dudes, was i fucking psyched for this show. i saw last year's 12/30 show as well and it was spectacular and so much fun and intimate and had an old skool vibe that i really really appreciated---- so i was sooooo fucking psyched for this show. i don't hit nye shows anymore after the flyers skate zone debacle, but the night before is all i need. it was icing and generally shitty outside but i met up with mr. scrappy macjew on the line and HE happened to get in line right next to jlo, so that was pretty awesome. after we got inside we had to wait in the coat check line for like 20 minutes but it's okay cuz there was a 1/2 barrel of free apples for people to enjoy... ? ... we saw one brave (stupid?) girl eating an apple and decided if she was okay in 2 hours then the apples were fine. we didn't see her again. jlo saw something shiny and ran off and tommy and i went to wait on the line to get our drinking bracelets.
when we finally made it up the stairs there was possibly the smallest security chick on staff wrestling a drunk and sweaty wookie who was screaming and flailing wildly before he threw his stinky knit hat up in the air and it flew directly into the garbage can and the wook ran yelling towards the packed floor. the security girl ran after him not willing to relent and tommy and i looked at each other and laughed as we heard the crowd erupt at the spectacle. we went upstairs to try and find a good view. about 3 seconds before i edged my way into an open spot at the balcony, some big drunk guy got there- so we moved on. we ended up on the floor in the back on the right, it wasn't great... once moe. got on some asshole literally pushed in and stood right in front of us and we both said out loud, "oh hey, wow, you're an asshole, look at that." so we decided to move. that was the best thing that could have happened to us (thanks, asshole!), cuz we ended up moving around and finding an awesome spot chuck side on the floor right in the front, maybe 15 feet from the stage? perfect view and a somewhat chill crowd around us, which was nice.
the band was pretty fun, they haven't been on tour steadily for about two months and i'm not quite sure how many rehearsals they had for this, or if this was the rehearsal for nye, because all night long they were fucking up. not just lyrics. not just chuck and lyrics. not just rob mumbling lyrics he couldn't remember. even al forgot stuff. ! but the band was actually missing cues, forgetting where verses go, where pauses in the music go, etc. etc. it was hysterically messy. it added to the old skool intimate vibe of the show which was absolutely brilliant. memories of being in an empty bar and screaming at the band that they suck and you want your money back kind of fun. of course we still do it, but it's times like these we remember why we started doing it in the first place.
somp was great, sensory deprivation was a nice touch- rob TOTALLY mumbling his way through this, to the point of laughter, timmy was awesome-- great crowd sing along. timmy ended and since i was right near the stairs i BOLTED for the bathroom and got inside and the last empty stall before a line formed. AWESOME. when i got back out of there there was a huge line and a security person letting people in as people left. GOOD TIMING!
nice treat for the 2nd set, they were setting up an extra guitar but i couldn't really see what was going on cuz some tall drunk people kind of got in front of us that we were able to scoot around for the most part and get our view back. but anyways- they broke into opium and we heard some slide guitar and the lights went up and holy fuck it's dickey betts sitting in! so, dickey betts is up there playing right between chuck and rob, right in front of us, and you can tell they are trying to teach him the song and the changes as he's playing- so just watching the guys kind of school him was really cool, just REALLY cool. and you know, seeing dickey betts sit in with moe. was just really cool. and then after a couple of songs he walked off stage and even chuck said, "wow, that was really cool."... then chuck mused about how irving is supposedly the "fillmore east" now and that dickey played the original fillmore a zillion years ago and he was just kind of lost in the moment, but i can dig it, yo. and of course he came back out for mexico, which was also very cool and added a fun element to the song.
right before the encore they did their announcements and i'm getting a little sick of this crap- people announcing show numbers blah blah blah, enough already- say happy birthday to some folks and let's go! rob started making up announcements (DREAMY) and i screamed "SHUT UP AND PLAY!" and al had one more birthday- matt campbell from camp get.down- that i'll say is okay, because not only is it a bday but it's also matt and i met him this summer and he's totally cool- so happy birthday matt (sorry i didn't run into you at the show). now get to the fucking music!
encore was a lot of fun, i was hoping to hear rebubula again cuz last year it was just over the top and blew me away with the whole room singing along and i couldn't stop smiling cuz that song just warms my soul... but you can't get it all the time, and i always hear buster (right eric?) so the spaz>buster>spaz worked just fine- cuz the band rocked out til 1am, and it was fucking awesome all the way.
i tried to start a few chuck chants but no one on chuck side joined in, wtf is that about? CHUCK CHUCK CHUCK!
