Silversun Pickups, Pipeline Cafe, 09.05.09

Silversun Pickups
Live @ Pipeline Cafe
09.05.2009



Had a bit of a busy week, so I'm finally getting to post this now.

Anyway, last Saturday, I saw Silversun Pickups at Pipeline Cafe.

Ridiculous. My ears are still recovering. They're ringing now, so that's good.

But it was awesome! And I got rail! In front of Nikki! The opening band was this band called Satellite Grey and they freaking rocked the joint. Local music, woot. I've got their first album "Mirror Transmission" and it is NICE. I hope to catch them live in concert sometime.

I didn't score a setlist, but that's alright. They opened with Growing Up is Getting Old, which was awesome. Nikki on bass! In front of me! She's so adorable. Then, I think it was Well Thought Out Twinkles...then The Royal We somewhere in there. They did do Kissing Families which was lovely. Yelling the lyrics back at Brian was pretty glorious. Speaking of Brian, he's pretty ridiculous live. They all are. But I think him even more so. Cause Joe is all bent over his keyboards, Nikki's all stoic, but cute. And Chris...well wait. Chris is mental on the drums too. Hair all going over the place. That guy is a beast. I swear on the last song (I think Common Reactor) he hit his cymbal (that was set way high) so hard, the stand swayed a bit. Chris is mental.




Brian gave a shout out to a local band called the Jump Offs, who he had seen at First Friday the day before the gig. That was pretty sweet. I've caught The Jump Offs twice (opening for Of Montreal and MGMT), and they're good. They're supposed to be releasing an album next month, I believe.

Back to SSPU---they also played Substitution, It's Nice to Know You Work Alone, Catch & Release, There's No Secrets This Year followed by The Royal We, Kissing Families (sweet!). There's a few more songs in there, but they closed the main set with Panic Switch and Lazy Eye. I recorded some of Lazy Eye just to capture how ridiculous it all was. Mainly Chris going mental on the drums because you can't really capture that in a still shot. Mostly for experience sake. The sound on that was pretty crappy. But ZOMG, Panic Switch and Lazy Eye. Lazy Eye. I died. I sort of regretted recording when Brian screams out "SUNSHINE". But I was right with him, haha. Amazing.



Lazy Eye - video taken by lucky015

He played Rusted Wheel as the first encore, which made me giggle as I mentioned that guy who wanted Brian to play that at the music hall. [Then there was some banter between him and Nikki. Earlier (I forget during which song), she would point at him to take over then he'd be like pointing back at her. And that would go on, haha. After the first encore, Brian starts talking, asking what Nikki had done during the day, commenting on her flower in her hair. Asked her why she was so sunburned. She said she and Joe had gone to Diamond Head and got a certificate. Then he went on a jokey little bit about how we need to support our local ABC Store (which is a touristy chain of stores in Waikiki...the joke being, if you throw a rock from one ABC Store, you'd hit the next one).

The next encore was...Creation Lake. Which, to my understanding, is not played much. So, it was quite lovely seeing Nikki take the mic. I was hoping for Melatonin, and kicked myself for not mentioning it when I saw them Friday. They closed everything out with Common Reactor, complete with Brian playing around with his pedals and effects, and Chris nearly knocking his cymbal stand over.



Creation Lake - video taken by lucky015


It was really exciting and really awesome. I only wish I had more time to acclimate myself with the songs better, but I knew enough...but I still really really loved the gig. Really solid. I have no ears. I think if I had one complaint...sometimes the vocals can get lost (especially Nikki's)...and the keyboard too. Sort of miniscule, because it didn't really matter in the end.

I made my way to the merch table to get a shirt. That was the plan anyway. Once there, I realized they were selling VINYL. 180 gram limited edition vinyl (of Carnavas and Swoon, don't know if Pikul was 180 gram. But it was there for vinyl). I spent $35 on vinyl for Carnavas and Swoon. I also ran into a guy I initially labeled as "Setlist dude." And he said he heard that the band might be signing autographs around the Will Call area. So I ended up wandering around there with a few of my friends. Just tagged around for a little while, though. Decided to leave. I mean, I had already met them the day before, and Brian had his arm around me (which was nice) and I got an autograph and pictures, and the rail...AND vinyl, so it was enough to call it a night.

I have a renewed faith that Hawaii will get good concerts. :) I'm still hoping for Interpol. :D

Anyway BAMP has some sweet shots up: --Here--

Oh and the acoustic sesh that SSPU did for Roadrunner Music Hall is also up: --Here--

-j

Silversun Pickups, live at Roadrunner Music Hall, 09.04.2009

Silversun Pickups
Live @ RoadRunner Music Hall
09.04.09





Yesterday afternoon, I had a date with the Silversun Pickups. The local alternative radio station (STAR 101.9) announced that listeners could win a chance to watch SSPU in a intimate acoustic session at RoadRunner Music Hall. So, I signed up, not sure how the whole thing worked. Wasn't sure if I'd get in, actually. But I did! So, score. What follows here is that whole adventure:

Before I left the house, I was sort of hoping to use my dad's huge truck because I think the transmission on my car is going. I thought he'd be home, but he was out getting something when I rushed down the stairs to go. So, my mom knows my car's sort of testy, and says to wait, but I HAD to go because I had to be at the radio station at a certain time.

