I totally forgot to mention that I saw Godspeed last Thursday at the Fonda in Hollywood. It was my…6th time seeing them? 7th? I don’t even remember anymore. All I remember is barely getting to hear “Moya” ONE TIME in all of those shows, and the last time I heard it was 2003. I swear to God, if Godspeed plays LA again and I don’t get to hear “Moya” it might be the last time I pay to see them.
Speaking of which, the last Godspeed show I saw at the Fonda was in 2011 [review]. I have to say, I had no idea when purchasing tickets to the 2013 show that the Fonda had completely changed their ticketing system, and there is now a distinction between floor GA and balcony GA. I suppose I have no one to blame but myself, but I kind of figured when I saw the total for two tickets was $75 that I wouldn’t be in the balcony for the entirety of the show. Last time tickets were $25 a piece and it was GA throughout what was then the Music Box. I guess now that Goldenvoice is in charge over there they can gouge prices and charge a premium for standing on ground level. Bullshit. The same kind of bullshit Godspeed used to rally against ten years ago. What with Goldenvoice being owned by AEG, the owner of which (Philip Anschutz) is a hard-line Christian conservative who has thrown a lot of money at anti-Gay Rights initiatives and other…um…morally reprehensible social/political campaigns. But, hey, far be it from me to take the band who included a map linking major record labels to arms manufacturers.
Ahem.
The show, from my heightened vantage point, was really good! “Behemoth,” a new composition that I thought was two distinct songs, was awesome. Especially the latter half of the tune, which reaches a “Moya”-esque crescendo that I quite enjoyed. “The Sad Mafioso” [MP3] is a fine closing number, and had they not concluded the show two years ago in the same manner I would have been more than satisfied hearing it live. The three-guitar attack on that one is brilliant.
Setlist:
Hope Drone
Mladic (I’m still calling it Albanian)
Chart #3
World Police And Friendly Fire
Behemoth
The Sad Mafioso
