Browse 73996 Reviews & Comments (Page 3636)

Commenter   Comment   Posted On   Date  
 Ignatius Citizen Erased and The Globalist, is this real life? Muse / Phantogram Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius Caterpillars needed to hit the road so Zelfel took the closing slot. Awesome stage presence from Caterpillars. Last Zelfel show with Kallie Key on drums Knifight / Zelfel / Caterpillars Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius Sammy of Rat Rios has such a good voice, her bandmate is Robert Anthony of Honor System Leggy / R!U!O!K! / Rat Rios Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius JustNLongorio feat. EV Borman on bass and vocals New Zelfel tracks including Trump-related mix of soundbites. Sweet heavy rhythmic intro to Hot Glue New (to me) R!U!O!K! jams, I think one was called Psychonaut R!U!O!K! / Zelfel / JustNLongorio / EV Borman Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius Capital Cities: disco vibes. Kangaroo Court and Safe and Sound. Killer trumpet player KONGOS: heavy rock with an accordion, and lead singer on drums. I thought about the pros and cons of that dynamic, you have a drummer that can't always be as animated, but singing keeps you from being able to stray from the mic stand, in this case that's a non-issue Dirty Heads: sick reggae hip hop. I liked Medusa and Sloth's Revenge. Not exactly my thing but I'd like to see them again, great energy. And I've never seen a band playback a hyped remix specifically while they walk off stage, that was badass AWOLNATION: opened with Run (Beautiful Things). Trippy red/blue flashing lights. I love this band. Weezer: I'm less familiar with them and I think AWOL had more energy and should have closed the night, but it was a solid performance, the crowd loved it, and I recognized more songs than I expected. Definite artistry in his lyrics, they kept it down to earth but rockstar at the same time. Glad I got to see them. Dirty Heads / Judah & the Lion / KONGOS / Weezer / AWOLNATION / Capital Cities Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius My god, this was amazing. The big titles I have yet to play are A Link Between Worlds, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword; so those pieces weren't familiar to me. But the other four games (ALttP, OoT, MM, WW) have so many masterpieces and this performance brought them all together. All these little details in the arrangements, a powerful choir, and just the fact that Koji Kondo's works of art are being performed by actual instruments right in front of your face... It was all I could ever ask for. I just want to go play Ocarina of Time for the next month or so, and get all that out of my system :D Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius Judah & the Lion, I missed their set at How the Edge Stole Xmas, and damn they were good, they sang a lot about chasing dreams and maintaining a childlike spirit even though you have bills to pay as you grow up. Jon Bellion had many fans in the place, I was not expecting all the fangirling for an opener, but it actually just hyped me up with my male, 24-year-old self. I took it for what it is, his sound was impeccable. Seeing good hip hop live never fails to disappoint. All in all the set was similar to last year's Emotional Roadshow, but had enough surprises in store to definitely be worth it, and even if it were the same, I could watch that show again and again. Tyler's raw and unbounded passion for his craft, the love and visible appreciation that they have for their fans, the lights, the energy, the abs make for a mind-blowing, one-of-a-kind live show today. Twenty One Pilots / Jon Bellion / Judah & the Lion Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius Oh my God this show was perfect. Honeycomb makes impossible sounds from his mouth hole, Moon Hooch was flawless. And the vibes I got from my group and the dude on shrooms pretty much made it feel like I was rolling. Ben was adorable and a great dancer, I was very happy to meet him. I enjoyed giving two light shows and shared the gloves with Ben, and got to chat with Honeycomb, Michael and Wenzl. They both loved my tattoo and just exuded positive energy. I will be back next time and I hope it comes quickly. I wouldn't change a thing about the entire experience. I had an inexpressibly perfect 25th birthday today. Moon Hooch / Honeycomb Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius So Bayonne was incredible. He's from Austin and I hope he comes back to Dallas soon. He played loops and sang catchy melodies over them. Mad respect for Roger Sellers. I haven't considered myself a punk fan, but Beach Slang has made me reconsider. James' stage presence was awesome, I love me some wholesome banter, some Wonderwall while