popwreckoning

Though Brandon Flowers isn’t free from haters, one thing was obvious Saturday night – he is loved by more.

The audience at Liberty Hall in Lawrence was a diverse group. Hipsters, bros, children, seniors – they were all united for this one show. And while there plenty of crushing women there, there were plenty simply there just because they like music; and, if you can believe it, there were even more guys in attendance than women.

Travis frontman Fran Healy opened the show with an acoustic set of Travis songs and solo material. Before each tune, he told  little anecdotes that ranged from his love of darts, his birthday party show the last time he was in Lawrence and turning vegetarian for Paul McCartney. The songs were pleasant, and easy to listen to with his lilting accent, but it were these stories that were most memorable.

Set List
Sing (Travis)
Sing Me to Sleep
Moonshine
Dear Diary (Travis)
As It Comes
Writing to Reach You
Buttercups

Brandon Flowers took to the stage and it seemed as though the amount of people in the venue had magically tripled. Looking around as he began the reflective, “On the Floor,” and seeing all the lips moving along, it was a great surprise to see that these people weren’t just there for the curiosity of seeing The Killers frontman. They actually knew the solo material! Another great surprise was seeing that joining Brandon’s backing band was KC local and former Ghosty guitarist Jake Blanton. Brandon even gave Blanton a special shout out later in the set right before an acoustic performance of the Killers’ “When You Were Young.”

Anyone at the show would be hard-pressed to criticize a moment of Flowers set. Sure it was just barely over an hour, but it contained essentially all the solo album material, a flawless cover of 80′s classic “Bette Davis Eyes” and two reworked Killers tunes. Flowers performed with a charismatic energy that carried him to jump on monitors, reach out to the crowd, perform quirky, but fun dance moves and perhaps the best part – a contagious smile. Vocally, he didn’t miss a beat — or a pitch. The solo material on recording has the alt country vibe that makes it fitting for a bar-type venue, but Flowers managed to carry these tunes to a higher level live. They were anthems. “Crossfire,” as a single could have been expected to be huge, but “Jilted Lovers” and “Playing with Fire” also exploded with their vocal intensity. “Was It Something I Said” and “Only the Young” turned the venue into a rocking dance party.

Flowers didn’t give quite as many anecdotes as his opener, but the few stories he did tell were interesting notes on the material. He explained the pilgrimage behind the beautiful “Magdalena” and his love of his home before “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas,” but the most fascinating story was about a song that almost didn’t happen: “The Clock Was Tickin.” This is a song about Flowers’ mother’s life. The song is a lively country song as it details how Jackie fell in love, raised all those kids, but then it slows down as the family has to say goodbye, before picking back up again. It’s kind of beautiful that he wrote a song that instead of mourning her death, celebrates her life. So why didn’t the studio want it to happen? Too country and too different they said. Which Flowers said was funny, because it is essentially the same tune as “Was It Something I Said?” Regardless of what the studio originally said or thought, everyone listening to that song that night would probably agree that they are glad that Flowers finished the song and shared it.

The night, of course, ended with the aforementioned “When You Were Young.” It was a perfect evening and for anyone who gets the chance, check out Brandon Flowers on tour. These songs only get better when you hear them live.

Set List:
On the Floor
Crossfire
Magdalena
Bette Davis Eyes
Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas
Was It Something I Said
Hard Enough
Losing Touch
Swallow It
Only the Young
Playing with Fire
///
Clock Was Tickin
When You Were Young (acoustic)

Chicago is not a stranger to Brandon Flowers. Last time the Killers‘ front man was in town with his band in 2009, he headlined the city’s three-day music festival: Lollapalooza – a festival that draws well over 200,000 people. At that festival, he danced around the stage in an audacious feathered jacket with thousands of people reciting back every single word to his songs that span a three-disc catalog (four, if including the B-sides album). Pyrotechnics and a state-of-the-art light show enhanced his performance. And though he was the center of attention, people were just as familiar and excited to see his band mates: Dave, Ronnie and Mark.

This time around, things were a little bit different.

