Outside Lands, August 22 - 24 in San Francisco

Continuing my travels to see concert festivals, I went to San Francisco for the first Outside Lands. Between Coachella and Lollapalooza, a festival can't be too incredibly different: there are a few big fields and a bunch of bands playing on a bunch of different stages and a bunch of people there. Though like Lollapalooza, this event was held in a park at the center of the city. But the most notable difference is the weather: the first few days it never got over 70 degrees (and that's being generous), generally overcast, though the air was crisp and clear, if misting rain at random points. And this is how San Francisco usually is every day. In August. Which is supposed to summer, I just got used to it in places that have reasonable seasons. On Saturday at the high point of the day I had on a sweat-shirt and was still shivering like it was winter. Though Sunday I underestimated the city and it was warm enough to get a sunburn on my face so fair play, San Francisco. I was up there for the weekend and stayed with Heath, who also went to the show with me, and Kris, who also came to the show to hang out for a bit. Heath is always a great concert companion. Of course he was there most for Radiohead but I was there for the whole concert experience in general.

I finally saw Cold War Kids, after missing them at the previous two festivals and maybe seeing them at the next one (they're a band that follows me around, apparently). They did some new stuff but I didn't hear "We Used To Vacation" though we missed about half the set; Manu Chau was fine, I'm sure, but I only saw five minutes of his set before heading over to another stage, leaving a lot of time since there was a ridiculous and unexplainable bottleneck to get between the main area and a meadow that had two other stages; at first I wasn't completely looking forward to seeing Radiohead, since I had just seen their festival-headlining set just two weeks before (and since I had gotten separated from my friends, whose enthusiasm was helping mine along) but they changed up the set enough to make it nearly a whole other show, even switching up the order of the songs they repeated. They still played most of In Rainbows but they played a lot more of OK Computer, particularly "Airbag" and "Exit Music (For a Film)," and "Talk Show Host." At this performance I was a lot farther afield than in Chicago so I wasn't being smooshed by 75,000 people and it wasn't humid and hot. The only bruise on such a great performance was when the sound cut out – twice – for about a minute each, with no explanation, and it happened the next night but I don't know if it was common on that stage; there's not been a moment of Nellie McKay's life that she hasn't been disarmingly charming. She played the teeny-tiniest stage of the festival, which suits her, and I couldn't imagine her playing a much bigger place but it's a shame she doesn't pull a bigger crowd, even though she got a good number to her performance. She did her catchiest songs, alone on her piano or ukulele, including "Mother of Pearl", the funniest song ever about feminists and an awkward song about zombies, appropriately titled "Zombie," but it showed her goofy side – always charming; Regina Spektor was on a big side-stage, performing by herself, and she got a good-sized crowd so I couldn't closer to check out her rack; Cake still attracts a decent crowd, though I'm not really sure why. Nothing against them or their music, which are fine, but I don't recall them having a hit for over 10 years; Tom Petty put on a fine show for the people there, who presumably haven't been following him on tour, but it was a bummer for me since he played a lot of the same set he played at the Hollywood Bowl a few months ago, to the point that I was guessing – correctly – each song he was about to play next. Nothing wrong with that if that's the only show of his you're going to see, which would apply to most of his fans, who are well past the age of going out for more than one night a year for a concert, but it was disappointing for me, when I expected at least a bit more of a show; Stars are an all-time favorite band of mine and it's endlessly frustrating to me that they're not much bigger than they are. As it was, their set was the reason for me going to the show far earlier than any other day (2 o' clock!) but it was worth it. There are no exact words for it but it was a transcendent experience; a week before the show I read a review about Bonnaroo and the reviewer was going nutty about K'Naan, whose set fit into the schedule so we checked him out and he turned out to be one of the best acts of the weekend. Minimalist roots-rap with a message but that message was as important as it was catchy; I saw some of Andrew Bird, mostly on Stars' recommendation and because his slot fit into my schedule, but he didn't do anything for me. I can't even describe his music. Just fairly beyond me at the time; I don't know Broken Social Scene but I'm a big fan of Stars and Feist, who are all part of the same big, Montreal circle. The crowd was really excited for them and I'll check out their stuff when I find it; I also went to see Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings but they were in the background since I was hanging out with friends at the time, which, even more than the music, is what a festival should be about. The same thing about the Walkmen (playing a too-small stage), ALO (know nothing about but they sounded good), and Rogue Wave (which I was mildly avoiding, having not gotten them last time); I'm as big a Wilco fan as they come but I've been left cold the last two times I've seen them. They're a fine live band no matter what they do but when I've seen them they just didn't seem that into it, playing more songs instead of playing with more enthusiasm at the headlining show. This time, though, they were excited to be there, or about something, and you could tell. They ran through a good set and the tightness of it only helped, being that they only had an hour and a half to play (on the bill under Jack Johnson? Who screwed that one up?). Definitely a highlight of the festival, as well as a great way to end the show.

