Trying To Stay Awake And Remember My Name...
Had a fun time at a concert last night featuring Helio Sequence, Mat Kearney and headliners Keane. Despite being stuck behind three towering guys (each was at least 1.8 meters or around 6 feet tall) and enduring a bass system that was turned up way too loud, it may have been one of my best experiences at a live music event to date, with each band playing long sets and never once subjecting me to a bad song. (But that's just my personal opinion, of course.)
Opening act Helio Sequence is an indie band consisting of vocalist/guitarist Brandon Summers and drummer/keyboardist Benjamin Weikel (also of Modest Mouse). Based on the songs they played here, their sound is very influenced by 80s alternative (particularly The Smiths and Depeche Mode). In fact, Summers' singing is nearly identical to Morrisey's, at least live. (But his voice is quite different when listened to digitally.) The real crowd-pleaser was Weikel with his enthusiastic and frenetic drum-work. The fact that the poorly configured bass speakers drowned out most of Summers' vocals might also have been a part of that.
Mat Kearney (best known for his hit single "Nothing To Lose" and various songs featured on television shows such as Grey's Anatomy) was the middle act. It's very easy to detect why he was signed and gained some popularity; his voice (and musical style) is almost an exact carbon-copy of Coldplays' Chris Martin. Kearney's set probably could have used some more energy and emotion (but maybe that's impossible with that sort of voice). Nevertheless, the songs were safe and easy to listen to, so Mat Kearney certainly wasn't a waste of time. He also performed songs from his upcoming album, The City Of Black And White.
Keane, naturally, was the highlight of the night. Thankfully, the band avoided the trap of playing mostly songs from their latest album Perfect Symmetry (a dramatic departure in terms of style from their previous two albums) and treated the crowd with performances of most of their best-known hits. Considering that their first two albums, Hopes And Fears along with Under The Iron Sea, were voted among the best British albums ever by readers of Q magazine (a feat only matched by The Beatles, Oasis and Radiohead), this was a very wise choice. Still, the songs selected from Perfect Symmetry provided many up-tempo numbers to balance out the ballads, making their overall show pleasantly very high-energy.
Perhaps the real inspiration to the show was lead vocalist Tom Chaplin (who previously dealt with health issues), who appeared extremely energetic, surprisingly trim and very fit (while the rest of the band took breaks, Chaplin continued to sing solo or work the crowd). The enthusiastic crowd participation also helped to make the night a blast, despite any audio/technical drawbacks. So all in all, this was a truly positive experience.
Everyone can view more concert photos on my Shutterfly account. But if you're looking for video footage, I'm afraid that I'll have to ask you to create an account (if you don't already have one) and become my Friend on YouTube first.
CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:
Keane - Somewhere Only We Know · Nothing In My Way {Live}
OMAKE MUSIC: Helio Sequence - Can't Say No
OMAKE MUSIC: Mat Kearney - Lifeline
Opening act Helio Sequence is an indie band consisting of vocalist/guitarist Brandon Summers and drummer/keyboardist Benjamin Weikel (also of Modest Mouse). Based on the songs they played here, their sound is very influenced by 80s alternative (particularly The Smiths and Depeche Mode). In fact, Summers' singing is nearly identical to Morrisey's, at least live. (But his voice is quite different when listened to digitally.) The real crowd-pleaser was Weikel with his enthusiastic and frenetic drum-work. The fact that the poorly configured bass speakers drowned out most of Summers' vocals might also have been a part of that.
Mat Kearney (best known for his hit single "Nothing To Lose" and various songs featured on television shows such as Grey's Anatomy) was the middle act. It's very easy to detect why he was signed and gained some popularity; his voice (and musical style) is almost an exact carbon-copy of Coldplays' Chris Martin. Kearney's set probably could have used some more energy and emotion (but maybe that's impossible with that sort of voice). Nevertheless, the songs were safe and easy to listen to, so Mat Kearney certainly wasn't a waste of time. He also performed songs from his upcoming album, The City Of Black And White.
Keane, naturally, was the highlight of the night. Thankfully, the band avoided the trap of playing mostly songs from their latest album Perfect Symmetry (a dramatic departure in terms of style from their previous two albums) and treated the crowd with performances of most of their best-known hits. Considering that their first two albums, Hopes And Fears along with Under The Iron Sea, were voted among the best British albums ever by readers of Q magazine (a feat only matched by The Beatles, Oasis and Radiohead), this was a very wise choice. Still, the songs selected from Perfect Symmetry provided many up-tempo numbers to balance out the ballads, making their overall show pleasantly very high-energy.
Perhaps the real inspiration to the show was lead vocalist Tom Chaplin (who previously dealt with health issues), who appeared extremely energetic, surprisingly trim and very fit (while the rest of the band took breaks, Chaplin continued to sing solo or work the crowd). The enthusiastic crowd participation also helped to make the night a blast, despite any audio/technical drawbacks. So all in all, this was a truly positive experience.
Everyone can view more concert photos on my Shutterfly account. But if you're looking for video footage, I'm afraid that I'll have to ask you to create an account (if you don't already have one) and become my Friend on YouTube first.
CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:
Keane - Somewhere Only We Know · Nothing In My Way {Live}
OMAKE MUSIC: Helio Sequence - Can't Say No
OMAKE MUSIC: Mat Kearney - Lifeline