Airborne Toxic Event Recap
Airborne Toxic Event at Orpheum Theater in Boston, MA on Nov. 19, 2011
With special guests, The Drowning Men & Mona.
This is a hard recap to write, because I want to write EVERYTHING. About how & why I fell in love with Airborne Toxic Event, about all the times I've seen them before, and every other possible tangent that could come to mind during this recap. I'm a excellent fantastic oral storyteller, not so much with the written.
This is my 4th time seeing Airborne Toxic Event (ATE) and the 3rd time seeing them this year, my 2nd time seeing The Drowning Men (TDM) open for them, and my 1st time seeing Mona. This is also the 2nd time I've been to this venue. The 1st time was almost 9 years ago when I saw Coldplay. That concert was significant to me, because Ok Go opened that show, and that was the 1st time I've seen them and I became a huge fan of theirs ever since. I'll never forget that concert. And I'm pretty sure I will never forget this one.
I purchased these tix presale on ATE's website. When I purchased the tix, it didn't tell me which seats I got. So I didn't find out until I got to my seat that I was in the 3rd row center (HOLY SH*T!)
The venue is very cool. Old theater, very cool vibe, really nice acoustics.
Warning: My pics are crappy, the lighting wasn't the greatest, I gave up with the regualr camera half way thru ATE and just stuck with my Ipod, but the pics are bleh.
The Drowning Men was on 1st, which disappointed me, because the theater was half full, and their vibe works well with a full audience. I still enjoyed their set, nice to see the whole band this time (last venue was small and not well lit). There were a few hardcore TDM fans standing in front of the stage. That made me happy to see. I don't remember any of the songs from the 1st time I saw them, but I still enjoyed their vibe. I plan to get their album, just because they seem like cool guys.
For one song, they play the theramin, and well, that's just really cool in my book.
This is my crappy pic of the theramin
Here is a better picture of the lead singer playing the theramin from the last concert
Best part of their set - Lead singer tells the story of them driving here the night before from NYC and their bus/trailer got hit by a drunk driver (no, that's not the best part, but I'm getting there). So ATE went back at 5:30 in the morning to pick them up and they all slept on their bus. So they dedicated the last song to ATE, then ATE came out on stage with crew & the Mona, carrying champagne, beer, etc and it was a huge party on stage. The concert could have ended right there, because that was such a wonderful moment. I took all these crazy pics, but I wish I had taken video instead.
Mona was next, and I really didn't know what to expect. They were surprisingly good. (Confession: I'm usually very hard on openers/midliners. Most I usually don't care for. I didn't pay to see them, so they usually annoy me). I was not annoyed by Mona, I found the songs really enjoyable. I also plan to check them out as well. Before their last song, ATE came out and put beers next to each of the band members. :)
Oh, when we arrived at the venue, I picked up a copy of “All I Ever Wanted” live DVD. I've wanted it ever since I watched this. That was my b-day present to myself. I can't wait until I can watch & listen to it. If you are a fan of their music, I highly recommend purchasing it.
Now it's time for Airborne Toxic Event. Let me introduce you to the band because I refer to all of them by name. Mikel is the lead singer. Anna is the violist, keyboardist, tambourine player, and over all sexy awesome woman. Steve is the lead guitarist, some times keyboardist. Darren is the drummer. I don't have any pics of him tonight, because he sits way in the back, but he'll come up eventually. And lastly, but certainly not the least, is Noah, the bass player.
The 1st time I saw ATE, we were standing near Noah's side of the stage. At that time, Noah reminded me of Constantine Maroulis and that really bothered me. Since then, Noah changed his look and I've learned a great deal about how talented he is. I have a thing for bass players, especially ones who play upright bass.
(what's not sexy about an upright bass?).
Noah is by far my favorite bass player. The last 2 concerts, we were on Anna's side of the stage, so I was happy for this concert that we were seated on Noah's side. Warning, I'm gonna gush a lot about Noah in this recap because I really do think he is the greatest, and because he performed right in front of me all night, it was awesome!
