Spoon Tickets

The concert was nice n' loud, and the music was really tight. In fact it was so loud, that I had slight abdominal pain, and my back hurt, but it was all worth it. Of course, though, I was 10 feet away from the speakers! They played hits like "The Underdog", "Don't You Evah", and "I Turn My Camera On." They also opened with an Austin (Texas) band called "Black Joe Lewis", hence the frontman of the band was black, though I still don't know if his name is Joe Lewis, but it probably is. They had a saxophonist, a trumpetist (if that's a word??), and a hornist. They were guest musicians on the song "The Underdog", as the brass section.

Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears were the first band to play and they really warmed up the audience with their high energy and interaction with the crowd. The combination of playing upbeat funk tunes and talking to the audience between songs set a great atmosphere for the next performer (Anya Marina). Anya's two song set was short and sweet. She played a nice duet with a trumpet and ended her set with her song "Satellite Heart" featured on the New Moon soundtrack. Spoon's set included a wide variety of their songs but mostly catered to their latest album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. The lead singer even kept his cool when he broke a string mid-song. He simply pulled the string off and re-tuned the remaining strings all without missing a beat with the vocals. All in all the show was fantastic. They played a great encore and even included the horns section of Black Joe Lewis in a few songs.

Great Show, Great Venu, good people! I have seen Spoon 4x, they sound great live!

Spoon put on one hell of a show. Their live performance far surpassed studio material. A talent beyond what I thought possible.

Great performance from a great band. Too bad the crowd sucked. Spoon was spot on that night; They gave a precise, high energy performance with a set list that just kept on building. Although the Crystal Ballroom doesn't have the best sound, Spoon's onstage presence was enchanting, and the rock made it hard not to dance. At least for those that were participating in the great show that they were fortunate enough to attend. On the other hand, I felt sorry for the people that were OBVIOUSLY forced to be there. What torture it must have been to listen to such great music, performed so well. Good thing they had their cameras, and their three or four drunk friends to constantly snap pictures of, talk loudly to (in a sold out rock venue) and ignore the performers with. It was such a painful endeavor, in fact, that many of these unfortunates couldn't even bring themselves to bob their heads to the music, or clap after the songs. I wish I could apologize to Spoon in person for the widespread awful concert etiquette that was displayed. Instead I will encourage anybody that enjoys good music to see them. Spoon puts on a fun show. Their music is fantastic to dance to. C'mon Portland, bring your party hat next time.

I admit I was a little nervous by the messiness of the beginning of the show, especially "Cherry Bomb" which sounded to me like it was getting away on them. But it soon became clear that this brink of collapse approach is what allows Spoon to remain an invigorated band: loose, experimental and confident, it becomes exhilarating to witness it all come together. Which it definitely did soon after. Reliable live songs like "The Beast & the Dragon, Adored", and "Don't Make Me a Target" with their blissful instrumental moments led into exciting reworkings of old songs they long ago refined to perfection, so it's great to hear them played a little differently. The show reached a highlight for me with "Small Stakes". And the new songs sounded pretty terrific too.

What a great show at such a fun, historic venue. if you haven't seen Spoon, FIND A WAY!

I love watching live music. There is something truly amazing watching musicians play their music live and see the personality and relationship of the band members on stage.. But, Spoon seemed to take themselves really seriously. I saw three other bands perform during December to Remember and Spoon seemed to be having the least amount of fun on stage. And their special efffects...that "wa wa wa wa" that kept following his lyrics was just annoying and reminded me of 60's pyschedelic music and how much I hate it. I mean, they were professional and their set was "tight" but for me, personally, it didn't do much for me. I had more fun watching Hockey on Monday night. Oh, yeah, it also took them forever to get their butts on stage.

Great show. The Midland is always a good venue. Metric started earlier than scheduled, which was strange. But they were great. Spoon said they hadn't played a show in 4 months, but they sounded awesome. If you get a chance to see either of these bands, you should take it.

You can't go wrong with Spoon. You should LISTEN to The Bravery ONLY, once you get your eyes involved, it's hard to take them seriously. Cause really, the microphone swinging, hand clapping over the head, one legged trip over yourself dance, dragging microphone stand around while wearing slippery shoes . . .yeah, it's all been done before by the bands The Bravery is trying to mimic. So listen, but don't see live. Metric however, was amazing. Didn't know of the band going into the show, but they set the bar for the night, and no one else lived up to it. Excellent, passionate, and sincere energy, sound and dancing from their sexy leading lady. Metric is fantastic, their performance deserves 5 stars. Great rock show all the same, just get in the beer line when The Bravery comes up!

Saw Spoon for the fourth time on Thursday at the Midland (a lovely venue). Once again, they turned in a vibrant performance of soulful pop rock laced with catchy melodies and insistent, staccato guitar solos. (see, the rock critic in me is bursting to break free!) They only played a little over an hour, but they maximized every moment. Got a taste of three new songs, two of which have heard some radio play already. If those songs are any indication of the new album to come, then Spoon has another gem in the making. Speaking of gems, the hidden treasure of the night was "I Summon You." What a perfect tune! The Bravery sullied the stage before Spoon. Derivative. Static. Manufactured. Boring. It looked like they spent more time picking their outfits, primping their hair and assembling their poses than working on a performance. Although the singer clearly worked hard on his Robert Smith vocal impersonation.

Bravery's lead singer needs to get a new voice. Horrible! Spoon was great, but their set was very short. Metric was good.

Hockey was one of the best openers I've heard yet. And the band as a whole are adorable! Then Metric came on... Second time seeing them and the setlist was really similar to the first time, but even better than before! Sound quality at this venue was good for them. Plus Emily (and the whole band really) is really entertaining. Would have liked a few older songs played. After that The Bravery came on. Second time seeing them too. They were just as entertaining as usual. Sam is always all over the place, which is fun to watch. The setlist could have had a few older songs, but it was still a good list. And finally... SPOON! This was my first time seeing Spoon, and they did not disappoint. They had a great setlist, even if I didn't know a few of them...maybe because they were off their new album. Either way, they were extremely good live. Overall it was one of the best concerts I've been to. The bands didn't make the audience wait more than 30 minutes between acts. And when Spoon took a break they only took ten or 15 minutes rather than 30. Amazing.

the show was to say that least a blast the bands were working the crowed and the overall energy was through the roof.

I enjoyed Metric. They're a great band that I had never heard of, and I REALLY enjoyed their show. The Bravery, on the other hand, was not enjoyable at all. I don't suggest putting them on the bill with SPOON again. Other than that and the overpriced drinks, it was well worth it to see SPOON!!!

Title says it all! Wasn't as impressed with the Bravery- didn't see Hockey play. But Metric and Spoon were completely awesome! I think I'm obsessed now!

All the bands were fantastic. Who was the photographer in the utilikilt? Nice!

Got to the show early and wound up about 40 feet from the stage just right of dead center. Hockey was very good, Metric didn't dissappoint, The Bravery was better than I could've hoped for and I think we would've enjoyed spoon more, but by that point had been on my feet for 6 hrs and was tired as hell. Everybody rocked.

Bravery continues to just play one very long song, but Spoon and Metric were incredible. Hockey sounded pretty cool, but only caught their last song.