Concert Review: Kelly Clarkson & Matt Natahanson - Hammond, IN 3/10/2012

Kelly Clarkson / Matt Nathanson: More Than Meets The Eye
The Venue – March 10, 2012
Hammond, IN
By Anthony Kuzminski
[Photo Credit]
[Originally published on antiMUSIC]

• Read my 2009 Kelly Clarkson review HERE
• Read my 2011 Matt Nathanson review HERE

As we’ve begun to learn from a sprouting assortment of television shows, the world is full of gifted singers whose instrument may be staggering from a scientific viewpoint. However, what differentiates a technically good singer from a great one is how much of their soul they exude in their performance. Kelly Clarkson isn’t just one of the best singers from a methodological perspective, but from a soulful one as well. If you think you know her from the songs on the radio and her award show performances, then you have another thing coming because in concert her shows take on implausible dimensions of candor as she takes her audience on a tidal wave of emotions. She doesn’t simply direct and tells stories to the crowd but pulls them into the middle of the hurricane where the pain and euphoria are experienced hand-in-hand. She delivers self-belief arms-to-the-air anthems that are wholly catching and downright astonishing. It’s like being taken to a safe and secure place where you’re certain to come through a rehabilitated person on the other end.

Despite concert tours by Van Halen, the reunited Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen and Roger Waters in 2012, let me state that the Kelly Clarkson and Matt Nathanson package currently touring is one of the best of the year. Nathanson warms up the crowd while Clarkson headlines for an evening of high octane soul searching. On their tour stop at The Venue in Hammond, Indiana both acts were in top notch form. Those who came to see Clarkson alone received a gift in the form of Matt Nathanson. Along with Will Hoge, Michael Franti and Butch Walker, his club performances are not to be missed and when chosen to open for another artist, they’re the ultimate secret weapon. Nathanson’s all-too-short forty-five minute set was full of deceptively sunny songs that find middle ground between the pop and rock spectrum. He’s as comfortable in a coffee house as he is in an arena and could win over any crowd, a rare feat I’ve only seen a few other artists be capable of. Nathanson took to the stage not as an opener but as a musician set out to make a bond with each and every member of the audience. He has this uncanny ability to make a slight vocal infliction that takes the song from simplicity to surreal as he did on “Gone”. His in-between song banter was more than engaging but entered a realm of intimacy. He was clever, charming and well…himself. Even a jaded soul would have smiled at that charisma that exploded off the stage. He took the animated banter and it flowed over into his performances. His latest single “Run” oozed sexiness, the cover of “Laid” had everyone on their feet and on “Faster” his hard work paid off as the sold-out crowd excitedly played along with him in a clapping game that made everyone stand up and take notice. Two particular songs reached a holy realm; “Room @ the End of the World” and “Come on Get Higher”. On “Room” his vocal was searing with Nathanson fully throwing himself into the song vocally and playing the hell out of his guitar. Those fortunate enough to watch it witnessed someone not seeking fame and success so much as an artist sharing something philosophical. Watching him made you realize that the world would be a better place if all art was as endearing and sincere as his songs and albums. Matt Nathanson is a gift from Kelly Clarkson to her fans as his opening set will seduce anyone fortunate enough to see it and you will walk away more than merely entertained but with another music artist you will want to follow until the end of your days. Kelly Clarkson and Matt Nathanson both take to the stage every night swinging hard with slices of hard bitter truths that they manage to discern a hidden silver lining from elevated the crowd in the process.

Kelly Clarkson’s ninety-minute set opened with “Dark Side”, the upcoming third single from Stronger. A see-through drape covered the stage with projected headlines that she’s had to battle over the course of her career including “Fat” and “Still Single at 29”. While it’s startling to see these phrases and words on such a large space, it highlights the ludicrousness of our media. We should be heralding her openness, the way she puts her heart into her music, her divine inner beauty and the empirical joy she brings to millions. Sadly the focus is often on things that are wholly inconsequential, but somehow she rises above and beyond with every record and performance. Right after the opening, she offered up devastating double knock-out of “Behind Hazel Eyes” and Since You’ve Been Gone”; the latter of which began with an underground throbbing bass line which evoked the Strokes at their best before the band launched into another stratosphere for the chorus. It’s unusual to see someone wallop their audience with two mega hits back-to-back but Clarkson is more than an performer but a artist who knows her audience and isn’t afraid to take chances. She took chances over the 19-song set that were more than charming but compelling. In short, Clarkson weaved a spell on the sold-out crowd.

