When I interviewed Spoon just days before its Pabst Theater stop on its "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" tour in 2007, all drummer Jim Eno wanted to talk about was Summerfest.
The Austin-based four-piece had played Milwaukee a number of times over the years -- Spoon's a family favorite over at the Cactus Club -- but perhaps no show made such a positive impression on the band as the Big Gig.
"I really love Milwaukee," announced Eno the moment I got him on the line. "No, really," he continued. "Can I tell you my Summerfest story?"
He proceeded to talk at length about the energetic crowd singing along to the songs from the new record, despite its forthcoming official release the following week.
"It was that night, to me, that I thought to myself, 'Wow, I think this record is going to do really well. All these kids seem really into these new songs.' It was pretty cool and we had a really good show."
It was with that same gracious enthusiasm that Spoon returned to Summerfest tonight to play the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse. Ignoring the ominous cloud cover and forecast calling for rain, a huge crowd gathered early to catch Sick of Sarah, an all-girl indie rock band from Minneapolis, and score good bleacher seats for one of Austin's finest exports.
The rain came down between sets but managed to clear just moments before Spoon took the stage. Frontman Britt Daniel dodged a few plastic spoons whipped from the crowd and led the band into "The Beast and Dragon Adored," the gallant album opener from 2005's "Gimme Fiction."
From there, Daniel displayed the best of his sonic trickery, adding special effects like a reverberating echo on his vocals, which set the stage for a psychedelic mood (the THC levels of the audience probably didn't hurt, either), especially during the band's cooled out version of "Don't You Evah," a song originally penned by the now defunct band The Natural History.
It's been two years since the release of "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga," and just as you might expect, Spoon shared bits and pieces of what's to come. The good news? Daniel announced that the band is releasing a new single Tuesday and when it played the song, it was like hearing those opening notes from "Don't Make Me a Target;" you just knew it was going to be epic. The bad news? He didn't tell us what the song was called, or when we might expect the rest of the album. And no, Wikipedia's got nothing on it yet.
Despite the band's apparent affection for the City of Festivals and our energetic audiences, Daniel didn't say much during the hour-and-a-half set, other than several thank-yous and an oddly placed comment about how good his song "Black Like Me" is. (Am I the only one who thought that a bit off?) It didn't seem to bother the horde in the least, though. The place was packed with adoring fans delighting in the dancibility of songs like the minimalist mod strut "I Turn My Camera On" and the jangle pop of "You Got Yr. Chery Bomb."
Spoon will always be a great live band, and it's funny how it matters not whether the show is at the beautiful Pabst Theater or in front of a crowded sea of young people, wet from a summer rain and floating a few of those giant beach balls through the dirty bleachers. Spoon is not about elaborate costumes, stage design or lengthy banter; Spoon is there for one reason and that is to rock your socks off.
Mission accomplished.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
