Concert Review: Kylie! (at Fox Theater in Oakland)

I've always been a bit baffled by why Australian pop star Kylie Minogue isn't bigger in the US. She's HUGE in Europe. She's basically the Madonna of the Commonwealth countries. Wednesday at the Fox Theater in Oakland was not just the opening night of her North American tour, it was her first North American tour ever! And she's been making singing for over twenty years! I guess these things all come down to marketing. Maybe with this tour she'll get more exposure state-side?

Photo by eatflan on Flickr

Experiencing the show, though, you would never guess that this is someone most Americans have never heard of. This was a stadium-sized show packed into a theater-sized venue. I counted no less than 7 giant, brilliantly-lit screens, most of them moving on rails between songs. I won't spoil her grand entrance, but she was constantly surrounded by dancers in outlandish outfits, wearing riot gear masks or wings. Her own costumes seemed crazy elaborate, too. I was surprised to find via the production video diary that the costumer was still stitching them together the day before the show! I liked her unusual boots in the leather fetish segment of the show.


I'm actually only familiar with a few of her bigger hits. I must admit some of her songs sound like generic dance pop, but the best ones are great dance pop. The amazing Michel Gondry-directed video for "Come into My World" made me a fan, and "Can't Get You out of My Head" is quite self-descriptive, especially the mash-up with "Blue Monday". Perhaps my favorite performance of the night, though, was her latest rendition of her first hit single way back in 1987: a cover of "Loco-Motion". Rather than singing it in the original upbeat bubblegum pop tone, she chose a sexy, jazzy style that reminded me of "Minnie the Moocher".[bxA]

Gentle Readers, this is a good time for your Pop Lecher-at-Large to point out his other favorite moment of the evening: While the brass section played, Kylie said that their music made her "want to SHAKE!" And she proceeded to vibrate her booty. Yowza. (This, in turn, might be a good time to point out her Agent Provocateur commercial [possibly nsfw] from several years ago.) Kylie doesn't dance as much as other pop stars, but when she does move, she sure knows what she's doing!

And yet, these talents were perhaps fully appreciated by only a minority of the attendees. You see, some of the greatest applause came when the visuals featured men in Speedos taking a shower. This from an audience that was over 90% male.


It must be said that Kylie knows her audience! And she pandered to it in multiple ways: I really enjoyed how the background showed the Golden Gate Bridge during one of the more down-tempo segments.


Gotta love that gaudy fainting couch, too. (It tops the one in last week's "Mad Men"!) I wonder if the background will change for each stop in her tour?

This show certainly featured the most enthusiastic audience I've seen. The roar of the crowd deafened me each time Kylie appeared in a new outfit. The audience wasn't quite as dancy as I expected, but I wonder how much of that was due to the sound quality? The audio at the Fox thist time was better than it was during the Yeah Yeah Yeahs show, but it still could have used more dynamic range. Perhaps I was just standing too close to the stage?

Kylie ended her encore with an ebullient performance of "Love at First Sight". Perhaps some Americans will feel that way about her after this tour.

P.S.: And if you're not familiar with it, check out the "Come into My World" video, and be sure to watch at least till the 1'10" mark.

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Concert Review: The Killers at Shoreline Amphitheatre (9/12/2009)

On Saturday I attended a concert that I'd been anticipating since Coachella in April.  Immediately after Coachella I was struck down by what I strongly suspect was a case of the swine flu, so I never had a chance to sing the praises of the bands I saw there.  That was a shame since I was dead center and only eight people back from the stage when The Killers played the festival.  It was the most incredible experience I've ever had at Coachella, and The Killers were so amazing that I jumped at the chance to see them again this past weekend.

One of the opening bands was The New York Dolls.  Let's just say that I arrived at the venue a full hour before The Killers took the stage but heard nothing that made me want to take my seat and watch the NY Dolls.

Moving on to the fun part of the evening, The Killers promptly took the stage at 9:30PM and opened strong with "Human."  Frontman Brandon Flowers missed a couple of notes during this first song, but after that he was in full voice for the rest of the night as the band dived into "Spaceman," "For Reasons Unknown," "Bones" and (one of my personal favorites) "Joy Ride."

The audience was on its feet from the moment band walked onto the stage and The Killers didn't disappoint.  The stage design and lighting weren't garish, but the palm trees, giant flower arrangement in an giant vase and neon lights—right down to the lit-up "K" in the middle of the stage—definitely reflected the band's Las Vegas roots.

Flowers, of course, is well known for his flamboyant costumes and stage presence.  Evidently blazers with feathered shoulders are the statement this year since he wore variations on this look at both Coachella and Saturday's show.

With his outsized, theatrical voice and stage presence, Flowers is the consumate frontman, but thankfully he doesn't cross the line and make concerts feel like a solo performance with a backing band.  And for a band that has raised some eyebrows with Kayne West-like declarations of rock greatness, The Killers performed several songs that acknowledged their forebears.  Covers included Joy Divison's "Shadowplay" (from The Killer's Sawdust album) and The Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," a clip of which you can watch here:
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They also performed a couple of verses from Elvis' "Can't Help Falling in Love" on the heels of a rousing performance of "A Dustland Fairytale."

The propulsive tempo of the show barreled to a climax with a trio of fan favorites—"Read My Mind," "Mr. Brightside," and the always incredible "All These Things That I Have Done."  There's nothing quite like hearing thousands of people singing/chanting, "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier" over and over again during this song.

