popwreckoning

Every year in Kansas City, 96.5 the Buzz throws a free Valentine’s Day show complete with VD themed games such as Spin the Bottle and more. This year, AWOLNATION, Fitz & The Tantrums and the Limousines rounded out Afentra’s VD Party‘s lineup.

The event quickly filled to capacity.

PopWreckoning’s Erica Cassella was there and shares these photos of Fitz & the Tantrums and AWOLNATION:

Coheed and Cambria, the alternative rockers known for frontman Claudio Sanchez‘s characteristic falsetto and equally well-known hairstyle, is celebrating 10 years as a band with a Spring Anniversary tour.

The band will perform debut album The Second Stage Turbine Blade in its entirety across 22 North American Cities. The must-see tour will also feature a rare acoustic set and an extra set of songs from the band’s five studio albums.

The tour kicks off April 8 in Kansas City at the Midland Theater. Tickets go on-sale Friday, January 14. Specific ticket information is available here.
Tour Dates:
Apr 08 Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theater
Apr 09 Dallas, TX @ Palladium
Apr 11 Austin, TX @ Stubbs
Apr 12 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
Apr 14 Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
Apr 15 Tampa, FL @ Jannus Live
Apr 18 Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore
Apr 19 Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
Apr 20 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Apr 22 Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Apr 25 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
Apr 26 Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
Apr 27 Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
Apr 29 Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theater
Apr 30 Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
May 02 Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
May 03 Salt Lake City, UT @ In the Venue
May 05 Seattle, WA @ Showbox Sodo
May 06 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
May 07 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
May 09 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
May 10 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater
May 11 Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia

Nothing quite says, “It’s the holidays” like a radio show extravaganza and 96.5 the Buzz outdid themselves this year. Instead of just one night of amazing alternative rock music, they gave listeners two festive nights at Kansas City’s majestic Midland Theater.

The first day of the Night the Buzz Stole Xmas featured Free Energy, Cage the Elephant (last minute replacement for Sleigh Bells), The Dirty Heads and Jimmy Eat World. I must admit, Sleigh Bell’s cancellation made me a little bitter toward the openers for this show. I had just brushed those bands off as “stoner music,” but then The Dirty Heads, the band that should have been the ultimate stoner music with their Sublime-esque sound, blew me away with a surprisingly rocking set that featured some killer covers. Of course, the audience really lit up when Jimmy Eat World took to the stage. The group’s latest effort didn’t really wow me like some of their previous stuff, so I was pleased to see a good mix of older songs in the set so that it wasn’t too new song heavy. The biggest treat of their set was the festive cover of “Last Christmas” near the end of the set. These guys are still as fantastic live as they were when I first saw them years ago.

Gallery photos from Night 1 are courtesy of photographer Ryan Davis.

Jimmy Eat World Set List:
Bleed American
Praise Chorus
My Best Theory
Coffee and Cigs
Futures
Little Thing
Big Casino
Action Needs an Aud.
Pain
Hear You Me
Last Xmas
Blister
Work
Get It Faster
Middle
Sweetness

Night 1 was the sit back and relax to good music evening, but Night 2 demanded that you stand up in dance. Local rockers the Beautiful Bodies started the evening with front woman Alicia Solo strutting her stuff in a peacock costume. Then Innerpartysystem revved up the crowd with their dance rock similar to the style of the Faint. A Day to Remember screamed out for the younger crowd to come forward and mosh (this was a drink break for some of the older crowd that doesn’t really do the whole screamo thing). Then finally, My Chemical Romance took to the stage with their anthem-packed alternative rock songs. With how much the band embraces the whole concept album thing, I was a bit nervous that some songs wouldn’t be able to stand up on their own, but their wasn’t a down moment to their set. They quickly proved to me that it’s true. they’re not ok…they’re fantastic.

Gallery photos from Night 2 are courtesy of photographer Todd Zimmer.

