River of Toys Concert Review - Playback STL
Laura Hamlett
December 8, 2005
w/Llifehouse, Better Than Ezra, Sister Hazel, Lisa Loeb, Somnia
The Pageant, St. Louis, December 15, 2002 There were two main differences between tonight’s radio station holiday show and last night’s: one was readily apparent by the line of people waiting to enter the venue, in that tonight’s crowd was of the 30-something variety, whereas last night’s was primarily teens. The other quality I found striking was the attitude of the hosts: the River used their event to both thank their listeners and collect toys for charity. Overall, both factors contributed to a vastly different atmosphere inside the Pageant this second night.
The last handful of tickets available day of show sold out quickly, and we found ourselves in another packed concerthouse. Unlike the night before, though, we found no respite in the balcony.
Local boys Somnia opened the show with a brief, six-song set, most of it culled from their recently released EP. The fourpiece filled the big stage better than half the bands from the previous night; guitarist Mike Heeley was a whirling dervish, playing to the crowd at the lip of the stage, turned around and playing to his amp, or standing on the amp and swinging his hair. Highlights included “Tease,” “Hello Something,” and the feisty “Almighty” from their Rock EP.
Lisa Loeb was bandless; it was just her and her guitar, with a Hello Kitty doll on a Christmas-lighted stool nearby. Her eight songs were largely met with a steady stream of crowd chatter (making me wistful for the rap attentiveness of teenagers). Though she played songs from her latest release, Hello Lisa, including “Underdog” and “You Don’t Know Me,” the big highlights of her show were 1995 singles “Do You Sleep?” and “Stay.” In keeping with the holiday spirit, Loeb even offered a delicate rendition of “Jingle Bells”; still, her solo voice and single instrument were insufficient to fill the expanse of stage.
Here is where I have to make a confession: while I have always admired Sister Hazel for their harmonies (three- and four-part, often), I have found their music to be a little bland. After this show, I have revised my opinion of them; live, they are nothing short of spectacular. This band truly stole the show, as the four frontmen—guitarists, all (two electric, one acoustic, and one bass), each of whom takes turns on lead vocals and all of whom harmonize together beautifully—put on an inspiring display of talent and ingenuity. Truly, Sister Hazel were the first band of the night to break out of their mold: rather than try to fit as many songs into their allotted timeslot, they came out fully intending to entertain. Second on their bill was “Beautiful,” a catchy and, well, beautiful song. All four voices joined in harmony to deliver the opening lines of the Eagles’ “Seven Bridges Road” before launching into their own song. The effusive “Happy” ended with an extended jam; at one point, the band segued into the Police’s “So Lonely” then back to their own material. “All For You” began with an a cappella intro, after which the crowd sang the entire refrain by themselves; ending the set was the current single, “Change Your Mind.”
St. Louis favorites Better Than Ezra were up next. With four albums of catchy songs and a stage show that always feels spur-of-the-moment and unrehearsed, BTE seemed to be the crowd’s choice for a headliner. Opening with “Misunderstood,” the second single from 2001’s Closer, the band was greeted with enthusiastic cheers and word-for-word singalongs. They followed this with “Good,” the song that started it all back in 1995. In the middle of “Extra Ordinary,” the band slipped seamlessly into a cover of the Outkast song “Ms. Jackson”; with his unique and versatile voice, Kevin Griffin could—and frequently does—cover just about anyone. After “At the Stars”—the most requested song for that night’s show, from a poll on the band’s Web site—Griffin thanked us for coming out on a Sunday night, when we “could be at home, watching The Sopranos.” As they have done in the past, the band called a member of the audience onstage to play guitar with them during “This Time of Year”; they finished with the ever-haunting “Desperately Wanting.”
After an irritatingly long break, Lifehouse finally took the stage. Each of the three frontmen had a full-size ornamental rug on which to stand and play, which made me wonder what amenities they had in their dressing room. Although a portion of the crowd had begun to filter out, most of the audience stuck around for the youngsters’ set, only their second appearance in St. Louis. Though comprised of talented musicians and songwriters—a symphony of sounds swirled from just four instruments—their stage performance was unengaging and somewhat unimaginative. Still, I was ecstatic to hear “Sick Cycle Carousel,” a strong song from 2000’s No Name Face. Singer/songwriter Jason Wade has one of the strongest voices in rock today, as evidenced by his soulful performance on “Am I Ever Gonna Find Out” and “Just Another Name.” The high-energy “Spin,” in current rotation on the River, finally got the crowd moving. Of course, the overplayed but still lovely “Hanging by a Moment” garnered the prime spot as it finished the night.
Tonight, there was no crowd surfing, no mosh pit, no pushing or shoving on the dance floor. In fact, there was very little dancing at all; sadly, many of the attendees chose this night as their chance to drink and catch up with friends—and if there happened to be music in the background, then so be it. On the whole, though, it was a solid night of entertainment from some relevant and lasting musicians.
