2009 Concert Journals

[murlough23]

I am going to make it my goal to see more than two measly concerts this year! Who are you going to see this year? Use this thread, as we have in past years, to log your concert experiences, impressions, setlists, grades, whatever you want.

Concerts Attended:

2/7 (Sat) - Fiction Family w/ Molly Jenson, Largo at the Coronet Theater, Hollywood, CA: A
Fiction Family A+
Setlist: War in My Blood, Closer than You Think, Resurrect Me (Jon Foreman), Idioteque (Radiohead), Betrayal, Elements Combined, Not Sure, Mostly, (Sean & Sara Watkins bluegrass instrumental), Just Rob Me, Somebody More Like You (Nickel Creek), Your Love Is Strong, Please Don't Call It Love, Do You Only Love the Ones Who Look Like You (Molly Jenson), We Ride, When She's Near
1st Encore: Long Hot Summer Days (John Hartford, covered by Sara Watkins), Throw It Away (Abbie Lincoln), Letters Never Sent (Sean Watkins), Keep the Car Running (Arcade Fire)
2nd Encore: Hey Jude (The Beatles), Look for Me Baby
Molly Jensen B+

3/18 (Wed) Delirious? w/ Future of Forestry & Travis Ryan, House of Blues, Anaheim, CA: B-
Delirious? B
Setlist: Kingdom of Comfort, God Is Smiling, Rain Down, Love Will Find a Way, Bliss, All God's Children, How Sweet the Name, History Maker (w/ snippets of Break the Silence & God's Romance), Break the Silence, Jesus' Blood (w/ snippet of King or Cripple), True Colors (partial Cyndi Lauper cover), Majesty (Here I Am), Eagle Rider, Paint the Town Red
Encore: Stare the Monster Down, My Soul Sings
Future of Forestry B+
Setlist: Open Wide, All I Want, Twilight, This Hour, Sunrising, If You Find Her, Thinking of You
Travis Ryan D

4/29 (Wed) Vienna Teng w/ Ben Sollee & The Paper Raincoat, Roxy Theatre, Hollywood, CA: A
Vienna Teng A
Setlist: Whatever You Want, Blue Caravan, Gravity, Antebellum, In Another Life, Kansas, The Last Snowfall, No Gringo, White Light, St. Stephen's Cross, Stray Italian Greyhound, Harbor, Grandmother Song
Encore: Idioteque (Radiohead cover)
Ben Sollee B+
The Paper Raincoat A-

6/29 (Mon) Vienna Teng w/ Katie Herzig, Hotel Cafe, Hollywood, CA: A-
Vienna Teng A-
Setlist: Blue Caravan, Gravity, Antebellum, In Another Life, 1Br/1Ba, City Hall, Recessional, The Last Snowfall, Grandmother Song
Katie Herzig A-
Setlist: Sumatra, Songbird, Forevermore, Oh My Darling, Two Hearts Are Better Than One, Wish You Well (w/ Vienna Teng), Hey Na Na, I Hurt Too, Hologram

7/24 (Fri) Jars of Clay w/ Phil Wickham, The Packinghouse, Redlands, CA: B-
Jars of Clay B+
Setlist: The Long Fall/Weapons, Work, Closer, Heaven, Safe to Land, Frail, Headphones, I Need You, Boys (Lesson One), Love Song for a Savior 08, Flood (New Rain), Dead Man (Carry Me), Revolution
Encore: Don't Stop, Two Hands
Phil Wickham C-

9/12 (Sat) Future of Forestry w/ Urban Rescue, St. Johns Presbyterian, Los Angeles, CA: A-
Future of Forestry A+
Setlist: Hills of Indigo Blue, Sunrising, Traveler's Song, Open Wide, Closer to Me, Colors in Array, Set Your Sails, Close Your Eyes, All Who Are Thirsty (Brenton Brown cover), Wonderful Maker (Chris Tomlin/Matt Redman cover), So Close So Far, Someday
Urban Rescue B-

