this band exudes exactly the sort of smirking depravity and darkness that I like, the MySpace monologue that describes his upbringing and disposition simultaneously makes me roll my eyes and delights me, lots of homoeroticism, did I also mention that they were produced by Jay Reatard – the fourth musician out of all musicians from all times that I would marry without question, I was very disappointed that I missed both of their SXSW shows this spring, I was mildly disappointed that he turned out to be a curly-headed very cute clean child of age 23 tops which explains the shallowness of some of his lyrics but I prefer to believe it all masks glorious depths, he was accompanied by a keyboard wizard and a depraved-in-the-tacky-and-icky-way drummer, their best stuff in my opinion is the raging synth-punk heavy on the ominous organs, some of the recorded songs I\”ve heard are reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails but generally they\”re in line with a whole school of current bands like Lost Sounds, The Vanishing, and Destruction Unit, there was good variety in the songs and singing style – some less-synthy punk songs for example, lastly he voiced a desire to be picked up by a label so he could live in Hollywood which confirmed again an unattractive value system or a charming lack of indie-pretension

good musicians with a shoegaze vibe, the shaggy haired guy’s voice just bored me to tears and annoyed me a little – made me think of slightly psychedelic-whining indie pop bands from the 90s whom I never liked THEN the guy with the 70s moustache sang and the band was transformed into a jangly 60s pop band with Marc Bolan from T Rex fronting and everybody was set to dancing – his high-pitched keen has some serious sort of magic

very atypical for Austin, this band is a vehicle for girls with pretty voices, ballads and ditties as if they were little girls playing around at home, I liked them, the two harmonizers and the lead vocalist all look alike, we were actually there as stalkers of one of the backup harmonizers (PartyBoy’s ex) although PartyBoy denies that he happens to show up at every single Dana Falconberry show

no, local band, insipid indie pop, maybe I\”m being harsh but that was my initial and enduring feeling

rock-jazz, very good, upright bass – trumpet – sax – guitar – drums – they had it all plus a female drummer, anti-pop but not abrasive, diverse songs and sounds, the type of band whose album wouldn\”t get boring since there\”s a lot to pay attention to

Maroon 5 played practically their entire second album in a short, 75 minute set headlining at Comcast Center. A few songs from their first album found their way as well including the main set closer She Will Be Loved and their very last song, Sweetest Goodbye. They are one of those bands that you don’t realize how many songs you know until you see them live and recognize just about everything they play.

It was gloriously campy for a rock band. Adam Levine scorched the stage but then pranced back and forth like Oberon and spent a lot of time shaking his money maker for the crowd. Mickey Madden was wearing a dress. James Valentine looked like he just rolled out of bed and Jesse Carmichael looked like he was going to the prom. Of course, the crowd loved it. The songs stayed faithful to their studio versions, except for a slightly more mournful Won’t Go Home Without You. From If I Never See Your Face Again (alas without Rihanna’s vocals) to Wake Up Call , the audience was crazed for every song. You would think it was a crowd of 13-year-old girls instead of middle-aged housewives dragging along their husbands. The Sun, Harder to Breathe, Little of Your Time, it was as close to a hit parade as you can get with only two albums of material to draw from.

Sure, the songs blended a little too well together giving the set a bit of a continuous remix feel. And it’s hard to believe that Adam Levine sounds like Chris Tucker all the time. His take on Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game was in the wrong register for his voice. But maybe I’m just nitpicking needlessly. As entertainers, Maroon 5 was technically flawless. What more can you ask for from a pop band?

Maroon 5 setlist
This Love
If I Never See Your Face Again
Makes Me Wonder
Tangled
The Sun
Won’t Go Home Without You
Kiwi
Shiver
Wake Up Call
Little of Your Time
Sunday Morning
Wicked Game/She Will Be Loved
Encore
Harder to Breathe
Sweetest Goodbye

Counting Crows failed to impress on this outing, fronting for Maroon 5. Seeing them in the same spot six years ago (co-headlining but really opening for John Mayer) Counting Crows blew me away. This time around, it all seemed very familiar: the short set, the pretty boy headliner. They opened with a long, elegiac version of Rain King, which included bits of Mr. Jones, that set the tone for the rest of the show. A bit slow, poorly paced (mostly due to being compressed into 75 minutes), but with some substantial jams coming out of nowhere. Adam Duritz, his voice in fine form, nonetheless seemed to have forgotten the melody to his own songs. He sang the right words, but they seemed wholly disconnected from the music playing around him. Never was this more apparent than during Mr. Jones. The audience wanted to sing along but the tune was virtually unrecognizable.

Right around the time they were picking up steam, after Insignificant and Mr. Jones, the Counting Crows launched into two slower tracks When I Dream Of Michelangelo and Children in Bloom . The breaks were on, even though Children in Bloom ended in a searing jam, the rest of the set lost a crowd who were there for Maroon 5. Still, between extended versions of Ghost Train and A Murder of One was a stellar, albeit brief, run through Hanging Tree where the band clicked and it was magic.

Counting Crows have always been an expert jam band, all their collective talents were on display tonight. But for whatever reason (or the obvious one), it never clicked with the crowd. The encore of A Long December brought a cheer from the crowd, but the song itself was quickly forgotten. The best part of their encore was a long plea to the crowd to get out and vote in November, which Duritz said was the ultimate symbol of patriotism. His passionate remarks hit the mark. The rest of the encore, sadly, fell on deaf ears.

One thing worth nothing: the Counting Crows put together an amazing background. Their set was dolled up like the side of a building (think the stage of Saturday Night Live) with a clock tower, windows and steps. Each window as a screen, along with a larger screen below and there were streetlamps along the side of stage. It was like a concert on a city corner; it was that authentic. The lighting and visual imagery were some of the most thoughtful and poetic I have ever seen at a rock concert.

Counting Crows Setlist
Lean on Me intro
Rain King
Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby
Insignificant
Mr. Jones
When I Dream Of Michelangelo
Children in Bloom
Los Angeles
Ghost Train
Hanging Tree
A Murder of One
Encore
A Long December
Community Outreach
Walkaways
California Dreamin’ outro

We only caught the last two songs of her set, a Beatles cover and one of her own, due to hitting traffic on 95 near Gillette Stadium, where Bruce Springsteen was playing tonight. Not much to comment except her performance seemed artful.