(Editor's note:  First: I don't want to talk about it.  Second: We've been to a ton of great shows over the last month or so, but haven't reported on what we've seen.  We've told you where to go and who to see, but haven't given you a ton of analysis after the fact (with the exception of Rob's stellar Sleigh Bells review).  I'm taking today to get caught up, drop my impressions of a few recent shows on you and hit you with some Citizen Dick exclusive video.  Yeah!)

Megafaun – Beachland Tavern – April 7, 2010

You know how much we love Megafaun.  They've made our year end list two years running (in 2008 for Bury the Square and in 2009 for Gather, Form, and Fly) and they put on an amazing live show.  Tack on the fact that they're super nice people and they're one of Citizen Dick's favorite bands.  Minnesota native and generalized national treasure Charlie Parr opened up with a dusty set of folk songs; Brad Cook said it was like watching an Alan Lomax field recording in 1924 or something and he was spot on.  When Phil Cook joined Parr for a few songs, things got super interesting; it was clear that Phil has deep respect for Parr and their two (or three) song pairing was pretty awesome.  When Megafaun proper took the stage, they opened with "Impressions of the Past."  The last time they were through town, they didn't play this song, one of the standouts on their most recent record.  It makes sense to not play it, quite honestly.  It's got strings and a horn section and a bunch of stuff that you can't really replicate with a trio.  But they're playing it on this tour.  Later on that night, the band talked about being accountable; if they put a song on a record, they feel like they should be able to play it live.  People want to hear them play "Impressions of the Past," so they put in the work to figure out a way to play it.  In a word (two actually), it was fucking amazing.  It's a different song live (obviously), but it keeps the soul of the original.  More importantly, it speaks to what this band is about; dudes are making music and they mean to communicate that art to the masses in the most direct fashion possible.  Megafaun aren't going to hide behind studio tricks or duck the hard stuff.  They're going to play music.  Which is pretty sweet.  The rest of the set was stellar.  "Guns" was a clear highlight; I told Kevin at the time: there are bands that can play the first half of "Guns," the quiet folk part, and there are bands that can play the second half of "Guns," the electronic freakout.  Megafaun is the only band that can play both parts.  Paired with their musical and personal integrity, that's one of the principal reasons they're special.  Megafaun is still on tour for most of June.  They are not to be missed.  As with the last time they rolled through Cleveland, I'm counting the days till they come back.

We've got "Impressions of the Past" from a recent stop in North Carolina; it will contextualize a lot of the above effusive praise.  Dudes are locked in on this take, as they were in Cleveland.  Megafaun is  also sprinkling the sets this tour with songs from their soon to be released mini-album (Phil described one of the tracks as their "Bathtub Gin," which made me giggle).  We've got sweet video from the Beachland of "Eagle," which is certain to be on my summer playilist as soon as the record hits.

Megafaun – Impressions of the Past, Live – 2010

Pearl Jam/Band of Horses – Quicken Loans Arena – May 9, 2010

I've never hidden my love for Pearl Jam.  I know it's not incredibly "cool" to be as into Pearl Jam as I am, but we've never been about keeping up appearances for the sake of our indie rock credibility.  I'd also contend that Pearl Jam is getting better with age; Backspacer is a legitimately good rock record (among others, "The Fixer," "Amongst the Waves," and "Just Breathe" are great songs.).  I'll go to my grave arguing that No Code is one of the five best records ever recorded, but Eddie and company certainly haven't been slouching on recent efforts.  All this to say that I will go to see Pearl Jam every time they come to Cleveland for the rest of my life.

Band of Horses opened up and were pretty excellent.  They sounded tinny for some reason (the arena was half empty, which might affect the acoustics?), but played a tight and concise set.  The guitar player had on a really big, really white cowboy hat, which kind of threw me off, but I certainly tapped my toe when they launched into "The Funeral."  The new record is growing on me, at least in part because of "Factory," which was better live.  As much as I enjoyed seeing Band of Horses, I'm not totally sure that they work in an arena setting.  Bully for them that they scored the opening gig, but I think they make more sense in a smaller venue.  It was also weird that Eddie didn't sit in with them.  Last time Pearl Jam was in town, Eddie sang a Band cover with My Morning Jacket, which was the bomb.

