Coming Soon....

I've got some catching up to do!!!

ACL Fest 2009
Ben Kweller at Antones
Homegrown Live at Creekside Lounge

I Took My Love Down to Houston

Oops, I meant Violet Hill...but last night I really was in Houston seeing my boys Chris, Will, Johnny, and of course Guy, at the Toyota Center. This was my 5th Coldplay concert, and it was just a few weeks shy of my prediction for the next time I'd see them. Although I can never top what I saw at ACL Fest in 2005, this was still a very entertaining show. And I got to see it with two of my Coldplay veterans, my brother Chris and Kway, plus one of my favorite Megans in the world.

Thinking back to the $30 show that only sold out half of the Erwin center in 2003...they've come a long way. Five years later its $100 for nose-bleeds in the massive Toyota Center and they've got crazy lights, lasers and even these weird globes that would change colors and transmit the same videos as the jumbo trons. And even their guitars were customized with the VIVA logo!


Although I'm still a bit confused why their costumes and album artwork are of the French Revolution, yet nothing about the album reflects that -- the title is Spanish and the songs either have Japanese or African influences. If only I could interview the band to ask WHY?. I actually haven't gotten a chance to really discuss my analysis of the album with anyone since it dropped this summer, so it was fun dissecting it with Chris and the girls. I don't know why we were surprised that the new material was the best of the show since that is exactly what they are trying to promote. (Except for one mind-blowing exception, the older tracks from X&Y and Rush of Blood were nothing compared to previous tours. They were either something I've seen before or a simple straight-forward-no-frills performance). I honestly was disappointed by the lack of material from the Parachutes album. All they did was the required Yellow, but I would've been really excited to see Shiver or Don't Panic.

You know what else I would've liked more of? GUY BERRYMAN! Man, he did not get enough jumbotron time, that's for sure. But Kway and I made the best of every moment he did get. We both still want to have his Scottish babies, and now that he's divorced.....well, you never know!!!


Haha, ok enough of that though...VIVA la Coldplay!



They appropriately opened the show with Life in Technicolor...which is a track I'm very curious about because on the album its mostly instrumental but was originally written with lyrics...wonder what they were! Guess I'll find out next week when their EP Prospekt's March is released. The other track from the EP they did was a piano-centric song called Postcards from Far Away. I liked it, but it since it isn't yet well-known it became kind of a 'resting' time for the audience.

Of course, Violet Hill and Viva la Vida got a ridiculous reaction from the crowd since they are the bigger hits of the new album (a girl behind us even started to shriek...I forgot what its like to be a teenager at a concert). In Viva there was a ton of clapping and singing of the 'whoa-oh' back-up vocals. But I was most entertained by Will because he was totally going to town on the huge symbol with his left hand an the big timpani drum with his right.

The jumbo tron during '42'

Although the hits are great, one of my personal favorite tracks on the new album is 42, named so because its Chris Martin and Will's favorite number. I seem to be drawn to songs that have significant transitioning sections (like Radiohead's Paranoid Android and Franz Ferdinand's Take Me Out). 42 started out like Chris Martin was in a 1920's black and white silent film...really helped convey the sad/lonely intro. Then, the rock started and never let up:




Strawberry Swing is one of the songs Chris and I kept trying to figure out. It sounds a little folksy with Brian Eno's hand clapping intro but then with the African tribal beets and the Asian guitar effects we're like "what's going on here?". That song could've been a hot tranny mess, but even without being able to put our fingers on 'why', somehow its genius.

Honestly though, I kinda zoned out during Lost. Its not a bad song, but not one of my favorites. I appreciate that they tried something new, but just am not a huge fan of the direction they took. It certainly was a crowd pleaser with the tons of confetti that kept bursting out over the floor section, but I was more mesmerized by the glow in the dark flecks. Also by that time I was probably trying not to wet my pants because I had been holding it in the entire show!

Cool laser show during Clocks and Chinese Sleep Chant

The other new song I don't really care for live is Chinese Sleep Chant. I think it adds a great contrasting element to the album following Yes (another fave of mine), but it doesn't really translate well live. I think they just needed another song that could use the crazy green lasers besides Clocks.

Speaking of...after they knocked out a few old standards, Cemeteries of London totally woke us up. We were all 'singing lalalalalalalalaiy!" See a little clip of the ending here:




Death and All His Friends I think was the most surprisingly awesome song for us. It starts off so unassuming but by the end, its rocking your face off. I remember Chris leaning over saying "wow this is so much better than I thought it would be".

