Big Night Out: Rilo Kiley & Thao - Calvin Theatre, Northampton, MA – June 1

I wasn’t prepared to do a review for this show, but not sharing how fantabulous these bands are would be a disservice to you, the music listening community. And what I mean by this is that you should find a way to see either/both of these bands if they come to your area by any means necessary. What do I mean by that? Well, here’s how I’d rate the importance of seeing these bands: Low level of commitment – Stealing money from mom’s purse to get a ticket, Appropriate level – Willing to “borrow” a team of snow dogs to cross an icy tundra to see the show, Zealot level – Ready to punch the Pope for declaring the show sinful and blasphemous – and he woulda had it coming, too!

Who? – We started out with Thao with The Get Down Stay Down. I wrote about this band a while back, likening their first big single, “Bag of Hammers” to a Modest Mouse song. Well, this three-piece rocked my socks off throughout their 45-minute set, proving that they might very well be able to knock those Modest kids out in a musical cage match. To say that Thao herself was feisty would be like saying lava is “a little warm” – it looked like what might happen if a speed demon possessed the Energizer Bunny. There was hair flying, feet stamping and gyrations that threatened to make her guitar fly from around her neck and smash to bits. But they never missed a beat, even after her stage banter about the “Bullshit!” that are Dr. Scholl’s inserts – she fought through the foot pain and stamped those heels some more for the title track to We Brave Bee Stings And All (the song is actually titled “Swimming Pools”). The songs were all a bit more up-tempo than the album versions, but that just made for a better show – this trio produced more sound than most big bands ever could, and I started to worry that the headliner just wouldn’t measure up…

Nothing to worry about there! This particular big band wasn’t lacking in the ferocity department, either – they blew the doors off from the start with “The Moneymaker”, the huge single from their most recent album, Under The Blacklight. I was initially a bit hesitant about this band – fronted by two former child stars, Jenny Lewis (Troop Beverly Hills) and Blake Sennett (Boy Meets World)? Was it a gimmick? If so, it really frakkin’ works! Lewis’ sultry-yet-bombastic vocal style gives the songs a seductive vibe, while Sennett’s smartass comments and guitar chops show that this band doesn’t need any tricks. And the fact that most of the musicians on stage (5-6 people, depending on the song) could seamlessly switch instruments (Lewis herself played bass, guitar and keyboard) was that much more impressive.
But what might have made more of an impression was the amount of songs that I knew. Have you ever gone to a show thinking you weren’t going to know anything on the set list, only to be constantly saying: “Huh, I didn’t know they did THAT song…”? From radio hits and TV soundtrack songs like “Portions For Foxes” and “Silver Lining” to the creepily seductive “15”, there were sing-along-worthy moments throughout. And they craftily proved that when they let the audience sing an entire, rousing verse of “With Arms Outstretched”. All told, a helluva show – but with four studio albums under their belts, not to mention the EPs, they certainly leave you wanting more.

So what are you waiting for? Go to the bands’ tour pages and find out when they’re going to be coming to a spot near you! And don’t give me that “But gas prices are so high!” crap – if you were willing to punch the Pope, siphoning gas from some asshole with a Camaro shouldn’t be a problem for you…