franz ferdinand.
franz ferdinand put on a show. they define everything a show should be. they have the charm, the swagger, the energy, and of course, the talent, to put on a stunning and unrelenting set.
i arrived at the venue at 4:30, to a decent line already starting at the front doors. but, since i am the proud owner of early admission to gigs at venues in columbus, i hopped right in front of them all. oh, and how angry were these girls that were behind me. i'm sure they had been waiting for hours, only to be shown up by some random girl. they just kept glaring at me. it was obvious. one girl had on a killers hoodie, and i overheard them talking about brandon and dave. they were discussing what time they'd be getting in line for the killers on tuesday (9:00). they'll be seeing me again, hopping right in front of them once more. they totally hate me.
so, i was by the door. soundcheck started up and my heart began crashing into my breastbone. it didn't let up until i got home six hours later. the first thing i heard was what she came for along with some ulysses. then i could've sworn i heard them talking right by the door. those scottish accents are distinctive. it made me very jumpy. every time someone opened the door, i nearly fainted. they never came out. i think that was the best thing for my own health.
they opened the doors for the decibel club members, and i was the very first person to get onto the floor. without much thinking, i stuck right onto the barrier, under what i presumed to be mr. kapranos' mic. i figured that the crowd would be predominately female, but i was wrong. i was surrounded by a bunch of college guys, which freaked me out at first. guys can get...inappropriate...at gigs. but these guys were very nice. there was a set of twins, and we talked music and gigs. i love how i can get along with strangers with good music taste betterthan people at school. i would never dream of talking to a random person at school, but at a gig...i become this social creature. it's very bizarre for me. but anyway, there were very few girls. the ones that glared at me in line ended up all the way at the end of the barrier past nick.
at 8:00, the opening band, the born ruffians, came on. they were quite good. i would describe them as a mix between vampire weekend, mgmt, and tokyo police club. the drummer was absolutely insane. the lead singer was this elfish, skinny guy with andrew vanwyngarden looks. and then...i spotted paul (ff's drummer). i had to have been the first one to see him, because no one was even looking backstage or shouting paul other than me. he had on this cuban style straw hat. so cute. but, he came on with the born ruffians and did the last song with them.
they left the stage, and then there was a whole hour that went by before franz came back. they played animal collective and all the weird remix stuff to pass the time. i just danced around the entire time. i was too pumped to stand still.
then the magic began. alex came on stage, followed by the rest of the boys, and the crowd went absolutely nuts. alex kept thanking us over and over, and they didn't start playing until we stopped cheering (which took about two minutes). i don't think they expected such a reaction. nick hobbled over to his chair by the synth, bob just kinda hung out (that man is stoic), and i have no idea what paul was doing because kapranos wouldn't move. lexy had on blue trousers and a blue and white gingham shirt, bob had on this god-awful grandpa sweater, nick had on a too-short green t-shirt, and paul...i don't know. like i said, alex was blocking my view.
they opened with bite hard, which was fantastic. i jumped around more than i ever have in all my life. i probably should've held it back a bit, because by the time they got to the second song (dark of the matinee), it felt like i'd been rammed in the ribs with a knife. it was a good pain. i wasn't going to stop giving it my all, because they deserved every bit of energy i could muster.
third song, do you want to. this began a night of alex staring me down with such an intensity that i thought i'd set on fire. it was insanity. it happened over and over and i had no idea what to do back. once i smiled, he smirked back. once i just stared right back, and he stared back fifteen times harder. once i did an eyebrow raise/wink, and he did it right back. sheesh.
they did tell her tonight, which was absolutely precious. nick is just so kitch. i don't know what it is about him. it must be that german part of him that makes his accent so weird. he's sleazy in the best way possible. i felt so bad for him and his broken foot. you could tell he wanted to be up and about, interacting with alex. alex walked over to him a few times, and they crossed the necks of their guitars and dueled a bit. it was cute. alex told the story about how nick injured himself, and how he was being such a trooper by still playing shows. alex was like, "what did you say, nick, when you hurt yourself?" and nick said,"aw, just fuck it!" i love him! <3
i nearly died when they began playing shopping for blood. i didn't expect that one in the least. i think that's how bands test for the true, hardcore fans. by playing b-sides. very, very few people knew the lyrics. i obviously was one of them. i screamed the "we are the new scottish gentry" line like my life depended on it.
outsiders might have been the highlight for me. it is my favourite franz ferdinand song, after all. alex played some synth. i am a sucker for synth. i swooned. at the end of the song they all gathered around paul's drum set (even poor little nick) and played a giant drum solo. i nearly cried. the brotherhood in this band is absolutely beautiful. they meld together like no other band i have ever seen live. you can tell they're best friends. that chemistry is there.