My Chemical Romance Set List:
Na Na Na
Venom
Planetary (Go!)
Not OK
Prison
Sing
House of Wolves
Only Hope
Mama
Black Parade
Teenagers
Ghost
Destroya
Helena
//
Cancer
Kids

Considering how many film soundtracks Rufus Wainwright has contributed to, his live performances are fittingly cinematic.

Rufus’ third time in Kansas City brought him to the gorgeously remodeled Midland Theatre. A venue that houses ballet and theater performances among its gold furnishings and red drapery. Rufus’ piano provided a stark silhouette against a the cool solid colors lighting a backdrop screen during his sister, Lucy’s, opening performance. Lucy Wainwright Roche stood alone on the big stage: just her and her guitar. For anyone else, it would have been too big a space and swallowed them up, but somehow, Lucy made it intimate. It was more like an intimate show at a friend’s apartment or a a coffee shop setting. She talked to the audience in between each of her songs as if she had known each and every member for years. Lucy even invited everyone to find her on Facebook. “We already are!” shouted one guy in the crowd. Lucy chuckled, “Well, it’s nice to finally see you.” She made lots of mediocre jokes, but it didn’t matter. The audience laughed anyways and she never promised to be a comedian. She’s a singer and that is something that she is without a doubt talented at; the cliche ‘voice of an angel’ actually applies to her. Her lilting songs told stories about subjects ranging from her family to awkward first dates. It was a pleasant opening, but a very stark contrast for what was about to come with Rufus.

When it came time for Rufus, a member of his crew came out and announced that his set would be done in two parts. For set one, applause was asked to be held until the end, but that the audience could do whatever it wanted in the second half. This left people scratching their heads, but an answer was soon to come to explain this unusual request.

Set one was dark. Very dark. Yet, it was also tinged with an almost ironic humor at times. A spotlight appeared on the piano in Rufus slowly appeared from side stage. He marched toward the piano in a long black cloak with feathered shoulders that mirrored his hair feathery hair style. He didn’t smile or say a word before he rested his hands on the keys. Then, he began playing. A large eye appeared on the video backdrop screen. As he played, the eyes multiplied. Blinking at different speeds. It was fascinating, but creepy. Some of the eyes had more wrinkles, cataracts and glistened with the threatening approach of tears. Other eyes, were wide and youthful. But what all the eyes had in common was the outline of a person reflected in the pupil.

Meanwhile, while the eyes told their story in the background, Rufus’ hands were flying across the piano in a way that would have made Mozart envious. The piano melodies were complete songs within themselves, but Rufus still had his stories to tell. He sang sonnets about relationships, life and his family. Lyrically, some might be taken aback by the straightforwardness of his lyrics, “Your nose is too big for your face,” being one such lyrical example. But the guy is smart, talented and that’s just how he tells his stories. From this first half, “The Dream,” really stood out. The blistering fast piano line and big dynamics would have made this a great way to end, but he kept playing and instead ended this set on a slower, quiet number. Again, without a word, he turned from the piano and marched off the stage into a spotlight emitted from the side stage.

It was beautiful, but heavy material for a Sunday evening, especially for people used to the goofier side of Rufus’ music. What would the second half bring?

The stage was quickly transformed by the addition of candles covering the ground.

When Rufus came out for set two, it was a more colorful Rufus in both appearance and performance personality. He wore a suit splashed in a blend of oranges and pinks. He smiled, waved and spoke to the crowd, offering up explanations of his songs and detailing his past visits to Kansas City. Before even playing a song, set two was already cheerier. It was very cathartic to have the tension of the first act relieved by this. If the dark eye performance had been it for the evening, then that would have been too much. The audience needed this cheerier side of Rufus.

“It’s ok to cheer and clap,” Rufus said as he began the opening chords to his “Hallelujah” cover. The audience had been a bit timid leading up to this and seemed to appreciate that it was ok to geek out over the popular tune. Though this is the tune that probably would have gotten the audience to brave singing along, no one seemed to want to ruin the perfect blend of Rufus and his sister’s surprise addition of vocal harmonies to this song. It was beautiful.

