My Bloody Valentine @ The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium - 10/3/08

[Photo courtesy of LosAnjealous.com]

If I could compose a list of the top ten bands I was never able to see in-person, but wish I could, My Bloody Valentine would most likely be on there (behind The Clash, Talking Heads, Joy Division, and others). Finally, after a 16 year absence, Kevin Shields and the rest of crew made their return to Los Angeles for two shows at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and the result definitely lived up to my lofty expectations.

The first sign of things to come happened when me and my brother walked inside the venue when we headed straight for the bar and noticed a display of free earplugs sitting on the counter. It was a nice reminder that things were going to get very noisy in a short time and that we'd better be prepared. As always, we brought our own ear plugs so a loud night was not only something we came prepared for, but encouraged.

When the lights dimmed and Kevin, Belinda, Debbie, and Colm walked on stage it took about two seconds before the tidal wave of distortion and reverb of "I Only Said" hit the crowd. And with that my attention was fixated on Kevin Shields for about 90% of the show as his hands never stopped manipulating the tremolo arm, nor did he use the same guitar more than once (that's 14 guitars total, folks).

From a technical standpoint, Shields is a master of his craft. The man can simply make any kind of noise he pleases using the right combination of guitar, amplifier stack (a huge setup of something like 10 Marshall amps), and effects pedals, which he makes look effortless. His finest moments came during the euphoric sound of "When You Sleep", the chaos of "Feed Me With Your Kiss", and the epic "You Made Me Realize" (which I will talk about in a moment).

The sound mixing was also a crucial part of the experience. In order to mimic the feel of their recorded work, less emphasis was placed on the vocals than on projecting the band's instrumentation. It is a long held opinion by MBV fans that the lyrics are secondary to the visceral appeal of their meticulously crafted soundscapes. Indeed, the music too damn loud for any vocals to sound intelligible anyway, so why even bother?

Speaking of volume, even through the protection of my silicone earplugs the music seemed to slowly but steadily grow louder as the show progressed. Of course, subtlety was thrown completely out the window during the night's closer "You Made Me Realise."

The song is already one of the most rauckus in the band's catalog, but they kicked it up many notches during the middle portion with a blitzkrieg of feedback that literally caused the walls to shake. I'm not kidding around here. The noise was deafening as the wall of amps behind the band blared a rumbling avalanche of tremolo-conducted distortion that lasted for nearly 25 minutes! After the storm calmed from ludicrous back down to merely intense volume levels the band promptly resumed the the song to its normal conclusion and exited the stage. No encore needed, since most people were probably ready for some air after that crazy go nuts sound display.

While it was impressive to behold, I would've been happier if the band cut the noise-a-thon to, say ten minutes and filled the remaining 15 with two more songs...like maybe "Sueisfine" and "All I Need"? It would've been nice, but by no means did it ruin my night at all. I got see one of my all-time favorite bands perform most of the songs I wanted to hear in impeccable fashion. If you can walk away from a concert saying that to yourself, then the night was a rousing success.

"When You Sleep"

Setlist:

I Only Said
When You Sleep
You Never Should
(When You Wake)You're Still In A Dream
Cigarette In Your Bed
Come In Alone
Only Shallow
Thorn
Nothing Much To Lose
To Here Knows When
Slow
Soon
Feed Me Your Kiss
You Made Me Realise
>>>Continue reading "My Bloody Valentine @ The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium - 10/3/08"

Nine Inch Nails & Deerhunter @ The Forum - 9/6/08

It had been over 10 years since I set foot inside the Great Western...er, I mean LA Forum. I think the last occasion was either a Knicks-Lakers game or a Pearl Jam concert. Either way, it was 1998, Vlade Divac was the starting center for the Lakers, and nobody knew what the hell the Staples Center was back then. Fast-forward to last Saturday and I found myself (along with my brother) inside witnessing one of the most visually stunning concerts I had ever seen.

After a wonderful opening set by Deerhunter (man, I love that band), the real show began. The material was a great mix of new stuff (most of The Slip and Year Zero was played, along with a couple of selections from Ghosts I-IV) and crowd favorites ("Terrible Lie", "March of the Pigs", "Closer", etc.), with no over-reliance on aggressive material, which (thankfully) kept the crowd from getting too rowdy.