so, moe., 12/30/07, irving plaza- 9 HUZZAHS! fucking awesome! i'd be psyched to see some more highline shows this spring, but the palace should be fun too. i wanted to go see hot day at the zoo afterwards at the parkside lounge, but it was shitty outside and it was really late, and the parkside lounge isn't walking distance from irving, so instead i got some diner and went home and still managed to get to sleep at 4:30am. loughrey called me from the train station in hoboken to say he wasn't going to the hdatz gig (ha!). and scrappy... poor scrappy misnavigated the subway and missed the "last" train, so he had to wait til 4:20 to hop on the next one and got home at 5:50am... ooooooh. rough. MUST catch hot day at the zoo next time they are in town! i've been waiting to see them again since last march. ACK.
show for download or streaming: http://www.archive.org/details/moe2007-12-30.dpa4021.v3.flac16
Set I: Stranger Than Fiction, Runaway Overlude, Captain America> Seat Of My Pants> Sensory Deprivation Bank> Timmy Tucker
Set II: Opium*> In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed*, St. Augustine*, Where Does the Time Go?> Mexico*
Encore: Spaz Medicine> Buster> Spaz Medicine
* w/ Dickey Betts
Monday, January 7, 2008
on the road to change... tales from a political junkie fallen off the wagon. vol. 1
for the past 7 years i had to turn away as the politics became so increasingly corrupt and disgusting to me that any time george w. bush was talking bile would actually sneak up into my mouth and nausea would take over my system. now that the bush reign will finally come to an end, i find myself once again off the wagon and back on the political junkie high.
watched the debates on saturday and it went something like this:
republican half made me mad and angry and wanting to shake stupid people. i cannot express my rage right now. perhaps in time it will flow articulately. i just kept thinking, "the rich people don't GET it." most of these dicknoses are so out of touch with society it's scary.
democrat half made me desperately optimistic and sad and lonely all at once. was wondering where we'd be if al gore was president for the past 8 years. then had a friend politely remind me al gore was elected. then i cursed jeb bush and his whole family of crooked thieves and got mad and angry again in time for the last question of the night which was "what would you take back if you could take back something you've said?" hillary answered like a politician and didn't answer, richardson and edwards were funny and honest, and barack agreed with hillary.
i'm particularly enjoying the new contest by the democratic candidates as to who's campaigns and policies are "most personal" to THEMSELVES.
on the road to change, indeed.
barack fascinates me and he is an amazing public speaker- he fills me with hope. he is perhaps the african-american bill clinton (without all the adultery--- so far... please please please). hillary. i wish i could believe in her. i want to think she could implement universal healthcare but she didn't the first time around. and she didn't divorce her husband after the numerous times he's boned randoms, so i really have very little respect for that (arrangement or none). i think that would have done wonders for her public image especially amongst women. she needs to let loose in a blaze of glory. networks were saying edwards did so well cuz he went for a run on saturday afternoon. i like his stance on lobbyists and sticking it to the man. i think he'll be a great running mate for barack.
oh yeah, i almost forgot-- where the fuck was dennis kucinich? oh that's right- abc EXCLUDED HIM from the debate. so- ron paul was up there for the republican round, but kucinich ended up on pbs with bill moyers. interesting.
more to come...
watched the debates on saturday and it went something like this:
republican half made me mad and angry and wanting to shake stupid people. i cannot express my rage right now. perhaps in time it will flow articulately. i just kept thinking, "the rich people don't GET it." most of these dicknoses are so out of touch with society it's scary.
democrat half made me desperately optimistic and sad and lonely all at once. was wondering where we'd be if al gore was president for the past 8 years. then had a friend politely remind me al gore was elected. then i cursed jeb bush and his whole family of crooked thieves and got mad and angry again in time for the last question of the night which was "what would you take back if you could take back something you've said?" hillary answered like a politician and didn't answer, richardson and edwards were funny and honest, and barack agreed with hillary.
i'm particularly enjoying the new contest by the democratic candidates as to who's campaigns and policies are "most personal" to THEMSELVES.
on the road to change, indeed.
barack fascinates me and he is an amazing public speaker- he fills me with hope. he is perhaps the african-american bill clinton (without all the adultery--- so far... please please please). hillary. i wish i could believe in her. i want to think she could implement universal healthcare but she didn't the first time around. and she didn't divorce her husband after the numerous times he's boned randoms, so i really have very little respect for that (arrangement or none). i think that would have done wonders for her public image especially amongst women. she needs to let loose in a blaze of glory. networks were saying edwards did so well cuz he went for a run on saturday afternoon. i like his stance on lobbyists and sticking it to the man. i think he'll be a great running mate for barack.
oh yeah, i almost forgot-- where the fuck was dennis kucinich? oh that's right- abc EXCLUDED HIM from the debate. so- ron paul was up there for the republican round, but kucinich ended up on pbs with bill moyers. interesting.
more to come...
