Kele Live

     Had it been a Bloc Party concert, the Summit Music Hall in Denver probably wouldn't have been large enough to accomodate the crowd.  Instead, it was just the band's lead singer, Kele Okereke.  For a rock star used to playing at massive European festivals, he sure seemed at home in this smaller, more intimate venue.

     Still, Kele's set was essentially a Bloc Party show.  His debut solo album, The Boxer, is a natural successor to the band's 2008 Intimacy, continuing the evolution from guitar heavy syncopated indie post-punk to electro-clash rock.  And the show was a natural successor to the band's last tour.  Rather than sing on themes of love, loss, and pain, the theme of the show was self empowerment and finding strength.

     "You are stronger than you feel," he sang during "Rise".  "Raise those arms that once were broken."

     With hands raised, the energetic crowd sang along, often with the same British accent Kele sings with.  At one point, a voice in the crowd yelled, "Take your shirt off!"

      "This isn't an Usher concert!" Kele said back.  Within five minutes however, he lobbed his Notre Dame jersey into the crowd.

      The majority of the show consisted of solo material, although he did perform a Bloc Party medley of a pumped up "Blue Light", "The Prayer", and "One More Chance" (The finale also consisted of a even more synthed up than usual "Flux").  The majority of the show was also up tempo, and allowed for much moshing.

     "You were made for greatness," he sang to the crowd during "Tenderoni", one of the show's highlights.  The crowd seemed to agree.

     Kele Okereke is the voice of our generation, yet he is the type of musician who is uncomfortable with media and spotlight.  He loves his music and he loves his fans.  The passion is palpable.  During a slow number, "All The Things I Could Never Say", he had the crowd quiet down before beginning.  You could feel the pain as he sang, "Where did you stay last night?  You didn't come home."

     But the entire set was passionate.  From the slowest saddest songs to the most hyped up and euphoric.  In a short hour-long show, Kele proved he is one of the elite musicians of our era, and the voice of our generation.

Day & Age Tour

The Killers
April 17, 2008
The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, NV

Fire shot up and sparks shot down at the encore performance of "When You Were Young" and I couldn't wipe the grin off my face after seeing one of the best bands of this decade live in their own hometown.

The Killer's third album, Day & Age, never got the proper respect it deserved on 17 Tracks. Completely overshadowed by Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreaks and Coldplay's Prospekt's March EP which were released the same day, Day & Age was slid to the back of the shelf knowing that it would be dusted off one day in the near future. That day came when I decided to go see the Killers play their home town of Las Vegas in the middle of finals week. I ended up being glad that I both took the time to immerse myself in the Killer's latest offering, as well as blow of studying for a couple days to see them perform.

The hometown heroes were the inaugural performers at the Hard Rock's new Joint venue. Promising to blow the roof off, Brandon Flowers and the gang opened the show with a rousing rendition of "Spaceman" as the sold out crowd sang along. The energy erupted three songs in when "Somebody Told Me" was played, validating my belief that Hot Fuss is not only still their best album, but a fan favorite.
During "For Reasons Unknown", Dave Keuning kept the bass going as the song broke down and Flowers asked the crowd, "Have you ever been in love? Have you ever had butterflies and then lost them?" before commanding the audience to go and fight for them. They might not be a band for power ballads, but Flowers is a true romantic. "Sam's Town" was given a raw touch as Flowers played the piano and sang about a song he described as the Killer's way of being proud of their home country despite anti-American sentiments. Taking away the Sgt. Peppers-esque theatrics of the song, the Bruce Springsteen inspiration shines through.

One of the band's least instant but most rewarding tracks, "All These Things I've Done" closed out the show as Flowers, along with 4,000 fans chanted the profound mantra, "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier". It's a much better catch phrase than "Are we human or are we dancer", although that one's probably pretty profound too, and it sums up who the Killers are. They wear their influences on their sleeve but, they don't ever rip it off.Watching a Killer's show is like watching the history of rock and roll before your very eyes. You hear hints of the aforementioned Springsteen, dashes of U2, New Order, Johnny Cash, and Pet Shop Boys. The Killers are a band who understand who they are, where they come from, and where rock comes from. Brandon Flowers was born to be a rockstar. His passion is much bigger than his short stature suggests and, his entertaining showmanship and on stage antics are absolutely amazing.

