Radiohead
Among the best concerts I've ever seen, even though I was not all that close. Their lighting effects were stellar and really enhanced the performance that much. Thom Yorke's falsetto echoed off the buildings of Chicago, and my expectations were exceeded on every level.
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The Go! Team
Another show I wasn't too close for, but still was incredible. The Go! Team's energy was instantly contagious and they had everyone dancing in minutes. Their 8-some members played every instrument you could imagine, and they even had two drummers. Definitely a Team I'll want to catch next time they come to Michigan.
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Rogue Wave
Having seen them before and known their shtick, I wasn't expecting a ton from Rogue Wave. I really enjoyed the performance, but nothing about it was memorable enough to warrant any kind of real excitement. There is nothing like hearing "Lake Michigan" when you're 30 feet from the water yourself.
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Kanye West
I'm not the biggest Kanye West fan, but his showmanship was outstanding and his songs were all expanded in every way you can imagine. A backup band enhanced the sound of every song, and the smoke and dramatic lighting made it that much better.
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Broken Social Scene
I only caught the tail end of BSS' set (to my regret), but of what I saw I was very impressed. Having seen them earlier this year at the Michigan Theater playing Kevin Drew's songs, I wasn't sure how they'd fare performing their own music, let alone Brendan Canning's. The high point was 7/4 Shoreline which Amy Milan sang. It was great to hear one of my favorite female vocalists again.
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Bloc Party (see Kele on right of screen)
Bloc Party was mediocre, but don't get me wrong. I love Bloc Party, but the only person who seemed enthused about their set was drummer Matt Tong. I've seen Bloc Party before, and they were incredible, but something big was missing from this performance. Their set was very short, with their 8 or 9 songs they performed ending them up 15 minutes earlier than they were scheduled to. Maybe it got to them that everyone in the first 40 rows was in the first 40 rows to see Radiohead, and they happened to be just a bonus.
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Mates of State
Kori and Jason sounded great, and it was great to see that they'd brought a violinist and upright-bassist with them. The string arrangements brought out some of the nuances of each song that I'd learned to love, but wasn't expecting live.
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The National
Just as they were when I saw them two months ago, The National were incredible. They started off battling a bass problem on the speakers. The kick-drum literally made my eyeballs vibrate every time it was hit, and I'm a big bass drum fan. Regardless, their set was great, Abel being a standout, and the trumpeteers had improved their skill a ton since the Crofoot Ballroom. This time, the trumpet was used instead of the violin I'd heard during the last show. I kinda missed the violinist from the last show. He was insane, and I don't know where he went, but he will be missed.
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Okkervil River
I was really looking forward to Will Sheff and Okkervil River, and they did not disappoint. I really just got into them earlier this year, and I couldn't wait to hear them play. The band was much bigger than I expected, and the keyboardist they had delivered all the background intricacies of each song perfectly. Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe, one of my favorite Okkervil River songs, was out of this world. The song was lengthened by a few minutes, and lots of details were added. They really killed it.
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Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog was pretty good, and they sounded even better in person. To my dismay, however, they didn't play The Breeze, my favorite song of theirs. However, their set was varied between new and old material and just made me that much more interested in them. Come October, I'll be seeing them again in Ann Arbor!
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