what she came for was electric. the guitar bit at the end had the crowd in a state of thrashing and pandemonium. no you girls was another crowd pleaser, and someone decided to take the lyrics seriously during ulysses (c'mon let's get hiiiiigh. the smell of weed was so strong, i swear there had to be 15 people smoking). 40' had some great kapranos/crowd interaction, walk away was gorgeous. jacqueline was a really great moment for me, especially with the lyric "i'm allivveeeeee, and how i know it!" i lost it within the first two chords of take me out being played. micheal was as sexy as it's always been. alex was hip thrusting all over the place and growling out the lyrics. it was this odd, animialistic side of him. that man controls the audience in a way that no other front man does. brandon flowers may have the showman quality to him that draws you in, but alex kapranos makes you feel like he's singing just for you.
lucid dreams was brilliant. they played the single version, and then warped it into the album version. i got sucked into the beats. i remembered the first time i listened to the album track, and it felt like i was in some trance. it was like that all over again. i was so tired, and i didn't think i could move another inch...but i kept going. i have no idea what it was. when you have a band that brilliant in front of you, it feels like treason to stop dancing. i love them more than i can say.
the last song was this fire. it was the best song of the set. everything about it was just...wow. the song went on for probably seven minutes. i love how they mix their songs up and stretch them out with some jam sessions. alex's final time playing around with me came with the line: eyes/burning a way to me/overwhelm/destroying so sweetly/now/there is a fire in me/a fire that burns. that moment is so fresh in my mind. i'm sitting here listening to this fire, and it's just stuck on repeat. so, alex comes to the edge of the stage. he's done this numerous times, so i expect nothing out of the ordinary. but, he jumps into the audience, right on top of me. people start pushing and clawing and i get a bit fearful for my life. coming out trampled would not be optimal. so, i latch onto alex...whatever part of him that i could.
it was weird. it was just weird. we all look at rock stars like they're these untouchable beings. but there was alex, and he was extremely touchable. the fabric on his pants had to have been uncomfortable. seriously. it was scratchy. haha.
and then the show was over. :( they all walked to the foot of the stage, grabbed hands and bowed, paul blew us all a kiss, and it was over. i got myself a shirt and a vinyl at the merch stand. i wanted to stay and meet them, but my mom was texting me every two seconds to hurry up. i'm sick over it. maybe next time.
i cannot wait to see them again. guhhhhh <3 they have my heart. the killers are going to have to work pretty damn hard tuesday to show these guys up.
so, they played (in no order, i have no idea what the order was):
bite hard
dark of the matinee
do you want to
shopping for blood
turn it on
take me out
walk away
no you girls
micheal
what she came for
tell her tonight
ulysses
outsiders
lucid dreams
jacqueline
40'
this fire
THERE WAS NO DARTS OF PLEASURE :( That was my only disappointment.
This post is disgustingly long. I'll stop now.
i arrived at the venue at 4:30, to a decent line already starting at the front doors. but, since i am the proud owner of early admission to gigs at venues in columbus, i hopped right in front of them all. oh, and how angry were these girls that were behind me. i'm sure they had been waiting for hours, only to be shown up by some random girl. they just kept glaring at me. it was obvious. one girl had on a killers hoodie, and i overheard them talking about brandon and dave. they were discussing what time they'd be getting in line for the killers on tuesday (9:00). they'll be seeing me again, hopping right in front of them once more. they totally hate me.
so, i was by the door. soundcheck started up and my heart began crashing into my breastbone. it didn't let up until i got home six hours later. the first thing i heard was what she came for along with some ulysses. then i could've sworn i heard them talking right by the door. those scottish accents are distinctive. it made me very jumpy. every time someone opened the door, i nearly fainted. they never came out. i think that was the best thing for my own health.
they opened the doors for the decibel club members, and i was the very first person to get onto the floor. without much thinking, i stuck right onto the barrier, under what i presumed to be mr. kapranos' mic. i figured that the crowd would be predominately female, but i was wrong. i was surrounded by a bunch of college guys, which freaked me out at first. guys can get...inappropriate...at gigs. but these guys were very nice. there was a set of twins, and we talked music and gigs. i love how i can get along with strangers with good music taste betterthan people at school. i would never dream of talking to a random person at school, but at a gig...i become this social creature. it's very bizarre for me. but anyway, there were very few girls. the ones that glared at me in line ended up all the way at the end of the barrier past nick.
at 8:00, the opening band, the born ruffians, came on. they were quite good. i would describe them as a mix between vampire weekend, mgmt, and tokyo police club. the drummer was absolutely insane. the lead singer was this elfish, skinny guy with andrew vanwyngarden looks. and then...i spotted paul (ff's drummer). i had to have been the first one to see him, because no one was even looking backstage or shouting paul other than me. he had on this cuban style straw hat. so cute. but, he came on with the born ruffians and did the last song with them.
they left the stage, and then there was a whole hour that went by before franz came back. they played animal collective and all the weird remix stuff to pass the time. i just danced around the entire time. i was too pumped to stand still.
