By only
looking at their name I went into the show assuming that
this act would be a rock band through and through.
Well, they were definitely that. And by that I mean
Rock Band - the game.
Now, I realize that might come off as a bit rude, but trust
me when I say that I mean it with the most respect possible.
The classic rocker outfits, long hair, simplistic, guitar
driven sound with a lot of hooks, split kicks off the drums,
dedicating songs to the ladies, drum stick tossing to the
crowd, crazy tattoos, stage
flaunting - all of it is exactly what everyone applies to
their digital quartets in Rock Band. This, of
course, means that their set was rather entertaining since
you couldn't help but get swept up in American Bang's
penchant for the sounds of yesteryear and the confidence in
which they played them. It was good stuff that I would
totally check out live again.
You can probably find a band like this tooling around in one
or more of your local dive bars, but why bother with them
when you can see this authentic power rock machine open for
the Pretenders. Just remember to bring your rock fist.
The Pretenders
In the
week leading up to the show I, for the first time in a long
time, actively listened to the Pretenders. For most
big shows with bands that I haven't ever seen perform this
isn't that unusual, as I want to have their work fresh in my
head before they play. However, with this one I found
myself not just listening and remembering, but constantly
realizing why they're still working and touring - much of
their material is timeless.
Yet,
within five minutes of arriving at the venue all of the warm and
fuzzy feelings that I had built up began to dissolve into concerns
about whether or not the veteran act had become a bit of a
prissy spectacle.
The camera policy was the most strict that I'd ever seen (I
had to follow
this and others in attendance couldn't even
use a camera phone) and Chrissie's animal-rights ways had
taken over Stubb's BBQ, who went with a vegan menu for the
night and had plenty of PETA info about.
Fortunately, it only took about five minutes into their one
hour and 45 minute double encore set to realize that all was going to be
well. Chrissie seemed genuinely enthusiastic (so did
the rest of the band) to be
playing for the large and surprisingly attentive crowd at Stubb's,
so the show was very relaxed and fun. Also, and this
was a pleasant surprise, there was pretty much no preaching,
only a
quick mention of how change is possible and people shouldn't
hurt cows. It was straight up just a night of great
music from a great band.
I can't claim to have heard much of their recent release,
Break Up The Concrete, but my friend Kendra, who is a
super fan, said that they played six tracks (Boots
of Chinese Plastic, Don’t Cut Your Hair,
Rosalee, The Nothing Maker, Don’t Lose Faith
in Me, Break Up the Concrete)
off of it. She also helped me keep tabs with the older
tracks, which included:
Message of Love
Talk of the
Town
Kid
Back on the
Chain Gang
Stop Your
Sobbing
Cuban Slide
Up The Neck
Thumbelina
Day after Day
Brass In Pocket
Tequila
Don’t Get Me
Wrong
Tattooed Love Boys
Precious
The Wait
Clearly,
the setlist was a great one. I pretty much only
needed to hear Brass In Pocket (one of the best
pop songs ever made), but I'll admit that the mix of
older punk songs, pop tunes, country ballads and more
classic-tinged rock numbers made for a dynamic set that
held my attention better than anything has in a long
time.
You really should try to see the Pretenders, if only to
at least experience Chrissie's golden voice live and in
person. That piece of beauty alone is worth the
effort. Seriously.
:The
Pretenders - Brass In Pocket:
- John Laird -
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