The two song encore started off with the deceptively cheerful-sounding "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" and closed out with a song Flowers promised he and the band would perform "as hard as they could"—"When You Were Young."  Judging from the volume of the crowd singing with Flowers and the racous cheers that followed the band off-stage, The Killers 1 hour and 45 minute set did not disappoint.

The Killers setlist:
"Human"
"Spaceman"
"For Reasons Unknown"
"Bones"
"Joy Ride"
"Change Your Mind"
"Bling (Confession of a King)"
"Shadowplay"
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
"Somebody Told Me"
"Smile Like You Mean It"
"Losing Touch"
"Believe Me Natalie"
"A Dustland Fairytale"/"Can't Help Falling in Love"
"Read My Mind"
"Mr. Brightside"
"All These Things I've Done"

Encore
"Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine"
"When You Were Young"

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Concert Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I went to the gorgeous new Fox Theater in Oakland for the first time on Wednesday night to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. There sure seems to be some sort of giant eyeball theme going on in the music scene, because Depeche Mode's show featured a giant eyeball as well.


Karen O made her grand entrance wearing a spirally single-ram-horn hat (not seen here) that looked straight out of a movie like the Cell or something, and she soon began to drink water and spit it all over the place, as is her wont. Sadly, the acoustics were not the best. The music felt too loud, and the vocals were a bit drowned out, which I think hurt my enjoyment of the show. Her slow songs actually sounded better.

It was neat how the eyeball rolled, and the projected light turned it into what looks like Mars. I also really liked her quasi-wardrobe changes, where she would put on a shawl or a jacket for different songs, to go with the songs. Quite clever! It helped you to get in the right mindset for a song without too much trouble. And to further get people excited, there was a lot of random confetti explosions!

Oops. This has become more of a set design review than a music review. :P I did enjoy the music despite the sound issues, though I was pretty exhausted from work and probably didn't get into it as much as I could have. The rest of the crowd was crazy for her, often applauding so continuously and loudly that she'd have to wait for them to calm down before starting the next song! My favorite tune was probably Phenomena, though of course the audience went the wildest when she finally played Maps during the encore.

Karen O definitely embodies the energy and attitude of a true "rock star". I kinda had mixed feelings about this show, but none of the negatives were the fault of the band. I look forward to seeing them again some time. I'll be back at the Fox in three weeks to see Kylie. Hopefully the sound will be better then!

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Concert Review: John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl (9/5/2009)

As ToastyKen said in his Depeche Mode concert review, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles is a wonderful venue that provides great acoustics in a beautiful setting.  One of the eagerly anticipated annual concerts at the Bowl is "John Williams and the Music of the Movies," two nights when the legendary film composer himself conducts the LA Philharmonic Orchestra.

If John Williams' name doesn't ring a bell, think about the theme song to Jaws.  Yup, that's his.  Indiana Jones?  That's his music too.  All six Star Wars films?  You betcha.  Unless you've been living under a rock (without wifi access and a laptop, mind you) for more than 30 years, Williams' music is part of the soundtrack of your life.

With a vast number of instantly recognizable pieces of music at his fingertips, the composer could easily coast along and lead the LA Phil through the same "greatest hits" performance of his work every year.  The delight—and potential frustration—of his Hollywood Bowl concerts is that Williams never opts for this easy route.  Audience members know they'll get to enjoy some of these "greatest hits" and that at least one of them will be a selection from Star Wars.  They also know that part of the evening will be a salute to at least one other notable movie composer.  Other than that, what they'll hear that night is up for grabs until they arrive at the venue and receive the concert program.
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This year's "Music of the Movies" concerts were unique in that the entire first hour was devoted to Williams' music from a single franchise—Harry Potter.  Since I was attending with a group of family and friends (a situation akin to herding lots and lots and lots of cats), we arrived just in time to catch the last two pieces, "The Chamber of Secrets" and one of my favorite Williams' compositions "Harry's Wondrous World."  As a Potter fan, I wasn't happy to have missed so much of the performance, but what I did get to hear was excellent and well-paired with the movie clips they show on the large screens for the audience.  An additional treat came in the form of special guest Vanessa Redgrave, who served as the narrator between clips, tying the different Potter compositions togeher.

After intermission came a tribute to Williams' fellow film composers through an arrangement of well-known movie themes.  While I've usually seen Williams' educate the audience on a single composer during his Bowl concerts (his tribute to Alfred Hitchcock composer Bernard Herrmann a couple of years ago was especially memorable), this year's approach made evident the power music has to evoke memories and emotions.  The orchestra played only 10 to 15 seconds of the well-known theme songs to films like The Magnificent Seven, Gone with the Wind, Cinema Paradiso and Titanic, but even those short snippets of music would evoke audible reactions from the audience.

Instead of delving into some of his well-known music, Williams then talked for a bit about his 36-year working relationship with Steven Spielberg and the music he did for an atypical Spielberg film, Catch Me If You Can.  The jazz stylings from the film score featured the vibraphone, sax and upright bass and were very enjoyable, but you could also feel that the audience was getting restless.

Personally, I couldn't complain about the next selection, an orchestral version of "As Time Goes By" from Casablanca featuring the LA Phil's lead violinist and concert mistress.  It was another tasteful nod to the composers who came before Williams and simply a treat to hear this lovely piece of music performed live.

