It was a blockbuster summer.
Thus ends my staycation week of concerts. As you probably saw from Jesse's journal, this week I went to see The Hold Steady ( twice), Jenny Lewis, and The Decemberists. That's four concerts in four days. I will take at least one-day break from live music. I really don't understand how Jesse's old roommate saw 100 bands in 100 days-while still going to work. It's exhausting living this rock 'n' roll lifestyle, but it's still fun. Some wrap-up thoughts.
Longest Set
The Decemberists
This is impressive because they also had the strictest curfew. The band played all of The Hazards of Love, plus a second set of random songs, all by 11:00 pm. To make such a tight deadline, they played The Hazards of Love without really breaking between songs, so sometimes they had only seconds to switch instruments.
Shortest Set
Jenny Lewis
I guess she just doesn't have all that much material, but, even though she was the only concert with two opening bands, I still left thinking, "That was it?"
Band So Nice That We Went Twice
The Hold Steady
I don't know if this is a bad sign or a good sign. Were we so jazzed by the Monday concert that we had to go back tonight, or did we not hear enough good songs so we had to go back to feel satisfied?
Best Opener
Jenny Lewis: Deer Tick
At times they came across a bit affected-I really wish I could've pulled the rat-tail off the bass player's head-but other times they really loosened up and I enjoyed them.
Honorable Mention: Robyn Hitchcock, who was so on time and played such a tight set that he was basically gone by the time I got to my seat.
Best Crowd
The Hold Steady I
At least, the best crowd for a Hold Steady show. As in, nobody's glasses got broken this time. The audience was still really into it, but not so much in a shovey way, which I definitely appreciated. The crowd at Hold Steady II was a little too beer-throwy for me. The Monday crowd only threw confetti glitter.
Best Cover
The Decemberists: "Crazy on You"
Colin rocks out in a cute way, but all the heavy lifting was done by guest vocalists Shara Worden and Becky Stark-but they really sang the eff out of that song. Next to these ladies, a guest appearance by REM's Peter Buck didn't really make any impact. (In fact, I could've done without the REM cover.)
Honorable Mention: Deer Tick did a pretty good version of John Mellencamp's "The Authority Song." It was so much fun that I almost forgot that song is pretty much the same as "I Fought the Law."
Coolest Superfluous Instrument
Hold Steady II
Tonight, they had a gong that wasn't there on Monday. I'm pretty sure they only used it on "Navy Sheets." Do you think they tour with a gong just for "Navy Sheets?" (Only sort-of related: No one has yet given me a good reason why I shouldn't buy a melodica, and it's getting rather tempting.)
Douchiest Song
The Decemberists: "Dracula's Daughter"
Hey, don't take it from me: Colin Meloy said it was the worst song he's ever written, and gave a line-by-line explanation about what made it so bad. Somehow, its lameness didn't stop him from performing it.
Highest Number of People Still Living the Dream
The Hold Steady II
I don't really understand why people still smoke pot at Hold Steady shows. Maybe I could understand if it were Phish or Moe or someone like that. If I were to get stoned at a Hold Steady show, I'd want to sit down, and then I'd be trampled.
Most Questionable Fashion
Jenny Lewis
Both Jenny and her bf wore Jenny Lewis tee shirts. That is unquestionably lame. Of course, Jenny wore hers with high-waisted jeans and a cute neckerchief, but I don't know if that helped or made things worse.
Worst Streak
The Hold Steady I
I don't know why, but THS went on this five-song mellow streak with "First Night," "A Multitude of Casualties," "Yeah Sapphire," "Southtown Girls," and "Lord, I'm Discouraged" all in a row. Also, this all came shortly after "Sketchy Metal." Man, was I happy when "Stay Positive" pulled us out of that.
Most Audience Participation
The Decemberists
Included but not limited to: breaking the room down into four-part harmony for "Billy Liar," pulling people on stage to play guitar during an extended breakdown for "Chimbley Sweep," ending the night with a sing-along "Sons & Daughters."
Best Rarity
The Hold Steady I: "212 Margarita"
So rare I don't think I've ever even heard it before, and I've looked for all their b-sides. Now I know for sure it's pretty good, which is going to make it all the more frustrating when I never hear it again.
Best Debuts
Jenny Lewis: "Just Like Zeus" and "Big Wave"
Jenny premiered a couple of new songs, and they were good! I think my favorite of the pair is "Just Like Zeus", the one she says is "only a little bit about Lindsay Lohan." Ouch.
Best Place to Be Up In It
The Hold Steady
On Monday, I was right up front for The Hold Steady. Tonight, since I have to work tomorrow, I stayed off to the side. Man, did it look like the people who were in the pit were the happiest people ever. I think it's probably worth all of the annoyances of being Up In It to actually be there. Then again, I estimate about 20 cups of beer were thrown on the crowd, so maybe it was better that I avoided that.
Newest Trend
Additional Drums
Both Jenny Lewis and the Decemberists had songs where multiple people were banging away on auxiliary drums. Not a bass drum-not the one you have to play with your feet-but I'm guessing the next-lowest-sounding drum after that, played timpani-style. It looks like a lot of fun to do, which makes it fun to watch.
Who Wore It Best
Jenny Lewis
She closed her show by having three ladies do an awesome extended drum-outro to "Born Secular," a song that is not so amazing otherwise. Also, I'm impressed that Jenny had two female drummers for most of the set and still managed to scrounge up an extra one just to make things even more cool.
Best Overall
The Decemberists
They were all good concerts and it's wrong to play favorites, but The Decemberists really know how to put on a good show. They do that thing where they're just a little bit more awesome in person than on their albums, but they're still dorky and funny. In one minute, they're silly and stupid, and the next they're blowing the roof off of Radio City Music Hall.