The show ranged from surprisingly effective new songs, rearranged classics and a smattering of carefully chosen and invigorating covers. Her latest album, Stronger was well represented and its song selection has expanded since the tour began in February. “Einstein” was done acoustically showcasing the powerhouse vocal delivery and breaking the song down to its most fundamental aspects with a dirty groove to boot. “You Love Me” which she referred to as her favorite song she has written to date and was unflinchingly earnest in concert. “I Forgive You” had the crowd singing along immediately. It didn’t stand out to me on the record, but there were more teeth to it in concert. Many may dismiss Clarkson’s albums because of how they are constructed with a bounty of outside writers and producers. However, she has a hand in choosing the songs, the arrangements and she infuses her own heart and personality into the songs. Take any track on Stronger and have someone else sing it and it doesn’t have the same effect. Many of the tracks may not work at all but with Clarkson’s pipes behind the songs, she brings the words and arrangements to life with the instrument that is her voice.

There are usually two types of artists in the world; those that play to their diehards and those who don’t. Clarkson never tours with the same repertoire twice. The arrangements are diverse, sturdy, inventive and above all else daring. She never takes her crowd so far that she alienates them but hypnotizes and challenges them. “Heavy in Your Arms” found her in the crowd belting out the Florence + the Machine song with unhinged zeal. Each and every performance is like hearing these songs for the first time. She holds nothing back and she isn’t afraid to let it all hang out for her fans. While some artists retreat from profound emotions, she collides with them head-on. Every show has a fan request section, a new and different song that is not rehearsed until the day of the show. A music lover first and foremost, Clarkson doesn’t so much come off as a star but one of us, with the Mount Rushmore of singing pipes. Paramore’s “The Only Exception” was the evening’s choice and it was delivered in an acoustic arrangement that suited the song. The spare piano arrangement of Carrie Underwood’s “I Know You Won’t” tugged at your heart in a fully assured vocal performance as did “Because of You” (which she declared was “about the cycle of family”) and “Don’t You Wanna Stay” (with Jason Aldean’s vocals dropped in and his image on silhouette) was a massive crowd pleaser. “Already Gone” was a revelation in its chamber arrangement with seven backing vocalists carrying the first part of the song that showed the song in a more fluid and organic arrangement that is infinitely superior to the album cut. “Never Again” was dialed back to just a piano and her vocal once again having her rely on passion instead of bombast to get her point across. My December has become a cult record for her most fervent fans. Her performance of “Sober” from her 2009 Chicago stop stands as one of the greatest single song performances I’ve seen in the last decade. The unreleased “You Still Won't Know What It's Like” was hauntingly poignant while the perfect back-to-back pairing of “Mr. Know It All” and “Miss Independent” capped the evening in a thrilling finale. Clarkson is in need of a career defining live album from multiple tours. It should be more than a souvenir but a showcase so the naysayers can hear her with their hearts and not their heads. She plays to the fans first and foremost and from there the devotion, grow, spreads and more and more people come to realize there is more to her than meets the eye.

Appearances can be deceiving and as Kelly Clarkson proved; her tightly constructed set pulled her fans nearer. She makes herself endearing to them and ventures into a deeply personal realm few others dare to. The greatest gift an artist can ever give their audience is something real and tangible to contemplate. This is what differentiates Clarkson from others who have made their mark on the reality TV circuit. She throws herself into the songs and whether or not she wrote the song, you walk away feeling she has shared a piece of herself in the process. This is a near unattainable feat yet she does it marvelously. You believe each and every word that escapes her lips. She captures lightning in the bottle over and over again with what appears to be relatively ease by providing such a surge of emotions and euphoria, one can only hope her audience does the same for her. As she sung “Breakaway” it became evident that the song was bigger than her or anyone in the room with its towering arms-to-the-air chorus. Her music uncovers strength from tumultuous turmoil. The fire and desperation that runs through Clarkson’s veins is channeled into the performance. Anyone who witnessed the jolting “My Life Would Suck Without You” and the wonderfully hot-blooded anthem "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)" knows there is something therapeutic about a physical release that only an engaged concert performance like this one can bring. Seeing Kelly Clarkson in concert is akin to sharing an intimate and revealing evening with her where despondency and dreams are shared side-by-side. People may have walked in thinking they knew who Kelly Clarkson was, but left knowing her on a much deeper and personal level.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter

Concert Review: The All-American Rejects: Songs To Save Your Life By

The All-American Rejects: Songs To Save Your Life By 
Concert Review: The Metro-Chicago, IL 
April 9th, 2012 
By Anthony Kuzminski 
Originally published on the antiMUSIC Network
Photo Credit

Great shows are often defined by a singular communal moment. You know what I’m talking about- where the band stirs the crowd into a tizzy where they lose themselves in the moment allowing their emotions to get the best of them. Whether it’s a tear escaping from an eye duct, a yelp at the top of your lungs, a jogging leap or a thrust of the arm to the air so insistent you’d knock someone out it was angled downward. With each passing year of my life, these collective moments slowly disappear. Most music acts struggle to whip up the fervor their musical descendents previously did without trying. I hear about concerts by the Clash, Ramones and the Who where the crowd transcended the evening to another world. As the All-American Rejects closed out their main set the Chicago’s Metro with “Move Along” the crowd wept and wailed along to the time-keeping drums that pulsed, the combustive guitars and their own voices which almost drowned the band out just like their rock forefathers had before. The entire concert was a fury-filled ride of rapture but this song took it up a notch. The All-American Rejects may not make any year-end critics lists, but watching the crowd’s collective retorts song-after-song made me realize this is a band bigger and better than anyone other than their fans gives them credit for. 

Going right for the jugular the band began their tight 90-minute show with the bursting riff of “Dirty Little Secret” providing the crowd with a shock of instantaneous satisfaction. Their eponymous debut record is a decade old, but several songs were featured in the set and didn’t feel the least bit dated. “My Paper Heart” was a cotton-candy pop concoction, but onstage at the Metro, it was fueled with inexorable aggression. “Your Star” was performed without a hint of irony. The unbridled gusto of their late teens still infused the performance. “Swing, Swing” elicited a cacophony of roars and a huge adrenaline rush from the crowd. If a song moves and inspires someone then it never becomes dated. In my book, there’s nothing sexier than a group who constantly evolves and brings their fans along for the ride. There was an entirely charming quality of their debut which they have improved upon with each release. For a band as well-manicured as the Rejects are on record, they bring a more monolithic density to their songs in concert. On the 2008 cut “Fallin' Apart” the floor shook as heavily as it had during “Dirty Little Secret” proving there is more to this band than the radio hits and videos. On record the song floats on a the same pop cloud that Katy Perry drove on her biggest singles, but the Rejects didn’t just perform, they heaved back and forth with the crowd as the crowd stood there and sung every last lyric. This point was driven home even further on “I Wanna” where Ritter stood at the tip of the stage, raised his arms and the crowd, both males and females followed his lead and proceeded to merrily jump and down. The force of the crowd never relented for the entirety of their set.

The Rejects fourth record Kids in the Street was represented by eight songs in the set. Kids in the Street finds the band liberating their minds onto a intricately well crafted alternative pop-rock template that is hard to deny under the guidance of Greg Wells who most recently added his production touches to a few cuts on Adele’s 21.The lead single “Beekeeper's Daughter” didn’t miss a beat with the crowd with a chorus as endearing as anything they’ve created to date. Ritter roamed the stage like it was an arena much to the glee of the crowd. The strident Ric Ocasek influence “Fast and Slow” invigorated the crowd while the catching mid-tempo number “Someday's Gone” exemplified their musical expansion. “Gonzo” featured an underpinning of rhythm where two basses complimented Chris Gaylor’s kick-drum tempo. Trying to make sense of the last decade of their life, the Rejects concocted an anthem of living in the present. “Only when you look forward could you see behind”. These introspective lyrics further illustrate the weightiness with which the Rejects take their craft. Musically it shifts from a whisper to a scream with the bass and drums affecting not just the song but the fragile emotions of the listener. Guitarists Nick Wheeler and Mike Kennerty guitars reverberate never overshadowing the song. Their guitar work on many of the new songs more or less compliment them rather than overpowering them. This is the highest compliment I can give them as they sacrificed their talents for the sake of the songs.