the stagehands get the bass working, and some chugging of vodka and juice. Nobody's Nothing. Find a way to be very tender with each other. I'll never forget, James Alex. Finally Minus the Bear. I was really looking forward to this since I realized they hit my current musical taste buds quite well. It was as good as I could expect, but it felt like it wasn't much different from listening to the studio versions, just with really loud bass and drums. But the guitarists got me hyped, I liked all the thumbs ups that the bassist threw out, and Jake Snider's very particular taste in gum: Dentyne Ice Arctic Chill. All in all, they seemed to be humble, decent, talented people, and I'm glad I took the chance to see that in action Beach Slang / Bayonne / Minus the Bear Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius This experience was awesome. Every attendee was given wireless headphones that received three channels from DJs spinning next to each other. And when you flipped the switch they would glow red, green or blue so your friends and strangers can know what you're dancing to. There was no open-air music playing, so you could very easily pull the headphones off and have a conversation or chill down, and they were decent headphones that you could really turn up when you wanted to. Blue was hip-hop/R&B, red was pre-2010 throwbacks, and green was top 40 hits and EDM. DJ Blaze was green which was my channel of choice, but I caught some good tracks from the other two. Blaze was on fire all night and kept his listeners hyped up. So this whole silent disco concept pretty much solves most of what makes clubbing unappealing to people like me, and adds neat elements to the experience. In a typical club, the music is loud and doesn't stop and for some DJs it is rarely creative, (by the way this is why I was a green-homie tonight, red and blue did not impress me much) so it is very difficult to have a conversation. I would normally resort to typing things out on my phone if I had to, but here I'd just pull the headphones off and relax about it. Also it was easier to let loose when everyone around you is indulging in the objectively weird act of club dancing with glowing headphones on. You had a volume control, and there was a people-watching element that you don't get in clubs, you can look through the crowd and see the groups of red, blue and green, you could wonder why the reds are spreading or dancing/cheering enthusiastically and then you switch to check it out. If it hooks you in, your switch adds to the virality of whatever red is currently spinning. There were times when there was even and segregated representation, and there were times when nearly every head was blue. It was fascinating to watch unfold, in a way that typical clubs just aren't. I definitely want to do this again. DJ Blaze / DJ AR / DJ DK Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius Holy Ones can play a guitar like nobodies business. And he had a way of telling stories between songs, very cool guy. I was just bothered that his guitar was excessively distorted. A lot of tone was lost and I just wanted it back because his technique was so smooth :( Now Mountain Goats... Wow. I admittedly keep their music on the back burner in general but seeing them play is pretty special. While I don't listen to much from All Hail West Texas, it's incredible to be surrounded by so many people singing every word of Color In Your Cheeks. It was a very indulgent setlist tonight: TWENTY SIX SONGS! TEN SONG ENCORE! I've become complacent with headlining bands playing about 16 songs or less, 26 songs that get louder and more emotionally taxing throughout, (with Rain In Soho and In The Craters On The Moon at the beginning no less) I just don't know how they pulled it off but they did. The songs from Goths were fantastic, and the way he introduced them, like Shelved, Unicorn Tolerance, and Wear Black, with classic Darnielle wit. I love that he's known how to write "gollum" in elvish runes since middle school. It was my first time seeing In The Craters On The Moon, (with Matt Douglas' hypnotic sax!) Broom People, See America Right, and You Were Cool live. Second time seeing Up The Wolves, (with the line "there's gonna come a day when you feel better, I promise you that") Game Shows Touch Our Lives, This Year, Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton, and Heel Turn 2. (this time with a full band extended outro, holy crap!) So many great songs in one night. It's about time I heard In The Craters On The Moon myself, I don't know what it is about that song, the Bottom of the Hill recording from 2008 just gets me every time, so I think being in that moment was the best experience of my Mountain Goats fandom. The Mountain Goats / Holy Ones Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius PVRIS was great, I don't know their songs so I couldn't hear the lyrics, but particularly the bassist and drummer were hyped. 