The true star of the show had to be the stage setup. The tour is dubbed "Lights in the Sky", which is an apt title since LED lights and video walls are used to display digital animations and engulf the band in color. Screens lowered from the rafters and rose behind the band, while at times rows of lights moved to create the illusion that the stage was moving.

Another highlight was during a brief set of instrumental songs from Ghosts I-VI a semi-transparent video curtain lowered in front of band and displayed animated images of rain, while the video wall behind them and above displayed images of a dark desolate forest. One of my favorite uses of the screens came during "The Hand That Feeds" where a giant photo of President Bush that served as a backdrop to the stage slowly morphed into a photo of John McCain. Of course, this was met raucus cheers from the LA crowd (myself included).

When it was over there wasn't anything I could find at fault about the entire show. Aside from the laughably disorganized LA Forum security staff, the show itself was flawless. If any of you have the chance to check out Nine Inch Nails when they return to North America, I highly recommend doing so.

Setlist:
1. 999,999
2. 1,000,000
3. Letting You
4. March of the Pigs
5. Head Down
6. The Frail
7. Closer (The Only Time)
8. Gave Up
9. The Warning
10. Vessel
11. 5 Ghosts I
12. 17 Ghosts II*
13. 19 Ghosts III*
14. Ghosts Piggy
15. The Greater Good

16. Pinion
17. Wish
18. Terrible Lie
19. Survivalism
20. The Big Comedown
21. 31 Ghosts IV
22. Only
23. The Hand That Feeds
24. Head Like A Hole

25. Echoplex
26. Reptile
27. God Given
28. Hurt
29. In This Twilight
>>>Continue reading "Nine Inch Nails & Deerhunter @ The Forum - 9/6/08"

Radiohead @ The Hollywood Bowl - 8/24 & 8/25

[photo courtesy of Flickr user sweetcell]

When one of the greatest bands on the planet comes to your town, you do what you can to see them perform. When they come in town for two days? Well, then you bite the bullet and shell out the cash to go twice.

It may not be such a cut-and-dry decision for everyone, but if you've had the pleasure of seeing Radiohead in person before then the choice becomes quite clear. I had seen the boys from Oxford three times previously and each time the experience was amazing. The last two nights were no exception as Radiohead put on a dazzling spectacle that entertained, stimulated the senses and inspired moments of emotional connection.

Sunday's setlist relied heavily on material from Kid A, Hail to the Theif, and In Rainbows, with nine of the 25 songs coming from the latter album. Conversely, they didn't play a single song off Pablo Honey (this was true of Monday as well) and only "Street Spirit" from The Bends made the cut. Clearly, Radiohead feel more at ease showcasing material from their most abstract creative works than with their more conventional rock fare. The accompanying visual stage setup only solidified this fact even further.

Surrounded by light rods, video screens and LED boards, the stage played almost as big of a role in entertaining the crowd as the music did. Syncopated light blips and waves of color during electronica-influenced songs like "Ideoteque", "Everything In Its Right Place", and "The Gloaming" enhanced the experience in awe-inspiring ways. While moments of noise and chaos like "The National Anthem" and "Paranoid Android" were met with video effects and spastic lighting sequences that made it look like the stage could blow a fuse and crash at any moment.

Thankfully, the stage held up and so did the band. Obviously, I was blown away and the second the lights turned on I was counting down to Monday's show.

While my seats on Monday were way out in the boonies, I did have a direct view of the stage, which was kind of nice as it forced me to pay attention to everything at once (not like I had a choice). What I noticed on the second night was how much the crowd connects with whatever kind of feeling Radiohead is projecting. During sad and slow songs like "No Surprises", "Pyramid Song" and "House of Cards" people seemed to follow Thom Yorke's lead by relishing the hidden beauty of anguished memories. No doubt many of them have managed to internalize their themes and apply them to their own lives.

When the volume got turned up and some older gems like "The Bends" and "Planet Telex" were revisited, the crowd instantly matched the band's thunderous fury by indulging in anthemic sing-along. I was once again reminded of how fiercely loyal and devoted Radiohead's fanbase is, which has yet to produce a bad crowd in the five times I've seen them perform.

Other highlights of night two were Thom and Johnny Greenwood's spontaneous (and well executed, I might add) cover of Neil Young's "Tell Me Why" (video included below) and Thom performing a track off his solo album ("Cymbal Rush") that he nearly forgot the words to.

