Phew! In the past three days the beloved and I have seen three amazing, and very different, bands:
* The Violent Femmes
* Roger Waters doing, among other things, Dark Side of the Moon
* The Killers
The Femmes played the Becks Festival Bar as part of the Sydney Festival and, since they’re one of my favourite bands, I was all anticipation. And they didn’t disappoint. The only other time I’ve seen them live was in 95 or 96 (can’t remember which) at the Enmore and, while good, the gig lacked joie de vivre. This time ’round, the crowd was rowdy and diverse and…well…facinating to watch and be part of. It was kinda weird since so many of the songs deal with teen angst, and most people were well over 30, but that just added to this really interesting dynamic. People boogeying and singing along, dancing with their partners, friends, and strangers. A great vibe that shouldn’t go hand in hand with angst and yet does, in part because the Femmes are such wonderful musicians and really cut lose - and the crowd reciprocated.
And a note to all you single gals out there - the Femmes are a definite blokes band…lots of boys at the gig.
Roger Waters was at the Acer Arena out at Homebush. On the same night as the Big Day Out. I’ve eschewed the BDO since some idiot threw an empty beer can at my head while I was sitting in the stands (sadly, since its move to Homebush from Moore Park, the vibe of BDO has become distinctly loutish). Even so, my heart still beats for BDO and I must admit that, as I walked past the grounds on my way to Roger, the strains of Little Birdy doing their Split Enz cover on the wind, I would have defected in an instant given half a chance.
But I’m very, very glad I didn’t. It wasn’t the thousands of Pink Floyd accolytes, from bearded fogeys to young converts. It wasn’t the seemingly over-the-top staging, complete with fireworks, floating astronaut and infamous flying pig. It wasn’t the mesmerizing backdrop. It wasn’t the incredible vocals, amazing musicianship, phenomenal arrangements. It wasn’t even Roger himself; it was the entire experience that wrapped you up and took you in, steamrolling cynicism to leave in its place complete enjoyment and understanding of why Pink Floyd is revered, and why it continues to be so.
Poor Killers. After the first two nights, it was going to be a hard ask to stack up against the previous two bands. Especially at The Horden, which can be very hit and miss when it comes to gigs. I’ve seen some awesome gigs at the Horden. I’ve also seen some shockers. I think the key here is not to compare, because to do so is to come up short. It’s hard not to see the performance as contrived. It’s easy to say that they sound a lot better in the studio. It’s very easy to say I’ve seen the act done before by others, to far greater effect. But, if you haven’t seen it all before (I’m such a jaded wee thing), it would have been highly enjoyable. If you’d been in the front half of the crowd, down near the stage, surrounded by people who also love a snappy chorus and a flamboyant frontman, it would have been a lot of fun. In some ways, I think I’ve ruined The Killers by putting them on my iPod for use as a running track. I don’t really enjoy running, and half of the enjoyment of music stems from the memories it conjures. So I equate them with running and not with happy times with friends, or a trip away or something more …well…fun. I must remember not to similarly taint new music in the future.
Then again, perhaps I’m just making excuses and the band isn’t one that will endure into the future. I guess time will tell.
