Spokane, WA 11/17/17

[MattCTUSA]

FINALLY getting a chance to post here about seeing OLP last week! Had a ticket to the Seattle show, but could not attend due to something work related in Spokane. But, I really wish I had been in Seattle. As Raine described it to me, that show was off the chain.

The Spokane crowd size was decent. Many people had to stay in the back if they wanted to drink, since this was an all-ages show. That never goes well in my opinion. Spokane is also a big college town, and this was the first night of Thanksgiving break, so I think that played into the show not being packed. There were 9 or 10 of us that did the VIP and all of those people were cool. Sheena, Stacy and Shane from Alberta- finally great to meet you all! The 9 of us took up most of the front row and I think we made the most noise out of anyone. The crowd was just not singing along and mostly being quiet in between songs. At the amazing end of Drop Me In the Water, the crowd was pretty loud (Spokane Standards), to which Raine said, 'So that's what it takes to get you guys excited?!' My voice was hoarse from trying to carry the crowd by the end of the night. Also, this show was the first show in a LONG time that I have been to where Raine had to sing all of 4AM. It seemed the crowd was only into Somewhere Out There and Starseed. I was really surprised the band came out for an encore!

All that being said, the band performed brilliantly. Having been to a handful of OLP shows, I can tell when they are having a great show. The band was playing so well, but I could sense that they were just wishing the crowd was more into it. I really hoped they would love Spokane and visit on every future tour. I'd venture to say unlikely after that night. I absolutely loved DMITW and Ballad live. The setlist had Thief/Naveed after One Man Army, but I am glad they skipped Thief, as the crowd was semi-energetic after OMA. I was drenched after that, but that's just me! Hearing the old Clumsy songs was amazing too- brings me back to when I first heard those songs live. Paper Moon with Life tagged at the end was an awesome personal experience. Here is what they played:
Superman's Dead
Automatic Flowers
Big Dumb Rocket
100 Aisles
Innocent'
Is Anybody Home
One Man Army
Naveed
Paper Moon/Life
Somewhere Out There
Drop Me In the Water
Ballad of Poets
Clumsy
Encore:
4AM
Not Enough - they slowed it down at the end, it had a slow, sludgy, dirgy Soundgarden-feel and it was damn good.
Starseed

Like I said, the band were playing so well. I think they are playing some of their best shows these last couple of years. I just wish the Spokane crowd did not leave it on the chain.

Peace,
Matt

[PaperMoon]

Matt, it was great to meet you too!! (It's Sheena from Alberta). I love meeting other OLP fans from coast to coast and also felt like I was losing my voice at this show, trying to compensate for the lack of crowd enthusiasm. The band needs to know that they're loved somehow! Drop Me in the Water was definitely a turning point which was nice to see. (Pretty sure crowd drunkeness also contributed to the increased energy level at this point). They also played the cover of Post Malone's "Congratulations" which I thought was beautifully done. I would really like to hear a studio version of it but I doubt that will happen. Was it worth the 16 hour round trip?? Of course it was. I'll travel anywhere on this continent to have OLP rock my face off!