Ray Davies
w/ The 88
Riviera Theatre, Chicago
March 13, 2010
@@@@1/2
I've been to over 450 concerts and what makes the great ones great are a preponderance of excellent songs and a healthy (but not exhaustive) dose of interaction between performer and audience that goes beyond the music itself. The former might seem stupendously obvious and the latter might sound unnecessary, but my favorite shows almost always meet both criteria (and sometimes a third, which I'll speak to in a bit).
Last Friday and Saturday nights I attended two rock concerts that were about as different as can be, with their relative merits, IMHO, illustrating the above statement. Friday I saw Muse (review here), a current, relatively young British trio that filled the United Center. They had a multimillion dollar stage set up, impressive visuals including lasers & lights galore and a powerful sound that I really enjoyed, in part. Unfortunately after 10+ years and 5 albums, they only could fill about half (at best) of their 100 minutes onstage with truly top-notch material. And they virtually never spoke to the audience.
Saturday, I saw one of rock's true legends, Ray Davies, former lead singer, principal songwriter and rhythm guitarist for The Kinks, an original British Invasion band elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. The Kinks' heyday was clearly the 1960s; on a 5-star scale, the great AllMusic website gives 5 or 4-1/2 stars to seven Kinks albums released between 1965-1971, but the same distinction to just one studio album (1978's Misfits) from 1972-1994. But while comparatively not quite as brilliant throughout the rest of a mostly non-stop Kinks and solo career, not only has Davies remained an excellent songwriter into his 60s, he had accumulated a songbook as deep as nearly anyone's by the time he was 27 years old.
And I, and nearly everyone at the Riv, came out to hear a heavy dose of Kinks Klassics.
After a likable but unremarkable opening set by a 4-piece band from LA called The 88, Ray took the stage with acoustic guitar in hand, accompanied by only one other musician, a guy named Bill Shanley who alternated between acoustic and electric guitar. After they played about 22 songs, all but 2 being Kinks chestnuts, The 88 joined them for 5 full band tunes.
Unlike Muse, no arena rock show, no lasers or fancy risers or video. But also unlike Muse, and most other artists for that matter, from any era, every song played was excellent. And as the guy who basically invented VH1 Storytellers, Ray told stories, spoke of Kinks history, introduced several songs and did more than enough to ensure we knew he knew he was in Chicago, not Cleveland.
As one of a few minor quibbles, referencing my third criteria for a truly great concert--which is making every night unique in some way, typically by changing up the setlist a la personal favorites Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam--Ray seemed to play essentially the same set list as on other stops of his current tour. And especially as someone who's seen him 4 times now in the last 4 years, he could easily sprinkle in many more different Kinks Klassics (and even solo songs) than have routinely filled his performances of late. Though to be fair, he did freshly turn me onto I Need You, Nothin' In The World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl and dug pretty deep into the Kinks Kanon.
So aside from mixing it up a bit more to appease hardcore fanatics who check setlists and have seen him multiple times--though believe me, I doubt I'm the only one when it comes to the small but devoted fanbase of Kinkophiles --Ray Davies put on an entirely engaging & enjoyable performance, filled with wonderful songs. Sometimes less is more and more is less. More or less.
This is the set list (with possibly a couple omissions):
This Is Where I Belong
You Really Got Me
I Need You
Where Have All The Good Times Gone
Till The End Of The Day
In A Moment
Victoria
Dedicated Follower of Fashion
20th Century Man
The Tourist
Apeman
Two Sisters
The Hard Way
See My Friends
I'm Not Like Everybody Else
Too Much On My Mind
Nothin' In The World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl
A Well Respected Man
Sunny Afternoon
Tired Of Waiting For You
Set Me Free
All Day And All Of The Night
---Encore (with The 88)
You Really Got Me
David Watts
Dead End Street
Low Budget
Lola
Monday, March 22, 2010
Concert Review: Muse
Muse
w/Silversun Pickups
United Center, Chicago
March 12, 2010
@@@1/2
I first saw, heard and liked Muse before I or very many people, certainly in America, knew who they were. Ten years ago this month, on a day when the University of Wisconsin coincidentally made the Final Four for the first time in decades, I ventured to the Dane County Coliseum in Madison to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers with the Foo Fighters opening. I didn't know there would be a third band truly opening the show, and although they were quite young and clearly derivative of Radiohead--with a lead singer who sounded much like Thom Yorke--I really liked them.
So I later learned the band was named Muse and I bought & enjoyed their debut album, Showbiz. I've since bought all their subsequent albums and--as I'm quite fascinated by bands that become huge in England but remain largely unknown or much less popular in the U.S, from The Jam to Blur to Stereophonics to Razorlight--I took note as Muse steadily built a sizable stateside fan base.
