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GUIDED BY VOICES IN CONCERT:
For more than two decades, DIY torchbearers Guided by Voices have stood as a bastion of experimentation and lo-fi grit in indie rock's increasingly commercialized landscape. Their loose, sketch-like compositions truly come alive at their frenetic live shows, where the band tears through 90-second songs while frontman Robert Pollard sings, drinks, and karate kicks with reckless abandon. With two albums out in 2014, the ever-prolific band will be treating fans to new material alongside all their favorites at several rare appearances.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
Formed in Ohio in the early '80s, Guided by Voices developed around the work of principal songwriter and frontman Robert Pollard. Following several years of independent releases and local shows, the band began to find a wider audience when 1992 album Propeller became a college radio staple. Their growing reputation landed them a deal with Matador in 1994, and in 1995 they released Alien Lanes to critical acclaim and nods from big media outlets including MTV and Rolling Stone. The band continued to record and tour throughout the '90s and '00s, weathering lineup changes, hiatuses, farewell tours, and reunion tours — becoming a veritable indie rock legend in the process. With two new albums hitting shelves in 2014, the band is sure to be in top form at their highly coveted reunion shows.
FANS WHO BOUGHT TICKETS SAY:
"It was such a great, high-energy show. It was so fun to see people of all ages appreciate GBV for the great rock pioneers they are."
"GBV always give their fans their money's worth. Exhausting set of hits and album tracks that deserve to be hits."
"The most amazing show i have ever seen, everyone was singing all the words to every song, and the band were performing with unbelievable energy."
I have to say, Showbox SODO isn't my favorite venue for sound quality, but the soundman for this show actually made it tolerable without earplugs. Whoever that guy is deserves a raise. GBV were amazing as always, if you missed it you might still be able to stream the show at myspace... but you should have been there.
While it was fun to hear the great songs performed live, watching a grown man act like a drunken teenager (swigging from a JD bottle and incessant dumb commentary punctuated with f*ck this and f*ck that, etc) was a bit depressing. Has Robert Pollard always been such a bonehead in shows? Seems to be quite the juxtaposition from the thoughtfulness of his music. His high kicks were a treat, though.
I've seen GBV a number of times, with a number of lineups, and this was probably the best -- not at all what I was expecting for a reunion. It was energetic, everyone was having a good time (onstage and in the crowd), and the set was a perfectly chosen mix of well known material and less-played stuff (like Jar of Cardinals and Matter Eater Lad). And Bob didn't even seem to mind the stage staff nicking his tequila...
If you can imagine how great it would have sounded to see the Kinks or The Who live in 1965, we got a chance to see and hear a rock show that was every bit of that. My friend asked me the next day: "Just how much melody can a person take?" The melodies, the hits, the athleticism of these ex-jocks and school-teachers-turned-rock-stars, the clarity of the sound-system, the venue, the crowd, the pre-concert (yes, Concert) dinner, the beer and booze, the rabid original fans and the new fans.. just everything added up to be one of the top 3 rock shows I've ever attended in my lifetime. ... And I've attended over 600 shows in my old-assed geezerdom.
90s glory days for us all. The bus will get us there yet!
Great show!!! They played a lot of their popular songs and kept the momentum going throughout the entire show. The crowd was really into it. See them if you get a chance!
awesome Love gbv...great rock show..5 stars Uncle bob looked and sounded great
Amazing! These guys still have it and then some!!!
