MORE, MORE, PARAMORE!

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3. Time to try out the digital audio recorder at a live performance, with a loud crowd, wearing microphones and while dancing to the music. I was unable to see Meese on Halloween night, so next up was Paramore at the Fillmore Auditorium on Sunday night. A very energetic brand of music that is making it onto the airwaves of radio stations.

This is what Wikipedia says about the band:

Paramore is an American alternative rock band that formed in Franklin, Tennessee in 2004 consisting of Haley Williams (lead vocals/keyboards)Josh Farro (lead guitar/backing vocals), Jeremy Davis (bass guitar), Zac Farro (drums), and Taylor York (rhythm guitar). The group released their debut album All We Know Is Falling in 2005, second album, Riot! in 2007, which was certified platinum in the US and gold in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand. Brand New Eyes, Paramore's third album, was released on September 29, 2009. Brand New Eyes is the band's best-selling album.

Another source describes them as such:

Paramore, the rapidly emerging pop-punk quintet from Tennessee, has been building a near-deafening “next big thing” buzz. Driven by riveting live shows and the undeniable charisma of their frontwoman, 18-year-old Hayley Williams, they have captivated an increasingly rabid following. Confronted by the double-edged sword of overwhelming early praise, Paramore has risen to the challenge and recorded an album that happily delivers on all the claims made on their behalf. With their new Fueled By Ramen collection, “RIOT!,” they announce that they have the talent, the passion, and the songs to take themselves to the next level.

I arrived somewhat late with the bulk of the crowd already inside staking out their place for the evening, with the floor before the stage already packed. I tried squeezing in up front but retreated after feeling totally claustrophobic with bodies jammed up all around. I found a place behind the sound booth in the center of the floor somewhat distant from the stage. Although I was looking forward to the music, the primary goal was to test the recording setup I have and get a sense of what problems I may need to overcome when the big day arrives in December.

Two warm up bands opened the show, The Swellers (Flint, Michigan) and Paper Route (American Indie rock band from Nashville, Tennessee ). I wandered around the theater taking in the sights within the crowd. Watch out, don't step in that puddle of puke!

An invigorating performance by Paramore, with Haley Williams belting out all their hits. Lots of chatting with the audience, making sure she let the Denver crowd know how appreciated they are.

Took the highway home that evening, passing several police cruisers either parked on the roadside or taking care of business with their lights flashing.

Sharks all around him

Flashing their bright red and blue

Don't pick up the scent

Download it here:

http://www.filefactory.com/file/o9qbbmk5h6p/P%20Den%20CO%208-11-2009%20mp3.rar

A WEEK GOES BY AND A LIFETIME PASSES AWAY

So much can happen in a single week.

My father-in-law passed away this past Monday evening after having lived a long life. The illness and its complications, its associated pain, having to constantly visit doctors, the stays in the hospitals, the medications, the inability to perform the simplest of tasks he did with ease in the past and the feeling of being burden on those around him eventually brought this very strong man down. Having made peace with his situation, he sought comfort by simply letting go. The world grows a little bit smaller.

My wife went up to Wyoming almost immediately, one step ahead of a large storm that was building and getting ready to slam the Front Range. After many harrowing hours driving in blizzard conditions she and her sister made it to Casper to assist in his final arrangements. The kids and I were to follow but the snow began and never let up for two solid days, closing the lone highway north into Wyoming, trapping us here in Denver. School was closed for three days, and I waited for a break in the weather that came only as the funeral was underway. Since it was too late, a decision was made to stay home and instead go up with the kids the following weekend.

This weather was very unusual in that it struck with the fury of a January storm in October. This is the first Halloween I can recall where a snowman could be dressed as a vampire. Over a foot of snow fell around the house by the time it all ended, up to three feet in the foothills.

Claim its for freedom

When asking our men to die

Far off civil war

In the dawns faint light

Sitting still on the roadside

Gunshot wounds to head

Plans for the surge grow

Feel they must support the team

Cheer from the sidelines

Death toll on the rise

Cries for more troops to be sent

Into the meat grinder

Sent around the globe

Our troops now go out to fight

Someone elses war

I attended my sons Halloween play at the junior high school, after which we went to one of those "haunted houses" that spring up all over the place this time of year. My daughter was a volunteer that evening, swinging a shovel and smacking chains on an iron fence with a casket half buried in the ground nearby. I wonder if she realized the picture she presented, considering what had taken place earlier that day in Wyoming.

I had tickets to go see Meese and three other bands play Halloween evening at the Fillmore, but everything had changed by this weekend. My job was to make sure the kids had fun trick-or-treating this evening with their friends, being available to deliver and then pick them up during the night. By the time it was all over sometime around 11 PM I was ready to relax with some music and a cigar. Since I missed the live show, I opted for the next best thing: a good quality performance by the Bunnymen.

