Saturday, April 26, 2008

Spoon & Lou

I have seen two very nice shows at the Norva over two weeks. Very nice shows.

First up was two weeks ago. Freaking sweet triple bill. The White Rabbits, the Walkman, and, holy crap, Spoon. All three bands were totally spot on.

Columbia, Missouri's own (okay, I guess that technically they are a NYC band now) White Rabbits started things off on an exciting note. Lots of jumping around and yelling and stuff. Totally fun.

Okay, next up the Walkmen. Never really got into them before. Never really tried. Their show helped change that for me. Even more jumping around and yelling. Very fun.

Finally, oh my god, it was Spoon's turn. Now, I have seen Spoon before. I saw them while supporting Kill the Moonlight. They were great, but they have blown up into something huge over the last two albums. The show really reflected that. Killer memory #1: "Stay Don't Go." That was the only song from Kill the Moonlight they didn't play the first time I saw them. That was the second song they played. Overall, a totally loaded set. They even pulled out the classic "The Government Darling." That was nice to hear. The whole deal was set when they closed with the Smiths' "Panic" (by far my favorite Smiths song). Yeah buddy.

Now, killer show #2. Last night at the Norva. Holy shit, I saw Lou Reed. Lou was pretty damn good too. He looked older than dirt, and he didn't move around very much, but there were still quite a few badass moments. Lots of tension for me, though, throughout the show.

-Second song, "Sweet Jane." Very nice. Classic. Sounds great.
-"Ecstasy" huh? Well, okay. I guess some later era stuff is okay.
-Oh yeah, "Satellite of Love." I'm loving it. Keep 'em coming.
-Sweet. "Walk on the Wild Side." God love it. Oh you don't say "colored" anymore? Okay, okay.
-"Halloween Parade" sure. Not my favorite, but nice.
-Wait. You're taking a bow and leaving? No! I need my song! If you come back and only play that one song, we can go home then! Please!!
-Ahhhh, all is right with the world. I finally get to hear "Perfect Day." My life is one more step towards satisfaction. I'm seeing Lou freaking Reed sing "Perfect Day." I feel good.

Seriously great show. Sure, there were a couple of cornball moments. I really wanted to punch one of the dudes in the band for excessive dancing. But Lou was just a-okay with me. Throw this show up there with Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, and Jandek I-can't-believe-I'm-seeing-this-live moments.
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