Fake Can Be Just As Good

Or not, as it turns out...

I went to see Blonde Redhead last night at the Wonder Ballroom. I'd seen them twice before, both times at the Aladdin (which to be honest I don't care for as a music venue, but it's nowhere near as bad as the Crystal... why don't more bands I like play at the Roseland!?!). I'd almost seem them back in Missoula at the Cowboy Bar, but we chose Don Caballero at Jay's Upstairs (where my own little band used to play) instead... Too many tangents, back on topic...

I bought the new album last week. I'd been waiting to download from e-music, but they didn't have it. I had to shell our cash for this one. I'm a big fan of Lemons, and I appreciated Misery in all of it's overproduced glory, but honestly, the new album is crap. I can't play the whole thing through in one sitting. Horrendous. I won't go into details, but I'll say this, don't pay for it. Ick. That being said, they've always mixed old songs and new at their shows, and the chance to see them at what I consider to be a superior venue to their previous shows proved difficult to pass up. I get tickets for myself and my buddy NT. SF also joins.

Before the show, we grab food and drinks at Echo after we see how long the wait is at Russell St. BBQ (see how it all gets back to food sooner or later?) I'll say this, Echo makes a good Moscow Mule, and they serve it in a proper copper cup. Tell Aaron and TK I sent you.

We stroll over to the Wonder. The opening band is mercifully almost done. We grab drinks and head to the balcony. The lights dim, and the band appears. Or sort of appears. The lights are very dim on stage, and you really can't see anybody. Then the music starts. Some sequenced, prerecorded stuff. Yeah, they've done this before to good effect, using it mainly for their quirky sounds, but this time it's different. I think they had whole songs recorded. I think they were just playing along. At one point, everyone stopped playing, sort of a break in the music, but the music kept going. Serious drumming, but the drummer wasn't moving. What the fuck? Fake simply isn't as good.

They play a very short set which might have been a good thing, seeing as how they really only played the new stuff. Yeah, they turned in a less than inspired version of "Melody of Certain Three" from Lemons and a garbled, looped, and sampled version of "Falling Man" from Misery, but by and large, the entire show, encores and all, stuck to the crap from their new "album" 23.

Yeah, I'm a little bitter. I'd been looking forward to their new album and this show En Particulier for quite some time. And boy was it a letdown.