Sleigh Bells, October 18 at the El Rey

We'd seen Sleigh Bells at various festivals and they were always great.  Not so much of a main course but as a side dish they were fantastic.  I might have missed them if not for Carla, though I could have run into them somewhere else and they might have made an impression if not a deep mark.  As it was, while I'd check them out at at festival, I probably wouldn't have gone out to see them for their own show.  But it was a Friday night, Carla was out, and I was finishing up at work when Rick texted me and said he had an extra ticket for the show.  I didn't have any reason not to go.  It's hard to turn down a concert, especially on a free night, though it might have been more to hang out, since he and I hadn't done that in a while and it's always a good time. On our way we stopped at a Rite-Aid to pick up a pack of ear-plugs -- I've never felt older in my life but I rolled with it.  We got in before they went on (skipping the Doldroms), maybe enough time to get up close like we used to but ended up staying in the back -- we knew the volume would overcome us anywhere in the facility anyway, and we'd already seen Alexis up close on SNL.  The crowd was fairly young -- I don't keep up with popular music enough to know how they rate, even in the indie world. I don't think too much about the intended audience when I get into a band, and I can't assume that any band I'm into will fit in my age range. I just like the music. But if the audience reflected the band then it was led by Alexis screaming and jumping and thrashing about the stage. The walls of the venue were stacks of amps, making for volume approaching MBV levels. This is a band outfitted for festivals and large spaces, and this night they were crammed into the El Rey which, to its credit, somehow continued standing after the show. I ended up being grateful for those ear-plugs. Age brings wisdom. I'll let the kids go deaf. The band, as always, were over-caffeinated and over-amplified and I wouldn't expect anything less. The show was noticeably short, over in just over an hour, which could be for any number of reasons we won't find out, whether for a curfew for the crew or for the kids or whatever. It was satisfying, even if I still don't know why she has her bean & cheese in a drawer. Thanks again to Rick for the ticket!