Kings of Leon | Wild Sweet Orange live @ First Avenue 8/3/07

(Kings of Leon live @ First Avenue 8/3/07)

Kings of Leon live. Wow, finally, I've never seen them before. Last time they were in town I skipped the show 'cause it was the first day I had quit smoking. Yeah, that was stupid, and an amazing show (from what I heard)... And yeah, since then I've started smoking again ;)

So this was the make up date for the canceled May 18 show. Snowden did a great job for the boys that night, I remember. KOL made up by playing two shows last week instead; the show Thursday 8/2/07 got really good reviews: Strib | PopLife (including setlist). Friday was no different...

I saw a couple of tunes by Wild Sweet Orange. The Alabama boys were quite good and fit the bill well. I talked with them for a while and they're really nice guys; hopefully they'll be back soon...


(Kings of Leon live @ First Avenue 8/3/07)

As for Kings of Leon. Jesus, the brothers Followill are spectacular live. It's weird thinking I just watched The Cribs (3 brothers) and now KOL (4 brothers) right in a row... Unfortunately, they had a super-strict "no camera" policy that night at First Avenue. Yep, both of my cameras were confiscated that evening. Luckily I was still able to get the photos above and a couple more on Flickr. Sorry, obviously, no videos...

Luckily they played Lollapalooza on Sunday and it was streamed live online. Did you watch it? It was pretty sweet... EdVed even joined them for a tune.

Kings of Leon & Eddie Vedder - "Slow Night, So Long" 8/05/07:



Speaking of EdVed, Pearl Jam really rocked (and I'm not even a big fan).

Pearl Jam - "Rockin' In the Free World" 8/05/07:



This was one of my favorite tunes at the First Ave show.

Kings Of Leon - Fans (4/18/07 - London):



Kings of Leon Website | MySpace
Wild Sweet Orange MySpace

P.S. A very special "Hi" goes out to the ultra-cool people who drove all the way down from Winnipeg, Canada, to watch the show! Great to meet and watch the show with you. You guys/gals rock!

Misc

A few things that are new, or I forgot to mention:

> The Current, has some great recent in-studio performances:

• Patti Smith
• The Cribs
• Dappled Cities
• Blitzen Trapper
• and more...

> New concert announcements (at least they're new to me):

• Regina Spektor @ Myth 10/06/07 (tix)
• Figurines / Dappled Cities @ 7th Street Entry 10/23/07 (info)

> The Cribs love The Replacements. Duh.

> New Underworld!



> I need to get a new cell phone soon. iPhone or Blackberry? I need something that works as a phone, but also to text people and check my email. I'd love to surf the web while on the bus as well.... Whatcha' think?

> One more time:



Have a great week!

The Cribs | White Rabbits live @ Turf Club 8/1/07

(The Cribs)


(The Cribs)


(The Cribs)


(The Cribs)


(White Rabbits)

On the day "the bridge fell", White Rabbits and The Cribs delivered a classic performance. Jesus, what a day; and what a show.

White Rabbits were absolutely brilliant. I wouldn't even call them an opening band. They were more of a co-headliner. They reminded me of a mixture of Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse. A lot of percussion, and very engaging to watch. These guys will be huge. They'll be back here with Tokyo Police Club 10/9/07 in the 7th Street Entry, so if you missed 'em, catch them then...

As for The Cribs... holy shit, they absolutely @#$% destroyed Turf Club. Wakefield's favorite brothers Gary, Ryan, and Ross Jarman really tore it up. They're everything I love about rock 'n' roll. Great tunes, raw, loud, fast, crazy. I still can't believe they're not one of the biggest bands on the planet. One of my favorite gigs of the year...

The Cribs setlist:



More The Cribs / White Rabbits: Flickr Photos | Flickr Slideshow

Vids from the show:

White Rabbits - "Kid On My Shoulders" (opening tune):



White Rabbits - "Maggie's Farm" (Bob Dylan Cover) / "I Used To Complain Now I Don't"

The Cribs - "Our Bovine Public":



The Cribs - "Men's Needs":



The Cribs - "The Wrong Way To Be"

The Cribs Website | MySpace
White Rabbits Website | MySpace

The Cribs - "The Wrong Way To Be" live @ Turf Club 8/1/07

Classic. The closest I could get without actually being on stage with the band.

