Ok so after only being able to go to Fort Worth and see my family and recover from SXSW and all its insanity for about four days, I head back to NYC. Of course I had forgotten about the cold while in Texas, but I got an intense reminder the second that I landed that it was still Winter here. But shit got off to a right start and I ended up finishing out the month with some great experiences. Here are a few:
Queens of the Stone Age – Terminal 5 – March 25th – New York, NY
I had been back all of five minutes before I find myself heading to midtown to catch up with the Queens guys for soundcheck. No catch up was needed as I had just spent time with them a week prior in Texas during SXSW (see last few entries). After soundcheck I’m just hanging around talking with Josh and few of the other guys who are listening to stories from this guy and totally entranced. I don’t recognize him right away, but quickly learn its Mike Gordon from Phish, who was playing later across the street. I immediately text Erin back in Texas, as she’s a huge Phish fanatic.
The opening act was named the Dough Rollers. None of the members were fat, but they wherein’t talented either. A website had advertised that the Dough Rollers were a band consisting of a female vocalist/violinist, a mandolin player and a guitar player. They wherein’t. All they were, was a traditional four-piece, two guitar band.
After a brief intermission the show starts, and obviously its going to be similar to last week’s as the whole point of this tour (first in three years) is to perform the entire self-titled record, and the show began just as it did in Austin last week.
Homme was both cordial and antagonistic to his audience. Berating those throwing him the finger by saying:
“Oh sure, you do that while you are in the audience, but if you were up here you would be doing this” and begins to pantomime fellatio. “Some people say that because you see everything that you’re spoiled,” – “I think you understand things that other towns don’t understand. You understand that you can’t try to be cool, that’s impossible. Cool is, you like something and that’s it.”
Cool class came with a caveat: “But what do I know, I have a mullet,” he said. “I’m from the desert, I dunno jack shit.”
After the show I didn’t stick around to do the after-show thing, they were leaving that night, and I had been there all day hanging with them after a long flight and I was determined to get over to Irving Plaza to catch what I could of Helmet, who I had missed most of last week in Austin and was hoping to make up for that. Sadly, Irving Plaza was 40 blocks away.
(later that night) Helmet – Irving Plaza – March 25th – New York, NY
It just doesn’t seem like its in the cards for me to see Helmet this tour. After what happened in Austin last week at SXSW (see last few entries) – this show had to be on the same night at QOTSA. I still made my best effort to get over there for the show and I walked in just as I did in Austin, just in time to see the last few songs of the encore.
They sounded freaking awesome and thankfully went on last or I wouldn’t have seen any of the show.
Here is what I DID hear:
Encore:
In Person
Wilma’s Rainbow
Bad Mood
Milquetoast
Encore II:
Crisis King
I Know
What I DID NOT hear was them playing the ENTIRE Meantime LP which started the show. Why did these have to be on the same night?? – Regardless, I was grateful for what I did see, and headed home after a long day, a long flight and two awesome shows.
