On Wednesday, July 9, I knew that as soon as I got off work I'd be racing home, taking care of my pets and then zip off to the House of Blues. I got there with a half hour left of happy hour and since the band's guestlists hadn't yet been submitted, I took to the bar for a couple beverages. In all my gripes about the venue, I still always love their happy hour and the bar staff there is always friendly and fun to see. As happy hour drew to a close, I made my way to the box office and got my tickets but there was no photo pass, so I made a couple quick calls, talked to security, they got in touch with the band's drummer who also acts as the tour manager, and I was covered.
I entered the venue and it was what I expected- 80% female. I guess the bands have a big MTV/CW presence as far as song placements go. There was no photo pit, so I had to make myself acrobatic and get in front of the railing. I guess I've gotten used to this, but I still don't like it.
The first band was The Bridges. The band is a five piece with 4 chicks up front and a guy on the skins. I really enjoyed this band with their 60s influenced pop/indie rock and their harmonies blended together while still being layered and complex.
Between bands I hung out in the Delta Room and by the time I made my way back out, all the girls were packed up toward the front, so I had to maneuver through to get back over the railing. Embarassingly and ungracefully made my way over.
Locksley is from Brooklyn, and unfortunately their CD didn't arrive until the day after the show, so I didn't really know what to expect of their set. For local music fans, I'd say they reminded me of The Strangers Six a bit with a little less punk and more garage, dancing all over the stage. These guys did not stand still once. They're songs are short, fast, and catchy as hell, and it was cute to hear the girls choosing their favorite Locksley boy.
After Locksley's set, they signed merch and took pictures with the fans (with those with camera phones or who managed to sneak them in, then they made their way to the Delta Room to chill out. I went in too, because like an idiot, I had put my camera in my back pocket and it dropped out as I'd jumped out of the railing so I busted my zoom. On my new camera. Grrr. It still works, but the shell on the camera condensed and it sticks when I zoom. This is why I do not buy expensive things. They never last very long for me. I've only had this camera a few short months but have already taken over 5000 pictures on it. Maybe by Christmas I can work on another one.
Rooney was headlining the night and I thought I had seen them before, but turns out I had completely mixed them up with another band. They were entertaining for sure, and the chick crowd loved their pop rock tunes but after my 3 song quota, I had my fill of chick-rock and cute bands and wished I'd known more of their catalog.
I stayed through their set but ducked out on the encore and made my way to U-31. I took a lot of pictures of the House of Blues show, so click on "keep on reading" to check those out.
The Bridges
Locksley
Rooney
1 comment:
I'm at 17,000+ shutter clicks on my camera after 1.5 years, so don't feel so bad :-)
The last time I did those acrobatics at HOB (for The National), I banged my crotch on the way out. I wish they would either always have a photo pit, or never have one, just so we know what to expect.
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