You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘concert’ tag.
I completely forgot to mention in my previous blog post that, in between my trip to Washington DC & now, I had gotten sick. I mean, I was “can’t-get-outta-bed” sick. That’s how sick I was, & after I recovered, I had kind of become lazy & stopped writing for a hot minute. Now I’m back, & I’m here to tell you that I went to yet another concert at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California. We stared our evening grabbing a quick bite from the Off the Grid food truck stalls outside of the venue. We nearly missed our concert, as we had forgotten to put a calendar alert on our smartphones. Luckily Jian’s phone beeped that morning, or we would have missed this epic night. I ate at one of my favorite food trucks, called…dun, dun, dun…BACON!
Started in 2010, Off the Grid currently operates 35 weekly public markets throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Off the Grid seeks to maintain a shared sense of space by collaborating with local businesses and communities to active novel public spaces with truly unique experiences. (www.offthegridsf.com)
The best damn freshest bacon in town.
Against Jian’s wishes, I bought more concert tickets for this venue. This time we went to see the Scottish rock band FRANZ FERDINAND perform as a collaboration super rock group called F.F.S. with the popular American rock group, SPARKS. It’s crazy how fast this collaboration band came to be. These two amazing rock bands had only just formed one mixed band this past March (2015). They quickly released two singles & a full-length album by April, & was already making plans to tour around the world in the same year. I had no clue who the band SPARKS was or just how popular they were, but I had been a long-time fan of FRANZ FERDINAND & knew of their popularity for sure. Who knew that these two bands have already been collaborating together since the mid-2000s??? So. Cool.
F.F.S. stage background
F.F.S. drum kit
Steering the topic back to the concert itself, this time I had bought standing-floor tickets. We were able to stand extremely close to the stage, & we were lucky enough to be standing in the area that got the most band attention. How much attention, you ask? Well, let me tell you this, Alex Kapranos & Russell Mael,of FRANZ FERDINAND & SPARKS respectively, constantly would walk/dance over to our side of the stage & high-five the girls smashed up against the safety railing. Also, guitarist Nick McCarthy stage-dived, crowd-surfed, & jumped down into the audience only on our side of the stage. The time Nick jumped down into the crowd, he moved all around amongst the audience & danced along with us while playing his guitar, all without missing a beat. The one time he stage-dove right into the audience, he nearly landed right on top of me. Now, I’m quite a petite lady standing only at 5-feet tall (152cm). How am I supposed to carry the weight of a generously tall man playing a guitar over my head? (Unless I’m some beefed-up bodybuilder, I don’t see that happening.) Seeing Nick stage dive right into my side of the crowd scared me a bit, so I side-stepped out of the way when his crowd-surfing body was headed in my direction. Luckily Jian was standing right next to me & was able to guide Nick & his sleek cream-colored guitar away from our general direction before he headed back towards the stage.
Nick McCarthy, Ron Mael & Alex Kapranos
Throughout the night I kept my eyes trained on co-lead singer Alex Kapranos. Boy, is he attractive looking up close & personal. I was watching the way he enthusiastically danced on stage, & I kept thinking to myself, “Alex’s dancing & stage presence reminds me of a cross between David Bowie & Brandon Flowers.” He was really making good use of his extremely slender legs & his long arms with his flailing dancing around on stage. I also couldn’t help but notice that Alex’s hands were H-U-G-E!!! His fingers were impossibly long & slim (he could’ve held my entire head with just one hand). In general, Alex Kapranos is just a tall, slinky, svelte individual. I don’t think he carries even one ounce of body fat on himself. As for Ron Mael, the other co-lead singer, I was curious as to why he chose to wear a turtle neck shirt & a poncho on stage. In fact, I was wondering why he wore all-black clothing at all. It must’ve been really hot for him on stage. The venue didn’t have very good air conditioning, even though it was a rather mid-sized concert hall. Overall, both singers did a fantastic job taking turns being the lead singer on stage. They really knew how to ramp up the crowd’s excitement.
Ron Mael & Alex Kapranos
Before I forget, here is the setlist for the evening’s concert:
Overall, I had a blast at this concert!! I love Franz Ferdinand, & they did an excellent job collaborating & joining forces with Sparks. I can’t wait to see Franz Ferdinand in concert again. Cheers!
Today’s song of the day:
So last week I finally went to the Bramdon Flowers concert. I had purchased the tickets months in advance, so the anticipation was making me antsy & excited. Since I’ve only seen Brandon Flowers perform with his band The Killers, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect stage performance-wise. I knew he was going to sing songs from his two released solo albums Flamingo & The Desired Effect, & I had a feeling he would perform a few of his band’s hit songs just to ramp up the crowd’s attention. I never knew I could admire him so much as an artist & a songwriter.
Brandon Flowers really knows how to engage his audience & fans. He really made us feel like we were all one big group of longtime friends who haven’t seen each other in a while. He took the time to explain a few of his songs, likes how the inspiration behind the song Magdalena came after experiencing a spiritual Mexican festival focused on musical celebrations. The entire audience erupted in rowdy cheers when he asked the question “Do you think he’s innocent or guilty?” then proceeded to perform a spirited rendition of Jenny Was a Friend of Mine.
The theater of the concert was pretty small, but it didn’t feel small until I got to my seat. I was sitting quite high up in the second tier balcony section. Yes I could easily see everything on the stage, but it was hard to get a clear view of the Brandon & band. It was difficult to spot Brandon, but that was because the stage lighting was so bright & harsh, so he was constantly being overshadowed by the set lights.
