Deftones at the Gibson Amphitheatre

Back in November of 2006 when I saw the Deftones at the Avalon and at Soma in San Diego, I mentioned how the Deftones ruled because they switch up the setlist every night. As an avid concertgoer, I truly applaud the band for this as they understand their rabid fanbase and reward them appropriately. The Gibson Amphitheatre crowd was buzzing even before the Deftones hit the stage. The Los Angeles crowd proved their worth tonight as they warmly accepted the band for a sizzling performance.

I missed Fall of Troy and Dir En Gray.

In Las Vegas, I had a nice cozy spot on the rail in front of Chi Cheng (Bass). This was good news picture wise but bad news sound wise as I could hear Chi's bass monitors and stack. In Los Angeles, I was 16 rows back in the orchestra on the right side in line with the speakers. Instead of the droney opening octaves of "Be Quiet and Drive", the Deftones came out like a caged animal with "Root". I was quickly reminded that this would be a different setlist and a different concert experience. The Deftones switched up a lot of songs and treated the audience to "Minerva", "Kimdragula", and "Cherry Waves". "Cherry Waves" is another one of my favorite Deftones songs and was performed just as intoxicating as the album version. One of the funniest things I have seen in a concert yet was when one of the Deftones little girls started dancing in front of the stage. Imagine watching Chino Moreno (Vocals/Guitars) screaming the lyrics from "Nosebleed" as a little toddler dances around on stage. I thought Chi was going to collide into her at a few points during the show. Luckily, the youngster was reigned in by her mother. It is nice to see that the Deftones are a family oriented band. The pit was at its highest moment level when they closed with "Headup". I felt really lucky to have witnessed two shows in one week by one of my favorite bands.

Deftones Setlist at the Gibson Amphitheatre (6/28/07)
"Root"
"My Own Summer"
"Lhabia"
"Be Quiet And Drive"
"Beware"
"Rats!Rats!Rats!"
"Bored"
"Nosebleed"
"Hole In The Earth"
"Xerces"
"Feticiera"
"Digital Bath"
"Kimdragula"
"Cherry Waves"
"Around The Fur"
"Rickets"
"Passenger"
"Back To School"
"Change(In The House Of Flies)"
"7 Words"
"Minerva"
"Headup"

Deftones at the Palms

I have been down with the Deftones ever since I saw them at Cal State Dominguez Hills on the first warped tour in 1995. Stephen Carpenter(Guitars) was playing Fender guitars and Chino Moreno (Vocals) was screaming at the top of his lungs at all times. I couldn't resist going to the Pearl Theatre at the Palms to see the Deftones destroy Las Vegas.

Fall of Troy opened with their bizarre schizophrenic songs. Thomas Erak (Guitars/Vocals) had some serious shred skills that he showed off to the crowd. He was playing a Gibson SG plugged into an Orange amp head and cabinet. Tim Ward (Bass) held down the low end with his Gibson Grabber bass. The band was talented as musicians but I couldn't grasp the songs as they were too all over the place without forming a nice groove. It seemed like a impromptu jam session.

Dir En Gray looked promising before they hit the stage as I spotted two Diezel VH4 amp heads on stage on one side. Dir En Gray hail from Japan and have been around since 1997. I had never heard about them until this show. I couldn't understand any of the lyrics that Kyo (Vocals) was spitting out. The riffs were okay but nothing garnered my attention. One of the funny parts of the show was when their guitar tech would run out to do the pedal switching for one of the guitarists. If you are going to have the guitar tech step on your pedals for you at least do it off the stage. Kyo also did the ultimate metal move with fake blood pellets and smearing it all over his body. As far as fake blood goes, only Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips) and Gene Simmons (KISS) can get away with using fake blood. It is a music law.

