Top 20 Live Shows of 2008

I feel spoiled that I get to see Henry Clay People, Le Switch, The Movies, Radar Bros. and The Broken West all the time. So those bands are probably needlessly penalized as the list skews national. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm forgetting a few too...

Top 20 Live Shows of 2008:

20) Spaceland’s 13th Anniversary – Radar Bros., Earlimart, The Broken West, Wiskey Biscuit, The Tyde, The Movies, 400 Blows @ Spaceland on 3/2/08 – This was a fantastic lineup, but the crowd was very light (negative points). I think it was the only time I saw 400 Blows all year (positive points).

19) Throw Me the Statue @ the Echo on 9/10/08 – I really dig their record and they put on a really fun show. It was my first time seeing them, which always helps too.

18) The Movies @ Spaceland on 12/15/08 – They all have their highlights, so it’s really hard to pick out one Movies show as the best, so I’m going with the most recent.

17) Le Switch / Les Blanks / The World Record @ The Echo on 8/19/08 – I saw Le Switch so many times, it’s hard to pick out one show. I’m going with this one since it made me a fan of two bands – Les Blanks and The World Record.

16) Jay Reatard @ the Echo on 7/30/08 – The guy came off a lot more metal in the live setting. Really good stuff. My first time seeing him.

15) The Whigs / The Henry Clay People / Le Switch @ The Echo on 6/4/08 – I saw a little bit of the Whigs as SXSW this year and was totally impressed. They just have a professionalism and energy that’s hard to describe. Making it even better was the support…

14) Secret Machines @ Viper Room on 7/27/08 – I was apprehensive about the new lineup, but they delivered. One of the loudest shows all year. I really enjoy watching Josh Garza drum.

13) My Bloody Valentine @ Santa Monica Civic Center on 10/1/08 – I can’t say that I was totally blown away, but I never thought I’d get a chance to see them.

12) Brian Wilson @ Hollywood Bowl on 9/13/08 – My favorite BW show was Smile at the Disney. I also loved the Pet Sounds shows. This had a lot of the new album and the Beach Boys greatest hits.

11) Dr. Dog @ Hotel Café on 5/13/08 – This show came before I’d heard the record, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I might have. Their show at El Rey later in the year paled in comparison.

10) Bon Iver / Phosphorescent @ The Echo on 3/20/08 – It was way mellow and the Echo was way packed, but both artists pulled it off. My first time seeing both. Negative points for Phosphorescent charging me $20 for a copy of their record on vinyl (MSRP = $12 or so).

09) Charlie Louvin @ Stagecoach Festival on 5/4/08 – This was the highlight for me at this year’s Stagecoach. I felt really privileged to see the country legend.

08) My Morning Jacket @ the Greek on 9/21/08 – Such a fantastic live band. This would have ranked higher had I not seen them so many times before (and if I was more into the new record). Positive points for winning free tickets. Negative points for mediocre seats.

07) Dungen @ the Echo on 11/12/08 – My third time seeing them and they finally delivered on what their albums promise. Great stuff.

06) Radar Bros. / Brian Aubert / Everest / Adeline & the Philistines @ the Echo on 1/28/08 – This was the last night of the Radar Bros. residency and the last night that Senon played with the band. Lots of emotion in the air. Putnam even came out and did a song with Brian Aubert. The other bands were an added bonus.

05) Ray Davies @ the Wiltern on 3/29/08 – Davies is my favorite songwriter of all time. This time around his band was younger and more energetic. If those Kinks reunion tour rumors are true, I may have to finally get my ass back to Coachella this year.

04) Okkervil River @ the Fonda on 9/23/08 – I caught half sets twice at SXSW, but this was my first time seeing a full set. Will Sheff stirs up some weird emotions.

03) Sigur Ros @ Greek Theatre on 10/2/08 – I don’t sit around and listen to their records that much (they’re just too intense). But they’re a fantastic live band that brings so much emotion – and all without writing real lyrics. Positive points for a beautiful night at the Greek.

