Concert Review – Flight of the Conchords

My trips to this venue are few and far between, but every time I am here I wonder why that is. Not very many bands chose to take the stage at this magnificent location. With its high arch roof, retro detailing and perfect sound quality, you would hope more bands would be open to it. When you get the chance to see a live act here, there are a few rules that are more strictly enforced here than anywhere else in the lower mainland. One is the fact they say, no cell phones, no cameras or recording devices, this one, unlike at every other venue, is actually enforced here. If you pull your camera out, or your phone rings, they will ask you to leave. The other one, is the start times, the doors to the venue always open at 6:30 but the start time on your ticket is the actual show start time. Just thought I should mention this as it is common knowledge, and concert regulars should be aware.

The opening comedian for the night was Arj Barker, better known as Dave on the Flight of the Conchords HBO based sitcom. His brand of humor was life based and easily relateable. This made for a great time and you found yourself feeling very comfortable with his show then disconnected. He comes across like a down to earth, “stoner” type, and jokes mostly about current events and day to day issues. The audience was right into it, and really ate up everything he says. As the crowd we are Flight of the Conchord die hard cult followers, it wouldn’t have mattered if he had stood there for 45 minutes talking about euthanasia, people who have laughed. But he brought a great set and had many strange jokes that I am sure will be remembered by the audience.

The main act came out right away, Bret and Jermaine took the stage wearing robot heads. These were made from old cardboard boxes and really outlines what the next hour and a half would be like. The interaction and love from the group is felt almost instantly. There was a sense of pure modesty in their composure and almost like they were nervous on stage. The intimacy of this venue really brought the whole thing together and made for a great night. Between the inetersong banter and some stumbling through a few songs, they seemed unpolished but this added more to the overall love of the night then anything else. At one point Jermaine missed some words during one of his hip hop inspired sections in a song. This drove the crowd into applause, as they felt it was more real then just a regurgitated copy of every other night.

The lighting was really well done for this show, almost every song had a perfect accompaniment of lights to reflect the mood, style and overall feel. When you tie in lighting to a great show it can almost make or break the concert go-er experience. Too much light and it blinds the attendees, too little light and people lose focus. The washing effect they used with a small amount of stage fog filling the venue, made for a mysterious feeling. Like I said all the lighting tied so well with the groups style it was the perfect marriage.

After the last song was played, the audience stood for a near 10 minute applause. The show was over but the memories were never to be forgotten. Bret and Jermaine left the stage, humbly, and the masses began to filter out to the rainy streets of Vancouver. After the show, most people would rush the stage are to grab guitar picks and set lists, but looking around only one lady besides myself had stuck it out. We both ended up getting a set list (which is pictured below). This show was a great feel and I had waited a long time to finally see these lyrical magicians live. The show I would give a 3.5 out of 5 and the venue I would give a 5 out of 5. I am going to stop encouraging people to go out and see individual bands. My closing notes from now on are as follows:

“The music industry is a strange beast these days, and support is such a small part to do with album purchases. If you like a band and really want ot see more from them, get out and see there live shows. This is the best trade off for you and them. It encourages them to tour more, and when they do so they put there soul into every performance. The bands who don’t will fade away, and the bands who do will flourish. So if you really want to see your favorite bands pump out more music. then the best way to accomplish this is to get your friends together and see them live.”

To all those concert addicts out there, Happy Concerting.

Jamie

Flight of the Conchords pictures by Jamie Taylor (Click image to enlarge)

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Jamie Taylor – who has contributed 3308 posts for Concert Addicts.

"With a love for live music, way too much to say and inability to put down his camera , photojournalism was a logical step in his journey. Concert Addicts was born from a desire to express his opinion, share his photography, and share knowledge. Now the community is no longer his, it is ours."

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