For years I’ve suffered from an expensive addiction to concerts. As of Monday I had seen 345 bands live, as best as I could remember. And how do I remember that? Well, because I’ve maintained a detailed spreadsheet over the years cataloging all of these shows. I also collect set lists from these shows. When The Rapture told me that they don’t use set lists, they gave me neon electrical tape instead so I wouldn’t cry or go home empty handed.
This week I will see five shows, one each night from Tuesday through Saturday. My friends think I’m crazy. But they just don’t understand…
I will be keeping a diary about this 5-day-concert-binge here on Ctrl-V… we’ll see how I hold up.
Concert 1 of 5: Brand New, with Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra
Center Stage, Atlanta, GA—4/16/07
Last night I drove down Peachtree Street to see one of my absolute favorite bands, Manchester Orchestra, open for Brand New and Kevin Devine. They were playing at Center Stage, one of Atlanta’s larger music venues. This would be the 12th time I had seen Manchester perform. The first time I saw them was actually their debut show at Smith’s Olde Bar, a more intimate venue in Atlanta, in June 2005. The boys were fresh off recording songs for their EP, You Brainstorm, I Brainstorm, But Brilliance Needs a Good Editor.... The crowd was modest—maybe 50 people. I sat in the back of the room with my friend and colleague, Palmer, who was friends with the band. Throughout the show I was surprised that Manchester was muscially mature, but young. And they looked it. It was intriguing.
Since then I’ve seen them play the Paste Rock’n’Reel Festival (twice), SXSW (twice), and a handful of other shows. They’ve put out a full length album, played Lollapalooza, and earned an ever-growing fan base. In December they were named a Paste “4 to Watch” artist. Then in March, Rolling Stone declared them one of the “10 to Watch in 2007” (along with Amy Winehouse, The Academy Is, and other notable acts) and KEXP invited them to perform at their studios.
So here I was at Center Staage, almost two years later, and the same band was getting ready to play with a lot more experience (and buzz) under its wings. I wondered how the show would be different this time around.
What was different was the crowd. It was swelling. Teens and college students were spilling into the aisles, some of them dancing (more like stumbling) into each other. A couple next to me knew all the words to every song, and took numerous pictures with their camera phones. When members of Brand New and Kevin Devine’s Goddamn Band took the stage, the crowd got even more excited. There was new sort of energy from Manchester Orchestra, too. You could hardly tell that they’d driven through the night, or that this was appx the 30th show of the tour.
The whole experience reminded me of once being at Center Stage (back when it was Earthlink Live) and seeing Dashboard Confessional (back when the band was relatively unknown). I hadn’t heard about Dashboard because of a magazine or on the radio. My friend, John, had ripped me some of their songs. “You probably haven’t heard this band, but they’re great,” he wrote on the CD sleeve. “Thanks for all the CDs you’ve given me over the years.”
That was all I knew about Dashboard… that John liked their CD, and I liked the CD he gave me. That was enough for me to buy a ticket to their live show.
At the show I was one of those teens I saw last night, singing along to all the songs, holding my cellphone up so friends in other cities could hear the show. I felt excited to know about this band before the masses. It was also the first time I’d heard of Ben Kweller, who opened for Dashboard (I later put one of his songs, “Wasted & Ready,” on a CD for practically all of my friends).
Standing on the floor of Center Stage last night, watching all the Manchester fans who probably got the music from their friends, gave me the chills. No matter how the musical landscape changes, the thrill of discovering a new band is still fresh, with fans who hope and/or know that one day their favorite band will be too big to play that venue, and they’ll have to talk about them using the disclaimer “I liked them before they were big.”
Therein lies the explanation for my addiction. The thrill, the excitement, the discovery… knowing that no two shows are the same, even when you’ve seen a band 12 times, and you could be watching something that will one day be very memorable. At the end of the day here at Paste, we’re just music fans trying to share our excitement with you… and I hope Paste helps you make some discoveries of your own.
Stay tuned tomorrow, when I report back from Concert 2: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, with Elvis Perkins in Dearland at Variety Playhouse.
For Paste,
Caren
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The Rapture use set lists now...b/c I scrambled up onstage at the 40Watt two nights ago and took one. I’d like to think that this is your doing.
And don’t worry - I understand the addiction - I also did five shows and five nights when you guys were at SXSW.
I just read this article and it was nice to read something that really described why music should be considered essential to survive. As an Atlantian transplanted in the north for the moment being I love having Paste magazine to touch base with. It makes me a little less homesick, not just because it is Atlanta based but because reading it is like talking with old friends while waiting in line to see the show of the moment outside the tabernacle on a nice summer night.