I went to this show with mediocre expectations. I guess it's because these bands just don't excite me like they would have four years ago. Apparently these bands don't excite many other people either because there weren't a lot there. I went to this show more for a friend than I did for myself. Every Hot Water Music show I've been to, there is always a similar response to the lack of a large crowd. "Wow, I thought there'd be more people than this, it is Hot Water Music." I hate to break it to you people, but no matter how hard they try, Hot Water Music has trouble selling a place out as a headlining band.
Anyway, the first band that played was These Arms Are Snakes. They made my poor ears beg for mercy. Oh and they were boring, so boring I went to go read an article on Iggy Pop and a review about how bad the new Catch 22 album sucks. Well apparently people disagree with me on These Arms are Snakes because all the people I talked to said "WOW! They were so much better this time!" Better? I can't imagine what it would have been like the last time.
Then The Lawrence Arms played. They had a decent stage presence and the crowd excluding myself seemed to be having a good time. Every one looked like they were having fun. My ears definitely were not begging for mercy, but this band is not something I'd go recommending left and right. They were O.K. I felt indifferent about their set.
Second to last: A Static Lullaby. Sorry if I offend you but GAG. At this point in the show I wanted to shoot myself and be done with it. That screamish crap is not for me. Some bands pull it off well and some bands try too hard. This is one of those bands that tries too hard. There were some tolerable songs though. But not to fear! I do have one positive thing to say about them. They had EXCELLENT stage presence. The lead singer used his space well. I will stand by that. Only thing, he should learn to take it easy with the mic. First off, choking yourself with the mic does not make your band cooler and second of all, take it easy when you swing that damn thing around. He came within inches of slamming me in the face when he swung it around. (I'm sure some of you would have appreciated that)
And lastly, the headlining band. I'm not trying to make myself sound cool by saying that was the seventh time I've seen HWM, I'm just setting the grounds for what I'm about to say. THEY'RE BORING. I used to enjoy seeing them play, but slowly I've realized nothing has really changed except for a few song changes in the set list. And the sad thing is, sometimes I really sense their boredom of touring all the damn time.
Set list as follows, as close as possible:
A Flight and a Crash
Wayfarer
Free Radio Gainesville
Jack of all Trades
I Was on a Mountain
Three Summers Strong
Paper Thin
Jet Set Ready
Rooftops
Turnstile
Just Don't Say You Lost It
Remedy
Manual
encore:
Trusty Chords
True Believers
It's Hard to Know
That "True Believers" is a Bouncing Souls cover. I was surprised. I didn't know what to expect when they said they were going to play a cover. Hello, the Bouncing Souls? Could it have gotten any worse? At least they didn't play it last. Not all bands can close on a cover and call it a good set.
All in all, this show was lame. I think I am done with Hot Water Music shows for a while. I can't subject my self to that kind of boredom any more. I have better things to do with my time.