The hardest you ever saw someone rock in a onesie: new 'live shows' thread

[Good Intentions]

Title of the thread comes from the fact that at the Mevlins gig tonight, King Buzzo was wearing one of the more ludicrous one-pieces I've seen on an adult.

So, I went to the High on Fire / Melvins gig tonight, and stupidly forgot my earplugs at home. At a stage during the Melvins set I could feel the small bones in my inner ear moving. That can't be good for me in the long run. In the immediate term, though... fuck. After merging with Big Business the Melvins really pound, don't they? That was the loudest gig I've gone to in some time.

Afterwards my flatmate and I went karaokeing, and as we were leaving the karaoke bar a small stag party crew came by, asked my (female) flatmate to sing a duet with the bachelor. The song chosen was 'Hey Jude', and it was a pleasantly bizarre close to the evening.

[Killdozersnakeboy]

I've seen The Melvins a couple of Times. How was High On Fire? Are you going to the show at Whammy? That'll be some crazy, crazy shit.

[Good Intentions]

There are now two shows at the Whammy, and I'm going to the second (no Melvins, HoF and Kylesa).

High on Fire were great, but the set was shorter than I'd have liked it. I couldn't help but smile seeing Matt Pike play, though. It's so obvious that there's nothing else he'd rather be doing than playing guitar, and he mixed goofy-looking facial expressions with some really intense frown-and-pout I'm-really-concentrating looks. They're a tight, tight band, and if I was as good at anything as Pike is at guitar, my life would be a resounding success.

[narlus]

i saw a band called the Well Babies once...the lead singer was wearing only a diaper.

Melvins/HoF sounds like a killer bill (and by HoF i mean High on Fire, not Halo of Flies, which would also  be possible and killer).

[Black Amnesia of Heaven]

JUST SAW EYEHATEGOD WITH MAGRUDERGRIND LAST NIGHT

PRETTY SURE I WOULDN'T KNOW ABOUT EYEHATEGOD WITHOUT THE THREE-PART ENDORSEMENT OF OUR HOST, SO THANK YOU

MAN WHERE DID ALL OF MY BLOOD GO

[reebty]

I saw Warrant! I mean Iron Maiden.

[peacocks]

I saw Thee Oh Sees last night and they fucking killed IT! It was a really great time. All the bands who played were way fun and energetic- except for Cop City/Chill Pillars which had more of a nervous, hypnotic energy but an awesome energy regardless. The lead guitarist's stare just. I don't know. Everyone was blown away by TOS, they did a 2 or 3 song enchore and there was much dancing.

Highlights of the evening were meeting a man named Detroit Jimmy and running into LPTJs own dkT! IRL! It was so weird recognizing someone I've only known through pictures and being recognized back. Hugs, high fives. Would do it again.

Tonight is Davila 666 and my fav local band Slippery Slopes. Rock And Roll! I don't have to work tomorrow. This weekend is shaping up to be 100% superior to last weekend.

[mountmccabe]

I was sipping the best Old Fashioned I’ve ever had in the middle of the bar table area watching the stage when right behind me Will, Bill, Andrew, Bryan and Peter started singing, a capella. I am not sure what song it was but it sounded quite lovely. Once it got going they took it to the stage where Derek was already on drums and Robbie had his trumpet ready. Thus began Elephant 6’s Holiday Surprise show in Phoenix, AZ. The biggest surprise being that they actually played a Phoenix date, though we had at least a decent crowd.

I counted 12 different people performing, sometimes as many as 11 on stage at once. Other times a few people would be off having a smoke or standing in the crowd in front of us watching the show. But it was just this collective band, in the boxing ring for three hours (counting a ten to fifteen minute set break.)

Oh, yes. I forgot. This show was at the Duce, the oddest coffee bar/soda bar/alcohol bar/restaurant/vintage bike shop/gym/army surplus clothing shop/community center/venue I’ve ever seen. It is an old warehouse and I have no idea how they got such great sound. But, yeah, the stage is a boxing ring. Sadly the ropes were not up but, damn. Will commented on how he had to try and restrain his jumping because the floor flexed so much and there were Mike Tyson jokes and more.

The set went on as the Elephant 6 collective band performed as the Olivia Tremor control for a couple songs, then a song by the late BP Helium, then a few songs by the Gerbils, Elf Power and the Sunshine Fix (this order is wrong; but that is how it rolled.) Most everybody switched back and forth between instruments, of special note being John (violin, clarinet, bass clarinet, bass, drums, vocal) and Julian (banjo, saw, bass, guitar, toy piano, vocal.) Everybody except Derek and Robbie (and maybe John?) led at least one song (Laura’s song was “Alcohol” by the Kinks.)

They also covered Minutemen and Tall Dwarfs. After the first set they offered to cover any (non-E6) song to the person that could throw a (foam) snowball at the moon (a 3’ diameter discs of paper) which would deflate the snowman. The first lady’s first try was so weak (the ball went less than 5 feet) she got another shot and hit it right off. Her choice was “Octopus’ Garden” by the Beatles, which, after their three minutes of discussion the collective did a passable rendition of.

They closed the night with Sun Ra’s “Enlightenment” which included the band slowly filing off stage, and band members wandering throughout the crowd - some playing horns, Julian was carrying at tom, Bill had a kazoo, etc. - until they converged outside… and hung out for a bit before wandering back inside and calling it a night once they got back to the ring.

Personal highlights were “Day’s Remain,” (Peter’s Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t) “Define a Transparent Dream” (OTC) “They Broke They Speed Of Light” (the late BP Helium) and “Glue” (the Gerbils.) I also loved all the Elf Power songs (and the Tall Dwarfs song Andrew sang) but it’s hard to pick a favorite.