I picked their live show in Glasgow on December 21, 1985. A really fine performance and high quality recording. I stood outside in the darkness, smoking the cigar and dancing in the snow. The tequila melted the years away, slipping into an emotional state of mind that made the experience seem real. Even at live concerts I often find myself closing my eyes to simply release myself and embrace the music, not to be distracted by the lights and colors. Will's dreamy guitar plays and I visualize seeing his hands play as they did in LA. Ian's mesmerizing voice brings images of him gripping the microphone close to his lips. I am lost in the moment. I could not resist hearing the show a second time.

I fall into sleeps grip by 2 AM.

Dances with eyes closed

Cold can't penetrate his world

Moonlight on the snow

Feels so all alone

Embraces the darkness

Eyes close forever

Seems so far away

Bedridden spirit struggles

Youth that's been vanquished

The struggle is over

His twenty one gun salute

Ears no longer hear

Download it here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9CDYW177

BUNNYMEN IN LA LA LAND

The day had finally arrived!

I left the house in darkness to catch an 8:30 AM flight out of DIA. Two and a half hours later and I was in Los Angles. The Metro Rail is an easy ride downtown where I checked in at the Stillwell Hotel. The late morning and afternoon were spent wandering the high rise section of downtown LA, enjoying the warmth and sunshine. I find it somewhat amazing that they can safely build such tall building in an earthquake prone area, but architectural engineers have figured that one out.

A man and his wife

Lay sleeping as they stormed in

Never to awake

Distant eye peering

Drone flies quietly above

Wait for its thunder

Vast desert landscape

Its human tide ebbs and flows

Pain laps its dry shore

Brilliant white light

Thrown against the mud brick wall

Hears only wailing

Parked by the curbside

A dynamite-laden car

Ride to oblivion

Cheney speaks again

Laments Bush's silence

Dummy's voice revealed

Trashed economy?

Health care? Iraq? Afgan war?

Give us Balloon Boy!

Rounds the street corner

Feels the suns heat through the haze

In her black high heels

From thirty thousand feet

Dried mud from and ancient sea

The planet's thin skin

The essence of life

Flows downhill to feed the sprawl

Owens Valley dies

Waiting at the station

Black palms against the morning haze

Hears the loud freeway

The purpose of my very short visit was to see Echo & The Bunnymen perform their Ocean Rain concert at the Nokia Theater this Saturday night. I had a quick dinner and returned to the room to change into different clothing. Then it was off to Nokia Plaza which was filled with people. Something involving Michael Jackson since there were many who had dressed up like zombies in the theme of "Thriller". At 8 oclock the doors to the Nokia Theater opened.

The warm up band, She Wants Revenge, casually took the stage and launched into a ten song set that got the audience moving. They are described as such:

"She Wants Revenge is a darkwave duo hailing from Los Angeles, California who formed in 2005. The band is comprised of Justin Warfield and Adam 12. Accompaniment members TommySheWants and Scott Ellis join them on stage. She Wants Revenge draws inspiration from various bands including Bauhaus, Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cure and The Sisters of Mercy. The band blends their influences with ever-present electronics (eg. synths and drum machines) in the style of "darkwave", a style of music reminiscent of the New Wave and Gothic Rock sounds of the 1980s."

I liked their sound and made a note to get a copy of their album.

During their performance I kept on checking the audience to see what the attendance would be like. Initially it was somewhat pathetic, with small groups of people, probably enough to fill a movie theater, scattered across this large concert hall. I asked and learned that approximately 3000 tickets were sold, out of a possible 7000. It was a respectable crowd by the time the Bunnymen took the stage.

I was seated in the front row, only several feet away from Will Sergeant. As a result of Will being front and center, I spent much of the show just watching him play his fabulous guitar, watching the movement of his hands and directly hearing the results blasting into my ears. The boys put on a great performance, sending me into the zone where I stood and danced the entire show, their music playing my emotions.

I would have gotten some great shots were it not for the fact I was warned during the break before the Bunnymen came on not take any pictures. Kind of hard to ignore when one of the event staff are seated only 7 feet away from me. It is clear that people up front receive greater attention for one reason or another.

Even though getting into the theater required passing through a metal detector, I did manage to sneak in a digital audio recorder, my first attempt to bootleg a concert. But I'm not sure what happened: I started the recorder, checked input levels and let it go. Afterwards I found out that it shut off by itself shortly after it was turned on. Got nothing. No explanation. It did not do this in all the tests I had done before. Based on the bit I did get, the recorder and mic are a great combination. I must now do some other tests at shows here in Denver before I try again in Liverpool.

Watches the six strings

Head bowed in concentration

Hands that deftly play

Stands there before him

Silhouette against the blue

Sound that captivates

In music's temple

Angels sing there before him

Draw him to the light

All good things must pass. They play their final song and then it's over. I snagged Will's set list. The crowd disperses into an empty plaza and I make my way back to the hotel. I wander the streets for some undetermined length of time, going in circles down darkened streets until I stop and check my map that gets me back home. In bed by 1AM.

"Show me your license"

Sitting cuffed on the sidewalk

Laughing like a fool

I get up at 5:30 AM and go in reverse to get back to Colorado. On my home turf by 2 PM. The great thing about being tired is that I don't stress out while flying.

Two months till the next gig with the Bunnymen.