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
ween, 11/30/07, terminal 5, nyc, ny
this show is a great example of what happens when a band rocks the shit out of a horrible fucking venue.
terminal 5 is a new venue that just opened up in nyc. i always have high hopes for new venues in the city- especially since so many rock clubs have shut down in the past 10 years. you would think that they would take knowledge from previous venues and apply it towards their design and function. when the highline ballroom opened up i was psyched- and then i went to see some shows there and was blown away at how great the place is: you can see the stage from pretty much anywhere, the sound is great, the staff is friendly, and the bathrooms are totally clean. so i was hoping that terminal 5 would be in the same vein. so, starting off optimistic- and let's just go from there.
terminal 5 is in hell's kitchen and right around the corner from a chill bar i like called fusion- this alone got me psyched- any time i can pre-game a show with a proper cocktail (the pre-ween cocktail was a mojito) at a bar that mixes properly is pretty awesome. so, heinz and i met up for some pre-gaming, and somehow this old guy at the bar started talking to me about the dude that went into hillary clinton's NH campaign headquarters (it happened that day) and threatened to blow the place up (though, i believe he was only wearing hot-dogs strapped to his chest or something), this conversation led into a global discussion of where politics in america/the world are going and whether or not this was a sign of things to come. see? right there, mojito, political/global discussions, all good. but then we had to take off for the show, cuz it was 7:30ish and the show started at 8pm, so we did want to get there with some time to spare for waiting in line.
terminal 5 is located right next to the west side highway. do you want to know how i know it's right next to the west side highway? because 45 minutes after the doors were supposedly open, the line to get into the show stretched from in front of the venue, all the way down the block TO the west side highway, and then back to the venue. and heinz and i had the pleasure of waiting on that line for about an HOUR in the fucking cold waiting to get inside. and the security guard confiscated an advil (only 1) i had in my bag. OOOH, the DANGER! so we finally get inside in the middle of 'voodoo lady', the merch guy said we missed about 30 minutes of the show (FUCK YOU TERMINAL 5--- ALREADY) and now we had to figure out where to settle in- there are 3 floors in this place, the ceilings are massive, it has the potential to be great.
however, the floor is a clusterfuck of people (ran into steve the greek!), the bar was packed, and the sound was pretty horrible down there. up we went to the 2nd floor. it is nice to have options. we went up the stairs, popped out on the 2nd floor, and it was packed too- but there's a bar to the side we went to and got served almost immediately. while we were standing there we quickly realized that the floors were level all the way to the edge- meaning- there is no step-down/stadium kind of thing happening--- meaning- you can't fucking see the stage unless you're in the first row of people standing against the balcony. are you KIDDING me? not only that, but we're standing there at the bar and i remarked, "why don't they even have tv monitors with the show on them so we can at least see what's happening on stage while we're at the bar?" the guy next to me goes, "YEAH!!!" and turns around- and it's my buddy zach! ha! no shit! so we're all standing there kind of dumbfounded as to who designed this place and we're only on the 2nd floor.
so, heinz and i go up to floor 3 to see if there's any place to see the stage from there. and it was crowded, and people lined the entire edge of the balcony- so the answer was: NO. there was NO place to see the stage from the 3rd floor either. who the hell designed this shithole? if you're not in the first row of people against the edge of the balcony, you're staring at the back of people's heads all night. and it gets worse once you're up on the 3rd floor because it's such an extreme angle to the stage. it's an OUTRAGE!!! if you've ever been to the 930 club in washington dc, you'll know why i'm so pissed off. because that place is fucking awesome- 360' views from the balcony, which is set up with wide steps downward for sitting and standing on, so you can ALWAYS see over the person's head in front of you. why couldn't the terminal 5 people have done a little research to see what works best?
terminal 5 floorplan
terminal 5 improved
the 930 club in dc
2 last venue notes before i get to the music. the bathrooms were totally weird- they were behind the stage on each level, they were unisex stalls, each stall had it's own sink in it, and there was an "attendant" shouting "NEXT" at the line of people waiting. there was also a basket for tips. let me make this clear: if there is piss on the seat when i get into a stall, you're not getting a tip, buddy. also, there was a latino "little person" security guy busting people for smoking weed all over the place and it was fucking surreal and funny as hell. he totally had a keen nose for it because every few minutes you'd see him running in any which direction to find the source of the scent. i couldn't help but laugh because for real--- you're lighting up and fucking tattoo comes running up to you and screams at you to put it out? how is that not funny? omg it was UNREAL. that'll fuck you up.
eventually the people we were standing behind left and we got to the front edge of the 3rd floor balcony, so we had about 45 minutes of a great view and that was awesome. but struggling to get there was complete and total bullshit.
okay, terminal 5 sucks balls. it looks like a venue in some sort of neo-futuristic video game. horizontal and vertical thunderdomey weirdness.
now, the music! ween were fucking AWESOME! rehab stint now over, the boys were fully energized, tight, and seemed to have & deliver their music at full clarity. i haven't seen them since a roseland show in 2003 and i'm not sure if it was my imagination, but they seemed to have more of said clarity this time around.
they played for about 3 hours, no set break, and of course heinz and i walked in during 'voodoo lady', so we still got a pretty full show! the setlist ranged from 'mr. richard smoker' to 'even if you don't', the catchy 'ocean man' (my 9 year old cousin loves this one, it was on the spongebob squarepants soundtrack- so picture the look on his face when i played him the original rock version, he was amazed!) and what's a ween show without a pirate drinking song? so 'blarney stone' capped off the night right after an amazing sing along of 'booze me up and get me high' (take that "little person" NARC!). love ween, psyched they are back on tour, can't wait to see them again.
the band was tight, the show was awesome, ween fucking rocked. i'm gonna do a first and grade the music and the venue completely separate this time.