10/10 (Sat) Mute Math w/ As Tall as Lions, Club Nokia Live, Los Angeles, CA: A
Mute Math A
Setlist: The Nerve, Backfire, Chaos, Clipping, No Response, Plan B, Stare at the Sun/Obsolete, Electrify, Armistice/untitled jam, You Are Mine, Odds, Noticed, Typical, Burden
Encore: Pins & Needles, Spotlight, Reset, Break the Same
As Tall as Lions A-

10/25 (Sun) U2 w/ Black Eyed Peas, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA: A-
U2 A+
Setlist: Breathe, Get on Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Beautiful Day / In God's Country (snippet), I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Stand By Me (snippet), Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out of, No Line on the Horizon, In a Little While, Elevation, Unknown Caller, Until the End of the World, The Unforgettable Fire, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Remix), Sunday Bloody Sunday, MLK/Walk On
1st Encore: One/Amazing Grace (snippet), Where the Streets Have No Name
2nd Encore: Ultra Violet (Light My Way), With or Without You, Moment of Surrender
Black Eyed Peas C+
Partial Setlist: Let's Get It Started, Where Is The Love?, Boom Boom Pow, Sweet Child of Mine (Guns & Roses cover w/ Slash), I Gotta Feeling

12/6 (Sun) Future of Forestry, Calvary Chapel, Diamond Bar, CA: A-
Setlist: So Close So Far, O Come O Come Emmanuel, What Child Is This?, Joy to the World/All Creatures of Our God and King, O Holy Night, Little Drummer Boy
Raul Ries is a preacher, not a performer, but I'll give him an F anyway.

Last Update: 12/6/09

[ajyouthguy]

i manned up and am NOT taking my youth group to Winter Jam this year...haha.   they always enjoy it, but i lost interest a while back and last year was the worst so i wasn't that interested and haven't had but a couple of them mention it anyways, so we are NOT going, thankfully.  actually, i have NO concerts in the foreseeable future right now, which is kinda weird.

[murlough23]

i manned up and am NOT taking my youth group to Winter Jam this year...haha.   they always enjoy it, but i lost interest a while back and last year was the worst so i wasn't that interested and haven't had but a couple of them mention it anyways, so we are NOT going, thankfully.  actually, i have NO concerts in the foreseeable future right now, which is kinda weird.

Where do you live again? I keep forgetting whether you're the one from Arkansas. Whoever's from Arkansas, that makes me jealous because I really wanna see Deas Vail.

[Ian]

Whoever's from Arkansas, that makes me jealous

...do not be jealous of us, man

[ajyouthguy]

Where do you live again? I keep forgetting whether you're the one from Arkansas. Whoever's from Arkansas, that makes me jealous because I really wanna see Deas Vail.

yes, that's me...and actually i live exactly where DV is from...and have yet to be able to see them... they always play on a night or at a time that is not convenient for me and i have yet to be able to work it out to see them...they've probably played here 15 times at least since i've known who they are.

[Ian]

They played at my school last year.  They were good, nothing spectacular though.  I didn't know any of the songs then though.

[murlough23]

Fiction Family was INFREAKINGCREDIBLE tonight. It didn't hurt that they were joined by Sara Watkins, and skilled players on the cello, piano, bass, and drums, many of whom multi-tasked throughout the evening. In addition to 11 of the 12 songs from their album (my only complaint: No "Out of Order"), they played a handful of country/bluegrass covers, two Jon Foreman songs ("Resurrect Me" and "Your Love Is Strong"), one Nickel Creek song ("Somebody More Like You"), and they covered Radiohead ("Idioteque" - no, seriously!) and Arcade Fire ("Keep the Car Running"). All of these were pleasant surprises, but the real meat of the show - the material from Fiction Family's album - greatly surpassed the recorded versions in every way due to the full band atmosphere and the camaraderie among all the players involved, allowing time for generous solos from several different band members, and really driving the point home that this group was making music simply for the joy of making music.