So to all of you who haven't given Day & Age the time it deserves or who didn't even bought (or illegally downloaded...shame on you...) a Killer's album since you grew tired of "Mr. Brightside", give the Killer's a spin this weekend. And, if you ever get a chance, see the Killers live. They do not disappoint.

The Circus Tour

Britney Spears
April 14, 2009
Energy Solutions Center
Salt Lake City, UT

"Boy, don't try to front, I know just what you are" snarled Britney Spears in the closing performance of her Circus tour. Dressed as a police woman as she mouthed the words to her No. 1 hit single "Womanizer", you couldn't help but realize that Spears really wasn't trying to front either. Or it might have been that she no longer can.

After a very public breakdown, Spears has been understandably timid and it has shown in her interviews, her acceptance speeches at last year's VMAs, and her MTV documentary. She can no longer put on a smile and make the public believe that everything is perfect in her starry world. Instead, perfection has come by way of a three ring circus that designed to be so busy and rapid-fire that its hard to even notice that Spears is still in the process of getting her confidence back.
The Circus opens with Britney descending in a full on ringleader costume as she dances to the title track. No sooner has the song finished then a burst of smoke obscures Spears for only a few seconds and magically, she is wearing something completely new as she whips her hair seductively while writhing around in a cage with her legs open spread eagle to "Piece Of Me". At its conclusion, she descends into the stage for a third costume change in as many songs. No "Hello Salt Lake", no, "Make some noise", no nothing.

The show continued in much the same way until about ten songs in when Spears finally acknowledged the audience. During her performance of the self-penned "Everytime", she said the most, telling everyone she was going to slow things down and introducing the song. As the concert progressed, you could tell Spears was loosening up. Her movements seemed less rigid and she seemed to be enjoying herself more. By the time she got to "Do Somethin'", the pop star was actually singing live and shouting out things to the crowd. Highlights include her blindfolded rendition of "Touch Of My Hand" wearing boobie-tassles and suspended in the air atop two of her dancers and an updated version of "...Baby One More Time".
What the Circus concert really needed was more Britney. She was dwarfed by the spectacle of dancers, acrobats, magicians, and yes, even the midgets. The real Britney Spears was hidden behind a shroud of costume (Sexy ringleader! Sexy stripper! Sexy drill sergeant! Sexy cop!) and she disappeared and reappeared so quickly and frequently to keep up with the breakneck speed of her show that there really wasn't any time for audience interaction. Sadly, that seems to all be apart of the plan. The Circus tour was designed to give the world just enough Britney and crowd her with dancers, fire, and slick video interludes so that you would leave saying, "Yeah, she's back alright". Unfortunately, Britney has a ways to go until she reaches the heights of her turn of the century showmanship.

Coldplay
Viva La Vida Tour
November 23, 2008
Energy Solutions Center, Salt Lake City, UT

On the eve of their AMA performance and the release of the Prospekt's March EP, Coldplay played before a crowd of disappointed Cougars and ecstatic Utes at the Energy Solutions Center. After being entertained for far too long by El Paso openers Sleeper Car and DJ Jon Hopkins with his trippy psychedelic animation, the opening atmospheric strains of "Life In Technicolor" were met with wild excitement.

It was arguable if Chris Martin had had a little too much to drink before taking the stage; he's the kind of guy who twirls around while singing with his eyes closed anyways, but considering some of the things he mumbled, it made you wonder. Still, Martin did not disappoint, showcasing his tremendous range and incomparable falsetto. The show kicked off with Viva's first single, "Violet Hill", followed by fan favorite "Clocks".

A techno rendition of "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" was performed on the lit-up stage extension with Will Champion trading in his drumset for a drum machine. The remixed "Smile" segued into "Talk", which, with its updated sound, seemed to fulfill its destiny that its Kraftwek sample had in mind.

