Category: live songs

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2008 releases artists concerts guitar live songs music music videos

Coldplay, live at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre

On Sunday night, I was lucky enough to see “superband”, Coldplay, perform live at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

Now, I’m going to throw this right out there. Even when uber-popular music blogs like Stereogum feature bands like Coldplay, there always seems to be a massive backlash from the “Hipster Runoff” type kids. The ones who don’t think it’s cool to like a mainstream band like Coldplay. To any of you reading this who might be feeling the same way…

Wake Up.

Coldplay performing live was one of the most amazing gigs I’ve been to. Sure, it may not have the intimacy factor that a gig with Bon Iver might have, but Coldplay know how to bring the raw entertainment factor like no other band. The sheer spectacle of seeing their stage set up, the stadium fist pumping stage sprinting… man, it’s hard to beat.




Coldplay performing “Yellow” live at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. The videos included in this blog entry weren’t taken by yours truly, as he didn’t take a camera with him… so thanks to whoever took the two clips embedded here. Watch out for Chris popping one of the yellow balloons with this guitar.

The band themselves were in fine spirits, and really had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hand. Much as I wrote back when featuring their live set from the Brixton Academy, Coldplay instill this sense of playfulness to their live shows that somehow manages to deconstruct that image of them being this untouchable stadium band.

In fact, in one of the (many) highlights of the night, the band marched off stage and climbed high into the audience, to a small rafter set up that barely had space for all four of them to stand comfortably. From here they performed the Will Champion led, “Death Will Never Conquer”, and “I’m A Believer”. As Chris Martin said:

“What we’re doing here is breaking down that… that suspension of disbelief that happens with the band being so far away. We want you to see that we’re here too… spots and wrinkles and all. Deep down, beyond all of this, this is what we are a heart: a pub band”

It was a great statement from a band who obviously realises exactly what they’ve become; a band so huge, so massive that they’ve almost become a myth. While that was always inevitable, they’ve retained their roots in a manner that other bands would be hard pressed to do.




Coldplay performing “Fix It”, live at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Thanks again to the taper. Chris changed up the lyrics to “”When you’re high up above or down below, when you’re sitting miles away from the band at a Coldplay show” as a nod to those of us who had to sit miles from the band. After that, it felt like they were sitting right in front of you.

Unfortunately I didn’t manage to take a camera, so I don’t have any shots of the night, and I didn’t take any notes, so I can’t give a song by song review. It wasn’t that type of gig. It was a gig where you simply had to sit back and marvel at the splendour of the night. That said, here’s a set list of their show, for those who are interested:


Coldplay, live at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, 8 March 2009 Setlist

Life In Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Yellow / You’re The Voice (John Farnham cover)
Glass Of Water
Cemeteries Of London
42
Fix You
Strawberry Swing
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)
Talk (techno version)
The Hardest Part (Chris piano, Will)
Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)
Viva La Vida
Lost!
Green Eyes (acoustic)
I’m A Believer (acoustic)
Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic – Will vocals)
Viva La Vida (remix interlude)
——
Politik
Lovers In Japan
Death And All His Friends
——-
The Scientist
Life in Technicolor ii
The Escapist (outro)



All I can say, after that night?


Freaking Awesome. Thanks, Coldplay boys, for giving us a night to remember.

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artists guitar live songs music music videos

Ray Lamontagne, live on “Saturday Night Live”

This past weekend, Ray Lamontagne performed “You Are The Best Thing” and “Trouble”, live on SNL.

Posting the videos here… because… well… simply because both performances are FREAKING AWESOME. ‘Nuff Said.


Ray Lamontagne, “You Are The Best Thing”, live on SNL


Ray Lamontagne, “Trouble”, live on SNL

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artists concerts guitar live songs music music videos rock gods

Neil Young & My Morning Jacket, live at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre

So, last night, I saw titans perform at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Not only did I see My Morning Jacket perform as the opening act, but then Neil Young came on and absolutely tore the stage apart.

There won’t be a normal review post here today, because, frankly, I decided that I needed to go to a show without the concern of posting about it the next day for a change. Hey, even music bloggers need to sit back, once in a while. I will tell you this, however:

1. My Morning Jacket playing “I’m Amazed”, “Gideon” (and geez, does Jim James have a set of lungs or what?) and “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt II”… simply epic.

2. Seeing Neil Young perform “Hey Hey, My My”, “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere”, “Cortez The Killer” (with its trademark killer guitar lines), “Needle and the Damage Done”, and freaking “Old Man”?? Absolutely. Insane. Point blank.
Actually, “Old Man” was touch and go there, for a while. Neil had some static issues with his guitar lead and had to stop the song… and he nearly didn’t come back to it. I would have been heartbroken.

3. Neil coming back for the encore with “A Day In The Life” cover. Absolutely mashing his guitar, he managed to break all his strings, and then literally starting pulling his guitar to pieces. I, and I think the rest of the crowd, felt that he was a heartbeat away from smashing his guitar. He didn’t, in the end, but trust me when I say the fire still burns fiercely in Neil’s belly.