02) Spiritualized @ the Echo on 9/19/08 – I’d just seen them do a show a couple of nights before at the Hollywood Bowl. Of course, the Echo’s about 2% of the size of the Bowl, so this was much, much better. It was my fifth or sixth time seeing them, but the new record’s really good. Negative points for the girl flinging her hair around for half the set.

01) Fleet Foxes @ Palm Door in Austin on 3/15/08 – This was a SXSW party and my first time seeing them. I was so impressed with their voices. Was it really the best performance of 2008? Probably not, but I walked away with that unmatchable feeling that I’d discovered my new favorite band. They were great at Spaceland on 6/29/08 too.

Shows I regret missing: TV on the Radio, David Vandervelde @ Troubadour, Kelley Stoltz @ Troubadour, Dolly Parton @ the Greek, Stevie Wonder @ Hollywood Bowl, The Dodos (all 4 times), Andrew Bird @ Largo, The Raconteurs @ Greek Theatre, Cornelius @ Walt Disney Concert Hall

photo: Fleet Foxes @ the Palm Door - photo credit = me

Live Music Journal 6/28/08 - 6/30/08 (Fleet Foxes, etc.)

I kept it pretty low key last week, but here’s the live music I did see…

Saturday night we took the LA Zoo shuttle over to the Hollywood Bowl for the Sgt. Pepper’s…Revisited. You take the good, you take the bad, you take ‘em both and there you have the Hollywood Bowl. When you roll in kind of late (but still before the show starts), sometimes you get assholes who won’t budge from your seats. You start to get a pit in your stomach as you approach your row of bench seats and it looks completely full. Like “how the fuck are we going to fit in there.” We crammed into the row, politely asked people to move down (one side kindly obliged) and then sat cramped like a Tokyo subway to attempt to enjoy the show. I could barely nudge my elbows to get to the bag at my feet holding my sandwich and bottle of wine. To top it off, about every 15 minutes the brat behind me kicked the back of my seat for 15 or 20 seconds before his/her (couldn’t tell) parent stopped him/her.

But we eventually relaxed.

The orchestra came out. Then Cheap Trick came out. Then a series of singers joined them. There was Ian Ball from Gomez, Simone (daughter of Nina Simone), Rob Laufer (playing the part of George Harrison) and Billy Corgan. I can’t remember exactly what songs they did, but it was fun. Then the intermission and they did Sgt. Pepper’s in its entirety.

Just a couple of observations. As my girlfriend pointed out, Ian Ball did a nice job of harmonizing and holding some of the vocals together for Robin Zander (who’s getting up there). Simone took some of the songs a little too far in the soul direction (at least for the arrangements) and lost a lot of people when she pimped her website. [This should have been a fun night, not a career opportunity for Simone. Give people a little credit, if they want to track you down, they know how to use Google.] Billy Corgan did a pretty good job on his two songs. I mean, it sounded like Billy Corgan doing the Beatles, but that’s not all bad. The musical highlight of the night was when Laufer did “Within You Without You” backed by a group of Indian musicians. The guy that did the sitar solo was particularly good. All in all it was another fun night at the Bowl, despite the initial crowd irritants.

On Sunday I ventured over to Little Radio’s Summer Camp to see Radar Bros. Tim James from the Movies was at the console and the room sounded good. The guys sounded great, the Colt 45 was flowing and the vibe was laid back with some little kids kicking it in the loft, dangling their feet over the stage.

As soon as they finished I rushed over to the All Star Lanes for the debut of the Damselles & the TC 4. The band is a tribute to all those great girl groups from the early 1960s. Maria from Le Switch and Jillinda and Britney from I Make This Sound were upfront wearing matching pink dresses. Backing them was The TC 4 (the TC stands for Todd Clifford) or Seb and Ryan from Division Day, Joe from Le Switch and Sean from the Voyeurs. I’m not sure if it was a one-off for the special occasion of if the band plans on doing more performances, but it was a lot of fun (see some Youtube footage). Unfortunately I couldn’t stick around for all the other bands. I did manage to catch some of Marvelous Toy, who I enjoyed.

