Robyn at Highline Ballroom
IMpersonals are daily AIM conversations between your Editors, because copying and pasting is much easier and usually more entertaining than thinking of something of substance to say.
Robyn on February 5 at New York’s Highline Ballroom. More photos at the bottom of this post.
KATHY: If you told me ten years ago that I was going to pay twice the face value for a ticket to see the girl who sings “Show Me Love” I would’ve hit you.
BRAD: BUT SHE WAS SO GOOD!
KATHY: Completely agreed. But I mean, we paid. Like literal money.
BRAD: I know, when was the last time we paid for a show?
BRAD: I mean, “Show Me Love” as an encore was kinda funny. But it was different, at least.
KATHY: But it was SHOW ME LOVE.
BRAD: Robyn was amazing. I was a complete eighth grader last night.
BRAD: I was up front taking pictures, only I wasn’t jaded and annoyed. I was dancing and smiling. I took a poster off the god damn wall on the way out!
KATHY: Don’t forget the thumb hole in your black hoodie.
BRAD: Oh yeah. Hoodie thumb holes, band poster rolled up in my hand, calling people after the show to be like “I’M A FANGIRL OMG OMG” and looking at the pictures immediately.
BRAD: Okay, so, since we’re only barely pretending this is an IMpersonal and not a thinly veiled excuse for a “casual” review because we are lazy assholes,
BRAD: why don’t we just say which songs were our favorite.
KATHY: She was so adorable, with her two dance moves and her floppy hair and her little elf face.
BRAD: I mean actually, she was a really awesome performer. I didn’t really expect it.
BRAD: Highline’s lights and sound system are not great at all, but she managed to be really great despite it. And she seemed really happy!
BRAD: I didn’t realize this was her first live show EVER in the United States.
BRAD: I guess that means she didn’t sing live if she came here to do press ten years ago?
KATHY: I guess not.
KATHY: Her voice was amazing… she’s probably one of the best singers I’ve heard live.
BRAD: So she opened with “Cobrastyle,” and she did pretty much every standout song immediately.
BRAD: “Bum Like You,” “Crash and Burn Girl,” “Who’s That Girl,” “Handle Me”
KATHY: “Be Mine”
BRAD: Oh! And we finally figured out she’s saying “Nazi” on “Handle Me.” The reversed part. I had absolutely no idea what she was saying on the album there. Two years now I’ve had no idea what she’s saying there.
KATHY: Yeah, I used to think “what could she possibly say that’s worse than ‘make your balls bounce like a game of ping pong.’“?
BRAD: And apparently “Bum Like You” was written after she saw the Bukowski documentary
BRAD: And the douchefag next to you asked “who’s Bukowski”
KATHY: OH GOD. I forgot about the guys behind me.
KATHY: They were the only strikes I had against the show. Here are the three comments they made:
KATHY: 1. “She is FIIIIEEEERCEEE.”
KATHY: 2. “She is SSO SSSWEDISH!”
KATHY: 3. “Who the fuck is Bukowski?”
KATHY: And then I moved way to the back of the theater.
BRAD: The ones by me were singing off key to every word, and the drunkest got EVERY SINGLE “sure” and “yeah” wrong during “Handle Me.”
KATHY: Statistically he would have to be right at least some of the time.
BRAD: She’d sing “sure” and he’d sing “yeah!”
BRAD: And then she’d sing “yeah” and he’d sing “sure!”
BRAD: And you’d think after the eighth, ninth, and tenth time that he’d just shut the fuck up…
BRAD: Thank you for holding my bag, by the way, on your bum knee and your sliced foot.
KATHY: Oh my god, I was a mess. My shoe was actually filling up with blood. Literally. Truthfully.
KATHY: And my voting injury…I’m a mess.
KATHY: I forgot how slippery elementary school floors are. And I’m all runway walking down the hallway in my one pair of heels…
KATHY: Then BAM, on the floor, 800 old voting ladies around me being all “HONEY ARE YOU OKAAAAAY?”
BRAD: Yeah, way to vote.
KATHY: Obama better win, that’s all I’ve got to say.
February 6th, 2008at 12:10 pm
i’m crying
February 6th, 2008at 8:58 pm
this was too much.
February 20th, 2008at 4:43 pm
show me love is now stuck in m head. thanks.
August 7th, 2008at 10:20 am
“The lights and sound at Highline are not great AT ALL”???
For a venue of that size, I defy you to find a more state-of-the-art sound or lighting system in the NYC area. This is the exact same gear used for a show at say, MSG … just less of it. That goes for the size of the stage as well; at 20 feet by 30 feet, there is no larger stage for a venue of this size in ALL of Manhattan.
Tell me, what makes you an expert on this matter, High School drama class queen, perhaps? (sorry, I couldn’t resist) With all due respect, you obviously don’t know what you are saying.
Artists like: Rhianna (twice!), Mary J. Blige, Santana, Lou Reed, Suzanne Vega, Adele … and lets not forget Paul McCartney … to name only a few, don’t CHOOSE to play this venue because ” … the sound and lights are not great at all”. In fact, it is exactly the opposite. This venue is one of the best in Manhattan for its capacity of 700 standing.
Perhaps you should have checked your facts before cracking out of turn.
