Thursday, 10 Jul 2008
How was your Wednesday night? Last night two Muzzle of Bees favorites took the stage at the UW Terrace. How gorgeous is Haley Bonar’s material? Did The Dodos rip it up just like you expected? Who got on stage? Leave your memories/reviews in the comments. Big thanks to Ed Oliver for holding down photo duties, they turned out great!
Myspace: Haley Bonar
Myspace: The Dodos
MP3: Haley Bonar - “Something Great”
MP3: The Dodos - “Fools”
Find MP3’s at The Hype Machine or buy stuff from Strictly Discs | eMusic
July 10th, 2008 at 7:05 am
I was not able to stay for the Dodos, since I work in the morning (and the added time while Haley’s monitors went out made it that much easier to leave after her set). She was beautiful as always, really pouring her soul out for even the uncaring of individuals in the crowd. It is always a treat to hear her amazing voice, especially with the wonderful backdrop on the Terrace.
July 10th, 2008 at 8:37 am
That’s my beef with the Terrace for sure. Great place to see a show, love the vibe and always a TON of people. With the good comes the bad though: loud voices, drunk peps not listening/paying attention. It’s easy for quiet bands to get swallowed in collective conversation and good times.
I really hope that doesn’t happen to the Fleet Foxes.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:50 am
was getting on stage a good idea or annoying? i had a lot of fun and hope i didn’t step on any toes.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I remember a Decemberists concert back in 2006 or so, when Colin Meloy invited a LOT of audience members on stage for their “The Chimney Sweep” encore. Everybody jumped around for a while, Colin got everybody to crouch down during a quiet verse, and everybody popped up again when the band exploded back up. The effect from watching from the audience was amazing…but Colin mentioned during a more recent show that the Orpheum staff wasn’t pleased at all with all the folks on stage, that it had actually been hazardous to have all that extra weight bouncing around, even for just the one song they were there for. All in all, I gathered that Colin regretted what had seemed, in that spontaneous moment, brilliant.
Even though I was one of the folks onstage during the last third of the Dodos’ set, I feel ambivalent about it. First of all, it’s too bad that it all started with one obnoxious guy who seemed to be looking for attention for himself and nothing more. And once we were all up there, the stage was bouncing enough that were I one of the musicians, it might have made it more difficult for me to do my job well. On the other hand, the Dodos were very good sports about it all, and it was fun to be in such close proximity to such an awesome amount of energy–just an amazing set from start to finish. But overall, I wish there’d been appropriate security for the event, and I hope this doesn’t set a precedent for the next drunken fool who thinks he has a right to be part of the show.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I thought the Dodos did an awesome concert. I was definatly on stage and i though it was alot of fun, even though one girl as i was getting off said “I coouldn’t see anything cause of you. Thanks!” but she was standing at the front the whole show and should have got on stage then. I thought it rocked. It was a good old Deerhoof flashback
July 10th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Getting drunk and getting on stage is fun. That’s what live music is all about-engaging physically with the artists and their music. If you want to view the dodos playing live, I suggest watching a downloaded performance from the safety of your own home. nerds.
that obnoxious guy rocked socks.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
At Black Moth Super Rainbow, which was inside, everyone went on stage during the encore. which was really cool. I think that getting on stage rocks it really brings you closer to have alot of fun then just bobbing up and down in the front row.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Of COURSE live music is about engaging with the artists and their music. I wouldn’t go to nearly as many shows as I do if I didn’t want that experience. But anyone who’s read about the ill-fated Jay Reatard show in Toronto this past April might conclude that engagement pushed too far, especially by people who don’t even understand that they’re being reckless, can lead to unfortunate results.
I think it’s great that Meric Long et al were able to engage their audience to the intense degree they did–all that bothers me is that it didn’t start as the Dodos’ idea, and I’m not sure that last night’s audience would have respected the musicians’ wishes if they had not been so accommodating. I speak as an occasional performer as well as a fan. Sometimes the performer/audience boundary is there for a reason, not always immediately apparent, and we as fans are not entitled to be on stage just because we want to be. Does that opinion make me a nerd or a grownup?
July 10th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
that would make you a nerd, John G. the crowd was absolutely dead before a few of us injected some life–re-animated, if you will. that cute girl with the camera in the salmon dress (pictured above) seemed to think it was OK. justification enough, i thought. the dodos are road-weathered enough–i believe–to kick my annoying ass off the stage if they deem it necessary. yes, they were kind enough to grant us access, of which i’m oh-so humbly grateful. but i think they benefited from the experience as well: they’re now officially Fork-ready–as i deem it so. for the record, i will be getting on more stages in the future, when and where there’s the space. last nite there was. and as a performer, then, you also understand “the stage” is the space you inhabit–a shin-high stage, a stage? what about a band that plays on the floor? are they on stage? i’m sure when you are on stage, you totally command it. you absolutely RULE the WHOLE stage. i won’t be getting on your stage, don’t worry.
July 10th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
and the decemberists suck, by the way.
July 11th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I think this thread got a little off track…
The one guy got up there early on and he was excited but when Meric turned the stage over to the crow in front that was really enjoying the show that seemed to be his idea to me - for whatever that is worth.
Regardless, the Dodos put gave us a very energized performance in an intimate setting the likes of which is awful hard to find these days. The fact that I was wedged between Meric and and the guy beating the hell out of the xylophone/garbage can was pretty damn awesome I thought. I’ve seen a lot of good shows and Wednesday night immediately vaulted into my top three!
July 13th, 2008 at 9:27 am
from matt’s description, the dodos show was as feverish and utterly awesome as their show in portland (although there was no crowd onstage there), which is, by a pretty fair margin, one of the best shows i’ve been to all year, and probably ever.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I’m surprised at the positive reviews of the concert.
The singer’s voice was often off-key, and mastered far too high. The “xylophone” man was completely incapable of playing the xylophone-based hooks from the record and resorted to percussive chords instead, while his trash-can playing was limited to simplistic and often off-beat patterns. The drummer was decent, but not spectacular. There were vocal elements that were clearly sampled.
I was concerned the Dodos were a studio-engineered Animal Collective rip-off, and after seeing them live, this suspicion is confirmed. I still love listening to the album, but knowing they can’t reproduce it live is a let down.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Pedantic at all Erik? You must be a tough guy to impress at a live gig, or you just don’t know how to have fun in a gorgeous environment amongst people just trying to enjoy life.
July 17th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Im with Matt…lighten up a bit