there's a clock on the wall and it counts my time

Posted on | October 12, 2009 | 1 Comment

Saw some live music at the House of Blues this weekend.

The Islands
The first opening act, The Islands combined the best aspects of Radiohead with the worst aspects of The Arcade Fire. Good stuff but I don’t feel compelled to buy it. I was really confused since I showed up long after doors had opened and the guys on stage had a drum kit with a Happy Mondays sticker on the bass. “Really?” I said. “None of these jokers looks old enough to have been in the Goo Goo Dolls.”

The Happy Mondays

The Mondays actually showing up did not clarify matters much. The only reason they brought Shawn Ryder along was so they could actually call themselves the Happy Mondays; short of him, there were no original members on stage. And say what you will of his poetic lyrics, the man’s not much of a singer. Or not much of a stage presence, either. He stood crooked on stage with sunglasses on and a jacket zipped up full to the collar, one finger in his ear (right, because flatting those notes would disappoint all the Mondays fans), and didn’t move much. I danced, because it’s good house / rock music.

The Psychedelic Furs

Phenomenal show. The stage felt spartan in comparison to the previous acts: the same number of musicians, but spread out to all corners of the vast space. Richard Butler, looking for all the world like a 57-year-old lesbian, swanned on to “Love My Way” and a house full of cougars roared. The band marched without pause through the rest of the Furs’ biggest hits and dearest fan favorites: “President Gas,” “Heartbeat,” “Heaven,” “Ghost in You,” “Pretty in Pink,” etc, etc. “Heartbreak Beat” is the only one I missed and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re just sick of it.

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