Radiohead's set-list:
"15 Step"
"Reckoner"
"Airbag"
"There There"
"All I Need"
"Nude"
"Talk Show Host"
"The National Anthem"
"The Gloaming"
"Videotape"
"Weird Fishes/Arpeggi"
"Idioteque"
"Karma Police"
"Jigsaw Falling Into Place"
"Just"
"Exit Music (For A Film)"
"Bodysnatchers"

"Pyramid Song"
"You and Whose Army?"
"Paranoid Android"
"Fake Plastic Trees"
"Everything In Its Right Place"

Tom Petty's set-list:
"You Wreck Me"
"Listen to Her Heart"
"I Won't Back Down"
"Even the Losers"
"Free Fallin'"
"Mary Jane's Last Dance"
"End of the Line" (Traveling Wilburys cover)
"Can't Find My Way Home" (Blind Faith cover)
"Gimme Some Lovin'" (The Spencer Davis Group cover)
"Saving Grace"
"Breakdown"
"Honey Bee"
"Learning to Fly"
"Don't Come Around Here No More"
"Refugee"

"Runnin' Down a Dream"
"Gloria" (Them cover)
"American Girl"

Wilco's set-list:
"Remember The Mountain Bed"
"Company In My Back"
"You Are My Face"
"Spiders (Kidsmoke)"
"Hummingbird"
"I Am Trying To Break Your Heart"
"Handshake Drugs"
"Jesus, Etc."
"Impossible Germany"
"Via Chicago"
"California Stars"
"Hate It Here"
"Walken"
"I'm The Man Who Loves You"

