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Thursday, September 20, 2007
It took me five years to get around to seeing Interpol, but it wasn't for any lack of loving a healthy number of their songs. "PDA" and "Obstacle 1" (off their 2002 debut, "Turn On The Bright Lights") have found their way onto many a mix disc of mine, and while I wasn't as enamored with the follow-up (2004's "Antics"), I still figured I'd catch them on stage eventually. I just never made it a priority, and thinking about it, it may have been a combination of the conventional so-called wisdom that their stage presence lacked a certain spice, and my ever-increasing aversion to affectation, especially when it comes to a band's wardrobe (yes, this is coming from a guy who long ago flirted with his own goth phase, and actually donned a black trenchcoat). The day that tickets went on sale for their performance last week at Boston University's Agganis Arena, that particular morning I was ears-deep in their latest record, "Our Love To Admire", and by the time "Who Do You Think" rolled around, I made with the mouse clickin' to see what kind of seats were available. The new album is a marked improvement on "Antics" (although each would have made absolutely perfect EPs with some trimming), and knowing the band now had three discs worth of material to pull their live set from, a good spot on the arena's floor was enough to get me in attendance. When I arrived, after a paranoid pat-down from arena security (they made me ditch my man-bag, but seemingly had no interest in cameras or recording gear. I'm guessing they were primarily safeguarding against smuggled alcohol or weapons. And free Mentos samples.), Liars were already on stage, and making one hell of a racket. They're all about the cacophonous rock, but in the echo chamber of a not-yet-half-full arena space, it wasn't quite working. I'd imagine in a club, up close, and with a soundman who focused as much on their mix as the headliners, these guys would kill. Still, frontman Angus Andrews courted the crowd with a Paul Pierce Celtics jersey, and the fact that they gave it their all despite the environs was enough to get them solid applause from us early arrivals. Liars' sound mix had me prepared for the worst when the lights came down and Interpol took the stage -- without serious tweaks, it was going to be a muddy, imbalanced mess -- but my fears were fortunately unfounded. Whoever was behind the board worked wonders with the massive room, and from the 18th row it sounded as good as it could have in there. The band ran through all the expected singles and faves, with three old ones to close things out. Here's the entire set...  Interpol Live at Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 01. Intro 02. Pioneer to the Falls 03. Obstacle 1 04. C'Mere 05. NARC 06. Say Hello to the Angels 07. Pace is the Trick 08. Mammoth 09. Hands Away 10. No I in Threesome 11. Slow Hands 12. Rest My Chemistry 13. The Heinrich Maneuver 14. Evil 15. Not Even Jail encore... 16. NYC 17. Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down 18. PDA For those keeping score, that's a very even split between all three albums: six pulled from "Turn On The Bright Lights", five off of "Antics", and six from the latest. I was a little disappointed not to hear "Who Do You Think", but they made up for it slightly by delivering "Pace Is The Trick", another standout from the new stuff. Other high points were both "PDA" and "Obstacle 1", a fantastic "Rest My Chemistry", and main-set closer "Not Even Jail". "Evil" sounded a little loose, and, at least in the arena setting, a couple other songs (particularly "Mammoth" and "The Heinrich Maneuver") were victims of their own on-disc studio production -- the recorded versions are so full and punchy that their live performances paled a bit in comparison. Makes me sorry I waited so long to see 'em, and likely missed out on the chance to ever see them in a smaller, more powerful setting. Some Interpol links...
 the ol' footnote... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed. Labels: livemp3s  |
 neil halstead live in cambridge, ma on november 14th, 2008 previously: joy formidable - boston 2011 recent posts on the 'nac...
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