Bright Eyes w/ Gruff Rhys @ Bronson Centre in Ottawa - 06/12/06 - Review

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[blurb]Honestly, I don't know that I'll ever be able to enjoy another concert again after seeing Radiohead two nights in a row, let alone in a 2800-seat venue in Montreal. But here I was, less than 24 hours later, crammed into my clammy little seat at the Bronson Centre in Ottawa, trying to shake those thoughts from my head and prepare for the music that was to follow.[/blurb]

Gruff Rhys opened the night with a set that started off a bit slow but eventually picked up its pace and ended on a very relaxed and playful note. Although alone on stage, he made good use of some very inexpensive keyboards, a looper and a handful of squeeze toys, giving his songs the light-heartedness they so desperately needed. Despite not sending me running for the merch table, I will definitely find some more of his music online, if only to hear what he sounds like with a full band behind him.

The intermission seemed to fly by, no doubt attributable to my new-found pre-occupation with what will most likely be the death of me, and my interaction with society, the Su Doku puzzle (thanks Krissi). But before I could even finish a square (not an easy feat for a rookie), the crowd erupted as Bright Eyes took the stage for what was to be an enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable set.

This was to be my sixth time seeing them, four of those in Montreal venues of varying capacities, and once at Coachella. Conor is an amazing lyricist, and he usually tours with an incredible, ever-evolving line-up of musicians, but this group just didn't seem to gel for me like past ensembles have. Often known for touring with two drummers, giving them an explosive energy, I felt this was one of their biggest weaknesses this time around, with the on-time but very delicate Maria Taylor (of Azure Ray and Saddle Creek) left to handle that task on her own, coming off high-school band-ish behind the kit, even though she was surrounded by other very capable players, including Mike Mogis of Presto! Studios, and other Bright Eyes founding members. It's not that they weren't good, or that the song selection was sub-par, but it just felt like the performance lacked the compassion and intimacy which is so crucial to a good Bright Eyes performance.

Add to that a venue which is still relatively new to the rock show game, struggling with sound that was overly muddy and bassy, as well as a light show that was practically non-existent and you've got a show destined to mediocrity. I'm not usually one to blame a bad performance on poor sound, but I really feel like I would have been able to enjoy their set a whole lot more had I been able to hear all of the instruments and flourishes intended for us. Given that I've only seen a handful of shows at this venue, and that the last one, Hawskley Workman, has easily found it's way into my top ten of the year, due in large part to an amazing performance and fantastic sound, I'm not quite ready to give up on the Bronson Centre yet.

So maybe it was the near $40 ticket price, or the lack of air conditioning, or maybe even the tall woman with the big hair sitting in front of me that kept tilting her head from side to side, tempting me to plonk her down with one of those big rubber stompers you'd find at a midway... but those are really just excuses. Excuses I'll have to keep making up until I finally see another band that live up to the new bar that's been set by Radiohead. And as an avid concert-goer, it'll be hard to justify the time and money spent going to see two or three concerts a week, knowing full well that when stacked up against the spectacular, extra-terrestrial experience that was Radiohead, most will probably shy in comparison.

I blame Radiohead. I blame Radiohead for ruining Bright Eyes, and I blame Radiohead for ruining my life. Things just won't be the same anymore.

Randy

06/12/06

P.S. I'll let Krissi post the set list because I'm pretty sure she got all of the songs written down, and I can't find her piece of paper right now, so that'll come a little later.

[snarfmaster C]

Hey Randy

I don't think it was Radiohead.

I didn't go to see them, but the show last night was still mediocre. Unfortunate. The sound was bad - you said it. I thought it might have been because I was upstairs in the back, but ya, lots of the bits on violin and guitar were missed. He didn't have the quality of detail that he achieved on his albums, and the freedom to rock out - what should have been the advantage of the live show to balance this out - was not fully realised or executed particularly well.

I can't say that I blame him, though --- I don't know if I'd really want to do my best for a bunch of lazy assholes who can't be bothered to stand up for a show.

Personally, I thought the opener was horrible. I was embarassed for him. I didn't understand the deafening cheers. His guitar playing was boring, lyrics incomprehensible, and the toys were too little to make up for these shortcomings... more of a novelty act - what, was he trying to be funny when he was walking around looking for something offstage? did i miss the memo that he's special and I was supposed to clap and laugh to make him feel good about himself?

[YearsAlongTheSea]

I agree with the medley of everything said above and will rant accordingly later,

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I'll agree that I wasn't overly impressed by Gruff Rhys, but I did feel that his set got better as it progressed, even if the crowd's applause were a little over-the-top. I remember turning to Krissi after his first song had ended and having to yell into her ear over the noise of the crowd: "That wasn't that good, was it?"

But openers have a tough job, and if the only thing he managed to accomplish was to make the audience laugh a little and ease the tension in the room, then it was a job well-done. It was just nice to see an opener that was as comfortable on stage as he was.

[lara]

First time seeing Bright Eyes.

My thoughts.

Gruff: endearing. as i understood it, this was his first show on his first single tour. not bad for that, at all. he is creative and if it only gets better from there then i'm interested.

bright eyes: sound up front was pretty good but i would have liked to have heard more of the violin and accordian. the band seemed tense but loosened up considerably, they didn't change my world. drummer was distractingly robotic. songwriting was incredible, is incredible... Conar is mesmerizing, definately got the tortured thing down.

the overly young crowd was tough to handle. dont quite have their manners down... flash photography was happening on an ongoing basis which was annoying.

overall I was impressed. very impressed with Conor who clearly breathes music.

i think my expectations weren't that high going in.

mooose, thats great you got tix? I didn't see you!

[YearsAlongTheSea]

Gruff Rhys was embarassing in my opinion. I could have put a boombox and a marmot in a cage together and watch them battle and been more entertained. I felt bad for the people clapping. I was sure if they felt obliged to show compassion or they really liked the two-bit act he brought to the table; either way, it was awkward. He must be stoked that rehearsal and performance time were combined while touring with Bright Eyes. Oh well, should have been late.

As for Bright Eyes. Great to see. I'll admit I had high expectations going in and was generally let down by the performance but it was still gratifying. There were a few things beyond Bright Eyes control that lessened the performance quality: a. sound and b. the fact that the crowd were glued to their seats, notably at points where dancing was simply customary. It was as though 98% of the crowd was witnessing their first concert ever and weren't sure how to act.

Then their was the music. The problem at hand, and I get the impression from Conor's general lack of enthusiasm, that he would agree, was a general void of talent surrounding him. His steel pedal, guitar player, etc... was excellent. His bassist did his job. The guy on the violin was on point. If you ask me, the weak link fell on the drummer and keyboard player. There is a certain density to his music that definately fell short as a result of their short comings. They rocked out "Another Travelling Song" really well, and "First Day of My Life," was really nice and intimate. I think Conor said it best in the new song they played: "Soul Singer in a Session Band."

He needs more drum. E-drums wouldn't hurt. He needs more mood coming from the keys. That couldn't hurt either. He has a lot to say, and he needs help spelling it out, and it was like he was running on a mac, innovative and quick, and the rest of the band was running on Windows '98 and kept crashing.

So, all in all, I still had a great time. The opener served as comical entertainment value if anything, and while my bar for Bright Eyes may have been set on the high side, he still sang true.

p.s. The corridors felt like being in high school. I was waiting for someone to send me to the principals office for using the bathroom during assembly.