So last night was the big indie rock show over at the BU Agannis Arena. Interpol played with The Liars opening up. I think it was the most average show I've seen ever.
Rob and I got there just about on time and went through the airport security, where we saw a girl not be able to take her Mentos in. Going up the stairs I told Rob "I'm never coming here again - not even if Low play here" but he heard me say "Lohan", to which I realized I would totally go back there if Lindsay Lohan was playing anything.
The arena's basically a big hockey rink [I was counting seats and estimated something like a 6K capacity] - and when The Liars finally came on it was maybe 10% full. On most days, The Liars would have had me running from the arena screaming, but not last night! I was not expecting no-wave art noise as an opening act and it was A WONDERFUL SURPRISE!!! A++ to The Liars! Rob, and from what I could tell most of the arena, hated them. But then again, they all probably hate Confusion is Sex era Sonic Youth also.
SO, the big Interpol show. They came on later than I thought they would [9:20], to an arena that still seemed pretty empty. The seats had filled in, but since the floor was only 2/3 full of seats there were still huge aisles and awkward spaces.
At the time I enjoyed the show just fine. They played a good selection of songs well, with accompanying lights. Mostly the first two records, and the strongest material [Mammoth, No I In Threesome] from the new record. The crowd was polite and well behaved. I reflected on where I was in my life when TOTBL came out compared to when Antics came out compared to now. Even getting home wasn't a problem. But today? I have to admit that was the most average show I think I've ever seen. I may as well have just stayed home and listened to the records loud while flipping a light switch off and on.
It's kind of funny, how different the experience was at Lollapalooza - dancing in the rain in a ball field while they play instead of standing in a hockey rink makes all the difference. Also, they played the exact same set, and while it's a good set, I didn't need to see it twice in the space of a month. The order was slightly different and "C'mere" was added last night, but otherwise it was the same 16 songs.
Would I go see The Liars again? PROBABLY IF I WAS IN THE MOOD. And Interpol? I HAVE HAD MY FILL OF INTERPOL FOR THIS YEAR, THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!
Also, you know what sucks? I used to post my show reviews to BostonNow and Last.fm, but keep getting shitty flame war comments from 17 year olds who don't get it, so I'm not doing that anymore. It makes me long for the day all that crap was well corralled by AOL. As much as we all chanted "AOL sucks", it really did keep a lot of idiots off the rest of the internet.
You know, I don't think I've ever heard a song by Muse, who were technically the headliners of Lollapalooza on Saturday night.
Bob and I opted to watch Interpol, and I didn't really have high hopes, so in that sense they didn't disappoint. The setlist was good - lots from the first record, and the better tracks from the second and third. Obviously, not a lot to look at - just kind of some flashing lights off in the distance, basically. It was raining off and on but the crowd that remained were really into it. I loved that people were dancing with glow sticks. To Interpol. I know, right?
I'm pretty sure most of the people around me weren't huge Interpol fans - since that stage had hosted jam bands all day, theses people were the leftover crowd. Anyway, they liked it, and got me excited about it too. No expectations, no disappointment.
Sunday it was freaking hot, before we even entered the gates soupy humid hot. I went over for Juliette and the Licks, which is Juliette Lewis. I was really hoping for a total trainwreck, but Bob had seen them open for Chris Cornell and said they were actually pretty good for what they do. But not good enough for him to see them again, and we planned to meet up before Iggy and the Stooges.
Actually, they were pretty good. Not really my thing, the whole trashy bar band rock and roll, but Juliette was definitely doing it well.
I moved to the back partway through because I had forgotten to put sunscreen on and was beginning to sizzle and fry. And it was a good thing I did because she jumped into the crowd for some crowd surfing, and immediately my first thought was what kind of social disease you could pick up from Juliette Lewis. I totally would have dropped her.
I did stay for her whole set before crossing the field for The Cribs, who's song "Men's Needs" will stay in your head FOR DAYS. Plus, the video is totally rated R.
They turned out to be OK live - not really what I wanted on a hot Sunday early afternoon, I just couldn't get into it. It sounded like Blink 182 with a British attitude instead of a SoCal attitude. Not a bad thing.
Did I tell you it was hella hot Sunday? After The Cribs I started making my way over to the other side for Lupe Fiasco. I stopped to pick up more water, more merchandise, and did something I don't think I've done since I was 12, which was take my shirt off in public. Really, it was so hot I did something I haven't done since freaking puberty.
I've been getting tattoos now for almost a year, and the ones that are usually visible don't warrant strangers coming up to me. However the extensive torso and belly work, well, those are pieces people wanted to see. Not really sure how to react to that kind of attention because it's totally what I wanted all along. Nobody cared what it said, they were into the idea that it was there. Will I take my shirt off again in public? THE ANSWER IS PROBABLY NOT!!!