Those who talk don't know; still she couldn't help but sing.

(July 7th, 2009 Millvale, PA - Mr. Smalls)

When I first heard mewithoutYou's new album, it's all crazy! it's all false! it's all a dream! it's alright, I can't say I was really very impressed at all. So, when I heard they were going on tour, I wasn't all that excited, but they were bringing The Dear Hunter, one of my favorite live acts, so I was willing. Then I started following mwY a little closer, only to find that this could very well be their last tour, so my mind was made up for me. Even if I don't like it's all crazy that much, I still like the band's previous output quite a bit. So, I managed to find a ride, and now here we are.

The first band that played was Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, featuring two members of Gatsbys American Dream, but more reminiscent of Sgt. Pepper's band than anything else. On record, the music is almost incomprehensible, only because of its complexities. Until you see it performed, then you get the big picture. In total, Kay Kay consisted of nine different gentlemen, playing a wide range of instruments, including but not limited to, tuba, trumpet, violin, cello, guitar, bass, keys, drums, all headed by frontman Kirk Huffman. There's so much going on, it's kind of hard to grasp it all, but it's mesmerizing nonetheless. While I, and the company I kept, were quite impressed, I did speak to some audience members who were not. I don't think Kay Kay's for everyone, by any means, but I certainly enjoy it.

While I haven't seen The Dear Hunter since I started this blog at the beginning of 2009, I did see them twice in 2007 and once in '08, and every single time, I've been very pleased (otherwise I wouldn't keep going back). This time was, as expected, no different. The set list was great, several songs from Act III: Life & Death, The Dear Hunter's new (and possibly their best) album, were played, and sounded great live. The other four tracks, all from Act II, also sounded good. The highlight of the show was probably the completely reworked version of "Red Hands," the only thing it shares with the version on the album is lyrics, but musically it was at least as good, if not, maybe better. Also, "Oracles on the Delphi Express" was played somewhat a capella, with a banjo even, also very good. The Dear Hunter always has a special treat in store for their fans at their shows. Still, the sound wasn't as good as I would have hoped, and it wasn't my favorite TDH set that I've seen.

set list:
The Church & the Dime
What It Means to Be Alone
Oracles on the Delphi Express
Mustard Gas
Where the Road Parts
Red Hands
He Said He Had a Story

Yeah, I frequent absolutepunk.net. I'm not the biggest poster or anything, but I'm there a lot, I follow the threads I'm interested in. Most of these are contained in the show reviews/set lists section of the forum. What can I say, I'm a sucker for set lists (as you can see by most of my reviews). Well, I'd been tracking the mewithoutYou set lists on this tour, and I wasn't that impressed. A lot of new songs, and not a lot of my favorite old songs. I didn't really know what to expect, but I couldn't have been happier with the set. The band sounded fantastic too, Aaron Weiss, the band's vocalist, seemed to be in a really great mood. His stage presence is unmatched by anyone. I got most of my favorite songs from Catch For Us the Foxes and Brother, Sister, and they sounded great. There were several notable moments when I felt quite blissful. My favorite was either when Aaron changed the lyrics to "Four Word Letter (Pt. Two)" to "Oh pretenders, let's go down, down to the three rivers to pray!" (a nod to Pittsburgh and it's three rivers), or during "O, Porcupine," when, at the part when the song goes "SHHHH!!! .... listen to it!," the band waited for complete silence before coming back in. In a room containing at least 400 people, complete silence is quite an accomplishment, and when it happens, it feels pretty awesome. Also, during several of the new songs, and the second half of the encore, Kay Kay's tuba, trumpet, violin, and cello players came out and played on the songs. Much of it was inaudible, but occassionally a musical phrase shined through and it added a little something extra to the songs. The whole set was much better than I expected it to be, I'm really glad I went.

set list:
Yellow Spider
A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains
every thought a Thought of You
Tie Me Up! Untie Me!
Carousels
Timothy hay
Orange Spider
Messes of Men
Four Word Letter (Pt. Two)
goodbye, I !
Disaster Tourism
C-Minor
the King Beetle on a Coconut Estate
O' Porcupine
the Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie

encore:
a Stick, a Carrot & String
January 1979
Allah, Allah, Allah
In a Sweater Poorly Knit