Brandon Flowers was in Chicago, but instead of performing for thousands upon thousands of people, he was performing for less than 900 at a small club called Park West. Instead of fire, confetti and light up palm trees, he settled on a modest set where the only decoration was a flamingo on the bass drum’s head. The lights were modest red, blue and orange tones. His outfit was toned down to a plaid shirt with suspenders. The songs were unfamiliar – the words almost foreign to the usually well-learned tongues of the fans. Then perhaps, the biggest adjustment: no where in sight were Dave, Ronnie and Mark. This was Brandon Flowers solo.

After waiting 45 minutes without an opener, his touring band (featuring some members of The Red Romance/Ex-Ambulance LTD, The Neighbors, and other musicians) took to their spots and began playing the slow tempo-ed “On the Floor.” Flowers slowly gantered out on the dark stage, singing the Johnny Cash-esque song. For early critics of the Killers that said he sounded too British, his southwestern accent is really apparent in these more open-sounding solo songs. He has a bit of a warble, or an almost alt-country tinge to the usual expectation of the glitzed up pop rock songs of his regular band, which is what  many may have been expecting. From the already released single, “Crossfire,” it didn’t seem like his solo material would be too far a departure from the Killers. “Crossfire” is catchy, laden with guitar hooks and danceable. Actually, it’s very danceable, as the audience showed when Flowers followed “On the Floor” with it. It was fun to see a wave of confidence wash over him when it came time for this song. He flashed a half-smile as the audience began singing along and chuckled as fans cheered at some of the more forward-lines: “Watching your dress”and “lay your body down next to mine.” He finally took his hands out of the pockets of his suspendered-pants and started moving around the stage more. For a front man of one of the biggest rock bands in the world, the guy is surprisingly shy and confidence-lacking at times (hence why he is doing a “warm-up” tour), but this is just one of the more endearing features of Flowers.

He didn’t talk too much in between songs. At the beginning, he mumbled a “We’re performing new songs tonight. You won’t really be familiar with these. Well, I guess, some of you are familiar.” And he did wish a “Happy Birthday” to a girl with a sign. This just made the two times that he actually talked to the crowd all the more poignant. The first came right before “Magdalena.” He explained how he learned of a pilgrimage that takes place in Mexico every October. People go to ask for forgiveness for sins or blessings for their loved ones. They walk 60 miles along this sacred road to the town of Magdalena. Flowers spoke to one man about his journey and composed a song about his story. This is one of his best lyrical masterpieces. From the opening, “Please don’t tell me I can’t make it. It ain’t gonna do me any good,” to the more pleading lines, “Tell him that I made the journey. Tell him that my heart is true. I’d like his blessing of forgiveness before the angel’s send a crew,” to a beautiful line of slipping up and sinning again, “And if I should fall to temptation / when I return to the evil throes / from Nogales to Magdalena / as a two-timed beggar, I will go,” it is just a well-crafted story. “Oh-oh-ohs” also make it a fun singalong. As one of his best songs to date, it’s a pity that the religious elements will keep it from being a standout radio pick.
Magdalena with intro:

Since “Crossfire” was so early in the set and the solo songs were mostly unfamiliar. Flowers and co. threw in a few surprise treats. The first was a stripped down cover of Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes.” This fit his style well and most importantly, it introduced his younger fans to a great, classic song that they might not otherwise had known about. After the moody rocker “Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts,” the Springsteenian “Something I Said,” and the rock alt-country doozy “Hard Enough,” (who’s album version features indie darling Jenny Lewis), Flowers gave fans another treat. A long intro with a steady drum beat and guitars tricked the audience thinking that this was another new song, but then Flowers sang, “Console me in my darkest hour.” It takes a strong song to go through a massive stylistic overhaul like what Flowers did here, but “Losing Touch,” off the Killers’ Day & Age was a sweet addition to the set. The brassy flairs and bombastic instrumentation was stripped to fit the style of the of the show, and while many will argue that the original recording is, of course, superior, this version was awesome in its own right. The ending was especially great with the backing vocalists going back and forth with Flowers like it was a conversation, “I’m losing touch!” he’d sing and they’d respond, “But you made your way back home!”

