Built To Spill
This was the forth time i've seen Built To Spill live....and as i've said before they are in my opinion one of the greatest live acts i've ever seen....they always have a good attitude, play extremely well and just always seem to up their recorded music just a bit live......this was not the case in any way shape or form on Thursday
so a couple of weeks ago my friend Rhiannon sent me a link to get a single ticket for a free show staring Built To Spill....obviously i went nuts
...The show was to be at a venue in downtown Reno called The Cargo and was to be a first come gets access till capacity type of deal and the entire thing was being put on by the Lagunitas Brewing Company (even better right!?)
doors were at 8 so we showed up at 6 and watched the line get bigger and bigger
....i brought 60 bucks for a couple of tasty brews and hopefully a copy of the new album on vinyl and a t shirt....some strange things started to happen about 40 or so minutes before the doors opened....half naked circus performers were emerging from the venue and performing for the waiting crowd....interesting...i also started to notice more and more that the people there just did not seem like the typical Built To Spill fan base.....it is Reno after all
Doors open and we all start shuffling in....as always i head straight for the bar in hopes of some good ol IPA....the bartender tells me that ALL Beer and Water are on the house....i start talking with one of the reps for Lagunitas and he explains that the brewery has been doing a contest online and that Reno won the free beer party......CHAOS REIGNS.
So my hypothesis is correct....80% of this "sold out" venue are not there for music....but rather to get extremely f
ucked up on free beer....thats all good....at least i get to see this incredible band with a few of my close friends....some opening band comes out and they're not bad....but not my cup of tea....almost like a sleazy version of CCR
Then comes Built to Spill....and they open with a cover of
DEVO's immortal classic "Come Back Jonee"
i should be jumping for joy right?....the sound in this venue is f
ucking horrible....i mean really really bad
i attempted moving around the venue....front to back to left and right....but no where in this venue was the sound good....the bass was turned up way to loud and the vocals were almost non existent
to make matters worse as i'm trying position myself to get the most out of the band live....i have to navigate through hundreds of drunk college frat kids who could give two f
ucks about the great music being played for them....and i mean DRUNK.....Reno PD must have had a field day after this show let out
so i make it back up to the front to finish the night of with my friend Erin...and the most f
ucking ridiculous thing i've seen in years happens....during their encore....which was Randy Describes Eternity and a cover of Blue Öyster Cult's (Don't Fear) The Reaper the crowd starts a huge violent "mosh" pit
to Built To Spill.....
The look on Doug's face was as priceless as it was sad
way to represent Reno