WEEN: 9 HUZZAHS!
terminal 5: 1.5 maaaaybe 2 huz-zahs. after being there a short time the only thing i was excited about was the fact that i didn't buy cake tickets for the 'unlimited sunshine' tour that stopped through there. i hope most bands i want to see continue to play at the hammerstein instead of being smokescreened by this linear nightmare of a club. i don't look forward to having to go there again, so hopefully i won't have to.
setlist courtesy of the ween forum:
Exactly where I'm at
She wanted to leave
Aids
Golden eel
Baby bitch
Piss up rope
Voodoo lady
Your party
Light me up
Waving my dick in wind
Touch my Tooter
Even if you don't
object
Beacon light
Mr Richard smoker
Zoloft
Johnny on the spot
Pony
Stallion pt. 4
Puerto Rican Power
You fucked up
Tender situation
Mollusk
Pandy Fackler
Put the hammer down
Ocean man
Reggaejunkiejew
Someday
Encore:
Strap On That Jammy Pac
Fiesta
Booze me up & get me high
Blarney stone
terminal 5 is a new venue that just opened up in nyc. i always have high hopes for new venues in the city- especially since so many rock clubs have shut down in the past 10 years. you would think that they would take knowledge from previous venues and apply it towards their design and function. when the highline ballroom opened up i was psyched- and then i went to see some shows there and was blown away at how great the place is: you can see the stage from pretty much anywhere, the sound is great, the staff is friendly, and the bathrooms are totally clean. so i was hoping that terminal 5 would be in the same vein. so, starting off optimistic- and let's just go from there.
terminal 5 is in hell's kitchen and right around the corner from a chill bar i like called fusion- this alone got me psyched- any time i can pre-game a show with a proper cocktail (the pre-ween cocktail was a mojito) at a bar that mixes properly is pretty awesome. so, heinz and i met up for some pre-gaming, and somehow this old guy at the bar started talking to me about the dude that went into hillary clinton's NH campaign headquarters (it happened that day) and threatened to blow the place up (though, i believe he was only wearing hot-dogs strapped to his chest or something), this conversation led into a global discussion of where politics in america/the world are going and whether or not this was a sign of things to come. see? right there, mojito, political/global discussions, all good. but then we had to take off for the show, cuz it was 7:30ish and the show started at 8pm, so we did want to get there with some time to spare for waiting in line.
terminal 5 is located right next to the west side highway. do you want to know how i know it's right next to the west side highway? because 45 minutes after the doors were supposedly open, the line to get into the show stretched from in front of the venue, all the way down the block TO the west side highway, and then back to the venue. and heinz and i had the pleasure of waiting on that line for about an HOUR in the fucking cold waiting to get inside. and the security guard confiscated an advil (only 1) i had in my bag. OOOH, the DANGER! so we finally get inside in the middle of 'voodoo lady', the merch guy said we missed about 30 minutes of the show (FUCK YOU TERMINAL 5--- ALREADY) and now we had to figure out where to settle in- there are 3 floors in this place, the ceilings are massive, it has the potential to be great.
however, the floor is a clusterfuck of people (ran into steve the greek!), the bar was packed, and the sound was pretty horrible down there. up we went to the 2nd floor. it is nice to have options. we went up the stairs, popped out on the 2nd floor, and it was packed too- but there's a bar to the side we went to and got served almost immediately. while we were standing there we quickly realized that the floors were level all the way to the edge- meaning- there is no step-down/stadium kind of thing happening--- meaning- you can't fucking see the stage unless you're in the first row of people standing against the balcony. are you KIDDING me? not only that, but we're standing there at the bar and i remarked, "why don't they even have tv monitors with the show on them so we can at least see what's happening on stage while we're at the bar?" the guy next to me goes, "YEAH!!!" and turns around- and it's my buddy zach! ha! no shit! so we're all standing there kind of dumbfounded as to who designed this place and we're only on the 2nd floor.