I was really looking forward to seeing Fleet Foxes again and I would not be denied. By the time we got there, the line around the corner was ridiculous. I haven’t seen that since the Elliott Smith days (or possibly Arctic Monkeys). After a long day in the hot sun downtown, then a trip to Eagle Rock and a margarita at dinner, I couldn’t really focus on the opener, The Dutchess and the Duke. On the other hand, Fleet Foxes were completely compelling. The harmonies sounded great, the crowd was respectful and the band was completely likable. Much like when I saw them at SXSW this year. Great stuff guys.

Stagecoach Journal - Day 2 (Saturday)

Stagecoach Journal Continued...

Waking up on Saturday wasn’t all that pretty. I think it was mostly dehydration and fatigue from working most of the day, driving several hours and then standing in a field watching the Eagles (staying up until 3:30AM and drinking might have had a little to do with it). There were eight of us staying in the house, and fortunately the bedrooms were spread out, so we didn’t wake each other up (tell that to Matt who was sleeping on the couch). Fortunately we had some bacon and eggs which helped me come around. I started feeling pretty good after a dip in the pool.

I was pressuring everybody to get moving because I wanted to see Ryan Bingham on the Palomino Stage at 3:30. Non-commercial, young performers were scarce on the lineup this year, and I’d been hearing good things about him. When we didn’t leave until 3:20, I was pretty nervous. My fears were unfounded. Our house was damn close to the festival grounds and we had a VIP parking pass. The drive took us about two minutes, we scored a great parking spot and a golf cart chauffeured us to the Palomino Stage. Effortless festival going does not suck….

Ryan Bingham’s a gravelly voiced singer from Austin. His debut album was produced by Marc Ford (former guitarist for the Black Crowes) and released on Lost Highway late last year. I haven’t heard the record yet, but the live performance made me add it to my list. His voice is rugged, the music’s fast and the songs make you want to drink bourbon. Ford joined him onstage for some ferocious guitar licks and slide guitar. He’s definitely an artist to keep your eye on. (I heard great things about Hayes Carll who played before him.)

After Bingham, we just started wandering the festival grounds. There are some major differences between Stagecoach and Coachella. For one thing, they have a barbeque contest. This year, Stagecoach only had three stages, so the barbeque contest was set up where the outdoor stage is at Coachella. You walk up, pay $10 for five tickets and then give your ticket to vendors who provide you with a pretty healthy sample of their barbeque. By the time we got there, a lot of the vendors were out of food, but we still got some good stuff.

Another big difference with Stagecoach and Coachella is that at Stagecoach, you can get hard liquor at any of the alcohol stations (you don’t need a VIP wristband) and you can walk the grounds with alcohol. I’ve been known to enjoy a bourbon and soda from time to time, so it’s a nice benefit to be able to watch a band and enjoy a real drink.

We ventured over to the VIP area to check that out. Packed like Coachella (wasn’t that bad in 2007). So then we went back to the artist relations area to see if there were any free drinks to be had. Heineken Light (came in a can and actually tasted better to me than Heineken).

We’d heard good things about Cherryholmes, so we wandered back over to the Mustang stage. We walked in right as they were talking about the Iraq war. Bummer. The young girl in the band sang some song about bringing her son home alive and it was pretty tough to take. We stuck around for one of the more traditional bluegrass songs, but it was tough to get back in the spirit of it. We stumbled over to the Palomino stage and caught a little bit of Cross Canadian Ragweed. They were dressed pretty ridiculously, so we wandered behind the stage so we wouldn’t have to watch them. Well played southern rock, but ultimately not that interesting.