30 Seconds To Mars I feel like I'm gonna undersell compared to Muse, but I guess that's just how good Muse is. Jared Leto was just amazing. Constant crowd interaction, acoustic performance of The Kill, fans onstage, Echelon flags dispersed in the crowd. Just a wholesome person that is clearly in his element, doing what he loves, spreading a feeling of unity through his music. Provehito in Altum. MUSE. What's particularly special about this show is it was streamed on Facebook, and viewers were voting between 3 pairs of songs to be played throughout the night. So we got Bliss when we could have gotten Plug In Baby, then Stockholm Syndrome instead of The Handler, and Undisclosed Desires beat out Dead Inside. I would have been pleased had any of the votes gone the other way but I think these were the ideal choices. Bliss, obviously because I've never seen it, while I've seen Plug In Baby twice and I'm aware it was a long-standing pillar of Muse setlists ever since OoS. I love Handler and Dead Inside but Stockholm Syndrome is badass and comes packaged with 3 outro riffs and a guitar being thrown, and I haven't seen it in 4 years. And he played an acoustic guitar during Undisclosed Desires which I was very pleased to hear. That song started out great and has gone through an evolution of live versions from the keytar to the minimalist electric drums and now this. Lovely. Beyond the voting gimmick, it was just an incredible show. Matt walked through the crowd during Starlight, 20 feet away from me and held hands with some lucky, classy chick for a whole 30 seconds. (I'm just fangirling like I've never fangirled before at all of that...) The visuals were on point (the 11 obelisk stage) and the sound quality. MY GOD the sound quality was impeccable. Every single song, I don't care how many times I've heard them I have to say that was the best performance I've seen of each of them. When the confetti went off during Mercy, that kind of thing doesn't usually do much for me, but this time it was just massive and I was genuinely moved by how beautiful that moment was. And I know I've seen the Globalist lead into Drones before, but that perfect combo will never get old. It then went straight from Drones to Uprising and closed with Knights of Cydonia. While Drones played I thought to myself about how Drones and New Kind of Kick both had Matt offstage and one of them is super dramatic and the other you just cannot take seriously. And I do share the same opinion as the fanbase on that song but I just kind of gave into the absurdity and said you know what, Muse can do whatever the fuck they want at this point, I'll love them for it. It was dumb but that was the point and I was entertained. This is the same guy who joins in on the joke that Soldier's Poem is the best song off of Absolution, what else do you expect? Thirty Seconds to Mars / Muse / PVRIS Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius Roy Montez is the resident DJ at Stereo Live, he spun some great tracks and kept it going hard the whole time he was on stage. Unfortunately it dragged on for 3 and a half hours and only left 90 minutes for Timmy Trumpet to play, so by midnight I was still hype enough for what Roy was dropping, but was basically just waiting for Timmy to come on. The whole thing kind of reinforced my aversion to clubbing. I'm not a fan of the crowds and the endlessly repetitive wubs of the club scene, so I will continue to only go to Stereo Live or Lizard Lounge when it's an artist I'm familiar with and want to see. All that being said, Timmy Trumpet was banging. He had that powerful, smooth live trumpet performance, ridiculous stage presence, he kept the crowd singing Freaks while they had technical difficulties. The complaint I might have is that it was a rigid setlist but with the A/V work and the hype energy he kept up, I didn't personally complain, it's more of a thing that I know other fans of EDM would notice. In the middle of his set, he played Numb by Linkin Park, and one of the last songs was a slow mix of Shadow of the Day, dedicated to Chester, with a BEAUTIFUL trumpet solo of the vocal melody. An unforgettable moment, the unity in the room was quite special. I am sad that the One More Light tour didn't happen, but most of all I just wish suicide wasn't a thing that anyone feels they ever need to resort to. Rest in peace, Chester. We all miss you. Timmy Trumpet / Roy Montez Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius James Arthur had won the X Factor UK awhile back. The song I recognized was Impossible, but he had a great set, I loved his