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December 10, 2002 - The Orpheum Theater - Boston, MA, US Concert review by Jane Siva - Zwan : Concert Reviews I got to my house (in Cambridge) a little after three (I had taken the train from CT), and turned on BCN, and Nick Carter was sucking up to all the Xmas rave musicians (like the dude from Coldplay). So he's broadcasting from outside the Orpheum, and Zwan's bus drives up, and he gets all excited about getting an exclusive interview with Billy (since Billy's not giving any on this tour). So he waits for Billy to get done with the fans outside, and then says, "Hi, I'm Nick Carter, I've talked to you, like, four times. Will you talk with me for five minutes? Three minutes?" and Billy says, "I have laringitis." Ha ha, Nick Carter. I laughed. So I got to the Orpheum probably around 5:30 (doors at 6), and Zwan and Coldplay's buses were outside in the little alley/street that the Orpheum is on. Zwan's was all nice and clean, and Coldplay's was this big dirt-covered thing. One point for Zwan! Anyhow, there were a few other people hanging around, including this dude with a camera, and I didn't think anything of it, but one of them was the lead singer of OK Go, who has a broken leg, which he informed us he broke while diving into a crowd, while playing a cover. He also accused Justin Timberlake of copying him. It was....interesting. But the manager came out and yelled at him because OK Go was supposed to be soundchecking....it was funny. So I got in line and doors opened a couple minutes late. There were a bunch of people there in Zwan and SP shirts (one guy had the Smiley shirt)....and a bunch of people were in line for tickets, but it was way sold out. So I was the fourth person in, and I went and bought two shirts (they make a women's size!!!) and a sticker, and then found my seat....row HH, seat 1. Ever been to the Orpheum? That's the aisle seat on the left side of the lefthand aisle, so I had a clear view of the stage with no one in front of me. The left stack was about ten feet from my ear, but that's okay, i guess. I'm not deaf yet. BTW, in case you're wondering by now, I went alone because none of my friends either a) like Zwan, b) are close enough to Boston right now, c) are not insane with finals or d) want to pay for a ticket. That's okay; it was totally worth it. So OK Go went on first, and the place was practically empty....I felt kind of bad for them--it just seems bad for a band to be at least *trying* and have no one pay attention to them. The dude with the broken foot said he was "bechaired" and it was really funny watching him try to rock out on this cane-seated chair.....yeah, I'm not so into their music....SPIN or someone called them the 'new weezer,' but i don't really see it.... They went away eventually, and I was sitting there freaking out because as many of us know, I have never seen Zwan OR the pumpkins. As their stuff was getting set up I almost flipped (well, not really, I was totally calm, I swear) because Jimmy's drum tech looks kind of like a smaller, bleached-hair Jimmy, and he was half-hidden behind cymbals anyway. Oops. So the band came on and said hi and all that....and started in on Settle Down. I agree with whoever said it on netphoria: that line "because I'm good like that" is one of the worst Billy Corgan has ever written. I cringed when he said it. Bleh. Meh, I'll go through the setlist all organized-like: Settle Down: Okay. I like it less than I thought I did. Declaration of Faith: also upbeat...all of these are kind of blending together in my memory right now.... Lyric: I thought Sweeney said "weird" when they went into it and I was confused for a minute, but figured it out....I liked it better than I had from other live recordings... Endless Summer: I liked this a LOT better than I used to.....More than Settle Down, for sure. And I'm not sure I hear the comparison to Honestly, other than being semi-upbeat and poppy. Baby, Let's Rock: was this actually the song? I don't remember, I thought it was something else that I can't think of right now. It was good. Kind of in the same vein as the rest. Honestly: Sounds very close to the studio version live. Same effects and all. Billy looked like he forgot to switch pedals at one or two points, and he made a "d'oh!" face....I appreciated it. I also thought this was a much better performance of it than for kroq. Ride a Black Swan: I enjoyed, I think. I don't remember much about it, except that I thought he said "ride a black zwan," and I thought that was odd. Of a Broken Heart: fucking beautiful. Paz played an electric violin and Pajo didn't play bass, but it was super sweet and slow and beautiful....I thought it would be my favorite of the night, but then.... Mary Star of the Sea: I have no idea how long this turned out to be, but it blew me away. It started out with a solo-type guitar section, and then there was a short-ish part where Billy was singing and then it turned into this really cool jamming thing. I was in bliss. I don't care anymore how 'pop' anyone says Zwan is; they can rock. I mean, I have always been a fan, but I was in awe last night. And maybe part of it was because it was the first time I've seen them, but it was all pretty ordinary up to Of a Broken Heart.....but those two, especially msots, just amazed me. I mean, I was ready to get up and leave when the set was over, it was so good. Billy and Matt walked off with their arms around each other's waists, tripping over each other; it was really happy.....I got nothing but happy feelings from that.....they just seemed to like playing together. And Paz smiled a lot, and Billy smiled occasionally, and did a lot of pointing and looking around the crowd....I think he thought we were happy, too. I don't know. About half the crowd on the floor was standing for the whole set....I guess the rest were Coldplay fans.....whatever. For anyone interested (like me), Jimmy had a two-shade brown kit, which was monstrously big compared to the OK Go and Coldplay's drummers' sets. I love feeling like "we" have a better drummer....lol. That's just my Jimmy-fandom talking, though. I feel like I have a lot more to say, but that sums it up.....That was far and away the best concert I've ever been to, but then again, it's the first time I've seen them. So, it makes sense, I guess. I cannot wait to see them again. I'm also glad I got to Boston.....the set was about 45 minutes, I guess, and it'll be shorter in NY. I swear, I would give a year of my life, or my left arm, or something, to sit through another jam like that. Bliss. No, probably not, but I could have sat there forever.... Yeah, I guess I should mention Coldplay....they were okay; they sounded very much like how they sound on their records. Their singer spits a lot. He's also kind of spastic on the piano....but hey, if that's what you like.....the girls behind me obviously did, because they were going insane as I was going deaf. Some girl a couple of rows ahead of me caught the guitarist's harmonica. She was dancing and all.....meh, at least an obsessive-seeming fan got it. I almost got up and left three or four times, but I figured if I had the ticket, I might as well stay. It was an AMAZING seat. I just wish Coldplay had been second, then Zwan....*sigh*.....I guess that's too much to want at this point.... All in all, the best first-Zwan concert experience I could have hoped for. Well, they could have played the Shining Path, but that's too much....anyhow, msots blows tsp out of the water. |
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