Flogging Molly!

(*Said in a high-pitched, leotard-wearing, 80's hair band style*)

Personally, I still can't believe that we got them to come here, but I choose not to question. As they are the kings of Irish punk, and one of the few out there now with a member who was actually from Ireland, Flogging Molly's arrival at ND warranted not only lining up outside Legends at least 4 hours in the pouring rain before the doors opened at 9 PM, but also the opening of the back wall of Legends with a tent set up in the lot behind, complete with projection screens, to accomodate the massive, over-capacity crowds that could not possibly fit inside. (Oh man, that was such a run-on sentence...The English major in me is shuddering...) As I have become the unofficial Legends correspondent of Mindset, here's my review.

Any criticisms I have of this show really have nothing to do with the band. First of all, Legends made a bad decision not to have the barricades set up before the show, though I admit I never expected any show at ND to get so chaotic. However, they did a fantastic job of getting that put up quickly and keeping it reinforced against the semi-moshing crowd. My other main complaint is about the leaky roof. Granted, this isn't really something the Legends staff could necessarily control, but it simply looks sloppy to have the roof leaking not only on the audience, but also on the band. Anyway, onto the actual show!

As Flogging Molly needs no introduction, there was no opening act. The show began with the entire house dimming; only a low blue light shone on the stage as flute music (my friend Alyssa said it was reminiscent of Passion of the Christ music) played over the sound system. This band knows how to make a crowd anxious, because they waited what felt like 10 minutes (it was probably less than 5) before coming out. Once onstage, they did not delay another second and went straight into the music. Here, I pause to give a Fonz-like thumbs-up to the Legends staff, who finally mastered the art of the sound system! There was only one instance of unwanted guitar feedback that I can recall, all the mics were perfectly balanced, and the volume was at the perfect level where it was justloud enough to blow out your eardrums, but not permanently.

This was my first Flogging Molly live show, and it did NOT disappoint. Unlike other bands, who refuse to play their old songs in concert, they played a huge set that included songs from all their albums, fan favorites and new songs alike. (An incomplete and disjointed set list will follow the review.) These guys play an extremely laid-back show, drinking beer from blue plastic cups (Haha, inside joke from the show) between songs as lead singer Dave King shared stories about his childhood in Ireland or went on tangents about politics and peace. Interaction with the crowd seems to be one key to the magic of a Flogging Molly show, which explains why they kept it at Legends rather than moving it to larger venue like Stepan.

The other key would be their amazing music. Some punk bands sound like crap live because they simply play as loud and as fast as they can, and, while this can get synched up and polished in a studio, it just sounds like audio vomit live. NOT the case with Flogging Molly, who have actual discernable melodies and utilize more than a 3-chord progression in their music. Plus, they have a slightly more diverse set of instruments at their disposal, including a violin, mandolin, banjo, and accordion. I never thought it would be possible to rock out on an according. Apparently, I was wrong. It didn't take long for the crowd to get energized and thrashing around, which is awesome that people get so into it, but decidedly not so awesome when you're 5 feet tall in flip flops in the middle of the crowd with guys wearing riveted jackets on each side. (FYI: I still have both flip flops and all my toenails, thank you very much!) And again with the anxiety for the encore! Most other bands go backstage, count to 3, then come back out, but these guys made you wait, and therefore crave it more. At first, just Dave came out and began a gorgeous acoustic version of "Black Friday Rule", which made everyone stop thrashing for probably the first time all evening, then the rest of the band joined him onstage about halfway through the song to finish it with a full set.

Okay, so here's what I remember that they played. I know for a fact they played more than this, but I can't remember! I'll ask my friends what they remember and possibly edit this later...

• Selfish Man
• Factory Girls
• Within a Mile of Home
• What's Left of the Flag
• Laura (I think? I can't remember if I just heard it in my head or onstage!)
• If I Ever Leave This World Alive
• The Likes of You Again
• Rebels of the Sacred Heart
• Whistles in the Wind
• Requiem for a Dying Dream
  
• Black Friday Rule

Keep it up, Legends, I expect bigger and better acts for my senior year! :-)


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Last Night at Legend's...

Why does that sound like a bad way to start out a sentence the morning after?

Anyway, last night at Legend's, I saw Mae perform with The Hush Sound and New Atlantic. I love LOVE LOVE Mae (make fun if you must), and was absolutely stoked when I found out they were coming here! I had already checked out the Hush Sound with some friends when they were here in January and was actually surprised that they had come back, but I don't question. So, here are some pics and a mini-review-let...

I had never heard of New Atlantic before last night, and they apparently still haven't released their debut album yet, so I couldn't even hazard a guess at what songs they played. My perception of them, I'll admit, is a little skewed...During their set, I was standing basically right next to the 2 gigantic speakers off to the left side of the stage, which had me reeling after about 2 minutes. I'm sure I would've enjoyed their music if I was actually able to hear it, but alas, I was being bombarded by sound waves that were seriously starting to give me a headache. Additionally, something was amiss with the soundcheck. I couldn't tell if all the high-pitched whines before and during songs were intentional (a few times they just seemed to run with it rather than giving semi-discreet hand gestures to the guy in the back) or just the result of shoddy technicians. Maybe someday I'll give them a second chance in a controlled environment.

Fortunately, by the time The Hush Sound came on, I used my teeny-ness to my advantage and managed to wind my way away from said abominable speakers and more towards front and center. I'm not going to lie, I enjoy The Hush Sound, as long as I ignore that they're signed to Pete Wentz's label. They also play an excellent live show, proving that they actually have some talent rather than talented producers to touch things up in the studio. I remember that they played 13 songs last night, and I'm pretty certain I have them in close to the correct order here (Feel free to correct me)...

