While homework and studying have been eating my life for the past couple weeks, a few random things have happened. Here's a post to get you all up to speed...
A few weeks ago, I fell totally completely hopelessly madly in love with Owl City's album Maybe I'm Dreaming. I actually listened to it in its entirety every day for about two weeks. Seriously. If listening to "On the Wing" and "The Saltwater Room" doesn't add a little beauty to your world, no electronic music will.
I've been planning to do a longer post about Owl City and several other similar bands, but there are these silly little things called AP tests I should be studying for over the next few weeks, so look for some updates after his show at Jammin' Java on Saturday, May 9th... I won't be going to the show, but I will spend the whole night obsessing over how someone so amazing is less than 20 miles away from me. But you should go to this show and experience the magic for yourself.
But if you're looking for a good concert, you really have no excuse not to see one soon. Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship, Hey Monday, Metro Station, AND 50 Cent will all be coming to the Merriwether Post Pavilion this Saturday, April 25th. It actually looks like it will be the biggest assembly of talented pop-rock-punk-rap-techno artists to hit Merriwether Post this year, eclipsing Warped Tour, whose headliners are just kind of lame. General Admission tickets are still available, and because this tour has a funky ticket policy, it means you could be buying $36 lawn seats. But really, even 50 Cent will be there. This assembly of talent is certainly worth enduring a nosebleed.
Truly hardcore patyhoppers could try to attend Towson U's big TigerFest-ish thing before the FOB concert. The All-American Rejects, along with Ace Enders, Shiny Toy Guns, and that other band they're touring with will all be playing, probably throughout the afternoon. And I've heard there will be a mechanical bull.
The All-American Rejects themselves probably won't play until the evening, long after the FOB concert extravaganza has begun, so AAR fans might be better off skipping the beer garden (oh, and the rest of Towson U's party) and heading over to AAR's in-store appearance at Wet Seal in Towson Town Center. Give the store a ring at (410) 825-3736 for more info.
And if you want to spend every minute of your weekend listening to live music, be sure to stop by the Change for China benefit concert at Montgomery Blair High School on Friday night. They're boasting four professional bands, which has nothing on Fall Out Boy of course, but is quite impressive for a student-run benefit concert. And they're giving out an electric guitar as a door prize. They can't promise you a mechanical bull, but it's totally the next-best thing. More info on their Facebook page.
Oh, and don't forget that Cash Cash will coming to Sonar on Friday, May 8th, along with Kevin Rudolf, who is actually more of a big deal. But Cash Cash is ditching the northeastern leg of Warped Tour this summer, so you'll want to see them while you can. I still maintain that they're going to hit it fairly big one of these days...
[*EDIT* Uhmmm jaykayy... The Kevin Rudolf tour has been canceled. So Cash Cash will now be in Baltimore supporting Sing It Loud at Fletcher's on April 29th. A Wednesday... Guess I'll see them someday...
But if you're interested in the Sing It Loud tour, Virginia band The Friday Night Boys will also be opening. At least one of their members went to Sandy Spring Friends School, which is a pretty cool place, fyi. So I'd really like to see them in concert sometime. Darn you, school nights...]
And in case you haven't noticed, Sonar is hosting concerts by tons of awesome artists in the near future. Everyone from The Ting Tings to Lady Sovereign to Kate Voegele will be stopping by, so you should stop by their website to check it out.
That covers just about everything on my concert radar. As for other events, you probably don't need me to keep you up-to-date on all the latest Jonas Brothers news, what with their zillions of fans dedicated enough to create crazy fansites, but in case you forgot, their news series JONAS premieres Saturday, May 2nd, and their new album Lines, Vines, and Trying Times drops June 15th. Check out their hilarious attempts at sexy facial expressions on the album cover! Well, Kevin and Joe are trying to be sexy anyways. I think Nick just has the sun in his eyes.
Also, if you thought those JB updates were silly or trivial, you'll be glad to know Joe wore the same outfit to the airport and the 17 Again premiere. Isn't the Internet a fabulous educational resource? There is just so much useful information out there...
Anyways, with prom season fast approaching, girls might feel the desire to deny that they are still single or convince everyone that the random guy who asked them really is cool! And what's more impressive than dating an Internet music sensation? Act fast if you want to be able to tell the world that you are dating a member of Oh, Hush! Pink tank tops proclaiming that MY BOYFRIEND IS IN OH, HUSH! don't go on sale every day, you know. But they do go on sale tomorrow at 8:00 EST. And if you think everyone who sees your shirt will be able to call you on the fact that your boyfriend is not in Oh, Hush!, you clearly aren't in on the secret behind Oh, Hush!'s unique success. (Okay, maybe their awesome dance-rock tunes are their secret to success, which isn't really the best-kept secret...) Either way, stop by their MySpace or Facebook pages to check out their music and shirts. The sale ends on Monday, so you might want to hurry!
And finally, Meg & Dia's new album came out today! I would love to review it for you, but homework calls, so you'll have to listen to it and decide for yourself.
So that's about everything that's happened in the past month. Oh, and I've been told that Hottub's album sounds better than their live performances. I don't know how any music could top their angelic voices, but if you say so...
Showing posts with label ting tings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ting tings. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
All the Girls Ah ah ah AHHHHH!!!!!: A Traumatic Night with Hottub and The Ting Tings
Whether you get shivers standing in line in shady Baltimore alleys or if seeing an entire stadium full of tween girls in Jonas Brothers t-shirts freaks you out, I think you'll agree that I've been to a couple mildly scary concerts (okay, really mildly...) But nothing I've ever experienced could have prepared me for the sheer terror I felt at The Ting Tings and Hottub's concert last Friday night at the 9:30 Club...
The night started off normally: my friend was denied permission to go at the last minute but managed to change that with just hours to spare; my mom wouldn't let me go outside in only a t-shirt despite my explanation that I'll spend a few hours in a sweltering hot club and mere minutes outside in the 44 degree weather; my friend and I arrived before doors and stood in a huge line of middle-aged couples. Typical concert routine. Except the middle-aged people left their JoBros-obsessed daughters at home this time. (Okay, most of them were probably too young to have children with hormones, but you know. This was the first time I'd ever really partied with anyone over the age of 23.)
