Tag: desert rose

Brandon Flowers 8/4/15

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(a) setlist

    1. Dreams Come True
    2. Can’t Deny My Love
    3. Crossfire
    4. Magdalena
    5. Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts
    6. Jenny Was a Friend of Mine (The Killers cover)
    7. Lonely Town
    8. Diggin’ Up The Heart
    9. Read My Mind (The Killers cover)
    10. Untangled Love
    11. The Way It’s Always Been
    12. Human (The Killers cover)
    13. Mr. Brightside (The Killers cover) (Jacques Lu Cont remix)

Encore:

  1. Heart of Gold (Buster Poindexter cover)
  2. I Can Change
  3. Still Want You
  4. Only The Young

(b) highlights

  • “Lonely Town” was the jaaaaaam
  • “Diggin’ Up The Heart” is the epitome of a song I hated so much after hearing it on the album, but somehow accidentally ended up loving and stupid-dancing to live, so that was cool
  • the most disco-y ball disco ball moment ever during “Only The Young”; super into it
  • watching the show from the balcony and away from everyone in the crowd
  • that one time that Brandon mentioned in between songs how he and Dave Keuning would put on makeup in someone’s car or whatever; 10/10 want to hear more stories like that
  • the one time Brandon mentioned talking to Ronnie Vannucci on the phone and I started screaming in the silent venue

(c) lowlights

  • why will you never play “Playing With Fire,” Brandon Flowers. why. why.
  • “Between Me & You” was my favorite song on Brandon’s new album, so he was sure to skip that at this show, but play it at every other show around this time
  • my name is Brandon Flowers and I will never play my best song ever live or even acknowledge its existence and it’s called “The Desired Effect”
  • 90% of Brandon’s backing band doesn’t know how to play their instruments
  • Terminal 5’s Terminal 5ness (not letting me bring in my camera, not offering bottled water, having crapy sound and security)

(d) overall thoughts

Like the last time I saw Brandon Flowers during his solo tour, I decided to remove myself from the pit and watch from the balcony, which I really, really liked. I was eager to catch BFlow on another go-around for his second solo album, The Desired Effect in hopes of hearing more deep cuts and a few of the songs I missed previously. That sort of happened and basically didn’t, but regardless, I had a great time.

Brandon brought out his usual star power and stage presence, which is interesting to watch when the rest of The Killers aren’t with him. I’m not the biggest fan of his back-up band and it’s mostly because I feel like they can’t keep up with him/the usual Killers’ fire, but – in a way – they make Brandon look better. He seemed very comfortable singing his new material and mixing it with his older songs and even the re-calibrated Killers’ songs. I sort of loved that Brandon introduced “Jenny” by having a quick audience poll over whether or not the narrator of the song was “guilty or innocent.” Like, how perfectly dorky and sweet and silly is that. Into it.

I feel like if anyone had wandered into the venue for the encore knowing nothing about Brandon or The Killers at all, even they couldn’t deny that those songs have power and strength and mean something to that crowd. I found myself strangely emotional during “Only The Young” (and not only because of the sweet ass disco ball action), almost realizing for the first time how poignant and beautiful that song is. It induced the feeling of watching a true late-night serenade in the moonlight, and that was such a unique experience. The crowd was so into the show, Brandon was engaging and only gave me secondhand embarrassment twice (a new low!), and it was impossible to not dance along with those hits

 

Bottom line: Whether singing about an idiot named Tony, a murder victim named Jenny, or climate change and debt, Brandon Flowers unabashedly cares and this solo performance reeked of fun, passion, and heart.

Joywave, The Kooks 6/24/15

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(i) lineup*

(1a) Joywave
(2b) The Kooks

*Atlas Genius played in between Joywave and The Kooks and they were alright – nothing good or bad to report either way. Just filler.

(1a) (Joywave’s) setlist

Setlist.fm doesn’t have the details, but I remember them playing maybe 5 or 6 songs. “Destruction,” “Tongues,” “Feels Like a Lie,” “Now,” and “Somebody New” were definitely ones I remember.

