I finally got to see We Were Promised Jetpacks last week at The Music Box (who renamed Henry Fonda Theatre btw?)... and I'm bummed I did not go see them at The Troubadour last time they were here b/c they are amazing. Musically speaking, they are fantastic. Everything sounded superb. They're not much for interacting with the audience and when the singer spoke, it seemed rushed & under the breath as if he were shy or trying to get that part over with. I think it's kind of funny and at the same time refreshing b/c it reminds me that not all bands have to be entertainers in the way we expect, so it's nice to go see musicians for a change. I especially loved it when they shushed the audience several times during some songs that I imagine needed a lot of concentration on their part.
And speaking of the audience... oh my god. Well, first off they were touring with two bands from the U.S., Bear Hands & Royal Bangs. I didn't love either of them, but they weren't awful. Bear Hands were pretty interesting. I could imagine dancing to them at some party where there is a lot of PBR. Royal Bangs seemed kind of boring to me. Their songs seemed like they didn't know what they wanted to be. Both of them seemed to have songs that just went on & on without much break up so maybe that's why I didn't like them much. I'm a big fan of ups & downs and contrasts... and apparently repetition.
For the first couple bands we sat in a booth on the side. I haven't been to this theater in a long time so it's been redecorated a bit. There are now booths lining both sides of the ground floor & the walls are now completely covered in large stencils of art replicas. It's still a beautiful theater. The booths on one side of the theater were reserved for people with balcony tickets... and the balcony & roof were closed this night - also a bummer and also really weird. I don't understand this new 9pm show start time. I mean WWPJ didn't come on until 11pm. Holy moly. When did this start happening?
So back to the audience. We are sitting down & immediately start regretting our choice b/c an obnoxious human being is chatting away with his wife & friends about all sorts of things but mostly about asking permission to marry his wife from her dad. I'm sure you know the type of person... the one that just talks non-stop, is really loud & happy and thinks he's the funniest person on earth. I imagine that sounds like a great person but having to listen to the content of his conversation promises he's not.
For WWPJ, we moved down to the floor, which I guess wasn't sold out, but there were a lot of people there. Luckily I was still very close to the front without having to be shoved up against someone else. The show was being filmed for something I have yet to figure out, and so we were behind a cameraman for the most part. Then there were the metal boys. The one dude was wasted & his friend was constantly trying to hold him up or prevent him from falling into people, but at the same time must also have been on some drugs b/c he was dancing around & started pulling out some hardcore music moves and just acted like a total dumbass for the whole show. As my friend so accurately described, he stomped like a bull then bowed violently. Considering the music, it didn't make much sense but it's awesome he was having fun. Until, he just stopped caring about the people around him & one guy specifically told him to stay away from him, then he took that as an invitation to get in that guy's face & be his glue, and on top of that, brought in a gigantic man who should be a bouncer or someone from WWE to help annoy this guy who is just trying to enjoy a concert with his girl. *ASSHOLES*
I wouldn't think drunk people moshing around like idiots would be weird at a show except it makes no sense with the music that's actually being played. I don't know. I just want to go to a concert & have an environment that brings the audience together, not one that distracts me from having a good time. Also, security confiscated my gum. At 34 years old, this is pretty insulting. Dear Los Angeles, I promise I won't stick gum on your lovely theaters.
So all bitching aside, I did have a really good time. I hope they come back to town soon. I didn't really take many pictures b/c I was enjoying the show but at the point I did take a few, I said to my friend how the lighting was really good. Come to find out, one of the band members designed the lighting for the show. Good job. They just released a new video a few weeks ago, and it's pretty damn good.
"Human Error"
And this one is an acoustic version of "Short Bursts" which Heather may like b/c they use a Glockenspiel and they're Scottish. :)
wewerepromisedjetpacks.com
www.bearhandsband.com
www.royalbangs.com
