Entry by : dootie
=W= Show Experience: First show
There are and always will be skeptical =W= fans out there, but the guys certainly proved them wrong on May 11, 2005. It's a truly amazing thing. Besides all the negativity surrounding the band, all the drama highlighted by certain publications, and all the hatred directed towards any post-Pinkerton music, the guys can still put on a show…and one hell of a show at that!
I live out on the island, so I didn't get into the city until around 4. After an AMAZING meal [thanks to the awesome array of restaurants in Times Square], I finally got on line at about 6 o'clock. The line of people there literally wrapped around three sides of the massive Roseland Ballroom…just LOADS of =W= fans sitting down, having a good time, playing magic cards [?].
Once I got in the back of the line, it was easy to spot a rather large commotion right across the narrow street. Apparently, the Late Show with Dave Letterman is filmed everyday across from the Roseland. I walked across to see what was going on [and I tried to blend in with the Paparazzi, but it was pretty easy to spot a guy with thick-rimmed glasses merely holding a water bottle in the midst of ten HUGE folks, all holding cameras and each wearing some sort of Paparazzi pass]. Next thing I knew, all these people start shouting, “PRISCILLA!!! PRISCILLA!!!” and out comes Priscilla Presley, later followed by Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino. Of course, Paul Schaffer soon came out as well, though the Paparazzi were long gone [most likely because he's there everyday].
At this point, the trip had already been successful. But who comes walking by? Karl Koch! It was a pleasure shaking hands with him. He's really a genuinely pleasant guy, who happens to be very thankful for where he is today. I can't say I did more than shake his hand that night, but I can say that I talked to him for quite a while the following night [as I was in attendance for both the 5/11 and 5/12 shows]. We also had a quirky-but-kool photo op!
Okay, now onto what really matters. We were let in at 6:45, and basically stood and perspired and got pushed till 8. Then Ringside came on. Wow. They were musically fine IMO, but pretty god-awful live. The problem was that they really shouldn't have been paired up with =W= for this tour. They got booed pretty badly, though that would be nothing compared to the following night. It was fine enough, because everybody cheered for them as they were leaving around 8:45 [whether they were happy with their performance, or just happy to see them go]. Some =W= chants, slow claps, and condom-blowing [don't ask] ensued until 9 when the guys took the stage.
Rivers has got this new greeting going on where he just raises his hand next to his head and holds it there, almost hunching over to keep it eye-level. It's weird [to say the least], but people seemed to be enjoying it. “Tired of Sex”, of course, was the opener, and it was QUITE stellar.
I won't go through all the songs, but I have to say that my favorites were all from Make Believe . On the other hand, “Beverly Hills” was not nearly as good as people claimed it would be. And surprisingly, “We Are All On Drugs” gave off a MUCH better vibe than BvH, as well as the album version of WAAOD.
My picks overall:
Best song: “Peace”
Worst song: “Beverly Hills”
Best crowd reaction: “My Name is Jonas”
Worst crowd reaction: “Pardon Me”
Most Emotional: “Haunt You Every Day”
Least Emotional: “In the Garage”
Did Rivers' lack of energy stifle the night's performance? Yeah, definitely. But that's just Rivers. He was much more energetic the following night [most likely because the crowd was so raucous]. It was fun to watch Scott or Pat [or even Bobby!] really get into it, especially when Rivers and Brian were particularly unyielding. Rivers definitely hit his low for the night on “Getchoo” where he literally just stood there and barely strummed his guitar [Brian sung lead and Pat sung backups]. But he did seem to really enjoy himself on the solos…you can tell that it's something he still enjoys at these concerts.
Overall, awesome concert. Half the band wasn't too crazy on stage, but everyone was musically dazzling. The setlist was perfect, and the vibe from the crowd was pretty good. Definitely the weaker show of the ‘NYC doubleheader', but totally worthwhile nonetheless. |
