Concert Review:
Eagles of Death Metal/The Strokes
3.5/5
The lights went out; the band started playing, and the fans forgot to care.
This is a travesty, but this is what occurred at Hammerstein Ballroom on March 3, 2006, when the Eagles of Death Metal took the stage to open the show. A hooky garage pop band with a love for the swagger of 50's rockabilly, the band was very good at recreating the sound found on their album Peace Love Death Metal. They also added some more solos and lead breaks into the songs to make it more interesting. The fans would have none of it. In between songs, the lead singer would yell, "Let's hear it for rock!" and he would get a smattering of sarcastic jeers back. The band was good, but the music was unappreciated.
After a grueling 40 minutes of an intermission, The Strokes took to the stage. This time, the crowd was fully into it. The kids started jumping all around, even creating a mosh pit and crowd surfing. Creating a mosh pit to a soft garage rock track seems unseemly to me, but it showed a boundless energy that the Strokes harnessed and toyed with. The crowd seemed to function in extremes: they neglected to give Eagles a chance, but were overjoyed to see the familiar faces of The Strokes.
The set was blistering; featuring an array of the band's music from its first album Is This It to the new release First Impressions of Earth.The highlights of the set included the eruption of noise that complimented "Ize of the World" and the somber "Ask Me Anything," which Julian Casablancas sings only with the rhythm guitarist playing keyboard. The band also played many of the tracks off the previous albums, albeit with a cleaner sound than the record. Tracks like "Hard to Explain" and "Last Nite" had a resonance the band has never achieved before. Rather than the band sounding muddled, the music was refreshing, and it still kept the integrity of the original.
The Strokes, after an hour and a half set, left the stage for a few minutes, and came back for a three-song encore. These songs were more powerful than the entire main set. The closer, "Take It or Leave It," was the most powerful, the members banging at their instruments, creating a sound they had not achieved all night long. Suddenly, it was all over, and roots reggae music blared over the speakers, signaling the end of the show.
The Strokes' Set list:
Modern Age, Heart In A Cage, Red Light, Juice Box, The End Has No End, 12:51, What Ever Happened, Hawaii, Ize of the World, Life's A Gas, Soma, I Can't Win, Alone, Together, Last Nite, Hard To Explain, You Only Live Once, Someday, Trying Your Luck, Ask Me Anything, Vision of Division, Reptilia, Encore:New York City Cops, Barely Legal, Take It or Leave It
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