Hans is a Belgian old-school blues singer MandolinWoman 2004has long been familiar with, he’s got the smoky deep deep voice that trills you, Cindy is an accomplished Austin musician-she played lap steel guitar like a pro, they had great connection and interplay on the stage despite a near nonexistent history together, I really liked this show though it was pretty straightforward blues (is he allowed to do that?) but I like psb

very excited to see them (unable to at SXSW due to lines) because compared to The Stone Roses, more similar to last two bands than Stone Roses but no complaints because all three were high quality and satisfying-complex and depthy, decided the band was distinct in their sense of pacing-just wonderful pauses and draws and beat-keeping-but the lead vocalist was a big drawback as he’d fall into that scream-voice that emo bands have adopted from hardcore: the whine scream

more rocking than Midlake, three guys, honestly can’t remember them but I know they were satisfyingly complex, energetic, oh! They totally reminded me of some band at certain times-Dead Kennedys, The Cure-I couldn’t place the voice and then they’d change up and maybe this all says something for them

saw them with IndieBoy at The Parish and we spent so much time mocking their art student film that we disliked them, I quite liked them, fully recognized the first song and then somewhat others, dreamy floating and complex, really disliked the organ keyboard-think that was the childish element that annoyed before

Blue October is a band that thinks very highly of themselves. They list all of their shows on their website as headlining dates, with a notation on the page that another act is playing on the same night at that venue. But for all that, it was an impressive opening act. The lead singer, Justin Furstenfeld, keeps himself coked on Red Bull and although I’m fairly convinced that his stage act is practiced and polished, he still came off like he was on speed, rhythmically molested by the music of his bandmates. He was backed by a violin, drums, a lead guitar and bass player.

The music is a little Faith No More and a little Metallica. It was very good. It’s always odd to me that singers who can really carry a tune and have beautiful voices then proceed to spend time on stage screaming into the mic or whispering (to be fair to Justin Furstenfeld, Johnette Napolitano is no different). He used his range effectively, but I still would have preferred more singing…into the mic. I was curious to hear what their studio tracks sound like, but they had packed up and gone home by the time I walked by the merchandise stand. So I previewed some of their tunes online and my initial impression is their music is overproduced.

07.24.2004 Concrete Blonde Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
Opener: Blue October
The members of Concrete Blonde in their old age are unpretentious as I have seen in a band. Jim Mankey showed up onstage before the set to help the road crew work out a few technical problems. Their stage is minimalist, just a elevated deck for the drum kit, two microphones and three guitars (the acoustic guitar was never touched.) They descended down the stairs for the start of their show and dug in to “Real Thing.” Their newest album, Mojave, sparked a ten date tour around the U.S., playing to small venues in big cities, the kind of venues that hide out in Chinatowns and on choked downtown roads where the homeless and college students alike beg for money on the street. This is the dirt under the fingernails inspiration for a lot of their music, whether the setting is Los Angeles, Mexico or the Mojave desert. The new album isn’t spectacular, it’s languid, lacking in radio-friendly melodies and is carried almost entirely by Johnette Napolitano’s vocal charms, which are considerable. Not lazy then, just unconcerned.

Their live act has gone the same way. They opened the show with the non-album track “Real Thing” which is only available on I-tunes or on a limited edition single that was being sold at the concerts. The merchandise, however, sold out before they made it to Philadelphia, so no shirts, no limited edition single, no little piece of Concrete Blonde to take home with you. Most bands make a large portion of the hard working dollars from their merchandise sales. With six more U.S. dates to go, I can only guess Concrete Blonde doesn’t rely heavily on t-shirt sales.

Almost every song during the night was preceded by a band conference at the drum kit. Surprisingly, it only resulted in three set changes. “Ghost Riders In the Sky” was pushed up in the set order because Johnette got into a long diatribe about the album inspiration and how people in general are choking the life out of nature. Which is what the song was about. “Mexican Moon” was nixed from the setlist because Johnette was apparently done playing lead guitar and wanted her bass back. “Caroline” was replaced by “Joey” to close the show because a fan somehow got Johnette’s attention long enough to have a four minute conversation about organic farming and she let him pick the last song.

On the whole, Johnette and Jim Mankey, who have been the core of the band since the beginning, are in great shape. Physically and musically. Her voice is still scorching and his licks burn down the house. But somewhere since the last tour, they either forgot or ditched the melodies to their popular songs. “Heal It Up” was completely unrecognizable until the song was over, and on the fade out, I could hear a hint of the song’s original melody. After a completely reworked instrumental introduction to “Joey” she apologized for the band saying they hadn’t performed it in a while and were going to start over and play it closer to the original. Then they proceeded to play “Joey” just like it had sounded a minute earlier. “Take Me Home,” one of my favorite studio cuts, actually benefitted from this melodic amnesia and lost that discordant twang during the chorus.

