(no subject)
Kitten update!!
The kitten's doing good. The maggot sac burst or something, so they're all gone, and now the wound is closing up nicely. Todd's Mom is most likely going to take the kitten, too! That makes me happy.
You know what else makes me happy?
Kuyahoga Falls festival was our place of dealing for the evening. We got there around 5:00, an hour late, but that was no problem. I missed Murder by Death, who was the only other band I was there to see, but it would've been a short outdoors set, losing that enclosed, dark, atmospheric feel that makes their show so sweet. The Blossom is a neat place, your usual ampitheatre built at the base of the hill, and there were two other stages floating around with bands playing there.
It was overcast and off-and-on rainy, but that was good given the fucking humidity of the place. Added sunshine would've just killed me. We got there and started poking around for bathrooms and so forth, and then as we headed back in the direction of the pavilion Sonic Youth began to play! So we went in and checked them out.
Sonic Youth - For being in their late forties they still rock pretty hard. It was definitely another instance where I really liked their show, but I'm really going to appreciate it more as I listen to more Sonic Youth, 'cause I thought their tunes were really badass. Everyone looked to be pretty into the music, and it got everyone pretty pumped. They had a few moments of crazy long feedback and sonic ear-rape, which were pretty interesting to watch and hear. I can't really comment more, or provide much of a setlist, 'cause I'm not more familiar with their music.
Afterwards, we went and wandered around, eventually stopping at the Secret Machines set for a few songs. They were pretty neat live, sounding like this spacey kind of indie rock. We left after a few songs to go see Death Cab For Cutie
Death Cab For Cutie - Oh man, I was honestly sort of expecting a modest sort of show but these guys fucking rocked out. Their songs are a lot more energetic live, and they translate very well to the stage. The lights were pretty awesome, synchronized very well with the music and agreeing very much with the mood. The guys themselves are excellent performers, getting very involved with the crowd and the music. Ben Gibbard was also very neat to see live. You could hear every teenage girl creaming their pants for him, which I'm sure they've been doing ever since the OC decided to become pop-culture's source of independent music. Despite that, he took it in stride and didn't act like a big rock star. In fact, he only spoke a few times to the crowd, preferring to just play his music. Maybe the fame just made him more meek? I'm not sure. They played mostly stuff from Plans and Transatlanticism, with a few older ones. They also played a cover of R.E.M.'s "Cuyahoga", bringing out Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd from the Flaming Lips to help out. They didn't play "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" nor "Transatlanticism" ... both of those were sort of noticeable omissions to me. It didn't bring down the show, though. It was one of the sweetest shows I have seen.
Setlist: (not in order, missing one or two songs)
Marching Bands in Manhatten
The New Year
We Live Indoors
Soul Meets Body
Title and Registration
Company Calls
Photobooth
A Movie Script Ending
Cuyahoga (REM cover with Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips)
What Sarah Said
Expo '86
Different Names For The Same Thing
Amputations
We Looked Like Giants
The Sound of Settling
After that, we did some more wandering, and listened in on a distance from She Wants Revenge, who sounds like an orgy of every post-punk and darker synth-pop group from the 80s that you could imagine. Every one. It was cool but in that throw back sort of way. We decided to go and wait for the Flaming Lips, who were out helping set their crew set up, which is always a good sign. They had a big screen set up behind them, and their equipment was all very bright and orange. All more good signs. Then, the lights went off, and the stage became mobbed with - I shit you not - alien women and Santa Clauses, with Superman and Captain America roaming about. Then the intro swelled, and the screen displayed some philosophical text, imploring us to have an 'epic experience'.
The Flaming Lips - I have to be honest. The minute the lights shined, and the opening drum fills of "Race For The Prize" began, tears welled in my eyes because it was one of the greatest moments of my life. I don't know particularly why, but it was. I don't care what music you like, who you are, your income bracket, where you live, or anything. I'm begging everyone, see the Flaming Lips at least once before you die. There was nothing so fun, energizing, or wonderful as that show. The lights, the music, the entire crowd being swept up, just made this a fucking trip and a half. It was like a giant happy party with balloons flying everywhere, lights, streamers, and the sweetest music ever.
The music was top-notch, and Wayne Coyne is the best frontman I have ever seen. Hands down. Bar none. He spoke right to the people at Kuyahoga Falls, not the same crowd he sees every single night. Also, he had one of those mic-camera dealies, so when he spoke, everyone could see him, everyone. It was totally cool. The crowd was very receptive (although at one point Wayne told us to forget about our invisible gods and just focus on the here and the now, and I saw a very significant amount of people seeming a little confused at that) and many who weren't even there for them became converted. It was hard not to, the experience - and it was an experience - felt so unreal and amazing that it would've taken the hardest shell out there to withstand it.
Music-wise, they stuck to the more recent stuff, mostly the recent two albums. They did play "Race For The Prize" and "She Don't Use Jelly" though, although the lack of Soft Bulletin stuff aside from "Prize" was a little odd, to me seeing as it was their big breakthrough but shit, I'm not complaining. It's obvious that they loved the music they were playing, and they weren't going to play to the hipster "Soft Bulletin or nothing" crowd. Which I could get behind. The show, while about an hour and twenty minutes, seemed woefully short. However, they did go out with a bang by covering fucking "WAR PIGS" by BLACK SABBATH. What. The. Hell. It was damn sweet but it was also extremely unexpected. But awesome. I can only hope I can see a show so transcendently awesome again.
Setlist:
Intro (Ta Da)
Race For the Prize
Free Radicals
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Part I)
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Part II)
Vein of Stars
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song
The W.A.N.D
My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion
She Don't Use Jelly
Do You Realize??