Molly Jenson was the opening act. Her witty banter between songs (can you banter with yourself?) I guess she can helped to set her stage persona apart from a lot of similarly-styled coffeehouse-folksy types. Watkins did a couple songs with her and she returned during Fiction Family's set to sing a song she had written with Foreman. Her recorded music might not be enough tot ake her to big places yet, but I'm sure I'll never forget the woman who used the reflection of the spotlight off her guitar to see who was actually out there in her audience.

[bloop]

I went to see Over the Rhine in Carlisle, PA over the weekend.  We had a family emergency, but my father-in-law was released around noon on Saturday.  Melissa wanted to stay with her family, which is understandable, but I saw OtR was in town in the newspaper, so I went to the concert by myself.  I enjoyed myself - good music, and a nice rather old venue, too.

[Aaron]

I went to see Over the Rhine in Carlisle, PA over the weekend.  We had a family emergency, but my father-in-law was released around noon on Saturday.  Melissa wanted to stay with her family, which is understandable, but I saw OtR was in town in the newspaper, so I went to the concert by myself.  I enjoyed myself - good music, and a nice rather old venue, too.

wow..good timing

[murlough23]

I'm not sure how this is possible, because the venue last night disallowed electronic devices of any kind... but here is Fiction Family's performance of "Idioteque".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9bM5lvtLRA

And here's "Keep the Car Running", recorded at a previous gig.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJlGpFNHW8Y

[plvarona]

Last week I saw my first concert of 2009, and it was The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus with Tickle Me Pink and The Becoming at the Varsity Theater in Baton Rouge.  Interestingly enough, this concert actually sold out, which is one of only a handful of shows that I've attended to have done so.

As for the concert itself, I thought The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus did a good job.  The band was pretty tight, and the only thing keeping me from enjoying their set more was that too many of lead singer Ronnie Winter's vocals were muffled.  Highlights from their set included "Your Guardian Angel", where the band really succeeded in building the song by starting with just Ronnie Winter on acoustic guitar and then adding members of the band as the song progressed.  Also standing out was their breakthrough radio hit "Face Down", which is even more energetic in a live setting.  In fact, many of the 10 songs they performed were considerably more energetic live than on CD, which certainly helped make their set quite worthwhile.

It's a good thing RJA did well, because I did not enjoy either opening act very much.  I didn't like Tickle Me Pink at all.  They were quite obnoxious and offensive, and it seemed like they were doing so for the sake of being obnoxious and offensive.  As for The Becoming, I may have enjoyed them a little if I could only make out more than 10% of what the lead singer was saying.  Either they have a horrible sound crew, or their lead singer is about as bad as Building 429's Jason Roy when it comes to not using a microphone properly.

Set Lists:
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: "In Fate's Hands", "False Pretense", "You Better Pray", "Damn Regret", "Cat and Mouse", "Pen and Paper", "Your Guardian Angel", "Pull Me Back", "Face Down", "The Grim Goodbye"

[bloop]

I'm not sure how this is possible, because the venue last night disallowed electronic devices of any kind... but here is Fiction Family's performance of "Idioteque".

I don't think you want to know where that device has been.

[murlough23]

I don't think you want to know where that device has been.

Heh. Actually, they didn't check bags or, um, personal cavities upon entry to the theater. They just warned us before the show started that anyone caught using an electronic deivce of any kind (even to text their friends) would be immediately booted from the theater. A bit draconian, but it was dark enough in there that a flash could have been rather distracting to the performers.

I can see how some might have been brave enough to surreptitiously snap a few photos, but I'm quite surprise someone managed to get video of an entire song.

NP: "Harbor", Vienna Teng

[enemy anemone]

Heh. Actually, they didn't check bags or, um, personal cavities upon entry to the theater. They just warned us before the show started that anyone caught using an electronic deivce of any kind (even to text their friends) would be immediately booted from the theater. A bit draconian, but it was dark enough in there that a flash could have been rather distracting to the performers.

