OF MONTREAL Played Roseland Ballroom

Of Montreal played a mind-drenching set at Roseland Ballroom last Friday night, leaving the crowd both perplexed by the setlist and in total awe of the most original live act I've seen this year. With a cavalcade of characters, props, and costumes - lead singer Kevin Barnes appeared almost nude, sitting atop a real-life white horse at one point - the band served as the orchestra to Barnes' theatrics, which at times were beyond silly, and at others, positively brilliant.

During the encore, Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT joined in (rushing over after MGMT opened for Beck at United Palace Theatre) for a rousing cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". And though that sounds like a recipe for disaster, it actually came off as impressively convincing.


Love is All had the pleasure of opening for Of Montreal, basking in the excitement of what may have been the largest crowd they've seen in the States. But when Of Montreal took the stage and led the room into its hallucinatory portal, many may have forgotten that Love is All were ever a part of their night.

More pictures...






Setlist:
[Total Time 1:47:25]
01 Introduction
02 Id Engager
03 So Begins Our Alabee
04 Triphallus, To Punctuate!
05 She’s a Rejecter
06 For Our Elegant Caste
07 Touched Something’s Hollow
08 An Eluardian Instance
09 Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse
10 Gallery Piece
11 Wraith Pinned To The Mist (And Other Games)
12 Women’s Studies Victims
13 St. Exquisite Confessions
14 Eros’ Entropic Tundra
15 Nonpareil Of Favor
16 October is Eternal
17 Wicked Wisdom
18 Disconnect the Dots
19 And I’ve Seen A Bloody Shadow
20 Plastis Wafers
21 Beware Our Nubile Miscreants
22 Mingusings
23 A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger
24 [encore break]
25 Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)*
26 Gronlandic Edit

*with Andrew VanWyngarden (MGMT)

Setlist courtesy of NYCtaper.com.

-photos by Scot Bowman and Derek Morris

MY BLOODY VALENTINE Rip Manhattan Apart

Last night Roseland Ballroom was the hottest place to be, not only in New York, but in the whole world. It is truly a Godsend that Kevin Shields reunited the original members of My Bloody Valentine for their first tour in 16 years. I feel especially lucky to have witnessed this epic return to the stage by one of the greatest bands of my lifetime. The 90 minute set (the first of two sold out nights at Roseland) was absolutely mesmerizing. From the captivating opener "I Only Said" to the mind-altering 20 minute wall-of-sound climax, this was an astounding show. Every song seemed to be a highlight, but some of those included ferocious and devastating renditions of classic tracks like "Only Shallow", "Soon", and "When You Sleep".


The previously mentioned wall-of-sound climax was unreal. With earplugs firmly intact, I felt like I was the guy at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey - traveling at light speed, trying to catch my breath and feeling the rumble of sound in every single part of my body, for twenty minutes. It was madness, like I was starting to lose my mind! Sensory overload in the most amazing way possible.

THE B-52'S Played Roseland Ballroom

The B-52's looked and sounded fantastic at the Roseland Ballroom last night. The crowd was extremely energetic and most were dressed up for Halloween. What a fun night!


The band premiered about six new songs from their forthcoming album "Funplex", including the title song, 'Pump', 'Juliet of the Spirits', 'Keep This Party Going', and 'Love in the Year 3000'.


Highlights from the set were the the opening number 'Party Out of Bounds', which was followed by a killer version of 'Mesopotamia', as well as 'Strobe Light', 'Roam', 'Give Me Back My Man' and 'Planet Claire'. And of course the place turned into an all out dance masquerade for their biggest hits 'Private Idaho', 'Love Shack', and 'Rock Lobster'.


Unfortunately we missed The Rapture, who opened the show. I heard they were great, but I've also seen them many times before.

-photos by Derek Morris