Fun Play "Best Hometown Show" at Radio City Music Hall

Saturday night at Radio City Music Hall, pop-rockers, Fun, played their favorite show of the past year, and possibly their career.  The audience was just as taken, one fan even referring to the evening as "more than magical."  Fun were supported by Andrew McMahon, who played tunes from his previous bands, Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin, as well as "Learn to Dance" from a solo EP to be released this spring.

"New York City, this is a sight for sore eyes," announced Andrew McMahon as he took the stage promptly at 8:00.  Backed by a five-person band, he cruised into "Bruised" off of Everything in Transit.  One of my friends listened to a lot of Something Corporate in high school, and I like "The Lights & Buzz" by Jack's Mannequin, but I've never been into McMahon.  His voice has always annoyed me, and his chord progressions usually reminded me of Christian rock.  Having said that, he wasn't horrible.  His enthusiasm was really his selling point, especially on "Keep Rising," where he could barely stay seated at his keyboard.  The song was left off of the second Jack's album, hindsight allowing him to realize, "Holy shit! Why didn't I put that on the record?"  The song found new life as a bonus track on the Best Buy version of People & Things, but McMahon encouraged the crowd to illegally download the song "'cause you're just stealing from a record company I don't work for anymore." 

I saw Fun three times last year: once in a fire code violation, once in a small Brooklyn club, and once on an aircraft carrier.  But this was Radio City Music Hall, home of the Christmas Spectacular.  And sold-out.  They'd have to do more than just douse us in confetti.  They'd have to pull out all the stops.  As soon as the lights went down, we knew they were aiming big.  Sheer screens dropped from the proscenium, and "FUN." was projected in lights across it.  As the intro music soared, the font increased in size, creating a 3-D effect.  The curtain screens shot upwards as the band launched into "Out on the Town," the bonus track (Can it really be called a bonus track if it's on every version of the album?) from Some Nights.  The charging "One Foot" followed, complete with trumpet blasts from Andrew Dost and saxophone squeals from Emily Moore, sporting a platinum blond coiffure (Perhaps to celebrate the day's news of Some Nights going Platinum?).  During "All the Pretty Girls," the mirrored backdrop lit up as a cityscape with song titles masquerading as neon signs.  A subway train emblazoned "Out on the Town" rolled along on the screen in front of the drum riser, and "Barlights" floated by on a blimp across the five monitors that framed the stage.

"How the fuck did we get here?" laughed Nate Ruess following "Why Am I the One."  "Holy shit.  I'm gonna have the best fucking show of my life; that's for sure.  Why don't you guys do the same, alright?"  A live feed of crowd shots appeared on the backdrop for "At Least I'm Not as Sad," which gave off a sort of cheesy "kiss cam" Jumbotron vibe, but when Nate sweetly shared a seat at the keys with Dost for the song's conclusion, we'd all but forgotten about it.  "All Alone" wasn't as good as usual, but they segued into a fantastic "It Gets Better," heaped with vocal and instrumental flourishes.  When he came to the line "Not quite enough cigarettes to calm me down," Nate triumphantly substituted, "I don't smoke cigarettes anymore!"

When I saw Steel Train's last show, I mentioned that I hoped Jack Antonoff would not forget what a gifted guitarist he is.  If his vicious intro to "Barlights" was any indication, he hasn't forgotten.  Nate interrupted the song briefly to reveal that he wrote it during his move from Arizona to NYC, and again to say, "I think we can make this the loudest Radio City's ever been," before leading the audience through the "I feel alive" section of the tune.  The song also featured an extended drum solo from Antonoff and Will Noon.  

After the lyrics to "All Alright" were projected karaoke-style in a myriad of ways, the three songwriting members were left on the stage.  Jack commented on how far they've come in the last decade: "Ten years ago, Andrew was into dumpster-diving, Nate was into carbs, and I was into pot."  Nate added that while he still has a hard time growing facial hair, he has no problem sprouting it on his lower back.  He explained his current shaving regimen as randomly hitting his face with a razor to achieve some sort of 5 o'clock shadow, to which Antonoff chimed in, "You guys can't see up close. It's like Mickey Rourke meets a young boy. And I mean that in the best way possible.  In the sexiest way."  The trio performed "The Gambler" in tribute to their families and friends who have supported them over the years.

