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matt pond PA
Youth Group
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Martini Ranch
Scottsdale, AZ
3/08/2006
By: Meagan Rockne
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There are advantages and disadvantages to having a
laid-back band perform. The advantages are that with a
more relaxed band on stage, they'll tell anecdotal stories
about the tour, often converse with the audience and even
take a few requests. This often makes the set feel more
intimate and special, like old friends that have come into
town who tell their stories of love, misfortune and travel
through song. The main disadvantage is the audience
sometimes has a hard time in distinguishing what is an
appropriate comment or shout out for the band. This lapse in
judgment is compounded by amounts of alcohol
imbibed.
In the case of Youth Group, the audience had a hard time
not talking...to each other. Bringing their brand of
pop-coated frustration to Arizona all the way from Australia,
you could tell that the audience frustrated the band.
However, they persevered and tried to win over the
audience. They were the Jan Brady of the night.
Of course, they gave one last (futile) attempt with their last
song, "Shadowland." This is one of the best songs on the
album and sounds even better live. They must have been
using it as a catharsis because they let the audience have it.
No comments from the band, but rather a good ol' fashioned
"don't you wish you would have paid attention to us sooner"
rock out, culminating with the breaking of a
hi-hat.
I find that the older I get the more I turn to bands like matt
pond PA. Gone are the days of seeking out loud and
abrasive music that I knew would piss off my parents. Now I
find myself thinking, "When did VH1 get good?" Lucky for
me, I have matt pond PA with their brand of indie-pop to
help me cope with my ever-increasing age.
The five-piece graced the Martini Ranch stage and looked at
home. For not wanting a career in music, Matt Pond looks
like he wouldn't fit in any other place, except maybe an
indie-rockers-with-beards convention.
With the band looking so comfortable on stage, it made the
audience extra chatty. Just for the record, matt pond PA will
not play any songs having to do with a season if it's not that
season. For example, the band would not play "Summer
(Butcher Two)" because it was not summer. The band took a
few requests but mostly played songs off the last two
albums, Emblems and Several Arrows
Later. The band did close with the amazing "Fairlee."
With bands like matt pond PA, I don't feel so bad about
getting older.
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