so, heinz and i go up to floor 3 to see if there's any place to see the stage from there. and it was crowded, and people lined the entire edge of the balcony- so the answer was: NO. there was NO place to see the stage from the 3rd floor either. who the hell designed this shithole? if you're not in the first row of people against the edge of the balcony, you're staring at the back of people's heads all night. and it gets worse once you're up on the 3rd floor because it's such an extreme angle to the stage. it's an OUTRAGE!!! if you've ever been to the 930 club in washington dc, you'll know why i'm so pissed off. because that place is fucking awesome- 360' views from the balcony, which is set up with wide steps downward for sitting and standing on, so you can ALWAYS see over the person's head in front of you. why couldn't the terminal 5 people have done a little research to see what works best?
terminal 5 floorplan
terminal 5 improved
the 930 club in dc
2 last venue notes before i get to the music. the bathrooms were totally weird- they were behind the stage on each level, they were unisex stalls, each stall had it's own sink in it, and there was an "attendant" shouting "NEXT" at the line of people waiting. there was also a basket for tips. let me make this clear: if there is piss on the seat when i get into a stall, you're not getting a tip, buddy. also, there was a latino "little person" security guy busting people for smoking weed all over the place and it was fucking surreal and funny as hell. he totally had a keen nose for it because every few minutes you'd see him running in any which direction to find the source of the scent. i couldn't help but laugh because for real--- you're lighting up and fucking tattoo comes running up to you and screams at you to put it out? how is that not funny? omg it was UNREAL. that'll fuck you up.
eventually the people we were standing behind left and we got to the front edge of the 3rd floor balcony, so we had about 45 minutes of a great view and that was awesome. but struggling to get there was complete and total bullshit.
okay, terminal 5 sucks balls. it looks like a venue in some sort of neo-futuristic video game. horizontal and vertical thunderdomey weirdness.
now, the music! ween were fucking AWESOME! rehab stint now over, the boys were fully energized, tight, and seemed to have & deliver their music at full clarity. i haven't seen them since a roseland show in 2003 and i'm not sure if it was my imagination, but they seemed to have more of said clarity this time around.
they played for about 3 hours, no set break, and of course heinz and i walked in during 'voodoo lady', so we still got a pretty full show! the setlist ranged from 'mr. richard smoker' to 'even if you don't', the catchy 'ocean man' (my 9 year old cousin loves this one, it was on the spongebob squarepants soundtrack- so picture the look on his face when i played him the original rock version, he was amazed!) and what's a ween show without a pirate drinking song? so 'blarney stone' capped off the night right after an amazing sing along of 'booze me up and get me high' (take that "little person" NARC!). love ween, psyched they are back on tour, can't wait to see them again.
the band was tight, the show was awesome, ween fucking rocked. i'm gonna do a first and grade the music and the venue completely separate this time.
WEEN: 9 HUZZAHS!
terminal 5: 1.5 maaaaybe 2 huz-zahs. after being there a short time the only thing i was excited about was the fact that i didn't buy cake tickets for the 'unlimited sunshine' tour that stopped through there. i hope most bands i want to see continue to play at the hammerstein instead of being smokescreened by this linear nightmare of a club. i don't look forward to having to go there again, so hopefully i won't have to.
setlist courtesy of the ween forum:
Exactly where I'm at
She wanted to leave
Aids
Golden eel
Baby bitch
Piss up rope
Voodoo lady
Your party
Light me up
Waving my dick in wind
Touch my Tooter
Even if you don't
object
Beacon light
Mr Richard smoker
Zoloft
Johnny on the spot
Pony
Stallion pt. 4
Puerto Rican Power
You fucked up
Tender situation
Mollusk
Pandy Fackler
Put the hammer down
Ocean man
Reggaejunkiejew
Someday
Encore:
Strap On That Jammy Pac
Fiesta
Booze me up & get me high
Blarney stone
Thursday, December 27, 2007
peelander-z, 11/10/07, the knitting factory tap room, nyc, ny
if you've never heard of peelander-z, it's because they're not japanese, they're not american, they're not human... they're aliens. and they've been sent to earth to entertain us. on 11/10/07 they descended upon the knitting factory to play an hour long set of their trademarked madness.
we got there slightly early and had to watch some really loud and poor hairband/honky rock for a while, but peelander blue, red, and yellow hit the stage (pink was at the merch booth and working the spotlight) ready to raise some hell. they immediately busted out with 'mad tiger' and were rockin' it when about halfway through a drunk person (who feels really bad about this and has already apologized but i can't write a review of this show without mentioning this) started a chain of human dominoes that i was unfortunate enough to be at the end of and i went flying (as did my margarita) head-first into a wall. it fucking hurt. the security guy tried to get me to go outside and get fresh air, but i fucking bought that ticket 2 months earlier and had been looking forward to the show since the last time i had seen peelander a couple of years ago at the kaiju big battel- i wasn't missing a minute of this 1-hour set. i'm not old yet, motherfuckers. flash forward a couple of hours: giant bump, bag of frozen peas, a headache that lasted a couple of weeks, etc. etc. if you've ever smashed the shit out of your skull, you know how it goes (i grew up with too many older brothers- THIS TIME i stayed conscious!). incidentally, my little ear crystals got dislodged in the blow and i have to do exercises to re-distribute them now so the room will stop spinning, wheee! and yet, the world will never stop revolving around me- you see how that works? anyways, back to the music.
as far as peelander's "hits", i think they did all of them? "steak", "y.y.y.", and who can forget the lively, "hooooooooooo!!!!"? i did recognize a few of the songs. there was a tango line of audience members turned percussionists, they also swapped their instruments out with members of the audience- what they do is hold up signs asking for "DRUMS", "GUITAR", and "BASS", and people from the audience come up and play those instruments. it's a total nightmare, but it's also awesome. and what peelander-z show would be complete without a frame of human bowling? i'm not sure what the answer is, i think they do this at every show, but it's pure insanity.
