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By P.L. Ramos |
Sometimes when you
least expect it, a band will come out of nowhere and just knock you
into a state of complete bliss. Such is the case when I first saw Interpol
at the Henry Fonda Theatre.
Considering I didn’t
really know who they were a month before their show in February, I consider
myself extremely lucky to have been able to go. Back in December a friend
kept mentioning their name. I initially considered going based on her
recommendation but the first night had already been sold out.
Thankfully a second show was added and so I quickly jumped at those
tickets.
It didn’t matter that I had yet to hear a single song of
theirs. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I ended up buying “Turn on
the Bright Lights”, probably the best album to come out in 2002. Of
course soon afterwards I start seeing PDA on MTV2 and getting some
regular rotation on KROQ. I only really had two weeks to get to know the
songs I’d be hearing live soon.
The opening band
was a band I’d eventually like, Moving Units. I was very intrigued but it
wasn’t until months later that I realized who they were. Next were the
Warlocks. I wasn’t as impressed with them. And I really didn't understand
the need for 2 drummers when I saw nothing (or heard) that called for it in
their music. Interpol finally comes out after much anticipation to a surreal
setting. I was around 2-3 people back of the front stage towards the left
side. The band members take their spot before Daniel starts off, like the
album, with Untitled. It started giving me goose bumps. This was my first
time at the Henry Fonda Theatre but there couldn’t have been a better
venue for the band. Its not a huge stage but the glowing magenta and fuchsia
lighting in the background gave the place some depth.
Interpol, with their
signature suits and ties, were picture perfect for this venue. With only one
album under their belts, there wasn’t much they didn’t play. Sam
provided the backbone for all the great songs. Daniel took leads as he
stepped towards the audience during songs like PDA, Roland, and The
New. He seemed to take pride as he took in the electricity of a capacity
crowd. Eric shined through on keyboards to songs like NYC and Hands Away.
Probably the most visible of all was Carlos as he
played and danced with energy to The Specialist, Obstacle 1 and Say
Hello To The Angels. Paul had this cool, boyish and calm demeanor
regardless of whether he was playing a slow song like Leif Erickson, a
faster Obstacle 2 or the emotional Stella Was A Diver And She’s Always Down.
This was truly one of the best performances I have ever seen.
Paul’s voice does tend to sound much like Ian
Curtis, which ends up being both a curse and a blessing at the same time. It
is a familiar sound but too many people would probably dismiss their talent
as a rip-off. And while their music does tend to be compared to Joy
Division, hauntingly accurate at times, Interpol does somehow manage to make
it their own sound.
Very few bands can recreate the emotion an album
evokes when playing live but Interpol faithfully delivers what you’d expect.
Hopefully this is the first of many such experiences to come before the world
realizes such greatness.
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