Fiery Furnaces, Webster Hall, last night, anyone see this show?

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...if so, WTF?

It took me a bit to figure this out but, it seemed like they whipped through 2 albums worth of songs in 30 minutes, playing bits of one song, stopping and going into another, then another, then going back to a song they started earlier, all at hyper speed.

And most the songs seemed to have been de-constructed in a way and barely recognizable, almost shells of themselves at points.

Frustrating in a way but yet, in another way, sort of genius.

Did I witness a bad show? A typical FF show? or post-modern genius? Has anyone seen them in the past? If so, did they play it straight or did you have the same experience I had last night?

― kwhitehead (stephen schmidt), Sunday, 10 April 2005 18:36 (twenty years ago)

sounds pretty typical to me.

― jody the country girl doll (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 10 April 2005 18:51 (twenty years ago)

That's always how they play. I kind of wish they'd just do a "normal" show once in a while. Sounds like Perpetua and those guys who got to see the Museum of Television & Radio show got a cool treat (look at the post on Fluxblog from last week).

― Waking Up Onstage at Jumbo's (Bent Over at the Arclight), Sunday, 10 April 2005 19:16 (twenty years ago)

Based on my own experience of seeing them live and recordings and first-person accounts of other shows they've done, the show you saw is completely typical.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Sunday, 10 April 2005 19:39 (twenty years ago)

yep, yesterday was par for the course. i thought it was a good show, though eleanor's voice was obvs hurting.

i also saw them on thursday in brooklyn, and it was a more "normal" show. they took a break every 3-5 songs, and each song was played pretty straight-up ... no jumping around. the arrangements were still different and generally weirder, but i'd never seen them be so faithful to the originals before. and the craziest part - each group of songs was a section of an album played in order. after a new song to start, they did the first three of blueberry boat, then the first four of EP, then 2-4 from gallowsbird's, etc.

― rajeev (rajeev), Sunday, 10 April 2005 19:50 (twenty years ago)

I was there. This was the second time I'd seen them. The first was in Williamsburg about a year ago. I think it was a good show, though I have mixed feelings about the opening 30+ minute medley. On the one hand, I admire their creativity and craftsmanship in putting it together, and I like the way it turns a lot of rock concert conventions on their heads, but at the same time, it's somewhat frustrating to hear little snippets of your favorite tunes (often with a different beat, melody or harmonization) and not be able to hear the whole songs. But I do admire their willingness to re-imagine the material - too many rock shows are just about trying to reproduce a recorded album experience, which is kind of pointless when you can just listen to the album. I think the medley was a little relentless, and perhaps a bit too samey in tempo. It would have been nice if they broke it up with more slower ballad type numbers - rather than relegating them to a separate part of the show. I think they could do a lot more with the mega-medley concept, but it was definitely worth seeing.

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 11 April 2005 00:41 (twenty years ago)

I thought it was the best Furnaces show I've seen, actually. But bear in mind that I've seen them play that medley three times now, and I have a really nice recording of that setlist that I listen to more often than the studio recordings, so I know the set really really well. Either way, I think the live show is best enjoyed by people who are pretty heavy into the songs, since a lot of it is "oh wait, what are they playing......OH YEAH, FUCK YEAH!" for most of the show.

I'm pretty sure that they were recording last night's show for a future live album. I think they nailed most of it, but they may as well just use that Toronto show that's already pro-recorded and nearly perfect.

The irony is, the show Rajeev saw at North Six was anything but a "normal" Furnaces show! They've only done a set like that twice, and I'm wondering if they will bother do go back to it along this current tour. I don't think they were happy with it.

The encores at Webster Hall were my favorite part of the show. The first set were the three new songs from KEXP, then the band came back and did "I'm Gonna Run" and a heavy rocking song called "Rehearsing My Choir" that's going to be on the grandma album. Then they ended with "Here Comes The Summer" and "1917," which are pretty new additions to the live set.

If you were curious, this is the setlist for the Webster Hall show. The main set is a medley they have played several times now, with only a few minor switch-ups - "Inca Rag" was unfortunately dropped, "Birdie Brain" was played all on heavy guitar with Eleanor singing instead of on keyboard with Matt and Eleanor both singing, and "Don't Dance Her Down" was played with a very different guitar part.

