The Butter Room was well represented at the Radiohead show from Nissan Pavilion last night (5/11/08). So much so that we decided to do two reviews. Cheers.
Review #1 byBrian Chenault
Exactly how do you measure the dedication of a band’s fans? Is it by the number of bootlegs or import versions of albums they own? Is it by the amount of merchandise they purchase? Their willingness to shell out top dollar for anything related to the band, tickets or otherwise? If dedication is measured by fans literally enduring the elements for a concert, then you’d have to give Radiohead fans an A+. It rained nonstop yesterday, from morning through the night, and as I was driving 29 North to the concert I wondered to myself if the concert would even happen, and if so how many ticket holders would even bother to come out? Judging from a scan back from my very fortunate spot in the general admission pit, I’d say that that it barely hurt the turnout at all. I have to admit, had I not been so fortunate, and had been stuck with a lawn ticket, I probably would have stayed home. Not only was it windy and the rain torrential, but the temperature was in the lower 50s, which made for some serious cold or even pneumonia-inducing weather.
After staying in the car and hoping for the rain to subside a little before entering the venue, I finally made my way inside around 8 pm, in time to catch the last few songs by the opener, Liars. I am not familiar with the band so am in no position to give a fair critique, but I thought the sound was pretty muddy and it was hard to make out what was going on on stage. Otherwise, they seemed interesting enough and it sparked enough interest for me to want to check them out further.
After what must have seemed like an eternal break between bands to the people on the lawn, the roadies dispersed and Radiohead took the stage. The lighting set for this tour is absolutely the coolest I have ever seen for any show. It consists of rows of thin white lighting strips 6 deep and 12 wide that
effectively turn the stage into a cave surrounded by these things. At the rear of the stage is a row of video displays that throughout the show displayed
candid closeup shots of the band members. These shots were also unlike any I have seen at any concert. They were less your typical concert shot views of the band and more like you were spying on the band members, seeing their inner thoughts as the show progressed. I never could figure out where the cameras were set, and sometimes there would be angles that seemed impossible without invisible cameras. My favorite shot of the night was seeing a closeup of Johnny Greenwood at his laptop, peering from underneath his locks back at Thom Yorke. Video screens at most concerts are there to let the audience better see the band. These screens seemed more designed for a glimpse into the psyche of the band. Throwaway footage it was not. It’s telling that the band requested that the venue not use the screens available for people on the lawn to better see the band.
Despite a somewhat muddy mix for the first few songs (the bass on “All I Need” was practically indiscernable), it all came together by the third song of the night, the gorgeous “Lucky” from OK Computer. They gave fair play to their entire catalog, with the exception of Pablo Honey, which I doubt anyone missed, and Hail To The Thief, which only got one visit for the night, with the schizophrenic “Myxomatosis”. The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A, and Amnesiac were all represented, with 3 or 4 great choices off of each. When the achingly beautiful “The Pyramid Song” was over, I decided that if I ended up catching pneumonia after the show, it would have been worth it to hear that song alone. Thom Yorke not only seemed in high spirits, joking with the crowd, but his voice was in incredible shape. He hit all of his high falsetto notes with what seemed like no effort at all. There is no question that his voice has strengthened and improved over the years. I never thought I’d say this, but in my mind he’s one of rock’s great singers in the prime of his career and his abilities.
As I left the venue, and waded through the muddy pond that the concession area had become (ankle high in some places), I had to marvel that in a world that seems increasingly complicated and fragmented, music still has the power to not only bring people together, but also to do so under the worst of conditions.
Review #2 byTodd Wickersty
Expectation is the seed of disappointment. These 6 words comprise one of my favorite sayings because it’s true 99% of the time. My expectations for Radiohead at Nissan Pavilion last night were extremely high. I knew that they were too high. Couple that with the fact that Nissan Pavilion is the WORST venue in Virginia (more on that later) and last night had the makings for an enormous letdown.
