Alex started off telling us this was the first show of a new tour and that the band wasn't used to such large venues (as the not-all-that-large but not small Fox in Oakland). So it was a work in progress. Comments:
• The show got off to a slow start as the sound crew was slow in getting set up and even so the sound mixing was pretty poor. They'll want to iron that out!
• The band rocked. They played tight and intricate rhythms and were well-synched. Alex on the other hand seemed to be doing his own thing. He couldn't seem to find or hold the energy of the musicians and had a lot of difficulty remaining focused and energized. His main concern was wading into the crowd to be touched and yet for all of his attention to the audience he didn't seem to feel their need for MORE MUSICAL ENERGY.
• Every song seemed to turn into a kind of drone. Not in a bad way. More like a low-thrumming kirtan (although sometimes rather funereal). The crowd leaped to its feet with every upbeat chorus of upbeat dance and jump around celebration song of the first album but with Alex (and all of the vocalists) wandering off and unable to hold the up- celebratory feeling, things kept winding down and droning on.
• Long pauses between songs as they figured out what to play next added to the overall stillness of the performance in the face of a crowd that wanted to have more upbeat good time.
So, not a great show but the seeds are in place for a good tour. I suspect that the new songs are going to be better in their studio versions as they'll be more focused.
The band is tight but Alex was tripping and while that was amusing (from the balcony he looked and acted like Russell Brand) but it detracted from the musicality of the show. I'd like to catch them at the end of this tour. At that point they'll either have it all together or they'll be on the verge of a break up.