After snapping a picture of the SOLD OUT sign (because I'm a dork like that) and getting the hand stamps that prevent you from ordering alcohol but more importantly, make all your friends wonder where you were last night, we got in, checked out the merch stand, and assumed our spots in front of the stage. Oh, and I used the bathroom with the Little Mermaid Barbie doll on the door, as opposed to the one with the Prince Charming Ken doll. Gotta love the 9:30 Club.
I also met a girl wearing a remarkably similar outfit to mine (magenta top, yellow belt) who asked me how awesome her peacock feather barrette was, told me it was her 21st birthday, asked me how old I was, then wished me a happy birthday as I hurried out.
Doors were at 8:00, and although it would seem logical that the 9:30 Club would begin its shows at 9:30, no one I talked to actually believed they would be logical about things. Opening the doors 90 minutes before the show? No way. Most places do 30 minutes. 60, tops. But alas, logic prevailed, and we had to stand 20 feet away from the stage for 75 minutes until the smart adults started trickling in.
Remembering the girl near me who fainted at the Hellogoodbye concert, I grabbed two cups of complimentary ice water from the bar before the show began. Since dancing while holing drinks is slightly awkward (guess you need alcohol in them for it to seem more comfortable), I discovered that I could fit each cup of water into a pocket in my cargo pants. ((Concert tip: cargo pants = love. Sticking your newly purchased t-shirt in your pocket isn't always flattering, but it beats holding it all night.)) I told myself to be very careful when dancing so the water wouldn't spill.
At long last, the lights dimmed and the show began with what we all hoped was some sick joke. Three women lumbered on stage, turned their backs to the audience, and the music began.
I have never seen a mentally challenged pole dancer, but I imagine that watching one perform would instill the same feelings of guilt, disgust, pity, and sick fascination that Hottub's performance did. The three women on stage had a range of skin tones and body types, but they were clearly united in their fashion sense. All three wore (yes, you are reading this correctly) animal-print spandex. Two of them wore pieces of fabric that might have been leotards before someone realized just how hideous a plus-size tiger-print unitard really is and tried to do the world a favor by cutting it up. But their plan backfired when Hottub got a hold of it and... the result is still burned into my retina.
I actually thought one of them was totally rocking the whole leopard-print leggings with a leopard-print tunic look until she took her top off to reveal a very sparkly bra and an array of tattoos that would give John Vesely a run for his money. At least the sparkly bra reassured audiences that she really was a girl. There were rampant rumors that they were really men in drag. (Nope, I got an unfortunately close look at all three, and they were definitely female. But the average drag queen probably would have been able to put together a better outfit.)
Musically, Hottub is probably the best hip-hop screamo girl group ever, which is to say, they suck. Their first song might have been able to pass as rap; their second was more of a hard-rock chant; by the third, they had given up any remaining self-restraint and just devolved into seemingly senseless screaming. A few of their songs had slightly catchy choruses, but I think that this was because 10 minutes into their set, the audience was so desensitized that hearing them chant "B-I-T-C-H, you know what it is" sounded all right. (That would be the chorus to their song "Manbitch"; their other catchy song was "123Go," whose oh-so articulate chorus went "Ready, 1, 2, 3, go." Both songs are available on their MySpace page so you can make your ears bleed anywhere with Internet access!)(And if you're listening to them on MySpace and thinking they're all right, please know that they don't sound as good live.)
How does one dance to their self-described punk/crunk/funk music? Based on Hottub's moves, it appears that you trudge across the dance floor then get down on your knees and wail into that microphone. Once in a while you climb on top of a speaker with a lack of cat-like grace that would make the jungle cats who inspired your outfit cringe. Just as rarely, you and your bandmates attempt to do choreographed dances that are about as graceful as Britney's infamous VMA performance.
But Hottub's fave dance move? Gettin' down with the fans!
They got off the stage and into the little part of the floor behind the metal barricades several times during the set, and if being 10 feet away from them while they're on stage is scary, being 5 feet away is horrifying. Yet fascinating. I wanted to cringe away and lean in closer to get a better look at their war paint-esque eye make-up at the same time.
The crowd was dumbfounded. While Hottub got all fired up, the audience just kind of stared. Even laughed out loud a couple times. Because, well, it was a funny experience. And if the freak show on stage got boring, a look at the adults on the balcony was sure to put a smile on your face. Most looked pretty freaked out, but a few ladies in business casual were dancing and clapping their hands like they'd hit the bar a few too many times. Like I said, partying with people over the age of 23 is weird...
The only time the crowd really cheered for Hottub was when they announced that they would only be playing one more song. But our joy soon turned to dread when Hottub explained that since the 9:30 Club won't let fans get up on stage with them, they were going to come down into the audience and party with us!!!!
As the ladies climbed off stage and into the audience, the crowd hastily parted for them. Some girls even screamed in terror as they passed. They worked their way through much of the club, stopping to grind with the occasional man.
When one of them passed by me, I did what anyone else would do in such a horrifying situation: I wet my pants. No, no, I didn't need to go to the Little Mermaids' room; I spilled the cups of water in my pockets. Though it felt like I had peed my pants. As if it wasn't hard enough trying to back away from a crazed lady in tiger-striped spandex who decided to stop and shake her thang right in front of me, I felt the water trickling down my legs and saw a puddle on the floor next to me. Most awkward moment of my life? Hell yeah.
I used my friend's camera to record a video of the crazy tiger-clad chick dancing six inches away from me; I sincerely hope it will be making the rounds on YouTube soon. I'll link to it as soon as it does!
When the song ended and Hottub returned to the stage, the audience let out an audible sigh of relief. The following 30 minutes of bland club music felt like heaven after Hottub's jarring 30-minute set.