Arguably the biggest surprise of the night came after "Carry On," when the band performed a "new old song" called "What the Fuck."  Although Fun played it a handful of times in 2010, the multi-part song has been mostly a rarity.  They closed the set with an obvious choice, "We Are Young," but the video of slow-motion fire consuming the stage was pretty astonishing.

The band returned three minutes later, this time with Jack, Andrew, and Nate in customized New York jerseys (For those interested, Jack was #2, Andrew was #7, and Nate was their product, #14.).  "Some Nights" was awesome.  Jack's guitar was scintillating, but the real treat was watching Nate, who had already covered every inch of the stage during the show, running all the way up the tiers on the side of the theatre to sing to the fans in the balcony.  "Stars" drifted in seamlessly from the remnants of "Some Nights," with Nate adding the "Don't you wish we could play in the snow" section, appropriate to the weather outside.

The twinkling gold lights remained at the song's end, and we clapped for the band to return once more.  They reemerged after a two-minute break, with Nate conceding, "I guess we've got no choice but to do another song."  A huge smile on his face, he gushed, "This is the best hometown show that anyone could ask for," before they capped things off with "You Can't Always Get What You Want."  It may have seemed a hypocritical choice, considering most of the crowd had such a marvelous time.  Unfortunately, my seat was directly in front of some tone-deaf fuck, who insisted on hissing along to every song.  The sole moment of relief came from "What the Fuck" because he didn't know the words.  I just don't understand why you'd go to a concert to sing louder than the artist onstage.  I wish more people could recognize their vocal limits and not hinder the experience of those around them.  Fun put on a great fucking show.  The guy behind me did not.

ANDREW MCMAHON - 02.02.13 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL (45 minutes)

SET -
Bruised / I Woke Up in a Car / The Resolution / Swim / Learn to Dance / Holiday from Real / The Astronaut / Keep Rising / La La Lie / Dark Blue

FUN - 02.02.13 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL (1 hour, 33 minutes)

SET -
Out on the Town / One Foot / All the Pretty Girls / Why Am I the One / At Least I'm Not as Sad (as I Used to Be) / All Alone > It Gets Better / Barlights / All Alright / The Gambler / Carry On / What the Fuck / We Are Young

ENCORE I -
Some Nights > Stars

ENCORE II -
You Can't Always Get What You Want

Bowery Ballroom is the Last Stop on This Steel Train

Steel Train played their last foreseeable show at Bowery Ballroom last night to a sold-out crowd of passionate, if outspoken fans.  Lead singer/guitarist Jack Antonoff is also the guitarist for Fun, a side project that became much more when they hit number one with "We Are Young" and garnered six Grammy nominations.  With Fun's popularity on the rise, Steel Train booked the Bowery gig to give fans another chance to see them, sold it out in a matter of hours, and added a show at Maxwell's the day before.

I first heard of Steel Train when I was at NYU in 2004.  I was shooting a documentary on a dancer, and she recommended them to me as a jam band.  I downloaded some tracks, and even used their cover of "I Want You Back" in the video.  I had that covers EP, the For You My Dear EP, and their debut album Twilight Tales from the Prairies of the Sun, but I have to admit I lost touch with them after college.  When I heard that Jack was joining a band called Fun with Nate Ruess of the Format, I couldn't even fathom what that would sound like, imagining him to still be playing noodling riffs and Santana-inspired solos.  As it turns out, over the past few years, Steel Train had completely revamped their sound to power pop with a generous helping of "oh oh oh" choruses thrown in to get the crowd shouting along.  Antonoff all but abandoned his guitar virtuosity, and even changed his voice, pouring in a little whine.