(1b) highlights

  • all the aforementioned songs
  • I love the Central Park Summerstage shows – cool environment, good food, generally a nice venue space

(1c) lowlights

  • the crowd didn’t move, as always; as if the entirety of New York is incapable of getting into a band or performance they didn’t immediately pay to see

(1d) overall thoughts

Joywave is best when they feel they need to earn the audience’s respect, I think. They work so hard to make even the most dead crowd move and get into the music. When the audience doesn’t respond, everything just becomes funny. I really remember Daniel calling out New York City crowds for being too cool to dance and my friends and I overcompensating by being super into it, which is always the best.

Bottom Line: Would definitely recommend not only seeing a band play in this Central Park venue, but everyone should absolutely see Joywave live if only for the small chance they play “Destruction” twice.

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(2a) (The Kooks’) setlist

    1. Around Town
    2. Ooh La
    3. She Moves in Her Own Way
    4. Seaside
    5. Always Where I Need to Be
    6. Sweet Emotion

Encore:

  1. Naive

(2b) highlights

  • again, the environment – the middle of Central Park is so beautiful at dusk
  • they didn’t play for long, but the whole crowd was super into it – again, my surprise as hugely popular The Kooks have become over the years
  • the sound and lights were on-point, which can be difficult in an outdoor venue – major props

(2c) lowlights

  • nothing really bad to say

(2d) overall thoughts

Much like their Firefly performance, The Kooks brought such a large sound to their Central Park stint. It’s funny – I remember thinking their set was so full-bodied and resonant with the crowd for just under an hour, but setlist.fm claims they played only seven songs. Isn’t it funny how having a good crowd with solid as hell songs can make me remember the experience differently? Hope The Kooks get even better and continue to put out even bigger sounding songs.

Bottom Line: The Kooks are cool and I swear I’m gonna find out how so many young people have embraced them nearly ten years after they debuted.

FEAT-thekooks-summerstage-24June15-emilytan_5

Photo by Emily Tan

The Killers, Cold War Kids 6/21/15

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(i) lineup

(1a) Cold War Kids
(2b) The Killers

(1a) (Cold War Kid’s) setlist

  1. All This Could Be Yours
  2. Miracle Mile
  3. One Song at a Time
  4. We Used to Vacation
  5. Audience
  6. First
  7. Louder Than Ever
  8. Hot Coals
  9. Hang Me Up to Dry
  10. Minimum Day
  11. I’ve Seen Enough
  12. Drive Desperate
  13. Hospital Beds
  14. Something Is Not Right With Me

(1b) highlights

  • seeing Cold War Kids in a festival setting for the first time
  • realizing that the token Cold War Kids’ intimacy and jam session-vibe live isn’t lost on a massive stage; their passion and fun was completely still there
  • the setlist killed and the crowd was totally into it

(1c) lowlights

  • apparently their piano broke before the last song? the band was down about it, but admitting full ignorance here, I totally did not notice

(1d) overall thoughts

When you’re standing in the sun all day, waiting at the main stage for the headliner to come on, you’re willing to sit through some garbage acts. Luckily, thank god, I didn’t have to deal too much with that because my Cold War Kids played a mid-day set and totally killed it. Their newer material from the album Hold My Home really resonated with the audience and I was happy they had such a good-sized crowd. Their passion and live fervor didn’t get lost in the open field and on the big stage; in fact, it gave them more room to move around and let the songs breathe a bit. So many mid-level bands phone in festival performances when they aren’t at the top of the bill, but Cold War Kids don’t deal with that mess. They showed up, performed super well, and definitely made more fans that day.

Bottom line: Seeing Cold War Kids is always a complete joy, and seeing them for an hour in the middle of a Delaware field on the hottest and longest day of the year was no different.