Hottub's crazy dance attack shifted people around a bit on the floor; there was definitely one more row of a people between me and the stage than there had been at the beginning of the show. But no worries. I wasn't going to make the same moving mistake two boys near me made. They came up from somewhere near the back of the club and squeezed their way in in front of the stage. The middle-aged man next to me totally told them off and made them stand somewhere else because he and his wife had been waiting there, and they weren't about to lose their good view. The guys slunk off someplace farther back. Did I mention that I love partying with people over the age of 23?
When The Ting Tings came on stage, the audience cheered more loudly than I knew middle-aged people were capable of. The Ting Tings began with a terrific rendition of "We Walk."
The Ting Tings played every song on We Started Nothing except "Traffic Light," which isn't much of a party song anyways. Their live performances sounded very similar to their performances on the album (possibly because Jules DeMartino's drumming, Katie White's vocals, and both of their occasional guitar work were the only parts actually performed live. The keyboards and most of the guitar and bass were played somewhere off-stage, maybe on a recording.)
Honestly, after the months and months of anticipation for this concert, I don't really know how to say this, but The Ting Tings were a little... anticlimactic. Hottub made me want to scream and cry and run as if my life depended on it. The Ting Tings made me want to jump up and down and dance a little (and make out with Jules, omg hottness...), but watching their set felt like attending the wrong after party.
Although I may have been at the wrong party, I was in the right part of the room. You know when you're at a concert and you see a section of people dancing like crazy and having a blast, and you are stuck with a bunch of people who keep complaining about the sound quality and how much they want to cut your off? For the first time ever, I was in that awesome section of people that makes everybody else jealous. They jumped and clapped their hands, but they rarely bumped into you and never stepped on your toes. And it didn't start to smell rank in there until at least halfway through the set. So I loved the crowd. I really couldn't have had a better experience at the concert.
So I was glad I was near the stage because the crowd there was so enthusiastic, but as for The Ting Tings... They seemed pretty out of it. Katie looked dazed, and Jules spent the whole time hiding behind his oh-so cool large sunglasses. Katie barely spoke to the audience after she informed us near the beginning of the set that they had been to the 9:30 Club before and that it was a wonderful establishment. I don't think I ever heard Jules' voice. I wonder if it's all squeaky and funny-sounding, or if it's really raspy and scary? Probably not. I think I actually have heard him sing/rap/talk backup on a few songs. I think I've heard him in interviews too. But it would have been funny if he sounded like Mickey Mouse or a serial killer...
The Ting Tings' aloofness was disappointing, but it didn't mean they didn't play well. "We Walk," a song that always seemed like filler on their album, screamed NEXT SINGLE during the set. "Great DJ" was another standout, and I totally rocked out during my personal fave "Keep Your Head." And those weren't even the best songs. Katie did an interesting dance/trance/horrible step routine at the beginning of "Fruit Machine" in which she clapped, bent over, and hit a button that made a sound like, well, a fruit machine. It was weird, and I would've thought she was on drugs if this wasn't The Ting Tings. But it was a rare spark of innovation in their generally unvaried stage routine. (Katie sings, center stage. Katie sings, stage left. Katie is handed guitar, which she plays, center stage. Katie hands back guitar and plays mini keyboard, stage left. Jules plays drums, stage right, throughout.)
The other major Innovative Moment was during Katie's Crazy Weird Percussion Section on "Shut Up and Let Me Go," that really wasn't particularly crazy or weird. I've heard that The Ting Tings like to go all Blue Man Group during that song, but really, all Katie did was hit a cowbell a few times. Then she hit a spotlit bass drum with The Ting Tings written on it. I thought she was gonna go all Crazy Destructive Rock Star on it and bust it into a billion little pieces, but no. She just hit it like a marching band geek with anger issues.
After the Disappointing Blue Man Group Wannabe routine, The Ting Tings probably realized they needed to leave the audience hungering for more, so they left the stage. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. This statement proved entirely true because right then, I was kind of wishing Hottub would come back and make me think I wet myself again. But actually, seeing the spotlight on the bass drum Katie didn't destroy made me want The Ting Tings to come back, too. The guys around me were all grumbling about how a 30 minute set was too short. I'd pretty much have to agree with the people I'd been standing next to for the past 3 hours.
They say it's not over until the fat lady sings, but if that were true, the show would've ended with Hottub. Actually, the show didn't end with "Shut Up and Let Me Go" either. After a few tense minutes, Jules took the stage again. For the first time ever, he stood on stage left, playing the mini keyboard Katie had forsaken. Way to switch it up, man. Let the girls over there ogle your sex symbol-ness.
He started by playing a bit "Walk This Way," then gradually devolved into playing some electropop tunes I could not identify. I thought he might be playing a new Ting Tings song until Katie returned to the stage, grooved with him a bit and said "Impacilla Carpisung." And for the record, those lyrics are even more indecipherable when heard live.
I hoped Katie would use her minutes spent offstage to change into some uberfabulous costume, or at least paint her face blue, but alas, no Blue Man Group influence was present at the show. Whoever told me they did that was a liar.
Katie's outfit remained the same, as did her strange detachedness. But again, that didn't stop her from performing a killer rendition of "That's Not My Name," the last and certainly not least song of the set. That performance made me really understand why they picked that song as a single in the UK. It sounds really good.
The Ting Tings may have felt a bit like the after party, but once their set ended, Hottub returned and started the after after party. In fact, I think the after after party started right next to me. My friend and I decided we just had to buy Hottub tees to show everyone the trauma of what we survived. Plus they looked cool.
We were standing in line (correction: chaotic throng) the merch table when the girl from Hottub with the crazy warrior paint eye makeup walked up to the table and started talking to one of the girls working there. My friend and I realized then that we just had to get a picture with her, and I was elected the one to ask her while my friend bought the shirts. I have this thign where I use politeness as an excuse to avoid talkign to people I don't want to talk to, so of course I coudl not interrupt her conversation. How rude.
