Alright, so I know there were several squawkers there, but I'll go ahead and be the first to post a "review" of the show.
I missed the first band, but my friends told me I didn't miss anything special, so no big loss. I got there early in the Meat Puppet's set, and although I've never been a fan, they sounded good. The dudes harmonized well, and the vocals were nearly always right on key. They played a lot of their classic stuff, and the crowd was really enthusiastic. The sound was decent, but the bass was really mushy and you couldn't hear the individual notes at all. The Meat Puppets are older dudes who still rock out without looking pathetic like Foreigner or something playing a casino. Their bass player looks a lot like G.E. Smith of the Saturday Night Live Band fame, and we kept cracking up over that.
Built to Spill came on and sounded good from the get go. Doug's mic kept feeding back, and he was obviously frustrated with it throughout the show. They played a wide range of material from old to brand new. This was the third time I've seen them live, and they played my fav BTS song, "Velvet Waltz." The guitar textures were pretty amazing. They never show much energy while playing, but I've come to expect that, so it's not so disappointing. Overall, the playing was solid, with no really noticeable sloppy moments. On the negative side, Doug's vocals were a bit flat at times. His voice sounded a little shredded, and he seemed to forget a lot of lyrics, but this might just have been his response to the feedback going on with his mic. Also, Built to Spill shows are a bit exhausting since they play a lot of songs and for a long time. My legs hurt at the end of the night. Overall though, it was worth the $20.

Making fun of the way some old dude looks? Nice.

That G.E. Smith line cracked me up. I knew he had a familiar look, and when you said that, I lost it. I could go on-and-on about what I don't like about the Sunshine, but I'll refrain. I stood on the floor for the beginning of BTS, then moved up to the bar and it sounded much better up there. Which was odd because Meat Puppets sounded terrible from that spot. I always like seeing BTS and this time was just as good as any, besides that vocal feedback.

The Meat Puppets guitar was WAYYYYY to low in the mix for the 1st half of the show. My friend yelled "turn up the guitar" to the board and the sound man did and it actually sounded a lot better then!! I thought the overall sound could have been way louder too but at least the vox were clear. The bass was a bit mushy as were the drums but I really dug the Meat Puppets set. Cow-punk!!! that guitar player is a good picker!

I thought the BTS sound was some of the best I've heard at Sunshine. I was standing right behind the board and the reason the mic kept feeding back is because the BTS sound guy couldn't keep his fucking hands off the board! EVERY time it fed back was due to that dip shit twisting knobs and trying to turn it up... he was all pissed off and acting like a bitch. I don't know why he just didn't leave the board alone and let the band do their thing up there.

It was a great show and I'm glad we went. Seems to me like the sound at Sunshine has really been improving. I'd like to see some acoustic treatment on the walls and on that really high ceiling and I think that'd really help. I also think suspending the mains off the floor would help too with the 'boomyness'. I know that shit isn't cheap though so I won't hold my breath. I really love the theater and I hope shows keep packing up like last night so they can afford to keep improving it!

Also funny was how they were making everyone throw their cigarettes in the trash... I saw some bum making off with the entire trash bag of probably dozens and dozens of packs. That was one of the happiest bums I've ever seen, he was skipping down the sidewalk with the bag! It was hilarious.

quote:

G.E. Smith

haha... i had to google him to see who it was but yeah, totally!!

I forgot to mention, the new bathrooms are great!

quote:

I forgot to mention, the new bathrooms are great!

ditto, the look great. now if people would just respect the place and quit busting out the glass doors in the front!!!! .....

I missed the Meat Puppets, but I thought Built to Spill was super boring. This was the third (maybe fourth) time I'd seen them, and I'm starting to wonder: Have they always performed with a total lack of stage presence, or did I just never notice. I feel like I would have been better off listening to them at home, and next time I will.

It was neat that they covered "Third Uncle" (although they sort of zombifyed that too).

i don't know if it was the 7th, 8th or what time i have seen them, but they have improved with presence AND execution.

probably the longest set i've seen them do, and other than the vocal and bass issues, they shine as an example of old foagies still being able to rock.

gives me hope for my latter years

(oh, i dunno, 2, maybe 3 years from now)

I don't go to BTS shows for stage presence. I go to hear their songs on a huge PA system and feel how powerful and layered they sound live. It was cool last time they had the video screen behind them for little extra visual effect though.

I still have yet to get an idea of what this town likes music wise. The place was mostly packed for this show. Then I go to other shows, that I think would draw the same crowd, and there 45 people there?

stage presence is so overrated (most) of the bands that jump around like monkeys on stage usually suck

I thought this show was great, but I may be a bit biased. I got there just in time to see the Meat Puppets, and I also heard I didn't miss much from the first band. I grabbed a beer and before it was half-way down the MP came out and I slammed the rest of the beer and headed close to the stage. From where I stood the sound was great, but I was close enough to hear the amp without having to rely on mains for all the sound, so I heard a bit more articulation than those further back. The set kicked ass, they were super tight and played well, all songs faster than album versions (as expected) and only slight miscommunication between Curt and the drummer (new guy... what can you do?). Great versions of 'Look at the Rain', 'Up on the Sun', and other MP classics, a few choice covers, and a super-jam on Lake of Fire to close it out. I went to this show with a friend of a friend of a friend of Curt, so after their set, we waited by the side of the stage and I got to go back stage and party with the Puppets during the Built to Spill set! I tried not to act like a total dork and gush over them, but I'm sure it got to that point. Those guys are great fun, weird, hilarious, and had some crazy stories. Chris was totally sober, and Curt... well, he can maintain under any situation or environment. The encore by BTS was good, as I left backstage before they started it, and the funny shit at the end when the MP came out was a great highlight to an amazing evening. Chris and I talked about bass playing, fucking dwarfs, and prison. Good times.

It's as though we were at different shows.

I don't expect/want anyone to jump around like monkeys. It's just nice when bands don't seem bored and/or imposed upon.

quote:

Originally posted by JCC:
It's as though we were at different shows.

I don't expect/want anyone to jump around like monkeys. It's just nice when bands don't seem bored and/or imposed upon.

You weren't! You didn't see the heart of the show, which happened to be the Meat Puppets. Did you catch the entire set, all of the encore and everything? BTS might have just been exhausted from having an opening band "tear it up" (or down, as the case may be) before their set each night, making them try to keep up. This tour might have been, though they've improved with each tour, too intense. I personally can't wait for a real band made entirely of monkeys, and finally behold jumping around on stage with some real purpose...