Jack and the boys kicked things off as they do on their most recent eponymous album, with the one-two punch of "Bullet" and "Turnpike Ghost."  After "Kill Monsters in the Rain" from 2007's Trampoline, some crowdmembers used the break to shout song titles and gibberish.  Antonoff tried to carry a conversation with them, but it proved pointless: "You know what?  Fuck it.  It's too early to speak to each other. We're called Steel Train. This is a song called 'You Are Dangerous.'"  Jack's sister, Rachel, provided additional vocals on "Dakota," which led into "A Magazine," where Jack traded places with keyboardist Justin Huey for the song's middle section.  He took his guitar back to repeatedly strum a chord while he talked to the audience.  After asking who was from NY and NJ, he questioned, "Did anyone fly in?"  There were a surprising number of jetsetters, and they began yelling.  "I assume you're shouting the names of where you're from. Once again, it sounds like nothing," remarked Jack.  Interrupted while attempting to introduce "Road Song," he stopped playing and asked, "Can you shut the fuck up for one second?"  The majority of the song was performed with all five members singing around one mic, as Jack accompanied on his red Gibson.  Unfortunately, I was flanked by people who insisted on singing along loudly, which kept this from being the highlight of the night.  Save that shit for your car.

"Road Song" led into "I Feel Weird," followed by the jumpiest song about OCD ever, "Touch Me Bad."  All the '80s babies rocked out to "Children in the 90s" and then to a song before their time: a faithful rendition of Tom Petty's "American Girl."  "Firecracker" finished out the set, with Jack dictating the crowd's volume of the "no no no no no" singalong, and Jack's dad grabbing a six-string to play and sing backup.  Feedback from Jack's guitar carried over from the set to the encore, so there was never really a break when they gave the crowd a "Black Eye" that had the floor bouncing like a trampoline.  "S.O.G. Burning in Hell" wrapped things up, and despite all the barks from earlier, Jack deemed the crowd "the fucking best ever."

In addition to his OCD, it seems like Jack has developed a need to control a crowd, which was probably the reason why he shifted from folksy jam rock into power pop.  "Firecracker" was hardly the only tune where he motioned for the crowd to pick it up.  To this regard, I think Fun is the best thing for Jack.  Fun will no longer have trouble getting a crowd pumped.  That's not to say I want this to be Steel Train's last show, but I do think if they choose to continue, they need to work on making their songs sound a little different both from each other and other bands'.  Good luck, Jack, in whichever direction you go.  But please don't forget how good of a guitarist you are.

STEEL TRAIN - 01.05.13 - BOWERY BALLROOM (1 hour, 28 minutes)

SET -
Bullet > Turnpike Ghost / Kill Monsters in the Rain / You Are Dangerous > Alone on the Sea / Dakota > A Magazine > Road Song > I Feel Weird > Touch Me Bad / Better Love / Children in the 90s (I'm Not the Same) / American Girl > You & I Undercover / Fall Asleep / Firecracker

ENCORE -
Black Eye > S.O.G. Burning in Hell

Top 20 Live Songs of 2012

20. "Banana Boat (Day-O)" - Good Old War, 04.25, Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
"Do you wanna hear Tim do his best Harry Belafonte?" Keith asked the crowd. Tim sang the opening to "Day-O" perfectly, but no one expected the band to join in and play the whole song. Nice birthday present.

19. "Como Ves" - Ozomatli & the New York Pops, 06.12, Rumsey Playfield, New York, NY
Classic Ozo taken to new heights with the orchestra.

18. "Ashamed" - Deer Tick, 12.19, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY

Started off slow and built into a frenzy of horn solos and crowd chants.

17. "Spirit Bird" - Xavier Rudd, 12.03, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Offering the last part to the audience to sing, the fans succeeded with remarkable restraint and pitch control.

16. "Golden Train" - Penguin Prison, 06.24, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Hopping off the stage to perform while walking through the crowd during the first song surprised the shit out of me.

15. "Stars" - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, 06.14, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
You could see the pain on her face that she felt when she wrote this beautiful ballad.

14. "One Foot Before the Other" - Frank Turner, 09.30, Webster Hall, New York, NY

Frank Turner goes prog.  Lights and bass were amazing.

