The last time that I saw Tokyo Police Club was at SXSW a
couple of years back and, from what I remember, the show was
highly energetic and full of semi-raw tunes that had the
whole crowd in complete good-time mode.
Well, things have changed a bit. Their sound now only
seems to consist of super crisp bursts of pop, which would
probably work well at one in the morning at a packed venue,
but at a mostly empty Frank Erwin Center with an
uninterested crowd - it just wasn't doing anything but
causing zone outs. Those guys certainly deserve
better.
Hopefully my next experience with them will be under better
circumstances.
:Tokyo
Police Club - In A Cave:
Angels And Airwaves
I don't have
much to say about Angels And Airwaves except that it was the
most forced/awkward performance that I've ever seen.
Tom Delong is needs a reality check - and a map - since
during the show he thanked Austin for being a great Midwest
town. What the hell, man!?
Weezer
Given that this
was the first time I had ever seen Weezer, I really had no
idea as to what to expect. Would Rivers be eccentric
to the point of annoyance? Would the set list consist
of the hits or a bunch of random b-sides and unreleased
tracks? Would the crowd be on good behavior, or would
the band's popularity only invite the drunks? Again, I
really had no clue as to what I would be treated to.
As it turns
out, Rivers and Co. are consummate professionals and I had
absolutely nothing worry about. In fact, I would even
say that this was one of the better performances that I've
seen all year. It was a long show at almost two hours,
the set list was perfectly balanced and they played the
crowd so well that everyone I saw had a smile slapped on
their face.
Most surprising though, was Rivers stage presence. It
would have been easy for him to command the guys to blow
through the set list just to get things done, but instead he
kept the mood light with a constant string of funny quips
and a determination to do everything he could to extend the
show and keep those old tunes as fresh as possible.
Often he dumped singing duties (for example, El Scorcho
featured him mostly off stage) onto other band members,
bring up people from opening acts to do different songs and
he had the much celebrated hootenanny for Islands In The
Sun and Beverly Hills. Sure, maybe each of
those are a little gimmicky, but any sort of alternate takes
on classics like Jonas or Buddy Holly are more
welcomed than you would probably think.
Anyhow, the point of all this is that after all these years
of being that supposedly super nerdy band with the oddball
frontman, Weezer has actually become one of the
quintessential rock acts in America. Sounds a little
crazy, I know, but the four of them actually know how to
rock and have a good time (seeing Rivers power slide
was one of the greatest things ever). Do yourself a
favor a catch a show ASAP.
:Weezer
- Pork And Beans:
- John Laird -
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