accent, and the keyboard solo blew my mind. That guy made the thing sing like a guitar, mmm it was so good. Fitz was fantastic, with the sax and the funky cover of Sweet Dreams. Michael sang the wrong words at the start of The Walker, but he just played it off like "look how stupid that was" and I enjoyed it. Really energetic band As usual, the headliner gets a more elaborate stage setup than the openers, these guys literally disassembled a whole screen that was hanging in the middle of the stage to make room for the drumset and 5 times as many lights Ryan Tedder's voice is freakin heavenly, he hits so many high notes with a clean falsetto and nails his vocal runs. The only problem is he really loves his vocal runs and drawn out endings to songs. They're nice to hear but the middle of the show kinda dragged on for me. But the sound was as good as I was expecting, the lasers were nice, made me wish I went to more outdoor shows with lasers, like Muse in 2011. They shot confetti twice while the lasers were going, the first one was a very fine confetti that looked like glitter, it was the first time I'd seen glittery lasers, lol OneRepublic / Fitz and the Tantrums / James Arthur Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius I've been thinking lately that as long as a band has a good sound, I prefer a smaller bar show over these stadium tours, because you get more room to dance and are more likely to be able to meet and chat with them, included in the ticket price. I do love that about Moon Hooch, but Arcade Fire tonight reminded me how much I love a highly produced show with lights. This was the 3rd show I've seen "in the round", (honorable mention to The 2nd Law's inverted pyramid) and I'm currently kicking myself for leaving the U2 show early eight years ago because that must have been an amazing show. And comparing this show to the Drones tour, I have to say this one was on the same level, if not better. The Drones stage was visually stunning and technically cutting-edge, but you get a sense that Muse shows have gone beyond being about the music at all, whereas Arcade Fire's four pillars of lights were able to do so many cool things incredibly effectively but were unobtrusive of the band and the instruments. At the end of the day, 8 talented human beings were on the crowded stage performing for 2 hours straight. That puts a refreshing smile on my face. Wolf parade certainly caught my attention. I was looking them up during the show and wanted to buy one or two of their albums but they weren't at the merch table, sadly. Delicious Canadian indie rock, divided between the two songwriters in the band. I particularly liked You Are a Runner, and I Am My Father's Son. Spencer Krug's voice really shined on Valley Boy which is on the new album Cry Cry Cry coming out a week from now. I'm excited to check it out and see if I want to buy it Quick notes on the Arcade Fire set, I liked the blue/red aesthetic during Signs of Life, the light show during Reflektor, and Sprawl II gave me this euphoria that reminded me of when I saw David smiling during Mercy. It was just one of those perfect moments. Win Butler talked about playing Trees 15 years ago and they were unfortunately 2 hours late due to a breakdown so he dedicated a song to the one fan who was also there, lol. And he called out the crowd after playing Neon Bible: "This is the first time people have talked through that song, thank you Dallas. There's a first time for everything..." But the song that really stuck with me was Here Comes the Night Time. The bass was strong, the lights were entrancing, I caught the lyric "if there's no music up in heaven, then what's it for?". And especially there was a moment in the middle of the song where they took down the wrestling ring ropes and the energy just exploded from there. It felt exactly like the moment during New Born in 2010. I wasn't quite expecting to see another of those moments, especially from a band that I only really know one song of. Wolf Parade / Arcade Fire Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius This was a band that you could tell they were all professional musicians having done this for years. Great jams from Xan McCurdy on guitar and Vince DiFiore on trumpet and keyboards, (who really shined while playing Never There) and of course John McCrea practically conducting the whole stage in his truly one-of-a-kind fashion. They hold the present moment in high regard, discouraging the audience from using their phones if it meant they would later look at their own pictures and videos, wishing they had been there. Major respect, especially considering McCrea had been sick for weeks. The show had only one band, so if anyone decided to show up late to skip the opener, they cheated themselves, lol. I