catapult magazine

Interpol

i’ll back up kirstin, and clarify a little, regarding elliott smith. he was certainly technically proficient. i couldn’t believe how easily he played really difficult guitar parts.

BUT . . . it was boring. i could have almost set up a cardboard cutout in my living room and turned on his CD to experience the same show. he did very little to reinterpret his music (something i personally enjoy) in any way: no jamming or going “off script,” no stage antics to indicate passion in any way, etc.

I agree that Interpol was a little weak. I still really enjoyed it though. I would guess that they don’t keep working their songs after they finish recording an album. U2, Pearl Jam, Radiohead and other great live bands are constantly reworking their songs.

Adam i have to take issue with that. I saw Pearl Jam on their last 4 tours and find that their live shows out perform their albums by far, with tags, extended musical interludes and an intensity that is unprecidented. The last tour (Riot Act) surpassed all of these, showing that although they are aging, they are not loosing the skill and passion that they had from the beginning.

one band i have to put into this category though is Oasis. I like their albums enough to buy but i saw them live once, and that will be the only one time ’cause it was so bad it shouldnt even count. boring.

U2 is great, but they have the same setlist EVERY night and that my U2 worshipping friends, is LAME.

Having attended and worked at many a Pearl Jam show I can say that their live show never sucked…their attitudes on the other hand….
I love Fountains Of Wayne, but it seems that Adam Schlesinger (spelling?) has a hard time staying in tune by the end of a tour.

Jaybird: What did you do when you worked at the PJ shows? And can you elaborate on their attitudes sucking? Circa when? Just a little off topic curiosity thing.

I assisted in live sound during various shows in Chicago…specifically at Soldier Field. This was during the post Ten era. I should retract the over all “band” attitude and stick with Vetter. He was a pompous prick. At first I thought it was just a live show thing, and then a friend found out about a bar he used to hang around on the south side, when he was in the IL area, (I don’t know if he still hangs there…uh I am in LA now) and he was just as much of an a-hole there. A bit of a superiority complex I guess. Intelligent as all get out…but still…

Sorry about the edit. Too much Moretti tonight.

Copeland.