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indie-snob>+!#
the strokes @ the aragon (10-19-03)
with regina spektor, kings of leon |
 My prior experience with the Strokes has been disappointing. The only other time I saw them was at a festival-thing here a couple years ago, before they were majorly popular, but still after the release of "Last Nite." Of course, I'm sure part of it was the venue. No respectable band likes playing the Tweeter Center, especially not on an unusually cold day in May. Julian looked way too drunk or high, and the rest of the band just kinda stayed in one place. Not to mention, my experience with the Aragon has also been disappointing. 5000-person venues tend to not be my favorite, but hey, whatever. So, it's a wonder that I even ended up coming to this show, but I did. First to open was Regina Spektor, who I fell in love with after listening to her album on her website [[click]]. As a member of the anti-folk scene, it's hard to tell in what ways she is to be taken seriously. After all, she sings about Wonder Bread and haircuts and Greek characters, but the fact is, Regina Spektor is a serious musician. She plays a mean piano and has a wonderful voice. How she uses these elements comes together in a truly unique form. Somehow, though, the Strokes fans didn't seem to understand this. All around me, a fervor grew of "WOW, SHE'S SO TERRIBLE, WHY IS SHE ON STAGE?" Even the security guard started joining in. "Yeah, she really is bad, how did she even get this spot?" I finally said to the girls behind me: "Please be quiet, I came here to see her." And they shut up. But I hate when musicians aren't respected when they deserve respect. Her set choice was odd, but since she figured she wasn't going to be too known on the tour, she chose to play more obscure/new songs instead of the ones that I found so charming on Songs. Go see her if you can and buy her new record Soviet Kitsch and especially Songs, I think she's one of the more interesting singer/songwriters out there. Grade: A- Kings of Leon have seemed to get really popular really quickly. A lot of people at the show seemed to be completely familiar with them, I on the other hand always contemplated buying their album, but never did. I think that was lucky though. Maybe it's the super large venue factor or maybe it was the raw talent of Regina Spektor or the awesomeness of the Strokes that intimidated them, but certainly, Kings of Leon had nothing impressive up their sleeves. At most, they were another blues-rock garage band. I faced this problem with the Black Keys, at what point can you stop liking something because it's completely derivative of something else? The Black Keys I at least find interesting, both live and on their albums. Kings of Leon, however, found me bored out of my skull. Their live show was certainly nothing fantastic, each song sounded the same, and the band didn't do very much. The dynamic of a full band just standing there isn't too strong. Bleck. Grade: C- So maybe when the Strokes came out I was excited by default. Not super excited like the girls who would reach toward Julian (even though he was a good fifteen feet away from even the closest spot). It seems like when bands tour before new albums, they have a format of exactly how their show will go: New song. Old song. New song. Old song. Yes, indeed, that does get a little predictable. Nonetheless, it seemed to be welcomed in the case of the Strokes. Their new stuff sounded great live as did their old. If I had actually written this review on a somewhat relevant time period, I could give you insight to exactly how the new album sounded, but that would kind of be pointless, seeing how almost everyone who wanted to hear it certainly has in some way or form. The crowd was very receptive to everything, and the band was surprisingly energetic and "with-it." I was expecting a drunk, sloppy show like last time, but I guess when you're charging $25 a ticket, you have to deliver in some way or form (so you can charge $30 the next time). At one point, Julian jumped off the stage and teased the young girls along the barricade. And, while the Hives may have done massive damage on my ears, the screaming girls certainly did them in much faster. There weren't any surprises on the set list, no "NYC Cops" (certainly one of the best b-sides by any band), no amusing covers, just the Strokes on stage for an hour. Okay, nothing original in that, but I was pleasantly surprised with this show. The Strokes were a great live band, and deserve the attention they're getting. Even if a million bands sound like them, that's not what's important (cheap Park Ave. reference there); the Strokes do the best job out there of incorporating sounds of the past (Television, Velvet Undergroud) and making that grungy guitar sound their own. Every generation needs something accessible yet engaging, and if you ask me, the Strokes are just the band to do it. Grade: A |