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IN THIS ISSUE:
Fest-Heaven or Festi-Hell? / Birmingham BTE's "Imperfect" / Graham Colton Band Ezra Radio / USAToday Pic Just the Fakts Ma'am The Bootlog The Reviews BTE Caption News & Links TTOY Hall of Fame BTE Impressions
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BTE DISPLAYS A NEW MATURITY AT THE CHICAGO H.O.B. Better Than Ezra’s latest show at the Chicago House of Blues was an amazing and rare chance to see a maturing rock band during a period of great transition. Now don’t let the word mature fool you, BTE has always banked on its "kid at heart" philosophy and Thursday’s show was no exception. Nevertheless, we had a chance to see an established band playing new and old songs more confidently than ever.
The opening band was Bottle of Justus. This band looked and sounded good, but they appeared to be heading down that sterile path of anonymous conformity that ends abruptly at all "adult contemporary" radio stations. Unfortunately, the highlight of their performance was their cover of Michael Jackson’s "Billie Jean" which despite the irony of its timing, one day before Mr. Jackson’s arraignment, failed to actually engage the audience. Having seen the BTE’s Closer shows a number of times, I began to sense that this show would be quite different because even the pre-show warm up songs were not what I’d come to expect. "Main Offender" was replaced by The Darkness’ "I Believe in a Thing Called Love." This gave me the impression that this was going to be a more sonically-expanded kind of show than I’d seen for a while.
My wife has become accustomed to listen for the rooster in an almost Pavlovian manner to identify the start of a BTE show. However, there was to be no rooster at Thursday’s show. Far from it, actually. As the curtain drew back we were treated to the Spanish/French lyrics of the hidden track from "Friction Baby" which segued into and the low bass rumbles and opening synth notes of "Particle." Having spent most of the spring of 1999 listening to this song on repeat as I wrote my college theme, these notes brought back a flood of fond memories of the HDYGG album and the groundbreaking music it included. While most fans didn’t seem to connect with the energy of this opening song, Kevin’s enthusiasm poured out to those of us who appreciated the special treat. Perhaps the addition of the song was a reward for the fans who continuously support the band in their long quest to release a new studio album. And the end of the song packs quite a punch, so much so that Kevin dropped his pick. But you know KG, he kept right on playing and whaling as only he can do. As the song concluded, I took a moment to look around the stage. For some reason, it did not look as cluttered as it has in the past. Everyone was playing the same equipment as usual (however my wife thinks that Kevin’s Classic Les Paul has a new dent in it). Kevin was wearing a collared shirt for the first time in my memory. It was bright pink in color and the collar was half up in a manner that would make Andrew McCarthy proud. KG mentioned that Travis had a cold, which his playing masked quite well. Of particular note, Tom looked a good deal thinner since the last time I saw him. Not that Tom is a big guy in any way, but he looks to have stayed in great shape over the winter. He seemed to be enjoying himself more than ever throughout the night.
Expecting "Good" I was pleasantly surprised to hear "A Lifetime" as the second song of the night. It came off well and was not very different than previous shows. Having now given up on my set list expectations for the night, I was further surprised to see "Live Again" follow. Travis appeared to have refined his contributions to this piece a bit over the winter. I heard him using triplets in areas of the song. This seemed to breathe new life into it. At the end of the song, Kevin looked over to Tom saying "Now I’m feeling it." Then Jim Payne rang in and opened into "Misunderstood." Travis’ roll then led into "Good." It seemed a bit odd somehow to have this appear as the fourth song for some reason. While I and everyone else thinks this is a great song, it appears that the band might be a little bit tired of playing it after so many years. Does anyone else sense this? As sacrilegious as it may sound, maybe BTE should drop this song from the set for just a few shows to re-charge their batteries? Kevin’s perfect on guitar, but he seems to have lost some of his enthusiasm for the song over time. Either way, I’d rather go a show without it in the hopes of it being better the next time (for example the triumphant return of U2’s "I Will Follow" in their ‘97 and ‘01 shows). |
After "Good," Tom took a moment to address the crowd and talk about the
older albums which led into "Get You In." While not one of my favorites
on Closer, the song seems to have taken on new life. Kevin
did a phenomenal job of bringing his guitar work, while a bit muddy on
the album, clearly to the surface. He closed the song with the
same lofty lyrics as on the album and the the guitar and rhythm work
provided a swift kick in the butt I thought absent from the album.