Though audience singing along was sparse, people were still really into it and from “Hallelujah” on, the audience did seem a lot more engaged. When Rufus ended on the also popular “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk,” the audience offered a standing ovation. He quickly returned for a three song encore that included a beautiful cover of a song by his mother who recently passed. “The Walking Song,” was a lovely love song that emitted both his love for his family, music and fans. It was a perfect way to end the evening.

Photo contributions by Alex Reed, Inc.

Rufus Wainwright will be in Kansas City this Sunday evening and it was recently announced that his sister, Lucy Wainwright Roche, will open the show.

The show begins at 8 p.m. in the beautifully restored Midland theater, a perfect setting for Rufus’ theatrical piano pop rock performances.

Tickets are still available. Head here to buy tickets or here to visit Rufus’ website.

I hate to be cliche (ok, maybe I do), but you know how there’s that Forrest Gump quote that says, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get”? I kind of feel that way about shows at Kansas City’s Midland Theatre. Sometimes you get something that’s a bit nutty such as comedian Conan O’Brien. Sometimes you get something that’s sweet such as the State Ballet’s The Nutcracker. And other times, you get something that’s a box of mixed chocolates within itself. That’s what the recent Thrice tour was like: a box of mixed chocolates; and with each act on the bill, ‘you never knew what you were gonna get.’
First act of the night, The Dig, is what I like to imagine as one of those caramel-filled chocolates. Just like caramel, their music had a tendency to stick with you for a bit. They delivered catchy, rock tunes (I say rock because they are more rock live than they are power pop like their website says) that were just the right level of messy raucousness to help them stand out. Their last number turned into a big party as members of later acts came out with extra drum sticks and percussion instruments to add to the band’s already explosive sound.

Next, was indie pop duo Bad Veins and their reel-to-reel machine, Irene. In my musical box of chocolates, I picture these guys as one of those fruit-filled chocolates. Something that’s a bit sweeter than the other chocolates in the box, but in a vintage kind of way. Bad Veins has perhaps the happiest drummer you’ll ever see, which I surprisingly enjoyed despite the odd pairing of his happiness while singer Benjamin Davis belted his heartbroken lyrics through an old-fashioned telephone. This band is definitely doing something unique, but I’d like to see them refine it just a little bit more. At times they went for a more danceable kind of the Bravery type sound and other times they had more of a straight rock sound. I think the dance-ier side of them worked a bit better with the vocal style, especially when Davis sang through the telephone.

The third act, Kevin Devine, is your favorite piece of chocolate in the box. The one that no matter what other surprises you find in the assorted box, you know you can count on this reliable candy…for me that’s the peanut butter one. Kevin Devine began alone on the stage with just his guitar for back up. Later, he was joined by the Goddamn Band. I liked the solo start. It let people really experience the personality of Kevin. He began small, gently strumming and singing closely into the mic before hitting an emotional explosion that makes him hop back and yowl his choruses. It’s an interesting dynamic technique and one that works well for him. Like preceding acts, Devine was also joined by other acts on the roster for a tune. This comraderie between the bands helped provide some relief from the tension of some of Devine’s harsher lyrics.

Finally, there’s Thrice. In my metaphorical box of chocolates, they’re the chocolate you try out anyways, even though you’re not entirely sure you’ll like if from past experiences. They’re my coconut chocolate. Based off the crowd, there are plenty of fans of this particular flavor, but it was just not for me. I tried it, but I’d rather stick with my trusty old peanut butter flavor. Now don’t get me wrong; I respected the tour’s dear headliners with their impressive lights and passionate playing. There was some yelling, but not the kind that makes ears bleed. This just didn’t connect with me and it seemed a bit out out of place even with the diversity of the openers. Sorry Thrice fans, but c’est la vie. I can’t be expected to love everyone.