The Deftones destroyed the crowd. Stephen Carpenter was brutally riffing all night on his custom ESP guitars that are covered with Louis Vuitton logo. Stephen even has a Gucci ESP guitar. I can only imagine how much those cost him or if he even got permission. It is quite the juxtaposition on stage though. The Pearl soundsystem was excellent as usual and highlighted some of the ambient effects that Frank Delgado (DJ, Synthesizers) was serving up all night. The Deftones were so hot out of the gate that the power went out during "Lhabia". This did nothing to slow the Deftones as they recovered nicely with a brutal rendition of "Around The Fur". One of the cool effects during the show is that Chino saves his voice and changes his screams to a high pitched reverb and echo filtered scream that serve as punctuation marks to the songs. "Korea" is one of my favorite Deftones riffs to play on guitar and was as sharp as a Ginsu knife. The Deftones also have a penchant for playing cover songs and shocked me with a cover of Sade's "No Ordinary Love". I still would have preferred to hear their cover of Depeche Mode's "To Have And To Hold" or Helmet's "Sinatra" but was amused with this particular rendition. The slower songs like "Beware" and "Digital Bath" were equally intoxicating but as you can see from the setlist that it was a particularly heavy "Adrenaline" and "White Pony" night. Chi Cheng (Bass) was a madman all night with his dreadlocks flying all over the place. They capped the night with a ferocious version of "7 Words" that left the crowd buzzing. This is why I go to Las Vegas to catch shows.

Deftones Setlist for the Palms (6/26/07)
"Be Quiet and Drive"
"My Own Summer"
"Lhabia"
"Around The Fur"
"Rickets"
"Beware"
"Root"
"Engine No 9"
"Feticiera"
"Digital Bath"
"Knife Party"
"Korea"
"Hole In The Earth"
"Xerces"
"Bored"
"Nosebleed"
"No Ordinary Love"
"Rats!Rats!Rats!"
"Passenger"
"Back To School"
"Change(In The House of Flies)"
"7 Words"

Burning Brides at Little Radio Summer Camp

In less then 12 hours, I was back at Little Radio watching the Burning Brides rip through a set of songs featuring tracks off of their new album "Hang Love". I recently covered the Burning Brides when they opened for Wolfmother at the Grove a month ago and picked up their new album at the show. "Hang Love" was officially released two weeks ago and is quite the barnburner in terms of guitar riffs, groovy basslines, and thumping drums. I did manage to peak at Dmitri Coats (Vocals/Guitar) pedal setup which included a Vox Wah pedal and an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Fuzz pedal running through an Orange head and cabinent. Melanie Coats (Bass) was rocking out so hard her bass string snapped which is a difficult feat to accomplish. Highlights from their thirty minute set included "San Diego", "Arctic Snow", "Heart Full Of Black", and "Waring Street".If you like Queens of the Stone Age with a sprinkle of Nirvana and the Stooges then pick up the new album from Burning Brides.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at Little Radio

After running out of Dodger Stadium, my destination was originally going to be the Prospector to catch Gliss. Gliss was going on at 11:00 and it was 11:15. I deferred to my alternate plans.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club was filming a video at the Little Radio warehouse. It supposedly started at 3:30pm but I had heard from a friend at the shoot that it was still going on. I figured The Police would end with "Next To You" and literally ran to the car to get out of Dodger Stadium. Within twenty minutes, I was at Little Radio and walked into the midst of "Complicated Situation". The band resumed its filming of the video for "Berlin" and played along as they filmed the crowd. Peter Hayes (Guitars/Vocals) was a trooper straping a helmet cam on and managed to play guitar as he filmed a segment. Some of the other songs they played included "Took Out A Loan", "Suddenly", "White Palms", "US Government", "Six Barrel Shotgun", "Red Eyes and Tears", and "American X" as they played a mini set to the thinning crowd as it neared 2:00am. Peter eventually left the stage leaving Robert Been(Bass/Vocals) and Nick Jago (Drums) onstage as Robert still wanted to play a few more songs but Peter talked him out of it stating to the crowd that the crew had been there since six in the morning setting up. It was a rare treat to see Black Rebel Motorcycle Club play to a sparse crowd but I have to also commend the band for working that hard to please their fans and willingness to play. Check them out with The Kings of Leon in September at the Greek Theatre. I highly recommend you pick up their new album Baby 81 as it is one of the better releases of 2007.