1 hour is not nearly enough time for peelander-z to rock this world, they didn't even have time for an encore! the knitting factory tap room was not the ideal venue either, as the ceilings are really really LOW, and the band wasn't able to jump as high as their typical antics flow (they were hitting the ceiling when jumping/climbing on things, and i think one of them was actually pushing himself away from the ceiling when the crowd was carrying him around).
i could easily see these guys doing a big set on the mainstage or a full night in the beer tent at moe.down (though, they might need to install some laminate flooring for the bowling portion). if you hear they are landing in your town, go check them out, they are FUN, it's an experience- and hopefully they will get to play LONGER.
japanese punk rock sugar rush from eating too many cupcakes and then standing on your head for too long gwar: 7.75* HUZZAHS!
mad tiger:
*had to deduct points for the head trauma and length of show
we got there slightly early and had to watch some really loud and poor hairband/honky rock for a while, but peelander blue, red, and yellow hit the stage (pink was at the merch booth and working the spotlight) ready to raise some hell. they immediately busted out with 'mad tiger' and were rockin' it when about halfway through a drunk person (who feels really bad about this and has already apologized but i can't write a review of this show without mentioning this) started a chain of human dominoes that i was unfortunate enough to be at the end of and i went flying (as did my margarita) head-first into a wall. it fucking hurt. the security guy tried to get me to go outside and get fresh air, but i fucking bought that ticket 2 months earlier and had been looking forward to the show since the last time i had seen peelander a couple of years ago at the kaiju big battel- i wasn't missing a minute of this 1-hour set. i'm not old yet, motherfuckers. flash forward a couple of hours: giant bump, bag of frozen peas, a headache that lasted a couple of weeks, etc. etc. if you've ever smashed the shit out of your skull, you know how it goes (i grew up with too many older brothers- THIS TIME i stayed conscious!). incidentally, my little ear crystals got dislodged in the blow and i have to do exercises to re-distribute them now so the room will stop spinning, wheee! and yet, the world will never stop revolving around me- you see how that works? anyways, back to the music.
as far as peelander's "hits", i think they did all of them? "steak", "y.y.y.", and who can forget the lively, "hooooooooooo!!!!"? i did recognize a few of the songs. there was a tango line of audience members turned percussionists, they also swapped their instruments out with members of the audience- what they do is hold up signs asking for "DRUMS", "GUITAR", and "BASS", and people from the audience come up and play those instruments. it's a total nightmare, but it's also awesome. and what peelander-z show would be complete without a frame of human bowling? i'm not sure what the answer is, i think they do this at every show, but it's pure insanity.
1 hour is not nearly enough time for peelander-z to rock this world, they didn't even have time for an encore! the knitting factory tap room was not the ideal venue either, as the ceilings are really really LOW, and the band wasn't able to jump as high as their typical antics flow (they were hitting the ceiling when jumping/climbing on things, and i think one of them was actually pushing himself away from the ceiling when the crowd was carrying him around).
i could easily see these guys doing a big set on the mainstage or a full night in the beer tent at moe.down (though, they might need to install some laminate flooring for the bowling portion). if you hear they are landing in your town, go check them out, they are FUN, it's an experience- and hopefully they will get to play LONGER.
japanese punk rock sugar rush from eating too many cupcakes and then standing on your head for too long gwar: 7.75* HUZZAHS!
mad tiger:
*had to deduct points for the head trauma and length of show
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
bruce springsteen & the e street band, 10/17/07, msg, nyc, ny
i found myself uninspired write this review while also writing about bruce for the top 40 videos show. i know i know... laaaazy.
so, i attended this show by odd coincidence. at some point during the day of 10/16 i got an email saying that the music department was changing the list of top 40 videos on our show. they were taking away 2 of my videos and so i had to choose ones to replace them with. i lost a carlos santana song (wasn't his best song, didn't mind it so much) and brandi carlile's, "the story", which i had never heard before the show started and really didn't mind losing- she screeches a lot. i had landed that one in the draft in the round that was literally the "i'll choose anything that isn't avril lavigne" round. anyways, i had the fortune of them nixing those two vids, and i ended up choosing bruce springsteen (why not!? he's the boss!) and some other vid.
