This is pretty cobbled together in between me working. Just some thoughts, take them with a sack of salt!
Reunited – a long intro, the sounds are great. Roddy’s keys are clear, Puffy’s kick and Billy’s bass are in perfect unison, Jon’s guitar tones are spot on and classy. Patton’s all greasy schmaltz, and wonder of wonders, the harmonies between Roddy, Jon and Patton actually sound good in the forgiving environment of the festival.
Land of Sunshine – Huge. The juxtaposition against the opening track (and indeed the previous band, Jimmy Eat World) is jarring.
Be Aggressive – Nice and hardcore. Happy they played this one because it’s one of 2 songs my Patton hating wife likes.
Evidence – It’s a pity that Jon’s basically playing covers a lot of the time, because it’s his guitar work that saves songs like this one that have me yawning. Great tone.
Surprise you’re dead – I realize at this stage that I know exactly what song’s coming up by Puffy’s count-ins. This is a Puffy track for me, some interesting work and it’s a great job that if they’re going to pick one non-Epic track from the Real Things they’ve picked this one.
Poker face -> Chinese Arithmetic – Brilliant. The Poker Face intro really showcases Patton’s vocals funnily enough. Just about any song off of Introduce Yourself kicks butt when they revive them. They’re raw, and there’s something odd about the vocal lines that puts Patton
in an uncomfortable spot and forces him to perform.
Last Cup of Sorrow – A bit of a meh song really; but seemingly a crowd pleaser. Again, harmonies that sound awful in bootlegs and broadcasts are mushed up into the acceptable by the breeze. Where’s Caffeine? A Small Victory? Digging the Grave/ A dozen better songs than this one. OK I still loved it, but…you know.
Cuckoo for Caca – Manic stuff; violent and ugly and tight as a nun’s. Cool lighting when Billy gets the spotlight in his mini-solos.
Easy – Another one which serves only to highlight Jon’s classy and professional playing of other people’s music.
Ashes to Ashes – Yet another pop stadium crowd pleasure, but it comes across way better in person than recorded, live or album.
Midlife crisis -> popcorn – this is the song that really got me into FNM, but I think it always comes across a bit weak compared to the thick production on the album. The schtick of letting the crowd sing the chorus worked a charm. Popcorn as a middle bit was chuckle worthy.
Gentle art of making Enemies – Fabuloso. Huge. Etc. Perfect.
King for a Day – The bridge on this one is really a highlight of the set. The indulgent outro has always seemed like everyone but Patton is completely lost with no effects or anywhere to go, and that hasn’t changed.
Epic – I fully expected to hate this. They tore it apart and spat it out with as much heart as any other tune, if not more. Amazing.
Just a Man – Best surprise of the night, and it sounded better than they’ve ever played it. I think Jon is severely underrated, and he shines on these more dynamic tracks.
Ole ole -> Chariots of Fire -> Stripsearch – Ole Ole seemed out of place here. But it seemed like few of the crowd knew where they were going with this, so the effect was all cool. Roddy’s samples were incredibly loud and piercing, which in a way was strangely cool.
We Care a Lot – I’m a bit confused by this one; it’s a good stomper of a song, but is any of the crowd really familiar with FNM from 1985? Again, so many better songs to be played.
I’m pretty critical in here; that’s because I’ve seen the band half a dozen times, listened to a dozen bootleg gigs and watched a bunch of gigs on video as well; etc. etc. I don’t want to leave the review on a bad note though, so overall the show was surprisingly strong; certainly a lot better in person than listening to recent boots/watching on youtube. The band seemed to enjoy themselves and honestly I had a smile on my face for the whole 80 minutes, and I’m pumped for this evening.
Thanks to Max Cow for allowing us to publish his thoughts here.
