![]() ![]() So even back then, they came off as a band that was phenomenal to listen to through a stereo or on headphones, but just not the most blazingly exciting band to watch live. Granted, I think the last time I saw them was on Septemat the Bowery Ballroom where John Vanderslice’s drummer at the time tried to steal the show as their opener by playing standing up and just being phenomenally entertaining. Daniel did a little banter, the band was tight, as expected, and they were the cool band you always get at a Spoon show. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy the show. Sure, Daniels’ voice shreds a bit and his bandmates can crank up the distortion on occasion, but it’s really more about the groove than the overwhelming energy. They’re more of a rhythmic band than a rip-roarin’ one. But, look, they play a pretty standard set and relate to the audience in a pretty standard way. But they failed to play even a single song off their first three albums - my favorite three albums. And what tracks you want to hear is completely subjective. You’ll be left wanting because they played some random track off a benefit album from 2003 that you’ve never heard or, as they did, a couple songs off a new album that isn’t set to be released until February of 2022 instead of “Lines In the Suit” from Girls Can Tell or “Metal Detektor” off Series of Sneaks. Because inevitably they’ll play some of their favorite songs, but definitely not all of yours. But not so great when seeing a one-off show. Which is an awesome thing when you’re making your Spoon mega-mix. They have amassed nine LPs, a handful of EPs and a bunch of b-sides over their existence. Granted, I figured I was better off than the 4’10” adult woman to my right. So when the 6’3″ dude with the world’s fattest head shuttled to his left, ending up directly in front of me, I was less than thrilled. There are three bars, I think, and the 30-foot ceilings have a couple designed glass skylights that look like they belong in some Masonic temple or other. It’s your typical hall setup, with a stage up front, open standing general admission floor space and a balcony above for fancy people. It was originally built in 1910 as a Polish community center and has served multiple purposes over the years, including a bingo hall, basketball court and general performance space. It’s an easy in/out, it’s a terrific size - somewhere right between the size of Bowery Ballroom and Irving Plaza - and the sound system and acoustics are terrific. I’d never been to White Eagle Hall, but it’s a pretty rad venue if my first encounter is any measure. And in New Jersey to boot! But this was like cool NJ, not lame NJ. So this was my latest foray into old-man concert viewing. Not only because their music isn’t typical of that genre, but because they seemingly reinvent themselves every album or two and represent something more, uh, artistic than your typical guitar, drum and bass rock band. Not grouped in with the grunge or post-grunge crew. They feel like a much newer, much more modern band. But for some reason Spoon escapes that classification. But my point is, we all know that Dinosaur Jr. So, apparently I only see old-guy rock ‘n’ roll now. Granted, the last artist’s show I saw, Lou Barlow, is exactly Eno’s age. That doesn’t happen that often these days. That was 25 years ago, people! The original members of the band, Britt Daniel and Jim Eno are both older than me. They formed in 1993 and released their first album, Telephono, in 1996. It’s always shocking to me how long Spoon has been around. ![]()
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