Still, out of the whole night, I can narrow it down to two moments that I certainly didn't expect and absolutely loved.

(1) The band moves out to the edge of one of the catwalks and all of a sudden the floor turns into a white-lit dance floor. Will starts banging a beat on the v-drums and then we realize they are doing a totally kick-ass dance remix version of God Put a Smile on Your Face...which happens to be one of my all time favorite Coldplay songs. But wait, it gets better. They then transitioned into the Jacques lu Cont version of Talk, which is a song I still can't get enough of. Once I clued in, I whipped out my camera again...so here you can see a bit of the dance party, although the video doesn't do it justice:




(2) We didn't expect much action for the nose-bleed seats we were in...but we got a special treat at the end of the main set. As the confetti was settling from Lost, the 4 guys just strolled off the stage, walking through a barricaded sidewalk in the floor section but still getting patted down the entire way, and we're thinking "where the heck are they going in the back of the arena?" Then, they make an abrupt right and start climbing the stairs right towards us. Ok now we're really confused what's going on. They end up stopping at a makeshift stage just below the rail a few rows in front of us to do their change-up acoustic set. They started off with The Scientist which was pretty cool since it didn't sound exactly like the burnt out radio version. Then Will took over vocals for the secret track Death Will Never Conquer. Kway and I managed to make our way to a better view point and I got a decent video...

The spot lights following them up the stairs.

My view of the jumbo tron just before they started The Scientist

All in all...totally worth the mid-week, same-day drive. And I think it really made Chris' 29th birthday special. Thanks boys for a great show!

Set List:
1. Life In Technicolor 2. Violet Hill 3. Clocks 4. In My Place 5. Speed Of Sound 6. Cemeteries Of London 7. Chinese Sleep Chant 8. 42 9. Fix You 10. Strawberry Swing 11. God Put A Smile Upon Your Face/Talk 13. The Hardest Part 14. Postcards From Far Away 15. Viva La Vida 16. Lost! 17. The Scientist 18. Death Will Never Conquer
Encore:
Politik, Lovers In Japan, Death And All His Friends
Encore 2: Yellow

The month that was ROCKtober

Ok so its Thanksgiving, but atleast I’m finally sitting down to reminisce on the month that was ROCKtober. Right now I’m in the ABIA airport, listening to What Made Milwaukee Famous play over the loud speaker, and it makes me appreciate even more how awesome this city is! But on with the stories…there are a lot of them to tell…

Presidents of the USA/Black at White Years
Stubbs Outside, 10/7/08

Who doesn’t want a kitty on their foot, a million peaches or even a little blue dune buggy? That’s what I thought. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to sing the songs of my middle school years with my grown up friends when PoUSA came to town. Those old songs really got the crowd pumped on a Wednesday night! Although, some older gentleman (who were probably in college during the PoUSA glory days) decided to get bombed for the show, and were greatly annoying to us. One tall guy totally just parked himself in front of little me, and I just threw up my arms and said “you serious?!” Luckily, his friend noticed my outburst and made his friend move. But unluckily, he decided I was cute and kept trying to dance with me the whole time. Lundy and Rachel and I were even standing with BCampbell and a group of his guy friends. Eventually I had to pretend BCampbell was my boyfriend to keep this guy away. Turns out, goofing around about that really helped make the new PoUSA songs go by faster – because lets face it, no one was there to hear the new stuff.

The other bonus treat of the evening was the opening band. We had gotten to ACL Fest early to catch Austin’s The Black and White Years, but ended up getting food after 2 songs because we realized we could catch this show instead. So here we were two weeks later, finally getting to see these guys…and I love them! Rachel went to high school with the bassist back in Amarillo, so she knew a lot about them, whereas I’d only heard “Power to Change” on 101x. The lead singer is totally rockin’ the 80’s Miami Vice look with a killer ‘stache. I really like the Brazilian influence they have to their pop sound -- it just makes me happy to hear their songs and I can’t resist dancing! .


