A Month in Reviews

–

Editor’s Note: We put up the Exhibit A from the month of May because our June article about Petite-Nation Rockfest isn’t ready to go up yet. We’re very sorry for the delay, but it will be up very soon! We’ll let you all know on twitter as soon as it’s up, and don’t forget to check it out when we do! It will feature many bands including: Despised Icon, Vulgaires Machins, Malajube, Alexisonfire, Anti-Flag, The Sainte-Catherines and more!

May 2010 was a busy month for CONFRONT and the crew as we went to many shows!  Here are a few reviews of concerts we or CONFRONT readers went to.  More to come and also more new pictures soon!  Let us know what you think, especially if you were there!

Them Crooked Vultures – Montreal, Qc – May 12^th, 2010 – Metropolis
By Stéphanie C.

On May 12^th, 2010, not only did I get to watch one of the best hockey games of my life, but I saw Them Crooked Vultures, one of the best rock groups of the last couple of years.

I’m not going to comment the hockey game, because after all, this is a music-oriented web magazine, but the crowd was on fire, demonstrating their unconditional love for their team, as well as being objective enough to appreciate the level of music quality we witnessed at the Metropolis that night. Plus, Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones, Josh Homme and the backup musician were kind enough to wait until the game was over to blast the speakers with their catchy riffs and loud beats.

The ambiance was incredible; Josh Homme was the perfect host for this concert, talking to the fans by acting sexy, friendly…and really tipsy! Dave Grohl was in trance, delivering the perfect beats for every tune. And John Paul Jones…wow. What a honour to see such an important musician in the history of rock and roll be so cool and calm on stage. It seems as if his complex set of notes were so easy to do.

I personally had my greatest moments with “Mind Eraser, No Chaser”, “New Fang”,  “Scumbag Blues” and “No One Loves Me & Neither Do I”.

For those who want to know how could we compare a Them Crooked Vultures with a Queens of the Stone Age or Foo Fighters show? (not comparing to a Led Zep show because we were way too young to witness that)They all delivered great performances over the years, but i preferred Them Crooked Vultures. I love Dave Grohl on vocals, but his place belongs behind a drum kit. And the symbiosis of Jones, Homme and Grohl makes Them Crooked Vultures almost like a high power rock supergroup. Everyone is at the right place, doing what they do best and it shows on stage. You notice everyone in a Them Crooked Vultures show because all three musicians have their persona, their appeal to the crowd, nobody stands out as the lead musician.

Hopefully the band will get together again for more albums and give us more high-energy shows like these. It was definitely one of the best rock shows I have ever seen in my life.

For more on Them Crooked Vultures please visit:

http://www.themcrookedvultures.com/us/home

Danko Jones – Montreal, Qc – May 14^th, 2010 – Cabaret Juste Pour Rire
By Sabrina

Danko Jones was performing in Montreal, Friday May 14th 2010 with fellows musicians drummer Dan Cornelius and bassist JC (John Calabrese).  The show started strong as many fans were already packed in the Cabaret Juste Pour Rire and had been waiting for Danko Jones for the last two hours outside. The fairly young crowd participated actively in the performance; signing, dancing, jumping and clapping along.  The sound was good and clear, so cheerful fans could enjoy Danko’s deep voice and hard rock guitar playing.  Danko Jones plays the role of a self-centered, selfish rockstar and wants all his fans to look up to him. His crude language and multiple usage of the F word could sometimes get heavy but was somewhat compensated by his humour. Yes, you read correctly, Danko Jones has a sense of humour.  He could easily talk and joke around for five to ten minutes between songs. He even sells a talking only CD!  Towards the end of the show, Danko Jones asked his fans what they wanted to hear. After refusing to play Mango Kid from his 2001 album – he didn’t remember the notes – he did play other requests from the crowd and even came back for an encore, with his first song in fourteen years to get into the “Top 10″ list, “First Date”!  There really was something to cheer about in Montreal that night!