After some food and spirits in the armpit of the Commonwealth, also known as the Virginia Gateway Center, we arrived at the venue in a torrential rainstorm.
At least we made it. After sitting in hours of traffic, many people could not get to the venue due to flash floods. I’ve been there before. After traveling
hundreds of miles from Virginia to Vermont to see Phish’s final live performance, we were denied access 5 miles from the gate due to a similar weather related incident. It sucks. Unfortunately, those of you who couldn’t make it last night missed a much much better show than I did at Coventry.
We got inside in between the opening act, Liars, and Radiohead. Good timing considering the traffic and rain. It took us 45 minutes to get in, which is
really nothing compared to the thousands who traveled west on I-66. However, we only had 4 miles to go! The rain continued to pour from the sky. We needed cash. The ATM line was 15 deep and only one of the two machines was working. Then that one broke down. Luckily, one of the guys in line just happened to work for the venue and was able to fix the problem. Whew. Withdrawl made. A round of $10 Tecates followed (are you kidding me?!?!).
One reason for my sky high expectations was our tickets. We were fortunate to be in the general admission pit and after looking at Brian’s photos, I think he and I were right near each other and didn’t even know it. We settled in during “15 Step” after listening to the first three songs from the ATM and beer lines.
The stage set up was unlike any other I’ve seen before. The band played beneath what looked like lighted icicles. The sound was crystal clear and at the perfect volume. Then I looked back in amazement at the lawn. It was full. Five inches of cold, steady rain couldn’t stop the thousands of concert goers with lawn tickets. Radiohead did not disappoint and delivered a memorable 2 hour plus, 25 song performance that might be the best show I’ve seen this decade. I can’t declare it the best quite yet, not until the afterglow wears off.
My favorite musical moment of the night (although it was all fantastic) was towards the end of the set. After the mellow In Rainbows duo of “Faust Arp” and “Videotape”, Radiohead launched into “Paranoid Android”, which provided a much needed energy boost. Thankfully, the band let the crowd frenzy continue with “Just”. The hypnotic “Reckoner” followed, probably my favorite track from In Rainbows, which was a perfect way to cool down the crowd.
The show concluded at the House of Horrors with “House of Cards”. Nissan Pavilion is by far the worst venue I’ve ever been to. I swore it off 8 years ago
because of it’s location, the traffic, and the lack of character. All music venues have character, just like ballparks. While Red Rocks might be the Fenway Park of music venues or MSG the Yankee Stadium, Nissan Pavilion is the Vet or any of the vanilla ballparks built in the 60s and 70s that were perfectly symmetrical in shape and artificial in experience. Still, that’s not a reason alone to boycott the place. However, the traffic is. It took us almost as long to get from the Pavilion lot to our place in nearby Gainesville (total trip distance about 5 miles) as it did friends who parked outside the lot driving
to Charlottesville (total trip distance about 100 miles).
Even with the traffic, the weather, and the venue, I would do it all again in a heartbeat. It was the best concert I’ve seen in years from a band that has
amazingly been in its prime for quite a while now. From the comments and reviews I’ve read online today, it’s clear that no one in the venue last night was disappointed. Only Radiohead could deliver such a performance that would lift up thousands of fans after dealing with the wrath of Mother Nature, the wrath of impatient D.C. area drivers (I am not sure which wrath is worse), and the sh*thole known as Nissan Pavilion.
BTW, my new favorite 6 word saying is “See Radiohead as soon as possible.”
SET LIST:
I: All I Need, Jigsaw Falling Into Place, Lucky, 15 Step, Nude, Pyramid Song, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Myxomatosis, Idioteque, Faust Arp, Videotape, Paranoid
Android, Just, Reckoner, Everything In Its Right Place, Bangers and Mash, Bodysnatchers
E1: Like Spinning Plates, Optimistic, Karma Police, Go Slowly, Planet Telex
E2: Fake Plastic Trees, The National Anthem, House of Cards
Trees on Fire are set to play their second show in as many years at Charlottesville’s Fridays After Five tomorrow, 5/9/08. The Butter Room was lucky enough to catch up with Trees’ drummer, Paul Rosner, before the show for some question and answer time.