December 8, 2005
w/Llifehouse, Better Than Ezra, Sister Hazel, Lisa Loeb, Somnia
The Pageant, St. Louis, December 15, 2002 There were two main differences between tonight’s radio station holiday show and last night’s: one was readily apparent by the line of people waiting to enter the venue, in that tonight’s crowd was of the 30-something variety, whereas last night’s was primarily teens. The other quality I found striking was the attitude of the hosts: the River used their event to both thank their listeners and collect toys for charity. Overall, both factors contributed to a vastly different atmosphere inside the Pageant this second night.
The last handful of tickets available day of show sold out quickly, and we found ourselves in another packed concerthouse. Unlike the night before, though, we found no respite in the balcony.
Local boys Somnia opened the show with a brief, six-song set, most of it culled from their recently released EP. The fourpiece filled the big stage better than half the bands from the previous night; guitarist Mike Heeley was a whirling dervish, playing to the crowd at the lip of the stage, turned around and playing to his amp, or standing on the amp and swinging his hair. Highlights included “Tease,” “Hello Something,” and the feisty “Almighty” from their Rock EP.
Lisa Loeb was bandless; it was just her and her guitar, with a Hello Kitty doll on a Christmas-lighted stool nearby. Her eight songs were largely met with a steady stream of crowd chatter (making me wistful for the rap attentiveness of teenagers). Though she played songs from her latest release, Hello Lisa, including “Underdog” and “You Don’t Know Me,” the big highlights of her show were 1995 singles “Do You Sleep?” and “Stay.” In keeping with the holiday spirit, Loeb even offered a delicate rendition of “Jingle Bells”; still, her solo voice and single instrument were insufficient to fill the expanse of stage.
Here is where I have to make a confession: while I have always admired Sister Hazel for their harmonies (three- and four-part, often), I have found their music to be a little bland. After this show, I have revised my opinion of them; live, they are nothing short of spectacular. This band truly stole the show, as the four frontmen—guitarists, all (two electric, one acoustic, and one bass), each of whom takes turns on lead vocals and all of whom harmonize together beautifully—put on an inspiring display of talent and ingenuity. Truly, Sister Hazel were the first band of the night to break out of their mold: rather than try to fit as many songs into their allotted timeslot, they came out fully intending to entertain. Second on their bill was “Beautiful,” a catchy and, well, beautiful song. All four voices joined in harmony to deliver the opening lines of the Eagles’ “Seven Bridges Road” before launching into their own song. The effusive “Happy” ended with an extended jam; at one point, the band segued into the Police’s “So Lonely” then back to their own material. “All For You” began with an a cappella intro, after which the crowd sang the entire refrain by themselves; ending the set was the current single, “Change Your Mind.”
St. Louis favorites Better Than Ezra were up next. With four albums of catchy songs and a stage show that always feels spur-of-the-moment and unrehearsed, BTE seemed to be the crowd’s choice for a headliner. Opening with “Misunderstood,” the second single from 2001’s Closer, the band was greeted with enthusiastic cheers and word-for-word singalongs. They followed this with “Good,” the song that started it all back in 1995. In the middle of “Extra Ordinary,” the band slipped seamlessly into a cover of the Outkast song “Ms. Jackson”; with his unique and versatile voice, Kevin Griffin could—and frequently does—cover just about anyone. After “At the Stars”—the most requested song for that night’s show, from a poll on the band’s Web site—Griffin thanked us for coming out on a Sunday night, when we “could be at home, watching The Sopranos.” As they have done in the past, the band called a member of the audience onstage to play guitar with them during “This Time of Year”; they finished with the ever-haunting “Desperately Wanting.”
After an irritatingly long break, Lifehouse finally took the stage. Each of the three frontmen had a full-size ornamental rug on which to stand and play, which made me wonder what amenities they had in their dressing room. Although a portion of the crowd had begun to filter out, most of the audience stuck around for the youngsters’ set, only their second appearance in St. Louis. Though comprised of talented musicians and songwriters—a symphony of sounds swirled from just four instruments—their stage performance was unengaging and somewhat unimaginative. Still, I was ecstatic to hear “Sick Cycle Carousel,” a strong song from 2000’s No Name Face. Singer/songwriter Jason Wade has one of the strongest voices in rock today, as evidenced by his soulful performance on “Am I Ever Gonna Find Out” and “Just Another Name.” The high-energy “Spin,” in current rotation on the River, finally got the crowd moving. Of course, the overplayed but still lovely “Hanging by a Moment” garnered the prime spot as it finished the night.
Tonight, there was no crowd surfing, no mosh pit, no pushing or shoving on the dance floor. In fact, there was very little dancing at all; sadly, many of the attendees chose this night as their chance to drink and catch up with friends—and if there happened to be music in the background, then so be it. On the whole, though, it was a solid night of entertainment from some relevant and lasting musicians.