“Kids In the Street” was performed under a sepia blue light. It’s hard to imagine that each and every attendee would have chosen to be anywhere else than inside the Metro. The penultimate song was a prayer. Surrounded by their friends with their favorite band performing out-of-their-skin, they mouth along to every last lyric because it’s more than mere entertainment but something that connected with them and steers them and their journey through the battlegrounds of our times. As they chronicled life tales the All-American Rejects relentlessly surged off the stage and into the crowd’s consciousness chronicling our lives through perfect songs. This is a band whose collective whole and talents are far greater than anyone gives them credit for. They have lived the rock n’ roll life a bit, but I can never deny them because the music is delivered with such earnestness. The crowd at the show was more than delirious as they proved on “Gives You Hell” where they sung not just the chorus, but the verses as well as their voices coalesced and soared. Ritter and the band seduced the heavily female crowd enough to warrant a shower of bras midway through the song which continued until after they took their bows and headed into the darkness of the backstage.

 A song doesn’t need to be sonically raw to be real. Because they create sonically full-bodied records, their songwriting is often undermined. The title cut of each All-American Rejects is more than a mere song from the record. It’s always a theme that embodies the record, most often with finding triumph in the face of adversity. Some may say the band has made a career out of being derivative, but I’d say they have made a career out of playing to their strengths continually upping their game with each release. Each song is filled with enough earnestness to bring you to your knees, “(Mona Lisa) When the World Comes Down”, “Move Along” and “Kids in the Street” are merely three songs hat delineate our existence I don’t have all the answers, but what I am sure of is that we were not destined to walk this Earth alone. In our darkest moments, we should strive to hold onto something or someone. Some songs may be delivered tongue-in-cheek playfulness, but most of their catalog is imbued with silver lining of hope and sometimes that’s just what the doctor ordered. The crowd inside the Metro hung and sung onto every last song as if their life depended on it. Many may dismiss them as being unoriginal, but they’re missing out on the healing each song brings. Taking in a whole All-American Rejects concert, your eyes are opened to the effortless splendor of their catalog, the strength of their songs and the fervor with which they are performed. The music of the All-American Rejects serve as a counterpoint to the tragedies we endure- it’s bold enough to make everyone believe that a better day is right around the corner. When their time comes for a Greatest Hits record, they should call it Songs To Save Your Life By.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter

Benefit for Lucinda's Kids

Last December, our close community of friends, musicians, and music lovers lost one of its own when Lucinda Gallagher took her own life. Lucinda was kind and generous, and would give anything she had to anyone in need. She loved music, her friends and family, but more than anything in this world, her two amazing children. The children, now in the care of Lucinda's dear friend Jamie, both have their mother’s rock and roll spirit. Like her, they are bright and soulful, and have a deep appreciation for music. Young teenagers, both are gifted budding musicians. 

This benefit will include live shows on April 29th and 30th at the Bowery Electric, as well as an auction and raffle that will raise money to be put in trust for Lucinda’s children. All artists and persons involved have generously donated their time and talents, as well as items for auction and raffle. With the advisement of Bob Benjamin of the Light of Day charity, we will ensure that 100% of the proceeds are placed into a trust for the children. 


Read Marah's comments on the show HERE
The Aquarian has a piece on the benefit HERE

ARTISTS ON APRIL 29th 
Marah 
Jesse Malin
Jimmy Gnecco & Dave Milone
Jim Boggia 
Aaron Lee Tasjan
Petter Ericson Stakee (of Alberta Cross)
+Special Guests!
BUY TICKETS HERE

ARTISTS ON APRIL 30th
HR (of Bad Brains)
Tommy Stinson
James Maddock 
Alan Vega
Aaron Lee Tasjan
+ Special Guests!
BUY TICKETS HERE

AUCTION & RAFFLE ITEMS FROM
Bob Gruen
Danny Clinch
John Varvatos
Mary Louise Parker
Morrison Hotel Gallery
+ many more!