Wolf Notes / Leaky Crystal (Eleanor alternating lines from Leaky Tunnel and Crystal Clear)/ Worry Worry / Blueberry Boat / Worry Worry / Smelling Cigarettes (sections played in reverse order) / My Dog Was Lost But Now He's Found / Wolf Notes / Two Fat Feet / Straight Street / Two Fat Feet / Oregon (Mason City) / Name Game / Chief Inspector Blancheflower (punky "Typewriter" - "Inspector" - piano "Rode Into Springfield") / Quay Cur / Tropical Iceland / Up In The North / Nabs (Mason City) / South Is Only A Home / Blueberry Boat / Bow Wow / Birdie Brain / Asthma Attack / Don't Dance Her Down / Oregon (Mason City) / Chris Michaels (first line) / Evergreen / Mason City / Spaniolated / Chris Michaels (subcontintent section) / Chris Michaels (Melinda section) / Wolf Notes / Quay Cur (Inuit section)/ (hook from Quay Cur sung over) Wolf Notes // Police Sweater Blood Vow / Teach Me, Sweetheart / I'm Waiting To Know You /// I'm Gonna Run / Rehearsing My Choir //// Here Comes The Summer / 1917

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 02:07 (twenty years ago)

Matt, do you think you do a yousendit on one of those live shows? They're coming to St. Louis next week and I need to decide whether I'm a big enough fan to not be totally lost.

― stephen morris (stephen morris), Monday, 11 April 2005 02:13 (twenty years ago)

It's funny that you say that, I was just about to set up a yousendit for the Toronto show because I really want you all to hear it and I can't put it all on my Fluxblog space. Trust me, you definitely want to go. I'll come back in a bit with yousendit links.

I listen to this Toronto show more than the albums for a reason, man.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 02:19 (twenty years ago)

Like, I was trying to remember how "Chief Inspector Blancheflower" ended this morning, and all I could get in my head was the transition into "Quay Cur" from the medley show.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 02:19 (twenty years ago)

The Fiery Furnaces @ The Mod Club, Toronto, September 12 2004

01 Wolf Notes / Leaky Crystal / Worry Worry / Blueberry Boat / Worry Worry / Smelling Cigarettes / My Dog Was Lost But Now He's Found

02 Two Fat Feet / Straight Street / Two Fat Feet / Oregon

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 02:28 (twenty years ago)

03 Name Game / Chief Inspector Blancheflower

04 Quay Cur

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 02:32 (twenty years ago)

That was fast! Thanks a lot, listening now.

― stephen morris (stephen morris), Monday, 11 April 2005 02:32 (twenty years ago)

05 Tropical Iceland / Up In The North / Nabs

06 South Is Only A Home / Blueberry Boat / Bow Wow / Birdie Brain / Inca Rag

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 02:36 (twenty years ago)

07 Asthma Attack / Don't Dance Her Down / Oregon / Evergreen / Chris Michaels / Mason City

08 Spaniolated / Chris Michaels

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 02:40 (twenty years ago)

09 Chris Michaels / Wolf Notes / Quay Cur

10 Quay Cur / Wolf Notes

encore

11 I Broke My Mind / Single Again / Here Comes The Summer (instrumental)

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 02:47 (twenty years ago)

And that's that. I forgot to mention in the set urls that the first line of "Chris Michaels" is just before "Evergreen."

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 02:48 (twenty years ago)

"I was there, at the Webster Hall show.. I said, 'It's cool Eleanor, Matt's just jealous.'"

This was my first time seeing them live, and I thought it was great for the first ten or fifteen minutes, but I got worn out pretty quickly. Nate, you're right that the set would be better if they incorporated the slower, softer songs into the sonic beating, if only for variation. At least they've found a way to not get bored with the material.. Is Matt always that creepy? He has this really sadistic persona: barking at the band; cutting of Eleanor while she's trying to introduce a song; rolling his eyes when she fucked up slightly. He's like Emperor Palpatine under all that hair, hunched over his frankenstein synth with his eyes darting back and forth.. They also have the most amazing drummer I've ever seen. He's like Animal from The Muppets.

