Tuesday, May 31, 2005
89X 14th Birthday Bash
The 14th Annual 89X Birthday Bash (88.7 FM Windsor/Detroit) held yesterday was better than expected. There were three venues available along Woodward Avenue - the State Theater, Fox Theater and the outdoor area between the two. Once you entered the venues there was no re-entry except to travel between venues - at least theoretically.
The Fox Theater which hosted Keane and The Killers started filling up during Tegan and Sarah. For intermittent times leading up to Keane there was a line to get into the Fox because it went over capacity. By the time Keane and The Killers finally went on, there was no way anyone else could fit into the Fox. Our seats were in the lower balcony and we could see every other seat filled with people standing along the very back of the upper balcony. This was great for the bands but we didn't exactly feel safe. The entire balcony (yes, as in the structure itself) shook up and down as everyone bopped to The Killers. Methinks someone should check the stability of the balcony in the near future. The place was easily over capacity...either that or Americans truly have gotten too fat.
And what about the bands? Obviously, we weren't able to catch them all. I'll have to dig up the playlist to recall everything. But the bands I remember seeing were Louis XIV, Tegan and Sarah, Brendan Benson, Keane, The Killers and Sum 41. So my reviews are...
Louis XIV were boring as fuck. Maybe they sound better on CD but hearing them live didn't tempt me to search it out.
Tegan and Sarah weren't quite as boring as Louis XIV but still I wouldn't be bothered to give their CD a listen. It was great music to zone out to while fitting a few Kegel exercises into my daily routine.
Brendan Benson sounded pretty good and seemed pleased to be back in Detroit. He's well worth a listen if you like the more mellow stuff.
Keane were brilliant. The chubby, baby-faced singer definitely did Broadway in a past life but then again, it's nice to see a singer get into the music now and again. And I tried my best to forget that the band was decked out in the same outfit that Julian Casablancas (of the Strokes) wore for the greater part of 2004. More importantly the band sounded amazing. The singing was perfection and the songs' melodies are amazing. I don't see how anyone can be left without a smile after hearing them.
The Killers were definitely the must-see band of the day. Their live set, though, wasn't nearly as good as I'd hoped it would be. Apart from their two singles, their set was fodder. The newer song they did - "All the Pretty Faces" - sounded somewhat promising but still...I wonder if they'll be able to create a decent follow-up CD. And please, dear God, if you're listening...I can get past Brandon's rhinestone-covered keyboard stand...really I can...but if those Renaissance-fair-reject-pointed-shoes-from-hell become fashionable in the mainstream, I'll be forced into sexual hibernation. Shoes should never be as long as a man's calves! If anything, they made him look shorter (at least from my angle).
Sum 41 are included here only because I had to endure ten minutes of them while outside for a cigarette break. The generic punk rawk posturing was enough to make me embarrassed for them. The crowd, though, ate it up. Loads of people were crowd surfing and at least a dozen girls were hoisted up on shoulders. To each his own.
Hopefully I'll be able to develop the few pictures we took and post a proper playlist at some future date. All in all, for the price (about $45 per ticket once the fees/surcharges were added in) it was well worth it. It was also nice having 2/3 of the venues indoors.
The Fox Theater which hosted Keane and The Killers started filling up during Tegan and Sarah. For intermittent times leading up to Keane there was a line to get into the Fox because it went over capacity. By the time Keane and The Killers finally went on, there was no way anyone else could fit into the Fox. Our seats were in the lower balcony and we could see every other seat filled with people standing along the very back of the upper balcony. This was great for the bands but we didn't exactly feel safe. The entire balcony (yes, as in the structure itself) shook up and down as everyone bopped to The Killers. Methinks someone should check the stability of the balcony in the near future. The place was easily over capacity...either that or Americans truly have gotten too fat.
And what about the bands? Obviously, we weren't able to catch them all. I'll have to dig up the playlist to recall everything. But the bands I remember seeing were Louis XIV, Tegan and Sarah, Brendan Benson, Keane, The Killers and Sum 41. So my reviews are...
Louis XIV were boring as fuck. Maybe they sound better on CD but hearing them live didn't tempt me to search it out.
Tegan and Sarah weren't quite as boring as Louis XIV but still I wouldn't be bothered to give their CD a listen. It was great music to zone out to while fitting a few Kegel exercises into my daily routine.
Brendan Benson sounded pretty good and seemed pleased to be back in Detroit. He's well worth a listen if you like the more mellow stuff.
Keane were brilliant. The chubby, baby-faced singer definitely did Broadway in a past life but then again, it's nice to see a singer get into the music now and again. And I tried my best to forget that the band was decked out in the same outfit that Julian Casablancas (of the Strokes) wore for the greater part of 2004. More importantly the band sounded amazing. The singing was perfection and the songs' melodies are amazing. I don't see how anyone can be left without a smile after hearing them.
The Killers were definitely the must-see band of the day. Their live set, though, wasn't nearly as good as I'd hoped it would be. Apart from their two singles, their set was fodder. The newer song they did - "All the Pretty Faces" - sounded somewhat promising but still...I wonder if they'll be able to create a decent follow-up CD. And please, dear God, if you're listening...I can get past Brandon's rhinestone-covered keyboard stand...really I can...but if those Renaissance-fair-reject-pointed-shoes-from-hell become fashionable in the mainstream, I'll be forced into sexual hibernation. Shoes should never be as long as a man's calves! If anything, they made him look shorter (at least from my angle).
Sum 41 are included here only because I had to endure ten minutes of them while outside for a cigarette break. The generic punk rawk posturing was enough to make me embarrassed for them. The crowd, though, ate it up. Loads of people were crowd surfing and at least a dozen girls were hoisted up on shoulders. To each his own.
Hopefully I'll be able to develop the few pictures we took and post a proper playlist at some future date. All in all, for the price (about $45 per ticket once the fees/surcharges were added in) it was well worth it. It was also nice having 2/3 of the venues indoors.
