It’s hard to believe that it’s only been two years since Streetlight Manifesto dropped “Everything Goes Numb,” by far the best ska record released in this millennium. I have not-so-patiently waited while the band has booked, and then cancelled, Salt Lake City on their last two tours of the left side of America.
Oh, of course they had their excuses for leaving me hangin’ From their website, “[We] also wanted to mention a few firsts coming up on the next tour: 1) Show in Salt Lake City (we've had a freakishly bizarre series of events that always prevented us from playing there) (and to that kid that keeps writing in, cursing us off for hating his city, calm down kid, take your Ritalin, we're on the way.)”
This time they really came. “Hello Salt Lake City,” lead singer Tomas Kalnoky greeted the crowd of 300+ at the Lo-Fi Café, “we finally made it. It’s about [expletive] time.” The seven piece band opened with a short instrumental intro and then kicked into “A Moment of Violence” that worked the crowd into a frenzy.
It wasn’t really necessary for Kalnoky to have a microphone. It was hard to hear his lyrics over the crowd singing every word as the band pounded out hits like “We are the Few,” “A Moment of Silence,” and “That’ll Be the Day.” Every song was danceable, singable, rejoicable.
After teasing the crowd with 15 seconds of a new song, Kalnoky told fans that this would be their last chance to hear all of the “Numb” material and that they would be returning in early 2006 with songs from a new album. He also hinted at new material from side project Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution. Streetlight even gave a nod to their former band, Catch 22, playing the first two verses of “Point-Counterpoint” and then transitioning into Catch 22’s “Keasbey Nights” before returning to the last verse of “Point.”
After playing all but one track off of “Numb,” Streetlight bid Salt Lake goodnight. The encore began about 30 seconds later, with repeating guitar chords coming from offstage, building until the band returned to the stage with “If and When We Rise Again.”
The show was worth the wait.
Headphones
The Velvet Room
“This is the night where the bar doesn’t make any money,” Opening act Crystal Skulls welcomed the very small crowd – small meaning about a dozen people - to The Velvet Room on June 9.
I was excited to see the headliner, Headphones, a Pedro the Lion side project composed of David Bazan and TW Walsh. Only mildly impressed by their only full-length release, I was attracted by the novelty of seeing Headphones on what I figured may be their one and only tour.
The show was short; the two bands combined didn’t play more than an hour. Normally I would feel slighted by shelling out $12 to her a band play eight songs, but I left the Velvet Room feeling very content.
They seemed to have a sense of humor about the small crowd, “We’re going to go on another tour in the Fall if we can open for a band that might draw more of a crowd,” said David Bazan with a smile.
Despite the simplicity of the setup - David sitting behind the keyboard, singing and TW manning the drums – the songs sounded much better live than on the album. Unlike the album, Bazan’s vocals weren’t lost in the mix and when the low-end of the organ kicked in it really filled up the sparsely populated room.
The band played 8 of its 10 album tracks. The highlight was “Gas and Matches,” which shook both my chair and my chest. “Slow Car Crash” was eerie and beautiful and the non-album track “5 Chord” was so good that I gave in and paid 99 cents to buy it from iTunes.
My first exposure to the opening act, The Crystal Skulls, was also positive. They had an interesting Maroon 5-covers-Frank Sinatra vibe. One of the best opening bands I’ve heard in a while.
Cake
Club Suede
Cake is at the top of my list of "Bands I Love that I Still Haven't Seen in Concert." You can only imagine how happy I was when Neal Baugh tipped me off to a virtually unannounced Cake performance in Park City.
We - Ty McHenry, Neal and me - headed up through the almost impenetrable fog to make it to Club Suede for the 8 p.m. start time. Despite the weather-related delays we made it to the club right on time - right on time meaning we got there at 8 p.m. and quickly found out that Cake would be taking the stage at 11 p.m.
They were worth the wait. Clad in a hunter-orange zipup hoodie and trucker hat, John McCrea and his acoustic guitar started off the show with "Daria." The band quickly kicked in - the rhythm section was tight, the guitars were smokin' and Vince DiFiore took care of the trumpet, keyboards, back up vocals and various percussion. When not wielding his guitar, McCrea pointed his vibra slap at the crowd like a weapon.
(this is a vibra slap)
Cake sounded just as good in real life as they do on record. I tried keep count how many times McCrea sang "Oh no-s" or "Alright-s," but lost track after the first song.
The band played songs from each of their five albums, with the majority coming from 1996's Fashion Nugget. [A complete set list is included below] The only slow points in the evening came during the extended singalongs - the audience was recruited as back-up singers during the expletive call-and-response of "Nugget" and the anti-cell phone anthem "No Phone."
