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Saturday, March 7, 2009
Last Night M. Ward at the Showbox
Posted by Christopher Frizzelle on Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 11:32 AM
Best thing about the sold-out show last night: the place didn't feel sold-out, the crowd wasn't smashed up against one another, and the bartenders were extra on top of it.
Worst thing: M. Ward's boring live show.*
Saddest thing: The married lady dancing a little too energetically next to a husband who clearly wasn't that into her, who was stone-faced while she was whimsically windmilling her arms around and doing crazy stuff with her hips and breasts and flipping her hair, obviously trying to seem like she was having fun while he was obviously completely uninterested in her anymore. "Zero. Zero," my friend kept saying. "Wow. He hates his own wife. That's sad. They got married too young."
* There are musicians who are their best selves on their recordings and there are musicians who come to extra life when they're performing, and M. Ward definitely belongs in the former category, along with other songwriters whose recorded output is genius but who just seem anemic live, like, oh I dunno, Belle & Sebastian, the Mountain Goats...
1
"obviously trying to seem like she was having fun while he was obviously completely uninterested in her anymore"
How dare she try to have fun at a concert! The nerve! She should be publicly stoned!
How dare she try to have fun at a concert! The nerve! She should be publicly stoned!
2
hmm, i dunno. i thought he played well. that was my first time seeing a full set of his, i've caught bits and pieces of him live at festivals and stuff over the years.
i will say that the show was a bit short and there were a ton of songs left out that i would have loved to hear, even from the new record (for beginners and shangri-la in particular). it seemed very post-war heavy.
i'll also say that while his backing band is talented, they do sound better on records. for me, the highest points of the show was definitely the first 20 minutes or so that was just him and an acoustic guitar, which is weird b/c usually i can't stand that kind of setup in any venue bigger than a coffee shop. however, m. ward is no ordinary artist. the band stuff was good later on, but the first quarter or so of the show was definitely the highlight in my opinion.
also, your comments about the showbox were right on. i hadn't been there in over a year i think and jesus, that really is the best venue in seattle. pretty solid sound, totally comfortable space, great atmosphere, etc. just a terrific place to see a show. from the back bars it feels huge but it's so easy to get down on the main floor and all of a sudden it feels pretty damn intimate. i wish more bands i wanted to see played there more often. raphael saadiq the night before must have been perfect there.
i will say that the show was a bit short and there were a ton of songs left out that i would have loved to hear, even from the new record (for beginners and shangri-la in particular). it seemed very post-war heavy.
i'll also say that while his backing band is talented, they do sound better on records. for me, the highest points of the show was definitely the first 20 minutes or so that was just him and an acoustic guitar, which is weird b/c usually i can't stand that kind of setup in any venue bigger than a coffee shop. however, m. ward is no ordinary artist. the band stuff was good later on, but the first quarter or so of the show was definitely the highlight in my opinion.
also, your comments about the showbox were right on. i hadn't been there in over a year i think and jesus, that really is the best venue in seattle. pretty solid sound, totally comfortable space, great atmosphere, etc. just a terrific place to see a show. from the back bars it feels huge but it's so easy to get down on the main floor and all of a sudden it feels pretty damn intimate. i wish more bands i wanted to see played there more often. raphael saadiq the night before must have been perfect there.
4
I happened to think that Belle & Sebastian's 2001 show at the Paramount was fucking fantastic. Also, yes, the Showbox is probably the most pleasant place to see a sold-out show in the city—it rarely feels unpleasantly crowded, and there are great sight-lines and acoustics pretty much everywhere.
5
Stay married to the same person long enough, and 9 time out of 10, you'll eventually grow to loathe them. Simple fact is that humans, especially males, aren't genetically predisposed to lifelong monogamy.
6
"Stay married to the same person long enough, and 9 time out of 10, you'll eventually grow to loathe them. Simple fact is that humans, especially males, aren't genetically predisposed to lifelong monogamy. "
That's a great made-up statistic you got there! Did you use that in divorce court to explain the 5 affairs?
That's a great made-up statistic you got there! Did you use that in divorce court to explain the 5 affairs?
7
The original showbox can be nice even when sold out. Although, I haven't been back since the Black Keys played there few years back and it was ruined by drunk frat assholes. Sad
8
The Mountains Goats are anything but anemic on stage. Not sure what show you saw but i'd advised seeing them again because that assessment is wrong.
10
I've seen the Mountain Goats twice live. Both times I longed to be at home on my couch listening to the Mountain Goats. I mean no disrespect to an obviously wonderful band.