But then, who shoudl appear but Bubbles or whatever her crazily-named bandmate was called! She started shakign her leopard print-covered behind to some imaginary music and gushing to me about how awesome The Ting Tings were. I attempted to make small talk, working up to asking her for a picture, because I wanted to be seen as a fellow partier, not a moocher who's just in it for the Facebook profile picture. But another moocher beat me to it, slipping in wiht their camera extended, ready to snap it. Leopard Lady got Warrior Chick to stop talkign and take pictures wiht the fans, and the chaotic throng shifted 5 feet from the merch table to the freak show. Look for lots of Leopard Lady and Warrior Chick on Facebook and MySpace pages near you.
As it turned out, my friend and I were dead last in line for merch and almost last in line to get our pictures taken. But I partied right next to Warrior Chick during the show and Leopard Lady afterwards, and one of them complimented my friend on her scarf and engaged her in a brief conversation about the awesomeness of thrifting, and that is really all that matters. We had a great experience with people we will never forget, even if they did make me wet my pants.
The night started off normally: my friend was denied permission to go at the last minute but managed to change that with just hours to spare; my mom wouldn't let me go outside in only a t-shirt despite my explanation that I'll spend a few hours in a sweltering hot club and mere minutes outside in the 44 degree weather; my friend and I arrived before doors and stood in a huge line of middle-aged couples. Typical concert routine. Except the middle-aged people left their JoBros-obsessed daughters at home this time. (Okay, most of them were probably too young to have children with hormones, but you know. This was the first time I'd ever really partied with anyone over the age of 23.)
After snapping a picture of the SOLD OUT sign (because I'm a dork like that) and getting the hand stamps that prevent you from ordering alcohol but more importantly, make all your friends wonder where you were last night, we got in, checked out the merch stand, and assumed our spots in front of the stage. Oh, and I used the bathroom with the Little Mermaid Barbie doll on the door, as opposed to the one with the Prince Charming Ken doll. Gotta love the 9:30 Club.I also met a girl wearing a remarkably similar outfit to mine (magenta top, yellow belt) who asked me how awesome her peacock feather barrette was, told me it was her 21st birthday, asked me how old I was, then wished me a happy birthday as I hurried out.
Doors were at 8:00, and although it would seem logical that the 9:30 Club would begin its shows at 9:30, no one I talked to actually believed they would be logical about things. Opening the doors 90 minutes before the show? No way. Most places do 30 minutes. 60, tops. But alas, logic prevailed, and we had to stand 20 feet away from the stage for 75 minutes until the smart adults started trickling in.
Remembering the girl near me who fainted at the Hellogoodbye concert, I grabbed two cups of complimentary ice water from the bar before the show began. Since dancing while holing drinks is slightly awkward (guess you need alcohol in them for it to seem more comfortable), I discovered that I could fit each cup of water into a pocket in my cargo pants. ((Concert tip: cargo pants = love. Sticking your newly purchased t-shirt in your pocket isn't always flattering, but it beats holding it all night.)) I told myself to be very careful when dancing so the water wouldn't spill.At long last, the lights dimmed and the show began with what we all hoped was some sick joke. Three women lumbered on stage, turned their backs to the audience, and the music began.
I have never seen a mentally challenged pole dancer, but I imagine that watching one perform would instill the same feelings of guilt, disgust, pity, and sick fascination that Hottub's performance did. The three women on stage had a range of skin tones and body types, but they were clearly united in their fashion sense. All three wore (yes, you are reading this correctly) animal-print spandex. Two of them wore pieces of fabric that might have been leotards before someone realized just how hideous a plus-size tiger-print unitard really is and tried to do the world a favor by cutting it up. But their plan backfired when Hottub got a hold of it and... the result is still burned into my retina.
I actually thought one of them was totally rocking the whole leopard-print leggings with a leopard-print tunic look until she took her top off to reveal a very sparkly bra and an array of tattoos that would give John Vesely a run for his money. At least the sparkly bra reassured audiences that she really was a girl. There were rampant rumors that they were really men in drag. (Nope, I got an unfortunately close look at all three, and they were definitely female. But the average drag queen probably would have been able to put together a better outfit.)
Musically, Hottub is probably the best hip-hop screamo girl group ever, which is to say, they suck. Their first song might have been able to pass as rap; their second was more of a hard-rock chant; by the third, they had given up any remaining self-restraint and just devolved into seemingly senseless screaming. A few of their songs had slightly catchy choruses, but I think that this was because 10 minutes into their set, the audience was so desensitized that hearing them chant "B-I-T-C-H, you know what it is" sounded all right. (That would be the chorus to their song "Manbitch"; their other catchy song was "123Go," whose oh-so articulate chorus went "Ready, 1, 2, 3, go." Both songs are available on their MySpace page so you can make your ears bleed anywhere with Internet access!)(And if you're listening to them on MySpace and thinking they're all right, please know that they don't sound as good live.)How does one dance to their self-described punk/crunk/funk music? Based on Hottub's moves, it appears that you trudge across the dance floor then get down on your knees and wail into that microphone. Once in a while you climb on top of a speaker with a lack of cat-like grace that would make the jungle cats who inspired your outfit cringe. Just as rarely, you and your bandmates attempt to do choreographed dances that are about as graceful as Britney's infamous VMA performance.
But Hottub's fave dance move? Gettin' down with the fans!
They got off the stage and into the little part of the floor behind the metal barricades several times during the set, and if being 10 feet away from them while they're on stage is scary, being 5 feet away is horrifying. Yet fascinating. I wanted to cringe away and lean in closer to get a better look at their war paint-esque eye make-up at the same time.The crowd was dumbfounded. While Hottub got all fired up, the audience just kind of stared. Even laughed out loud a couple times. Because, well, it was a funny experience. And if the freak show on stage got boring, a look at the adults on the balcony was sure to put a smile on your face. Most looked pretty freaked out, but a few ladies in business casual were dancing and clapping their hands like they'd hit the bar a few too many times. Like I said, partying with people over the age of 23 is weird...
The only time the crowd really cheered for Hottub was when they announced that they would only be playing one more song. But our joy soon turned to dread when Hottub explained that since the 9:30 Club won't let fans get up on stage with them, they were going to come down into the audience and party with us!!!!
As the ladies climbed off stage and into the audience, the crowd hastily parted for them. Some girls even screamed in terror as they passed. They worked their way through much of the club, stopping to grind with the occasional man.
