Phoenix Concert @ The Orpheum, Vancouver
This pic is from their show in Montreal. I totally WISH something like this was up in Vancouver.
I'm more a casual fan of Phoenix but my wife LOVES them. She bought tickets for the concert and I tagged along with no expectations. At this point, the most exposure I've had with their music is through those Cadillac commercials.
The concert was held at the Orpheum Theatre here in Vancouver. I've seen a lot of shows here from Bill Cosby to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to, well, Phoenix. It's a beautiful venue and I'm always excited to hear when more popular acts choose this venue to perform in.
The opening act was You Say Party, We Say Die and they were entertaining. I honestly can't pass critical analysis of their type of music as I don't listen to it much but I did enjoy their performance.
When Phoenix took the stage, the crowd went crazy. Actually, the craziness started even before Phoenix took the stage. A huge crowd started to form in front of the stage. All these people just standing there, creating an impromptu mosh pit in the classy Orpheum. Security looked pissed. Strangely enough, they didn't do anything about it. The people weren't unruly and just seemed really excited and wanted to be close to the action.
We had decent seats. We were 11 rows away from the front so we were close enough to see the performance but far enough so our view was unaffected by the crowd. If we paid for front row seats and these people just ended up standing in front of us to obstruct our view, we would've been livid. I know these people from the crowd were from the balcony too because you could hear them brag about it.
I've been to a fair number of concerts and have been exposed to both good and poor experiences. Phoenix didn't disappoint. Their stage presence was immediately engaging and they sound great live. Sure I didn't understand some of the words to the songs, but I've been told that's par for the course. I've been told that casual listeners of their latest album are known to make up words to sing along. I'll admit, I'm guilty of that.
They exuded this cool energy but didn't act like big headed celebrities. They would express their humility and gratitude seemingly in between every song and took every opportunity to thank their fans. As great as their music is and fast as their celebrity status is rising, they seemed like down to earth guys.
As the show got closer to the end, a handful of brave (overzealous?) fans jumped on stage to arrhythmically gyrate to Phoenix's dance rock. A couple of roadies emerged from the side of the stage to try to push them off but it was in vain. Soon almost a hundred people were up on stage awkwardly dancing to the music. Yes, I said awkwardly (If you're reading this and you're one of the people that clamored up there, you looked really really... awkward).
I saw the look on the lead singer's face and he was shocked and he honestly didn't know what he was supposed to do. He looked worried but sang on anyway. Props to him for finishing the show.
I really enjoyed the show. I love hearing bands perform live and this band performed exceptionally even during the chaos in the end. I'm more than just a casual listener and they've turned me into an active fan. Their albums are now part of my regular rotation.
To the people that ignored the rules and rushed the front and jumped on stage: I feel indifferent about what you did. You looked like you were having fun and you were actually pretty safe considering what you were doing. However, the post-concert buzz indicates that 99% of the people in that building loathe you. Some even hinted that Phoenix is in that 99%. I agree that it was inconsiderate, especially to the people that paid for good seats but in the end, I can't say I cared too much because Phoenix put on such a great show.
Ooh, look! Grainy pictures from the concert taken with my iPhone!
1 Comment
Reader Comments (1)
I really watches box
enjoyed this post. You describe this topic very hublot swiss replica
well. I really enjoy reading your blog and I will definitely fake swiss tag heuer watches
bookmark it! Keep up the interesting posts!replika omega de ville