It wasn't surprising that a band whose lyrics are full of irony and sarcasm left their biggest radio hits - "The Distance," "Rock and Roll Lifestyle" and "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" - off of the set list. Fortunately, Cake has so many great songs that those three weren't really missed. Highlights of evening included: "Frank Sinatra," "Comfort Eagle" and a very unexpected track from Motorcade of Generosity, "Come Comanche."
Cake ended its encore with "I Will Survive," a song that McCrea dubbed the anthem of "Angry Black Women factions, Gay Men factions, European Soccer Player factions, and even Angry White Guy factions."
The opening act was The Ditty Bops. I don't really know how to describe them. It's two girls that play the guitar and mandolin, backed by an upright bass player, a violinist and an organ man. The ladies were wearing matching black corsets, with one girl in a pink and the other in a green tutu. They played music I figure you might do the lindy-hop to (I don't really know what the lindy-hop is) or some dance that our grandparents used to do. They were talented, but a bit out-there for me. Go here to listen to their music. "Sister Kate" is a good example of how they sounded live.
Their music was not engaging enough to distract me from the creepy (but not too creepy that I could stop watching) scene happening next to me -- a 20-year-old boy repeatedly licking his forty-year-old girlfriend. Disgusting. It was like "Harold and Maude" in real life.
Complete Set List, By Album
Motorcade of Generosity
Fashion Nugget
Prolonging the Magic
Comfort Eagle
Pressure Chief
*plus one country cover song that I didn't know
The University of Utah may not know how to issue a diploma, but they make up for it by throwing a great concert. Death Cab for Cutie was booked as the headliner for this year's free RedFest event. The performance was impressive from the opening number "The New Year" through the encore closer, "Transatlanticism."
The band's strength lies in its subtle showmanship and its ability to recreate the intricacies of its studio recordings in a live setting. Death Cab had a myriad of different instruments on the stage. Singer Ben Gibbard played not only his guitar, but a pair of electronic drums on "Title and Registration." When he wasn't using the drumstick to keep rhythm, he was strumming his guitar with it. Chris Walla alternated between playing guitar and keyboard and even switched bassist Nick Harmer instruments mid-song. Harmer also added some sampler work on one song. New drummer Jason McGerr was absolutely rock steady, sounding more like a drum machine than a human at times.
The majority of the setlist came from their latest, and best album, Transatlanticism. The crowd was treated to "Tiny Vessels," an extended version of "We Looked Like Giants" and even got to "bah bah" along to "The Sound of Settling."
The highlight of the evening was the encore. Gibbard sat behind the keyboard pouring out his heart on "Transatlanticism." By the third verse he had the entire crowd backing him up, singing "Come on, Come on" into the autumn air. After the last note faded and the band exited, the crowd stood in the dark and exhaled collectively, having all been temporarily lost in a wonderful moment.
Tyler McHenry documents a day of walking back and forth at punk rock's traveling festival
Brett Gurewitz performs onstage with Bad Religion
After missing out on Millencolin in 1997, I knew it would be important to arrive at the fairgrounds before the noon start time of Warped Tour 2004. My veteran instinct led us to cut to the front of the line, wiping out the two hour wait which could have been fatal.
Gone are the days of the two stage setup; this musical circus brings seven stages with bands playing on any of four stages at any given time. The sets are even shorter now as each band--including the headliners--is allocated thirty minutes to perform their trick. Considering the doors opened at noon, I found it odd that Red West took the stage at 11:30.
The schedule looked pretty good for my tastes, the only major scheduling conflict was that Motion City Soundtrack played at 4:15, while The Alkaline Trio started at 3:30 and Bad Religion was slated to begin at 4:00. Thinking that the first big band didn't hit the stage until 12:45, I made my way around the venue. Arriving at the Volcom stage, a familiar voice rang in my ear. Pulley was already rocking out. Looking up at the schedule, it read Pulley 1:30. As I caught the last three songs of their set, I realized that I was one of the few onlookers who even knew who Pulley was. Scott Radinski belted out one of the great Epitaph classics "Cashed In," to end the set and I was a freshman in college all over again.
Rise Against seemed to have a large following, and looked to be one of the favorites on this year's tour. Ripping through their set with "Blood, Red, White, Blue," and "Like the Angel," Rise Against pleased the punk and the hardcorist alike. Making my way across the park, Story of the Year was ending their set with the radio hits. A lackluster performance was epitomized by the comment, "We are here to have fun, not fight. Godsmack is not here today, people." SOTY is the stereotypical band that kids listen to for about a year and then drop.
