The concert started off with a rainbow. I guess that's a good sign. I've heard that some awesome Grateful Dead concerts started with a rainbow. But, even with the rainbow, Apollo Sunshine didn't have the electric energy I've usually found in them live. Yes, they were missing their 4th member (Sean Aylward) and yes, they'd just finished up a bunch of cross-country touring, but this Apollo wasn't the spirited band I love.
The music was amazing, as always. They started with "Today Is The Day", a staple that could get any crowd movin', and progressed through many songs from their first album "Katonah" and their latest, "Apollo Sunshine."
"Flip!" was a big hit, along with "Phony Marony", "Lord", "Phyllis", "Bed", "You and I", "Fear of Heights", and "I Was On The Moon." They played a few lesser known songs from "Katonah", but always kept the energy up with the audience (including a frosh-mosh pit.) The energy in Apollo's music is so tangible, it was sometimes a bit of a shock to the crowd to pass from "fast-upbeat" to "slow-melodic." Even some longtime fans felt these quick changes. I saw one guy rockin' out one second (singing all the words) and then looking confused a minute later.
The room was cramped, and hard to dance in, but that didn't stop anyone, and a couple of fights arose because of the lack of space. Jesse Gallagher, usually the ring-leader of Apollo Sunshine, seemed completely oblivious to the scuffles. In fact, the whole band acted as if the audience wasn't even there. Jesse spoke only a handful of times during the entire performance, mumbling song names, and half-heartedly showing us how to do the "Phony Marony."
Where were the stage antics? Where was the energy? The band looked tired when they came back for an encore. I was upset at first, hadn't I only seen them last fall, swinging their guitars (drum-sticks) with intense energy? I'd been so impressed, realizing it was probably the best performance I'd seen in the last year. This performance in comparison was horrible, maybe understandable for other bands, but not for my Apollo Sunshine. Of course I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and I'll be back at the next show they play.
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