In the end, it is hard to say which show was better. I felt like Sunday had a better mix of loud and quite songs, while Monday had a better mix of old and new (not to mention, a better encore). It really doesn't matter because the wonderful thing about seeing Radiohead is that it's nearly impossible to quantify which show was better than another. To me that is the mark of a truly great band, and a feat only a select few can actually manage to pull off.

August 24, 2008:

15 Step
There There
Morning Bell
All I Need
Pyramid Song
Nude
Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
The Gloaming
National Anthem
Wolf at the Door
Faust Arp
Exit Music
Jigsaw falling into place
Idioteque
Climbing up the walls
Bodysnatchers
How to Disappear Completely
—–
Videotape
Paranoid Android
Dollars and Cents
Reckoner
Street spirit (fade out)
—–
House of Cards
Lucky
Everything In Its Right Place

August 25, 2008:

Reckoner
Optimistic
There There
15 Step
All I Need
Pyramid Song
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The Gloaming
Videotape
Talk Show Host
Faust Arp
Tell Me Why (Neil Young Cover)
No Surprises
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
The Bends
The National Anthem
Nude
Bodysnatchers
__

House of Cards
Planet Telex
Go Slowly
Fake Plastic Trees
True Love Waits Intro/Everything In Its Right Place

Cymbal Rush
__

Karma Police
Idioteque


Radiohead :: "Tell Me Why" (neil young cover) from gorilla vs. bear on Vimeo.

>>>Continue reading "Radiohead @ The Hollywood Bowl - 8/24 & 8/25"

Coachella Music Festival - Day One

There's no weekend quite like Coachella weekend. You spend so much time getting familiar with the obscure bands on the lineup, immersing yourself in the music of your favorites and planning which ones you must see and which ones you can skip. Then, the last weekend in April finally arrives and everything happens so quickly that it takes a few extra days to realize what you just saw. That's where I am today, finally ready to recount the events of the weekend in a coherent manner.

The first day of Coachella started at 2PM, when I arrived into the security line at the Empire Polo Field and realized that it was balls hot outside. The misery of the heat was compounded by the fact that the security screener at the head of the line was taking his job WAY too seriously. This dude made people take their shoes off and patted me down so thoroughly that I should have filed a harassment lawsuit.

Once inside, I made a b-line to the Sahara tent to see Midnight Juggernauts, who had started 15 minutes ago. I ended up catching four songs, all off their debut album Dystopia, and was impressed enough with their performance to want to see them again. Hopefully it won't be too long before they make it to LA again.

Next up it was one of the more anticipated performances of the day, the much-hyped Black Kids from Jacksonville. Me, my brother and his girlfriend made a point of getting a good spot for this set since we heard so many good things about how well these guys play live. In just 45 minutes the Black Kids played a high energy set consisting of songs from their debut EP Wizard of Ahhhs and previously unreleased material that I assume will end up on their debut LP, whenever it gets a title and release date. After whipping the crowd into a frenzy, included a group of people that were a little too excited, Black Kids proved their reputation for great live shows is completely deserved.

Another highlight of the day was the midday performance of Australian dance pop outfit Cut Copy. For one, it was obvious that the festival organizers underestimated the size of the crowd Cut Copy would attract because the Gobi tent was simply not big enough to hold everyone inside. Secondly, their set was nothing short of amazing as pulsating synth beats and pop guitar hooks turned the tent into one big dance party. I definitely want to see these guys again when the come to town in mid May.

After catching a few songs from the National's lackluster set (they sounded fine, but not as good as in times past), I decided to catch the all-out dance-a-thon that was Diplo's DJ set. I got in there just in time to catch him throw down some "Paper Planes" action, which prompted MIA to jump on stage and dance for a few moments. Having met my quota for electro dance, my next order of business was heading over to the main stage to watch The Verve.

Now don't get me wrong, Richard Ashcroft and company played a very tight (albeit a little too by-the-book) setlist of old favorites and new songs, but circumstances beyond my control forced me to bail early. What happened you ask? About five songs into the show the foulest shit smell (as in, literally, feces) began to waft through the section of the crowd me and my cousin we standing in. This smell was so bad that Ashcroft actually felt the need to announce that the smell wasn't coming from the stage. We tried to tough it out, but after 10 minutes we had to get the fuck out of dodge.