For more on Danko Jones please visit:

http://www.dankojones.com/

Pearl Jam – Hartford, Connecticut, USA – May 15^th, 2010 – XL Center
By Yannick W.

There aren’t many words that can describe the Pearl Jam show my girlfriend and I attended in Hartford on May 15^th.  After the six hour drive from Montreal, we arrived in a packed parking lot near the XL Center, where hundreds of fans were partying under the sun, preparing for what was going to be an unforgivable evening.  Pearl Jam took on the stage slightly before 9pm and performed a total of twenty seven songs, ranging from universally acclaimed hits such as “Alive”, “Even Flow”, “Daughter” and “Just Breathe” to the old rock classic from Bob Dylan, “All Along the Watchtower”, in a duet with Band of Horses’ lead singer Ben Bridwell. Much like every fan in the sold-out arena, even he couldn’t believe he was singing along Eddie Vedder’s legendary voice.  As If that wasn’t enough, the Seattle quintet also performed, for this one time and one time only (OTOTO as explained by Vedder), the classic Van Halen tune “Ain’t Talking About Love”.  The entire set list rocked, from top to bottom with brilliant performances by every band member, including the unofficial sixth member Boom Gaspar, who gave everyone chills during “Crazy Mary”, a long time fan favorite.  The crowd was intense, the sound was amazing and the band kept fueling from the fan’s energy until the lights came up.  But that evening was not only about the music, but also about sharing and giving as Eddie reminded us about the situation in Haiti and urged us to support the population in need in any way possible as his friend and actor Sean Penn is over there now helping out.  We were also introduced to Tom Tomorrow, a long time friend and Pearl Jam collaborator who happened to be from Connecticut.  Just like diamonds, a Pearl Jam performance will render you speechless.

Did I mention that the whole Pearl Jam 2010 tour was available to download in mp3 format?  How cool is that?  Did I mention their whole 2010 tour is carbon neutral? How amazing is that? Oh yes, In PJ, we trust.

For more on Pearl Jam, the tour, the music, the legend and also to help out Haiti, please visit:

http://www.pearljam.com/

http://jphro.org/

Circa Survive and Coheed & Cambria – Montreal, QC – May 18th – Metropolis
by Melissa Payette

On May 18^th 2010, Circa Survive took the stage at the Metropolis in Montreal for a 55 minute, mind-blowing set. They opened up for Coheed & Cambria, a band that fans across the city have been waiting years and years to see live.

Needless to say, the venue was packed. Circa Survive began playing at 8PM sharp and played straight through until nearly 9. I was in complete awe at their set. Front-man Anthony Green is probably one of the most emotional singers I have ever seen take the stage. He sang his complete heart out and everyone in the room felt it. He was raw, passionate and energetic. After almost every song he thanked the crowd profusely for their presence. I had never listened to Circa Survive before earlier that day when I was preparing for my interview, but it didn’t even matter. They’re one of those bands that you can enjoy no matter how much- or how little- you know about them. I definitely suggest you check them out at a venue near you if you ever get the chance. Stay tuned for my interview with Anthony Green coming in the next few weeks!

Coheed & Cambria came on around 9:30PM. As soon as the lights began to dim, the crowd went crazy.  I stood at the back of the Metropolis for their set and in front of me all I could see was hundreds and hundreds of fans with their hands in the air. I’ve been a huge fan of Coheed & Cambria since their earlier days but I’ll be the first to admit I’ve listened to them less with time. Although their music has changed quite a bit through the years I was still able to thoroughly enjoy their set and their incredibly dominating stage presence. They have the most intense energy when they perform, it’s impossible not to get completely mesmerized (if you aren’t already mesmerized by the lead singer’s hair). It’s no wonder Montreal was so anxious to see them perform, they know how to put on one hell of a show.

Circa Survive: www.myspace.com/circasurvive

Coheed & Cambria: www.myspace.com/coheedandcambria

–