- Consequence of sound
- Festival outlook
Maybe it’s not fair to compare Cold War Kids to their older selves. Bands change. I get that. But there’s a difference between maturing and simply slowing down and that’s what they seem to have been doing since their second studio album, Loyalty To Loyalty, was released in 2008.
Not that the fans seem to mind. Saturday night’s show at the Vic was packed with enthused, sweaty faces who danced and pumped their fists to every word, so the band must be doing something right. To their credit, they still sound good. But it seems like they’ve settled for a sonic environment that’s pleasant and precise as opposed to messy and explosive, as their live shows used to be.
Whereas lead guitarist, background vocalist, and pianist Jonnie Russell used to spaz out and yelp across the stage with moon-eyed charm, the other night saw him bobbing back and forth in a fluid, yet repetitive groove. He was still the most dynamic member of the group, which goes to show how complacent the others have grown in their energy and stage presence, particularly frontman Nathan Willett, who appeared somewhat bored, despite claiming that Chicago was the band’s “secret weapon.” Although they seemed genuinely happy to be playing, you can tell how easy it’s gotten for them. They thudded their way through newer cuts like “I’ve Seen Enough” and the excellent “Audience” from the new Behave Yourself EP with laid back smirks and the occasional good natured shove, but brought little else to light up the evening.
Photo by Roxane Pahldad
I expected things to pick up with their older songs, which naturally lend themselves to a more varied approach than the moody sludge of most of their newer material, but they got the same phoned in treatment. Although “Hang Me Out To Dry” and “Hospital Beds” got everyone singing along, they felt tired and over rehearsed. Even “St. John”, once known for bringing the opening band onstage for a junkyard, white boy percussion jam, featured a mere extra cymbal and beer bottle to enhance the homemade vibe found on the album and nothing else.
Even though a band shouldn’t be expected to crank out the same gimmicks throughout their career, they should still try and deliver a consistent, engaging energy, or at least evolve in a way that’s risky and interesting. A Cold War Kids concert used to feel like all the best parts of going to church, but now it’s just communion; white, bland, and flimsy, but ultimately harmless.
Special thanks to photographer Roxane Pahldad.
Setlist:
(Note: To those of you who received the generous free bootleg of the show, “Hospital Beds” and “Tell Me In The Morning” were not included on the recording.)
I’ve Seen Enough
Hair Down
Audience
Red Wine, Success!
Coffee Spoon
Dreams Old Men Dream
Hospital Beds
Relief
Hang Me Up To Dry
Santa Ana Winds
Saint John
Tell Me In The Morning
Lord Have Mercy On Me
We Used To Vacation
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comments (11)
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Being that this was my first Cold War Kids show…i was VERY pleased with how they sounded. I personally didn’t care who was standing still or “fist pumping” i tend to just move to my own beat. Everytime i looked over at my husband he looked bored out of his mind (he’s more into metal) but in the end he was pretty impressed with the show as well.
I liked it.
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@Seth: I was one of those kids who was up front and I could see where we might have seemed a little apathetic to what was going on because I personally know that I had had a very tiring and busy week of classes and work. I love the Cold War Kids’ music and had an awesome time at the concert. I just didn’t pump my fists or jump up and down, etc because I didn’t have that kind of energy. Every person has their own way of feeling the music and my way is listening intently and trying to focus on nothing else which may appear bored because I tend to get a very serious face when I’m very into music.
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If you’re going to post a review and include a set-list, at least get it right.
01. I’ve Seen Enough
02. Hair Down
03. Audience
04. Red Wine, Success!
05. Welcome To The Occupation
06. Coffee Spoon
07. Dreams Old Men Dream
08. Relief
09. Hang Me Up To Dry
10. Santa Ana Winds
11. Golden Gate Jumpers
12. Hospital Beds
13. Long As I Can See The Light (CCR Cover)
14. Saint John
15. Something Is Not Right With Me
–Encore–
16. Tell Me In The Morning
17. Sermons
18. We Used To VacationAnd in mentioning the missing songs on the bootleg, you might want to get that info right too. It is missing 6 songs including a solid CCR cover.
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Art,
The first set of phrases were used to describe the crowd reaction. The second set was used to describe my own opinion of the show. I was acknowledging that other people seemed to have a good time, even if I didn’t.
Dan
PS – For anyone interested, the password for bootleg is olvera-street if I remember correctly.
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On one hand, this show is described as:
- “packed with enthused, sweaty faces”
- “danced and pumped their fists to every word”
- “everyone singing along”And on the other, as:
- “phoned in”
- “tired and over rehearsed”
- “white, bland, and flimsy”I don’t know, this review is a bit scattered. We had a great time and failed to see anyone that didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t your night, Dan? I mean, we all have off nights. (Lord knows I’ve had plenty.) All things considered, this wasn’t Cold War Kids’ best Chicago appearance… but, it’s nowhere near being described as the three latter quotes describe it.
Here are some photos and audio from that night:
Santa Ana Winds
http://bit.ly/cwktvt2010See ya,
Ap -
I would disagree with this assessment. It was a good show, although not the best I have seen. What was strange to me was how passive the kids in front seemed, though. They appeared to be bored and indifferent.
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It seems like they have settled for mediocrity lately.
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whats the password for the free bootleg? i wanna hear this
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They played Golden Gate Jumpers and that was also not included on the recording. Booo!