The Police at Dodger Stadium

The last time I was at Dodger Stadium for a concert was when Kiss and Smashing Pumpkins played on Halloween. My mini tour of The Police closed with a grand finale at Dodger Stadium. I hope everyone left early for the show because traffic was a nightmare. It took almost an hour just to get off the freeway. Since The Police already played to a capacity Staples center, I was hoping they would pull out something special for the 55,000 people in attendance at Dodger Stadium. What would they do? Let's find out.

I missed Fiction Plane due to traffic. I wasn't too disappointed but it would have been interesting to see the crowd's reaction to the band.

I arrived in my seat moments before Foo Fighters exploded on stage. Dave Grohl (Vocals/Guitars) has been a Foo Fighter longer then his duration as a member of Nirvana and has left quite the imprint on rock music. I remember seeing an MTV Cribs show with Dave Grohl showing off his Stewart Copeland drum kit. Dave mentioned throughout the show what an honor it was to be opening for the best band in the world as he proclaimed. The Foo Fighters ran through a veritable greatest hits collection that showcased their rock tunes. I was impressed by the Gibson hollowbody lake blue guitar that Dave Grohl was rocking out with. They managed to play one of my favorite Foo tunes "Stacked Actors" which must be tuned down to B due to the crushing guttural bowel shaking main riff that Dave and Chris Shiflett (Guitars) rock. Dave even managed to run into the crowd as he is known to do and was perched in the middle of the Dodger Stadium to the crowd's delight. I have seen the Foo Fighters many times and must say this was one of their more memorable sets.

I thought things would be different for The Police when I saw that Sting was wearing a black shirt instead of his normal white shirt. This would be the only difference throughout the night. Sting was in top form though and vocally was extremely song. I even noticed a few more bass notes incorporated into some of the songs compared to the other shows. Sting was on top of his game on this particular night. Andy Summers was having problems with his Candy Red Fender Stratocaster during the later parts of the show. Andy seemed to have cooled off considerably from the Anaheim show and struggled with a few of the solos. After listening to my bootleg of the show, I will go on record and say that the Anaheim show was the best. I was still hoping that "Spirits In The Material Wold" would resurface but no such luck. It made the trip worth it out to Las Vegas just to hear that song. It was still an exciting show being surrounded by thousands of people and the energy was high but it was not nearly as electric as Anaheim was. When Andy was having problems with his guitar, Sting jokingly told him, "try the red one". Stewart was dynamic as usual. I can only imagine what he used to drum like twenty some years ago. The show was also being filmed so it will be interesting to see if they release footage from the show. Overall this show was still good, but would have been better if they threw in some surprises. I have a feeling they will come back again.


The Police Setlist for Dodger Stadium (6/23/07)
"Message In A Bottle"
"Synchronicity II"
"Walking on the Moon"
"Voices Inside My Head"
"When the World is Running Down"
"Don't Stand So Close"
"Driven to Tears"
"The Bed Is Too Big"
"Truth Hits Everybody"
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
"Wrapped Around Your Finger"
"De Do Do Do De Da Da Da"
"Invisible Sun"
"Walking In Your Footsteps"
"Can't Stand Losing You"
"Roxanne"
"King of Pain"
"So Lonely"
"Every Breath You Take"
"Next To You"

The Police at the Honda Center

The Police descended down the 5 freeway into the home of the Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks. Even though I am a long time Los Angeles Kings fan, I ventured into the Honda Center for another night of The Police. Signs were posted as I entered the venue that tonight's performance would be taped. I was hoping for a resurfacing of "Spirits In The Material World" but I was treated to the best of three Police shows yet.

Fiction Plane opened yet again. I have an equation I want you to solve. The Wallflowers are > or < Fiction Plane? Place your answer in the comment section.

