There is no comparison.
by KaSab on 10/1/14Terminal 5 - New YorkRating: 5 out of 5My first thought was that Kasabian at Terminal 5 was quite good. Then I realized that,oh, wait, I'm comparing it to other Kasabian shows. When I try to rank all the concerts I've attended in my 48 years of life, it seems that the only way to be fair to all the other bands is just to put "Kasabian" at #1 - otherwise, they would take up 6 of the top 7 slots.
Long story short - you don't see anyone walking away from Kasabian thinking "I didn't get my money's worth." You get people saying "That show was amazing," "I can't even explain what I'm feeling right now," and "I've never seen a band with such energy." (All real comments I've heard from strangers seeing the band for the first time).
Musically, they are excellent. They put 150% into every performance. Their music, a mixture of rock and electronica, has catchy hooks and enormous choruses, and is delivered somehow with both absolute sincerity and over-the-top absurdity. "Cut us and we bleed rock and roll" the band once said, and it's a statement as true as it is ridiculous - and it's meant to be.
The band is a seamless unit led by the impossibly charismatic Tom Meighan, who must be the result of some sort of gene-splicing experiment between Mick Jagger, a fluffy white bunny and an angel. Guitarist Sergio Pizzorno writes all the tunes and is also very dynamic in his rock and roll posturings. One of the fun things about these shows is to watch how Tom and Serge play off each other. But credit must be given to Chris Edwards (bass) and Ian Matthews (drums) whose rock-steady rhythm section keeps the party rolling. Matthews is an unsung hero - he's an incredible musician, and is always being interviewed by drumming magazines and giving master-classes at universities. Also part of the touring ensemble are guitarist Tim Carter and keyboardist Ben Kealey. This is the stripped-down US tour band...on their home soil they also have a trumpeter and often a choir and a chamber quartet of beautiful women dressed in skeleton suits. It works - trust me.
But this can't really describe the feeling of being at a Kasabian show in full swing. The band and audience feed off each other, formulating an energy which is somewhere between a rave, a score during the World Cup/Super Bowl/Insert-your-favorite-sporting-event, and going to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show. If the crowd is up for it, they know when to shout "Cloak and dagger!" during "Underdog" and "We need to raise the people!" during "Vlad the Impaler." They'll sing the bassline to "Club Foot" and the guitar riff to "Empire," and of course, the impossibly catchy refrain to "LSF," which you could hear echoing down the streets of New York after the Terminal 5 gig had ended. That's a common occurrence - you don't want to come down after a Kasabian high.
Look, they headlined Glastonbury. They're the biggest band in the UK right now. And when they tour the US, it's in venues of 800-3000 with ridiculously underpriced tickets. Do yourself a favor and see them!