(I’m in this pic!)

cwkfirefly1
Photo by: Ilya S. Savenok

(2a) (The Killers’) setlist

    1. Mr. Brightside
    2. Spaceman
    3. The Way It Was
    4. Smile Like You Mean It
    5. Bling (Confession of a King)
    6. Human
    7. Somebody Told Me
    8. Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
    9. The Bucket (Kings of Leon cover)
    10. For Reasons Unknown
    11. From Here On Out
    12. A Dustland Fairytale
    13. Use Somebody (Kings of Leon cover)
    14. Read My Mind
    15. Runaways
    16. All These Things That I’ve Done

Encore:

  1. This Is Your Life
  2. When You Were Young

(2b) highlights

  • “This Is Your Life” is always such a beautiful song and wonderful experience live – Brandon gets the crowd to wave their hands before the last bridge and it’s so freaking beautiful every time
  • seeing The Killers front row at huge festivals with gigantic crowds is always a memorable experience; it’s so great seeing how far they’ve come from their little Vegas roots

(2c) lowlights

  • Kings of Leon’s set was cancelled the day before at Firefly because of the weather; The Killers thought it would be cool to cover a few of their songs so people could still see them; I liked Kings of Leon’s first two albums but haven’t liked anything they’ve done in awhile; I paid to see The Killers, not Kings of Leon, but whatever
  • the band came on late, why why why are they always so damn late
  • I was so tired and it was so hot and the weekend was so long, I kinda lost it at different parts of the set

(2d) overall thoughts

I’ve seen The Killers headline many festivals many times and even though this wasn’t one of my favorite experiences, I know I can’t complain because it was really solid performance. Most of my complaints have little to do with the band and mostly to do with the circumstances (namely, the weather was awful and the Firefly promoters were pretty damn disorganized all weekend, which sucked for a lot of us). So, I’ll just say this: being front row at a festival where your favorite band is headlining and closing out the weekend playing an awesome set is kind of a dream. The Killers were showmen, added so much to the experience, and I got to hang out with all my friends seeing great live music all weekend. What more could anyone ask for?

Bottom Line: Being a part of 30,000 people waving their hands in the air during “This Is Your Life” is probably one of the best feelings ever, and also Kings of Leon are passed their prime so let’s stop giving them a spotlight please thanks.

Note: I took photos of both Cold War Kids and The Killers but my phone malfunctioned at the end of 2015 and for some reason, all the photos from this weekend were lost except this one below.

20150620_214653

The Killers 6/20/15

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(a) setlist

    1. Mr. Brightside
    2. Spaceman
    3. The Way It Was
    4. Smile Like You Mean It
    5. Bling (Confession of a King)
    6. Human
    7. Somebody Told Me
    8. Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
    9. The Rising Tide
    10. Shot at the Night
    11. For Reasons Unknown
    12. From Here On Out
    13. A Dustland Fairytale
    14. Be Still
    15. Read My Mind
    16. Runaways
    17. All These Things That I’ve Done

Encore:

  1. Uncle Jonny
  2. Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
  3. When You Were Young

(b) highlights

  • UNNNNCCCLLLLEEEE JJJOOONNNNNNNNYYYYYYYYY!
  • “Be Still” – “dedicated to the fans” – WOW
  • seeing “The Rising Tide” live for the first time; it’s a song rarely played live that really needed its moment to shine, and it definitely shined here
  • the entire show felt so special with so many unexpected moments; I constantly felt like my heart was going to burst
  • the part when I was having such a good time and going crazy that my phone in my pocket posted a Facebook status, called three people I haven’t spoken to in years, changed my clock to military time, and changed wifi networks
  • Ronnie Vannucci in tiny Atlantic City shorts, byeeeeeeee
  • did I mention they played Uncle FREAKING Jonny for the first time since 2007!!!!!

(c) lowlights

  • Borgata Festival Park is the worst place on Earth, never go there ever, please do not give them money; their security guards are pointless, rude, idiotic, and waiting for this show was one of the worst experiences e.v.e.r.

