How's this for a lineup? Silversun Pickups opening for Muse at the United Center! This was a show I was not about to miss. Silversun played their set in front of Muse's elaborate stage with no extras of their own. The crowd was mostly unfamiliar with their material, apart from the major radio hits, but I was singing along with every tune. The acoustics were poor even by United Center standards, only serving to increase my desire to see them headlining at a smaller venue.
My general unfamiliarity with Muse hampered my capacity to enjoy their portion of the show, but the extravagance and showmanship they exhibited had to have been close to the top for any show I've ever seen in person. The raised platforms, giant digital displays, laser shows - everything was over-the-top and jaw-dropping. The highlights were the songs I was most familiar with, like "New Born" and the incomparable "Knights of Cydonia". Crowd response during these songs was indescribable. AMAZING show overall!
I recorded a handful of videos during the show, though my distance from the stage limited what I could capture. This clip of "New Born" was the best by far. LASERS!
Silversun tossed out nearly every song I wanted to hear from them, even if the acoustics during their set was even worse than normal for the UC. Muse, meanwhile, hit on enough songs I recognized to keep things interesting to say the least.
Silversun Pickups // Chicago, IL // March 12, 2010
The most important movie announcement of the year was made last week when the release date for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was finally revealed. The August 13th date (that's FRIDAY the 13th, of course) means a long wait for us die-hard (read: obsessive) fans of the comic book series, but at the same time, the late summer release ensures the movie has a chance to succeed at the box office by dodging the high-summer big-budget blockbusters. Director Edgar Wright has yet to produce a film I've not completely loved, and I've been a fan of star Michael Cera since his time on Arrested Development, so needless to say my expectations are absurdly high.
Official Site
OK! One part research, one part messing around, I made this mix in part to familiarize myself more with current J-Rock bands leading up to my trip to Japan in a couple weeks. Most of my favorite Japanese groups tend toward the electronic side of the spectrum, like Capsule and YMCK, but I definitely have an affinity for more rocking crews like The Pillows and Asian Kung Fu Generation. I sifted through gigs and gigs of material to produce this mix, discovering dozens of rad bands I had never heard of before. Hopefully giving it a quick listen might expose you to a few new sounds yourself.
Enjoy! And comment!
As the world's biggest Jim Thome fan, the months since the end of the MLB season have been filled with anxiety and speculation as to when and where Big Jim would sign coming off free agency. Relegated to a DH role, Jim would have to return to the AL after his bizarre trip west to the Dodgers, and certainly he would prefer to be close to his Peoria home so late in his career. Fans, teammates, and ownership in Chicago were certainly receptive to having him playing in the South Side once again, so common sense would have him returning to the White Sox, right?
Well, he would be, were it not for ornery, acerbic Ozzie Guillen.
The worst talent evaluator in baseball put the skids on Thome's return after cowardly Ken Williams handed him the reigns to personal decisions this off-season. Not wanting to field a full-time DH, Guillen will instead turn to a clearly superior DH-by-committee including such legendary hitters as Mark Kotsay, Andruw Jones, and OMAR VIZQUEL.
Instead, Jim signed with Sox rivals the Twins earlier this week to the tune of a paltry $1.5M - less even than the Sox are paying the vastly inferior Kotsay. With the Twins moving to a new park this season, it's yet to be seen how the move will affect his offensive output. Still, it's safe to say that Thome should put up much better numbers than whatever the Sox hope to field in his old slot this season.
Good luck in the Frozen North, big guy, and sweep the Sox for me. Maybe then they'll recognize the folly of their ways.
For more on the signing:
Vampire Weekend's newest album, Contra, hits stores next Tuesday! To drum up buzz for the record, the band appeared on the Juan's Basement segment over at Pitchfork TV, playing through Cousins and White Sky and answering a few questions in between. I'm a little surprised that they didn't record a version of Horchata, my favorite song off the new disc, but I'll take what I can get.
STEREOROBO is a personal smörgåsbord of gaming, music, and illustration blended into a pithy mush by Stephen Hack, a Chicago based arcade game developer and erstwhile polymath.
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So today I thought, "Why not get some wings in Buffalo for lunch then fly right back?" And so here I am on the way to the airport.
How's this for a lineup? Silversun Pickups opening for Muse at the United Center! This was a show I was not about to miss. Silversun played their set in front of Muse's elaborate stage with no extras of their own. The crowd was mostly unfamiliar with their material, apart from the major radio hits, but I was singing along with every tune. The acoustics were poor even by United Center standards, only serving to increase my desire to see them headlining at a smaller venue.
My general unfamiliarity with Muse hampered my capacity to enjoy their portion of the show, but the extravagance and showmanship they exhibited had to have been close to the top for any show I've ever seen in person. The raised platforms, giant digital displays, laser shows - everything was over-the-top and jaw-dropping. The highlights were the songs I was most familiar with, like "New Born" and the incomparable "Knights of Cydonia". Crowd response during these songs was indescribable. AMAZING show overall!
I recorded a handful of videos during the show, though my distance from the stage limited what I could capture. This clip of "New Born" was the best by far. LASERS!
Silversun tossed out nearly every song I wanted to hear from them, even if the acoustics during their set was even worse than normal for the UC. Muse, meanwhile, hit on enough songs I recognized to keep things interesting to say the least.
The 
As the world's biggest 
