Concert Review: Metric
We have a beef with online ticketing. It should be a convenience right? We can purchase our concert tickets at any time of day or night, without having to trek down to a venue's box office. Sometimes we don't even mind the egregious surcharge the online ticketing agencies slap on top of the ticket price, because we remind ourselves it's all for our glorious convenience.
But lately when we arrive at a venue ready to see a show (Metric, in this case), we're being punished by having to wait in line behind 40-50 other folks who bought their tickets online. There's one person behind the glass at the box office, thumbing through one list of all the ticket purchasers. To make things worse, those of us who are on the guest list (writers, friends of bands, etc.) have to stand in the same line! (Alright, high class problem, we'll admit it.) Since many of us don't plan for this 20+ minutes of standing in line, we usually end up missing half of the opener's set. Those poor bands are playing their hearts out, and 50 potential fans and review writers are standing in line outside the venue waiting for their ticket.
How can we solve this? The venue could put another employee on ticket pickup duty during the busiest times, and work off of two lists. Ticketing agencies could mail some tickets in advance (the USPS scares us too, but it's an option). Or we could figure in the 20 minute wait and get there earlier. Nah.
We review the show after the jump. (Waiting sucks, huh?)
By the time we finally got inside, Slim's was packed and Death of a Party was onstage. We want to like this local band, and we think the lead singer has a watchable quality to him, but we were feeling a little more style than substance in the songs we got to see. There was a lengthy set changeover (more waiting, waah!), wherein several roadies set up gear, put out towels and taped down rugs in a manner meticulous enough for an arena rock band. The audience was distracted by some footage projected onto a screen obscuring the stage, but it was still a damn long set change for an indie rock band.
Finally Metric hit the stage with their erratic, energetic and angular art rock. Singer/keyboardist Emily Haynes looked like a strawberry blond Winona Ryder in a white eyelet babydoll dress, shining with her jogging, robotic dance moves and captivating presence. She's a mesmerizing performer, but the whole band keeps up the kinetic pace right along with her. Metric's performances are alive, exciting. Yeah, we're going to say it -- it was worth the wait.
Metric's second full length Live It Out is out now and you should get it. Watch the video for Monster Hospital. And let us know if online ticketing bugs you too.