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grrgoylMonday night was the Kill Hannah show. I was sort of dreading going out with Tabby after the reputation she had built in the short time since she became legal, but my influence was too great and she behaved herself like a lady.
We got there in plenty of time but got a table at the back of the room (which was still preferable to standing). This didn't bother me initially, as I was only there for the music and didn't care what the band looked like. The opening act came on, a local band called "Rubber Planet." Tabby really liked them; me, not so much. I wasn't the only one unimpressed; almost the entire "mosh pit" was insultingly stoic. I suppose they could have been worse (and I could have been more openminded) but they just sounded fundamentally pop-y, not what I expected to start the genuinely alternative experience that is Kill Hannah. (At Tabby's behest I later looked up their website, and sure enough, they are a self-described "distorted pop band." Bleah.) My first warning was when they used the "call-and-response" format in many of their songs, trusting the fact that they relied heavily on wordless, repetitive "oh, whoa, whoa"s in their choruses. Ugh. They constantly (apologetically) told us how they needed to get us warmed up for Kill Hannah, I think for no other reason than mentioning the headliner's name was the only way they were guaranteed a reaction from the crowd. When I noticed this, it occurred to me that in some cases (like this night) opening bands have as thankless a task as telemarketers, and are just about as popular. They are just doing their job, whether people want to hear them or not. To make matters worse, they started interjecting that ultra-annoying, disco/howler monkey "oi, oi" sound effect into some of their songs, expecting the lukewarm audience to repeat it back. Dude, the guy in the front row has shock spikes all over his head.....he doesn't strike me as an "oi, oi" type of guy.
They finally finished after an agonizing hour and a half, and any "warming up" that might have possibly been accomplished was nullified by the half hour spent waiting for KH to set up. It didn't matter, once KH took the stage, they accomplished in one verse what Rubber Planet failed to do in their entire set. I was thrilled that all my file sharing paid off big time.....I sang along with every single song. Whereas the pit was certainly more animated than with RP, they didn't truly come to life until "Kennedy" was played (johnny-come-latelys.....) Of course suddenly I cared about what the band looked like, and the three guys seated at the table in our way sat utterly motionless the entire time. I HATE people who go to concerts and don't ever move. What's the point? The band (who had never been to Denver before) seemed pretty bowled over that they had fans here and were very grateful. I loved their complete unjadedness. They also talked a little about how much radio sucks these days (I could not agree more) and how the stuff being passed off as "alternative" is actually just metal. I am trusting them to turn this trend around.
About halfway through the set (which ultimately was less than an hour long. What the?) I started toying with the idea of getting a t-shirt (when we first arrived, just like I didn't care what they looked like, I didn't feel the need to own a shirt. They were just so incredible that I became more convinced than ever that they are going to be big, and I wanted to prove that I was there "back when.") But I waited too long and when the show was over there was a mob scene at the counter. Tabby and I sat and chatted, waiting for the tab while I wrestled with the decision. In the end I decided not to fight the queue, remembering they have a website (Check out the band! Ooh they're hot....) Typical of the rest of my life, I went to the site the very next morning only to see the message on the merchandise page "Sorry, everything is sold out. However there are limited quantities of stuff at our live shows." Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
In summary, they totally rocked. The rumors that they give their live shows 200% are true. I almost want to move to Chicago to see them more often. I would even rank them up with my favorites of all time, NIN and The Cure. On the spot I burned a CD for my friend Jeff in England to start building an international fan base for them. You heard it here first: these boys are the ones to watch.
-=Lainey=-
We got there in plenty of time but got a table at the back of the room (which was still preferable to standing). This didn't bother me initially, as I was only there for the music and didn't care what the band looked like. The opening act came on, a local band called "Rubber Planet." Tabby really liked them; me, not so much. I wasn't the only one unimpressed; almost the entire "mosh pit" was insultingly stoic. I suppose they could have been worse (and I could have been more openminded) but they just sounded fundamentally pop-y, not what I expected to start the genuinely alternative experience that is Kill Hannah. (At Tabby's behest I later looked up their website, and sure enough, they are a self-described "distorted pop band." Bleah.) My first warning was when they used the "call-and-response" format in many of their songs, trusting the fact that they relied heavily on wordless, repetitive "oh, whoa, whoa"s in their choruses. Ugh. They constantly (apologetically) told us how they needed to get us warmed up for Kill Hannah, I think for no other reason than mentioning the headliner's name was the only way they were guaranteed a reaction from the crowd. When I noticed this, it occurred to me that in some cases (like this night) opening bands have as thankless a task as telemarketers, and are just about as popular. They are just doing their job, whether people want to hear them or not. To make matters worse, they started interjecting that ultra-annoying, disco/howler monkey "oi, oi" sound effect into some of their songs, expecting the lukewarm audience to repeat it back. Dude, the guy in the front row has shock spikes all over his head.....he doesn't strike me as an "oi, oi" type of guy.
They finally finished after an agonizing hour and a half, and any "warming up" that might have possibly been accomplished was nullified by the half hour spent waiting for KH to set up. It didn't matter, once KH took the stage, they accomplished in one verse what Rubber Planet failed to do in their entire set. I was thrilled that all my file sharing paid off big time.....I sang along with every single song. Whereas the pit was certainly more animated than with RP, they didn't truly come to life until "Kennedy" was played (johnny-come-latelys.....) Of course suddenly I cared about what the band looked like, and the three guys seated at the table in our way sat utterly motionless the entire time. I HATE people who go to concerts and don't ever move. What's the point? The band (who had never been to Denver before) seemed pretty bowled over that they had fans here and were very grateful. I loved their complete unjadedness. They also talked a little about how much radio sucks these days (I could not agree more) and how the stuff being passed off as "alternative" is actually just metal. I am trusting them to turn this trend around.
About halfway through the set (which ultimately was less than an hour long. What the?) I started toying with the idea of getting a t-shirt (when we first arrived, just like I didn't care what they looked like, I didn't feel the need to own a shirt. They were just so incredible that I became more convinced than ever that they are going to be big, and I wanted to prove that I was there "back when.") But I waited too long and when the show was over there was a mob scene at the counter. Tabby and I sat and chatted, waiting for the tab while I wrestled with the decision. In the end I decided not to fight the queue, remembering they have a website (Check out the band! Ooh they're hot....) Typical of the rest of my life, I went to the site the very next morning only to see the message on the merchandise page "Sorry, everything is sold out. However there are limited quantities of stuff at our live shows." Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
In summary, they totally rocked. The rumors that they give their live shows 200% are true. I almost want to move to Chicago to see them more often. I would even rank them up with my favorites of all time, NIN and The Cure. On the spot I burned a CD for my friend Jeff in England to start building an international fan base for them. You heard it here first: these boys are the ones to watch.
-=Lainey=-
