Sunday, May 25, 2014

Concert: Franz Ferdinand

On April 26th I went to see Franz Ferdinand for the 4th time. The first time I saw them was with Death Cab For Cutie in a double headlining bill with The Cribs as the opening act back in 2006 at the Memorial Coliseum. The time after that was at the Crystal Ballroom back in December of 2008, and the last time was at the Wonder Ballroom in August 2012.

Every time I see them I leave the venue smiling. They put on such a fantastic show, and might be one of the best lives bands I've seen in my concert going career. Their energy, enthusiasm, and crowd connectivity is invigorating and it sucks you in. With their catchy tunes and sometimes odd lyrics, they have quite a unique sound, while still having the classic British rocker aspect to their music.

The opening act, Cate Le Bon, is a Welsh singer-songwriter who was excellent. Her voice and lyrics had a hauntingly beautiful quality, and she was very enjoyable to listen to.

Then, finally, Franz Ferdinand came out to roars of applause wearing matching outfits. Honestly, they were really tacky looking, but if anyone could pull off that look it was them. They were all wearing some variation of pants, shirts, and jackets that were a mix of black, white, and gray. 




They played a fairly long set with all the old favorites and a good chunk of their new album (Fresh Strawberries, Bullet, Right Action, Evil Eye, Love Illumination, Stand on the Horizon, Brief Encounters, and Goodbye Lovers and Friends). I didn't get the setlist which was the first time in a while, so that was a total bummer. I asked the roadie a bunch of times, and he gave them to surrounding people but not me, but in the end he gave me two consolation picks (one from Alex, and one from Nick).

God, they are so good live. I ended up right in front of Bob (the bass player) which was fun, but I really like to stand in front of Nick (the guitar player) if I can because he's got some excellent dance moves! The line outside the door was a lot longer than I had expected it to be, otherwise I would have gotten a better spot... I got there about two and a half to three hours before the doors, but there were already like, thirty people there.

All in all it was a fantastic show, and Franz Ferdinand always deliver!

Here's Ulysses:


Stand on the Horizon:


Evil Eye


All photos and videos courtesy of Howard Weiner 

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