Editors
The Editors were a bright spot at Street Scene in 2006 and retain that distinction in 2007. I was disappointed that they had a mini twenty five minute slot on the main stage and would have preferred them on a smaller stage but with a longer set time. The other conflict was that The Album Leaf were playing the same time on another stage. Tom Smith (Vocals/Guitar) was full of energy as he emphatically cut into the slicing riff of "Bullets". Chris Urbanowicz (Guitars) was tremelo picking away on his black Rickenbacker guitar laying the down the contrast to the baritone vocals from Tom. Russell Leetch was plowing away on his black Rickenbacker bass keeping all the band members locked in. Tom snuck behind his piano as he tapped out the opening chords to "The Racing Rats". "Munich" was received very well and many of the audience members clapped in time. "Smokers Outside Hospital Doors" is one of favorite songs off their latest release "An End Has A Start" and was perfect as Chris nailed all the tremolo picking parts of the song. The band alternated old song with new song as they exceeded their twenty five minute limit by five minutes by sneaking in "Fingers In The Factories" to close out their set. I was relieved that I had tickets to see them the next night at the Wiltern.
The Editors Setlist for the Coors Amphitheatre at San Diego Street Scene (9/23/07)
"Bullets"
"An End Has A Start"
"Blood"
"The Racing Rats"
"Munich"
"Smokers Outside Hospital Doors"
"Fingers In The Factories"
The Album Leaf
After the closing of the Editors set, I ran over to the other stage to see San Diego's The Album Leaf. I have enjoyed The Album Leaf ever since they opened for Sigur Ros many years ago. I even went to Arizona to see Sigur Ros and The Album Leaf for a weekend followed by Sevendust the next night at Nita's Hideaway in 2003. Jimmy Lavalle (Keyboards/Vocals) has an elaborate keyboard setup that involves a Moog Voyager and a vintage Fender Rhodes electric piano with a MicroKorg on top. I missed most of their set but did get to hear "On Your Way" from their album "In A Safe Place". "Wherever I Go"off their latest album "Into The Blue Again" sounded excellent with Drew Andrews (Guitars) weaving hypnotic guitar lines against the backdrop of the violin and keyboards. It reminded me that I need to see them in a small club with the visuals.
Louis XIV
Just a few months ago, I saw Louis XIV at the OC fair opening for She Wants Revenge. The sound was mixed a lot better this time at the Coors Amphitheatre and they played a solid set. They had augmented their line up with a violin player who also played some additional keyboards. Louis XIV just released a new digital EP entitled "The Distances From Everyone To You" which has a cover of Flash Gordon's theme on it. Jason Hill (Vocals/Guitars) seemed excited to play a hometown show and was stomping across the stage. They played an assortment of songs including "There's A Traitor In The Room", "Finding Out True Love Is Blind", "Paper Doll", and "Pledge of Allegiance".
Arctic Monkeys
I was disappointed that Air was slotted against the Arctic Monkeys but opted for the supercharged angular brit pop rock of the Arctic Monkeys. After seeing their set, I remembered how good their show at the Troubadour was. The Arctic Monkeys wasted no time getting the audience moving after playing a new instrumental song by roaring into "This House Is A Circus". I am still amazed how well Alex Turner (Vocals/Guitars) can deliver his rapid fire vocals and pound away on his guitar. Jamie Cook (Guitars) was adding the other knife like guitar stabs with Gibson hollowbody and backing Hiwatt amplifiers. Alex Turner was playing his Fender guitar and had a Bad Cat amplifier. There was a little too much reverb on Alex's voice but the band was really tight and the fans in the pit were bouncing around. The crowd reacted especially strong to the double shot of "Fake Tales Of San Francisco" and "I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor". The reverb laden chords of "Do Me A Favour" were even dreamier compared to the recorded version of the song and Matt Helders (Drums) were the driving force behind the song. The Arctic Monkeys played a new song "Nettles" that featured a few tempo changes and a fuzzy lead guitar riff. They closed their set with "If You Were There, Beware" but hinted they would be back in 2008.
Arctic Monkeys Setlist for the Coors Amphitheatre at San Diego Street Scene (9/23/07)
"Wagon On the Way To Stripey Tent"
"This House Is A Circus"
"Brianstorm"
"Still Take You Home"
"Dancing Shoes"
"From Ritz to The Rubble"
"Fake Tales Of San Francisco"
"I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor"
"When The Sun Goes Down"
"Teddypicker"
"Do Me A Favour"
"Nettles"
"The View From The Afternoon"
"If You Were There, Beware"
The Killers
The Killers are back on tour after taking a mini break from their large arena tour of the States in support of "Sam's Town". They will be releasing a new B-sides album entitled "Sawdust" which features their cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" that ruled when I saw them at Staples Center . A gigantic screen was hoisted across the stage that showed a cartoon of Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam prior to explosion of confetti and the soaring into "Sam's Town". Brandon Flowers(Vocals/Synths) was all over the stage and on top of his piano at various points of the evening. He has effectively hidden his keyboards with a slew of antlers on his keyboard stand but last time I checked he was still playing his Nord Lead 2 and MicroKorg. They ran through the first three tracks of "Sam's Town" and showed no signs of rust. The opening synth pads of "Bones" rang throughout the amphitheatre and sounded epic. The shrill of the screams from the females in the audience signified that they approved of the selection of "Somebody Told Me" next on the setlist. "Smile Like You Mean It" is one of my favorite tracks from Hot Fuss and I can duplicate the sythn lines on my Korg Legacy collection Polysix strings preset. It was amazing to hear the crowd roar during the synth breakdown of "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine". Never underestimate the power of synthesizers. The opening swell of the keyboards to "Read My Mind" led to a crowd clap along. Brandon ended "My List" with a little segway into Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". The crowd had to participate again for the uplifting closer "All These Things I've Done".
The Killers Setlist for the Coors Amphitheatre at San Diego Street Scene (9/23/07)
"Sam's Town"
"Enterlude"
"When You Were Young"
"Bones"
"Somebody Told Me"
"Smile Like You Mean It"
"Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine"
"Uncle Jonny"
"This River Is Wild"
"Read My Mind"
"Mr. Brightside"
"My List"
"For Reasons Unknown"
"All These Things I've Done"
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