Lollapalooza, August 1 to 3 in Chicago

Oh, yes, I have no problem going clear across almost to the other side of the country for a concert. It was obvious from the moment the line-up for Lollapalooza was announced that it was the one to beat in 2008. I made plans with Seth who flew up from Kansas to meet me in Chicago for the show and he had a friend who let us crash at his place, which meant I really only had to get the tickets and a flight so no problem there. I wonder why I don't travel to more festivals (well, outside of California, that is). The non-traveling Lollapalooza is a fantastic show on its own but I can't help but compare it to Coachella and that's a good enough hook for this review:
* The city park, Grant Park, in the heart of downtown Chicago, just feet from Lake Michigan, is smaller than Coachella but has a capacity for more people (75,000 vs. 60,000 (reportedly)). This made it feel a lot more claustrophobic but that's probably because I'm so used to the wide-open spaces of the Indio polo fields. You can also take the El train around the city to get to the park, just a few blocks away, so it certainly makes it a lot easier to move in and out of the place.
* Lolla has six stages going at a time, Coachella has five. But while Coachella has a variety of acts playing across all the stages, and something people with eclectic tastes may want to see, Lolla has one stage just for kids and families, which is great that they do but offered nothing for me, and one tiny stage of Perry Farrell-picked DJs, so there were really only three or four stages going, at least two of which had their last act go on hours before the day ended, and the acts on those stages could have been changed around easily, the only difference between them being the size of the crowd they would draw. The biggest and second-biggest stages were across the field from each other but they scheduled the times such that when one act got done on one stage, the one across from it would be beginning only a few minutes after it. This is great if you just want to go back and forth between those two stages but to go to the other big stages across the park, it could take up to 20 minutes of walking and maneuvering the crowd. The stages were also mostly far enough away from each other that there was no overlap in sound, except for two stages that were almost back-to-back to each other and had acts playing on them at the same time, which is perplexing to me but I guess we can just chalk it up to the organizers having no other place to put the smaller stage and putting smaller acts on it anyway.
* The crowd definitely skewed a lot younger. The Coachella crowd seems to lean toward late 20s, on average, maybe closer to my age, but the people at Lolla seemed in their early 20s, if not teenagers, and it was noticeable. I don't know if it's because it's easier for young people to get around the city to make it to the show and Coachella takes people with at least a driver's license and the day to spend to get out there and back as well as the time off of school. It was also of note that the crowd was really young for headliners who were big 10 years ago, when those kids were still in elementary school.
* Indio is a dry heat; Chicago is humid. Friday at the show got pretty warm (especially being in the middle of a crowd of almost 100,000), Saturday was nearly perfect, and Sunday was overcast and really muggy though it wasn't terribly hot.
* Lolla is about as corporate as you can make it. Company names are plastered everywhere you can imagine, even the stages are named after corporations, almost so much to the point where you think that it must be a joke. Now, I know Coachella has its share of corporate sponsorship (especially in beer sales) but it's not nearly as blatant. But if Lolla has to do it to keep ticket-prices down (and the tickets are, indeed, cheaper than those to Coachella) and it gets the big acts there, then I say go for it.
* Coachella ends at midnight, give or take, depending on a headliner wanting to play an encore or in case someone went on late at some point in the day; Lolla was over at 10 on the dot. But really, these festivals live and die on the strength of their line-ups: my friends loved Manchester Orchestra at Coachella and I liked them enough to see them at Lolla but I want to get some stuff by them on disc before really becoming a fan; a friend recommended Rogue Wave but I didn't see the big deal with them. They're playing other festivals so maybe I'll get into them later; I didn't dance during the Go! Team's set, as I should have, since I was conserving my energy, but they deserved it; I don't know why I had to travel to see Louis XIV for the first time, since I like them and they're from San Diego and they play around here a lot; I would have seen the Kills but by the time I got over there they were finishing 15 minutes early; I've seen Gogol Bordello a whole lot but I'm still trying to make sure the rest of the world sees and loves them. In this case I was telling people trying to decide between them and the Black Keys (who I also wanted to see) that Gogol Bordello would change their lives. The fact that they played "American Wedding" made this performance beat out this year's Coachella appearance (but not the first time I saw them at Coachella, which, indeed, changed my life); Mates of State sounded great from across the field and I wish I had had them in the plan to see; I would have seen Bloc Party even if we weren't trying to get in good position for Radiohead. Some advice for manipulating through to the front of a crowd: pick a pushy female and follow her, acting like you're her boyfriend (and she won't know you're behind her anyway); Radiohead played unopposed, with no one going on at the same time as them, with 75,000 people there to see them and only them. At that point we had worked our way pretty close to the stage (well, half a mile but that was a lot closer than most everyone else) and they did the standard, solid show, playing a few hits early on (no "Karma Police" but yes, "Lucky"), and eventually playing most of the new album sprinkled in among their two-hour set. No surprises (pardon the pun. But they didn't play that either) but excellent headliners (if not the biggest headliners of the whole weekend); the Ting Tings were a breakout surprise. I hadn't seen the iPod commercial, I'd heard maybe one of their songs, we just went to see them because we were there early enough in the day. And they were great. At every festival you should walk away with at least one new favorite band and that was mine. (I later got very much into them); a high-point of the festival for me I knew was going to be the Gutter Twins, though it's really strange seeing them on-stage during the day and I sure wouldn't mind if Lanegan would make some sign of having some appreciation of being there (or even of being alive); I've pretty much decided that I'm just never going to be into MGMT but they were nice to watch from the other side of the field (since, apparently, 75,000 people wanted to see them) and it was a beautiful part of the afternoon; Explosions in the Sky could probably be huge if they had words in their music, but other than that they were pretty good, a good place to rest, at least; a friend recommended Okkervil River to me and I might be seeing them next month. They were okay. They reminded me of the Decemberists, in dress if not music; I probably wouldn't have been so excited to see the Toadies but that was the high-point of the festival for Seth and we got to the front of the stage a half an hour before they went on, while they were setting up, so we could be up close (and also heard a bit of Lupe Fiasco on the other stage from there). And it was worth it. There aren't many Toadies hits but of course they played "Possum Kingdom" (the "so help me Jesus" song) and closed with "Tyler," which I'm sure is because we were screaming/chanting it halfway through; the biggest decision of the weekend: Wilco or Rage Against the Machine. Now, I'm a much bigger Wilco fan than a Rage fan, I saw Wilco a few months ago and seeing them again in a few weeks, but Rage doesn't tour often, though I've actually seen them more than I've seen Wilco (including twice at Coachella). I was so torn that I decided to let a consensus of my friends help me decide over text-messages but that was also a split vote so it didn't help. I decided to go along with our post-Toadies high and, since Seth pretty much hates Wilco, I just went along and saw Rage and they were great. Also, we were drinking heavily and meeting girls. I'd still be interested to see what crowd showed up for Wilco (especially since the crowd for Rage was, predictably, pretty rowdy); I was right that Saul Williams is better in a larger venue, even if it was on a smaller stage; of course Gnarls Barkley played "Crazy," no surprise there, but no funky costumes, and that was a surprise; I'll probably be seeing the National at some other point soon but I'd been listening to their album (Boxer) obsessively lately so I thought I was obligated to check them out. And they were great though, as usual, subduded; the other big decision: Kanye vs. Nine Inch Nails. Obviously I picked Kanye. I figured I probably wouldn't see him if he was playing his own show, as I would NIN, but I was certainly interested in what he would do live, especially after a number of people said he sucks live, but they were clearly very wrong. Acts I missed: I tried to see Cat Power but by the time I got over there I heard half a song and had to head back to see the next band in the plan; I knew Mark Ronson wasn't going to have any really notable guests with him so I skipped everything but the last song (which was that limp, overwrought Smith cover); also missed CSS, Duffy, Stephen Malkmus (still no Pavement stuff?), Flogging Molly, the Whigs, Broken Social Scene, and Girl Talk but I replaced them with other stuff and I'm sure I'll catch up to them again.

