WhoMadeWhoMadeCMJ

My friend M and I went to the early show at the Mercury Lounge on Wednesday to see WhoMadeWho and Fujiya & Miyagi. Long story short, WhoMadeWho completely stole the show. I really like Fujiya & Miyagi, but as I would have guessed based on the style of their music... not the most exciting live show ever. But seriously, WhoMadeWho were awesome with the killer combo of fun, funky, dancable music with great melodies and a really fun stage presence. And talk about eye candy! especially in those spandex jester outfits! Hot! I wish I took pictures. The one below is misleading, because they were not wearing the loose fitting outer layer for the show.
We were so pleased with the show that we decided to have a word with the band afterwards. There were super nice and excited to be playing NYC for the first time. Unfortunately, we didn't get to talk long because the venue needed to clear out for the late show. The Friday night 205 Club show they mentioned wasn't listed on the CMJ schedule, so I sent them a myspace message and Jeppe (guitar) put us on the guest list. Yay! The 205 Club (aka 205 Chrystie) was pretty cool. Very tiny and people packed in like sardines. WhoMadeWho put on another awesome show and the crowd was really into it (as they should be). Sadly, the band split right after their show, Tomas (bass) citing jet lag and having all of their gear in hand (it was 1am, after they had now played 3 nights in a row...). Regardless, my heart was broken. Those poor bastards (married or not) will never know what could have been.
At 205 we also so Hearts Revolution, who were pretty freaking awesome. Similar in many ways to Crystal Castles, so I was not surprised when I learned that about a year ago the two bands put out a split 6". I know I had heard their song C.Y.O.A! (awesome video below) many times, but had never really known who the group was. Needless to say, they are right up my alley so I was super stoked and pleasantly surprised when they started playing.

Girl Talk - Baltimore- funnest night ever

It could not have been more perfect that I went to see Girl Talk the evening after running a half marathon, because Girl Talk is hands down my favorite running music. For obvious reason, right? The fast tempo... things are constantly changing with new catchy tunes to distract you at any moment when you would otherwise feel like you really couldn't go any further. Hell, I have even found myself singing out loud at times when I had no business wasting my breath. Anyways, considering Girl Talk had gotten me through my training, and that I had been taking it easy for a couple of weeks in preparation for the "race", I knew the show was going to be a good time... and was not disappointed.
This was motivated by the cute bartender. Didn't show him my hand, but I did get a hug at the end of the night. Also from a fellow concert attendee, I got the best compliment I have ever gotten. After telling the guy that I liked his hoodie, he responded "Thanks, I like your glasses... and your face".
Typical Girl Talk show awesomeness.

When you make friends with the bartender, you end up taking lots of photos like this by the end of the night. And end up with lots of your drinks all over you and your neighbors.
These are the items that I for some reason decided I should pick up off of the floor at the venue and put into my purse... Being a pack-rat when you get drunk makes from some interesting/exciting mornings.

10/8 MGMT and Beck - Pictures and Video

The cool things is that the last NYC show to be added, ended up being first! So I got to see Beck and MGMT before all of the people that actually were on top of they shit and bought tickets early. Haha.

When we first got the tickets, I was actually more excited about MGMT than Beck because I have been listening to them more the past couple of months. But as soon as Beck started playing, I realized how crazy I was being. He really schooled them, putting on a show like really only an experienced rock master can. Also, there is just something really magical about seeing a musician who you have been a fan of for over 10 years. Listening to all of the songs can really take you back in time and remind you of what was going on in your life when all of the different albums came out. And remind you of how rare such a versatile and consistently good musician really is.

MGMT: They sounded great but until the last couple of songs, they lacked enthusiasm... Its almost as if Beck was like "listen bitches, ya'll are just here to open for me... so don't try anything crazy. You can hang up your sheet, and play your 10 songs, but don't get too excited". I think it must be harder to get into your show when you feel like they people are not there to see you. I was surprised at how many people in the crowd didn't even know MGMT. Almost nobody was standing up. It was sad. But they did really rock out towards the end. I look forward to seeing them when they are the headlining act.


