BFD 2012 Scorecard
Since I don't listen to Live105 anymore, BFD is where I hear the bands they've been playing! This year, my companion was Tavis (and, briefly, paraleipsis). Follow along in pictures!
I the Mighty: For the first time, we made the very first band at 11:30! And they were just plain okay, nothing special. B
Imagine Dragons: Tavis and I agreed they had an awesome name, and, luckily, they were pretty awesome! A lot of energy, and such joy! Catchy melodies, interesting arrangements, and a powerful vocalist. The song that stuck in my head for the rest of the day was "Radioactive," which had a darker tone than the rest of their songs. But their current single, "It's Time," is really good too! Imagine Dragons are why it's worth it to get to BFD early; you might miss a great band! musesfool, I'm calling you out here; I think you'd like these guys. B+/A-
Walk the Moon: These guys sounded like Imagine Dragons but not as good. I did like "Next in Line," which begins with the lines "My eyes are on the road/But my mind is on your body." B/B+
Geographer: Geographer, like I the Mighty, were a local band, so I wanted to like them. They had an electric cello! And electronic beats! But they were spacey and pretty boring. They ended by declaring, "We are Geographer. You are you." Oh, very profound, guys. Shut up. C
Falling in Reverse: Oh, easily the worst band of the day. They were all hardcore metal and the lead singer had been in prison and gotten kicked out of his old band and now he was SO FULL OF ANGER or maybe this was a productive use of his time in prison or something. Anyway, guys, we already have A.F.I. We don't need you. Seriously, the lead singer wanted to be Davey Havok so badly. He was hilariously dramatic. Tavis said he had a musical theater face. Also, there were DEATH GROOOOOOWWWWWLS. They were so hardcore and terrible! What really cemented their position as The Worst, however, was that Of Monsters and Men were all set up, and they kept playing. They played, like, the longest song ever, they just kept going even though they were getting the signal to stop because their set was over. We booed the shit out of them and gave them ALL THE FINGERS. D-
Of Monsters and Men: The only song I knew was "Little Talks," a song I can't believe I didn't actually fall in love with on the first listen, because it is lovely. I liked the contrast between their voices, the guy with a very sweet voice and the woman with a kind of strange, accented voice. And I had no idea what they looked like before: turns out the guy is a big dude with a beard, and the girl is an Icelandic cutie with a hat. The other songs they played didn't grab me in a catchy sort of way, but I liked their general sound. Pleasant, different, relaxing. Those are words. They were definitely one of the best bands of the day. They had a trumpet and and an accordion! B+/A-
Grouplove: I didn't appreciate Grouplove nearly enough! I want to go back in time and appreciate them more. I was initially confused by their sound, not sure what to make of it, especially in relation to their name and their appearances (Rob Zombie, Steven Tyler, Florence Welch, and Kurt Cobain...plus the drummer who apparently looks like Steve-O). But if you click on any link in this post, listen to "Lovely Cup" RIGHT NOW. It is made of wonderful, and it has become my new song addiction. I love the video a whole lot, and it makes me want to see them live again. The song they're known for, however, is "Tongue Tied," which is fun and catchy and in an iPod Touch commercial. Their music was happy and joyful and fun, and everyone was having a good time. Hannah Hooper (who was from the Bay Area, and thus the bassist said they called it "Hoopertown") was full of energy, and I loved watching her jump up and down and dance around and spin. In a full-length dress in crazy heat, too! Imagine Dragons and Grouplove were my BFD discoveries. They ended by declaring, "We are Grouplove. You are Grouplove." Suck it, Geographer! B+/A-
Neon Trees: I enjoyed Neon Trees last year, but I wasn't as into them this year. B
Angels and Airwaves: I was kind of looking forward to them, but they sounded terrible and I couldn't hear the vocals at all, so I took a break. B-
Pennywise: Tavis and I stayed on the sidelines, but they were as uninteresting as the last time I saw them. B-
fun.: I had heard about Fun or FUN or FUN. or fun. or whatever, so I hoped they'd be fun! And they were, actually. Not as annoying as I expected them to be with a name like that. And they had a cute saxophone player, so ain't nothing wrong with that. And I liked that they had an ACTUAL PIANO onstage. Keyboards just won't do! I was in line for food during their set, and I wasn't paying a lot of attention, but they sounded all right. B
Wallpaper.: So I didn't actually see him, but a friend of mine did recommend him, which is how I later found myself addicted to "#STUPiDFACEDD," which is super fun and catchy with some killer bass. Also, the video is a totally accurate depiction of my everyday life, and I can't stop watching it. N/A
The Naked and Famous: We had amazing seats this year! First row of the upper section! I was too busy enjoying my chicken adobo burrito to pay attention to the Naked and Famous, but they sounded pretty good. B
Cake: Cake was a band I could enjoy sitting down, since they were languid. I mean, they weren't trying very hard, so why should I? They did "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle," "Sheep Go to Heaven," "Never There," "Sick of You," but not "The Distance"! Harumph. "Sick of You" was the audience participation portion of the set, which was fun, although there was not as much participation as the lead singer wanted. It was kind of amusing. He tried! He divided us into sections and gave us parts and everything, and it should have all come together nicely, but...not so much. B/B+