loved it from the first song, but once they played Long Time I really got into it. John forgot the second verse of Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle and asked for the first few words to get him started, then going into the next chorus he used "That's right! We need each other!" for his 'detached' line. It's really catchy to see him in action with those lines, calling for guitar, drums, trumpet. Really would have liked to see Jolene, but I appreciate them playing the songs they felt like playing. They did two notable audience participation segments. For Sick Of You on the right side were the minority escapists, singing "I--- wanna fly away" and on the left side were the bearers of hostility, singing "I'm so sick of you, so sick of me, I don't want to be with you". Then for the nana-nana-nana's of Short Skirt/Long Jacket, he encouraged each side to flip middle fingers while singing... So maybe I take back what I said about them being professional, lol. But certainly experienced and confident in what they were there for. Cake Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius Once we got inside the venue, things moved along pretty quickly; Lavender came on with an unfortunately short set, then a quick break before Jackson Whalan came out. The collaboration between acts was on the same level as the Gas Monkey show with Honeycomb. James played tablas for both openers, and made his clarinet sing like a siren between two Lavender Fields songs. Jackson brought two guys from Kansas City Beatbox Crew onstage, and Moon Hooch brought him back up later. It's these kinds of things that truly say "we know you don't come here just to listen to our studio releases", and it's what will keep me coming out for years to come. I vibed with Purple is the Color of my Energy, S.N.A.G. (Sensitive New Age Guy), On That Poly, and I Am One/Enter in my Prime. Moon Hooch did a kind of duel where Mike and Wenzl traded spots on the synth and sax. And just over and over they made variations to the songs that I listen to all the time. It was also my best time gloving in public, even without any audience. And as much as I hope Moon Hooch will grow in popularity for their sakes, I do cherish having plenty of space to dance freely at every show. I also got to give Wenzl a "cave music" kandi bracelet, and got to show James my tattoo Moon Hooch / Jackson Whalan / Lavender Fields Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius I knew it'd be a good show when K.Flay had a decent lightshow, and it could only get better with Grouplove and Imagine Dragons. K.Flay had a delicious bass sound, particularly on Black Wave. It felt like the passion and intensity of Dead Sara, but with more of a hip hop sound and voice. Her voice really reminds me of Lorde and Tove Lo, maybe a bit more gritty. Loved the words to High Enough. Definitely would like to see K.Flay again. Grouplove took awhile for me to get into their set. They had plenty of energy, but it was kind of a standard feel-good, let loose rock and roll show. I think I would enjoy listening to their albums but it wasn't doing much for me live. Then they played Ways To Go which was finally one I'd heard before. Tongue Tied as well, and they covered Sabotage and were like pushing each other and rolling around the stage. So I'd say it was a great set if you're a fan, but potentially falls short if you haven't listened to them before. I love when an undercard/opening band I'm not familiar with can hook me in through a live show and sadly that only happened with K.Flay tonight Usually they play hits or classics or whatever between sets, but I was digging the classical music that played before Imagine Dragons. Notably a Liszt Nocturne in Ab, and clarinet, cello and piano concertos, including Bach. Pretty well set the emotional stage for the Evolve tour... Dan Reynolds did quite a bit of talking, I wrote some of the things down to put here. First he talked about being fearless and leaving intolerance (racial, political, etc.) at the door, to come together in unity: "Tonight is about you, your family, your loved ones. It's about music, and that's it" Then while introducing Demons he talked about three things that are stigmatized today: depression, anxiety and therapy; "Let it be part of your journey, don't let it define you, and I promise you will go on to do all the things you want to do". Another bit of inspiration, they had bits of films in between songs and multiple times I heard my favorite Charlie Chaplin speech, ("more than cleverness, we need kindness", "you the people have the power, to create machines, to create happiness, to make this life free and beautiful...") as well as MLK's "I have a dream" and FDR's "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" And