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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | Dale - HifiToaster <differentkitchen@attglobal.net> |
| Subject | Shoes at IPO |
| Date | Sun, 27 Apr 2003 22:42:56 -0500 |
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Maybe I'm just one of the people that Mike Bennett accused of "listening
with their heart rather than their ears", but I was damn happy to see
the Shoes on stage again at IPO on Saturday night. The songs in the
first third of the setlist weren't what I would have picked, but once
they started with the "hits" and personal faves everything clicked for
me (and apparently the crowd based on the growing enthusiasm I saw from
where I was standing).
Referring to their vocals Mike commented:
>inactivity has rendered them borderline unlistenable -- unless
>off-key and flat are your cup of tea.
While I'll agree that they didn't all the notes, they did hit the songs,
and that's always been where the band's strength is. I can think of few
bands that can still hit all the notes 25 years into their career, and
as you've pointed out, they were never known for their powerhouse vocal
prowess anyway. To call them "borderline unlistenable" is almost
ridiculous.
If we're going to write off bands for being off-key and/or flat, then
about half the bands I've seen at IPO in the past two years are
borderline unlistenable. Luckily however, many of those bands have got
enough charm, passion, and most importantly, strong songs to still make
a set enjoyable. Maybe I'm not the most stringent judge of vocals
though, since I actually enjoy the first two Chris Mars albums despite
their pancake flat vocals.
In the Shoes set I saw a great show that celebrated the songs and albums
that have meant so much to me over the years. I went in expecting a
great show from some musical heroes, and I'll admit that I'm biased
enough that I was excited just seeing them walk up on that stage, but I
feel that they delivered a solid set to be proud of.
Sleep Cheap
Dale
np: the fabulous new Richard Thompson
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