I try not to take too many photos or videos during concerts anyway, so I didn’t bother taking good quality photos of Brandon.
After the concert, Jian complained that the acoustics & the sound in the theater was not that great, but I didn’t think of it one bit. I was too busy enjoying the atmosphere, the music, & dancing in my seat. I was clapping so hard the entire time that I actually made a small bruise form on the palm of my hand. I didn’t even notice it until I got home & was in the shower, then I saw the purple & blue spot on my palm. It didn’t hurt at all, but that’s how I knew I had such a blast…being so enthusiastic. I absolutely enjoyed the mix of songs from both of Brandon Flowers’ solo albums (more songs from The Desired Effect than Flamingo), & peppered inbetween were a few of The Killers’ songs as well.
I had such an amazing time at the Brandon Flowers concert. It kind of made me wish I could go to a Killers concert some day. I’ve only ever seen The Killers perform at music festivals, so I’d like to go to one of their standalone concerts. Well, next month I’m going to yet another concert (at the same venue no less!). This time I’m going to see Franz Ferdinand perform with Sparks & debuting their hybrid group called FFS. I’m so excited to see my favorite Scottish band in concert!! I can’t wait. This is going to be the year of concerts for me, even though I am super bummed out that I missed Outside Lands this year, but there’s still more of 2015 yet to come. Cheers!
Today’s song of the day:
I don’t know why I waited so long to watch Weezer in concert, but I finally did it. It was truly a night to remember. I don’t know what I was supposed to expect, but this concert was everything I dreamed of & more. I know lead band member Rivers Cuomo is a pretty quirky & mostly reserved guy, but I feel like he “let his hair down” a bit that night & let loose…about as much as he was willing to. I overheard a lot of fan feedback complaining, lamenting saying that the concert was too short. I thought it was just right, yet I can see how the concert would be perceived as short, with no breaks In between playing songs & not much talking/messing around between the songs & instrument changes. It almost felt like they just breezed through their greatest hits & sprinkled in a few songs from their new album as though they were in a hurry to get to someplace else. However, I quite liked the no-nonsense pace of the concert. Don’t get me wrong…I am not cool with all-business-no-pleasure, but I also don’t like when a band veers too much off track or takes too long to set up between songs/sets. Everything was packaged neatly with a nice Pink(erton) bow.
There were two opening bands before Weezer took the stage as the headlining act. The first band was Young Rising Sons. Before this concert, I’ve only heard one of their songs on the radio: “High“. Normally at concerts, I don’t really pay attention to the opening acts, but I quite liked this band. They reminded me of a catchier, pop-ier version of The Black Keys. I’m not going to lie. I was first drawn into their music by the attractiveness of the lead singer Andy Tongren & the clothing fashion of lead guitarist Dylan Scott. I also liked their music.
The second band to perform was Kongos. You may have heard them on the radio with songs such as “Come With Me Now“. I don’t have much to say about this particular band, as I am not attracted to their music in any way. I’m sorry, but this band just doesn’t get my motor running…even if they do have a cool accordionist. Also, I just couldn’t get over the lead singer Daniel not wearing any shoes & traipsing around the stage barefoot. The only thing I could think about during this set was “I hope he doesn’t step on anything sharp,” & “I hope he doesn’t get into a bed with white sheets later tonight, lest he leave black footprints everywhere in the bed.” Yes, those were very bizarre things to think about during a concert, but nevertheless I was thinking them. I’m not a germaphobe per se, but dirty feet, well actually feet in general, gross me out pretty seriously. That’s why I think I’d be a terrible nudist.
Finally, let’s get on with the good stuff…WEEZER! Yeah, the band members were all pretty chill & AWESOME. They started their set right away with their oldie-but-a-goodie My Name Is Jonas & shut down the house with their extremely popular song Buddy Holly. In between they performed the following songs (in no particular order): Perfect Situation, Beverly Hills, (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To, Undone (The Sweater Song), Say It Ain’t So, Island In The Sun, Pork and Beans, Dope Nose, Hash Pipe. Weezer also performed two new songs from their new album Everything Will Be Alright In The End. I can’t remember the exact song titles, but I believe one was “Ain’t Got Nobody”, & the other was “Go Away”. This was the first time both of those new songs were performed live. Aside from Rivers Cuomo changing up a few lyrics here and there to cater to the audience, there was not a whole lot of playfulness from the band. Only two instances stand out in my mind. One: when a fan rushed onto the stage & danced around a bit before the security got a hold of him & escorted him off stage. Rivers made a few jokes about that guy joining the Olympic track team. Second: when Rivers was introducing the other band members in the middle of the song “Pork and Beans” & he got them each to continue singing the rest of the lyrics as he introduced them one-by-one. Other than that, he made a quick reference to Weezer’s latest album “Everything Will Be Alright In The End” & how it’s available on iTunes. Yes, the set was short but sweet. Most of their greatest hits were performed, with the exception of a few true gems (i.e. El Scorcho, The World Has Turned and Left Me Here, Keep Fishin’, Troublemakeretc.). Yet, I feel they pretty much covered all the bases & did a job well done. I can only just begin to believe that I was in the presence of greatness & legend that night. Cheers!
https://twitter.com/melsenpai/status/517922031225294848
Today’s song of the day:
Rabbits & Foxes 
You must be logged in to post a comment.