Mew @ The Turf Club 8/13/17

Okay, so Mew returned to Minnesota for the 2nd time in nearly 2 years (Here's my review from the October 5, 2015 show in Minneapolis at The Triple Rock Social Club).

And for the 2nd time, I can say they blew me away. I think part of it is hearing many of the songs, namely the Frengers/Kites/No More Stories tunes, live, has this amazing ability to bring me NOSTALGIA.

And like the show in 2015, I couldn't help but blubber a bit, succumbing to tears. The videos (*Visuals*) add a lot. So dreamy, dark, twisted, and surreal. They get to escape into the music actually.

And I'm just going to add right here in the review:

A Feature Entry(s) and Video is long overdue about Mew. And certainly I doubt I'll be able to avoid among the anecdotes, the memories/images of a couple tunes. "Zookeeper's Boy" and how I always think of the Michel Gondry/Gael Garcia-Bernal film The Science of Sleep, which oddly, when I started writing in this blog in December of 2006, I recall writing a review or referencing it. Granted, I saw that movie at Lagoon Theater in September or October of 2006, so it was a few months before then. But the Summer/Fall of 2006 also was my Mew discovery period.

Also "Louise Louisa" I think it is off Kites, in recent years has hit me like a ton of bricks for some reason associating it with the experience of 1st meeting my wife at KFAI.

But hopefully those long-winded tales will be found at a near-future form.

back to this review. The new songs so work pretty well live. "Twist Quest"  and "Nothingness and No Regrets / Season" along with "Water Slides" from Plus Minus.

They just create such great atmosphere, I can't help but be swept up in what they present.

And for the 2nd time in 2 years, the band were gracious enough to hang around and chat with the fans here. Jonas, Johan Wohlert, Mads, Dr. (Nick) Watts, and Silas who I only got to speak to briefly as I was leaving. It was absolutely STORMING out though; per thankfully I didn't have a long trek to make from St.Paul. The band and some of the fans there, I feel for, like friends from Facebook Jared and his brother Matt (although Matt told me he now resides in Golden Valley, but Jared is from Austin, MN. Both of them I guess seeing their 1st Mew concert).

But the band were very down-to-earth, engaging like a couple of years ago. I spoke with Jonas about Prince even, and I just skimmed that review from 2 years ago, we chatted about Prince back then as well, lol. But also Kimbra. Per her guesting on Plus Minus, and Jonas guesting on The Golden Echo, I wonder if they could do a tour at some point together. If it happens, I would not be surprised. Kimbra I guess is in Japan right now, but she has a new album in the works, so who knows.

Anyway, I can't really say enough good things about last night, save for I am grateful they are still a band, making music and touring. I mentioned Oceansize, Pure Reason Revolution and Vennart to some of the fans and guys in Mew.  I can't find it right now, but there was an article around 2006 (or maybe 2007 or 2005) that mentioned Mew, PRR and I want to say Klaxons. Oceansize may have also been mentioned, but they were buzzed about on the forums with those 2. Klaxons?..never got into them.

but when I met Mike Vennart last April with Biffy Clyro, I mention both PRR and Mew to him and I thought he said 'Size did a gig or even a tour with Mew at 1 point.  But I look at the progressive band from Europe/UK from the last decade, and with PRR and Oceansize not around now, I am still grateful Mew is. I guess they ultimately had the most crossover appeal among those 3, for whatever reason.

More on this hopefully soon i.e. talking about my history and Mew's albums, etc. Since it is long overdue in a lot of ways.










(photos per Jared on the Mew fan group on FB)

In a Better Place
Special
The Zookeeper's Boy
Candy Pieces All Smeared Out
Satellites
Introducing Palace Players
Snow Brigade
Start
Twist Quest
Water Slides
Apocalypso
Saviours of Jazz Ballet
The Zookeeper's Boy
Carry Me to Safety

Encore
Nothingness And No Regrets / Seasons
Am I Wry? No
156
Comforting Sounds

Mew 10/5/15 at The Triple Rock Social Club

Well to follow-up yesterday's 9-years-to-the-day anniversary show of a sorts that's the entry below this, here's a review of last night's actual show.

The set list is from a number of shows recently on this tour of theirs. The only 1 that is throwing me off was "Making Friends" which in looking at another live video of it, I do think they did it, I'm just not having it stand out as much I suppose.

But as far as the rest of the set list, this was quite pleasing. Between getting "Sometimes Life Isn't Easy" from No More Stories, to "She Spider" which has always been a favorite of mine, and feel it's not mentioned enough as a standout from Frengers. To that medley being a huge goosebump part. "Clinging to a Bad Dream" has become one of my favorites on Plus Minus, and "Louise Louisa" I have fallen head over heals in love with, with it's sad/melancholic tone, as I wrote a bit about in the previous entry.

And then there was the epic "Rows" which is a phenomenal multi-part track in the studio, that at 1st I only partially recognized. But as it went along and we got to my favorite sections, I was pretty floored by it. The drum/percussion outro is so good, I wish they'd play it for 5 or 10 minutes longer than it goes for. I really hope it becomes like "Comforting Sounds" per a staple live track, as I think it translates even better live. Very trippy and dreamy and mesmerizing.

The rest of the show was also engaging, as they played to the crowd even. Jonas even had the crowd sing some of the choruses on songs like "The Zookeeper's Boy" and "Snow Brigade" which just added to how great this was.

While I hold a special place for that show+partial show I saw at The Fine Line back in 2006, this show definitely was an event to not forget. Very much an epic, energetic, and fulfilling concert, that I kind of have waited for and wanted to experience ever since becoming a Mew fan in 2006.

And to top it all off, I was incredibly overjoyed to get to hang out and chat with all the band members including Jonas Bjerre, after the show outside. I probably spent 30-45 minutes with them and the fans, which I'll admit, I did not expect at all. I wonder if this show, being that it ended at like 10:30PM, the band were into mixing with some of the crowd afterwards per the early start and end time? Or maybe more so, they are just more up for signing autographs and pics now.

And the response and crowd size seemed to really get a good reaction from them. I recall 1 of their guitarists (Johan?) said something on stage about "I know this is normally Prince's town, but I think tonight it's YOUR town" referring to the crowd, etc. In chatting with Jonas a little about Minnesota, he said he saw Prince back in Denmark recently, so obviously he and the band presumably are fans.

But shooting the shit with them was really *special* in a lot of ways, and as memorable a part of this show. I did get them to sign my vinyl, and had my camera, but the battery unfortunately was more or less dead, so no pics or video for me.

As far as their future and touring, I guess I would love to see them back again, and it very well could happen, sooner than in another 9 years, lol. Maybe even next year, depending on if they do more touring to support Plus Minus. But I guess after the long desired and epic nature of last night's show, I can feel a level of fulfillment about Mew, if by some chance this is it, or there is another long gap in the time they return to my hometown.

Witness
Satellites
Special
The Zookeeper's Boy
Introducing Palace Players
Sometimes Life Isn't Easy
Water Slides
Snow Brigade
She Spider
Medley
(Clinging to a Bad Dream/The Zookeeper's Boy/Louise Louisa)
Making Friends
Rows
Am I Wry? No
156

Encore:
My Complications
Comforting Sounds