More Phoenix

My Parisian obsession, Phoenix, were nominated for the Best Alternative Album Grammy last week for the consistently great Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.  The band recently hit the streets of the city of love to perform as part of filmmaker Vincent Moon's concert series La Blogotheque's "Take Away Shows".  Check out the performances of "Liztomania" and "One Time Too Many" below.  And if for some reason you don't have this album yet, run.
Phoenix - Lizstomania / One time too many - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Phoenix, Electric Factory, Philadelphia – 9/28

Absolutely nothing could stop the good mood at 7th and Willow with Phoenix in town. The rain that hung around all day finally gave up. The threatening reach of winter retracted, as well, leaving the night pleasantly cool and dry and ready for the Parisian invasion.

When the lights disappeared, the palpable energy in the room did an about face, just in time to see the backdrop light up, a blimp above the stage declaring Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the title of the band’s latest release. It’s odd when something so simple has such a profound effect. In this case, the buzz in the room was doubled by three simple words. A keyboard fuzz engulfed the room, and swelled accordingly as the band members made there ways out slowly, letting the situation build. The keyboards folded into a familiar piano intro, and “Lisztomania” ensued. The anticipatory fire in the room needed no fuel, but Thomas Mars and his co-conspirators had just thrown the whole drum onto the situation. It felt both premeditated and spontaneous, the perfect way to start the show. It also served as a statement of intent to the ears in the room, most of whom were bearing witness to live Phoenix for the first time. These guys meant business.

The opener’s endless catchiness bounced off of every corner. It was as infectious as expected, but went further, shedding some of the studio’s vibrato-pop for thicker, more rock based territory.