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FoW is great any day. I particularly like the Paradise because of its smallish intimate setup. You can basically be close to the band anywhere in the club. They played a really great set, some new stuff & all the old favorites. The crowd was pumped but not insane - just how I like it! & we got to meet Chris outside, which made it even better!
OK, one of my favorite bands at my favorite venue - what could be bad? The Bowery Ballroom is the perfect size, and the staff is very cool. We missed most of Jill Sobule's opening set, but what we heard of it was really good. We were there to see Fountains of Wayne, though, and they were really on their game. The sound was great, well-mixed & loud in a very good way. FoW played a good mix from their extensive catalog, including several new songs from their forthcoming album.
Show was awesome. Great band to see live. Had been trying to see them for years. Well worth the wait. Played alot of old tunes and a few new ones. Guys were very entertaining and got the audience involved in a few songs.
Great 'writing & recording' band, but very dull and disengaged live (at least this time). A on-hour set pre-encore.... c'mon... really. Engineers were pushing the underpowered sound system to distortion too. Love this band buy it was a very boring live performance.
They were sooooo much fun!!!! they never disappoint! so fun!
FOW are maybe the most overlooked band playing today. Their songs are fun, funny, smart and poignant at the same time. The crowd was singing along on every song obviously very familiar with the band. There was a fun interaction between the audience and the band with the band even responding to a shouted request for Leave the Biker and playing that song. On Hey Julie they invite audience members up to play maracas and tambourines. It's my third time seeing them and they are always one of the most fun concerts you can see. Jill Sobule opened for them. I was only familiar with her hit song I Kissed a Girl (the first one as she amusingly pointed out). She is funny and smart and charming. I didn't know what to expect but she won me over. Her song about women in Halloween costumes was great as was her song about going to the gym. Big fun.
FOW played for an hour and change, did not address their audience and left me wondering if they think they are just too big to bother. I wont pay , or waste my weeknight fighting traffic to see them again.. It was not what I expected after having seen them before. The music was good though, just not enough of it and a little intro at the intimate Birchmere would have been nice. They should take some advice from their opening act, Jill Sobule, who knows how to relate to a crowd.
First, I am a huge fan of Fountains of Wayne (FoW). I had a trip planned to the Washington D.C. area to see another band (because promoters in Florida can't book a "real" band) and when I saw FoW was going to be at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA I quickly moved to purchase tickets, change my flight and book a couple of extra nights at the hotel. This change in plans cost me plenty financially and as it would turn out, it also tainted my perception of one of my favorite bands today. I wouldn't say the show was horrible, but it resembled a bar gig more than it did a well rehearsed concert performance. I've been to the Birchmere once before and it is an amazing venue. Unlike many general admission clubs, seating is provided throughout and there isn't a bad seat in the house. However, it was WAY TOO LOUD for the intimate club known for its stellar sound production. Bassist Adam Schlesinger was the high point of the evening as he genuinely seems to enjoy performing and doesn't stray from his parts. Drummer Brian Young is the worst as he truly looks miserable and disinterested every time I see him play. The real disappointment for me was Chris Collingwood. He never really engaged the audience and had a bit of "rock star" machismo going this night. Lead guitarist Jody Porter is a very good guitarist and showman, although my suspicion is that some of the showmanship was brought forth from inside a bottle. Collingwood is a genius and I wish he and FoW would try to reproduce the slick production of their recordings when they perform live. I know they are talented and are capable of performing a "clean" show. FoW were too sloppy and too "punky" for the money I paid to stick around D.C. "just to see them". The Birchmere shares some of the blame for the extreme and unnecessary ear shattering volume. I'll give them another shot, though. FoW truly make some fantastic albums full of brilliant songs. Did I mention that they are one of my favorite bands? That is why the evening fell short for me.
The Birchmere is a wonderful venue, a place that ensures the audience will remain seated and quiet during performances. It is also a relatively small place, so no one in the audience is far-removed from the artists. Yet, Fountains of Wayne, whose lyrics are such a large part of their work, jacked up the sound so loud that there was nothing that wasn't distorted other than the moments when only an acoustic guitar was playing. The crowd was easily middle-aged for the most part - and I'm talking fifties and sixties - so it was not an audience to judge music only on its volume. My ears were ringing and my skull was vibrating as I tried my best to hear the words. For some reason, by the end of the concert the volume was even louder, so that the guitars were nothing but distorted noise, the vocals were almost completely submerged, and sadly what could be heard of the vocals were out of tune. I wasn't even sure they were all playing in the same key by that point. I've always been a big fan of FOW, so I was disappointed they didn't know enough to turn down the volume and let us hear their wonderful songs at the volume we're accustomed to on their CD's.