I know I use the term “scorching” too much, and probably “blistering” needs to be 86′d, but there is simply no other way to describe when Johnette picked up the lead guitar on the song “Because I Can” and tore through the song. She usually sticks to her bass and let’s Jim Mankey handle all the artistic guitar parts, but this one time, I’m glad they switched it up. “Ghost Riders” was mezmerizing, even though a fracas in the audience caught Johnette’s attention to the point that she motioned to the two people to separate, all the while without missing a note. I can tell you, as the person standing immediately to the right, that a gentlemen came with two ladies, all completely bombed before the show even started. When the two gals went for a beer run, without providing for him, he tried to grab their beers from their hands and they tried to fend him off. He disappeared from the audience shortly thereafter, although I never saw security escort him out, so maybe he left on his own legs.

Setlist
Real Thing
God Is A Bullet
Ghost Riders In The Sky
Tornado At Rest
True To This
Heal It Up
Scene of A Perfect Crime
Because I Can
Take Me Home
When I Was a Fool
Days And Days
Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)
Everybody Knows
Encore
100 Games of Solitaire
Joey

had zero fond memories of them but a fun little band, so Cracker, can’t deny their variety, can’t deny the corruptible cuteness of the lead singer, those who like them love them, hated the crowd though, “whatever” I say-quality pop alt country band in basic

pill bottles on tables to be used as shakers, self-diagnosing name tag stickers to pick from, sweet and clear sound, unabashedly corny, obvious politics, blah old-school political lesbian act, saccarhine sweet to top it off

Susan wrote Wide Open Spaces for the Dixie Chicks, young-looking middle-aged long-haired gruff blonde, liked Shelly King who left early the best, obnoxious boy accompanying and dominating-standard sensitive singer/songwriter fluff, discovered that MandolinWoman calls s/s “folk,” discovered that I love Americana/country/whatever to the extent that it is driving music, I like the peoples’ chords too, thus there was Tom Petty, I am aware this is despicable

On Sunday night, Ben Folds took the stage as the headlining act. He seemed equally comfortable playing to the house as the headliner as he had been Thursday night as the opener. He was a no-show for a duet with Rufus Wainwright earlier in the evening, and played piano accompaniment on two songs with Guster as a warm up to his own hour long set. His mood was less reserved tonight. He pounded the keys as if channeling his boundless energy in a perpetual state of merciless catharsis, on songs like “There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You” from his last ep “sunny 16.” Even though he seemed more disconnected overall, his performance was the better for it. The pacing was less mired in balladry and the songs sounded like the angry bitter rock anthems they are.

Our seats were away from the speakers tonight, and Rufus Wainwright benefited the most. His vocal stylings were gorgeous and the words were easier to understand. He still filled his hour with aimless comments, dedicating “Pretty Things” to Boston architecture, and introducing “Beauty Mark” as an ode to mother, by telling a story about how his SAT scores weren’t good enough to get into Columbia University. He still made comments about his hair after noticing his image on the projection screen, and this time you knew he wasn’t kidding.

His strongest moments were songs that had failed him the other night. Here “Vibrate” was poignant and backed by Guster “One Man Guy” was soaring homage to his father. He made peace with his guitar and played a gorgeous version of “Want” and a glorious rendition of “California.” He found his stride playing the songs the crowd knew best (two of three strongest responses were his soundtrack contributions.) The best moment? “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” was a theatrical masterpiece.

Rufus Wainwright Setlist
Agnus Dei
Grey Gardens
Complainte De La Butte
11:11
California
One Man Guy (with Guster)
April Fools (with Guster)
Pretty Things
Beauty Mark
Want
Gay Messiah
Vibrate
Hallelujah
Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk
Dinner at Eight

07.11.2004 Guster FleetBoston Pavilion, Boston, MA
Opener: Rufus Wainwright
Ben Folds
I met Adam Gardner and Ryan Miller of Guster at the Hard Rock Hotel during their tour with John Mayer. They had nothing good to say about John Mayer, but it was a lively conversation otherwise, interrupted by the occasional fan who thinks Adam is so dreamy. Although I knew I was talking to the band at the time, I didn’t know anything about Guster. My friend had offered me tickets to see the show that night and I had turned around and given my ticket to someone else because I assumed, correctly I might add, that John Mayer would be painful to sit through.

Guster changed up their set with appreciable results. First, the setlist was reworked almost in its entirety. Gone was a duet with Rufus Wainwright (although the song itself still put in its appearance.) Gone was any semblance of banjo country jam. The horn section put in two appearances on the night, including a simply stunning, explosive version of “Fa Fa” that creamed Thursday’s version into mulch. They opened with my personal favorite (always a good way to start the show) “What You Wish For” with a throbbing percussion that didn’t let up until they disappeared off the stage. The energy pouring off stage was electrifying, peaking during a deafening take on “Airport Song” and later again during “Amsterdam” thanks to their howling harmonies. Thus, the encore was a poor showing with Ben Folds on piano covering Belle and Sebastian’s “Boy With the Arab Strap” (never needed to happen) and closing their set with another circus-remix of “All the Way Up to Heaven.”

