Thus I will, just like everyone else I will hopefully keep this thing going, at least more constantly than before, seeing as how I will be going to more shows, and have a lot on my mind recently. (just saved the draft for this and looked at my blog, wow, three whole posts woop-de-doo. I suppose I could consider this a -moderately- clean slate. So I'm going to follow this post with a rant. Here's a recap of some of the shows I went to since my last posting (not all the shows, just a couple highlights here and there).
Sleepy Sun:
So I saw Sleepy Sun on June 21st (for the second time). They are a great psychedelic rock band hailing from San Francisco. They played at Il Motore (same as last time) which is actually a great little venue tucked away up Jean Talon Ouest. Once again they put on an amazing show, they're so full of energy that it really pumps you up. Also they're really great people, really nice.
Noel Fielding Live:
Noel Fielding is part of the comedy duo that is the Mighty Boosh. They are fairly inventive and very surreal in their sets and comedic style. None of that changed when I saw Noel Fielding do standup for Zoofest (kind of an offshoot from the Juste Pour Rire here in Montreal). He's one of the best comedians I've seen live, because you can tell he puts a lot of energy into what he does and he just keeps you laughing. There were also a few times where he couldn't help but laugh at what he had just said, because he wasn't fully doing scripted bits. All in all a great comedian and if you ever get the chance to see him I highly reccomend it.
Isis:
Now Isis was a great and sad show. I've liked this band for a long time, and had missed them the previous times they came to Montreal, however their show on June 23rd was one to remember. For one thing it was the last show on the tour. Another interesting fact about this show was that it was also their last show, ever. They decided to end it, as they felt that they had done everything they wanted with the band, and did not feel like continuing on, essentially flogging a dead horse. It was a great show, full of emotion from the band members. Though my only complaint was that they did not play an extended set, it was relatively short (under 2 hours from what I remember). Though I did manage to score two t-shirts from the last of their merch (stood in line for 45 minutes during the opening act).
John Mayall:
Alright, now, it was not John Mayall with the Blues Breakers. It was John Mayall with a new band whose name I forgot. Though it was undeniably one of the most awe-inspiring concerts I've been to. The sheer talent of all the musicians up on stage blew me away, and just being at a John Mayall concert (one of the jazz pioneers) was amazing. That is all I can really say about that show, it was simply amazing.
Between the Buried and Me:
Now, this show was interesting, as when I bought the ticket I was under the impression that Devin Townsend was a headliner. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Between the Buried and me, but when it comes down to it, if you want to see Devin as a headliner and he's just an opening act, you get kind of annoyed. Cynic was alright, though they did some weird yoga thing with the audience which was kind of odd. Devin's 30 minute set was awesome, and I look forward to meeting him November 2nd, and Between the Buried and me was alright, they put on a good show, but they look weird, the singer looks like an emo kid, one of the guitarists looks like a pop-punk guy, and the other guitarists looks like he should be in Enslaved. Weird, but they make awesome music so it works.
The Mars Volta:
So, this show ranks as one of my top 3 shows of all time. Great music made even more amazing by being played live. The way that they subtly change the songs with improvised parts here and there during the songs just makes them that much more amazing.