Speaking of which, don't Jesse and I look like we totally belong in the middle of all that Art Deco craziness?
Longest Set
The Decemberists
This is impressive because they also had the strictest curfew. The band played all of The Hazards of Love, plus a second set of random songs, all by 11:00 pm. To make such a tight deadline, they played The Hazards of Love without really breaking between songs, so sometimes they had only seconds to switch instruments.
Shortest Set
Jenny Lewis
I guess she just doesn't have all that much material, but, even though she was the only concert with two opening bands, I still left thinking, "That was it?"
Band So Nice That We Went Twice
The Hold Steady
I don't know if this is a bad sign or a good sign. Were we so jazzed by the Monday concert that we had to go back tonight, or did we not hear enough good songs so we had to go back to feel satisfied?
Best Opener
Jenny Lewis: Deer Tick
At times they came across a bit affected-I really wish I could've pulled the rat-tail off the bass player's head-but other times they really loosened up and I enjoyed them.
Honorable Mention: Robyn Hitchcock, who was so on time and played such a tight set that he was basically gone by the time I got to my seat.
Best Crowd
The Hold Steady I
At least, the best crowd for a Hold Steady show. As in, nobody's glasses got broken this time. The audience was still really into it, but not so much in a shovey way, which I definitely appreciated. The crowd at Hold Steady II was a little too beer-throwy for me. The Monday crowd only threw confetti glitter.
Best Cover
The Decemberists: "Crazy on You"
Colin rocks out in a cute way, but all the heavy lifting was done by guest vocalists Shara Worden and Becky Stark-but they really sang the eff out of that song. Next to these ladies, a guest appearance by REM's Peter Buck didn't really make any impact. (In fact, I could've done without the REM cover.)
Honorable Mention: Deer Tick did a pretty good version of John Mellencamp's "The Authority Song." It was so much fun that I almost forgot that song is pretty much the same as "I Fought the Law."
Coolest Superfluous Instrument
Hold Steady II
Tonight, they had a gong that wasn't there on Monday. I'm pretty sure they only used it on "Navy Sheets." Do you think they tour with a gong just for "Navy Sheets?" (Only sort-of related: No one has yet given me a good reason why I shouldn't buy a melodica, and it's getting rather tempting.)
Douchiest Song
The Decemberists: "Dracula's Daughter"
Hey, don't take it from me: Colin Meloy said it was the worst song he's ever written, and gave a line-by-line explanation about what made it so bad. Somehow, its lameness didn't stop him from performing it.
Highest Number of People Still Living the Dream
The Hold Steady II
I don't really understand why people still smoke pot at Hold Steady shows. Maybe I could understand if it were Phish or Moe or someone like that. If I were to get stoned at a Hold Steady show, I'd want to sit down, and then I'd be trampled.
Most Questionable Fashion
Jenny Lewis
Both Jenny and her bf wore Jenny Lewis tee shirts. That is unquestionably lame. Of course, Jenny wore hers with high-waisted jeans and a cute neckerchief, but I don't know if that helped or made things worse.
Worst Streak
The Hold Steady I
I don't know why, but THS went on this five-song mellow streak with "First Night," "A Multitude of Casualties," "Yeah Sapphire," "Southtown Girls," and "Lord, I'm Discouraged" all in a row. Also, this all came shortly after "Sketchy Metal." Man, was I happy when "Stay Positive" pulled us out of that.
Most Audience Participation
The Decemberists
Included but not limited to: breaking the room down into four-part harmony for "Billy Liar," pulling people on stage to play guitar during an extended breakdown for "Chimbley Sweep," ending the night with a sing-along "Sons & Daughters."
Best Rarity
The Hold Steady I: "212 Margarita"
So rare I don't think I've ever even heard it before, and I've looked for all their b-sides. Now I know for sure it's pretty good, which is going to make it all the more frustrating when I never hear it again.
Best Debuts
Jenny Lewis: "Just Like Zeus" and "Big Wave"
Jenny premiered a couple of new songs, and they were good! I think my favorite of the pair is "Just Like Zeus", the one she says is "only a little bit about Lindsay Lohan." Ouch.
Best Place to Be Up In It
The Hold Steady
On Monday, I was right up front for The Hold Steady. Tonight, since I have to work tomorrow, I stayed off to the side. Man, did it look like the people who were in the pit were the happiest people ever. I think it's probably worth all of the annoyances of being Up In It to actually be there. Then again, I estimate about 20 cups of beer were thrown on the crowd, so maybe it was better that I avoided that.
Newest Trend
Additional Drums
Both Jenny Lewis and the Decemberists had songs where multiple people were banging away on auxiliary drums. Not a bass drum-not the one you have to play with your feet-but I'm guessing the next-lowest-sounding drum after that, played timpani-style. It looks like a lot of fun to do, which makes it fun to watch.
Who Wore It Best
Jenny Lewis
She closed her show by having three ladies do an awesome extended drum-outro to "Born Secular," a song that is not so amazing otherwise. Also, I'm impressed that Jenny had two female drummers for most of the set and still managed to scrounge up an extra one just to make things even more cool.
Best Overall
The Decemberists
They were all good concerts and it's wrong to play favorites, but The Decemberists really know how to put on a good show. They do that thing where they're just a little bit more awesome in person than on their albums, but they're still dorky and funny. In one minute, they're silly and stupid, and the next they're blowing the roof off of Radio City Music Hall.
Speaking of which, don't Jesse and I look like we totally belong in the middle of all that Art Deco craziness?