The main attraction for us on Saturday was Dwight Yoakam. The guy’s a fantastic entertainer and wears tighter jeans than the OC kids at Cinespace on Tuesday nights. Anticipation started to build backstage as security cleared a huge path for him to get from his trailer to the stage. About six security guards/police surrounded him as he ran the 20 feet from his trailer to the stage. So ridiculous, but certainly amusing. Luckily he delivered. The guy has got a great band and a ton of stage presence. He threw in a ton of covers (as usual) but unfortunately didn’t do any Gram Parsons. Oh well.

We tentatively planned to stick around for Earl Scruggs at 9:35. We wandered back over to the VIP area for some free drinks. We caught a little bit of the Judds (why would anyone cover “I Wanna Know What Love Is”?) and then ran into our two friends that we rode over with. One of them was injured and one of them was hammered, so we decided to call it an early night. Rascal Flatts just wasn’t in the cards. We grabbed a golf cart and headed back to the car……


Sunday coverage is coming later…..

Live Review - Stagecoach Festival Day 1

I had a great time at Stagecoach last year. The vibe was mellow and I saw great sets from Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Chris Hillman and Herb Pederson, Doyle Lawson, Neko Case, The Railbenders and Old 97’s. This year the festival organizers expanded the festival to three days and cut way back on the alt-country. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go or not?

A few days before the festival began, some excellent passes and a cheap place to stay fell in my lap. At worst, I figured we’d have a nice vacation in the desert. We set off for Indio about 5:25PM on Friday. The goal was to get to the festival in time to see Glen Campbell at 8:20. Being a Friday night in LA, the traffic was pretty awful until we got past Pomona. We ended up reaching the festival grounds around 8:15 PM. After a long walk to gate and a small snafu with our passes, we didn’t get in to the festival until 8:55. We decided to grab a quick bite and a drink and skip Glen Campbell tonight.

The Eagles are one of the most hated bands by indie snobs and punks. Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is the best selling album of all time in the US (shipped 29 million copies / 41 million worldwide). I don’t usually voluntarily listen to the Eagles, but I have $1 copies of most of their albums and grew up with an older sister who loved them and stoner friends in high school who played the shit out of them. So I was apprehensive, but curious to see them.

So how were they?

They exceeded my expectations. I can’t say I was totally blown away, but there was something cool about hearing some of the most famous songs of all time performed live. The Eagles always had amazing harmonies, and if easy breezy was a genre, they’d be the kings. The band sounded great, they all looked pretty good and the Joe Walsh licks were there. I can’t remember the exact set list, but I feel like I heard: “Take It Easy,” “Desperado,” “One of These Nights,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Take It to the Limit,” “Hotel California,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” “The Long Run,” “In the City,” “Heartache Tonight,” Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good” (which he got in the spirit for) and Henley’s “The Boys of Summer.” I know there were more, but until I see a set list online, that will have to suffice.

All in all it was a great low key start to the festival. Fans walked away very happy. More about Saturday and Sunday later…….

Stagecoach Review May 5th

Rhett Miller of the Old 97's

For a lot more photos check out my Flickr Account (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dukeufo/) I didn't have a photo pass, so I took all these with a standard digital camera (no detachable lens).

As you may remember, I decided at the last minute to go to the first Stagecoach festival. The country/roots music festival took place May 5th and 6th on the Polo fields in Indio (which hosted Coachella the previous weekend). Coachella’s gotten a little overblown for me. Given the crowds and frustrations I’ve had with Coachella, I went into Stagecoach a bit apprehensive.

My girlfriend and I left the Eagle Rock area around 10:20 AM Saturday (about 20 minutes later than planned). Our goal was to see the Old 97’s at 1:45 PM. We experienced absolutely zero traffic. Eerily fast. We arrived in Indio around 12:20 PM and stopped for a restroom break and small snack. As we drove towards the Polo field, we kept expecting traffic jams. Finally, when we got to the part with one lane, we hit some LA type traffic. By the time we parked and arrived at the Will Call window it was about 1:15. After some minor snafus with our tickets, we finally got in and made our way to the Palomino Stage (if there were corporate sponsors, this would be the No Depression stage).