The evening's official program finished strong with pieces from The Witches of Eastwick, the original Dracula and the main theme to the original Christopher Reeve Superman movies.  The Superman theme is always uplifting, but this year the Superman movie clips were mixed with Batman movie snippets as part of a superheroes tribute, which considerably weakened the visual component.  The feel of both the older Batman movies and the Christian Bale reboot films is so different from the optimistic, inspiring Superman music that the mixed clips were a distraction from the excellent music.

As is often the case, many of the biggest crowd-pleasing pieces were saved for the two encores.  One of my favorite and fantastically geeky parts of these annual concerts is the fan reaction as soon as a Star Wars theme starts to play.  As soon as Williams announced the start of "Yoda's Theme," Warsies in the audience whipped out hundreds of lightsabers of every color, waving them enthusiastically.  The start of the unmistakable main theme from Star Wars only made them happier, although the fans were more subdued this year.  Usually, some fans leap up and have lightsaber duels up and down the aisles but I didn't see any of that happen this time around.

The second encore started with the theme to E.T., which was a nice flashback to some of Williams' earlier work.  Williams and the orchestra played right into the fans' hands, closing out the night with nothing less than the "Imperial March" from Star Wars.  While some audience members were heard to voice their disappointment that nothing from Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park or Schindler's List had been played, not knowing what favorites you'll hear or not hear is actually part of the draw of these concerts.  It's also a testament to the skill and immense talent of John Williams that he has created such a successful body of work that he can pick and chose which of his famous pieces he wants to share each year.

"John Williams and the Music of the Movies" 2009 setlist:
Harry Potter—"Hedwig's Theme," "Aunt Marge's Waltz," "Diagon Alley and The Gringotts Vault," "The Knight Bus," "The Quidditch Match," "Fawkes The Phoenix," "A Window to the Past," "The Chamber of Secrets" and "Harry's Wondrous World"

Intermission

A Tribute to Film Composers (including music from The Bridge on the River Kwai, Patton, The Godfather, Cinema Paradiso, The Magnificent Seven, Titanic, Gone with the Wind, E..T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and Star Wars)
Suite from Catch Me If You Can
"As Time Goes By" from Casablanca
"Devil's Dance" from The Witches of Eastwick
"End Titles" from Dracula
"Superman - Main Theme" from Superman

First Encore
Star Wars—"Yoda's Theme" and "Star Wars - Main Titles"

Second Encore
Suite from E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
"Imperial March" from Star Wars

Don't forget to visit our Pop Wenches YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/popwenches to see additional clips from this concert!

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SF Outside Lands: Jason Mraz and Bat for Lashes

Hosted on the beautiful grounds of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, last weekend's Outside Lands festival brought great music to the Bay Area for the second year in a row.  While Friday's temperatures were sweltering and Sunday saw a cold fog roll into the city, Saturday--the day I attended-- was picture perfect.  The same could be said about the performances I enjoyed.

I arrived just in time to catch the last of Raphael Saadiq's set, which ended with a joyous round of gospel music that made me wish I'd seen the full performance.

Next up was the irrepressibly cheerful Jason Mraz, who enjoyed a large audience for his set.  Mraz's radio-friendly folk-pop was flavored at times with everything from reggae to a "Copacabana-esque" vibe, which worked well with his entertaining, easy-going stage presence.

I must confess that I've never been a Jason Mraz fan.  I don't mind his music, but his radio singles have always been such light, fluffy lyrical confections that I've never felt the need to delve deeper.  Seeing him in concert didn't change my mind.

There's no doubt that Mraz is fun during live performances.  He's also put together a band of skilled musicians and made a point of putting original twists on his most familiar hits so fans got to enjoy a unique listening experience.  Despite this, there just isn't enough substance in his music for me to connect with it emotionally and nor is there enough of a driving beat for me to connect with it on a visceral level.

While Mraz' set was pleasant, I had no regrets about ducking out halfway through and heading to one of the side stages to check out Bat for Lashes.  My only previous exposure to Bat for Lashes was watching a couple of her music videos online a few months ago.  Since I'd liked what I heard, Outside Lands seemed like an excellent opportunity to find out if I liked enough of her music to shell out for her albums.

Performing on an intimate, sun-dappled side stage (that was completely powered by solar panels, by the way), Bat for Lashes vocals were exquisite.  I tend to have a limit to the amount of time I can listen to female singers who have ethereal, breathy voices, but Bat for Lashes vocal quality never became an affectation. The dreamy quality surrounding her music is also grounded with solid instrumentals that bring it back down to earth.

Did I like Bath for Lashes' music enough to shell out for her albums?  Absolutely.  I had to leave halfway through her set, and if it had been for anyone less than the Black Eyed Peas, I probably couldn't have torn myself away.  Considering the way the audience grew exponentially from the time her set started until the time I left, it's safe to say that Bat for Lashes won herself quite a few new fans at Outside Lands.

Head over to our Pop Wenches You Tube channel at www.youtube.com/popwenches to check out 3 more Jason Mraz clips and 2 additional Bat for Lashes clips, all in high-def!

