The Canyon nightclub was very cool - Asian antiques, oriental rugs and funky furniture mixed in with signed guitars and rock posters on the walls. The only complaint about the club was the seating format that night - we were forced to eat mediocre food in order to reserve a table, and people sat all night at their assigned table (with the exception of a few fans standing and clapping after each song ended) which did not allow for crowd movement. The handful of people at reserved tables that were excited about the new music and stood up to dance were tapped on the shoulder and asked to sit down by patrons near them. Many of the new songs make you want to move/dance. In the words of a seasoned Todd veteran standing near me, "Those people up front are comatose!" We were happy sitting/dancing toward the back of the venue along with so many other fellow decades-long Todd fanatics.
Saturday's show was an improvement from Wednesday's Key Club gig. Todd was much more vocal and energetic. The band found their groove and appeared more interactive and relaxed. Saturday's performance of "Mercenary" was an aggressive and impressive performance of hard rock initially forgotten from Wednesday. Todd slipped into some brief war/Iraq talk when discussing the song and it momentarily quieted the crowd. That reaction seemed strange for LA.
Along with "Mercenary", "Weakness" and "Strike" were even more powerful the second time around. Todd reiterated his "double your money back guarantee if you don't like it" banter about "Courage", and performed the encores shirtless. Same overall set list as previous shows this tour. This tour will just get better. Don't miss out!
Thank you Todd for your continued rocking and inspiring performances in 2008!
