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indie-snob>+!#
Q101 block party @ the ymca (6-6-03)
with starlight mints, ben kweller, flaming lips, violent femmes |
The lineup: Starlight Mints, Ben Kweller, the Flaming Lips and the Violent Femmes. The fact is, I'd see any of these bands seperately and pay more than the $12.50 this outdoors show cost. While it was sponsored by my least favorite radio station in this city (with the exception of the pop and rap stations) and I yelled constantly at the annoying DJs who would come on stage being stupid, throwing t-shirts and telling us to drink beer, but it was just so great to see so many people coming out for such great bands. The Starlight Mints just released their debut full-length on Pias Records, and already they've recieved a good amount of buzz (first LP on Pias, second release, total). Their blend of keyboards with strings is moderately unique, somehow poppy, jazzy and rocking all at the same time. I can see them soon on the indie pop scene, sharing the scene with fellow midwestern indie rockers (the Starlight Mints are from Oklahoma City) like the Flaming Lips. Their set was short (just over 20 minutes) so I couldn't get a really good feel for what they're like live, but the Starlight Mints are a definite candidate for something like MTV's "You Hear It First." Next was my indie-darling Ben Kweller. For all those out there: I've been a BK fan prior to the release of Sha Sha and I'm very adiment about telling people this. These days, when I walk around with a Ben Kweller shirt on, or my BK buttons, all the pop punk kids will say: "hey! Ben Kweller! I loooove him," and I just cringe. This is the guy we bought flowers for when he played that room with 200 people last year. *sigh* Those were the days. They were also the days of my jaded BK opinions. I recently (or not too long ago) read a review with him in 'Sup magazine, and he talked about his gigantic ego and all the things associated with it. It really made me hate him. But I really did forget about that when he went on stage, as I usually do. His performance is so charismatic, his charm so un-real. It's impossible NOT to love the Kweller. His set included all the favorites off Sha Sha and a couple of the new songs I heard at the Metro. But, the absolute highlight of the show was this brand-spanking-new song that he didn't give a title. It was another one of his folk ballads, but he sang it so beautifully. "Mamma never thought I was a killing man," he sings, saying later after confessing his engagement to Lizzy "Mamma never thought I was a loving man." Those are only parts of the chorus, but the verses were what got me... *drools* Wow. For any fan of BK, if you know what this song is called or where I could download it, please tell me. I was blown completely away. (It was, however, the worst BK show I've been to... but I've seen so many good ones, this is my sixth time seeing him.) Third on the bill were the fantastic Flaming Lips. Indie-pop at its finest, the Flaming Lips delivered another wonderful live show, but losing some of the crazy potential since this was an outdoor concert. They did a great job, nonetheless, playing a very similar set to the one at the Riv a couple weeks back. (Yes, yes, I know. I'm reviewing all these bands AGAIN.) Nothing was lost without the video projections or as many flashing lights this time, it still managed to be great. AND, there was blue smoke this time!! Still a great live show with tons of confetti, fake blood, balloons (one act where Wayne pops a gigantic balloon by overfilling it... it was so, so weird looking to see this, literally, 15 ft. diameter balloon explode on stage). Highlights once again were "Yoshimi," "One More Robot" and "She Don't Use Jelly." Really, go see the Flaming Lips every time you have the chance, you won't regret it. And headlining were the Violent Femmes. Honestly, I didn't remember any Violent Femmes songs... it's just been so long since they were popular and being played on any radio station or anywhere else. As they started to play, though, all of their music came back to me, and I didn't realize how many of their songs were theirs. However, the seemingly alt-country legends blew all their hit songs in the first half hour, leaving the last two-thirds of their set to more obscure, droning songs. Frankly, there was just a little too much Violent Femmes for me. Sure, I really do love them, but I don't love standing for them after six hours. Really, I don't. I'm not sure I'd tell you to rush out to see them live. They're a legendary band, that's for sure, and they've influenced a lot of people, most noticably in my mind Wilco and BK himself. Plus, they're the creators of some of the most memorable bass lines in Americana music history. Just... it's been a 20 year career, and I'm not sure when the last time they played was, but they sounded fresh... I just recommend sitting down for their show. Or not standing for six hours. Man. This was definitely a good valued concert. And all of these bands are super talented. So, it was a fun time, and I'm glad it didn't rain. |