Killers/Keane Rollcall

Originally posted by beedubyah:
Would anyone suggest taking I-29 straight up there during rush hour?

:roll:

are the killers' 15 minutes over yet?

I remember not too long ago wanting to go see The Killers/Stellastarr* show at Fletcher's, and the Killers were opening ! And fletcher's is tiny.

Originally posted by Bombay Chutney:

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
the Stiff boxset

"If it ain't Stiff…"

I had been meaning to compile some of the songs from the Stiff boxset and was prompted to do so after seeing the latest Tracy Ullman special on HB0. She talks about how about all she got from Stiff was the T-shirt.

Stiff did release an amazing amount of great bands at the time. "Going Left Right" by Department S is alltime fav track. In fact Department S should be out suing all the bands that have copped their sound.

Full setlist later today…

Any thoughts? Apparently a ton of schools got out today, so they all decided to descend on this concert to celebrate the beginning of summer. I figured that though…Makes me feel old.

Killers were good. My SO is a really big fan so she was loving it. We were in the GA pit which was pretty ridiculous. I normally dont get seats that good @ the 930…I felt like I was some sort of VIP, not some bored 9 to 5er with a lightning quick mouse.

Now I do think that this board can be way too hard on 'mainstream' artists (it is an indie board so what else do I expect) but officially blast away at Keane.

No matter what you think of Chris Martin, etc., to call them a Coldplay knockoff is the biggest crock of shit Ive ever heard. The talent, songwriting, cheesiness level is incredibly wide. Id compare them to the Partridge Family before anything else. I really thought I was watching someone perform at the Mickey Mouse club. The chubby lead singer would run his hands through his hair, while flirting with the teenagers in the front row. It was nauseating.

Really really bad. I could stay here and try to find more creative ways to say how they sucked, but Ill just leave it at that.

Originally posted by El Tee:

Originally posted by beedubyah:
Would anyone suggest taking I-29 straight up there during rush hour?

:roll:

Actually worked really really well. Didnt hit traffic until we got to the concert.

Originally posted by amnesiac:

Originally posted by My Cat Can DJ:
As I remember, Radiohead *did* sell out that show at Merriweather a couple of years ago.

I just remember having trouble getting rid of my extra tickets. That's why I'm thinking it wasn't sold out

Yeah…it was sold out, but there were a lot of tickets floating around… I bought a pair the day before from someone (at which point the box office was sold out), and sold them on the day of when I realized that my ride was not going to get me there in time for Malkmus.

So I had fun at the show. I was mainly there to see Maximo Park but enjoyed the festive atmosphere. Maximo Park were just as fantastic as I knew they would be. I danced like crazy and think I was the only person at the front who actually was dancing. If you were there, you probably saw me. They played nearly every song on the album. Highlights were Postcard of a Painting and Gone Missing. Can't wait to see them again on Saturday in NYC!

I'm not a huge Keane fan, but they had good stage presence. They captured the crowd and took over the place. (Yes, it was sometimes cheesy, but if you are in a big place, you need grand gestures.) They had a lot more energy than The Killers. I enjoy The Killers, but Brandon really needs to learn how to work the crowd. He has the magnetism, but he doesn't quite have the stage charisma. He needs movement, banter, and better timing. (You can't randomly stick the mic out into the crowd without some prep.) He seemed kind of awkward and not quite comfortable in the bigger venue. If you have a cool stage set (as they did), then use it!

Overall a fun time, though. I like little mini-fests. Even if you aren't so into all of the bands, it's still fun to hang out with other music fans on a sunny afternoon/evening.

One Merriweather comment: Still loving all of the improvements. But…Recycling, please? It's so wasteful to throw away all of those plastic bottles. Recycling cans would be so easy to install.

Originally posted by beedubyah:
No matter what you think of Chris Martin, etc., to call them a Coldplay knockoff is the biggest crock of shit Ive ever heard. The talent, songwriting, cheesiness level is incredibly wide. Id compare them to the Partridge Family before anything else. I really thought I was watching someone perform at the Mickey Mouse club. The chubby lead singer would run his hands through his hair, while flirting with the teenagers in the front row. It was nauseating.

Ha! What's funny about this is that I'd rather see the Partridge Family than Coldplay, but that's David Cassidy (sounds like even he wouldn't be as cheesy as the Keane guy, anyhow!).

Originally posted by distance:
are the killers' 15 minutes over yet?

Not to rip on the Killers for this, but you know what I'm sick of? The eight minute long 'Jacques Lu Cont' remix of Mr. Brightside. It was EVERYWHERE when I was down in Miami for the winter music conference in March, and DJ Sasha has been closing each and every one of his sets with it for three frikkin' months now. It's driving me nuts!