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Monday, 11 April 2005 03:19 (twenty years ago)

Thanks! But the last URL (for track 11) doesn't work...

― foo bar, Monday, 11 April 2005 03:31 (twenty years ago)

matthew, thanks a lot for posting these ... can't wait to listen!

so that was your #1 furnaces show? i liked it, but i wish eleanor had more of her voice. the band was super tight though. i saw the same medley at the bowery last september and a similar one at radio city in october, and i preferred both of those ... but all three were great. much like the albums, i heard new details each time. picking up on the little bits they sneak in is awesome.

and i definitely preferred saturday's medley to thursday's straight-up songs. they weren't nearly as tight when playing everything as on album (ironically enough), and you could see they realized it.

― rajeev (rajeev), Monday, 11 April 2005 03:46 (twenty years ago)

wait does that guy ryan still play drums for them ??
all the times i saw them was before gallowbir bar came out
what's a medley

― hote tuos, Monday, 11 April 2005 05:01 (twenty years ago)

I promise you that they were in fact pretty tight on Saturday night - I've heard that medley so many times that I hear it as one big song, and they got it right. The transitions were all correct, only a few awkward bits. Her voice was okay. The Bowery show could have been technically superior, and I had a lot of fun there too, but I thought that this was the most fun I've had at one of their shows, and that the three encores were particularly great. It was waaaaaaaay better than that last show at Maxwell's where they played the same medley but were obviously tired and in a bad mood.

I'm sure that they could play the straight-up versions really well (I've seen a lot of those songs that way when they toured for Gallowsbird's Bark), I think they just hadn't practiced those enough, while they've played this medley enough times now that they can play it without a lot of effort.

The current drummer's name is Andy Knowles.

11 I Broke My Mind / Single Again / Here Comes The Summer (instrumental tease)

Dios Malos were so awful, by the way! It sounded like the were writing music entirely in the hope of getting on the soundtrack of The OC or Smallville, or playing on Morning Becomes Eclectic. Sooooooooooo bland! They were like the poor man's Grandaddy!

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 11:53 (twenty years ago)

Yes! The only interesting part of Dios Malos' [and shouldn't it be Dioses Malos] entire set was that volatile flourish at the end. I wanted to say, "Do that the whole time, dammit!"

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Monday, 11 April 2005 12:18 (twenty years ago)

Ryan Sawyer was that first drummer. Back then all the shows I saw were just Matt and Eleanor on guitars with the drummer (Ryan) playing the role of the rhytm section, the noise, the texture (the excitement) all at the same time. Pretty incredible. Wonder what happened. I hear he's playing with Stars Like Fleas now, who I have not heard.

― terry gene, Monday, 11 April 2005 14:21 (twenty years ago)

The medley was a little bit better than the Bowery show and at least twice as good as the Maxwell's medley from the last tour.

― Eppy (Eppy), Monday, 11 April 2005 14:30 (twenty years ago)

There was a female drummer before Sawyer, though I can't remember her name. They've been playing with Toshi and Andy since Gallowsbird's Bark came out. I don't know much about it, but I vaguely recall reading something that implied that Matt wasn't happy with the previous drummers and the early shows. He's a bit of a control freak, so I can imagine him not liking a lot of players and situations.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 14:30 (twenty years ago)

Control freak, indeed. Lots of tension up on that stage! Nice guy off-stage though...

― KPH, Monday, 11 April 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

I don't think that Matt is a control freak or an asshole, he's just really intense about wanting the songs to be interesting and for the songs to have as few mistakes as possible. I think it's a really good thing for them - he pushes the others to be better performers. I think Toshi and Eleanor have benefited a lot from him being a bit of a taskmaster. But you know, I think he's not a whole lot different from how Stephen Malkmus was in Pavement - he gets a little cross when the others mess up, but he's obviously pretty forgiving if he's keeping them around, yeah?

