Solid but not amazing show from one of the best American bands of the last ten years. I'm not sure the purpose of Spoon's current tour. Their new album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, is still two months away. They played five songs from it I think, not enough to really consider it a warm up. It felt more like a stopgap.
This is not to say Britt Daniel and company were sleepwalking or anything. Good show. I think the problem was the crowd, that just sort of stood there. I was one of them too, tired from last night's Jarvis show but glad to be seeing Spoon at Bowery Ballroom, as they're capable of playing much bigger venues these days. (Like Webster Hall, where I spent two days in the last week.) I guess that's reason enough tour.
Britt Daniel is always fun to watch. On record, they are much more mannered but live his post-punk upbringing shows it's stripes much more. Spoon are like if David Bowie had hired Andy Gill to tour with him for Hunky Dory. He's all fits and bursts. It's really apparent on songs like "My Mathematical Mind," a slow burn where Daniel's guitar spat out little flames here and there. Also, Jim Eno is just one of the best drummers around, and watching him tonight reinforced that. For that matter, Eric Pope and Rob Harvey are swell too. The sound is so minimalist that every part hast to be just right or it doesn't work. I think that's the magic of Spoon.
We got mostly songs from the last three albums (I don't think A Series of Sneaks was touched) plus, as I said, five songs from the new record. I wish they'd played the whole thing. I liked all the new material, especially a disco-y one that I'm pretty sure was "Don't Make Me a Target," though I could be confusing things. Still, the best moment for me was "Fitted Shirt," but that's my favorite Spoon song.
MP3: Spoon - The Fitted Shirt (Buy Spoon CDs)
I took a few pictures, but nothing worth dirtying up this post with. Hopefully someone will post good ones on Flickr.
I thought "My Mathmatical Mind" was second and that they opened with a new song? Or maybe it was something from Girls Can Tell to open? I am confused. Now I'm going to have to listen to their albums to jog my memory tomorrow.
And yeah, the crowd was lame. I hope for a a more up crowd at Battery Park on 7/11.
Posted by: steve | Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at 01:22 AM
Steve, you're right. They opened with "Don't You Evah" which is on the new album. There's a picture of the setlist on Flickr...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tammylo/471228745/
Posted by: SoundBitesNYC | Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at 10:05 AM
Did they do Paper Tiger? The live version they were doing when I last saw them totally sounded like Tones on Tale's Happiness with Eno using some giant softy drumsticks.
Posted by: toby | Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at 03:08 PM
Yep, they did it. The full setlist (from Fluxblog): Don't You Evah / My Mathematical Mind / Stay Don't Go / The Fitted Shirt / The Delicate Place / Rhthm and Soul / The Beast and Dragon, Adored / Me and the Bean / I Turn My Camera On / Don't Make Me A Target / Paper Tiger / Everything Hits At Once / The Way We Get By / Eddie's Ragga / Vittorio E / They Never Got You / I Summon You / Jonothon Fisk // Black Like Me / Someone Something / The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine / Mountain To Sound
Posted by: SoundBitesNYC | Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at 03:24 PM