3 posts tagged “live”
Just got back from the Glow in the Dark show at Arco Arena. It was pretty good but I was hoping for more from Lupe Fiasco. I like Kanye West (sometimes) and I knew his live show would be great with the amount of money behind it, but I was just as interested in seeing Lupe's live show. Unfortunately he was the first of four which means lower volume, less stage time, and minimal lighting. I thought for sure he would be right before Kanye but I guess he's not as popular as I thought.
Lupe's set wasn't bad but the sound quality wasn't great either, which can be common at Arco Arena. Lupe could have used a live band which would have been much better, but being the opener that's probably too much to ask for. He played the "hits" including songs with Matthew Santos (who I thought was a well known singer for some reason but apparently he's not) and the girl from his video (don't know her name or the song) who actually lip synced! That's not cool. All of the music is already pre-recorded, so how can you stand there and lip sync over the album recording? Oh and another thing, Lupe Fiasco needs to stop singing. The singing is bad on the album, and the singing live is worse and he even sings more. He shouldn't do anymore singing until he's had more practice. Lots more. Well I just dumped on Lupe but nevertheless I enjoyed the performance.
Next up was NERD who I know nothing about. I don't understand their music, meaning that the sounds I hear do not combine well in my brain. The music is upbeat, funky, lots of synth, some rock. Then the vocals are somewhere between rapping and singing but I don't know where. Definitely an original sound but one that is hard for me to figure out. The live band was cool and I especially was grooving on the two drummers both rocking with full kits.
Rihanna came next. I've never heard of her and was surprised to see her 3rd in line. Her last song (or I thing it was last) sounded good. I think she said it was number one on some chart. Never heard it before but it had a good, full sound that I liked. On some of the slower songs her voice reminded me of Nelly Furtado. Her stage had more flare; dancers, props, and more lighting to give the show more excitement. The live band was good and once again I enjoyed the drums.
And then Kanye West took over with an elaborate setup that I was quite impressed with. On top of the stage he had another stage with uneven terrain on top of which was a moving platform on which Kanye delivered his rhymes. Behind and around him were lights, video projectors and yes, smoke. Overall the narrative and visuals were very cool and fun to watch. He also had a live band, but still a lot of the sound was probably synthesized. The band was lined up in front under the stage like you would see at a Nutcracker performance, which left Kanye alone on his moving platform surrounding by lights while the band was kept in the shadows below. He also did not invite any guests on stage so it was all Kanye and his big ego up there. I'm impressed that one man can be the focus of and entertain 10,000+ people for over an hour so I give him a lot of credit for pulling that off. If I saw the show again I'd want to sit front and center and would expect better sound quality, which could change with different seating and venue of course.
Here's some further random observations I made at the show:
1. Lots of Asians. I expected a large African American audience, being that every performer was African American, but I may have seen more white people, and definitely more Asians.
2. Everyone was well-behaved. Usually concert goers are aggressive, loud, and potentially dangerous. This crowd had none of these qualities. No fights or ejections that I could see.
3. Light security check. Before getting into the venue, a man briefly waved a metal detector across my abdomen and asked me if I had a camera or cell phone. I said yes and he motioned me to move forward. I've never been to a concert without a full contact body examination and emptying of pockets.
4. Fresh air. The Arco Arena has never felt so fresh. The air was cool and breathable. Where was all the smoke and body odor?
5. No weed. With the exception of a few whiffs, the air was free of both marijuana and tobacco smoke. How is that possible!?
The first time I saw this guy on YouTube I had trouble convincing myself that I wasn't watching a Filipino guy lip sync over a Journey song. But no, this is the real deal. This guy is good. So good in fact that the guitarist for Journey just hired him to be the new singer for Journey after seeing these clips on YouTube. Amazing story.
Trans Am, the opening act, had a progressive rock style including odd time signatures and unpredictable song structure. They also incorporated a lot of synthesized sounds and electronic drums that sounded about thirty years old. Vocals were scarce; really only one song with singing (if you count the robot voice as singing then two songs). So it was really a solid instrumental performance. Not something I'd sit down and listen to on a recording but good as an opener.
Tool started off with Jambi followed by Stinkfist, 46&2, and Schism. Next they played Rosetta Stoned, which I really enjoyed even though I haven't much cared for the song in the past. The drums were particularly good on this one. Actually the drums sounded incredible throughout the whole show. I was probably thirty feet from the center of the mixing area, maybe more from the stage. The drums really came through nicely and sounded crisp. With the exception of the vocals, the overall mix was very good. If the vocals weren't so low I would say that this was the best sounding Tool show I've heard. But the vocals were often washed out by the band and all I could hear were people around me shouting (not singing) along with the music.
The vocals came through a little better on Wings and 10,000 days since both songs have quieter parts with more emphasis on vocals. Before wings they played Flood which was a highlight for me. Not one of my favorite songs but it sure sounded good live. I think the drums did it for me.
After intermission came Lateralus, my favorite part of the night. Lateralus is possibly my favorite Tool song and always sounds incredible live, but this time it sounded even better (again, with the exception of the vocals). The band managed to play loud with huge low end sounds that shook my clothing but the mix always sounded clear. Every drum and symbol came through nicely. No matter how many times I see Danny Carey play live I am always shocked by his ridiculous drumming capabilities.
As if Lateralus wasn't already blowing me away, Tim Alexander from Primus and the drummer from Trans Am hopped on stage for a three-way drum solo along with Danny Carey. Definitely the best guest drummers I've seen join Danny Carey on stage and the first time I've seen this done during Lateralus. Very cool indeed.
Another surprise came after Lateralus when Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys joined the band onstage to sing the Dead Kennedys' "Holiday in Cambodia". It was quite interesting to hear Tool playing a Dead Kennedys song. Sounded good, but yet again troubled with low vocals.
Then came Vicarious as the closer. I was hoping to hear The Pot but since the vocals were no good I don't really mind. Throughout the show the vocals were too low and kept getting squashed by the band. On top of that Maynard Keenan didn't seem give any effort with his singing. I noticed that last year he wasn't singing as well as he did during the Lateralus tour. During Vicarious last year in Marysville he was off key during the last bit of the song, and this time he didn't even try. Instead he held the mic stand in the air and pointed it at the crowd for everyone to sing for him. Too bad because his singing really helps set Tool apart from the rest.
All in all the show was worth every penny of my inflated eBay ticket. And if Tool comes back for another tour I'll be there, hopefully with a ticket that I paid face value for.
