Friday, February 09, 2007

Lily Allen @ The Metro(Chicago 2/8/2007)

(photo courtesy Lily Allen's Myspace Page)

(Photo courtesy of Kelly Duoos, live from the Metro in Chicago 2/8/07)

(photo courtesy Lily Allen's Myspace Page)

On a seven-city tour of the US, Lily Allen graced the Chicago's beloved
Metro with her presence on Thursday night (March 8, 2007). Ms. Allen
was in fine form as usual wearing a navy blue dress and white trainers,
her hair in a messy up-do, and the whole look accessorized perfectly
with over sized sparkley earrings and a giant gold necklace shaped like
a machine gun. As Lily has begun to appear everywhere (SNL, MTV,
various music rags...), it's no surprise that the much-anticipated show
sold out in advance, especially being the only stop between coasts.
Lily Allen turned up to start the show on time, complete with a
backing-band entourage. Comprised of seven studly pieces of British
man-musicians, the band included a bassist, guitarist, drummer,
keyboardist, and a horn section (!!!) which included the trumpet,
trombone, and sax players. Outfitted in (how cute) matching Lacoste
uniforms, the boys provided a well proper sound to support Ms. Allen's
beautiful vocal stylings. Prim and proper as can be, her voice exudes
"star singing-lesson pupil" vibes whilst her tell it exactly like it is
(" A fella looking dapper, but he's sitting with a slapper / Then I see
it's a pimp and his crack whore"). Lily has mastered that naughty,
you'd-better-watch-yourself-around -me-but-I'm- still-a-lady charm.
Self-described as "Pop / Hyphy / Ska," this gal's sparky sound has got
audiences of all kinds hooked. (Especially funny when you see a
30-something fervently singing along with lyrics like "I wanna get a
flat I know I can't afford it / It's just the bureaucrats who won't
give me a mortgage / Well it's very funny cos I got your f***in money /
And I'm never gonna get it just because of my bad credit!")
-Kelly Duoos(editor for Mindset Music, and Mindset Music Blog)

Lily's Setlist:

LDN
Nan, You're a Window Shopper
Knock 'Em Out
Shame for You
Littlest Things
Take What You Take (i think?)
Everybody's Changing (Keane)
Naive (Kooks)
Not Big
Absolutely Nothing
Every thing's Just Wonderful
Friend of Mine
Friday Night
Smile

Encore:
Blank Expression
Alfie

Thank you Kelly for the perfect review for the #1 female artist in the
U.K. at the moment. I think this review needed to come from a female
perspective, and it was clear when you used the word studly. Kelly
will be covering Ben Kweller's performance at the Notre Dame campus
tonight. She is a online radio DJ, editor, and musician. She has
interned for first avenue, currently attends Notre Dame, and recently
went to Europe for 3 months. In that trip, she saw a ton of great
shows, talked to quite a few bands, and traveled all around the streets
of London. I look forward to many more reviews from Kelly, as she is
also part of the team.

The Shins@ First Ave...

(All Photos Courtesy Jeremy Nelson)

James Mercer and co. brought some warmth and humor to a sold-out First Avenue crowd on another frigid Minneapolis evening, kicking off their U.S. tour here on Thursday night. Opening with ‘Sleeping Lessons,’ the first song off their excellent new album ‘Wincing The Night Away,’ the Shins we’re plugged in, energetic, but, due to this being the first show of the tour, a little rusty. Although that just added more feeling to their already fragile songs. They proceeded to play the new album in order for the first four songs, including their first single ‘Phantom Limb,’ which seemed to energize everyone in the club. But it is hard to dance to break-up songs, so the packed audience simply showed their appreciation with rapturous applause. The band really seemed to enjoy getting their touring legs under them again, and playing the new material live for the first time. Marty Crandall, as always, was having a blast. I read in an interview that he can’t shut up between songs, hating the awkward silences, and last night was no exception-cracking jokes, thanking the crowd, the ubiquitous ‘Is Prince in the house’ comment. But it was obvious the band was happy to be on stage in front of an audience again, and that was reflected in the vitality of their songs. Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow songs took on a buoyancy and verve that was not as pronounced on the album versions, perhaps because James is in a better place now, married, not living next to crackheads, just plain happier. The songs are still heartbreaking and diaphanous at heart, but are now sung from the other side of the break-up with enough distance to allow the songs to be fun instead of bitter. And the electric guitars helped, as well. Their last show at First Ave was predominantly an unplugged affair for James, with the quiet songs getting drowned out by the boisterous drunks in the crowd. But last night, he stayed mainly electric on such standout tracks as ‘Turn On Me,’ ‘Girl Sailor,’ ‘Kissing The Lipless,’ ‘So Says I,’ and ‘Girl Inform Me,’ giving the reverential crowd plenty of songs to hum as they made their way home through the cold Minneapolis night. -Erik T(guest editor)
Again another big thanks to Erik, as I will be sure to make him a regular on this music site. Not only is he a better writer, gives a longer review, but he seems to go to a lot of shows that I miss(or miss basically the entire show). The only thing Erik needs is a Rock N Roll Camera. Erik you are now a part of the team and hopefully will write many more reviews... Cheers to everyone and a big thanks to Erik for the review and Jeremy for the photos..

The Shins Setlist