Originally posted by beedubyah:
Now I do think that this board can be way too hard on 'mainstream' artists (it is an indie board so what else do I expect) but officially blast away at Keane.

i'd beg to differ with you here … while i (of course) don't speak for the board, i think most people here aren't just "indie" fans … maybe i'm wrong, but it seems like most people appreciate a broad swath of tunage and many aren't afraid to say what they don't like

i just don't think that definition makes someone "indie", it just means that they appreciate music and don't mind looking for it instead of being forcefed

We managed to get into the GA section thanks to the Merriweather staff handing out wristbands near the lawn - quite a nice surprise.

I know opinions are like a-holes (everyone's got one) but I loved Keane. Cheesy? Sure. But they had passion and filled the room with a lot of energy - which was subsequently sucked right out by the Killers.

Originally posted by HoyaParanoia:

Originally posted by beedubyah:
Now I do think that this board can be way too hard on 'mainstream' artists (it is an indie board so what else do I expect) but officially blast away at Keane.

i'd beg to differ with you here … while i (of course) don't speak for the board, i think most people here aren't just "indie" fans … maybe i'm wrong, but it seems like most people appreciate a broad swath of tunage and many aren't afraid to say what they don't like

i just don't think that definition makes someone "indie", it just means that they appreciate music and don't mind looking for it instead of being forcefed

Fair enough. I do have the impression that many music fans are turned off by anything that is mass-marketed or has broad appeal.

my take

i know the first act went on but you could barely hear her outside the shelter

maximo park were great although the place did seem a bit big for them, nonetheless they got more exposure for a first time visit which will hopefully sell them a few more records up front.

louis whatever = they give glam a bad name

keane = comfort food (but a least one person wasn't so comfortable)

killers = from what little i heard while fleeing the place, are they are hair metal band in new wave clothing?

and did anyone take the alternate route via 100?

hmmm, I quite like them, good, albeit slightly histrionic songs, singer singing like he's got 5 mins to live and has to get this song out

don't listen to em every day but they have their time and their place

but officially blast away at Keane.

Really really bad. I could stay here and try to find more creative ways to say how they sucked, but Ill just leave it at that.

I have to disagree with the evaluation of Keane. Fine if you don't like their music, that's a valid opinion, but I have to say, they brought a lot more energy and effort to their performance than the freaking Killers did. I was really disappointed in the Killers. They were lackluster, played for under an hour, and frankly, didn't seem to care all that much that 13,000 people turned up in 100 plus degree heat to see them. Maybe it's me - I have to admit I loved them a lot more about a year and a half ago, before they were so overplayed and having little bitch fights with the Bravery and all that crap. Or maybe they really just aren't a very good live band.

The Keane singer might be getting delusions of grandeur, but their songs are good and he's got a great voice. They are much better than Coldplay's current incarnation, anyway. Just because they are both kind of pretty sounding English bands doesn't make them carbon copies. I think Keane sounds a lot more like Travis than Coldplay, actually.

I think the singer might be compensating for some inexperience and awkwardness performing by doing the "rockstar" moves…when I saw Keane at the 930 over a year ago, they were totally green and didn't seem to know what to do, which I have to say was endearing.

Choosing what music to listen to based on what other people do is a losing battle. Yes, I cringed when the fratboy in front of me did the little faux-hip-hop whiteboy pointy wave thing for the 1,000 time, and I know he would have been just as happy seeing 3 Doors Down, but I can't let that ruin a concert for me. Sometimes good music gets popular…and it's ok.

Originally posted by kled: They are much better than Coldplay's current incarnation, anyway.

Disagree completely. Keane is not in the same ballpark as Coldplay on many levels.

I think the singer might be compensating for some inexperience and awkwardness performing by doing the "rockstar" moves…

Or maybe, just maybe he knows that if this band has any future its going to be pandering to teen audiences, hence the David Cassidy impression.

that was a beautiful post.
i was not able to go to this show, because my school is not out yet; and i still have exams :(
i really wanted to go.
i predicted that none of the bands would be great arena/pavillion/whatever acts, and more club bands…

i mean, of course 99% of shows out there will be better in a smaller environment; but i just felt that none of them could really rock a crowd that large…it sounds like i was right?


i, for one, am just a little bit glad that bands like this are going more into the mainstream. it's always going to suck when a great little indie band blows up, but so what? in LA, the killers are successfully played on indie, generic rock, AND pop stations. if a band can pull that off, well…more power to them. some of the fans might be obnoxious, but i'd rather america's youth be listening to this than some talentless rappers, or "acoustic songwriting chicks," that don't really write their own songs.


and on the keane note, never seen em live; but i totally think travis when i listen.

Originally posted by eros:
We managed to get into the GA section thanks to the Merriweather staff handing out wristbands near the lawn - quite a nice surprise.

I know opinions are like a-holes (everyone's got one) but I loved Keane. Cheesy? Sure. But they had passion and filled the room with a lot of energy - which was subsequently sucked right out by the Killers.

Musically, Keane put on a better show. The Killers butchered a few of there songs. I'm not a Keane fan, but the Killers were a bit off last night. Indie Rock and Roll, my favorite song, was butchered by the band. Really poor performance on that song.

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:


did anyone take the alternate route via 100?

Thanx.

gonna use that route from now on.