My ears are still ringing from last night’s show @ the Garden.
Unbeknownst to seemingly everyone in the arena but our seat neighbors, the Joy Formidable took the stage @ 6:30. They must have had until 7:30 and just opted to play a full hour to whomever was there. Ticket said 7pm, so I only caught half of their set, but no real loss – the band played the same set of songs weeks ago @ the Lansdowne Pub. A WFNX Disorientation show I’ve raved about since. Plus, nothing beats a club show, if you can fit your band in it…
Social D. – Fast and dirty punk rock. I’ve heard their radio hits but I got the full onslaught last night. These guys must be a killer club act. Too polished for the Middle East, but a sound that’s not quite arena friendly. Shinning melodies backed by coarse punk rock – wasn’t Dave Grohl in a band that shook the world with that recipe? Great set – even if their overall sound was somewhat indiscernible.
Foo Fighters – Filled with surprises. I had no idea the Foo’s were so big (arena was packed and fans were rambunctious), that I knew so much of their music (I had no voice this morning), and that I could kept me on the edge of my metaphorical seat for 2.5 hours (that’s a lot of music with little improvisational jamming)!
Dave Grohl was born to perform, we know that, but what I really underestimated was the quality of material that makes-up his body of work. On the way to the seat I was sarcastically wondering, “How many people are here to see Nirvana?” Instead, I was served a piece of humble pie by Dave in the opening chords of Monkey Wrench, jolted by every top-of-the-lungs scream, and entranced by every compact turn the band took. It was a high energy set that allowed for little down time. I would see the Foo’s again, only the best material of their 15+ year catalogue fills their set, but I wouldn’t follow them across the country
Tangent alert!!! – To be honest, Nirvana will always be my favorite band, and in part, I have Dave Grohl to thank for that. So, it’s now great to say I’ve seen a member of Nirvana in the flesh (technically 2 - if you include Pat Smear). I’ve always thought Grohl’s thunderous attack on the drums charged Nirvana, and Kurt’s intricate genius, through the musical landscape of the early 90s. Listening to Grohl and the FF’s last night, I contemplated how Dave, in Nirvana, approached the drums as a songwriter, creating parts for the greater collective, even as an individual contributor. He has always been a songwriter it would seem – even without credit on the liner notes.
This line of thought, and the energy of the show, shot me back to my bedroom, as an adolescent, listening to Nevermind on repeat, feeling naïve, in an inquisitive way, peeling away layers of meaning from a rock trio that sounded infinitely bigger than just 3 dudes. You know, that curious feeling music is supposed to make us feel. Even when we think we’ve come so far.
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