(d) overall thoughts

Saying the weekend of June 18th-21st was an adventure is a bit of, uh, an understatement. My friends and I spent the 18th and 19th in Delaware at the Firefly Festival, the 20th in Atlantic City in New Jersey, and went back to Firefly on the 21st. I would definitely not recommend doing that if anyone is considering it…

Anyway, the wait and line for this show was a nightmare beyond belief, but none of that ultimately mattered. It was so hot, so sticky, so New Jersey, but damn, this show was like a sneak attack in the end – no one saw it coming, but it ended up being one of the best Killers shows I’ve ever seen. Sometime toward the end of 2014 and for a lot of 2015, I mentioned time and time again to my friends (and anyone who would listen) that The Killers should play one of my favorite songs live, “Uncle Jonny.” They hadn’t play it live since 2007, but they did it. They freaking played it and I totally lost it. Before that, that played “The Rising Tide,” a virtually forgotten track on their last full album Battle Born. It was never forgotten by fans, so hearing it live made it so energized and brought another part of that album alive for me.

Perhaps the most emotional moment for everyone dropped with “Be Still.” For honest to God the first time ever, the band acknowledged the hardcore fans who travel from everywhere and have been following The Killers for a long time. Brandon dedicated “Be Still” to all those people – which obviously includes myself – so hearing one of my favorite Killers song ever along with that dedication was a truly meaningful and poignant moment for me and all my friends. And I will forever be incredibly thankful for that. The Killers were still technically on “hiatus” at the time, so seeing them without a real album to promote and just playing together at a random casino in New Jersey was unexpectedly wonderful.

Bottom Line: Pretty much the only reason I continue to drag my ass to Atlantic City to see The Killers is because, every once and a while, an incredible and memorable show like this one drops and makes everyone’s hearts burst.

We Are Scientists 5/11/16

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(a) setlist

First set:

    1. Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt
    2. This Scene Is Dead
    3. Inaction
    4. Can’t Lose
    5. Callbacks
    6. Cash Cow
    7. It’s a Hit
    8. The Great Escape
    9. Textbook
    10. Lousy Reputation
    11. Worth The Wait
    12. What’s The Word

Second set:

  1. Rules Don’t Stop
  2. Buckle
  3. Chick Lit
  4. Classic Love
  5. I Don’t Bite
  6. Dumb Luck
  7. Impatience
  8. In My Head
  9. Make It Easy
  10. Nice Guys
  11. After Hours
  12. Too Late

(b) highlights

  • seeing the entirety of the CLASSIC album With Love and Squalor
  • Michael Tapper, the original drummer of WAS who played on the first album, came back to play the first set with Keith and Chris – this was the first time they all jammed since 2006/07ish; this made me strangely emotional because the first few times I saw WAS live, Michael was their drummer
  • that classic Keith and Chris between-song banter gives life to my soul
  • the entire second set was ON.POINT.
  • the crowd was shockingly good – seemed like everyone knew the new songs as well as the oldies
  • Keith Carne, the current WAS drummer, always freaking kills it
  • the phrase of the night: “it’s not a We Are Scientists show unless Keith breaks something and then we fear for his life”
  • “Too Late” is a brand new song, but somehow the perfect set closer, freaking loved it

(c) lowlights

  • wish they had played my current favorite song on the new album, “We Need a Word”

(d) overall thoughts

The first time I saw We Are Scientists, they opened for Arctic Monkeys (!) at the Henry Fonda in LA on March 15, 2006 (!). For 10 years, I’ve loved watching these dudes perform – anyone who’s seen them live would certainly agree. This show at Irving Plaza was a special 10-year anniversary celebration for the release of their debut album With Love and Squalor – the album that made a lot of people fall in love with them. Even better – the band still played a full set immediately following that With Love and Squalor performance. How sick is that?

Adding a wonderful flourish, Keith Murray and Chris Cain played With Love and Squalor with their original drummer Michael Tapper, who left the band before their second album was released in 2007. It felt like a strange blast from the past seeing him, and – in a bizarre way – made me realize how much We Are Scientists have stayed the same over the years. Yeah – they’ve grown as performers, musicians, and songwriters, but they’re still the same lanky dudes singing the same songs and making the same jokes. And that’s why they’re so awesome. It’s all fun in a familiar way, like hanging out with old friends.