Garbage: GARBAGE GARBAGE GARBAGE! The band I was most excited to see, as they were one of my favorite bands ever and I had never seen them live. The first album was the first CD I ever bought for myself, and I remember watching the "Only Happy When It Rains" video every morning before school. (It was goddamn criminal that Garbage was this early in the lineup. They should have been fucking HEADLINING the show. And as much as I love Silversun Pickups, they're no Garbage, and they should be before them.) No Name came out to introduce them, so excited that he'd been waiting seven years for this moment, and all he had to say was, "Shirley Manson is HOT!" Really? Really. Die in a fire, No Name. "It's been seven years!" Shirley Manson said when she came out. "Where have you been? What have you been doing? Making love? Making babies? Did you miss me?" Yes, we did. We did. They wisely chose a nostalgia set, leading with "Push It" and "Stupid Girl," followed by "Special," which I don't even like that much but was still fun live. "Blood for Poppies," the only new song, was also Shirley's weakest performance, since she hadn't already performed it hundreds of times. The older songs she was much more comfortable with. Then came "#1 Crush" and "Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)," which she dedicated to all the freaks and geeks, the band geeks and the Dungeons and Dragons geeks and everyone who didn't belong. It was AWESOME, SO INCREDIBLY FUN. The final songs were "I Think I'm Paranoid," "Only Happy When It Rains" (they started acoustically but then broke out into the awesomeness), and "Vow," which rocked. The songs didn't sound exactly like the album versions; they were more raw. But it was cool to hear the live interpretations. What they lacked in crispness and cleanness they made up for in raucous energy. Even if I hadn't listened to some songs in years, they all came back to me. I rocked out and had the time of my life. In conclusion: GARBAGE!!! A-/A
Silversun Pickups: The band I have seen live more than any other band, despite never having gone to an actual Silversun Pickups concert! They played a lot of the new album, which I wasn't familiar with. They did play "The Royal We," though! Brian continued to be very entertaining with his stage banter, trying to get Nikki to curse. But she wouldn't! Even a rhyme! "Buck you," she finally said. And he hilariously bumped into her over and over during her bass solo. As always, they closed with "Lazy Eye." B+
Jane's Addiction: Jane's Addiction had a big stage production! With giant statues of naked ladies and ladies on swings doing sexy things and television projections of ladies in their underwear! I only knew, like, three Jane's Addiction songs, but I actually liked a lot of what I heard. Maybe I should check out more? They have some pretty awesome basslines. B/B+
And while I was at Shoreline, I bought tickets to see Mutemath, Linkin Park, and Incubus in September! Woo!
I the Mighty: For the first time, we made the very first band at 11:30! And they were just plain okay, nothing special. B
Imagine Dragons: Tavis and I agreed they had an awesome name, and, luckily, they were pretty awesome! A lot of energy, and such joy! Catchy melodies, interesting arrangements, and a powerful vocalist. The song that stuck in my head for the rest of the day was "Radioactive," which had a darker tone than the rest of their songs. But their current single, "It's Time," is really good too! Imagine Dragons are why it's worth it to get to BFD early; you might miss a great band! musesfool, I'm calling you out here; I think you'd like these guys. B+/A-
Walk the Moon: These guys sounded like Imagine Dragons but not as good. I did like "Next in Line," which begins with the lines "My eyes are on the road/But my mind is on your body." B/B+
Geographer: Geographer, like I the Mighty, were a local band, so I wanted to like them. They had an electric cello! And electronic beats! But they were spacey and pretty boring. They ended by declaring, "We are Geographer. You are you." Oh, very profound, guys. Shut up. C
Falling in Reverse: Oh, easily the worst band of the day. They were all hardcore metal and the lead singer had been in prison and gotten kicked out of his old band and now he was SO FULL OF ANGER or maybe this was a productive use of his time in prison or something. Anyway, guys, we already have A.F.I. We don't need you. Seriously, the lead singer wanted to be Davey Havok so badly. He was hilariously dramatic. Tavis said he had a musical theater face. Also, there were DEATH GROOOOOOWWWWWLS. They were so hardcore and terrible! What really cemented their position as The Worst, however, was that Of Monsters and Men were all set up, and they kept playing. They played, like, the longest song ever, they just kept going even though they were getting the signal to stop because their set was over. We booed the shit out of them and gave them ALL THE FINGERS. D-
Of Monsters and Men: The only song I knew was "Little Talks," a song I can't believe I didn't actually fall in love with on the first listen, because it is lovely. I liked the contrast between their voices, the guy with a very sweet voice and the woman with a kind of strange, accented voice. And I had no idea what they looked like before: turns out the guy is a big dude with a beard, and the girl is an Icelandic cutie with a hat. The other songs they played didn't grab me in a catchy sort of way, but I liked their general sound. Pleasant, different, relaxing. Those are words. They were definitely one of the best bands of the day. They had a trumpet and and an accordion! B+/A-
