!
(more…)