Rogue Wave @ Irving Plaza, NYC
Live Reviews | Apr 15th, 2008
Opening Bands: Grand Ole Party
Date: April 12th, 2008
Band Links: link
I wanted to see Rogue Wave last fall but I never got around to seeing the show at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. This time they were playing Irving Plaza and since I like that venue a lot, I decided to check out the indie rock outfit from Cali.
When my girlfriend and I arrived at the venue after the doors opened, there were barely anyone there. I noticed there wasn’t a photo pit for the show so I had to rush to the front to get a spot to take pictures. I hate when there isn’t a photo pit for a show when I’m suppose to take pictures. It’s just hard taking pictures because you’re standing in the same spot the entire time, and if you don’t arrive early you miss out on a good spot. The venue did fill up to the point of selling out, so I couldn’t just walk around and take pictures. I still managed to get some good shots from the show.
I believe the start time was supposed to start at 8pm but the show didn’t start until 8:45pm. The band Grand Ole Party opened up the show. They hail from San Diego and they are currently on tour with Rogue Wave for the most part. I never heard of the band but I think I will be checking out their music now. The group features a bassist and guitarist, and a female drummer who sings as well. Singer-drummer Kristin Gundred had a great voice and was a kick-ass drum player. I’m not sure what songs they played since I never heard of them before, but I really liked what I heard. As far as photography is concerned, I wished they used more lighting because it was REALLY dark. I didn’t really want to use flash since I’ve been learning not to use it. At one point there seemed to be only one dark-celled light directed on stage and that was it. Rogue Wave’s lighting wasn’t much better either. They used lots of dark greens, blues, and reds which makes it hard to photograph sometimes.
Rogue Wave came on a little bit after Grand Ole Party finished their rockin’ set. I didn’t realize Rogue Wave had this many members. It seemed like every band member played 4 instruments each. Even the drummer seemed to play a few instruments or do a few things behind his drum set. Rogue Wave opened up with “Like I Needed” off their newest album “Asleep at Heaven’s Gate” off of Brushfire Records. They played a lot from that album, which I’m happy about since I think that’s their best album to date. They also played songs off “Out of the Shadow” and “Descended like Vultures.” As I was watching the band and trying to take pictures, I realized how great musically the band was. They really seemed to know their stuff, and had a great time playing it as well. The crowd was really digging their music as well. There was one amusing point in the show when everyone was smacking a blown up condom around and made its way to the stage.
Other notable songs that they played were “Bird on a Wire,” “Publish Your Love,” “Chicago x12” and “Eyes.” The song “Eyes” was the song that got me into the band in the first place. I heard the song on the premiere episode of Heroes and really liked the song. So I decided to dig a little deeper and then became a fan of Rogue Wave’s music. So I’m still a fairly new fan of the band. Towards the end of the set, I went to stand in the back because I was getting ADD. I didn’t realize how crowded the club got until I had to walk through everyone. The band finished with “Lake Michigan” and “Harmonium” and I thought those 2 songs were the best of the night. It seemed a lot of people left after “Lake Michigan” was played. I can just imagine what people were thinking: “Oh, they played the song from the Zune commercial, we can go home now…”
Zach Rogue came back out for an encore and played 2 solo songs, and then another song “California” with the band. After that, I’m not sure if they played anything else because I went home myself. I had a long drive home, and it ended up being a nightmare. (Watch this space for a blog link about it). Overall, I liked Rogue Wave’s set and thought they played a lot of good songs. I wish they played “Own Your Own Home,” “Fantasies,” or “Salesman at the Day of the Parade” though. I’m not sure they played those; I can’t seem to remember if they did or maybe they played one of them after I left?. If you’re a fan of the band and haven’t seen them live yet, they are currently on tour so check out one of their shows.
