Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
House of Blues Cambridge Room
November 23, 2010
Better Than: Watching old clips of Boris Yeltsin.
When I walked into the Cambridge Room at the House of Blues to see Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, two things were immediately obvious: there weren't a lot of people there and, of the people that were there, most of them were young girls.
It seemed that word of the band hadn't quite reached the DFW area, and for a band that relies on word of mouth as their main marketing tool that's not a good sign. The crowd was, suffice to say, pretty damn sparse. However, as the night went on and the time for SSLYBY to take the stage grew closer more people showed up--but barely.
The Cambridge Room seemed like an odd place for the band to play. The last time SSLYBY came through the area they played Hailey's, which seemed a more fitting venue for a smaller band. The room last night seemed to just swallow the crowd and made it seem more sparse than it would've if it played at The Loft or The Cavern (which seemed like more fitting venues).
Once the group took the stage it was apparent the band had its shit together on stage. The band's was tight through its entire set. Being a fan, I was afraid seeing them live would be a let down because they didn't sound like the songs I've grown to adore on their albums. But, that was far from the case.
The set didn't stray far away from the band's last two albums Pershing and Let It Sway. "Banned (By The Man),"My Terrible Personality" and "Think I Wanna Die" sounded just as good live as they do recorded.
One unexpected event happened as drummer/vocalist Philip Dickey switched with the lead singer Will Knauer to take over lead vocal duties. Dickey invited two young kids on stage before "Modern Mystery," and asked if they had anything they wanted to say. The guy said he did, then proposed marriage to his "on again/off again" girlfriend of the last four years. Sure, it was sweet and completely unexpected... I thought those kinds of things only happened in teen dramas and chick flicks, but apparently I'm wrong.
While Knauer is good, Dickey sings most of my favorite songs by the band. The two seem to be on opposite ends of the performance spectrum. Dickey is all energy, jumping up and down, rocking all over the stage. Not to slight Knauer, but he is very business like and by-the-numbers.
Onstage Dickey seems to be the spark plug of the Springfield, MO quartet. As the band tore through "Modern Mystery," "In Pairs" and "Back In the Saddle" it was evident that Dickey is all energy.
Even thought the crowd was small, most of the crowd stuck around to talk to the band or take pictures with them after the show--you know, the types of things that garner positive word of mouth.
Critic's Notebook
Personal Bias: I've been a fan of the band for the last few years, and I was a little worried the band wouldn't hold up to their recorded sound. But, the band's performance exceeded my expectations and cemented my adoration for them. By The Way: The kids that got engaged last night, congrats, but, you might want to wait until you can drink legally before you make a life decision like that... at a concert. Random Note: For an indie band, SSLYBY had a pretty diverse set of fans. Everyone from college kids, to an older couple to a guy who looked like he walked in from a long day of working at the bank were there. It's nice to see it has such a wide-ranging, if small, following.