13. "Excuse Me Mr." - Ben Harper, 10.10, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
Hard to pick a favorite from the night, but the off-mic singing on this sounded incredible in the hallowed hall.

12. "Digest" - Ben Taylor, 05.17, City Winery, New York, NY
John Forté asked if he could sing it with Ben, and modified the lyrics to "Nothing's been the same since I've been gone," to reference his time in prison.

11. "Rat Race" - Antibalas, 08.18, Williamsburg Park, Brooklyn, NY
Likely the best Marley cover I've seen.

10. "Be Mine" - Alabama Shakes, 10.06, Merriweather Post Pavilion (Virgin Mobile Freefest), Columbia, MD

Brittany Howard just aced it on this one.

9. "We Are Young" - Fun, 06.22, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Crowd sang along triumphantly to the single of the year. Great acoustics.

8. "(718)" - 2 Skinnee J's, 08.24, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
In (718). Haven't jumped in the air at a concert in God knows how long.

7. "What Makes a Good Man?" - The Heavy, 08.30, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Backup singers sent this one to near heavenly proportions.

6. "Root Down" - Animal Liberation Orchestra, 05.09, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Just days after Adam Yauch's passing, ALO busted out this funky gem, which included "Maria" in its center.

5. "No One's Gonna Love You" - Band of Horses, 09.18, House of Vans, Brooklyn, NY
One of my favorite songs ever in such an intimate venue.  Literally got chills.

4. "Walk Like a Giant" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse, 09.29, Central Park Great Lawn (Global Festival), New York, NY
Crashing footsteps of a giant at the end were so fucking ballsy.

3. "Shake Up the Place" - 10 Ft. Ganja Plant, 04.20, The Middle East, Cambridge, MA
Sublime harmonies.  The smile on Kevin Kinsella's face has been burned into my mind forever.

2. "Try" - Everyone Orchestra, 10.27, Sullivan Hall, New York, NY
Grand Ole Opry-style chorus combined with Zach Gill's hilarious musings on his attic.  Should always be performed this way.

1. "Down with Disease" - Phish, 12.30, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Sweetest jam of the whole NYE run.  Spaced through different movements until it came to a driving funk conclusion.  I'll be listening to this for years.

Top 10 Albums of 2012

The Top 10 Albums of 2012

10. Ben Taylor - Listening
If Another Run Around the Sun is his Sweet Baby James, Listening is his JT: still rootsy but more pop-oriented.  He has a similar honey voice to his father, but made by feistier bees.  The last track "Next Time Around" uses the same progression as James' "Bartender's Blues," which someone should've noticed, but overall, still a solid record.

9. ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra) - Sounds Like This
When a band meshes so well onstage, sometimes that energy doesn't translate into the studio, but ALO have done it... with the first six songs on this album.  "Cowboys & Chorus Girls" ends with a funky keyboard jam, but then the songs start to sound like different renditions of tunes they've already recorded.  "Bark of a Tree" recalls "The Champ."  "Combat Zone" is "Monday" with different lyrics, and "Room for Bloomin" is similar to "I Love Music."  Fortunately, aside from "Bloomin," they are better versions.

8. Bill Baird - Career
Sound Team's Movie Monster is one of my favorite indie records ever. Unfortunately, the band split, with Bill Baird going solo and Matt Oliver and Jordan Johns forming TV Torso. Fortunately, both are still making good music.  Baird took a more experimental route in crafting Career, a noisy grab bag of lo-fi ambition.

7. Gary Clark, Jr. - Blak & Blu
Some are dubbing GCJ a "legend in the making," and while his eclectic major label debut may not confirm that, it's a fun ride.  In fact, Clark had previously released all but 5 of the songs in some manner, but it's exactly these songs that show his experimentation, from the horn-accented opener "Ain't Messin' 'Round" to the Lenny Kravitz-esque "Glitter Ain't Gold."

6. Diamond Rugs - Diamond Rugs
John McCauley rounds up a different batch of friends, including Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, for a 14-song drunken romp.  "Call Girl Blues" is an easy contender for song of the year with its bouncy horns and catchy backup vocals.  I saw them perform it straight-through in June, and it holds up live too!