The recently released on iTunes “Swallow It” and “Playing with Fire” ended out the set. The plucky start to “Swallow It” and a quality of cheesiness to the lyrics make this one of his weaker songs in comparison to the rest, but it does grow into better piece as more layers are added. As for “Playing with Fire,” there really could not have been a better pick to end the set. Just as there is always one Killers song on each album that starts small before growing into a giant full out chorus that epically repeats at the most rocking part of the song, Flowers has that for his solo album. In spirit, it’s the “All These Things That I’ve Done” to the solo album (emphasis on spirit, this isn’t a comparison of musical sound type). Flowers really got into this one and climbed on an amp before hopping down at the end thanking the crowd and high-fiving a few hands with the front row on his way off stage.

After “Playing with Fire,” some started to leave. This was the 5th of these warm-up shows, and thus far, Flowers hadn’t been doing an encore. However, at some point during the set, Brandon told his second story (the first being that of Magdalena) and this story foreshadowed the evening’s final surprise. It was story of how the band had traveled from California to get to Chicago. It was a two-day drive, and during the trip, they camped. “We camped, told stories, and made experimental s’mores,” said Flowers. “But we also practiced and played around with some acoustic tunes, which may be to your benefit later.” At the time, it was a weird thing to say during the set, and must just chuckled at the phrase of “experimental s’mores,” quickly forgetting the bit about “to your benefit later.” Well, Flowers didn’t forget and he quickly re-appeared for an encore, accompanied by one other musician on acoustic guitar. He then debuted an acoustic version of the popular Killers’ song “When You Were Young.” It was like ending with a big campfire singalong – like he was transporting the audience back to his trip through the mountains from California to Chicago, gathering everyone around to sing and make “experimental s’mores.”

“When You Were Young” acoustic encore:

Really the only complaint that one could have is that this show was too brief, especially at the ticket price, but with two Killers’ songs and a cover, Flowers did his best to make it as full and great an experience as possible. Really, could anyone ask for a more intimate experience at a show? Here’s hoping that he takes some confidence from these warm-up shows and does a more complete tour once the debut solo album, Flamingo, drops Sept 14.

Set List:
On the Floor
Crossfire
Magdalena
Bette Davis Eyes (Kim Carnes cover)
Jilted Loves and Broken Hearts
Something I Said
Hard Enough
Losing Touch
Swallow It
Playing with Fire
–
When You Were Young (acoustic)

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.

30 Seconds to Mars’ tour with Neon Trees and Mutemath is a phenomenal tour with edgy, rock anthems. The bands on this tour deliver equally energetic performances with enough variety of a music to make for an entertaining night. I recently caught up to the tour in Omaha, Nebraska at Sokol Auditorium.

Though Neon Trees haven’t been a part of the music world as long as the other bands on the tour, they perform like they’re veterans. The group just released their debut album Habits and performed a fun set with big guitars, big drums and even bigger singalong choruses. The group has the performance energy and sound of a mix of The Killers and Head Automatica.
The group did a great job amping up their crowd. Not only was their music enjoyable, but so was their interaction with the audience. “It’s nice to be back here in Omaha,” said lead singer Tyler Glenn. “I used to live here. Elkhorn to be exact. That’s right, I’m legit,” the audience laughed and cheered at his homage to the small neighboring town.

“Let me see your claws, c’mon, I know you’ve all got a wild side,” Tyler then encouraged the audience before performing the group’s single. A sea of arms shot claw hands into the air, while the audience let out a big roar. Tyler then led the audience through the catchy single, “Animal,” while promenading out in front of the band’s set up on the speakers. The animated singer’s dynamic movements were contagious and got the audience moving along. Though “Animal” was the best known tune of the night, their best performance came on their set closer, “Sins of My Youth.” An extended ending and enhanced instrumental support made this song extra entertaining. When Neon Trees was all said and done, you could still here some audience members begging for more, a well-deserved compliment for a new band.
Neon Trees Set List:
Love and Affection
1983
Animal
In the Next Room
Your Surrender
Sins of My Youth
Mutemath’s music is a bit tamer then Neon Trees, but their set was still as explosive. Anytime you see someone begin their set up ritual by ducktaping headphones to their head, you know you’ll be in for an interseting time. The piano rock group made waves a few years ago with a unique video for their song “Typical,” in which they learned their parts backwards to record the whole thing. Now, while Omaha didn’t get any such reenactment, the band still had several tricks up their sleeves. When a drum stool was knocked over, the problem was resolved by sitting on a drum.

