The Faint

My girlfriend and I arrived at the Echo Lounge around 9 p.m. and the doors opened shortly afterward. I purchased tickets in advance through the club’s website and getting in was surprisingly easy. I was slightly worried about the will-call system since I had never used it before. It was an 18 and up show so the guy at the door checked our I.D.’s and we were in. We then stood around for an hour talking to old friends and meeting new ones. Almost everyone I encountered was very polite, which made for a pleasant evening.

Then I experienced the two worst bands I have ever seen in my life. The first one was called D.I.C. and the second was called Echoflex or some shit like that. If you ever get anywhere near these bands, run. Trust me.

After about two hours of agonizingly horrible music, the crowd began to swell towards the front of the club as The Faint prepared to take the stage. The lights went down and the crowd began to cheer as the band walked out on stage. I still had no idea exactly what instruments they would be using, but as they started to play I observed that there was a drummer, keyboardist, bassist, guitarist, and singer. They began their set with the song “Conductor” off of the newest CD entitled Danse Macabre. As soon as the beat kicked in the place exploded. Everyone was moving around and going crazy. The energy that the band exhibited on stage was amazing, and so were the lights that they apparently brought with them. The overall sound of the band was perfect also. Earlier that night I spoke with a person who saw the show the night before at the 40 Watt in Athens, GA, and he said that he thought their CD’s don’t do justice to the live show. I found that hard to belive then, but after seeing the show I completely agree. The rest of the band’s set consisted of material off of their two latest albums, and included crowd favorites like “Worked Up So Sexual” and “Your Retro Career Melted” and even a Sonic Youth cover. I belive the singer said the song was called “Mote” After the last song, the crowd cheered and chanted for more, and the Faint came out for two more songs, closing the night out with “Agenda Suicide.” This was one of the best shows I have ever seen and was defintely the most fun I have ever had at a show. If you ever get a chance to check out the Faint, do it. You won’t regret it.