Radiohead's set-list:
"15 Step"
"Airbag"
"There, There"
"All I Need"
"Nude"
"Weird Fishes"
"The Gloaming"
"The National Anthem"
"Faust Arp"
"No Surprises"
"Jigsaw Falling Into Place"
"Reckoner"
"Lucky"
"The Bends"
"Everything In Its Right Place"
"Fake Plastic Trees"
"Bodysnatchers"

"Videotape"
"Paranoid Android"
"Dollars & Cents"
"House of Cards"
"Optimistic"

"2 + 2 = 5"
"Idioteque"

Rage Against the Machine's set-list:
"Testify"
"Bulls On Parade"
"People Of The Sun"
"Bombtrack"
"Know Your Enemy"
"Bullet In The Head"
"Born Of A Broken Man"
"Guerrilla Radio"
"Ashes In The Fall"
"Calm Like A Bomb"
"Sleep Now In The Fire"
"Wake Up"

"Freedom"
"Killing In The Name"

Kanye West's set-list:

"Stronger"
"Good Morning"
"I Wonder"
"Heard 'Em Say"
"Through The Wire"
"Champion"
"Get 'Em High Play"
"Diamonds from Sierra Leone"
"Can't Tell Me Nothing"
"Put On" (Young Jeezy cover)
"Flashing Lights"
"Homecoming"
"Touch The Sky"
"Gold Digger"
"Good Life"
"Jesus Walks"
"Hey, Mama"
"Don't Stop Believin'" (Journey cover)
"Stronger"

Bloc Party's set-list:
"Hunting for Witches"
"Waiting for the 7.18"
"Banquet"
"Song for Clay (Disappear Here)"
"So Here We Are"
"The Prayer"
"Mercury"
"This Modern Love"
"Positive Tension"
"Like Eating Glass"
"Helicopter"

Gogol Bordello's set-list:

"Ultimate"
"Not A Crime"
"I Would Never Wanna Be Young Again"
"Supertheory of Supereverything"
"Wonderlust King"
"Mishto!"
"Tribal Connection"
"60 Revolutions"
"American Wedding"
"Start Wearing Purple"
"Think Locally F**ck Globally"

Gnarls Barkley's set-list:
"Charity Case"
"Surprise"
"Gone Daddy Gone" (Violent Femmes cover)
"Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)"
"Blind Mary"
"Just A Thought"
"Going On"
"Whatever"
"Storm Coming" (The Doors cover)
"Crazy"
"A Little Better"
"Who's Gonna Save My Soul"
"Reckoner" (Radiohead cover)
"Smiley Faces"