What’s the songwriting process like? Do lyrics come first and then music or the other way around? Is there a primary lyricist in the group?
Paul Rosner: Generally, Rob or Blake will bring the skeleton of a song to the group first. The skeleton includes melody, lyrics, and a basic chord progression, though things can and do change once the band has gotten ahold of the song. At that point, we spend a lot of time working on the basic grooves/feel of the different parts, as well as figuring out what instruments to use. That often means Justin has to decide which of his many toys to pull out, but Rob has been playing less guitar in the group lately, so he also has decisions to make. Sometimes, those decisions come about after we’ve tried a few different arrangements, and other times, songs evolve after we’ve played them live a few times.
What’s been the most successful show you’ve had both in terms of turnout and performance? Were they the same show?
Paul: In terms of turnout, the most successful shows we’ve had were 3/13/08 at Satellite Ballroom here in Cville and last April’s CD release party for The Green Room, which took place at Starr Hill. We had the room completely packed and sold out at the latter, and had a big, raucous crowd at the former that was singing along loudly, dancing like mad, and generally giving out amazingly strong energy. I would say this last show at Satellite was also one of our best, though we’re never completely happy with a performance. I guess that’s pretty normal.
You are all very skilled musicians and performers - do you take requests at shows?
Paul: We don’t really take requests, mostly because we spend a lot of time working on highly specified arrangements of our original songs, and obviously we’re anxious to play them for people. The songs keep evolving, growing, and getting stronger each time we perform, so I think they stay pretty fresh. In the past, however, we have taken a few requests of our own songs (and the occasional cover).
What’s your favorite cover that you play live?
Paul: I really enjoy playing “Walking on the Moon” by the Police and “If You Want Me to Stay” by Sly and the Family Stone. The Police have always been one of my all-time favorite bands (I got to see them at Bonnaroo last summer), and they are a big influence on Trees on Fire, particularly when we first formed. The Sly song has been a favorite of mine for a while, and it’s one of the few songs I sing lead on, so that’s fun for me.
How do you try to manage the balance between socially responsible/political lyrics without sounding preachy and potentially turning people off from the music?
Paul: That’s a great question and one that we wrestle with when considering what causes to support. There’s no denying that each of us are very concerned with social responsibility, but we want to show people the folly of our ways in an uplifting and non-judgemental way. We are very very lucky to have lyricists who seem to be able to find this balance naturally and don’t have to force it. “Take a Seat” is a good example of that balance. The lyrics observe: “we take a seat, take a seat in our cars. We drive around making everything ours, but as we get to the end of our road, we realize there’s something else than gold. Don’t wait around.” Clearly, there’s a problem presented in this verse, but the author includes himself as part of the problem and basically concludes that we should all begin looking for solutions right away. It also helps that this song is musically uplifting and hopeful, which fits well with the lyrics.
When is the new record coming out and what can Trees on Fire fans expect compared to last year’s “The Green Room”?
Paul: We are hard at work recording the new album as we speak (tentatively titled “Organica”) and expect it to be done around the end of summer. The new songs tend toward a little darker sound with more dance beats and influence than The Green Room. We’re getting better at figuring out our sound as we go, and I think we have a collection of 12-15 songs that not only continue to show all aspects of our musicianship but also have a true Trees on Fire “sound.” Defining that sound is always difficult, but we’re creating what we like to think of our own sub-genre, Organica.
What/Who are Trees on Fire greatest influences?
Paul: We have many, but some of the biggest are Bob Marley, Radiohead, Bach, The Roots, and Stevie Wonder, among others. These vocal artists all combine inspiration in music and words like prophets, and Bach is just genius personified. Other styles influence our sound as well, including jazz, ska, soul (new and old), klezmer, baroque, and hard rock.