The show was still in its early stages, and the people kept filing in like the punk rock sheep they are. Back to the east side, Thursday was really getting the crowd going. They were playing really tight and sounded excellent. Impressive tracks included, "Understanding in a Car Crash," and "Autobiography of a Nation." Leaving their set a little early, I headed over to see the beloved Bouncing Souls. The band looked the same, except that Greg now has long hair with red patches scattered around his head. Warming up the crowd with "Ole'," the Souls seemed to be excited to be back in SLC. They followed that up with "Say Anything," "Hopeless Romantic," and "The Ballad of Johnny X." After busting out into "Kate is Great," the punk rocker in me couldn't hold back and I entered the circle pit. The Bouncing Souls continued to rock like it was 1998 all over again. The fun continued with "That Song," "Anchors Aweigh," and "True Believers." The set ended with a surprising rendition of "Night on Earth." The Bouncing Souls again proved that they are kings of the live performance.
Greg leads Bouncing Souls fans in a punk rock sing along
Another trek across the fairgrounds led me to the presence of Yellowcard. I had never seen them live, but was quite impressed. As expected, they had drawn the majority of the festival's crowd. Busting out all the hits, both soft and hard, the band mixed it up well and didn't disappoint.
As NOFX began their set, it was time to sit down and rest [EDITOR'S NOTE: NOFX and Rancid are bands that no matter how many times we've them, we've never watched their set]. Warped Tour provided a great sprinkler area to cool off in this year. A refreshing break from the warm sun was all I needed to gain my second wind. One of the major themes of this year's tour was an Anti-Bush sentiment. Almost all of the bands made known their disagreement with Bush's policy and direction during this time of conflict. NOFX even finished their set with a rousing number called, "Idiot Son of an Asshole," which is all about our current president. To nobody's surprise, Anti-Flag played some songs dedicated to the man in charge as well. At this point in the day, I decided to browse each band's tent and merchandise, which led me to miss out on Coheed and Cambria. This was okay because I had to get myself into perfecting listening position for The Alkaline Trio. Rumor has it that the Trio do not perform their best on the Warped Tour, and now I can attest to this. Coming out to play "We've Had Enough," the Trio said very little during their set. They were also playing with a mysterious fourth member. Alternating singers after each song, they continued with "Maybe I'll Catch Fire," the new song "Warbrain," and "Emma." Some of the tracks ending the performance included, "My Friend Peter," "Nose Over Tail," and "This Could be Love." Their performance was pretty poor and lacked a lot of energy. Sprinting away disappointed, I knew Greg Graffin and Co. were going to make things better.
Bad Religion started off with the new stuff by playing, "Sinister Rouge." To make things even nicer, Brett Gurewitz had joined his friends today. From then on, the band didn't stop playing. "Atomic Garden," "Supersonic," "American Jesus," "Infected," and "You" left all of us wanting more. Two more new songs followed "Let Them Eat War," and "God's Love." Graffin made an unnecessary comment about the Mormon garment as the set rolled forward. "Recipe for Hate," "21st Century Digital Boy," and "Sorrow" concluded another stellar performance by the ageless ones. Knowing that this would most likely be the last time seeing the legends, I cherished this moment.
The sun and the heat were finally taking their toll on my body. I knew I had to persevere. Senses Fail were already halfway through their set, but they were rivaling Bad Religion. Looks like Vagrant records have found themselves another gem. Stopping by the Epitaph tent, I realized something very upsetting to the stomach--Motion City Soundtrack had in fact played at 2:15 and not 4:15 as first posted at the entry. Knowing that during this time I was just resting made me upset because I was really hoping to see them. The newest problem with Warped Tour is that it has become too big. Wanting to see everything, and not being able to, is quite frustrating.
Hoping to avoid New Found Glory as much as possible, I waited patiently at one of the smaller stages for Hidden in Plain View. This was a bold move on my part, but it paid great dividends. HIPV were one of the top acts of the day. I'd be happy to support them on their next visit to the Lake town. Apparently on the other side, Flogging Molly was entertaining everybody with their Irish jigs and drinking songs as well. I really don't think I missed out.
The day was coming to a close as we prepared to see Taking Back Sunday. Right before they come out, the rain started to come down. TBS proved to be strong as well, as the music rang true through the downpour. It was one of those times that you'd like to see a full set from a band, rather than the 30 minute tease which is offered at the yearly festival. As the rain began to fall harder, it was time to go home. Few people would stick around to watch The Vandals this day.