I had a seat down on the floor 3 rows from the soundboard. It was the perfect spot in terms of acoustics and mix. I have attended shows at Honda Center in the past and find it to have better overall sound compared to the Staples Center. The crowd at the Honda Center was electric. A good majority of the crowd stood the entire night. "Message In A Bottle" got the crowd singing along and dancing in the aisles. "Syncronicity II" had a blazing guitar solo by Andy Summers who was on fire all night. I know Andy is legendary, but I felt tonight he earned his legendary status. I was close enough to see Sting and Andy smiling at each other throughout the night and having a good time. I would venture to say The Police have finally hit their stride. "Walking On The Moon" takes a different form live and the band jams out for a bit while walking around the stage to say "Hello" to the crowd. "Driven To Tears" had such a scorching solo from Andy that the crowd roared in approval. I saw Andy flash a huge smile afterwards that signified he was impressed himself. "Truth Hits Everybody" was spectacular with the best background vocals yet supplied by Andy and Stewart. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" was an extended version and had a massive crowd sing along that had Sting commenting that Orange County has the best singers. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" had Stewart tickling the xylophone keys on his side percussion kit. "Walking In Your Footsteps" had a moment with Andy and Sting interacting with each other that left Sting laughing before he went back into the song. "Can't Stand Losing You" had a blistering phaser outro provided by Andy again who was really enjoying himself onstage. I think The Police knew during this show that they were on fire. If they can pull off a repeat performance at Dodger Stadium and include "Spirits In The Material World" it would be incredible. Stay tuned for the report from Dodger Stadium.


The Police Setlist for The Honda Center (6/21/07)
"Message In A Bottle"
"Synchronicity II"
"Walking on the Moon"
"Voices Inside My Head"
"When the World is Running Down"
"Don't Stand So Close"
"Driven to Tears"
"The Bed Is Too Big"
"Truth Hits Everybody"
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
"Wrapped Around Your Finger"
"De Do Do Do De Da Da Da"
"Invisible Sun"
"Walking In Your Footsteps"
"Can't Stand Losing You"
"Roxanne"
"King of Pain"
"So Lonely"
"Every Breath You Take"
"Next To You"

The Police at the Staples Center

Stewart Copeland signing autographs at NAMM.

I was not slick enough to sneak my camera in, but that would change in Anaheim.

I have to admit I was a little shellshocked by seeing The Police in Las Vegas. I was looking forward to the Staples show because I could more objectively review the show.

Fiction Plane opened yet again. I would venture to say that about 15% of the Staples Center were actually in their seat when they appeared on stage at exactly 7:30. Joe Sumner (Bass,Vocals) did manage to mention that they were playing the Viper room in a few days. It still isn't sold out. I would expect a band that opens for The Police to be able to sell out at least The Wiltern. If you see them, they have one song that cops the intro from Blink-182 "What's My Age Again".

The intro music before The Police was impressive. It included Interpol, Cold War Kids, Arcade Fire, CSS, and The Killers. I think any of those bands could have opened. "Get Up, Stand Up" blared over the speakers and the crowd reacted in kind. I have to give the edge to the Vegas crowd in terms of energy and buzz. The Los Angeles crowd didn't seem too excited but they could have been shellshocked as well. Sting (Bass,Vocals) seemed to have more energy tonight and was walking around the stage a bit more as well as interacting with Andy Summers (Guitars) quite a bit. Andy was better tonight with his solos. The solo for "Voices Inside My Head" was more focused and didn't seem to meander as much compared to Vegas. "Truth Hits Everybody" included some splendid guitarwork from Andy and featured a capo on his second fret. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" hit a slight stumble as Sting's voice cracked in a few places. Sting recovered very nicely though and had no other blips during the show. "Invisible Sun" needs to be sped up. It is such a great song, but I wish they could increase the tempo just a bit. Stewart Copeland was his dynamic self. I feel that watching Stewart Copeland is worth the ticket price alone and I don't even drum. Sting did the obligatory introduction of the band by saying, "Stewart this is Andy" and "Andy this is Stewart". The band jumped out of the gate better tonight but I feel the crowd's lack of energy mared the performance. One of the funnier events of the night was my friend texted me during "Roxanne" saying they were going to sit down for this one. It is still a great song but I couldn't help but chuckle. "King Of Pain" was excellent and makes a nice transition in the setlist before they do an outstanding rendition of "So Lonely". I only hope that the Anaheim crowd would be more energetic.

