STS9 @ Tabernacle - 12/29/11 || Photo © Wesley Hodges
STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
December 29th, 2011
Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA READ MORE
Atlanta
STS9 @ House of Blues NOLA - 11/3/11 || Photo by Wesley Hodges
The connection between STS9 and 2012 over the years (the Great Cycle Spectacles have already been announced for next year) is well documented, and to ring in the big New Year, the jazzy electroquest band will be returning to their longtime staple venue for S9′s first five-night run in the same building since a Boulder run in 2007 with a Tuesday-Saturday run at the Tabernacle in ATL READ MORE
Check out Funk It’s videos from Dumpstaphunk’s recent show at Atlanta’s Masquerade.
There was quite a buzz in the air at The Tabernacle on Sunday night, with a packed house of Raconteurs fans very excited that the band chose Atlanta for the last stop on their incredibly brief tour (Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Atlanta). The band says that as of now they have no plans to record new material or tour again in the near future, so as far as we know this was their last show. I doubt it…but who knows. I caught them in Nashville on the first show of the tour, and honestly I thought they sounded a little rusty. They clearly messed up on a couple of songs. It wasn’t surprising, but I was hoping for a better show this time around.
Wow, they definitely gave me what I was looking for. Jack White & co. came out absolutely on fire, opening with the usual “Consolers of the Lonely,” followed by two favorites off of their first album, “Hands” and “Level,” the latter being when I first felt like we were in for a special show. Jack and Brendan improvised quite a bit on the playful intro, and were hitting every note. Jack went on to absolutely crush what’s probably the most iconic solo in the band’s catalog. If you’ve ever seen The Raconteurs live, you know that the band really feeds off of Jack White’s energy, and by the end of “Level” it was obvious that he was on that night. READ MORE
I’ll talk about one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen in a second, but first let me give a nod to the Foo Fighters’ first opener, The Joy Formidable, who I think is a very exciting up and coming rock band. I wrote about their set at Music Midtown a couple of months ago. Dave Grohl gave them huge props during the main show when he said the band was helping to “prove that rock ‘n roll isn’t dead”. Lead singer and guitarist Ritzy Bryan manages to combine a seriously aggressive female stage presence with an innocent smile and some surprisingly decent guitar chops. I’m seeing this band whenever they’re in town, no question. Unfortunately this show was way outside Atlanta and I only caught their last two songs due to traffic, so no pics.
The second opener was Social Distortion. Can’t say I’m a big fan of SoCal punk rock…but the floor really filled up during their set and everyone seemed into it so I won’t knock it.
And next, we had the Foo Fighters. Let me preface all of this by admitting what a huge fan of Dave Grohl I am. Being an integral part of two of the greatest rock bands of the past 20 years, I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t like him but for me it does go a little beyond that. I just respect the fact that he’s still rocking out so hard and giving it everything he has every night after 20 years. READ MORE
© futurebirdsmusic.com
Happy Sunday, folks. I’m hanging out indoors and finally getting into Futurebirds thanks to the recommendation from our newest contributor Taylor Gould. He saw the band last month in Atlanta and wanted to share his thoughts from the show, so he sent us this review. I’m liking what I’m hearing. The band plays tonight at Hi Ho Lounge in New Orleans.
With the Futurebirds hailing from nearby Athens, GA (a few of them actually grew up in Atlanta), a packed-out house was no surprise last month when they rolled through Atlanta to hit the Earl. While the self-proclaimed psychedelic/alt-country/gospel rockers have played opening slots in front of larger crowds recently (including an opening stint for Drive-By Truckers), I’m willing to bet that crowd was one of the larger audiences the band has pulled as a headliner. It’s been said that with hometown shows, bands either “get too nervous with all the friends and family in the audience, or completely knock it out of the park.” I think most people in attendance on that Saturday would agree, the ‘Birds hit a grand slam (it certainly helps to get the Chop going). READ MORE
