I finally had the chance to see my favorite band from my high school days.
Power-pop quartet Fountains of Wayne played a stellar set at the
Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, N.C. To my surprise, my friends and I were some of the youngest people there, surrounded by a lot of 40+ year-old couples who weren't afraid to headbang lightly when appropriate. Opening for FoW was the less than exciting group, The Stars Explode. My friends and I showed up late, anxiously awaiting FoW and attempting to miss the opening act.
After The Stars Explode cleared the stage and many excruciating minutes of waiting, FoW took the stage. Surprisingly, I quickly found myself wondering if I had wasted my money. Lead singer Chris Collingwood's guitar pedals were not working and his guitar was inaudible. A roadie worked quickly to resolve the situation and Collingwood had to repeat a verse of "I've Got a Flair" from their self-titled release (1996). After a few songs, the band settled in and proceeded to rock out, playing a good mix of newer and older material. Even without the synthesizers that are present in so many of their recorded songs, the band managed to present a full sound, and Jody Porter, lead guitarist, didn't miss a note in his solos.
Notable numbers include "Radiation Vibe", where FoW showed off their ability to play measures of classic rock songs, then quickly return to the original tune. "Hey Julie" from Welcome Interstate Managers (2003) featured the percussive work of three members of the crowd. "Valley Winter Song" was befitting for the evening, given the bitter, blustery cold weather outside. In the encore, "Stacy's Mom" was rearranged into a slow, jazz piano-infused tune, perhaps taking a stab at the crowd members who came hoping only to hear this one-hit wonder. All in all it was a great show, but one can only hope for a better opening act if they return to the area.
As the anticipation built for Neon Indian, a sea of flannel shirt-wearing fans wielding PBRs packed in around the stage. Neon Indian opened with "Local Joke" from Pyschic Chasms (2009). Much of the original music remained in tact, but some guitar leads were slightly lost in translation. They also relied on a drum kit instead of low-fi drum samples. The crowd responded well to the more popular tracks. The band played a long synth-heavy segue into "Pyschic Chasms" and the crowd began to move as the synth-bass line drove the song along. "Polish Girl" (Era Extraña, 2011) was also a huge hit and a segue into "Dead Beat Summer" made both tunes even better. Lead singer Alan Palomo even let the crowd sing the chorus. Palomo told the crowd there was one song left in the set but said that since we were "such a great audience" they would play on through the encore set, which included "Terminally Chill" and "Should've Taken Acid With You". All in all it was a great night of low-fi/chillwave, right in my backyard.