The Police setlist for the Staples Center (6/20/07)
"Message In A Bottle"
"Synchronicity II"
"Walking on the Moon"
"Voices Inside My Head"
"Don't Stand So Close"
"Driven to Tears"
"The Bed Is Too Big"
"Truth Hits Everybody"
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
"Wrapped Around Your Finger"
"De Do Do Do De Da Da Da"
"Invisible Sun"
"Walking In Your Footsteps"
"Can't Stand Losing You"
"Roxanne"
"King of Pain"
"So Lonely"
"Every Breath You Take"
"Next To You"

The Horrors at the El Rey Theatre

This show was like watching a high speed car wreck. The Horrors crossed the pond again to descend upon the El Rey theatre for their brand of dirty surf garage punk rock. The Horrors are a polarizing band. You either get it or you don't. If you took a chance by going to the El Rey, you would have been impressed.



Suicide Club opened up the show with their stylings of My Chemical Romance influenced emo rock with a sprinkle of synths. I think they had 2 fans in the crowd. Even all the synth lines didn't grab my attention. It was like waiting at a stoplight before you get on the freeway.




Bloodcat Love was next and the show finally hit the freeway quickly dodging in and out of traffic. The last time I caught Bloodcat Love was during some of their first couple shows at Cinespace and opening for Jet at the House of Blues in Anaheim. Myles Hendrik (Vocals) is a dynamic performer shaking and shimming throughout the set backed by his dirty garage rock band that magically makes your foot tap without knowing it. The secret weapon for the band is Claudia Rossi (Drums) killing her drum set in the background. Myles worked the crowd and climbed the scaffolding of the El Rey to the crowds delight. They have a new EP coming out called "Only Dreamers Left Alive". If you like your rock dirty and sleazy with a knifefight sense of urgency check out Bloodcat Love.







The Horrors rocked Safari Sam's back in November of 2006 and you can check out the video of "Sheena Is A Parasite" in the archive show reviews to get a glimspe of the action. The buzz started to build as The Horrors were about to hit the stage. This is where the chaos of a car wreck comes in. With all the video cameras setup throughout the venue for a possible documentary, they captured a great show. They opened with a Joy Division cover "No Love Lost" that was just as haunting as the original. It didn't take long for the stage invaders to jump onstage and start the stage diving party. The pit in the front of the stage also grew larger with each fiery song performance. Their debut album "Strange House is good but nowhere near as visceral and raw as their live performance. Tomethy Furse (Bass) was tweaking a bunch of Moog Pedals for ambient effects during the show while Joshua Third (Guitars) was banging on his Fender Jaguar all night. Faris Badwan (Vocals) was pacing and prowling around the stage with multiple excursions out into the crowd and climbing the scaffolding of the venue. Faris did his best impression of Morrissey by accident when his shirt was ripped from his body out in the crowd. Spider Webb (Vox Organ) was stealing the show with his dark organ lines and spastic movements. It was interesting to note that David J (Bauhaus), Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle) and Danny Lohner(ex-Nine Inch Nails) were milling about the crowd showing their support. If you are still on the fence about The Horrors, I encourage you to wait till the DVD of this show is released.


