Marcy Playground (w/ Hot Action Cop)8/1/09 Phoenix Hill Tavern, Louisville, KY
Marcy Playground is remembered as one of the biggest one-hit-wonders of the 90's, but in retrospect I don't know why. I mean, I understand they did only have one REAL hit song, but the fact is that the band is so good...how did they never make it work? Seeing their concert last night, just reinforces that question.
The band is out in support of their new album "Leaving Wonderland...in a fit of rage", which is an astonishingly good album in its own right (album review coming soon). They tore through of their old songs like "Poppies" and "Saint Joe on the Bus" were great reminders of the days when people liked one song, and still ended up buying a really great album (although "Cloak of Elven Kind" was sadly missing from the set). Some of the great songs from their pseudo-dark period, like "Punk Rock Superstar" and "Rock n' Roll Heroes", also showed up throughout. And of course they played "the song". Which didn't seem contrived or nostalgic like when most 'one hit wonders' hit into their signature hit. The audience was excited for it and the band seemed just as excited to play it. And I'll admit, I'm one of the few people that is pro-concert sing-a-longs - and it filled the room amazingly.
John Wozniak's voice is a force of nature and how that has gotten passed me for the last decade is shocking. And when the band closed with a cover of (the nearly cliche) "Hallelujah", I was skeptical. But they sold me...full band, Buckley's arrangement, and Woz's voice - their rendition of that song easily shoots to the top of that rapidly increasing list of people who cover that song.
The weak part of the evening was opening act Hot Action Cop. They're a band that plays mediocre music very well. They put on a good show, but their musical style clashes badly with that of Marcy Playground. Hot Action Cop feels like a bad remnant from the rap-rock craze of the late 90's that we all try to forget. And the entire band should be sentenced to anafterlife in the flaming pits of hell for their cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb".
The band is out in support of their new album "Leaving Wonderland...in a fit of rage", which is an astonishingly good album in its own right (album review coming soon). They tore through of their old songs like "Poppies" and "Saint Joe on the Bus" were great reminders of the days when people liked one song, and still ended up buying a really great album (although "Cloak of Elven Kind" was sadly missing from the set). Some of the great songs from their pseudo-dark period, like "Punk Rock Superstar" and "Rock n' Roll Heroes", also showed up throughout. And of course they played "the song". Which didn't seem contrived or nostalgic like when most 'one hit wonders' hit into their signature hit. The audience was excited for it and the band seemed just as excited to play it. And I'll admit, I'm one of the few people that is pro-concert sing-a-longs - and it filled the room amazingly.
John Wozniak's voice is a force of nature and how that has gotten passed me for the last decade is shocking. And when the band closed with a cover of (the nearly cliche) "Hallelujah", I was skeptical. But they sold me...full band, Buckley's arrangement, and Woz's voice - their rendition of that song easily shoots to the top of that rapidly increasing list of people who cover that song.
The weak part of the evening was opening act Hot Action Cop. They're a band that plays mediocre music very well. They put on a good show, but their musical style clashes badly with that of Marcy Playground. Hot Action Cop feels like a bad remnant from the rap-rock craze of the late 90's that we all try to forget. And the entire band should be sentenced to anafterlife in the flaming pits of hell for their cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb".
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