The rancid smell ended up being a blessing in disguise since we might have missed the magic that is Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I had seen the Dap Kings in action last year when they backed Amy Winehouse, but that was nothing in comparison to watching them with Ms. Sharon Jones. Her stage presence and bombastic attitude make her a force to behold as she channels her inner Aretha and James Brown. Oh yeah, and the lady can dance like nobody's business. Check out the clip below to see what I mean.

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - Coachella 2008 from Ivan Juarez-Mrazek on Vimeo.
>>>Continue reading "Coachella Music Festival - Day One"

Initial Reactions to the Coachella Lineup

So, by now you've probably heard the official lineup for the 2008 Coachella Music & Arts Festival was announced. There are plenty of surprises (Jack Johnson deserves top billing on Friday?) and disappointments (no My Bloody Valentine makes my heart sad), but from top to bottom Goldenvoice did a stellar job putting everything together.

While the top of the bill could use a little help, past history indicates that this isn't the final incarnation of the lineup. With the exception of last year, there are always new additions to the headliners and sub-headliners made after the initial announcement of the lineup. So, I am going to withhold harsh judgement until at least two months have passed. With that said, I do have some thoughts about the headliners.

First off, Roger Waters performing Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety is going to be freaking awesome. It  may not sound that impressive on paper (what? Paul Tollet's pockets weren't deep enough to get David Gilmore and Rick Wright on board?), but you really need to picture this in the context of the massive visual spectacle that accompanies the music. Secondly, Roger Waters had more to do with the brilliance of Pink Floyd's career than anyone else, so if he wants to put his own band together (many of the players have played with him and Pink Floyd for years) to present his vision of the album, then we should all embrace it with open arms. Many people may be unhappy that Radiohead wasn't on the bill, but give Goldenvoice some credit for giving the Coachella audience a dose of nostalgia that most of us weren't old enough to see the first time around. Many of us can finally gain a glimpse of why the Pink Floyd live experience took on a life of mythical proportions.

I am also doing dances in my head after seeing Kraftwerk and Portishead sitting at the top of the bill. Kraftwerk was one of the more memorable acts of the 2006 festival and now that I know what to expect I will make it a priority to be their for their entire set. As for Portishead, the fans have been calling for this reunion for several years and we are happy that the festival organizers finally rewarded us with their first US performance in over 10 years. If their All Tomorrow's Parties set last month is any indication, they haven't missed a beat.

As for the rest of it, there is plenty to get excited about. Remember, the headliners get you in the door, but it is often the bands playing on the smaller stages that give you the best memories. I won't get into talking about all of them, but some of the highlights should be Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Hot Chip, M.I.A., Stephen Malkmus, Cafe Tacuba, The National, Vampire Weekend, Carbon/Silicon, and Holy Fuck. There are many more I left out, so checkout the whole lineup to see for yourself.

You can also bet that I will be talking a ton about Coachella in the coming weeks and months. Keep checking back to learn more about some of the lesser known acts and more developments as they happen.

*Photo courtesy of flickr user aaaronm

>>>Continue reading "Initial Reactions to the Coachella Lineup"

Rock the Bells Festival @ Hyundai Pavillion, San Bernardino 08/11/2007 - Photo Essay

Like my last photo essay, this one is also being posted a little late (I really need to make sure this doesn't start to become a habit), but better late than never, right?

Anyhow, many of you may be wondering why in God's name anyone would willing drive out to San Bernadino in the middle of August to spend the entire day outdoors at a music festival. Well, when the festival in question carries one of the best lineups of Hip Hop artists ever assembled (not to mention recently reunited Rage Against the Machine) you best suck it up, buy your tickets and figure out a way to deal with the heat later. So it was that me and my brother made the trek to the Hyundai Pavillion to see the latest incarnation of the Rock the Bells Festival.
























As you can see, the lineup on the main stage was pretty damn impressive. Oddly enough, the organizers didn't bother to hand out schedules to festivalgoers as they walked in, so many of us walked up to this booth near the interest and did our best to take photos of the lineup that were sitting in a binder at the information booth. Not exactly the most organized festival I've ever been to (more on that in a moment).

Pharoahe Monch

After slowly crawling into the venue amidst the traffic and paying $30 for parking (!!!), we just barely made it inside the venue in time to watch Pharoahe Monch take the stage. He played a blistering set full of songs from his excellent new album Desire, along with old favorites from Internal Affairs, including a certain crowd favorite that instructs the audience to "get the fuck up!" Pharoahe Monch was definitely one of the highlights of the entire day.

