Do you know how many YouTube concert videos you have to look through to find ones that both look and sound decent? Lots. Many, many, many. But I think I have been mostly successful in order to bring you this (still grossly inadequate) approximation of last night. Thing to note. Amateur videos on consumer cameras DO NOT sound anything like as awesome as live sounds. Other thing to note–they are a pretty good visual approximation, since we were standing in almost the same place as most of these. Oh, and last thing to note–I did not take any of these, and none of them are actually from last night’s concert; but several of them are from earlier on Rilo Kiley’s current tour.
Grand Ole Party
This is actually a television show shoot, so the quality is better. But they messed up the drum placement–the three should be in a straight line. The song is called “Bad, Bad Man.”
Grand Ole Party – Look Out Young Son
MySpace
click the cover to go to iTunes; it isn’t available elsewhere until January
The Bird and the Bee
Last night, it was during this song, “I’m a Broken Heart,” that Inara George broke out the bubble machine. At this concert, she batted a balloon around a bit, but the bubble machine was cooler. Sorry people at that other concert.
And this is the video for the single “Again & Again,” which was probably my favorite of the songs they did. When she goes up for the “do it again,” it just sends shivers down my spine–love the ethereal tone.
The Bird and the Bee – Polite Dance Song
The Bird and the Bee – So You Say
click the covers to go to Amazon.com’s new MP3 store, which you should do because Amazon.com’s new MP3 store is awesome, DRM-free, cheaper than iTunes, and I’m so excited about it!
Rilo Kiley
By the time Rilo Kiley came on, I was exhausted. I’d been standing up for two and a half hours, and it was hot and crowded. But when they came out and Jenny Lewis started singing, it was all totally worth it, and everything was wonderful. If the concert videos don’t convince you how wonderful her voice is, and how perfect her stylings are, make sure to listen to the studio-produced recordings. Concert footage doesn’t always show tone quality, but the band also puts on a great show and I wanted to get that in here (which was why I was trying so hard to find passable videos).
“Moneymaker” is off the new album, Under the Blacklight, and they played it pretty early in the set. It’s really not much like anything else I’ve heard them do…but girls with guitars, I just gotta say. Good stuff. (The music video version is critiquing the porn industry, so while it’s a well-done video, I’ll leave it to your own judgment whether or not to seek it out on YouTube.)
“I Never” got probably the loudest, most sustained ovation last night. It was incredible, and deafening. Even Jenny was putting her hands over her ears! And they performed it pretty much exactly like this, only imagine about two solid minutes of applause and screaming before the crowd quieted down enough for them to play the next song.
And this is the video for the first track on the new album, “Silver Lining.” It may be more distracting than helpful as far as interpretation goes, but it is interesting to note that Jenny and Blake Sennett (the guitarist/singer who is also the groom in the video) used to date. And no longer do. But I don’t know if we’re supposed to read that into the song or not, and I don’t know the details. In any case, it’s a very pretty song and video both.
Rilo Kiley – With Arms Outstretched (from The Execution of All Things)
Rilo Kiley – Breakin’ Up (from Under the Blacklight)
Rilo Kiley – Under the Blacklight
click the covers to go to the regular Amazon CD store, because Rilo Kiley isn’t on the new MP3 store…yet…