All in all… Neil woke me up again. As he sang last night, “Just singing a song Won’t Change The World”. Maybe. But it sure as hell changed us, last night. And change enough people, and you change the world.

And so, with that short recap, I leave you with this…

Neil Young. A god of rock.

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2007 Releases 2009 releases artists concerts guitar live songs music music videos

Bon Iver, live at the Tivoli in Brisbane – 17 Jan, 2009

Last night, I had probably the most visceral experience of my life, watching Bon Iver perform live at the Tivoli in Brisbane. To call it sublime would be an understatement.


It was over two years ago (side note: how fast is time going these days? I mean, honestly…) that the dulcet tones of Justin Vernon first made their ways to my ears. I managed to catch the tail end of the Hazeltons days/post DeYarmond Edison days, but really – if I’m honest – I was probably only fully hooked when I first heard Skinny Love. It’s a cardinal sin to admit something like that, when you’re a music blogger (especially considering the strength of the Hazeltons era), but that’s the moment when I realised that this was… different. That there was something transcendent in this music. So when the news made its way to me that Bon Iver would be performing at the Tivoli, I knew I would be going.

And man, am I glad I did.


boniver2Bon Iver performing live at the Tivoli in Brisbane


The gig was a sit down affair, which was a first for me at the Tivoli; but it complemented the night perfectly. First up, I have to talk about the crowd that was there that night. I’ve now been to more than my fair share of gigs at the Tivoli; but last night had, without a doubt, the best crowd of any gig that I have been to there. You always take a slight chance, in my opinion, with gigs at the Tiv: it’s such an intimate, beautiful setting, but sometimes you can get some really belligerent concert goers there (for some reason, they always seem to crawl out of the woodwork for the Ryan Adams gigs)… but last night, the Tiv was packed to the rafters with appreciative music fans. And it was an atmosphere that Justin and co. were definitely feeding off. For probably the first time, I truly believed an artist when they said, “You guys have just been the best audience”.

Because they were.


I’m getting slightly ahead of myself though. First up was the opening act, and for the life of me I could not hear the girl’s name. (update: @lexiphanic mentions in the comments below that the opening act was McKisko). This didn’t surprise me, as it was the same girl who opened up for Sophie Koh and Howie Day at the Troubadour last year, and I had the same trouble then. Regardless, “Performer X” has certainly improved since that last performance, but I was still left… cold, with her performance. There’s an attitude of avante-garde “raw emotion” to her stuff, but it comes across as a facade; too calculated, an “art school pastiche” for me to really believe it. I can hear there’s talent there, but I think this girl still needs a year or two to find herself, and I really hope she does.

After “Performer X”, it was time for Bon Iver to come on… and with an unassuming, “Hey everybody”, Justin and co. launched straight into Flume; and what a killer opening it was. I managed to catch a few videos of last night, and made sure I got the opening number; so here, below, is Bon Iver opening the night at the Tivoli, with “Flume”.



After that opening, the crowd simply fell, and fell hard, for Bon Iver.


There was just something in the air, that give and take between performer and crowd that meant the energy was simply electric, and unlike anything I have ever felt before. Nowhere was that connection better displayed than in the third song Bon Iver played, “The Wolves (Act I & II)”. (By the way, we all know my love for that tune as I featured it back here. Check out the video).

Justin introduced the song by asking the crowd to sing along with the band… and how we all did! The sheer emotion running through the crowd as we all sang, “What might have been lost…”, and the screaming towards the end was a sheer visceral moment that I think I will always remember. If ever emotion took hold of me, it was in that tune, and I was screaming along unashamedly as the song closed. I managed to get the whole thing on video, but unfortunately because of the noise levels towards the end with everyone screaming (in that last two minutes), it slightly turns into a sheer wall of sound; so you can’t quite hear what really happened that night. But trust me when I say it was beautiful.

Anyway: below, Bon Iver performing “The Wolves (Act I & II)”, live at the Tivoli.



Truly, truly magical, and a moment I will take with me for years to come.



boniver3Justin Vernon performing re: Stacks, solo at the Tivoli in Brisbane


After that, I have to admit, the night passed in a bit of an ecstatic blur for me… while I’m normally quite good at making a note of the setlist, that night I kind of blissed out and slacked in that duty a bit. However, for those who are interested, here is the set list as I recall it; that said, I’m sure there might be some errors or omissions in this, so feel free to drop a line in the comments if I’ve got something wrong below, and I’ll be sure to update the post.

