We were very excited to see this show, so much so that Kirstie begged everyone she knew to come. Having just finished up an opening slot for The Soundtrack of Our Lives, it should have not been surprising that the Dears could get a headlining Saturday night show at the meto. Opening was a band from Sweeden called The Shout Out Louds and Marjorie Fair, both of which were enjoyable but very different.
The Marjorie Fair are from LA, grasped only by reading their webpage. The music comes more from that lost era of late 80âs early 90âs british shoegaze. The Marjorie Fair add more pop hooks and kept the songs fairly contained making for a very enjoyable opening set. There are some similarities between then and the dears that explains why they were asked to go on tour with them. Emotionaly expressive songs with loud guitars and layers of sounds.
Having just heard the Shout Out Louds earlier that day I was more excited about seeing them open. The album has a subdued rock feel (ala the strokes/the cars), with keyboards and drum beats flavored in new wave but with out so much of the slickness that has ruined so many great songs of the 80âs. Taking the stage that night was all of them minus the drummer (who they said was back home for a family members wedding). This ment that for the first 3 songs they had a drum machine and the rest was sans drums until the drummer for the dears came out and played 2 songs with them. While it was very nice to hear the songs very stripped down, with out a drummer the guitars were not loud enough which kinda weakened the effect. John and I agree (who joined us with his girlfriend that night) that jangley guitars have to be loud, so that reverb bounces around in your head. This is where those few songs with the Dears drummer really showed off what they can do. The mentioned they were coming back around in july (29th) but talking to them at the merch both it will be opening for the Kings of Leon and Secret Machines, which means 2 things, they will probably have a short set, and it will be at a huge venue (I assume either the Riv or Aragon). Which means I will probably take a pass. Here is to hopping they come to the Bottle or Schubas by themselves soon.
Now for The Dears , onlty the second time we have seen them, the first being about 6 months ago. Since then they opened on a tour for TSOOL which must have exposed them to many new potential fans. I really didnât expect to see the metro as crowded as it was. It wasnât a sold out show but there were more ppl there then at Cinerama, or Gene. I am very glad for them, I hope more and more ppl get exposed to and fall in love with their songs. The set was mostly material from the 2 full lengths, âEnd of a Hollywood Bedtime Storyâ and âNo Cities Leftâ. The songs on the album are very lush and creative, large guitar and synth swells with powerful chorusâs and swift tempo/key changes. Live, both this time and at the Double Door a few months back, they stretch out the songs, doing so more at this show since they were not limited by a following band. Coupled with the new songs that were very area-rock-ish (influenced in no small part by TSOOL I assume) to show left me feeling jipped. I guess I have to accept that a band may want to change up their sound once in a while I just wish they would have passed it by me first. Overall it was still a terrific show and I would gladly see them again and hope that time will nudge the new songs back to the art-rock/orchestral-pop they came from.
