Keane, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland
A near two-hour show featuring songs from across their now four-album back catalogue.
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Never mind that it's the title of the last Animal Collective album: Merriweather Post Pavilion is nothing to write home about. For starters, the outdoor amphitheatre is a hike from civilization, so it's troublesome to get to. Then there's the issue of size - it holds over 19,000, not exactly a cosy place to see a gig. But playing massive venues must be old hat to Keane these days. Interestingly on this summer jaunt through North America, the band has largely played at indoor venues, but with Merriweather an outdoor amphitheatre making the English trio sweat. So much that resident band photojournalist and Keane drummer Richard Hughes commented on the gig on their official Web site, 'I can honestly say this was the hottest gig I've played' (be thankful you don't live here, Rich.)
It's never fun to travel for a gig when it's raining and thundering, and it was pouring down on Columbia and the surrounding environs Thursday night. The venue took full advantage of the weather situation, using the opportunity to hawk ponchos. Despite the trying conditions and potentially faint-inducing steamy mugginess, Keane put on an energetic, near two-hour show featuring songs from across their now four-album back catalogue.
From the sweeping grandeur of 'This is the Last Time' and 'Everybody's Changing' to the more synthtastic 'Spiralling' and 'Again and Again', the trio proved the trek to a venue neither close to Baltimore or Washington DC was worth all the time we'd been stuck in traffic on the motorway. Megahit 'Somewhere Only We Know' became a massive singalong, with Tom Chaplin grinning widely and urging on the crowd repeatedly with 'it's your turn!' as the audience perfectly sang back to him the lyrics we all know by heart.
Perhaps the best moment of the evening was Chaplin proudly handing over lead vocal duties to bandmate and principal Keane songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley for 'Your Love', a track from their current EP, 'NIght Train'. If you've ever seen the band live or on telly, you know he tirelessly bangs on the piano, synths and guitar, often with his gangly long legs flying, during Keane shows. But this was his moment, the spotlight focused on him, his time to shine in front of thousands.
Amazing: the man has a good if not great set of pipes, and one can surely hope that instead of the more 'out there' tracks proffered on 'Night Train' (erm, the ill-advised ‘Ishin Deshin (You’ve Got to Help Yourself)' collaboration with Japanese MC Tigarah, for one?), the band goes back one step to 'Perfect Symmetry' and fully utilise Rice-Oxley's singing talent. Related to this: there has been a rumor that Chaplin wants Keane to work with American R&B artist and recent Twitter broadcasting ignoramus Kanye West. Perish the thought. Urgent message to Keane: we beg of you. When it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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