i was there || the knife

Show: The Knife

Location: Aragon Ballroom

Date: 4.23.14

Favorite Song: Most of my favorite songs (like "We Share Our Mothers' Health") didn't sound that great in their live versions. They sounded good, just not great. Surprisingly, the two that stood out the most for me were "One Hit" from Silent Shout + "Full of Fire" from Shaking the Habitual. I wouldn't call either of them favorites but they translated really well live + were both very unique + animated.

Memorable Moment: The show started with DEEP (Death Electro Emo Protest) aeorobics with this guy above. I was a little skeptical when I was informed that I would be sweating before The Knife even went on but it ended up being genius. First of all, our "instructor" was awesome. Before we got started he made us repeat "Self consciousness is the illusion that this is only happening to me." DEEP aerobics. We were stretching, yelling, using our wiggly fingers. Guys were shaking their balls. Ladies were jiggling their boobies. Fun was had by all before the real stuff even started.

Biggest Letdown: I had a fairly good spot towards the front of the crowd but I wish I could have seen more of what was going on stage. And not just the dancing. There were so many cool sounds + I wish I knew where they were coming from but the stage was fairly dark. For example, remember that flute type thing at the end of Kill Bill 2? One chick was playing something similar but it took me towards the middle of the show to figure out what it was.

This Show: Reminded me so much of David Byrne's "How Music Works". This was not a concert, it was an experience I never could have imagined. It was exactly what they needed though. The Knife can't just play a concert. There kind of has to be aerobics, dancing, jumpsuits, sexually infused poetry, random techno interludes, etc.