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Concert Review: Depeche Mode at the Hollywood Bowl, 8/16/09

Along with 7 of my friends, I decided earlier this year to trek down from San Francisco to Los Angeles to see Depeche Mode at the Hollywood Bowl. Why? Because their SF stop was due to be at Shoreline Amphitheatre, and we don't like the acoustics there. We are picky folk! (Okay, so it was also an excuse for a weekend vacation!) Turns out we were lucky to decide on LA, because the band canceled the Shoreline show on doctor's orders at the last minute to rest David Gahan's voice. That was only a week before the LA show. And then, a couple of days before our show, they canceled their San Diego gig, too! Plane tickets in hand, we didn't know whether our LA trip would be in vain...

Luckily, not only did they show up to their Hollywood Bowl engagement on Sunday, no signs of vocal stress were in evidence. This was my first trip to the Bowl, and I was happy to find that its acoustics lived up to the Bowl's reputation, too. It was an all-around fun show, full of energy and creative visuals.[bxA]

The show was scheduled to start at 7pm, and I missed the opener, Peter Bjorn and John. Depeche Mode started earlier than I expected, coming on stage just after I arrived, around 8:20. They opened with their new song "In Chains". The audience stood up right away and kept its enthusiasm as the band played two more new songs, "Wrong" and "Hole to Feed", before launching into some of their many classics. David Gahan was full of energy. He seemed to especially enjoy grabbing the mic stand and twirling around and around until he got visibly dizzy, but he also wasn't above a little booty-shaking during "It's No Good". It wasn't until the slower Martin Gore-sung tune "Jezebel" that people finally took a rest and sat down. They didn't stay seated for long. After a couple more slow songs, the band launched into "Policy of Truth", and everyone was back on their feet, nodding and bopping for the rest of the night.

Visually, the key gimmick was a large hemispherical disco ball-like bulge on the main screen behind the performers. It sometimes just displayed a fish-eye view of the middle of the screen, but other times displayed something uniquely designed for it. One of the first memorable uses was when the screen showed a standing crow while the heimsphere became a giant eyeball, looking around and occasionally blinking. So creepy. Even for songs that didn't have pre-designed images, they didn't take the easy road with the displays. Every shot used carefully framed camera angles, black and white, high-contrast processing, and other live video effects, making for some arresting real-time art.

My favorite visual was for "Enjoy the Silence". On the screen were Gahan, Gore, and Andrew Fletcher in space suits. As each verse began, a different one of them would slowly walk to the center of the screen, where his head would be magnified by the ball. All three of them would then just stand there, staring wistfully off into the ether. I commented to my friend, "I supposed that in space... you can truly enjoy the silence."

They played for a good hour and a half before encore tease #1. Then Martin Gore came back on stage and began singing "Somebody" for the first time this tour. It's one of Depeche Mode's most unique yet ironically defining songs. (One of my cousins even used it for the first dance at his wedding!) You could hear the hush come over the audience.

This was followed up by "Stripped", and then "Strangelove", which featured the most.. lecherous visuals yet. One woman in a burlesque outfit lies on a couch while another woman in leather lingerie sucks on her feet. Strangelove indeed. It's more strange than pornographic, but the first woman does eventually take her top off. Quite edgy for a nearly 30-year-old synthpop band! On a related note, the visuals for "Personal Jesus" during encore #2 featured dancers in silhouette against primary color backgrounds; it was like a sleazier version of an iPod commercial. I wonder if that was intentional commentary about the apotheosis of Apple?

The band closed off their 2-hour set with a quiet duet, with Gahan and Gore singing "Waiting for the Night" together. It was nearly ruined for me by the guy next to me who insisted on singing along. I cupped my ears toward the stage and was able to mostly block him out.

I got into music pretty late. I only started really listening to popular music in late high school, and the first band I really got into in college was Depeche Mode. I'm not quite as obsessed with them as I used to be, but it was still great to have a chance to finally see them live for the first time, and in a venue with great sound that was clear and undistorted even though I was seated pretty far back.

Depeche Mode played the Hollywood Bowl again on Monday. They were in Anaheim last night and will be in Santa Barbara tonight before moving on to Vegas and further east. You can see their remaining tour dates and full set lists of past shows on their website. If you have a chance to see them, know that this here is a band from the 80s that's still relevant and interesting. They might not belt out quite as many hits as they used to, but there's no denying that they have at least one great song on their latest album. If you haven't seen it, take a look at the supremely disturbing yet supremely awesome video for "Wrong". Here's wishing David Gahan the best of health.

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Ozomatli at the Alameda County Fair: 7/16/2009

Apologies for my unexpected disappearance from Pop Wenches.  My week prepping to leave town for San Diego Comic-Con was even more hectic than usual. I had the choice between going to great pop culture events that I could eventually blog about, or blogging about news.  If only there were enough hours in the day to do both!

Thursday’s Ozomatli performance at the Alameda County Fair was the second time I’ve seen them in the past eight months, and I’m convinced I could easily attend one of their concerts every month and not tire of it.

After 14 years in the business, Ozo’s music is still unique.  The bio on the band’s website describes their music as "a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican raga and Indian raga."  While that’s an accurate literal description, it doesn’t convey the universal appeal of Ozo’s music.

Their albums are "world music" not in the traditional sense or because of the cross-cultural and international influences that shape the tracks, but because -- by an almost alchemical process – the combination of those influences and the beats, rhythms, messages and tones of the songs become something more, appealing to a range of people far beyond fans of those individual genres.  Even if you don’t speak a word of Spanish or aren’t a fan of hip hop, chances are that something in Ozo’s music will still speak to you.