immediately i emailed my buddy gabe, he's a huge bruce fan and my most reliable source of bruce information. i told him that if he had any pressing questions or interesting points about bruce's "radio nowhere" speak now or forever hold your tongue. he provided me with some insight about the song and then said that by an odd twist of fate, he just found out he had an extra ticket for the next night's bruce show, and would i be interested in going? i'd never seen bruce before. the next night was gabe's 75th bruce springsteen show on his path to 100 bruce shows before his birthday next year. gabe is from jersey- i suppose all jersey boys go through this rite of passage. my first bruce show? e street band? msg? gabe? how the fuck could it get any better? needless to say i was pretty psyched.
i met up with gabe after work and we were herded into msg with the rest of the bruce fans. i have memories of bruce springsteen from when i was a little kid- my sister's best friend karen had posters of him all over her walls- when he got married (the first time) she cried. i do remember that. he's a fucking legend. i mean, it's bruce effin springsteen. not only that, but back with the e street band? the legend before me is so great it was hard to wrap my head around. without a doubt i would be witnessing some sort of history.
the show in a nutshell was like every bruce springsteen music video you've ever seen. the man and the band were rockin' it out onstage. the crowd was eating that shit up. they knew every word, they sang along. not only was bruce conducting the e street band, he was conducting the crowd. he shushed them, he sped them up, he got them screaming. it was pure showmanship. he threw his guitar (not just tossed- but THREW) his guitar over his head backwards and his guitar tech was THERE and caught it, spot-on. it was good stuff. having gabe there was essential as he was able to give me some quick insights on songs, history, musicians--- in between him standing there with a shit eating grin on his face of course. there was a sign language interpreter to our left on the floor with a light shining on her and she was signing all the lyrics to someone- proving that even the deaf enjoy the boss.
all in all it was pretty frickin' cool. i would see him again, sure. have i drank the kool-aid? i'm not so sure about that. it was more about witnessing the man, the rock legend, performing in front of me, doing what he does best- being bruce springsteen. the e street band were top notch- clarence clemons wailing, little steven rockin' it out, max weinberg pounding the skins with perfect posture- no joke. it was a really great rock show. i won't lie- at some point as i was enjoying said rock legend (gabe, don't hate me), i DID think to myself, damn, it'd be so cool right now if i was watching neil young... but, that's for another time!
and it was actually- it was a mature audience. in an odd moment, i went to pee and some woman was in the bathroom on her cell phone saying goodnight to her kids and reminding them to brush their teeth before bed... i had a flashback to not the last time, but two times ago when i was at msg to see the beastie boys, just completely FACED with some friends, aaaaaaahahahahhaa... anyways, i just enjoyed the juxtaposed moment. i suppose you had to be there.
sooooo... last minute bruce springsteen and e street band show? kickass seats? ending the show with a lovely irish ditty? gabe, you're the man! a bonafide rock legend live before my very eyes: 8.5 HUZZAHS! why not?
(oh, and at some point i realized i was calling gabe "nuts" for the 100 bruce shows thing, but realized there are bands i've seen well over 100 times, so it's okay then... neither of us are nuts... right?)
setlist: http://weblogs.variety.com/thesetlist/2007/10/set-list-bruc-1.html
so, i attended this show by odd coincidence. at some point during the day of 10/16 i got an email saying that the music department was changing the list of top 40 videos on our show. they were taking away 2 of my videos and so i had to choose ones to replace them with. i lost a carlos santana song (wasn't his best song, didn't mind it so much) and brandi carlile's, "the story", which i had never heard before the show started and really didn't mind losing- she screeches a lot. i had landed that one in the draft in the round that was literally the "i'll choose anything that isn't avril lavigne" round. anyways, i had the fortune of them nixing those two vids, and i ended up choosing bruce springsteen (why not!? he's the boss!) and some other vid.
immediately i emailed my buddy gabe, he's a huge bruce fan and my most reliable source of bruce information. i told him that if he had any pressing questions or interesting points about bruce's "radio nowhere" speak now or forever hold your tongue. he provided me with some insight about the song and then said that by an odd twist of fate, he just found out he had an extra ticket for the next night's bruce show, and would i be interested in going? i'd never seen bruce before. the next night was gabe's 75th bruce springsteen show on his path to 100 bruce shows before his birthday next year. gabe is from jersey- i suppose all jersey boys go through this rite of passage. my first bruce show? e street band? msg? gabe? how the fuck could it get any better? needless to say i was pretty psyched.
i met up with gabe after work and we were herded into msg with the rest of the bruce fans. i have memories of bruce springsteen from when i was a little kid- my sister's best friend karen had posters of him all over her walls- when he got married (the first time) she cried. i do remember that. he's a fucking legend. i mean, it's bruce effin springsteen. not only that, but back with the e street band? the legend before me is so great it was hard to wrap my head around. without a doubt i would be witnessing some sort of history.
