My Ears Are Still Ringing...

...from STATE RADIO (duh). This weekend I came home for my 8th State Radio concert. Overall, it wasn't the best one I've been to, but it was up there. (The best one I've been to I think was the one this past November 15. That was a VERY good show.) A minor technicality was that Chad's mic wasn't as loud as it should've been, and that his guitar overpowered and dominated the sound, which is unusual. Besides that though, I feel like a lot has changed about SR shows now. The first most obvious difference was that I wasn't rolling up to the 9:30 club with a force to be reckoned with. There weren't 12 of us, just 2: me and my friend Eli (Pollack, senior at Sidwell). That was troubling at first. It was sad not having all my friends to geek out with when we saw Sybil come out of the tourbus. It was sad not going to dinner beforehand with everyone and going insane trying to psychoanalyze Chad's previous setlist decisions in an attempt to predict tonights. Also, with 2 albums and more releases than I can count on one hand, SR is getting bigger. The stage was moved back tonight and there was a barrier set up between the stage and the audience. The club seemed pretty full. I remember the days when I'd be in the front and I could look behind me and see the linoleum floor, none of that anymore. As their popularity grows, so does my elitism. This is my 8th show (Shannon's 103rd, she exists at a level of fandom that I can only dream of. Chad gave her a shoutout in the middle of the show. She had a State Radio Fall Tour 2007 All Access Pass. I would probably lose all my friends if I began to describe what lengths I would go to in order to obtain one.) I feel like I've grown up with the band, seeing them go from opening act to headliner. It bothers me that my breathing space is taken up by unnappreciative scum who go there to only hear "Camilo" and "Right Me Up." Well after routinely waiting outside the club for 40 minutes, peeing, seeking out our front row spots, and standing...waiting patiently, the opening act came out. The female powered Afro-beat/reggae sound of Zili Misik hailing from Boston exceeded my expectations. I was skeptical at first, but they were very good. They remind me of a more reggae Angelique Kidjo. Their guitarist was astouding, finger picking impressive solos. Their drummer was their secret weapon. Unsuspecting at first, but busting out a solo at the end with an intensity rivaling that of Mad Dog's. Her solo put a very large smile on my face. After their set, it seems like no time was wasted in getting State Radio onstage. The doors opened early for this one. 7:30. Apparently, there was a DJ (whose doors were at 11:30) who was playing later that night. There was barely a wait between sets and time between the end of SR's set and the encore was shockingly short. During this time between sets I picked Shannon's wealth of SR knowledge. She told me about a time when Mad Dog came onstage for an encore and started the drumbeat for Larkin, but he got frustrated because Chad and Chuck took forever to get onstage (he wrecked his drumkit Nirvana style at the end of the show). And then I started asking about songs from the new album and which ones would get played. We talked of Gang of Thieves, and Wicker Plane, and CIA...the expected ones. And I asked about Rash of Robberies, and she said that they had been sound checking with that a lot and that she gave Chad shit about it last night and that it was kind of the reason why they (she had a friend named, Neil) were in DC. SR comes on, Chad clad in a Red Sox shirt (he actually does wear clothes besides that goofy military shirt of his). Here's their set: Waitress (Mad Dog experiences some microphone trouble), Wicker Plane, Black Cab Motorcade, Gang of Thieves, Right Me Up, Omar Bay (With Jeremy Vest on drums. Not surprisingly, Chad forgot the words to the one of the beginning lines of the song. I filled him in shouting "GOD IN A CHURCH." He jokingly stared me down. I was blessed by his gaze. After the show I talked to him and he said he appreciated it.), Time Served (They totally broke this song down during the solo section of it. Chad didn't go so much for the flight of fancy this time. He deferred to Mad Dog who went apeshit on his kit), CIA, Camilo, Sudan (With Zili Misik. This was expected, I knew that they did this the previous night. I felt like they could've done without them for this one. Not nearly as memorable as November 15th's version.), Rash of Robberies (live debut, with Zili Misik. This was absolutely epic. Probably the best song of the night. If you haven't heard the song (you've got problems), it's very fast in the beginning, almost harsh. But during the build-up, Zili Misik came back onstage gradually helping SR increase the size of their sound to an astronomical behemoth by the time it all breaks loose. Chad visibly enjoyed this song a lot.), Gunship Politico, Demok, Olli Olli, Man in the Hall --encore-- Good Graces, Rushian (After this song they progressed into a very hardcore jam after which Mad Dog literally demolished his kit). No Larkin, no Diner Song. My ears are still ringing. My train leaves at 7:30am. Goodnight.