The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

Originally posted by mutmup:
viva voce is opening.
what's the parking situation at DAR? i'm debating whether to drive or metro. will it be over by the time the metro closes?

if you don't mind walking 5 minutes, you're sure to find parking especially on a monday night. i bet there is a lot of space west of the venue, lots of gov't buildings around there. i usually park north of DAR, H/I/K street b/c i wanna grab a beer before and after.

i'll have to look up viva voce, never heard of them.

Viva Voce caught my interest when their debut came out last year, mostly because they're a Barsuk band, and I love that label. I never really did end up checking them out, though.

They were the band Silversun Pickups opened for at Iota.

Originally posted by sweetcell:
[QUOTE

i'll have to look up viva voce, never heard of them.

any guesses as to times for each of the bands going on stage?

it's a fairly safe bet that viva voce will hit the stage on or very shortly after 8:00, since that's what is printed on the ticket :) i'd think that the shins hit around 9, show's over about 10:30? maybe that's just my wishful thinking, since it's a school night…

God, that would rule. A combination of the time change and trying to run in the morning has left me all but dead this morning :) i'd think that the shins hit around 9, show's over about 10:30? maybe that's just my wishful thinking, since it's a school night…

FYI - I was just able to pull up a single floor seat at TM.

They released orchestra seats last week (row M) but they were on the side…

Did anyone ever find out set times for tonight? I'm not sure I can make it to see all of Viva Voce's set, but I definitely don't want to miss any of the Shins.

I thought the show was fun - the band sounded amazing, much better than i expected.

Dinner @ Kaz Sushi Bistro = B
Viva Voce = C-
Shins = B+

Opener was average…best part was hearing them announce their album title, "Get Your Blood Sucked Out." The Shins were good, not great. Crowd banter was awful. Highlight was "Gone For Good," played up-tempo and sounding like a long lost Old 97's song.

I thought Viva Voce were horrible…thought the Shins were really great, not phenomenal but it was a solid show. It was kind of interesting to hear slightly different arrangements for songs like "New Slang". Would have loved to hear "One By One All Day" and "Pink Bullets", but heard everything else I wanted to hear. The crowd was a bit too chatty during songs, but the sound was better than I had anticipated. Definitely glad I saw them again.

the shins sounded way, way better than i expected. i really enjoyed the show! there were still seats to be had in the "obstructed view" seats where i was (really, though, i thought the seats were pretty money). i liked the first few minutes of viva voce but lost it half way through.

Oh yeah, loved the Modern Lovers cover of "Someone I Care About". That was a nice surprise.

over-all, a slightly below-average outing for me. in hindsight, i might have skipped tonight - but that might be a function of all the really really good shows i've seen recently.

viva voce were downright unlistenable. when the singer/guitarist came out to do backup vocals during the shins set, my girlfriend exclaimed "so THAT's why they had the opening slot - she must be sleeping with someone in the shins!". for some reason it made sense at the time, maybe you had to be there.

the shins were indeed good, talented as all f*ck (various/alternate arrangements were indeed interesting), but not much of a live show. dear 930 board - mea culpa. you tried warning me, but i ignored you… i paid the price: $80 for a so-so show, money that would have been better spent on numerous other outings. they didn't do much with the large stage that they were given - little moving around, little in the way of a light show, etc. the impression that i left the show with: one of the larger gulfs between what fans thought of the band/expected of them; and what they delivered. it was indeed a very chatty crowd and energy wasn't consistent. i'd give the shins' performance a 6 out of 10. i recognize that after the dismal opening act, i might have been a lost cause.

in the past, i've been one to defend the sound at DAR. but after this show and last friday's (chuck brown + the roots), i'm starting to come around. maybe it has everything to do with the techie behind the board, but DAR can indeed sound less than stellar. a learning experience all around.

Originally posted by sweetcell:
i'd give the shins' performance a 6 out of 10.

I'm about there with you… I'd rate it a little bit higher, given their song catalogue, they can't go wrong. I would have liked to hear a lot more off their new album. I believe they only played three (the first three songs of their set.) They sounded pretty good, but given the venue I feel the show was less than intimate. I saw them at Black Cat which was amazing and open for the White Stripes at Merriweather which was a short set but they made it count. I sat the entire show in the uppers, so this show was a lot different for me.

Anyone know what the first encore cover song was?

i thought it was a fine show, obviously a complete 180 from the last time i saw them at a completely oversold, sweaty and smokey black cat … this was the first time i've been to a "sit down" show in a while, and it kinda sapped a lot of my energy (especially after a long weekend)

a couple of observations: james mercer is no longer one of the most awkward frontmen ever, he takes center stage now, has a muted spotlight on him, and actually talked a bit between songs … marty crandall is still more dumb than he is funny … i was really happy with the setlist, pretty much all the old stuff i wanted to hear with a couple of the good songs on the new album (i was dreading one of those "all of the new album and a couple of old chestnuts in the encore" shows) … we were sitting out in the lobby and people-watching while quaffing $6 12-oz amstel light cans and there were a lot more pleated khakis and baseball hats than leggings and ironic t-shirts

maybe it was just our section but i thought it was REALLY LOUD … ears still ringing a bit

the shins are a pretty good band, but they've sort of outgrown their usefulness as a live act. they aren't bad by any means, they just aren't that interesting. they're not gonna front and be full of fake energy, and that's cool, they just get up there and play solid versions of their solid songs. for $10 at the black cat that's fine, but it just doesn't seem worth $30 and dealing with DAR and the people that go to DAR. marty really reminds of some annoying chris parnell character (is there really any other kind?) and the guitarist looks like joe rogan doing a peter buck impression. for a while i thought the shins could be on their way to being the next REM, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards. i, too, was glad to hear lots of older stuff – that new record is really kinda sucky, no? good band, glad people like them, still a bit surprised why they resonate so deeply with so many people. it can't all be beacuse of "garden state," can it?

for what it's worth, i got a kick out of viva voce, but i really like their last album. it was pretty funny to see some sorta-hippieish husband/wife duo from portland playing a song called "we do not fuck around" complete with double neck guitar (aka "those guitars, that are like, double guitars, you know?") to a completely disinterested, half-filled audience at daughters of the american revolution hall.

Shins Setlist (may be slightly off, please add amendments if it is):

Sleeping Lessons
Australia (not 100% on this)
Pam Berry into —>
Phantom Limb
Kissing the Lipless
Mine's Not a High Horse
Girl Inform Me
Girl on the Wing (slowed down)
New Slang
Saint Simon
Girl Sailor (not 100% on this)
Turn a Square
Gone for Good
A Comet Appears
Know Your Onion
Caring Is Creepy

Encore:
Someone I Care About (Modern Lovers cover)
So Says I