Review and news hub for movies, music and video games

2915 guests and 24 members online

Joplin, Missouri’s new concert hall The Foundry is labeled as a family friendly venue. That means that smoking and alcohol are forbidden, and coarse language is frowned upon. And in the case of the show that I recently attended, it also means that it’s frequented mostly by junior high kids. It is quite possible though that it was the artists that I decided to see that night that was the primary cause for me being the oldest person in the club. I should have known I suppose. Though I’d never really heard of the night’s headliner Meg & Dia, I soon found out that a good majority of 15 year old girls have.

The Foundry itself is a cool enough place. Though it doesn’t have the nostalgic wear and tear of my usual haunts, it is an inviting atmosphere that features restaurant style booths lined up against the walls and a well-lit non-alcoholic bar towards the back. I made myself comfortable at a bar stool and awaited the opening act, Joplin’s one man band NeverShoutNever!

NeverShoutNever! wooed me with his free mints at the beginning of the night, but disappointed me as soon as he stepped on stage. A high school kid with an acoustic guitar and an MacBook, NSN played the most generic of emo songs; shouting to his hearts content as he harped out clichéd lines about puppy love. His MacBook provided a few welcome dance grooves, but typically he left himself open for criticism by standing on stage with his unsure vocals and barely competent guitar playing.

Danger Radio was the first touring band to take the stage though they themselves didn’t look much older than Mr. NSN. Blazing into a raucous rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to start the show, Danger Radio sadly wouldn’t do much else to impress me throughout their set. With a sound that, at its core, was nothing but pop-punk power chords with a keyboardist, DR sounded stale and unimaginative. At times though, they did take an adventurous step or two towards something altogether different. Such as when the band performed a Maroon 5 flavored R&B jam that truly showcased frontman Andrew de Torres’ solid vocal ability. Conversely, those times were too rare.

Jonezetta was the next band up, and was the group I was most familiar with before the start of the night having seen them live once before. Their appealing mix of power pop, southern rock, the occasional dance beat, and a little bit of indie rock sensibility helped set them comfortably apart from their touring counterparts. By the time Jonezetta played their first song the crowd was already beginning to thin out, though it was actually quite a small contingency from the start. Never the less, the boys from Mississippi were the shimmering highlight of the show. Full of confidence and swagger, the band put forth a griping and energetic performance like a group of veterans. They played a healthy mix of songs from their 2006 album Popularity and their forthcoming follow up, which they made sure to let the crowd know would be coming out in September.

Once Jonezetta wrapped up their entertaining but rather short set, the headliner prepared to finish up the show. After what seemed like a relatively lengthy sound check, Meg & Dia waltzed out on stage; Meg with a guitar and Dia with a microphone. Their set opened up with a short stripped down verse of a song, with just the two pretty sisters standing at center stage. The full backing band quickly flanked in behind them though, turning the soft charm the song was steering towards into a billowing rock opus. What came as a surprise to me as I watched the performance unfold, is that Meg & Dia were actually the heaviest band there that night. The backing band harnessed a distortion filled, almost post-grunge type sound which in reality was a bit overkill for Meg’s sweet and sincere vocals. While watching the show go on in front of me, I really felt as if Meg & Dia, for whom the band’s sound should probably center around considering they are the group’s namesake, were being overshadowed by the roaring distortion of electric guitars. Pretty soon each song the group played began to blend into one another. The lack of creativity was ultimatley the leading factor in me wondering just how much longer this show was going to last.

Before Meg & Dia even started, the crowd had diminished to only a small group of the most faithful of fans. I wondered, as I often do, that if the crowd who had left early was not there to see Meg & Dia, then who were they there to see. It wasn’t Jonezetta I thought; only a few people really seemed into their performance. It wasn’t Danger Radio, the crowd reacted nearly the same to their set. Then it occurred to me, it was 10 PM on a Sunday night, the majority of the crowd that night had to be up bright and early for school the very next morning. 

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (5)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

August 28, 2008, Aww said:

Meg & Dia are amazing! A lot of their songs are based off of literature, so the whole "lack of creativity" really sort-of just backfires, doesn't it? They're hardly unoriginal. Also, Dia does vocals, Meg does back-up vocals and guitar, and the band is a five person band, not just "Meg and Dia." Nick, drums, Carlo, guitar, Jonotron, ba*s. Don't forget them, either! They're a band, not back-up donkeys.

Votes: +0 report abuse vote down vote up

August 28, 2008, lynne said:

I feel like you went into this show with negativity. The only band you enjoyed was Jonezetta and that was because you went into the show knowing you were going to love them. Which I agree, Jonezetta is a great band to see live... But you shouldn't dismiss the other pop bands that played. Meg and Dia are a great band, Danger Radio has a cool funk groove to them and NeverShoutNever! really knows how to get the younger crowd excited. He is extremely catchy and is probably not going to have fans that are 20+. But for the 10-19 year olds his music is perfect. Don't be so narrow minded when you go to shows. Think about other age groups not just what YOU like.

Votes: +0 report abuse vote down vote up

October 07, 2008, Meghan Dixon said:

	i kinda agree with the chic that said u went in with a negative attitude... i like meg and dia and i dont really know the others but well if ur gonna hang with me u might wanna brush up on the music dude
	Votes: +0 report abuse vote down vote up

October 08, 2008, Lex Walker said:

	Oh snap...your friend sided with a stranger.
	Votes: +0 report abuse vote down vote up

October 10, 2008, Tyler Barlass said:

	I know. I'm getting heat on all sides for this article.
	Votes: +0 report abuse vote down vote up

Name

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment Preview