Spoon
The Parish, 10/13/08
Fundraiser for Texas Democrats

The only reason I hesitated initially for this show was the word “fundraiser”. I figured it would be based on donations that you’d get a ticket. Mercifully, it was just $35 to get in no matter who you are…so Lundy and I said “hell yeah” and got tickets as soon as they went on sale. And we were soon the envy of all our friends for getting to go. This actually is only the second time I’ve seen Spoon. First time was when I didn’t know who they were at ACL Fest 2002. So now, 6 years later, I can finally sing along to ALL of their songs! And they did play a lot of my favorites…most surprisingly was My Mathematical Mind, and that was right at the beginning too! Lundy and I managed to score a bench seat on the left side, so I had the best view in the house. Spoon is like the biggest Austin band and I’d feel star struck by these rock stars if it weren’t for my brother, who is on a first name basis with Britt Daniel and Jim Eno. But it was still cool to see them at such an intimate venue when they usually play shows at Stubbs or Auditorium Shores. The rest of the crowd was just as excited to be there as me. And the political purpose for the show brought a certain energy with it as well…so I proudly wore my Obama button.



Sucktones, Household Names and Sticks N Stones
Mohawk, 10/18/08

Jason Dick from the 101x morning show had been promoting this show all week, even having the boys on the show Friday morning. That, along with the out pouring of UT football fans on their way to 6th street, helped bring in some more fresh randoms to the show. All three bands had a great audience, but Sticks N Stones definitely had the most dancing! I got a lot of pictures because the guys said they needed new footage, so you can see for yourself how the crowd reacted. Lundy and Lau popped in for a while after the UT game but couldn’t stay the whole time. I ended up hanging as long as possible before getting kicked out, which was good for me and the girlfriends since we were all exhausted by 3am.


The Ting Tings
The Parish, 10/19/08

This was a looooong day. After playing with Landon for a bit and then the Tx Wine and Song Festival, LindsayBun and I rallied to make it to this Sunday night show. The band was awesome, but it would’ve been even better had it been on a different night of the week. They make you jump and dance so much that you should want to keep the party going afterwards…but instead we were kind dragging ass. Lundy was sick so she missed this one which was a bummer since we’d been so pumped to rock out to their song “Great DJ” (my personal ringtone on her phone at the time). But Linds was the next best to have by my side. Even for only knowing one song, she was totally into it and danced around with me. The floor was even shaking! Then we bumped into my coworkers Danny and Watty. And of course Danny is buddies with their manager from SXSW. Always a connection! But I have to say I was really impressed by the band for being just two people…it definitely doesn’t sound like it. And the female lead singer has a strong resemblance to Debbie Harry…weird! Hoping I can see them when they are back here in December.



Weezer with Tokyo Police Club, Angels and Airwaves
Erwin Center, 10/20/08

Lesson learned…if you want to see an opening band, just get to the arena when doors open. Somehow we missed Tokyo Police Club even though we got there when the website said they’d be going on. Nuts. Then to top it all off, we had to suffer through Angels and Airwaves. Look Tom DeLonge – you alone are not as cool as Blink 182 was together, so just go home and enjoy the royalties. His singing, dance moves and overall song writing was quite torturous to Kway and me. Their set was only good for giving us the opportunity to go out to the lobby and meet up with our other friends for a bit (since we couldn’t all get tickets together).


Luckily, Weezer made up for the opening disappointments. Unlike when we saw them in 2005 with the Foo Fighters and they sounded like they were just going through the motions of their songs as if we were listening to the CDs -- this year they actually put on a ‘headlining’ show. Costume changes, stage antics, and interaction with the audience made such a difference…in addition to the great new material from the Red Album. My non-hit favorites “Automatic” and “King” both surprisingly made it to the set list! Kway even put together her ideal playlist before hand, and she wasn’t too far off. They played a pretty good sampling from their catalog (mercifully only doing Perfect Situation from Make Believe). Although he walked around like a little old man, River loved sliding around on his knee pads and jumping on the trampoline, and he even got a ride through the crowd on some guy’s shoulders. They rotated instruments and lead vocals. They brought out members from the opening acts to partake in the hits Troublemaker and Sweater Song (although I really wished Tom would’ve kept his mouth shut during that). And they even had random locals with all kinds of instruments come on stage for Island in the Sun and Beverly Hills, using the crowd for the back up vocals. Kway aptly described it as “f***ing rough” but it was still quite entertaining (see below). Now that it’s over, I’m glad I bought a shirt at the merch table as a memento of such a great show.