But while each of their albums has had a few good songs, I've kind of felt their popularity kept growing roughly in reverse order of their artistic merit. So now that they have, somewhat surprisingly (as many of my friends still have no idea who they are) reached the level of selling out the United Center--keep in mind that in the UK, they sold out Wembley Stadium twice (over 140,000 tickets) on their last tour--I felt that I had to see them, but didn't even love them when I saw them at the Aragon in 2006.
As I kind of expected, last night's show was a mixed bag. I don't fully consider it a good thing that "arena rock" has largely become a thing of the past, and there are several worse bands that American teens to twentysomethings could have latched onto. And with an elaborate stage set up, laser lights galore and myriad sonic references--which long ago moved beyond Radiohead--Muse reminded me of many a show gone by at which I burned myself in trying to hold up a Bic lighter. But though they riffed on Zeppelin and AC/DC, and sounded at times like Queen, Rush, Def Leppard, and other arena rock icons, Muse isn't nearly as good as any of those bands.
At their best, and last night that meant a strong opening, about 6-8 really good songs (setlist here) and perhaps 40 minutes (out of 100) worth of truly impressive music and visuals, Muse can be quite enjoyable, though still a musical pastiche and not particularly meaningful. The rest of the time, they play a lot of songs that sound somewhat alike, put forth a bloated hodge-podge of other people's ideas--including a cover of Nina Simone's Feeling Good--and represent the worst of prog rock excess.
Plus, without ever saying hello to the crowd, barely a thank you until the end, and playing much of the show on individual risers, the band kept quite a distance from each other as well as from the crowd. This might have been partially due to being in the very last row at the top of the UC, but there seemed to be something very cold and calculated about the whole affair.
I imagine many in the arena loved it, having seen some comments accompanying the video below on YouTube, and I'm glad they did. But I have seen much better, even from Muse itself. (Opener Silversun Pickups might be a decent band, but it was hard to discern their live merits with unfamiliar tunes lost among the UC's muddled sound mix.)
w/Silversun Pickups
United Center, Chicago
March 12, 2010
@@@1/2
I first saw, heard and liked Muse before I or very many people, certainly in America, knew who they were. Ten years ago this month, on a day when the University of Wisconsin coincidentally made the Final Four for the first time in decades, I ventured to the Dane County Coliseum in Madison to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers with the Foo Fighters opening. I didn't know there would be a third band truly opening the show, and although they were quite young and clearly derivative of Radiohead--with a lead singer who sounded much like Thom Yorke--I really liked them.
So I later learned the band was named Muse and I bought & enjoyed their debut album, Showbiz. I've since bought all their subsequent albums and--as I'm quite fascinated by bands that become huge in England but remain largely unknown or much less popular in the U.S, from The Jam to Blur to Stereophonics to Razorlight--I took note as Muse steadily built a sizable stateside fan base.
But while each of their albums has had a few good songs, I've kind of felt their popularity kept growing roughly in reverse order of their artistic merit. So now that they have, somewhat surprisingly (as many of my friends still have no idea who they are) reached the level of selling out the United Center--keep in mind that in the UK, they sold out Wembley Stadium twice (over 140,000 tickets) on their last tour--I felt that I had to see them, but didn't even love them when I saw them at the Aragon in 2006.
As I kind of expected, last night's show was a mixed bag. I don't fully consider it a good thing that "arena rock" has largely become a thing of the past, and there are several worse bands that American teens to twentysomethings could have latched onto. And with an elaborate stage set up, laser lights galore and myriad sonic references--which long ago moved beyond Radiohead--Muse reminded me of many a show gone by at which I burned myself in trying to hold up a Bic lighter. But though they riffed on Zeppelin and AC/DC, and sounded at times like Queen, Rush, Def Leppard, and other arena rock icons, Muse isn't nearly as good as any of those bands.
At their best, and last night that meant a strong opening, about 6-8 really good songs (setlist here) and perhaps 40 minutes (out of 100) worth of truly impressive music and visuals, Muse can be quite enjoyable, though still a musical pastiche and not particularly meaningful. The rest of the time, they play a lot of songs that sound somewhat alike, put forth a bloated hodge-podge of other people's ideas--including a cover of Nina Simone's Feeling Good--and represent the worst of prog rock excess.
Plus, without ever saying hello to the crowd, barely a thank you until the end, and playing much of the show on individual risers, the band kept quite a distance from each other as well as from the crowd. This might have been partially due to being in the very last row at the top of the UC, but there seemed to be something very cold and calculated about the whole affair.