When one of them passed by me, I did what anyone else would do in such a horrifying situation: I wet my pants. No, no, I didn't need to go to the Little Mermaids' room; I spilled the cups of water in my pockets. Though it felt like I had peed my pants. As if it wasn't hard enough trying to back away from a crazed lady in tiger-striped spandex who decided to stop and shake her thang right in front of me, I felt the water trickling down my legs and saw a puddle on the floor next to me. Most awkward moment of my life? Hell yeah.
I used my friend's camera to record a video of the crazy tiger-clad chick dancing six inches away from me; I sincerely hope it will be making the rounds on YouTube soon. I'll link to it as soon as it does!
When the song ended and Hottub returned to the stage, the audience let out an audible sigh of relief. The following 30 minutes of bland club music felt like heaven after Hottub's jarring 30-minute set.
Hottub's crazy dance attack shifted people around a bit on the floor; there was definitely one more row of a people between me and the stage than there had been at the beginning of the show. But no worries. I wasn't going to make the same moving mistake two boys near me made. They came up from somewhere near the back of the club and squeezed their way in in front of the stage. The middle-aged man next to me totally told them off and made them stand somewhere else because he and his wife had been waiting there, and they weren't about to lose their good view. The guys slunk off someplace farther back. Did I mention that I love partying with people over the age of 23?
When The Ting Tings came on stage, the audience cheered more loudly than I knew middle-aged people were capable of. The Ting Tings began with a terrific rendition of "We Walk."
The Ting Tings played every song on We Started Nothing except "Traffic Light," which isn't much of a party song anyways. Their live performances sounded very similar to their performances on the album (possibly because Jules DeMartino's drumming, Katie White's vocals, and both of their occasional guitar work were the only parts actually performed live. The keyboards and most of the guitar and bass were played somewhere off-stage, maybe on a recording.)
Honestly, after the months and months of anticipation for this concert, I don't really know how to say this, but The Ting Tings were a little... anticlimactic. Hottub made me want to scream and cry and run as if my life depended on it. The Ting Tings made me want to jump up and down and dance a little (and make out with Jules, omg hottness...), but watching their set felt like attending the wrong after party.
Although I may have been at the wrong party, I was in the right part of the room. You know when you're at a concert and you see a section of people dancing like crazy and having a blast, and you are stuck with a bunch of people who keep complaining about the sound quality and how much they want to cut your off? For the first time ever, I was in that awesome section of people that makes everybody else jealous. They jumped and clapped their hands, but they rarely bumped into you and never stepped on your toes. And it didn't start to smell rank in there until at least halfway through the set. So I loved the crowd. I really couldn't have had a better experience at the concert.
So I was glad I was near the stage because the crowd there was so enthusiastic, but as for The Ting Tings... They seemed pretty out of it. Katie looked dazed, and Jules spent the whole time hiding behind his oh-so cool large sunglasses. Katie barely spoke to the audience after she informed us near the beginning of the set that they had been to the 9:30 Club before and that it was a wonderful establishment. I don't think I ever heard Jules' voice. I wonder if it's all squeaky and funny-sounding, or if it's really raspy and scary? Probably not. I think I actually have heard him sing/rap/talk backup on a few songs. I think I've heard him in interviews too. But it would have been funny if he sounded like Mickey Mouse or a serial killer...
The Ting Tings' aloofness was disappointing, but it didn't mean they didn't play well. "We Walk," a song that always seemed like filler on their album, screamed NEXT SINGLE during the set. "Great DJ" was another standout, and I totally rocked out during my personal fave "Keep Your Head." And those weren't even the best songs. Katie did an interesting dance/trance/horrible step routine at the beginning of "Fruit Machine" in which she clapped, bent over, and hit a button that made a sound like, well, a fruit machine. It was weird, and I would've thought she was on drugs if this wasn't The Ting Tings. But it was a rare spark of innovation in their generally unvaried stage routine. (Katie sings, center stage. Katie sings, stage left. Katie is handed guitar, which she plays, center stage. Katie hands back guitar and plays mini keyboard, stage left. Jules plays drums, stage right, throughout.)
The other major Innovative Moment was during Katie's Crazy Weird Percussion Section on "Shut Up and Let Me Go," that really wasn't particularly crazy or weird. I've heard that The Ting Tings like to go all Blue Man Group during that song, but really, all Katie did was hit a cowbell a few times. Then she hit a spotlit bass drum with The Ting Tings written on it. I thought she was gonna go all Crazy Destructive Rock Star on it and bust it into a billion little pieces, but no. She just hit it like a marching band geek with anger issues.
After the Disappointing Blue Man Group Wannabe routine, The Ting Tings probably realized they needed to leave the audience hungering for more, so they left the stage. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. This statement proved entirely true because right then, I was kind of wishing Hottub would come back and make me think I wet myself again. But actually, seeing the spotlight on the bass drum Katie didn't destroy made me want The Ting Tings to come back, too. The guys around me were all grumbling about how a 30 minute set was too short. I'd pretty much have to agree with the people I'd been standing next to for the past 3 hours.
They say it's not over until the fat lady sings, but if that were true, the show would've ended with Hottub. Actually, the show didn't end with "Shut Up and Let Me Go" either. After a few tense minutes, Jules took the stage again. For the first time ever, he stood on stage left, playing the mini keyboard Katie had forsaken. Way to switch it up, man. Let the girls over there ogle your sex symbol-ness.He started by playing a bit "Walk This Way," then gradually devolved into playing some electropop tunes I could not identify. I thought he might be playing a new Ting Tings song until Katie returned to the stage, grooved with him a bit and said "Impacilla Carpisung." And for the record, those lyrics are even more indecipherable when heard live.
I hoped Katie would use her minutes spent offstage to change into some uberfabulous costume, or at least paint her face blue, but alas, no Blue Man Group influence was present at the show. Whoever told me they did that was a liar.
