Relient K and Switchfoot
AMAZING.
Relient K has got to be one of the best live bands I've seen. Funnily, the 2 best lives I've been to are The Juliana Theory and Relient K, emo/punk/alternative/indie bands that are quasi-obscure even in their genre. Compared to all other shows I've seen they're SERIOUS sticklers for precision. To me, a good live is one that retains the greatest amount of accuracy and integrity of the studio tracks. The sheer clarity and harmony of the instruments is simply auralgasmic. I'm especially sold on really good live vocals. I was surprised at what a GREAT singer Brett Detar of TJT was, and today similarly Matt Thiessen blew me away.
It's undeniable. I develop massive crushes on charismatic lead vocalists. Who doesn't? T__T
Majority of the setlist was from the latest album, Five Score And Seven Years Later. They also played older hits/crowd favorites Be My Escape, Sadie Hawkins and Who I Am Hates Who I've Been.
More reasons why Relient K is a FUCKING AWESOME band:
1) For Sadie Hawkins they invited someone from the audience, someone that could play the guitar, to play the last 4 chords of the song. They invited 4 others to come on stage and play percussion stuff like tambourine, etc.
2) They performed a song they wrote in dedication to The Office.
3) After that, Matt said, "Well, to all those who don't like or know The Office and didn't enjoy that song--" and sang Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care, changing the lyrics to "I just wasted two-minutes-and-thirty-three-seconds of your show."
4) They expanded an inflatable snowman, igloo with a penguin on it, and Christmas tree, then performed their cover of Sleigh Ride (on their Christmas CD which I am totally going to buy).
I AM IRREVOCABLY, TREMENDOUSLY IN LOVE WITH THIS BAND.
Now, Switchfoot. I said to someone, with great certitude, "What? There'll be no moshing. A mosh pit at a Swtichfoot concert? Come on."
There was. I was very nearly caught in it, near enough that I was jostled about in every direction, nearly fell down, and almost drowned in waves of body heat. I had to crane my neck and tilt my head up to gulp desperately for fresh, cool air. It's a college gig. I really should've known better.
Switchfoot are like hippie Christian rock stars. They are hippie Christian rock stars, actually. They're a lot more free-form than RK, less precise and more spontaneous. Lots of rock star antics on the part of lead singer Jon Foreman, which includes jumping from the drummer's platform, singing into his guitar, going into the audience and ascending the bleachers to sit and sing on the railing (surrounded by a heap of adoring fans all pointing their cell phones at him; it was a real sight), and abducting one of the drummer's cymbals and banging on it during an instrumental break. Their show was run basically on overstated instrumentation and vocalist showmanship. Not to say it wasn't good, but I still like RK better. Bands like RK and TJT actually make you want to pay attention to each and every band member, instead of relying so heavily on a frontman.
They played a few songs from their album that aren't singles, so I almost kinda nearly lost interest halfway (especially since Switchfoot's songs can sound a little homogenous). Then they brought Matt Thiessen and Ruth (opening band) back on stage to perform Rebuild, written specially for the Appetite For Construction tour, so I was REALLY thankful I decided to stick around. And then they played my favorites, On Fire and Meant To Live. A Switchfoot live, I think, is all about getting lost in the sound and ambiance of the music.
And they returned to the stage for Dare You To Move, which I totally called. X)
And I'm totally going to pay for this tomorrow by getting sore, coming down real hard with some sickness, and probably losing my voice.
Relient K has got to be one of the best live bands I've seen. Funnily, the 2 best lives I've been to are The Juliana Theory and Relient K, emo/punk/alternative/indie bands that are quasi-obscure even in their genre. Compared to all other shows I've seen they're SERIOUS sticklers for precision. To me, a good live is one that retains the greatest amount of accuracy and integrity of the studio tracks. The sheer clarity and harmony of the instruments is simply auralgasmic. I'm especially sold on really good live vocals. I was surprised at what a GREAT singer Brett Detar of TJT was, and today similarly Matt Thiessen blew me away.
It's undeniable. I develop massive crushes on charismatic lead vocalists. Who doesn't? T__T
Majority of the setlist was from the latest album, Five Score And Seven Years Later. They also played older hits/crowd favorites Be My Escape, Sadie Hawkins and Who I Am Hates Who I've Been.
More reasons why Relient K is a FUCKING AWESOME band:
1) For Sadie Hawkins they invited someone from the audience, someone that could play the guitar, to play the last 4 chords of the song. They invited 4 others to come on stage and play percussion stuff like tambourine, etc.
2) They performed a song they wrote in dedication to The Office.
3) After that, Matt said, "Well, to all those who don't like or know The Office and didn't enjoy that song--" and sang Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care, changing the lyrics to "I just wasted two-minutes-and-thirty-three-seconds of your show."
4) They expanded an inflatable snowman, igloo with a penguin on it, and Christmas tree, then performed their cover of Sleigh Ride (on their Christmas CD which I am totally going to buy).
I AM IRREVOCABLY, TREMENDOUSLY IN LOVE WITH THIS BAND.
Now, Switchfoot. I said to someone, with great certitude, "What? There'll be no moshing. A mosh pit at a Swtichfoot concert? Come on."
There was. I was very nearly caught in it, near enough that I was jostled about in every direction, nearly fell down, and almost drowned in waves of body heat. I had to crane my neck and tilt my head up to gulp desperately for fresh, cool air. It's a college gig. I really should've known better.
Switchfoot are like hippie Christian rock stars. They are hippie Christian rock stars, actually. They're a lot more free-form than RK, less precise and more spontaneous. Lots of rock star antics on the part of lead singer Jon Foreman, which includes jumping from the drummer's platform, singing into his guitar, going into the audience and ascending the bleachers to sit and sing on the railing (surrounded by a heap of adoring fans all pointing their cell phones at him; it was a real sight), and abducting one of the drummer's cymbals and banging on it during an instrumental break. Their show was run basically on overstated instrumentation and vocalist showmanship. Not to say it wasn't good, but I still like RK better. Bands like RK and TJT actually make you want to pay attention to each and every band member, instead of relying so heavily on a frontman.
They played a few songs from their album that aren't singles, so I almost kinda nearly lost interest halfway (especially since Switchfoot's songs can sound a little homogenous). Then they brought Matt Thiessen and Ruth (opening band) back on stage to perform Rebuild, written specially for the Appetite For Construction tour, so I was REALLY thankful I decided to stick around. And then they played my favorites, On Fire and Meant To Live. A Switchfoot live, I think, is all about getting lost in the sound and ambiance of the music.
And they returned to the stage for Dare You To Move, which I totally called. X)
And I'm totally going to pay for this tomorrow by getting sore, coming down real hard with some sickness, and probably losing my voice.