Members played with a freshness that teetered inbetween a reckless abandon—when done with some unidentified noisemaker, they simply tossed it off into the crowd—and controlled skill—some of those piano riffs would make classical composers blush. They stood apart from other touring bands these days by showing a grasp on dynamics lost on many as they swelled up from a soft piano dynamic into the fortes of their choruses. They are one of the more technically advanced bands I’ve had the pleasure of seeing, but as I said earlier, they’re not so caught up in the technical aspects that they lose the spontaneity that makes music fun.
Mutemath Set List:
The Nerve
Armstice
Chaos
The Fight
Spotlight
Reset
Typical
Break
A white curtain shrouded the stage before 30 Seconds to Mars began their set. As the intro music began, the outline of the mohawked lead singer, Jared Leto, appeared with arms outstretched to each side. Then in a swell swoop, his arms swung up above his head and then down, and with their downward movement, the curtain dropped revealing the full band performing “The Escape.” The next 90-minute set was filled with the band’s atmospheric rock anthems. As a band, they’ve improved so much since the last time I saw them over five years. They’ve gotten tighter and more controlled in their performance. As a frontman, Leto seems to have really gotten his act together, although I must question his decision to rock a pink mohawk. As a band, they really seemed to be about their fans this time, a sentiment I didn’t necessarily get the first time I saw them.
Leto began just singing the first few tunes, but donned a guitar for a majority of the set. About midway through the set, the band disappeared leaving Leto alone on stage with guitar as he took audience request. At least he tried to take audience requests, but I think the crowd was a little skeptical, so Leto just played a few through a few songs acoustic. Then 30 Seconds to Mars perhaps played its most bad ass of performances: “Bad Romance” acoustic morphed into “The Kill.” Yes, Leto went a little Gaga. The band returned and they replayed “The Kill” as a full band. It was a fun variation for the middle of a set.

My only disappointment came when Leto announced that this show was “stolen from Kansas City.” I just drove three hours to Omaha for a show that could have been in my town? Alas. You guys owe us KC kids a show.

30 Seconds to Mars Set List (as listed, but not exact order of performance):
Escape
Night of the Hunter
Attack
Vox Populi
From Yesterday
Beautiful Lie
This Is War
Acoustic Set – various songs, including Lady Gaga cover
The Kill
Closer to the Edge
Search and Destroy
Buddah for Mary
Fantasy
///
Kings and Queens

As much as I like to believe I’m an expert at finding out about bands before the rest of the masses, I found out about Fanfarlo just like many others in Kansas: the radio.

“Harold T. Wilkins” started picking up rotation on 96.5 the Buzz and I was hooked by the indie folk goodness that somehow managed to put me in a brilliantly chipper mood despite the dour lyrics of an empty life:

“Your dreams will become part of the future and coincide with the past
You spend all your time by the radio waiting for the signal
But inside, you’ll always feel the same, even when you wake up”

Beautiful, but cold and almost too close to my mood on my worst days. But like I said, instead of getting depressed and withdrawing further into a personal shell, the guy-girl harmonies, the piano, violin, the acoustic guitar and occasional brass instrument blare put a smile on my face.

Now as much as I love this band, I found myself in a bit of a predicament for their Kansas City show. Long before they had announced they’d be playing the Record Bar, I had purchased to see Passion Pit – a vastly different band – up the street on the same night. I decided to take a gamble and the second Passion Pit ended, I ran too Fanfarlo.

My timing was perfect. The sextet had just finished tuning the violin to carry at a respectable volume with the other instruments (I know from experience how difficult it can be to set this up).

Now I don’t know what happened to this band that they have such bleak and jaded lyrics, “And so we’re running down our street, arms stretched out to the sky /Antennas for the poison and the lies /The delinquency of time,” but it makes for a good album and show.

