Arcade Fire- Live At The First Avenue, Minneapolis 2005

 The First Avenue club in Minneapolis has played host to many great shows through the years and in 2012, City Pages (entertainment newspaper/website in the Twin Cities) listed their Best 20 concerts from the First Avenue. As expected there are many concerts from well known bands and musicians both local and international that may have been playing down to the "smaller" venue (see Prince #2) or well on their way to bigger successes. One band in particular that was definitely on it's way up to bigger things that impressed their growing allegiance of fans, critics of indie music and caught the attention of mainstream media was Arcade Fire, who made number 20 for their show in 2005.  

20. Arcade Fire/ Wolf Parade/ Bell Orchestre, First Avenue, 9/29/05 
Arcade Fire were well on their way to indie-rock success story when they rolled into this sold-out Mainroom show, but even the local skeptics became full-blown believers. The band played nearly all of their utterly brilliant debut LP, Funeral, as well as three tracks from their self-titled EP, but it was their stellar cover of David Bowie's "Five Years" -- the band had just performed it with him earlier that month at a Fashion Rocks event -- that truly made this show magical. By the time openers Wolf Parade came out to join the band for a euphoric version of "Wake Up" that closed out the show, the Canadian collective had alerted each and every one of us that a new day was indeed dawning in rock 'n' roll. --Erik Thompson

The following night, Arcade Fire performed in Winnipeg and it was the first time I saw the band live. Up to that point I didn't know a lot about the band, though I did have a copy of their debut full length album, Funeral and I enjoyed their full orchestral sound. This did not prepare me for what I saw, on September 30 at the Burton Cummings Theatre. Even though, Funeral made many critics top album lists for 2004 and the 2000's, it still does not do justice to their live show that blew me away with the stunning visuals and sonic power of their stunning live performance. This was unlike any concert I had been to with the constant movement of the performers that were packed on stage with the fury and intensity of a confident band. I was physically drained just from watching the concert I can only imagine the feeling of exhaustion on the stage. We had in my opinion perfect seats, first row, dead centre in the first balcony with an excellent view of the stage in a classic old theatre that was the ideal ambience for this concert. The setlist for this show was similar to the night before in Minneapolis, heavy on Funeral material, of course, but they switched up some covers for the Winnipeg show. Their dedication to Bowie was shown by playing a different Bowie cover (Queen Bitch) than at the First Avenue as well as a Springsteen cover (State Trooper).

The live recording from the First Avenue has amazing sound as it was recorded for broadcast on 89.3 The Current. Fair warning, if you are listening to the concert loudly (especially with headphones), beware for DJ interruptions throughout the show and though I love Mary Lucia, her voice comes on a little loudly compared to the sound level of the concert. I chose to post this show instead of the Winnipeg concert mainly because of the better sound quality. Though the Winnipeg recording is solid (maybe I'll post later?), you can't compete with soundboard radio broadcast quality. An incredible performance and a monumental live show from Arcade Fire at the First Avenue!
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!
Do NOT convert to lossy format (except for personal use)
Please share!


ARCADE FIRE
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
September 29, 2005

Source: Soundboard> FM
Transfer: FM> PC> CDWave> wav> FLAC> rar
Complete concert recorded by KCMP 89.3 FM
The Current- St. Paul, MN
Broadcast on 12/4/05
DJ- Mary Lucia

01. DJ
02. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
03. Crown of Love
04. DJ
05. Headlights Look Like Diamonds
06. No Cars Go
07. DJ
08. Haiti
09. intro> Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
10. DJ
11. I'm Sleeping In A Submarine
12. Five Years [David Bowie]
13. DJ
14. Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)
15. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
16. Rebellion (Lies)
17. DJ
18. Wake Up
19. DJ

ARCADE FIRE- 2005-09-29 First Avenue, Mpls, MN FLAC. rar

Grant Hart- WECC, Winnipeg, MB May 17, 2005

It's been a while since I posted last, my pre-vacation post was for a show I attended over 10 years ago. A lot has happened since then and I just haven't had the time to write, but I have been actively transferring some old cassette tape masters from some shows I attended in the 90's. I promise I will share them very soon. FYI, I'm writing my first post with my new laptop computer. Wow, these new machines are fast and downloading/uploading speed is unbelievably quick.

For me a story that stood out in the news in the past week was the passing of Grant Hart, the drummer from Husker Du. He later formed his band, Nova Mob in 1989, he sang and played guitar, they released a bunch of records and he also performed and recorded as a solo artist. For me, in the mid-eighties I listened to a lot of college rock, punk and so-called alternative rock (now called indie) and I was especially drawn to the bands from Minneapolis, the closest major U.S. city from my modest sized metropolis up here in Canada. I was heavily into the Replacements, Soul Asylum and Husker Du. This is the music I identified with most at the time, fast, raw, guitar, bass and drums rock 'n' roll. Though all three of these bands started out as punk bands, Husker Du was the most hardcore on their earliest albums. The furious speed and intensity of early Du was what drew me in, but it was the intelligence and maturity of the lyrics and music that kept me a fan. Bands that feature two singer-songwriters often divide the fans into two camps, especially if they breakup, with songs they prefer from one artist over the other. I must admit I enjoyed Grant Hart's songs slightly more than Bob Mould's. It's hard to explain, maybe it's his voice, maybe it's the lyrics, not that I didn't enjoy Bob's songs, his voice and guitar are a large part of the Husker Du sound, it's just that, I felt the songs had a more poppy euphonious quality that I enjoyed. Grant was an underrated songwriter and continued to be creative right up to his last album, The Argument, which is a masterpiece. If you're not familiar with the music of Grant Hart, I recommend starting with Husker Du's, New Day Rising, followed by Flip Your Wig and Candy Apple Grey. Nova Mob's, Last Days Of Pompeii is a great album and though his solo albums are spotty, my favourite continues to be his first, Intolerance.

