I'm a little disappointed with the bands coming to Northwestern in the next week: Wilco and Andrew Bird. This is to say nothing of A&O Productions' impressive ability to book two somewhat high-profile bands, but I wish they had gotten someone more interesting - like Art Brut or the Wu-Tang Clan. Jurassic 5, as good as they are, didn't have the charisma to get the stagnant Northwestern crowd to move when they visited back in Fall Quarter; can you imagine the RZA accepting the hipster crowds such shows inevitably draw? I would pay just to listen to him berate the crowd in between each set.
But that's getting away from the point. I like Andrew Bird's music, but as a live act he is nothing less than pretty boring. He is like the Classics professor of indie rock, which means he's good in theory but you're mostly going to be standing around not paying attention. Seeing Bird twice in concert has made me realize that there is no emotional connection to his music. As catchy as his songs are, all he sings about are palindromes and awkward love in a hyper-literate way, instead of anything people can relate to. He's like a one-man music prodigy version of The Decemberists, except without the energy or the irony - it is endless fun to listen to his records, but if this concert was more than free I wouldn't go. But it is free, which is why I'm going to miss watching Heroes in order to see him twitch his way through a set. What is wrong with me?
Wilco is coming as well, which I will be missing because of a prior engagement with an out-of-town friend. However, I don't think I'd have gone anyway, other than just to go, which is a pretty stupid reason to spend $10.
Wilco is one of those alt-country bands, which is a genre that befuddles me: it combines one of the most inauthentic, bored styles of music with the most passionate, sincere type. Speak ill of country if you want, but there is no denying that it is rooted in basic emotion, no matter how embarrassing it may be. On the other hand, alternative music is mostly about doing anything to look cool. Who thought it was a good idea to mix these two genres?
Spring Break
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