One Convert at a Time - Kings of Leon at the Riviera

I find it harder to write about an unbelievable show than anything else, probably because what I would like to say is that it was amazing, and then retreat back into my head so I can re-live my favorite parts. D went with me last night. His only exposure to them was the occasional video and their MySpace page. As usual, when going to a show with someone unfamiliar with the headliner, I get nervous.

About the venue, I talked to probably a dozen people before going to this show who had all been to the Riv and I find it funny that no one mentioned how run down it was on the inside. I know there are lots of shows there and maybe people like the spontaneous feel of it seeming like a rock show just sprung up in an abandoned old theatre way past its glory days. It just made me miss The Pageant in St. Louis where KoL will play this Friday night.

The show was sold out and D and I were up front to the right. Three bands were on the bill, The Features, Snowden, and then Kings of Leon. Naturally, I would assume that the bands would increase in popularity as the night progressed but while The Features were excellent and got a lot of attention, most wanted Snowden off the stage. All D could say during this set was "Dead Meadow", which has now become our codename for painful opening bands (see Wolfmother concert in November for more details). I texted K during this set and her response was, "Keep your eyes on the prize".

Those who suffered through were rewarded. As you can see from the setlist, there was a good mix of all three albums. The crowd went wild and I think the energy hit a high point during Four Kicks. My faves were Charmer, McFearless, California Waiting, and King of the Rodeo. Friday night I was talking to my brother S's friend A and he mentioned that the sound at The Riv can sometimes be off. That was true last night and you can tell the band was a little frustrated but working through it. Sometimes the bass wasn't loud enough and then the drums at times would be turned up loud and then turned back down. Caleb said that Chicago was their favorite city in America which made the audience love them even more.

D left the show impressed and a fan. As I expected from seeing them before, all of the songs were more ferocious live. Get ready St. Louis. --J

2006 Concert Survey

It’s December and Judakris has decided to put together our own survey of the live shows we’ve enjoyed, hated, and obsessed about in 2006. Most of the shows and acts were seen here in St. Louis where occasionally the local time is 1840. Every act and show we mention in this survey has been reviewed somewhere on this blog.

Individual Acts:
Best Opening Song
J: Wolfmother - Dimension
K: Muse - Knights of Cydonia

Most Anticipated
J: Foo Fighters – Since this was a completely new setting, and the tickets were purchased so far in advance, I would definitely say this was the most anticipated for me.
K: HIM. It was my first time.

Best Storyteller
J: Dave Grohl easily! Who doesn’t want to hear a story about the first time he met Kurt Cobain?
K: I could only wish to be as engaging as Pete Yorn the morning after an all-night bender. The most I can usually pull off is to somehow find a way to say “shut the fuck up” politely.

Best Showman
J: Richie Kirkpatrick of Ghostfinger – I was very impressed at the energy and liveliness of the show when there were about 20 people in the whole bar. It was awesome.
K: Yeah, Richie. Gotta love that guy.

Show That Gave Us Best Story to Tell
J: This one is kind of tough but I’m going with Wolfmother. When is the last time I’ve been invited to a private performance? Never. Also the guys were so great that it made it extra special. I also loved being there with K and D.
K: J and I get a lot of mileage out of the Wolfmother night, but to me it’s the Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders show in Chicago. My head was practically in Taylor’s bass drum all night, the slutty white jeans girl was pretty engaging and the fact that Taylor used my skin as a canvas after the show gave me some pretty bloggerific material this year.

Most Disappointing Act
J: Hands down – Living Things
K: Living Things

Best Production
J: Muse
K: AFI

Best Sound
J: Muse – Their album sounds like it’s got a lot of studio wizardry so I didn’t expect them to sound so good live but they were amazing.
Foo Fighters – The acoustics at the Auditorium Theater were impressive and really enhanced the experience.
K: Nightmare of You.

Funniest Act
J: Under the Influence of Giants – They were so over the top with the clothing and the onstage antics, it was worth the price of admission. By the way, this is a compliment!
K: I don't know if this is a legit answer, but the Bonnie Prince Billy in-store at Vintage Vinyl had me rolling internally for most of it.

Best Connection with the Audience
J: Foo Fighters – The banter with the crowd makes even the largest venue feel intimate.
K: AFI. The fans loved Davey and he loved them for lovin' him.

Most Creative Production
J: As overwhelming as it was, Panic! at the Disco
K: Ditto

Most Impressive Production
J: For a band with only one album, Panic! at the Disco
K: I’m not trying to be a copycat; I have to agree with J once again.

Biggest Ass-Hole Lead Singer
J: Lillian Berlin of Living Things – You won’t be playing bigger venues than the Creepy Crawl if that’s how you treat people who pay to see you perform. It’s all about karma fellas!
K: I agree with J. Never have I been so disappointed after a performance.