5. Kishi Bashi - 151a
At nine tracks, it's a breeze, but it's the only violin-based album I've been digging this year.  It's clear Kevin Barnes' influence has worn off during his touring with Of Montreal, and yet Mr. Ishibashi manages a sound all his own.  Beat-boxing, loops, and an impressive vocal range only add to its diverse beauty.

4. Jack White - Blunderbuss

First off, I've never liked the White Stripes, so this came as a shocker even to me.  After seeing White and the Peacocks play Virgin Freefest in October, I was intrigued enough to check out his solo debut.  "Sixteen Saltines" is a fucking rocker, the "I'm Shakin'" cover is fun and faithful, and oodles of piano move the album along nicely.  My brother said that Jack White would convert me, and he has.

3. Rayland Baxter - Feathers & Fishhooks

I had to specially order the vinyl from a record store in Texas, and it proved entirely worth it.  It's a beautifully textured country/folk album, with accomplished songwriting that belies Baxter's 28 years of age.

2. Fun - Some Nights

While not as stylistically variant as their debut Aim & Ignite, this collection of songs makes a nice addition to the Fun canon.  The singles were picked correctly, but "Stars" is the hero of the album, with its self-referential lyrics building to an Autotuned climax.  I listened to this album more than any other new release this year, and correctly predicted their Best New Artist Grammy nom.

1. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Psychedelic Pill

After seeing Neil Young & Crazy Horse play new songs at Farm Aid and Global Festival, this became my number one LP to pre-order.  Though the 27:35 opening track "Driftin' Back" makes this a daunting listen, those who make it through will be well-rewarded.  Fellow 16-minute+ epics "Ramada Inn" and closer "Walk Like a Giant," with its whistling and dinosauric instrumentation, are the best songs on the album.

Free Fun in Williamsburg (Part 2)

Remember when I saw Fun perform for free at Music Hall of Williamsburg?  Well, Walmart and T-Mobile have teamed up to post video of 5 songs from the set and an exclusive interview right here if you wanna check it out.  Definitely don't miss the stellar rendition of "We Are Young."

StePhest Colbchella '012 Throws Fans for a Loop(apalooza)

After frantically refreshing the Colbert Nation website for two weeks, I successfully got a ticket to StePhest Colbchella '012: Rocktaugustfest.  The sequel to last year's concert, which featured acts like Talib Kweli and Bon Iver, StePhest '012 included Grizzly Bear, Santigold, Fun, and the Flaming Lips, all aboard the decommissioned aircraft carrier, the USS Intrepid.

The forecast called for thunderstorms, so I bagged my valuables and crossed my fingers that we wouldn't have a rerun of last week's Lollapalooza evacuation.  The sun shone brightly as I ran up 12th Ave from 34th St, fearing a massive line.  After checking in and receiving tickets to be exchanged for beer and food, I took advantage of a free scoop of
Stephen Colbert's very own Ben & Jerry's flavor, Americone Dream.  My friend Carrie (who took all the photos) joined me as we made our way up more than a few sets of stairs to the flight deck of the ship.  The stage was set up on the starboard side, flanked by screens and underneath a set of flashing lights reading, "COLBERT."  We used our drink tickets to grab some Heinekens (Guy behind us: "Which has more alcohol: Budweiser or Heineken?"  Trick question.  They both don't have any.), and settled in for the show.


With the stage manager directing us to cheer, the opening graphics for The Colbert Report illuminated the screens, and out came a swashbuckling Steve spinning a captain's wheel and brandishing a sabre.  Following some quips about the sewage spill in Tarrytown, Colbert played a game of life-size Battleship with Jon Stewart, putting a gigantic red peg into the stage.  He then instructed the crowd to keep the energy level up because they had to tape the opens for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Billed as a festival, this came as a surprise to most of us.  I don't get cable, so perhaps if I had seen last year's week of shows, I would have expected a show-taping environment instead of spending the past week reacquainting myself with the entirety of the Flaming Lips' catalog to be prepared to see them for the first time.