MGMT's set-list:
"Of Moons"
"Birds & Monsters"
"Weekend Wars"
"The Youth"
"Future Reflections"
"4th Dimensional Transition"
"Pieces Of What"
"Electric Feel"
"Time To Pretend"
"The Handshake"
"Kids"

The Ting Tings' set-list:
"We Walk"
"Great DJ"
"Fruit Machine"
"Keep Your Head"
"Be The One"
"That's Not My Name"
"We Started Nothing"
"Shut Up And Let Me Go"

The Gutter Twins' set-list:
"The Stations"
"God's Children"
"Live With Me" (Massive Attack cover)
"Bonnie Brae" (The Twilight Singers cover)
"Idle Hands"
"Seven Stories Underground"
"Bête Noire"
"Down the Line" (José González cover)
"Each to Each"
"Number Nine" (The Twilight Singers cover)

The Go! Team's set-list:
"Flashlight Fight"
"The Wrath of Marcie"
"The Power Is On"
"Fake ID"
"Grip Like A Vice"
"A Version of Myself"
"Junior Kickstart"
"Bottle Rocket"
"Everyone's a V.I.P. to Someone"
"Flashlight Fight" (reprise)
"Lady Flash"
"Doing It Right"
"Keys to the City"

Okkervil Rivers' set-list:
"The President's Dead"
"Black"
"A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene"
"The Latest Toughs"
"A Girl in Port"
"Plus Ones"
"John Allyn Smith Sails"
"Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe"
"For Real"
"Unless It's Kicks"
"Westfall"

Explosions in the Skys' set-list:
"Catastrophe and the Cure"
"The Birth and Death of the Day"
"Your Hand in Mine"
"Have You Passed Through This Night?"
"Memorial"
"The Only Moment We Were Alone"

Rilo Kiley, June 18 at the Greek Theater

I had just seen Rilo Kiley at Coachella but I had to see them again when the opportunity presented itself. They were so amazingly perfect and glorious at the festival, I had to see them with a full show. Of course, that could lead to a problem: What if they weren't as good the second time, would that tarnish the memory I so recently had of them? As it turns out, I needn't have worried. Though their set had been more concise at Coachella and this time didn't have the newness of being the first time I had seem them (except for the truly first time I saw them, opening for the Breeders in '01 on their first album, making me a lifelong fan) but it was a great set. And speaking of the set, interestingly, they played a lot of the best, really good songs off their new album early in the set ("Money Maker," the first single from their new album second, and "Breakin' Up," the best song off the album, fourth) and then got to some of their more obscure but fan-favorite songs later on, making it seem like the set-list was backwards. It's not like they've had any true hits; they're a band that survives on just having good songs on really good albums, more than having recognizable tracks from the radio or in movies. I would guess that the dedicated audience should now be just as familiar with the new album (out for almost a year now) as they are with the rest of their catalog, you'd think the bandmembers would have the confidence to order their set so they build up to their best stuff. Then again, I was obsessed with Under the Blacklight and that's what I most wanted to hear; while I love their entire catalog, I really most wanted to hear the new stuff (usually the opposite of what the audience wants). Not that I have any complaints about what they played (though a run-through of "Go Ahead" would have been welcome), just that I'm used to a climax in a show and this show peaked early and leveled-out, and after hearing my favorite songs within the first 20 minutes, I was looking forward to them topping that but they merely matched it. One odd thing was that the place was only about 4/5 full (if that). I don't think it had anything to do with Rilo Kiley being good -- or even great -- enough to fill such a place, they're just not as big a name as a group needs to be to sell it out. The Cure, R.E.M., and the White Stripes have played the Greek on recent tours. But nearly any show at the Greek is a beautiful thing, being a mid-size (5,000 seats) venue surrounded by trees and a gorgeous early-summer evening. It's so nice, even the performers comment about it, and they're from L.A.(in the case of Rilo Kiley). Lavender Diamond opened the show and they/she didn't move me so much but I remember the singer's voice was lovely.