Encore:War Pigs
The kitten's doing good. The maggot sac burst or something, so they're all gone, and now the wound is closing up nicely. Todd's Mom is most likely going to take the kitten, too! That makes me happy.
You know what else makes me happy?
Kuyahoga Falls festival was our place of dealing for the evening. We got there around 5:00, an hour late, but that was no problem. I missed Murder by Death, who was the only other band I was there to see, but it would've been a short outdoors set, losing that enclosed, dark, atmospheric feel that makes their show so sweet. The Blossom is a neat place, your usual ampitheatre built at the base of the hill, and there were two other stages floating around with bands playing there.
It was overcast and off-and-on rainy, but that was good given the fucking humidity of the place. Added sunshine would've just killed me. We got there and started poking around for bathrooms and so forth, and then as we headed back in the direction of the pavilion Sonic Youth began to play! So we went in and checked them out.
Sonic Youth - For being in their late forties they still rock pretty hard. It was definitely another instance where I really liked their show, but I'm really going to appreciate it more as I listen to more Sonic Youth, 'cause I thought their tunes were really badass. Everyone looked to be pretty into the music, and it got everyone pretty pumped. They had a few moments of crazy long feedback and sonic ear-rape, which were pretty interesting to watch and hear. I can't really comment more, or provide much of a setlist, 'cause I'm not more familiar with their music.
Afterwards, we went and wandered around, eventually stopping at the Secret Machines set for a few songs. They were pretty neat live, sounding like this spacey kind of indie rock. We left after a few songs to go see Death Cab For Cutie
Death Cab For Cutie - Oh man, I was honestly sort of expecting a modest sort of show but these guys fucking rocked out. Their songs are a lot more energetic live, and they translate very well to the stage. The lights were pretty awesome, synchronized very well with the music and agreeing very much with the mood. The guys themselves are excellent performers, getting very involved with the crowd and the music. Ben Gibbard was also very neat to see live. You could hear every teenage girl creaming their pants for him, which I'm sure they've been doing ever since the OC decided to become pop-culture's source of independent music. Despite that, he took it in stride and didn't act like a big rock star. In fact, he only spoke a few times to the crowd, preferring to just play his music. Maybe the fame just made him more meek? I'm not sure. They played mostly stuff from Plans and Transatlanticism, with a few older ones. They also played a cover of R.E.M.'s "Cuyahoga", bringing out Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd from the Flaming Lips to help out. They didn't play "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" nor "Transatlanticism" ... both of those were sort of noticeable omissions to me. It didn't bring down the show, though. It was one of the sweetest shows I have seen.
Setlist: (not in order, missing one or two songs)
Marching Bands in Manhatten
The New Year
We Live Indoors
Soul Meets Body
Title and Registration
Company Calls
Photobooth
A Movie Script Ending
Cuyahoga (REM cover with Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips)
What Sarah Said
Expo '86
Different Names For The Same Thing
Amputations
We Looked Like Giants
The Sound of Settling
After that, we did some more wandering, and listened in on a distance from She Wants Revenge, who sounds like an orgy of every post-punk and darker synth-pop group from the 80s that you could imagine. Every one. It was cool but in that throw back sort of way. We decided to go and wait for the Flaming Lips, who were out helping set their crew set up, which is always a good sign. They had a big screen set up behind them, and their equipment was all very bright and orange. All more good signs. Then, the lights went off, and the stage became mobbed with - I shit you not - alien women and Santa Clauses, with Superman and Captain America roaming about. Then the intro swelled, and the screen displayed some philosophical text, imploring us to have an 'epic experience'.
The Flaming Lips - I have to be honest. The minute the lights shined, and the opening drum fills of "Race For The Prize" began, tears welled in my eyes because it was one of the greatest moments of my life. I don't know particularly why, but it was. I don't care what music you like, who you are, your income bracket, where you live, or anything. I'm begging everyone, see the Flaming Lips at least once before you die. There was nothing so fun, energizing, or wonderful as that show. The lights, the music, the entire crowd being swept up, just made this a fucking trip and a half. It was like a giant happy party with balloons flying everywhere, lights, streamers, and the sweetest music ever.
The music was top-notch, and Wayne Coyne is the best frontman I have ever seen. Hands down. Bar none. He spoke right to the people at Kuyahoga Falls, not the same crowd he sees every single night. Also, he had one of those mic-camera dealies, so when he spoke, everyone could see him, everyone. It was totally cool. The crowd was very receptive (although at one point Wayne told us to forget about our invisible gods and just focus on the here and the now, and I saw a very significant amount of people seeming a little confused at that) and many who weren't even there for them became converted. It was hard not to, the experience - and it was an experience - felt so unreal and amazing that it would've taken the hardest shell out there to withstand it.
Music-wise, they stuck to the more recent stuff, mostly the recent two albums. They did play "Race For The Prize" and "She Don't Use Jelly" though, although the lack of Soft Bulletin stuff aside from "Prize" was a little odd, to me seeing as it was their big breakthrough but shit, I'm not complaining. It's obvious that they loved the music they were playing, and they weren't going to play to the hipster "Soft Bulletin or nothing" crowd. Which I could get behind. The show, while about an hour and twenty minutes, seemed woefully short. However, they did go out with a bang by covering fucking "WAR PIGS" by BLACK SABBATH. What. The. Hell. It was damn sweet but it was also extremely unexpected. But awesome. I can only hope I can see a show so transcendently awesome again.
Setlist:
Intro (Ta Da)
Race For the Prize
Free Radicals
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Part I)
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Part II)
Vein of Stars
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song
The W.A.N.D
My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion
She Don't Use Jelly
Do You Realize??
Encore:War Pigs