the Pretenders/Bloc Party, December 10 at Club Nokia

I'd listened to a lot of the Pretenders but surprisingly had never seen them in concert, despite the fact that they've been around and playing consistently for almost longer than I've been alive. Indie 103 were having their Christmas show and while it was considerably less formidable than KROQ's (though, pound for pound, I'd still go with Indie's, as well as the fact that it would be a lot less trouble to get tickets), I decided to go. These radio-station Christmas shows used to be really special, and KROQ still seems to sell out theirs, even when the acts are crappy (like most of that year's (except for Franz and the Cure)). But this one didn't sell out until the day of so it just goes to show that people are dumb and have no taste. I was also interested in checking out Club Nokia, a brand-new concert venue that had opened just a month or so before. I had high hopes for a great, new place to see shows, since there can never be too many, and a lot of the sound-systems in the old stand-by venues can't keep up with new acts. The place itself is fine -- clean, shiny, open -- but it's everything else that makes it a drag: decent parking nearby is $20 and it's greatly more difficult when there's a Lakers game that night; the bouncers and staff were completely indifferent (not much for a Christmas spirit); it's the same L.A. club mentality of you can't stand here, you can't stand there; the floor in front of the stage and the balconies were all V.I.P., leaving people who had actually bought tickets shoved into the back of the place, still well enough to see the show since the place isn't gigantic, but still enough to feel dejected by the hierarchy (since, as usual, the V.I.P.s, who probably got comped tickets, barely had any idea or care who was performing), and, shockingly, the supposedly brand-new sound-system kinda sucked. Luckily, the bands didn't disappoint. I missed the Black Kids but Bloc Party were great. I don't know why everyone slagged them after their first album but all of their stuff sounded great mixed together live, with the exception of a few new songs that relied way too much on sound effects, which show how difficult it is to replicate the sounds on their albums in their live show, and showing they should concentrate on the song before the sound. The Pretenders, of course, were the stars of the show. Chryssie Hynde and crew played a set that tended to be a bit uneven, jumping back and forth between classic songs that were so well-worn that they could have played themselves, to getting out new stuff, which is their right, but none of it stuck (even after I bought their new album there from the merch table). It was only as uneven as any other band with a history stretching decades and I certainly wouldn't count them off, especially since they played everything I wanted to hear (especially "Don't Get Me Wrong"). Yeah, I should have seen one of their full shows and I shouldn't have put so much faith in a Christmas show, especially one with a crowd so disjointed, seeing as it would be hard to find fans of all three acts there (CSS played after the Pretenders but I skipped it) and not just the fans with bland taste in music (if any at all) who are just familiar with the radio station, like KROQ depends upon. But I was most disappointed by the venue, which has fortunately not featured anyone else I would care to see (except a Prince show that was apparently reviled for the sound-system) so I had no reason to go back soon. New places can have growing pains and start out shaky so I'd be willing to give them a second try but hopefully it won't be for a while. There are other places to go.

Bloc Party's set:
"Trojan Horse"
"One Month Off"
"Hunting for Witches"
"Positive Tension
something from Intimacy
"Song for Clay (Disappear Here)"
"Banquet"
"Mercury"
"This Modern Love"
"The Prayer"
"Flux"
"Like Eating Glass"

Pretenders' set:
"Boots of Chinese Plastic"
"Don’t Cut Your Hair"
"Talk of the Town"
"Message of Love"
"Don’t Lose Faith in Me"
"Love’s a Mystery"
"Back on the Chain Gang"
"Rosalee"
"One Thing Never Changed"
"Stop Your Sobbing"
"Day After Day"
"Don’t Get Me Wrong"
"Brass in Pocket"
"Break Up the Concrete"

"Kid"
"Thumbelina"
"The Wait"