So, the car (thankfully) and me got to the area safe and sound. Took me forever to find parking. And I WAS late, and thought maybe I could try to get in anyway. So, I meet up with my friend Chelsea and we try to find the place. But not before we saw Brian hanging out with some guy...Joe was there too, but I didn't see him at first. So, Chelsea and I walk into Dole Cannery and the place is bloody confusing. So we walk back out and decide to ask Brian (cause were were like, "ZOMG, Is that him? IT'S HIM!") where the station was. Seemed plausible enough, seeing as they'd be performing there. So, his friend (maybe it was roadie?) told us.

And we got lost anyway, but eventually found the place, and they let us in! Score. I guess they set the time to be there at 2:30 to make sure the stragglers (like me) would make it anyway.

The room itself was pretty small. There were couches and stuff. If we'd showed up earlier, we could've gotten one. But oh well.



Anyway, the gig! It was nice, the band actually walked past me to get to the stage. Nikki is super adorable! I like, wanted to hug her, but I didn't. Didn't want to weird her out too much.

I was really impressed with how they sounded acoustically. I guess I didn't know it would translate so well that way? But it was really lovely. Brian was hilarious. Just a lot of banter between him and Nikki (and Joe occasionally). Example between Brian and Nikki:

Brian: *asks the audience what's happened in the year or so since they came* *mentions that the US president was from Hawaii* *goes on*
Nikki: What are you talking about?
Brian: *in a soft, whispery voice* Obaaaama. Barack Obama..

There was also a point before they started where Nikki's chair was set too high. And Brian goes, "Why are you sitting so high?" So Nikki tries to adjust the seat, so she's playing around with the handle and bobbing up and down on the seat trying to get it down, and Brian goes, "That's it, sloooowly, slooowly, up...down...." (you get the jist, haha) It was hilarious.



He also picked on Joe a little. At the beginning of It's Nice to Know You Work Alone, Joe does that sound on the keyboard, but this time, it didn't come out, so Brian stops the song and announces to the audience that Joe plays that sound at the beginning that he loves. And Nikki comments that she thought her bass sounded too loud. And Chris is like, "Are we ready yet?" So Brian asks the audience to let out a big cheer when Joe plays what he calls, "the noise."

Brian: Don't you want the NOISE?
Audience: YEAH!
Brian: (to Joe) No pressure.
Joe: *shakes head* *chuckles*

So, when they restarted Work Alone, Joe successfully plays his part, and Brian's all like, in the moment, and of course we all cheer. I hope it's on the video that they post later on. It was really hilarious. Man, I can keep going.

I think I can fall for this band even more. They were so funny, so nice. Brian's actually from Hawaii (Kailua) so he would ask what's happened since. We had a local one-dollar theater close, and he mentioned that. "Restaurant Row closed? [i]Bullsh*t[/i]." And he mentioned how we were getting all these good gigs. And everyone laughed because obviously they are one of those bands, and he was like a little embarrassed, and laughed about that.

Pics of them performing:





Anyway!

Setlist:

Growing Old is Getting Old
Well Thought Out Twinkies
The Royal We
It's Nice to Know You Work Alone
Substitution
Panic Switch
Lazy Eye


Um, after the set, there was a autograph/picture session. So, thinking that that would take place by the stage, Chelsea, myself and these two people we met there lined up at what we thought was the end of the line. Nope. WE WERE IN THE FRONT. FIRST!

So, we got an autographed poster thing. AND I GOT A PICTURE.

I told Nikki that she did awesome. And I think Chelsea was talking to Chris briefly about drums. Then Chelsea and I walked out and were waiting on our new friends, when this guy came out and asked us if we wanted the scrap of paper he was holding. It was the setlist, like handwritten. Of COURSE I took it! Man, I guess I can start a setlist collection now? Hahaha.



Then a girl I met at the BOH concert caught up with me. So random! She even won the Les Paul guitar that was autographed by the band:

Anyway, it was pretty freaking awesome. They were so friendly, and sweet. Christie (my friend who won the guitar) posed with them and Brian like put his hand on top of her head, then it was covering her eyes, and her face....that was pretty funny. Man, I can't get over how laid back it all was. I mean, yeah, it was SSPU, but it was like your buddies or something. I wasn't nervous around them at all. I was so glad to go to this thing! I can't wait for tomorrow. Hopefully I'll get rail, but I'll definitely get on Nikki's side.