1. We Intertwined
2. In the Desert
3. Don't Wake Me Up
4. Lion's Roar
5. Sweet Tangerine
6. Where We Went Wrong
7.The Market
8. Momentum
9. Tides Change
10. A Dark Congregation
11. Magnolia
12. Lighthouse
13. Wine Red

I was, first of all, impressed that they managed to fit 13 songs into one hour! Legend'sgave every band an hour to play, which was easy for New Atlantic, who played maybe 6 or 7 songs, but 13 is a lot! Of course, this meant that they had to cut down a little on audience interaction, which is too bad if you recall how personable they were last time, but I won't complain because I got some extra music out of it. They too, however, were having some technical difficulties, especially Bob, who had to ask each time after the first 4 songs for something to get turned up, turned on, or turned down...Not the same thing, I hope.

You know what I said about every band playing for an hour? Well, Mae ran a little bit over that, but I know that I for one didn't mind, hehe. Here's their exact set list, and I know because I took a picture of the set list:

1. Telescopes*
2. Summertime
3. Suspension
4. This Is the Countdown
5. This Time Is the Last Time
6. Runaway
7. The Ocean
8. Embers and Envelopes
9. Waiting*
10. Painless
11. Someone Else's Arms
(Encore)
12. Goodbye, Goodnight
13. Anything

The *s indicate that these are new tracks off their new album Singularity, which is coming out a little later this Spring. Admittedly, lead singer Dave doesn't have a very good voice--A little too high-pitched and nasally for my taste--But these guys are such great musicians that it doesn't matter. In particular, Rob is one of the sweetest keyboardist I have ever seen live; he gets so into the music, thrashing about and all that, while still managing to keep his hands on the keyboard. Now that's impressive!

Another nice touch to the night was the (really tasty-looking) chocolate cake they brought out to wish they're guitar tech (Booter, I think his name was?) a happy 21st birthday. The guys probably didn't interact with the audience as much as they could have--I recall an extremely awkward silence between "Runaway" and "The Ocean" where there was almost complete silence for 10 seconds before they started playing again. However, the energy they put in the harder-rock type songs like "Someone Else's Arms" and others from The Everglow more than made up for it in my opinion.

Props to you, Legend's...They've been bringing in some pretty decent acts this semester! Keep it up...Or else...
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Matchbook Romance

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but everyone's favorite 2006-end-of-the-year-show-at-Legends act Matchbook Romance have gone on "indefinite hiatus," which basically means they've broken up. All my emo friends are huddled in dark corners crying and doing who knows what else. By that, I mean I know one girl who's really upset about it. You don't have to do anything that drastic, but keep Matchbook Romance in mind the next time you hear one of their albums blasting from a car window in upper-middle-class suburbia or whenever you meet a pretty skinny girl named Ashley who likes to talk about bands.
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Carbon Leaf Review

Okay, so last night I saw Carbon Leaf at Legends. Let me first of all say that, unlike some of my fellow reviewers here, I am not endowed with the magical ability to memorize complete set lists during a concert, particularly for bands with whom I'm not wholly familiar. Sorry! Secondly, this was actually my first experience with Carbon Leaf, although they said they were at Legends sometime last year. I knew one song by them ("Life Less Ordinary"), which I liked, so I thought I'd give them a shot.

That being said, those guys put on a fabulous show.

Carbon Leaf's sound is a lot mellower than stuff I usually listen to, but variety is a good thing. I'd classify them as a happy mix of Train, Jars of Clay, and Better Than Ezra, with a little bit of Sister Hazel for garnish. (Feel free to contradict me.) The best part of this show was that these guys knew how to take advantage of the space. Some bands (and we'll all think them in our heads) play small clubs the same way they do gigantic arenas--Very put off, no interaction with the audience except for the occassional "Make some noise," etc., forgetting that people are actually standing less than 2 feet in front of them. Not so with these guys. Besides giving out an all-access wristband to the House of Blues in Ohio and their set of sleigh bells to two very excited fans in the front row, they were constantly joking and communicating with the crowd. The best way they utilized the space was during their encore, where they lined up at the edge of the stage and waited for the crowd to fall silent before singing a completely unplugged (no mics or anything) version of "Learn to Fly." Definitely not something that can be done in a huge venue, and also a very good treat for fans and newcomers alike.

While I can't provide a complete and chronological set list, my memory is good enough to remember most of what they sang. (I have a penchant for remembering lyrics; so, while I didn't know their stuff really well before going, I Googled lyrics after words to find song titles.) This isn't everything, and it's definitely not in order, but it's the best I can do.

• Comfort
• Changeless
• On Any Given Day
• What About Everything?
• Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat
• Life Less Ordinary
• Texas Stars
• Let Your Troubles Roll By
• Learn to Fly
• The Boxer [These last 2 were in the encore]

So, while I would only give their music alone a "pretty good" rating, I give their ability to put on a live show a "damn awesome" rating. Definitely check them out sometime!


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Ben Kweller Photos

I hope to sate the desire for all things Kweller-related with this small collection of photos, at least till there's a review (Fabes, you there? I don't even think he's joined the blog...) At any rate, feel free to edit this post into a review or add photos if you've got em. But for now, these are just the crappy ones I took from mid-way back in the crowd of the band on a foot-high stage!!
cheers
kdks




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