I haven't even gotten to the music yet, but let me talk about the lights first. So there was an angled grid of 5x6 square screens that somewhat reminded me of the Muse Resistance tour stage which I didn't get a chance to see, and the orange/green/blue aesthetic for Believer was so well executed. They also had 8 vertical strips of extremely bright lights; while playing Gold, they would leave lingering purple images on my retinas for a minute after being briefly blasted. I can only remember seeing lights that bright once before, I think at a Skillet show. The sound was everything you could hope from Imagine Dragons. In particular I loved the slap bass solo in Start Over, which was played in the midst of a storm of fog-filled bubbles, because of course it was. On Top of the World had me giddy to the max, especially when all the balloons came down from the 3rd level seats. It was pretty much that overwhelming euphoria I've gotten from seeing Muse play Mercy or Arcade Fire play Sprawl II; I LOVE that I've become so open to feeling that more and more often. And I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to do these things with my life. Imagine Dragons / Grouplove / K.Flay Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius This was one of those nights that was full of little moments. If it weren't for the amazing people in the crowd, I wouldn't bother with shows like these, except to fulfill a sort of unspoken pact I made with myself to see S3RL live at least once, since I had a track of his eight years ago. The music is great but I keep going back to EDM shows because the people are so kind and the energy is infectious. One thing that was a pleasant surprise was I rarely felt claustrophobic or encroached upon no matter where I was in this crowd of ravers. Always plenty of room to dance, everyone seemed to be naturally mindful of the personal space of strangers. PLUR is alive and well at Green Elephant. I don't remember many specifics of the music, but I know I liked Seven, Spunky Da Bunny, Ronin and Jimni Cricket's sets. Spunky and Ronin had some powerful bass vibes. And it was so special to me to see Tre (Seven) light up when I told him I was at Eskimo Pie back in 2009. He said that was the first show he ever organized. He's been in the DFW scene for so long and I'm just glad this is a thing I get to choose to do with my life. With any luck this certainly won't be the last time I hear DJ Seven spin... Return to Candy Mountain at The Green Elephant (November 17, 2017) Feb 23, 2019
 Ignatius Fun show, very theatrical and choreographed. Meant to put me in the holiday spirit, I'm not quite so impressionable, (I guess I count as one of the people she dedicated You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch to) but I did enjoy myself. Alexander Jean was a married couple with a guitar. Mark Ballas has been on Dancing with the Stars, most recently as Lindsey's partner, and it's great that he's so musical as well and has been able to go on this tour. Great voices, great songwriting, just pure talent and you can tell they love what they do. Nice arrangement of We Three Kings, with lovely vocal melodies, which was actually just released a few days ago and hit #1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart. Mark hit us with a gem from his time on broadway, singing Sherry from Jersey Boys. And I actually really liked Roses and Violets, they reached over and held hands at "I'm so sick of goodbye", and then looped the acoustic guitar and traded it out for an extended solo on the electric. I hadn't seen a loop pedal used without it being a huge gimmick before, it was effective. Lindsey Stirling's set was fantastic. They didn't take themselves too seriously, but put a lot of effort into the show. Crystallize was a treat, the orchestral percussion added a lot to that song. Elements was one of the first of the "ballet choreography" songs, and, just, it's so impressive that she can move like that and play like that at the same time. (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies and Carol of the Bells were also magical experiences) I Saw Three Ships/God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen was fun, they pulled a guy named Michael onstage and made him dance a jig, he killed it. Other fun moments were Eric Jackson and Aaron singing Baby It's Cold Outside, Chris as a Christmas tree, Luna in her sweater, and the toy instrument set. Notably the Harry Potter theme, Linus and Lucy and the Devil Went Down to Georgia. The wardrobe changes were all on point. Lindsey is just a wholly attractive person. Also, they had a local orchestra from Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy onstage for a few songs. Lindsey Stirling / Alexander Jean Feb 23, 2019