I can see how some might have been brave enough to surreptitiously snap a few photos, but I'm quite surprise someone managed to get video of an entire song.

this is Largo, right? (the linked video says San Diego.) the first time I was there (at the old building) Flanny told us to shove any cameras or phones up our butts so they don't have to do it for us. the second time I was there I saw the bartender taking non-flash photos, so I got bold and took some too. I received a stern reprimand. Largo regulars were surprised I wasn't kicked out.

[murlough23]

this is Largo, right? (the linked video says San Diego.)

Yep, that's the place. I felt bad for the guy in the audience whose hate Jon Foreman asked to borrow to get him in character for one particular song - he wasn't even able to get a picture of it.

[enemy anemone]

I felt bad for the guy in the audience whose hate Jon Foreman asked to borrow to get him in character for one particular song - he wasn't even able to get a picture of it.

I stared a hole into the hate, trying to make sense of it. a picture would have lasted longer.

[murlough23]

Aha! There's the missing "e" from "Wish you were her!" I'd been looking for it all over the place!

[dgp11776]

Mur, you might be interested in this - Delirious? and Future of Forestry are playing at the House of Blues in Anaheim on 3/18.  I'm halfway tempted to fly across the country for that one.

[ajyouthguy]

Mur, you might be interested in this - Delirious? and Future of Forestry are playing at the House of Blues in Anaheim on 3/18.  I'm halfway tempted to fly across the country for that one.

whoa, he's alive...haha...nice to see you post.

[murlough23]

Mur, you might be interested in this - Delirious? and Future of Forestry are playing at the House of Blues in Anaheim on 3/18.  I'm halfway tempted to fly across the country for that one.

DAMMIT. Orange County on a Wednesday. That's a double whammy - my wife has class and that's Lost night.

I'll check their tour schedule and see if there are any dates closer to our area, on non-school nights.

[dgp11776]

Actually, I think that might be your only shot.  That's the only date scheduled in the US right now that isn't part of a Joyce Meyer conference.

[murlough23]

Actually, I think that might be your only shot.  That's the only date scheduled in the US right now that isn't part of a Joyce Meyer conference.

Yeah, and "Hell to the no" to Joyce Frickin' Meyer. I'm baffled as to what the guys in Delirious? see in her.

I can miss Lost if my wife can miss the class. (It's gonna hurt, because we don't have TiVo and won't have time to watch it online until probably Friday, and it's extremely hard to avoid being spoiled for that long with this show.) That latter part is something I'm not going to know is doable until the class starts up next week and she gets a feel for how far behind she'll fall if she misses a week.

[dgp11776]

Yeah, I'm with you on Joyce Meyer.

We had to miss Lost last week in real time, and saw it on Friday.  I'm not gonna lie - it hurts.

[murlough23]

We had to miss Lost last week in real time, and saw it on Friday.  I'm not gonna lie - it hurts.

The biggest problem there is co-workers, who will immediately come up as soon as I get in the next day and say, "Wow, I can't believe they killed off Charlotte!", or send lengthy Emails analyzing the plot of the show, which Outlook will helpfully show me the first few lines of before I can realize it's something I don't want to read and skip over it.

[dgp11776]

I think I'm seeing John Mark McMillan and Public Radio at the Visulite Theater in Charlotte next Thursday.

[dgp11776]

I think I'm seeing John Mark McMillan and Public Radio at the Visulite Theater in Charlotte next Thursday.

Well, my ears have stopped ringing this morning.  We had a great time last night.  Visulite Theatre is a bar here in Charlotte, so it was a bit odd to have, essentially, a praise & worship artist playing (John Mark McMillan).  He's not your run-of-the-mill P&W artist, though, so it was easy for him to pull off.   

The opening act was a guy named Joel Hamilton from Charleston, SC.  He played acoustic guitar, had a tambourine sandal, and a harmonikazoo (or something like that).  Definitely an unconventional opener.  He was pretty good, but only a handful of the people there really seemed to care about his music.  They were more interested in his bantor - he was a pretty funny guy.  He actually has a pretty solid voice, but I somehow couldn't get past the fact that he looked like he needed a shower.  His maniacal hair and beard - distracting, they were.  But, anyway, an interesting opener, and his story-songs were pretty solid.