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 15:04 (twenty years ago)

Never seen these guys live but the description of what they do sounds v. cool. Can't stand to see a band play a song, tune and dick around for 2 minutes, play another song, etc. Good to see bands completely re-thinking the live thing, asking "What should we be doing?" instead of "What has everyone else always done?'

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 11 April 2005 15:04 (twenty years ago)

Damn, I meant "I don't think that Matt is a control freak in a bad way or an asshole..."

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 15:05 (twenty years ago)

Thanks! But the last URL (for track 11) doesn't work...

I don't think it's working the second time around either. I was at the Montreal show the day before and admittedly I wasn't keeping track of the set list (too busy picking up my dropped jaw). Would it be a stretch to assume that both the Montreal and Toronto set would have the same set list?

― alex in montreal (alex in montreal), Monday, 11 April 2005 15:08 (twenty years ago)

I think Scott Kannenberg was more of an onstage control freak than Malkmus. Seeing Preston School Of Industry afterwards only confirmed that for me.

― alex in montreal (alex in montreal), Monday, 11 April 2005 15:10 (twenty years ago)

For some reason, I can't seem to get a working Yousendit for the encore of that Toronto show. Nnnn. But here's the other two new songs from the KEXP session (the third one is still on Fluxblog):

I'm Waiting To Know You

Teach Me, Sweetheart

Alex, the setlist of the medley barely ever changes, but the encores differ a little from show to show - I'm Gonna Run, I Broke My Mind and Single Again were/are the usual suspects, but Rub Alcohol Blues, We Got Back The Plague, Evergreen, and at least once Duffer St. George pop up at the end.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 15:23 (twenty years ago)

They were like the poor man's Grandaddy

Funny, I thought the same thing. Or the poor man's Quasi. Blood on the Wall showed promise though, I thought.

I agree the band was remarkably tight throughout the medley section. Poortheatre's descriptions OTM. Matt is sort of the Ice King up there, though he has a nice wry grin that he occasionally flashes at Eleanor most likely in reference to something that happened on-stage that is difficult to discern from the audience, so it seems like he is human. It seems kind of niggling to even mention it, but the only false start I noticed wasn't in the medley but at the start of one of the new songs when it was just the two of them playing and Eleanor almost came in too early before stopping herself.

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 11 April 2005 15:36 (twenty years ago)

Okay, this is not a Yousendit, but here's

11 I Broke My Mind / Single Again/ Here Comes The Summer

I was really impressed by Blood On The Wall. I wasn't that into their first record, but they were very fun and really nailed a lot of Pixies-isms that a lot of non-Pixies bands don't do so well. There was one (new, I think) song in the set that really blew me away, it was very Bossanova-era Pixies.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 15:39 (twenty years ago)

Mikila (sp?) was the first drummer. she too was from Texas. as was Ryan Sawyer. i know/knew both. i was told that the drummer stink had to do with songwriting credits. aka: moolah.

― Beta (abeta), Monday, 11 April 2005 21:54 (twenty years ago)

i am not nearly as fond of the medley-Vegas schtick with Eleanor just left to sing and gesture as i am of the more Chrissie Hynde version, with lots more rocking and her playing guitar. to me, it just cheapens the songwriting.

― Beta (abeta), Monday, 11 April 2005 21:59 (twenty years ago)

Well, as we all know, guitars = songwriting!

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 11 April 2005 22:07 (twenty years ago)

the songs are less relevant in the medley, i meant.

― Beta (abeta), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 01:17 (twenty years ago)

I don't know if I'd agree with that. They bring out different things in the songs - I think some songs sound better in the medley arrangements. I've heard most of these songs in three or four variations at this point - I think the thing is, they treat the songs as living things, and I think of them as being such. I don't feel like the album versions have to be the definitive versions, or if there ought to be definitive versions. It's owing more to jazz and folk traditions than rock traditions, and I appreciate that.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 02:39 (twenty years ago)

For those of you interested in hearing the North Six-style show, here's a recording of the second time they played it in Washington DC. It seems like they may be abandoning this setlist, though, since the shows from Webster Hall on have been the old Wolf Notes medley. I can't say that I blame them - this is interesting, but somewhat lacking in momentum. I don't know, maybe it's better, and I'm just too distracted by the lousy sound quality of this recording. Either way, it's worth listening to if you're a fan.