I caught you guys at the Satellite Ballroom in March. What’s the story behind the belly dancers? Do they make regular appearances at your shows?
Paul: The belly dancers are a semi-regular part of our performances, partly because we love the energy they bring to our music. Their dancing adds an exotic element to what we do, which we consider somewhat exotic by itself. It’s a pretty potent combination. At the Satellite show, Shaheen and Lindsay worked out involved routines for a couple songs, so we couldn’t resist getting them up on stage to add to the madness. We look at ourselves as kind of a living circus on stage, so it seems natural for belly dancers to be a part of it.
What is the best live performance you have ever seen in person?
Paul: That is a tough question. I am going to see Radiohead for the first time this Sunday - my birthday - so I may have to wait on a definite answer, but I will give you a couple of my highlights.
R.E.M. in 1984 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta along with the Minutemen; Fishbone in 1991 at Trax in Charlottesville (such ridiculously high energy); U2 in 1985 at the Omni in Atlanta (touring to support The Unforgettable Fire, which is my favorite U2 album); Herbie Hancock in 2002 at 9:30 Club in DC.
What do you think of the current music scene in Charlottesville? Who do you recommend catching live?
Paul: The music scene is Cville is hopping right now. Ten years ago, it seemed like there wasn’t much orignial music going on in town, but I am constantly amazed by the talent on display these days: Birdlips, Beetnix, Kings of Belmont, and Acoustic Groove Trio, just to name a few. You can even catch Beetnix playing with Trees on Fire at Satellite Ballroom on May 23. It’s sure to be one of the last ever shows at Satellite, so it will be a special night that’s full of surprises.
Diver Down was one of the first rock albums I ever owned. “Mean Street” was the first guitar solo to blow me away. “Hot for Teacher” was the best video ever made (at least from the perspective of a 13 year old male, but it’s not too shabby at 37 either). I loved Van Halen and then David Lee Roth left. Enter Sammy Hagar and you know the rest of the story. Even though I bought 5150 and OU812, Van Halen was dead to me.
Other than Led Zeppelin, there is not a band on earth that I have wanted to see reunite more than Van Halen with their original front man, Diamond David Lee Roth. After two postponements earlier this year, the show finally went on last Friday, May 2nd at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville. My expectations were low, very low. The postponements left me with a sour taste, but not sour enough to miss this event.
Show time was 8:00. We rolled in about 8:45 without tickets. There were plenty available at the box office and after dropping serious coin to see The Boss on Wednesday, I was not going to pay top dollar for Van Halen. Instead the plan was to buy from a scalper and sneak down to a better section if necessary. We did just that. A pair of $35 tickets in the upper tier were used to get us in the door, but we ended up watching the show about 25 rows from the stage. The arena was about 3/4 full, which was more than I expected given the size of Charlottesville, the high ticket price, and the postponements.
We missed “You Really Got Me” as the beer garden called once we made it in the door, but were settled into our seats one song later for “Runnin With the Devil”. The volume was cranked up to 11 all night long. Since we sat on the side of the stage, it wasn’t as crystal clear as the Springsteen show the other night and you’ll hear that on the video we captured.
The night was filled with nostalgia, cheese, comedy, and kick ass rock and roll. Diamond Dave is all cheese, but he still can sing. His leg kicks aren’t as high, but he has some 6 pack abs. Not bad for a 54 year old rocker. He told a couple stories, the first was about an ex-girlfriend who lives in Staunton. Unfortunately, the story sucked and to add injury to insult, Dave butchered the pronunciation of Staunton. If you are going to go local, then make sure you know how to speak like the locals. He redeemed himself with the second story of the night as he recalled memories of Saturday nights in Pasadena during 1972 (see “Ice Cream Man” video below).