“Drowning Men” started off the set and true to the radio single, the group modestly played a song with weighty lyrics over chipper indie music. They switched places and instruments between songs, showing they were a band with more talent and tricks than expected. They stuck to songs off of Reservoir and a few new tunes. They spoke little, except to say that it was a special night – the birthday of Simon Balthazar - who for all the weathered emotions and years of practice and skill his singing and guitar work exude, managed to show little of the beatings of time on his youthful face.

When the group ended with “Luna,” the crowd cheered for more, but Fanfarlo had exhausted their rehearsed song list. With Kansas City left aching for more tunes, I can only imagine how much bigger their show will be the next time they come to town.

Set List:
Drowning Men
I’m a Pilot
Finish Line
Harold T. Wilkins
We Live By the Lake
The Walls Are Coming Down
Atlas
Waiting in the Wings
Comets
Fire Escape
Luna

For a long time I’ve been terribly depressed that I had never seen My Morning Jacket live, but for a long time that wasn’t my fault. The band just never seemed to have a tour that included Kansas City.

Last February, I was given a small taste of the amazingness that is Jim James when he performed a few solo numbers in between group numbers with Conor Oberst and M Ward. Although Oberst was the headliner, James stole the show in those few songs. And to think he just showed up for fun; he wasn’t even on the bill! This small sample just made me even more eager to witness the full band as I could only imagine how much better that would be if James alone could sound that good.

Fortunately, MMJ finally decided to include Kansas City in their tour plans and they more than made it up to the city for skipping us for so long by putting on a spectacular show and by pairing up with a local radio station to offer a sound check party.

Now, I’ve been to sound checks before and they have been less than stellar, but MMJ didn’t just do a sound check: they did a show with lights and everything. The band played through five or six complete songs and in between, James would ask the intimate group of about 15, if they were enjoying it or had any questions for the band. Once the sound check was over, the entire band came down to shake hands with the audience. It is nice to see a band be that respectful to their fans. I think James best described the experience when he said, “Sound check parties are always poppin’.”

To see a sound check that was filled with as much passion as a real show, I knew the rest of the evening was going to be great. The venue was packed for the actual show, so it was quite a turn around from what I had just experienced and MMJ took the stage to an ecstatic crowd, skipping the usual formality of having an opening act. I guess when you are as good as MMJ, you don’t need to worry about having some other person warm up your crowd: your fans come ready.

They kicked off the show with the title track from their new album Evil Urges and were accompanied by a light show that rivals that of Muse. The backdrop had two very creepy eyes that would turn blood red at varying times. Enough about the light show, I was there for the band of which I was enamored with from the first moment that James tilted his head back and let out a yell.

Next, they played their radio hit from the previous album “Off the Record,” which seemed mild until the band finished with an intense jam session that had James spinning around the stage. Every member of the band was a blast to watch as they rocked out, but James stood out in his phenomenal stage presence. The guy seriously covered every square inch of the stage. When the stage wasn’t big enough for him, he would create his own playing space, climbing out into the crowd and even disappearing on one song before reemerging on a balcony above the crowd, ripping into yet another impressive guitar riff. The balcony was an impressive feat since the only way to get up there is by a small ladder, which would be extremely difficult to do with a guitar.

The set had a great balance of old and new songs, folk and electronic, and James’ normal register and falsetto. After playing through a two hour set, the guys still had the energy to put on a five song encore.

I don’t think I can say “amazing” enough to describe this show and I would definitely try to see them. However, if you are prone to seizures you might want to sit this one out. The lights do get a little intense.

Set list:
Evil Urges
Off the Record
Gideon
The Way He sings
Touch Me Pt. 1
Masterplan
I’m Amazed
Thank You Too
Sec Walkin
Two halves
Laylow
Aluminum Park
Mahgeetah
Just One Thing
Look at You (ACC)
Golden
Phone Went West
Steam Engine
Smokin From Shootin
Touch Me Pt. 2
//
Wordless Chorus
Highly Suspicious
Anytime
Run Thru
One Big Holiday

My Morning Jacket: website | myspace

Written by: Bethany