Far returned to LA’s Troubadour last night, as did we. As the Minus The Bear show in Pomona was cancelled, un-cancelled, then cancelled again, we managed to get there early enough to catch both supporting acts, Secret Empire and Dead Country.
Our new intern / whipping boy Shaian had highly recommended Secret Empire, and we’ll have to go easy on the hazing rituals tonight, as they were indeed the more interesting of the two. The talented and tasteful Far guitarist Shaun Lopez is currently producing the not excessively indie-ish band’s full-length album, and we intend to check it out once it’s done.
Dead Country wasn’t necessarily bad, and I’ve got no good reason to bag them. I just tend to be unforgiving of bands that don’t challenge themselves- or the audience, that don’t break any rules, that don’t have any surprises up their sleeves. They’re a decent rock and roll band, and they did their job as openers. But their set didn’t leave any lasting impression on me, nor did the CD they sent a couple of weeks ago.
Far, on the other hand, was in very fine form. When we last saw them, it was their second show after a hiatus of nearly ten years. They rattled the rafters with a palpable excitement over getting that old engine roaring again, and we wouldn’t trade being there for much. Yet last night the nuts and bolts were a little tighter, the pistons well-oiled. And the crowd was every bit as fanatic.
Man Overboard was a highlight of course, from 1998’s Water And Solutions, and absolutely impossible to not scream along with. Thanks to our pals at Concert Confessions, we’ve got a video:
The band’s new songs (from At Night We Live) sounded amazing live, particularly Dear Enemy, the title track, and Deafening, which we also have a video of, courtesy of loyal Antiquiet reader Jerko. It opens with a story about the dearly departed Ronnie James Dio:
It’s great to see this band back in action, with a great new album that didn’t even seem like a possibility when we talked to Jonah and Shaun in October [Wait a sec, that was October '08? We're due for another hang with those dudes...]. We’re spreading the word: Far has given us a second chance to experience something special. Don’t miss out.
Photos by Skwerl
First off – belated thanks for linking to my page/review as well as using my video. I missed the opening acts, but Far were amazing. The new songs are beautiful, the classics still felt ahead of their time. Great night!
[...] Far: May 21, 2010 [...]