Three hours, 35 songs, a boxing ring, a dozen performers and countless instruments made for an absolutely fantastic night.

[I got a mostly parse-able pic of the setlist and it is posted on my Facebook page; let me know if you're interested in seeing it and cannot]

[davy]

Ok, I'm sold.

April 2 is now spoken for.

[narlus]

that E6 show sounds awesome.

[peacocks]

The sound for davila 666 last night was terrible, but really really really loud. My ears still feel like there is sand moving around inside them. They probably played every song they had, plus a nerves cover (don't leave me haaaangin on the teeeelephoooohoone) and their set lasted over an hour I think. They stopped playing at 1:59 am. The bassist did a line of coke right out of the palm of his hand on stage. Totally bonkers. Almost crazier than the time the guy from another band I saw a couple years ago did whippits between every song.

[Black Amnesia of Heaven]

hey i'm gonna see randy newman tonight

so fucking pumped

[ellaguru]

I saw Randy Newman maybe two years ago? He's pretty entertaining.

[monkeypants]

I saw Jonathan Richman last night!  It was one of the most damn delightful things I have ever witnessed.

[davy]

Yeah! He is a damn charmer on stage.

[auto-da-fey]

Kurt Vile was good last night, in-store at AKA. Lots of vocal reverb, heavily bearded crowd, way too hot as it always is upstairs there where they do the shows, but I dig what the guy does. Not as much as my lady does, but it's a nice spot of musical overlap between our otherwise frequently polarized Screeching Weasel/Beach House tastes.
Kurt Vile is not a charismatic performer though, that much is for sure. Though I guess that's part of the idea w/r/t his general aesthetic.

also the show ended and I saw the new REM album, I had no idea it was even out. Was not willing to spend sixteen bucks on it, figured maybe it would be on sale at Target or something. I just don't have high hopes for it, and the song titles are terrible.

thought there was a new East River Pipe album too, but didn't see it there.

[monkeypants]

adf, if you're interested, NPR has the new R.E.M. streaming at:

http://www.npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen

From what I've heard so far, it's actually not bad.

[davy]

The early single I heard was atrocious.

[edison]

Kurt Vile was good last night, in-store at AKA. Lots of vocal reverb, heavily bearded crowd, way too hot as it always is upstairs there where they do the shows, but I dig what the guy does. Not as much as my lady does, but it's a nice spot of musical overlap between our otherwise frequently polarized Screeching Weasel/Beach House tastes.
Kurt Vile is not a charismatic performer though, that much is for sure. Though I guess that's part of the idea w/r/t his general aesthetic.

also the show ended and I saw the new REM album, I had no idea it was even out. Was not willing to spend sixteen bucks on it, figured maybe it would be on sale at Target or something. I just don't have high hopes for it, and the song titles are terrible.

thought there was a new East River Pipe album too, but didn't see it there.

I'll share my thoughts about the new R.E.M. album soon, once I've heard it a bit more (so far, seems like it's a blatant, if occasionally mildly successful, attempt to replicate various past glories)  - but just out of curiosity, does the fact that you never mentioned anything about the Deerhoof show means you didn't like it?

[edison]

Oh, and while I'm at it, I would say that I saw Mulatu Astatke and his band last night, but I arrived late and I was standing so far from the stage and could see so little that it seems like that would be an exaggeration  Certainly sounded good, though.

PJ Harvey (plus full band, including Mick Harvey and John Parish) in Paris was excellent, though as always (or as always lately) a little bit frustrating for her utter lack of will to toy with the setlist, improvise or leave anything to chance in general.

And earlier in Februry I also attended two very good shows by Ryoji Ikeda + Carsten Nicolai (one solo show from each, sadly couldn't stay for the third show which was both of them playing together on their cyclo. project) and Nils Frahm.

[auto-da-fey]

just out of curiosity, does the fact that you never mentioned anything about the Deerhoof show means you didn't like it?

oh man, I totally forgot about this; long story short, that night turned into a debacle on multiple levels, and we missed the show   

the upshot was, in preparation, I finally listened to most of their discography and became a belated fan, so next time, will be there for sure . . .

[auto-da-fey]

and thanks for the link, monkeypants--though I think I'll wait until I obtain the album, which I will assuredly do, albeit with all the enthusiasm I typically carry for new albums from Paul Westerberg and Bob Mould . . .

[Antero]

hey i'm gonna see randy newman tonight

so fucking pumped

I saw him a couple years ago.  He played "Song For The Dead."  Goddamn.

[reebty]

I know that isn't a Queens of the Stone Age cover, but I really want it to be.

Oh yeah, I also saw Gang of Four at Soundwave, or rather Gang of Two and two other guys (new rhythm section). Obviously the rhythm section is a pretty fucking important component of Gang of Four and you could tell it wasn't the same even without noticing that the bass player was in his twenties and the drummer was in his late 30s to mid 40s, but it was still very good, and they played my three favourite GoF songs: What We All Want, Damaged Goods and Ether. In fact, I think they only played two songs that weren't on the first two albums.

And I saw Monster Magnet. I can't remember what they played other than Space Lord, 'cause all their songs sound the same, but I don't care.

[Good Intentions]

I need to get to bed so I can be in front of a class at 9am, but I just saw Swans. At times it was simply overwhelming, and in a 2 hour show, there's lots of opportunities for that. The started off with 30 minutes of atmospherics, slowly layering different instruments together, first feedback and then two types of percussion, then an analogue synth, bass, and finally the two guitars, all at ear-shattering volume. And really, why wouldn't you do that?