Rilo Kiley's set-list:
"Close Call"
"The Moneymaker"
"Dreamworld"
"Capturing Moods"
"Breakin’ Up"
"Does He Love You?"
"Ripchord"
"The Absence of God"
"With Arms Outstretched"
"Hail to Whatever You Found in the Sunlight That Surrounds You"
"It’s a Hit"
"A Better Son/Daughter"
"Silver Lining"
"I Never"

Tom Petty, June 25 at the Hollywood Bowl

You might think that Tom Petty would play all the hits for an entire show. But when you've been making music for over 30 years like a legend like Petty has, you fairly well have free-reign to play what you like, to say nothing of the fact that you're probably sick of playing "Break Down" for the last three decades. Playing a big space like the Hollywood Bowl (on June 25) is a double-edged sword for expectations: for a crowd like that, they're going to expect a lot of hits but Petty is not likely to play a smaller place so he doesn't have to please such a big crowd and can just play what he wants, not necessarily the big hits. But that night he opened and closed with enough hits and everything rocked so well that so I doubt the crowd was terribly disappointed. At least one song he played only because he had to, being "Free Fallin'" which the band obligatorily played with clearly no passion and within the first 20 minutes of the show. He gets the award for playing quite possibly the most obscure song from any career from any show I've ever seen by playing "Sweet William," according to him a song from a Europe-only E.P. from 10 years ago. The middle of the show started to drag, especially when they brought out opener Steve Winwood to play two of his own songs and Petty stood in the back as just a guitar-player. Vanessa (who got the tickets) and I got there late so I could avoid Winwood and then they brought him out, which was clearly for the benefit of the band rather than the crowd. Tom Petty has made a resurgence in recent years, Steve Winwood hasn't. The songs shortly after that didn't do much to get anyone going, especially "Honey Bee," which had the only thing going for it being that it's really old. "A Face in the Crowd," a rarely-played track from Full Moon Fever, and a mostly acoustic "Learning to Fly" got some lovely airings but I was losing interest. Finally the show took off again toward the end of "Don't Come Around Here No More" and carried strongly through "Refugee" then that was the end of the main set. Luckily, the momentum went through the encore of "Runnin' Down a Dream," a rousing cover of "Gloria," and ending with -- predictably -- "American Girl." The end of the show finally matched the rollicking SuperBowl performance but by that time it was over. Looking back at the show, Petty played 20 songs over almost two hours, which doesn't seem right since all of the cuts in their original form were radio-length, but in concert the band stretched out the end of the songs with a mini-jam that would have been fine if it didn't happen for nearly every single tune. It should have gone on another hour but there's only so much you can do. What was good was great but the rest was just another show that this road-weary warrior has played a thousand times before, unfortunately. I planned to see Petty again at Outside Lands two months later and to be honest, I wouldn't have gotten these tickets if I'd known that I would be going to that show, but I didn't mind at the time (though I did later, when he played nearly identical sets at both shows). Petty is one of those artists who has integrity as an entertainer enough to not sleep-walk through a show but that doesn't stop him from playing the same set every night. But he doesn't have the same crowd every night so give it to him on a technicality. And because he's, you know, Tom friggin' Petty.

Tom Petty's set-list:
"You Wreck Me"
"Listen to Her Heart"
"I Won't Back Down"
"Even the Losers"
"Free Fallin'"
"Mary Jane's Last Dance"
"Sweet William"
"End of the Line" (Traveling Wilburys cover)
"Can't Find My Way Home" (Blind Faith cover) (with Steve Winwood)
"Gimme Some Lovin'" (The Spencer Davis Group cover) (with Steve Winwood)
"Saving Grace"
"Honey Bee"
"A Face in the Crowd"
"You Don't Know How It Feels"
"Learning to Fly"
"Don't Come Around Here No More"
"Refugee"

"Runnin' Down a Dream"
"Gloria" (Them cover)
"American Girl"