Robyn (and her crew/staff) were so impressed with the gear AND the crew that some of the crew are being considered as crew for upcoming larger tours/shows (she only brought along a touring audio guy for this event). She was the epitome of professional and so was her touring staff. They ABSOLUTELY LOVED the room/crew and that is why Highline Ballroom was CHOSEN for her first US performance.
Hint: she may be returning for an upcoming event.
Just for the record.
August 8th, 2008at 11:30 am
he thought the lights and sound sucked at this show or else he wouldn’t have said so. it’s an opinion, dipshit. you have way too much time on your hands. and you’re 6 months late on this.
August 21st, 2008at 8:15 pm
Can you read, or is it read to you? Perhaps comprehension isn’t your forte. The QUOTE is: “The lights and sound at Highline are not great AT ALL”. This clearly implies he is judging the venue overall and NOT one show.
6 months, 6 years … is there a time limit now? You are a fool, fumbling with matches in the dark.
“Twat Mother”… “Dipshit”? So, do you use a fake ID to get into these shows or do you just sneak in? Obviously, you are still in Junior High School. A freshman, I’d bet. Grow up. I was defending a venue I love. Thats my right. NOW or 6 decades from now.
I’ve attended over 20 shows there and have seen no more audio fauz pas (look it up) than any other venue in NYC. The lighting is nothing less than amazing especially for a 700 capacity venue. I work in the “Biz” and attend 3 or more shows every week because its my job. I work with artists that play MSG and I work with artists that play Mercury Lounge (small, but fantastic), The HLB has become one of my favorite venues overall.
The above review stated that the venue’s sound and lights were ” … not great at all” and NOT that they only sucked for Robyn. If he’d said they were only bad for her show (i.e: “The guitar was lost in the audio mix” or “The lights didn’t fit the music”, etc.), then that would have been a valid opinion/review. I would fight to the death for his right to state this. But to say the venue’s S&L is bad overall was incorrect in MY opinion and that’s exactly what he did. So, wise guy, are you saying I have no right to state MY opinion, while defending his?
Now, if you’d like to start a flame war like a child, bring it on. I can’t wait to hear the rest of your witty retorts and juvenile name-calling. I’m always up for a good laugh. But don’t expect much of a reaction from me. I refuse to have a battle of wits with an obviously unarmed person who apparently can’t even comprehend what he reads.
August 21st, 2008at 8:20 pm
Fauz pas = faux pas
I can spell, I CAN!
LOL
Man, I gotta stop typing in the dark!
=p
Hard to believe spell checker doesn’t have that one.
BTW: Here, I’ll make it easy for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faux_pas
August 22nd, 2008at 11:38 am
“Buster” — you railed against her “juvenile name calling” and say she won’t get a reaction out of you, but that’s exactly what you did for thirteen long-winded and scarily psychotic paragraphs. you reacted, and like an unstable person. you called me and the follow-up commenter “high school drama queen,” “fool,” “child,” etc. that is juvenile name-calling. i’m sorry you were so offended by what i said, but this is a 6-month old post on a now-dead blog and you seriously need to get a life. it really seems like you have a problem.
August 23rd, 2008at 5:14 pm
Brad,
Name calling = Mea Culpa
And I too apologize for stooping to that. I said “drama class queen,” because I mistakenly thought the article was authored by Kathy (I’d been awake all night) and couldn’t take it back after uploading. I also followed that with “… all due respect”, to show that I meant no harm. I meant it as in “Queen” (or King) of the drama class, NOT as in “drama queen”. Bad wording on my part, sorry.
Scarily Psychotic = Non Crimen
My reply about the wording (yours) and YTM’s not understanding it was correct. I made no threats or outlandish statements, only facts and opinions in defense of an attack by a person calling themselves “Your Twat Mother”. My name IS Buster, so how is it that I’m psychotic and YTM is ok? (Rhetorical)
Long winded = Mea Culpa
Nolo Contendere. Being an Attorney and a Writer means that I am brimming with words. My apologies.
6 months old = Mea Culpa
I didn’t know there was a time limit, or whatever, nor that it was dead. Some friends and co-workers of mine and I enjoyed your blog very much (in our circles, you are more popular than you know); usually the reviews and such were dead on. I had this review pointed out to me that morning in an email. I hadn’t seen it prior as I’ve been insanely busy, so I responded to what I read, not realizing it was dead.
Too much time on my hands = Mea Culpa
Reviews/blogs and such are part of how I make my living as a consultant to Artist Management types, Venues, Artists themselves and Record Labels. So, this is how I spend a great deal of my time when I’m not in meetings or attending shows.
Unstable person = Non Crimen. Now it is you reading way too far into something and passing judgment. I was responding to an (overly) offensive attack from YTM.
“Get a life” = Nolo Contenere
I have one. A wonderfully busy one at that.
Again my apologies for any and all name calling or if I offended anyone in general. It truly wasn’t my intention until I was attacked. Theres some great shows coming to NYC in the next 3 months (especially with CMJ coming up). I hope you attend another one at HLB and see that it really is a great venue that lets big acts look big in a small room and helps small acts come of age on what may be their first big/pro stage.
Best of everything to you and yours Brad,
Buster