Peter Bjorn and John - Live
By: June Garry and Jacks |
Thursday May 24, 2007 |
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Chicago, IL |
| You've already met my coquettish neighbor Bender, but I'm thrilled to inform you there's another lady in my life up on the 4th floor - the illustrious Jacks. A ballsy bombshell, Jacks is a very busy gal; so naturally once in a while she likes to let loose. On one such occasion she wanted to let loose with Peter Bjorn and John, who were coming to the Empty Bottle, but the show was sold out so there was poor, clever Jacks, all pissed off and shit out of luck. Not completely. I was betting I'd enjoy the show myself, so I begged the Captain on my knees on shards of Christmas tree bulbs and he let me cover it with a plus one. Naturally Jacks accompanied me, and here's where I start to feel just a little bit guilty. Remember that part of Tom Sawyer in which Tom is supposed to whitewash the picket fence, but he ends up tricking the neighborhood kids into doing it for him by pretending it was loads of fun? Well, that's what my evening at the Empty Bottle was like. After we got in and found a decent spot for ourselves, Jacks bought me a shot of whiskey, quite a pleasant surprise. The booze and the band kicked in at the same time, and I began happily writing away. Jacks helped me out with a song title, and it quickly became apparent that she knew the material better than I so it was a smooth, natural progression when my notebook changed hands. Soon I found myself leaning back with a girl I'd sequestered from her friends and dubbed Substitute Bender, completely tickled with her presence and with what was turning out to be a really good live show. Jacks would pop over once in a while and bring me a beer, then scurry away to continue her journalistic adventure. She seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself but I still felt a pang; and it occurred to me that I was like Tom Sawyer and that freaking fence. Here's the difference: snarky young Tom took all the credit for work he didn't do, but I will not take the same route. Jacks wrote, Jacks gets the byline. So here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the debut of Jacks the Rock Critic, in her own eloquent words, from her own bruised mind, and off her own fucking rocker. Enjoy. Tuesday night, May 8th - Peter Bjorn and John show at the Empty Bottle 10:30pm With the popularity of 2006's Writers Block, Peter Bjorn and John (PBJ) are in the midst of their latest tour. With the US, Europe and Japan all demanding their attention to see a live performance it was interesting that they chose Empty Bottle for their hot-spot in Chicago. The Indie Pop/Electronica was right at home at the Bottle, homage to the ultra hipster scene; it was just such a small venue to choose for their rising popularity. Tickets were well-priced and worth your money for only $16 a pop, which I know was a significant factor for why the show sold out so fast, even with minimal marketing. "Roll the Credits" was the kick-starter of the night with drawn-out percussion that gave a quiet, illuminating appearance from the band. The crowd was calm with not much reaction at first. As the melodies were played out everyone seemed pleased and into the groove until PBJ started to do a movie-montage of their better known tracks "Up Against the Wall" and "Start to Melt", among others. While a fan, I was disappointed and had a mediocre response to a set already 20 minutes in. That was until "Amsterdam" reigned on. To get a better sense of it all I crept up to the front to see everyone enthralled with the band and those four rows deep of the stage in rhythmic gyrations of the chords. The vibe was picking up and I could have shot myself for, right after I made my way back to my stance spot, "Young Folks" came on, their signature hit. This is the song that has given the band the accreditation and recognition they deserve. With the track being remixed and popping up in all 'da clubs and underground venues, plus being the background music for a current car commercial it has sent the band to the next level of recognition. No longer do they have the following of just us "indie poppers and hipsters" but have reached out to other spectrums of culture in the music realm. "Young Folks" was the climax of the show as every artist does with their top hit of the moment. Key - on track and note - lyrics came belting out of Victoria Bergsman, whom I thought would not make it for the show. Was a nice surprise. Gone were the blank faces - everyone shed the cover of the tortured artist and left the scrutiny at the door. I do not know if it was the $2 PBR's that came out of everyone but as the band got into the groove of the songs their energy enthralled the crowd and got us roaring. Those PBR's were swaying in the air as Peter rocked the bass out and was dancing on the tip of the speaker. "Paris 2004" came belting out as did "Let's Call it Off". All in all it was an entertaining show and as the night wore on - so did the encore. I found myself not caring that I had a job to attend to the next day by 9am. PBJ did not give a low performance at the Bottle even after a 2pm stint at The Apple Store on Michigan Avenue and a 7pm show prior. Only complaint was that of not hearing much from previous albums, (Falling Out); and that the show was at small capacity which left our other friends without a ticket and not being able to fork over $75 for one off of Craigslist. As the night sauntered on I watched the crowd disperse happy with being at a cheap show (not cheap entertainment), happy from the cheap beer, and happy to go home for some cheap sex. Let's just hope they stopped at the local 7-11 on the way and forked over $20 bucks for the Trojans. My own date was licked and knew she would be at the mercy of the "hair of the dog" in the later morning. I watched her make love to the last PBR in only three swigs; ever so lady-like as only Miss June Garry can. It was a fabulous ride home hearing her yell at the cab driver to be careful driving in the pouring rain all the while spewing out dirty, offensive, sexual jokes. Yes, we are the fun classy ladies of the 4th floor at Clarendon Suites. May 8, 2007 Empty Bottle Chicago, IL |