Grouplove: I didn't appreciate Grouplove nearly enough! I want to go back in time and appreciate them more. I was initially confused by their sound, not sure what to make of it, especially in relation to their name and their appearances (Rob Zombie, Steven Tyler, Florence Welch, and Kurt Cobain...plus the drummer who apparently looks like Steve-O). But if you click on any link in this post, listen to "Lovely Cup" RIGHT NOW. It is made of wonderful, and it has become my new song addiction. I love the video a whole lot, and it makes me want to see them live again. The song they're known for, however, is "Tongue Tied," which is fun and catchy and in an iPod Touch commercial. Their music was happy and joyful and fun, and everyone was having a good time. Hannah Hooper (who was from the Bay Area, and thus the bassist said they called it "Hoopertown") was full of energy, and I loved watching her jump up and down and dance around and spin. In a full-length dress in crazy heat, too! Imagine Dragons and Grouplove were my BFD discoveries. They ended by declaring, "We are Grouplove. You are Grouplove." Suck it, Geographer! B+/A-
Neon Trees: I enjoyed Neon Trees last year, but I wasn't as into them this year. B
Angels and Airwaves: I was kind of looking forward to them, but they sounded terrible and I couldn't hear the vocals at all, so I took a break. B-
Pennywise: Tavis and I stayed on the sidelines, but they were as uninteresting as the last time I saw them. B-
fun.: I had heard about Fun or FUN or FUN. or fun. or whatever, so I hoped they'd be fun! And they were, actually. Not as annoying as I expected them to be with a name like that. And they had a cute saxophone player, so ain't nothing wrong with that. And I liked that they had an ACTUAL PIANO onstage. Keyboards just won't do! I was in line for food during their set, and I wasn't paying a lot of attention, but they sounded all right. B
Wallpaper.: So I didn't actually see him, but a friend of mine did recommend him, which is how I later found myself addicted to "#STUPiDFACEDD," which is super fun and catchy with some killer bass. Also, the video is a totally accurate depiction of my everyday life, and I can't stop watching it. N/A
The Naked and Famous: We had amazing seats this year! First row of the upper section! I was too busy enjoying my chicken adobo burrito to pay attention to the Naked and Famous, but they sounded pretty good. B
Cake: Cake was a band I could enjoy sitting down, since they were languid. I mean, they weren't trying very hard, so why should I? They did "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle," "Sheep Go to Heaven," "Never There," "Sick of You," but not "The Distance"! Harumph. "Sick of You" was the audience participation portion of the set, which was fun, although there was not as much participation as the lead singer wanted. It was kind of amusing. He tried! He divided us into sections and gave us parts and everything, and it should have all come together nicely, but...not so much. B/B+
Garbage: GARBAGE GARBAGE GARBAGE! The band I was most excited to see, as they were one of my favorite bands ever and I had never seen them live. The first album was the first CD I ever bought for myself, and I remember watching the "Only Happy When It Rains" video every morning before school. (It was goddamn criminal that Garbage was this early in the lineup. They should have been fucking HEADLINING the show. And as much as I love Silversun Pickups, they're no Garbage, and they should be before them.) No Name came out to introduce them, so excited that he'd been waiting seven years for this moment, and all he had to say was, "Shirley Manson is HOT!" Really? Really. Die in a fire, No Name. "It's been seven years!" Shirley Manson said when she came out. "Where have you been? What have you been doing? Making love? Making babies? Did you miss me?" Yes, we did. We did. They wisely chose a nostalgia set, leading with "Push It" and "Stupid Girl," followed by "Special," which I don't even like that much but was still fun live. "Blood for Poppies," the only new song, was also Shirley's weakest performance, since she hadn't already performed it hundreds of times. The older songs she was much more comfortable with. Then came "#1 Crush" and "Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)," which she dedicated to all the freaks and geeks, the band geeks and the Dungeons and Dragons geeks and everyone who didn't belong. It was AWESOME, SO INCREDIBLY FUN. The final songs were "I Think I'm Paranoid," "Only Happy When It Rains" (they started acoustically but then broke out into the awesomeness), and "Vow," which rocked. The songs didn't sound exactly like the album versions; they were more raw. But it was cool to hear the live interpretations. What they lacked in crispness and cleanness they made up for in raucous energy. Even if I hadn't listened to some songs in years, they all came back to me. I rocked out and had the time of my life. In conclusion: GARBAGE!!! A-/A
Silversun Pickups: The band I have seen live more than any other band, despite never having gone to an actual Silversun Pickups concert! They played a lot of the new album, which I wasn't familiar with. They did play "The Royal We," though! Brian continued to be very entertaining with his stage banter, trying to get Nikki to curse. But she wouldn't! Even a rhyme! "Buck you," she finally said. And he hilariously bumped into her over and over during her bass solo. As always, they closed with "Lazy Eye." B+
Jane's Addiction: Jane's Addiction had a big stage production! With giant statues of naked ladies and ladies on swings doing sexy things and television projections of ladies in their underwear! I only knew, like, three Jane's Addiction songs, but I actually liked a lot of what I heard. Maybe I should check out more? They have some pretty awesome basslines. B/B+
And while I was at Shoreline, I bought tickets to see Mutemath, Linkin Park, and Incubus in September! Woo!