Okkervil River are loud, passionate, energetic, and nice guys to boot who put on a good, diverse show. No one can accuse the band of giving less than 100%.
Category Archives: music news
Review: Rilo Kiley; September 15, 2007 at Riviera; Chicago
It’s no surprise that Rilo Kiley‘s Jenny Lewis can sing. And it’s not much of a surprise that Blake Sennett can play guitar. But what is a surprise is that both of them sound just as good live as they do in the studio, and that the rest of the band’s musicianship is of such a high caliber. Lewis, talented and sexy as ever, nailed every note while transitioning through the group’s wide array of styles and switching from keys to guitar to bass and back all night long. Sennett’s guitar playing was spot-on. And when he stepped up to the mic for songs such as “Ripchord” and “Dreamworld,” he only further proved his abilities.
Review: Arcade Fire w/ LCD Soundsystem; September 21, 2007 at the Hollywood Bowl
LCD and Arcade Fire; my iPod couldn’t have devised a better 1-2 punch on random. On a brisk night (by southern California standards) in a legendary venue, LCD officially started the party with the addictively repetitive “Yeah” and their sign-off, “New York I Love You.”
Review: Wilco; September 12, 2007 at Millennium Park (Pritzker Pavilion); Chicago
After 13 years, 6 studio albums, hundreds of shows, and several personnel changes, the collective that is Wilco is having fun. That much was apparent at Wednesday night’s performance.Throughout their albums, a common theme of well-crafted songs is present, though styles have changed drastically and each incarnation of the band shines through with each new release. For this performance at home in Chicago, Wilco showcased all of their styles–unexpectedly playing songs from each of their albums.
Review: Spoon; September 11, 2007 at Henry Fonda Theater; Los Angeles
It was night 2 of a 3 concert stint at the Henry Fonda Theater, a moderately sized general admission venue with a seated balcony. Needless to say, this was a superb venue to see Spoon.