Mad props to the crazy mook dudes in the middle of the pack looking like Christian convention-goers on crack. Paradise was pretty full, even full enough to squeeze a couple guys into crowd-surfing: Them Editors’ lead guitarist and one of his gangstas.

We missed the Bon Savants’ self-described “best show evar”, but they always say that. Lake Trout was some serious yawnage, flopping around on the deck with their collars popped.

Editors ripped a few pages out of their own book with a by-numbers performance, but kept it loud and was enough to whip the crowd into a 1/4 frenzy. The lead singer quirked around most of the time, as if victim of a nuclear wedgie. Played pretty much everything from The Back Room, with “Lights” and “Munich” (I think) for the encore, inexplicably leaving out their cover of Lionel Richie’s “Say You, Say Me”.

Let’s go to the instant replay:
Editors – “All Sparks” (My youtube clip, arrr)
Editors – “Fall” (And another, for ma boy N8)

Midlake kicked it off with their splashy tunes, at times, punchy enough to make crushes swoon. And these guys have more instrumentation per capita than any band I’ve ever seen. The stage looked like a NASA control center. Their sober melodies and pinching innocence were the solid foundation of a long night of action.

Cold War Kids, whose hype most of the kids showed up for, were next and delivered a bustling, frantic set full of fine indie shrieking. They splashed the crowd with jangling mojo and there were slight moments of brilliance, but overall, the scales weren’t tipped. Then half the peeps filed out.

Finally came the saucy posse, SOUND Team. On a side note, a friend brought me a shirt she designed and out front the show, the ST bassist caught a glimpse and beseeched her to borrow it. Thinking he was in a band @ the Middle East, she declined, but after much pursuit of said shirt, I gave him the OK to rock it on stage, which he completely did. The shirt’s covered in awesome images of various meat products, and was even mentioned before the start of a new song of theirs as a possible title, “Meat Carpet”. Anyway, the dudes pounded through their set with Texas-sized swagger – popped it and locked it, like a freight train bouncing down the tracks. Solid as hell.

My Youtube clip of “No More Birthdays”
My Youtube clip of “Back In Town”
One more coming…

Related: Cold War Kids’ tour diary

Unique set of circumstances last night at The ‘Dise. They rolled up to the place a few hours late, there was an Ozz Fest Party in the Lounge, and we got to sit absolute front & center – yes, sit – since they had about 100 folding chairs set up. New to me.

It’s basically a crime against humanity that I didn’t have my camera with me, as I would’ve taken hundreds of ridiculous close-ups and video of the whole thing. We may have some pics coming though.

Lytle and his backing buddy had a little table with a night lamp and a Kerr jar of drum mallets surrounded by a Casio, synth, and an acoustic guitar. Oh, and the canned mic for the fuzzvoice. They started with “Summer It’s Gone”, which has been in my head ever since. They busted through a wide variety of Grandaddy tunes (despite the “torture chamber” next door), which made them all organic, original, and even more beautiful. It was basically the perfect way to pour one out for our now-defunct homeys.

Highly similar setlist from NYC (via The Music Slut)
Huge review with pics @ Nonphenomenal Lineage