The Flaming Lips with Phoenix and Pete Yorn
The Lips: A Visual Feast Topped with a Sonic Onslaught

You know that this is going to be a good show when you see mainman Wayne Coyne out on the stage 30 minutes before his band goes on prepping and preparing his grab bag of treats he’s gonna throw out to the crowd during his band’s set. A non-stop showman, providing a conductor’s mind set with a kids appetite for everything visual- Wayne strikes a chord of letting yourself go- and try your best to stay in the moment. A Wayne mantra might be like- ENJOY THIS NIGHT OR ELSE!
A compulsive master of ceremonies from the start:

1. All band members except Wayne emerge from the most private of parts of a woman’s anatomy amidst a giant LED screen to wave “hello”
2. Wayne in his gigantic bubble rolling through the crowd
3. Confetti- lots and lots of confetti in all shapes and sizes
4. Balloons- lots and lots of balloons of all shapes and sizes
5. More confetti, from canons and shooters
6. Wayne standing on the shoulders of a stage hand in an oversized apesuit
7. Wayne with lots of shakers, playing them to the microphone
8. Lots of cymbal crashing
9. Lots and lots of gong thwacking
10. Couch time onstage with the hand-picked ladies plucked from the audience
11. Muted trumpet playing to a funeral march
12. Megaphone blasting with strobelight attached to Wayne’s chest to emphasize the sonic blsat of optimism of the beauty of life
13. And on and on.

All in all,  a celebration of life and love with a healthy dose of sonic psycedelic freak-out.
Had a great time photographing this spectacle!
Phoenix: Sad to hear the news about the drummer’s mother not in good health…the acoustic set was just ok..simply too short of a set.
Pete Yorn: Decent enough set- talented bunch of musicians.
The night definitely belongs to the Lips and nothing but the Lips…

Lets start off with: Nerd is the new black… If you have not realized this as of yet, you have been hiding under a rock and im going to throw said rock at your head.

If you go looking for I Fight Dragons, you will run into a large banner on their Myspace page showing the group of six wearing superhero t-shirts, and a top down scroller ( fixed shooter ) flash game where you are a knight shooting  (fighting) dragons. Once you are done playing with the video game you proceed down further to see who the heck these guys ( and girl ) are, as described by them:

They Fight Dragons [ ok i got that ], and they are the premiere, nay only  NES-Rock band. That is descriptive enough but still confusing. What the hell is an NES-Rock Band?

Well that’s easy enough to guess from listening to the music; They use NES sounds to create music. There is more to it than that though, these guys create music with game pads hooked up to a computer for on the fly sampling. That’s pretty incredible and über nerdy. The music in itself is rock pop-ish and very good, you don’t listen and think to yourself: “enough with the 8 bit sounds!” … absolutely not. I enjoyed listening to their debut EP, “Cool Is Just A Number” short but just enough.

Check them out at myspace.com/IFightDragons and twitter @IFightDragons

Lacuna Coil, Music as a Weapon IV, at Northerly Island, Chicago Ill..

Yes, even though this is Disturbed’s show, headliner’s and all; I’m not really here for them. I’m here for Lacuna Coil, to witness them live, up close and personal. For a six song set- what a treat! The two main songs from their new album “Shallow Life” come off great live: the current single “Spellbound”, along with “I will Survive”. Cristina’s voice is on fire, hitting the upper register with barely no signs of stress(this is, after all the second night of a three in a row on this current tour).

I love watching Cristina sing- when she cranks up her voice while leaning forward on the monitors, you can actually see the main vein in her neck pushing overload…man, she’s committed to win this crowd over! The main problem with being second up on a bill with four bands: you’re usually playing to a half-full house, with people trickling in..and even though their is enthusiastic applause, it’s a limited set for a limited crowd. You’ve got to do your best to make what limited time you have work in your favor-just simply blast away from one song to the next and hope you make some kind of impression…Lacuna Coil accomplished this with no problem.