the show in a nutshell was like every bruce springsteen music video you've ever seen. the man and the band were rockin' it out onstage. the crowd was eating that shit up. they knew every word, they sang along. not only was bruce conducting the e street band, he was conducting the crowd. he shushed them, he sped them up, he got them screaming. it was pure showmanship. he threw his guitar (not just tossed- but THREW) his guitar over his head backwards and his guitar tech was THERE and caught it, spot-on. it was good stuff. having gabe there was essential as he was able to give me some quick insights on songs, history, musicians--- in between him standing there with a shit eating grin on his face of course. there was a sign language interpreter to our left on the floor with a light shining on her and she was signing all the lyrics to someone- proving that even the deaf enjoy the boss.
all in all it was pretty frickin' cool. i would see him again, sure. have i drank the kool-aid? i'm not so sure about that. it was more about witnessing the man, the rock legend, performing in front of me, doing what he does best- being bruce springsteen. the e street band were top notch- clarence clemons wailing, little steven rockin' it out, max weinberg pounding the skins with perfect posture- no joke. it was a really great rock show. i won't lie- at some point as i was enjoying said rock legend (gabe, don't hate me), i DID think to myself, damn, it'd be so cool right now if i was watching neil young... but, that's for another time!
and it was actually- it was a mature audience. in an odd moment, i went to pee and some woman was in the bathroom on her cell phone saying goodnight to her kids and reminding them to brush their teeth before bed... i had a flashback to not the last time, but two times ago when i was at msg to see the beastie boys, just completely FACED with some friends, aaaaaaahahahahhaa... anyways, i just enjoyed the juxtaposed moment. i suppose you had to be there.
sooooo... last minute bruce springsteen and e street band show? kickass seats? ending the show with a lovely irish ditty? gabe, you're the man! a bonafide rock legend live before my very eyes: 8.5 HUZZAHS! why not?
(oh, and at some point i realized i was calling gabe "nuts" for the 100 bruce shows thing, but realized there are bands i've seen well over 100 times, so it's okay then... neither of us are nuts... right?)
setlist: http://weblogs.variety.com/thesetlist/2007/10/set-list-bruc-1.html
Sunday, December 9, 2007
paris gets the led out?
speaking of WTF???
in more 'the world is not fair' news, according to perez hilton, paris hilton will be attending led zeppelin's 12/10 ahmet ertegun benefit concert in london. the legendary slut-whore (and led zeppelin fan?) got ahold of some tickets while millions of fans like myself weren't even able to access the website for weeks on end. i made the decision if i was one of the lucky mofo's to get into the website, register for the lottery, and then actually get ahold of a ticket, that i would haul my ass over to london to witness history being made. well, that didn't happen. but i have a theory that maybe paris in the future is the one responsible for funding the real flux capacitor, gets a time machine made, travels back in time, and WAS the original mud shark girl. and THAT is how she got tickets for the main event, peoples.
slut.
can't wait for the full tour! I WILL ROCK THAT SHIT!
http://perezhilton.com/?p=10179
in more 'the world is not fair' news, according to perez hilton, paris hilton will be attending led zeppelin's 12/10 ahmet ertegun benefit concert in london. the legendary slut-whore (and led zeppelin fan?) got ahold of some tickets while millions of fans like myself weren't even able to access the website for weeks on end. i made the decision if i was one of the lucky mofo's to get into the website, register for the lottery, and then actually get ahold of a ticket, that i would haul my ass over to london to witness history being made. well, that didn't happen. but i have a theory that maybe paris in the future is the one responsible for funding the real flux capacitor, gets a time machine made, travels back in time, and WAS the original mud shark girl. and THAT is how she got tickets for the main event, peoples.
slut.
can't wait for the full tour! I WILL ROCK THAT SHIT!
http://perezhilton.com/?p=10179
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
let's have a money fight!
in keeping with the awesome meeting we had at work today explaining the fabulous new changes to the freelance system at mtv networks, i felt it was time to take all my money out of the bank in cash, and throw it around to have a good old fashioned money fight!
MONEY FIGHT, EVERYONE! ITS MONEY FIGHT TIME! WHEEEEE!!!!
and because i have the utmost respek for the peeps in the writer's guild fighting the good fight- and since we all have the same bones to pick when it comes down to it, i just wanted to make sure everyone saw this.
i think i hear a cat in the elevator... but banksy's got a point with all those rat's, y'all.
huzzah, guildies. huzzah!
MONEY FIGHT, EVERYONE! ITS MONEY FIGHT TIME! WHEEEEE!!!!
and because i have the utmost respek for the peeps in the writer's guild fighting the good fight- and since we all have the same bones to pick when it comes down to it, i just wanted to make sure everyone saw this.
i think i hear a cat in the elevator... but banksy's got a point with all those rat's, y'all.
huzzah, guildies. huzzah!
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