then the magic began. alex came on stage, followed by the rest of the boys, and the crowd went absolutely nuts. alex kept thanking us over and over, and they didn't start playing until we stopped cheering (which took about two minutes). i don't think they expected such a reaction. nick hobbled over to his chair by the synth, bob just kinda hung out (that man is stoic), and i have no idea what paul was doing because kapranos wouldn't move. lexy had on blue trousers and a blue and white gingham shirt, bob had on this god-awful grandpa sweater, nick had on a too-short green t-shirt, and paul...i don't know. like i said, alex was blocking my view.
they opened with bite hard, which was fantastic. i jumped around more than i ever have in all my life. i probably should've held it back a bit, because by the time they got to the second song (dark of the matinee), it felt like i'd been rammed in the ribs with a knife. it was a good pain. i wasn't going to stop giving it my all, because they deserved every bit of energy i could muster.
third song, do you want to. this began a night of alex staring me down with such an intensity that i thought i'd set on fire. it was insanity. it happened over and over and i had no idea what to do back. once i smiled, he smirked back. once i just stared right back, and he stared back fifteen times harder. once i did an eyebrow raise/wink, and he did it right back. sheesh.
they did tell her tonight, which was absolutely precious. nick is just so kitch. i don't know what it is about him. it must be that german part of him that makes his accent so weird. he's sleazy in the best way possible. i felt so bad for him and his broken foot. you could tell he wanted to be up and about, interacting with alex. alex walked over to him a few times, and they crossed the necks of their guitars and dueled a bit. it was cute. alex told the story about how nick injured himself, and how he was being such a trooper by still playing shows. alex was like, "what did you say, nick, when you hurt yourself?" and nick said,"aw, just fuck it!" i love him! <3
i nearly died when they began playing shopping for blood. i didn't expect that one in the least. i think that's how bands test for the true, hardcore fans. by playing b-sides. very, very few people knew the lyrics. i obviously was one of them. i screamed the "we are the new scottish gentry" line like my life depended on it.
outsiders might have been the highlight for me. it is my favourite franz ferdinand song, after all. alex played some synth. i am a sucker for synth. i swooned. at the end of the song they all gathered around paul's drum set (even poor little nick) and played a giant drum solo. i nearly cried. the brotherhood in this band is absolutely beautiful. they meld together like no other band i have ever seen live. you can tell they're best friends. that chemistry is there.
what she came for was electric. the guitar bit at the end had the crowd in a state of thrashing and pandemonium. no you girls was another crowd pleaser, and someone decided to take the lyrics seriously during ulysses (c'mon let's get hiiiiigh. the smell of weed was so strong, i swear there had to be 15 people smoking). 40' had some great kapranos/crowd interaction, walk away was gorgeous. jacqueline was a really great moment for me, especially with the lyric "i'm allivveeeeee, and how i know it!" i lost it within the first two chords of take me out being played. micheal was as sexy as it's always been. alex was hip thrusting all over the place and growling out the lyrics. it was this odd, animialistic side of him. that man controls the audience in a way that no other front man does. brandon flowers may have the showman quality to him that draws you in, but alex kapranos makes you feel like he's singing just for you.
lucid dreams was brilliant. they played the single version, and then warped it into the album version. i got sucked into the beats. i remembered the first time i listened to the album track, and it felt like i was in some trance. it was like that all over again. i was so tired, and i didn't think i could move another inch...but i kept going. i have no idea what it was. when you have a band that brilliant in front of you, it feels like treason to stop dancing. i love them more than i can say.
the last song was this fire. it was the best song of the set. everything about it was just...wow. the song went on for probably seven minutes. i love how they mix their songs up and stretch them out with some jam sessions. alex's final time playing around with me came with the line: eyes/burning a way to me/overwhelm/destroying so sweetly/now/there is a fire in me/a fire that burns. that moment is so fresh in my mind. i'm sitting here listening to this fire, and it's just stuck on repeat. so, alex comes to the edge of the stage. he's done this numerous times, so i expect nothing out of the ordinary. but, he jumps into the audience, right on top of me. people start pushing and clawing and i get a bit fearful for my life. coming out trampled would not be optimal. so, i latch onto alex...whatever part of him that i could.
it was weird. it was just weird. we all look at rock stars like they're these untouchable beings. but there was alex, and he was extremely touchable. the fabric on his pants had to have been uncomfortable. seriously. it was scratchy. haha.
and then the show was over. :( they all walked to the foot of the stage, grabbed hands and bowed, paul blew us all a kiss, and it was over. i got myself a shirt and a vinyl at the merch stand. i wanted to stay and meet them, but my mom was texting me every two seconds to hurry up. i'm sick over it. maybe next time.
i cannot wait to see them again. guhhhhh <3 they have my heart. the killers are going to have to work pretty damn hard tuesday to show these guys up.
so, they played (in no order, i have no idea what the order was):
bite hard
dark of the matinee
do you want to
shopping for blood
turn it on
take me out
walk away
no you girls
micheal
what she came for
tell her tonight
ulysses
outsiders
lucid dreams
jacqueline
40'
this fire
THERE WAS NO DARTS OF PLEASURE :( That was my only disappointment.
This post is disgustingly long. I'll stop now.