TV on the Radio has been steadily rising in popularity in the last few years. On Saturday evening, the band's music amped up the Crossroads crowd at Grinders with widely accessible favorites ("Wolf Like Me") and chilled everyone out with mind-buzzing anthems ("Staring at the Sun"). In between those two extremes, the band burst our eardrums out with unnervingly loud garage punk-rock.
!!! (chk chk chk) opened the night with an awesome set. The band plays (and masters) solid, crisp, dark dance rock: funky bass and electronic melodies atop crazzzy (that's right, three z's) drum beats.
Most folks in the audience murmured and chuckled nervously as they watched Nic Offer (singer, air humper) disco-dance and simulate oral sex with his mic as he shook his ass in cut-off boat shorts. But those chuckles ceased after the first song. Offer jumped from the stage and started grinding and dancing on random crowd members, gaining energy through the band's all-too-short set. The band closed out the set with "Heart of Hearts." Offer said a sweet goodbye while dancing behind the stage's mesh Miller Lite banners, peek-a-booing with the crowd and grabbing his dick.
The crowd was pumped and ready for TV on the Radio. Taking the stage, the band was greeted with enthusiastic hoots and hollers; people flailed about as if having convulsions as Tunde Adebimpe started in on "Halfway Home," the band's opening song.
TVOTR put on an amazing show. It was fun to watch. But they were so freakin' loud. Really, though. It was almost too loud. From where I stood (stage left), all the band's songs started to blend together and fall into each other. Only occasionally would I hear Kyp Malone's Prince-like voice rising above the whining guitars and bombastic spray of random percussion.
TVOTR played mainly its fast-paced songs, rarely delving into the atmospheric, art-rock drone some fans (uhh, me) know it for. I wasn't blown away by TVOTR's set, but everyone else in attendance seemed to be. People around me were transfixed on the stage, shouting out lyrics. Couples hugged and played grab-ass while fratsy (not to be confused with fartsy) guys jumped around wildly.
Before TVOTR went into the band's obligatory (but really good) encore, Adebimpe yelled at the crowd about how Kansas City, Missouri, was all about embracing light because it wasn't Kansas City, Kansas, or something like that. That shit made people go insane. Like !!!'s set, TVOTR's was pretty short. I was in my car, driving home to my box of wine before 11 p.m.
So here's Saturday night in a nutshell: dick grabbing, good music, short sets, blown-out eardrums.
—
Overheard in the crowd: "Oh, don't yawn! There's no yawning!" (Yes there is, lady. I stand by my goddamn yawn.)
Critic's Bias: I came for !!! and was pretty much exhausted after flailing around during the band's set.
Set List: !!!
??? (Seriously. How did I not know this song?)
Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass
New song performed live only twice!
Must Be the Moon
The Hammer
Heart of Hearts
Set List: TVOTR
Halfway Home
Dreams
Caffeinated Consciousness
The Wrong Way
Will Do
Province
Young Liars
Second Song
Red Dress
Staring at the Sun
Repetition
Wolf Like Me
Encore:
Forgotten
Satellite
Dancing Choose
Showing 1-8 of 8
I wasn't blown away by TVOTR's set either. I enjoyed a few of their songs, but mostly thought the sound was off. I am not sure it was their fault. Could be a Crossroads problem. I thought !!! was amazing and in my opinion should have had top billing.
Entirely possible it was too loud right by the stage, but 30-ish feet back, it was just fine. Both bands were great. And my apologies to whoever I beaned in the back of the head with a glow stick. I throw like a girl.
I was at the show and excited to see both bands play. I saw them play together at Lallapalooza in Chicago in 2007 prior, as well as this show being the third time I have seen both bands. I am a huge fan of both bands, but lean more to !!!. I accompanied a pitch writer to the show and was able to compare it to the past shows. We both danced wildly to !!! and were even able to meet the singer and share a beer. Which was a once in a lifetime experience! TVOTR was just a wall of indiscernible fuzz. They have progressively gotten worse at the same speed that they are underperforming and getting louder. The regular 96.5 crowd that is usually wasted by that time of night probably couldn't tell the difference. Overall, !!! ruled. TVOTR will probably never sell another ticket to me even though I own all of their albums- I think they sound better when I turn down my speakers and listen to their old chill music instead. Side note: Im not a jaded hipster, I've just seen a lot of damn shows! -shawn
@Abe, @Richard. Here are two basically entirely positive show reviews that have appeared on the blog in the last two days:
http://www.pitch.com/wayward/archives/2011…
http://www.pitch.com/wayward/archives/2011…
David, clearly you don't read the reviews. The reviews on here usually have a condescending feel to them, admonishing the crowd for having more fun than the reviewer feels they should have. This is not the first instance of it.
Also, if you don't want criticism, you probably shouldn't be a writer.
Well It's just a consistent theme, that every show the pitch reviews, the "reviewer" ends up talking about how boring and uninspired the show was. I can't remember the last time I read a review for a show that I went to where there "reviewer" didn't talk shit on it. It's clear that the people who review the shows have no journalistic background, and are just random people who work for the magazine who get sent to these shows for bands that they only marginally care about, and end up complaining about it.
Not only were TV On The Radio not "overly loud", but you could clearly hear Kyp and Tunde above the music at all times. Also, a friend of mine has seen TVOTR five times, and said it was by far the best performance he's seen from them. So I'm sorry that Abbie wasn't blown away by them. You were literally the ONLY one.
Can't wait to read about how boring and uninteresting you guys will think the Bon Iver show will be next month.
Oh, shut up Abe, you old grouch. Our reviewer preferred the first act's performance to the second act's. That hardly means she doesn't enjoy going to shows. She wrote that she danced throughout the entire first set. Actually read the review before you jump on and make broad, asinine comments.
Why does the Pitch even bother sending their bloggers to review shows when clearly it is a burden to go to free shows.
"I wasn't blown away by TVOTR's set, but everyone else in attendance seemed to be. "
"I stand by my goddamn yawn."
I mean seriously? Hire some people that actually enjoy the shows instead of hipsters that can't wait to get out of the show and go drink boxed wine.
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