The Last Shadow Puppets 4/11/16

(a) setlist

Aviation
The Age of the Understatement
Used to Be My Girl
Calm Like You
The Element of Surprise
Dracula Teeth
She Does the Woods
Miracle Aligner
My Mistakes Were Made For You
Only the Truth
Bad Habits
Pattern
Everything You’ve Come to Expect
Meeting Place
Sweet Dreams, TN
In My Room

Encore:

I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (The Beatles cover)
The Dream Synopsis
Standing Next to Me

(b) highlights

Hearing my favorite song from Age of the Understatement, “My Mistakes Were Made for You” (!!!)
Accepting the true romantic-comedy act that is Alex Turner and Miles Kane
the string section
that Beatles cover!!!
Turner’s semi-embarassing tambourine swing and hip sway

(c) lowlights

“Aviation” didn’t quite hit home live like it does on the album
Miles Kane has essentially become Alex Turner’s “hype man” instead of true musical partner
Kane’s gold chains, Turner’s pinkie ring and absurd art smock outfit

(d) overall thoughts

This was my first time seeing TLSP and I loved their first album Age of the Understatement, but never got to catch them for that. I’m a long-time Arctic Monkeys fan, despite being slowly turned off by the “persona” Alex Turner has taken on since roughly 2009 circa the release of Suck It and See. Their newest album Everything You’ve Come to Expect feels quintessential to Turner and Kane, but its deep cuts don’t feel as strong as their previous work, and they fail to recreate the cinematic aura so prevalent on their debut.

Bottom line: Enjoyable show, loved hearing some of those fantastic songs, but everyone could’ve used less hair gel and gold chains.