Go like the official page :
https://www.facebook.com/BenefitForLucindasKids

Buy tickets here: 
http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=4486515

If you can't make it to the show, but you would like to donate, you can do so here: 
https://www.facebook.com/BenefitForLucindasKids?sk=app_18015191938

Film Review: U2 -"From the Sky Down' (The Story of he Making of U2's Achtung Baby

U2 – ‘From the Sky Down’
Film / BluRay Review [Originally published over at antiMUSIC]
***1/2 Stars

By Anthony Kuzminski
Buy the Blu-ray HERE

Fear of failure is something everyone lives within every person who breathes. As cocksure and confident one person may be, deep inside of them is a nightmare of falling on their face. Many see disappointment as the end of the line whereas it fuels others. It takes hold of them and forces them to work twice as hard the next time they climb the mountain. In the music industry record and ticket sales have always been viewed as the barometer of success, but sometimes artistry and relevance are better measuring points. In early January 1990 in Holland, U2 closed out a four year cycle that including writing, recording and touring The Joshua Tree and then writing, recording and touring Rattle and Hum. Smashed in the middle was a concert film. While achieving astonishing success during this period, they went from being on the cover of Time magazine in 1987 to taking a critical drubbing in late 1988 for what was viewed as the pompousness of Rattle and Hum.Once a musician reaches a certain level of commercial success, it handicaps them from ever making a truly career defining album ever again because if they repeat the formula of their rocket ship they’re viewed as riding on their own coattails and when they venture down dark and desolate roads for the road-less-traveled they’re viewed as stretching beyond their boundaries. Upon listening to Rattle and Hum in the fall of 1988, the world felt that U2 had peaked with The Joshua Tree and probably would never create another record as endearing or great. They were wrong. However, it wasn’t without profound hardship and tribulation. Great art is usually made amidst chaos and pain and U2’s monumental Achtung Baby is no different.

A true 180-degree change of direction that is met with both critical and fan acclaim in mostly an anomaly in the music industry. Artists have often made departures resulting in a fresh, enlivening and new sound, but rarely is it met with open arms. I could speak to you all day about the brilliance of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, but the truth is most people would prefer to hear Born to Run. I personally feel Mick Jagger’s last few solo releases (1993-2004) found Jagger to reveal more within the albums than he ever would in an autobiography but the truth is few yearn to see him without Keith Richards at his side. Change is a condition of our lives we grapple with the most. Many would rather stay in a job or marriage where they are dejected than go through a short term ache which will lead to greener pastures. Many people are scared to try new food thinking they’ll loathe it when in reality they’re just as likely to take pleasure in it. In many ways, music is the toughest nut to crack. Most people gravitate towards the music they enjoyed during their teen years and what they hear on the radio. Getting someone to seek out new acts is tough and asking them to listen closer to more experimental works by their favorite artists is even tougher which is what makes the success of U2’s 1991 masterpiece Achtung Baby all that much more of an anomaly.

Before U2, the only band to truly manage a commercially and artistic 180-change of direction was the Beatles. The Rolling Stones were able to do it to a lesser extent with Some Girls, but in my opinion, that record’s strengths are more of a result of the songs. Obviously, David Bowie transformed several times in his career, but he never quite reached worldwide success at the level of the Beatles or U2. Achtung Baby was not a record that should have worked and even if it did, why did anyone think the public would accept it? Back in October of 1991 when I first heard “The Fly” I was perplexed. The sound was unlike anything U2 had attempted before and I wasn’t sure I liked it. When I heard the album a month later, I wasn’t sold. There were some sonically remarkable moments, but I wasn’t sure I would be listening to the record a year down the road, let alone twenty years. History has told a different tale as it is largely viewed as one of the decade’s ten greatest albums and the furthermost changes of direction in the history of music. To celebrate the film’s twentieth anniversary there was an elaborate ten-disc reissue of the album (6 CD’s and 4 DVD’s) with a documentary by director Davis Guggenheim being potentially the most revealing snapshot of the band ever. Two decades later it’s evident that U2 did indeed come through on the other side and managed the impossible, they reinvented themselves without sacrificing who they were in the process. In the new documentary film From the Sky Down we learn that in order to achieve this, the band had to forget everything they knew and almost lost the band in the process.