Sexiest Lead Singer
J: I’m gonna go with Pete Yorn here. If you can be sexy at 2:00 in the afternoon under fluorescent lights in a record store when you’ve just rolled out of bed, you’ve got something there.
K: I’m sure it’s obvious what my answer will be. Sick, chain-smoking, and hiding every inch of his flesh, by mid-concert Ville Valo’s 6’1 lanky frame and smoky baritone made me want to jump off the balcony and die for him this year at The Pageant. Luckily, I had J there to keep me in check.

Best Scream
J: Dave Grohl always wins this category for me. I wish I could make his scream the alert sound in my Outlook email at work. I might smile at work every once in awhile if that was the case.
K: Veruca Salt’s Louise. I’m sure she was tutored by Dave. Actually, I remember J and I commenting that she sounded JUST like Dave. We might all know why that is.

Worst Opening Act
J: Dead Meadow – I just wanted them to go away!
K: Oh god, yes, Dead Meadow. I wanted to kill someone by the time they were done.

Honorable Mention
J: Veruca Salt – I have to give Louise props for holding her own in a 2006 concert lineup of men. She was super cool.
K: Alkaline Trio’s opening act, Against Me! For making Judakris stand up and take notice during their set.

Shows:Best People Watching
J: HIM – Since I was just there for the ride, I focused more on the crowd than usual. Also, it was completely diverse from frat boys to goth kids.
K: Muse- Geeks, freaks, gays, fratboys, and a handful of disgruntled library automation coworkers all having a grand time together.

Best Post-Show Feeling
J: Kings of Leon – I wanted to jump in my car and follow them forever.
K: HIM, The Pageant. Again, it was my first time. I found out recently that the reason the band stood us up after the show was for legitimate reasons so I'm over it. Let's face it, I was over all that an hour after the show and practically emigrated to Finland over the following months. Not since seeing U2 for the first time years ago did I feel a post-show love (metal) hangover quite like that one.

Most Disappointing Night
J: I am going to go with HIM because I was hoping to be won over by the music and wasn’t and then to be stood up for the meet and greet was pretty shitty. I hated that for K.
K: Alkaline Trio because I realized I wasn’t as much of a fan as I thought I was that night.

Most Anticipated Song Not Performed
J: Time to Waste at the Alkaline Trio show and also Ain’t it the Life at the Foo Fighters show, especially since that was on the setlist for other venues.
K: In Joy and Sorrow- HIM

Thanks to all the bands in 2006 that made us feel alive. Judakris has already begun planning dates for the 2007 concert schedule. Don't hold back, bands. You know we won’t. XOXO J and K

Wolfmother at Mississippi Nights - J's Take

"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid". -Frank Zappa

I am sure Frank was discussing the creation of music, but it’s the same for those of us crave it live. I so get the "bills must be paid" part of this quote. That's how I was feeling this morning when I had to get up and get myself to work, but the weariness of a late night out was all worth it last night.

I bought tickets to the Wolfmother show months ago. After having to sit through the Panic! at the Disco show with daughter A. Saturday night, Wolfmother was the perfect remedy. K and I also had the great fortune of winning a radio contest which meant attending a press conference where we got to ask the band a question and attending a pre-show set by the band.

Four of us were picked for the contest and we got to each invite one friend. K brought her friend C and I brought my nephew D. The band came out, played Joker & the Thief, White Unicorn, and Woman just for the eight of us and the radio staff. It was an amazing experience. We were thinking that the set before the show might be an acoustic thing, so when they plugged in, we were so excited. The band was so friendly which made this experience all the better. Thanks to them for being so gracious.

Mississippi Nights is a great place to see a show. It's basically a bar so it's intimate with pretty good sound. We were lucky enough to stay in the venue after the press conference so we got our pick of seats for the crowd came in. D went straight to the front and we spotted a good location further back. D ran into some interesting folks at the front of the stage. The middle-aged man next to him was offering football tickets if D would bring down some “dirty” girls from Chicago. There was also a woman flashing the band right next to him. Whatever.

The opening band, Dead Meadow, oh my. It went on and on and on and on with no distinguishing characteristics. It was painful. I think that's my idea of what hell would be like. You're at a highly-anticipated show and all you see is a lingering opening band.

Wolfmother came out and made it all better. Shame on any band with more than three members that can't be that powerful. You say you need a Keyboard Player AND Bassist? No, you better be able to play both goddamnit, during one song! It was incredible and the crowd loved them. Everyone around us was singing along with every song. I usually want to stay far from the serious crowd at the front of the stage. I’m a mom so someone is depending on me at home. I can’t get a concussion at a concert. However, when the opening chords of Dimension began, I was tempted to bolt from my safe perch by the bar to get right up front. I fought the urge and that’s probably why I’m at work without a neck brace today.

The high points for me were Love Train, Dimension, and the encore which included Communication Breakdown. --J