Pat McGee Band at Irving Plaza
I can’t even remember the last time I saw Pat McGee Band live; the last time I mentioned a concert here was July 2002, although I may have seen them play once or twice since that. In any case, it had been awhile, and I got out to Irving Plaza last night to see what was at one time my favorite band.
When we got to the venue, I saw Brian Fechino standing outside the bus, and I said hi. I mentioned that I hadn’t gotten out to see them play in awhile, and he brought me up to speed on the current state of the band—“tighter than ever” were his words, I believe. I said I was looking forward to the show and that it was good to see him again, and I wished him luck. It’s good to know that rock stars can still be down-to-earth.
There was a table inside selling live recordings of last evening’s show—probably related to this story I discussed awhile back. Kind of disappointing not to see the taped-off section on the floor in front of the soundboard anymore, but I suppose that’s progress. The guy at the table said CDs were $15 apiece—$15?! That seems a little steep for an 80-minute live set with zero mastering, especially considering all the shows that are available gratis.
It was weird to hear PMB open with Rebecca and Runaway, but I guess they were trying to grab the predominantly Better Than Ezra-supporting crowd with their radio stuff. It was really nice to hear some strong vocal harmonies from the band again—that was the aspect of their music that grabbed me from their recordings before I ever saw them live, and the aspect that I have missed the most since Al Walsh left. I thought that the sound mix was a little bass-heavy, but that may have been a matter of personal preference.
Last night was the first time that I had ever heard a couple songs, most notably Annabelle. Most of the new material I knew from the Holiday 2001 tour, but I was digging the way it has evolved, and I found Brian’s assessment of their tightness to be pretty accurate. It’ll be interesting to see what direction they take with their two new members.
December 08, 2004 - 09:21 AM