I don't go to rock shows much anymore. I like to be certain what I am seeing is of sound quality before I commit. Call me a late adopter, if you will, or maybe just too old to wonder out to shows on any random day of the week. I am, however, a repeat customer when I see something I like, so I was extremely pleased to get out to the Download Festival at the Shoreline to see Beck and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Sure, there was some charm in seeing Beck play at the Charlotte Recreation Center (yes, everyone knew his name there) almost 10 years ago on the Odelay tour and again at the Santa Barbara Amphitheater 5 years ago on the Midnight Vultures tour (where the show had to be done by 10pm due to neighborhood ordinance), but those shows did not have these guys:
This is an actual pre-recorded video, but the puppets were actually there, live, during the show, prominently displayed on the monitors. There was a lovely video made that day at the Shoreline with the puppets that included a little thing they called 'Snakes on a Bus'. Hi-larious, despite how sick I am of the Snakes on a Plane hype.
My favorite part of the show, however, was the jam session with the bowls and glasses. I don't know what I can really say about it. Between their rendition of 'One Foot in the Grave' and puppets miming along with their own glasses, I just about keeled over.
Luckily, I didn't reach keeling status during the previous set. Otherwise, I might've injured myself in the fall:
Can you guess who? I'll give you a hint. There is a Karen missing from this picture. Of course, these guys rocked as usual. Of all the bands I've known and loved, this one is clearly the most successful. Ah, Chiaroscuro, Otis and the Elevators, and Luv Six, had you only come together in Brooklyn instead of Asheville. Kelly, you could be giving Karen a run for her money. Of course, that means you probably would not have played at my wedding reception. So I win on all counts.