The Cure, May 31 at the Hollywood Bowl

If you're a Cure fan, they're one of the best bands ever to see in concert. They normally play for at least two hours, usually closer to three, and that included their show at the Hollywood Bowl. They play a variety of their stuff, from hits to deep album cuts, probably some B-sides on some nights, and they were playing stuff from their new album (4:13 Dream, not one of their best), which wasn't out yet, but they limited that number to less than a half-dozen, which were received well anyway. Their set changes every night and even their most popular songs they might or might not play. If you're hoping to hear one particular song you may or may not hear it but you're also more likely to hear an obscure track. They still play a lot of the hits, even early in the set, knowing that there are still other hits to play later on. They play a tight show, with not a lot of on-stage banter (no one else in the band besides Bob Smith has a mic and no one can understand his mumbling anyway). The band look exactly as they have for the past 30 years (though Bob has noticeably gained some weight) except for the guitarist, who would have been too goth-punk for Marilyn Manson's band. Seriously, a creepy-looking dude (and probably old) but a good musician (though Bob plays a lot of the lead guitar parts himself). Bob even seemed like he wanted to keep playing that night but it was already getting close to 11:30 and there are curfews. I'm not sure if their live set will convert anyone but you know if you're a fan or not already. If you're not a Cure fan, hopefully you were someone's date or the alcohol is cheap because you're in for a long haul. This was the show rescheduled from the previous October, which had tickets going on sale in the early summer so I'd had mine for almost a year. I made the mistake of buying two tickets without having someone readily available to go with me and everyone I knew was busy that night and the eBay auction had no takers (even with the starting price at half what I paid for it) but I put a listing on Craigslist and had someone contact me about it within a few minutes of posting it who met me before the show and paid full face value ($67). It was a sold-out show but you know there's always someone trying to get rid of a ticket.

I love the idea of riding a tram to the Hollywood Bowl but I live within walking distance of the subway and it's only two stops to get there. The parking at the Bowl is horrendous, though I've parked a few lots down, where it wasn't stacked but cost $25. Public transportation only rarely works in Los Angeles but when it does it's great. Especially in Hollywood, where lot-owners know they can gouge people who own cars, I don't want to go to shows sometimes when I know I'll be paying more for parking than the cost of a ticket. There are a few places that are within range of the subway but you also run the risk of not getting the last train, which runs at midnight, if the show runs late (and I've certainly been to some that do). Luckily, at big shows like at the Bowl, they know that their usually-older guests have to be up early the next morning (as I had to be, though it doesn't mean I'm old).

The Cure's set-list:
"Underneath The Stars"
"Prayers For Rain"
"A Night Like This"
"The Walk"
"The End Of The World"
"Love Song"
"Sleep When I'm Dead"
"To Wish Impossible Things"
"Pictures Of You"
"Lullaby"
"From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea"
"The Perfect Boy"
"Hot Hot Hot!!!"
"The Only One"
"Push"
"Friday I'm In Love"
"In Between Days"
"Just Like Heaven"
"A Letter To Elise"
"Never Enough"
"Wrong Number"
"One Hundred Years"
"It's Over"

"If Only Tonight We Could Sleep"
"The Kiss"

"At Night"
"M"
"Play For Today"
"A Forest"

"The Lovecats"
"Let's Go To Bed"
"Freakshow"
"Close To Me"
"Why Can't I Be You?"

"Boys Don't Cry"

Von Bondies, May 23 at Safari Sam's

I saw the Von Bondies at the San Diego Street Scene a few years and suddenly realized that I should have seen them more than that one time. They're a bit of a cross between a few-generations-removed Rolling Stones and the White Stripes, with a slightly gritty, Detroit-rock sound. (And they probably wouldn't care for the White Stripes comparison since their second-biggest claim to fame is that Jack White beat the hell out of their lead singer, Jason Stollsteimer back in '04 but bad publicity is still publicity.) Stollsteimer is smart enough to have hot chicks as his guitarist and bassist (replacing the hot chicks that were his previous guitarist and bassist) but the music is good enough that they're not a necessary distraction. I'm surprised that they were playing a medium-sized club for their L.A. stop, since they're riding on the popularity of "C'Mon C'Mon" which apparently the theme song for Rescue Me, but for whatever reason they're playing there, I went to see them. They only had an album or two worth of material, as well as a new EP, but they played every song you would want them to (if you knew them well enough to want them to play certain songs). They actually didn't have a huge crowd, which I didn't mind, but I hope it doesn't discourage them from continuing to tour (though they came back once, at least). It was the first time I'd gone to Safari Sam's and I fell in love with the place and hoped to go back again but it had closed before I had the chance. The place was clean, with ample parking, good bar-grub, a good lay-out, nice bouncers, and great sound. The kind of place I would open if I could. It was way too good to last.

Another review of the show here.