Chris Martin then took to the piano, talking about how the next song wasn't the best Coldplay or the worst Coldplay song and it wasn't the best Joe the Plumber song or it the worst Joe the Plumber song. For those who could understand what he said, it didn't make sense, but then, he performed "The Hardest Part" and a new song from Prospekt's March, "Postcards From Far Away" and it didn't even matter. True, "The Hardest Part" isn't the best or worst Coldplay song, but hearing it played out by only the piano and Martin's voice raised it to a level of previously unimagined beauty.

"Viva La Vida" brought the entire crowd to their feet for the most euphoric moment of the entire show. Champion's timpani playing and bell hitting was sheer perfection. This song wasn't meant for Martin to sing alone, it was meant for him to sing along with 15,000 other people. After hearing it live, it's hard not to concede that "Viva La Vida" is the song of the year.

The band left the front stage to perform "The Scientist" amongst the fans. Security anxiously kept people back as the group assembled near the back of the Solutions Center, Martin with harmonica in hand. The most entertaining thing to watch was the fans snapping photos feverishly of them in front of Johnny Buckland's back. No doubt those are now MySpace profile pics and whoever caught the harmonica Martin threw out has changed their Facebook status. Wouldn't you?

For the encore, breakout hit "Yellow" was performed. Like "Viva", Martin had the entire audience singing backup as the giant spinning balls above the stage glowed yellow. Coldplay is the biggest, most important band in the world right now. Album sales, trans-Atlantic #1 hits, and their stellar world tour seem to justify it. Seeing them in 2008, when they are arguably at the peak of their power, makes you feel like you are apart of something big and important. With the continual fragmentation of the music industry thanks to the internet, being able to say something akin to "I was there when..." becomes harder and harder. There will never be another Beatles at Shea Stadium or Rolling Stones at Altamont, but at least we have Coldplay's Viva La Vida Tour. At least we can say, "I was there when they used to rule the world, when they used to roll the dice and feel the fear in their enemies eyes."

Jimmy Eat World
Chase This Light Tour
April 14, 2008
McKay Events Center, Orem, UT



In support of their newest album, Chase This Light, Jim Adkins and the boys are on tour with fellow Arizonans Deer And The Headlights and wannabe No Doubters, Paramore. April 14 found the group smack dab in the middle of The Book of Mormon belt where these guys have quite a following due to their sketchy LDS roots and their connection to the Orem/Provo of Arizona, Gilbert/Mesa.

Deer And The Headlights is the newest in a line of AZ bands supported by Jimmy (The Format, Rueben's Accomplice)and as openers they did a decent job. When Paramore came out, I thought I was at a Miley Cyrus concert at first. You could immediatley spot a Paramore fan by their braces and/or mom. To their credit, Hayley Williams did a fantastic job working the crowd and we'll probably have more to look forward to from this young band.

Jimmy Eat World opened up their set with "Big Casino" and were and Jim Adkins was as passionate and energetic as ever. As the show went on, I expected to hear mostly Chase This Light tracks, but it sounded more like a greatest hits tour with songs from each of their five studio albums. "Sweetness" was a highlight with the entire crowd responding with a "whoa oh oh ohhh oh oh" every time Adkins asked if we were listening. In fact, the entire crowd could pretty much sing along with every track from the Bleed American era and on, but when they played older tunes, ie. "Thinking That's All", "Your New Aesthetic", you could separate the die hard fans from the rest.

Tom Linton sung lead on "Blister", as he does on Clarity, and I still don't understand why he never sings anymore. While Brother Adkins voice is central to the Jimmy Eat World sound, Linton provides a rawness when he sings that adds a new dimension to their songs. Even if it was live and not on an album, I would love to hear him take on other songs out of their catalouge.

"Always Be" was amazing. It reminds me of the FOX News theme song. "Dizzy" captured all of the epic granduer of the recorded version. "Here It Goes" was sung to a background of glittery streamer strands you would find at a high school prom, which fit in perfectly with the tounge-in-cheek nature of the song (crowning of the cool kid queen) wheather or not they intended it too. The show ended with a rousing rendition of...you guessed it, "The Middle".

By shows end, you just have to imagine that Jimmy Eat World is going to be around for a long time. Jim Adkins is a lead singer realization of Wonder's drummer Guy Patterson (That Thing You Do)in that he's in it for the love of music. You just watch a show or an interview and it's so apparent. Yes Jim, yes, we are listening.