Quite a nice extra feature. Tom and Kevin then gave a quick explanation of the pending DVD and its (seemingly) endless delay. Kevin explained that it was being held up in some legal battles arising out of the band’s harmless use of other band’s materials (i.e. Outkast and The Ramones). He mentioned that those parts were in the process of being edited out. Let’s the lawyers realize the benefits of having BTE cover these songs – I, for one, would probably not have even purchased the Speakerboxxx album if Kevin hadn’t praised it so much!
Next the band went into "Special." I’ve heard them play this for about a year now and , I must say, this song was the highlight of the show. As I write this review two days later, the chorus is still ringing through my head. The arrangement has grown from its one dimensional concept into a fully fleshed out song. Kevin, Tom and Travis appear to have put in some hard work perfecting the song. It’s a wonderful, radio-friendly, anchor for the next album. Kevin’s solo was right on. The band and the audience were now running together like a well oiled machine. "Extraordinary," "King of New Orleans," and "Rosealia" followed in quick succession. Maybe it was the outstanding DVD legal issues that prompted Kevin to sparingly cover other songs during these numbers, but the crowd got quite a chuckle from Biz Markie’s "Just a Friend" at the end of KONO. Kevin then started "Hollow" which also sounds better than ever having undergone a number of revisions over the last five years. KG assured us that it would make it onto the next album. Then the band played "In a Little While" which I’ve simply referred to as "The Starbuck’s Song" for the past year. It’s a little different from the usual BTE fare, but is sounds good and has obviously been revised for tighter cohesion between the band. "Recognize" followed and the telltale chords of "R3wind" were next marking yet another selection from the bag of BTE classics that drift in and out of the shadows over the years. The energy level hit its peak for the night as the band kicked thins into overdrive with a spectacular rendition of "Sincerely Me." This was actually the best sounding Closer song of the night. I’ve seen the fast tempo sometimes throw the band off course, but not tonight. They were all right on the mark. Perhaps it was Tom leading the way and letting Kev and Travis sit back to follow this time, I’m not exactly sure. But, this was the tightest performance of the song I’ve seen. My head spinning and heart racing, "Desperately Wanting" actually came and went before I connected with it. It too did not deviate from earlier performances. Perhaps this song deserves a little of my earlier comments about "Good?"
The band exited the stage for just a moment before Kevin came back to play a solo version of a new song called "Avalanche." This song, like "Special" – and more so than other BTE tunes – has a dark undertone to it. Perhaps this indicates the next album will reflect deeper levels of solitude, interrogation, and sincerity than we’ve seen before? Fans not to worry, though, as these same concepts led to masterpieces as The Joshua Tree and Out of Time. Can you sense I have tremendous expectations for BTE’s fifth album? "Daylight," another new song, brought the audience back to the familiar uplifting tones of BTE. This song also has great radio potential. Kevin followed it up with "Porcelain" again eliciting tremendous cheers from the crowd. Surprisingly, Kevin "messed up" the first lines of the last verse. He looked at the band and the crowd with an apologetic grin. The band ended the show with a great performance of "In the Blood," which was not much different from previous shows, but instead of "Don’t Fear the Reaper" Kevin’s interlude included riffs from "Ain’t Talkin Bout Love." Personally, I found the Reaper portions to fit a little better with the tone of the song, but the song was nevertheless a fitting ending to the show which at this point was almost two hours long! While the show was not the most energetic or tightest performance I’ve ever seen the band, this show stood for something special. I had a rare chance to see a band in transition – a band that has already discovered its amazing ability to cohesively play a song (as well as understanding its limitations) at a point where it now is trying to look deeper into itself. BTE has grown into its body; it knows what it is and what it does best. Going forward, BTE is looking to build its muscles. To use what it has and push itself to write, record, and perform better. Maybe if you saw BTE for the first time at this show you saw a moody adolescent on the verge of adulthood. And while most bands would retreat during such a period, I’m thankful BTE takes bold moves and allows the fans to see them in this state. The new songs are great and most of the old songs were played by a new, stronger, wiser and smarter BTE.
After seeing a number of the Closer shows, I admit that I was growing a bit tired of the routine and considered skipping a show until the next album came. Yet, in the end, I’m so glad I changed my mind. I can’t wait for the shows in the summer and the fall when the new material is at the forefront of the show. And I’m especially thankful I had the chance to see this transition period. All the best… Many thanks to first time reviewer Johnny K. for a great review. |
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