They are splendid live, a real unified bunch: guitars from Cristiano and Marco just as crisp and tight as on their records, and Cristina and Andrea’s both in fine vocal form from beginning to end. I can’t wait to see them headline someday- with a full set and wicked imagerey- just like I envision in my head..

These lists are always subjective and you might disagree with my choices, and many people will. Being the new year and all I feel obligated to make my own.

Albums:

• 10. Worlds Collide – Apocalyptica
  My real introduction to them and with guest performances it made repeated performances on my mp3 player
• 9. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
  This is really the way you should do a first album.
• 8. Station – Russian Circles
  Another first for me, local Chicago band, and when I found them I first thought “oh no instrumental!” but was sorely mistaken.
• 7. Modern Guilt – Beck
  I have a love hate relationship with Beck’s albums, this one is love.
• 6. One day as a Lion – One day as a Lion
  It’s just fun to listen to, a lot!
• 5. Viva la Vida or Death and all his Friends – Coldplay
  It’s Coldplay on my list and not afraid of being made fun of ;)
• 4. Death Magnetic – Metallica
  WOW, It almost makes me want to wear ripped t-shirts and wish I had really long hair!
• 3. Narrow Stairs  – Death Cab for Cutie
  It has what we love about Death Cab, creepy beautiful music
• 2.  Only by The Night – Kings of Leon
  Tap your foot, dance a jig, do what you must… Just go out and listen to it as loud as you can.
• 1. The Slip – Nine inch Nails
  I am a fan of NIN, I could have put Ghosts IV, but that will play as background music, this one just goes to that level of classic NIN that will kick your ass.

Songs:

• 10 – The Day That Never Comes, Metallica
• 9 – Youngblood – Russian Circles
• 8 – I’m not Jesus – Apocalyptica
• 7 – Gamma Ray, Beck
• 6 – A-Punk, Vampire Weekend
• 5 – Wild International, One Day as a Lion
• 4 – Viva La Vida, Coldplay
• 3 – I Will Possess Your Heart, Death Cab for Cutie
• 2 – Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
• 1 – Discipline, Nine Inch Nails

Generally, the Single arouses suspicion.

I know it’s meant as an offering of pleasures to come. A taste of what-is-anxiously-awaited or something-altogether-different. Or reassurance that the artists we love haven’t lost their touch. The Single is a glimpse into the yet unknown whole. But as fans and listeners, can we trust it? Is it an accurate representation? Is it too canned, too distant? Does it push the limits enough? Is it as good as anything on the last album? And really, we just hope it doesn’t sound like crap.

Suspicion was once again aroused a few weeks ago when Tennessee- hailing Kings of Leon released their single “Sex On Fire,” from their recent album Only by the Night. I like those boys. I like the story of their unconventional rise to fame, from Southern evangelical preacher’s sons to genuine rock stars. I like their hair. I really like the drummer (he is one talented dude). But would this be just another “likable” single, a prelude to another enjoyable, if somewhat predictable, Kings album?

Nope. I love this Single. I mean, love. “Sex on Fire”’s hammering wall of sound, wailing lyrics, and insides-squeezing emotion came in way above expectations. I was lying in bed when I first heard the song played on the radio; I bolted straight up, stared intently at the stereo and demanded: “WHO is this? I didn’t know Kings of Leon did this!” In the age of mp3 and instant digital downloads, I chose to lie in bed for another 3 hours waiting to hear it again, with a sense of childlike exuberance. And I had a feeling that over the next few weeks, I would probably be hearing a lot of it.

BUT…what does it say about the album yet to come? Is this it? Would this hook be the best of it? Have I really fallen for a radio single?

Well, after a week of steady listening, I’m pleased to report that Only by the Night does not disappoint. The second single “Use Somebody,” is another step in the right direction, though neither single is the best or the worst of the collection – “Manhattan” and “Revelry” are also excellent standout tunes. Without a doubt their best effort so far, Kings of Leon gets a new, heavier grip on their rock n roll roots.