Before the band came on stage this giant bird was over the stage, instead of banner. (I think when I saw them in May, they had umbrellas) The bird is a bit freaky, because it has an arrow going into it, and blood gushing out. And because it looks really heavy and I'm afraid of it falling on the band members. Also, there were feathers on the microphones, that was new.
First song was All At Once, this is my very favorite ATE song (which is hard for me to say, because I love them all so frickin much) but the Bombastic video is how I fell in love with the song. They usually play this song last, so this took me by surprise. I wondered all night what they were going to close with: The new single or Missy (which is from the 1st album and how they use to end their shows)?
After they performed Half of Something Else (another fav of mine) Mikel tells us this is the largest show they have done in Boston, which is what he said the last time he played in Boston, at the House of Blues. I'm pretty sure the HOB is bigger than the Orpheum, but I'm not sure if the HOB was sold out. But I could tell through out the night they were very touched to be playing there. Also learned that Anna is from Boston (how did I not know this before?) and her parents were in the audience. Here is my video of the banter.
Then they played A Letter to Georgia. I've never heard this song before, I think it might be from one of their early EPs. I will have to look into it, because it is a very beautiful song. Noah goes to town on the upright bass during that song.
Then they performed a cover of Book of Love by the Magnetic Fields. My friend swoons every time they play it. I had to get video of, it is too beautiful.
I can't really recap every song they performed, so I will just skip to Something New (which I just noticed was not on the original set list) where Mikel decides to go the side balcony seats to sing directly to Anna's mom.
In the mean time, Noah performs an awesome bass solo, of course I recorded it.
During Does this Mean You're Moving On, Mikel climbs higher to the upper balcony seats and tries to break his neck. I was nervous.
Here is Anna during Gasoline because she plays this really cool part during that song.
Steve was very awesome tonight. I don't usually notice Steve, he usually doesn't show perosnallity on stage, but tonight he was showing it.
I was happy they played Welcome to Your Wedding Day, because I love that song. But the audience didn't seem too into it, which is weird. Although it's a political song, it's a very high energy song. I loved it. Then thet went into Sometime Around Midnight, their 1st single. That song always gets the biggest reaction out of the audience. Its Intro is so kick ass awesome. Noah likes to use a bow on his bass guitar for this one. I love it. Next was All I Ever Wanted, which is their current single. I guessed they would end the whole show with this song. So by this point I guessed they were going to end with Missy.
Then they left the stage. I made a mental note of songs they hadn't played yet that they usually play before the encore: Happiness is Overrated & All For a Woman. The former is my absolute favorite from their 1st album and I was sad I wasn't going to hear it. The latter is an amazing song and I was a little surprised they didn't play it, and sad because Noah plays lead guitar on that song and has a fantastic solo on it. I also noticed that there wasn't much banter. Mikel LOVES to banter, one of the reasons why I love their shows so much. I had my camera and I was all ready to record all this wonderful banter. But they just went from song to song. I wonder if they were rushed for time.
Then Mikel & Anna came out for the encore. Mikel gave some banter. (Note to the lady screaming in the video: Anna plays a Viola, not a violin! STFU)
Then they played The Graveyard Near The House. I had not heard them perform this song before and I was eating it up. It's such a beautiful song, depressing, but in this very sweet way. I highly recommend you checking out this Bombastic video of that song.
Then they went into Innocence. I don't know how to explain Innocence. This is the 2nd time I've heard it live, but I've seen other videos online, and every time it is performed differently. I think last night's was my favorite. Starts off slow, delicate & beautiful. I recorded a little bit of Noah & Anna in it. Then the tempo picks up and it's like a rush of emotion. The song is long, I think last night it was around 10 minutes or so. It's such a great song.
