jasmine » Music » The Long Winters Concert Review
"my arms miss you, my hands miss you"
Guess who saw the Long Winters Friday night?
ME!
From the minute that I read the Long Winters were coming to Chicago, I was happy like a little kid. I listened to my two LW records and memorized all the lyrics. Then, my excitement fizzled. Subterranean is a horrible venue and John Roderick is a grade A prick.
First of all, Subterranean. Why anyone outside of a shitty local band plays Subterranean is beyond me. The set-up is horrible... music's on the second floor, and bathrooms are on the third floor (first floor is frequented by THEM). The sound is absolutely abominable and the sound people seem to be a little on the slow side. So, that's the first gripe.
Second gripe: John Roderick, singer and primary songwriter for the Long Winters and former member of Harvey Danger, is a jerk. One of my biggest pet peeves is being belittled by a band that has taken $12.50 from me. You come to my city and talk to me like I'm the asshole. You're the one playing a shitty venue. Anyway, he mentioned the crowd drinking their "pink cocktails" and even called a guy out for checking his cell phone. Well, Mr. Roderick, perhaps if you talked a little less, the crowd wouldn't lose attention. Just a suggestion. When he was told that he had 25 minutes until curfew, he complained about the curfew instead of tearing through more songs.
Personal attacks over. Let's get to the music.
They brought the rock in a big way. To my surprise, it was an all request show. I was skeptical at first, hoping to God that this wasn't a crowd of morons who only know one song. John and the guys opened with Fire Island, AK, which was to be expected since it's off their latest release Putting the Days to Bed (2006). Somehow, though, the no set list set list became extremely enjoyable. They performed most of When I Pretend to Fall (2003), and I was a happy girl. Highlights from WIPtF include Stupid (singer Sean Nelson of Harvey Danger and formerly the Long Winters provides vocals on the recorded version) and Scared Straight. And of course, the icing on the cake was Ultimatum.
So, I'm giving the show one thumb up (music!) and one thumb down (shithead bandleader and rough venue). Catch them if you can!
Guess who saw the Long Winters Friday night?
ME!
From the minute that I read the Long Winters were coming to Chicago, I was happy like a little kid. I listened to my two LW records and memorized all the lyrics. Then, my excitement fizzled. Subterranean is a horrible venue and John Roderick is a grade A prick.
First of all, Subterranean. Why anyone outside of a shitty local band plays Subterranean is beyond me. The set-up is horrible... music's on the second floor, and bathrooms are on the third floor (first floor is frequented by THEM). The sound is absolutely abominable and the sound people seem to be a little on the slow side. So, that's the first gripe.
Second gripe: John Roderick, singer and primary songwriter for the Long Winters and former member of Harvey Danger, is a jerk. One of my biggest pet peeves is being belittled by a band that has taken $12.50 from me. You come to my city and talk to me like I'm the asshole. You're the one playing a shitty venue. Anyway, he mentioned the crowd drinking their "pink cocktails" and even called a guy out for checking his cell phone. Well, Mr. Roderick, perhaps if you talked a little less, the crowd wouldn't lose attention. Just a suggestion. When he was told that he had 25 minutes until curfew, he complained about the curfew instead of tearing through more songs.
Personal attacks over. Let's get to the music.
They brought the rock in a big way. To my surprise, it was an all request show. I was skeptical at first, hoping to God that this wasn't a crowd of morons who only know one song. John and the guys opened with Fire Island, AK, which was to be expected since it's off their latest release Putting the Days to Bed (2006). Somehow, though, the no set list set list became extremely enjoyable. They performed most of When I Pretend to Fall (2003), and I was a happy girl. Highlights from WIPtF include Stupid (singer Sean Nelson of Harvey Danger and formerly the Long Winters provides vocals on the recorded version) and Scared Straight. And of course, the icing on the cake was Ultimatum.
So, I'm giving the show one thumb up (music!) and one thumb down (shithead bandleader and rough venue). Catch them if you can!
by Anonymous | 10/07/2006 06:16:00 PM
1 Comments:
Jasmine, did you really think I was a prick? I really meant all those comments toward the audience in a fun spirit, and I think most of the people there took them that way. I wasn't belittling the crowd, but rather including the crowd in the banter between songs. I hope you'll give that show a second thought, and try to see a way in which the banter between songs was meant to be humorous and lighthearted. My performance style might not be to everyone's taste, but if I'm sparring with a crowd it's only ever in a Rodney Dangerfield kinda way.
john
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