I can’t say I’m a big The The fan, but given the opportunity to see them (for the price of a couple beers) I had to check ’em out. My feeling when it comes to Matt Johnson and Co. is…I like that album Dusk, and the b-side to “Uncertain Smile,” and a couple other songs. I like that first album Burning Blue Soul that I think he recorded himself. Other than that one and Dusk I don’t think I’ve ever consciously sat down to listen to an entire The The album from start to finish.
The last time I was at the Hollywood Palladium was for that YouTube awards show a project of mine was nominated for a few years ago. That night was spent upstairs getting drunk in a VIP area, so this was the first proper concert I’ve seen at the venue on ground level (you know, with the plebeians). The sound in the main room is quite good, and there is no shortage of bars you can walk up to and grab a drink from without having to wait. The venue wasn’t sold out, but there was a pretty big crowd on hand for the show. I arrived about 20 minutes before the headliners took the stage, so I can’t tell you who opened or what they sounded like.
Alas, the setlist contained 7 songs from Dusk, so it was pretty much as good a show as I could have hoped for. At one point Matt Johnson mentioned that Dusk was written around the time of his younger sudden brother’s death, and he recently dealt with the loss of his brother Andy (who is responsible for a lot of the band’s artwork), so that might be what led to rehearsing and performing so many songs from that album.
Shockingly, this was the band’s first concert in Los Angeles in 18 years. I know this because my buddy — and my ticket to this show — is obsessed with the band. That said, I’m really happy I went to the Palladium show because…who knows whether or not it will take another 18 years for them to return here.
The setlist below is as it appears on that user-generated setlist website, but I’m not sure if it’s accurate because my buddy said the setlist was identical to the show the night before and to my eyes what appears below is not identical to what appears from the night before. We may never know…
The The
Hollywood Palladium
Los Angeles, CA
Setlist:
Global Eyes
Sweet Bird Of Truth
Flesh And Bones
The Beat(en) Generation
Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)
We Can’t Stop What’s Coming
August & September
Heartland
This Is The Night
Dogs Of Lust
Love Is Stronger Than Death
This Is The Day
Soul Catcher
I Saw The Light [Hank Williams]
Helpline Operator
True Happiness This Way Lies
Infected
I’ve Been Waiting For Tomorrow (All My Life)
Slow Emotion Replay
Uncertain Smile
Lonely Planet