[bxA]The audience at an Ozomatli concert is as diverse as the band’s music.  At the county fair, a mother and her 11-year-old son were in the row in front of me and I couldn’t tell which of them was more excited to see the band.  At both the fair and the band’s December gigs in San Francisco, the audience ranged from the very young to retirees; from black to white to brown and everything in between; from conservative to anything but conservative.  The mix makes for a wonderfully inclusive, joyful atmosphere that’s fed by the band’s performance.

The members of Ozomatli are experts at connecting with their audience during live performances.  The band keeps their sets highly energetic, with most of the seven members taking center stage at some point, whether they’re on lead vocals or featured instrumentals. The sheer range of instruments that Ozo brings to the mix also makes their live shows a treat. How many bands take to the stage with three percussion kits and skillfully rotate through a line up of instruments including a jarana (Mexican guitar), trumpet, alto sax and a melodica? (By the way, it’s always highly amusing to hear the mystified whispers of "What is that?!" when the melodica comes out.)

Even with only an hour-long set at the Alameda County Fair, Ozo delighted their audience, keeping them on their feet non-stop through fan favorites including "Cumbia de los Muertos," "Saturday Night," "Chango," "Como Ves" and "After Party," and throwing in a cover of Sublime’s "April 29, 1992." In keeping with Ozo tradition, the band wrapped the night by leading the audience in a chant of "Ozomatli! Ya se fue!" ("Ozomatli is leaving!") before descending from the stage, moving into the heart of the audience without any security guards and leading their fans in an almost orgiastic sing-and-dance-along before singing and playing their way out of the venue, leaving the audience ecstatic . . . and always wanting more.

Visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/popwenches to view more high-definition video clips from Ozomatli’s performance at the Alameda County Fair.  Subscribe to our channel to be notified every time we add new videos!

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En Vogue at the Alameda County Fair, CA: 7/11/2009

Since the 1960s, American music has developed a proud legacy of successful, talented African-American female singing groups that stretches from The Shirelles to Martha and the Vandellas to The Supremes right up to Destiny's Child. With a quartet of powerful voices and more than 20 million albums sold worldwide since 1990, En Vogue is already part of that legacy and now they've set their eyes on a comeback.

After years of line-up changes, En Vogue’s four original members—Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron-Bragg, Maxine Jones and Dawn Robinson—have reunited and are performing spot dates and small concerts around the US with an eye to releasing a new album this year. On Saturday they returned to their San Francisco Bay Area stomping groups (the group was originally formed in Oakland, California) for one of these performances—two back-to-back shows at the Alameda County Fair in a 3,000 seat amphitheatre.

I’d usually be a little sad to see a former powerhouse act like En Vogue reduced to playing a county fair, but they're clearly using these opportunities to get back in the groove of performing together, reintroduce themselves to the Gen Xers and older who loved their music the first time around and introduce their sound to the two generations that have come along since En Vogue's heyday.

[bxA]Though (as you can tell from the video clips) the ladies are not being professionally styled, the choreography is loose at best and two of them were having problems with their earpieces on Saturday, the quartet's beautiful harmonies and soaring, shared lead vocals prove that they still own the title of "Funky Divas."

Dance moves, sparkly outfits, light shows and stage sets all take a back seat to the same simple fact that made En Vogue a hit almost two decades ago:  these ladies can SING. Not "kind of sing" or "sing with a lot of help from Autotune and a good backing track," but sing with silky smooth R&B voices and a sexy attitude that gets two packed houses on their feet and signing along verse after verse.

En Vogue will have a challenging time trying to "make it big" again; the music scene and radio has changed since they were R&B superstars.  But if you get a chance to see them live, take it.  One listen and you'll find yourself hoping that En Vogue once again succeeds.

As of this posting, En Vogue is scheduled to play the following shows:

• August 2 - Temple Beth in Suffolk, VA
• August 7 - Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde, OR
• August 8 - Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ
• August 29 - Chastain Park Amphitheater in Atlanta, GA
• October 2 - IP Casino Resort and Spa

Visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/popwenches to watch three more En Vogue concert clips.

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Regina Spektor plays sold-out Beacon Theatre, NYC: 6/17/09

With a new album (Far) coming out June 23, Regina Spektor has been keeping herself busy. Though she has tour dates lined up through September after her album drops, this didn't stop her from performing a sold-out show in New York City's Beacon Theatre Wednesday night.

Spektor charmed the audience from the second she took the stage in a simple black outfit, which made her look like she was ready for a piano recital. Though she was aware of the adoring audience, which was filled with people who cheered enthusiastically and even gave her flowers towards the end of her set, Spektor couldn't stop gushing about how thrilling (and occasionally nerve wracking) it was for her to be there. When the person in charge of lighting took a moment to shine the lights throughout the otherwise darkened venue, Spektor laughed nervously as she realized how many people were there. "Now I can see them all!" she exclaimed. But a few seconds later she added that it was "really nice" getting a chance to see everyone there.

The set focused largely on Spektor's newer material from Far, including the single "Laughing With," but that didn't stop anyone from enjoying the show. Spektor's strong vocals and brilliant piano playing — only occasionally backed by a small string section and drums — had everyone's attention, even if the material wasn't always familiar to us. She eventually mixed things up by throwing in a few songs from Begin to Hope including the fascinating "Apres Moi. And she even touched upon some older material like "Poor Little Rich Boy" (complete with Spektor drumming on a chair while playing her piano) and "Consequence of Sounds" (which she performed with great spirit after a false start).