Then they left the stage. WHAT?! They couldn't end with Innocence! They couldn't end without playing Missy! Every time they play Missy, it's epic! (I know that word is overused & misused, but accurate when describing this song). The 1st time my friend and I saw them, they ended their set with this song, my friend's name is Missy, so she particularly loves this song. But in the middle of the song, they performed a Smith's medley, which is one of my friend's fav bands. She was glowing during that concert. The 2nd time we saw them, Missy was the 2nd to last song of the night (right before All At Once) and in the middle they played a medley of “I'm on Fire,” “I Fought The Law,” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” It was amazing. They did the same the last time we saw them. So I will be dammed if I leave this concert without Missy (the song, not the friend [well, actually, I wouldn't leave without my friend either, LOL]) We saw some people leaving, and I kept shaking my head “No, this is not the end of the concert.” But I have also never seen them do 2 encores before.
There is a 1st time for everything. They came back, and I started screaming, “There Was No Way We're Not Getting Missy Tonight!” But the song they stared to play wasn't Missy, it was Happiness is Overrated! And I thought I wasn't going to hear the song tonight, I was so unbelievably happy, because there is so much about that song that I love. Then Noah & Steve started being awesome right in front of my face, and I had to record it. <3
Mikel tells us how much he loves us and reminds me how much I love him and this band <3
THEN they play Missy. No medley this time, instead Mikel highlights his band members. Here is Noah doing another awesome solo.
I didn't get to record Steve, because he was on the other side of the stage at the keyboards and I knew he wasn't going to do a solo, but I wish I did anyways. Oh well. (it's not because I don't love you, Steve, I do).
Here is video of Mikel talking about Anna, Darren does an awesome drum solo, and a shout out to Mona & TDM. Then Mikel tells the story about the accident I referred to earlier. And Mikel AGAIN reminds me how much I love him. And they finish Missy in its wonderful glory.
At some point during one of the encores, I decided I was going to try to get a set list. I never think of it at concerts until it's too late. This night I decided, I'm close enough, gosh darn it, I'm gonna get it. When the show was over, I saw Mikel give a setlist away and I was like “NO! I need a set list!” And I started running toward the stage, I spotted Darren with a set list in hand, and I started screaming his name, he saw me right a way and came straight to me with a huge smile on his face. (I'm pretty sure I had a big smile on my face, too) So I got me a set list!!!!!!!!!!
It really was a wonderful concert, and I really love this band. I can't wait until I can see them again.
With special guests, The Drowning Men & Mona.
This is a hard recap to write, because I want to write EVERYTHING. About how & why I fell in love with Airborne Toxic Event, about all the times I've seen them before, and every other possible tangent that could come to mind during this recap. I'm a excellent fantastic oral storyteller, not so much with the written.
This is my 4th time seeing Airborne Toxic Event (ATE) and the 3rd time seeing them this year, my 2nd time seeing The Drowning Men (TDM) open for them, and my 1st time seeing Mona. This is also the 2nd time I've been to this venue. The 1st time was almost 9 years ago when I saw Coldplay. That concert was significant to me, because Ok Go opened that show, and that was the 1st time I've seen them and I became a huge fan of theirs ever since. I'll never forget that concert. And I'm pretty sure I will never forget this one.
I purchased these tix presale on ATE's website. When I purchased the tix, it didn't tell me which seats I got. So I didn't find out until I got to my seat that I was in the 3rd row center (HOLY SH*T!)
The venue is very cool. Old theater, very cool vibe, really nice acoustics.
Warning: My pics are crappy, the lighting wasn't the greatest, I gave up with the regualr camera half way thru ATE and just stuck with my Ipod, but the pics are bleh.
The Drowning Men was on 1st, which disappointed me, because the theater was half full, and their vibe works well with a full audience. I still enjoyed their set, nice to see the whole band this time (last venue was small and not well lit). There were a few hardcore TDM fans standing in front of the stage. That made me happy to see. I don't remember any of the songs from the 1st time I saw them, but I still enjoyed their vibe. I plan to get their album, just because they seem like cool guys.
For one song, they play the theramin, and well, that's just really cool in my book.