Next up was Eric and Parrish Making Dollars, better known as EPMD, striking b-boy poses and bringing the classic old school jams like it was 1989. For people like myself and my brother Damian, who grew up watching the Yo! MTV Raps Countdown, EPMD was a real kick in the pants. Eric Sermon and Parrish Smith didn't skip a beat as they churned out classics like "Crossover," "You're a Customer" and "You Gots to Chill." Unfortunately, most of the crowd looked lost as most of them were either too young to appreciate how great of a group EPMD was/is or just ignorant about Hip Hop because they were mostly there to see Rage Against the Machine (a reoccurring them throughout the day).

The crowd really started to swell (along with the heat) right before Talib Kweli's set.

Best throwback jersey I saw all day. By the way, I think this guy looks pretty close to how fat the real Patrick Ewing is looking these days.

OK, I know this picture sucks, but it was the only remotely decent shot I got of Public Enemy all day from my distant vantage point. Surprisingly, Chuck D and Flavor Flav (along with their accompanying band) showed no signs of middle age as their set included the same energy and power of seeing PE back in their prime. 20 years after their debut, Public Enemy still can hold their own on the same stage as rappers nearly half their age.

On the second stage there was plenty of great music to be seen. Perhaps the best act of the day was Metalfingers himself, MF Doom. After showing up late to his set (he wasn't the only one), Doom blasted through fan favorites from his MF Doom, Victor Vaughn and Madvillain personas at a frenetic pace. I was loving every minute of it.

Of course, since we were in the Inland Empire and 75% of the people in attendance seemed to be die-hard Rage Against the Machine fans, it was only a matter of time before the apes started getting rowdy. About halfway through the Wu Tang Clan's awesome set (I was too far to get any good pictures), some dumbass decided it would be cool to light some trash on fire, which prompted other monkeys to follow suit. At one point I counted eight simultaneous trash fires on the lawn and it didn't seem like the event staff had any plans to put them out. . .that is, because event staff was nowhere to be seen. Eventually more idots joined in on the fun (seriously, what is so entertaining about fire?) and started throwing plastic bottles into the flames, which filled the air with that horrible melting plastic stench. Once Wu Tang finished up, Damian and I decided to bail because we couldn't take the fumes anymore. It was a shame, since we were both looking forward to seeing Rage perform, but at least we beat the traffic. Morons in the crowd aside, most of the day was fun and we definitely got our money's worth.

More pictures:

Living Legends

Amateur breakdancers

Graffiti wall

the Coup

>>>Continue reading "Rock the Bells Festival @ Hyundai Pavillion, San Bernardino 08/11/2007 - Photo Essay"

The Rapture @ The Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles 07/25/2007 - Photo Essay

This may be a little late, but this is the last show I went to before I started this blog and if you were there you would agree the statute of limitations on how long you can wait before you blog about a concert is still safely in the distance. With that said. . .

The Rapture took a break from supporting Daft Punk and took over headlining duties on consecutive nights at the Mayan Theatre in Downtown L.A. Having already purchased tickets for the second show in advance, I had the pleasure of winning tickets to the first night, courtesy of my friends at LAist. Never the one to turn down free tickets to anything, I jumped at the chance to see them on back-to-back nights. For some reason, cameras weren't allowed inside on Thursday, so all of these photos were taken Wednesday night from my close vantage point, which was miles better than the night after.One thing that always stands out to me every time I see these guys is how they become better showmen with each performance. Luke Jenner keeps adding to his rock bravado by engaging the crowd with poses and gesticulations that only people with a guitar in their hands can pull off.

Another highlight (as always) was Gabriel Andruzzi and his feverish brand of multi-instrumentation. It seemed like he never tires of dancing while playing the sax, keyboards and cowbell.

Speaking of the cowbell, this devoted fan decided there was only one prescription for his fever. Seriously, he started whacking on that thing and marching through the crowd with about 10 people following him.

More Luke Jenner theatrics...


I left this show (number six and counting) with the same thought I always have, which was The Rapture get better each and every time I see them. Already can't wait for number seven! >>>Continue reading "The Rapture @ The Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles 07/25/2007 - Photo Essay"