Director Davis Guggenheim took a high level approach with the film infusing it with enough minutiae to appease fanatics but reigns it in just enough to appeal to a informal viewer who will most likely find the story exhilarating. If the film has one flaw, it’s that it’s entirely too short. This is a case where an extended director’s cut would have been most welcomed. Comprised of interviews conducted in 2011 alongside vintage footage shot by Rattle and Hum director Phil Joanou in 1987, we see a band at the top of the world, but who was falling apart. Shifting between the past and the present gives a visceral view into their working process. Most bands once they attain a certain amount of celebrity rest on their laurels. It’s not that they don’t care about their art, but they may not obsess over it as much as they previously had. However, U2 is not like most bands. First and foremost, they’re a band in the truest sense of the word. Bono may be out front and a voracious spokesperson but as one can see from the interviews and video of the band during this period, all four members are essential to U2. Bono’s ego does not go unchecked and the Edge may create a kaleidoscope of colors but its drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton who keep the group from veering too far off course. It’s the fact that these four musicians, shepherded by their Svengali manager Paul McGuiness that keeps the band not just grounded but capable of making three undisputed masterpieces in three separate decades (The Joshua Tree in 1987, Achtung Baby in 1991 and All That You Can’t Leave Behind in 2000).

As they prepped for their 2011 tour, U2 began to re-learn and rehearse several of the songs from Achtung Baby. We see them rehearse and relearn many of the songs and this should be boring, but it’s rather fascinating as we’re a fly-in-the-wall during a rehearsal. We see a partial performance of the incandescent “So Cruel”, which was performed a measly five times on the 1992 tour. You begin to understand their need for perfection. I only wish more of these performances had been included. Aside from new interviews one of the key items that give the film historical focus is the footage Guggenheim was given access to. Snippets of clips from 1980-81 are startling to see because it’s a reminder as to why they’ve become the biggest band in the world. We next see their 1984 footage of them recording The Unforgettable Fire but the most revelatory vintage footage comes in the form of outtakes from Rattle and Hum in 1987. Some of this has leaked out on bootleg in the past and I can say the footage is pristine and makes one wonder when these outtakes will find an official release. Surprisingly, while some of the footage is fascinating (like the jam in Austin, Texas of the band with Stevie Ray Vaughn and T Bone Burnett) but it’s the modern day interviews paired with scenes of a band grasping their sudden success and inner doubt. On playing stadiums in 1987, Adam Clayton said “We would have this over-riding feeling of doom and gloom, that we just weren’t good enough”. Granted, the band has more than two decades of insight to come to these conclusions, but it’s still a revelatory comment. It’s evident that Rattle and Hum could have been a much more fascinating and better received film if they had let us into more than their musical minds and hearts. This works to Guggenheim’s favor as this footage feels fresh and new and doesn’t so much show a band brash as it reflect one struggling with uncertainty.

There was a deep dissection as to how big they had become. Footage of their 12/31/89 show from Dublin closes out 30-minutes of the decade that had preceded it and leads into the Manchester underground rhythms that would influence Achtung Baby and it’s sibling Zooropa.. Discussing their transformation is also a fascinating look at their relationship with Anton Corbijn. “We always felt that the photographs should look like the material. Anton was not photographing us, he was photographing our songs”. While this information may be well known to the followers of U2, I still found it wholly absorbing to see the steps they took to make this transformation a reality. However, no matter how big the concert stage or how bright the album sleeve, none of it would have mattered without the music. In 1990 the band set-up in Hansa Studios in Berlin expecting the magic of the city and studio to infect them with greatness; except greatness proved to be late to the party. It wasn’t until a 30-minute jam session for what became “Mysterious Ways” where things intensified. In the middle of an extended jam session, the band pulled out a snippet and began to work on the song separately. That song was “One” and the film unfolds this discovery in a goose-bump inducing scene you will never forget. You literally hear the birth of one of the defining songs of the last quarter century.

