Venue, The Metro(4/6):
The Metro is one of the faded glories of the Chicago music scene. In its day it was a wonderful venue. You’d made it in Chicago if you played the Metro even two years ago. It is a great venue; don’t get me wrong. It is very intimate-- maximum of 1000 people, two tiers, and a cheap bar. The bathrooms are even decent for a bar/concert venue. However, you can see it fading. It is sad in a way, as that place has a lot of sentimental value for the music scene in Chicago. I still love it there; one of my first big shows in Chicago was there. However, the sound system is probably older than the venue itself and dying. The building itself is falling apart in minor ways-- it could stand to have fresh coat of paint and have the floors redone as they are mostly that odd cardboard like stuff that many dance floors are covered in and lots of gaff tape.
However, it is one of the few places that you can still get a 20oz water for 3$ and it still draws good music. The small size also makes the crowds more manageable.
The Crowd (3/6): The one thing I dislike about the music crowds I tend to run in is a certain flavor of audience member. Stop me if you’ve seen this person. Loud voice, that just gets louder when the music starts, often stands facing his friend rather than the stage, thus running into the person in back of him constantly. He is completely unaware of his body, usually bitching about something regarding the act on stage. If you think the artist sucks either leave or don’t come in the first place.
If you’re not there to watch/listen to your artist, then get the fuck out of my way. Especially if your over six feet tall and standing in front of a five foot tall fan of the artist on stage.
We had at least three of those in our row alone. I was ready to pull out my metal elbows and start a throw down.
Luckily, I’m a shrimp.
The show:
Rockie Fresh (2/6) I will add a caveat here, I’m not as familiar with hip-hop/rap as a genre, so its sometimes tricky for me to judge quality versus something I’m not used to. I should also add that this particular artist caters to a flavor of hip-hop that I don’t care for. I try to put my personal genre biases aside when reviewing, however, and focus on the technical talent and overall quality. I also acknowledge that one of the things that makes hip-hop so innovative is the use of sampling to change the way a song sounds. I like that.
It is however, a genre that relies on a persons sense of beat being razor sharp and vocal talent to being articulate and precise.
I found that Rockie Fresh lacked the edge needed to make his vocals stand out. I also found his music too busy. There is a line between well-layered music-- a common thing in hip-hop-- and cacophony. I find his work comparable to the young musicians that, rather than specializing, learn to play multiple instruments, but not very well. While innovation is one of the keys to success in the music industry, without that foundation, any diversification becomes noise, rather than style. If he simplified his work and really honed his vocals, I think he could have a shot at success in the club scene.
Patrick Stump(4/6):
Patrick Stump has a distinctive, clear voice that is a pleasure to listen to. He is a fun, talented artist with a striking look and energy in spades.
Stump is also playful on stage and constantly bouncing, flailing and bolting from one side to the other of the stage. He has a wonderful smile both in his face and in his sound. He is very much riding the high of being able to finally do what he wants instead of having to fight with band mates.
What Stump lacks, however, is structure and a foundation. I find him very chaotic and uncoordinated in both his sound and his presence. I feel like he is used to having something to rein in his raw energy and direct it and now that he is no longer in Fall out boy, he doesn’t have any direction and structure. It is as though he’s gone back to the beginning, but maintained some of his popularity from Fall Out Boy. He’s still struggling to find exactly what he wasn’t to sound like and how he wants to present himself as an artist. I’m willing to give him a couple years, however,I do not know if the fan-base is. During the show I saw more than a few people leave. On the other hand the fans that stayed were intensely loyal and very vocal. If stump is going to succeed I feel like he needs to recognize that he is not as big as he used to be and really work on honing himself as an artist.
He also needs a better backup band, I didn’t find any of them particularly talented.
In short, Stump is a nice Midwestern boy who needs to gain a little of the big city edge to succeed on his own.
Showing posts with label Patrick Stump. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patrick Stump. Show all posts
November 12, 2011
August 7, 2011
This City is my City (Lollapalooza day 2)
Venue: Same as yesterday, though this particular stage (The BMI stage) had the worst sound system I’ve encountered in a long time. And there was no adjustment made to compensate for the overactive bass.
Acts:
I briefly walked in on Death From Above 1979, while they were very good; I only saw pieces of their set as I was coordinating with people. I also spent an ungodly amount of time running to and from the FYE booth. Someone would make a large profit if they offered some kind of ride back and forth across the park. My spine is still throbbing. I’m still reveling in how gorgeous Lola is.
Patrick Stump: (3/6) I have to say found Stump because of Fall Out Boy. I do love his vocal range and his odd nasally voice. I will also admit that part of the reason I paid attention to Patrick was that everyone else was busy paying attention to Peat Wentz. Stump is far and away the more talented of the two. However, he is going to be haunted for the rest of his life as being “that other guy from fall out boy” so I’m going to shut up about peat and go right to Patrick.