Katie's outfit remained the same, as did her strange detachedness. But again, that didn't stop her from performing a killer rendition of "That's Not My Name," the last and certainly not least song of the set. That performance made me really understand why they picked that song as a single in the UK. It sounds really good.
The Ting Tings may have felt a bit like the after party, but once their set ended, Hottub returned and started the after after party. In fact, I think the after after party started right next to me. My friend and I decided we just had to buy Hottub tees to show everyone the trauma of what we survived. Plus they looked cool.We were standing in line (correction: chaotic throng) the merch table when the girl from Hottub with the crazy warrior paint eye makeup walked up to the table and started talking to one of the girls working there. My friend and I realized then that we just had to get a picture with her, and I was elected the one to ask her while my friend bought the shirts. I have this thign where I use politeness as an excuse to avoid talkign to people I don't want to talk to, so of course I coudl not interrupt her conversation. How rude.
But then, who shoudl appear but Bubbles or whatever her crazily-named bandmate was called! She started shakign her leopard print-covered behind to some imaginary music and gushing to me about how awesome The Ting Tings were. I attempted to make small talk, working up to asking her for a picture, because I wanted to be seen as a fellow partier, not a moocher who's just in it for the Facebook profile picture. But another moocher beat me to it, slipping in wiht their camera extended, ready to snap it. Leopard Lady got Warrior Chick to stop talkign and take pictures wiht the fans, and the chaotic throng shifted 5 feet from the merch table to the freak show. Look for lots of Leopard Lady and Warrior Chick on Facebook and MySpace pages near you.
As it turned out, my friend and I were dead last in line for merch and almost last in line to get our pictures taken. But I partied right next to Warrior Chick during the show and Leopard Lady afterwards, and one of them complimented my friend on her scarf and engaged her in a brief conversation about the awesomeness of thrifting, and that is really all that matters. We had a great experience with people we will never forget, even if they did make me wet my pants.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Your Dream Spring 2009 Concert Schedule
Well boys and girls, it's that magical time of year again. That time in the dead of winter when people start opening their hearts and their wallets, when kids get down on their knees and beg their parents to give them what they want, when parents start freaking out about what exactly it is their kids want... Yes, it's the time when bands announce their spring tours.
This weekend is a great time to buy tickets (Quick! Fall Out Boy tickets have been on sale for over 5 hours!!!!), so I've decided to try to give you the best possible list of acts coming to the DC area over the next 4 months (sorry, rest of the world, I can't do everything...)
Now, coaches always say it's important to stay in shape during the off-season, so I think everyone should take their advice and practice their best moves at the Millionaires concert at Rock n Roll Hotel on Thursday, February 5th. My newest favorite pop act Cash Cash will be opening for the girls, along with I Set My Friends on Fire and Watchout! There's Ghosts. I think this show might actually be considered a comedy performance rather than music; those Millionaires girls are always laughable. And with a name like the Just Got Paid, Let's Get's Laid Tour, you KNOW it's gonna be a party.
[I will spend the night listening to my Cash Cash CD and crying my eyes out because my parents won't let me out on school nights (plus it's called the Just Got Paid, Let's Get's Laid Tour), so if you attend, please try your hardest to meet the guys from Cash Cash and tell them Meredith thinks they're the coolest kids ever and would like to ask for all of their hands in marriage; they can play rock-paper-scissors or whatever to decide who gets her.]
And for those of us who need a winter pick-me-up that's not on a weeknight, Ludo will be at Rock n Roll Hotel on Friday, February 20th. I've never actually bothered to listen to any of their music, but I've heard good things about their set when they toured with Relient K last year.
Another Friday night option is Ben Folds, performing at George Washington University on Friday the 13th of February (a good alternative for those of us who don't think we can stomach Valentine's Day weekend's gooey rom-coms/crazy gory Friday-the-13th slasher flicks). I'm having trouble finding specific ticket info - the show isn't listed on his official site - but I saw it on Eventful...
Ben will also be playing at Ram's Head Live! in Baltimore on the 12th, if there are any hardcore piano rock fans who want to see him twice.
All you hipsters had better mark your calendars for The Ting Tings' show at the 9:30 Club on Friday, March 20th. Or maybe you hipsters will sneer about how you already caught them there in July when they were, like, still cool in an unknown kinda way.
But my friend and I will still be in attendance, hoping to squash the stereotype that no one dances at cool DC indie shows. Because kids who are too cool to dance aren't cool at all.
The real hipsters might be holding out for Cut Copy, coming to the 9:30 Club just 3 days after the Ting Tings (that's Monday, March 23rd, for you non-math whizzes). Matt and Kim will be performing that night as well. Never heard of them before, but their name brings to mind a certain NBC Thursday night sitcom...
After all these indie shows, I'd advise you to take a dip in the mainstream, just to make sure you can remember what Top 40 sounds like. And where better to find mainstream Top 40 pop than at a Britney Spears or Pussycat Dolls concert? You Britney fans are in luck because The Circus Starring Britney Spears 2009 North American Tour is hitting the Verizon Center on Tuesday, March 24th. [I guess the Pussycat Dolls are just a sideshow act?] iLike sent me an email saying tix are still available! (I was tempted to reply with a little WTF??!)
If Britney tix are a bit out of your price range, you could always see new Top 40 dance darling Lady Gaga at 9:30 Club on Thursday, April 2nd. No, wait, actually, you couldn't. Her show's already sold out.
Similarly, if you're going to see Katy Perry at the 9:30 Club on Friday, April 10th, you probably already knew she was coming. Hopefully you did, since all the tickets for that show sold out about 5 seconds after they went on sale. Or at least in the same weekend. 5 seconds, 48 hours, same diff for us soft-core Katy fans.
For those of you hoping for a bit more of a rock show (just a bit), I've said it before and I'll say it again: Craig Owens of Chiodos, Ace Enders, The Color Fred, and VersaEmerge will be at Ottobar in Baltimore on Thursday, April 9th. It's not quite as hot as the Katy tickets, but it's been pretty buzzed-about.
