Saturday, May 2, 2009

Franz Ferdinand: Concert Report


Franz Ferdinand is on tour promoting their new album Tonight with Franz Ferdinand. We saw them in concert last night and I am happy to report that they delivered. They performed for one and a half hours and the energy of the band was in harmonious synch with that of the crowd.

The lead singer, Alex Kapranos, entered the stage in shiny red shoes coupled with blue polyester pants, and a beautifully tailored checkered shirt. Kapranos' boyish looks have always fueled his overall charm but this time around he, and the band, had much more substance informing their form. It was exhilarating being there and they put on a show worth remembering.

The red shoes I fully approve of:











Now, I have been wanting for Franz Ferdinand to do well for quite some time. I always thought they had potential and their new album is a good translation of their skills. I reviewed this new album here a while back and a bit of my review said: "Now I can finally think about their music when their name pops up and not their cropped pants and novel hairstyles (not that there is anything wrong with that, of course)." This felt especially true at the show last night.

I have been critical of some of their presentations in the past. Once I wrote:

"Franz Ferdinand is an example of a rock band that understands too well the difficulty to resist the side effects of the mainstream. After having experienced the mainstream, they are now back trying out their new sound in very small venues, away from music execs in an attempt to re-enter what I call Indie-topia [my coinage]."

The 'fashion' of Franz Ferdinand is not entirely who this band is, however. They have truly redeemed themselves with this new album. And, boy, do they put on a great show. If they are performing in your neck of the woods, do go and see them.

Ergo, a big and deserving tip of the hat to Franz Ferdinand for the aesthetically and substantially appealing show. Kudos to a band that not only possesses 'mad style' but also 'mad skills.'

[picture taken by B.R.]





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red shoes graph per: http://www.citypages.com/slideshow/view/8197313/2

6 comments:

JJ said...

I remember that: "After having experienced the mainstream, they are now back trying out their new sound in very small venues, away from music execs in an attempt to re-enter what I call Indie-topia [my coinage]."

Indie bands should perform in Indie-topia, I concur.

Have you seen The Killers' new concert yet?

Those red shoes do look cool. I do like their new album, too. I heard a house remix of Katharine Hit Me that totally grabbed my attention.

Dieter said...

Thanks for the review! Those are some wicked shoes!! It's good to know that they're finally making good music again. I still need to check out the new album and will do so this week.
You watching The Killers in concert?

Sra said...

Looks like you had good vantage point.

Becca said...

I love those shoes!
I might go to the concert just to see the clothes which, in a way, matches their earlier 'hype' about fashion.
But the music is good, too.

Anonymous said...

I also like them in concert because they're very crowd-friendly and really nice to the opening acts.

B.R. said...

-Yes, it was at a great venue, which helped with the pix-taking.
-Going to see The Killers tonight up in Cleveland.