When a young band gets booked at a large venue you never know how they’re going to react. It’ll either be the egos that grow or their appreciation for the fans. In the case of The Gaslight Anthem it was the latter. Having plugged in an entire three years on the music circuit, it was quite surprising that they were placed in a venue like the Midland. A venue that seats over 3,000 people generally houses acts like B.B. King, Steve Martin and Ok Go, and so it wouldn’t have been a surprise for anyone if the band had thought themselves rock stars in that place. But when the four members walked out on stage, there was nothing but genuine ear-to-ear smiles on each. To this the crowd appropriately reacted with their own glee and thus the show began.

From the new album came songs like: “American Slang,” “The Spirit Of Jazz” and “The Diamond Church Street Choir.” “American Slang” got everything going with its alt rock beats paving the way for a little guitar pitched up to an octave generally only seen in the likes of pop rock bands. Yet for this song, it’s that octave that was the perfect place for the cheerful sentiment that inevitably resulted.

Staggered between the newer selections were a few solid and slightly older hits. One of these (“Old White Lincoln”) seemed to groove on a slightly different frequency than the rest, but still proved to translate to the stage almost seamlessly. The fairly monotone rhythm section though not really defining, did manage to bring in a The Killers kind of dance (or sway rather) from the audience.

“This next song proves that Miles Davis is cooler than me.” When Brian (lead vocals) uttered these words, there was an instant increase in respect. This naturally stemmed from the vast appreciation of Mr. Davis and his music, but also from the reassuring fact that Gaslight still believes that they are at the beginning of their careers and have much to learn. The point of this was not to do anything just mentioned, but rather to preface the song “Miles Davis And The Cool.” A song while not directly influenced musically by the classic jazz of the 60’s, still referenced a feeling ever to familiar to Miles – the blues. Again a comparison to The Killers pops out with the repetitive and quick motions from the guitars and lyrics that sound like they come out of a man who was just beaten down by love.

An hour long set ended and an audience full of mid-to-late twenties begged for more. At one point they actually randomly started chanting a soccer saying, which was odd, but apparently effective. After a quicker than the normal “fashionable wait for encore” time, the boys were promptly back on stage. While the wait was shorter than normal, the encore was longer. Six songs made it on the list, like the song “Film Noir.” A song that was positioned for a guitar solo, however this solo was surprisingly impressive. Though fairly simplistic in nature, it screamed of 80s classic. It was the type of guitar talent similarly seen in a band like Cream. That type of rock faded for some punk rock gut wrenching screams so raw and raspy you’d swear it was Tim, veteran punk from Rise Against.

The night ended with their huge hit from The ’59 Sound album called “The Backseat.” It squeezed out what little energy that crowd had left with its choruses bursting with emotion and chord progressions that just wouldn’t let go. Those feet that were previously merely tapping had convinced the entire body to let go.

The masses of people that flocked to the show came without expectations. They only wanted to hear one of their favorite bands perform. No fancy effects or expensive equipment was needed. And that just what Gaslight was happy to do.

LISTEN!

Kevin Devine sits down with PodWreck at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City.

Shit gets interesting in this interview.

Then Kevin gives us two exclusive acoustic songs: including “Big Bad Man” from his newly released EP She Stayed As Steam along with a song from his side project with Manchester Orchestra, Bad Books, titled “You’re a Mirror I Cannot Avoid.”

ENJOY.

Photographer Scott Spychalski recently caught Stone Temple Pilots at Kansas City’s Midland Theatre. Here are some photos showcasing the performance:

OK Go knows how to define originality and while that is pretty much a given when it comes to their videos, I can officially attest that this quality also applies to their live show.

The dance rockers recently gave Kansas City a special Valentine’s treat – a free concert for the annual Afentra’s VD Party sponsored by 96.5 the Buzz.

This show wasn’t a typical Valentine’s Day affair. There were no heart-shaped balloons nor rose petal and candle decorations. Instead of the sappy romance, the Buzz decked the Midland out as if it were a dating service run out of a Cirilla’s or Dr. John’s shop. Singles were given ID cards, they set up ridiculous games such as condom racing and giant penis inflatables for a cock ring toss, and they made drink specials such as the “Blow Me Brian.”