I've also already mentioned NeverShoutNever!'s two upcoming shows, one in West Springfield, VA, the other in Towson. I'd check it out in my previous posts if I were you. [Then I'd wonder if I just used "my" correctly since I said I'd do it if I were you, and they're not your posts...]
I think this Dream Concert Schedule is getting nightmare-ishly long, so I'll close it (for now) with what may be the hottest concert here: the Believers Never Die Part Deux tour, featuring Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship, Metro Station, and Hey Monday! It'll be taking the Merriweather Post Pavilion by storm on Saturday, April 25th. Since I'm not too fond of FOB, I'm cringing at the $36 ticket price (no cheap-o lawn seats? really?) but it may be worth it to see my fave Gossip Girl fan, Gabe Saporta... or I could just sit in the parking lot hoping he makes good on his kick-it-in-the-parking lot promises in his blog.
Oh, and if you're one of those kids who isn't allowed to go to concerts, don't despair too much... The Jonas Brothers 3D movie (coming at ya February 27th) will give you way better seats than I had when I was on the lawn for their show at the Nissan Pavilion last year :)
This weekend is a great time to buy tickets (Quick! Fall Out Boy tickets have been on sale for over 5 hours!!!!), so I've decided to try to give you the best possible list of acts coming to the DC area over the next 4 months (sorry, rest of the world, I can't do everything...)
Now, coaches always say it's important to stay in shape during the off-season, so I think everyone should take their advice and practice their best moves at the Millionaires concert at Rock n Roll Hotel on Thursday, February 5th. My newest favorite pop act Cash Cash will be opening for the girls, along with I Set My Friends on Fire and Watchout! There's Ghosts. I think this show might actually be considered a comedy performance rather than music; those Millionaires girls are always laughable. And with a name like the Just Got Paid, Let's Get's Laid Tour, you KNOW it's gonna be a party.
[I will spend the night listening to my Cash Cash CD and crying my eyes out because my parents won't let me out on school nights (plus it's called the Just Got Paid, Let's Get's Laid Tour), so if you attend, please try your hardest to meet the guys from Cash Cash and tell them Meredith thinks they're the coolest kids ever and would like to ask for all of their hands in marriage; they can play rock-paper-scissors or whatever to decide who gets her.]
And for those of us who need a winter pick-me-up that's not on a weeknight, Ludo will be at Rock n Roll Hotel on Friday, February 20th. I've never actually bothered to listen to any of their music, but I've heard good things about their set when they toured with Relient K last year.
Another Friday night option is Ben Folds, performing at George Washington University on Friday the 13th of February (a good alternative for those of us who don't think we can stomach Valentine's Day weekend's gooey rom-coms/crazy gory Friday-the-13th slasher flicks). I'm having trouble finding specific ticket info - the show isn't listed on his official site - but I saw it on Eventful...
Ben will also be playing at Ram's Head Live! in Baltimore on the 12th, if there are any hardcore piano rock fans who want to see him twice.
All you hipsters had better mark your calendars for The Ting Tings' show at the 9:30 Club on Friday, March 20th. Or maybe you hipsters will sneer about how you already caught them there in July when they were, like, still cool in an unknown kinda way.
But my friend and I will still be in attendance, hoping to squash the stereotype that no one dances at cool DC indie shows. Because kids who are too cool to dance aren't cool at all.
The real hipsters might be holding out for Cut Copy, coming to the 9:30 Club just 3 days after the Ting Tings (that's Monday, March 23rd, for you non-math whizzes). Matt and Kim will be performing that night as well. Never heard of them before, but their name brings to mind a certain NBC Thursday night sitcom...
After all these indie shows, I'd advise you to take a dip in the mainstream, just to make sure you can remember what Top 40 sounds like. And where better to find mainstream Top 40 pop than at a Britney Spears or Pussycat Dolls concert? You Britney fans are in luck because The Circus Starring Britney Spears 2009 North American Tour is hitting the Verizon Center on Tuesday, March 24th. [I guess the Pussycat Dolls are just a sideshow act?] iLike sent me an email saying tix are still available! (I was tempted to reply with a little WTF??!)
If Britney tix are a bit out of your price range, you could always see new Top 40 dance darling Lady Gaga at 9:30 Club on Thursday, April 2nd. No, wait, actually, you couldn't. Her show's already sold out.
Similarly, if you're going to see Katy Perry at the 9:30 Club on Friday, April 10th, you probably already knew she was coming. Hopefully you did, since all the tickets for that show sold out about 5 seconds after they went on sale. Or at least in the same weekend. 5 seconds, 48 hours, same diff for us soft-core Katy fans.
For those of you hoping for a bit more of a rock show (just a bit), I've said it before and I'll say it again: Craig Owens of Chiodos, Ace Enders, The Color Fred, and VersaEmerge will be at Ottobar in Baltimore on Thursday, April 9th. It's not quite as hot as the Katy tickets, but it's been pretty buzzed-about.
I've also already mentioned NeverShoutNever!'s two upcoming shows, one in West Springfield, VA, the other in Towson. I'd check it out in my previous posts if I were you. [Then I'd wonder if I just used "my" correctly since I said I'd do it if I were you, and they're not your posts...]
I think this Dream Concert Schedule is getting nightmare-ishly long, so I'll close it (for now) with what may be the hottest concert here: the Believers Never Die Part Deux tour, featuring Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship, Metro Station, and Hey Monday! It'll be taking the Merriweather Post Pavilion by storm on Saturday, April 25th. Since I'm not too fond of FOB, I'm cringing at the $36 ticket price (no cheap-o lawn seats? really?) but it may be worth it to see my fave Gossip Girl fan, Gabe Saporta... or I could just sit in the parking lot hoping he makes good on his kick-it-in-the-parking lot promises in his blog.
Oh, and if you're one of those kids who isn't allowed to go to concerts, don't despair too much... The Jonas Brothers 3D movie (coming at ya February 27th) will give you way better seats than I had when I was on the lawn for their show at the Nissan Pavilion last year :)
Friday, January 16, 2009
first post!!!!!!!!!!1111
^Disclaimer: That title is meant to be cute and ironic.