Colbert returned thrice more, putting a different spin on his pitches for sponsor, Pepsi.  First identifying their slogan as "Put it in your mouth," he later inserted a comma into their actual slogan: "Live, for now.  Because we're all going to die someday."  He also introduced his first mate, Grandmaster Flash, although their awkward repartee suggested that the two had never met before.  Colbert closed his final intro with an impromptu duet of "The Star Spangled Banner" with the stage manager.

Fun took the stage shortly after 9:30, and burst right out with current hit "Some Nights."  The sound sliced right through the humid, body odor-laden air, and the crowd sang along happily.  "Carry On" followed (Next single, maybe?) and "We Are Young" was the obvious closer.  A short set, but this wasn't a festival; it's TV.

Grizzly Bear hadn't played a concert in two years, but they assembled onstage to support Shields, which drops on September 18th.  They started things off with the heavy-on-harmonies "Two Weeks" off their album Veckatimest.  While not exactly a rager, the song didn't get the reaction from the crowd that the producers of the show had wanted.  It was time for a do-over.  Speaking as someone who works in television, this is a fairly common occurrence.  But to the mass of people who came to see a concert, it was a letdown.  After being part of a crowd on a TV show, you learn how to move your hands more, how to exaggerate your side-to-side movements, how to imitate a bobblehead.  But some folks didn't want to deal with multiple takes, and began making their way back to shore.  The live debut of "Yet Again" had to be rebooted after some technical difficulties with frontman Ed Droste's equipment, and there was even more resistance from the crowd.  Colbert came out to make amends, offering, "As an impartial observer, allow me to say that the second time you play a song, it's even better."  Once GB got that song in the can, they finished it out with another new one, "Sleeping Ute."

Grandmaster Flash provided the music between sets, but sadly spent most of his time spinning current radio hits. One break featured "Hip Hop Hooray," "Jump Around," and "Let Me Clear My Throat," recalling elementary school dances at the Sunset Room, but shockingly Flash's own classic cuts like "White Lines (Don't Do It)" and "The Message" remained absent.

When Stephen announced that he was going to take some time to record the goodnight tags, groans issued from the crowd.  That is, until he descended into our ranks, only to be hoisted above by eager concertgoers, to deliver his lines into the jib camera.  With those fans expecting a typical concert rapidly departing, Colbert nobly turned to the role of pacifier.  He did everything he could to keep us entertained, from singing "Happy Birthday" in Latin to a crowdmember to joyously dancing to Rihanna's "We Found Love, a snippet of which can be seen below.


Santigold surprised me, as I had written her off as a M.I.A. clone (and I don't like M.I.A.).  Her stone-faced backup singers, doing choreographed routines with a variety of props including briefcases and umbrellas, had me laughing out loud.  And the dub-like sounds of "Disparate Youth" had me legitimately dancing, not just hamming it up for the cameras.  But alas, the perfection necessary for TV struck again.  After guitar and monitor issues required both "The Keepers" and "Disparate Youth" to be repeated, I remarked to the Santigold fan next to me that she could've gone to the bathroom as she had wanted to, and not missed a thing.

The show now running late, the sense of urgency was apparent, with Michael Ivins and Steven Drozd tuning their own instruments.  Wayne Coyne took the reins on pumping up the crowd, and the Lips launched into "Ashes in the Air."  A bizarre marijuana PSA from Coyne flowed into "Drug Chart," which had him shaking a maraca with a face, and obscuring his own visage with a foil cape.  As they broke into "Do You Realize??," I realized how strange it was to see the Lips in the year they became world record holders for the most concerts performed in 24 hours, likely playing to their smallest crowd since 1994.

No Flaming Lips show is complete without Wayne jumping into a space bubble and hamster-wheeling his way above the crowd.  Wayne and Colbert climbed into their spheres and set out onto our bed of hands, so Stephen could deliver his final goodbye.  It was a little surreal to know that as they passed above us in their space bubbles, while the Lips played the theme to The Colbert Report, just to our left, in an even bigger bubble, was the space shuttle Enterprise.