This is my crappy pic of the theramin
Here is a better picture of the lead singer playing the theramin from the last concert
Best part of their set - Lead singer tells the story of them driving here the night before from NYC and their bus/trailer got hit by a drunk driver (no, that's not the best part, but I'm getting there). So ATE went back at 5:30 in the morning to pick them up and they all slept on their bus. So they dedicated the last song to ATE, then ATE came out on stage with crew & the Mona, carrying champagne, beer, etc and it was a huge party on stage. The concert could have ended right there, because that was such a wonderful moment. I took all these crazy pics, but I wish I had taken video instead.
Mona was next, and I really didn't know what to expect. They were surprisingly good. (Confession: I'm usually very hard on openers/midliners. Most I usually don't care for. I didn't pay to see them, so they usually annoy me). I was not annoyed by Mona, I found the songs really enjoyable. I also plan to check them out as well. Before their last song, ATE came out and put beers next to each of the band members. :)
Oh, when we arrived at the venue, I picked up a copy of “All I Ever Wanted” live DVD. I've wanted it ever since I watched this. That was my b-day present to myself. I can't wait until I can watch & listen to it. If you are a fan of their music, I highly recommend purchasing it.
Now it's time for Airborne Toxic Event. Let me introduce you to the band because I refer to all of them by name. Mikel is the lead singer. Anna is the violist, keyboardist, tambourine player, and over all sexy awesome woman. Steve is the lead guitarist, some times keyboardist. Darren is the drummer. I don't have any pics of him tonight, because he sits way in the back, but he'll come up eventually. And lastly, but certainly not the least, is Noah, the bass player.
The 1st time I saw ATE, we were standing near Noah's side of the stage. At that time, Noah reminded me of Constantine Maroulis and that really bothered me. Since then, Noah changed his look and I've learned a great deal about how talented he is. I have a thing for bass players, especially ones who play upright bass.
(what's not sexy about an upright bass?).
Noah is by far my favorite bass player. The last 2 concerts, we were on Anna's side of the stage, so I was happy for this concert that we were seated on Noah's side. Warning, I'm gonna gush a lot about Noah in this recap because I really do think he is the greatest, and because he performed right in front of me all night, it was awesome!
Before the band came on stage this giant bird was over the stage, instead of banner. (I think when I saw them in May, they had umbrellas) The bird is a bit freaky, because it has an arrow going into it, and blood gushing out. And because it looks really heavy and I'm afraid of it falling on the band members. Also, there were feathers on the microphones, that was new.
First song was All At Once, this is my very favorite ATE song (which is hard for me to say, because I love them all so frickin much) but the Bombastic video is how I fell in love with the song. They usually play this song last, so this took me by surprise. I wondered all night what they were going to close with: The new single or Missy (which is from the 1st album and how they use to end their shows)?
After they performed Half of Something Else (another fav of mine) Mikel tells us this is the largest show they have done in Boston, which is what he said the last time he played in Boston, at the House of Blues. I'm pretty sure the HOB is bigger than the Orpheum, but I'm not sure if the HOB was sold out. But I could tell through out the night they were very touched to be playing there. Also learned that Anna is from Boston (how did I not know this before?) and her parents were in the audience. Here is my video of the banter.
Then they played A Letter to Georgia. I've never heard this song before, I think it might be from one of their early EPs. I will have to look into it, because it is a very beautiful song. Noah goes to town on the upright bass during that song.
Then they performed a cover of Book of Love by the Magnetic Fields. My friend swoons every time they play it. I had to get video of, it is too beautiful.
I can't really recap every song they performed, so I will just skip to Something New (which I just noticed was not on the original set list) where Mikel decides to go the side balcony seats to sing directly to Anna's mom.
In the mean time, Noah performs an awesome bass solo, of course I recorded it.
During Does this Mean You're Moving On, Mikel climbs higher to the upper balcony seats and tries to break his neck. I was nervous.
Here is Anna during Gasoline because she plays this really cool part during that song.
Steve was very awesome tonight. I don't usually notice Steve, he usually doesn't show perosnallity on stage, but tonight he was showing it.