As we approached the stage, we noticed that most of the people in the crowd were sitting in lawn chairs. We walked straight to the front and stood against the barricade. One woman complained that we were blocking her view, but since when can you set up a lawn chair at a music festival and expect to have an unobstructed view? Give me a break. When you can get front row at a big festival you’ve got to take it. There were some hardcore fans next to us who pumped their fists throughout the entire show. I was disappointed that they didn’t play anything off of Fight Songs, but they still sounded really good. Rhett had his arm swinging wildly and looked like Evan Dando with his shirt unbuttoned below his man boobs. We also had fun watching the guitar tech who had to contend with a bad cable and a broken strings. All in all, it was a nice way to start the fest.

Next up (conveniently on the same, No Depression stage) was Chris Hillman and Herb Pederson. As a founding member of the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, I obviously have a huge amount of respect for Hillman. He didn’t disappoint. The set was mellow and heavy on traditional songs (Hillman got his start playing the mandolin in bluegrass bands). It was great to hear “Sin City” and see Pamela Des Barres dancing in front of the stage. Thinking about Hillman and Gram Parsons sitting around writing songs made me very happy. The day was getting better. We stayed put and watched as Richie Furay took the stage. Instead of having Hillman and Pederson as his backup band (as billed), Furay had his family. Since I was never a big Poco fan, we were hoping for some Buffalo Springfield. After a few songs we headed for some shade, snacks and a drink. At Stagecoach you can walk the grounds with drinks in hand. I don’t remember being able to do that at Coachella.

We ended up running into friends, walking over to the other stages and getting some barbeque. We totally missed Raul Malo. Observations? Stagecoach is family friendly and has stages and activities specifically geared to kids. At Stagecoach, hipsters stand out like your Grandma at Cinespace on a Tuesday night. The Mane Stage should be renamed the NASCAR Stage. Some of the new country singers have songs that could easily be South Park spoofs (“I went down to the monster truck show.”) Female artists have a much larger presence at Stagecoach than KROQ’s Dong Roast. There are a lot of brown gals, but not so many brown dudes. They had a museum area with some classic Nudie suits and Manuel shirts. And to paraphrase David Yow (Scratch Acid, Jesus Lizard, Qui): there’s nothing sexier than a girl in cowboy boots.

Lucinda Williams went on the No Depression stage at 6:00PM. The weather was pleasant all day, so the Coachella fatigue had not set in. Lucinda’s a rock star, and you get the feeling that her day probably usually begins around 6:00PM. In spite of that, she sounded great. From the front row, you could tell she references her lyric book fairly regularly. It didn’t bother me because her voice is so soulful and her band is so good. Doug Pettibone could play guitar with anybody. She sang one new song about her man spraying honey all over her tummy and in her hair. She’s got so much more punk rock attitude than you.

The only real hiccup (for me) in the festival came next. Willie Nelson followed Lucinda on the No Depression stage. Obviously he’s Willie and probably should have played the main (Mane) stage. It started to get really packed…much more than at any other time during the day. I wanted to snap some photos, so I pushed up a little. I ended up behind some douchebag with some big friends. This guy was a little old and a little drunk. But he had some big friends. As Willie was up there singing “Whiskey River” and “Crazy” this guy was trying to start shit with everybody. He finally got one military looking guy to take the bait. The old dude pushed the young military dude and the military dude couldn’t believe. “I just want to watch Willie, are you serious?” “F--- Yeah I’m serious.” And then the old dudes’ friends swept in. I didn’t stick around to see what happened next. I’d seen Willie last year at the Bowl and kinda knew what I was in for. Willie’s a legend, but he tends to sleepwalk through his sets. This audience didn’t seem to respect the laid back party vibe, so I headed for the relative comforts of the VIP area.

