I saw The Breeders in Austin, here's a concert review

The year was 1998.

Or maybe it was 1999.

I had picked up Last Splash in the bargain bin a few years ago but it hadn't clicked with me. There is so much more music to consume when you're in college, so even though the album didn't gel with me, I was still happy to pick it up for "Cannonball" and "Divine Hammer" alone. So I moved on to  other albums and pretty much forgot about Last Splash. However, in the late 90's I was working out and I was bored, so I took Last Splash along.

Somewhere during a crazy long bike ride up an imaginary hill, "Do You Love Me Now?" came on and it punched me in the chest. How could this album not clicked with me?

Sure, there's some slow songs but they're weird, slow good songs (hello "Roi").  I've always thought Last Splash  was a prefect combination of surf and grunge, thoughtful but fun.  The soundscape is served on a  on a canvas of angst, forlorn love and...well, I guess bongs.  It's not a perfect album, but it's a perfect 90's album. It's charming, sad and above all, catchy. You will be humming the guitar melodies just as much as  the vocal melodies when you get hooked on the album. I can't go on without mentioning  Kim and Kelley Deal's vocals. Kim has this breathy thing going on that is amazing (surprisingly not annoying) and when the sisters sing together, it's quite lovely.

On a side note, I always loved that the band didn't try to sell itself as a "girl band" but as a band that happened to have three woman. Kim Deal was (and is) hot, in part, because she doesn't give a damn what you think.

All this is to say that the album, like all good albums, slowly weaseled its way into my heart.  

Once Napster came around I quickly picked up Safari and parts of Pod...and I also discovered the lovely and beautiful Hank William's cover,  "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)", which was a b-side off the "Divine Hammer" single.

So damn good.

I was pretty obsessed with their discography for awhile so I was excited when I learned they were coming back in the early 2000's. However, I was a disappointed with both  Title TK and Mountain Battles.   Both albums (with a few exceptions) seemed to lack the sugar rush and charm of Last Splash. The albums seemed more straight ahead, less playful but to be honest, I have never given either album a fair shake. My favorite song of this era is the insanely good cover of "Wicked Little Town". 

All this is to say when I heard a new The Breeders album was in the works last year, I was still excited to hear the new songs. I was unable to see them the last time they played in Austin, but this time I wouldn't let the opportunity pass.

Last year I had missed out on Spoon tickets here in SA (sold out in less than 3 minutes), so I was determined not to miss out on The Breeders. The concert was in Austin at Emo's and it is a much larger venue than the Aztec for Spoon and there were plenty of tickets.  I told a colleague who loves 90's rock and he decided he would join me. He's a bit of a stoner so I thought for sure he would be high or get high, but he was stone cold sober the whole trip. 

We left for Austin and had possibly the best traffic I have ever had on my way to Austin. We left SA around 6:45 on a Saturday night and there was no traffic, it was as if it God had cleared the way for us to be perfectly on-time. We arrived at Emos' a little after 8:00, and walked right in after a security check point, reminding me that it was 2018 and not 1999.

I had never been to Emo's and it was pretty cool place. Spacious, clean and reasonably priced drinks. Couldn't complain a bit. I bought a Lone Star (it was cheap) and C bought a Dos XX as we waited for the first band to start.

A punk band from Baltimore, Post Pink opened and they were impressively loud and energetic. A dash of the Ramones with a little more anger/straight ahead rock. I liked 'em. They were a perfect opener, as their songs were short and to the point. I never got bored. They definitely left you wanting more, but satisfied with what you got. Two of the members looked like they had stepped out of 1985.

As Post Pink finished up their set, I realized Emo's was packed. It was a great turnout, and we had a great spot. About 15-20 feet from the stage, dead center, with no TALL GUYS in sight. 

After a short break, The Breeders took the stage, opening with the opener from Last Splash, "New Year" followed by the banger from the new album, "Wait in the Car".  They pretty much played the new album but with heavy doses of Last Splash with a proper sprinkling of some of the best stuff from over the years.
 

It's a crappy phone photo to prove I was there.

The band was in high spirits, laughing, joking, generally looking like they were having a great time.  Well except Josephine. She just rocked out on bass, calmly, like a cool glass of water.  Kim was smiling the whole time and said "thank you" after every song, as if she wasn't expecting us to clap. Later, before "Drivin' on 9" she was giving Kelley a hard time, saying "She's even weirder than she is on stage" or something to that effect.  The band was tight for the most part with rarely a slip up and Kim, Kelley and Josephine sounded fantastic.

Drivin' on 9

I was loving the concert and I was just happy as a lark but it felt like something was missing....what was it? I mean, an extra beer would have been nice (I had to stop at two as I was driving that night), but that wasn't it.

The band finished up their set, and of course, it was time for the encore. Then it hit me. Yup, I had forgotten the song that captured my imagination all those years ago, "Do You Love Me Now?" started up, I whooped and hollered with excitement. I sang along with pleasure, never really thinking I would have the opportunity to sing along with this particular song.  I was worried about the harmonies, but they pulled it off like pros. Absolutely beautiful.

So, this show is definitely in my top five concert going experiences. It just had a certain quality that I can't put my finger on.  So if you're scoring at home, here's my top five concerts (not really in order, except for the first). Also, had to add a sixth concert on there too. That one is blog worthy all by itself.

1. Weezer, December 1996, Austin
2. The Breeders, April 2018, Austin
3. Foo Fighters, 1996 (1997?), first tour, San Antonio
4. Spoon, College Station, 1999
5. Weezer, Austin, 2011 (Pinkerton Album Tour)
6. Tripping Daisy, College Station, 1999

I know, I know, Weezer being on the list twice is pathetic, but these are the concerts I think back on with a smile.

Here's the set list:

New Year
Wait in the Car
No Aloha
Divine Hammer
Huffer
Glorious
Dawn: Making an Effort
Safari
Spacewoman
Drivin' on 9
Walking With a Killer
Fortunately Gone
S.O.S.
Off You
I Just Wanna Get Along
Cannonball
Happiness Is a Warm Gun
Skinhead #2
MetaGoth
Gigantic

Encore:
Do You Love Me Now?
Nervous Mary
Saints