DC ROCK CLUB
Long live rock, I need it every night

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

"I say hey, what's going on?"



I couldn't believe it, one of my favorite punk bands of all time was playing at the Rock and Roll Hotel last Saturday. Just in case you have been living in a cave for the last 15 years, 4 Non Blondes are perhaps the greatest band to come out of the Bay Area since Starship. I couldn't believe they were playing in a venue the size of the Rock and Roll Hotel, since they had a huge hit with their anthem "What's Up", back in 1992. Needless to say, I was all jacked up to see Linda, Roger, Christa, and Dawn up close and personal.

Imagine my disappointment when we arrived at the venue and found out it was not 4 Non Blondes, but some band from Sheffield, England called The Long Blondes. Since the tickets had already been purchased (good call Jimbromski, I am really glad I paid that $2.50 service fee per ticket...), I reluctantly ventured into to the hotel to see what these Blondes were all about.



We had actually seen The Long Blondes before, about year ago when they played at the same venue. Jimbromski missed that show (I can't remember why exactly...) and it turned out to be one of our favorites of 2007. I think we went in with low expectations which were quickly exceeded. It was a great show, full of energy and the sound was spot on.
Fast forward almost one year and things had changed a bit. I wasn't really enamored with the new Long Blondes album, "Couples" as it reminded me a little bit of Goldfrapp and was a bit too "electronica" for my liking. We actually weren't planning on seeing them again, as we all knew it wouldn't be as good as last year. Potsy and I wanted to go Costanza and end on a high note in regards to The Long Blondes. However, since there really wasn't anything else going on this week (except for Cut Copy, but that's another debacle all together), we opted to give them another go.
The show was pretty much what I expected. They played a number of tracks off their new album, most of which were just okay. The older songs were still pretty good, but there was something missing. I can't quite put a finger on it, but the show felt a little flat. I thought the vocals were lost a little bit in the mix and weren't nearly as powerful as before. The 1/2 full RNR Hotel crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves and there was even a comment by the guitar player that "DC people love to dance".
Not a bad night out, it just didn't live up to their previous engagement. RC Rating 6.0
ETA: We ate at Granville Moore's again before the show. I had some fat mussels with bacon and leeks. Potsy had a lamb steak. We ate a shitload of fries. That place is good.


6 comments:

Jimbromski said...

I thought two of the new songs sounded good--Century, and that other one that's about illicit lovemaking. The rest were forgettable. The old stuff was better.

Takeaway is: don't change on your second album. Just release the same fucking thing, over and over. We'll let you know when we're tired of it.

Re the service charge, is there any decision that you make on your own and man up to, or do you just do 100% of what I tell you to do? Nobody held a gun to your head, Nerdlinger.

Jimbromski said...

One other thing, that band Drug Rug wasn't bad.

sacklunch said...

Re: Jimbromski is an ass.

Whatever dude. You have obviously been affected by the Cut Copy ticket fiasco, and now you feel the need to buy all tickets in advance.

If I had said "NO, I AM NOT GETTING TICKETS IN ADVANCE" you would have had gotten all irritable and shit. The $2.50 service fee saved me the trouble of hearing you whine.

Jimbromski said...

Ah, so you knew ahead of time that that show wouldn't sell out, and ordered the tix online just to mollify me? you're full of shit. the only one whining is you, over a $2.50 service charge, and you also got all pissy about putting it on your credit card b/c you've been charging too many $1000 dinners. you're really starting to get on my tits, man.

sacklunch said...

This argument is tiresome. However, I will tell you what you missed at one of my $1000 dinners:

Lightly Poached Condor Egg

Seared Loin of Siberian Tiger

Grilled Breast of Bald Eagle

Polar Bear Carpacio

Loggerhead Sea Turtle Soup

Jumbo Slice said...

Tough to live up to that first show. It took us all off guard. I definitely didn't expect it to be that good.

Did Potsy high five the singer again?

I can't wait to get back to DC and eat at Dr. Granville Moore's again.