Patrick Stump has a great vocal range, and a distinct voice, however, he falls into the same trap many artist fall into when they go solo. He tries to hard to be “not Fall Out Boy” and I find that that means he doesn’t actually have his own sound. What he plays is an amalgamation of hip hop, pop and funk and has an uncoordinated tone live. Recorder it is much better but still lacks focus. It is almost as though Stump has started over from ground zero musically but with his fame intact.
I’m willing to stick by him musically, as his lyrics are sharp and there is talent there as well as a lot of potential, however, he needs to get past his “I’m NOT FALL OUT BOY” phase and get focused. The R&B sound is interesting for him but it still feels like he’s trying to hard.
The emotion in his voice is undeniable, however. He has a lot of passion. Good luck to him.
The Pretty Reckless (4/6): I'd heard this band recorded and only truly knew one song of theirs. The impression I had from the album was good, but I had low expectations of their live show. While I did miss about half of it getting Patrick Stump's autograph, I am glad I made it back in time to hear some of their set. They were much better live than on the album. Very coordinated, a good balance of crowd interaction and performing. Taylor Momsen's vocal's were solid and matched up with the sound she produced on album. However, she didn't very at all. I would like to see her step out of her comfort box and experiment with what she's capable of vocally. I thought the band was solid and I adore Ben Phillips’ throaty scream voice as well and his guitar work is solid.
Where they really lost points, and some of my respect was their attitude. While I don't know the story behind it, apparently, they are notorious for being late. I wasn't at the beginning of their set, but according to one of the other people in line with me for the singing, they were late. They were also an hour late at least to the signing, I don't know if it got longer of if they ever showed up I had to cut out after standing in line for an hour. While a little slack can be cut when it's your show. In a venue wherein you have 45-minute sets, and 30 minutes for singings, that kind of lateness is unacceptable. I know it was they, too, not the FYE people as a) they'd been timely at the last singing and b) they said as much. If they ever want to be the headliner, they need to step it up.
Acts:
I briefly walked in on Death From Above 1979, while they were very good; I only saw pieces of their set as I was coordinating with people. I also spent an ungodly amount of time running to and from the FYE booth. Someone would make a large profit if they offered some kind of ride back and forth across the park. My spine is still throbbing. I’m still reveling in how gorgeous Lola is.
Patrick Stump: (3/6) I have to say found Stump because of Fall Out Boy. I do love his vocal range and his odd nasally voice. I will also admit that part of the reason I paid attention to Patrick was that everyone else was busy paying attention to Peat Wentz. Stump is far and away the more talented of the two. However, he is going to be haunted for the rest of his life as being “that other guy from fall out boy” so I’m going to shut up about peat and go right to Patrick.
Patrick Stump has a great vocal range, and a distinct voice, however, he falls into the same trap many artist fall into when they go solo. He tries to hard to be “not Fall Out Boy” and I find that that means he doesn’t actually have his own sound. What he plays is an amalgamation of hip hop, pop and funk and has an uncoordinated tone live. Recorder it is much better but still lacks focus. It is almost as though Stump has started over from ground zero musically but with his fame intact.
I’m willing to stick by him musically, as his lyrics are sharp and there is talent there as well as a lot of potential, however, he needs to get past his “I’m NOT FALL OUT BOY” phase and get focused. The R&B sound is interesting for him but it still feels like he’s trying to hard.
The emotion in his voice is undeniable, however. He has a lot of passion. Good luck to him.
The Pretty Reckless (4/6): I'd heard this band recorded and only truly knew one song of theirs. The impression I had from the album was good, but I had low expectations of their live show. While I did miss about half of it getting Patrick Stump's autograph, I am glad I made it back in time to hear some of their set. They were much better live than on the album. Very coordinated, a good balance of crowd interaction and performing. Taylor Momsen's vocal's were solid and matched up with the sound she produced on album. However, she didn't very at all. I would like to see her step out of her comfort box and experiment with what she's capable of vocally. I thought the band was solid and I adore Ben Phillips’ throaty scream voice as well and his guitar work is solid.
Where they really lost points, and some of my respect was their attitude. While I don't know the story behind it, apparently, they are notorious for being late. I wasn't at the beginning of their set, but according to one of the other people in line with me for the singing, they were late. They were also an hour late at least to the signing, I don't know if it got longer of if they ever showed up I had to cut out after standing in line for an hour. While a little slack can be cut when it's your show. In a venue wherein you have 45-minute sets, and 30 minutes for singings, that kind of lateness is unacceptable. I know it was they, too, not the FYE people as a) they'd been timely at the last singing and b) they said as much. If they ever want to be the headliner, they need to step it up.
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