Ben Folds
Stubbs Outside, 10/25/08

At first when I realized it wasn’t going to be like his 2002 tour of just him and his piano, I was a bit bummed. But luckily good ole Ben proved me wrong with a kick ass show with a full band. I haven’t spent much time familiarizing myself with his new songs, but I’ve definitely picked out a few favorites from the show. He told us the story of how some of the tracks on the album were written with two versions and we got to hear both, which were really interesting. And the chick that opened for him filled in Regina Spektor’s shoes very well during “You Don’t Know Me”…which I could see coming during her set since her vocals sounded coincidentally familiar. I wished there had been more Ben Folds Five material, but he did play some great tracks from Rockin’ the Suburbs. The only thing that could’ve made the show even better was the crowd. Lundy and I were stuck in the back next to a million couples who couldn’t stop making out in front of us and blocking our view. I even had to just close my eyes a few times to focus on the music. But like I said, Ben managed to keep me engaged so I couldn’t walk out…until halfway through the encore.

Hmm, Lundy and I didn’t get a picture at this show. Boooo.


Steel Train
Emo’s Inside, 10/29/08

Jersey boys make their way to Austin. Rachel found out about them a long time ago when they opened for someone random, and she just recently got Lundy hooked. I figured if the two of them like it, there was a high probability I would too. So this was our last chance for a show before ROCKtober ended. Overall I enjoyed the show, but being a Wednesday during a busy week, I was pretty exhausted, so I didn’t dance around like I usually do. And at the time I felt bad about it because it was such a small crowd they could totally see me being a dead weight. But I’m glad I was able to close out ROCKtober with one last show!



Other shows this month I wanted to see but couldn't were The Kooks (cancelled), Cold War Kids (sold out), Jason Mraz (sold out), Kings of Leon (same time as Ben Folds), The Bravery (also same night at Ben).

All in all, it was a rock-tabulous month and I hope 2009 can do even better. Viva ROCKtober!
Click here to see all my pics.

Harry is My Homeboy

"These guys are good. They are better than the Rolling Stones, but not quite as good as the Beatles." - Carter Hanks, age 3, Chapel Hill, NC

Doesn't that quote say it all? No not exactly.

First, note the age of Mr. Hanks. Yes, it is just a single digit. I'm surprised he even knows the Stones and the Fab Four in preschool. Granted, I don't 100% contradict his sentiment, but even so, he's a little overzealous with the second sentence.


As you might expect, Harry and the Potters caters to the younger audience. Still, Lundy and I went to see them play at The Unlimited Enthusiasm Expo at the Mohawk because we are obessed with (1) music and (2) Harry Potter. And yes, it felt like a children's music festival. Well, it did kind of remind me of what most stoner festivals are like with the inflated beach balls being thrown about (or in this case a big inflate dinosaur) and people running around blowing bubbles. But that's what made it so fun!

Unfortunately, Lundy had to ditch me to go play kickball, so I stuck around for the show by myself. Super cool, I know, but totally worth it. Luckily I was old enough to entertain myself with a beer or two (or three). These guys are so lively and engaging with the audience -- its like they brought punk's music and attitude to a level where today's kids can understand it. And what other topic gets kids excited these days besides Harry Potter!

It seems like a 'duh' moment to say their sound is rough around the edges if I'm comparing it to early punk. But that gave it a real genuine quality. These two brothers are like the wizarding worlds answer to the Beastie Boys. :) They put out an album for each book, with the songs relating to the characters and plot lines of each. I loved hearing my favorite song, Save Ginny Weasley, for which I did I buy a t-shirt. Now that all the books are released, they could sing about *spoiler alert* Harry's victory over Voldemort with his best weapon: Love. awww.

I took a lot of video to share with Lundy since she missed the whole show, but I don't have any of them on this computer. So for the time being, I'll share a clip of a concert that was similar to my experience:




You know why else these guys are cool? They're getting the word out about OBAMA!

You can see more about Wizard Rock the Vote and the HP Alliance on their myspace page.
http://www.myspace.com/harryandthepotters

NOTE: I know I am unforgivably slacking on my concert journal posts. This one for Harry and the Potters is from July 10th (and its now October). My apologies...really to myself because let's face it, no one but me reads this blog anyways.

A shower did them some good

Last time Kway and I saw Augustana in 2006, Dan the lead singer commented "you don't want to know the last time i showered"...and it was true. It looked like it had been weeks the way his long greasy hair was in his face and he was wearing just a gray Hanes tshirt. But who cared...we were drinking and were more mesmerized by the Navaho bass player and his lady-like features.