The Horrors setlist for the El Rey Theatre(6/18/07)
"No Love Lost"
"Count In Fives"
"She Is The New Thing"
"Death At The Chapel"
"Jack The Ripper"
"Draw Japan"
"Sister Leonella"
"Crawdaddy Simone"
"Sheena Is A Parasite"
"Gloves"
"Happy Birthday"

Mezzanine Owls at Little Radio Summer Camp

I have mentioned before that I scorn my car radio in favor of my Ipod. Sometimes I am not as quick to hit play on my Ipod and I listen to the first few moments of Indie 103.1. A few days prior to my departure to Las Vegas I heard "Lightbulb" by The Mezzanine Owls on Indie 103.1 and was blown away. As luck would have it, The Mezzanine Owls were playing the Detroit Bar when I was in Vegas. My luck would change however when Little Radio announced that The Mezzanine Owls would play at Summer Camp on Sunday.

As tired as I was from Las Vegas, I would not miss The Mezzanine Owls. "Lightbulb" features some fantastic dreamy fuzz guitar work with counter melodys that stick in your head forever. They have been described as part Jesus & The Mary Chain and part Ride with a smidge of The Doves. I see them more as having the anthemic hooks of Coldplay in combination with early fuzzy Flaming Lips and Pavement circa "Wowee Zowee" era. Dan Horne (Bass) also attracted my attention with his thunderous bass riffs courtesy of a Gibson hollowbody bass just like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Darker My Love. Jack Burnside (Guitars/Vocals) was strumming away on his Fender Telecaster and crushing his Pro Co Rat Pedal at times along with tweaking his Deluxe Memory Man. Jack has a good vocal range and reminded me at times of Thom Yorke. Jonathan Zeitlin (Guitar/Keyboards) was the secret weapon of the band with his reverb drenched metal slide guitar work that added a twilight sparkle to the songs. Check out their album "Slingshot Echoes". It is worth it for "Lightbulb" alone.

The Police at the MGM Garden Arena

I was so far back I wouldn't have used my camera if I had it.

If you told me at the beginning of the year that I would see The Jesus & Mary Chain, Smashing Pumpkins and The Police in concert, I would have laughed. I still have hopes for Hum and Quicksand but I am not going to get greedy. It was surreal to walk into the MGM Garden Arena and see a merchandise booth stocked with The Police tour memorabilia.

"Hi!, We are Fiction Plane!" exclaimed Joe Sumner(Bass/Vocals). I wonder how much of the audience knows that Joe is Sting's son? I heard some unsavory comments from the crowd after they played their forty five minutes set. I could think of a thousand different bands that would have been better openers for the The Police, especially with the ticket prices as high as they are. I have to give Joe some credit as he tried to get the audience involved. While Joe did not inherit Sting's penchant for songwriting, Joe did a fairly good job with the basslines and did hit a few notes vocally that were in his father's range. My judgment could have been clouded by the fact that The Police would be onstage soon.

"Get Up, Stand Up" by Bob Marley blasted over the speakers as the lights dimmed. The buzz in the arena became palpable.The crowd obeyed and stood up out of their seats. "Message In A Bottle" was the first of many delights of the night. It was quickly followed by "Synchronicity II" featuring an extended Andy Summers solo with his "Who Killed Kenny?" South Park Guitar strap. "Spirits in the Material World" was divine as Stewart Copeland's arms looked like a blur behind his drum kit. "Walking On The Moon" had some nice tremolo work on the solo by Andy Summers. "Everything She Does Is Magic" was spectacular in watching Andy work his finger picking magic on his candy apple red Stratocaster running through some Mesa Boogie Cabinets. Andy seemed to have some technical problems since he called to his guitar tech a number of times during the set. I did notice though that he was not doing his own pedal switching. Sting was magnificent on the bass. Aspiring bassists should take notes on his economy of movement. Sting barely moved his right hand all night as he rested his fingers on the bridge of the bass while plucking along. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" had a slowed down intro and alternate percussion as Stewart Copeland was perched on a riser banging on a variety of cymbals and chimes. "Invisible Sun" was the song I really wanted to hear the most. It also not a coincidence that Hum used to cover this song live. Sting's voice sounded great during the song. "Roxanne" and "Every Breath You Take" were performed very close to the original recordings. I was not surprised when the whole arena lit up red during "Roxanne". I was amazed that a large portion of the crowd started to leave prior to the first encore. The show clocked in at two hours. It seemed like it was twenty minutes.

