Click Click: TV on the Radio @ 9:30 Club
While I'm still not sure what to make of TV on the Radio, if the audience reaction to last night's show is any indication, I'm in the minority. The best band in the country lived up the hype last night at the 9:30 Club and also managed to do something that I haven't seen at a D.C. area show in quite some time; make the crowd move through their entire performance. Some people bobbed their heads, others jumped up and down and many others were dancing. It was good to see and a stark contrast to the city's sometimes deserved buttoned-up image.
Since I'm a total noob to the band and we reviewed their last show in D.C., I decided to interview some of the concert goers after the show to get their impressions. Read what they had to say and check out a few more photos after the jump.
Photos by Kyle Gustafson
First up are Brian and Vanessa, whom I caught milling about the club entrance after the gig.
DCist: How did you like the show?
Brian: We saw them the last time they played the 9:30 Club and I was surprised at how quickly they went from selling out one to two shows. It was a really fun show.
DCist: Was this show better than the last tour?
Brian: Vanessa saw them in Philly, I saw them here.
Vanessa: It was better than the Philly show because it was a smaller venue. But they were good both times.
DCist: I'm not a big fan of the CD, but they're great performers and I think they come across better live.
Brian: The way that he makes the loops with the pedals and his own voice, it's phenomenal.
Vanessa: They have an amazing stage presence. They're so animated.
DCist: What was the best part of the show or the best song?
Brian: Finishing the show with "Staring at the Sun" was awesome because that song has so much energy. They played a good mix of their material. It was a great show!
Next up are Signe and her friend Adrian, who were sharing a smoke before heading home.
DCist: So what did you think of the show?
Signe: I thought it was amazing. I had heard great things about them live and they completely exceeded my expectations. The encore was incredible.
DCist: What was your favorite part of the show?
Signe: The encore. They did this incredible breakdown with their drum play and not so many plugged-in instruments. It was more acoustic and it was just incredible. I wish more of the show had been done like that actually. It would have been more interesting. It gave the songs a different sound.
DCist: They are great performers. Their CD is so produced, I was wondering how they would pull it off live.
Signe: They use a lot of harmonies, "Ambulance" is basically doo-wop, and I was wondering if they would do stuff like that live. I noticed that most of the songs that have that kind of vocals weren't in the set list, which is unfortunate because they are my favorite. But I think the harmonies between the two singers were perfect. The lead singer was incredible, I didn't think he would be so good.
After chatting with those two I was about to head home when I bumped into blogger and TV celebrity Jamie Mottram. Naturally, I had to ask him what he thought of the show.
DCist: So what did you think?
Jamie: I thought the first few songs were exceptional, the middle third was a bit of a low point, I got lost a little bit but towards the end and the encore they brought me right back. But the first and thirds acts were exceptional.
DCist: Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the CD, but they were captivating performers.
Jamie: The wind chimes on the guitars was nice. And you don't see the drummer break out a flute and every show you go to. Or whatever that was.
DCist: Have you seen them before?
Jamie: I saw them open for someone before. Maybe The Faint? I'm not sure. This was my first full experience and I was pleased. The second song they played was really uptempo and the bass was causing beers to slide off the bar and things like that. I like the percussion on the album, it really stands out. So do the vocals. They have two vocalists that could front almost any band. And that's pretty impressive.
TV on the Radio are back at the 9:30 Club again tonight for another go 'round. The show is also sold out, so hit up your friend Craig if you want a ticket. Click here for more photos from last night's show.