Girl in a Coma, Smoking Popes, Vox Hall, Airborne Toxic Event, May 2011

I went to two concerts in a week. The first was Girl in a Coma opening for Smoking Popes at Re Palace on May 4, 2011 - Alex and I went. I loved Girl in a Coma (they were the reason I went.) They had a lot of energy on stage and the vocals were strong, I even liked the not-yet-released songs they played. I loved the Spanish language songs they threw in, even though I don't speak a word of Spanish. I last saw them at Black Cat as an opener, and I think they had stronger stage presence this time - the last 8 months on the road have done them good. I'm hopeful that they will continue to improve as a band.

Smoking Popes is new to me - Alex was there for them. They were an indie band in the late 90s or early 2000s that at one time toured with Morrisey, but broke up and then reunited for this tour. I had never heard them before, and I wasn't impressed. The vocals were supposed to be the draw for this band, but the sound sucked - I couldn't hear his voice over the instruments, so I didn't really think much of it. I'm sure it was more fun if you knew the songs.

Dana and I went to the 9:30 Club May 8, 2011. Vox Hall openned for Airborne, and just wasn't good. They weren't horrible, but they didn't have it together, and again, the vocals were lost to the noise. From a distance, the guys on stage were fairly cute, though.

Airborne Toxic Event had a FANTASTIC show. I especially liked when the lead singer climbed the speakers up to the balcony and the use of colored lights on white umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. Those were just gimicks, but they were entertaining. Maybe it's my latent orchestra geek coming out, but I LOVED the bowed standing base and the violen in so many of their songs, and I love the lead singers deep and powerful voice. A high-energy show, with a surprizingly older crowd.