Guster Setlist
What You Wish For
Ramona
Airport Song
Happier
Red Oyster Cult
So Long
Barrel of A Gun
Come Downstairs And Say Hello
Demons
Amsterdam
Fa Fa
Encore
Boy With The Arab Strap (with Ben Folds)
All The Way Up To Heaven (with Ben Folds)

Rufus Wainwright, for the uninitiated, is a gay icon whose idea of rock music sounds a lot more like Stephen Sondheim than Steven Tyler. It will be interesting to see if I can get into it.

Rufus Wainwright did the tormented lounge singer act better than Ben Folds, and added more than a hint of prima donna. He made direct references to his good looks and charm more than once, and generously sprinkled around comments about his family, his politics, and himself throughout an engaging set. On this tour, he is the odd man out (pun intended, I guess) and seemed unbothered or didn’t notice that most of the audience went to go find beer. Introducing “Complainte De La Butte,” he explained that the song was in French and he was singing it tonight because “we’re both a little sexy.” It’s hard to tell if he’s kidding or if he really believes it. Probably a little bit of both.

His best moments were solo at the piano, as in during “Hallelujah” and “Danny Boy.” The ode to his mother, “Beauty Mark” was short and sweet. When he left the piano, he ditched one his best assets (assuming that either his voice or his looks might make the list). His full band version with Guster of his father’s “One Man Guy” was okay but not thrilling. He faltered during his early solo guitar pieces, promoting his new album Want One with a not-so exciting song “11:11.” His best guitar moment was near the end of his set, a rousing version of “Gay Messiah” from his forthcoming new album, the sequel Want Two. His best decision was to get back on the piano to close the show.

Ben Folds came back on stage for the encore, an extended version of “All the Way Up To Heaven” that slipped comfortably into Brian Rosenworcel taking lead vocals on a cover of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” The joke is, Brian can’t really sing, but he did a credible job and the crowd loved it.

Ben Folds turned in a decent performance the last time he opened a show at the FleetPavilion. He commanded the stage, had witty banter, pounded the piano and kept the show moving at a brisk pace. Then tonight, without any fanfare, he launches into three consecutive ballads behind the piano. His fans, and the crowd was full of them, were supportive, downright rowdy considering the subdued set. Everyone else was bored. No witty banter tonight, he introduced songs but those snippets could be described as neither “witty” nor “banter.” His best moments were harmonizing with Rufus Wainwright on “Careless Whisper” (a Wham! cover) and an extended drum duel with Brian Rosenworcel on “Steven’s Last Night in Town.” Still don’t like his music, and I’ve seen the audience participatory harmonies one time too many to find it enduring.

07.08.2004 Guster FleetBoston Pavilion, Boston, MA
Opener: Rufus Wainwright
Ben Folds

Credit Guster and company for putting together this short tour and deftly blending some varied musical tastes. On the face of it, the only thing uniting Guster with Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds is the college rock scene. But the lack of pretension among the musicians, and the respect for each other’s styles, made it work. Each band was given equal time on stage, and they traded off headlining duties from show to show. On the first of two nights in Boston, Guster showed up as the headliner, but put in two early appearances, the first to jam with Ben Folds on a unspectacular version of “Fair” that seemed more of a soundcheck than the real thing. Then to cover “One Man Guy” and “April Fools” with Rufus Wainwright. When they finally launched into their main set, the sun had set, the temperature had cooled, and the college crowd was bombed.

Guster did their usual thing, playing with Brian Rosenworcel’s percussive force of nature behind three guitars and out of control harmonies. Both the acoustic guitar and the slide guitar got full workouts during the set, giving a few songs a country-twang feel, and slipping into a disco-esque twilight at the end of a few others. “Homecoming King” was the best, a hometown favorite, and their harmonies sounded better on this song than any other. They busted out an agreeable version of “Two at a Time” and were joined on “Come Downstairs and Say Hello” by Rufus Wainwright (hands down the best collaboration of the night, even though it definitely had not been rehearsed.)

Given that this particular line-up will probably never tour again, the musicians gets some props just for showing up. The collaborative endeavors throughout the night were not stunning, but just to see these guys on stage for a few minutes together made the night exceptional.

Guster Setlist
Demons
Amsterdam
Happier
Careful
Airport Song
Barrel of a Gun
Two at a Time
Homecoming King
Either Way
Come Downstairs and Say Hello (with Rufus Wainwright)
I Spy
Fa Fa
Encore
All the Way Up to Heaven (with Ben Folds)
Bridge Over Troubled Water (with Ben Folds)