Pedro, Pedro, Pedro. I have been waiting for this show for months. My expectations for a great night were increased by the fact that I am going to miss this year's Warped Tour, and this show would have to fill that void. I wasn't disappointed.
For whatever reason, the show was moved from In the Venue (formerly Brick's) to Club Sounds. Bricks subdivided its space into two venues. In the Venue is for the larger shows and Club Sounds the smaller. The show was scheduled for 7:30. I showed up at 8 p.m. and the line was all the way down the street. I waited in line for about a 45 minutes before being herded into the very small, packed club.
Pedro took the stage at about 9:45 and played until the 11 p.m. curfew. It was good from start to finish. The band opened up with "Never Leave a Job Half Done" and "The Fleecing" and continued through a very healthy mix of songs from all of their albums.
After every few songs, lead Singer David Bazan would ask the crowd if they hand any questions. Fans would raise their hands and he would call on them. He fielded questions regarding his respect for women, his Mac computer preference and his musical inspirations. When asked who he preferred -- Michelle Branch or Vanessa Carlton -- he paused and then replied, "I don't know who that is."
It was the interaction with the crowd that really set this show apart. Bazan answered every question and even catcalls quite seriously. When someone shouted a request for "Priests and Paramedics" he answered, "At this point in the evening I think we know which songs we are planning to play, but thank you."
Pedro played "Options" for the "redheaded guy who knocked on the window of our van and requested it." It was wonderful. The other numbers from Control, "Rapture" and "Penetration" were also highlights of the evening. Fans also got the hits from It's Hard to Find a Friend: "Big Trucks," "Bad Diary Days," and "Of Minor Prophets and their Prostitute Wives." They even did a straightforward cover of Radiohead's "Let Down."
Before the last song, David Bazan told the crowd that he had some serious things that he needed to say. He talked about growing up and feeling that America was a great place, where the idea of "empire first" had been done away with. He continued that he has come to find this to be untrue, with the same raping and pillaging for personal gain to still be the mode of operation in the United States. He said it was important to read, to talk to people, to get informed and to vote.
The band ended with the very beautiful "The Secret of the Easy Yoke" which just about made me cry. There was no encore. There was nothing they could have done to improve on the perfect set.
I found David Bazan in outside of the club talking to a few kids after the show. He sat and talked to a group of us about politics and the state of our country for a half hour or so, showing the connection his has with his fans goes beyond the confines of performer and audience.
The Local H concert that I attended with Ty in 1997--when they opened for Silverchair--was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. Here we are, 7 years and 3 1/2 new Local H albums later, and I had high hopes for their concert at Ego's.
Due to the nature of concerts at bars, and some technical difficulties, Local H didn't start playing until 11:30 p.m. They started off the set with the 10-minute "BuffaloTrace" off their new record. While the song is relatively rocking, it seemed like they were easing the crowd into the show. I was disappointed that they didn't begin with what to me seems like the obvious opener "Alright, Oh yeah," which they did play midway through the set.
They played a handful of new tracks and mixed in all of the hits from "As Good As Dead:" Bound for the Floor, Fritz's Corner, High Fivin' MF, and Eddie Vedder. Despite the requests, there was no "Back in the Day."
Besides "Hands on the Bible" from the band's last release, only two albums were really represented. No "All the Kids are Right," and no "Sports Bar."
The set was a little loose. Each time the music started to really rock, they would pull it down with a new song or a meandering jam or arrangement. The band played the neo-rock "Hey Rita" from the new album, the worst song from "Whatever Happened to PJ Soles." Fortunately, "Where are They Now?" and "Heavy Metal Bakesale" showed that even the new material can rock.
It is unfortunate that Joe is no longer in the band, but new drummer Brian St. Clair is a no-nonsense heavy drummer. In Dave Grohl fashion he never lifted his head during the entire 60 minute set. NO fills, just straight pounding. Scott Lucas, on the other hand downed a few beers and multiple shots during the set and was dancing and head-banging and shouting at the crowd. "Walking through the set as drunk as we could get" now become more than just a clever line from "All the Kids are Right."
Local H has aged, so has their fan base. Since hard rock is harder to come by these days, it seems like Local H has become an oasis for all of the High Fivin' MFs would still want to mosh. Poor Scott Lucas.
The band ended with an encore "California Songs" and a 10-minute improv rant where Lucas screamed "You got the money, we've got the soul" over and over. The alcohol seemed to be getting to him.
The band did not seem as tight as it was 7 years ago, but still strong, especially if you are a bit intoxicated.
