This House is for the Birds

As I mentioned in my last post, I don’t often go to shows. I go so rarely that I can write about them as my one-a-month quota on this site. I’d write more, but typically, I am either uninspired, without adequate time, or feeling not quite up to par with some of the other people who write on here. Hell, there are some entries on here that I can’t understand at all. They’re written in English, but my uneducated brain can’t wrap itself around what might just be an entry that was written for no one aside from the one who wrote it.

Anyway, so I went to see Andrew Bird last Saturday at the House of Blues. Friends of mine said good things about his live shows, and I like his music enough, so I figured I’d go. Plus, I wanted to check out the House of Blues (and yes, I thought I’d write about it on here, even before I went).

Venue

So, after paying an outrageous ten dollars to park, my friends and I wandered into the House of Blues…..restaurant. After standing around like a bunch of retards for a few minutes, we decided to ask someone where to go. After being directed, I remembered that John wrote about how the stage was upstairs. As far as I could see, there were no signs saying exactly where to go, so we sort of wandered around upstairs until we found the place. My first impression of the place was good; I especially liked that the stage was higher than usual. That’s about it as far as good qualities. I stood by myself for a short while, when all of a sudden there was a bright blue light in my face. The waitresses there carry trays that have lights very annoyingly similar to those on police cars. No, I don’t want a drink, so kindly remove your police tray from my line of sight. I also didn’t like that the music was not loud at all. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to lose my hearing at a show, but I certainly want the music to drown out the crowd. At no point during the show could I not hear people talking. I didn’t eat or drink anything while I was there, but I have a feeling that any and everything there would have been overpriced.

Music

The opening band was called The Heartless Bastards, which, to me, sounded like a mix between Concrete Blonde and Aimee Mann, which is a good combination in my book. Ultimately though, the band was forgettable; nothing really grabbed me about their sound. Perhaps last.fm can change my mind.

Andrew Bird was kind of a let down. The set seemed to lack enthusiasm and variety. I’ve listened to all of the albums, and the songs don’t all sound the same, as they did that night. My friends said that his shows are much better when he doesn’t have an accompanying band. In his case, I guess less is more.

Performances like that reinforce a certain thought: metal concerts are great. I’ve been to a good number through the years, and whether or not I like a band makes no difference; they’re entertaining. My friends (who are huge fans of Bird) and I left early and went to Mai’s. My lemongrass dish and entertaining drunks were much more enjoyable than the show. I don’t like the House of Blues, but it’s not my least favorite venue. That title goes to Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. One of my favorite bands, Depeche Mode, is going to play there in a few months, and, unless some attractive female wants me to go, I will not be in attendance.

Upcoming things to do:

-Bayou City Art Festival – 3/27-3/29

-The Life and Times (a band I like) – 4/10

-International Festival – 4/18-4/19 and 4/25-4/26

-Japanese Festival (I go every year) 4/25-4/26

http://www.japan-fest.com/

-Mogwai – 4/20

Enjoy