I’ve Been Watching My Friends Move Away

Spoon @ Nokia Theatre 11/5/2005
Telamon Bridge / The Beast and Dragon, Adored / Someone Something / Lines In the Suit / Metal School / The Delicate Place / I Turn My Camera On / Sister Jack – I Could See the Dude / Paper Tiger / Jonathon Fisk / Vittorio E / They Never Got You / I Summon You / The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine / The Way We Get By / Anything You Want / 30 Gallon Tank / The Fitted Shirt // Small Stakes / Me and the Bean / My Mathematical Mind

This was my first show at the new Nokia Theatre in Times Square, and I’ve got to say that it’s an amazing venue, probably the best in the city. The room is laid out so that there is standing room in front of the stage, then a second tier of standing room above that, and then a large section of stadium seating in the back. No matter where you are (or who you are – it’s very wheelchair-friendly), you will have an excellent view of the stage. The sound is crystal clear, perfectly mixed, and at pretty much the ideal volume throughout the room. (I watched Mary Timony’s set from the front, American Music Club and Spoon from the stadium area, and the encore from the middle tier.) There are several bars, snack kiosks, lounge areas, and merch booths just outside of the theatre room. The restrooms are enormous and immaculate. It’s centrally located, and very convenient for Metro North and LIRR commuters. They clearly poured a lot of money into this place in an attempt to make a venue nearly devoid of common flaws, and it’s a beautiful thing.

Spoon “The Beast and Dragon, Adored” – When I say that many of Spoon’s songs sound better live, I want you to understand that I also believe that their last three albums feature some of the best rock production of the past twenty years or so. Unlike many other rock acts, this is not a question of engineering, but rather that in some cases (most notably “I Turn My Camera On,” “The Delicate Place,” “Vittorio E,” and “Small Stakes”), the band figured out a better arrangement for the composition well after they left the studio. So naturally, Spoon is a band that really ought to put out a proper live album. Not a dvd, though – they are not particularly interesting in terms of visuals. In fact, I think I enjoyed myself the most when I kept my eyes shut, as I did for most of “They Never Got You” and “Paper Tiger.”

Much like The New Pornographers’ “Sing Me Spanish Techno,” “The Beast and Dragon, Adored” is a song packed full of lyrics that I identify with very strongly getting mixed up between cryptic lines I haven’t deciphered yet (Is the title a reference to the Book of Revelations? If so, wtf?) and nonsense that doesn’t make much sense to me at all, but that only serves to make it seem like an accurate reflection of life, at least in my experience. Basically, it’s a song about inspiration, and what it takes to commit yourself to art, to life, and to the people you love. It’s also a deliberate call back to a recurring theme in the Spoon catalog – “Believing Is Art,” basically. (Or more simply: “You Gotta Feel It.”) I’d be hard pressed to find better advice for any kind of artist in the form of pop lyrics better than this song’s final epiphany: When you don’t feel, it shows / they tear out your soul / and when you believe they call it rock and roll. (Click here to buy it from Spoon’s online store.)

The Mary Timony Band @ Nokia Theatre 11/5/2005
On The Floor / Friend To J.C. / Silence / song with lyric “in the kitchen every day” / I’m Your Man (Richard Hell cover) / Rider of the Stormy Sea / song with lyric “why can’t you see” / 9 x 3 / Backwards/Forwards

Mary Timony “Silence” – Interestingly enough, a majority of the audience for this show was very young and comprised mainly of very preppy, clean cut college kids. It was almost as if they’d all been tricked into believing they were going to a Coldplay show. I heard many teenage girls complaining about the very concept of opening acts as though they’ve never been to a rock show before in their lives, and it was very clear that I was one of the few people in the room that had a strong familiarity with Mary Timony, which is not something I would have ever expected from a Spoon crowd. I suppose Spoon really has hit the big time, and that the indie rockers who would typically come out for their shows all opted to hit the Sunday night show in Brooklyn. (Did that show sell out, by the way? The Nokia Theatre is very large, and I’d be very impressed if they could fill out both venues in the same weekend.)

This was the first time I’ve seen Mary Timony perform since she was entering her solo Renn Faire period in 2000, so it was exciting to see her playing to her strengths as a guitarist once again. The name Mary Timony Band is somewhat misleading – it was only Mary and fill-happy drummer Devin Ocampo. (Is the increasing commonality of guitar/drums duos in indie rock a purely economical consideration? With the possible exception of The White Stripes, I’ve never seen a rock duo play without the absence of bass or guitar being very conspicuous.) Timony’s current sound is a clear throwback to her time in Helium, but with a cleaner tone and a greater emphasis on sweeping dynamic shifts. Her thin voice continues to be a weakness in live performance, but she is still clearly one of the most criminally underrated guitarists in rock music. (Click here to buy it from Insound.)

Also!

Check out the Shrag video made by reader Scott Bateman.