Last Saturday, Bravender, Jensen and I (along with a few other buds) had the pleasure of attending the first of two Dismemberment Plan reunion shows in Chicago. Unfortunately, Sunday's show featured the better line-up (The Forms and Maritime), but it didn't even matter.
The opening act, Kid, You'll Move Mountains, was less than desirable. They sounded like a Christian post-rock/emo band, which just ain't my jam anymore. The singing was way too nice.
JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound are a modern Chicago soul group, which isn't really interesting to me, but, I can't deny that they were impressive musicians and performers. They did a cover of Wilco's "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" that was pretty cool.
I don't know why I never saw The Dismemberment Plan around 2002-03, when it seemed like they played Detroit every four months or so. After the set I witnessed on Saturday, I regret not seeing them many times before. It's a great feeling when a band you're so excited to see leaves out two of the songs you wanted them to play the most (in this case, "Sentimental Man" and "The Other Side" from 2001's Change), and you can still consider it a perfect set. Everything else they played, I wanted to hear. Even the songs I had never heard before (the few they played from their debut full length, !) were awesome.
Opening with "A Life of Possibilities" and then going straight into "The Face of the Earth" was easily one of the show's high points (of which there were many). Seeing Joe Easley and his octopus arms flailing to "Girl O'Clock" was another one. "Ellen and Ben" sounded better than it ever has to me before. I had never noticed how beautiful Jason Cadell's guitar part is at the end of the song. And, obviously, the encore was the highest of the high, thanks to "The Ice of Boston," "The City" and the set's closer, "Back and Forth."
I could continue listing all the amazing performances that occured during this wonderous set, but that would get repetitive, as every single song ruled. Everything about the set was perfect: songs, tightness, Travis Morrison's banter, etc. I could not have asked for a better experience seeing The Dismemberment Plan for the first time ever. It didn't hurt that I had a fantastic conversation with Easley at a bar next door after the show, and later on, Bravender and I were subject to some potentially big news from bassist Eric Axelson. Hopefully more on that at another time.
3 comments:
Dude, I was at the Sunday show here in Chicago, and it was pretty amazing. It was also my first time seeing them. I always knew Joe Easley was an insane drummer but seeing him live just about blew my mind. I was only disappointed that they didn't play Face of the Earth.., but still, incredible show! And what's this potentially big news you heard???
Yes, seeing Easley live is SUCH a mind blow. I could be jumping to conclusions a bit quickly, but Axelson basically made it sound like a new album could be in the cards. He said that everyone in the band was having fun, they are all open to possibilities/the future, and no one has said no to anything yet.
How were Maritime and The Forms?
Maritime was tight. I had only heard a few songs of theirs prior to the show but they put on a pretty good show. I thought The Forms were okay. Again, I wasn't too familiar with them prior to the show, but they had a few pretty interesting songs.
Good to hear about the possibility of some new DPlan!
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