The concert was a perfect showcase for Spektor's talent and charisma, which are even more overwhelming in a live setting. For two hours that night, it was easy to forget about the world outside as I sat there watching her perform.

Setlist: Folding Chair, Lucky Penny, Time is All Around, Eet, The Calculation, Machine, One More Time with Feeling, On the Radio, Blue Lips, Riot Gear, Laughing With, Bobbing for Apples, That Time, Apres Moi, Human of the Year, Poor Little Rich Boy, Holocaust, Consequence of Sounds, Man of a Thousand Faces

Encore: Samson, Us, Fidelity

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BFD Takes Over the Shoreline Amphitheatre, CA: 6/6/09

The season for radio station-sponsored summer music festivals is upon us, and San Francisco's modern rock station Live 105 held its annual BFD concert last Saturday. From what I've seen this year and last, BFD differs from other summer festivals I've frequented in that the tickets are relatively inexpensive, but the headliners also aren't "A listers." Of the acts appearing, I was looking forward to seeing Glasvegas; Metric; DJ Steve Aoki; DJ AM; The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs; 311 and The Offspring.

Last year I had a fantastic time at this concert, but it just wasn't as enjoyable this time around. For some reason, Live 105 decided not to release the set times for each band ahead of time this year. They also had a ridiculously small number of security people handling bag searches at the ticketing entrance, which led to a long, slow line to get into the venue. Thanks to that combo, I ended up listening to Glasvegas from the parking lot as I was waiting in line.

The bad news is that, since Glasvegas' lead singer fell ill at Coachella and the band cancelled that appearance, I'm now 0-2 for when it comes to trying to see them live. The good news is that Glasvegas sounded excellent during their set and I'm more determined than ever to enjoy them in concert as soon as possible.

Once I got inside the venue, I made a beeline to the Subsonic Tent since Steve Aoki had just started spinning. Aoki's set was good -- he's an energetic DJ who knows how to engage the audience while playing song after song that keeps you dancing. This year's crowd though, had a set of folks who were all about the moshing which made being near the stage a less-than-pleasant experience.

[bxA]After the aggravation of missing Glasvegas and not enjoying Steve Aoki's set as much as I'd expected, I'll admit that my mood wasn't very good so I couldn't fully appreciate Metric's set. Emily Haines knows how to use her distinctive voice and work the stage, so the Metric fans in the audience had a great time.

The next band to take the stage helped turn my mood around considerably though. I didn't know anything about Rebelution before BFD, so I was understandably skeptical when I heard "band from Santa Barbara" and "reggae" in the same sentence. Less than half a song into their set and my skepticism was gone. Rebelution's sound is clean, simple reggae made unique by an unmistakable California vibe. Of all the bands I saw at BFD, Rebelution was the one that got me to buy their albums on iTunes after I got home.


Next up was the first of the BFD headlining acts -- The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. Karen O and her bandmates sounded excellent and also put on a good show. Their guitar-driven rock is a perfect fit for summer rock concerts and had the crowd on its feet through The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs' entire set. As odd as this might sound, the biggest negative was Karen O's nightmare of an outfit, which was so heinous that it actually distracted me from the strength of her live performance.


I passed up seeing 311 in favor of DJ AM's set, since I'd seen him twice before and knew that his set was guaranteed to be good. Even in a short, hour-long set, AM spins the perfect mix of current hits, dance club favorites, hip-hop, rock and Top 40. He also deftly hypes up the crowd, knowing that most are there specifically because he's DJing and not just to dance, but keeps the emphasis on the music. While he put on a good light show, the stage and his booth were never spotlighted for more than a few moments. There was still some moshing and crowd surfing during AM's set, but in general the packed crowd was busy dancing and enjoying the tunes.

The night closed out with a fun flashback courtesy of The Offspring. Belting out current singles "Hammerhead" and "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" from Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, Dexter, Noodles and company showed that they still know how to rock after 25 years in the business. The only audible sign of those passing years is in Dexter's distinctive voice. While he never had a wide vocal range, during certain songs you can definitely hear that the lead singer can't quite hit some of the higher notes anymore. Luckily, those moments are minimal and don't take away from the dynamic stage show.


All of those years as a band mean that The Offpsring have no problem filling a headlining set with hit after hit that kept the crowd on their feet from the front row to the back of the lawn. Along with the band, Offspring fans belted out the lyrics to "Come Out and Play" and "Self Esteem" from Smash, and "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy," "Why Don't You Get a Job" and "The Kids Aren't Alright" from Americana. The energetic set and encore was a great way to end the night and let BFD close on a high note.

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Doves return to NYC at Terminal 5: 6/4/09

There are some bands out there that have a pretty good following. They get excellent press and they have a solid amount of fans. Yet, they still manage to "fly under the radar." The UK's Doves totally fit this bill.

But their Thursday night concert at New York City's Terminal 5 — their first in the city in approximately four years — would have suggested otherwise. The venue was packed with adoring fans (even the bizarre, obnoxiously rowdy types behind me seemed to know all the lyrics to each song), excited to catch the band in the area. As even bassist/singer Jimi Goodwin pointed out, it had been far "too long."
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The band, noted for being consistently solid live, did a great job despite some sound issues that popped up here and there. The sound problems seem to be a Terminal 5 thing for the most part — I've read and heard numerous complaints about the venue since I first went there to see The National perform, and I suppose there is some truth to what people have said. Goodwin wound up spending the first few songs motioning at the sound and monitor guys to adjust the mix.

