The Strokes
Eagles of Death Metal opened
LOCATION:
Hammerstein Ballroom
Night 1: 3rd row center balcony of first mezzanine
Night 2: Two people from the barricade
PRICE:
$45-$50
DETAILS:
CONCESSIONS:
Shot of liquor was $5, beer was $5, a box of candy was $2. Coat check was $4. Parking was $11 on Night 1, but was $20 on Night 2.
VIEW:
Night 1: Perfect. I had a seat in the balcony and could see everything. Except when drunk bastards would randomly show up in the aisle, but they would get kicked out by security and then I had my view back.
Night 2: I had to strain my neck and catch views in between people's heads because I'm so freaking short. If I jumped I could see everything.
PRE-SHOW VIBE:
Night 1: Pretty chill. The only music I remember being played over the speakers was the Clash. I just sat and listened to an old Howard Stern episode on my iPod while I waited for the bands to go on. The people around me seemed mostly focused on chugging as much beer as possible before the show.
Night 2: I was a little stressed because we got there later than I wanted so I didn't get barricade. I was mostly focused on trying to get a good view and assessing who I would be able to physically move should I need to. The people around me on the floor were mostly teenagers goofing around killing time.
ATTENDANCE:
Both nights were sold out completely
AUDIENCE:
Like looking at a fashion show. Lots of people who put way too much effort into looking good at a show where they were just gonna get sweaty and shoved around all night. Oh and Drew Barrymore was there at least on Night 1. She's dating Fabrizio (drummer).
WARDROBE:
Typical Strokes attire. Um I guess "East Village Hipster" should cover it.
STAGE SET:
Really cool. Fabrizio was elevated over everyone else. The light show was really cool.
ARI RATING (ADRENALINE RUSH INDEX - 1-10):
Frame of reference:
1= I sat in my chair motionless and felt no emotional connection
10=I walked out bruised and high off nothing but the energy of the show
Night 1: 7
Night 2: 9 (something cooler about being in the GA pit)
SETLIST:
(not in order)
Both nights:
Barely Legal
Someday
Alone Together
Last Night
Hard to Explain
Trying Your Luck
Take it or Leave It
The End Has No End
I Can't Win
You Only Live Once
Juicebox
Heart In A Cage
Razorblade
Vision of Division
Ask Me Anything
Red Light
NY City Cops
12:51
Reptilia
Ramones cover: Life is A Gas
Alternate songs:
Night 1:
Soma
The Modern Age
Night 2:
What Ever Happened?
Under Control (Har Mar Superstar came out and sang with Julian)
HIGHLIGHTS:
Well I actually enjoyed Eagles of Death Metal. I don't know where I got the idea that I didn't. I think they were on Conan once and I thought they were weird but that was like 2 years ago or something. Samantha Maloney (ex-Hole, Crue) plays drums for them now instead of Josh Homme. She was awesome to watch.
The sound was great for both bands. I was psyched for "The Modern Age" Wednesday night, and especially psyched for "What Ever Happened?" on Saturday because those are my two favorite songs by them. "New York City Cops" was a highlight as well.
LOWLIGHTS:
My only problem with the Strokes live is that they aren't very animated on stage. I guess I'm used to Papa Roach and the like working the whole stage. They just kind of stand there. But somehow it didn't bother me this time around.
DO YOU RECOMMEND THIS SHOW? (YES/NO - EXPLAIN):
Yes, but I wouldn't say it's worth it to spend any more than I did for this show. Because while they sound great and all, the live show isn't so impressive that I would say go see them for more than $50.
