Ok, I didn't want to start a whole new Bloc Party thread when there's about 7 out there, but . . .
OH MY GOD! AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING!
Saturday night, the last show of the U.S. tour, in this
tiny, tiny little park on a Native American reservation about 30 minutes east of El Cajon, San Diego.
I saw them for the first time this past March at The Wiltern in Los Angeles and they blew me away, but this time . . . there are no words!! F***ING BRILLIANT! Easily one of the Top 5 concerts I've ever been to and I've been to A LOT of concerts!
My friend (Mike) and I arrived at the venue about 6:00 and by the time they let us in at 7:00 we were about 1/2 way back in line. IMO, San Diego crowds are pretty cool and laid-back. No rushing to the stage, and the pushing and shoving was almost non-existent. Mike and I got all the way up to the front. There was just one couple in front of us and then the rail.
The first opening band, The Macabees, were fun. They were young, in their late teens, and they looked exhausted, a bit hungover, and probably unsure of what had just happened to them on their whirlwind tour of the States. But their music was upbeat, jangly-pop-rock, 2-minutes-per-song fun, something akin to The Strokes. In between songs the lead singer was funny and endearing with his self-effacing humor and easy reparte with the audience.
Next up were The Noisettes. Having never heard them before, I was struck by some similarities to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs: a punkish trio, with non-linear songs, whose female lead singer prowls the stage exuding a raw, trashy, dirty, sex-kitten vibe. They started off a bit on the mellow, non-descript side until a fan in the audience screamed for them to crank it up a notch and, to their credit, they did. The lead singer then left the center-stage mic and was all over the stage and in the audiences face, bringing the needed energy and the thump! to their set. By their last 3 songs we were lapping up The Noisettes and cheering for more!
And then the party really began.
To say Bloc Party are amazing live is an understatement. They have a passion for their music that translates perfectly in a live setting, and as a band they just give and give and give, and then give some more.
Normally, I'm an anal type of concert-goer, who keeps track of setlists and what time the band starts and what time they finish. Saturday night? I have no idea!
I was so lost in the music and jumping and screaming and singing my head off (2 days later and I'm still croaking in a shot, sand-paper voice)!
I know they opened with "Song for Clay (Disappear Here)". I know in between every song and every chance I got, I screamed at the top of my heart, "MATT! I LOVE YOU, MATT!!!!" I know they relied heavily on SILENT ALARM for the night's material. I know that Kele said Bloc Party were about honoring older songs as well as the new and current material. And I know this because I about died when he said, "this is an old one," right before they went into
Little Thoughts and
So Here We Are . . . OH MY GOD,
LITTLE THOUGHTS!!!!! 
Kele was in a great mood, asking us if we were ready to dance and then telling us that he sure was (and then going into "She's Hearing Voices"), or telling us they weren't done with us yet and then going into another full-on rocking number ("Pioneers", maybe? For once I can't remember).
They completely brought the sun and moon and stars down with "Like Eating Glass", almost melting the park around them with their heat and intensity and I do believe my wild po-go-ing and jubilation nearly did launch me into orbit!
Mike and I were standing righ in front of Gordon and at one-point he stuck the tip of his bass right into our section and all of us with our grabbing hands got to touch his bass and pluck the strings. Then, a short while later, Kele jumped off the stage and jumped right into our section! I got to pat him on the back and then I grabbed his non-microphone wrist and and threw it up in the air in a victory-charge ralley! It was so frickin' awesome.
My personal highlight of the night though, came when upon one of my numerous, "MATT, I LOVE YOU!" cries of endearment, standing up, Matt looked right at me, smiled and pointed his drumstick at me. That almost killed me right then and there.
They ended the night with "Sunday" and then a blistering "Helicopter". Later on, I saw a portion of a torn setlist which showed that they had planned to end with "SRXT", but they must've realized they couldn't have topped the absolute fevered heights they had reached with "Helicopter", and like any great stage act knows . . . . leave 'em wanting more.
I know I sure do!
I'm trying to solve that now...)
We forgot that when we bought the tickets...
) some great ones:
