March 18, 2008
SXSW.08.07
I re-visited The Bat Bar on Friday night to catch Daniel Lanois' set. Lots of atmospheric chords filled the air, making one almost want to look up to see the notes floating up and around. This guy sure knows how to produce great records, and he's no slouch when it comes to performing good live music, too. I'm looking forward (and hoping for) another DVD release called SXSW Live to come out within the next 12 months to check this out. Not only to look for myself in the crowd (ha ha, what a goofy egotistical thing that I bet everyone there does), but to once again hear how great it sounded. The light show, it goes without saying, was spectacular -- not overbearing or even out of place, but certainly at full tilt and always going.
Much later I walked back to another outdoor tent that housed Ernie Ball's showcase with MxPx and Story of the Year. MxPx went on and stormed through "Punk Rawk Show," the title track to their newest album, Secret Weapon, a Descendents' cover, and "Lock & Key." The crowd was loyal and into it -- so much so, in fact, that a thick circus-tent kind of support rope was moved about so violently that it looked like it might pull down the tent and large metal beam right into the crowd. The band sounded as energetic and "on" as ever. I had to bail, though, after just four songs, as I had to schlepp a good mile West to see Paramore headline La Zona Rosa at 12:30 am. I can't believe I made it there in time, and I'm glad I got a chance to jump into the photo pit. I hope I got at least one good song (out of the 100 or so I probably took).
Paramore's first three songs were new (and maybe one of them was even brand new, as I didn't recognize it), and their fourth was from All We Know Is Falling. This was one of those fun shows where it didn't matter how late at night (or early morning) it was. There was a perma-smile on my face the whole time. Before "Misery Business" Hayley Williams had the crowd finger-snapping along like a beatnik crowd of Jazz enthusiasts. She hit all the high notes, nailing them like a powerhouse vocalist twice her size. Many times during the show, it was apparent how popular the band is getting by the way Hayley paused to let the crowd finish chorus lines. During "Let The Flames Begin," the band headbanged like the arena rockers they can be (whenever they want).
Some of the fun between-song banter included the revelation and news that drummer Zac Farro just puked his guts out (or, specifically, some Tex Mex food). Perhaps mercifully, the band went into the slow song "When It Rains." Maybe it wasn't a spontaneous choice for allowing a rest, because the band punched in en masse with tight exclamations in empty spaces. Man, this band is good! Hayley pointed out that all the gamers in the Rock Band tent area were wailing on their instruments quite well, tricking her into thinking that the actual bands were playing live nearby. Sure, Hayley...
Late into the set I noticed another tight musician thing: a seemless segue into "That's What You Get" at the tail end of another. This nice and long set left me as happy when it was over as during about any time during the thing. I even broke a major long-held personal rule on the way back to my car -- I pulled out my iPod and listened to Riot in its entirety.
Later on it occured to me: three of my biggest highlights this year were by female-fronted bands. Am I becoming a wimp now, or what?