John Mark McMillan and band were next - he was the reason I was there.  He and his band (extra guitar, bass, drums, keys) started out mellow with "Ten Thousand," which was dedicated to his grandmother.  I think she recently passed away, at least that's what I would assume from the lyrics of that song.  From there, they ripped head-on into "The Medicine," a raucous drum & guitar frenzy of a song.  They didn't slow down at all during their 60 minute set, hitting all the highlight songs from his stellar 2008 release, The Medicine.  The crowd really got into his set, which added to the enjoyment.  The overall sound is that of Pete Yorn & Bruce Springsteen, a nice throwback to whiskey-soaked rock & roll with a side of folk.  But at the heart of his set were the deeply meaningful lyrics that he is known for.  There was something special about hearing a bar crowd sing "Cause I’m a dead man now/With a ghost that lives/Within the confines of these carbon ribs/And one day when I’m free/I will sit/The cripple at your table" during "Carbon Ribs."  Or "On Friday a thief/On Sunday a king/Laid down in grief/But awoke with the keys/To hell on that day/Firstborn of the slain/The man Jesus Christ/Laid death in his grave" during "Death In His Grave."  His set was moving, worshipful, rowdy and reverent.  The closing song, "Reckoning Day," was a great choice for closing.  And at the end of the song, John Mark, backed only by his acoustic, earnestly sang and ad-lib that essentially said "Where will you end up?  Before God closes the door, open up your door, and let Him in."  He said it differently, and more poetically, but that was the gist.

I hadn't heard much from Public Radio apart from a song or two on their myspace page.  I do have the album Warship by their lead singer, Mark Mathis.  While John Mark McMillan was a throwback to the rock of the 70's and early 80's, these guys were a throwback to new wave.  Basically, combine Dial M-era Starflyer 59 with pummeling drums and, I don't know, Family Force 5's latest album, Dance or Die, and you get an idea what these folks sound like.  A complete party atmosphere, but great harmonies, thrashing drums, spastic guitar solos, and programmed loops/keys.  They were the closing act, and played like it.  The crowd was obviously there for them, moshing about and singing along.  I picked up the majority of their lyrics, and they sound like a band to keep an eye on.

John Mark McMillan setlist:  Ten Thousand, The Medicine, Breaking Down, Out of the Ground, Carbon Ribs, Skeleton Bones, Death In His Grave, Reckoning Day   

[Ian]

I'll be seeing Andrew Bird in Tulsa on March 17.  First concert of the year, hopefully the pace will pick up this summer.

[murlough23]

I'll be seeing Andrew Bird in Tulsa on March 17.  First concert of the year, hopefully the pace will pick up this summer.

I don't know if you've seen him live before, but he is AWESOME. He took part in the absolute best concert I've ever attended (and likely would have upstaged the main act if it wasn't someone as ridiculously talented as Nickel Creek).

NP: "Termite Song", Joseph Arthur

[Ian]

I listened to his concert on NPR, and it sounded incredible.  I can't wait.

[plvarona]

I went to the "Ten out of Tenn" show in Baton Rouge last night, and it was incredible!  That show has to be one of the most fun shows I've attended in awhile.  Basically, these are ten artists from the Nashville area touring together, and they do a 20-song set with each artist getting two songs.  Furthermore, the artists also play on each others' songs, so typically you'll see the "featured" artist, backed by 3-5 other artists on the tour (on average).  The tour set-up certainly had the feel of one massive jam band, and it was obvious that everyone on stage was having fun, which translated over to the crowd.  Furthermore, just about all the artists are good at what they do, which helped to make the show that much more worthwhile.

Here was my impression of each of the individual artists:

Matthew Perryman Jones: He was the only one I had seen in concert previously (he opened for Derek Webb a few years ago), and not surprisingly he was one of my favorites of the night.  Matthew's vocals were very clear throughout the evening, and the second of his two songs ("Save You") was among the most memorable of the night.

