The Airborne Toxic Event w/ Kodaline – First Avenue, Minneapolis (04/23/13) live review
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Setlist
04/27/13 Frisco, TX FC Dallas Stadium
04/28/13 Austin, TX Emo’s 04/29/13 Houston, TX House Of Blues 05/01/13 Saint Petersburg, FL State Theatre 05/02/13 Orlando, FL The Beacham 05/04/13 West Palm Beach, FL Downtown 05/05/13 Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theatre 05/06/13 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle 05/08/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 05/09/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 05/10/13 Boston, MA House Of Blues Boston 05/11/13 South Burlington, VT Higher Ground 05/12/13 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank 05/14/13 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall 05/15/13 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre 05/16/13 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall 05/19/13 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amph 06/01/13 Visalia, CA Visalia Fox Theatre 06/09/13 Saint Petersburg, FL State Theatre 06/12/13 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues 06/13/13 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall 06/14/13 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue 06/20/13 Clifton Park, NY Upstate Concert Hall
Coming on the heels of their digital EP, The Secret, LA-based The Airborne Toxic Event is out on the road soon, in support of their upcoming 3rd full-length, Such Hot Blood, due April 16 on Island Records……
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KODALINE
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Dublin foursome Kodaline opened the show, promoting their self-titled ep (B-Unique/RCA), completely won the crowd over with their melancholy anthems and soaring choruses (think folk U2/early Coldplay). It didn’t hurt that many thought the Irish lads were also handsome and that they wrote a song specifically for Minneapolis for them to gain fans in a room that prior to their performance, very few had any familiarity with. ‘High Hopes’ and ‘All I Want’ were highlights from a band already playing a bigger sound than the venues they’re currently playing – with the right airplay and a little more stage charisma and maybe bombast, they could become the next The Script as far as popularity in the U.S.—a band to watch.
The Airborne Toxic Event then came out to a set decorated with two gnarled trees framing each side of the back on the stage, similar to the look of their first album cover. Lighting the fire, the band broke into ‘Gasoline’, an energy-filled opener from its debut album that got the crowd moving immediately. Following with ‘Happiness is Overrated’, lead singer Mikel Jollett was up in the balcony singing soon after, while Anna Bulbrook (viola, keyboards) rode on bassist Noah Harmon’s shoulders, tambourine in hand. While musically tight, the overall performance also echo’d a bit of familiarity and calculation about it – from Bulbrook performing on top of a piano to Harmon and guitarist Steven Chen dueling guitar sounds back and forth, the performance seemed more pre-planned than spontaneous, which may have to be the case when staging a 90 min. performance on a large club room tour.
Jollett freely admits being obsessed with death (the band’s name takes from a section of Don DeLillo’s White Noise), but mentioned his view changed recently after several close to him passed away in his pre-song intro to ‘Timeless’, which he dedicated to those lost. Following that with their biggest single, ‘Sometime Around Midnight’ which predictably got the night’s biggest response, Jollett also mentioned his memories of their first trip into the venue, opening for The Fratellis, then desperately selling t-shirts and CDs after.
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AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT
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The band ended the main set appropriately with ‘All I Ever Wanted’, which was the title track of their live album, as well as on their 2nd studio album, All At Once. Returning for the encore with the somewhat inexplicable song choices of a cover of The Magnetic Fields’ ‘Book of Love’; the somber lyrics of ‘The Graveyard Near The House’; and ‘Missy’, segued with an All-American medley of ‘Ring of Fire / American Girl / Born In The USA’. While energetic, it left some scratching their heads as to whether the band was just trying to interpret some of their favorite songs, celebrate American music, or make the statement that they belonged in that company.
Despite their sometimes inconsistent studio output and without any clearer definition of their identity (maybe for the best at this point), The Airborne Toxic Event does continue to impress live, with their tight hooks and arena-sized sound stretching the boundaries of the smaller places they are playing.
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The Airborne Toxic Event at First Avenue, Minneapolis (04/23/13) |
Thank you.
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nice insight and comments, Julie, and I really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment on everything. You’re right that TATE is more sophisticated and more musically ambidextrous than a lot of bands out there– I just wanted to see more spontaneity and an immediacy to their show (a la U2 and Springsteen) that I know they have the chops to pull off. But, I haven’t given up on them yet…! thanks again!
Thank you for your thoughtful review. You mention a few things that I’ve seen before, but you *really address them* rather than just make a pronouncement, and I appreciate that. As for the band not being easy to peg down, well yes, they’re not. I think that’s a good thing. They do have an identity—it’s a unique blend of what may seem like opposing things, but aren’t. They have DIY indie beginnings (sending demos to blogs, booking their own shows), though obviously they’re on a major label now. Their music at times sounds “alternative,” but since their songs are relatable and fans like to sing along, I guess that makes them more mainstream. As for genre, they’ve had angst-laced punk rock tunes, epic stadium anthems, and “orchestral folk ballads.” Lyrically and musically they’re far more poetic and sophisticated than most of what’s out there, which is why they continue to impress me.
As for their shows being choreographed, yes they do that. There will always be spontaneous, unplanned moments, but after 800+ gigs and with certain venues and their regulations, they probably need to have some sort of basic plan, so club security doesn’t freak. Mikel and Anna both have a penchant for stage diving and wading out into the audience, and Mikel likes to climb stuff – not all clubs like that. They also frequently switch off on instruments and move around a lot, so I would guess some stage choreography is necessary so that band members don’t fall all over each other.
The choice of songs for the encore is purely fan-driven. There are always tons of requests for “Book of Love” and likewise for “Graveyard.” Ending with “Missy” is such an Airborne tradition, I’m starting to dislike the song because I know that means the show is almost over. And yes, the covers chosen are among their favorites—it’s a celebration of artists who have inspired them, and I think is also a snapshot of where they are at that moment. Thanks again for your words, and here are a few of mine, about the new album – bit.ly/Z11YgS