Bon Iver at the Tivoli in Brisbane, 17/1/2009 setlist

1. Flume
2. Lump Sum
3. The Wolves (Act I & II)
4. Beach Baby
5. Blood Bank
6. re: Stacks
7. For Emma
8. Lovin’s for Fools (Sarah Siskind cover)
9. Babys (and yes, they do spell it that way. Check out the Blood Bank release)
10. Skinny Love

Encore

11. Creature Fear

Highlights of the set for me? Well, apart from the obvious answer of “Everything!”, I’d have to go with the previously mentioned “Wolves”, “Blood Bank” (which I featured back here, by the way, and which had an insanely frenetic guitar line at the end), and the solo rendition of “re: Stacks”. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to get the entire performance of “re: Stacks” on camera, but I did manage to get just over 5 minutes of it, so I’ve included it below. The vulnerabilty of that man, lit up on stage is breathtaking.



And, of course, where would we be without mentioning “Skinny Love”? Sheer fragile beauty, combined with powerful, ravaging emotion (watch that floor tom being beaten towards the end of the track… that’s the very definition of cathartic music, in my opinion). In other words, the performance was perfection…



All in all, I can say this, without any fear of hyperbole… Bon Iver at the Tivoli was one of the best gigs I have ever been to. Without a doubt, without hesitation. I look back on this post, and I know that no matter how many times I rewrite this, I’ll never be able to truly convey the magic that transpired there that night. It was simply too big, too huge to post about. Those that were there will no what I mean when I say that. So really, all that’s left to say is thanks; so thanks to Justin and Co, for sharing that perfect night with us. We hope you come back soon, because until then… we’ll be waiting.



boniver4Bon Iver performing live at the Tivoli in Brisbane. Come back soon guys…

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artists live songs music music videos

Ryan Adams, “Sinking Ships” – Black Cab Sessions

Because it’s been a while since my last Ryan Adams post, and because Black Cab Sessions just posted this a few days ago… well, the timing was too fortuitous to ignore. Below, for your entertainment: Ryan Adams performing “Sinking Ships”, live for a Black Cab Session.

Hat’s go off to the cabbie; Ryan could have been a very intimidating passenger:

Jason loved the idea, and on his return looked us up and offered his services for a Session. What is more, he just so happened to be a pretty big Ryan Adams fan. Perfect. There was a slight concern at the start of the Session though: Ryan gets car sick. Ryan’s manager warned us of this and asked that, as much as possible, we drive in a straight line. It’s definitely one of the stranger requests that Jason’s ever had, but he did his best while in the back Ryan manfully rose above the nausea to sing his heart out. Hope you enjoy it; Jason certainly did. Best straight line he’s ever driven.

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2009 releases artists artists to watch for in 2009 live songs music music videos

Dead Man’s Bones – In Your Room (Video)

Ok ok, I’m going to be upfront here. I’m probably a bit biased about this track, as ever since the days of The United States of Leland (seriously… this is a criminally underrated film), actor Ryan Gosling has been… well, probably my favourite actor. So when I heard news of him being in a band, called “Dead Man’s Bones“, along with bandmate Zach Shields, I was impatient to finally hear some of their material.

The two have just released a video on their myspace page, called “In Your Room”. And you know what? It’s fantastic. Describing their sound as a mixture of Gothic, Gospel and Showtunes, and their influences as “disney haunted mansion, doo wop and 60s girl groups”, it’s like a joyous celebration of Halloween all over again. And I like it.

In The Room Where You Sleep (live video version)

The boys will be playing at the Werewolf Hearts Records Showcase at SXSW on March 21, 2009, and promise that an album (and official site) will be coming soon.

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2009 releases artists digital downloads guitar live songs music videos

Joe Pug – I’m Not So Sure & Bury Me Far From My Uniform

I recently came across this session on the always fabulous LaundroMatinee site, and simply had to post it. Anyone who’s read this blog for any amount of time will know my love for Joe Pug (after all, I included him in my “Best Of 2008” post, and called him the artist I “most wanted to help make it“.

So when I stumbled on these videos of Joe performing two as-yet-unreleased tracks, “I’m Not So Sure” & “Bury Me Far From My Uniform” (two tracks which I previously pointed you towards in this post), it was a given that I would post them. Take simply beautiful songs from Joe Pug, add in one extremely loud cricket… and you’re in for good times.

Suffice to say, I’m still enraptured by this kid.

Below, the videos, and after that the mp3s of the tracks.

Listen. Love. Support.


Joe Pug – Not So Sure from LaundroMatinee on Vimeo.


Joe Pug – Bury Me Far From My Uniform from LaundroMatinee on Vimeo.

Listen: Joe Pug – Not So Sure (live)
Listen: Joe Pug – Bury Me Far From My Uniform (live)

Joe Pug’s full length debut is out sometime in 2009… and you can bet your bippy it’s going to be killer.

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2008 releases artists artists to watch for in 2009 live songs music videos

Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers – The River (Video)

You know, I wasn’t sold on Samantha Crain… not quite, despite the major promise that I heard in her release “Confiscation EP“. It was undeniable that there was major talent in there, but for some reason, it just didn’t seem to reach that “critical mass” point, where everything comes together in this wonderful, glittering moment, you know?

That was… until I saw this.

Now, I’m excited.


Samantha Crain’s new album, “Songs in the Night” is due out April, 2009. You can bet I’ll be watching with interest.