I imagine many in the arena loved it, having seen some comments accompanying the video below on YouTube, and I'm glad they did. But I have seen much better, even from Muse itself. (Opener Silversun Pickups might be a decent band, but it was hard to discern their live merits with unfamiliar tunes lost among the UC's muddled sound mix.)
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Concert Review: Editors
Editors
Sept. 11, 2007
Park West, Chicago
@@@1/2
I'm always a bit unsure when I'm reviewing concerts, especially by artists with whom I don't go all that far back, how much I'm supposed to critique the merit of the band's material vs. the performance of the material. For instance, Editors probably delivered a show drawn from their 2 albums as well as I could have have wanted, yet while I find them a substantive band, something about most of their songs leaves me unexcited. They have a few really good songs; the rest are okay, but sound a lot like lesser versions of the really good ones. They reminded me a bit of Coldplay, who isn't among my utmost favorites, and Editors have a long way to go to be that good. Their performance was strong, probably @@@@, but their music at this point only rates a @@@, thus the @@@1/2 review. Getting just @@1/2 is Biffy Clyro, who preceded Editors (an American band called Ra Ra Riot opened the show). I actually knew and liked much of Biffy Clyro's current album, Puzzle, but live they were a bit rougher around the edges and looked too much like Spinal Tap. At times, they were impressively forceful, but overall nothing too special live.
Sept. 11, 2007
Park West, Chicago
@@@1/2
I'm always a bit unsure when I'm reviewing concerts, especially by artists with whom I don't go all that far back, how much I'm supposed to critique the merit of the band's material vs. the performance of the material. For instance, Editors probably delivered a show drawn from their 2 albums as well as I could have have wanted, yet while I find them a substantive band, something about most of their songs leaves me unexcited. They have a few really good songs; the rest are okay, but sound a lot like lesser versions of the really good ones. They reminded me a bit of Coldplay, who isn't among my utmost favorites, and Editors have a long way to go to be that good. Their performance was strong, probably @@@@, but their music at this point only rates a @@@, thus the @@@1/2 review. Getting just @@1/2 is Biffy Clyro, who preceded Editors (an American band called Ra Ra Riot opened the show). I actually knew and liked much of Biffy Clyro's current album, Puzzle, but live they were a bit rougher around the edges and looked too much like Spinal Tap. At times, they were impressively forceful, but overall nothing too special live.
Concert Review: Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Friday, Sept. 7, 2007
Hideout Block Party, Chicago
@@@@
Bloc Party is an interesting, sonically unique British band. They headlined the Friday session of the Hideout's Block Party in Chicago, with Scotland's The Cinematics opening the night. Bloc Party performed strong, well-received renditions of their songs, with of course, some being better than others. Like most bands of their ilk, particularly in a festival setting, they played about 75 minutes, and their best songs: Like Eating Glass, Helicopter, Banquet, I Still Remember among them, were really good. The Cinematics are likely destined to be an also-ran band, but they were tunefully enjoyable as well, and pretty affable about a late-start due to rain and some technical issues. I'd give their set @@@.
Friday, Sept. 7, 2007
Hideout Block Party, Chicago
@@@@
Bloc Party is an interesting, sonically unique British band. They headlined the Friday session of the Hideout's Block Party in Chicago, with Scotland's The Cinematics opening the night. Bloc Party performed strong, well-received renditions of their songs, with of course, some being better than others. Like most bands of their ilk, particularly in a festival setting, they played about 75 minutes, and their best songs: Like Eating Glass, Helicopter, Banquet, I Still Remember among them, were really good. The Cinematics are likely destined to be an also-ran band, but they were tunefully enjoyable as well, and pretty affable about a late-start due to rain and some technical issues. I'd give their set @@@.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Concert Review: The Cribs
The Cribs
August 5, 2007
Lollapalooza
@@@
The Cribs were the first band I saw at Lollapalooza and the only noteworthy Britpop act I caught (I did see Paolo Nutini and wasn't greatly impressed). It was cool to hear their catchy Our Bovine Public ringing out as I walked through Grant Park for a closer view of what turned out to be a surprisingly solid, at times stellar, 50-minute performance. I only have the latest of their 3 albums and would call it decent, but not the best of current Britpop, though I know they are getting some acclaim back home. Comprised of three brothers from Yorkshire, England, who spent some time recording in Chicago (which explains singer/guitarist Ryan Jarman's reference to living on Kedzie Avenue), the Cribs weren't the day's highlight, but justified my getting there at 12:30. I'm not sure why they have such bad haircuts (at least 2 of the 3 brothers were oddly coifed), but their music is a cut above.