Erin McCarley: She's the poppiest out of all the artists on tour, and both of her songs were quite catchy.  Her vocals were also fairly clear, and she does have a nice pop voice.  Not to mention, she's also kind-of cute.     Interestingly enough, she's starting to get some attention, as she was invited to the Craig Ferguson show (and will be taking the rest of the tour with her.)

Jeremy Lister: He's a straight-up acoustic pop singer.  His first song was quite catchy, and his second song was okay.

Tyler James: His forte is piano pop mixed with a little bit of R&B.  He is also a multi-talented instrumentalists, as he contributed trumpet to a few songs.  My only real knock on him is that his voice is a bit weak.

Griffin House: He's basically a folk singer whose lyrics are quite thought provoking, and he's quite good at what he does.

Trent Dabbs: He's another acoustic pop singer.  His music, while good, didn't stand out that much in concert, but his song on the TOT Sampler I bought after the show is really good.

Butterfly Boucher: She was certainly the edgiest artist on the tour, and she also had the best stage presence.  Her music wasn't my favorite, but she performed it well.

Andy Davis: He's also an R&B influenced piano pop artist in a similar vein to Tyler James.  He's also quite a showman, and I actually like his voice better than James's.  As a side note, Davis was born in Baton Rouge, and his Dad was actually in the audience this evening (and he stood not far from me.)

Kate Herzig: Phorum favorite has a pretty strong voice, although she tends to warble a little bit.  I thought both of her songs went over well in a live setting.

K.S. Rhoads: I was pleasantly surprised with him, especially given his previous background as a member of By The Tree.  He has a pretty good sense of musicality, and seems like a good writer, both musically and lyrically.  However, I don't really care for his voice that much.  Still, more to like than dislike here.

Additionally, Will Sayles was invited on tour as the designated drummer.  I think he has played on quite a few CCM recordings, if I remember correctly.

After the show, I got to chat with Katie Herzig and Matthew Perryman Jones for a little bit.  I also got to talk to Trent Dabbs a little bit, and apparently the concept of the tour was his idea.  One side note about Dabbs was that he had all of the artists on tour listed on the back of his jacket.  When I asked him about that, he said that during his concerts, he usually puts the set list for his band.  However, for this tour it would be difficult to put 20 songs on his jacket, so he just put the artists instead.

So overall, I enjoyed this show a lot, and it is easily the leader in the clubhouse for my "Concert of the Year."  It's going to take one awesome show to dislodge this one from the top spot.

Set List:
1. Matthew Perryman Jones: (song I couldn't identify - maybe it's a new song that will be on his upcoming EP?)
2. Erin McCarley: "Gotta Figure This Out"
3. Jeremy Lister: "Turn The Page"
4. Tyler James: "Stay Humble"
5. Griffin House: "The Guy That Says Goodbye"
6. Trent Dabbs: "January Lights"
7. Butterfly Boucher: "Another White Dash"
8. Andy Davis: "Let The Woman"
9. Katie Herzig: "Wish You Well"
10. K.S. Rhoads: "Dark Hotel"
11. Trent Dabbs: "Shine"
12. Griffin House: "I Remember (It's Happening Again)"
13. Butterfly Boucher: "Gun For a Tongue"
14. Tyler James: "Soapbox Shakedown"
15. Jeremy Lister: "The Bed You Made"
16. Erin McCarley: "Love, Save The Empty"
17. Andy Davis: "Brown Eyes"
18. K.S. Rhoads: "The Bayonet and the Cigarette"
19. Katie Herzig: "Hologram"
20. Matthew Perryman Jones: "Save You"
21. cover of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" performed by all 10 artists

[dgp11776]

I've been wanting to go to one of those concerts so bad, but have never been able.

[murlough23]

We ended up going to that Delirious?/Future of Forestry concert after all. My wife had the week off from class, and I took a half day at work and three friends ended up going with us.

Delirious? was good - not in top form (understandable due to jetlag, since they played in the Philippines the previous day), but as strong as ever in their ability to galvanize a crowd. I could tell that the audience response to the new stuff from Kingdom of Comfort was hit or miss, and there were some odd choices in the setlist with well-recognized classics in between (surprisingly, though they reached back into their history for the more obscure medley of "Jesus' Blood" and "King or Cripple", they never played "Deeper"). Even if the audience wasn't 100% behind the song choice, they loved the band and there was a sense of sadness knowing this would be the last time most Californians would attend a Delirious? show. The audience practically ran the show on songs like "Rain Down", "All God's Children", and "My Soul Sings", which do depend heavily on participation to really sizzle like the album versions do. "History Maker" ran a bit long and Martin Smith's speeches do tend to grow tedious, but the band displayed a lot of energy on the songs that called for it, and showed a keen ability to juxtapose songs from their repertoire in interesting ways (particularly in the slicing transition from "Love Will Find a Way" into the fan favorite "Bliss"). I'm not sure what sort of statement Martin was trying to make when he donned a Mickey Mouse hat during the opening song "Kingdom of Comfort" - we were at Downtown Disney and perhaps he had simply been enjoying the park earlier that day. But given the subject matter of the song, it's hard to say.

(Interesting side note: Other than Martin, everyone in the band is now bald.)

Future of Forestry was solid. Their setlist was frustratingly short, but that's what you get for being one of three bands on the bill. Eric Owyoung is apparently the only member in common with the lineup from Twilight but aside from the new song "This Hour" that will be on Travel, most of the setlist was expected favorites from Twilight (including the opening three songs, all in a row). The arrangements were a little different, with vibraphone and xylophone playing a big role in several songs (replacing the programmed intro to "All I Want"), and the guitarist even played a saw at a few points! The new drummer proved himself during the complex, intense drum solo of "Sunrising", and in general the new lineup sounded every bit as energetic and creative as the old one. But the band is really Eric and whatever players he has along for the ride at the time. At this point, it's sort of a Violet Burning type of lineup.

Travis Ryan was a thoroughly mediocre worship band (or a mediocre solo artist with a mediocre backing band; I couldn't tell which) with predictably bland lyrics and a predictably Coldplay-ish sound. I decided that they should change their name to Travis T.

[dgp11776]

Man, am I jealous.  I wish I could have been there.

[Ian]

Saw Andrew Bird Tuesday night.  Sadly I had the flu and I wasn't able to fully enjoy it, but nevertheless it was still an amazing concert.  The Heartless Bastards opened.  I wasn't expected much out of them, but they were a bit of a pleasant surprise, mainly due to having a strong singer.  Andrew Bird was even better than you would expect from listening to his albums.  I knew he was talented, but he really blew me away, and from what I gathered the rest of the audience as well.  Hopefully I'll get another chance to see him when I'm feeling better.

[murlough23]

Relient K is playing at The Glass House on May 26 with some band called Owl City as the opening act. I haven't seen RK do a full set since 2006, so I'm gonna try to go even though it's on a Tuesday.

[NewDimension]

Owl City? That's one band my cousin likes. I like the song, "Designer Skyline."

[murlough23]

Owl City? That's one band my cousin likes. I like the song, "Designer Skyline."

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[NewDimension]

  When I think about it, Owl City's vocalist, Adam, kind of reminds me of how Matt from Relient K sings. But I don't listen to Owl City that often.

[eatenbytehworms]

(Interesting side note: Other than Martin, everyone in the band is now bald.)

i heard that actually Martin has a receding hairline and just has hairstyles that hide that.  i'm not quite sure though.

[murlough23]

i heard that actually Martin has a receding hairline and just has hairstyles that hide that.  i'm not quite sure though.

Aha! Now we now the real reason why he wanted to quit the band - he had to get himself out of the spotlight before he went completely bald.

Jon Thatcher looks way too young to be balding, though, so I'm guessing it was just a style thing for him.