The Triumph of Tired Eyes

Whitehouse now and Whitehouse in NYC 1983

This is one of those nights that makes me just LOVE music and New York. This would be my first live experience of William Bennet’s Whitehouse. I heard that it was the 2nd time they were playing in the states in over 10 years. Thurston Moore opened up with 3 others on stage, all with their backs turned taunting their amps with their instruments. I was inches away from the speaker and it took a few songs for the sound to consume me. Just as I was getting into it, Thurston ends the 28 minute song. Oh well.

Soon Whitehouse would take the stage and I had NO IDEA what to expect. The lights went out and these 2 mysterious men took the stage with their suitcases. Thurston Moore was standing next to me awaiting for the onslaught that was to occur. Their machines came alive and they started abusing the lively crowd with their sermons. It was great to see so many people show up for a noise concert in the wee hours of the morning at a tiny club in the LES. The music was absolutely powerful and much better live than on disk. The sounds were so interesting and overwhelming. By the end of the show people were not singing but screaming along to the songs. It was an incredible show and I left the venue with my ears bleeding and they rang for the rest of the week. Words can’t describe the show, but here are some pictures.

Mountain Goats played a great sold out show at the Bowery Ballroom. The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers opened up and and they were quite good. They came back on for the Mountain Goats encore to give their songs an extra kick. Mountain Goats played a selection from all their albums but mainly from The Susnet Tree. I’ve seen John Darnielle quite a number of times now and this was by far the most solid show I’ve seen him play. Here are some pictures from the show.

OK, first off I was VERY VERY drunk for this show, (as I usually am for JV shows). But this time I was drunk by the time I showed up. Earlier in the day I hosted my annual Whiskey Ball game which involves wiffle ball and a whole lot of whiskey drinking. 😉

I only caught the last 2 songs from openers Portastaic, but I liked what I heard. A PBR later, John Vanderslice took the stage. He had some new band members with him for this latest Pixel Revolt tour (which unfortunately is not that good) and I was surprised he didn’t have his album producer with him. Regardless, the show was actually dead on. They played one song after the next with exactness and played a bit from each of their albums. They were much tighter live this time around but I hope his next album mathches his live show. When I wasn’t screaming out requests I took some photos. He did play my favorite song “Keep the Dream Alive” for my birthday. 🙂

Yes yes, the hype around this band is so crazy. During CMJ they were dubbed “The Next Arcade Fire”, so it’s no surprise that I came to this show very apprehensive. Although they played several songs from Apologies to the Queen Mary, they played a bunch of brand new songs that were actually good. The crowd was alive and roudy and although the band seemed a bit nervous, they played a killer show. The pulled off the rich blend of sounds live and I loved the songs performed live. I was very impressed and they deserve all the hype. One of the best live shows of 2005. Photos from the show. Can’t wait for what’s to come from this band.

After many failed attempts, I finally got to see Big Bear live. Didn’t know what to expect from this Boston band but by the end, I was converted. Despite their tepid appearance, they exploded with an avalanche of noise. Blasting beats, screaming vocals, cracking tambourines. They were intense. People ask me what they sound like and it’s hard to say. They just ROCK!

Oneida finally took the stage after a very long break. The show was quite erratic with some dull points and good highlights. They played a few songs from their latest one, The Wedding and nailed the song “Did I Die”. However, their show lacked energy and didn’t even play an encore, but then again, no one really wanted one anyway. Some photos here.