Death Cab for Cutie - Live at the McDonald Theatre - Eugene, OR - 04.19.2008

This Death Cab concert was the furthest I have ever traveled for a show, which was only like 2 hours away, but that's still a ways for me. There was no way that I could stay home because there might not be another chance to see them in a smaller venue again. The last time I saw them it was at some big place by the Rose Garden (the Coliseum?), and although the music was great, there was a great detachment from the show because of the basketball game-ish atmosphere. So this was definitely a special occasion for any Death Cab fan. The new songs off of the upcoming album Narrow Stairs sound fabulous and they get me even more excited for it to come out.

I'm not entirely happy with the audio because it could be better. The sound quality at the McDonald Theatre was kind of poor and it was hard to hear the vocals at moments, but that happens. Meh. At least they had good booze.

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Setlist:

Bixby Canyon Bridge
The New Year
Why You'd Want To Live Here
Photobooth
Crooked Teeth
Long Division
A Movie Script Ending
Talking Bird / Grapevine Fires
Soul Meets Body
I Will Follow You Into The Dark
I Will Possess Your Heart
No Sunlight
Company Calls
The Sound of Settling
Marching Bands of Manhattan
Encore Break
Title and Registration
Your New Twin Size Bed
405 / Your Heart Is An Empty Room
Transatlanticism

The Decemberists - Live at The Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR, 01.22.2008

After some initial disappointment over the cancelled Decemberists shows in December, I was thrilled to see that they would make it up to Portland with these January shows. I've been listening to the Decemberists for a few years now, but this was the first time I've seen them live. Last year I had tickets to see them two nights in a row, but the first night my stats exam took the life out of me and the second night I skipped because my research got rejected from an academic conference and I wasn't in the mood. Two very good reasons, of course (except probably not). I was kind of disappointed in myself for being a moody little girl because I knew I had missed two really good shows. So, it's been a long time coming.

I was kind of glad that they only played 4 songs from The Crane Wife, not because I have anything against those songs, but I was hoping for a diverse setlist that spanned their entire catalog. Surprisingly, the highlights of the show for me were the longer numbers; The Tain, The Chimbley Sweep. Usually my self-diagnosed ADD self isn't into long drawn-out songs, but this was different. First of all, The Tain and The Chimbley Sweep were fuckin' amazing. Secondly, it seems as if the Decemberists are capable of these epic songs because they don't just go on and on, but every moment is captivating. In addition to the music, Colin Meloy also kept the show interesting with taking over the drum kit at moments, and his interactions with audience (including going down the walkway that partitions the all ages and 21+ areas, and choreographing the arm-waving during The Perfect Crime). Overall, a fantastic show. Now you can listen to it, if you'd like.

MP3 Download

FLAC - It's over here

Setlist:

The Crane Wife 1 and 2/The Crane Wife 3
Billy Liar
The Legionnaire's Lament
The Engine Driver
Eli, The Barrow Boy
The Gymnast, High Above The Ground
Odalisque
O Valencia!
Leslie Anne Levine
The Chimbley Sweep
The Perfect Crime 2
The Tain

Encore:
California One / Youth And Beauty Brigade
I Was Meant For The Stage

Mics: sp-cmc-8 (hyper-cardioid; low-sensitivity). These were accompanied by a battery box (sp-spsb-8) with the bass roll-off set at 95hz.
Recorder: Microtrack 24/96
Originally recorded in wav format at 24/48. Then I did some shit (split up the tracks, normalized the audio), and then some more shit (converted to flac and mp3). And there you have it.

The Shins The Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR 12.12.2007

Yep. The show was pretty sweet. From the two times that I've seen the Shins, there doesn't seem to be anything spectacular about their live show, but the shows are fucking amazing just for the simple fact that it's The Shins performing live. And here's the recording:

Download the show in FLAC format
or
Download the show in MP3 format

Setlist:

Sea Legs
Caring is Creepy
Girl Inform Me
Kissing The Lipless
Gone For Good
Girl Sailor
New Slang
Saint Simon
Mine's Not A High Horse
When I Goose-Step
Turn On Me
A Comet Appears
Australia
Know Your Onion
Pam Berry/Phantom Limb

Encore:
Sleeping Lessons
The Past and Pending
Suffragette City
So Says I

Mics: sp-cmc-8 (hyper-cardioid; low-sensitivity). These were accompanied by a battery box (sp-spsb-8) with the bass roll-off set at 95hz.
Recorder: Microtrack 24/96
Originally recorded in wav format at 24/48. Then I did some shit (split up the tracks, normalized the audio), and then some more shit (converted to flac and mp3). And there you have it.

Tegan and Sara The Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR 12.04.2007

Blah blah blah, another fabulous Tegan and Sara show. They were the first concert I saw when I moved to Portland two years ago, and really started off my addiction with music (besides club music and hip-hop) and concerts. Before that I never saw any bands in high school or college because I just wasn't into it. The summer before I moved the only live acts I saw recently were Crystal Waters and Pepper Mashay during Pride weekend in SLC. And let me say, you can't beat a packed club with gay shirtless men, Crystal Waters, and 100% Pure Love.