Beck: I almost don't want to say too much, except for that it was one of the best shows I have ever seen. He played a great variety of all of his best stuff. He and the band sounded very well rehearsed and had a good energy. The female vocals were a pleasant addition, really adding a lot to all of the songs. And the visuals were beautiful, fitting perfectly with the music. It was just great. You have to see it.


Please don't judge the sound of the concert based on this crappy video taken with my little digital camera.

Selling Beck/MGMT tickets shouldn't be difficult

So, last night I went to see Beck and MGMT at the United Palace (the show was amazing, pics and video to come soon). My friend and I had two extra tickets, and seeing how all three nights of the show were sold out, we thought there would be no problem selling them for face value.

I started out with this playful craigslist post:

2 Beck/MGMT tickets - Wed 10/8 - discount for cute boys - $110 (Upper East Side)

Just looking to make our money back.

We are two cute girls and are willing to give a discount to two cute guys (between the ages of 28 and 35).

While I got a couple of emails, nobody actually wanted the tickets. Pretty unbelievable I think.

My friend got a buyer with a more straightforward craigslist post who then proceded to stand us up, just an hour before doors were supposed to open at the show. We were standing on the corner for half an hour. Couldn't she have at least called? Seriously, there is a certain craigslist code that should be followed.

Finally, we decided just to sell the tickets to scalpers for half of what they were worth ($50 for the two of them) so we could be done with it and go into the venue. The fun this is, that since there are assigned seats in the United Palace, we got to see who ended up with our tickets (I would like to say that the venue was AWESOME, very beautiful, and much more fun than alot of places with seats. People were milling around, dancing, drinking, smoking etc. It was very laid back.) Anyways, the guys who ended up with our extra seats (seen below) paid $100 each!!! So the scalpers made $150 dollar off the lot of us. Oh well, none of us really cared all that much because the show was so awesome.
I highly recommend getting tickets for one of the next two nights if you dont already have them. Whatever price you have to pay, you will not be disappointed.

Tegan and Sara Concert - 10/5/08

At first didn’t know who was who, just noticing that they parted their hair in opposite directions and that one of them had tattoos. That ended up being Tegan, who I guess is now my favorite. She wrote my favorite of their songs, Call It Off, and seemed a bit more chill. Really, Sara talked a little too much. Not to say she wasn’t entertaining because she really was. I especially liked the comment about feeling burdened as a teenager, then at 20 realizing it was all of her hair and clothes that were too big that were weighing her down. She was very funny, but the songs are so short that I actually think as much time was spend talking as playing. But really, cant complain because they did play/talk for an hour and a half. Here is a pic of Sara shooting the shit.Another interesting things that came up during one of the many on stage conversations was age. Tegan and Sara just turned 28 and asked who was under 25. Over three quarters of the people raised their hand. Most of them were probably also under 21 as most of the crowd had Xs one their hands… and didn’t seem like a straight edge crowd. More like a punk princess crowd. Terminal 5 was cool with good sound and visibility. Tegan and Sara mad a comment about it feeling like Mad Max…I guess referring to the people hanging over balconies, but its been a while since I have seen that movie. Also, for future reference, its good to know that Terminal 5 shows must start on time. We walked in at 9:30, which we thought would be plenty early to catch some of at least one of the openers and were surprised when Tegan and Sara came right on, to finish promptly at 11.
Overall it was a really fun show and I would def see them again. Most song were played very similarly to the album version, but they was done very well and there was a new energy to them. Was impressed by how well they pull off some of their difficult vocals. The way the two of them harmonize and get the timing right is very impressive live. In one particular song I could almost swear Tegan didn’t take a breath. Also, they did play a couple of songs that have not been recorded and/or released that were very good. Below is a video of Tegan and Sara covering Rihanna’s Umbrella.