I took Kway back to see Augustana for her 2th birthday gift, this time they were playing at Antones. Appears the band has grown up a bit, taken a shower and actually gotten into a fashion a bit! My first reaction to Dan's new look though was "wow, he looks strikingly similar to Jakob Dylan's EP album cover". Bugged me the whole show...hard to see it from my camera phone pic, but even Kway was faked out...

Dan at some other show:

Jakob
(but this was practically the outfit Dan wore too!)

We also noticed the audience has grown up a bit too. Fewer X'd hands surrounded us this time...but there were still a couple of entertaining underage busts during the opening acts. Thinking of opening acts, I was pretty impressed by them as well. Usually one of the two acts sucks pretty hard, but both of these were pretty decent. I think I preferred Paddy Casey from Ireland better (shocker), but Sweet Orange whatever was good too...sound was just a bit generic. Funny thing though was the lead singer's face looked like Seth Rogan from Knocked Up but his hair and suit made him a cross between Seth and Kramer from Seinfeld.

We still had a fun time again mocking the Navaho tossing his silky hair and sporting such feminine facial features, all whilst rockin' that bass like only a man knows how. The quote of the night from Kway "The Navaho has really mastered the hair toss...but you know when he's up there, he's just takin' care of business."

Oh and how could i forget the spas-tastic pregnant girl next to us. I really did think she was "special" for a minute there. She started to totally freak out during a not-so-popular, so-so song from the first album and was bouncing and singing along...Kway and I were trying to hold it together but doing a terrible job whenever we'd make eye contact! The girl then leaned over to me and goes "do you not know this song? Don't you just love this band?!" I was almost crying from laughter so I could only get out "yeah i know this song". She entertained us for quite a while.

But I really do enjoy this band, they've been my Top 40 guilty pleasure for almost 2 years now. Since the last show I really got obsessed with "Cigarettes and Coffee" but from the new album "Sweet and Low" was definitely the hit. But we left on a high note when they covered Bob Dylan's "Baby Please Dont Go". So put your pride aside and check them out.

This night solidified the commitment for Kway and me to keep the Augustana tradition alive as long as they are still touring.

Fighting for BRMC's Babies

You know how people say certain musicians are only hot because they are musicians? I definitely believe that can be true. Lundy and I were just at a kick ass rock show, up super-close, and towards the end we found ourselves arguing who deserved to have Robert's babies (Robert being the bassist of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club). We realized how ridiculous we sounded because if we ever just passed him on the street we probably wouldn't look twice at him...no offense but its true. So we snapped back to reality just in time because Robert almost hit me in the head with the neck of his bass guitar!

No joke. Had I been a few inches taller (as I've always wished to be), he would've hit me. So that tells you how close we were. But so can these photos I took with my cell phone, thus the graininess...

See how the guitar is over the crowds heads!

Had a clear view from row two

Robert got right in our faces

Lundy and I saw BRMC last summer with Travis and Adam and we had the freakin' time of our lives. I knew nothing about the band going into the show so we just rocked out and danced in the back of La Zona Rosa. I didnt write a review of that show because I didnt know much about them at the time. But ever since that show when Lundy swiped their cd from the ladies room (finders keepers!) I've been addicted. Their name makes them sound like they should play during the Biker Rally, but they are just a rockin' Americana sound. So their return to Antones this month was a given for us...we had to go back. And somehow we managed to get up close.

My only complaints about being so close was that I think we lost some acoustics...I would've been frustrated if I didnt already know how the songs went. But we walked out at 12:30 on a Monday night energized and full of Rock n Roll in our blood....and it was still there in the morning because I got a speeding ticket while listening to the Baby 81 album on the way to work.

Song I have new appreciation for due to this concert: "Aint No Easy Way" from the Howl album
Listen to it at Last.fm

Not Quite a Frenzy, but still Fine

Not much time to write today so a quick recap...

Saw Alison Sudol, aka A Fine Frenzy, perform at The Parish room last Friday.  Her amazing voice sounds just as awesome live as it does on her album "One Cell in the Sea".  And she was so adorable...wore a cute purple dress that I envied and when she smiled at the audience she looked as innocent as a 10 yr old.   Yet her lyrics seem more mature than even the 21 year old that she is.  Like Almost Lover for example is so hauntingly beautiful, maybe its just me, but I wasn't that deep when I was her age!  

