We're not prone to running concert reviews on Unfair Park -- our kid sister, DC9 at Night, has that beat in its back pocket. But UP's best Friend attended the Bloc Party show at House of Blues Saturday night and sent back the following report -- and, in short, damn us and our staying-home sorry selves, because the Party looked like a shindig.
The good doctor's sound medical opinion is after the jump -- and contained therein is an unexpected local tie. But before that, here's some top-notch end-of-show video from the weekend (the song's "Helicopter," for all you newbies) taken by a visitor from Norman, Oklahoma, with a good seat and great ears, as most concert footage posted to YouTube sounds like an amplified underwater fart. "That was two hours into the set," says our Friend. "They have a lot of energy, that band." --Robert Wilonsky
OK, Bloc Party was pretty great. Played everything I wanted to hear and represented the new stuff well, although I still find most of it, um, sophomoric.Best moment: Kele Okereke running offstage with the mike during "She's Hearing Voices" and reappearing in the balcony. Kele appeared along the far left aisle, sang a bit, then sprinted up the aisle to the balcony bar, where he ran back, poured himself a shot, downed it, jumped over the bar and dashed across to the opposite stairwell. While still singing, "Red pill, blue pill, red pill, blue pill," mind you. I had run back to the bar to get a look, and got a hand slap from Kele on his way out. The man has soft hands.
Second-best moment: Gordon Moakes looking up to the balcony and dedicating a song to his wife, whose birthday is this week. He then wanted to acknowledge his "in-laws, who are here tonight, they're from Arlington, Texas." Who knew?
I was very pleased with the crowd -- the venue was just shy of sold-out, and the crowd sang along to pretty much every word. The band seemed pleasantly surprised, as European bands usually do in Dallas. Energized Kele to no end -- he even tried to scale the curtains on the right side of the stage. With his guitar on. He made it about four feet off the ground.
First time at House of Blues Dallas (had been to HoB L.A. before). Really tried to hate it. Failed. Fantastic sound, spacious and clubby at the same time. Bars everywhere you would want them, with fast, genial tenders. Doors at 7, J Versus K at 8, Deerhoof at 8:45, Bloc Party at 9:45, show done at 11:30. Back home by 11:45, thanks to expansive parking lot right next to the building. Fantastic for tired pediatrician and his preggo spouse. OK, they did play annoying ads on the monitors before the shows, but that was the only real strike. Nice night. Now, if I can only figure out how to take a 2-week-old baby to Carl Cox at the Palladium in a month... ;)
