On the day of their Lawrence show, The Faint‘s Jacob Thiele tweeted, “Eating biscuits and veggie gravy at Java Break & Worked Up So Sexual came on the stereo. Awkward! Mostly cuz its strange music 4 breakfast.”
I beg to differ, Mr. Thiele. There is never a strange or wrong time to listen to your band’s music.
I was only 8 when the Faint formed up in Omaha. I wish I could that I was savvy enough at 8 to have started listening to them then, but it would be almost another 8 years when I would discover Danse Macabre and learn that there was a world of musical genres that existed outside of what I heard during my middle school years at the roller skating rink. At that point in my life, I did start listening to the Faint at all hours of the day…even during breakfast. Two and a half years later, I had my first chance to see the band live in Lawrence at the Granada. It was the first time I ever danced at a show.
Suffice it to say, I was ecstatic when a co-worker offered me her extra ticket to the evening’s show. I couldn’t wait to return to the venue where the band first blew me away five years prior.
The band has come along way since when I first saw them. They had some sweet lights, but the set up was modest. A few years ago, I saw them in Omaha and the set up had expanded to three times as many lights and singer Todd Fink donned a lab coat and goggles (looking like Dr. Horrible). Tonight, the stage had been taken over by eerie, foil-covered robots. Their arms outstretched like at any moment they’d attack the band and the audience. The almost looked alive as the strobe lights reflected off their metallic sides, creating the illusion of movement. Fortunately, they were stationary, which was nice because they gave me the heebie jeebies without needing animatronics.
The audience wasn’t as filled as past shows, but for who did show up, they were all packed into the pit throwing their arms up and dancing with the band. It was a party, as any The Faint show should be. A big electronic, indie rock, dance party. The band didn’t play a single song that I felt stopped the energy level or was a dud to the fun. Of course, some tunes stood out more than others such as “Get Seduced,” “Worked Up So Sexual,” “Paranoia,” and “Geeks Were Right.” At one point, some girls from the crowd even hopped on stage and put a hat on Fink. He went with it, but a roadie didn’t look as pleased as he escorted the girls off.
Now, as much as I love dancing, I think I love watching the Faint more. Remember when I said I was 8 when the Faint formed? These guys are over twice my age, but they have more energy than a preschool classroom. They all feed off each other and if they’re not busy playing an instrument (yes, this band is electronica, but they still play actual instruments!), then they’re dancing. It is fantastic! It’s crazy to me to think that a couple days from now, they’re opening for Spoon in their hometown. I’d hate to be the band to try and follow The Faint. Good luck.
I got to the show late after work, so I wasn’t able to snag photos. However, my awesome friend, Fally, also blogged about the show and she does have photos and video that you can check out here.
Set List:
Mirror
Dropkick
Agenda
Conductor
Psycho
In Concert
Southern
Hospital
Machine
Desperate
Seduced
Centipedes
Worked Up
Paranoia
//
Geeks
Glass Disappear