The second set featured four new songs off their most recent album, which only came out last week, Helter Seltzer. The crowd was loving every minute of it and I was elated to finally feel like everyone was dancing just as much as I was. I got a good feeling about this album; its reception is gonna be stellar. Ultimately, I’m so proud of these dudes and I’ll continue to support them as long as they keep making awesome tunes and making me laugh – which I imagine will keep happening until death.

Bottom Line: I’ve been a WAS fan for a decade and there’s no sign of stopping. Also, if you claim to be a WAS fan and you don’t sing “if you’re the night sky, then act like the night sky” during “Nice Guys,” then you’re lying.

Paul McCartney, Morrissey 6/19/15

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(i) lineup

1a. Cage The Elephant
2b. Morrissey (!!)
3c. Paul McCartney (!!!)

(1a) (Cage the Elephant’s) setlist

    1. Spiderhead
    2. In One Ear
    3. Aberdeen
    4. Take It or Leave It
    5. Cigarette Daydreams
    6. Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
    7. Halo
    8. Telescope
    9. Back Against the Wall
    10. It’s Just Forever
    11. Teeth
    12. Come a Little Closer
    13. Shake Me Down
    14. Sabertooth Tiger

(1b) highlights

  • seeing Cage The Elephant for the first time and damn, they put on a show
  • “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” is a killer tune; loved it since I first heard it in 2008ish, I believe
  • they had a crowd four times the size of Morrissey’s crowd…and they were before him

(1c) lowlights

  • they had a crowd four times the size of Morrissey’s crowd…and they were before him
  • it was SO. GODDAMN. HOT.
  • I was legally one gigantic mosquito bite at this point

(1d) overall thoughts

Jesus, this band has a lot of fans and it’s pretty clear why. They have big songs, even bigger crowds, and some straight up memorable numbers. Great show.

Photos by: Joe Papeo and Joe Del Tufo

(2a) (Morrissey’s) setlist

    1. Suedehead
    2. First of the Gang to Die
    3. Alma Matters
    4. I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris
    5. Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before (The Smiths cover)
    6. Ganglord
    7. Kiss Me A Lot
    8. World Peace is None of Your Business
    9. The Bullfighter Dies
    10. You Have Killed Me
    11. Speedway
    12. The Staircase at the University
    13. The World is Full of Crashing Bores
    14. Everyday is Like Sunday
    15. Meat Is Murder (The Smiths cover)
    16. What She Said (The Smiths cover)

(2b) highlights

  • MORRISSEY!!!11!!!1!
  • I cried when he walked out, I love Morrissey so much, this was the first time I was seeing him, I legit cried
  • every Smiths song. all of them. I was overwhelmed.
  • it’s a long story, but “Ganglord” is an inside joke with my friends and we died
  • MORRISSEY, GUYS
  • seeing “Everyday is Like Sunday” standing in mud on the sunniest day of all time in the middle of Delaware is never something I imagined would happen, but god, it did
  • MORRISSEYYYYYY

(2c) lowlights

  • the festival was selling meat literally at the closest vendor and we were all TERRIFIED Morrissey would smell it and walk off stage
  • Morrissey eventually got annoyed and walked offstage (but it was at the end anyway!! we think!!)
  • there were less than 100 people in the crowd. at the main stage. for Morrissey. the final act before the headliner. WHAT THE FUCK, PEOPLE.

