2005 Concert Journals

[murlough23]

Just saw Nickel Creek with Andrew Bird tonight. You know how, the last time I saw Nickel Creek, I went on and on about how that was the best concert ever? Well, scratch that. By virtue of the fact that Andrew Bird is way better than Kathleen Edwards, this concert blew that one out of the water. Nickel Creek, of course, was equally awesome both times.

I'll write a full review later on, and you can see my ongoing concert tally (first post of the thread) for the setlists, but I'll cover some quick highlights:

* Andrew Bird is amazing live. He puts his recorded work to shame. Not only does he play the violin masterfully, he also plays guitar and xylophone, and his whistling is absolutely gorgeous. Most intriguing is how he records snippets of violin parts and then plays them back to form a virtual backing band of violins. His drummer was excellent, too.

* Nickel Creek was a bit sluggish and didn't seem into it at first (Sara Watkins' voice was noticeably hoarse), but this improved greatly after the first few songs, and they were in high spirits on their last stop of the tour.

* Lots of surprise covers and medleys this time around. I didn't recognize "Short People", but it was humorous in the middle of an instrumental about hobbits. "First and Last Waltz" led beautifully into "Helena" (which featured Andrew Bird's drummer, whose kit had been set up in the darkness so that we wouldn't expect the drums to actually appear in a live setting). I laughed out loud when I recognized the Radiohead cover "Nice Dream". And then, of course, the crown jewel of oddball covers - Britney Spears' "Toxic", which had to be seen to be believed.

* Mark Schatz (their bass player) clogged during "The Fox", with Chris Thile joining him on the clogging floor for a little bit (he and Sara had special heels to do the stomping parts during "When in Rome").

* "Anthony" was done all around one mic, with Sara on ukulele. Andrew Bird showed up just for a few seconds to do the whistling parts, which was hilarious.

* I know I'm married and all, but damn, Sara Watkins is gorgeous.

I think that covers most of it. The band banter was hilarious as expected, but I'll spare you all the nitty-gritty of it because I've been without my wife for most of the evening (she stayed behind at a wedding that I had to leave early to attend this concert) and she kind of wants my company now.

[Aaron]

Mur, I agree with you on SW.  Sara Watkins is my celebrity crush.  absolutely gorgeous

[murlough23]

Mur, I agree with you on SW.  Sara Watkins is my celebrity crush.  absolutely gorgeous

Well, she is available...

[Aaron]

Well, she is available...

and I am not..

[murlough23]

and I am not..

That's OK. Celebrity crushes are only OK when you don't expect anything to actually come of them.

Anyway, in a shocking move, I've actually written up my concert review in a timely manner this time.

http://www.epinions.com/content_4601847940

[dgp11776]

Okay, I'm trying to remain calm.  Mute Math is going to be headlining a tour beginning in January.  I think some band named Veda or something is touring with them.  Here's the deal.  The tour is supposedly titled "Album Release Tour."  If you go to the concert, you can buy a copy of their debut full-length album which will not be in stores until next Fall.  Here's why I'm trying to remain calm - THE TOUR DOESN'T COME ANYWHERE NEAR ME!!!!!  So, if anyone plans on heading to see them, please let me know so that I can have you pick up a copy of the album for me.  Here are the dates.

January 19
Oklahoma City, OK (Bricktown Live)

January 20
Dallas, TX (Gypsy Tea Room)

January 21
Houston, TX (Proletariat)

January 22
Austin, TX (Stubb's Bar-B-Q)

January 24
Albuquerque, NM (Launchpad)

January 25
Tuscon, AZ (City Limits)

January 27
Tempe, AZ (Neckbeards)

January 28
Las Vegas, NV (Jillian's of Las Vegas)

January 29
San Diego, CA (Epicentre)

January 30
West Hollywood, CA (Troubadour)

February 1
San Francisco, CA (Cafe Du Nord)

February 2
Portland, OR (Roseland Grill)

February 3
Seattle, WA (Crocodile Cafe)

February 4
Boise, ID (Big Easy Coffee House)

February 6
Salt Lake City, UT (Kilby Court)

February 7
Denver, CO (Bluebird Theatre)

February 9
Lawrence, KS (Bottleneck)

February 10
Minneapolis, MN (Ascot Room (The Quest))

February 11
Chicago, IL (Schubas Tavern)

February 12
Ann Arbor, MI (Blind Pig)

February 13
Grand Rapids, MI (The Intersection)

February 14
Columbus, OH (The Basement)

February 16
Boston, MA (Axis)

February 18
Baltimore, MD (Sonar)

[enemy anemone]

West Hollywood...
would I like Mute Math, do you think?

[dgp11776]

West Hollywood...
would I like Mute Math, do you think?

Hmmm...good question.  Live, they are pretty darn special from what I've heard.  They say they are a mix of, say, The Police, DJ Shadow, and Bjork.  Not sure of the third one...I would add U2 instead.  But, anyway, I think they're pretty fantastic.  You can check out two live videos online.  

1.  If you look at google's cached site (just type in mutemath in the search space, then click on the cache link for "Mute Math The Music Is Much Too Loud Tour") you can see an instrumental song "Reset."  It's AWESOME!  This link may work.

2.  For the unreleased song "Chaos," go here.

[enemy anemone]

thanks for the linkage. I also checked out their myspace page...I like the sound of Reset but don't particularly care for the rapping in Chaos. I've been wanting to check out some more concerts, so there's a pretty good chance I might go. it's a Monday night though, which means taking off from work, so we'll see.  

[dgp11776]

Ah, found some mp3's...here is their most popular song (and my favorite), "Control."  And here is a really cool song called "Peculiar People."

If you do decide to go, I'm going to guess that murlough may go as well.  If you do, let me know so I can send some moolah your way.

[murlough23]

If you do decide to go, I'm going to guess that murlough may go as well.  If you do, let me know so I can send some moolah your way.

I actually saw them in June, and enjoyed it immensely (my #2 concert of the year behind Nickel Creek/Andrew Bird), but I don't plan on seeing them again until they actually get an album out. Too much effort to drive all the way to West Hollywood (ugh) on a weeknight (double ugh) for a repeat of basically the same set.

NP: "Save Me", Corrinne May

[enemy anemone]

turns out that KT Tunstall will be playing at the Troubadour on the Thursday of the same week. so I dunno if I will go to both. I'd like to, but I feel weird asking for random days off work for concerts. on the other hand, I didn't take any days off over the holidays or for my birthday so...

mur, I know it's West Hollywood and a weekday but I wonder if you'd enjoy KT Tunstall's music. she does this percussive thing with her guitar and I remember you had mentioned something about enjoying that.  

[murlough23]

mur, I know it's West Hollywood and a weekday but I wonder if you'd enjoy KT Tunstall's music. she does this percussive thing with her guitar and I remember you had mentioned something about enjoying that.

My concert budget's tight. I found the percussive guitar thing interesting with Kim Taylor, but not fascinating enough that it would drive me to see a show all by itself. I reserve the weeknight-in-Hollywood drives for the bands I've totally fallen in love with and am dying to see live.