When I lived in Austin I heard a lot about Robert Earl Keen. He’s a legend in the Texas music world. Being completely ignorant, I always wrongly assumed that he was a bit of a backwards redneck. Stagecoach set me straight. He’s the kind of guy that can write/sing a really sensitive tune and then follow it up with a barroom anthem. After witnessing his phenomenal connection with his fans, I finally see why he’s so popular. And judging by his willingness to pose for photos after his set (see the Flick photos) he seems like a super nice guy. Shame on me for writing him off before I knew more.

The final performer of the night (but not the headliner, Willie was the headliner) on the No Deprssion stage was Neko Case. I love her singing on the New Pornographers records, but I don’t have any of her studio albums. Unfortunately her bass player was absent, due to a car accident on the way to the show. I stood on stage for Neko’s performance (which is never the best place to hear, but it is a good place to see). While it wasn’t as noticeable in the audience, the sound from George Straight on the Mane stage really bled over when you’re standing the No Depression stage. It was a little distracting for Case. She joked about her Grandma wanting to get with Straight, and was in a good mood in spite of the surroundings. There were probably only about 150 people watching her, but her voice sounded great. I’ll definitely make an effort to see her next time she comes to town.

Stay tuned for a review of the second day of the fest. On paper the first day looked like the winner, the second day ended up being even better.

Live Review: Peter Bjorn and John at the Roxy on 2/1/07

Peter Bjorn and John @ the Roxy on 2/1/07
After reading some tepid reviews of their third New York show and seeing the flat performance on Conan, I was very nervous going into this show. I ran into some scenester people who made me even more nervous, “I haven’t heard the album yet, but I hear their awful performers.” It seemed like the backlash had already started. I’ve been listening to their second and third records non-stop for the past eight weeks, and I didn’t want my experience affected by people talking throughout the performance. If you’re going out just to be seen and to get snapped by photographers for your Myspace profile, then go see one of those indie dance DJs, not a mellow Swedish pop group. The club was packed and the temperature was already rising inside.

PB&J came out strong with “Let’s Call It Off,” and thankfully - they sounded great. The haters who are saying things like “they’re a studio band – dreadful performers” must be hanging out places I’ve never been, because these guys are really good. (Just for some background, I’m a guy who has seen at least three bands a week for the past 12 years.) Peter is an engaging performer with loads of charisma and a little bit of a Ben Gibbard vibe. Dancing around, joking with the crowd, directing singalongs - Peter seems to be having a really fucking good time when he performs. He was extremely complimentary to the opener, Cass McCombs (who I really like, but unfortunately missed), implying that they were humbled to have such a great artist open for them.

The crowd erupted when Victoria Bergsman from the Concretes joined them onstage for their big single, “Young Folks.” I already knew they used a backing track with the whistling, so it didn’t bother me, but some people were put off by it. Bergsman doesn’t have much stage presence, but it worked in the context of the song. Peter danced at her and she looked really nervous and coy, and it came off really cute.

The only disappointing part of their set was when Bjorn took over to sing one of the highlights of Writer’s Block, “Amsterdam.” Peter warned the crowd to quiet down or they wouldn’t be able to hear Bjorn’s vocals. Most of the crowd complied, but Bjorn still seemed to get flustered and ended up only half singing the song. Unfortunate, but it didn’t wreck the set. Bjorn’s backing vocals were perfect on all the other songs, but he didn’t seem interested in having the focus on him.

I didn’t write down the setlist (and I drank a little too much so my memory is wrecked), but some of the other highlights were: “Objects of My Affection,” “Paris 2004,” “Far Away, By My Side,” and “Big Black Coffin.” [Editor's note: I just read Buzz Bands, and apparently the drummer tonight wasn't John, but Lars. Apparently John went back to Sweden? Obviously I didn't even notice. All Swedes look alike - or something.] I will very happily see them again the next time they come to town.