After listening to this band's music for almost 10 years I finally had the chance to see them live and they did not disapoint. They performed for about 1 1/2 hours and played a nice mix from their 4 previously released studio albums and some new material from a yet to be released album - all of which had the classic FOW sound and were excellent. This band has an amazing ability to perform heavier rockers along with ballads and they managed to capture that on stage. They have to be considered the kings of power pop, no other band comes close to matching their very distinct 60's sound with a sensibility from the 2000s. Phenomenal harmony vocals and instumentation. A+
I love Fountains of Wayne. I love their song craftsmanship, their sense of humor. I saw them a year or so ago on their "acoustic" tour and enjoyed the show very much. I was looking forward to seeing them "plugged" this time out. For the most part, the show did not disappoint. But Chris Collingwood's electric guitar was mixed way too loud, drowning out harmonies and even Jodi's lead fills, at times. They reminded me of the Ramones, shouting lyrics over a din of buzz-saw guitars. When Chris switched to acoustic guitar, those problems disappeared; the songs were allowed to "breathe" a bit, and the band's sens of humor and craftsmanship shone through. Turn it down, Chris!
Awesome show by the Fountains of Wayne - the Birchmere is a perfect venue, and the band played an amazing show!
I usually don't like opening acts, but Jill Sobule was a true exception. She performed alone telling wonderful stories with a crystal clear voice. Between songs, she made us laugh with witty asides and comments. Fountains of Wayne did all the hits, including my favorite "Bright Future in Sales," plus several new songs. They were super loud, but I was sitting right under the speakers, which I won't do again.
love their music however they overplayed their vocals. The amps were up so high, they were clipping (distorting) their vocals to try to stay above the music.
I've been a big fan of FOW since their first album and looked forward to this concert with great anticipation. Unfortunately, they succombed to the 'curse of the Birchmere', which is t hat loud electric music often sounds terrible. The acoustics are great for acoustic music and solo performers (JIll Sobule, the opening act, was wonderful), but just like Todd Rundgren (a favorite of mine since 1970) the sound was awful when they cranked up the volume. After the first half-hour, the sound did improve and it helped a bit to stand way in the back, but their charm was seriously compromised by the blarring and blurry acoustics.
One dose of 90 minutes or so seems to dispel gloom and negativity for at least 36 hours for everyone except maybe the band's drummer, who was solid as houses and about as expressionless. There's not a bad seat in the place. Especially for folks like me who are hard of seeing, it's a treat to watch musician's working at living room distance. some bands, and this is one, demand a kinetic response. The only thing better would be a modest amount of dancing room (off to the side so as not to impede view, prehaps.)
FoW was wonderful as always, energetic and fun. I am NOT a fan of the Birchmere; the atmosphere is like dinner theater of the 1950s. Fortunately, FoW was able to reach through that.
... to drink and it nearly ruined an otherwise good show. Unfortunately, the guy seems to have a real problem because I've seen the same thing several times before – incoherent remarks, missed vocals, sitting down in mid-song, etc. When I see FOW, I almost always get the feeling that they've had a huge fight backstage just before coming on, and I can't help but wonder if it's a case of people who want to put on a professional show versus people who want to behave like bad-boy rockstars. Too bad, because when FOW is on, they're terrific. One last thought: the Birchmere is usually more careful about sound quality. This show was simply too loud.
After the opening act, we watched the roadies set up for Fountains of Wayne. Unfortunately, due to the torrential downpour, the power went out, making everybody wonder when/if the power would come back on and if Fountains of Wayne would even perform. Fortunately, the outage only lasted 5-10 minutes and, after re-checking the lighting and equipment, the show went on. FoW gave a great performance, with some great interactions with the audience and even a few lines from "Another Brick In The Wall."
Great show! Venue lended itself to the overall success of the show. FOW is always fun and we totally enjoyed them in this venue! Bring them back!