But with or without sound issues, the band powered through a set featuring numerous songs from their current album Kingdom of Rust, alongside a good mix of songs from their first three albums, thrilling the crowd immensely when they performed songs like "Snowden," "The Cedar Room," and "Caught By the River" to name a few. "Black and White Town" from 2005's Some Cities was one of the big hits during the night, prompting a good chunk of the crowd to dance along with fists pumping.

Doves' newer material also translated well to the stage, with audience members transfixed during Kingdom of Rust's title track and "10:03," which proved to be one of the more beautiful performances of the night. The band succeeded in recreating the moody, moving quality of their studio recordings onstage, transporting many of us in the audience into what felt like another realm. While it's a real shame that Doves aren't bigger than they are, their live shows indicate that they are truly passionate about their art, which is the best gift a band can give their fans.

Watch footage of Doves performing "Kingdom of Rust" and "Here It Comes" (from 2000's Lost Souls, with drummer Andy Williams taking over lead vocals) at Terminal 5 below. You may have trouble viewing embedded videos if you're using Safari, so Firefox is probably the best bet. The full setlist follows at the end of this post.





Setlist: Jetstream, Snowden, Winter Hill, Rise, Pounding, Almost Forgot Myself, 10:03, Words, The Greatest Denier, Kingdom of Rust, Ambition, Black & White Town, The Outsiders, Caught By the River

Encore: The Cedar Room,Here it Comes, Last Broadcast, There Goes the Fear

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Art Brut kick off five-night residency at Mercury Lounge, NYC: 6/1/09

Loud, fast, silly... yet sincere. These are some of the terms one could use to describe Art Brut, the English/German punk band that started a residency at New York's Mercury Lounge last night. The band played to a sold-out crowd that ate up frontman Eddie Argos' every word, performing songs taken from all three of their albums.

Despite suffering some recent back problems (which he referred to a few times during the night) Argos was in top form as he "jumped rope" with his microphone cord, waxed poetic about comics like Booster Gold, and relayed personal anecdotes to accompany his sometimes equally personal lyrics. He even plunged right into the audience, staying there for a good few minutes, while performing "Modern Art."

The band and audience kept playing off each other the entire night, making it one of the most energetic small shows I've seen in ages. Between their never-ending (successful) attempts to keep us entertained and Argos' lyrics about topics like a love of DC comics and chocolate milkshakes, the band just made us feel like we were all hanging out with a bunch of old friends and acting silly. Only, Art Brut are the types of friends who play sold-out, week-long residencies and get to perform encores after a room full of people shout "Art Brut, Top of the Pops!" Some people just have all the luck.

Setlist: Alcoholics Unanimous, Direct Hit, Modern Art, Summer Job, Rusted Guns, What a Rush, Emily Kane, Demons Out, DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshakes, Pump Up the Volume, Good Weekend, Positively 5th Street, My Little Brother, Nag Nag Nag Nag

Encore: Bang Bang Rock n' Roll, 18000 Lira, Post Soothing Out

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Franz Ferdinand at Roseland Ballroom, NYC: 5/7/09

Franz Ferdinand first came on the scene five years ago, with a self-titled debut that is arguably still their most popular album to this day. But the band is still alive and kicking, and currently touring in support of their latest album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand.

I finally got a chance to see them live at New York City's Roseland Ballroom this past Thursday, and I'm glad to say that they truly lived up to their reputation as a fantastic live act. The band members seemed genuinely excited to perform in the packed venue, and their constant energy was infectious, causing attendees to dance and sing along throughout the show.
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Frontman Alex Kapranos oozed confidence, swaggering and pouting in true rock star fashion, while jumping around and throwing in some high kicks. It was impressive to see how well he could still play while performing these antics. He also threw in a bit of humor, poking fun at guitarist/keyboardist Nick McCarthy, who injured his foot during this tour. Kapranos referred to McCarthy as the man with "one and a half feet," and the good-natured McCarthy grinned and made it a point to wave his crutches around every time he hobbled on and off stage.

As far as the set was concerned, the band did a good job of mixing things up by including well-loved songs from their debut, as well as their previous album You Could Have It So Much Better. The band fiddled with the tempo on songs like "Walk Away," and there were times when Kapranos just skipped the singing altogether to let the audience fill in the words. Songs like " 40' " (much "trippier" live) became major highlights during the show.

The concert wound down with a high-energy encore, starting with "Ulysses" and continuing with "Lucid Dreams," which was the epitome of organized chaos. Opening act Born Ruffians joined Franz Ferdinand for the latter, pounding away at a drum kit during the song's synthesizer-fueled ending. Franz Ferdinand then brought down the house with their final song of the night, "This Fire," nearly causing a riot near the front of the stage where attendees danced and jumped around in a fervor that caused the floor to shake. "We're gonna burn this city," indeed.