I was happy they played Welcome to Your Wedding Day, because I love that song. But the audience didn't seem too into it, which is weird. Although it's a political song, it's a very high energy song. I loved it. Then thet went into Sometime Around Midnight, their 1st single. That song always gets the biggest reaction out of the audience. Its Intro is so kick ass awesome. Noah likes to use a bow on his bass guitar for this one. I love it. Next was All I Ever Wanted, which is their current single. I guessed they would end the whole show with this song. So by this point I guessed they were going to end with Missy.
Then they left the stage. I made a mental note of songs they hadn't played yet that they usually play before the encore: Happiness is Overrated & All For a Woman. The former is my absolute favorite from their 1st album and I was sad I wasn't going to hear it. The latter is an amazing song and I was a little surprised they didn't play it, and sad because Noah plays lead guitar on that song and has a fantastic solo on it. I also noticed that there wasn't much banter. Mikel LOVES to banter, one of the reasons why I love their shows so much. I had my camera and I was all ready to record all this wonderful banter. But they just went from song to song. I wonder if they were rushed for time.
Then Mikel & Anna came out for the encore. Mikel gave some banter. (Note to the lady screaming in the video: Anna plays a Viola, not a violin! STFU)
Then they played The Graveyard Near The House. I had not heard them perform this song before and I was eating it up. It's such a beautiful song, depressing, but in this very sweet way. I highly recommend you checking out this Bombastic video of that song.
Then they went into Innocence. I don't know how to explain Innocence. This is the 2nd time I've heard it live, but I've seen other videos online, and every time it is performed differently. I think last night's was my favorite. Starts off slow, delicate & beautiful. I recorded a little bit of Noah & Anna in it. Then the tempo picks up and it's like a rush of emotion. The song is long, I think last night it was around 10 minutes or so. It's such a great song.
Then they left the stage. WHAT?! They couldn't end with Innocence! They couldn't end without playing Missy! Every time they play Missy, it's epic! (I know that word is overused & misused, but accurate when describing this song). The 1st time my friend and I saw them, they ended their set with this song, my friend's name is Missy, so she particularly loves this song. But in the middle of the song, they performed a Smith's medley, which is one of my friend's fav bands. She was glowing during that concert. The 2nd time we saw them, Missy was the 2nd to last song of the night (right before All At Once) and in the middle they played a medley of “I'm on Fire,” “I Fought The Law,” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” It was amazing. They did the same the last time we saw them. So I will be dammed if I leave this concert without Missy (the song, not the friend [well, actually, I wouldn't leave without my friend either, LOL]) We saw some people leaving, and I kept shaking my head “No, this is not the end of the concert.” But I have also never seen them do 2 encores before.
There is a 1st time for everything. They came back, and I started screaming, “There Was No Way We're Not Getting Missy Tonight!” But the song they stared to play wasn't Missy, it was Happiness is Overrated! And I thought I wasn't going to hear the song tonight, I was so unbelievably happy, because there is so much about that song that I love. Then Noah & Steve started being awesome right in front of my face, and I had to record it. <3
Mikel tells us how much he loves us and reminds me how much I love him and this band <3
THEN they play Missy. No medley this time, instead Mikel highlights his band members. Here is Noah doing another awesome solo.
I didn't get to record Steve, because he was on the other side of the stage at the keyboards and I knew he wasn't going to do a solo, but I wish I did anyways. Oh well. (it's not because I don't love you, Steve, I do).
Here is video of Mikel talking about Anna, Darren does an awesome drum solo, and a shout out to Mona & TDM. Then Mikel tells the story about the accident I referred to earlier. And Mikel AGAIN reminds me how much I love him. And they finish Missy in its wonderful glory.
At some point during one of the encores, I decided I was going to try to get a set list. I never think of it at concerts until it's too late. This night I decided, I'm close enough, gosh darn it, I'm gonna get it. When the show was over, I saw Mikel give a setlist away and I was like “NO! I need a set list!” And I started running toward the stage, I spotted Darren with a set list in hand, and I started screaming his name, he saw me right a way and came straight to me with a huge smile on his face. (I'm pretty sure I had a big smile on my face, too) So I got me a set list!!!!!!!!!!
It really was a wonderful concert, and I really love this band. I can't wait until I can see them again.