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SXSW review: The Strokes
Austin wanted to see the Strokes badly on Thursday night.
So badly, in fact, that the portion of Riverside Drive that runs along Auditorium Shores was swarming with enough concert-goers to severely back up traffic, and the lawn in front of the Long Center was littered with groups of fans on blankets hoping to catch the music from afar. So badly, even, that when the lawn reached capacity and security cut off entry, some over-eager fans began hopping the chain-link fence, eventually bringing an entire section of it down.
And yet, for a good number of attendees, the desire wasn’t bad enough that they stuck around for the whole show. A little less than halfway through the performance, crowds started streaming out, though this time through official channels.
For their part, the Strokes gave a decent performance. Taking the stage just after darkness fell on the Austin skyline, they kicked the set off with “What Ever Happened,” and though the mix wavered between muffled and bright tones for a few songs, all of the essential Strokes elements were there. Fuzzy lead lines bounced in step with peppy one-two rhythms, and frontman Julian Casablancas topped it all off with his coarse wails — albeit amid a few forgotten lines of lyrics. The group sounded confident even when moving through new material, like the recently released single “Under the Cover of Darkness” off their album due out next week.
But the tightly packed crowd was pretty lackluster. They offered a few enthusiastic cheers during choruses from tracks off the band’s debut, but otherwise, the band didn’t have much to say between songs, and the crowd didn’t have much movement to offer in response to the music.
Still, it’s hard to resist a hit when you hear one, and as the band broke into “Last Nite” and fireworks exploded over the lawn, cheers echoed far down Riverside.
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Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: SXSW 2011
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By Spencer
March 18, 2011 1:20 PM | Link to this
Alex… come on now…
“They offered a few enthusiastic cheers during choruses from tracks off the band’s debut, but otherwise, the band didn’t have much to say between songs, and the crowd didn’t have much movement to offer in response to the music.”
If you were in the crowd, assuming you were in the press area, you would have experienced the cramped quarters that everyone felt. In between songs, after clapping and cheering, it was difficult to even put my arms down. Not because I rode 9 miles in from north central Austin but due to the fact that it was so packed! Imagine being front center stage at ACL and then apply that lack of personal space to the entire Auditorium Shores venue. That is how it was at ground level.
Great show! The sound quality lacked a little detail, it’s no Stubb’s, compared to their ACL show. All in all it was worth the body odor smell. At least they synced the fireworks up a little better than two year back at Explosions in the Sky.
By timewasajoke
March 21, 2011 7:51 PM | Link to this
youtube videos out there show pretty enthusiastic crowd as well as intense performance!