(2d) overall thoughts

Seeing Morrissey live was a hugely emotional experience for me as a long-time Smiths fan and long-time Moz fan and I feel like maybe only a dozen others felt the same in that crowd in Dover. He sounded like heaven to me; I was beside myself every time a Smiths’ song played, and I’ll never forget that he was actually physically standing and singing right there in front of me. It was a dream. A very anxious dream where I prayed he wouldn’t storm off because Firefly was definitely not meatless and I’m pretty sure I ate a chicken sandwich that day and felt like is Moz looked at me, he would immediately know, but IT WAS STILL A DREAM.

mozfirefly

(3a) (Paul McCartney’s) setlist

    1. Birthday (The Beatles cover)
    2. Save Us
    3. Got to Get You Into My Life (The Beatles cover)
    4. Let Me Roll It (Wings cover)
    5. Paperback Writer (The Beatles cover)
    6. My Valentine
    7. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (Wings cover)
    8. The Long and Winding Road (The Beatles cover)
    9. Maybe I’m Amazed
    10. I’ve Just Seen a Face (The Beatles cover))
    11. We Can Work It Out (The Beatles cover)
    12. Another Day
    13. And I Love Her (The Beatles cover)
    14. Blackbird (The Beatles cover)
    15. Here Today (The Beatles cover)
    16. New
    17. Queenie Eye
    18. Lady Madonna (The Beatles cover)
    19. Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles cover)
    20. Being For Benefit of Mr. Kite! (The Beatles cover)
    21. Something (The Beatles cover)
    22. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (The Beatles cover)
    23. Band on the Run (Wings cover)
    24. Back in the USSR (The Beatles cover)
    25. Let It Be (The Beatles cover)
    26. Live and Let Die (The Beatles cover)
    27. Hey Jude (The Beatles cover)

Encore 1:

  1. Hi, Hi, Hi (Wings cover)
  2. Can’t Buy Me Love (The Beatles cover)
  3. Helter Skelter (The Beatles song)

Encore 2:

  1. Golden Slumbers (The Beatles cover)
  2. Carry That Weight (The Beatles cover)
  3. The End (The Beatles cover)

(3b) highlights

  • CAN YOU SEE THAT SETLIST, DO YOU HAVE EYES, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE HIGHLIGHT WAS, OH WAIT, THE WHOLE GODDAMN THING WOW WOW WOW
  • standing in a stupid muddy field in DELAWARE with 30,000 people, sobbing my eyes out with my best friends, watching a freaking LIVING BEATLE sing the most beautiful song in the world that even aliens in space have probably acknowledged its beauty, HEY JUDE
  • Paul McCartney having no clue whatsoever that he’s Paul McCartney
  • people who act like Wings is a real thing
  • when he would casually mention John Lennon or George Harrison or his “good friend Jimi” (Hendrix) or his “great pal Keith” (Richards)
  • the entire thing, seriously, I’ll never really be able to explain this perfection – it was seriously life-changing

(3c) lowlights

  • nothing.

(3d) overall thoughts

I really cannot underscore enough that this Paul McCartney performance was the greatest show I’ve ever seen in my life. Nothing will every really touch this show for reasons I can’t even put into words, but it really all comes down to a feeling. And that feeling is this: standing in a muddy Delaware field late at night with 30,000 people, covered in mosquito bites, so freaking tired from the hottest and longest day ever, being with my three closest concert buddies who I’ve all known for more than 10 years and who knowingly or unknowingly have gotten me through some of the toughest times in my life, crying my freaking eyes out, and singing in perfect unison “Naaaaa naaaa na na naaaaaa, na na na naaaa, hey Juddddeeeee.” That’s not a feeling you forget for the rest of your life.

The Kooks 6/18/15

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(a) setlist

    1. Around Town
    2. Bad Habit
    3. Ooh La
    4. Down
    5. It Was London
    6. She Moves in Her Own Way
    7. Westside
    8. Always Where I Need to Be
    9. The Saboteur
    10. Sway
    11. Sweet Emotion
    12. Forgive & Forget
    13. See Me Now
    14. Junk of the Heart (Happy)
    15. Naive

(b) highlights

  • seeing the Kooks for the first time!
  • solid setlist and really good crowd
  • being one of the smart people and wearing rainboots to avoid the tons of gallons of mud that basically no one anticipated at Firefly
  • watching the show from a nice patch of grass and blanket

(c) lowlights

  • was totally covered in more mosquito bites than actual skin

(d) overall thoughts

This was the first day of the Firefly Festival – the Thursday before all the major action starts taking place – so everyone was still happy and alive. I loved The Kooks when they first came out, but I had never seen them, so this was a pretty cool opportunity.