I just thought I'd make a lil welcome post describing my new music blog PerfectoPop & introducing myself & all that... So basically, once upon a time, there was this kid in high school who really liked music and listened to lots and lots of it, which made her pretty much normal. But she had known from an early age that her thoughts about music differed slightly from those of her peers; this realization arrived sometime around the 7th time she got bullied for admitting she owned a Hilary Duff album. Two, actually, but she never even told anyone she bought the Christmas album.
So this little kid grows up and realizes you don't go around telling people you think Disney Channel is cool and starts listening to bands that were actually popular, such as The All-American Rejects and Good Charlotte (I listened to Hilary Duff while you listened to Nicole Richie's future husband? Who feels dumb now, huh?) But then she got to high school and learned that in high school, uncool stuff is the coolest, so she got in with the High School Musical-loving crowd & realized that the stuff she listened to as a kid wasn't THAT bad. Then she realized that maybe the mature thing to do would be to listen to the music you like, no matter how many times people make fun of Hannah Montana, and try to see the good in the stuff you don't. And she realized that there are a LOT of people in the world who completely suck at doing that.
So she decided to start a music blog to try to spread her love of everything pop music and get people to listen to new things because she's under the impression that her tastes are slightly distinctive. Plus, she loves writing music reviews and wants an Internet addiction that's more productive Facebook.
A few things to note about this blog:
Its name is "PerfectoPop", like "perfecto" as in perfect in Spanish and "pop" as in popular music, and it's not like "perfect-o-pop;" it's like one word that rhymes with "electropop," which is a genre I am very into right now.
It's not going to be updated every day unless a miracle occurs and I magically become a second-semester senior rather than junior.
I came up with a few fun sections that posts can pertain to; their clever names are:
DsCene & Heard - a section of live music reviews, probably all of which will be from the Washington DC metropolitan area because that is where I will be living for at least another year and a half. But they could be more wide-ranging; I have been known to travel as far as Pennsylvania for Jonas Brothers concerts...
Must See CD - albums I think you absolutely must listen to because they are the Next Big Thing. Bands I previously would have included in this category if I'd had a blog include The Ting Tings, who I was so totally right about, Katy Perry, who I was so totally even more right about, and Skye Sweetnam, who I was so totally not right about. But I try.
First Impressions - lame name, kind of lame section, basically for if I want to get a review out there RIGHT NOW and don't have time to listen to the album more than once.
[I believe you must listen to an album at least 3 times before passing definitive judgement on it because everything sounds better the second or third time around...]
ALSO:
-normal CD reviews
-music video reviews
-good free stuff
-tour dates
-music-inspired/related trends in fashion, etc. [I'm thinking of calling it What The Jonas Brothers Wore Today]
-other news
-hopefully no crazy rants about things like why aspiring musicians who illegally download music are stupid or how Taylor Swift does not know how to promote an album or anything annoying like that...
So, yeah, that is my little welcome message/explanatory note. Um, I hope you like my blog and it doesn't end up embarrassing me like previous misguided efforts. That's all for now... Expect a real post that is like actually about music soon!
I just thought I'd make a lil welcome post describing my new music blog PerfectoPop & introducing myself & all that... So basically, once upon a time, there was this kid in high school who really liked music and listened to lots and lots of it, which made her pretty much normal. But she had known from an early age that her thoughts about music differed slightly from those of her peers; this realization arrived sometime around the 7th time she got bullied for admitting she owned a Hilary Duff album. Two, actually, but she never even told anyone she bought the Christmas album.
So this little kid grows up and realizes you don't go around telling people you think Disney Channel is cool and starts listening to bands that were actually popular, such as The All-American Rejects and Good Charlotte (I listened to Hilary Duff while you listened to Nicole Richie's future husband? Who feels dumb now, huh?) But then she got to high school and learned that in high school, uncool stuff is the coolest, so she got in with the High School Musical-loving crowd & realized that the stuff she listened to as a kid wasn't THAT bad. Then she realized that maybe the mature thing to do would be to listen to the music you like, no matter how many times people make fun of Hannah Montana, and try to see the good in the stuff you don't. And she realized that there are a LOT of people in the world who completely suck at doing that.
So she decided to start a music blog to try to spread her love of everything pop music and get people to listen to new things because she's under the impression that her tastes are slightly distinctive. Plus, she loves writing music reviews and wants an Internet addiction that's more productive Facebook.
A few things to note about this blog:
Its name is "PerfectoPop", like "perfecto" as in perfect in Spanish and "pop" as in popular music, and it's not like "perfect-o-pop;" it's like one word that rhymes with "electropop," which is a genre I am very into right now.
It's not going to be updated every day unless a miracle occurs and I magically become a second-semester senior rather than junior.
I came up with a few fun sections that posts can pertain to; their clever names are:
DsCene & Heard - a section of live music reviews, probably all of which will be from the Washington DC metropolitan area because that is where I will be living for at least another year and a half. But they could be more wide-ranging; I have been known to travel as far as Pennsylvania for Jonas Brothers concerts...
Must See CD - albums I think you absolutely must listen to because they are the Next Big Thing. Bands I previously would have included in this category if I'd had a blog include The Ting Tings, who I was so totally right about, Katy Perry, who I was so totally even more right about, and Skye Sweetnam, who I was so totally not right about. But I try.
First Impressions - lame name, kind of lame section, basically for if I want to get a review out there RIGHT NOW and don't have time to listen to the album more than once.
[I believe you must listen to an album at least 3 times before passing definitive judgement on it because everything sounds better the second or third time around...]
ALSO:
-normal CD reviews
-music video reviews
-good free stuff
-tour dates
-music-inspired/related trends in fashion, etc. [I'm thinking of calling it What The Jonas Brothers Wore Today]
-other news
-hopefully no crazy rants about things like why aspiring musicians who illegally download music are stupid or how Taylor Swift does not know how to promote an album or anything annoying like that...
So, yeah, that is my little welcome message/explanatory note. Um, I hope you like my blog and it doesn't end up embarrassing me like previous misguided efforts. That's all for now... Expect a real post that is like actually about music soon!
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