by Gadmo » 8/1/2012, 12:10 am
Just got back from the show and I thought I'd share my thoughts. What a weird/interesting show tonight was. But all in all, actually one of the better OLP shows in recent memory. It wasn't all good though. Here's my review, in case anyone's interested.
First things first - echoing ToddDowney's sentiment - the Jared Paul opener was just awful. It was totally out of place and, regardless of your political beliefs, had no business being at the top of the show. If you want a poet to do fifteen minutes, put him on the bill and give him a set time. Don't have him go on when OLP is supposed to start and eat up that much time. If you are gonna go that route, have him do one poem - five minutes. Fifteen minutes was too long and incredibly inappropriate. The boos toward the end of it were deafening. I don't know if the band members read this site or not, but if they do, they should know that the audience was right. To quote Todd, "Disgraceful way to get things started." I couldn't possibly put it any better. OLP, shame on you. You're lucky you can play.
After the disaster that was Jared Paul (and it was a disaster) the show finally got started at just after 10pm. The band started with Rabbits, which is a fine song (although not one of my favorites from the new album) but I'm not sure it works that well as an opener. It's a little too slow, in my opinion. Allowance came next and got a significantly better reaction than it did at the Bowery show a few months ago. I think all in all, the crowd was just more familiar with Curve than they were in April. The real start of the show came next - a sped up version of One Man Army (as if that song needs to be sped up) but it was fantastic, as the rest of the show would turn out to be. I have no idea what inspired the band to have to start the show competing against so much negative energy, but by Allowance, the negativity seemed to dissipate and by OMA, it was all gone.
For me, the best thing about this show was that I hadn't read the Boston setlist yet, and the set was considerably different from the previous few shows and certainly from the first leg of the tour, so I was able to be constantly, and happily surprised. Once OMA started, we were finally right in the midst of what ultimately was a pretty killer OLP show. Superman's Dead, Innocent and Monkey Brains were next and both the crowd and myself just ate it up. The band was totally on and the audience was digging it. (Which, in and of itself, was a vast improvement from the Bowery show.)
Next we got a real treat (that unbeknowst to me, Boston had gotten last night) - Paper Moon/Life. Paper Moon is a great song and was well-played, but to hear the re-arrangement of Life, done almost to fit the melody of Paper Moon was truly a treat for hardcore OLP fans. The only problem was that it meant this would be yet another show where we wouldn't hear the full version of Life, and I love that song. Paper Moon/Life was followed by Is Anybody Home and once again, the band and the audience were totally in sync. Next up was Picture, which not only was a surprise to me, but also surprising was how well the crowd seemed to know it. I'd always thought of that song as one of the lesser known OLP songs, but I'm willing to admit when I'm mistaken. Clumsy and Angels/Losing/Sleep were next and both were great - there's nothing like seeing an OLP show when the band is playing well AND the audience is into it. There were a few times tonight where that synchronicity happened, and Clumsy - A/L/S was one of them. The set ended with two Curve songs - Heavyweight and As Fast As You Can. I think maybe the band is just more comfortable at Irving Plaza than at Bowery. As much as I love Bowery, the OLP shows at Irving always seem to be the better shows.
After what seemed like a way-too-long set break, the band came back for an encore. Not Enough and In Repair. Are you kidding me? That's fantastic - I had no idea either song would be played and couldn't have been happier to hear them. Not Enough was extended quite a bit from the album version but neither I nor the crowd seemed to mind. After In Repair though, the band decided to bring back Jared Paul for a rap/poem/jam thing. Really? That was simply a mix of ballsy and stupid. Granted, Jared Paul fared a little better with the crowd, since he had OLP backing him up, but we were literally chastised by Raine beforehand to 'be respectful.' No, Raine - YOU be respectful. Be respectful to your audience. You want to showcase Jared Paul, put out a DVD and give him a chapter - don't take advantage of me as a paying audience member. And if you do, and the crowd boos, don't dismiss that as 'oh, they're just being disrespectful.' Allow for the possibility that the crowd is right to boo. Tonight, they were. (JP was literally bashing cops and the military in his work, which is fine to do, but there were both cops and soldiers in the audience tonight to see OLP. I know because they were right near me and somewhat vocal. How do you think that type of thing makes them feel? Again, regardless of your political beliefs, these people are your fans too and THEY (your fans) are the ones who deserve respect.) After the Jared Paul 'bathroom break,' the band rocked the hell out of Starseed, and once again, all was right with the world.
The band came back for a second encore and we were treated to If This Is It and Naveed - wow, just wow. I haven't heard Naveed live in way too long and it was a fantastic way to end the show. All in all, it really was a great show, in spite of the Jared Paul fiasco and the band's holier-than-thou attitude about it. Political agenda notwithstanding, the boys really can play, and tonight they really did.
A couple of final thoughts: an OLP show without 4am??? Really? Also, I really was surprised to not hear Fire In The Henhouse, I mean, it's one of the better Curve songs and they've been playing it pretty regularly. I would've rather that than either Rabbits or If This Is It, but beggars can't be choosers. Well, there's always next time.
Setlist:
Rabbits
Allowance
One Man Army
Superman's Dead
Innocent
Monkey Brains
Paper Moon / Life
Is Anybody Home?
Picture
Clumsy
Angels/Losing/Sleep
Heavyweight
As Fast As You Can
Encore:
Not Enough
In Repair
Jared Paul poem
Starseed
Second Encore:
If This Is It
Naveed