Black and White Audio

I’d been anticipating this show at Molson Amphitheatre for several months now.

I even had to buy my ticket for almost double the normal price because they sold out too fast. Was is worth it? In short, yes. In length:

Starting just before 9pm, Radiohead took to the stage rather suddenly, and quickly broke into the In Rainbows starter: 15 step.

It seemed rather surreal at first, with Thom Yorke singing to the backing track alone, but as soon as the rest of the band chimed in it set a good precedent for the rest of the night. Their latest album (In Rainbows) was played in it’s entirety, along with short samplings from Hail to the Thief, Amnesiac, Kid A, OK Computer, and The Bends.

They were all performed exquisitely, but one of the most amazing moments was The Gloaming (HTTT). The highly electronic number, with strange vocals and live drums mixed with samples, was performed alongside some eye-enticing green lights. This song blew me away and had me questioning what the hell I was witnessing (in a good way).

The audience seemed to be awestruck by Radiohead’s music. The quick song changes, and lack of stage banter helped maintain that mood. Yorke occasionally uttered a few words, but the more he said the less I could understand him. At one point he said to guitarist Johnny Greenwood: “Sorry mate, but I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing.” Greenwood didn’t seem fazed as he continued to mess with his guitar tone before starting the introduction to Airbag.

Yorke’s singing was definitely on form this show, and so were the backup vocals of Ed O’Brian. His voice was particularly prominent (and perfectly performed) during Weird Fishes/Arpeggi. Johnny was usually off to his side of the stage slamming his pick into his guitar or playing various keyboards. His style of guitar playing is a lot of fun to watch, and you can hear every emotion he puts into the music. I find myself wishing that drummer Phil Selway would put that much heart into his playing; not that I have many qualms with his performance.

The video screens and lighting were impressive, as they usually are for shows of this size. An interesting fact about these in particular is that, since Radiohead is environmentally conscious, they opted to use more energy efficient LED lighting. You can read about it here: http://www.radiohead.com/themostgiganticflyingmouthforsometime/

I would’ve killed to see them do You and Whose Army or Fake Plastic Trees…unfortunately it was not to be. In fact, the only downside to this show was that Radiohead has so many great songs that they didn’t have time to play them all. Here’s the set list and a great video of Reckoner:

15 Step
Reckoner
Optimistic
There There
Morning Bell
All I Need
Pyramid Song
Arpeggi
The Gloaming
A Wolf At The Door
Faust Arp
No Surprises
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Idioteque
Climbing Up The Walls
Nude
Bodysnatchers
1st Encore
Like Spinning Plates
Videotape
Airbag
Talk Show Host
Street Spirit
2nd Encore
House of Cards
Planet Telex
Everything In Its Right Place

It was an amazing night, and each time I think back to it, or watch any of the live videos, my yearning for Radiohead grows more and more intense. I can only hope that this isn’t their last tour so that I can see them a second time. I would easily pay five times the ticket price to see this band if I had to.

After searching for the appropriate bar last Friday night, a few friends and I stumbled towards Rancho Relaxo without knowing what was in store.

As it turns out, an Oshawa-born bluegrass/punk band called The Stables were playing. And play they did…

Often exchanging instruments and vocal duties, the band is a three-piece made up of guitar/banjo, “bass” (a hockey stick with a string), and drums (a snare, bongos, and a suitcase kick drum).

With cowboy hats and hick dancing in tow, The Stables began their set and quickly impressed me with their consistent playing, amazing attitude, and undeniable skill. Without ever listening to them before I was able to get right into this band and have a good time.

The guitar/banjo playing from each member was definitely a highlight of the show. The drums were always steady - nothing spectacular, but still good. The vocals were appropriate and skillfully performed, and the makeshift bass offered up the expected “do, dum, do, dum…etc.”

The $5 cover was well worth it to see this band. According to their myspace page, they just recently finished a Canadian tour of both the west and east coasts, and now appear to be playing around Ontario. Check out myspace.com/herecomethestables to hear some songs and get more info.

Their next Toronto show is on August 22nd at the Horseshoe. If you’re looking for some good music that’s unique and easy to square-dance to, I’d suggest you head down there. You won’t be disappointed.

A sticker on part of the “bass” pretty much encapsulated the evening with the intriguing phrase: “Rock the Farm!”

Good advice from a good band.

If you’ve ever seen Coldplay live before, you know what a great show they put on. This time at the Air Canada Centre (July 30th) they took it one step further.

Old songs, new songs, neon butterflies, and angry old people: this show had it all.

Opening with Life in Technicolor was a given, but when Chris Martin first stepped up to the microphone to sing the short vocal part, I could tell it was going to be a good night.

While I wasn’t that impressed with song number two – Violet Hill – drummer Will Champion then went immediately into the intro of In My Place and the sound of his simple drum beat in the gigantic arena was astonishing. They played that song flawlessly along with quite a few more of their classics.

Despite some hidden help, (Lovers in Japan and Yes – samples?) Coldplay is obviously a real band playing real instruments. Martin even adds his own ad-libs to certain songs which makes for a more unique performance. It was clear that the band had put some thought into how to put on a memorable show.

At one point the whole band walked along a catwalk onto a small lit up platform where they performed the second half of Yes and a weird techno-esque version of God Put A Smile Upon Your Face. Even more exciting than that, they later ran off stage and up onto the lower balcony to play an acoustic version of The Scientist amidst an awestruck audience. Will then performed an acoustic song by himself which was pretty interesting and was very well received. It was good to have the spotlight off of Chris Martin for a few minutes.

The last time Coldplay played in Toronto they had large yellow balloons flying from the ceiling during their 3-chord song Yellow. This time round they had neon-coloured, confetti butterflies sprayed over the audience near the end of their set. The effect was pretty cool, especially combined with the special lighting that really highlighted the colours.

My favourite song was the encore performance of Death and All his Friends. The beginning of that song was perfectly performed by both Martin on piano, and Johnny Buckland on guitar. They walked off stage to the ending of their album (“…in the end”) which was suitable for obvious reasons. After the ACC staff put on the house lights, the band decided to come out for a surprise encore which included the Parachutes highlight: Don’t panic.

Unfortunately this encore was pretty much ruined for me by an elderly couple who decided to pick a fight with me because I was standing in the aisle…how was I supposed to know they would do a surprise encore? Oh, and why not tell the other 10,000 people to get back to their seats? Apparently Coldplay does anger old people.

Despite this minor setback I still had a good time. The songs were good, the performance was solid, and they delivered just what I was expecting. The only other downside for me was that my seat was located at the side of the stage so I couldn’t see what was on the huge video-screen. Oh well, it’s the music that counts.

Would I go to another Coldplay show? Yes. Yes I would.

Life In Techinicolor - Coldplay