Though it was a free show for 18 and over, the event quickly “sold out,” meaning the venue reached its roughly 2,500 capacity just after the first opener, the rock/hip hop group Paper Tongues finished playing. The trio in the Crash Kings had the privilege of playing to a full house early in the night, a rarity at events such as this where most usually wait to show up just in time for the headliner. This is a group that seems like it would have been yet another one of the genius side projects cooked up by Jack White and they played as if they had the years of stage experience that White carries. Crash Kings weren’t intimidated by the crowd and quickly captured the attention for all with their vocally-driven rock tunes. The instrumentation was light in arrangement, but executed with great skill. Though only three in number, the group found fullness with the typical instruments (guitar, drums) and with the aid of a few tricks such as a whammy bar (yes, a whammy bar) on the keyboard. Ending out with current radio single “Mountain Men,” Crash Kings played a strong and memorable set that ensured Kansas City knew why they are the “kings.”

Buzz show favorites Company of Thieves took to the stage next. The indie rockers that sing of pop culture and authors have played many shows for 96.5 the Buzz in Kansas City, so their set was a familiar one. The audience knew when to clap and sing and even dance – at times even mimicking the frontwoman’s trademark windmill arm dance move. CoT did play a few new songs, but despite the change ups, the performance was lackluster compared to what they’ve done for KC in the past. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t mind blowing either: the main fault being that their songs have a tendency to blend and that the vocals were getting muffled in the mix hitting the house.

When Ok Go walked on stage to begin their set, the simple entrance was a modest understatement to the bigness that was to come. The guys apologized if they seemed tired after flying to KC following a 4 a.m. work session for their second video to “This Too Shall Pass” (they still had paint splatters on their shoes from the shoot), but apologies were unnecessary. As stated earlier, this band is the definition of original and they quickly showed that despite this modest start, their live show would be just as unique as their videos. As a giant homage to their videos, the main set piece was a video screen that sometimes showed wallpaper patterns, but for the most part showed the video angle from a camera attached to singer Damian Kulash‘s microphone. The ridiculous camera angles made a fun backdrop as Kulash danced with microphone singing “White Knuckles” and “Get Over It” to get the show started.

Unsurprisingly, the audience roared with excitement when the band hit their stride and performed “Here It Goes Again,” which holds its own live without antics. It’s a well-crafted song: great guitar riffs, nice beat, great vocal harmonies, so the audience praise is deserved.

The first half of OK Go’s performance was about proving that they were a quality band without the gimmicks. With “Here It Goes Again,” they had confirmed with their near flawless performance that they are musicians first. After that the band seemed more content throwing in their personal flairs.

“I live in the future and tomorrow is Sunday. So, we thought we’d play the instrument that God, himself, invented: the hand bells,” said singer Damian Kulash as a the rest of the guys carried a large table draped in red cloth and covered in a full set of hand bells to the front center of the stage. “You need OK Go to save you.”

Now while it’s questionable if OK Go music can actually save souls, seeing four grown men put on gloves and hold a packed venue’s attention as they played “What to Do” with hand bells is a sort of a miracle and probably made a few souls smile.

After that impressive display, the band played a few more tunes before taking a break before the encore. Now this is what an encore is all about. Picture this: the venue lights are dark, but then, lights come on spelling “OK GO” across the center of the stage. As the opening chords to “WTF?” sound out across the speaker system, the light up letters break apart and it is revealed to be the backside of the jackets of the individual band members as the guys swivel to face the audience. The fun light display doesn’t stop there though, as the guitars and bass are decked out in fuzz, lasers and a neon light outline. As the guys danced playing their instruments, they made the lights dance on the walls and in turn, made the audience dance all the more.

The final song of the night said it all. These guys are “Invincible” when it comes to fresh ideas and a great live show.

Set List:
White Knuckles
Get Over It
Shortly Before the End
I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe
Oh Lately It’s So Quiet
Don’t Ask Me
Here it Goes Again
What To Do (Hand bells)
Last Leaf
This Too Shall Pass
Do What You Want
///
WTF?
Invincible