August 5, 2007
Lollapalooza
@@@
The Cribs were the first band I saw at Lollapalooza and the only noteworthy Britpop act I caught (I did see Paolo Nutini and wasn't greatly impressed). It was cool to hear their catchy Our Bovine Public ringing out as I walked through Grant Park for a closer view of what turned out to be a surprisingly solid, at times stellar, 50-minute performance. I only have the latest of their 3 albums and would call it decent, but not the best of current Britpop, though I know they are getting some acclaim back home. Comprised of three brothers from Yorkshire, England, who spent some time recording in Chicago (which explains singer/guitarist Ryan Jarman's reference to living on Kedzie Avenue), the Cribs weren't the day's highlight, but justified my getting there at 12:30. I'm not sure why they have such bad haircuts (at least 2 of the 3 brothers were oddly coifed), but their music is a cut above.
Concert Review: The Automatic
The Automatic
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Subterranean
Chicago, IL
@@@@
I opted to see the Automatic (or as they were billed in America, The Automatic Automatic, due to some nebulous name conflict) in a late night, $10 show largely because I really liked two of their songs, Raoul and Monster, off their otherwise OK but not phenomenal album, Not Accepted Anywhere. And from their All Music Guide capsule, I'd envisioned them to be arty, if not somewhat dorky. But I was pleasantly surprised with how good, and mostly straightforward they were. Their singer/bassist was a large, affable kid named Robin Hawkins who wasn't at all what I expected, though they did have a hyperkinetic keyboardist, Alex Pennie, to provide a bit of what I did expect. Anyway, they were much more of a straightforward, rock band who made the songs sound better than they did on the album and really impressed me beyond their two best songs (solid hits in the UK). They only played 45 minutes to less then 50 people, but those there wanted more so it was a bit disappointing that they didn't play an encore to really end the night right.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Subterranean
Chicago, IL
@@@@
I opted to see the Automatic (or as they were billed in America, The Automatic Automatic, due to some nebulous name conflict) in a late night, $10 show largely because I really liked two of their songs, Raoul and Monster, off their otherwise OK but not phenomenal album, Not Accepted Anywhere. And from their All Music Guide capsule, I'd envisioned them to be arty, if not somewhat dorky. But I was pleasantly surprised with how good, and mostly straightforward they were. Their singer/bassist was a large, affable kid named Robin Hawkins who wasn't at all what I expected, though they did have a hyperkinetic keyboardist, Alex Pennie, to provide a bit of what I did expect. Anyway, they were much more of a straightforward, rock band who made the songs sound better than they did on the album and really impressed me beyond their two best songs (solid hits in the UK). They only played 45 minutes to less then 50 people, but those there wanted more so it was a bit disappointing that they didn't play an encore to really end the night right.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Concert Review: The Fratellis
The Fratellis
Switches
Dappled Cities
Mon., July 30, 2007
Pabst Theatre
Milwaukee, WI
@@@@1/2
If you haven't gotten the point yet, I love the new wave of music coming from the British isles. Practically every week, I discover new music from previously unknown bands (The Enemy, The Pigeon Detectives, The Maccabees being among the latest) that I think is wonderful. And even driving up to Milwaukee on a work night, and barely staying awake on the drive home, was completely worth it. Not only for the amazing Fratellis, who despite not being great showmen and not quite replicating the great sound & vocals of their debut album (Costello Music) live, have enough great songs from just one album that they were phenomenal anyway. But I got there, starving, and finding no food at the venue, just in time to hear the opening band, who I thought were the Switches. I thought they were really good, and it turns out the first band was a pre-opening act, an oddly named band called Dappled Cities. Next up were Switches, who were wonderful (I'd never heard any music from either of these acts previously, and it was instantly accessible). Both were from England. And then the Fratellis. So 3 hours of great music for just $10.
Switches
Dappled Cities
Mon., July 30, 2007
Pabst Theatre
Milwaukee, WI
@@@@1/2
If you haven't gotten the point yet, I love the new wave of music coming from the British isles. Practically every week, I discover new music from previously unknown bands (The Enemy, The Pigeon Detectives, The Maccabees being among the latest) that I think is wonderful. And even driving up to Milwaukee on a work night, and barely staying awake on the drive home, was completely worth it. Not only for the amazing Fratellis, who despite not being great showmen and not quite replicating the great sound & vocals of their debut album (Costello Music) live, have enough great songs from just one album that they were phenomenal anyway. But I got there, starving, and finding no food at the venue, just in time to hear the opening band, who I thought were the Switches. I thought they were really good, and it turns out the first band was a pre-opening act, an oddly named band called Dappled Cities. Next up were Switches, who were wonderful (I'd never heard any music from either of these acts previously, and it was instantly accessible). Both were from England. And then the Fratellis. So 3 hours of great music for just $10.
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