I have seen Grant Hart twice live. The first time when he was in Nova Mob in the early 90's at the Albert and solo in 2005 at the West End Cultural Centre. Clearly, Hart was the less commercially successful of the Huskers as Mould continues to draw large crowds for his shows. For both Grant Hart shows there were a handful of people in attendance. The solo show at the West End, which has a capacity of 300-400 had maybe 30-40 people tops. It was a very intimate show complete with flubs and equipment trouble as Grant's guitar cut in and out and the sound levels of my recording are up and down (warning if you listen). The setlist draws from throughout his career up to that point and the sound quality is pretty good since there isn't much "crowd" chatter. Grant is passionate about his music even with the small crowd and I was very glad I attended and recorded the concert.
R.I.P.
Enjoy!!

Previously posted on TDIT: Grant Hart- live at Valentines from 2001
 A cool article from Rolling Stone about Grant Hart/Husker Du by Rob Sheffield (a fav music writer of mine)

Share!
NO SELLING or converting to lossy mp3 (except for personal use)

GRANT HART
West End Cultural Centre
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
May 17, 2005
Solo electric
Audience Master

mini Sony stereo mic> Sharp MD> stand alone Teac CDR Recorder>
audio CDR> FreeRip> FLAC> rar

01. 2541
02. Green Eyes
03. Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill
04. Remains To Be Seen
05. Never Talking To You Again
06. You Don't Have To Tell Me
07. You're The Reflection Of The Moon On The Water
08. Admiral Of The Sea
09. Wernher Von Braun
10. Flexible Flyer
11. Pink Turns To Blue
12. She Floated Away
13. The Main
14. Sorry Somehow
15. Terms Of Psychic Warfare
16. Little Misinformation
17. Over My Head
18. Fanfare In D Major (Come, Come)
19. Don't Want To Know If You're Lonely
20. Puzzles
21. Evergreen Memorial Drive
22. It's Not Funny Anymore
23. The Last Days Of Pompeii

Encore
24. Diane
25. Letter From Ann Marie

GRANT HART- 2005-05-17 WECC Winnipeg, MB FLAC Master. rar

Sarah Harmer and The Weakerthans

With the 2010 edition of the Winnipeg Folk Festival opening this week, here's a recording from two of the performers at this year's festival. Sarah Harmer is one of the "big name" performers playing mainstage on the Sunday finale concert, while the Weakerthans will be there in many different forms. Members of the band recorded an album with Ottawa native Jim Bryson as his back-up band and they will be playing together on a few small stage performances, while Weakerthans front man, John K. Samson will do a solo show as well as hosting/performing in a couple of workshops. This will be a fine opportunity to see these musicians perform outside of their usual element.

I'm not sure if Sarah Harmer and the Weakerthans will have a chance to cross paths and play together at the folk fest, but today's post brought these two Canadian forces together for a performance that was broadcast on good ol' CBC back in 2005. Both groups played together at Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, first the Weakerthans, then Sarah Harmer's band. Highlights included each group covering a song from the other group. The Weakerthans do Harmer's, Judy G, while Sarah does a great version of Left and Leaving. The Weakerthans also cover the Replacements, Swinging Party, with Harmer on guest vocals. It should also be noted Danny Michel plays guitar in Sarah Harmer's band, nice! This show is a typical radio quality broadcast except this recording is plagued with lots of low pops that are annoying, but doesn't deter too much from an otherwise excellent sounding concert.

The Weakerthans
with Sarah Harmer
Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto
18 November 2005
John K Samson, guitar/vocals
Stephen Carroll, lead guitar, pedal steel guitar
Greg Smith, bass
John Tait, drums / vibraphone

1 My Favourite Chords (The Weakerthans) 4:10
2 Reconstruction Site (The Weakerthans) 2:45
3 Psalm for the Elks Lodge Last Call (The Weakerthans) 2:42
4 Utilities (The Weakerthans) 4:05
5 Night Windows (The Weakerthans) 4:25
6 Judy G (Sarah Harmer) 3:44
7 Swinging Party (The Replacements) 3:54
guest vocalist Sarah Harmer
8 Reasons (The Weakerthans) 3:46
9 Past-Due (The Weakerthans) 2:29

Sarah Harmer
with The Weakerthans
Sarah Harmer, guitar/vocals
Danny Michel, lead guitar
Julie MacDonald, keyboards and vocals
John Dinsmore,
bass Dean Stone, drums

1 I am Aglow (Sarah Harmer) 2:45
2 In a Town this Size (Dolores Keane) 2:51
guest vocalist John K. Sampson
3 Escarpment Blues (Sarah Harmer) 4:06
4 Left and Leaving (The Weakerthans) 4:42
5 Weakened State (Sarah Harmer) 3:26
6 Took it All (Sarah Harmer) / Claire (Rheostatics) 5:52
7 Islands in the Stream (Bee Gees) * 4:34
guest vocalist John K Samson
8 Gone for Good (The Shins) * 3:52
9 I’m a Mountain (Sarah Harmer) * 3:11
10 Lodestar (Sarah Harmer) 5:29

SARAH HARMER & WEAKERTHANS live. rar