Mon 30 Jul – Tokyo Police Club, Ra Ra Riot

This was my first time at the Meridian, and from what I had heard, I was a little worried that the whole management enjoyed bullying. This didn’t turn out to be the case for me. Though they checked bags thoroughly upon entry, they allowed me bring in my D50 with a 50mm prime attached. I later wondered what other goodies I could have managed (lenses, flashes that I don’t own) though all I really needed was a high-pressure hose to free space from the surrounding Tokyo Police FanClub. But that…

I know I probably won't get any accuracy from the responses i get from this, but does anyone know how the economy of live shows works?

For the longest time, I didn't care about this at all because I generally went to smaller acts (I guess) like Of Montreal, Animal Collective, Menomena, Battles, ect. Tickets for these shows usually range between $10-15. Rarely will a ticket be worth $20, but it still happens with 'convenience' charges from the ticket vendors.

But recently, I purchased tickets to The Smashing Pumpkins at The Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie…

Sat 23 Jun – Battles, Sharks and Sailors

You can also read it from my blog, though there are no pictures this time. http://polyphonyprevails.blogspot.com/2007/06/battles-in-houston-numbers.html

I had heard a few things about Battleslive before I went to the show, so I came into this one with a few more expectations than normal. For one thing, I wasn’t surprised at all by the song selection which is a little surprising; they played almost exactly what they played at the venue my friend went to. But before I rip into Battles, I want to set up the whole atmosphere of the event.…

Wed 20 Jun – Menomena

Ps: for (crappy) pictures, visit http://polyphonyprevails.blogspot.com/2007/06/menomena-in-houston-walters-on.html

There were a couple things that surprised me about this show. The venue was so small, and Menomena was selling their own merchandise. Both of these details ultimately added to the experience of the event.

I wasn’t sure if there was going to be an opening act for a while because the Walter’s website did not say who was opening, but it turned out being All Smiles. It was hard to know what to expect from a group called All Smiles; I thought it could be anything from…

Sun 17 Jun – The Black Keys

It is hard to imagine The Black Keys putting on a bad show, especially on the way home from their performance this father’s day evening. At that moment, it was hard to imagine a better show. Put simply, these guys know how to rock.

I went to this event with my brother as both of us have a strong like for heavy blues. We got to the warehouse a little late and caught Dinosaur Jr. a couple songs into their act; they were loud as hell, and this was painfully clear from the…

Sat 26 May – Animal Collective, Sir Richard Bishop

First, I'll talk a little about Sir Richard Bishop. He seemed pretty entertaining in my opinion. Funny, talented at the guitar. I couldn't really ask for more in an opening act.

Alright, I'm not going to put my initial or final reaction or opinion of the concert until I've laid out all the things I observed about that night.

Three of the usual four members were present, Avey Tare, Panda Bear, and Geologist (I figured from the light on his head). The instruments on stage were a large crash cymbal (of…