Really great show last night. Deep Sea Arcade opened, they sounded pretty good although didn't have a great stage presence.
The hand from They Want My Soul cover was the backdrop, and Spoon came out a few minutes late as all bands do. Drummer took his seat, slightly left of centre, and started pounding the opening to Rent I Pay, which I had hoped would open the show. Just a great song and boy do those drums hit hard. Up next was a song I am guessing was called Small Stakes, that was seriously good. Quite a few tracks after Rent I Pay that I didn't know, really enjoyed them all though. Rainy Taxi was great and benefitted from a freak-out outro. The bloke left of stage who plays keys, guitar and tambourine is insane, he was so much fun to watch and his keyboard playing during Rainy Taxi, with its manic bursts of piano, was a delight. Do You was a slight disappointment, just didn't quite hit the way I hoped it would. I Turn My Camera On was a track I'd heard of but not heard and it was a genuine highlight. Encore included Outlier and Yr Cherry Bomb, which was probably my favourite track off Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Also a cover of Memory Lane by Eddy Current Suppression Ring, a great garage rock band from around these parts.
Overall a terrific show. Their rhythm section is spellbinding, really gripping. All the little effects they do on songs, like small snippets of synths or short backup vocal parts, all add to the experience and set them apart from lesser guitar bands. Was on track to be a perfect setlist but they didn't play They Want My Soul. Can't fathom how you can't play the title track from your latest album, particularly when it's such a great song and one that would be pretty easy to play, that really sucked, but didn't really detract from a great show.
What did detract, however, were the people around me. Two blokes rocked up a few minutes before the show, stood in front of us joining their mates. They spent nearly the entire show either having a conversation or staring into their phones. The taller one wasn't as bad, when he wasn't chatting or on his phone he was at least watching the band and bopping a bit but the other fuckwit I wanted to knock out. Most he ever watched the band would have been 10 seconds I reckon. Even when Spoon were absolutely tearing it up they would be having a conversation or texting or on Facebook or whatever. It was fucking infuriating so I made sure my "woooooooo"s were very loud and directed at them. A couple next to me were also having annoying conversations but at least they knew and liked the band. And we saw someone taking photos and videos with their ipad.
Rent I Pay
Small Stakes
Don't You Evah
Who Makes Your Money
My Mathematical Mind
The Ghost of You Lingers
Rainy Taxi
The Beast and Dragon, Adored
New York Kiss
Satellite
Don't Make Me a Target
Do You
I Summon You
Inside Out
I Turn My Camera On
Got Nuffin
Black Like Me
Outlier
Memory Lane
You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
The Underdog
It's good, but nowhere near They Want My Soul territory (for now).