Lundy and I enjoyed the music overall, but unfortunately we were in the mood to rock out...and this just isn't the show to see for that.  Just a bit too mellow.  Rangers was probably the most energetic of the set and it was the last she played...we tried to dance a bit to get the blood flowing again.  

Here are some clips from VH1 Unplugged...I think she sounded even better in Austin.

 

Almost Lover

Rangers

PS - Saw Clay and Meredith there since Clay was supposed to play with Danny Mason the opening act...but he couldn't since Alison's piano hogged the stage so much only Danny could fit up there!

Milfameewaukus is what's famous now

Its really cool to see a band grow from the beginning stages when they have 10 people in the audience and they are living on friends couches, to having a record deal and selling out venues. Second only to my boys of Household Names, I'd say What Made Milwaukee Famous is the band I've seen most in Austin. I've written two blogs about them here and here.

One other show I recall that I can't find a blog for was a gig at Emo's Outside and I had brought one of my friends to introduce her to the band. We were upfront and I was definitely getting into the song and singing along...Michael saw and gave me a funny look and laughed a little. Kind of embarrassing for me, but I hope he was flattered!

Which leads me into the show last night also at Emo's Outside stage. The biggest difference from that last show...the massive crowd! Last time I was up front with plenty of space around me and heck, Michael could see me. This time I was lucky that I found Chris, Eric and Jason in the courtyard and we couldn't get closer than the bar...and that's at the back. It was a great mix of people which is cool since it shows they have potential for greater mainstream success.

I loved their first album "Trying Never to Catch Up" and I got really excited and sang along to my favorite songs, but I also really enjoyed the new material for the CD they just released this week, "What Doesn't Kill Us". Resistance St. is my new addiction. You should get that album from iTunes and support this great Austin band. Also, catch them next time they are in town.


*no pics since I couldn't get close and the pillars were in the way. :(

Definitely Worth Observing

How did I end up this close?

Everyone getting cell phone pics of Aaron when he came on stage.

Oh yeah, I got there at 7:30pm. Although it was rough being a small girl in heels in the middle of Mosh-town on just one Rum&Coke, the energy of this show was infectious. Their recordings don't do the live performance justice. Not sure I can ever replicate this experience...especially since it was a CD release party and I got the new album for free!

Aaron's dancing is hard to describe - it doesn't appear to have any planned choreography...just totally random moves. But for some reason, his spastastic style is admirable...maybe because I wouldn't have the guts to move like that actually in front of people!

You have to like electronica music to last the entire show...a few friends I knew that were there, not close like Em and me, bailed early. But I kinda blame the opening dj...he wore me down a lot. Nothing interesting, same beats the entire time and we kept wishing he'd leave the stage. Longest 45 mins of my life.

The best part of the Ghostland show, aside from laughing at the pathetic attempts of people to sing along to Sad Sad City, was at the encore when they brought out the UT Longhorn Band to play their new track "The Band Marches On". Sucks to be those friends of mine that left early...they missed this song...

...be forewarned the amps were a bit intense for my camera's mic, so its not the best sound quality...



PS - the Statesman named Ghostland Observatory the Band of the Year for 2007...just sayin'.

Even Better than the Real Thing (well, almost)

If you've never been to a U2 concert in person before, you should spend the $12 to go see the U23D movie because its hard to come by a better experience. I've seen the band live 3 times...and only once I was lucky enough to be in the front row of the ellipse, and it didn't come easily. Nothing can ever compare to being able to stick your arm out and trip Bono as he walks by or have Adam Clayton park himself right in front of you during Streets with No Name. That's unbeatable. But for the people that made up the other 98% of the arena that night and the other two shows I've seen, this movie will get you so close that you might think you can touch these guys for real.

The IMAX had a disclaimer that you might feel motion sickness or you might think things are really moving towards you but its not real so don't panic. Yeah, well when Adam swings the neck of his bass across your face, I'd like to see you not flinch! Or when Bono reaches out to "wipe your tears away" during Sunday Bloody Sunday, you look me in the eye and say that you didn't get butterflies when BONO was looking into your eyes and reaching to caress your cheek. Yeah, don't lie, it seems real all right. There are so many layers its almost more than you can take in. But trust me, you can and its worth it.

More than just the musicians moving around in three dimensions, though, this movie really takes you through the full experience of a U2 concert. It starts out showing a girl panting and running and soon you realize you're running with her down the hallway to get to the front row of the arena...I was immediately brought back to my sprint with Chris and CJ at Madison Square Garden...even my heart was beating faster after that. You also feel like you are part of the crowd...at some points, you're even looking over the shoulder of a girl sitting on her boyfriends shoulders (and we know we've all been stuck in that spot before).

Not only was this a cool movie because it was in 3-D, but I'd say it was their best live DVD to date even in just two dimensions. The set list was great, their energy was strong and the crowd was really into it. Similar to the Slane Castle show during "Out of Control", I got goosebumps during this movie when they'd pan the crowd and they no longer looked like individuals but instead, one massive organism moving in ripples as they bounced up and down. Reminded me of a sound wave pulsing over ball bearings.

I don't want to tell too much more...I want you to experience it for yourself! So be prepared to get rocked off your chair...because you might feel the urge to stand up and cheer...I almost did.

Some articles with reviews...
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/kelso/entries/2008/01/24/if_bob_bullock_new_they_were_s.html

http://www.austin360.com/movies/content/movies/stories/2008/0125U23D.html

The Music that I Want is Cheaper than Therapy

This day finally came after 2 years of anxious anticipation. I fell in love with Rogue Wave after seeing them open for Nada Surf at Emo's in 2006 (see that post here), and they are finally back in Austin. And yes, it was totally worth the wait. As soon as I heard their newest album "Asleep at Heaven's Gate", I knew the show wouldn't disappoint. It wasn't a crazy rock spectacle with lots of tricks up their sleeves. They just got out there and played the songs I love, and the rest of the Parish Room had a great time too.

I knew going into this Jason and I'd probably be two of the few people just obsessed with the band's collective work and most people would show up because of Lake Michigan from the MS Zune commercial. So I wasn't sure how packed it would get. I got there early thinking I needed to get myself a spot up close (and hopefully catch a good opening act), but it wasnt until after RW started that I managed to find a weak spot in the crowd to make my way over to stand on the left bench. Turns out the show ended up selling out after I got there! Made me happy for the band, but made me freakin' sweaty for the whole show!

My view of the stage

My spot on the bench is my favorite place at the Parish to see bands...being a shorty like me, it lets me see over everyone's heads and is pretty close to the stage. Honestly I was confused why I was the first one to get up there! Last time I saw RW, I could've sworn I made eye contact with Zach, the lead singer, a few times. This show, though, I KNOW it happened...and not briefly either. During the second to last song of the encore, Kicking the Heart Out, there is a line about being 25 for an hour...i leaned over to Jason to joke that "hah, I'm 25 for a year!". I stood back up and a bit later Zach was looking right at me and we locked eyes for about 10 seconds. I've never had that happen before! My excitement is not because I was star struck, but its the fact that of all people in the room watching him, he was singing right to me and I felt like I was all of the sudden the only person there. Pretty cool feeling, I must say.

As for the music, they started out strong and rocked out hard for the last part of the show...middle lost some steam with the older material since people didnt know it as well. I was impressed that they managed to keep a great balance between old and new material, because I love it all, and I hope some people got turned on to the older tracks. Harmonium, as expected, rocked OUT. And of course they played Chicago x 12 and [the zune song] Lake Michigan because those tracks are just genius and everyone knew them.

The entire band banging out the intro to Lake Michigan

Zach made good use of the random mannequin head on stage

When some guy shouted "play the zune song!" Zach was like "yeah, i'm gonna be buried and thats what they'll put on my tombstone...'author of the song from the Zune commerical with the dancing rabbits'...wait, that would actually be pretty cool wouldnt it?!" Well that guy only had to wait a bit longer before the band played Lake Michigan and all of them rocked some drumsticks for the intro.

And in Dave Matthews fashion, Zach came out first for the encore and played Eyes and Ghost acoustically.

Songs that I have new appreciation for after the show: Like I Needed, Lullaby, Bird On a Wire, Sewn Up, and Endless Shovel.

Songs I wish they'd done: Phonytown and/or I Can Die because I thought they'd totally rock those songs out, but whatevs...they did a good job with Harmonium and Lake Michigan.

My videos did not turn out so great, probably because I was so close to the amps! So the few photos I have will just have to do!