Eels, April 16 at the El Rey

You never know what you’re going to get at an Eels show, as any fan of their knows. And as their fans know, the Eels is really just E and indeed, at the El Rey, it was just him. He had one other guy helping him on instruments, as well as reading sections from E’s book, and I wouldn’t complain that it was any less of a show even though it wasn’t a full band and the ticket was $40. Apparently, a bit before the show he had fired Butch, the only other constant member of the band since E decided to form a band. The show was mostly acoustic, with a few bits of really loud electric-guitar, including a raved-up version of “Novocain for the Soul”, and a neat drum solo where E took over playing the drums from the other guy, while still playing, not missing a beat, then back again. It’s a shame that the Eels’ music is often thought of as a novelty, as evidenced by the easy, expected laughs during “It’s a Motherfucker,” which begins with those words and is actually a very sad song. The music could be considered quirky but I would never say it’s meant as a joke. As a matter of fact, their second album, Electro-Shock Blues, is on my list of Most Depressing Albums and it’s also often considered their best one by other. It may seem funny on the surface but there’s pain underneath, like a lot of the best music. That night in concert E was a little closer to Beck than They Might Be Giants but whatever form he takes, he puts on a good show.

I don't remember Vanessa being an Eels or E fan but it was her idea to go to the show. We probably drank.

The Gutter Twins, April 2 at Avalon

The show with the Gutter Twins, featuring Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers, and Mark Lanegan of the Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age, was exactly what I expected: dark, grinding rock that's great to drink to (though I hadn't planned to drink until I got there and ran into a friend from work). They played most of their album and a track or two of Lanegan's solo stuff and, after a satisfying set, left the stage. The crowd cheered and waited for an encore... then the house-lights came up, music came on over the P.A., and the bouncers shuffled everyone out. No encore? Now, a band isn't obligated to play more, especially after they played for a good hour (almost to the minute), but it was disappointing, since we all wanted more and saw no reason why there wouldn't be. Even worse, I'd read a review of some of the other shows they'd played and was really looking forward to some of the stuff they'd play post-set (especially some Twilight Singers stuff and, if I wished hard enough, maybe a 'Whigs track). It was good enough but, right at the end, turned out to be a bit of a let-down. Openers Great Northern were good, very polished, leading me to think they were from other bands but all I could find is that the guitarist used to be in 30 Seconds to Mars. As a warm-up act they were great. This was also the show where I imfamously paid $25 to park across the street from the place (being no street parking in the area, even on a weekday night). Sometimes I want to tell Hollywood that it can fuck itself, even when it has good shows.

Saul Williams, March 25 at the Troubadour

I didn’t know anything about Saul Williams except that Trent Reznor had produced his new album but Andrew, a NIN fan dedicated enough to have an interest in Reznor's other projects, said it would be a great show so I went along, also with Vanessa. And it was. The Troubadour is a great place to see a concerts but the sound can be muddy for voices, which makes it poor for a show where there can be a lot of talking if not rapping, which actually didn’t hurt Saul Williams’ performance as everyone in the crowd was shouting along to his words, including the spoken-word parts. But even if you scored it only on the music it would still be a success, getting big chunks of dance-industrial with the weirdo rap, making for an interesting experiment (and perhaps even better on disc). And the fact that I got street parking made for a great evening as well as being with my friends. And maybe Reznor was in the audience that night? Who knows?

Nada Surf/Sea Wolf, March 19 at the Fonda

Seth got me into Nada Surf a few years ago and Vanessa got tickets for the Fonda show so we checked them out. Their early stuff was scrappy, indie-pop-punk, in the Weezer mold (their first album was even produced by Ric Ocasek) and they were popular for a little while due to a song called, aptly enough, "Popular", which I think was used as the theme for some TV show. I couldn't tolerate the song then and Seth said they'd never played it in all the times he'd seen them in concert but, just my luck, they played it that night at our show. At least the rest of the set was good. Their stuff after that first album was a lot more M.O.R. and fairly breezy but in concert it was heavier. Vanessa said it seemed liked there was some inspirational/religious themes going on with their music but I have to say I enjoyed it just because it was good to see a band that actually seemed to be really excited about playing live. Openers Sea Wolf, a local band who apparently had some songs on the radio, were great. I picked up their album later on.