Watch an excerpt of Franz performing "The Fallen" (the opener from You Could Have It So Much Better) during Thursday night's concert, and then check out the full setlist below:


Setlist: Bite Hard, Dark of the Matinee, No You Girls, Tell Her Tonight, The Fallen, Michael, Turn it On, Walk Away, Twilight Omens, Do You Want To, Take Me Out, What She Came For, 40', Outsiders

Encore: Ulysses, Lucid Dreams, This Fire

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Travis at Zellerbach Hall, CA: 4/7/09

I liked the band Travis before I actually knew who they were. At Coachella in 2007, the friends I was with insisted that we arrive in time to see Travis' set. I had no idea who the band was or what songs they were known for, so I spent most of the set exclaiming, "I didn't know Travis sang that! I love that song!" It was a treat to finally get to see a full concert of their music on Tuesday night.

A live performance with a few unforeseen problems and technical glitches tends to be a good litmus test of how talented a band really is. According to lead singer Fran Healy, the monitor had been giving their sound engineer problems all day, so the band regularly had to look offstage to ask him to adjust the mix. There was a loud blast of feedback in the middle of "Driftwood." Healy had to stop and restart "Something Anything" because the technical problems threw him off a bit and he forgot the opening lyrics. After heading into the audience and climbing up onto a chair, he slipped and for a moment fell onto an audience member while -- ironically -- performing "Falling Down" (both fan and singer were fine).
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Healy and his fellow musicians handled the problems with grace and a charming sense of humor, explaining what had happened to their audience and turning the glitches into a chance to further connect with their fans.

Even with the occassional mishaps, the quality of Travis' music and performance is all that the audience is going to remember. The band isn't flashy, but the strength of their songwriting, musicianship and vocals stand on their own and you can clearly hear how Travis became the predecessor to bands like Coldplay. The audience was with them from the first song to the last, with people on their feet for the whole show even though it was a completely seated venue.

Watch a clip of Travis' performance of their hit "Sing":



I hadn't yet listened to Travis' newest album, Ode to J.Smith, but that didn't make the concert any less enjoyable. Actually, I was thrilled that the new songs show they've moved back toward an edgier rock sound that's closer to their first albums. Their encore also included a hilarious cover of Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl." Fran and Andy had so much fun playing up the humor in that performance and kept all the original lyrics.

The evening's opening act was The Republic Tigers, a young Kansas City band. I don't usually make a point of seeing opening acts, but since Radhika recommended them, I did this time -- and I was glad I did! The Republic Tigers played an impressive set of indie/folk-rock. While listening to them, I caught myself thinking of The Killers, but with a harder edge. Their original songs made you want to hear more, but their one cover song was a standout. The Tigers took on Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and I will never know how the lead singer (who had a deep, rich speaking voice) tackled a song with that high a pitch and made it sound good.

Setlist: "Chinese Blues," "J. Smith," "Selfish Jean," "Writing to Reach You," "Re-Offender," "Something Anything," "Long Way Down," "Love Will Come Through," "Closer," "Driftwood," "Side," "Falling Down," "Sing," "The Humpty Dumpty Love Song," "Song To Self," "Sarah," "Turn"

Encore: "I Kissed A Girl," "Good Feeling," "My Eyes," "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?"

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Morrissey at the Wellmont Theatre, NJ: 3/16/09

The first time I saw Morrissey was two years ago, during the third of five consecutive nights at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. My friend and I had pretty good spots, thanks to our general admission tickets, and we were so thrilled that we decided it wasn't necessary for us to see Morrissey again — unless The Smiths miraculously reformed.

But a few months ago, when we found out Morrissey was about to embark on a tour featuring significantly smaller venues, we decided we just had to see him one more time. After failing to snag highly-coveted tickets to him perform during a Saturday night show at the Bowery Ballroom, we wound up obtaining tickets for the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ. While the venue isn't as intimate as Bowery is, the concert was well worth it.
The setlist itself wasn't anything particularly spectacular, but it did have its highlights. Morrissey kicked things off with The Smiths' classic, "This Charming Man," and then plowed through a set that included additional Smiths songs such as "How Soon is Now?" and "Ask," along with a handful of older solo material, songs from You Are the Quarry and his latest offering, Years of Refusal. Interestingly enough, he eschewed tracks from 2006's Ringleader of the Tormentors, an album I personally find middling at best.

While Morrissey himself was relatively low key during the show, keeping the theatrics to a minimum when he wasn't throwing the shirts he was wearing out into the audience, there were still plenty of opportunities to witness the type of spectacle one comes to expect at Morrissey concerts.

Fans hung onto to every word, holding their arms out and singing along to old and new material alike. And when Morrissey came out at the end to deliver an encore of "First of the Gang to Die," fans began crowdsurfing en masse in a desperate (and sometimes successful) attempt to try touching Morrissey's hand before he left the stage. Those last few moments were exhilaratingly intense, even for those of us who weren't trying to reach the stage, a perfect reminder of why Morrissey concerts tend to draw such a dedicated following.

Setlist:
This Charming Man, Billy Budd, Black Cloud, How Soon is Now, Irish Blood English Heart, Let Me Kiss You, I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris, Ask, How Could Anyone Possibly Know How I Feel, The Loop, Death of a Disco Dancer, Something is Squeezing My Skull, Seasick Yet Still Docked, Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself, Best Friend on the Payroll, Mama Lay Softly on the Riverbed, Sorry Doesn't Help, I Keep Mine Hidden, The World is Full of Crashing Bores, I'm OK By Myself

Encore
First of the Gang to Die

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