Dave’s antics at the end of “Mean Street” and beginning of “Jump” were just plain stupid, but you expect to take the good with the bad from the original Van Halen front man. He walked around the stage pretending to aim a gun while wearing white sunglasses at the end of “Mean Street” and then wore some revolutionary style hat while waving a large red flag at the beginning of “Jump”. Fortunately, he finished the song on a much better note by wearing his classic sea captain hat while riding an inflatable microphone (video below).
The crowd, at least where I sat, was eating it up. We sat right below a luxury box and it was not your typical suite stuffed with corporate types. There was one twenty something male wearing a black headband and an old school VH tee-shirt that had a nice rip at the arm pit. He was doing his best Eddie Van Halen impersonation on a bottle of Budweiser, leaning over the railing and head banging like nobody’s business. As you would expect, males outnumbered females 10 to 1, but the crowd was much younger than I would have guessed. It was good to see a younger generation taking in one of the classics of rock and roll.
While the cheese and people watching were worth the price of admission alone, it was expected. What I didn’t expect was Van Halen to put on an over the top performance. Highlights from the night included “Beautiful Girls”, “Dance the Night Away”, “Everybody Wants Some”, “Jamie’s Cryin’”, “Hot for Teacher” and “Panama”. But the best segment of the night was Eddie’s guitar solo, which featured “Eruption” (of course), followed by “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”. Eddie was on all night long. There was no signs of fatigue, frustration, or carelessness. He was having a great time and so were the rest of the band members. While it was weird seeing another bass player other than Micheal Anthony, I got used to Wolfgang rather quickly. He filled in rather nicely on the bass and was a great addition to the background vocals. The band got better and better as the night went on and they rarely strayed from the original versions, which was one of my biggest complaints of The Police tour. “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” was a perfect set closer as the band sounded best on those songs with strong background vocals. The crowd helped out with the vocals at the end of the song, which was the most energized point of the show.
I had forgotten how great of a rock and roll band Van Halen was in the late 70s and early 80s. They took the torch from Zeppelin as the best hard rock band of their era, and their performance on Friday night showed they still have enough to light the flame (sorry for the cheezy ending, but I figured I would do it in the spirit of Diamond Dave).
Last night I made the trek from Cville to see some old friends in Richmond and catch Widespread Panic at the Landmark Theater. Being the dork that I am, I did a quick calculation of how many Widespread shows I had seen and figured it out that this was my 20th. A milestone show - Wow! (ok, I am only kidding). Twenty shows is not much for the average Spreadhead, but I have seen those twenty shows over a 16 year time span. I bought Space Wrangler in 1989 and actually like some of the newer tunes (post 2000) more than the older ones now. This has made seeing Widespread Panic just as enjoyable now as it was in the 90s.
Pre-Game
It had been a long time since I went out in the Fan, and Matt and Julia picked a fantastic place for the pre-game meal and drinks - Sticky Rice. Any place that serves sushi, a can of tots (that’s tater-tots), and tall boy PBR’s automatically gets a gold star in my book. We ordered several different types of sushi. I think our crew liked the Goochland and the Crazy Calamari rolls the best. (The Crazy Calamari is a “monster roll with tempura fried calamari, tamago, cilantro, cucumbers, and sriracha rolled in tobiko and panko flakes”. The Goochland is smoked salmon, goat cheese, and scallions.) A round of car bombs (well Graham had a tequila shot and Julia a sake bomber) and we were off to the show.
Set 1
Pilgrims > Ain’t Life Grand, Airplane > Genesis, Ribs And Whiskey > Goodpeople, Chainsaw City, Her Dance Needs No Body > Chilly Water
I was a bit disappointed with the song selection in the first set. I prefer Pilgrims as an encore or late in the first or second set, but regardless, it is a fantastic tune. ALG and Airplane are two songs I can do without; just my personal preference. The highlights for me were the jam out of Goodpeople and Chilly Water. I had not seen the latter live in 13+ years over a course of 15 shows. Genesis was a bust out; first time played in 155 shows (8/2/06).