The Police setlist for the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas(6/15/07)
"Message in a Bottle"
"Synchronicity II"
"Don't Stand So Close"
"Voices Inside My Head"
"When the World is Running Down"
"Spirits in the Material World"
"Driven to Tears"
"Walking on the Moon"
"Truth Hits Everybody"
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
"Wrapped Around Your Finger"
"The Bed Is Too Big"
"De Do Do Do De Da Da Da"
"Invisible Sun"
"Walking In Your Footsteps"
"Can't Stand Losing You"
"Roxanne"
"King of Pain"
"So Lonely"
"Every Breath You Take"
"Next To You"

Bloc Party at the Pearl in Las Vegas

I don't think anyone would be surprised to find that I was back in Vegas for another "Vacation". It so happened that Bloc Party was playing the Pearl in Las Vegas. I already had tickets to the Police in Las Vegas for Friday and decided to extend my trip to catch Bloc Party earlier in the week on Wednesday.



 
The Maccabees hailing from Brighton rocked the Las Vegas crowd with a blast of British indie garage rock that had the urgency of early Bloc Party,  and Gang Of Four. I have attended quite a few Las Vegas shows in my time and was surprised how well they were received by crowd. Orlando Weeks (Vocals) was doing a good impersonation of Alan Donohue of the Rakes as he flailed his arms around stage and whilst spitting out his lyrics. Check out their debut album "Colour It In" on Geffen records.



 
The last time I caught up with The Noisettes they opened for TV on The Radio down at the Belly Up. They always put on a high energy show that will keep you entertained. Shingai Shoniwa (Vocals/Bass/Guitars) had a much larger stage to crawl, dance, and jump around. Dan White (Guitars) was busy riffing away while tap dancing on his assortment of pedals. I did notice he had his guitar signal split to perform some basslines at the same time. Some of the songs I recognized were "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Scratch Your Name". The crowd seemed to have approved of the set but not nearly as buzzworthy as the Maccabees set. 






Bloc Party's latest album "A Weekend In The City" continues to grow on me. When I last caught them at the Wiltern, they skipped my two favorite songs off the album "Atonement" and "Sunday". I was hoping I would at least get one of them this time around. One of the defining characteristics that stands out about Bloc Party is the different guitar sounds they create during their live performance. Unfortunately, the stage monitors obscured a direct picture of their pedalboards but I did manage to scope out some of Russell Lissack's pedals which included a Korg Kaoss Pad 3, Deluxe Memory Man, Big Muff Distortion pedal, Boss Line Selector, Boss Super Shifter,and an intriguing Pigtronix Envelope Phaser.  His complex pedal rig had some problems during the end of show that made for some interesting alternate performances of the songs. The band sounded great though especially through the Pearl's soundsystem. The previous two shows at the Pearl I never managed to get to the rail but on this particular night I was fairly close. The front of the stage at the Pearl has about six or seven speakers angled up for those people on the rail. I have never seen a venue do this before and was highly impressed. The opening notes of "Song for Clay (Disappear Here)" that included the background haunting chants from Gordon Moakes(Bass) and Matt Tong(Drums).  Kele Okereke(Vocals/Guitars) was alternating between his Fender Telecaster and a shiny Gretsch Tennessee Rose. Russell Lissack brought out his E-Bow for "Uniform" which got the crowd moving. After a moment of fixing Russell's pedals, the band came back out to perform "Sunday". Gordon traded in his bass for a drum kit as he complemented Matt Tong's tribal thumps. "Helicopter" was the final punctuation of the night that brought out the crowd surfers and the mini mosh pits.


Bloc Party Setlist for The Pearl in Las Vegas (6/13/07)