The breadth of Guggenheim’s film is wider than your typical music documentary. Many of those films take place inside a bubble where the director and artist never leave. However, by hiring an Oscar winning documentarian, the scope of the film is grander, more mysterious and earnest than an undemanding documentary would normally be. As someone who lives for minutiae, I long for further access to the band’s vaults and moment-by-moment video and recordings of everything tied to this period. However, the U2 fans that largely dismissed the film late last year when it appeared on Showtime missed the point. The band’s purpose was to take a larger audience into the chaos of their lives while revealing hidden treasures for the first time. The footage from the Rattle and Hum period is eye opening as it shows the band at their most innocent and their footage from 1991 shows not just a band but four friends who together overcame the obstacles in front of them to create a masterpiece. From the Sky Down was included in the ten-disc edition of Achtung Baby released last October in DVD format only. The Blu-ray was released this past January separately. In a head-scratching move, the Blu-ray has access to exclusive material not available on the ten-disc set. The Blu-ray includes three acoustic performances of “The Fly”, “So Cruel” and “Love is Blindness”. “So Cruel” features Bono solo and the rarely performed song (only five plays to date) is eye-opening, as is the partial full-band performance within the film. “Love is Blindness” is sung by the Edge and these two performances are so intensely stunning you can almost forgive the double-dip. The last extra of note, and one that could not have been included on the DVD, is a forty-five minute press conference with Bono, the Edge and Davis Guggenheim from the Toronto Film Festival. This is no ordinary interview as Bono sprinkles his dialogue with very rich tidbits of U2’s past, their present and their future. It’s a wholly engrossing interview with the band and is a worthy addition to the Blu-ray.

In the end, U2 achieved more than anyone could have imagined with Achtung Baby. They didn’t just create a weighty record that sold millions of copies and influenced a whole generation of artists but its release allowed the band to reinvent themselves. Above all else what matters more than the music was the friendships that endured. Most artists are so driven in their need for success that they forget that it was the artistry that brought them to this job. More importantly, U2 is a rare band where all four members equally care about what the other thinks and believes. While some may take issue with the film for not going deeper and more detailed, I think this serves the emotional tone better. From the Sky Down isn’t so much about the making of Achtung Baby as it is about four friends who managed against all odds to retain their friendship and conquer the world not once, but twice while doing it as a democracy. Their strength as a foursome is greater than any individual member and their ability to maintain their friendships, respect and love for one another is their greatest legacy of all and From the Sky Down reflects this beautifully.


Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter

Concert Review: The Ting Tings - Chicago, IL 4/3/2012 at the Metro

The Ting Tings
Concert Review: Metro – Chicago, IL
April 3, 2012
By Anthony Kuzminski

Pictures by the amazing Camera Jesus
Originally published on antiMUSIC

When the Ting Tings vocalist Katie White took to the Metro stage she whispered a “shhhhh” into her microphone before crouching down on the tip of the stage. Her band mate Jules de Martino strove from behind his drum kit with a guitar strapped around his neck and his effortless yet solemn chords as Katie set the mood in a somber tone until the chorus where their two voices solidified. On record, White’s billowy vocals take center stage while the tumultuous glee of de Martino’s rhythms stay grounded but in concert with just the two of them, they are a powerhouse of musical velocity. They’re the yin to the other’s yang and the implementation of their show isn’t merely tremendous, it reflects incandescent merriment. When de Martino snuck behind the drum kit to take “Silence” the opening number from their latest album, he battered away against flares of strobe lights as White picked up her guitar and swung and swayed amidst the captivating lunacy of it all. The concentration of this opening number set the bar so high it felt untouchable but for the eleven numbers that followed the Ting Tings ascended to new heights in a carefully structured set that left the 1,100 in the Metro crowd not just astonished but blissful to simply witness it. Exploding onto the music scene four years ago, the UK duo sold two-million records and four-million singles but instead of straight away following it up, the Ting Tings took their time recording their second record Sounds From Nowheresville which is the sound of a band capturing their dance rhythm quintessence while forging forward to brave new waters.