The Fratellis | Switches | Dappled Cities live @ Varsity Theater 7/29/07

CityPages and Pop Life have reviews for you. I thought Dappled Cities (sorry, no pics, as I only saw a couple of tunes) were bloody awesome. These Aussie boys will be big. Switches were ok. The Fratellis' set was spectacular; really tight. Did I mention it was 100 degrees in the front rows of the Varsity?! Yeah, a pretty awesome show. Dancing to "Sweet Caroline" after the final tune was pretty "cool" as well...


(Switches)


(The Fratellis)


(The Fratellis)


(The Fratellis)

The Fratellis setlist:



More Fratellis / Switches: Flickr Photos | Flickr Slideshow

Here's the opening tune from the gig.

The Fratellis - "Baby Fratelli" live @ Varsity Theater 7/29/07:



And more vids from the show:

The Fratellis - "Vince The Lovable Stoner"
The Fratellis - "Whistle For The Choir"
The Fratellis - "Flathead"
The Fratellis - "Pretty Like A Girl" (new song)
The Fratellis - "Henrietta"
The Fratellis - "Johnny Come Last" (new song)

mp3: Dappled Cities - Fire, Fire, Fire (Loving Hand Remix)

The Fratellis Website | MySpace
Switches Website | MySpace
Dappled Cities Website | MySpace

Birthday Suits | The Blind Shake live @ 7th Street Entry 7/27/07

So after the Erasure gig I went over to the 7th Street Entry for some punk rock. Absolutely insane. Birthday Suits and The Blind Shake really tore it up. Do check them out when you have a chance.


(Birthday Suits)

Birthday Suits live @ 7th Street Entry 7/27/07 (Video 1):


Birthday Suits live @ 7th Street Entry 7/27/07 (Video 2):



(The Blind Shake)

The Blind Shake live @ 7th Street Entry 7/27/07:


More Birthday Suits / The Blind Shake: Flickr Photos | Flickr Slideshow

Birthday Suits Website | MySpace
The Blind Shake Website | MySpace

White Rabbits - "Maggie's Farm" (Bob Dylan Cover) / "I Used To Complain Now I Don't" live @ Turf Club 8/1/07

This is pretty great, therefore it deserves its own post:



Bob Dylan Website | MySpace
White Rabbits Website | MySpace

Erasure | Young Love live @ First Avenue 7/27/07

(Erasure taking a bow @ First Avenue 7/27/07)

More Erasure: Flickr Photos | Flickr Slideshow

22 years after forming in 1985, Erasure still has it. Wow, what a great show. I haven't seen that much dancing at a live show in a while.


(Young Love not falling off the stage @ First Avenue 7/27/07)

NYC band Young Love opened. They were pretty good. Erasure had a really elaborate stage set-up so these guys had to play right at the edge of it. At times during their set it seemed the lead-singer was almost bound to fall off. He didn't; the band did a great job getting the crowd warmed up for the main act.


(Erasure live @ First Ave)

Erasure. Never seen them before. You know I'm a big Depeche Mode fan, right? Needless to say I was excited to see what Vince Clarke and Andy Bell sound and look like now-a-days. Turns out, they're still fantastic. The tunes sounded spectacular in a live setting. Andy still has a great voice and is definitely still a sex symbol to the "alternative lifestyle" crowd. Vince did a sweet job on the keys, computer, and guitar. The back-up singers looked and sounded awesome. The stage show/set-up and light show was amazing. The nearly sold-out First Avenue audience loved it; Erasure's whole set turned into a non-stop dance party. All in all, A+ gig.

Need more proof? Yeah, I have the video to prove it.

Erasure - "Chains of Love" live @ First Avenue 7/27/07:



More vids I shot at the show:

• Erasure - "Sunday Girl" live @ First Avenue 7/27/07 (Opening tune)
• Erasure - "A Little Respect" live @ First Avenue 7/27/07
• Erasure - "Love To Hate You" live @ First Avenue 7/27/07
• Erasure - "Oh L'Amour" live @ First Avenue 7/27/07
  

Erasure's Setlist:


Erasure Website | MySpace
Young Love Website | MySpace

I35W Bridge Collapse

(Photo courtesy of Dani Bora)

Time-out from the music for a second. I just wanted to let everyone know I'm alive and kicking. So is everybody else I know. Thanks for all the concerned phone calls, texts, and emails.

By now I think you've heard that the I35W bridge collapsed over the Mississippi here in Minneapolis yesterday at 6:05pm. I think I'm still in shock. I was actually on the bus on the way over to J-Girl's house when it happened... Crazy to think that when I drive to work (I've been taking the bus lately) I often go home right around that time via I35W over the bridge. What a tragedy; definitely a day I will not forget for a long time.

My thoughts and best wishes go out to anyone affected.