11
The Mountain Goats killed it last time they were in town, I'm going to have to disagree as well, Chris, and my vast collection of Mountain Goats bootlegs will back me up on this.
12
Speaking of bands that played last night who aren't as good live as they are in the studio, I saw Spoon in Portland at the Crystal Ballroom.
one: they have reached a level of popularity that means dudes in Coldplay t-shirts will literally spend the entire set shouting from the front of the stage at the band. Samples: "You are all amazing!"; "Play _______!"; "OMG it's (name of song they just started playing)!!". This went on for the entire set. The price of popularity, not to mention mainstreamy accessibility.
two: goodness me their albums sound GREAT. oh my does Britt forget how his own songs go while on stage - A LOT. and why does that one sidekick look so bored? shh i don't want you to answer that.
I know I am digressing. But still.
one: they have reached a level of popularity that means dudes in Coldplay t-shirts will literally spend the entire set shouting from the front of the stage at the band. Samples: "You are all amazing!"; "Play _______!"; "OMG it's (name of song they just started playing)!!". This went on for the entire set. The price of popularity, not to mention mainstreamy accessibility.
two: goodness me their albums sound GREAT. oh my does Britt forget how his own songs go while on stage - A LOT. and why does that one sidekick look so bored? shh i don't want you to answer that.
I know I am digressing. But still.
13
really Mountain Goats anemic? I saw them at Neumos last year and he was all over the place, it was a great show. I wasn't as impressed with the last show at the SHowbox, but then I'm rarely impressed by the acts at the showbox.
14
Gosh, seems like you're opinion's wrong Mr. Frizellezeezeellele. Better luck next time tuning into the hive mind.
15
gotta go with grandy on this one. B&S at the paramount in 2001 was one of the most impressive concerts i've been to.
16
About the Showbox:
I dunno... I saw the Gutter Twins there last year, and the sound sucked hard! It was so bad that I couldn't even make out the lyrics, or even at times tell what songs they were a-playing. And I'm pretty familiar with all their material. They also had a cello player that was completely lost in the mix. And they had Lanegan so low in the mix, that Dulli repeatedly asked for him to be turned up. Perhaps it was jus' a bad sound-man, and not the acoustics of the club. I have heard decent "sound" there before.
On top o' that the "security" staff were jus' plain assholes. It's pretty much sworn me off it as a venue of choice.
I dunno... I saw the Gutter Twins there last year, and the sound sucked hard! It was so bad that I couldn't even make out the lyrics, or even at times tell what songs they were a-playing. And I'm pretty familiar with all their material. They also had a cello player that was completely lost in the mix. And they had Lanegan so low in the mix, that Dulli repeatedly asked for him to be turned up. Perhaps it was jus' a bad sound-man, and not the acoustics of the club. I have heard decent "sound" there before.
On top o' that the "security" staff were jus' plain assholes. It's pretty much sworn me off it as a venue of choice.
17
I think the saddest thing is that you think being married means being cuddly and cute together all the time. Maybe he really hated the band and that's why the stoney expression. Or maybe she was annoyingly drunk and grabby and he was sober. That can be a pain. Or maybe they'd been in a fight, and he was still mad at her.
I've lived with my boyfriend for ten years, and some nights we'll be out dancing and running around together looking like the happiest, cutest couple, and other nights we'll be sitting there at the table with nothing to talk about looking totally bored. You can't be "on" with each other all the time when you see each other every day, and you certainly can't judge a couple based on a simple observation like yours.
Also, expecting to be lustful for the same person for years is a bit like watching the same porn over and over again for years and expecting it to be like the first few times you watched it. There's way more to being in love with someone than that, and single guys in their 20s probably don't really understand this yet, or think that their marriage will be different.
I have no opinion about M. Ward except that his name is stupid and makes him seem like he'd be boring.
I've lived with my boyfriend for ten years, and some nights we'll be out dancing and running around together looking like the happiest, cutest couple, and other nights we'll be sitting there at the table with nothing to talk about looking totally bored. You can't be "on" with each other all the time when you see each other every day, and you certainly can't judge a couple based on a simple observation like yours.
Also, expecting to be lustful for the same person for years is a bit like watching the same porn over and over again for years and expecting it to be like the first few times you watched it. There's way more to being in love with someone than that, and single guys in their 20s probably don't really understand this yet, or think that their marriage will be different.
I have no opinion about M. Ward except that his name is stupid and makes him seem like he'd be boring.
18
were we at the same show? -- thought he put on a great show- a killer live musician solo and with the band.
20
I saw belle & sebastian on that same tour--on sept 11, 2001 actually in PDX. They were freaking amazing.
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