Anyways...Tegan and Sara kicked ass, the show was sold out, and the crowd seemed to react well. Their live show has been known for their on-stage "banter", and they worked it well this night because they didn't go overboard with it. Of course, I like to hear their stories because they are funny and entertaining, but when you have a packed audience and probably a good number of casual fans, long drawn-out stories might not work well. They talked and were personable, but they were able to keep a proper balance without losing the crowd or the momentum of their performance.

Also, I was pretty stoked with The Con as the opening song. In the past it seems as if they were starting with Dark Come Soon, which is a slower song, and I felt as if The Con was a good, loud, fast opener that immediately captivated the crowd. Oh shit, I just realized they didn't even play Dark Come Soon. Oh well. Knife Going In was also missed, but hey, they can't play them all.

Oh, and during the show Tegan held a fake lottery to see who among their crew would not be making the trip to Australia, and on the last pick Tegan excitedly announced her name. Sorry, Australians, Tegan doesn't want to go see you.

There seemed to be a lot more movement at this show with people pushing forward through the crowd and people leaving. At one point there was some heightened pushing near me, and secretly I was wishing for a full-on brawl, but alas, nothing came of it (I'm game for multiple forms of entertainment in one night). Also, I'm always curious about the people that are always leaving during the middle of the show. Are the leaving for good? Getting some air? Having a smoke? C'mon, people, chainsmoke outside during the opening act and then you're set for the night. That's what I do. But damn, people always pushing to get past. I really don't like strangers touching me.

And here it is. I was testing out a new mic set at this show, and looking back, I probably should have set the bass roll-off at one setting higher due to the Crystal's shitty acoustics. Eh, whatev. I'm liking the new mics.

MP3 Download

FLAC Download Pt.1
FLAC Download Pt.2

Setlist:

Intro
The Con
Relief Next To Me
Are You Ten Years Ago
Hop A Plane
Burn Your Life Down
Floorplan
Like O Like H
Nineteen
Soil Soil
Speak Slow
I Bet It Stung
So Jealous
Where Does The Good Go
Monday Monday Monday
City Girl
Take Me Anywhere
Back In Your Head
Call It Off

Encore:
You Wouldn't Like Me
Walking With A Ghost
Living Room

Architecture In Helsinki Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR 10.30.2007

I ended up going to this show pretty much on a whim, because I'm not too familiar with Architecture in Helsinki. I have Fingers Crossed, but I don't really listen to it very often. Before I went to work on the morning of the show, I downloaded Places Like This (no worries, I ended up buying it) so I could listen to it on my fuckin' 50+ mile commute and decide if I wanted to go to the show. Within 30 seconds of listening, I knew I was going and felt like a dumbass that I wasn't already listening to them. Oh, and it was such a great show. I was amazed by their energy, and it was exhausting watching them jump around on the stage. Splitting up the tracks was interesting because I don't know them too well, and some songs seemed to flow right into the next one. I think I messed one up too...anyway, here it is:

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Set list:

One Heavy February
Red Turned White
Nothing's Wrong
It'5!
Like it or Not
Frenchy, I'm Faking
Beef In a Box
Debbie
Hold Music
Lazy (Lazy)
Live It Up
The Cemetary
Wishbone
Do the Whirlwind
(unknown title)
Neverevereverdid
Heart It Races

John Vanderslice Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR10.18.2007

How amazing is John Vanderslice? I became a fan when I got Pixel Revolt almost 2 years ago, and his new release, Emerald City, has quickly become one of my favorite albums. This was the first time I've seen him live, and it turned out to be such a great experience to see him perform. They played a good mix of new songs, along with some favorites from previous albums.

They ended the show by getting down into the crowd to perform an acoustic version of the song, Keep the Dream Alive. He told the audience "hey, we're going to play something really fucking quiet, so shut up" and the drummer commented that we were "one of the louder crowds in the history of the universe." It was well deserved because the crowd in the back towards the bar was kind of annoying, which I've found to be typical at the Doug Fir. Never the less, it was still a great show and I've never witnessed a violinist rockin' out so hard.

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Setlist:

Kookaburra
Time To Go
Tablespoon of Codeine
Exodus Damage
Angela
Trance Manual
The Tower
Dear Sarah Shu
Numbered Lithograph
Pale Horse
Up Above The Sea
They Won't Let Me Run
Underneath The Leaves
White Plains
White Dove
Time Travel Is Lonely
Keep The Dream Alive

Metric Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR 10.08.2007

It's been about a year and a half since I had last seen Metric live, so of course I was really looking forward to the show. It was a high energy performance and the crowd was really into it, which is important since crowd response can have a significant impact on a show. They played a good portion of new songs, and they sounded great. Usually, I'm not really into bands playing a lot of new material that I've never heard, but the songs ended up working really well. The only down point for me was Rock Me Now, mostly because it was over 10 minutes long, and my self-diagnosed A.D.D. can't handle that. Last time around Dead Disco was the 10+ minute closing song, and I am in love with that song and it's great live (well, the first few minutes), but I remember the whole time wondering when the song was going to end. So it's not the song that's the problem, but my low attention span and impatience. I should look into pills.

Download - Updated 11-4-07

Setlist:

Freddy*
Twilight*
Poster of a Girl
Dead Disco
Joyride*
Empty
Standing in Line*
Hustle Rose
Combat Baby
Give Me Sympathy*
Handshakes
Rock Me Now

Encore:
Monster Hospital
Stadium Love*

*New Song (titles may or may not be accurate. who knows)