Live Review - Brian Wilson at Terrace Theatre 1/27/07

Brian Wilson @ the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach on 1/27/07

I’d never been to the Terrace. It’s kind of a stuffy auditorium that was probably a beautiful place to see a show back in the 1970s. It’s the kind of place that doesn’t let you take food or drinks to your seats. I saw Brian Wilson twice on the Smile tour and both shows were fantastic. Given the fact that Pet Sounds is one of my favorite albums ever, my expectations were high (perhaps too high). As usual the band came out and played a set before launching into the full album. When I saw him at the Disney Hall doing Smile, the opening set was fantastic. He even performed “Forever” and dedicated it to his brother Dennis - very moving and emotional. The opening set at the Hollywood Bowl also had some great moments. The opening set tonight was not quite as interesting as the other two.

Let’s take a look at it:
“Surfer Girl” – Good pick. Very solid early Beach Boys song.
“Hawaii” – From the same album as “Surfer Girl” but not nearly as good
“Add Some Music To Your Day” – Great choice. I love the album Sunflower.
“Please Let Me Wonder” – Ok – While not one of my favorite tracks, it’s represents a nice transition song when the Beach Boys started to get more interesting.
“Drive-In” – Eh – I’d much rather hear “Wendy” or “Little Honda”
“Then I Kissed Her” – Yeah, I know Spector was very influential on Brian, but this isn’t high on my list of favorite Beach Boys songs. It was great to see Al Jardine perform and sing with Brian again. Jardine looked and sounded exactly the same.
“Break Away” – This is decent selection; especially since it was written with his dad.
“Dance, Dance, Dance” – It was a hit for them, but it doesn’t hold up like a lot of their stuff.
“The Little Girl I Once Knew” – This is a good choice, and one that Brian always seems to play.
“Do It Again” – This was one of the Beach Boys comeback tracks after they’d lost a lot of their popularity. It’s decent, but not high on my list of favorites.
“In My Room” – This is a great song. It’s one of Brian’s early explorations of his melancholy side and his feeling that he didn’t quite fit in with the world. I’ll never get sick of it.
“California Saga” – Eh. I guess for Al?
“Do You Wanna Dance?” – Not really.
“When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)” – This is another one of Brian’s more interesting early songs. I’ve always liked it.
“I Get Around” – It was their first number one song, but nothing I really need to hear again. It was a crowd pleaser, so I really shouldn’t complain.
“California Girls” – I guess they kind of have to play it. I don’t really mind.
“Sail On, Sailor” – I’ve always liked this one. Blondie Chaplin sang it on the record, but I’m happy to hear Brian do it.
“Marcella”- Wasn’t this named after one of Brian’s favorite prostitutes? Very odd choice.
“Good Vibrations” – I love it and I can’t imagine any band in the world playing it better than Brian’s backing band. It was a great transition song to get me re-invigorated about seeing them do Pet Sounds.

After a 20 minute intermission the band came out and played Pet Sounds in its entirety. Brian’s band, led by Darian Sahanaja, is amazing. I mean, the fact that Darian got Brian to finally finish/re-do Smile still surprises me. The venue sounded fantastic. The guys who talked to each other during the whole opening set, restrained themselves during the quiet songs. The only problem with the performance was a result of the nature of some of the Pet Sounds songs. The songs (like “You Still Believe in Me”) are so fragile and many of them hinge on Brian’s voice. Unfortunately, Brian’s just not able to pull some of them off. The symphonic nature of Smile was able to mask some of the limitations. That said, there were five songs in a row that were stunning and brought the house to their feet – “Sloop John B,” “God Only Knows,” “I Know There’s an Answer,” “Here Today” and “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times.” That stretch pounded home Brian’s genius as a songwriter. I wasn’t brought to tears (like many of us were during Smile) but it was very powerful and transcendent. And I’ll keep seeing Brian with these guys every chance I get.

