Friday December 22, 2006 SGN.org |
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Volume 34 Issue 51 |
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Thursday, Jul 24, 2008
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The End's 'Deck The Hall Ball' rocked, but with little holiday spirit |
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| The End's 'Deck The Hall Ball' rocked, but with little holiday spirit | ||
| by Albert Rodriguez -
SGN A&E Writer The End's "Deck The Hall Ball" w/ Snow Patrol, Gnarls Barkley, The Shins, etc. December 7 @ Key Arena With the exception of Gnarls Barkley's cutesy tootsie performance, complete with Austin Powers and Dr. Evil costumes, radio station The End's (107.7) holiday shindig at Key Arena two weeks ago could have passed for a Halloween bash. There were very few signs "Deck The Hall Ball" had anything to do with the wintry holiday season. The concert had no pretend snow, no giant candy canes, no mistletoe, no in-between-songs caroling, no shiny wrapped gift boxes, no icicle lights, and no gingerbread house. Not even a "ho ho ho" or a "fa la la". So much for a holiday theme, eh? Gnarls Barkley, a Grammy nominated duo consisting of rapper Cee-Lo and DJ/producer Danger Mouse, were the Ball's superior act, injecting comical bits into their performance and playing fun renditions of songs from their platinum release St. Elsewhere, most notably the smash hit "Crazy". The Shins, once based out of Seattle and now settled in Portland, played a mellow set of tunes from the band's two released CDs, Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow, and the forthcoming Wincing the Night Away. It wasn't anywhere near The Shins best onstage appearances locally, but it was enough to satisfy diehards crammed on the main floor and those in the arena's lower bowl seats. The group's new single "Phantom Limb" was well received, as were more familiar ones, including "Caring is Creepy", "Know Your Onion!", and "Saint Simon". Surprisingly, the Ball audience offered no huge sing along to "New Slang", which at least has gotten concertgoers to hum the opening and closing bars of it at previous shows. Somehow, the poor acoustics of the large sports venue did nothing to complement The Shins' cool alt pop sound. Save your pennies for a smaller gig. Snow Patrol, the night's headliner, bounced onstage well after 10 o'clock and the crowd was more than ready for them, some who'd arrived at Key Arena since early that afternoon. But after the band played its Grammy-nominated song "Chasing Cars", a good portion of the audience exited the arena. In fact, two thirds of the main floor vanished. Still, Snow Patrol plugged along and delivered a solid set of cuts from Final Straw and Eyes Open. But like The Shins, this performance was worlds away from vintage Snow Patrol. The group's set, featuring "Chocolate", "Headlights on Dark Roads" and "Shut Your Eyes", felt rushed and less invigorating than prior performances this year in Seattle and Portland. Lead singer Gary Lightbody dedicated Snow Patrol's "Run" to the Key Arena crowd, but the group offered no encore, likely due to a tight time schedule set by the radio station. Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance, Jet, and Pete Yorn filled out the artist roster for Deck The Hall Ball, which has ping-ponged from Key Arena to The Showbox and back to Key Arena in the past three years. The End might benefit from giving its holiday event a permanent home, as they do for their summertime show "EndFest" at White River Amphitheatre. And more doesn't always mean better - four acts with longer sets vs. seven acts with shorter sets could provide a tastier recipe for success. And if we're fortunate, maybe next year a team of elves can help restore Deck The Hall Ball's holiday theme with a little yuletide cheer. |
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