Our seats were pretty good: 2nd row on Schools side in the grand tier, which is the first balcony. However, the Landmark Theater is one of the worst places to see a show. The only thing it has going for it is the architecture and interior design. I sat on the aisle in the first set and security paid our section a visit at least a half dozen times to tell people in the aisle to move back to their seats. Come on folks - it’s an Widespread Panic show, not the Richmond Symphony. Every time I have seen a show at the Landmark, this happens, regardless of what section I am in.
Setbreak
For the first time in four tries, we found the concession stand with the soda pop. Why was this critical? Well, the Landmark does not sell beer and we needed a mixer. The concession stand with the soda pop was in a separate room where hot dogs and other 7-11 staples were available. Not that I cared. In fact, the dogs smelled pretty good until some chick hurled after eating one at the table next to us and then proceeded to buy another one a few minutes post-puke.
Set 2 & Encore
Disco > Pigeons > Dark Day Program > You Got Yours > Jam > Tall Boy > Time Is Free > Drums > Climb To Safety, Holden Oversoul > Love Tractor
The Take Out > Porch Song > Postcard
Fantastic setlist. Aside from Dark Day Program and You Got Yours, I loved every choice. I will never tire of Disco, and it is one of the best second set openers. Pigeons was solid, but I actually favor the album version more than any live version that I’ve ever heard (yes, strange I know). The Tall Boy into Time Is Free was the highlight of the night. Took me back to the ARU days and it was only the 18th time ever that Widespread had played it. The long bass intro built up the anticipation - would it be a Time is Free Jam or the real deal? We got the real deal and then some. The Butter Room has the video. We’ll post it in a few weeks.
Post drums could have been better, a lot better. Holden Oversoul was short, too short for my liking, but Jimmy Herring did lead a nice and quick transition into Love Tractor to close the set. The Tractor was disappointing too. It just never reached the climax I was hoping for that I’ve experienced at many shows before.
Looking back at the encore, the highlight was The Take Out. Jimmy played it as close to the original version as I have ever heard. Of course, Porch Song was next and while I was hoping for a Lawyers, Guns, and Money closer, we got Postcard, which ain’t half bad either.
Some random thoughts … The sound was LOUD, real loud or I’m just getting old … I’ve seen three shows with Jimmy Herring on lead and none have blown me away. I am not saying (I mean, writing) he should be ousted like George McConnell, but I’ve been amazed by Jimmy as a member of other bands and hope to experience the same as a member of Panic. Last night and the other two Jimmy shows I’ve seen (9/26 and 27/06) were middle of the road shows out of the 20 I’ve seen now, but they don’t come close to my favorite Michael Houser shows and my favorite George McConnell show … JB flubbed some lyrics last night. Time for the teleprompter?
Regardless, this has always been my experience with Widespread Panic. While most jambands that I’ve “followed” seem to decline steadily over the years, Panic always keeps me guessing. I never know when I’ll be floored or left standing for more. Unfortunately, last night was the latter, but I’ll be back for show #21 the next time they come through town without hesitation.
***
Here is video of the opener, Pilgrims, from last night’s show. We’ll have more in Baked Virginia Jams over the coming weeks.
Last night I caught Tea Leaf Green in Charlottesville and it was a lot of fun. I have wanted to see these guys for awhile now, primarily because of the fact that they seem to share many festival bills with some of my other favorite bands. I had not listened to much of their music. In fact, I just downloaded a show from ‘07 last week to get a small sneak preview. Well, I left the venue last night wanting a whole lot more. I will definitely see these guys again - very talented musicians with a unique sound; kind of a cross between Traffic and The Allman Brothers.
A random complaint about the Satellite Ballroom: Please get a better beer selection on tap. The selection blows, but I do like the Red Stripe and Yuengling bottles.
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