Pearl Jam opened with "Wash," which was absolutely badass.  There was like a four year stretch where they stopped playing it (although they've played it several times since the turn of the century (thanks Ten Club!)), so it was a treat to hear a song that most of us would regard as something of a live rarity.  The Pearl Jam catalog is so extensive at this point that they can give most audiences this kind of experience; you know you're going to hear the hits, but real fans (is it douchey to play the "real fans" card?) go see the band because they know they'll hear something that they've never heard before.  Pearl Jam has a crafty veteran's ability to write a really good setlist.  They're going to play "Wash" for the fanatics, but they'll still play "Even Flow" for the lames.  I understand that I have to hear the songs that they play every night, but hearing something like "Wash" or "Immortality" totally makes up for it.  (They did the same thing the last time they were in town; I didn't expect to hear "Faithfull," and it totally made my night.)

My buddy Vince really wanted to hear "Smile," which they played as an extra special request, which was cool.  I was locked in on "Hail, Hail" and the aforementioned "Immortality," both of which they played as well.  We thought they were going to close with "Alive," because they were seriously flirting with the arena's curfew.  As they were wrapping up the song that epitomizes the things that aren't awesome about seeing a band that's been around since the mid-90s (namely their need to play the hits every night), the house lights came up and we thought the show was over.  That would have kind of sucked, but they squeaked out "Indifference" with the house lights on.  That captures a Pearl Jam live show nicely; they aren't going to let the guy with the Dead Moon t-shirt go to his car humming their first single.  All told, it was a great show.  I knew it would be, but it's reassuring to be right on things like that.

I did not take any video of my own, mainly because my Quicken Loans ticket stub had scary language prohibiting any sort of recording devices.  I found this video on the Youtube however, and it does the job.

Local Natives – Beachland Tavern – May 11. 2010

Suckers opened up for Local Natives.  They're supposed to be awesome.  Six months ago, I would have been in the building for their set.  Last week I was putting my baby to sleep as they played.  Growing up is awesome (I guess).  I'm not exactly sure when Local Natives became the next big thing.  Dudes went from  (I'd argue) totally off the map to all over everyplace.  They're on late night television shows and NPR.  The stupid New York Times even beat me to the punch on the facial hair jokes; asshole "legitimate" journalists always steal my thunder on stuff like this.  (I had a whole thesis on ironic mustaches and sincere beards.  Alas.)  Happily, Local Natives are totally worth the hype.  The show was stellar, packed full of energy and enthusiasm.  I was a bit apprehensive, thinking that the often intricate arrangements and harmonies on Gorilla Manor might not translate live.  I was wrong.  Dudes bring it live.  The vocals were on point and the percussion, critical to overall ethos of the record, was, if anything, more powerful and complex on stage.  The final three songs of the set stand out in particular in my brain.  They started to wrap things up with "Airplanes," which was significantly creepier than the recorded version (on Gorilla Manor that song sounds like a passionate plea to get back together; live it reads like the suicide note of a deranged stalker).  Then, they closed with a stunningly muscular "Who Knows, Who Cares" and a houndingly intense "Sun Hands."  Local Natives aren't naive; they knew we were all shitting our pants for "Sun Hands," waiting for that exultant vocal break.  They delivered.  It was awesome.  "World News" and "Wide Eyes" were also excellent live.  We've got video of a Talking Heads cover that captures the vibe of the show really well.  And, courtesy of the sublime NYC Taper, we've got "Who Knows, Who Cares," which is gaining ground on "Sun Hands" for my favorite track on the record.  Enjoy!

Local Natives – Who Knows, Who Cares, Live – 2010