you're the low life of the party
Overheard in Vancouver (6/29/07 - Richard's on Richards):
I'm not really into this. I don't really like bands with more than four people. Do you know what I mean?* And I'm really a lyrics guy, and I don't understand what this guy is trying to say.** And I wish he'd just sing, you know?***Dude, I wish you would shut the fuck up when the band is on. That goes for like 40% of the crowd at the National tonight. I get how there's a lot of chatter during some openers or at festival shows. I mean, it's still a bit rude, but totally understandable that people would be easily distracted during an act they don't care about. But why would you pay $20 to drink overpriced beer at Richard's and yell over the headlining act (who were, in this case, the only act)? Honestly, wouldn't yelling over the DJ at Bimini's be pretty much the same? This experience is clearly my own fault for declining to follow my friend Luke into the throng of what seemed like more attentive fans closer to the stage.
The band was really quite good though, and the songs off of Boxer - much like the rest of the National's catalogue - sounds even better live. "Mr November" and "Abel" were still the predictable highlights, but "Squalor Victoria" and "Start a War" really stood out as well.
On a side note, Padma Newsome was rocking a "Shapes and Sizes" shirt, which made me wonder if he managed to catch their set at the Railway or if it was just a coincidence.
*No, I don't know what you mean. That doesn't make any sense. Your friend was humouring you when he agreed. You are an idiot.
**At first I gave you the benefit of the doubt and assumed this meant you couldn't make out the words very well due to lack of clarity in the live mix. But I'm pretty sure you're just an idiot.
***That thing he was doing for 90% of the show; that's called singing, you idiot.
now playing: Elevator to Hell - Sixteen Hours
Labels: show recaps, the national
8 Comments:
shapes & sizes opened for the national on the east coast leg of the tour. Padma probably stole a shirt from the merch table when they weren't looking.
By 
, at
6:00 a.m.
Yep, strange mix of people there, especially with all the grown-up frat boys. That was the third time I saw them and it was nowhere as good as the time when Alligator had just been released. It's not that the music wasn't good; like you said, the some of the crowd was downright rude.
By , at
9:04 a.m.
maybe it was a good call to skip this one and see ratatouille instead.
By , at
9:13 a.m.
That crowd was the worst. Some raw jock was throwing up devil horns. Devil horns for the National. And some set of tits butted in and felt like recording the whole fucking show in flash photography right in front of my face. Thank god my lady knows how to shove.
By , at
10:22 a.m.
i was there as well, pretty close to the stage. A few frat boy types directly beside me, but at least they were into it, and not talking about the last UFC fight or something. Even with a mixed crowd, it was still a hell of a show, and definitely worth putting up with Devil horns.
By , at
12:18 p.m.
I have no idea where the 'frat boy' demographic came from, definitely didn't expect their type to show up at the National concert. It seemed like such an odd mix of a crowd. I got up pretty close and there weren't as many stupid people up front...But during our two hour wait to actually SEE the show >.> there was this group of guys that literally made fun of any other male lifeform that walked past their way. "What the fuck is with all these fags and their skinny pants? Like, the hemline is so stupid" "what the fuck was that guy wearing a purse for?" and so on and so forth. Interesting that in a club full of women, they were only checking out the guys.
By , at
4:12 p.m.
wow... how/why did actual frat-boy douchebags get tickets to a sold-out show? a nationals show to boot? did they confuse this with the washington nationals baseball team?? i'm glad i missed the boat and went to the cambie instead....
By 
Hanson, at
12:45 p.m.
i dunno if you got there early enough , but if you did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izblqQDAYHs
the appearance of frat brahs at indie shows isn't really surprising. I think by now everyone knows about pitchfork now. the crowd, yep just like being at the commodore :/
By firmdragon, at
5:12 p.m.