I guess we'll see next week how it all comes together on TV.  Well, those of us with cable.

FUN – 08.10.12 – STEPHEST COLBCHELLA ‘012, USS INTREPID (14 minutes)

SET –

Some Nights / Carry On / We Are Young

GRIZZLY BEAR – 08.10.12 – STEPHEST COLBCHELLA ‘012, USS INTREPID (27 minutes)

SET –

Two Weeks / Two Weeks / Yet Again (aborted) / Yet Again / Sleeping Ute

SANTIGOLD – 08.10.12 – STEPHEST COLBCHELLA ‘012, USS INTREPID (29 minutes)

SET –

The Keepers / Disparate Youth / The Keepers / Disparate Youth / Go!

THE FLAMING LIPS – 08.10.12 – STEPHEST COLBCHELLA ‘012, USS INTREPID (26 minutes)

SET –

Ashes in the Air / Drug Chart / Do You Realize?? / Charge (tease) / The Colbert Report Theme

Free Fun in Williamsburg

Last night, Fun played a free show for fans at Music Hall of Williamsburg. While the setlist was an abridged version of their recent run at Terminal 5, the small venue experience enhanced some of the performances.

My friend got into a 300-person line two hours before the 9pm door time. I had to catch a $25 cab (so much for free), but was able to join up at 9, the line obviously swollen since 7:00. Slowly inching around the block, inhaling secondhand smoke, and being rained on, it was quite the nerve-racking experience. Would it all be for naught?

Right before 10pm, security cut the line off about 20 people behind us. Success! We showed our IDs and made our way into the only available spot at the rear. Before we could even get our bearings, the house lights went down, and screams gave way to the opening notes of "One Foot." "I'm standing in Brooklyn, just waiting for something to happen," sang Nate Ruess, quenching the desires of a crowd who had done just that in line. "We've only been off tour for like three days. It feels so much better to be back," he admitted.

The set was so similar, it didn't feel very different from T5, aside from the awful squealing of lyrics by the girl behind me and the presence of camera cranes and dollies for a broadcast of the show on Walmart's website in July. The déjà vu remained until Ruess took a break to remove his shoes, and informed the crowd that Nelly's "Ride Wit Me" had just popped into his head. Andrew and Jack found the chords and led the crowd in a sing-along of the chorus. The fun moment was followed by a reflective "The Gambler," in which Nate had to stifle the handclaps of an eager crowdmember. "You're not gonna find the beat, my friend. I dictate the beat."

When the drumbeat to "We Are Young" kicked in, the show elevated to new heights. The acoustics of the room combined with the choral singing of the crowd really made this a special moment, seeing the hit single of the hottest new band performed in such an intimate setting. No one could remember the smoke-choked line we waited in in the rain; only that we were young and we were going to set the world on fire. Perfect.

As the band slipped into "You Can't Always Get What You Want," the Terminal 5 surprise seemed less unique... until they trumped it with this version, all in the face of incessant talking from the girl behind me, too young to know the Stones. The band left the stage, and the audience began chanting, "One more song!" which thankfully later morphed into "Encore!" Why only ask for one more song? Why not eight? Fun listened to the first chant and went with "Some Nights." The "oh-oh-oh-oh-ohs" bounced off the walls amazingly, and Jack took the opportunity for a shimmering guitar solo.

The sonic hat trick at the end of the concert had me giddy at actually being able to get into the show. I wish I could've seen them when I started listening in 2009 before they got huge, but I never had the chance. I just realized that next year they will likely follow in the footsteps of many artists who've been around for years and yet are still nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy. And I'm fine with that, as long as they win, and as long as you know I was listening to them way before you.

FUN – 06.22.12 – MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG (1 hour, 4 minutes)

SET –

One Foot / Walking the Dog / Why Am I the One / All Alone / At Least I’m Not as Sad (as I Used to Be) / Carry On / Ride Wit Me (tease) / The Gambler / All the Pretty Girls / Barlights / We Are Young / You Can’t Always Get What You Want

ENCORE –

Some Nights