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Stereolab |
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Vic Theatre
Chicago, IL
10.31.01 |
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review
Once in a blue moon Stereolab fails to deliver a great show. Was this just a bad night for Euro-pop? Is the band still not done jelling with its new keyboardist? Or did this happen because, on Halloween, the moon phased full for the second time that month? Regardless, a not-so-great show from a band of this caliber can still be quite good, and this concert was not without its highlights.
The show was opened by French foursome Fugu, which basically played its debut disc, Fugu 1, in its entirety. In a word, it was pleasant. Those who got to the venue fashionably early were attentive and appreciative—not really bowled over, but not impatient for the headliners either. Fugu's pop with a dash of Loaded-era Velvet Underground is quite tasty while only giving a taste: Some of the songs are so short that they never fully develop; instead, we're left wondering what lies further down the paths upon which we've been led.
Stereolab has been performing long enough that the band has no lack of material from which to draw. A broad and devoted fan-base has passed the word about the group's live shows and how beautifully they compliment the well-crafted studio work. One tends, therefore, to have high expectations walking in. Driving drums and bass, however, are not necessarily what you'd expect from the normally subdued Stereolab. Opening with "Les Yper-Sound" (from 1996's Emperor Tomato Ketchup), the beats drove hard through Chicago's Vic Theater, while fans costumed as nurses, devils, schoolgirls, and robots bobbed their heads in time. This initial burst of energy and other quick spurts throughout the set picked up the tempo in the audience, but the energy was not sustained. Stereolab's connection with its Windy City fans never seemed to take root and spread.
With a usually balanced mix of keyboards and vocals, Stereolab adds and subtracts sound fluidly. The group is quite skilled at layering Moog-fueled synth and bi-lingual voices together for a usually soothing effect, pulling the audience along with its ebbs and flows. As a song builds, different bits of the overall equation can be woven in or swept out. This was demonstrated well on 1996's "Parsec," as the sound broke down into its individual voices before coalescing back into one unit. On record, this comes across as an effortless process, but overall, this show lacked some of Stereolab's subtlety. At points, the flow seemed awkward and even disjointed. At least partially, the over-powering drums simply drove the concert's ethereal bits right out.
The band's newest material seemed the most coherent and drew the best reaction from the sold-out crowd. Early in the 16-song set, Tim Gane, the main creative force behind Stereolab, launched Sound-Dust's "Captain Easychord," getting the seated balcony bouncing. Saving the best for last, Gane and company dropped the new favorite "Double Rocker," which segued nicely into "French Disco." On stage, the powerful "Double Rocker" eclipses the loungier version on the recently released Sound-Dust. Stereolab eventually found its groove, as vocals from Mary and Laetitia soared over strong, multi-layered keyboards and guitar. Just as "French Disco" was brought to a blistering tempo and the band's energy was really taking off a little over an hour into the set, Stereolab left the stage, returned briefly for a two-song encore, then split for good. In the end, the Chicago crowd was left holding the bag, leaving with both tricks and treats on this Halloween night.
By Matt Carmichael
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