|   a short Super Furry Animals concert review-- attn: audiobill | Rae
Apr 19, 2002 7:31 AM | | I saw the Furrys last night at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis. CEX was the opener. It was the second-and-a-half time I'd seen him (the half part being Michigan Fest, where he wasn't slated to perform but hijacked the end of the Dismemberment Plan's set). The crowd was very unresponsive, and he sort of settled into an adversarial relationship with them, admonishing them for being "yuppies" ("I bet y'all have the kind of jobs that give you free tickets to the symphony," he said, noting a cello line in one of his beats, "so y'all probably know what a cello is, even if you're not sure what the f*ck I am.") All the material he performed was from his upcoming album (released in June), save for a pair of inspired freestyles that covered topics ranging from Billy Ripkin to the limited number of television channels at Motel 6. I chatted with CEX at the merch table after his set, and he gave me his business card ("CEX: #1 Entertainer"). Speaking of merch, I was a little disappointed that SFA only brought their new CD and DVD ($15 and $25, respectively). I guess I'll have to keep hunting for a used copy of <i>Radiator</i>.
Super Furry Animals were great. They had a video show that went along with their performance, so I'm pretty sure they'll play the same set on all of the tour stops. I won't spoil it for you except to say that it concentrates on <i>Rings Around the World</i>, obviously. It was the first night of their tour and they were a little jet-lagged and disorganized, but it was still stellar. They played for nearly two hours and kept a consistently intense energy level going, even through the slow songs. I hadn't realized that they were so overtly political-- not that I minded it, but it came as a mild surprise. The second half of the show especially was pretty uncompromising. They sounded great, too, although they did have piped-in horns on a few songs rather than live horns, but you can hardly blame them for that.
Overall, I really enjoyed myself and I'd encourage anyone along this tour to try to catch them. I look forward to hearing Bill's thoughts about their stop in Toronto (luckily, I think CEX will still be with them there. "thumb shift/ gears click - down hill/ one wheel"). I hope he has as good a time as I did.
~Rae |
| billy ripkin!!! did you get any cex? www.rjyan.com NT | stupidestboy
Apr 19, 2002 7:48 AM | | check out the picture of his teeth. they spell his name in gold and platinum. i barely even know his music, but he slays me. |
| yeah, I have <i>oops, I did it again</i>. | Rae
Apr 19, 2002 7:55 AM | | It's nothing like his live show, though. In concert he only does raps, no instrumentals, whereas the record has virtually no vocals at all.
~Rae |
| |
