I posted this video on my Twitter feed after seeing it on AUX. Low key and hypnotic.
The xx – Islands
Category Archive: music notes
Stop calling
Yeah, I know I cross posted, but I enjoyed this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK2F2iBVOvo
Doesn’t matter what you think of Lady Gaga or that sapphic, Miracle Whip eating, police tape wearing, dog killing video. Go watch this video. Quite epic.
They’ll call me freedom
K’naan’s song Wavin’ Flag off his album Troubadour (awesome album, by the way) was re-recorded featuring a whole pile of Canadian music artists in support of Haitian relief efforts. This is the result. It’s Very We Are The World in a way, but frankly I like this song a whole lot better.
Though, perhaps I’m biased.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB7L1BIDELc
Find this song in iTunes already, k?
We will be victorious!
Months ago, when I picked up tickets for the show I knew that our seats wouldn’t be the best. See, the tickets had been on sale for a while and most of the good ones were already taken. Based on the layout map, the only tickets available were at the side with an obstructed view. Back when I saw No Doubt, the obstructed view seats we got weren’t so bad, so I was hoping for a good result. However, when my friend and I got to our seats I felt like there was a lot to be desired.
Silversun Pickups was already doing their set. From our spot we could barely see the band. Actually, we got a side view of sorts. There were these three tower like things in the centre which we figured were part of Muse’s set. As far as Silversun Pickups went though the towers were really blocking our view. It was a little bit disappointing, but regardless we could hear them just fine. Most of the songs they played were off of their album Swoon, which meant they were familiar to me. I heard their singles enough on CFNY Edge 102.1 and enjoyed them such that I bought the CD. It was a good decision: for me it’s really a solid listen from start to finish. Anyway, I found it interesting to hear their songs played live; it’s good to see how they adapted things. The nervous (though not frantic) energy of the songs really carried through the arena. I say they did well to showcase their work, but perhaps…they weren’t entirely engaging. It’s hard to describe. Perhaps if I was closer to the action I’d have been more hooked in. Regardless, they were a great opening act.
Right after SSP, I was kind of fearing the three towers, wondering if they’d obscure Muse entirely. Once the show started, it became pretty apparent how they would be used. My goodness, the visuals were just crazy. The towers themselves became screens, and the lower halves of the towers held the band members. The setup made watching more bearable. We still weren’t able to see all of the stage, but what we got was sufficient.
In terms of sound, Muse is eccentric, aggressive, and energetic. They have that quirky quality that I seem to enjoy so much. They seriously seem to be made for stadiums and arenas. It’s all very grand and a lot to take in. Sure, the themes seem to be a little simplistic–especially for songs from their last album. So many of them are all about speaking up to authority and taking a stand. I can see how it can get repetitive, but really they put on such a good show that I could have looked past that. The screens were amazing. The moving pillars were well used. There was a lot of laser action being spread out among the crowd. From my vantage point it was cool to watch, but I can only imagine that the visual effects would have been much more stunning if I was seeing it all head on.
Oh yeah, speaking of things being visually stunning, it seemed like there were a good number of people getting into altered states at the show. As soon as Muse took to the stage, I noted that someone around was smoking marijuana. Then the smell went away. Midway through the show, two guys in their late teens in the seats in front of me decided to smoke up. Minutes later, a guy next to them lit up a joint as well. What the hell? Especially for a group like Muse, there should be no need to get into an altered state. I was annoyed, but what made their lighting up kind of amusing for me was that moments after the did that a bunch of eyeball balloons fell down on the general floor admission crowd down below. It was entirely so random and unexpected and sort of related to the smoking that I had to laugh.
So yeah, man. Overall it was a really great night. Muse really does put on an unbelievable show. They are definitely a band I would recommend you go see, even if you aren’t into the whole progressive rock thing. The spectacle is just amazing.
You don’t wanna be held back from the substitution
It just happened to be good timing that Muse and Silversun Pickups would be in town the day after my half marathon. I bought tickets a while ago, and now I consider this concert to be a good congratulatory gift to myself for not only making it through the race, but also successfully coaching such a long clinic.
So, just because I can, I’m posting videos for Muse – Knights of Cydonia and Silversun Pickups – Subtitution.
Nothing really matters…
Chances are you’ve already seen this video because it’s been posted just about everywhere. Still, it’s worth sharing here. The Muppets do Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody! Great video!
When she was twenty-two…
I’ve been mulling over what I wanted to post today, but in the end I couldn’t come up with anything that required a large amount of words on the page. Actually, what’s pushing me this evening is the fact that many of the posts that I’ve written over the past few days have had numbers in the title. And if you consider the post about my new retainer, that has a counting of rules as well. Number, numbers, numbers. Perhaps there’s a bit of a subconscious reason for all of that. I will elaborate on that another time.