After the carefully executed opener “Silence” the Ting Tings made their way through a meticulously paced set. “Great DJ” from their debut showcased so much with so little. I’ve seen orchestras drum up less musical urgency than the Ting Tings could with a small stage and two instruments. They followed this in quick succession with four songs from Songs From Nowheresville. Hearing them on record, they’re infectious dance-rock mash-ups with a nod to the Beastie Boys (“Hang It Up”) and some surging rhythm guitar (“Give It Back”) which evokes the sound of the Strokes but better. The post-chorus crush of the later was all that more remarkable as we watched Katie set-up her microphone stand next to the drum kit. This was a band that isn’t just capable of enticing a club but could play bigger rooms but as the set-up alluded to, they feed off one another’s energy. “Guggenheim” has street beats which take a page from Paul’s Boutique while “Hit Me Down Sonny” was sung by White with a slight ska twang and includes shades of reggae, big dance thumps and funk. “We Walk” built leisurely before it took off. Whereas “Fruit Machine” and “Shut Up and Let Me Go” were the aural equivalents of musical fireworks with Smith hammering a huge bass drum on the latter. Complimenting the Ting Tings was a superb opening set by MNDR- a solo spotlight for Amanda Warner who successfully engaged the crowd in an all-too-short opening electronic set that was building momentum when she had to relinquish the stage. Warner was part girl next door and part mischievous misfit. She, like the Ting Tings who followed her, has a stage presence not to be missed.

The Ting Tings second album Sounds From Nowheresville is a multifarious and daring. The rapturous anthems found on their debut are still present but are more self-possessed. Instead of taking the lead early in the race they let each of the ten songs unfold in a dramatic fashion with the two sides playing off one another. I would have liked to see them take on the second half of Nowheresville in concert (notably “Day To Day” and “Help”). The second half of the record is a distant cousin of the Rolling Stones Tattoo You where lush ballads play in contrast to the combat attack dance numbers that represent the first part of the record. My greatest fear is because there’s no sure fire single people will overlook what is within the record. They’re created a commendable follow-up to We Started Nothing that does more than merely have a few catchy singles but has show vast growth in their songwriting and performances.

The Ting Tings transcend musical limitations and are an absorbing and enthralling duo you can’t take your eyes off of in concert. Merging the rousing exhilaration of a club DJ with stadium rock potential, the Ting Tings transport their audience which is a performer’s biggest challenge. The Ting Tings entertain and convert leaving the audience in a winded daze needing to experience the release again. Katie White’s penetrating voice is a presence to be reckoned with. She has a tomboy element paired with a mythical fairy component. She doesn’t appear to be human on the stage so much as hailing from an alien land. She encompasses musical chops and the ability to elevate the show from her interaction with the crowd. She would slouch on the tip of the stage with penetrating glances into the fans eyes and even made her way into the crowd on more than one occasion. White slithers across the stage with the guitar around her neck…while wrapping the crowd around her finger. Jules de Martino’s underpinning musical abilities may not be wholly evident on the records, but in concert he’s uninhibited yet meticulous. His drumming was primal as it burst off the stage. His drumming was as full of life as White’s vocals. When he wasn’t shedding skin behind the kit, his spartan guitar playing served the song without ever overshadowing it. White and de Martino shifted between guitars throughout the show while having a backing track that was never once irksome highlighted on the groove heavy main set closer “Hands” which took an already spectacular show into epic territory. They provided this incredible musical build up before their instruments unleashed a torrential downpour of emotion.

The encore featured “Keep Your Head” with its Buddy Holly chords, Ric Ocasek harmonies and Go-Go’s glee. “That’s Not My Name” was as faultless within the walls of the Metro as it is on record. Despite their set being only 70-minutes you didn’t feel as if you had been short changed with their eye-popping performance. I’ve seen great music performed by artists of esteemed stature within the walls of the Metro, but many of these performances were met with cross-armed fans who couldn’t even be inspired to put their beer down and break a smile. The Ting Tings took a rapturous crowd and super-charged it in a concert that was nothing short of magnificent as they captured the audience’s imagination better than most acts could with a three-hour set. The Ting Tings just didn’t demand your attention, they held it and won adoration from their audience.


Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter