Elliott BROOD @ Biltmore Cabaret -- 03/11/10

If nothing else, it was an interesting show. After a couple of shows with really good crowds, I guess it would have to have balanced out some time. But I suppose that is what you get when people are there more for free booze and "dancing" than the band playing. I guess in retrospect, I really shouldn't have been surprised by something called the Jameson Bartenders Ball.

Right out of the bat, the show failed a little, as the communication on the timing was kind of... sub par. The invite page on the facebooks, where you had to RSVP to get in, said doors were 8 and seemed to imply the band would be 9-11, then there would be shenanigans from 11 onward. In fact, the doors were not til 9 (and even then we were not let in until 930) and the band didn't go on until almost 11:30. For those two hours we had to sit through a "DJ" with his "club remixes" of good (or decent) songs, and watching people "dance" while "dressed fancy". It was... well, let's just say fascinating, especially considering it was, how shall i put this... not the usual Biltmore crowd (it was a broverload).

But I digress, onto the show itself! I was sad that I only sort of saw Elliott BROOD during the olympics, so another show so soon was satisfying. And as always with BROOD, they didn't disappoint. They had their usual incredible raw energy and stage presence, even if they were, as they admitted, a few whiskeys in. Every time I am see them I am somewhat surprised to see just how much energy they can build with just the three members. Playing about an hour and a half, they hit a nice mix of older, newer, and a few brand new songs, even throwing in a couple covers, like CCR and White Stripes, which is always cool to hear. They hit most of my favourites of theirs, like the instrumental "Chuckwagon" off Mountain Meadows, which is absolutely fantastic live. I was somewhat disappointed that they didn't pass out the kitchenware for "The Valley Town" and "Write It All Down For You" -- it seems I'm destined to never get any -- but considering the levels of intoxication in the room, that was probably a good idea. Both songs were killer, though, even without the props and despite the usual crowd participation being somewhat lacking; it seemed like only the select few up at the front were HEYHEYHEY!!!-ing along. They ended the set with "Fingers and Tongues", and even though I would've liked to hear "Miss You Know", that was still a pretty damn good way to end the night.

Ok, wait, one more mini-rant. A couple songs into the set, a couple of (drunk) girls decided they had the right to just... wander on to stage. They started off at the back, on the side, kind of out of the way and dancing a little bit, but security seemed to not care and before long they were in the middle of everything, and pulling more people on stage. It was, to put it nicely, ridiculous. And at least one member of Elliott BROOD was visibly displeased. And the worst part about it? It was blatantly obvious that these people knew nothing of the band, let alone being fans. They were attention whores in every sense of the word.

Anyway, I feel like I've ranted sufficiently in this, and I don't want to give the wrong impression: Despite all those annoyances, Elliott BROOD made the whole damn thing worth it.