Eh, meanwhile, I just saw this Lily Allen music video for her new single off It’s Not Me, It’s You entitled 22. It’s very quarter-life crisis-y. Due to the numeric title, I thought I’d share the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWjNFC-FinU
Lily’s really churning out these videos. Seems like she only recently put out a video for Fuck You, and now there’s one for this one? I’m digging this video if only because there’s a nice simple concept to the video and yet it tells a good story. Anyway, go watch it.
No Doubt at the ACC
Seriously…where do I begin? Well, after the soy milk debacle and taking a ridiculous detour to get to the Air Canada Centre we arrived about half an hour later than the listed start time. Getting through security was a little bit interesting. My friend’s camera got confiscated, but you’d expect that if you drag in a big honkin’ SLR to the show, right? When we got to our seat Bedouin Soundclash had already come and gone, which I kind of regret because I enjoyed Street Gospels. Third-hand accounts though seemed to indicate that they left something to be desired. Too bad. Our seats were located at the side of the stage. From our vantage point it was easy to tell that we wouldn’t get a completely clear view of Paramore. There was a black curtain kind of obscuring about 15% of the stage. Thing is, we could see that behind the curtain was most definitely No Doubt’s set. We knew that once the curtain came down we’d have very decent seats.
It wasn’t long after we arrived that Paramore came on stage. I have a copy of their CD Riot!, and it’s been on my iPod for a while. So, I have a good sense of what their sound was like. I figured it was a good match for No Doubt because of that whole female-fronted band thing. When they came out one of my first thoughts was about how young Hayley looked. When they started playing, I immediately felt that they were totally a cohesive unit. There were many moments where they were jumping or head banging in unison. They put in a great set with a decent amount of energy. Almost everything came off of Riot! with a few songs from their new album. I can see how most of their songs could be a bit of a blur where they sound very alike. However, since I was familiar with most of the set it wasn’t bad at all. Familiarity has that effect doesn’t it? Now, due to my ridiculously limited concert experience the only immediate comparison I could make was to seeing Avril from 5 years ago. I felt that there was a huge difference. God. While they both seemed young, there was something a hell of a lot more respectable about Paramore. I don’t know…it’s something hard to qualify.
I sat down for most of their set with me bobbing my head to the beats now and then. They did get me out of my seat at their request at one point but as soon as the song was done most of us were back down. Most of the crowd was really there for No Doubt. It was a valiant effort, but…I guess it was to be expected. No matter what, I think they did a very respectable job at getting people a bit warmed up.
As soon as they finished, the crew was out there prepping everything. The coverings were slowly peeled back or added and before you knew it the stage was stark white. The seats in the arena were filling up fast. The crowd was buzzing with anticipation. Then…darkness, and the roar of the crowd filled the place as a white curtain came down. Projected on the curtain were the shadows of the band members. Aaaaaand then down it came and the band began. They started out with Spiderwebs. It was loud and raucous, and oh so very magical. From that point forward I did not sit back down. I was there bouncing and waving my arms with everyone.
Now, back in the late 90′s and early 00′s I was sort of familiar with their music, but didn’t follow them all that much. I think I was just too immersed in my studies to really pay much attention to music. It really wasn’t until I picked up the compilation The Singles 1992–2003 that I became a fan. I realized that, God, they had a lot of strong singles. This concert has reinforced the fact that, yeah, I really like this band. I’m happy to see them back. I mean, we went to see Gwen’s solo stint two years ago in the same building. As much as she put on a good show, thinking back I almost think there was a missing dimension to the whole experience. Seeing her again this time around with the guys is just so different. It’s like the whole family is back together–she was back with her brothers. They were feeding off of each other’s energy. There was a level of true confidence there that I just didn’t get from her solo show. There was a level of joy there that was palpable. During a costume change, I saw Kingston and Zuma being carried by nannies at the side of the stage waving at everyone in the band. So cute!
There was no point in the show where I felt there was a lull. Just about everything was familiar and full of energy. If I said Paramore had a high energy set, No Doubt just about blew the roof off of the place. I have never cheered so loudly for a group before. Holy crap. See, back then when we were still considering whether we wanted tickets, we were kind of questioning whether we were willing to shell out the big bucks for “limited view” seats. Coming out of it there was absolutely “No Doubt” (sorry, that was bound to happen) that it was worth every single dollar. Heck, even though were were at the side they all knew how to work the stage. They frequently came over to make sure we saw them. I didn’t feel like I missed anything at all. Love, love, love. Next time they’re in town I have to see them again. YES.
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