Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Wolfmother at Viejas 05/08/07 Review

Where do I begin? I guess it all began in the parking lot drinking with the boys - AGAIN!

We arrived while the opener (Zombie Brides, I think) were on. We got to see the last two songs, but I really wasn't paying attention because I was distracted by the merchandise. I found it very cleverly placed. As soon as you walk in, it's to your left. You can't miss it. It's a great way to get people to buy, buy, buy. I unfortunately didn't buy anything because, well, the merchandise available online is much better than what they were offering. I did change my mind towards the end of the night, so I went to see if they had the hoodie in my size, but they were sold out. Good job guys!

I think that Wolfmother did an incredible job playing to a sold-out crowd in San Diego. They started with Dimension and then went right into their album favorites. They played a couple of new songs, but not too many. They basically stuck to their debut album. Rumor is that they are working on a new album - cross your fingers because if their news songs are any indication of what their next album is like, it will rock, rock, rock. And another rumor floating around is that they will be getting a new guitar player. I hope it's an addition and not a replacement.

They played for about an hour and a half and that's pretty good considering they only have one album out. At least half of the songs were stretched out beyond the recording time on the album, so it was interesting to see where they went with it. They have a lot of simple parts that they turned into these huge waves of sound. I found it great the first couple of times, but then I got a bit bored with it. I understand, but at the same time, eh.

The lead guitarist, Andrew Stockdale changed guitars at least 5 times, I stopped counting after 5. He used at least 3 different guitars, if not more. He even brought out a double-neck guitar and shredded away. I dug his guitar playing and I really liked the drumming of Myles Heskett. He kept it simple, yet complex and added the right touches when they were needed, and he was kind of cute. The surprise for me was the Bass player, Chris Ross. He was making me laugh. Everytime he jumped on the keys, he would explode. I mean he was throwing that thing around so hard I thought it was going to break and fall apart. I swear he had some sort of hydraulics on that thing!

The crowd went wild towards the end, especially when they played Woman. People were crowd surfing, especially the young ones. Didn't anyone tell them that if they get dropped, they fall hard? I don't think so because I saw one or two little boys limp away. hehehe It was very cute. I saw a lot of high school kids, elementary school kids, fathers and sons and boys that were more concerned with their hair than with the band. And we of course had our flashers. According to the boys I was with, it was nothing particular. I think the word flat-chested was mentioned.

Waiting in line to pick up some beer (3 for $24 - it was cheaper than Coors!), I overheard a guy talking to his friend about how "Wolfmother is our generations Led Zeppelin." I don't necesarilly agree with this. I think this statement is said over and over again because they sound so much like them, but they have their own sound, in their own right.

I truly loved this concert. I think it was money and time well spent. If you get a chance to see them, do it.

I took pictures, but they're shitty, so I won't waste time and post them.

Click if you want to check out Wolfmother's Website

No comments: