Devotchka, Broken Social Scene, and Wilco. August 2nd, 2008 at Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL.
I started day two off a little late, since there wasn't anyone I wanted to see early on. So after comfortably sleeping in, I geared up for my second round of shows.
DEVOTCHKA
First up were Devotchka, who I have seen before. Their unique brand of world-influenced indie rock is particularly riveting live, as they are quite the energetic group of multi-instrumentalists. And when I say multi-instrumentalists, I mean all of them. There was not a single person who played less than two instruments throughout the set, and when a group is that multi-talented, I'm always impressed. The violinist also played accordion and piano; the sousaphonist also played the double bass; the drummer also played trumpet; and the frontman, aside from playing guitar and singing, played the theremin. I feel this deserves special mention, as Devotchka are the only band I've ever seen to employ the wild instrument that is the theremin. Not only that, but it was even played at one point with the guitar neck, so both the guitar and the theremin could be played at once. Yup, like Jimmy Page used to. Devotchka are so entertaining musically, and they perform with energy and pep. It was a wonderful start to the day.
Devotchka - Transliterator (from A Mad And Faithful Telling)
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
After this it was time to sit at Wilco's stage for the rest of the day. After watching Explosions In The Sky (who I don't listen to, but were awesome), it was time for my live favorites Broken Social Scene. This was my third BSS show, and all three are in my all-time favorites. I don't know how they do it, but they are so charismatic, so fun, so enthusiastic. It's amazing. The only times their set lagged were during the weaker songs, such as "Frightening Lives" and some of Brendan Canning's new music. It's not that they were bad; but they don't stand up to the incredibly high bar set with previous Broken Social Scene albums. At first there were no women on stage -- after all, Feist, Emily Haines (Metric), and Amy Millan (Stars) are all fairly successful in their own right by now. But lo and behold, Amy came out for Shoreline and stayed through the rest of the set. Still, no "Anthems For A Seventeen-Year Old Girl". Alas. Other favorites were performed, such as "Cause=Time" and the incredible set-closer "It's All Gonna Break".
Broken Social Scene - It's All Gonna Break (from Broken Social Scene)
WILCO
And to end the day, indie rock Gods Wilco came out in style. Dressed in custom suits, embroidered with awesome patches, the band ripped through songs spanning their entire career. From the opener "Misunderstood," the tone was set. This was going to be an excellent rock and roll show, with no holds barred. The musicians in Wilco are truly masters of their instruments, and it's impressive to listen to them flawlessly adorn the songs. Especially Nels Cline, that badass. My Lord, he plays some tasty guitar lines with impeccable precision. Jeff Tweedy's dry sense of humor prevailed throughout the night, as he talked about how "the band's been busy preparing for this show...we've been sewing for the last few months". I had a wide smile on my face the entire night.
Wilco - Side With The Seeds (from Sky Blue Sky)
I started day two off a little late, since there wasn't anyone I wanted to see early on. So after comfortably sleeping in, I geared up for my second round of shows.DEVOTCHKA
First up were Devotchka, who I have seen before. Their unique brand of world-influenced indie rock is particularly riveting live, as they are quite the energetic group of multi-instrumentalists. And when I say multi-instrumentalists, I mean all of them. There was not a single person who played less than two instruments throughout the set, and when a group is that multi-talented, I'm always impressed. The violinist also played accordion and piano; the sousaphonist also played the double bass; the drummer also played trumpet; and the frontman, aside from playing guitar and singing, played the theremin. I feel this deserves special mention, as Devotchka are the only band I've ever seen to employ the wild instrument that is the theremin. Not only that, but it was even played at one point with the guitar neck, so both the guitar and the theremin could be played at once. Yup, like Jimmy Page used to. Devotchka are so entertaining musically, and they perform with energy and pep. It was a wonderful start to the day.
Devotchka - Transliterator (from A Mad And Faithful Telling)
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENEAfter this it was time to sit at Wilco's stage for the rest of the day. After watching Explosions In The Sky (who I don't listen to, but were awesome), it was time for my live favorites Broken Social Scene. This was my third BSS show, and all three are in my all-time favorites. I don't know how they do it, but they are so charismatic, so fun, so enthusiastic. It's amazing. The only times their set lagged were during the weaker songs, such as "Frightening Lives" and some of Brendan Canning's new music. It's not that they were bad; but they don't stand up to the incredibly high bar set with previous Broken Social Scene albums. At first there were no women on stage -- after all, Feist, Emily Haines (Metric), and Amy Millan (Stars) are all fairly successful in their own right by now. But lo and behold, Amy came out for Shoreline and stayed through the rest of the set. Still, no "Anthems For A Seventeen-Year Old Girl". Alas. Other favorites were performed, such as "Cause=Time" and the incredible set-closer "It's All Gonna Break".
Broken Social Scene - It's All Gonna Break (from Broken Social Scene)
WILCOAnd to end the day, indie rock Gods Wilco came out in style. Dressed in custom suits, embroidered with awesome patches, the band ripped through songs spanning their entire career. From the opener "Misunderstood," the tone was set. This was going to be an excellent rock and roll show, with no holds barred. The musicians in Wilco are truly masters of their instruments, and it's impressive to listen to them flawlessly adorn the songs. Especially Nels Cline, that badass. My Lord, he plays some tasty guitar lines with impeccable precision. Jeff Tweedy's dry sense of humor prevailed throughout the night, as he talked about how "the band's been busy preparing for this show...we've been sewing for the last few months". I had a wide smile on my face the entire night.
Wilco - Side With The Seeds (from Sky Blue Sky)
Labels: Show Reviews
This was going to be an excellent rock and roll show, with no holds barred. The musicians in Wilco are truly masters of their instruments, and it's impressive to listen to them flawlessly adorn the songs. Especially Nels Cline, that badass. My Lord, he plays some tasty guitar lines with impeccable precision.
You stole my Jimmy Page comment. Psh.
I like the review. You should of delved in deeper about Explosions though, especially since you saw their set and liked it. Alas, glad Wilco rocked
"I bet Radiohead didn't look this good (he said something about their suits but I can't remember exactly what). I bet they looked 21st century...or BEYOND."
I meant Jeff Tweedy, of course. Sorry about that.