01 Rehearsing My Choir

02 Quay Cur

03 Straight Street

04 Blueberry Boat

05 Single Again / Here Comes The Summer / Evergreen / Sing For Me

06 I'm Gonna Run / Leaky Tunnel / Up In The North / Spaniolated / 1917 / Birdie Brain

07 Paw Paw Tree / My Dog Was Lost But Now He's Found / Mason City

08 Asthma Attack / Don't Dance Her Down / Crystal Clear / Two Fat Feet / Bow Wow

09 Police Sweater Blood Vow

10 I'm Waiting To Know You

11 Teach Me, Sweetheart

12 Tropical Iceland / Sullivan's Social Slub

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 17:48 (twenty years ago)

Any chance of resubmitting track 05?

― Jim Gittleman, Wednesday, 13 April 2005 18:02 (twenty years ago)

Oh damn. Hold on.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 18:09 (twenty years ago)

For reasons I cannot understand, that particular track is resistant to Yousendit. Have tried it a few times now, changed stuff I thought maybe was going wrong, etc. I'll see what I can do.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 18:21 (twenty years ago)

Okay, this should work now:

05 Singla Again / Here Comes The Summer / Evergreen / Sing For Me

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 19:55 (twenty years ago)

i thought it was like patti smith fronting devo, but without any tunes

you know, CHOONS

that said it was weird in a sometimes-good way

the singer is very uncomfortable onstage, she shuffles from foot to foot.

i guess the drummer sort of makes up for her, he really is hilarious and awesome.

all the songs started to sound pretty much the same after a while.

i thought they were one of the openers until the next-to-last song.

i got most into the song they played just after the drumless interlude. it had the most shape and body and purpose and heft and passion.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 21:56 (twenty years ago)

You are a saint! A goddamn saint! I've been dying for these mp3s for weeks! WEEKS!

I was @ both Northsix and Webster Hall this weekend and I really preferred the Webster Hall performance alot more. Not that Northsix was bad but I love the intensity of the Wolf Notes medley. And I really hated Dios Malos. But I loved Blood on the Wall. I totally agree, they were very Pixies.

― Theodore Nicholas, Thursday, 14 April 2005 07:12 (twenty years ago)

the singer is very uncomfortable onstage, she shuffles from foot to foot

That's part of her charm, I think.

all the songs started to sound pretty much the same after a while

I didn't get that (except maybe in the big medley), but I guess it helps to already have some familiarity with the songs from the records.

Anyway, it's pretty rare for an indie rock band (or any rock band for that matter) to attempt something as ambitious as playing a long through-composed piece like the medley and I respect their ambition. However, since I had just seen the Willem Breuker Kollektief play the previous weekend, who played similarly ambitious pieces with an even larger ensemble and with even better chops (and solos!), perhaps the comparison was slightly unflattering. I guess it's unfair to compare veteran Dutch jazzbos to indie rock kids though.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 14 April 2005 13:09 (twenty years ago)

Thanks for the mp3's, Matthew. I've been listening to this for about a week and am really enjoying. I never got too much into Fiery Furnaces but I might check some more out.

One thing though, is it just me or does this remind anyone else of the Fall?

― righteousmaelstrom, Thursday, 21 April 2005 20:24 (twenty years ago)

I kinda hear some Fall in them, yeah. Did you ever hear their cover of "The Winter" on that Rough Trade compilation? She's the only person I've ever heard do a Mark E Smith rant effectively/memorable. The Fall are a fairly cover-proof band, and the only other really good Fall cover I can think of is Pavement's version of "The Classical," which is extensively rewritten by Malkmus. (Ha, not to mention "Conduit For Sale" et al)

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Thursday, 21 April 2005 20:41 (twenty years ago)

Hmm...no I haven't heard that but I could see how they could pull it off.

And come to think of it I really haven't heard many Fall covers at all (Besides SY on Peel).

― righteousmaelstrom, Thursday, 21 April 2005 20:58 (twenty years ago)

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