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SPOON was amazing. I first saw them at P4K 2008 and had really only ever heard "I Turn My Camera On." Having said that, I was incredibly impressed and turned on by their awesomeness. I vowed to listen to more Spoon, and I'm happy to say that I followed through on that promise.
On Thursday's show at the Aragon, I was so excited to see them up close and indoors. When Britt Daniel came out on stage with his guitar, you could clearly see his excitement too. But after a few songs it became obvious that they were a bit "off." It didn't seem like they were drunk, so I was beginning to get confused, but then Britt first addressed the sound. Apparently, the monitors sucked, and Spoon couldn't hear themselves, despite me hearing them just fine. I saw the band go from confusion, to frustration, to anger, to frustration, to anger, to frustration, etc. Britt spent half the night playing to the floor, ear pressed to the monitor, while Rob kept facing Jim on drums, apparently unable to hear the tempo otherwise.
While Britt still showed bursts of the excitement he had when he first came on stage, those moments were sporadically placed between his blatant disappointment and missed entrances. It's not like they were HORRIBLE - I could still see what incredibly talented musicians they are - but it didn't make my "best live shows" list. Britt felt bad, and kept thanking us for not leaving and for clapping.
(above: Britt and Aragon's sound guy, checking out the monitors mid-song)
PASSION PIT has only gotten better since when I first saw them in January 2009 at Schubas. They're more polished, bigger, louder, and more creative. Besides the fact that I was surrounded by drunk, sweaty 12 year olds, it was an awesome dance party similar to Lollapalooza's last summer. While I can appreciate burning some calories to great live music in a crowd of enthusiasts, and while I'm certainly happy Passion Pit is able to pay their bills, I definitely loved their Schubas show way more. That show had just as much dancing, only it had less annoying chaches and more sophisticated hand-clapping.