I always loved The Kooks – clearly I was and still am fond of the mid-2000’s British indie alternative – and especially loved their 2005 album Inside In/Inside Out. I liked quite a bit of their later work, but hadn’t really pursued a lot of it. So, I was pretty shocked by the crowd’s reaction at this show. Almost everyone was super into every song – newer and older. In my mind, the band were still hanging out in the 2000’s, but I guess the joke was on me because The Kooks have secretly been rising under the radar. It was so refreshing to see so many people involved in the performance – and not just for the big hits and classics like “Naive,” “Ooh La,” and “She Moves In Her Own Way” but practically every song. How cool is that.

Bottom Line: The Kooks have apparently gotten huge over the years and that is such a cool thing to experience as a long-time fan. Wish them nothing but the best – their live show certainly is worth it.

Photos by: Claudia Heidelberger

Big Talk 5/26/15

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(a) setlist

    1. Hold That Line
    2. Animal Husband
    3. What Happened to Delisa?
    4. La Rue D’Awakening
    5. Cocktail Party
    6. I’ve Been Sentimental Lately
    7. What The Night Can Do
    8. All My Luvin’
    9. White Dove
    10. The Void
    11. Another Satellite
    12. Neon’s Not Enough Light

(b) highlights

  • seeing Ronnie Vannucci play in Las Vegas is just as awesome as it sounds
  • the in-between song banter never fails to entertain: “there’s a lot of hot ladies in here tonight….onstage.”
  • the Hawaiian shirt game was very strong
  • chatting before the show was next-level amazing; Ronnie is great, Taylor is so so sweet, Brooks is so cool

(c) lowlights

  • the show started late and I had to catch a flight immediately after, so that was stressful

(d) overall thoughts

Caught a quick flight to Vegas from LA to see Big Talk again, and hot damn, was it a good time. It was hot as hell, but waiting outside was so worth it when Ronnie brought out water and snacks to the line (my heart), and definitely worth it to hang out in the courtyard pseudo-desert-garden area of the Bunkhouse Saloon. The show definitely felt like a hometown show in a lot of ways even though Ronnie hasn’t lived in Vegas for awhile, if only for all that Killers-in-Vegas history.

The setlist was exactly the same as the night before, which might sound like a bad thing, but it honestly wasn’t. Again, we didn’t have an album at this point. We pretty much had one single and that was it, so to hear all those songs again and really grasp the garage-band-y vibe of it gave more context. “I’ve Been Sentimental Lately,” “All My Luvin’,” and “What The Night Can Do” were immediate stand-outs aside from the lead single “What Happened to Delisa?” and I still dig those songs a lot to this day. The newer songs fit right in with the debut album in my opinion, even though Ronnie mentioned a couple of times that he disliked the older songs. If I had to guess, I think that opinion is mostly informed by the first album’s production; RJV was adamant about Straight In No Kissin’ having a less slick and more gritty sound to it, and the band certainly accomplished that in more ways than one. The crowd dug a lot of it and I felt very lucky to have witnessed that show.

Bottom Line: The Bunkhouse Saloon was the perfect environment for Big Talk to perform their newest album in Vegas; gritty songs with pop-y melodies fit best in dingey cowboy bars on a hot desert night.