The encore was pretty anti-climactic. He played the crowd pleasers for the people who probably go see Mike Love when he’s in town. “Johnny B. Goode,” “Help Me Rhonda,” “Barbara Ann,” “Surfin' USA,” and “Fun Fun Fun” Then they came back and did a second encore with “Love and Mercy” – which was a nice touch.

All in all, not as good as the two Smile shows I saw, but still better than 95% of the bands I see. It's easy to be overly critical and pick apart the setlist, but the reality is that Wilson's a living legend and one of the greatest songwriters ever. I'll happily see him again.

Girl Talk Live Review

Live review is a deceptive phrase. He really just sets up his laptop and dances along to it. The tracks he plays are a little different than the album, but he doesn't travel with turntables or records, just a laptop. If your motivation is to get wasted and dance, then you'll like it. I'm all for getting wasted, but not much for dancing. I've always been impressed with DJs like Z-Trip and Shadow and Cut Chemist who beat match and sometimes to live mashups. I was far less impressed with Girl Talk. In six months, junior high kids in Idaho will be doing this. It's pretty much club music for people who don't hang out at clubs. Not my scene. In his defense, he entertained the shit out of 90% of the people there. I enjoyed the openers, Matt & Kim for about 15 minutes. All the songs pretty much sound the same, but they seem like good people and Matt was entertaining. My favorite bit was when he talked about eating at all you can eat Ethiopian restaurant the night before and how happy he was that he didn't eat there before the show.

About 30 minutes in, we headed over to Spaceland to see if that was more our scene. The Fucking Champs were playing. They lock into metal grooves for about 45 seconds at a time. The music's more of an intellectual exercise than something soulful. It's fun to listen to for about 15 minutes and then it's work. We escaped to the upstairs bar and listened to the jukebox.

My Morning Jacket Live Review

My Morning Jacket @ the Wiltern on 1/6/07
We walked into the venue as Elvis Perkins was finishing up. I had just seen him at Spaceland as the opener for the Pernice Bros. It’s always weird to see somebody in a 250 capacity venue one week and then a place ten times as big less than two months later. I have a feeling his songs are so good that he wins over new fans every time he plays. You can see him at a place even smaller (Largo) on March 24th.

As My Morning Jacket’s set time neared, the venue was getting packed. My friend and I faced a predicament. We weren’t in the mood to push too close, since people had been camped out forever. At the same time, we didn’t want to be under the overhang where it always seems like people get louder than the band by about six songs into the set. We were forced to move way to the side, about half way back on the floor. Due to the tiered floor arrangement, the sight lines suck just about everywhere except the first row of each tier. Further complicating things is the fact that with bands like My Morning Jacket, it seems like the average fan is about 6’ 3”.

The curtain dropped and the band came out with ferocious energy. They played about six rockers in a row. Jim James was throwing his hair around like James Hetfield. If it wasn’t for the 6’ 6” chick in front of me (and the muddy sound) I would have been fully into it. The 6’ 6” chick eventually left and the sound eventually got less muddy. I noticed that James was wearing some giant, springy moon boots. About the exact moment I was really getting into their set, they did a streak of about four or five of their “funky” songs. To me they’re a rock band, not a reggae band, not a funk band. I can take one or two on each album, but I couldn’t take four in a row in the middle of the set. Does you mind ever start wandering at a rock show? You start thinking about how you need to do laundry. You actually open your phone and read your text messages. You start looking around at the other fans and wonder under what other cicumstances you’d willfully hang out with them. It’s a bad position to be in. At that point it’s very difficult to return. I remember Jim James talking about how beautiful the venue was and how we all need more hobbies. And I thought, was architecture a hobby back in 1931? They brought me back mentally for a few songs, but then completely lost me going into the encore through the first couple of songs of the encore. We ended up walking out a few songs into the encore, vowing to never return to the Wiltern unless we had balcony seats. Getting old sucks.