Big Talk 5/25/15

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(a) setlist

    1. Hold That Line
    2. Animal Husband
    3. What Happened to Delisa?
    4. La Rue D’Awakening
    5. Cocktail Party
    6. I’ve Been Sentimental Lately
    7. What The Night Can Do
    8. All My Luvin’
    9. White Dove
    10. The Void
    11. Another Satellite
    12. Neon’s Not Enough Light

(b) highlights

  • I don’t even know where to begin….the whole fucking day. the entire day was a highlight. all of it.
  • meeting Ronnie Vannucci and Taylor Milne before the show started, and making jokes and laughing with them for like 20 minutes – a dream
  • the entire show from beginning to end, the end
  • after the show ended, the band stuck around to chat with everyone and gave me and my friend who waited all day big bear hugs, what a perfect day

(c) lowlights

  • n o t h i n g

(d) overall thoughts

 

So. Instead of writing a novel no one wants to read, I guess I’ll sum up this day and show with this: do you ever just have these out-of-body experiences where everything falls together so, so well that you have to believe that it’s all a dream? Like, an actual dream that involves you eventually waking up? That was this day. From beginning to end.

I flew out to California for a friend’s wedding, so catching this show right before the festivities began was like fate. To every human who remotely knows me knows that I love The Killers to death and Ronnie Vannucci is one of my favorite people ever. I never got to see Ronnie’s side project Big Talk during their first album tour in 2011, but I’d loved the music immediately.

Magically, Ronnie and his Big Talk bro Taylor Milne came out to chat with a few of us in line. Many memorable quotes were said and good times were had by all, but I’ll keep those close to the chest. Ultimately, Big Talk performed almost entirely new songs (what a ballsy freaking move that is, right?) for their first performance in over four years and it freaking rocked. What else is there to say? Their new album hadn’t even been released yet and they presented it with style, grace, and announced it would be called Straight In No Kissin’. Ronnie used a guitar pick with a picture of his dog Archie wearing a jetpack on it. I mean, come on. What a band.

Bottom Line: The only thing better than hearing a bunch of solid as all hell tunes is knowing that the dudes playing it don’t really care what anyone thinks and just wanna have fun. Admirable and impressive, to say the least.

The Killers 4/7/16

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(a) setlist

    1. Midnight Show
    2. Somebody Told Me
    3. Change Your Mind
    4. Bones
    5. Shadowplay (Joy Division cover)
    6. Human
    7. Glamorous Indie Rock ‘n’ Roll
    8. Uncle Jonny
    9. Read My Mind
    10. Runaways
    11. All These Things That I’ve Done
    12. On Top
    13. When You Were Young
    14. Mr. Brightside

(b) highlights

  • literally just BEING THERE; I was outside of the venue, sitting on the fake lawn they set up in front of a screen and next to a bar; it was AMAZING
  • “Midnight Show” = first time they played it since 2007; me = DEAD
  • “On Top,” the end.
  • having just seen the band at the most memorable show ever at the T-Mobile Arena to two hours later watching them totally tear down this super tiny Vegas joint was pure magic

(c) lowlights

  • it would’ve been amazing to physically be in the bar, but I never would’ve dreamed of leaving the arena show early; I’m so glad I stayed and could even be on the Bunkhouse grounds at all, so…no actual lowlights

(d) overall thoughts

Fifteen minutes into The Killers’ performance at the T-Mobile Arena (see previous post), they tweeted that they’d be performing a midnight aftershow at the tiny Bunkhouse Saloon in Downtown Las Vegas. A couple of my friends had anticipated the band would be up to such antics, so we smiled, rolled our eyes, and had fun at the arena. Some fans left the show to get to the Bunkhouse and set up camp, but we stayed. The moment the arena show ended, we drove the 5 or so miles Downtown and found at least 500 people already in line. The space inside the physical Bunkhouse was full, but the garden area was still open with a screen to watch the inside, have drinks, eat food and all that.

Magically, somehow, by the grace of God, we got inside the garden and set up camp in front of the screen, exhausted but elated to even be there at all. I had envisioned sitting on the sidewalk and listening to the show from across the street, but this was better. How many bands in the world would go from selling out a 20,000-person venue to immediately playing a bar that barely holds 200 right after just for the fun of it? It was such a memorable night and iconic event that it almost felt damn-near magical as I lied on the fake grass, closed my eyes, and listened to songs I’ve heard a million times but never fail to excite me.

 

Bottom line: Everything about that night was unreal, but being a part of the band making history was the cherry on top.